Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[micelus]

"Hmmm....I shall have to locate him then, although I wonder if he is capable of the task I need him for..."

Ketemos paused for a moment to think of any other options...he didn't have time to conduct another search for someone more talented. This part-time merchant would have to do.

"Regardless, I do know that humanity isn't the only race xenophobic to outsiders, just the one I've seen first-hand. I'm sure others would feel the same, just as you said...they will need some persuasion if they are to be strengthened, but that will take some time..."

Leaving that topic, Ketemos made to inquire about the gargoyle further before taking his leave.

"I'll take my leave soon, right after I ask a few more questions...a force of habit, unfortunately. Who is your master? How did you get here and can you think of any possible reason for why a gargoyle would want to come here?

---
After the orc had answered Auratus' questions, Ketemos walked to her and calmly asked some of his own.

"Where does this god live? If we defeated it, would it serve? Would it have acted alone or in tandem with others?"

[Weirdsound]

Leaving that topic, Ketemos made to inquire about the gargoyle further before taking his leave.

"I'll take my leave soon, right after I ask a few more questions...a force of habit, unfortunately. Who is your master? How did you get here and can you think of any possible reason for why a gargoyle would want to come here?

"My master, Ranus, works the night shift as foreman at this shipyard. He's a good man for a Bellian. He has offered to let me buy my freedom, and if I am able to resist splurging with my meager allowence, I should have saved up for it within the decade." Jak offers, "I think he used to be a pirate before he lost his leg. We bonded over our missing limbs, and he agreed to buy me from my last master's estate sale."

He gives his head a sad shake. "I ended up on this rock because the Smith at my home colony was a paranoid piece of sandstone, and thought I was trying to learn the secret of animation, and told me I could choose between deactivation or slavery overseas. There are not many reasons for Gargoyles to leave their home; We don't need food or water, and we don't like outsiders, and when you combine that with the fact that we sink like stones, hardly any of us would ever willing try and cross the ocean."

He pauses in thought. "Somebody might travel this far if they thought they might learn the secret, gain a new god, or perhaps earn some glory for their colony or production batch. Beyond that... I can't think of much."

[Weirdsound]

" Is.. is that how it is? " Claws digging into his temples, far enough to draw blood, the dragon tried to contain itself. " Yes... why, YES! " A sudden burst of ecstasy washed over Auratus face. " Of course~, I see... Mere mortals like her.. are not fit.. to speak the dragon tongue. " Removing his bloodied right claw from his face, a benign smile replaced some of his rage-torn features. Only some though, overall warping his face into a bizarre grimace. " So.. it was honouring me, you say? Yes.. yes, that makes sense... "

At being addressed, he looked at Pyrite, just as if only noticing him that very moment. " Indeed, he.. he wanted my servitude. Not that it matters now, as his very actions have insulted me, far more than anything ever has before! " His rage as quickly subsiding as it burst forth, he turned towards the orc with a most fake smile, speaking to her once more. " Very well, then. Tell me of the other three!"

The Orcess lists off her remaining gods hurriedly, clearly aware that Auratus is not to be messed with. "There is the one we call Son of the Mother or Lawkeeper. He aspires to preserve the laws and customs of the Pantheon's long lost mother. There is the one we call the Arena Master or Grand Marshal. He focuses on training, leading, and rewarding great warriors, as well as building great halls and fortifications. Lastly their is the Golden One, or the Master of Monsters. He concerns himself little with mortal affairs, and prefers to amass great wealth and create great beasts."

After the orc had answered Auratus' questions, Ketemos walked to her and calmly asked some of his own.

"Where does this god live? If we defeated it, would it serve? Would it have acted alone or in tandem with others?"

"However, as to the former matters... it would seem that if the dragon- the Orcish god, I mean, is attempting to taunt us directly, they are already somewhat involved and see us as involved, and there's therefore little reason for us not to personally assault the army and fort. Would you agree with that assertion, or at least that it's likely?" he asked of both the Orcess and gods in the room.

The Orcess considers the question, and speaks somewhat hesitantly. "If what you say is true, master, than the extent of their involvement is only to try and keep you uninvolved. Mortals should be sorted against mortals, and gods against gods. If he is acting on behalf of the Pantheon, then their goal would be to provoke you to move directly against them... It is likely they could be made to serve, if one were to fall to one you in a fair duel, or all were to fall in a battle that includes everybody."

