The description, the fact that higher cultivation horses potentially becoming unicorns makes sense, and the flowers in its mane (which is a unicorn classic). It could not be, but it sounds to me like it is.
If there is anybody Folkmarr will listen to its us since he probably is counting on us to turn the tide combat wise, we just have to hope the knight is reasonable and stuff (we might lose loot negotiating)
I mean wouldn't Unicorns only really appear to virgin maidens and not squires? It anything that bloodline would probably be impressive and not be given to a random squire. So the horse probably was influenced by its cultivation sources if it's a spirit beast.
[X] Plan: Push for a Surrender
-[X] Use Silver-Tongue on Folkmarr to let us give it a try--at the end of the day, we're here for loot and glory, and convincing a Knight to give way after a fierce battle is worth plenty of both, we _can_ win, but it'll be bloody, and this is still our first expedition, coming back with most of our number Bodily or Truly Dead wouldn't be the best look. We'll have his back regardless of course, and there's still no guarantee that he'll accept our terms, but it costs little to give it a go.
--[X] If Folkmarr agrees, use Silver-Tongue and First-Impressions Trick on the Knight to convince the Knight that he's fought well, but his Squire's fled and he's badly outnumbered, we're certainly willing to keep this going, but if he's willing to yield, we can leave the manor unpillaged and the people within untouched and stick to material goods for our prize. Surely the lives of his people and his duties outweigh a desire for further bloodshed, no? (Alectai is committing a Reward Die to this check)
---[X] If either of these steps fails, revert to Combat Tactics
0~0~0
Folkmarr's mane shows the scars of hard-fought battle. Thick tufts of fur have been scattered across the field of upturned mud and trampled flowers. He's been in the thick of it since the battle began and he bears the marks of it.
For all that his ambition may drive him, Folkmarr would never give an order he wasn't prepared to do himself. That's simply not in his nature. He leads from the front with swords in hand and a goal in mind.
He side-eyes you as you approach — one of his eyes caked shut thanks to a slash across his brow. His one-eyed gaze darts to each of your faces as a slight frown ghosts across his face. "Where's Fabvir?"
"Bodily dead, falcon tore his throat out." Audrikr's ankle fully healed on the way over, so he no longer needs his spear to help him walk. "Halla stuck him with a meat-keeping stick, so he's not gonna rot or anything."
Folkmarr sighs, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. "Good thinking, Halla. I assume you killed the Squire?"
You wince. "Ah, well, he ran away. Turned into mud."
"I see." Ironic, coming from Folkmarr. "At least you're all in one piece." He cracks his neck and loosens up his shoulders, "here's the plan. I-"
"Uh," all eyes land on you as you hold up a finger, "not to seem like a coward or anything, but maybe we should try diplomacy? See if he'll surrender before charging to our deaths?" (Hugr (Silver-Tongue): 4, 6, 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, 4, 4, 1)10+1(Reward Dice)=11 Successes
Not even a heartbeat passes before somebody's temper rears its ugly head.
"Now see her-" Spittle flies from the angry man's mouth as he moves to jam a finger against your chest. However, he's stopped dead in his tracks by Folkmarr's raised hand.
"Let her speak," his words are simple, but overflowing with Jarlsspeak. You swallow as a wave of authority smothers any detractors in their cradles. While he's silenced any who would oppose you speaking, he's still not going to give you all the time in the world, so you speak quickly and surely.
"He... the Knight can't be eager to see his home destroyed and a win against a Knight — even if we don't kill him — is still a win against a damn Knight. We offer him an opportunity to surrender his valuables — gold, silver, food, and the like — in exchange for us leaving without any more death and destruction."
Folkmarr is silent as you finish speaking, his lips a thin line on his face. His sole eye reveals nothing of his thoughts or feelings, leaving you with little more to do than wait in suspense.
Finally, he comes to a decision with a slow, steady nod of the head. "We'll give him one chance and, as the one to suggest the idea, you'll be the one to deliver it."
You nod and breathe deep. Abjorn watches nervously as you make your way towards the Knight watching from the hilltop.
