Orc Quest; or, A Critical Examination of Agency Through in Interactive Fiction (Warcraft)
- Thread starter FractiousDay
- Start date
- Fantasy
- Location
- United Kingdom
It's interesting on a few of these because of articles and possessives, for example 'you are unsuited to its requirements', its the requirements of 'it', therefore it's. Having said that I've always found it an awkward word to check given the various permutations. Shaman is collective as well so that's correct, but thanks for the rest
It's been coming for a while, it just hadn't got here yet. This is the 'Hunted' you choose right at the start in character creation and it never seemed to proc so I rolled a dice for the number of turns which had to pass, then got the next turn, if you'd done more meditation you might have had more warning.
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The Battle of Dreadmist Peak 1
- Location
- United Kingdom
The Battle of Dreadmist Peak
Autumn comes on and the air around Dreadmist's summit remains unchanged. This place is resistant, the evil haze unchanged, as if mastering the weather around it. It never rains or snows, never gusts more than a little, the sun never shines brightly.
The remains of the caravan from Orgrimmar depart southward, and your father too heads off.
What's more concerning to you than your surroundings are the slowly gathering bands of centaur on the plains below. You went hunting with a few others and noticed it first because you didn't actually manage to catch any prey, though you found several places where animals had been butchered which were now being picked over by vultures.
Later you watch from the Peak as more and more parties move across the plains, coalescing in a party of several thousand centaur. You don't see specifics but it's clear an army is gathering around the oases on the southern side of the mountain, blocking the road toward Stonetalon.
You guess that rather than coming directly from Desolace this is the collected might of the Kolkar in the Barrens and given the disorganised nature of the centaur bands you've encountered so far you're quite surprised they've been able to gather up so many so quickly. Clearly there's some greater power at work, and clearly this gathering has been organised. They assemble in weeks and slowly begin to surround the mountain.
The two trolls you picked up out on the plains try to leave during the night but turn up later bloodied, though uninjured, having managed to sneak through a few patrols but hit a party of more heavily armed centaur.
Once your position is clear a conference is held between the various parties on the mountain. The elders dominate the conversation at first, but grow silent when Akinos speaks, bowing to his greater experience. Neither the elders nor Akinos seem overly concerned, though for different reasons. The elders make many references to their upcoming ritual and how they could use it to defeat the centaur, no doubt through some great summoning or similar Fel magic, while Akinos puts faith in the strength of a shield wall on the narrow path up the mountain, the same tactic you used in your own brief battle previously.
"Can we rely on them attacking us? Or must we consider a sortie?" one of the elders asks.
"They will attack." you reply, "They rely on the land just as much as we do and they'll hunt this area clean soon enough."
Akinos nods, "Nor do the centaur have enough patience for a siege. They'll come up the path roaring and we'll smash them back."
"What of their shaman? I'm confident in my own abilities but they outmatch us in magic also." Sarilus the Mage says.
"We will deal with them." the elder replies, "Their magics are crude, they're no match for the Fel."
Two competing impulses run though you as the battle approaches. You don't feel scared, quite the opposite actually you're looking forward to your first large engagement! You feel now is the chance to finally prove yourself to all who've doubted you, to Akinos, to the elders of the clan and to your own warband, even perhaps to Nazgrel and the Warchief for if this isn't opposing the centaur you're not sure what would be.
Excitement, perhaps longing is the first emotion.
The second though is apprehension. The old fear, the self-doubt you've experienced often before when you try as hard as you can to prove yourself, to demonstrate your worthiness to the clan, to the Horde, your worthiness to lead. You father commanded you to bring him honour and you know performing badly here, bringing shame, highlighting the weakness others have commented on will not end well for you.
Intending to clear your mind you sit in meditation, breathing deeply before one of the fires on the summit, without thinking you slip into the rhythm you've practiced when looking into the flames and you start to see things, flashes of different fires over the Barrens, activity among the sparse woods or over the rolling plains. Then you feel something looking back at you, a shadow or corruption, a spectre ahorse, riding with the centaur. You feel the thing salute you, nodding as if before joining battle.
There remains a little time left to prepare…
Choose or write in 1 action, based on previously available actions.
But after that it's time, the centaur swarm across the plains, the blood-haze of the mountain seems to roil in excitement and the ground shakes.
