>>5960681

All of this was just a matter of organisation. Hundreds of newcomers in a form of Stonemasons would have to be welcomed and integrated into the Alteraci society. There would be many hurdles and you weren’t sure how everything would advance from here.

“Master Pelija is here.” Taretha Foxton announced to you. Your earlier, rather personal time spent with her was replaced with the more official and responsible one.

“Send him in.” You replied to her and watched as Tari gave you a gentle nod and closed the door to your study for a moment.

Standing and facing one of your bookshelves, you heard the door to your study open after a moment. Wearing your brown leather jacket, you had closed it closed, the neat row of buttons making sure it was all neat and tidy, its collar folded and fixed.

“Prince Perenolde.” Master Mason Erefor Pelija greeted you.

“Call me Prince Alric, Prince Perenolde makes me feel awfully old.” You replied and turned to face him.

You had chosen to speak to him in a more formal and regal tone this time. To both show your disappointment in him and to make sure that he understands his position.

“Yes Prince Alric.” Pelija replied to you and caught your eyes.

You had chosen to not wear you glasses this time. The dark glasses that now usually hid your eyes were safely on the table and now you faced and stared at him with your eyes that had the green tint of Fel in them.

It seemed to make most men nervous, even someone who was at least twice your age, for you could see Pelija shift nervously. You would have to play your own part today, this evening.

“Please take a seat Master Pelija.” You replied to him, choosing to stay standing. The older gentleman chose to follow your orders.

“Now though, I will have to say that I am disappointed in you Master Pelija. I wouldn’t have expected you to lie to me nor try to obfuscate who the mercenaries really were.” You said to him. The trio who had been hired to protect the Stonemasons were supposed to be Stonemasons, not just your usual mercenaries. Morgan the Collector, Surena Caledon and Erlan Drudgemoor, the fighters and a warlock masquerading as a mage.

“They asked me to Prince… Alric.” Pelija said and caught himself.

“Doesn’t matter, what is done is done.” You replied to him and made sure with your tone, that what was said, wasn’t done. “Now though, what shall we do with the Stonemasons?”

Taking your seat and sitting down, you came opposite of him. Taking your glasses, you put them on and gave him a gentle smile.

“Where do we start?” You asked him.

1/1

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>>5960684


>Their numbers. How many of them have arrived and how many of them will arrive in the coming weeks and months?
>Housing and tents. How are we going to house them all and get them inside where it is warm and dry?
>The Stonemasons need to integrate with the Alteracis and Master Mason Erefor Pelija is going to help you with that.
>The mercenaries are an issue, you cannot have armed men outside of your own soldiers in Dawnholme or in your realm.
>Surena Caledon is a warlock, he knows that right?
>Other, write in.

QM: As always, if you have any questions regarding the Quest, the characters or what is going on, please go ahead and ask them. I will try to answer them the best as I can.

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>>5960684

"you had closed it closed"

Goddamn it, this is what I get for rereading the update just once before posting it. Silly mistake to do.

>>5960687
>Their numbers. How many of them have arrived and how many of them will arrive in the coming weeks and months?
>Housing and tents. How are we going to house them all and get them inside where it is warm and dry?
The basics.
>The Stonemasons need to integrate with the Alteracis and Master Mason Erefor Pelija is going to help you with that.
Be tactful but incisive, especially about how we trusted him yet he seemed to be more loyal to the mercenaries than us. He's not being a very good example to his people.
>The mercenaries are an issue, you cannot have armed men outside of your own soldiers in Dawnholme or in your realm.
Either in the guarding the frontier or helping Blackmoore's campaign.

>>5960687
>>5960744
support

>>5960687
>>Their numbers. How many of them have arrived and how many of them will arrive in the coming weeks and months?
>>Housing and tents. How are we going to house them all and get them inside where it is warm and dry?
Specifics and numbers, very important.
>The Stonemasons need to integrate with the Alteracis and Master Mason Erefor Pelija is going to help you with that
We have offered an home, we have protected them politically and now with military. This is our realm, and he is going to help us.

>The mercenaries are an issue, you cannot have armed men outside of your own soldiers in Dawnholme or in your realm.
They will be put under us and our army. The only troops we tolerate of others is allies and friends, and even then they don't stay long since this is our land. They can be sent to join the main army in the Hills, or Blackmoore campaign. Perhaps we should send a messanger to him that our own campaign is almost done. I would like to join the Blackmoore campaign but we are still going around with the cane so big no.

>Other, write in
>"Do the Stonemasons have anything else to say that i should know ? Are you or Van Cleef telling me everything ? How many men remained behind ? I have noticed many men of fighting age or younger not being present. Van Cleef really wants to remain there then, with the army of king Varian hunting him down ?"

>>5960687
>Their numbers. How many of them have arrived and how many of them will arrive in the coming weeks and months?
We need a census, because we are past supply limits as he might already be aware of.
>Housing and tents. How are we going to house them all and get them inside where it is warm and dry?
How soon until the first houses are ready?
>The Stonemasons need to integrate with the Alteracis and Master Mason Erefor Pelija is going to help you with that.
Pelija is the longest serving leader based in Alterac. We will leverage this relationship and make him the representative of all the Stonemasons, until the people find their feet and integrate themselves. Of course then there's the townhall..
>The mercenaries are an issue, you cannot have armed men outside of your own soldiers in Dawnholme or in your realm.
As mentioned last thread, the only place that the mercenaries should be able to unsheathe within Dawnholme is drilling in the barracks. Unless they commit to joining the army or the city guard.

No update today. Work was stupidly taxing and I have no juice left for any creativity. I will try to get the update out tomorrow whenever I have the time.

Though I could ask you what is the overall stance Alric has with mercenaries? You have everything ranging from professional soldiers to former forest bandits, but does Alric have any restrictions he has placed on himself? Any types of mercs he wouldn't touch or races/creatures other than humans?

>>5961486
I won't speak for everyone but some fundamentals for the new mercs of loyalty/nationalism to Alterac, to not agitate the current fragile peace with the Alliance, to work with neighbours like Tarren Mill, Hillsbrad, Southshore and follow Alric's policy of friendship with those friends.

For everyone else like ogres, syndicate, trolls, or even the next Stonedon, if they fight on scouting then they should prioritise the soldiers' own lives over the objective. If they fight on campaign, then Alric would expect giving their all to further the objectives and welfare of Alterac.

In regard to races, there is a goblin engineer, dark iron dwarf trading partners, a secret red dragon teacher. I think Alric is open-minded about allies but will be more wary with orcs and trolls (even if goblins were also aligned with the Horde). He has already attacked the Blackrock demon-summoning kidnappers, so there is precedent.
I couldn't predict how the next meeting with Thrall will go, but if Alric was present, he'd try to work out an agreement I think.

I expect Alric's pragmatism to really work with anyone except for the worst of assassination-rogues... or deathknights & liches

>>5961486
What do you mean exactly by "stance on mercenaries"? He has hired many of them already, including those shady rogues, and he's also hired other races so I suppose the only kind of merc he wouldn't hire is a morally black one because of his principles and/or an Orc one because of the optics.

>>5961486
As long as what they're doing benefits alterac I doubt he'd care.

As long as they don't flee a fight costing us more lives. I don't think he'd care.

Alric is worried about looking like a horde lover so anything to do with trolls, orcs, ect. Would be done behind closed doors or high levels of plausible deniability.

I'd prefer a nice relationship with our Troll neighbors. Basically a I won't fuck with you, you don't fuck with me. And we'd be happy to do some dead drop trades. Aka leave a wagon of goods in the woods. After we get paid upfront.

>anons I was thinking we could let the Trolls (once we have a good relationship) go through our lands to raid alliance convoys. That's only if the alliance start trying to step on us.

>>5961862
>anons I was thinking we could let the Trolls (once we have a good relationship) go through our lands to raid alliance convoys. That's only if the alliance start trying to step on us.
That's exactly what pissed off the Alliance during the second war except orcs were let through to ambush the elves and Lordaeron. We need to be really really careful there, but WoW lore on Zul'Aman shows the trolls let a plague unfurl on their doorstep and hardly gave a fuck.

>>5960718
Isn’t it about time to change the title image? That black and white banner with the old Horde pennant isn’t particularly attractive.

>>5961486
During Ancient Greece times one of the things that tyrants would do is hire mercenaries and pay them with land, turning them into settlers and with their settlements becoming a source of soldiers that is loyal to the tyrant and who aren’t particularly chummy with the locals and their plight. Maybe we could try something like that? Get your family and children to settle down in Alterac in a contractual arrangement where instead of paying with money you pay with military service at a moment’s notice.

>>5961486
I think that Alric is down would be down with mercs from every race except for the overly antagonistic ones like orcs, gnolls and murlocs. Also, Alric probably worries about the optics that comes with mercs with a bad rep, even if they happen to be human. Hiring known rapists, raiders, barbarians and whatnot is not a good look.

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If the QM or players are interested at all interested, I'd like to cordially invite you to participate in that greatest of /qst/ community events, the official crossover husbando/waifu (or king & queen) contest! As this is a long-running, character-driven quest, I thought you folks might be interested in joining the festivities!

Taking nominees now, and for the next four days.

>>5961634

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Work is stupid, I wish this job site would end. Please God strike me down! I dislike being unable to get the updates out, especially with a brand new thread. I am hoping for things to sort out as quickly as possible.

Good musing about the mercs, this was exactly what I wanted out of what I asked.

And have the updated map of Strahnbrad Hills, the place is yours now. Just clean up and patrolling needed.

>>5962120

Maybe, potentially. I do have the few alternatives that anons made saved up.

>>5962133
you should stick to advertising in the general, my dude
>>5933504

>>5962206
Eh, maybe, but I know the general and Discord are actively spurned by some players, and I didn't want to exclude folks from some of the the most dedicated quests on the board. I'll take it under advisement, but I've pretty much already done the rounds.

>>5962191
Run these maps of yours through an AI converter so they’ll be easier on the eyes without much effort, any discrepancies can be chalked up to medievalist lack of technology. Also those more lore accurate trolls are terrifying, I think it’s only a matter of time before they start directly fucking with Alric by doing things like cheekily advancing their border totems with none the wiser until they meet resistance or start literally demanding a troll toll to exist unmolested.

>>5962191
>Maybe, potentially. I do have the few alternatives that anons made saved up.

Maybe put that into a vote and then make some in-universe justification for it, like Maybe as a visual representation of a reborn Alterac turning over a new leaf so to speak.

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Having asked him where to start, you in fact spoke first.

"The mercenaries, I cannot have armed men outside of my command in Dawnholme. So what will we do with them?" You asked him and continued. "Because we have a few options."

"Which would be?" Pelija asked you and chose to listen.

"The Alteraci law is very short about this, but only soldiers and servants of the crown can bear long blades and other common weapons in towns and in cities. Now of course as a Prince I can rule however I want, but following the laws as they exist is a basis of good and just rulership, don't you agree?" You said and asked.

"Yes of course." He replied.

"But the issue is twofold, the law is somewhat vague, does it mean that the weapons can't be just carried or is the ownership banned as well? And can I trust the mercenaries to obey the laws?" You told him and continued. "I won't deny their stay here, that would be counterproductive and cause issues between our peoples, but there are a couple options."

"Prince Alric, are you planning on confiscating the weapons or just banning their carry?" Pelija asked you.

In this group only there were nearly ten fighters and forty others who had blades and could carry them. That would be a lot of armed men in Dawnholme, rivalling your City Guard in numbers if not in gear.


>Based on the law, the Stonemason's cannot carry their weapons in public. They can be stashed in their homes or in other secured locations until they are needed.
>Confiscate their weapons. As they don't serve you, bearing arms is illegal. Gain 3 Supplies
>Don't enforce the law. There is no need to cause any potential issues.
>Other, write in.

>Let the mercenaries be and settle down for now. You will decide what you will exactly do with them on a later date after everyone has arrived.
>Ask about recruiting them into your City Guard. Having Stonemasons amongst your guards could be useful, if they actually enforce the peace.
>You want to recruit them into your military. Ask about their willingness to join it.
>Lord Blackmoore is planning a campaign against gnolls, he is going to need mercenaries and skilled fighters are always needed.
>Other, write in.

QM: Please vote on both. A shorter update just to get things moving again. I will try to catch up missed days during the weekend.

>>5962247

AI converter? What kind of a gimmick you are talking about? And sorry, my artistic skills are restricted to finger painting level of art. At least the filename is apt.

>>5962418

Good idea, I will have a vote at the end of this thread if we should switch to a new OP picture or keep the old one.

As a sidenote, I am annoyed that RyanRyzzo, the artists who drew the infantry I used this time to depict the City Guard, went and deactivated his Deviantart. He did bunch of rather fun early medieval fantasy art in that style and now some of it has been sadly lost. Such is life.

>>5963204
>Lord Blackmoore is planning a campaign against gnolls, he is going to need mercenaries and skilled fighters are always needed.
>Confiscate their weapons. As they don't serve you, bearing arms is illegal. Gain 3 Supplies

Unless they swear Allegiance to us and fight in blackmoors punitive expedition.

>>5963230
Basically a trial test. If they're loyal and support our cause they get to keep their weapons. They'll be called upon as a supporting militia for the city if it is ever under attack.

>>5963224
Use the way back machine from the Internet Archive for RyanRyzzo's deviantart. Or maybe just go to pinterest? Someone other than you must've saved his works in one shape or another. As for the AI gimmicks. There's a ton of gimmicky websites that let you draw something or just insert an image and then they convert it into something else, like spaghetti art. Then you could Also use one of the many DnD apps around to. Touch up on stuff.

>>5963204
>Based on the law, the Stonemason's cannot carry their weapons in public. They can be stashed in their homes or in other secured locations until they are needed.
>You want to recruit them into your military. Ask about their willingness to join it.

>>5963204
>>Based on the law, the Stonemason's cannot carry their weapons in public. They can be stashed in their homes or in other secured locations until they are needed.
>>You want to recruit them into your military. Ask about their willingness to join it.

>>5963204
>Confiscate their weapons. As they don't serve you, bearing arms is illegal. Gain 3 Supplies

Gun control wasn't much of a thing in the middle ages, and the line between a weapon of war and a farming/working implement was even more tenuous at best, with things like the messers in mind. Anyone who's not a subject of Alric ought to be barred from carrying anything expressly made for warfare, like I remember hearing that certain medieval cities limited the sizes of blades which one could carry for one. Just be sure to isolate the mercenaries when it comes to the confiscation to make it easier.