0~0~0 (Hugr (Silver-Tongue): 3, 6, 2, 6, 5, 1, 1, 2, 5, 6)7+1(Reward Dice)=8 Successes
The Knight watches from atop his night-black steed as you make your approach. Crows feet border his eyes — what little is visible behind the faceplate. His eyebrows are bushy and fully gray — he's no smooth-cheeked, green-in-the-tooth boy, that's for sure.
You're careful to avoid what few tulips remain standing, which his eyes thank you for.
You come to a stop well away from the horse and rider, who watch you carefully as you take a deep breath and begin your speech.
Before you can get even a syllable out, he's holding up an armored palm — his sword hanging from the saddle-mounted sheath.
"For three-hundred and fifty-two years I have kept watch over these lands, killing all who would lay waste to the beauty hidden in the canals and flood plains." His words wash over you like the tide lapping at the shore. He speaks with a matter-of-fact tone that leaves no room for debate. "In the long, long years I have kept my watch, only a small handful of your kinsmen have ever tried diplomacy when faced with Ironwater's edge."
You cough awkwardly into your hand. "I, uh, I guess that leaves me in good company?"
"I have heard your conversation with your Jarl and have come to a decision." He doesn't seem to have a response to your words. "For the sake of the flowers that my children's children grew up in, I accept your proposal with one caveat; the food stays."
What is your response?
[ ] Accept the counter-offer (Ends the attack and loot is carted out)
[ ] Reject it (The attack continues)
[ ] Offer a counter-counter-offer (Hugr (Silver-Tongue))
-[ ] Write in
[X] Accept the counter-offer (Ends the attack and loot is carted out)
Hmm wonder how much food the others got? Like our food pile is impressive cause it was both Hallas and Abjorns combined.
[X] Accept the counter-offer (Ends the attack and loot is carted out)
Wow, I hadn't realized he was that old. Feels like killing him would have been a major victory both personally and in the larger scope of the struggle we've been talking about. Then again, a rep for diplomacy might help too. Anyways, we don't need food, so the counteroffer is fine.
"For three-hundred and fifty-two years I have kept watch over these lands, killing all who would lay waste to the beauty hidden in the canals and flood plains."
[X] Accept the counter-offer (Ends the attack and loot is carted out)
Wow, I hadn't realized he was that old. Feels like killing him would have been a major victory both personally and in the larger scope of the struggle we've been talking about. Then again, a rep for diplomacy might help too. Anyways, we don't need food, so the counteroffer is fine.
I suspect he may have been a high tier, and was holding back for the sake of his squire and to limit collateral damage--because a flood, once unleashed, sort of Ruins Everything Around You. 350 years is an absolute fucking beast. There's no way he was just "Fifth or Sixth Decade" in light of that, I don't think Knight progression was that slow.
The idea to try to de-escalate actually came to my head initially when I was reading the update, because I noticed he seemed more concerned about the area around him than the fight itself. Seeing the hint that "You know that the Tongue skills have combat applications too" is what clinched it.
Wow, I hadn't realized he was that old. Feels like killing him would have been a major victory both personally and in the larger scope of the struggle we've been talking about. Then again, a rep for diplomacy might help too. Anyways, we don't need food, so the counteroffer is fine.
I suspect it's not as major a victory as all that. Like, Christian cultivation extends lifespan, sure, but if so it does so for everyone, knights being that old is probably not wildly unusual. It's his power that determines what kind of victory killing him would be, and in that regard we're talking 7th Decade or so, I'm guessing from context (that's the level we were told we could maybe take but with high casualties, which is looking like the situation here).
I suspect he may have been a high tier, and was holding back for the sake of his squire and to limit collateral damage--because a flood, once unleashed, sort of Ruins Everything Around You. 350 years is an absolute fucking beast.
I think their speed slows down compared to the Norse as they age, so it means less for him than it would for us...but yeah, he's definitely a scary dude.
350 fucking years of experience is nightmarish even if you remove the pure biggatons out of it, even accounting for diminishing returns, a Squire younger than any of us was trivially outdicing us, and this guy's got more years of experience then we have collectively across the whole Felag (I didn't think it was going to be that long). I'd probably pin him as at least Eighth Decade myself, or very high Seventh.
We could win, but it looks like he was holding back until now, deaths of Important People would be nearly guaranteed if this went to the knife.
