Well, its saving us money and actions in the future to search for an high quality war-mount. And even if it is not fit for a Familiar, its still a great bonus for the company.
We could always buy horses for the Swordmasters and fight from horseback.
In any case, while we are not swimming in money, we have more than enough to do everything we want at the moment. The Demigryph is not THAT expensive. And hunting to feed it will make it less expensive.
I also think that just having a battle mount for the Lightfang's primary and only caster is a really good idea. It means we can do more casting and not need to worry so much about fighting in melee or getting from point A to B.
And we HAVE a cavalry unit. We can summon Ghur elementals and they act a lot like cavalry.
This is possible, but it is also theoretically possible that the troll problem has gotten WORSE since we have been gone and the price per head has gone up.
Easiest would be to say that you live to kill the servants of the Dark Gods, who have taken so much from you. That would be the expected answer, to sidestep the vileness of your actions by casting them against the backdrop of the Arch-Enemy. Whatever your deeds, whatever your crimes, they all pale in comparison to Chaos.
I may be a horrible person, but I fight the Great Destroyer.
That alone would justify your existence, justify any monster so long as it can be pointed in the right direction. And therein lies the problem.
You could also say that you wish to make up for your deeds, that you want to right the cosmic balance you have upset. But can you? No good deed you ever commit will bring back those sons and daughters, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, all who died by your hand. How shall you weigh a life saved against a life taken? To say that you will make up for what you have done is hubris, in implying that you can. There is no transaction to pay off the debts you have incurred, no weregild you can pay to the universe to be absolved of your sins.
"I want to be better," you say finally, looking Liandra in the eyes. "If I die, that is the end of it. The end of the story of Fanriel of House Drangleic. A madwoman who condemned hundreds to their death in the grips of the Curse, just another dark footnote in the history of the Blood of Aenarion."
The Nagarythian is unable to hold your gaze, averting it to the side.
"But if I live, if I can become a better person than the one who stole the secrets of the Old Ones from the Lizardmen, then I acknowledge that I did that, not the Curse. Because if I can become better, then that means that I could have been better, but chose not to. I will not shirk from that responsibility, and so I must be better."
Liandra nods quietly, leaning back in her chair. You look across the other Swordmasters but none of them say anything, either staying quiet or nodding in approval.
"Now, shall we continue? Tethildur, if you would?"
The game carries on, much as it did before, but the quiet does not seem so oppressive any longer.
----
In what seems like no time at all your remaining money runs out, and you are once again faced with the prospect of seeking employment or living by your own means. Luckily, this time you have a more opportune selection of contracts available to you.
First of all, you have the raid against the Grimeyes, one of the lesser subsidiary tribes of the Sarls. The merchant prince Razin seems to have been impressed by your skills, and has offered you the position of tactical advisor. You've been able to negotiate a substantial fee in exchange for your services and those of the Swordmasters, and this opportunity could be just what you need to get your mercenary venture off the ground.
However, there are also substantial risks involved. This will be no mere bodyguarding job, but war in all its terrible splendour. There is a substantial risk that you or one of the Swordmasters might not return. Razin has also made it clear you will have no true command authority, only acting in an advisory capacity. Can you trust a self-admitted amateur in matters of warfare to follow your counsel and make the right decisions, especially when his son's life is on the line?
On the other hand, the Troll migration appears to be continuing unabated, and tripling the bounty on their skulls seems to have done little to stem the tide. Even as an outsider in kislevite society, you frequently overhear rumours of run-ins with the beasts from loggers, huntsmen and farmers who make their trade in the areas north of the city.
Many of Erengrad's rotas have been pulled back to ensure the city's security from norscan raiders, and the remaining forces deployed to the oblast are focused on trying to keep the Lynsk clear of River Trolls. It is not hard to see why- once settled in they would be nigh-impossible to be rid of, which could be disastrous for those who rely on the river for trade and fishery. While the bounty itself is not outstanding, helping to relieve the pressure could earn you a lot of goodwill and positive reputation. Or you could simply wait for the reward money to go up even further, which it surely will.
You have also been approached by the Hearth-Blades, the templar order of the Cult of Dazh known for wielding greatswords. It seems that they have heard tales of your prowess, and are interested in contracting your services to test their skills against yours. This could be your opportunity to further your ties with the Cult of Dazh, and learn more about their internal politics.
Finally, now that you have developed at least a reputation, the door is open for you to seek employment with one of the countless merchant caravans plying the trade routes to Praag, Kislev City or even Wolfenburg in the south, should you so choose. The work is not particularly glorious, but it is an easy enough way to make money while relocating to another city.
Praag you have heard much about already, the bastion of Kislev's northern frontier and where Tzarenavich Kattarin is leading the fight against the northern hordes. Men and arms flow north, and tales of glory return south. If it is challenge and danger you seek, you will surely find it here.
Meanwhile in Kislev City to the east, Tzar Alexis is playing a game of political intrigue in an attempt to forge ties with the Empire in the south, and gather allies. While seen as a fool's errand by many kislevites, it will surely generate a market for expert bodyguards and cultist hunters. The Dark Gods are ever so fond of dividing and conquering.
And lastly there is the Empire, still deep in the throes of its millennium-long civil war. While this internecine conflict alone would generate more than enough demand for mercenaries, the shattered realms of the man-god Sigmar are also infested with greenskins, undead, beastmen and other threats their rulers have allowed to fester in their endless squabbling. Indeed, the Grand Prince of Ostland has set out a call for mercenaries, promising rich compensation for anyone who will march under his banner.
-Choose what contract to take.
-Six hours moratorium.
[] Jaarpen Raid
-300GC reward upon return and an additional 100GC bonus if Aleksandr Razin is recovered alive.
[] Troll Hunting
-3GC bounty for each skull recovered. Very likely to rise.
[] Hearth-Blade Training
-200GC contract for several months.
[] Guard a Merchant Caravan to Praag
-100GC reward upon arrival.
[] Guard a Merchant Caravan to Kislev City
-75GC reward upon arrival.
[] Guard a Merchant Caravan to Wolfenburg
-50GC reward upon arrival.
[] Take none of them, and wait for new opportunities to arise
-You will be forced to live in a tent outside the city, subsisting on magic and whatever you can hunt.
Men is not the problem with the last mission. If we had more soldiers we would have gotten paid more, but we went into the last fight with plenty of support. The problem with the last fight was that we trundled into a giant FUBAR of a situation without knowing that it was a giant FUBAR of a situation.
There is no accounting for luck or fate. More soldiers behind us means we can take bigger jobs.
Demigryphs are typically impossible to get on the market because no one has ever managed to establish a breeding population in captivity. 1000 GP is what we could get for it we sell it on the market, but it doesn't mean we'll be able to get an egg of our own with that amount of money if we wanted to, because there might not be any for sale.
Demigryphs are typically impossible to get on the market because no one has ever managed to establish a breeding population in captivity. 1000 GP is what we could get for it we sell it on the market, but it doesn't mean we'll be able to get an egg of our own with that amount of money if we wanted to.
And even then it would still take 2 years to raise it. The best time to have gotten a demigryph egg is 2 years ago. The second best time to have gotten a demigryph egg is now.
That's a cross between an eagle and a cat, so that thing is basically half-bird half-demon. I'm more of a dog person. And if we recruit ogres, we very much can do what you describe
Fanriel and Co are, while not literally the ideal group to go get a demigryph egg from the wilds themselves, so much of a cut above the typical people who would be doing it that it's not even funny.
