''He was many a thing to many a person. The wise mentor, who helped the hero on his way; the able wizard, always able to conjure up new tricks and spells; the trustworthy advisor, there to guide the king or queen on their way to greatness; the beloved courtier, whose suggestions always won favour at court; the loyal friend, who stood by through thick and thin; the compassionate healer, who tended to the sick and wounded with care and skill. All of these were masks in one way or the other, and though many spoke of him, none knew him.He was a king, a priest, a merchant and a sorcerer, and yet he was also the dirty man toiling in the fields and the cutthroat lurking in the alleyway. A thousand roles, and yet he always came back with another: the elven prince, the dwarven master craftsman, the orc warchief, the hooded stranger. He was the priest of the sun god in the sweltering jungles of the south and the incarnation of the winter king in the taiga of the frigid north.But what lay beneath? But a malevolence unrivalled, a desire to impose order upon all life, to make this world rigid and unyielding to his whims. And he played his parts well; sometimes he arose, deceived a people into worshipping him, and made their land, their people, and their culture but a part of his vision.Coalition-building might have been his true strength, both in his favour and against him. His efforts led him far, building an empire that stretched from the jungles over the deserts and steppes to the ice caps. From east to west, from north to south, nowhere was truly safe from his reach.And at the centre of it all lay a place most desolate, a blighted landscape, where nought stood but a dark tower. Here he planned, coordinated, plotted and sat upon his throne, in between leading his dark hosts or going out to conduct his eldritch plans and rituals elsewhere.'' https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=The%20Shadow%20Rises%20AnewThe deed was done; a rebellion had been squashed once again, their cavern home rendered uninhabitable by your own toxic fumes. Part of you had wished to crawl through, rip the little leader from his hiding hole, and eat him wholesale.But you elected not to; no, instead you made certain that if there were those who had survived, they would never see the sky again, nor would they hew their way out, for you melted the stone shut. When you finally got out of the caverns, the mountain partially caved in, sealing off any chance of escape for the rebels.But it was inevitable, was it not? Such is the fate of all those who oppose you; nobody would remember this place, the peasant might for the rest of their short, miserable lives, but they will die, and a century from now, there will be naught in remembrance but your past conquests, nothing in the present but your edicts and decrees, and the future to be filled with future glory.
>>6394137You had had enough of mountains and dry land; you had rooted out the last simmering embers of resistance, and now only the dregs would need to be killed, which you intended to leave for your subordinates.Flying back, you held counsel with the rest of your war council; the sultan would be informed, and he would be pleased. Though at the same time, he was growing weary of your usual justifications in finding his lost siblings; he was growing depressed and withdrawn.This, of course, worked in your favour, as you whittled away at his authority, positioning yourself as the true power behind the throne. Unfortunately, you had been busy with war, and while your cronies at court were good at keeping the sultan distracted, you hadn't handpicked a successor.Then again, you didn't consider Qasim to be that frail, and while his children were young, they showed promise, some of them did, though whether you wanted a second Qasim or someone else to pose as a figurehead, you hadn't decided upon yet.No, your first priority was your secret laboratory, where fruits of your labour and research had finally hatched. Naga, or Lamia, the fusion of man and snake, an unholy creation that would assume leadership of the snake cults on your behalf when they were of age. A reasonable attraction rate, you presumed, of the original twelve, only three had failed to hatch. "A reasonable rate of failure, though I expect future incubations and hatchings to have a higher success rate." You dictated to your main assistant, and general beast of burden: Erassyl. "Yes, my lord." She answered.You watched them closely, infants still, with patches of scales on the human part here and here, as well as the eyes. At the same time, their tails were in varying colours and coats, which you found interesting, perhaps something else to consider for future experiments.You considered two options, either you would have them raised together, to create a bond of kinship among them, and to make certain they would work together in managing your cults on your behalfOr you could ship them out right away to be raised among the cult assigned to them, and then they learn and adapt local customs, and keeping them separate would also keep them from plotting against you.>It is best these creatures be kept together; they shall form a shadow cabal in the future and must be raised as a group, not individually.>Keeping them separate cripples their ability to plot against me, and the decentralized nature of the cult is part of its strength.