She is able to answer the question of location with a bit more certainty and confidence. "If he is acting in Tandem with the others, he would have taken his prize to the grand arena, which sits on the foothills just  east of the central dread mountains; If this is the case, then the entire Pantheon likely awaits you there. If he is acting alone, he will have taken the person you seek to his personal den, which sits somewhere in the far northeastern sands."

[GiglameshDespair]

"Then we must locate where Chell is. My talents best suit that, and reclaiming her if possible."
She met the others looks in turn.

"We are too weak to fight the greenskin gods straight on. Our only real option requires stealth, and if it came to a fight, I have the best chance against the dragon. I'll tap the power of the throne to increase our defences, make some relevant artefacts... and reclaim our servant.

We'll have at least a month, I feel, before the birds will bring me the location of Chell. Time to reinforce our defences, yes? If the rest of you continue your work with the noble houses, without fighting the gods themselves, we should be able to fight off the orcs.

As for the harpies.... I still have one of their warriors. They already know our location, and of me, and I can release her as a token of peace for now."
She shrugged.

"Orcess! Tell me more of your dragon-god. How many servants does he keep? Does he lurk in a fortress lair, or open cave? Surely your people have stories about him, yes?"

[Weirdsound]

"Orcess! Tell me more of your dragon-god. How many servants does he keep? Does he lurk in a fortress lair, or open cave? Surely your people have stories about him, yes?"

Unrest pauses for thought, and remains silent for a fair amount of time before answering. "His Lair is guarded by Three Mighty Tribes that live nearby. The God-Skulls, the Redhearts, and the Sandmasters. I do not know of its shape or construction, as the Lair is to the North, and I am of a southern tribe. I would suggest calling for Harpylips. He is from the furthest north of all the Orcs here."

The captive, having regained some of her confidence, strides over to the throne room doors, and flings them open, startling all the remaining Orcs, who seem to have been pressing their ears against the sealed portal. She grabs one by the shoulder, and pulls it into the room. "The master and his peers wish to talk about the affairs of the northlands. Speak truthfully."

You can tell at once how Harpylips got his name; His mouth is deformed or injured, and the damaged upper lip almost resembles a beak. At six and a half feet he is small for an Orc, but still nothing to sneeze at by Bellian standards.

[Digital Hellhound]

Tulwor slammed down the hammer. 'No! I will not stay behind and cower while you do battle! My sister is out there - my blood, no matter what you may say. You will take me with you, Ketari, and we will face this wretched dragon together.'

His features twisted in rage. 'You would have us wait a month? Blood of the earth, this is beyond cowardice-' Tulwor roared, but halted. His expression lightened. Slightly. 'Hrhm. If we must wait, I do not intend to stay and speak nonsense to nobles. I will take the fight to them! In... in some way.'

He paused again, gripping Helmhammer tightly. His eyes wavered from one god to another. None seemed to support assaulting the fort with the mortals. Perhaps he could do that without them, anyway. Perhaps.

'Orcess,' he said at last. 'Your people have no honor. You are a race of cowards and thieves! I was wrong to even hope for such, it seems. So... would this dragon face me, if I were to call it forth... before the fort, perhaps? Or would it skulk away in its lair like a wretched liz-' he started. 'No, no, this wretch is a pitiful shame even to dragonkind. It does not deserve the name. Wretch. Answer the question!'

[Weirdsound]

The accusation seemingly causes something to snap within the Large Orcess.

"Orcs are not cowards. It is your people who chose to hide in holes instead of facing us on the field!" Unrest hisses, "and you are not my master. My god was either honoring your sister, or challenging you! You would be the coward for attacking mortal orcs in lieu of accepting!"

She draws herself to her full height, nearly reaching the giants chin, before abruptly spitting on his feet. "Master, fetch me a weapon. It will be the death of me, but I will not suffer this brute insulting my people with his false honor!"

Harpylips, seeing the display, takes a step towards the door.

