Some might think that now that they had found a nice, cozy home, near a village that offered booze, inns, and company, that the Renegades would finally settle down. Well no. Barely a month after their arrival, the Renegades decide to set off again. Their real home is on the road, traveling to new horizons and beyond.
And so, they pack all up again in their magewagons and prepare to move on northwards and slightly eastwards, were they hope they will find more forests and less seas and also vear off and away from the damned city in the wastes, as well as get as far away from the mages they had found in the iron city as possible. Why did they move away from the other mages? Due to unneasiness, and the similarity that that mage order showed to the Empireal Mage Orders the Renegades had known in the old empire, the orders who had been hunting them down ever since they decided to stand up against the evil emperor.
Before they leave, they remove the Monolith and build a closed Portal building underground, incase they might need to portal back here ounce they finish their research for the Portal spell.
During their travels, there is always atleast one mage casting a detection spell spanning a good range around the wagons (~300m) and also Thalon are always scouting around in the tile the wagons are in and the adjacent tiles and come to report anything surprising or suspicious.
Finally, as extra precautions incase they would be followed, the mages use their magic to clear any tracks left by the wagons and also build a smaller version of the Monolith into a new wagon, a custom-made monolith magewagon, to be able to escape from any magical srying. Also, more enchantments could be added to this mini-monolith at a later time.
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Renegades' Castle, before setting out.
The warriors pack the team's stuff in the living wagons, and also pack some good 8 refined liquor they got from the nearby village. The other mages mostly make sure the portal building is well made, and remove the Monolith. (no traps are put, for their is nothing valuable in the caslte, the portal building isnt much use to anyone other than the Renegades, and if someone does take the caslte, it wouldnt make a big difference to the nomadic Renegades.)
Jikul is still teaching the 5 Rachti in the ways of ice magic, and they have advanced very well. As one of the rachti tries a newly taught spell against a tree, an ice shard flies out of its hands and gets stuck halfway in the tree. "No, no", says Jikul, "That's not the way to do it. You would barely do any damage like that. Let ME show you how to do it correctly!" Saying that, he sends and shard that skewers a tree, passes through it, and punctures 2 other trees before shattering, "You see? Only I can do such incredible things. I am truly the best mage there is, right?"
The rachti, seemingly indifferent, nods and tries the spell again, this time sendind a shard that passes through 4 trees in a row. Jikul seems taken aback for an instant, but quickly recovers, "You see? I'm even the best TEACHER ever!" And continues boasting and boasting.
The rogue, Klin Diceking, stands a bit to the side, his normally permanent smile swiped off of his face. Emily, the arcane archer, steps closer to him, "Oh come on, still sad for Terna? She died a hero's death, and was and always will be honored in that village and amongst us. Besides, do you think she'd have liked it if you kept on pouting instead of being your usual merriful self?"
But Klin just sighs and slips further back into the shadows, melding into them and dissapearing. Swearing under her breath and calling Klin an oaf and an idiot, Emily goes back to the packing.
Meanwhile, someone was approaching the castle. Thinking he could evade notice, he skulked between the trees, seemingly undecided on wether to enter the castle or go back. Suddenly, a voice says behind him, "Hey thar, little boy. Are ya lost?"
The voice belongs to the old and grizzled swordmaster Seandar Ironfist, who had been on patrolling duty and had easily found the boy's tracks. "So, were are ya from, lad?", asks the old warrior.
The boy, barely fourteen years old, replies, "I... I'm from the village, sir, and I... uh, I..."
"Well, spit it out, I aint gona eat you."
"I... came to join your group..."
Bursting into laughter, Seandar says, "Our groups not the kind you would like to join. You should go back to your village and live a now peaceful life with your family."
"I have no family," replies the boy, lowering his head sadly, "My mother died to an illness many years ago, and I lost my father barely two years ago in wagon accident... I have no other family, and nothing to do in that village." The boy looks up and stares Seandar right in the eyes, "I despise living in that village, unable to fend for myself or help others I loved. All these years under the curse, and powerless to do anything about it... I lost the last thing that could have kept me there to that monster a year ago, and now nothing keeps me from going, to seek the strength that I didn't have when I needed it most."