Order of Battle
The Burning Blade of Dreadmist Peak
10 Elder Warlocks, capable of demonic and elemental magics, the most skilled and knowledgeable of the clan
10 Acolytes, firethrowers and shadowcallers, serving the elders to acquire greater power
20 Cultists, warriors wearing Searing Collars, their swords alight as they charge into battle
40 Grunts, the anvils of the Horde
50 Grok'mash's Warband, a mixed troops of Burning Blade clansmen, deserters and strays commanded by the warrior Scorn
Sarilus Foulborne, Forsaken Mage and Alchemist
Akinos, Blademaster of the Burning Blade
Grok'mash, Aspirant Blademaster
The Kolkar of the Barrens
Krom'zar, Warlord of the Kolkar and his is lieutenants; Barak Kodobane, Hezrul Bloodmark and Verog the Dervish
300 bonded warriors with armour and good weapons
1650 low ranked centaur with various equipment
50 shaman
A Dark Rider
The situation and terrain
Dreadmist Peak is a small mountain in the northern Barrens, a dry land of wide grassland and savannah. Periodically oases can be found, as well as patches of forest where animals congregate. Many of these oases now serve as camps for the Kolkar. Further south is the Crossroad, a Horde settlement. Dreadmist Peak has steep, though not insurmountable slopes with a single treacherous path leading to the summit. The Kolkar will attack soon. You haven't received word of whether the Horde garrison at the Crossroads is aware of the attack, but you know they won't be able to reach you before Kolkar move in.
Your choices
You observe that although a consensus appears to have been reached no one is actually in command. From the various orcs of rank, command could fall to one of the elders, Akinos, or yourself. If you take command you'll be able to claim credit for any victory, which given the size of the enemy you know will be influential given this appears to be the majority of centaur in the Barrens. You think it likely if you try to take command you'll be accepted as the elders will be busy with their ritual and Akinos likely in the thick of the fighting.
Without interference the various parties will go to their respective duties and the battle will commence. If you decide to take command you can order forces as you necessary.
Do you take command?
[ ] Take command
[ ] Do not take command
If you have taken command, how do you direct the forces of the Burning Blade? This may include your general strategy, particular tactics, and your own place in the battle.
[Write in]
Autumn comes on and the air around Dreadmist's summit remains unchanged. This place is resistant, the evil haze unchanged, as if mastering the weather around it. It never rains or snows, never gusts more than a little, the sun never shines brightly.
The remains of the caravan from Orgrimmar depart southward, and your father too heads off.
What's more concerning to you than your surroundings are the slowly gathering bands of centaur on the plains below. You went hunting with a few others and noticed it first because you didn't actually manage to catch any prey, though you found several places where animals had been butchered which were now being picked over by vultures.
Later you watch from the Peak as more and more parties move across the plains, coalescing in a party of several thousand centaur. You don't see specifics but it's clear an army is gathering around the oases on the southern side of the mountain, blocking the road toward Stonetalon.
You guess that rather than coming directly from Desolace this is the collected might of the Kolkar in the Barrens and given the disorganised nature of the centaur bands you've encountered so far you're quite surprised they've been able to gather up so many so quickly. Clearly there's some greater power at work, and clearly this gathering has been organised. They assemble in weeks and slowly begin to surround the mountain.
The two trolls you picked up out on the plains try to leave during the night but turn up later bloodied, though uninjured, having managed to sneak through a few patrols but hit a party of more heavily armed centaur.
Once your position is clear a conference is held between the various parties on the mountain. The elders dominate the conversation at first, but grow silent when Akinos speaks, bowing to his greater experience. Neither the elders nor Akinos seem overly concerned, though for different reasons. The elders make many references to their upcoming ritual and how they could use it to defeat the centaur, no doubt through some great summoning or similar Fel magic, while Akinos puts faith in the strength of a shield wall on the narrow path up the mountain, the same tactic you used in your own brief battle previously.
"Can we rely on them attacking us? Or must we consider a sortie?" one of the elders asks.
"They will attack." you reply, "They rely on the land just as much as we do and they'll hunt this area clean soon enough."
Akinos nods, "Nor do the centaur have enough patience for a siege. They'll come up the path roaring and we'll smash them back."
"What of their shaman? I'm confident in my own abilities but they outmatch us in magic also." Sarilus the Mage says.
"We will deal with them." the elder replies, "Their magics are crude, they're no match for the Fel."
