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Rebirth (He Who Leads Quest)

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Aulus' Faction: The Decision
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    • After Magna's fireballs hit, Aerius promptly shatters the giant bird construct's wing, sending it careening to the ground. You wait, not moving to act, as you can sense another presence in the area.

    Sure enough, not a second later, does a fist made of earth erupt through the bird, shattering it and sending the pieces flying everywhere. As slow as it was healing before, you can tell that the fight is over. But more importantly, you know who's behind that fist: the one and only Tarpeius.

    A grin breaks out on your face as your best friend makes his appearance (that of a larger man with a rugged look), landing beside you with a polite nod.

    "Looked like you had things handled but..." He trails off, not having to say much more. "Now, shall we?" He asks in a deep voice.

    You nod as you begin approaching the broken bird and Aulus' unmoving body that lies in the ruins. Gaius follows via having his sand carry him, Aerius uses ice as jets, as does Magna (but with her lava instead), as you all surround the grizzled old veteran.

    "You're done Aulus. Yield." You say authoritatively. He sneers in your direction.

    "I will yield the fight, but we will not join you." He grumbles, which causes you to blink in surprise. "You are without honor, and interfered in my duel. That I cannot respect." You...what? You go blank for a moment at the audacity, but quickly recollect yourself.

    "You were the one who escalated the fight by trying to attack those who weren't involved. I only defended-"

    "Which means you interfered. And thus, I refuse to join someone like you. Someone who allies with them." He says the last word venomously. You sigh and pinch your nose in frustration.

    "So we went through all of this for nothing? What a waste of effort." Remarks Gaius, still lying lazily on his sand. Magna's face contorts at his words.

    "Hell no I didn't! I say we just off the old man and force the rest of 'em to join us. I'm not leaving here empty handed. That, or we wipe them all out." Her face changes its expression to a grin. "I call dibs." Her sister Aerius shakes her head in disagreement.

    "We've had enough violence for one day. We need not see death. And wiping them out? Even if we were capable, it'd do us no good." She explains. Magna scoffs.

    "It'd take out the competition."

    "But at what cost?" She counters. Before they can continue, Tarpeius cuts them off.

    "Either way it's not your decision to make." He informs them in a commanding tone as he looked at you expectantly. So it was all on you, as leader then...

    You decided to...

    [] Leave Aulus alive and explain your case to his followers
    [] Kill Aulus and have his people join you, as agreed
    [] Kill Aulus and his people
    [] Have Tarpeius make the decision
    [] Ask Omare what he thought
    [] Let the Anomalies decide between the three of them. It was their kill in many ways. And as the saying goes, 'eat what you kill.'
     
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    • [X] Leave Aulus alive and explain your case to his followers
    Frankly? I'm not inclined to convert by force, but I'm not desiring to play nice with the old man after he nearly AOE'd his own men. If that had gone differently he could have spoiled the very prize we came here for. Besides, more importantly? His OTHER complaint about aligning ourselves with an Akachi is a legit pain point that I could see being an issue with his tribe members if we tried to recruit, and frankly duel interferance I think is only secondary to that issue.
    So I figure we offer, probably only get the folks who were already on the outs with him but that's fine anyhow. And then we leave, and ideally never bother him again-wouldn't be worth it after this I bet.
     
    Aulus' Faction: The End?
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    • "Leave him alive. The Gaea are...we don't need to lose more of our people." You decide. Aulus sneers at your words.

    "How generous of you. A backstabber who interferes in closed duels, but at least you don't kill your fellow Gaeans when they're down. Such honor." He taunts you, only for you to ignore him. Tarpeius however doesn't. With a quick movement he grabs the old soldier and hoists him up until they're face to face.

    "Watch your mouth, when addressing someone who's shown you mercy. For I will not." He then throws Aulus back to the floor. To his credit, Aulus isn't bothered by this in the slightest. Instead of anger or fear, he chuckles at the display.

    "Tough talk that you no doubt can back up. And yet...it's all for naught. You and I know that your group broke one of the universal laws of the Gaea, you interfered in a one on one duel. No one will follow you after that." He spits on the ground for emphasis. Tarpeius turns to him, glowering.

    "I only helped my allies who were all being attacked by a madman. The Gaea are strict, but they still see reason." He stated, seemingly strong in his belief, though you could tell he was unsure of his words.

    "We'll see." The older man responds. You sigh and nod to Tarpeius who drags Aulus' unwilling and almost unmoving body towards the remains of his camp/mountain where his men stood, somehow all alive and well. Your best friend sort of slings Aulus' body forward, like a ragdoll, disrespecting him in front of his men.

    "We have won. As agreed, you will now join us." He says simply. Aulus coughs a bit from the treatment and then offers his rebuttal.

    "We agreed on a one on one duel. It was closer to five on one. The agreement is off. No one is to leave." He commands, staring down his men. You can see a few of them are unsure, while others seem stalwart in their stance, agreeing with the old soldier. You open your mouth to speak and hesitate. You were the leader, but should you be the one to explain why they should join? Maybe Tarpeius should. He was more forceful and strong in his demeanor. You could also look at Magna who was...loud and fiery and able to get people's emotions going. Or Aerius who was calm cool and collected. Even...Omare, who's birthright is still up for debate, but is easily the smartest of you all. Gaius was too lazy and Kasim barely said two words, but they could still be considered. What would you do?

