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Mercenary Mage Quest: Asur Dogs of War in Warhammer Fantasy

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Ideas? Rejectable in totality, of course.

All-Consuming Devouring Flame: A fire, unrestrained, is one of the most destructive things in the world. Such is one of the divine truths of Addaioth himself, God of the All-Consuming Flame. Concession is inconceivable. Pride and fury provide strength beyond strength. When the God Ellinil saw to devour his more than one hundred children, it was Addaioth alone who chose to face him in direct battle. And so it is with the one who takes up this Sword Art. Enveloping the heart and blood with the everburning power of Aqshy, propelling the one using the Sword Art into an endless furious assault without any restraint. Every drop of energy, every mote of strength, brought to the fore and fed to the fire, ensuring an extended assault at the fullest power possible. This comes at the cost of defense, of any possibly conservation for further foes, an extended battle, or otherwise. At the end of one utilizing this Sword Art, there lies only ash and death. But when it truly matters, what can be better than to fight with every furious breath until your last?

The Futile Defiance of the Crone: Morai-Heg determines the fate of all mortals with and within her rune-pouch. Or at least, so it is said. And it is, perhaps, even true. But on the day that death comes, it must earn the soul of one who has mastered this Sword Art. All effort to escape, to strike down the foe, ceases. Instead, that greatest of instincts, that most primal of urges, to survive, comes to the fore. Mind, body, and soul commune in harmony to undertake a constant, consistent, unending and unyielding defensive shell regardless of the size, strength, or number of enemies facing them. To parry, deflect, to hold back the enemy from taking the wielder's life for just one more exchange. One more moment. One more second. There are few possibilities for the Sword Art's conclusion, for eventually the wielder will tire enough that the shell cracks and breaks, for to so devote oneself to defense is to refuse any chance of escape. However, there does exist a curious streak of confused hope to the Sword Art, for if only the wielder survives long enough, help may come in some fashion or another. Or perhaps it will not. In the end, defying the Crone forever is impossible. Death will come in the end. But perhaps, if one masters this Sword Art, not quite so soon as the Crone may have thought.
 
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Seems like we have two based on specific Winds, wonder if each Wind has an associated Art. Maybe a Chamon art that bends the blade to achieve a strike, or to parry something that would normally be unparryable due to overwhelming force, like an ogre's club?
 
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Nah, maybe something that leans into chamon's Spiritualistic side.

Assured Tactical Advantage: Wrap yourself in the assurance of Chamon, seek its confidence that only comes when one becomes a cog in a greater machine. This art is wielded singularly to assure a methodical and orderly strikes, such as when facing uncoordinated undead or the mindless slave thralls. Yet, when wielded as a unit, it's power is made manifest in a group that operate in synchronized fashion, not a breathe wasted in the shifting of orderly battle. The victory is assure, you must simply carry yourself to the goal. Be wise, for the assurance of machinery breaks upon the slightest mishap, so ensure that the power is evenly loaded, an no weak link breaks the chain.
 
If Fanriel write down all the Sword Arts that she knows of in a line, like so:

Blackout said:
Part The Horse's Mane
Flawless Diamond Form
Ox Splits The Mountain
Stone Dragon's Grasp
Snow Raven Stained With Blood
Flowing Crane Defence
Night Flower Blooms
Step Of The Dancing Moth
Hungry Wolf Claws At Dawn
Hand of Death
Blood-Hungry Sword-Soul
Ghost Blade
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and she learns all of them, could she proclaim herself to be a master of Sword Arts On Line?
 
Just finished reading through this whole quest and I gotta say, it's absolutely fantastic @Blackout, you had me hooked from the prologue(even if it was 79 pages in:V).

As a note on the sword arts, I think if/when we devote downtime to learning them we should probably focus based on the synergies we could get from the magic sword we have that has 8 different modes it can use, like how Hungry Wolf Claws At Dawn clearly synergizes with Ghyran's life-steal ability, Step Of The Dancing Moth's possible synergy with Azyr's fate-deflections, the obvious Ghost Blade/Ulgu combo, and Blood-Hungry Sword-Soul/Ghur (actually, @Blackout does ghur increase our strength or just make us berserk while using it?)
 
@Blackout Just because it would be super OP of it could I'm assuming Death Hand and Ghost Blade can not be used at the same time correct?

Unless we came up with a merger of sorts

Something to think about
 
Blackout said:
the Sage of Swords, the title bestowed upon the most senior of their number and who is afforded the honour of a seat upon the Council of Loremasters, is said to know over a hundred.