Two competing impulses run though you as the battle approaches. You don't feel scared, quite the opposite actually you're looking forward to your first large engagement! You feel now is the chance to finally prove yourself to all who've doubted you, to Akinos, to the elders of the clan and to your own warband, even perhaps to Nazgrel and the Warchief for if this isn't opposing the centaur you're not sure what would be.
Excitement, perhaps longing is the first emotion.
The second though is apprehension. The old fear, the self-doubt you've experienced often before when you try as hard as you can to prove yourself, to demonstrate your worthiness to the clan, to the Horde, your worthiness to lead. You father commanded you to bring him honour and you know performing badly here, bringing shame, highlighting the weakness others have commented on will not end well for you.
Intending to clear your mind you sit in meditation, breathing deeply before one of the fires on the summit, without thinking you slip into the rhythm you've practiced when looking into the flames and you start to see things, flashes of different fires over the Barrens, activity among the sparse woods or over the rolling plains. Then you feel something looking back at you, a shadow or corruption, a spectre ahorse, riding with the centaur. You feel the thing salute you, nodding as if before joining battle.
There remains a little time left to prepare…
Choose or write in 1 action, based on previously available actions.
But after that it's time, the centaur swarm across the plains, the blood-haze of the mountain seems to roil in excitement and the ground shakes.
Order of Battle
The Burning Blade of Dreadmist Peak
10 Elder Warlocks, capable of demonic and elemental magics, the most skilled and knowledgeable of the clan
10 Acolytes, firethrowers and shadowcallers, serving the elders to acquire greater power
20 Cultists, warriors wearing Searing Collars, their swords alight as they charge into battle
40 Grunts, the anvils of the Horde
50 Grok'mash's Warband, a mixed troops of Burning Blade clansmen, deserters and strays commanded by the warrior Scorn
Sarilus Foulborne, Forsaken Mage and Alchemist
Akinos, Blademaster of the Burning Blade
Grok'mash, Aspirant Blademaster
The Kolkar of the Barrens
Krom'zar, Warlord of the Kolkar and his is lieutenants; Barak Kodobane, Hezrul Bloodmark and Verog the Dervish
300 bonded warriors with armour and good weapons
1650 low ranked centaur with various equipment
50 shaman
A Dark Rider
The situation and terrain
Dreadmist Peak is a small mountain in the northern Barrens, a dry land of wide grassland and savannah. Periodically oases can be found, as well as patches of forest where animals congregate. Many of these oases now serve as camps for the Kolkar. Further south is the Crossroad, a Horde settlement. Dreadmist Peak has steep, though not insurmountable slopes with a single treacherous path leading to the summit. The Kolkar will attack soon. You haven't received word of whether the Horde garrison at the Crossroads is aware of the attack, but you know they won't be able to reach you before Kolkar move in.
Your choices
You observe that although a consensus appears to have been reached no one is actually in command. From the various orcs of rank, command could fall to one of the elders, Akinos, or yourself. If you take command you'll be able to claim credit for any victory, which given the size of the enemy you know will be influential given this appears to be the majority of centaur in the Barrens. You think it likely if you try to take command you'll be accepted as the elders will be busy with their ritual and Akinos likely in the thick of the fighting.
Without interference the various parties will go to their respective duties and the battle will commence. If you decide to take command you can order forces as you necessary.
Do you take command?
[ ] Take command
[ ] Do not take command
If you have taken command, how do you direct the forces of the Burning Blade? This may include your general strategy, particular tactics, and your own place in the battle.
[Write in]
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- Location
- United Kingdom
It's a burning blade thing to attune the wearer to fire magic more
The guy from the last chapter
@FractiousDay, can we take a role as Akinos' subordinate officer? And ask to be put to where the fighting is hardest?
Yes, the clan heir subordinating himself to a 'junior' member of the clan may raise some eyebrows, but I think that our circumstances should make it a non-issue. We're outnumbered more than 10:1, we're still a baby orc and a green commander; meanwhile, this battle isn't exactly a walk in the park. No reasonable orc would take such an action as cowardice, I think.
Yes, the clan heir subordinating himself to a 'junior' member of the clan may raise some eyebrows, but I think that our circumstances should make it a non-issue. We're outnumbered more than 10:1, we're still a baby orc and a green commander; meanwhile, this battle isn't exactly a walk in the park. No reasonable orc would take such an action as cowardice, I think.
- Location
- PA
That's actually not the worse plan-frame it as us managing a portion of the fighting might side-line Akinos, which isn't that sub-optimal, but it should enable a degree of command that we can actually handle, letting us grow and contribute safely, while our limited command can help Akinos manage the overall picture, I think.
