Noice. We've got my option, C5's excellently punny one, and Happery's more straightforward artifact. That should be enough for a good debate.
So now for something else! The enemy have proven the power of some solid Melee Champions, so we need our own. Have two ideas.
The Night Beast (Champion)
There have been many legends in this region of monsters in the night. Most of them are nonsense. Some of them have a mundane explanation, such as a misplaced jungle cat, or a particularly unhinged mortal. A few are actually about Magoc on one of His earlier days. But one particular legend that is known throught the four kingdoms is that of the Night Beast.
Whilst the embellishments vary, the core story is the same. Farmers report that portions of their herd have gone missing, with the other animals terrified and refusing to go near the small smears of blood. These stories escalate to improbable levels, as no single beast should be able to devour ten steers across six different farms in a single night. And yet, the bloody evidence is there. The stories diverge here, as either the local lord finally responds with a patrol, wandering adventures see a chance to make money, or the villagers themselves form a hunting party to destroy the problem.
Either way, a group of determined individuals will set a trap for the beast. In the dead of night, the monster discovers that all the animals have been locked away in barns or is protected by torches and armed men in the village center, bar one sacrifice in a field, where the Hunters await to ambush. Come morning, this animal is spared, and instead the villagers find one of the outlying farmhouses to be torn open with too large claws and the occupants messily devoured. This is not some dumb beast they are tormented by, but one that can reason.
The trap may be set a few more times, with similarly unpleasant results, before the Hunters are finally able to track the beast back to its lair. A cave, deep in the wilderness, the area around supernaturally quiet, the ground stained black and dead, littered with the bones of livestock and mortals. The fate of the Hunters is obvious, but the description of the beast is always very similar. As large as a cart, with mottled, scarred fur over rippling muscles, it leaps on four strong limbs, able to cling to the underside of a cave ceiling, and turn its head to watch every angle with its huge jet black eyes. It strikes out with claws the size of shortswords, a serrated beak that can cut a barded warhorse in half, and with the venomous talons on its three prehensile tails. Most notable though is it's ability to turn intangible at will, useful both to avoid attacks and to strike from unexpected angles.
The end of each story is once again similar. A single wounded hunter returns to the village, and most of locals pack up to leave. The few who remain are never heard from again, as a rescue party will find nothing but the ruins of their final stand in the village hall.
The Infernal Sorceress (Champion)
Many moons ago, when the first Consort prototypes were being formed, Magoc decided to have a little "fun". What a Demon considers fun anyway. Whilst the results were illuminating as far as making the Consorts more appealing there was also an unexpected side effect.
One of the Consorts actually survived the experimentation, and the combination of various magical, alchemical and Evil energies produced the spark of life. It quickly consumed its host, and with the occasional influx of mana, blood, and more mundane foods, this part-demon, part-mortal being quickly grew.
Capable of some limited shape shifting ability, the child took on a form similar to its mortal mother, although it could never seem to completely hide the demonic half of her lineage. Magoc declared she was destined for battle, and so the most elite Uruk Commanders were tasked with her training in close combat, tactics and strategy. She performed well, and was soon capable of beating all but the best the army had to offer, but she saw it as a chore to get through before her lessons in magic with the Obsessive Scholar.
She took to it like a Demonic Duck to lava, and quickly outperformed even the strongest of our Warcasters, as she had inherited Magoc's innate magical ability. This made things somewhat difficult when she started producing her own elemwntal derivations of our various spells, as she was unable to explain to her eager onlookers how it worked beyond I just pulled a twist of Ice into it.
She matured rapidly, faster than any mere mortal, and the day has now come when she can step into her own suit of wrought plate, blooddrinker blade in hand, and ready to unleash doom upon the enemy.
So, two Champion options. One is a pure heavy hitter in skirmish and pitched battle, whilst the other is magical commander. I think either would be good, and I want both, but a magical music option is important too.
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Topic: Demon Team - Chiaroscuro Arms Race: Strategy Phase 10 (Read 41629 times)