"Let her speak," his words are simple, but overflowing with Jarlsspeak. You swallow as a wave of authority smothers any detractors in their cradles. While he's silenced any who would oppose you speaking, he's still not going to give you all the time in the world, so you speak quickly and surely.
350 fucking years of experience is nightmarish even if you remove the pure biggatons out of it, even accounting for diminishing returns, a Squire younger than any of us was trivially outdicing us, and this guy's got more years of experience then we have collectively across the whole Felag (I didn't think it was going to be that long). I'd probably pin him as at least Eighth Decade myself, or very high Seventh.
I'd buy high 7th decade, yeah. And the experience is certainly no joke either, I just suspect he's far from the only Knight that experienced, meaning killing him isn't some great sea-change in the power balance of the area. Well, not more than killing any other landholding Knight.
Probably not. Like, being a Jarl likely helps but I bet we could learn some command-voice stuff like this if we wanted, and we might well want to in the long run. Now, it might not work very well if we tried to use it on a Jarl, but I bet we could still get it and use it on other people just fine.
352 years, yeah... I wonder if at some point training dice start requiring "upkeep" costs just to prevent skill decay and stat loss, because if he put even one die a turn on Hamr/Soma for the past 300 years, that's 1800 dice, which is enough to get Hamr from 0 to 17 at normal advancement rate.
(I think. I checked the Informational mechanics post under training and it doesn't say how costs progress, but iirc it's rank squared?)
--
In other news, I came across a funny video speculating on the Norse atgeir.
Context: geir means a spear, while atgeir is a spear-like weapon whose exact translation is uncertain. Our QM has been using it as 'long-headed spear, king of all weapons'. Some scholars say "halberd" or other polearm, some say it's a superlative word for a famous spear, some say it's not a specific weapon but a later coinage like how D&D popularized "chainmail", and yet others link it to asgeir, god-spear.
Ian McCullen of Forgotten Weapons suggests it's an early Icelandic firearm (a longarm), and built a speculative reconstruction. This is partly based on the discovery of new texts mentioning the atgeir's use by Fredrik Four-Fingers who lost a finger to misfire and "Surt's Dust".
But in hindsight it fits with what's previously known: the atgeir was stated to have supreme armor-piercing power and be a far-reaching weapon able to strike enemies before they could get close. In Njal's Saga it cries out or sings when it kills someone (gunshot).
Iceland has the volcanic sulfur needed for gunpowder, charcoal can be made anywhere, and the Icelanders had experience with nitrate extraction from the infamous fermented shark (hakarl) which is inedible unless you remove the nitrates.
It's an excellent bit of April Foolery which I wish I'd seen earlier.
You know this might be conjecture but isn't it likely the knights have walls they have to overcome to advance since their stuff is less 'oily' like the Norse cultivation methods and more water like similar to the Chinese. So possibility of them not being a able to advance nearly as much as level 17 Hamr.
352 years, yeah... I wonder if at some point training dice start requiring "upkeep" costs just to prevent skill decay and stat loss, because if he put even one die a turn on Hamr/Soma for the past 300 years, that's 1800 dice, which is enough to get Hamr from 0 to 17 at normal advancement rate.
(I think. I checked the Informational mechanics post under training and it doesn't say how costs progress, but iirc it's rank squared?)
I don't think that's how stats work in Christian Cultivation. I think every time you increase in rank you get permanent points to divide among your stats in some fashion, and that each rank gets more expensive and difficult rather than the escalating costs being per stat for the Norse. I think they don't actually raise at least their base stats at all separate from cultivation. Like, you cannot, as a cultivator of the 3rd bead of the 4th decade actually raise your Soma directly, you instead get to try and hit the 4th bead, and if you do that enough you can raise Soma.
I suspect skills and Tricks may be a bit more available as something separate from cultivation, at least at low levels (I bet if you want 5+ in a skill or whatever, we're back to needing to raise your cultivation to get it), but raw stats seem very likely to be explicitly and only available via advancement.
This makes Norse cultivation potentially very cheap comparatively, at least at the high end, but that matches what we've seen (with our 40 year old father being able to fight a 10th decade Knight).
[X] Accept the counter-offer (Ends the attack and loot is carted out)
By god know what christians can be OP, if the dad could fight this guy and is 1/10th his age i think it okay to let them be strong, once we get age extension by god will things change