    [] Speak, explain the situation
    [] Let Tarpeius handle it
    [] Let Magna speak to them
    [] Have Aerius calm them down and speak reasonably
    [] Try to have Omare work his intelligence
    [] Why not go with the silent, Kasim?
    [] Gaius was...lazy, but maybe that'd appeal to them?
    [] Say nothing


    And as always, but I'll emphasize it here, you can choose to write in the speech if you choose the first option, or let me do it/autopilot. Sorry for the delay in updating, things happened. A lot of things. Simultaneously. Rapid fire even.
     
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    • [X] Gaius was...lazy, but maybe that'd appeal to them?
    We're just here for some recruits but frankly like I said, we broke the law, we don't get to make a good pitch.
     
    Aulus' Faction: Addition to the Group
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    • You look to Gaius and give him a pointed look, non-verbally asking for his help. If he's surprised by the unusual request (given that he's not a normal choice to handle this), he doesn't show it. Instead he sighs and barely gestures, lifting his amorphous sand blob, the one supporting his body, above the rest of the people, including yourself.

    He clears his throat and the onlookers, the members of Aulus' group look onto the young anomaly, waiting for him to speak.

    "Hey." He says lazily. "So we fought, we won, but the old guy says we cheated, but we didn't blah blah blah. Who cares?" He speaks in a blase manner, confusing most people listening and making Magna facepalm hard. "Point is...stop trying so hard and just go with what's easy. Like I do." He gestures towards himself. "Sure we kinda broke the rules, but he started it. And who won in the end? Us. So if you want uh...whatever it is you want, you gotta join the muscle. And that's us. The end." He floats back down to eye level and lays back even further on his sand. But not before giving you a thumbs up as if he helped you. And...apparently he did.

    Slowly but surely, the people behind Aulus began to step up and come forward.

    "The boy's an idiot, but what he says makes sense." Says one of the older men.

    "Yeah, if Aulus is no longer the strongest of us, it doesn't make much sense to follow him."

    "So we follow these youngin's? Who ally themselves with what looks to be the Akachi Clan?" Asks another, clearly higher up in the organization, incredulous at the support Gaius was getting. The men look at each other and shrug.

    "For now, yes. If we want to ever take out the Akachi Clan, we need to be strong. And they're strong. It's that simple."

    This got most of the rest of the men to come over to your side, all giving Omare and Kasim the side eye, but coming to your side nonetheless. You could see the unbridled rage in Aulus' eyes, albeit suppressed, as he watches his entire faction crumble before. It isn't long before he's left with only two, no three men on his side.

    "You are all cowards." He spits venomously. "Just going with the flow, choosing the 'stronger' side and not holding to your convictions." He stops to take a breath. "You all disgust me. If this is what the Gaea's become, then it's best for it to just die." He literally spits on the ground when done. Silence fills the area as everyone can feel his cold, wrathful aura and fear begins creeping up into their hearts. Everyone except your group, especially Magna who steps forward with a grin on her face.

    "You sound salty old man. Why don't you just accept your loss and hit the road with your tail between your legs!" She taunts him. Aulus' fists clench but he knows better than to attack, having already lost to her. "You say they're cowards, but even you won't fight a losing battle knowingly. So shut the hell up or start walking what you talk!" She roasts him. He stares her down for a decent time before shaking his head and deciding to back down.

    "I'll be back. We'll be back. I won't give up on the Gaea. No matter how much you disappoint me." He then vanishes, along with his few supporters.

    "That went well." Omare chimes in, looking smug, visibly ignoring the looks from the other, newly joined members. "So now what?"

    A good question actually. You had no real base of operations, having such a small amount of people in your group before this, and you didn't really want to use this area if you didn't have to as Aulus clearly knew it well and he'd be back. You could all travel like you had been before, but the more people traveling, the more issues pop up and the harder it is to manage. Otherwise you haven't really vetted anywhere else and knew nothing about most of the rest of the land. So the question was, where would you go? What would you do with your newfound expanding group?

    [] Setup shop here, despite the threat of Aulus.
    [] Have them all travel with you constantly, just like the small group had before.
    [] Ask someone from your group for help.
    - [] Omare
    - [] Magna (Eat what you kill)
    - [] Tarpeius
    [] Take a chance and establish a base elsewhere.
     
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    • New Beginning: New Base
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    • "Now, we establish our base." You respond. "Elsewhere." Making sure to add in that part as to not skew your intentions.

    "Wait what?" Asks Magna, perturbed by your decision. "Why not just make it here? We kicked that old man's ass and took his people. Why not take his land too?" You sigh and shake your head at the question.

    "Because he could come back." Magna goes to open her mouth, but you cut her off before she can begin. "And while we beat him in a head up fight, if he does a sneak attack, there's no guarantee we would win. And given that the majority of our faction is his, they'd gladly follow him if he took us out, and they'd stay out of the fight more than likely." You explain. Magna screws up her face.