Seandar was surprised by that speech, but even more surprised by what he saw in the boy's eyes. He saw a burning fire of determination and lust for revenge and power, not unlike what he often saw in another certain person's eyes...
"Ok, son, i'll take ya to our leader. Just meeting him will convince ya that its not worth comming with us."
And so the boy followed the warrior through the castle courtyard, many eyes staring at him with curiousity. Seadar stopped infront of some of the members, and after whispering to them some choise sentences, the eyes shifted from simple curiousity to pity and sympathy.
Finally, the boy was led to a far corner of the courtyard, to were Poltifar sat on a boulder, silently gazing at the sky with grey eyes. Seandar had to say his name thrice for him to turn and notice him with a slight "Hmm?". Seadar then says, "Poltifar, this here youngling says he'd like to join us in our travels. I tried to convince him of otherwise, but he's as stubborn as a mule."
Eyes turning to black and shifting gaze to the boy, Poltifar casually asks, "Join us? Why would you want to join us. All of us here are outlaws, rejects from society, destined to roam the lands until we meet an early death and a shallow grave far from home."
Standing up straighter and prouder, the boy replies, "I am not afraid of dying, and I dont really have a home. I have nothing to lose if I go with you for some adventure."
"Don't you have a family? Friends? Anything that you value dearly, something you do not want to leave behind?"
Again, the boy slightly lowers his head sadly, but the fire keeps burning in his eyes, "I lost my parents years ago. I have no other family alive. And the only friend I had, the only person who ever truly understood me, the only one that I could count on, was the still-operator's seventh daughter, sacrificed last year to the monster you slew. I want to be as powerful as you, to be able to face all harships, to stand on my own, and never need someone on my side again."
Poltifar seems to be getting more interested in the conversation, but still keeps a blank face, "I am not the one that killed the beast. None of us are. The one who did the job now sleeps forever alone on a hill, far from her own land and family. Is that how you wish to end your life? A violent life, ended in unimmaginable pain and violence, then forgotten a few weeks later by the very people you had saved?"
"I already said, I dont care about dying. All I want, is power."
Poltifar moves closer to the boy, his inhuman smirk again on his lips, "All creatures lust for power, all dream of strength, all wish for might. But few actually attain it. For True Power comes at a price.", Poltifars seems to be madly trembling while giving this speech, "A price few can even immagine, let alone be willing to pay. So now I ask, are you willing, to pay, the price?"
The boy hesitates for no more than a heartbeat, "Yes, I'll do anything to have the power I have always needed but never had."
Poltifar stares into the boy's eyes for a few moments that seem to strech for an eternity, then recomposes himself, no longer trembling or acting madly, "Then I bid you Welcome to our group. Seandar here will introduce you to the rest of us, and will give you and explain to you anything you need."
Seandar, who had moved back more than a few steps during Poltifar's conversation with the boy, approached him again, "Well I still think this isnt very wise, but oh well, your welcome to our group."
Before the warrior dragged the boy away to the center of the courtyard, Poltifar held him for a second and whispered in his ear, "Don't think I will forget your request. I will show you the Path to Power myself, but it is a path of great dangers, and you need to have some basic skills before you tread on that path. I'll arrange for the other mages and warriors to teach you the basics of their trades."
The boy replies, "Really?!? Thank you! Oh and, I forgot to mention it, but my name is Arthur. Arthur Percival."
Poltifar replies with a blank face and toneless voice, "Glad to meet you Arthur. I'm known as Poltifar. And also, one of the Sacrifices you will make to achieve greatness, is forget your old last-name and have a new one. We will choose your new name ounce you prove yourself worthy of being a Renegade."