...

Mechanically, Sword Arts can grant a small situational combat bonus, such as Flowing Crane Defence against enemies that receive bonuses from their strength, but each Sword Art you master also directly increases your Prowess, as you grow more skilled and gain more options to use in combat...
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If the Sage of Swords knows more than a 100 Sword Arts, and each mastered Sword Art directly increases one's Prowess, doesn't that mean the Sage of Swords has a Prowess of at least 100+ and is functionally unbeatable in combat except in the most extreme circumstances?
 
Heh, one can assume that there are diminishing returns to the number of Sword Arts. When you start, adding the 2nd to the 1st gives you a full +1. Then, adding the 11th to the 10th gives you +1/2. So on and so forth
 
that or improving powess has diminishing returns
its +1 at our current rate
but if we were 10 lower it might be +10
and if we were 10 higher it might take 10 for a +1
 
allmightytoaster said:
In what way is inventing a new style different from/the same as inventing a spell?
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In most cases, inventing a new style of swordsmanship is significantly harder than inventing an individual spell, and aren't really practical to invent wholesale without at least some source of inspiration. Once you know how to shoot a bolt of fire it is relatively simple to learn how to shoot an explosive blast of fire or a bigger bolt of fire, but Sword Arts can encompass entire fighting styles and philosophies.

In general, you'll need either a teacher or have something that prompts you towards developing a specific style, you can't just make one up on the spot.

allmightytoaster said:
The description seems to sometimes make distinctions between those who are "merely" proficient in the style and true masters (Hand of death for example). Are there actual tiers of mastery for those or is that flavour?
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Mostly flavour but there is a process to learning a new Sword Art. Even someone as absurdly quick at picking things up as Fanriel will take multiple actions to master a Sword Art, barring exceptional circumstances and Lileath's favour, and you won't receive the full benefits of the style until you have completed it.

allmightytoaster said:
Can inspirations be used for spell and sword interchangeably or are there seperate sword inspirations and spell inspirations?
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They are specific to their description, but because Sword Arts can involve magic and spells can involve swording there can be a degree of interchangeability. For an example, if you had an inspiration for Ulgu-based spells I might allow that to apply to learning Ghost Blade, because it's a Sword Art that directly integrates Ulgu into the fighting style.

torroar said:
No worries, I think it's all been pretty great! You can ask me whatever about Tethildur if you want, too, like his tattoos or Yoga/weird bendy flexibility stuff or what not. Or not, I bequeathed him to you after all, you can do whatever you want with him.
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Thank you, I'll probably take you up on that offer at some point.

Dragonofelder said:
Could we suggest Sword Arts? I can think of a few:

The Magpie's Wind: This art is focused around the disarming an opponent. Strong blows to break grips, levering weapons away from the body, etc etc.

Storm of Fate: Drawing upon Azyr, the Swordmaster unleashes a fury of blows, each strike guided by fate to find their destined mark.

Radiant Reflection: This style requires the blade of the Swordmaster to be clean, for it seeks to reflect light - from the Sun, or other sources - directly into the eyes of the foe, blinding them to oncoming strikes.

Rallying Roar: Battle is often a psychological fight as well as a physical one. The death of a leader, a champion, can turn the tide of a conflict. This style turns a kill into a show, drawing the eye of all around and it as visible as possible.

Names can be workshopped.
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I would be thrilled to have people give me ideas for Sword Arts, but I reserve the right to unilaterally make changes to them, because there's a very specific feel I want to go for with them.

torroar said:
Ideas? Rejectable in totality, of course.

All-Consuming Devouring Flame: It is said that the divine Flame of Asuryan eradicates the unworthy, the unclean, purifying all those who touch it. It is the sacred fire through which every Phoenix King must walk through to be accepted by Asuryan himself and to take up the throne. A fire, unrestrained, is one of the most destructive things in the world. And so it is with the one who takes up this Sword Art. Enveloping the heart and blood with the everburning power of Aqshy, propelling the one using the Sword Art into an endless furious assault without any restraint. Every drop of energy, every mote of strength, brought to the fore and fed to the fire, ensuring an extended assault at the fullest power possible. This comes at the cost of defense, of any possibly conservation for further foes, an extended battle, or otherwise. At the end of one utilizing this Sword Art, there lies only ash and death. But when it truly matters, what can be better than to fight with every furious breath until your last?