>Let the mercenaries be and settle down for now.
>Ask about recruiting them into your City Guard. Having Stonemasons amongst your guards could be useful, if they actually enforce the peace.
>You want to recruit them into your military. Ask about their willingness to join it.

About the City Guard, DOes Dawnholme actually have a mayor or something or is it just directly administered by Alric and his staff? I keep going back to the Town Watch in Rome Total War, so I just assume that the City Guard is already a military force, only shittier and cheaper in comparison to the default footman. So it's kinda redundant to ask the mercenaries since either way they'll be offered a military job, no?

>>5963204
>Based on the law, the Stonemason's cannot carry their weapons in public. They can be stashed in their homes or in other secured locations until they are needed.
well couldnt we technically have a warehouse of theyre weapons intead of just letting them stash it somewhere.
>Lord Blackmoore is planning a campaign against gnolls, he is going to need mercenaries and skilled fighters are always needed.
Mercenary work first if blackmoores willing if they prove themselves reliable
>You want to recruit them into your military. Ask about their willingness to join it

>>5963264
the city guard is okay not great but they aren't bad, i don't remember what exact stuff they had though. It should be armor, sword and i think something else like an an halberd. They have a description of their unit in the pastebin
here it is
"A step above the militia. Armed and armoured with halberds and bits of plate and mail. Effective in groups and to uphold law."

Ye Alric, Garside and the rest of the gang call the shots. Beric is about our trade instead.

>>5963264
Bro please send the mercenaries to lord blackmoor. The gnolls effect us all.

>>5963276
The pastebin site has been a tad fucky on my end unfortunately, it works now and holy moly that is like a whole thread's worth of stuff that I haven't read yet. For the sake of removing the stressed debuff on Alric, can't we set up a whole mayorship yet or is it still too soon? I'd love to for the lulz to just suddenly shove the post of Mayor of Dawnholme to Malevus as soon as we click create new vassal.

>>5963314
We can do that all the while the other human resource management is getting done, "Hey, here's some mercs so those Alteraci soldiers I've lended you leaving won't create a massive gap fo ya." I'm also thinking that maybe the QM is gonna pull a fast one and those mercenaries arrive with camp followers. The mercenaries' deaths ought to make assimilating their women and children easier.

>>5963204

>Based on the law, the Stonemason's cannot carry their weapons in public. They can be stashed in their homes or in other secured locations until they are needed.

>You want to recruit them into your military. Ask about their willingness to join it.

Now they are mercenaries but they are also the people who kept these Stonemasons who are arriving safe throughout their rather treacherous and uneasy journey. Their leaders and favored hands. If they take some considerable losses I don't know if that would be taken well. If we send them out to Blackmoore as mercs he will use them as mercs, but if we send them as part of the Alterac Army its a bit better. Plus now that Strahnbrad Hills are pretty much cleared since its decided not to engage the trolls it will only need patrols and some could be sent to support the Blackmoore campaign.

>Other, write in.
We attempt to recruit them, and they would go together some of our army to help the Blackmoore campaign.

Side note, we don't want to have more troops eating up supplies while we are eating more then we make. So at the very least it needs to arranged that Blackmoore will provide supplies lol. That would be a good way to alleviate some of our supply issues for the moment for the regular army too.

>>5963204
>Confiscate their weapons. As they don't serve you, bearing arms is illegal. Gain 3 Supplies

Unless they opt for the following:
>Ask about recruiting them into your City Guard. Having Stonemasons amongst your guards could be useful, if they actually enforce the peace.
>You want to recruit them into your military. Ask about their willingness to join it.
If the goon squad want to stick to their charge of guarding the migrants, then they can guard Dawnholme while they're at it as a City Guard. Or (preferably) join the military.

If neither is acceptable, they can fuck off to Blackmoore.

"Master Pelija, I need soldiers so I am willing to give them these choices. The mercenaries can join the Alteraci military and keep their arms or join the City Guard and continue watching over the people here in Dawnholme. Those who don't want to serve will have to keep their weapons stashed away." You told Pelija and continued. "Now Lord Blackmoore needs mercenaries and those who want to join him and earn some coin should be allowed to leave. If the mercenaries serve Lord Blackmoore or me well, consider my trust in them restored."

Pelija nodded to you as an answer.

"Give them these options and when everyone has arrived, I want to know what they prefer." You said to him. "Just make it clear that I want no tomfoolery and how I see them changes on how they decide to act."

"Yes Prince Alric." Pelija nodded and replied.

Knowing the final number of armed Stonemasons and how many mercenaries and others have arrived should be when you make the final decision. What they prefer is just a polite thing to ask as well. Either way if the groups that are to arrive are just as big as the first one, you could have a couple dozen mercenaries available to be hired.

"Good, now how many Stonemasons have arrived this time?" You asked him.

"Around four hundred and fifty souls in total. Of those fifty or so are workers, the rest being women, children and the elderly. And of course the mercenaries guarding them." Pelija said to you.

"We will have to get them in our books, talk to my scribe Eligius and he will start sorting the things out." You told him. "How many more should be arriving?"

"Two groups, at least two groups." Pelija replied.

"How big are the groups?"

"At least as big as this one, but they are taking different routes so it's hard to say." Pelija explained.

As big as this one? With quick math it would mean as much as nearly fourteen hundred newcomers. That would be more than the number of people living in Dawnholme. Your earlier pondering of the population doubling seems to have become true.

"That is a lot. How are we going to house them all? I know you have prepared the plots and planned some housing, but will it be enough for everyone?" You asked him.

"It won't, not immediately." Pelija confessed. "With the work on the sewers and the infrastructure taking priority, they are going to be living in tents for now. When we get the first houses up, then people can start moving in and when everyone is in, then we can start planning housing for individual families."

1/2

>>5963841

That was a sound plan, but it did sound that it would take most of the spring and summer for them to accomplish it. And you knew that they wouldn't be doing a shoddy work with it. The quality would be top notch.

"I trust that you are going to do your best with it." You replied. "Not an easy task at all."

"No Prince Alric, not with the people of Underbelly needing houses as well." Pelija replied to you.

Yes, they too. They were staying in the Alliance camp and in the houses that have space and allow them to be let in. You had a feeling that come autumn, Dawnholme would be a changed city.

Though there was the matter of integrating the Stonemasons with the Alteracis that needs to be tackled. You had discussed some good ideas with Eligius and now would be the time to present them to Pelija. But first, what portion of the Stonemasons do you expect to join the overall workforce?


>Fully, they are now in Alterac so the same expectations apply to them as it does for everyone else. If fifty workers arrive, they all should join the workforce. Gain 50 Peasants
>Half, you expect at least half of them to join the recruitable workforce. You need more soldiers, miners and other workers. Not everyone can be builders for the rest of their lives. Gain 25 Peasants
>Quarter, you can't force them to work for you, but you do have some expectations. Gain 15 Peasants
>None or those who volunteer. They are refugees and outsiders. You can't force them to work, but you hope that as many decide to voluntarily join the workforce. Gain X Peasants.

Total Resources:
0 Wealth, +15 per season
24 Supplies, -6 per season
90 Peasants

QM: I will present the recruitment options for the military later and now with this you decide the policy of how many of the Stonemason workers are available as Peasants to you.

>>5963264

Exactly that was what I had in mind with this. Some cities had some restrictions regarding weapons and their lengths.

Town Watch is a good comparison, as would Urban Militia/Militia Sergeants from Medieval 1 Total War. They are soldiers above the push in emergency and release the horde of peasant militias, and below the actual soldiers in footmen. And it does matter a bit. The City Guard is a much safer job than joining the military proper.

Dawnholm doesn't have a Mayor, it has been mostly Normand and you who has been running the show, with Tannis Foxton, Tari and Eligius coming to help you. Funnily Foreman Davis could have been a very solid Mayor candidate, but you hanged him with a good reason.

>>5963317

Have fun reading the pastebins. I am trying to keep the Socials and Stats one most up-to-date, with Quest Mechanisms pastebin getting a look through before season updates. The two other pastebins require a more thorough update, but they shouldn't be horribly out of date.

And yes, I am going to rule that you need the Town Hall for the Mayor or equivalent to work in. Of course they need their own helpers, clerks and a tidy office.

>>5963842
>None or those who volunteer. They are refugees and outsiders. You can't force them to work, but you hope that as many decide to voluntarily join the workforce. Gain X Peasants.

With the understanding that the more people who step up to help build, the faster potentially we can have the city and homes built.

>>5963842
>Quarter, you can't force them to work for you, but you do have some expectations. Gain 15 Peasants
Expecations here being the key word. Pelija should be aware that the more workers and food, the safer the position of Dawnholme is, if some of those new peasants can be assigned supply-gathering or house building. I assume the remaining 35 workers will be unoccupied?

>>5963910

The Stonemasons who don't join the ranks of Peasants available to you will continue their lives normally. You just can't use them to recruit soldiers or have them employed in whatever new buildings you choose to make.

I have explained it long time ago, but think Peasants as a resource just like Wealth or Supplies. They are a game mechanism. When you have free Peasants, they don't idle around and do nothing, they continue working and doing all sorts of things around Dawnholme. Similarly to the womenfolk, children and elderly. They are there living and doing things, they just aren't counted in the Peasant numbers.

>>5963842
>Fully, they are now in Alterac so the same expectations apply to them as it does for everyone else. If fifty workers arrive, they all should join the workforce. Gain 50 Peasants
No special privileges.

>>5963842
>Fully, they are now in Alterac so the same expectations apply to them as it does for everyone else. If fifty workers arrive, they all should join the workforce. Gain 50 Peasants
If this applies to everyone else then so too does it to these new arrivals. No special treatment.

>>5963842
>Fully, they are now in Alterac so the same expectations apply to them as it does for everyone else. If fifty workers arrive, they all should join the workforce. Gain 50 Peasants

They need to start building houses.

>>5963842
>>Fully, they are now in Alterac so the same expectations apply to them as it does for everyone else. If fifty workers arrive, they all should join the workforce. Gain 50 Peasants
Everyone, they are Alteracis now so they better to work for us. We cant allow separate society to form here even if they might not like it

"Regarding Stonemasons, till this point you have been here as our guests, fulfilling the promise of paying us back for the help we provided to you and then staying here after the news of the riots reached us." You told Pelija and continued. "But with more of you coming here, the political, economic and societal ramifications are too big to be disregarded."

This meeting had been very formal and the way you spoke to him had been very much that of a royalty speaking to their subject. You intended to continue this way.

"I cannot allow Stonemasons to form their own society next to the Alteracis. Now that you are here, you are my people, you are under my protection and you serve me." You told him and continued again. "There won't be special rules or exceptions, in my eyes you are Alteracis so you will follow our laws and those who are capable will join the workforce, just like everyone else."

Pelija looked at you and didn't say anything back as there was a knock on the door.

"I brought the two of you tea." Tari replied as she stepped in.

"You have a great timing Tari." You said to her and gave her a warm smile.

Pelija gave her a polite nod as he took his cup.

"I will leave the two of you then, just shout if you need anything." She said and smiled back before leaving the study.

The door closed and Pelija stayed silent for a moment. The older man seemed to process what you had said to him before sighing deeply and sipping the tea.

"This is good tea, Taretha knows what she is doing with it. You have found a good… friend." Pelija said to you with a peculiar tone. Did he believe the rumours? "But back on the topic, some will think that they have just exchanged one King to a Prince, that they should have stayed in Stormwind."

"They might, but they will also realise what I am doing for them. A new home, a place to start again." You replied. "Master Pelija, you do understand my situation, the position I am in. I am doing this as much to you as I am doing this for my own people."

You sipped the tea and smiled.

"Well, like I said, you are now Alteracis even if not a single bit of our blood flows in you." You said and continued. "We are different in our looks, in our accents, in our habits. Yet we are very much alike in how we all had to leave our homes, hounded by others for crimes we haven't done."

1/2

>>5964134

Pelija listened carefully and then nodded.

"I don't envy your position Prince Alric." He said.

"Then you understand what I am after." You said and continued. "No special rules, no privileges. You are Alteracis now, so I expect all of you to be ready to serve me in any way you can."

"It might take time for people to accept that." He said.

"Hence we need to start integrating the newcomers as fast as possible and as smoothly as it is possible." You told him and continued. "I need to have them feel accepted as part of us and not as outsiders."

Pelija gave you a curious look.

"Prince Alric, you are quite serious about this." He replied.

"I have to be, this needs to work. For us and our future children." You said back and poured all of your responsibility into those words.

"Then what do you have in mind?" He asked.


Gained:
>50 Peasants


>Have a welcoming feast in a couple of days for the first group of Stonemasons who have arrived.
>Try to arrange as many Stonemasons to share homes with Alteracis as it is possible.
>Show an example and take one family into your home.
>Start encouraging marriages between Alteracis and Stonemasons. There are plenty of unmarried men in Dawnholme.
>Teach them Alteraci customs and ways. Have them learn these so that they can blend with the locals better.
>Walk and be amongst the Stonemasons as much as possible. See how they are doing, try to learn their names.
>Make it clear to everyone that you count them as Alteracis now, they are your people just like everyone else in here.
>Forbid them from wearing the red bandanas. They are Alteracis now, not Stonemasons.
>Adopt the Syndicate orange bandana as your own and have them wear it instead of the red one.
>Other, write in.

QM: Plenty of options, no need to choose them all. Write ins are still appreciated

>>5964138
>Have a welcoming feast in a couple of days for the first group of Stonemasons who have arrived.
>Try to arrange as many Stonemasons to share homes with Alteracis as it is possible.
>Show an example and take one family into your home.
>Start encouraging marriages between Alteracis and Stonemasons. There are plenty of unmarried men in Dawnholme.
>Teach them Alteraci customs and ways. Have them learn these so that they can blend with the locals better.
>Walk and be amongst the Stonemasons as much as possible. See how they are doing, try to learn their names.
Although don't be as overt in these efforts as these prompts seem to imply, we need a nudge not a push. It's why I don't support the last three.