[Digital Hellhound]

'Good! Some fire in your kind at last!' Tulwor boomed. 'I am glad to be proven wrong. You, mortal, would stand up to a god! I'll gladly face you in arms!'

He turned, rage seeming to have melted into eagerness. 'Pyrite, grant your warrior a weapon. This shall be pleasant.'

[IronyOwl]

On hearing the dragon's tirade, Pyrite took a few uncertain steps back, out of the way of the dragon's view of the Orc. Clearly Auratus was... conflicted, but he wasn't entirely sure what was going on otherwise.

He couldn't help but laugh when Unrest opened the door to reveal the remaining Orcs, and grimace when Tulwor went on a clearly frustrated tirade.

But it wasn't until his Orcess provoked Tulwor with words he was certain would hit a nerve and then challenged him to a fight to the death that he could be said to have panicked. He made to intervene, but Tulwor was quicker.

He spent a wordless few moments staring uncertainly at the giant before answering. "...are you sure about this...?"

Nonetheless, he was soon, if reluctantly, off to find a weapon the Orcess could wield.

[escaped lurker]

Having regained some of his composure – there is still a nervous twitch in his left eyebrow, acting up every odd sentence – the dragon speaks towards his fellow gods. " What all of you seem to forget, is that retaking Chell is the only part where we must meet the expectations of those four. We need not to meet them in battle on their grounds. They want to test us, they want to enslave or drive us out - not the other way around. Were it not only proper if they were to besiege us, right in this castle? If we can keep them out of the fights on land, we will have the freedom to do so. I say, after we have rescued the girl, we prepare for them, and then provoke them in turn. Once these mortals have left, I will share my ideas on how to do so. "


Directing his gaze at Pyrite, he called out to him.
" She knowingly challenged a god, and he wants to take her up on the offer. Let them have their way. Stopping now, would dishonour both! "

" Still.. is that right? Do the orcs view our bellians as cowards? " Looking at the people in question, he quizzed. " Should they break down your fort with their own strength, would that be enough of a statement of their strength to end the war? On that note, what would be their fate if they were to surrender, and make you the winners of this war? "

[Weirdsound]

" Still.. is that right? Do the orcs view our bellians as cowards? " Looking at the people in question, he quizzed. " Should they break down your fort with their own strength, would that be enough of a statement of their strength to end the war? On that note, what would be their fate if they were to surrender, and make you the winners of this war? "

"Yes. You are cowards. You hide behind your walls, and force us to fight like cowards ourselves, or be slaughtered by cowardly tactics," the Orc with the mutilated mouth answers Auratus' question without the slightest hint of hesitation.

Harpylips glances at the Dragon. "Breaking the seige would prove that the Bellians are stronger than the Alliance laying siege, but each warcheif involved will claim that the other tribes were holding them back, and will use that as grounds to refuse accepting your people as their superiors." He answers in a raspy voice that would be difficult to understand without divine comprehension.

He pauses for a second, before reluctantly answering your second question. "Should we topple your walls and take your city, we will turn and start fighting among ourselves. The warcheifs have three different fates in mind for the Bellians, and only one can prevail. The Traditionalists would seek to loot Kiatown, and scatter its people across the island as slaves. The Learners would seek to make the Bellians honored slaves, keep their town intact, and learn their secrets of water-houses and weapons that gleam in the sun. The Prophets fear your people mean to bring about the end of the world, and as such would kill every man, woman, and child."

'Good! Some fire in your kind at last!' Tulwor boomed. 'I am glad to be proven wrong. You, mortal, would stand up to a god! I'll gladly face you in arms!'

He turned, rage seeming to have melted into eagerness. 'Pyrite, grant your warrior a weapon. This shall be pleasant.'

He spent a wordless few moments staring uncertainly at the giant before answering. "...are you sure about this...?"

Nonetheless, he was soon, if reluctantly, off to find a weapon the Orcess could wield.

Pyrite, figuring the best place to find a weapon would be Tulwor's own forge, heads up and promptly returns with one of the recently manufactured spears. Unrest takes the weapon, and makes a few practice thrusts into the air. She then does a few brief stretches, and warms up her powerful Orcish legs with some leaps and kicks that show an agility and flexibility unexpected from somebody of her size.