- Location
- United Kingdom
As for whether it's an acceptable write in, yes that's fine, and being subordinate to him wouldn't be as much of a problem as it might be elsewhere
However consider what he's going to be up to during the battle. It'll partly be decided by dice and partly by my adjudication, but he might decide he's best placed to windwalk off the mountain and go hill the enemy commander, leaving you standing about. If you don't take command people are going to wander off and do their own thing, which you may or may not be comfortable with. Akinos is a powerful asset but there's an open question about whether it might be better to have him commanding with his command experience or fighting as a blademaster
- Location
- Singapore
Theradras
Princess Theradras was an enormous earth elemental and the only[1][5] daughter of Therazane the Stonemother. After mating with Zaetar, son of Cenarius, Theradras became the mother of the centaur of Kalimdor. She was aligned with the Old Gods,[5][6] and Zaetar's relatives considered her to be a...
wow.gamepedia.com
Theradras an Earth Elemental is the mother of the Centaur race. Does this mean sacrificing Centaurs to Air, Fire or Water Elementals work?
- Location
- St. Petersburg
Not a particularly skilled commander of the Horde here; I'll leave you guys to it.
- Location
- the point is of no return and you have reached it!
Is this saying there is one steep and treacherous path to the Peak, or is it saying there is one actual path with steep slopes around the rest of the Peak?
How wide is the path? Can a force of orcs clog it into a true choke point or is it wide enough for open maneuvering on both sides? Akinos' plan for a shield wall is mentioned earlier, is that meant as a full wall over the path or as a phalanx-type unit controlling space on the path? How malleable is the path to alteration by our elementalists, do we have materials present for caltrops?
Where is the Sun in relation to the Mountain? Will the path have the centaur driving towards it or away from it (or towards another direction entirely)?
- Location
- United Kingdom
The slopes are steep, but a determined individual could get up using them rather than the path. There's 1 path suitable for larger forces, cargo and other things. I've made a minor edit to make this clearer in the post
The conditions of the path vary, some parts are wider, some quite narrow. There are periodic flat areas and other areas which are quite steep and require more actual climbing rather than just walking. There are numerous points appropriate for both a narrower wall and a larger formation. There isn't space to manoeuvre or for the centaur to make a charge or skirmish as they normally would except maybe in the absolute widest parts. Generally the easier areas are at the bottom of the mountain and the steeper and narrower bits are the top.
Some of the path is dirt, some is rock, the later being less malleable. It is indeed possible to alter terrain using elementalism, but I won't comment on the effectiveness of this.
I'll say that caltrops are probably too difficult to make at this time, though you could make some barricades out of stuff around at the summit if you want.
Most of the path is on the north side of the mountain while the sun will be slightly to the south. Most of the path is in shade, either from the mountain or the weird haze. Some bits at the bottom are in sun. I'll draw a picture if necessary but I'll note that trying to get the sun in their eyes probably won't work due to the geography
- Location
- PA
Kind of what I figured-We'll be taking charge of the overall battle and co-ordinating as our way of contributing, then...
Hrrm.
Part of me wonders about using our speech to the orcs to subtly give ProudPeak some respect/worship. I question how good an idea it is, because that could go hilariously wrong- 'idiot boy! Your speech aligned us all to that Proud Peak! Now we can't use fel!'...
Hrrm.
Part of me wonders about using our speech to the orcs to subtly give ProudPeak some respect/worship. I question how good an idea it is, because that could go hilariously wrong- 'idiot boy! Your speech aligned us all to that Proud Peak! Now we can't use fel!'...
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Hint hint nudge nudge. A single powerful
Grok'mash has seen him in the flames, so he knows that there is someone tricky together with the Centaurs.
Every Orc is precious given the numerical disadvantage, so detaching sentinels is not done lightly... but it should still be done. Proposals:
- 2 Orcs under Grok'mash should be sentinels, a bit further up the path from where we are, watching the mountainsides. If they complain, make it an order and impress on them the strategic importance, telling them that they will be in the battle lines in the next engagements - actually, we could set the 2 Troll Hunters on this duty: they are probably aware of their surroundings and they can't be part of the shield wall.
- Talk to Akinosh about the mysterious adversary, so he knows that he should watch out - there is more than Centaurs alone in this attack.