>>5964138
>Have a welcoming feast in a couple of days for the first group of Stonemasons who have arrived.
>Try to arrange as many Stonemasons to share homes with Alteracis as it is possible.
>Show an example and take one family into your home.
>Start encouraging marriages between Alteracis and Stonemasons. There are plenty of unmarried men in Dawnholme.
>Teach them Alteraci customs and ways. Have them learn these so that they can blend with the locals better.
>Make it clear to everyone that you count them as Alteracis now, they are your people just like everyone else in here.
>Forbid them from wearing the red bandanas. They are Alteracis now, not Stonemasons.

We don't need a hijab problem.

>>5964163
Spin it as if the alliance show up you don't want everyone to be persecuted because they're still wearing their gang colors. They're Alteracians not stonemasons. Allows us to no sell the alliance in that regard.

>>5964138
>Have a welcoming feast in a couple of days for the first group of Stonemasons who have arrived.
>Try to arrange as many Stonemasons to share homes with Alteracis as it is possible.
>Show an example and take one family into your home.
Lead by example
>Start encouraging marriages between Alteracis and Stonemasons. There are plenty of unmarried men in Dawnholme.
>Teach them Alteraci customs and ways. Have them learn these so that they can blend with the locals better.
>Walk and be amongst the Stonemasons as much as possible. See how they are doing, try to learn their names.
The gallant people prince.
>Make it clear to everyone that you count them as Alteracis now, they are your people just like everyone else in here.
>Forbid them from wearing the red bandanas. They are Alteracis now, not Stonemasons.
The bandanas are a literal red flag (heh) and will bring bad attention to us that and it also seperates alteracis and stonemasons again.

>>5963942
Peasant economics, the Brettonian way to governance: Alterac edition.

>>5964138
>Have a welcoming feast in a couple of days for the first group of Stonemasons who have arrived.

Refugees welcome, kek.

>Try to arrange as many Stonemasons to share homes with Alteracis as it is possible.

>Start encouraging marriages between Alteracis and Stonemasons. There are plenty of unmarried men in Dawnholme.

Plenty of widows up for grabs and orphans up to adoption I’m for sure.

>Show an example and take one family into your home.

I strongly object to this unless it’s VanCleef’s very daughter and/or wife for the sake of diplomatic hostage taking.

>Teach them Alteraci customs and ways. Have them learn these so that they can blend with the locals better.

Just give them a crash course on the dos and don’ts.

>Walk and be amongst the Stonemasons as much as possible. See how they are doing, try to learn their names.

We already walk amongst our subjects by default.

>Make it clear to everyone that you count them as Alteracis now, they are your people just like everyone else in here.

”Here in my kingdom I’m your lord, I order you to cower and pray.”

>Forbid them from wearing the red bandanas. They are Alteracis now, not Stonemasons.
>Adopt the Syndicate orange bandana as your own and have them wear it instead of the red one.

Screw the bandannas altogether, wearing orange ones will make it easier for our opponents to allege collusion with The Syndicate and the red ones will make it easier for the stonemasons to self-segregate and be segregated by the locals. If the stonemasons complain say it’s for their own good as it’ll make it harder for Alliance stooges to pick them apart among the public of Dawnholme.

>>5964226
Also, there’ll always be stonemasons that will hold on to the stonemason identity for dear life, for them I suggest making our very on Stonemasons’ Guild of Alterac under our control with perhaps master Pelija in charge. Astroturfing ho!

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SIDESTORY

The Namesake


"Your namesake is back." A man said to another.

"The Prince has returned?" He asked.

"Just a moment ago, Thomas said he saw him and his elf to escort more of those Stonemasons here." The man said as he leaned on a shovel. "Hey Alric, are you sure your namesake knows what he is doing?"

Lindgren was one of those who had recently arrived from Underbelly under the invitation by the Prince. The migrant had quickly found a job as a farmhand for you and while he was a good worker, sometimes he was a bit annoying with his questions.

"I am very sure he knows what he is doing." You replied back to the younger man. "Now keep shovelling the shit, I want it spread before the night falls."

Grumbling, Lindgren continued with the task. You meanwhile stared at the direction where Dawnholme was. You could see the town, scaffoldings around new buildings and the faint traces of smoke rising up into the sky from the many chimneys and worksites. So much has happened since you and your family stood outside the old farmstead Prince Alric calls his home two years ago.

You remember there were only a few of you that had answered the call of Captain Garside. You were amongst those few still loyal to Perenoldes, loyal to the idea of independent and prosperous Alterac. Truth to be told, it had taken a lot for you to uproot your family and make your way here. Daunell had even threatened to divorce you, but in the end she stood there listening to the Prince make his first speech.

Light be damned he had been just a boy. Face of a child, not fully grown up, yet carrying himself with the certainty and poise of a royalty.

And while you had settled down and built a small farm for yourself and your family, the Prince had fought. It was something everyone had been expecting and everyone knew that he would be in good hands. Both Captain Garside and Sergeant… Lieutenant Cromwell had good reputations as skilled fighters. But no one had expected how often the Prince would fight against his enemies.

Kobolds, gnolls, bandits, ogres, orcs, more bandits and gnolls. And more, and more, and more.

Every time the Prince rode out with his soldiers following him, you grew concerned as did the others. Because every time he returned, his armour had a one more dent, his youthful figure seemed to have grown heavier. His responsibilities grew and grew, as did the town around him, yet he always smiled and found time to exchange a few words with everyone whom he met. He even remembered your name and joked about it.

Everyone was glad that your namesake had grown up to be such a good man, but everyone knew that the hard reality would hit back at him some day.

1/2

>>5964254

The first assassination attempt had been a shock to all of you. Then the news of the Alliance garrison arriving. More battles, more fighting. Prisoners from Strahnbrad Hills. Whatever happened in Durnholde, the Prince returning with his would be assassins in tow. Then all the rumours about him. Being someone who enjoys debauchery, has women everywhere he goes, a womaniser and a lady killer without an equal. Returning back home with a new woman following him, who now was pregnant yet not officially recognised to carry his child. Everyone knows it's his child, yet why won't he recognise it as his own? All of you think he should do it.

But all of these events and more had shaken the picture you had of him. He wasn't as unflappable, his poise wasn't unbreakable. He made mistakes, he acted unwise and made choices that were whispered about in bad light. Concern rose, would he be able to act for the good of himself and you come the future, or was he digging his own grave?

Then the third assassination attempt happened, a poisoning in his own home. That had hit all of you hard. By all accounts he had nearly died, his family and companions hadn't said a word about his condition for days. Rumours spread like a wildfire, until the news came out. He was alive, but very weak.

It was a dreadful time for all of you. Someone whom you in the end respected and trusted to do the right things, now being tainted by Fel, green terrific eyes and being forced to walk around with a cane. It had been a sorry sight when you saw him for the first time since the poisoning, but you and everyone else were just glad. Even when the Prince clearly struggled to find the energy to talk with you and show his face, he carried himself proudly just like he had done nearly two years ago when you had seen him the first time.

Now the rumours about him didn't matter, neither did the whispers about his mistakes. Even after nearly dying, he carried himself with determination. He had always been the same man, maybe a bit more mature and having his own vices. But who doesn't have them?

Prince Alric was your Prince and you were proud for it to be that way. You knew that he would sort things out with the Stonemasons, maybe you could even get another farmhand helping you?

"Hey boss, Alric!" Lindgren shouted at you. "I have spread the shit, what now?"

"Get yourself cleaned, there should be water in the barn." You shouted back at him.

Two Alrics, one a Prince and one a farmer. You were honoured to share a name with a man like him. You knew he would make things right and Alterac would prosper.

Alterac would stand.


QM: The sidestory idea from the last thread. I had been thinking about this for some time already. When planning this Quest, I used the villager from WC3 Human Campaign Mission 3 who told Arthas about the healing fountain as an inspiration for Alric's name. This is that villager. If you have more ideas, I might write them out.

>>5964254
Man, these early portraits throw me back, they give me the same kinds of vibes as the ones from Old School Runescape.

>>5964255
I’d love to see Sir Radan find love in a heartwarmingly goofy way, like maybe he barges into one of the newly arrived secret witches and they get it on over their shared ugliness.

>>5964255
Interesting. I hadn't even considered that it might look bad if everyone just assumed Tari's child was Alric's and he didn't take responsibility for it.
But anyway, we have good people.

Few ideas for side stories:
- Thrall POV
- Edwin VanCleef POV
- Varian raging about the Stonemasons and Alric's involvement
- Jandice dealing with family drama about her relationship
- Capital City Alteracis thoughts on Alric and his brother, insight into how they live and are treated in the city
- Krix Wiklish thoughts on his business deals and his progress
- Council of Six in Dalaran discussing Underbelly/Alterac & perhaps the rumours/news surrounding Alric

>>5964255
If that other guy is Alteraci, does that mean that the Alteraci Brill is a thing in this version of Azeroth? Does the other Brill in Lordaeron also exist?

>If you have more ideas, I might write them out.
POV of the dwarves of Dun Garok and Aerie Peak receiving the letters Alric sent to them and their reactions.

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>>5964634

>>5964299

How dare you! Sir Radan isn't an ugly man, he just looks like a scrawny rat.

>>5964634

Things again get complex due to the world changing between WC3 and WoW and what the books tell us. There were enough hints for me to make the conclusion that people living near the King's Road were Alteracis. Now will Brill be an Alteraci town? Maybe, maybe not. We aren't there yet.

We can also see from the map you posted how much the world changed between WC3 and WoW in terms of geography.

The next update will come later this evening, I have things to do during the day, so plenty of time to vote and discuss.

"A feast, let's say in a week to give us all some time to prepare, that would be a good starting point." You told him and continued. "Everyone is invited and mingling with each other should be encouraged."

You didn't want to think about how much food and alcohol would be required. You should probably send a message to Monica and Fowley to send you more of everything.

"A welcoming feast wouldn't be a bad idea and many haven't had a proper feast in a long time." Pelija replied.

"We also need to arrange as many families to share homes with the Stonemasons… which won't be that easily done thanks to the migrants from Underbelly." You continued and sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of your nose. You need those migrants as well, but what a timing it has been with their arrival. "I will also house one family here, so Master Pelija can you make sure to choose a good family for me?"

"Prince Alric, you don't need to go that far." He replied.

"I need to show everyone that I am serious about this, to show an example is the best way to do it." You answered back to him. "If there are any good families amongst them, send one to see me."

"Yes Prince Alric, anything else?" Pelija asked, at this point he had learned to just listen as you practically dictated your terms. Thankfully he seemed to have understood the severity of all of this.

The two of you continued to talk and sip your tea. The topic moved to trying to encourage marriages between Stonemasons and Alteracis, but both of you knew that it would take some time before that would start to happen. Maybe though the feast could lead into a happy accident or two?

But you also spoke about trying to get them to blend with the locals as much as possible. Alteraci traditions and customs should be taught to them, at minimum to avoid misunderstandings and to obfuscate the real number of Stonemasons who have arrived here. The word would spread fast, but if the real number never gets out, your neighbours might not throw a fit about this?

"Are you out of your mind?" Pelija nearly shouted to you.

"The red bandanas need to go." You replied and held your stiff upper lip. "They are too overt of a signal that there are Stonemasons here and the orange bandanas of the Syndicate are too close in colour."

"They are part of who we are." Pelija argued back to you.

"And I can never deny where you come from, but you are now here and the bandanas are a sign that you aren't from here." You argued back. "Think about it. You know that I am not coming to this from a misguided point of view."

1/3

>>5964860

Pelija looked at you and bit his lower lip.

"I cannot accept that, not now. I need to think about it." He said to you after a pause.

"I know I am asking a lot." You said to him and continued. "But I want to be clear, all of this is for the good of our people."

Pelija stared back and nodded once.

"Is there anything else?" He asked you.

"No, just keep the mercenaries from causing any issues." You told him and allowed him to stand up, you stood up as well as he gave you a deep bow. "This wasn't the most gracious start, but the world is changing around us and we need to change as well."

"You might be right Prince Alric, I will tell the news to the others." Pelija replied and went for the door. "It was great to talk with you."

"Likewise." You said and watched as he left your study.

You had asked a lot, demanded more. It wouldn't be easy for them to accept it all without grumbling and disagreements, but you should face it all. Tomorrow you would walk amongst them, just like you do with your own. They will learn that you will listen to their worries, you won't hide away behind castle walls and be a distant King.

You sighed. By the Light you were tired, maybe you should go take a bath and then ask Tari to tidy your hair? If you are going to present yourself to them, you should look all proper and tidy.

Hah, what Malevus said seemed to be true. You were the Prettiest Prince in all Alterac.

…

You woke up in the middle of the night and realised that everything was wrong.

You were in your bed, that hadn't changed, but everything else in your bedroom had changed or was out of place. The bookshelves weren't where they should be, a new cabinet had appeared and there was a chandelier made from wrought-iron hanging from the ceiling.

And what was most apparent was that Aurvan'kal wasn't there. Well there was an armour on the armour rack, but it wasn't the best there is, best there was, the best there ever will be. Instead of the silvery metal and gold of Aurvan'kal and the smooth elven shapes, this plate mail was all black, made in the more typical human fashion, covering the user from head to toes.

You blinked a couple of times to clear your eyes and tried to push yourself up so that you could sit, but you felt that something pressed your chest. And that something stirred.

Carefully lifting the blanket off you, you saw a familiar face next to you and her arm took a better hold of you.

2/3

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>>5964861

"Jan…" You said to no one. Jandice was sleeping next to you, but how? She wasn't supposed to be here.

Your thoughts raced into a conclusion, this must be a dream. A strange dream, yet a dream.

Jandice stirred more and pressed her head on your shoulder. She really felt like she was here, right there.

"Al… did you wake up?" She asked and opened her eyes.

"I… I did…" You replied to her. "It's just that…"

"Don't worry about it, everything's fine." Jan replied and leaned in to give you a soft kiss. Her lips felt real, like this wasn't just imagination.

Even in a dream her presence had a calming effect on you. You listened to her soft breathing and felt her warmth as she wrapped her body with yours.

"My love, go back to sleep." Jan told you and smiled before kissing again, you could see her eyes giving you a wanting look. "Or… do you want to continue our earlier… activities?"