>>6394139>It is best these creatures be kept together; they shall form a shadow cabal in the future and must be raised as a group, not individually.Lizard elite
>The deed was done; a rebellion had been squashed once again, their cavern home rendered uninhabitable by your own toxic fumes.this quest needs a villain! it needs...>>6394139>Keeping them separate cripples their ability to plot against me, and the decentralized nature of the cult is part of its strength.we don't need a concentrated host; we have ourselves for that. what we need is many hands in many different places
>>6394139>Keeping them separate cripples their ability to plot against me, and the decentralized nature of the cult is part of its strength.
>>6394139>>It is best these creatures be kept together; they shall form a shadow cabal in the future and must be raised as a group, not individually
Rolled 2 (1d2)1: Keep them together 2: Separate them
No, these would be clever little snakemen (and women). And while you would have them raised to regard you as a god, you knew better than to blindly trust in them. That was a mistake made both by you and others before, and in spite of it all, you were able to learn from previous mistakes. Not that you would ever admit to making mistakes in the first place.You waited about three months for the babes to grow; you had them weaned on both milk and snake venom to ensure they got a healthy diet for both of their halves. Before the time would come, on a dark night, you had them wrapped in blankets and given to riders, who would in turn bring them to the snake cults.You had made certain to inform them ahead of time, sending dreams and visions to ensure they would accept these children as their chosen ones. As the riders disappeared into the night, you couldn't help but smile. It was almost like the good old days, where your creatures could terrorise the land with naught but your iron hand to rein them in.You returned inside shortly afterwards; evil never rests after all, and diligence is a virtue, even among the free peoples. The laboratory was more or less your home; outside your quarters in the palace, this place was the one you could truly call your own.Aside from prisoners, you also kept your most fanatical private troops here as guards and protectors of your most valuable experiments. The faint hum of machinery and the occasional screech of a creature in pain filled the air as you came back to the desk to begin a new experiment.You had about seven princes left, but even in spite of your best efforts, the prison life was begging to wear them out. No amount of mandatory sun hours and good meals could keep them in top condition; you did turn one into a proto-snakeman, but you were considering having him killed. Kingsblood is the most potent of all bloodlines. And you would soon find new purpose for them.As to the princesses, you had three of them; two were Qasim's sisters, and the third was the former Princess Malidwa, whom you had kidnapped on her wedding day. But as your guards told you, she was growing mad, flying into animalistic rages when you showed yourself, often needing to be restrained to keep her from causing harm to herself or others. She had a violence to her that neither Elyssa, Samdarda, Nafiri nor even Mortharn were capable of. Though in the case of Mortharn, you suppose that he isn't capable of feeling bloodlust, or anything at all, really.But as you began pondering your next steps, it would be time for the next step in rebuilding your strength, whether it be through your minions, new allies, or by increasing your own strength once more. There were matters in the capital which required your attention, so your lab underlings would prepare for the next great experiment or ritual.
>>6394587As to Malidwa, what should be done with her?>Let her rot; I shall reuse her later.>Such a defiant young maid, bring her to the rack, break her spirit.>Oh, you wish for revenge? I shall give it, but not against me; you shall be reforged.What should your lab minions turn their attentions to next?>Prepare a suit of armour for my designs; Mortharn is deserving of a little brother.>Create a grand pyre and ritual runes; I desire to bargain with the powers below.>Have them lay the groundwork for a great siege engine to complete your conquests. >Leave behind alchemical notes for them to develop into the liquid breath of the dragon.
>>6394588>Oh, you wish for revenge? I shall give it, but not against me; you shall be reforged.>Leave behind alchemical notes for them to develop into the liquid breath of the dragon.
>>6394588>Oh, you wish for revenge? I shall give it, but not against me; you shall be reforged.>Have them lay the groundwork for a great siege engine to complete your conquests.Grond! Grond! Grond!