The Futile Defiance of the Crone: Morai-Heg determines the fate of all mortals with and within her rune-pouch. Or at least, so it is said. And it is, perhaps, even true. But on the day that death comes, it must earn the soul of one who has mastered this Sword Art. All effort to escape, to strike down the foe, ceases. Instead, that greatest of instincts, that most primal of urges, to survive, comes to the fore. Mind, body, and soul commune in harmony to undertake a constant, consistent, unending and unyielding defensive shell regardless of the size, strength, or number of enemies facing them. To parry, deflect, to hold back the enemy from taking the wielder's life for just one more exchange. One more moment. One more second. There are few possibilities for the Sword Art's conclusion, for eventually the wielder will tire enough that the shell cracks and breaks, for to so devote oneself to defense is to refuse any chance of escape. However, there does exist a curious streak of confused hope to the Sword Art, for if only the wielder survives long enough, help may come in some fashion or another. Or perhaps it will not. In the end, defying the Crone forever is impossible. Death will come in the end. But perhaps, if one masters this Sword Art, not quite so soon as the Crone may have thought.
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Hmm, All-Consuming Devouring Flame seems more aligned to Addaioth than Asuryan, as his very title is the God of All-Consuming Flame. Asuryan is in my view more of a creator and a builder, and his association with fire is more in a cleansing and harnessed aspect, rather than as destroyer. Plus I already had in my writeup about the elven gods that Addaioth is the one they pray to when, like Addaioth against Ellinill, they face hopeless odds and so they might as well go out with a bang.

I love the description and idea of the style, but I'd probably just swap out the associated god from Asuryan to Addaioth.

Futile Defiance of the Crone is perfect, though. Definitely going to be using that one.

KreenWarrior said:
Seems like we have two based on specific Winds, wonder if each Wind has an associated Art.
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Each Wind has multiple Sword Arts based on it. The Swordmasters have had thousands and thousands of years to perfect them, and they consider it their religious duty to invent as many as they can.

wallabon said:
even if it was 79 pages in:V
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In my defence the voters managed to zero in on the one option that required multiple votes to select all of the spells.

What I should have done is give Fanriel all of the generic Arcane spells and have a vote to select, like, one spell from each specialized Lore, but y'know, hindsight.

But anyways welcome onboard, I should have the next update up soonish since this one should be significantly simpler than the two previous.

wallabon said:
does ghur increase our strength or just make us berserk while using it?
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It provides a small bonus of strength, speed, energy, etc.

Atam the Ork said:
@Blackout Just because it would be super OP of it could I'm assuming Death Hand and Ghost Blade can not be used at the same time correct?

Unless we came up with a merger of sorts

Something to think about
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In general, if you were to just slap two different Winds on top of each other you'd get Dhar, which is a very very bad thing.

Now, since Fanriel is an elf it's not out of reach for you to learn how to combine the two styles, but you'd first have to figure out how to safely mix Ulgu and Shyish (And, y'know, learn Ghost Blade and Hand of Death).

Catpetter1981 said:
If the Sage of Swords knows more than a 100 Sword Arts, and each mastered Sword Art directly increases one's Prowess, doesn't that mean the Sage of Swords has a Prowess of at least 100+ and is functionally unbeatable in combat except in the most extreme circumstances?
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No. There is a limit to how much you can increase your base Prowess just by learning new Sword Arts. The Sage of Swords is widely reputed to be the most skilled warrior in all of Ulthuan, and can select the perfect combination of fighting styles to fit any situation, but he does not have 100+ base Prowess.

In general, the higher your base stat is the harder it is to raise it further. If you'd selected a total beginner at character creation you could improve just by investing actions into regular weapon-practice, but because Fanriel is already at the level of a master mere practice won't really do anything.
 
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I'll have a shot too.

Vaul's Eternal Torment Embraced - During any serious fight there will come a time, when a Swordmaster shall sustain injuries, perhaps even grievous ones. A broken arm, a chopped off leg, a pierced eye or lung, the possibilities are endless. Needless to say, such wounds are a hindrance for anyone and maintaining a cohesive defense or offense becomes harder with each passing breath. Parries are more difficult to perform correctly, slashes become sloppy, footwork is nonexistent, the rhythm of battle loses coherence and various Sword Art forms cannot be executed as they should be, thus severely limiting their effectiveness. All this provided the Swordmaster can even fight at all, crippled by horrible pain and suffering. The creator of this Sword Art, one Vamir Adren of Yvresse, took inspiration from the great Smith-God Vaul, after he lost his arm and sight during a Daemonic incursion. Determined to remain useful, he continued to fight recklessly, throwing himself where the fighting was thickest, swinging the greatsword with his one hand. With his brazen style refined over the ages, the Swordmaster does not fear, but embraces the pain and uses it as a focus for his remaining strengths to continue the fight. Like Vaul, the High Elf awaits for the right moment to unleash his vengeance upon his tormentors and channels the crippled Great Artificer's vented up frustration to bring about one last dance of death and destruction. Of course this Sword Art is a sign of great desperation on the part of the user, when everything else has failed and the Swordmaster's body begins to crumble. All that remains, is to go down fighting, killing as many enemies as he can before succumbing.
 
