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Hypnotism

7 (58.3%)

Mist Form

2 (16.7%)

Stoneskin

2 (16.7%)

Other ( I will change this poll a bit when more powers are revealed. )

1 (8.3%)

Total Members Voted: 12

[micelus]

Hmmm...Jameson seems to be abusing our women...Well my moralilty says to kill the bastard, but right now we need him. Continue with the silver forging.

Also, time to deal with the protestors. Meet with them and see what their grievances are. Say we're Reginald's envoy and is willing to deal with Reginald to get a good deal for them.

[NRDL]

Goody, I have more than one voter 

                                                                                                     

Before you completely drift off to sleep, you realize that with Benjamin significantly more hostile, due to the matter of his wife, you'd best sleep somewhere less conspicuous.  The underground catacombs should do. 

The Next Day

You wake up the following night.  The silver sword should be done by tomorrow.  You decide that now is as good a time as any to ponder and plot. 

From what you saw the following night, Lord Jameson was very rough in bed.  As long as he doesn't hurt them too severely, you will tolerate it.  For now. 

You still need to gain the trust of Lord Reginald.  He's one man you won't be able to buy so easily.  Hopefully, he will think better of you once you put down those protesters. 

However, as easy it would be to massacre them, you can surely find a more diplomatic solution.  Reginald doesn't want them exterminated, he wants them to cease being a nuisance.  However you want to handle it, as long as they don't trouble Reginald, the mission would be a success. 

You run speedily to just south of Varhold castle.  Upon approaching, you see a mob armed with torches, whips, pitchforks and axes.  They aren't trying to fight, they are apparently just using these farming implements just in case the soldiers decide to try and kill them. 

You creep up on them, knowing that if you surprise and jade them, their will to resist you would be slightly less.  You succeed, and you call out to them.

"May I speak to your leader?"

They turn to face you, attempting to look intimidating, which doesn't work at all.  You are stronger than five of them combined, they pose no real threat so far.  A man steps forward, small of height and girth, but with a pronounced forehead.  It is obvious that he is intelligent.  He speaks. 

"Who are you, sir?"

"I am the envoy of Lord Reginald, come here to negotiate with you."

"He is no lord.  He is a warlord, seeking to threaten this province and potentially the empire with his militant ways.  There are no laws allowing him this position, he took this power through force of arms alone." he says, much to the approval of the crowd.

An intellectual it seems.  Luckily, your high intelligence allows you to keep up. 

"Yes, that is true, but you must admit, his presence is actually stabilizing.  His soldiers, while intimidating, are a good deterrent to criminals and other, far more destabilizing and fearsome enemies.  Have you ever heard of any robbery or murder near the castle?"

"I admit, that is true, but the fact that he is at odds with the nobles jeopardizes this province, our home.  Would you have your "lord" cause a civil war?"

This is getting tiring.  His devotion and intelligence is too much for you confront with mere arguments and banter alone.  As before, hypnotism would be useful, but you actually feel some doubt as to whether this would work on him.  There's always the more violent solution.  There has to be a solution.  What do you choose?

                                                                                                 

Yes, if you try to hypnotize him, I'll roll it, although you'll receive a -10 penalty due to his 10 higher points of intelligence. 

The diplomatic, hypnotic, and violent solutions aren't the only ones, be creative here.  What shall you choose? 

[Armok]

> try to work out a compromise.

[micelus]

Ask for the name of this man.

Say that a fight is impossible; Reginald is a friend of an emperor and he would be reluctant to fight his friend. Jameson is too much of a womanizer to actually care about Reginald; if he had wanted to he could've brought up an army to take care of Reginald when he first came. And finally, quote your history and remind them that most noble families began as warlords as well who simply settled down and forced the surrounding land to serve them.

And...I guess a compromise is the best course. Ask that if Reginald were to improve his relations with the nobles, would the crowd disperse? Or if he started to help the surrounding people?

[Zako]

Compromise seems the best idea here. We could fight them all, but it would put us in a bad position with the locals and reveal our vampiric nature. That would be bad.

We could intimidate them, but that would only work for a limited time before they get more support. This is acceptable in the short term but bad in the long term, and we are all about the long term.

We could hypnotise them, this would indeed work but we are at a disadvantage if we do it, and if we fail, then we are busted. Also bad.

Best approach is to compromise, doing our best to keep both the 'lord' happy and the people pleased. It's been done before and it works, so why not now?

[Pandarsenic]

Ask for the name of this man.

Say that a fight is impossible; Reginald is a friend of an emperor and he would be reluctant to fight his friend. Jameson is too much of a womanizer to actually care about Reginald; if he had wanted to he could've brought up an army to take care of Reginald when he first came. And finally, quote your history and remind them that most noble families began as warlords as well who simply settled down and forced the surrounding land to serve them.

This, and ask what exactly they want.

[NRDL]

Compromise, ahoy!

                                                                                                     

You stand in front of the mob, their bookish leader speaking for them. 

"What is your name, good sir?" you ask their speaker.

"Edward, sir.  Now would you please either make a decent case or go away?"

"Harsh words, but necessary it seems.  I'd be willing to work out a compromise."

He eyes you warily.

"You have the authority to do this?"