You could feel her hand travel down your chest towards your stomach and beyond. Perhaps you should allow this to continue, it felt so exhilarating and real, yet…

Yet something was wrong.

You realised that the few lone candles in your bedroom emitted green light and you realised that this wasn't just a dream. This was something else, nothing you saw or felt was real even if they felt like it.

All of this was just a figment of your imagination. But would you push it all away, because it wasn't real, or would you enjoy what your mind conjures together? After all, your lover is right there.


>Jandice is right there, enjoy this dream to its fullest. Have a passionate encounter with her.
>Cuddle with her, don't let her go, but don't go any further. Just enjoy her presence as much as you could.
>No, this is a nightmare. She isn't real, none of this is real. Get up and see what this is about.
>None of this is real, you are going to wake up in your own bed right now and push this nightmare away.
>Other, write in.

QM: Dream? Update now, got it out earlier.

>>5964862
>None of this is real, you are going to use your mana focusing techniques. And force this dream to bend to your will. Those candles will turn to regular fire. We will watch the sun come up and bathe the world in light sweeping away the darkness. And we will pray to the light for its blessed protections and the protection of our people and all those we love.

Fuck that fel taint. Puuuurgeeee

>>5964862
>No, this is a nightmare. She isn't real, none of this is real. Get up and see what this is about.
Face it.

>>5964634
Oh lawd, them dwarves and their “honor” give me indirect Chinese communication vibes, we should be extra careful with our wording so as to avoid hurting their feefees and image to themselves and their compatriots.

>>5964862
>No, this is a nightmare. She isn't real, none of this is real. Get up and see what this is about.
Try not to make a scene at first in the off chance that this is real and we're hallucinating the fel

>>5964862
>No, this is a nightmare. She isn't real, none of this is real. Get up and see what this is about.
>None of this is real, you are going to wake up in your own bed right now and push this nightmare away.

I want this nightmarish dreamy shenanigan to be over and done with quickly with like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU24VItAmWk

>>5964862
>>No, this is a nightmare. She isn't real, none of this is real. Get up and see what this is about.
Fel dream, clear as day. I think this is our passion, want and lust flaring, making our dream to be like this. I would have voted to go for it, but I can see that I would have lost. Because I cant see what would have happened, lets take the second best option.

Nightmare Investigator Alric is a go!

>>5964862
>>No, this is a nightmare. She isn't real, none of this is real. Get up and see what this is about.

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You grabbed her wrist just before she could reach what she wanted. Now if this was real, you wouldn't have stopped her, but now…

"I am sorry Jan, but you aren't real." You told her and gave her a slight smile.

She froze.

You blinked once and she disappeared along with everything else. Instantly you found yourself standing in the throne room of the old Royal Palace. You wore your normal clothes and the Cinder Sword was by your side with your hand resting already on the hilt. Why had the nightmare thrown you into a false home of yours in the first place?

And ahead opposite of you stood Malevus Thing.

"You are stubborn." She hissed, her broken form trying to stand upright as the bones found their places, dead eyes piercing into yours and blood slowly pouring from her many wounds.

"She wasn't real." You replied back to her.

"But your want of her was real, you keep fighting back to what you truly are." Malevus Thing hissed back at you. "All the nights spent with her, your triumph in the battle, drinking and having fun with your friends. All you."

The blood stained her white dress that started to cling on her body.

"How long will you continue this charade? How long will you pretend to be something you aren't?" She hissed at you.

She shambled towards you and you could feel your body start to freeze, her presence felt like it was smothering everything around you.

"You are stubborn, you really think you can get rid of me." She said. "The priest doesn't know what he is telling you, his mind is clouded by his dogma."

You tried to open your mouth so that you could argue back, but no words came out. Beads of sweat started to appear on your brow.

"I am you and you are me." Malevus Thing hissed at you with her emotionless voice. "You want to get rid of me, yet you can't accept that I am you."

She stepped closer, now well within striking distance. Yet your body wouldn't move, you were frozen in this smothering terror.

"How many times do I need to tell you that before your thick head realises it?" Malevus Thing said and stopped just inches off you.

You struggled against her influence and succeeded pushing your sword slightly out of its scabbard, just for Malevus Thing to press her hand on yours and push the sword back in.

"Try to burn me away, try to fight against me. Do it, try it! Because I am keeping you alive, because I am you and you are me. Because in the end you will realise that getting rid of yourself has only one option." Malevus Thing said and leaned in closer.

Her face nearly touching yours, she whispered.

"Death."

Gasping air, you found yourself sitting on your bed. You felt your lungs struggling, trying to breathe in and out, but without much success. You could feel your chest burning somewhere deep within and your mana was a churning maelstrom. This heavy presence and feeling was all over you. The smothering feeling not going away.

1/2

>>5965143

You were all sweaty, your blanket was somewhere on the floor and the linens were all messed up from you twisting and rolling in the bed.

Trying to calm down, you concentrated on the mana inside you, but it was difficult.

This was real, this wasn't a dream. This was a panic attack, your breathing and racing heart unwilling to calm down.

Attaining a modicum of control over yourself, you fell on your back and slowly wrestled your body under your control. Your breathing became steadier and your heart slowed down. Yet this dreadful feeling, this weight wouldn't leave you.

Last time this happened to you, Jandice was there holding and calming you down, now she wasn't here. Could you go and ask help from the others or would that be too inappropriate?

Should you just go out for a walk and try to calm down that way? It was nearly a full moon after all.


>Dress up and throw the Robe of Obfuscation over your shoulders and head out to watch the stars trying to calm down that way.
>Go wake up Malevus, she knows how to calm you down.
>Taretha knows you, she can ease the panic attack away.
>Eligius lives on the other side of the town, but he is a warlock and understands these things.
>Just stay in bed and wait for things to pass like always before.
>Other, write in

QM: Curiosity isn't always rewarded.

>>5965145
>>Go wake up Malevus, she knows how to calm you down.

>>5965145
>Other, write in

Chill under the cold moonlight whilst dragging on our hookah that's full of fantasy weed until you calm down.

>>5965145
>QM: Curiosity isn't always rewarded.

Nonsense, of course it is! Even if something bad happens, now you know something bad happens! :D

>>5965145
>Go wake up Malevus, she knows how to calm you down.
best squire.

>QM: Curiosity isn't always rewarded.
Nonsense curiosity is always rewarded and worth it. The struggle will make alric stronger truly.

>>5965145
>Whoever is closest.
Taretha or Malevus, either is fine.

>>5965145
>Go wake up Malevus, she knows how to calm you down.

>>5965145
>Go wake up Malevus, she knows how to calm you down.

She's our squire of course she'll be more than happy to help us.

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Pulling yourself up, you planted your feet on the floor and then pushed yourself up and standing. You had to take a couple careful steps to balance yourself before you were confident enough to reach for your shirt that you pulled on and buttoned it.

You would need help, this feeling wouldn't go away on its own. You needed to go downstairs, there you would be helped.

Taking steps past the mirror, you gave it a quick glance to look at yourself. Just braies and a shirt would be enough, your green eyes stared back at you.

"I am you and you are me."

You thought that you saw a glimpse of someone standing behind you in the mirror and you quickly spun around to face them. Yet there was nothing in your bedroom. It was all empty and you could feel your breathing quickening again.

Pushing the door to your study open, you quickly grabbed the black noise device from the desk and walked across the room. Opening another door and then walking very carefully downstairs, you found yourself standing in front of the door to your old bedroom.

The current bedroom of Malevus.

You knocked on it carefully. Nothing happened.

You knocked on it again.

"It's me Alric." You said and tried to listen if there was a reaction. Nothing.

You knocked again and you felt your breathing quicken once more and your heart raced. The room around you felt like it was collapsing on you.

"Who is it?" The tired voice of Malevus came from inside her room.

"Alric, let me in." You replied quickly.

"Alric? Give me a moment." She said back.

It didn't take long and soon you heard the lock disengaged and a sleepy looking Malevus stood in front of you. It looked like she had just thrown her white dress on and her deep red hair was all messy.

"What is it, it's the middle of the night?" She asked and tried to clear the sleep off her eyes.

"I… I need help, I think I have a panic attack." You succeeded in telling her and you could see how the confusion disappeared immediately from her face.

"Come in and sit down on the bed." Malevus immediately instructed you. You quickly stepped in and she closed the door behind you.

Her room was dark and you couldn't see much so you out of pure instinct snapped one of the candles lit. For briefest of moments the fire was Fel green before it turned to normal, but it was enough to make you gasp for breath.

"Sit down, hold my hands and look into my eyes." Malevus instructed and sat down next to you.

You placed the black noise device on the table, activating it to not wake up anyone else and did as told. Taking her hands, you felt that they were calloused and rough, but warm and gentle. Yet you couldn't concentrate on anything specific as you just looked around your former room.

1/2

>>5965257

You had given Malevus a lot of privacy and hadn't barged in like this before so you got a first proper look at her belongings. There were her clothes waiting for the morning in a neat pile on a chair, armour and other equipment were on a rack. Bookshelf was full of her steamy romance novels and books about the Holy Light.

"Alric, look at me." Malevus gave you guidance. "Look into my eyes and concentrate on them and then think about all the times you have beaten me during sparring."

Yes, think about something else. Something not this. Your breathing started to recover slowly as did your heartbeat, the burning was still there and the heavy smothering feeling was all over you. This was working, but not fast enough. You could feel your breathing quickening again.

"What caused this? The nightmares?" Malevus asked you, concern on her fair face.


>You had a nightmare and you woke up like this and she was the first who came to your mind to ask for help.
>It was a nightmare, tell her about what Malevus Thing had told you. About how she is you and getting rid of her is futile.
>Tell her everything. About Calia, about Jandice, about the nightmares and all the stress on you. You promised to be truthful to her.
>Other, write in.

>Stay like this and hold her hands.
>Lean on her for comfort
>Hug her for warmth and protection

QM: I said I would catch up the missed days.

>>5965261
>Tell her everything. About Calia, about Jandice, about the nightmares and all the stress on you. You promised to be truthful to her.
>Lean on her for comfort

>>5965261
>It was a nightmare, tell her about what Malevus Thing had told you. About how she is you and getting rid of her is futile.
Third option is too much to speak of all at once.

>Lean on her for comfort
>Hug her for warmth and protection
Touch!

>>5965261
>>Tell her everything. About Calia, about Jandice, about the nightmares and all the stress on you. You promised to be truthful to her.
>Lean on her for comfort
we are still dreaming. Wake Up.

>>5965261
>Tell her everything. About Calia, about Jandice, about the nightmares and all the stress on you. You promised to be truthful to her.
>Hug her for warmth and protection
Hugs for the hug god.

>>5965261
>You had a nightmare and you woke up like this and she was the first who came to your mind to ask for help.
>Hug her for warmth and protection

>>5965261
>Tell her everything. About Calia, about Jandice, about the nightmares and all the stress on you. You promised to be truthful to her.

From now on till the day we croak, Malevus is now our personal shrink whether she wants to or not. Conveniently, much like a mamluk, the fact that she’s a foreigner makes her more reliable for the role.

>Lean on her for comfort
>Hug her for warmth and protection

Change perspective, Malevus must now roll for wisdom to resist taking advantage of her sire’s vulnerable state to inappropriately caress his weakened, but still absolutely chiseled, physique. Nor to greedily take in the sight of those cheesegrating abs.

>>5965261
>>Tell her everything. About Calia, about Jandice, about the nightmares and all the stress on you. You promised to be truthful to her.

>Hug her for warmth and protection

>>5965620
>>5965611
>>5965332
>>5965281
>>5965262
Why are you trying to snitch on jandice and calia? Those aren't our secrets to share... You're voting to violate the trust those women put in us to protect their virtue and reputation. Like literal oath breaking. You realize our word will mean nothing now ya? And that's literally a step towards corruption for not keeping our word. Smh. I don't think you guys thought this out. Just cause we're having a panic attack doesn't give us a right to break our word. It's one thing for them to tell others but not when we promised not to.

>>5965261
>It was a nightmare, tell her about what Malevus Thing had told you. About how she is you and getting rid of her is futile.
>Stay like this and hold her hands.

>>5965663
agreed

>>5965261
>You had a nightmare and you woke up like this and she was the first who came to your mind to ask for help.
>It was a nightmare, tell her about what Malevus Thing had told you. About how she is you and getting rid of her is futile.

I don't understand these tell everything posts.

>Stay like this and hold her hands.
Just please help with the tremors, Malevus, just a few minutes please.

>>5965663
I wont be changing my vote this anon is hysterical.
Malevus is already aware of calia but not the current...nothingness with it.
And the whole relationship with Jandice was a mistake in on itself.

You nodded several times and leaned closer to her, your shoulders and arms rubbing each other.

"Just look in my eyes, everything's going to be alright." Malevus said back.

This wasn't working, not well enough. Taking her by surprise, you leaned closer, letting go of her hands so that you could wrap your arms around her.

"A-Alric…" Malevus protested for a second, but relented as your head found its place on her shoulder. She then carefully wrapped her arms around your back and pulled you a bit closer.

Slowly your breathing steadied again, the turmoil deep inside you, the burning calmed down. The smothering feeling was still there, but wasn't as strong as before. It didn't feel like the walls and the ceiling were going to fall on you.

Her legs touched yours, you felt her body move as she breathed. The scent of her hair was sweet, a bit like raspberries. When she ran her hand through your hair and comforted you, you realised how vulnerable you were at this moment and how inappropriate this might look. But nothing of that mattered now, not when she started to faintly sing something.

Of course you didn't understand what she was singing, but it was beautiful and it felt like her words and the warmth she radiated entered you, banishing the smothering feeling away.

"Are you crying?" She asked when her singing stopped.

You hadn't even realised that, it seems that you were. Couple of tears had fallen on her dress and she had noticed it.

"It's just… it was…" You tried to find your words.

"It's alright, cry as much as you want." Malevus said, her soothing words made you feel warm again.

And like that you stayed, holding her in embrace and she returned it. It took time, but your breathing had become normal, the smothering feeling had disappeared. You felt like this had worked, but you didn't want to leave now, because she deserved to know the truth. Carefully you removed your arms around her as she did the same.

"It was a nightmare, just like before, but I haven't told you everything." You said to her. "Nor told you the truth."

"It's alright, everyone has their secrets." Malevus said back to you.