IMO Akinosh should have the possibility to place himself where he sees fit. Since, objectively speaking, he is a better melee fighter than we are, it's for the best if he can wander off and handle any incoming unexpected difficulty. In which case, Grok'mash should take command. I am not sure how to organise this though.
tl;dr We should have the time to recruit 2 sentinels (possibly the Troll Hunters) and warn Akinosh.
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- Location
- United Kingdom
That's all fine but wouldn't require a whole action to do if you're only making note of this you saw.
- Location
- PA
Hrrm. So far I'm thinking...Grab the Trolls and set them to watch for Darkrider, warn Akinos so we don't get jumped by DarkRider/he's not surprised when it shows up, for the battle MC&Scorn manage the Shield-wall. Since the Elders sound like they'll be focused on counter-spelling, so best to leave them to it, and see if that Alchemist guy is going to be involved in that.
If he's not, ask him what he's going to be doing for the battle (Best not to assume we know, though I imagine it's going to be 'throw bombs at bad guys') And basically see what alterations we can make to the shield wall's positioning so to ensure we don't get caught in the blast.
If DarkRider tries to ambush Shield wall, MC is to go and hold him off while Scorn manages the troops. I think it's a properly heroic manuver while balancing our actual point in being here a.k.a applying our leadership skills.
Hopefully that sounds workable and we don't get Scorn TOO much room for snarking our plans.
We should probably run this by Scorn so we can actually get some use of his snarking on our plans.
If he's not, ask him what he's going to be doing for the battle (Best not to assume we know, though I imagine it's going to be 'throw bombs at bad guys') And basically see what alterations we can make to the shield wall's positioning so to ensure we don't get caught in the blast.
If DarkRider tries to ambush Shield wall, MC is to go and hold him off while Scorn manages the troops. I think it's a properly heroic manuver while balancing our actual point in being here a.k.a applying our leadership skills.
Hopefully that sounds workable and we don't get Scorn TOO much room for snarking our plans.
We should probably run this by Scorn so we can actually get some use of his snarking on our plans.
- Location
- the point is of no return and you have reached it!
I think active terrain control is the best path forward for this fight. The numbers are so clearly overwhelming that I don't think forcing a shield wall in normal conditions will work long term; we have about 100 men to their 2000.
Abusing the four-legged nature of the centaur on the difficult terrain seems like a strong path forward. If we can make the terrain slightly more treacherous or we can reduce visibility for their force, we could put compounding movement damage on their ranks while our center remains in position.
Could our Elders summon a rain storm over the battlefield and slick the paths further? How much blazegrease do we have available (and does it have actual grease-like properties, outside of the chemical fire)? How proficent is our Forsaken mage with illusion magic; can he make it look like there are holes in the path where there are not, or vice versa? Our shamans might be able to loosen the dirt from the rock or make things even more uneven for the centaur hooves, but that seems lower reward than the other possibilities.
Ideally, I would like to start greasefires up the primary pathway and call down rain over the battlefield to create a mix of smoke, haze, steam and fire to obscure vision throughout the battlefield.
The Centaur force as a whole should be less organized than ours; I doubt the 1650 low ranked centaur will maintain rank and morale in a confusing battlefield situation. So, the more we disturb the natural battlefield and confuse the Centaur ranks, the less chance there should be of them using an organized piercing tactic against our shield wall or reorganizing for a safe retreat. If Akinosh is up to it, this also gives him an open ground to abuse his Windwalking and other techniques to pick off confused Centaur forces or Shamans.
Also, I support taking command. It is our duty.
Abusing the four-legged nature of the centaur on the difficult terrain seems like a strong path forward. If we can make the terrain slightly more treacherous or we can reduce visibility for their force, we could put compounding movement damage on their ranks while our center remains in position.
Could our Elders summon a rain storm over the battlefield and slick the paths further? How much blazegrease do we have available (and does it have actual grease-like properties, outside of the chemical fire)? How proficent is our Forsaken mage with illusion magic; can he make it look like there are holes in the path where there are not, or vice versa? Our shamans might be able to loosen the dirt from the rock or make things even more uneven for the centaur hooves, but that seems lower reward than the other possibilities.
Ideally, I would like to start greasefires up the primary pathway and call down rain over the battlefield to create a mix of smoke, haze, steam and fire to obscure vision throughout the battlefield.
