B
I'd prefer A, but we lost our best melee fighter already.
Skill = 2
Roll = 1! Critical Success!
With the enemy thoroughly distracted, you have the luxury of organizing everybody. Yourself, Keanu, and Kaylee get fairly close to rain javelins into the enemy rear. With a bow in hand, Allana can keep a greater distance. Then, once everything is set up, you give the order.
Missiles fly. True and accurate. Four elves drop dead. Three rat riders turn tail and run. Allana gets off a second shot, but you are no longer looking at the enemy and cannot see if it lands. As you close in on the druid's position she begins waving her arms wildly and gesturing for you to turn around. You bring Vera back to a stop.
Behind you, the Mahallo are charging the elves, having taken advantage of the distraction you caused. The raiders cut through their foe like a hot knife through butter, and within a minute you see no living elves at ground level. The enemy posted in the tree retreats, jumping from branch to branch with elfish grace. Hau spots them, and orders the main body of raiders to fire, but after in inaccurate volley he waves off the attack and lets the survivors leave.
Skirmish over, you approach Hau, who pats you on the shoulder. "Good call! Good shooting! Good shit!"
He puts up a hand for silence, and hears only an occasional scream. "I think that was the last of the organized resistance! We have ourselves a successful raid! Soldiers, fall back to the canoes when I blow my horn in 15 minutes! We take what we can and leave before more elves show up."
You don't partake in the follow-up looting. Ambitious raiders would have already hit the important structures by now, and Hau tells you it is bad form for raiders of your stature to compete with the common soldiery for the meager loot found in civilian homes. As the raid leader finishes explaining this, Kane drops from the tree he was in, arms full of elfish clothes and trinkets clearly taken from civilian homes.
"What did I miss?" Kane asks.
Combat Mode Over. Return to voting as usual.
---
The goods, corpses, and slaves are hastily loaded canoes, and the raiders leave as quickly as they had arrived. Hau explains that elves decay as slowly as they age, and thus there is plenty of time to get them home and embalmed before they start stinking.
You row in shifts for almost 40 hours straight to put space between yourselves and the angry elves, before Hau dares call a stop to set up camp on the riverbank. Then the celebration begins. Rations are consumed, stolen elven alcohol is drunk, and songs are sung. In addition to a share of whatever the raid leader chooses to liquidate, Each raider gets to pick one small item or trinket from the raid to keep.
When it comes your time to pick, Hau pulls you aside and walks you to the canoes. "As King and Hero of the raid, I feel it fitting that you take home something a bit more substantial than a trinket. Take a look at the good stuff, and tell me if you like anything."
Possible Prizes -Artifact Lance: This silver trimmed steel weapon was found in the home of an elf who must have been a military officer or historian, as it was clearly made by Imperial Humans. Elves generally do not know how to care for metal, so the fact that the silver is unvarnished leads Hau to believe that it likely has magical properties.
Box of Scrolls: This wooden chest contains a dozen scrolls, each dedicated to a spirit that commonly communes with Moon Elf Druids and full of magical knowledge. Could be useful if you wish to teach yourself druidism, or you could earn yourself brownie points with the Grand Temple by donating it to their library.
Tub Containing 6 Insect Larva the Size of Human Infants: Hau has no clue what these might grow into, but figures if they don't wind up with an animal person, they will probably end up stuffed in his trophy room.
3 Vials of Invitation Potion: A rare brew cooked up by moon elf druids. Drinking one invites a powerful nature spirit to inhabit your body. The spirit will attempt to complete whatever simple task you were working on and ferry you from any danger you might face, but then has free reign with your body for 6-24 hours depending on the formula.
Set of Eight Captive Elves: Live elves are the most sought after loot a raid can bring home. They make poor slaves, as they learn new skills and adapt to new environments as slowly as they age, but the merchants will buy them for a small fortune and flip them to The Nameless City. With your connections, you could probably cut the middleman and make more money than most. You could also keep them as test subjects; Should you want to conduct experimental magic on humanoids, you would get fewer objections from both the Mahallo and the Imperials if you did so on a non-human.
Common Trinket: Taking something along the lines of a nice hat or piece of wood jewelry would show solidarity with the common raider. It would also prevent Hau from leveraging allowing you to take a greater prize as a favor to be repaid later. You may describe what this common trinket is.
After everyone picks their prize, the party continues. Each of the young women who rode with you in the lead canoe presents you with the trinket they claimed, and informs you that you have their father's blessing to request their hand in marriage. Most of them, including both Kamea and Allana, give their personal blessed to engauge in a less formal and permanent sexual arrangement.
Allana informs you that it is good luck in Mahallo culture to elope after a successful raid. As a druid, she is capable and willing to officiate your wedding. Perhaps, depending on your choice in bride, at the same time she is consummating it.
Upon hearing this, Keanu and Kaylee request to get married by Allana on the spot. Perhaps they are caught up in the moment. Perhaps they just want to dial down the pressure that Allana is putting on you. Either way, the young druid accepts their request.
The whole camp gathers to watch Allana perform the ceremony, which amounts to quickly anointing the bride and groom with both soil and river water, and uttering a few quick invocations asking any spirits witnessing the union to bless it. Allana notes that a druid is usually supposed to give a sappy speech about love on such an occasion, but that in the wake of a successful raid it is proper lust, gluttony, and hedonism should come first, and that matters of the heart can be worked out later.
Everybody, including the more experienced Druids, applauds. Then the applauses begins to morph into chants for "speech". It takes a moment to realize that as King and close friend of the bride and groom, you are the one that the chants are directed at.
Do you give a speech? If so, what notes and topics do you hit on?
Do you choose to take a spouse, mistress, or one night stand? If you choose one of the lowborn or unimportant raider women in your canoe as a partner, you may give them a name and describe her personality and appearance.
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Topic: (SG) Petty Kingdom of New Mahallo: Reign of King Arawn (Read 20267 times)