"No, you deserve to know." You replied.

1/2

>>5965725

You started with Calia. The two of you had broken up, you weren't a couple anymore. You told her about Calia's sickness and how she just wanted you to be happy. You then spoke about the day when the letter arrived from her and how Jandice had arrived. You talked about the ski trip and how things had led into another. Not with a single word you tried to justify or defend yourself, you just told her what had happened. You and Jandice were lovers, Malevus now knew it. You had lied to her once before, but now she knew.

You spoke about the nightmare, about Malevus Thing and her words. You had told about the nightmares before, but now the words you had heard were different, they hit harder. You spoke about the stress you had before the incident, how you had just worked too hard. You spoke about all that and more, letting Malevus know about all of this.

And she listened while holding your hands. When she heard about Calia, she was sad. When she heard about Jandice, she was surprised, but it was like everything made sense to her now. And when you finished, she stayed silent for a moment.

"Alric, you are an idiot, a fool, a buffoon." Malevus replied to you sternly.

"I know." You replied.

"No you don't, because if you did, you would have told the rest of us about all your worries and issues." Malevus said still rather sternly and continued. "You carried Calia's sickness, all that work you have done, alone on your shoulders and didn't want to share the burden with us."

You looked at her and didn't know what to say.

"You blithering idiot, we are your friends, we are supposed to help you if you ever need help, to share the burden so that you can carry on." Malevus replied and continued. "I could care less about you and Jandice as long as it makes you and her happy. Just don't keep anything like this a secret from me or Tari. Don't hurt yourself or others, because you think keeping everything for yourself is the best way to go, you stubborn fool."

Her saying that made you stop.

"Alric, we will talk more about… all of this later, but now, please understand that we are here for you." Malevus said and her gentle smile returned.

You gave her a nod and smiled back.

"I don't want to see you hurt, because seeing you hurt makes us hurt." Malevus said to you and now the gentle warmth she radiated returned. "None of us want that."

"I know…" You replied back to her.

You stared into her eyes and she stared back. Telling her everything had lifted a huge weight off your shoulders and heart. It had been the right thing to do, you can't keep everything just on yourself. That would just lead into trouble, into more nightmares and worry.

Malevus wasn't just your squire, she was your friend, your confidant. She was someone whom you could trust and she would trust you with whatever was on her heart as well. You were sure about it.

2/3

>>5965726

"Alric…" Malevus started to say, but chose just to hug you. It surprised you as her arms wrapped around you and this time she pressed her head on your shoulder.

You were like this for a moment, you needed this. This feeling of happiness.

When she let go of you, Malevus was smiling. In the lone candlelight she looked beautiful as her cheeks approached the colour of her hair and her ears started to droop, she was more than just a friend to you. And slowly she started to lean closer.

A single butterfly flew in your stomach.


>Kiss her
>Let her kiss you
>Not today, not after this, you are too vulnerable right now and not thinking straight
>No, you cannot. You are a Prince and she is your squire, it would be inappropriate to have a such relationship
>Other, write in

QM: Malevus route?

>>5965728
>>Not today, not after this, you are too vulnerable right now and not thinking straight
This option truly means its still on the table.

>>5965728
>Let her kiss you

>>5965663
>Why are you trying to snitch on jandice and calia?

Because that’s what you’re supposed to do with therapy, ya dingus.

>>5965728
>No, you cannot. You are a Prince and she is your squire, it would be inappropriate to have a such relationship
Yeah one lover is more than enough. Let's not make things more complicated than they already are.
Besides she's old enough to be our grandmother.

File: FF6710E6-529A-4606-8030-D(...).jpg (75 KB, 415x401)

75 KB JPG

>>5965728
>Not today, not after this, you are too vulnerable right now and not thinking straight
>No, you cannot. You are a Prince and she is your squire, it would be inappropriate to have a such relationship

No no absolutely not, if she gets the hots for us anymore than she already does then her inner degeneracy will flow forth unbidden in a way that the fel would love. I’ve seen enough monstergirls to know where that’ll end up. Damn elves.

>>5965728
>Let her kiss you

>>5965915
>Besides she's old enough to be our grandmother.

You say that like it’s a bad thing, some people age like a fine wine and are better enjoyed mature. Also, Alric has at least one ancient dragon lady trying to get into his pants in the form of Onyxia Prestor who is older than his kingdom, probably. And I didn’t see you pipe up about that. Not to mention Nalice.

>>5965728
>Let her kiss you
You guys voted for the most intimate option, let her shoot her shot I say.

>>5964255
The hunter twins
Our vassal
Normand & Maura
Garithos rage

But I think a general mix of both named characters and unknown NPCs (soldiers, xriminals,nobles etc...) POVs could be good time to time. Both near and distant.
If they are evil vague on what they are doing.

>>5965728
>>Not today, not after this, you are too vulnerable right now and not thinking straight
>>No, you cannot. You are a Prince and she is your squire, it would be inappropriate to have a such relationship
At least not now, she can shoot her shot on a later date. It might be still not a proper thing to do, we are her superior

>>5965728
>Let her kiss you

>>5965728
>Let her kiss you
Why are anons pussying out now? If we're going to have an intimate moment then don't do a half measure.

>>5965728
>Let her kiss you

Love me Malevus shes great.

>>5966008
>>5965967
>>5965923
>>5965917
1 post per ID
this is just Sus.

Malevus leaned closer, her eyes looking into yours. Her mouth was slightly open in anticipation and her warm breath, you could feel it on your lips.

And as she got closer, she forgot to breathe until her lips faintly touched with yours. And after they touched, you returned the kiss in kind.

Neither of you dared to move further, until she slowly withdrew, leaving her sweet taste lingering on your lips. Malevus looked at you and then averted her gaze away as she realised what she had done. She was blushing like there was no tomorrow and her ears twitched nervously.

Only thing she could do now was to take her hands and try to cover her face with them. She was too embarrassed to do anything else and you found that cute. She was always so lovely when embarrassed.

"P-P-Prince Alric!" Malevus succeeded in stammering out while peaking through her fingers.

"Yes Malevus?" You replied and smiled back. She hasn't called you a Prince since the incident.

"That was not proper, it was not." She hastily replied. "You are a Prince and I am your squire."

"Yet you did it." You replied back to her.

"I… well… we…" She tried to find words until she fixed her gaze on your shirt and found her excuse. "Y-You are dressed immodestly with just a shirt and braies, and then… h-hugging someone wearing just a dress."

Immediately after having said that, she realised the implication. She wasn't wearing anything else underneath and the dress barely reached her knees.

Malevus reached redness you hadn't seen before, her breathing had gotten heavier as well. This was way too much for her so you made the decision to take a step back.

"Don't worry, I think I will make my leave then." You said to her.

"Yes… that would be for the best Prince Alric." Malevus replied, still incapable of looking at you.

"Thank you Malevus, thank you for calming me down." You said to her and smiled as you stood up. "You are special, you really are…"

"Don't make me more embarrassed…" Malevus said and barely was able to look at you. "Please leave… I-I need to be alone."

"I understand. Good night Malevus." You said and stepped towards the door.

"Good night my Prince, sleep well." Malevus replied to you.

You spared her one final glance and smile before you left her room.

She had kissed you and it hadn't felt out of place.

…

Laying on your bed, you had been going through your mana concentration techniques, trying to achieve tranquillity and peace through your body. It has given you plenty of time to think as well as a lot has happened in one night.

The nightmare had been more forceful, what Malevus Thing had said had been more direct. Was death really the only way for you to get rid of her? Was it truly her who kept you alive?

1/2

>>5966162

You found yourself sighing. You were calling the Fel inside you her, giving it a character.

This felt like a setback. How much what was told to you was true, or was this just a way to manipulate you? You weren't sure.

You also thought about Malevus, she had found her courage to kiss you. Though you had given her the perfect chance to do so after having made you feel comfortable and safe, banishing the panic attack away.

There had been signs in the air that she had a thing for you. A bit too many close encounters and it probably didn't help that you teased her continuously. Now you just wondered when and if she would raise this up again as Malevus was someone who was very easily embarrassed. You could just imagine her hiding behind her hands and trying to look away while blushing hard if she was to try it.

It was a cute reaction, a pure reaction and you liked that about her. What she says or does, it all comes from her heart. What she said about you keeping things to yourself and then her kiss, she really meant it all.

You smiled and closed your eyes. It was late and you really should try to catch some more sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day.

And the sweet taste of her kiss still lingered on.

…

Next morning arrived. You woke up later than usual, well way later than normally in Dawnholme. Brushing your hair and checking your clothes, you buttoned your jacket and made sure you were as presentable as possible.

You looked damn good, handsome even, as you watched your image in the mirror. And this time you didn't even spot anyone in the corner of your eye.

You smiled, you had a hunch that this would be a good week. Now though, how would you approach the Stonemasons, you were supposed to mingle with them each day.


The focus:
>Join Eligius in documenting them all. Let them come to you and speak with them while paperwork is done.
>Go and be amongst them in their camp. Approach them and make sure to at least attempt to speak with everyone, including with the children.
>The worksites through Dawnholme are bustling with activity. You want to see how the work is continuing and see if you can help them in any way.

The escort:
>Malevus is your squire, have her follow you and be with you as it is her duty.
>Sir Gravis and the knights, they would be a more martial escort, but very fitting for a Prince like you.
>Erefor Pelija, have him follow you and make sure that everyone sees the two of you together. You can plan things with him at the same time.
>Sahvan, a bit of a wildcard choice, but the assassin could get a lot out of this.

QM: Vote both, choose one from each. Also Malevus route is open and the ball at the moment is in her court. And damn, one more woman into the now quite long list with feelings or wants towards Alric.

>>5965663
>>5965917
This is me. Fucking fat fingers.

>>5966166
>The worksites through Dawnholme are bustling with activity. You want to see how the work is continuing and see if you can help them in any way.
>Malevus is your squire, have her follow you and be with you as it is her duty.
>Sir Gravis and the knights, they would be a more martial escort, but very fitting for a Prince like you.
>Erefor Pelija, have him follow you and make sure that everyone sees the two of you together. You can plan things with him at the same time.

Full escort let's dazzle the newcomers. And be efficient with our work.

>>5966151

Can be suspicious or it can be just Dynamic IP at play. As someone whose IP changes all the time, I can't really point fingers at others. It has even done that mid update!

But has anyone noticed that the thread IP counter was removed? I wonder why that happened.

>>5965915
>>5965922

Not a grandmother, but mother definitely. For an elf Malevus is quite young and as you know, she is very inexperienced in quite many things. Those steamy romance novels could be a bad influence to an elf like her!

>>5966166
>Go and be amongst them in their camp. Approach them and make sure to at least attempt to speak with everyone, including with the children.
Prince of the people.
>Malevus is your squire, have her follow you and be with you as it is her duty.
>Erefor Pelija, have him follow you and make sure that everyone sees the two of you together. You can plan things with him at the same time.
Not too light but also not too overbearing.

>>5966175
Milfevus.
I just get suspicious when on rolls like this a bunch of 1 ids show up im still paranoid someone samefaggot the vote in the mountain cabin with Jandice.
Atleast Malevus is an agreeable choice.

>>5966175
>>5966183

Understandable. Also she could in fact be your grandmother. I thought I had mentioned her age once before.

Thread 16:

"“Malevus, if you don’t mind, can I ask how old are you? You haven’t brought it up before and I know that elfs can live for quite a long time.” You asked her.

“I do not mind Prince Alric.” Malevus said to you and smiled. “67 years old, that is still quite a young age for an elf. Some consider me to still be a child.”

It really puts things into perspective. Malevus being 67 years old makes her older than Normand and Maura Garside and you didn’t recall knowing that many people who were older than her. The elfs truly do live for a quite long time."

>>5966151
The thread is new bruv.

>>5966166
>The worksites through Dawnholme are bustling with activity. You want to see how the work is continuing and see if you can help them in any way.
>Malevus is your squire, have her follow you and be with you as it is her duty.
>Sir Gravis and the knights, they would be a more martial escort, but very fitting for a Prince like you.
>Erefor Pelija, have him follow you and make sure that everyone sees the two of you together. You can plan things with him at the same time.
They see me rollin~

>>5966151
Tbh, worrying about samefagging is such a petite bother, so I don't bother when I run my quests, nor when participating in one. I just let and encourage my players to fight fire with fire, don't like the samefags fagging their way to victory? Then fag right back at them!

>>5966320
Oh wow, didn't know trips automatically transferred in-between posts, sorry about that.

>>5966166
>QM: Vote both, choose one from each. Also Malevus route is open and the ball at the moment is in her court. And damn, one more woman into the now quite long list with feelings or wants towards Alric.

The focus:
>Join Eligius in documenting them all. Let them come to you and speak with them while paperwork is done.

"Papers, Please". I can't wait for us to catch a spy in their midst.

The escort:
>Malevus is your squire, have her follow you and be with you as it is her duty.

Gaslight the fuck out of her, act like nothing happened between the two of you and pretend that SHE is the one being weird when she inevitably drops her spaghetti upon us. Ala: "Malevus, what do you mean we kissed last night? That's improper for a squire and their master to do! Frankly, I think you should lay off those raunchy romance novels of yours, they're clearly taking their toll on you. You ought to read something befitting your station, like this treatise on Stormwind's taxation system."

>>5966166
>>Join Eligius in documenting them all. Let them come to you and speak with them while paperwork is done.
>Erefor Pelija, have him follow you and make sure that everyone sees the two of you together. You can plan things with him at the same time.

>>5966166
>Go and be amongst them in their camp. Approach them and make sure to at least attempt to speak with everyone, including with the children.

>Malevus is your squire, have her follow you and be with you as it is her duty.

>Erefor Pelija, have him follow you and make sure that everyone sees the two of you together. You can plan things with him at the same time.

The Prince of the People look does sound good, let them get a look.

>>5966166
>Join Eligius in documenting them all. Let them come to you and speak with them while paperwork is done.
Man of the people moment.

>Sir Gravis and the knights, they would be a more martial escort, but very fitting for a Prince like you.
>Erefor Pelija, have him follow you and make sure that everyone sees the two of you together. You can plan things with him at the same time.
Their Stonemason community rep and also the bouncers to keep things from getting rowdy.

Malevus is too close to Alric professionally for a relationship even if she is an excellent person.