Blackout said:
I love the description and idea of the style, but I'd probably just swap out the associated god from Asuryan to Addaioth.
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Welp. You're completely right.

I'm gonna be honest, and Addaioth probably wouldn't like it, but I straight up forgot about him. I somehow glazed him right on out of my memory even after I just read through the initial Sword Arts post. It's even worse because the Prince of Laurelorn in DoDA is specifically an Addaioth cultist. Blurgh, I'll fix it.
 
Dawn Through the Morning Mist: An art said to be inspired by the Land of Mists, this style involves continuous motion of the blade, controlling its angle and momentum in patterns that seem random and difficult to predict but actually offer countless opportunities to launch attacks and defenses from within the pattern.

Reaping the Verdant Harvest: Said to have been developed to fight Greenskins, this art embraces the use of the Greatsword as an area attack weapon, fueling the body with Ghyran to increase strength and endurance, and allowing one to neglect defense with limited regeneration. Great arcs and terrible scything motions are the hallmarks of this Art, allowing one to claim the lives of multiple weaker opponents with ruthless efficiency while paying little heed to their attempts at counterattack.

Couple Arts inspired by our homeland, one for Yvresse's most famous feature, one inspired by the invasion of Grom the Paunch.
 
torroar said:
Welp. You're completely right.

I'm gonna be honest, and Addaioth probably wouldn't like it, but I straight up forgot about him. I somehow glazed him right on out of my memory even after I just read through the initial Sword Arts post. It's even worse because the Prince of Laurelorn in DoDA is specifically an Addaioth cultist. Blurgh, I'll fix it.
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Happens to everyone.

For an example, there was this one time I completely forgot which year Grom invaded Yvresse, and then I had to come up with a justification why Yvressians have an anti-Greenskin trait in a quest set 130 years before then. :p

KreenWarrior said:
Couple Arts inspired by our homeland, one for Yvresse's most famous feature, one inspired by the invasion of Grom the Paunch.
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DeadmanwalkingXI said:
Grom has not invaded yet in Quest Timeline, so that Art would not yet exist. Or, well, it might (other orc invasions have happened), but it wouldn't have been inspired by that.
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Mopman43 said:
Just pointing out, that specific event has not occurred (it happened around 2420, and it's 2290).

Edit: Alith'd Anar'd
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In-quest there have been other greenskin attacks into Yvresse prior to then, which is how Blacktoof knew where to direct Grom and what Waystones are.
 
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Blackout said:
In general, if you were to just slap two different Winds on top of each other you'd get Dhar, which is a very very bad thing.

Now, since Fanriel is an elf it's not out of reach for you to learn how to combine the two styles, but you'd first have to figure out how to safely mix Ulgu and Shyish (And, y'know, learn Ghost Blade and Hand of Death).
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I see well in that case

The Grim Shadowblades:
Few elves can boast the use of either Ghost Blade or the Hand of Death swordstyles. Even fewer can say they have mastered the use of both seeing as safely stitching two winds together is a monumental task even for the masterful Asur. But for those with power and knowledge to do so they will be given access to the fearsome Grim Shadowblades. Dark ethereal arms protrude from the user's body wielding spectral weapons that radiate the wind of death yet they are merely illusions hiding the user's real weapon from their would be opponent yet they are not harmless either for to be hit by one of these ethereal weapons bombards the enemy with terrible visions that can shake the very heart of even the stoutest champions leaving more openings for the user to exploit.

Requirements: Ghost Blade and The Hand of Death sword styles

This look okay?
 
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First Downtime Phase: Ending
  • Threadmarks
    • [X] You want to earn redemption.

    What do you want? What do you live for?

    It is not an easy question to answer.

    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.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • [] Jaarpen Raid
    -300GC reward upon return and an additional 100GC bonus if Aleksandr Razin is recovered alive
    .

    Come on y'all. Let's go be a general, and make some mercenary allies.

    [] Hearth-Blade Training
    -200GC contract over several months
    Knowing that they mid fight with Birdgod makes me want to help them out.
     
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