The Centaur force as a whole should be less organized than ours; I doubt the 1650 low ranked centaur will maintain rank and morale in a confusing battlefield situation. So, the more we disturb the natural battlefield and confuse the Centaur ranks, the less chance there should be of them using an organized piercing tactic against our shield wall or reorganizing for a safe retreat. If Akinosh is up to it, this also gives him an open ground to abuse his Windwalking and other techniques to pick off confused Centaur forces or Shamans.
Also, I support taking command. It is our duty.
- Location
- PA
Just talk to Sarilus! He's an alchemist, he's sure to have plenty of bombs and acid that can be deployed to make the pathway treacherous.
Or yanno, just grab a shovel and dig some trenches! Horses can't charge through trenches, after all. Especially if there are spikes in them!
Though the question becomes how actionable that is. And potentially how much damage can we afford to do to the path. It IS the only road outta here...
...
Alternatively...
There also IS the option of asking Proud Peak to do...Something or another. He's an Earth Elemental, the hardest part will be asking him nicely enough for him to agree. Maybe splitting the credit with him? Some offerings?
- Location
- United Kingdom
So there's a couple of points, but I think they broadly relate to the same issue.
Treat your enemies as individuals and groups with agency, just as you would other characters. Even if you're in command people might ignore you or do other things, just as your enemies will be planning and acting on their own.
I was depicting this partly in the last chapter. The centaur had a go the first time, then they stopped, then one of their commanders had a certain idea and tried that, which had potential to go pretty well but you defeated him and the remaining centaur and their commanders decided to retreat. The centaur have their own plan for the battle, which may or may not adhere to your own plans for the defence.
Treat your enemies as individuals and groups with agency, just as you would other characters. Even if you're in command people might ignore you or do other things, just as your enemies will be planning and acting on their own.
I was depicting this partly in the last chapter. The centaur had a go the first time, then they stopped, then one of their commanders had a certain idea and tried that, which had potential to go pretty well but you defeated him and the remaining centaur and their commanders decided to retreat. The centaur have their own plan for the battle, which may or may not adhere to your own plans for the defence.
- Location
- PA
...Well.
Maybe it's just me but it occurs to me that 'Shadow' sounded like something born of Fel, or perhaps the Void. And a Prize suggests he's head-hunting.
But for whom?
Well, I suspect I'm guessing they're going to be after the MC, we've taken the glory position, and secured it by duelling champions, but we seem to generally use the Rage of the Firelands to compensate for 'lesser' physical ability, I think?
However, here's the catch- it's basically going 'I have a magic slash, do YOU have a magic slash?' And on a high enouhg tier, the answer will be 'Yes, I Also have a Magic Slash'. Cue problems.
Now, Alchemical traps in the road COULD, if we're willing to risk it, serve to make the difference- we can probably prove ourselves more nimble then a centaur would be, I think...
Though again, given the 'discomfort of shaman' thing mentioned in that short interlude, which is maybe a tad-cheaty of me, but...Maybe we could play off that? Ask Proudpeak for help against that Shadowy threat, or at least just ask his opinion on it, and when he hopefully goes 'The Mountain would Crush him!' we might be able to say 'allow me to crush him in the Moutain's name.' and thus begin to secure aid from Proudpeak and vice-versa.
EDIT:
On second thought? It seems like we've consistantly prepped the field to counter their calvary charge. Which sounds to me like we're about to reinact one of many painful WC1 losses for the Alliance, since I bet they're going to do SOMETHING to screw up that plan. I can think of several things. One that strikes me as appropriate, given the QM's appreciation of history?
Is throwing the Nightmare of Eastern Europe at us.
And uhh...I do not have a good answer for that. Tanking it on a shield wall is sure to grate at Orcish Pride, and more importantly counter-charging would be a DEATH sentence...MAYBE we could counter-charge early and then tar-pit the archers we catch but uhh...That's a VERY bloody tactic, and we're hilariously outnumbered to boot. I don't know if we will be facing that, I'm GENUINELY hoping no, because we don't have the wolf-riders or fliers to answer that.
Maybe it's just me but it occurs to me that 'Shadow' sounded like something born of Fel, or perhaps the Void. And a Prize suggests he's head-hunting.
But for whom?
Well, I suspect I'm guessing they're going to be after the MC, we've taken the glory position, and secured it by duelling champions, but we seem to generally use the Rage of the Firelands to compensate for 'lesser' physical ability, I think?
However, here's the catch- it's basically going 'I have a magic slash, do YOU have a magic slash?' And on a high enouhg tier, the answer will be 'Yes, I Also have a Magic Slash'. Cue problems.