>>5965903
>>5965712
I thought the whole point was getting help for dealing with the Fel, not with the romantic liaison, but what do I know.

>>5966166
>>5966499
Supporting, we dont need our knights and they seemed to be interested in Malevus.

>>5966335
We shouldnt mention the events at all if she doesnt do so first and even then have her be the one making further moves

>>5966772
I am bit iffy as well, but if things are to develop, it should be a slow progress. Not as fast as with Calia or Jandice

There is a tie between mingling with them in their camp and being with Eligius while he documents them. Could I have a tiebreaker?

And could I have some rolls?


>1d10
>Best of three, taking the second roll

Rolled 2 (1d10)

>>5966918
Mingle in camp I guess.

Rolled 3 (1d10)

>>5966918
>>5966183
switch to being with eligius it doesnt really matter that much.
>>5966223
Its not that young considering the posts who were voting other ways had atleast a few posts beforehand and suddenly a bunch of 1 posts by ID show up posting for the same thing?
>>5966320
The whole thing with quests is collective storytelling if people are so anal about something going they're way they should just play singleplayer games. Not to mention if it just goes on to counter them is to do the same shit all you get is nonproductive spam with 2 tards and a bunch of false engagement. Just seems a kind of mentality that just makes quests worse.

Rolled 1 (1d10)

>>5966918

>>5966974

Well it does matter, because you switched from mingling in the camp to Eligius which again tied the vote!

Tiebreaker is still needed.

>3

I am going to need another set of rolls please.


>1d10, Best of three

Rolled 8 (1d10)

>>5966985
Are we gonna be rolling like shit again?

Rolled 5 (1d10)

>>5966985
Well then i switch back again!
Im fine with either option.

Rolled 8 (1d10)

>>5966985

>>5966988

At first yes, but these rolls saved it. Good job.

Update will come later this evening.

You walked downstairs and found Malevus, already in her elven half-plate waiting for you.

"Good morning Prince Alric." She greeted you, again she called you a Prince. "Did you sleep well?"

"Good morning and yes, I did fall asleep in the end." You replied politely. "How about you? Did you sleep well?"

"I did, I am ready for a new day Prince Alric." She responded.

She kept her cool, just like nothing had happened last night. There were no signs of blushing or drooped ears. Nothing that would mark her as embarrassed. Well if she wasn't going to mention anything about the kiss, then you wouldn't either.

"The two of you are up and ready to go?" Tari asked as she walked from the kitchen.

"It will be a long day." You said and pulled out a letter you had written yesterday evening. "Can you have this sent to Mayor Fowley?"

"Yes of course. How fast delivery do you want?" Tari took it and asked.

"Not in a hurry, but preferably today." You told her and continued. "I am asking him and Monica if they could lend a hand with the feast."

Monica nodded as she understood the hurdles of catering for hundreds of guests. There had been plenty of feasts in Durnholde she had helped to organise after all.

"I will have it sent as soon as possible." Monica said and continued. "And for the two of you, have fun. I'll be here getting buried under the paperwork."

"I can order you to not do them." You replied.

"But I would disobey." Tari smiled back.

"Alright then, let's go Malevus. We have a lot of Stonemasons to meet, hands to kiss and babies to shake." You told her and marched for the door, your cane clacking on the wooden floor

Tari laughed at your joke.

"Now go, before you get the idea to shake the baby in my stomach." Tari replied and covered her mouth as she laughed.

"Alright alright, see you later then." You said and waved your hand as you stepped outside.

Standing in your small walled yard, you were alone with Malevus for a moment. Sparing her a curious glance and a smile, she opted not to react to them.

Well then, she can approach you when she's ready, now she would just follow you as always as your trusted squire.

It will be a long day.

…

>3
>3


It will be a long week.

Master Pelija had spoken with his closest underlings about what you had told him and asked for him to do. The word had spread like a wildfire and when you reached their camp just on the town's outskirts, the reception was quite chilly.

And everyone had their red bandanas either covering their faces or just around their throats.

Wonderful.

But if they thought that you would relent, they were absolutely bloody wrong.

"Quite welcoming." You mused aloud to Pelija who stood next to you.

"They are stubborn Prince Alric, I warned you about that." He replied.

"Yes you did, but that just means I need to work harder." You told him and put on a slight smile.

It was time to get to work.

1/3

>>5967335

>8


At first they thought that you would relent, that giving you a cold shoulder would work.

But they hadn't met you before, so you kept your smile and spoke with them.

Every time the same thing happened. You would approach a group of them, they would act coldly yet not overtly so, you were a Prince and you gave them a new home after all. Then they realised that your smile wouldn't budge and you would keep asking them completely mundane questions and telling them about Dawnholme and Alteracis. And each time, step by step, the ice between you and them broke.

You spoke about the similarities between you and them, how you have worked hard to provide for your people and you would provide for them as well. It has been an arduous journey for all of you, each one of you carrying the physical or mental weight for what has happened.

Seeing you like this talking with them made the Stonemasons understand what kind of a person you were. Nineteen years old and walking with the help of a cane because someone wanted you dead. It does help you how you dress yourself is rather mundane and that you aren't that tall. Instead you are of average height and build, you could be mistaken for a completely normal person.

You weren't a larger than life character with some special strengths or attributes, well you had magic, but they didn't know about it, you were just someone who has put a lot of work to be where you are now. And that was something they could respect.

Funnily, the person who helped you the most to break the ice wasn't Pelija, but Malevus.

Elves aren't that common in Stormwind City thanks to the distance to Quel'thalas so seeing one up close was quite exotic for the children. Then there was the fact that she was a woman, a beautiful redheaded long-eared woman, who happened to be your squire, studying to be a paladin and being a bodyguard as well blew so many minds.

The children loved her immediately and at first Malevus was unsure how to handle them all, but you just told her to be natural and her usual self. It would be fine.

When the adults saw the children swarm Malevus due to how cool and awesome she was, they relented a bit as well. And while they thought that having an elf woman as your bodyguard was a bit strange, telling them that she had already saved your life once was a convincing argument for having her with you.

Every day you mingled with the Stonemasons for several hours. While you hadn't and couldn't win everyone to your side and see the things your way, yet. You have made good progress and built a foundation.

Though the red bandanas wouldn't disappear as the days passed. That just meant that more work needs to be done.

2/3

>>5967336

On the early afternoon of the fourth day, you were stretching on the bedroom floor. You had spent the morning talking with the Stonemasons and then sparred a bit with Malevus. The daily sparring sessions had returned, but all the walking and standing around hadn't been good for your legs.

So you were taking your sweet time with the stretching. It gave you time to think.

Malevus hadn't said anything about the kiss, she had been perfectly normal, maybe a bit more formal with calling you a Prince again. But there hadn't been any errant looks and faint unusual smiles, you had learned to recognise them. Oh well that just means that she probably isn't ready to approach you again, you know how embarrassed she can get after all. She is probably just waiting for the right moment.

You finished the stretching and stayed on the floor thinking what would you do next? You had nothing planned for the afternoon, but later in the evening you would join Eligius for the magic training. He had graciously asked to postpone the earlier meetings due to the work with the Stonemasons taking all of his time and you had agreed, but today he would have time for magic.

Just what would you do before it?


>The clothes Lady Nalice got you are still in the package. See what kind of a mage uniform she got you.
>Pai the assassin hasn't called for you, but you thought about paying her a visit to see where she's at with her thoughts.
>Sauna, a visit to the steam room would be a great way to relax and get clean before studying magic through the evening.
>Just stay home and spend time with Tari and Malevus, that is if they aren't too busy.

QM: Choose one, while you would technically have time for all of them, each of them have a separate event/events tied to them and I want to give you a stricter choice this time. The rolls were their attitude, what kind of a trick or thing they would do and could you recover from it.

>>5967338
>The clothes Lady Nalice got you are still in the package. See what kind of a mage uniform she got you.
Either this or the sauna imo.

>>5967338
>Sauna, a visit to the steam room would be a great way to relax and get clean before studying magic through the evening

I am very tempted for that robe. Though part of me says we should wait until Malice can be the first one to see it on Alric.

>>5967338
>The clothes Lady Nalice got you are still in the package. See what kind of a mage uniform she got you.
>Sauna, a visit to the steam room would be a great way to relax and get clean before studying magic through the evening.

>Invite malevus to her favorite thing the sauna.

>>5967338
>>The clothes Lady Nalice got you are still in the package. See what kind of a mage uniform she got you.

>>5966974
>The whole thing with quests is collective storytelling if people are so anal about something going they're way they should just play singleplayer games.

Nah, people aren't drones and never will be. Whether it's football, chess, politics, there will always be anal action in collective efforts and we're all guilty of that in one way or the other. It's just a matter of not being too much to chew for the collective, and samefagging certainly isn't.

>Not to mention if it just goes on to counter them is to do the same shit all you get is nonproductive spam with 2 tards and a bunch of false engagement. Just seems a kind of mentality that just makes quests worse.

It only makes quests worse if the QM gets triggered that way, if anything truly out of line happens that's what the banhammer is for. With the "false" engagement still being engaged by real people who are committed enough to a quest to do such a silly thing as samefagging over it. And it ain't like there's simply trolling either, there's voting fraud that ultimately progresses the quest, argumentation over who's best waifu, autistically ornate plans of action, the works. So it's still way more productive than just 2 tard making two posts and leaving it at that.

>>5967338
>Sauna, a visit to the steam room would be a great way to relax and get clean before studying magic through the evening.

Quick question, does our fantasy sauna have those Finnish therapeutic self-beating bundles of leaves? If not, can we get them for funzies?

Oh boy oh boy, I sure do hope that Alric's private sa'una time doesn't get rudely interrupted by someone with less than stellar intentions towards him!

>>5967338
>The clothes Lady Nalice got you are still in the package. See what kind of a mage uniform she got you
>>5967743
It just makes quests worse and shits it up. Id rather quests have atleast some standards than let retards loose. Just because bad things happen doesnt mean we have to tolerate them. Ultimately its up to the QM what he does but i will call out cancerous shit if it happens.

>>5967338
>>The clothes Lady Nalice got you are still in the package. See what kind of a mage uniform she got you.
Fashion Resurgent Quest! I would like to get Pai sorted out, but if she doesnt call for us, she can stay in the jail

Clothes win, could I have some rolls!


>1d10
>Best of three, taking the second roll

Rolled 3 (1d10)

>>5967957
Clothes!

Rolled 10 (1d10)

>>5967957
Inb4 we roll like shit again.

Rolled 4 (1d10)

>>5967957

>>5968010

Well alright then. That's a pretty damn good roll right there. The rolls were for potency of an enchantment and what type of an enchantment the clothes get. Everything's coming up Alric!

Update this evening!

A large bag had been collecting dust since it was placed next to your wardrobe. The clothes, the mage uniform given to you by Lady Nalice had been waiting there for weeks now inside it. So maybe now would be the time to see what exactly she had gotten for you?

You took the large bag and found it heavy as you carried it to your bed. Opening it, you realised why it was so heavy, there was a pair of boots and a bundle wrapped in leather and string inside of it.

You took the boots out first. They were riding boots made from black leather and with a slightly different cut than the ones you usually wore. They were also taller than the old boots you bought from Kris Legace as the black ones seemed to reach a bit higher than your knees. Couple straps kept the boots on your feet and on the front the boots were reinforced with a second layer of leather. They did look quite stylish and the protection offered was better than what you had before.

Putting the boots aside, you took the bundle out of the bag, fumbled a moment with the string and opened it. On top of everything was a folded piece of paper that you took and started to read.

Immediately you had to sigh as the familiar scent of the perfume Katrana Prestor used hit your nose. Yes, she had collected the clothes just like Nalice had said, but you wondered if she had more to do with these than just that? Either way, you started to read again from the start.

There were the usual asking of how are you doing and other pleasantries blah blah blah she misses you blah blah blah hopefully you will find this gift useful blah blah blah.

You skipped ahead and reached the part with the inventory of everything in the bundle and the descriptions. Thankfully everything seemed to have been packed in order as the first item in the list was five pairs of long socks and in fact on top of the bundle were five pairs of long socks that were black.

You could never have enough socks.

Next were five braies, again black, but these weren't as loose or long as the braies you used to wear, barely reaching your upper thigh. They must prefer this design in Stormwind City.

Putting them aside with the socks, you next took out trousers, two of them. These weren't black, they were closer to dark purple, definitely darker than purple Barovs use. Reading the description, they were made from normal silk with silk from Deadwind Widows mixed in. The spider silk was supposedly strong and elastic, which should help to prevent wear and tear. And when you looked closer, you could notice a slightly more grey thread in the mix, that must be the silk from the spiders. The trousers didn't have pockets and the cut was rather narrow with high waist, you now understood why the braies were different, these trousers weren't as loose as they were supposed to be close to skin.

Placing them on the bed you smiled as you took out the next piece of the clothing.

"Ladies… you have done it all now." You mused aloud.

1/3

>>5968212


It was a fine robe, quite similar to the old Alteraci design you like to wear during feasts and other important events, but there were some differences.

The robe was made from dark purple silk with Deadwind Widows silk mixed in. Embroidery was made with black thread that changed patterns depending on from which direction you looked at it. There was either a great dragon breathing fire on one side and an Alteraci swooping falcon on the other. And when you turned it around, they in fact switched places. It was frankly marvellous how this was even possible, you would have to ask Malevus how this is done. Rest of the robe was embroidered with what you recognised as draconic and various geometric shapes and they too changed patterns when moving the robe around.

Otherwise the robe followed the old Alteraci designs. A row of metal buttons, Dark Iron to be specific, on the left side, long sleeves with buttoned cuffs. A high collar to protect your throat and a length to just below your knees.

You continued reading the letter, apparently Nalice had heard you give an off-hand remark about needing a second set of finer clothes and had gotten the idea from that. She wanted you to have a set of clothes that you could wear in any situation and mentioned that pointy hats and stupid robes could be saved for the archmages of Dalaran.

Next was the sash to keep the under robe firmly on you and to protect it from the wear and tear of your sword belt. It was made from sturdy cloth, not from silk, and it had been dyed Alteraci orange.