After some more thanking, the boy goes back with Seandar to meet the others. Poltifar, watching him go, smirks and mutters to himself, "Well, well. Seems like I will have an 'associate' afterall." He then moves towards with wagon, chuckling silently.
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│48 │
Members of the Renegades: (PS: the ages shown are the age at the time of joining the Renegades. yes, i'm too lazy to update them every year
)
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Poltifar Chaoswielder: Master of all arcane secrets known to the Renegades and some not, he is one of the most powerful mages of his race that has ever lived. Very powerful melee and ranged warriormage, using melee weapon (normally longsword) in unison with magic. The leader of the organization. 17 years old (atleast, in appearance...)
-Seandar Ironfist: A grizzled old warrior, favoring the greatsword. He has lived through many battles and campaigns, and thus has alot of experience. 49 years old.
-Jonil Truestrike: Seandar's young son, and an already well-trained user of the greatsword, as his father is. 17 years old.
-Emily Dawnbow: A very skilled bow-user, also dables in the arcane arts, allowing her to shoot magically enhanced amunition. 16 years old.
-Terna Farstrider: An experienced explorer, having seen alot of the old continent and wanting to explore the new one even more thouroughly. Experienced with the bow and spear. 27 years old. (dead and in a soul bottle)
-Ernest Windwalker: A daydreaming scholar who has great power in the wind and weather domains. 25 years old.
-Klin Diceking: A merry rogue and gambler with incredible luck and great skill in stealth and light weapons. 21 years old.
-Farn Earthmover: A stubborn yet sympathetic earth-wielding mage, also a good fighter when using the hammer and axe. 24 years old.
-Inglan Steelshaper: A young magesmith who still hasn't really proven himself. 19 years old.
-Anna Dreamweaver: A spirit mage with a wide array of spells and power, yet most are non-offensive. Also, a diviner and has some powers over dreams. 20 years old.
-Godroy Fireheart: The group's pyromancer, has a quick temper yet is very charismatic. Very powerful in offensive fire magic, but not much else. 25 years old.
-Jikul Nevercold: A boastful ice mage, always ready to show off his magical powers. 24 years old.
-1 medic/healer
-2 swordsman (1 of them dead and in a soul bottle)
-1 spearman
-1 crossbowman/hunter (dead and in a soul bottle)
-1 builder/architect
-1 scholar/philosopher
-3 normal Rachti hunters
-2 Rachti hunters that are also good summoners
Magical research:Current:
-Poltifars SECOND SECRET PROJECT is REVEALED:the Portal spell! (also, enough research has been done to allow the building and usage of Portal buildings, but not enough to open a portal withought such a building): 4/6 turns
Completed:
-Poltifar's Soul Capture spell
-Basic Golem research (clay)
-Arcane Cloak spell
Special Holdings:-Basic Magewagon (x10): 4 carrying tons of gold, 1 carrying 5 mongloid villager prisoners, 1 carrying lab equipment (basically a moving lab), 1 carrying a library of magical research, 3 for carrying all other stuff and also for carrying the Renegades themselves when they aren't on foot
-Monolith Magewagon (x1): A magewagon that acts as a moving monolith. It has little space inside of it. It has the Anti-Magical-Detection Barrier cast on it.
-3 filled Soul Bottles
-A black tome radiating power
-A silver chalice radiating power
-Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi (=Japanese version of Excalibur)
Other: | plains | forest | jungle | hills | swamp | desert | rocky hills | tundra | high montains | sea | on river |
| Normal Renegade Speed | 8 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 1 | N/A | 5 |
| Basic Magewagon speed | 8 | 7 | 3 | 7 | N/A | 6 | 6 | 5 | N/A | N/A | 4 |
| Pop Cap | 80 | 90 | 70 | 60 | 20 | 10 | 20 | 8 | 5 | 60 | +40 |
| Rachti Speed Unfrozen terrain | 9 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 3 | N/A |
| Rachti Speed Frozen terrain | 9 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 8 |
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Topic: Battle of the Gods III+ (Read 64852 times)