Now, Alchemical traps in the road COULD, if we're willing to risk it, serve to make the difference- we can probably prove ourselves more nimble then a centaur would be, I think...
Though again, given the 'discomfort of shaman' thing mentioned in that short interlude, which is maybe a tad-cheaty of me, but...Maybe we could play off that? Ask Proudpeak for help against that Shadowy threat, or at least just ask his opinion on it, and when he hopefully goes 'The Mountain would Crush him!' we might be able to say 'allow me to crush him in the Moutain's name.' and thus begin to secure aid from Proudpeak and vice-versa.
EDIT:
On second thought? It seems like we've consistantly prepped the field to counter their calvary charge. Which sounds to me like we're about to reinact one of many painful WC1 losses for the Alliance, since I bet they're going to do SOMETHING to screw up that plan. I can think of several things. One that strikes me as appropriate, given the QM's appreciation of history?
Is throwing the Nightmare of Eastern Europe at us.
And uhh...I do not have a good answer for that. Tanking it on a shield wall is sure to grate at Orcish Pride, and more importantly counter-charging would be a DEATH sentence...MAYBE we could counter-charge early and then tar-pit the archers we catch but uhh...That's a VERY bloody tactic, and we're hilariously outnumbered to boot. I don't know if we will be facing that, I'm GENUINELY hoping no, because we don't have the wolf-riders or fliers to answer that.
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- Pronouns
- He/Him
There is one thing that Proudpeak may want: a new domain: a boulder and crevice to call its own.
Offer it to him if he helps, taunt him if he refuses.
This "sacrifices" Proudpeak because it won't always be with us anymore, but gives us a better chance of surviving the current circumstances. And we weren't getting any use out of Proudpeak anyway. We could always prepare another Sapta elsewhere.
Yeah, horse archery could be a problem, we don't have the distance units to counter-fire. A wizard or two may be necessary to fire blasts or unleash wind in the opposite direction. Then again, they have the nature-loving shamans, we have a bunch of warlocks and an undead wizard. Tough times... unless Proudpeak shields us, mayhaps?
Remember that a narrow mountain path is not exactly a steppe plain though, they won't be able to deploy many horse archers in a favourable position
Offer it to him if he helps, taunt him if he refuses.
This "sacrifices" Proudpeak because it won't always be with us anymore, but gives us a better chance of surviving the current circumstances. And we weren't getting any use out of Proudpeak anyway. We could always prepare another Sapta elsewhere.
Yeah, horse archery could be a problem, we don't have the distance units to counter-fire. A wizard or two may be necessary to fire blasts or unleash wind in the opposite direction. Then again, they have the nature-loving shamans, we have a bunch of warlocks and an undead wizard. Tough times... unless Proudpeak shields us, mayhaps?
Remember that a narrow mountain path is not exactly a steppe plain though, they won't be able to deploy many horse archers in a favourable position
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I posit that we take command, if only to serve as a liason/support between the Magical Elders and the Grunts under our Blademaster friend.
That protects us if it turns into a hero fight, as we can slot into overall command of the grunts then.
The Elders do not really like us, so treating them with a light hand but firmly acknowledging that they are not in charge overall is important. They would know how to best use their Fel.
We should tell Alkinos about the Bad guy, for potential hero battle.
Also the idea of either Sacrificing Proudpeak or giving him this peak to fortify it more magically is a cool idea, lets explore that more.
That protects us if it turns into a hero fight, as we can slot into overall command of the grunts then.
The Elders do not really like us, so treating them with a light hand but firmly acknowledging that they are not in charge overall is important. They would know how to best use their Fel.
We should tell Alkinos about the Bad guy, for potential hero battle.
Also the idea of either Sacrificing Proudpeak or giving him this peak to fortify it more magically is a cool idea, lets explore that more.
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So keep in mind that if your position is 'take command and leave people to do stuff', that means you're not taking command, and would therefore be the same as if you chose not to take command in the first place. If you don't take command I'd write Grok as hanging at the back, jumping into the path battles where necessary, but otherwise keeping in a more support role anyway because that's how you've all discussed him so far
That's fair, I more meant they would best know as in be the ones to generate ideas about how they can effect the battle. Because if they have three ideas and some just cant work with the supporting infantry they obviously should focus on whatever would synergize best with the infantry. But given that they likely have no idea what that is, it would be serving as a go between/binder between the two.