Next there was the outer robe, it was made from the same silk blend as before with two layers, but it was fully black from outside. No, it was not. Again as you turned it around, the colour changed between black and dark purple like waves hitting the shore or clouds gathering in the sky. There was no embroidery this time, just this shifting cloth. From inside it was dark blue, which gave some contrast to the robe itself and there were numerous pockets small and big added to it.

There were a set of buttons, but you weren't expected to wear this robe closed outside of deep winter. Instead it was supposed to be worn on your shoulders. The long sleeves could hide your arms nearly completely or you could poke your arms through armpit openings. The robe also reached below your knees.

2/3

>>5968213

Finally there was a large orange chaperon and truth to be told, it didn't really match with the old Alteraci style of the robes. But it was your hat of choice and you always had liked to wear one so fashion be damned you were going to wear it.

Looking at the clothes spread on your bed, you really had received more than what you had thought you would get. Nalice and Katrana had acquired you something marvellous to wear, something not just to use when casting spells, but to wear on special occasions or why not every day. But you knew that this wasn't everything as there was still a letter to read through.

Nalice had told Katrana that you preferred to wear the Robe of Obfuscation to hide your presence, so she had something similar yet different in mind. After the tailors had done their magic with the robes, Katrana had acquired a mage to place several enchantments on them that should help you.

When the under robe was worn, it wouldn't hide your presence like the Robe of Obfuscation or make you invisible like Cloak of Shadows, but it would make you harder to be noticed and more easily forgettable. And when the outer robe was worn with it, the wearer could Blink short distances.

Blink.

You had to blink several times when you read that. You knew the spell existed, but you didn't know the theory and now supposedly with the robes you could Blink? It was hard to believe the robes could do it, but Nalice or Katrana wouldn't lie to you.

Oh and the pockets on the outer robe are actually magically deeper than they really are.

You read the letter. Katrana told you that getting the right enchantments hadn't been easy, but she is sure that they will end up being extremely useful to you and keep you safe. She also said that whoever made the enchantments refused to name the robes, so you would have to think of a name for them.

This was frankly a lot. You didn't really know what to say, but you would need to thank both of them when you have a chance. Now though you just stared at the clothes and thought what to do with them? Should you test them out immediately?


>Put on the clothes and go show them to Tari and Malevus, let them see how handsome you are and save the Blink for Eligius.
>You need to test the Blink immediately, change into these clothes and Blink across the room.

Name for the robes:
>Write in

QM: New clothes! Return of the zupan and kontusz. You would have gotten the lesser version of obfuscation in any case, but the 10s got you a bit better version of it, deep pockets and the Blink. There were a couple other passive bonuses available, but Blink was the strongest enchantment I could give you now. And as we are talking about a magical item, it needs a snazzy name so think something nice for it.

>>5968215
>>Put on the clothes and go show them to Tari and Malevus, let them see how handsome you are and save the Blink for Eligius.

>>5968215
>Put on the clothes and go show them to Tari and Malevus, let them see how handsome you are and save the Blink for Eligius.
No need to rush, the robes aren't going anywhere.

Name for the robes:
>The Mythic Robes
One name that I think brings it all together. The falcon and the dragon, the geometric patterns, all the colours between sundown and sunrise, the enchantments.

>You would have gotten the lesser version of obfuscation in any case, but the 10s got you a bit better version of it, deep pockets and the Blink. There were a couple other passive bonuses available, but Blink was the strongest enchantment I could give you now. And as we are talking about a magical item, it needs a snazzy name so think something nice for it.
Good thing I rolled so well at the right time.

>>5968215
>Put on the clothes and go show them to Tari and Malevus, let them see how handsome you are and save the Blink for Eligius.

>"Robes of Alterac"

>>5968215

>Put on the clothes and go show them to Tari and Malevus, let them see how handsome you are and save the Blink for Eligius.

>Blink

That’s the quick teleportation spell, right? If so, for the love of The Light don’t try it out with supervision, lest we put Alric in undue risk of noclipping into a wall and suffocating to death.

Name for the robes:
>Write in

The name needs to be something specific enough for people to actually know what’s being talked about but not “special” enough to be obnoxiously magical for normies.

So maybe something like The Raiment of Dawn?

>>5968215
>Put on the clothes and go show them to Tari and Malevus, let them see how handsome you are and save the Blink for Eligius.

Its got a dragon breathing fire, and alteraci swooping falcon on the other. Its black or very dark purple and shifting. Nice orange sash tho. Got some deadwind widows silk mixed in.

The dragon and falcon disappear and reappear, it can also blink, it makes people think he wasnt even there as well. Like a Mirage.

>Write in
The Midnight Mirage

The Black Dawn. Nightwing. Widower's veil.

Dude Where Did I Put My Robe?

>>5968215
Nice enchantments, wow. I thought it would be something basic like mana regeneration.

Rider's Raiment. It's a subtle nod to the movement allowed by the clothes without making it blinding obvious.

>>5968215
>>5968333
Of the other names suggested, I like "Rider's Raiment" the most. Especially since it can be shortened to just "Raiment".

On another matter, I think we should ease off on the ban of the Stonemason bandana a bit with time. Something that creates distance between the criminality and is distinct from their previous lives but still acknowledges the heritage. Turn it into an optics win by talking to them and figuring something out that is acceptable to everybody, most likely a hybridisation instead of full conversion, and come off as reasonable instead of tyrannical. Trying to repress their identity too forcefully will just turn us into another hostile outgroup when we want both Alteracis and Stonemasons in the ingroup and the Alliance as the big bad. Especially King Varian, the prick.

>>5968614
Make some red bandanas for them as a complimentary thing, only have an orange falcon slapped on them to get the integration going slowly. It's symbolic of being 'in this together' while still letting them hold onto the red identity.

Hmmm… maybe Rider's Raiments for the name? Or The Raiments of Dawn? You need to think a bit more about the name, before finalising it.

But now you had other things in mind as you quickly took off your clothes and put on the new clothes you received.

Braies, socks and trousers, the high waist surprised you slightly. Then the boots and making sure walking with them felt good. Under robe and then you threw on the outer robe. Finally you put on the new chaperon and looked at the mirror.

Damn you looked good, honestly if you were a woman, you could fall for the handsome young man staring back from the mirror.

You felt slight tingling on your skin as you looked at your mirror image, you could feel the robes being special. You spun around, checked the robes, saw that you can easily sit down and get up. After a bit of stretching, you found that the elastic Deadwind Widows silk gives the robes just enough elasticity to not hinder your movement at all. And they felt incredibly comfortable and soft.

Finally you tested the supposedly deeper pockets of the outer robe. Sticking your hand in didn't seem to do anything, but when you took the black noise device and stashed it into one of the pockets, you understood how it worked. It was a cube, but it didn't protrude from outside nor from inside. Without checking the pockets, people wouldn't know what you had with you.

The Blink would have to wait as you went back for the letter. It read there that there are limits to how often and how long of a distance you could Blink. And that when and if you would learn the spell by yourself, the robes would help you in casting it properly. Rest of the letter was guidance in how to activate the Blink and how to keep the clothes clean along with other tips for washing them. You would need to give that part of the letter to Tari, you are fairly sure she can handle washing them when needed.

Now though it was time to go and show these clothes to her and Malevus. You are fairly sure both of them will end up loving them.

…

Leaving your study, you saw Tannis Foxton in your father's small office working on something. He didn't pay you any notice so you turned to look down from the balcony into the main room below.

Tari was at the large table working on some papers and Malevus was cleaning her armour by the hearth. Both of them could easily see you if they were to turn their heads slightly, but neither seemed to have noticed you.

This did give you a perfect opportunity to test how difficult it was for them to notice you. Maybe you could try to surprise them?


>Surprise Tari, approach her from behind.
>Surprise Malevus, she seems to be fully concentrated with her armour.
>Stomp down the stairs like a madman and see if they notice that.
>Other, write in.

QM: Good name ideas, now could we just have some form of a consensus on what the name will end up being?

File: mages.jpg (65 KB, 735x588)

65 KB JPG

>>5968713
Not-fond memories of zerging Deadwind Pass to get to the Swamp of Sorrows at level 30-40 before I got a horse. Fuck those spiders.

>Other, write in.
ABRACADABRA and blink in the living area between hearth and desk.
in before we roll a 1 and blink to the Twisting Nether and an eredar pops into our place, or worse get stuck in the ground like fucking Warsong Gulch
Soon to be renamed Rider's Lament.

>Surprise Tari, approach her from behind.

>>5968713
>>Stomp down the stairs like a madman and see if they notice that.
Start slowly and see at what point do they notice you. Blink is really cool skill to have when wearing the robes.

For the name I like Raiment of Dawn more than Riders Raiment. We arent exactly known for being a horseman

>>5968713
>Stomp down the stairs like a madman and see if they notice that.

>>5968713
>Surprise Malevus, she seems to be fully concentrated with her armour

Blow some air on her ear

>>5968713
>Surprise Malevus, she seems to be fully concentrated with her armour.

Going to do an executive decision and ask for a tiebreaker between making noise at the stairs and Malevus. If I could get one more vote, I think I can put out one more update today.

>>5968950
Malevus!

>>5968950
>Stomp down the stairs like a madman and see if they notice that.

If Tari looked to her right she would see you, if Malevus looked to her left, the same thing would happen. Tari would be a fun target to surprise from behind, but Malevus was a much more fun candidate. So it would be her whom you try to surprise.

You walked down the stairs, your cane periodically hitting the wooden steps. Neither of the ladies had noticed you, so the robes… The Raiments of Dawn, or just The Raiments were actually working. Having gotten downstairs, you slowly walked towards Malevus and until you had nearly reached her, she noticed you.

"A-Alric?" She asked when she saw you. She was quite surprised.

"Damn it, I got this close." You muttered, you nearly got a chance to blow air into her ear.

"W-what are those clothes?" She said next.

It seems like the Raiments do make you more difficult to be noticed, which does sound somewhat strange as otherwise the clothes are really well made and beautiful. Why would you want to hide yourself If you were to wear something as good as this?

"Lady Nalice got these for me, she had overheard me talking about needing new clothes and if I were to become a mage, I should dress properly for the job." You told her.

"I-I see…" She nearly whispered. "It's really beautiful, the workmanship is very high quality."

"What are the two… Alric?" Tari had turned around and saw you wear the new clothes.

"A gift from Lady Nalice." You replied again.

Malevus had put her armour down and knelt next to you as she touched and probed the robes. She was completely mesmerised by the work and this got Tari's attention.

"You never told me that you knew about tailoring?" Tari asked her, causing Malevus to recoil a bit.

"I mean umm… just look at it." Malevus mumbled and stood up. So she hadn't told Tari about her past.

"It is really gorgeous." Tari said back to her and walked to you. "Who made this?"

"The same people that made my previous fine clothes. Old tailor in Stormwind City." You told her.

Now Tari seemed to start gushing over your new clothes and that was the signal for you to take a step back and leave to see Eligius.

"I will be going to see Eligius now, it might be a bit late when I return so don't be waiting for me." You told them.

"Studying magic?" Tari asked.

"Yep." You replied.

"Stay safe Prince Alric." Malevus said to you next. She had recovered from the sudden sight of you in such a beautiful set of clothes. Still you could see there being a sliver of interest to see more in her.

If she wants, she can have a closer look tomorrow or whenever she wants. Now though, will she have the courage to approach you?

1/2

>>5969042

You had skirted the town and the tent camp of Stonemasons and seemingly no one had noticed you. Clearly the Raiments weren't as foolproof as Robe of Obfuscation was, but you could walk like this without any issues.

When you had reached Lady Nalice's home, which Eligius was now using, you found your spymaster slash warlock busy at work rearranging shelves full of books and scrolls.

He too was very impressed by your new clothes and found them to be very interesting especially when you told him about the enchantments in them.

"Blink? Prince Alric, are you serious?" Eligius asked. The warlock was wearing his usual grey clothes and a black robe over them and it looked like he had tidied his short beard and hair.

"I am, I thought about trying it now." You replied back to him.

"Have you read the instructions?" He asked you.

"I have, I think I can do it." You replied back to him.

"Alright, because I want to see this. Prince Alric, I have never seen Blink in action so colour me very interested." Eligius seemed like a small child seeing knights parading past him for the first time. He was very excited. "Are you going to do it here or outside?"


>Do it inside the house, Blink only a short distance, a couple of yards. No one can spot you here.
>Go behind the house where there's no obstacles or walls just in case something happens.
>Take a short walk into the woods, there no one can see you and you can talk with Eligius while travelling there.
>Other, write in.

>>5969044
>>Do it inside the house, Blink only a short distance, a couple of yards. No one can spot you here.
The whole basement magic training is to hide from the paladin in the town.

>>5969044
>Do it inside the house, Blink only a short distance, a couple of yards. No one can spot you here.
And with the smallest amount of mana required.

>>5969044
>Do it inside the house, Blink only a short distance, a couple of yards. No one can spot you here.
Either this or the woods is fine by me.

>>5969044
>Do it inside the house, Blink only a short distance, a couple of yards. No one can spot you here.

>>5969044
>Do it inside the house, Blink only a short distance, a couple of yards. No one can spot you here.

>>5969044
>>Do it inside the house, Blink only a short distance, a couple of yards. No one can spot you here.

>Do it inside the house, Blink only a short distance, a couple of yards. No one can spot you here.

>>5969051

Does Alric actually have a basement or not? Also absolute hivemind on this one.

>>5969364

The farmstead turned into a manor doesn't have a basement and building one would be rather difficult.

With the hivemind being very clear on what it wants, could I have some rolls. Let's see how well Alric handles this Blink business. The update will come later this evening.


>3d10, Best of four
>Higher the better

Rolled 3, 2, 2 = 7 (3d10)

>>5969379
Inb4 shit rolls

>>5969381
Yeah that tracks

Rolled 10, 5, 6 = 21 (3d10)

>>5969379
Best of four?
Alrics either getting good or its a tough one.

Rolled 5, 1, 1 = 7 (3d10)

>>5969379

Rolled 6, 4, 6 = 16 (3d10)

>>5969379

Rolled 3, 8, 7 = 18 (3d10)

>>5969379
for posterity

>>5969392

That 21 was a good roll, but damn those 7s weren't. I didn't expect an outright failure, but if 7 had been the best roll, something fun like Blinking halfway into wall could have happened.

The update later today!