"Why yes", you lie, "I do."

"...I see.  What terms do you offer?"

"What if Reginald were to improve his standing with the nobles?  What if he took every precaution against civil war, would you accept that?"

"Can that be guaranteed?"

"Absolutely.  I can even make sure that Lord Reginald himself states it to you."

He is still cautious, but he knows he can't pass this opportunity up. 

"Alright, we agree.  But if your master doesn't make good on his promise, we'll be back with even greater numbers."

"I'm sure you will." you say, before leaving. 

The walk to Reginald's hall is a short one, and you present your news to the king. 

"My lord, the protesters have agreed to stand down."

He sizes you up, seeing if you are telling the truth. 

"Hmmm...alright, but what did it cost me?"

"You have to be more diplomatic towards the nobles, the peasants fear that your strained relationship with them will lead to civil war."

"Do they think that I'm that stupid?  To go to war, lose against massively superior numbers, and be executed for treason, do they think I'd do that?"

"It doesn't matter whether you do so or not, as long as they're appeased."

"I suppose that's true...fine, I'll play nice with those soft, treacherous nobles.  I'm surprised at you though.  I was actually hoping you'd step out of line, that way I'd get an excuse to loose my men on you."

"If that were to happen, my lord, your army would be a few hundred soldiers short by sunrise."

"Hmph, fine, you did your job like a good little dog.  That doesn't mean your my friend.  Your an asset, a tool, and I have another use for you."

He stands up from his throne and paces the floor, not looking at you.

"The raider tribes, up north from here, have been gathering more and more warriors, at least that's what my scout says.  I need you to do reconnaissance and report back.  If you get caught by them, you're on your own."

How do you respond?

                                                                                                 

Nice job with the compromise, sometimes a bit of giving and taking really do solve problems.  So, what shall Drake Mordant do next?  Accept, decline, negotiate, develop an insane urge for ping-pong, it doesn't matter, as long as you vote on it. 

[NRDL]

I made two posts in one day, the least you can do is acknowledge it.   

[Armok]

accept

[Pandarsenic]

Accept. If we can't so much as observe some people unseen, we are a failure at vampirism.

[micelus]

Accept. I have an inclination to bring Ben and make him scout in werewolf form, but I do believe he would go ahead and tear us and the raiders to ribbons. So, just go by ourselves.

[stabbymcstabstab]

mabye bring him in his human form to get him a little warmer to us.

[NRDL]

Yeah, Ben can't turn into a full werewolf unless there's a full moon, which in this fictional world, occurs every four days.  You know, just to speed up the transformation action.  Turn coming later today, a bit busy. 

[NRDL]

Ok, it's time for mass acceptance. 

                                                                                                     

"Alright, I'll do it." you say, before leaving.

You decide that it's best to go alone, it is a scouting mission after all, you don't want anyone slowing you down.  Besides how hard can it be?

You flit north, and despite the obvious signs of cold, such as ice and snow, you feel none of it.  You don't have any body temperature, anyway.  You cannot smell or hear any animals around you, let alone barbarians.  As you move even further north, however, you begin to hear a faint beating of drums. 

Crouching and sticking to the shadows, you move closer.  You climb up a rather steep hill, in order to get a better look.  Below you is what appears to be a camp, filled with savages.  They were, apparently, celebrating, for you could see several men and women move spasmodically, in what must have been their version of dancing.  You count about 50 of them.  These can't be the only ones, there must be more of them somewhere. 

Unfortunately, while climbing down, you step on a twig, which emits a faint crack.  You then see a hooded figure, who had been sitting on a wooden throne while the celebration was taking place, stand up, and look straight at you.  That's impossible, no human could have heard the twig snap.  Then again, as you take in this hooded being's scent, you realize it doesn't smell human.

Vampire... you think to yourself, correctly. 

Without warning, the hooded figure leaps into the air, turning into mist.  He flies straight at you ( yes, he is male, from what you can see ) and turns solid just as he slams into you, knocking you off the hill.  You jump up, ready to face him.  He may be older, stronger, but you're not going to lose to him. 

He takes off his hood, revealing a completely bald head, and hard, emotionless features.  He disrobes, having no shirt, only pants.  Before you wonder why he's doing this, you notice something happening to his skin.  It begins turning a dark gray, starting from the chest, spreading to the limbs then to the head.  Soon, all of his skin becomes stone, and only the eyes remain normal. 

You lunge forward to claw his face, only to recoil back.  Your claws weren't even able to dent his stony exterior.  He reaches back, and delivers a powerful punch to your cheek, and the fact that his fist feels like a mace doesn't help.  You stagger up, and you notice that he is slower than you, due to the added weight.  At least you have the speed advantage, but will it be enough?

                                                                                                 

Yes, that is another vampire, and yes he has the Stoneskin ability, and his endurance is now around 90.  It's going to be very hard to hurt him, unless you can figure out his weakspot, which I've already left a hint on.  He can also turn to mist.  Eventually, you can get either or both of these abilities if you wish, but right now, it's about survival.

Fight or fly, what's your choice? 

[micelus]

Keep jumping and evading attacks, as he strikes, poke/scratch his eyes. Dance around him and attack when he's recoiling.

Try to see if hypnosis works on him.