Remember, I think we managed to get a Kyton last time we went to the market, and did we also save an Azata? I forgot.
But it is definitely going to be worth it even if we don't get that level recruits this time.
It is like in Stellaris were I often free slaves on the galactic market so I can spam and fill colonies fast. (And I can't say no when it is a cute alien).
The issue with that is that we dont have a lot of drug addicted Archons to test on. Though... we could summon them? And then ask them to participate in a study with an NDA... hm.
The issue with that is that we dont have a lot of drug addicted Archons to test on. Though... we could summon them? And then ask them to participate in a study with an NDA... hm.
[X] Meet with one of the resistance bands -[X] The name thieves. We can arrange for cross murders to get plausible deniability for both sides. Also true names from strong enough sacrifices are always welcome
The slave market still smells of blood, sweat and withered flowers, the eager calls of merchants touting their 'merchandise' a grim dirge set to the melody of clinking chains. There are common folk as mortal as any other you might now find in the markets of Yunkai or Meereen, ephemeral petitioners speaking softly of their life of kindness and good deeds rewarded with this, archons fallen and unbowed, and demons hissing in rage and whispering promises, fresh from the battlegrounds of the Blood War.
You are almost confused at the half-dozen figures standing in the shadow of a rage devil idly snapping an adamantine-spiked whip for the tanar'ri themselves save for the fact that they remain in dignified, almost defiant, silence. Though their skin of living iron and dagger-sharp bristles give them a fearsome mien, there is no touch of the Pit upon their souls, nor even Baator.
These, memory's voice informs you softly in the back of your mind, are bladelings, mercenaries without a home wandering all the Spheres of Law and offering their services to any who would pay fair enough coin for it. Alas for this particular company fate had dealt a cruel hand. Driven from the field by the sheer terror of a balor's advance, against which few mortals could stand, they were later captured by their former diabolic employers and enslaved for their treachery. Yet even in this blackest hour there is a quiet dignity about them that you do not believe their master sees, a tempered rage that promises retribution even from amid the chains.
Farther along the market path is a far bleaker sight, a woman with sky-blue skin garbed in an assortment of silver bells and translucent veils, obviously meant to titillate and entrance, dancing to the tune of an imp's bone flute, a spirit of dance and grace, music and poetry sold as a pillow slave. You taste bile in the back of your throat.
"Your Grace," Ser Richard's mind-voice, the touch of his gauntleted hand on your shoulder as if to steady you, brings you back to yourself. Right, mustn't turn the revolting bastard into a smear of ash on the cobbles. It would rather defeat the purpose of all the care you have taken so far in Heaven's Shore. At least Dany isn't here to see this, she would doubtless take it even worse than you.
You struggle to pay attention to what the bloated sire devil beside chained angel is saying, something about 'enhancing the experience with fire'. Taking a closer look at the dancer, doing your best to keep your rage at what sort of gazes that dance is supposed to elicit in check, you see what the patraavex means. The spectral arms of the dapsara are not shimmering silver as is common in her kindred, but instead flicker and shift with the light of a thousand flames, the grace and passion of fire, a blessing turned curse.
Turning your eyes from the sight to look at something else, anything else, you spy a bare-chested giant with skin the color of cobalt dust being auctioned off by the same trumpet archon with whom you have previously done business, albeit under a much different guise. A mage, you wonder bemused. As far as you can recall from memories not your own, the firbolg of Elysium had no great tradition of sorcery, though perhaps in the shattering of their realm they too had to adapt or perish. That is when you see the spark of another mind, another soul behind the soft dark eyes.
"Two for the price of one," the merchant trumpets with silvered voice that had once heralded the grace of Heaven, selling yet another of his own kin into slavery alongside the giant. A hound archon you learn, from the account of how the two had run afoul of the authorities by sheltering a fugitive and 'fought valiantly against overwhelming odds'. For all that you had thought to see wrath in the giant's gaze at the slave traders' 'compliment', there is only pity there.
You cannot afford to buy too many, but three purchases would not seem overmuch for your current persona, and a trader captain on the oceans of Paradise would not be remembered over-long for odd choices.
OOC: Not the best rolls for slaves available, but at least you did not get a crit fail on any of the dice, that would have triggered a tricky random encounter. The costs above include already rolled for haggling to save on time.
[X] The angel (1 Fire Souled Dapsara, CR 5; Cost 2466 IM)
[X] The giant (1 Hound Archon Graced Firbolg Fighter 3 CR 9; Cost 10584 IM)
In practical terms, the Fire-souled Angel-bard is pretty universally useful and even if she doesn't want to work for us, her presence and performance would still be an improvement for our realm.
The Firbolg is just another decent fighter and the Tracking abilities of an Hound-Archon Graced creature will be useful for the Inquisition.
For the Bladelings I honestly see no reason to buy. They are not so good to be worth it in itself, nor would we really help them much by sending them on one battlefield instead of another, so I'm not moved to buy them out of pity.
I mean you are sparing them from a horrible fate and it's not like he isn't conflicted as seen by the impulse to incinerate the the sire devil where he stands.
Well, this group isn't particularly interesting. I'm leaning towards the Dapsara because of Viserys' chronic weakness towards women and acting like a knight when Waymar is not there to do so.
Don't worry though. She lacks horns, so she is not hot (no, the fire soul doesn't count)
I agree.
I would always prefer to steal slaves and incinerate slavers, but I can't get people to vote for that, so buying them to free them seems like the second-best option.
I mean you are sparing them from a horrible fate and it's not like he isn't conflicted as seen by the impulse to incinerate the the sire devil where he stands.
And yet we continue involving ourselves, keeping the Slavers directly profiting by buying the slaves.
"Moral" thing (or the most IC-consistent, I guess) would've been to not visit the auction again, no matter the intent to "save" some, until we can actually do so with no-strings-attached policy.
And I mean the real sort of such policy, not the "One of the best diplomancers around the Planes will talk at ya and try to convince you that serving him is a good idea before potentially letting you go"-thing we are always doing.
I mean, yeah, Viserys is a Hypocrite. That's fine.
But this one just seems mite... glaring in how hypocritical we are being.
Just my personal SoD straining at this, I suppose.
And yet we continue involving ourselves, keeping the Slavers directly profiting by buying the slaves.
"Moral" thing (or the most IC-consistent, I guess) would've been to not visit the auction again, no matter the intent to "save" some, until we can actually do so with no-strings-attached policy.
And I mean the real sort of such policy, not the "One of the best diplomancers around the Planes will talk at ya and try to convince you that serving him is a good idea before potentially letting you go"-thing we are always doing.
I mean, yeah, Viserys is a Hypocrite. That's fine.
But this one just seems mite... glaring in how hypocritical we are being.
That is fair, though he lets them go first and it should be noted that Viserys does not use his spells when trying to convince former slaves to serve him so by the standards of Heaven's Shore he is not 'a master of persuasion' and more 'skillful and charismatic'.
OOC: Not the best rolls for slaves available, but at least you did not get a crit fail on any of the dice, that would have triggered a tricky random encounter. The costs above include already rolled for haggling to save on time.
I agree.
I would always prefer to steal slaves and incinerate slavers, but I can't get people to vote for that, so buying them to free them seems like the second-best option.
For the moment, there would be a lot of death if we went in to free slaves without a plan at the moment. This is angels and devils with eons of experience and connections we are talking about here, not some Tiroshi magister like we faced before.
I am not saying go soft, but to use an obsidian scalpel (those things are sharp beyond comprehension) to get this done the right way.