    "...I guess."

    "Good, now that we're all in agreement, let's go." You look off into the horizon and begin plotting your journey.

    "OK, but to where?" Asks Omare, the ever-thoughtful child. And it was a good question, one you had yet to determine. You knew that both the Earth and Sun faction and the Open Waters factions were near the west side of the country where your clan had been banished, the Earth and Sun near the top of the land, and the Open Waters faction near the bottom, with them sort of...intermingling in the middle. The New Royal faction was in the center of the land, what they proclaimed to be the 'capital' and in the east was Aulus' now non-existent faction, and the New Earth faction.

    That leaves the edge of the south and the edge of the north to rebuild, if you didn't want trouble, or possibly establishing a new base in Aulus' land, in the east, just in a different location. Of course the other parts were OK too, but you'd likely run into conflict there. Either way you had to make a decision.

    You were going
    [] North
    [] South
    [] To stay in the east
    [] Near another faction (choose one)
    [] Out of the country completely


    You let your people know, and Omare doesn't really respond to the answer, other than looking at Kasim and then back at you with a shrug. And so you lead your new faction that had grown exponentially in one short battle, to the 'promise land' of your new base. The journey doesn't last too long before you run into someone, or rather, you see a shadow of a person in front of your group. You instantly tense up and signal to the others, the originals of your group and they too stop and look at you, waiting for your command.

    That command is...

    [] Greet the person in a friendly manner
    [] Attack, take no chances
    [] Prepare an ambush
    [] Wait for them to come to you
    [] Call out to the person
     
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    • [x] Near another faction (choose one)
    -[x] Open Waters
    [x] Wait for them to come to you
     
    You command them to wait as you call out to the (hopefully) lone person.

    "We know you're there. Show yourself!" You demand. The shadow steps forward and you can clearly see that this 'shadow' is not only a Gaea clan member, but one of your acquaintances from earlier years: Cornelius. Cornelius as you remembered him was always nice, courteous, and a like a beacon to others, wanting nothing more in life than to help others. He didn't like conflict however so it was curious to see him armed (though with light armor).

    Cornelius steps into view, weapon in hand, though not in a threatening position, as he scans your group with eyes. They pass by you quickly but soon return and are there to say.

    "Wait, Marinus, is that you?" He calls out from a distance, addressing you by your name. You nod and step forward, a bit more welcoming than before.

    "Guilty as charged. How are you, Cornelius. " You make a dig, at him for using your full name. He smiles in response as he closes the distance and is now only a few short meters from you and your group.

    "Well you dislike being called Mars or Mare, so I have no choice." He replies, teasingly. His smile eases up a bit as he takes in the size and makeup of your group once more. "So what brings you, all of you out here?"

    "I could ask the same." You respond. Those words cause him to light up.

    "I'm here as an Open Waters scout actually! It's great work and I really enjoy it." Gaius opens an eye, still floating on his...mass of sand, and lazily addresses your old acquaintance.

    "Open Waters, you the guys that are all 'We are the Earth and the Earth is we' aren't you?" He slurs his words together out of laziness and disinterest, but Cornelius doesn't miss a beat.

    "Yeah, I guess you could say that! We just...we want everyone to join us so that we can help them to live and grow and they can do the same for us. We don't believe in things that separate, only things that bring us together. Anyone and everyone is welcome." He speaks pointedly.

    "A powerful message." Aerius steps forward to speak. "But likely flawed. Peace in that fashion is often an illusion."

    "I respectfully disagree. If we're all one, then there is no such thing as war and fights. Only disagreements. And disagreements can be settled without violence." He explains.

    "And if they can't?" You question quietly. His face changes to one of a sad, somber individual, before bouncing back to happy and lit up.

    "There's...no such thing."

    "What?" Comes the stern voice of Tarpius. "Are you saying conflict does not exist?"

    "I'm saying it doesn't have to." He responds politely. He then turns to you and becomes a bit less happy and more serious. "I ask again, respectfully, what brings you here, to the land of the Open Waters? Do you perhaps...wish to join?" He asks, uneasy at the last part as he doesn't see a lot of cooperation from your allies.

    You ponder the question for a moment. You're here to set up a base, but did you want to tell him that? Was that risking open conflict with his faction? Would he himself do something and try to fight you? Did...did you have to take him out before he told his group? He did say he was a scout. Was he alone? Maybe you can set up a peaceful solution such as a ceasefire between the two factions?

    "We're here to..."

    [] Join the Open Waters (lie)
    [] Join the Open Waters
    [] Set up Base
    [] Stop talking and have someone attack him
    [] Set up an alliance
     
    [X] Set up Base
    -[X] Ask if our setting up a Base would be grounds for a 'disagreement'.
    By their philosophy I don't think they'll attack us, they sound like a solid neighbor to have. Plus there's the nice side-effect of getting to see how our philosophy holds up and is solid- if we get bloated with corruption or otherwise lose our honor or something, people will naturally flow to the Open Waters, as they should.
    And if we rule properly they won't even be a threat, I'm sure. Assuming they are what they claim to be.
     
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