(Since Unrest is a non-actor fighting an actor, we will skip formal combat rolls, and the battle can have any result that Tulwor wants)

[IronyOwl]

Pyrite frowned. "So the Orcs have their own troubles. I doubt we can afford any of those fates, though."

He glanced briefly at Auratus before continuing.

"Would any of the warchiefs be open to abandoning the siege, or even allying with us before the fort has been toppled?

Speaking of which," he said, turning to the Orcish gaggle as a whole, "Do your people produce anything the Bellians might like? Do the Bellians produce anything you might want, other than weapons that gleam in the sun?"

[escaped lurker]

Snickering at what the orc had to say, the addressed one could not help but stiffle his laughter at the bluntness of the mortal. " Oh, you don't even know half of it!, " he snickered, " Most they like it, if they can hide behind their gods as well! "

After exclaiming so, Auratus gave into a few burst of laughter, even nonchalantly rubbing his hands in the progress, before listening to, and finally addressing the person in question. " You ask interesting things, Pyrite, but they are still not those that really matter. " Looking smugly at the orcs, he stated his own questions. " Were these three factions in conflict even before the bellians came, or did they appear because of our arrival? As your people seem to have no problem to answer bluntly even towards foreign gods, hostile to your race, I will even ask directly. If we give these "Learners" what they seek, if we ask them to align with us in exchange, would they do so? And lastly, if this could be the case, how would we best go about arranging it? "

Smiling inside and outside as well, Auratus had to congratulate those which were kin to him. They obviously had formed their people quite well, inspiring a devotion giving praise to both mortal and divine involved alike. Still, it had made them suggestible and vulnerable towards more complicated philosophies and minds. One way or the other, they should be able to exploit this.

[Weirdsound]

Pyrite frowned. "So the Orcs have their own troubles. I doubt we can afford any of those fates, though."

He glanced briefly at Auratus before continuing.

"Would any of the warchiefs be open to abandoning the siege, or even allying with us before the fort has been toppled?

Speaking of which," he said, turning to the Orcish gaggle as a whole, "Do your people produce anything the Bellians might like? Do the Bellians produce anything you might want, other than weapons that gleam in the sun?"

Snickering at what the orc had to say, the addressed one could not help but stiffle his laughter at the bluntness of the mortal. " Oh, you don't even know half of it!, " he snickered, " Most they like it, if they can hide behind their gods as well! "

After exclaiming so, Auratus gave into a few burst of laughter, even nonchalantly rubbing his hands in the progress, before listening to, and finally addressing the person in question. " You ask interesting things, Pyrite, but they are still not those that really matter. " Looking smugly at the orcs, he stated his own questions. " Were these three factions in conflict even before the bellians came, or did they appear because of our arrival? As your people seem to have no problem to answer bluntly even towards foreign gods, hostile to your race, I will even ask directly. If we give these "Learners" what they seek, if we ask them to align with us in exchange, would they do so? And lastly, if this could be the case, how would we best go about arranging it? "

Smiling inside and outside as well, Auratus had to congratulate those which were kin to him. They obviously had formed their people quite well, inspiring a devotion giving praise to both mortal and divine involved alike. Still, it had made them suggestible and vulnerable towards more complicated philosophies and minds. One way or the other, they should be able to exploit this.

These questions send the entire collection of Orcs near the door into an uproar of argument and debate. With their divine ability to perceive meaning, the gods in the room are able to pick up on the fact that most of the Orcs present think that the Learners would be too honorable to betray the Orcish cause before the outside threat has been dealt with, but about a quarter of the barbarians are not so sure about this, and two begin to shout out names of people you might seek to negotiate with the Learners.

Eventually the din calms down enough for one of the learners present, a seven foot tall male named Widowmaker, to be heard. "Of those building up to become the learners once the war is won, the important ones are Agony, the war priest of the Master of Monsters. He dwells in the fort. War Chieftess Spleen wanders the island recruiting, but is based out of her village just south of the Grand Arena. War Chief Riverwatch is based east of the Battlegrounds on the coast, where he studies your belching wood water houses. Any one of them might be willing to deal if approached correctly..."

[IronyOwl]

Agony again. And at the fort... "What can you tell me about Agony and his god?"