Jormund was still attempting to figure out a way to get some slaves for his own use. He figured that fighting Lendemadrir could work, but it would take a lot of luck for him to win three such fights unless he had some other type of advanta--. His thoughts were cut off by a man leading a large group of villagers with him. The man approached him and said, "Are you the one that was looking to develop the land around here?" Jormund hesitantly responded and said that he was. "Well it's your lucky day," the man responded, "the doctor direly needs that land to raise some troops immediately and has sent these villagers along with a ducat." Jormund realizes that the villagers themselves probably wouldn't do much but the ducat could certainly help.
Jormund again attempts to settle the land using the villagers and the ducat.
[1-1+1] You strike back at the unsettled vale with the villagers and the tools you bought with the ducat of silver. The first few days go fantastically, with the soil easily tilled and a few rough shelters erected for the villagers working on taming the land. On the third night however you experience an inexplicable sense of coldness and fear, even near the campfire. When you sleep, you have nightmares, and in the morning a young clanswoman has gone missing. The sense of forboding continues throughout the day as villagers alternately continue to work on the land and search for the woman. She is found in the late evening, her torso opened up and her organs splayed through the branches of a tree. The villagers decide to leave in the morning, determined to pack up their materials that night. Given the clanswoman's fate, you are not inclined to stop them.
The morning is not soon enough. That night, screams ring through the camp. You grab your weapon and try to defend the villagers, but in the darkness it is impossible to see your assailants. Invisible figures move between shelters, gouging out eyes, flaying skin and unleashing terrible laughter. Before your very eyes, grown men you worked with in the past days are lifted into the air by hidden hands and torn open, their innards ripped away and their blood used to quench the handful of torches and the campfire, deepening the terrible darkness further. [3] You and a handful of others escape with what you can, mostly lit torches and bedding, and flee back to Manskinner territory, trying to erase the images of the massacre from your mind.
((Terenos took levels in badass. ))
Interrogate Banquo about what he was going to use the gunpowder for and the ballista. Tell him I won't murder his family and publicly humilate him if he complies.
[1] It is no good. You have already taken everything you can from Banquo, but he takes the last. Before you can finish asking your questions, he has already passed from this vale of tears.
Terenos d'Avistral, Elbrethian Assassin stands over the corpses of the fallen claimants to the Miring throne as the guards enter the room.
"I am the Black Shadow, Assassin of Elbreth. This mad conspiracy for the throne of Miring ends here. Come on if you think you're hard enough. If not, Stand down and let me leave peacefully, and I'll leave you with your lives. No one else has to die today."
((*Draws up new plans.* That went way better than I planned. Dramatic grandstanding HO! Legends are important
Also..I cant teach you how to fight like an assassin..You're a knight..These classes are mutually exclusive..))
[6+1] The guard immediately drop to their knees and prostrate themselves before you, swearing that they are not worthy and begging you to spare their miserable lives. They plead to serve you in whatever way they can.
Drua's personal guard regiment transfer their allegiance to Terenos.(I honestly wanted to overshoot this, but there's just no way I could think of, save by inconveniencing Drua since they are technically her guards now.)((how did he steal it? If he stole it after I left for the monkey that would be fine, but according to the time line I haven't even left yet.))
The ballistae were being kept in the armoury, since you did present them as a gift/demonstration to the King. Banquo just bribed his way into getting a copy of the key, went in and took the disassembled ballista pieces whilst nobody was looking. This doesn't affect you too much - you still have the original plans, after all, and can just build more. Of course, now that Banquo is dead I am sure this will not come back to bite anyone in any way whatsoever in the future.