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[Superdorf]

You gently land some distance from the imperials, and call out your intentions.

5

A couple soldiers mutter to each other, goggle-eyed. "Is it serious?" "How the *@&# did they..."
Still, they're grinning despite themselves-- hopeful. A teenage squire runs to find the captain.


The captain is a battered old warrior, heavily-built with a heavier mustache. He gestures now to the castle, glancing your way as he speaks.

"Castle Grebbish is high up, see," he explains, "so's to overlook the mountain pass. If we held that, we could take the town from both ends-- but the north gate's well fortified. Our best shot before you got here, was to force our way through the streets and get in by the undergate."

He spits. "It's a %@*! of a shot. You could really turn things around here."

"What do you want of me?" you ask.
"Well now. The way I see it, we've got a couple options."

A) You fly up to the castle, and tear your way through. Once the building's clear, you blow open the gate; half the army plunges through and takes the town from both ends. Dangerous for you, and the castle itself would take a beating.

B) While a contingent of knights holds down the town, you take a group of soldiers and assault the castle by way of the north gate. Once the gatehouse is clear, you'll offer whatever fiery support you can while they clear out the smaller halls... less dangerous for you and easier on the castle walls, but a good few soldiers will die in there.

C) The captain evacuates his men from the town entirely, and you fly over to purge it. Once it's clear, the soldiers will have a foothold straight into the guts of the castle-- they'll storm through, and you'll play support. Minimally costly for the imperial army... but if there's any surviving civilians in the town, they won't last long in a full-on dragon strike.

?) "But then, maybe you've got ideas of your own. I hain't never sent a dragon into war before."

[Glass]

B, except we do what we can to pull more of the aggro on us and away from the knights. We’re a dragon, we can take hits better than anybody else.
B+?

[Fluffe9911]

B, except we do what we can to pull more of the aggro on us and away from the knights. We’re a dragon, we can take hits better than anybody else.
B+?

Yeah but we are also a dragon and if I had the option of facing a dragon or a buncha soldiers I would probably choose the soldiers. (Assuming I dont just straight up flee in terror)

Anyway A let no one doubt our QUALIFICATION and SKILL we shall show these humans what it means to be RESPLENDENT!

(Also man those soldiers will have quiet the story to tell when they get home)

[mightymushroom]

B
Let's not give them any ideas about having us do all the work, now.
We are a DRAGON, we should only do that which humans are too puny to do on their own.

[Yellow Pixel]

B

[TricMagic]

B+

[King Zultan]

B

[Superdorf]

"Let your knights hold the town," you say. "Send the footmen with me, and I will break for them the mountain gate."
The captain grimaces, and nods. "Guess that's as much as I can ask from you," he says. "Won't be easy for us, but the half-irons know what they signed up for."

Plans in place, the captain bellows orders. A couple minutes later, some four-score and ten armored soldiers stand before you: "half-irons" indeed, with their helméd haubergeons and their cloth-wrapped calves. Behind them, another thirty gather with helms and shields only: the surviving peasant levies, those who weren't lucky enough to strip the armor off a corpse. Not many humans to work with, but all that could be called from the town fighting on short notice.

Spear shafts and axe hafts rattle in belt and hand; you goad the men to a hopeful, killing fervor. Your forces gathered, you leap to the sky as your squadron charges behind you!

4

5

You descend on the northern watchtower, blasting the lopers thereon with rippling meteors of light: they panic, scatter, and die. As your men make haste up the mountain path, you land before the gate to wreak joyous destruction—

1

Your fire washes useless off the cold, snow-damp wood! Muffled panic sounds within; your men run to join you. You rage at the portcullis with flame and claw—

1

NO. The portcullis iron is red, but unbroken— the gate behind is charred, but steadfast. Your men stop short at your side, jaws agape. An arrow flies from a slot overhead, landing behind a peasant-levy. You're running out of time.

You're running out of time.

What on earth are you going to do?
A) Keep raging at the portcullis. You can still make this work.
B) Fly over the north watchtower, into the courtyard, and tear your way through to the gatehouse. You'll open it from the inside.
C) Send your soldiers back to camp, and pull out— you'll purge the town with fire instead.
?) Something else?

[TricMagic]

B

[Glass]

B

[Fluffe9911]

B dang wish we knew they apparently had a artifact gate in their possession

[Maximum Spin]

D: knock on the gate and claim to be a singing dragongram.

[Yellow Pixel]

B

[Superdorf]

Up. Over. Down.

5

Through.

You dip lazily into the narrow courtyard, blasting the innermost gatehouse doors. You go for the hinges this time, scouring the wood out from under the metal— the fibers hiss and char; the doors shudder and begin to topple outward. Seizing the precious seconds, you hurl yourself through the gap— scrabbling, clawing past the still-falling doors—

3

The gatekeepers are ready for you.

Lopers' spears thrust toward you, one glancing off the side of your neck. You hurl gouts of fire; the lopers crouch cautious behind their shields. The flame rolls off, cracking the boiled leather.

4

No time now to draw breath— you twist about, catching a loper's shield with your tail-tip. The loper staggers back, her shield flying; her compatriot lunges, nicking your neck again as you turn aside. He's overextended: you coil inward, sinking your teeth into his ribcage. A quick twist of the neck, and his sternum flies from your jaws.

6

Shieldless and stunned, the survivor doesn't stand a chance. You exhale, blasting her silhouette into the wall.

As more lopers scramble from the castle keep, you work furiously to open the gatehouse to your squadron. The gate-bar goes flying; the gates burst open. You wrench on the portcullis chain, and the iron bars rise before your beleaugered soldiers...

3

...a spear soars over your shoulder, catching a half-iron in the throat. Spears rattle against your back, one striking a gash at the fork of your wings. You hiss, and wrench once more on the chain— the portcullis rises, and locks in place.

Soldiers pour in, meeting the lopers just inside the courtyard. The rattling of iron, the ruin of flesh, the screams of the living erupt behind you. You slip out and over, to strafe the back ranks of the enemy as best you can...

6

Between fire in back and iron in front, the leaping warriors are quickly broken. Some try to bound to either side of the slaughter, speeding across the courtyard; a couple manage to open the south gate, fleeing panicked into the smoldering town. You coil smoothly after the rest, burning away each in turn: the green-tint hair smolders, then evaporates.

6

This done, your men storm into the castle keep. The fighting there is short and sweet: most the foe ran to meet you in the courtyard. You've never known a loper that could keep its head around a NORTHERN DRAGON!


It's hard to get an exact count amidst the corpses, but you see a great deal more dead lopers than dead humans: a resounding success! You land among your men, satisfied.

A scoreman steps forward with his surviving half-irons, grinning. "What now, ma'am?"
Good question.

A) "Forward into the town!"
B) "Stay here and hold the castle!"
C) "Return to your captain for further orders!"

So much for your soldiers' orders. What will you be doing?
A) Into the town, to help with the rout!
B) Back to the captain to give news of success, and get honorable discharge!
C) ...actually, let's take a closer look at the castle keep. Maybe there's loot in there?

[Maximum Spin]

AC. No need for soldiers to hold the castle when it's full of dragon, surely.