>21, Success!


The basement of Nalice’s house had all the wards still intact and ready. Even if she had said that Raleigh wouldn’t be a problem, and he wasn’t even in the town as he was with the soldiers in Strahnbrad Hills, it was better to cast magic where it is safe to do so. Especially as Surena Caledon and the witches were in the town, they might sense or realise something is going on.

The two of you cleared a table away so that you would have as much space as possible available for the Blink, maybe five yards at max, but you were fine with just getting across the room and not phasing into the brick wall.

“Are you ready Prince Alric?” Eligius asked you. He had made sure that the wards were all working as he took his position by the adjacent wall.

“I am.” You replied to him.

You checked the Raiments, you were quite sure that wouldn’t do anything, but it made your nervousness slightly go away. The instructions on the letter were simple, channel mana through your body and then just imagine yourself where you want to Blink.

Couple deep breaths and you fixed your thoughts on a spot on the floor across the room.

And then just like if you were to light a candle, you raised your hand and snapped your fingers.

And with a blink, suddenly the wall opposite of you was awfully much closer to you.

“You did it!” Eligius practically shouted.

Turning around you looked back and saw a faint cloud of smoke and electricity in the air where you had stood just a blink ago. Grinning madly, you felt the tingling across your body as you had just Blinked maybe four yards across the room.

“It feels strange, but I think I will get used to this.” You replied to Eligius while grinning.

“That was incredible, can you do it again?” Eligius asked you.

“Sure, that’s why we are here.” You said and prepared for another go at it.

…

Having Blinked several times across the room and back, you had learned the limitations the Raiments had. There was no cooldown, the robes could handle the spell without much issues, but as you did it twice in a row, you really felt how it was taxing you and you sat down to catch your breath. Yet you didn’t feel overly tired, you still had your own mana remaining so it didn’t use that much mana when you casted it. Or the distance was just too short to really cause you to spend a lot of mana.

“There wasn’t much in the books, but the Bloodstone you got, you should treasure it.” Eligius told you.

“Is it that powerful?”

“In the right hands, yes.” He told and continued. “We don’t know where the stones get their power, there are just theories ranging from just blood to Fel to something else completely. But what we know is that somehow they end up in the hands of warlocks of some renown.”

“Are there any risks in using it?” You asked the important question.

1/2

>>5969653

“I don’t know outside of giving it too much of your own blood?” Eligius said and shrugged. “I can try to find more about it, but at this point I can’t say much more.”

“But would you use it?”

“Yes, no doubt I would use it if required. It might be, or it is a more potent source of power than the Fel inside you Prince Alric.” Eligius explained.

“I see.” You replied.

Well, that would give you plenty to think about. That Bloodstone seemed to be quite a powerful tool in your arsenal if you were to use it. Maybe you should stash it in your pocket just in case?

“Prince Alric, how shall we continue?” Eligius asked you. “I mean Lady Nalice left me some instructions on how to proceed, but it is your call in the end.”

Yes, how should you continue your studies? The instructions Lady Nalice had left to Eligius were quite standard in your eyes, continuing your studies in theory with equal amounts of practical knowledge. But you also had alternatives, you could go all in with the basics and the foundation of magic like the master of Eligius made him go through, the knowledge of magic and Arcane theory could be very useful to you.

But you had also planned on burning, quite literally, the Fel inside you away. Maybe you should prioritise that or go all in with your control of fire? Imagine how much stronger you could be if you were to learn the weave and bend the fire fully to your will? The show you put up for Jandice would be just a child’s play compared to what you could learn.

Or maybe you should learn how to use and control the Fel further? After all Lady Nalice had changed the draconic glyphs on your chest to give you a better control over it, maybe after all of this accepting Fel as part of you and your powers would be the way to go? I am you and you are me.


>Keep studying based on the curriculum provided by Lady Nalice.
>You need to concentrate on the basics of Arcane Magic and study them as much as possible. Create a strong foundation.
>You had planned on burning the Fel away, make that your utmost importance.
>You have learned to control the fire, concentrate on that and learn the secrets of fire magic.
>The Fel inside you is a potent source of power, if you are going to be stuck with it, you should learn how to use it.

QM: This vote is potentially a two parter. Please choose only one. The one you choose will be your priority where Alric will put most of his time studying in. If you choose to follow the curriculum provided by Lady Nalice, there won’t be a second vote. If you choose anything else, Alric will try to split his time with the winners of the two votes. This is for what Alric will be doing during timeskips and between updates for his magic training.

>>5969654
>You need to concentrate on the basics of Arcane Magic and study them as much as possible. Create a strong foundation.

I don't trust nalice teaching methods ever since we got tainted with fel. And basics will give us a stronger foundation.

>>5969654
>You had planned on burning the Fel away, make that your utmost importance.
We've been putting this off for too long.

>>5969654
>Keep studying based on the curriculum provided by Lady Nalice.

>>5969654
>>Keep studying based on the curriculum provided by Lady Nalice.
So basically what we were doing before that we had decided on before.

>>5969490
If there had been a crit-success, would the blink be fel-charged with green electricity??

>>5969654
>Keep studying based on the curriculum provided by Lady Nalice.

I'm torn between options, I want Alric to learn manipulating the fire sword enchantment to sneak in fire blasts during fights, also to improve arcane mastery so he can eventually make his own Mirror Images like the assassin in Durnholde, then there's the Fel.. but Nalice knows best.

>>5969918

Blink would have been a cakewalk for you when wearing the Raiment's of Dawn and it would have given a bonus in learning it outside wearing the clothes.

At the moment you don't know the spell, you just know how to cast it when wearing the clothes.

>>5969654
>>You need to concentrate on the basics of Arcane Magic and study them as much as possible. Create a strong foundation.

>>5969654
>>Keep studying based on the curriculum provided by Lady Nalice.

Hot for teacher.

>>5969654
>Keep studying based on the curriculum provided by Lady Nalice.

Continuing to study based on Lady Nalice's instructions is the winner here and we don't need to go for a second vote.

The update will come tomorrow as I am just way too tired to write anything today.

Lady Nalice knows what she is doing, even if she can be slightly eccentric, but that probably comes with her being a red dragon. So following her instructions is probably the smartest thing to do. But that doesn’t mean that you wouldn’t be trying to burn the Fel inside you away. At the end of each study session you would try to create a small fire with Fel only and that way slowly burn everything away.

The curriculum, if you could call it that, puts effort on growing your own mana reserves through repeated exercises with the reasoning being simple. If your mana reserves grow, you can cast more spells and more stronger spells. In addition you would be studying the other usual subjects like fire and Arcane, a quite wide array of other things to learn to give you knowledge on little bit of everything and not just on Arcane itself.

Though there were few peculiarities in the instructions provided, for example you should continue getting the elven sigils painted on your skin to help with your mana control and also you should study dragons and their history. You would also study Fel to be more prepared in dealing with it and to protect yourself. You would also continue studying draconic on your own.

“Prince Alric, you had planned on studying while in Tarren Mill.” Eligius mentioned to you.

“Yes, I did spend time studying.” You replied.

“Any progress?” He asked.


>Demonstrate any progress you have made, Arcane Writing, weaving fire and controlling it
>Show him the Arcane Writing, your control over fire isn’t worth showing to him, at least not yet
>You haven’t really achieved much, nothing worth showing or demonstrating.
>Tell him about Jandice Barov teaching you, Eligius might otherwise wonder how you have learned new magic
>Other, write in

>>5970920
>Show him the Arcane Writing, your control over fire isn’t worth showing to him, at least not yet

>>5970920
>>Demonstrate any progress you have made, Arcane Writing, weaving fire and controlling it
beep boop clever prince.

>>5970920
>Demonstrate any progress you have made, Arcane Writing, weaving fire and controlling it
>Tell him about Jandice Barov teaching you, Eligius might otherwise wonder how you have learned new magic

He's our spy, whatever he doesn't know now, he will learn soon, so at least he will know some extent of the training Alric is getting from the Jandice, like Malevus already did (before the full confession).

>>5970920
>Demonstrate any progress you have made, Arcane Writing, weaving fire and controlling it
>Tell him about Jandice Barov teaching you, Eligius might otherwise wonder how you have learned new magic
Any progress? Here's the progress.

>>5970920
>>Demonstrate any progress you have made, Arcane Writing, weaving fire and controlling it
>Tell him about Jandice Barov teaching you, Eligius might otherwise wonder how you have learned new magic

Though my Eligius could probably figure it out, theres not that many people around Alric who have been in close proximity while he was in Tarren Mill and could learn Arcane Writing from.

Demonstration, let's go for some easy rolls. Surely Alric won't fail these!


>3d10, Best of four
>DC 12, 14, Crit 20

Rolled 2, 3, 8 = 13 (3d10)

>>5971141
Surely he will!

Rolled 2, 9, 8 = 19 (3d10)

>>5971141

Rolled 4, 6, 10 = 20 (3d10)

>>5971141
surely.

Rolled 8, 10, 6 = 24 (3d10)

>>5971141
My Alric will (not) fail

>24, Crit Success!


“Yes, in fact I did have some success.” You replied back to him and stood up from the chair you had been sitting on. Checking your clothes that they were all tidy, you brought your arm up and started to draw in the air with your hand.

A purple line was created where your index finger was as you wrote in the air.

ELIGIUS NEEDS CLOTHES OTHER THAN GREY OR BLACK

“Haha very funny.” Eligius replied and sighed before continuing. “Impressive work Prince Alric, have you learned Arcane Writing?”

“Yes, I did. And well… I did have some help.” You said back to him.

“Help, by whom?” Eligius asked.

“Lady Barov.” You said to him.

“Lady Jandice?”

“It didn’t take long for her to realise that something was funny with me. And after she realised that something was funny with me, I told her that I was studying magic.” You said back to him.

“You told her?” Eligius asked surprised.

“She had put one plus one already.” You sighed. “And after that to pass time she wanted to teach me something useful.”

“Which Arcane Writing was?” Eligius replied.

“Part of the curriculum in Dalaran supposedly.”

“Well, that would be quite a smart thing to do.”

“Well it wouldn’t be everything I had learned.” You told him.

“Oh?”

You extended your arm again and opened your palm. Then you concentrated.

A small Fel green flame appeared on your hand before it turned normal. The liquid fire leaked down the fire on your hand, but as usual it didn’t burn you.

And then you made the fire grow larger before waving your hand in the air and making the fire follow it. The fire lagged your hand and burned in the air, for a moment a near perfect circle of fire existed.

“Wonderful, you have progressed far Prince Alric.” Eligius said proudly. “Year ago I hadn’t even met you and now here we are.”

“Thank you Eligius.”

“My pleasure Prince Alric.” He said and gave you a polite bow. “But there is still a lot for us to do.”

“We have, so shall we get started?”

…

A messenger arrived the next day from Captain Garside bringing a message. His patrols hadn’t found anything within Strahnbrad Hills, but the patrol sent upstream found something of note outside of a chain of totems made by trolls. A logjam was spread across the Darrowmere River, blocking any travel up or downstream. The patrol didn’t want to stay there for long to not attract unwanted attention, but they were adamant in their observations. To clear the logjam, one would have to enter the troll territory.

That was unwanted news, but news nevertheless. In addition Lieutenant Beckston would be returning to Dawnholme shortly for a bit of rest and to escort a supply caravan back to Shoredon and to the valley where oil was located. He will be in Dawnholme in a couple of days.

Though you would have other things in mind. You had a feast to organise.

1/2

>>5971366

Since you put the plan of hosting a feast out, there had been a serious effort by Alteracis and Stonemasons alike to prepare it. As you walked amongst them, you had your own hand in trying to sort everything out. Speaking with them, you got a good idea of the size of the feast and what was required. And as you spoke, you hadn’t pointed out that they were still wearing their red bandanas, maybe you shouldn’t push them as hard regarding them?

But as you spoke with them, you noticed their womenfolk, especially the younger ones sparing you glances. You recognised their looks, where they… yes they were. They must have learned about the rumours.

You chose not to respond to their looks.

…

“Prince Alric, there is a visitor.” One of the Royal Foot Guards greeted you. The evening had arrived and you were preparing to leave to study magic with Eligius.

“A visitor, this late?” You asked.

“A woman, came from Tarren Mill.” Was the reply.

That must be Monica then.

“Send her in.” You replied.

The soldier bowed and stepped out before letting your visitor in.

“Hello Monica.” You greeted her. She was wearing her usual green skirt and shirt, and this time with a large green cloak.

“Evening Prince Alric.” She greeted you and gave you an unnecessary deep bow.

“We are friends, you don’t need to Prince me nor bow to me.” You replied to her and smiled.

“I thought that I should greet you in your own home.” She replied to you.

“And in my home I am amongst my friends.” You said back to her and stared her through your dark glasses. “But it is late, I presume you need a place to sleep in?”

“Yes, but now. I have my tent and I can stay with the… Stonemasons weren’t they?” Monica replied to you.

She seemed to be fine with staying in a tent outside, but maybe you should provide her a room. Though you didn’t exactly have a free room in your home, which would mean that someone would have to either share or step aside.


>Monica can sleep in your bed, while you sleep on the study floor in a bedroll.
>Taretha can share the wide bed of the guest room with her.
>The guest room should be given to her temporarily. Have Monica sleep there and Taretha goes to sleep in your old room used by Malevus currently.
>Malevus can sleep elsewhere while Monica takes her room.
>If Monica says so, she can sleep in a tent with the others outside near the town.
>Other, write in.

QM: Good roll!

>>5971369
>Taretha can share the wide bed of the guest room with her.
But ask her first, if we get a no then either Monica or Alric can sleep in a bedroll.

>>5971369
>Monica can sleep in your bed, while you sleep on the study floor in a bedroll.

>>5971387
>support
>>5971369

>>5971369
>>Monica can sleep in your bed, while you sleep on the study floor in a bedroll.

>>5971387
>>5971369
support

>>5971369
>>5971387
>support
Tari, we have a visitor!

>>5971369
>>Taretha can share the wide bed of the guest room with her.

qm is kill

>>5972232

QM is very tired and sleepy. Update will come tomorrow. Sorry about that.

>>5972264

QM wants a simple roll for tomorrow.


>1d10
>Best of three

Rolled 5 (1d10)

>>5972342
Oh boy!