The Long Night Part Three: Bonfire at Dawn (45k)

[Dynamesmouse]

[X] Plan: Well armed man of the people
- [X] Challenge him before he leaves the starport
- [X] Selabretoria
- [X] The Smugglers. The mission comes first, not revenge


You ready Asura and your convoy, and make your way to the starport. Asura caused a few mundane delays to Grushal's shuttle before it can take off.

As you approach your target, you slug him right in the face, knocking him onto his putrid ass, as is your right as a Warrior seeking revenge.

You cause quite a spectacle, by getting into an arguement with him over honor. He responds with how he was seeking revenge against some foreigner who doesn't know this land's ways. In the end, after the Ghost Legion gives the signal, you challenge him to a duel.

He accepts, and declares that this will be a Knight duel. Many shuttles are suddenly delayed, both due to safety reasons, and so that the pilots and passengers alike may watch this Knight duel in person.

Asura's canon arm begins to thunder out some solid hits to Grushal's legs, to counteract the surprising mobility of his Knight and to throw him off balance. He follows up with a solid charge from his sword arm, dealing a great hit to his arm

But you and the crowds are not the only observers to this fight, it seems. A putrid infection begins to billow out from the Knight, as flesh begins to knit itself between the damage Asura has caused. Asura cannot cancel his momentum in time, even as he is fully aware that the Ghost Legion's sabotage has been fully repaired. Even as Grushal begins a counterattack with his hammer.

Asura lets out a quick hack to perhaps forstall the assault, but to no avail. Grushal's brutal blows have knocked Asura to the ground.

He stops, just for a moment, beginning to gloat. Perhaps in honor of Potrash the Infuriating. He only emulates his folly, as Asura is perfectly capable of using his cannon arm, even in an awkward position. The shot shatters the cockpit, ending the duel, leaving you the owner of two Nurgle-tainted Knights.

The crowd would be cheering, had they not fled the biohazard.

It seems that the shuttles will be delayed for a while longer yet.

Spoiler: Rolls

Grushal 49+10 (He had to call in help last time)

Ghost Legion subtle sabotage
59

The Knight duel commences
Grushal has a Knight Combat score of 37.
Asura has a +20 bonus
Grushal has a -5 malus due to subtle sabotage (calculated as a +5 bonus to Asura)

Round 1
Asura 21+25=46
Grushal 12

Round 2
Asura 71+25 = 96
Grushal 7-5=2 Nurgle Crit (MOTHER FUCKER)
Grushal's mech is healed, and does minor damage

Round 3
Asura reduced to a +17 bonus
Asura 2+17
Grushal 64-10 (hacking) 54
Asura reduced to a +12

Round 4
Asura 88+12=100
Grushal 1

Cored?
35, Yes

Honor
46
+1 (regained from prior loss)
+10 (Cored a notable)

Total: 57 (Is he going for a Bloodname?)

This is your fourth fight with Asura. Your minds touch each other a bit more clearly now, and you can pick up some surface thoughts from his three minds.
Arrogance is a slow and insidious killer. Perhaps it is an omen for Nurgle. Reglardless, it is a warning for me.

Regardless, the news caught this duel in all its festering splendor, though they had to switch to thermal vision to capture most of it.

You're really glad you didn't decide to make something of Undivided yourself. The Nurglites would have been a never ending headache. They are not going to forget that you have just cored another Nurglite champion after they just recieved favor from their god.

~

Your electoral victory was never in doubt, though your opponent did not make it trivial. A Tzeentchian who knew how to do some serious ground game was able to force you into going around and talking with your constituents. They could have made something of themselves, had they not discreetly summoned a lesser herald of Tzeentch and tasked it with spying on you. You slipped up, they caught you making some hand gestures to your handler that some in the Alpha Legion might recognize. The Ghost Legion is surprisingly aware of what happens on the other side of the veil, and tasks the Borderlion to Truekill them. A deep interrogation of your opponent gives you a name. Four Eyes the Oracle.

He will know that the herald has not yet reported in. Your political opponent has been discreetly disposed of, and you displayed neither talent for intrigue, nor any particular animosity.

It is time the Ghost Legion pay Four Eyes a little visit.

~

The smuggler's cell does not seem to be overly hostile to your cell. Not particularly welcoming, however. Unless you have some Knight part or tool you need or want to sell. They are quite adept at being the middlemen, both between worlds and the black and white markets. You're not sure where all the parts they buy are going.

~

Selabretoria is yours now. After coring another Knight in such a dramatic fashion, the funds you can justify Jack having are a bit diminished. Far from a problem, however. This land is renowned for its many tourist traps (only a few of them literal) and for its gambling. A few sponsorships and Jack's wallet is quite full indeed.

A wallet that you empty quite fast, however. In order to maintain a deep cover in Chaos, it never pays to be too clean. Even with you acting the arrogant asshole, with embracing your worst Avernite impulses, you still aren't a bad enough person to be a Chaos Knight. There's other sins that you can embrace.

Let's go gambling!

 

[Dynamesmouse]

Plague at the starport
93

The crowd of onlookers was exposed to a major biohazard during your fight with Grushal, as a result of Nurgle's attention. While Grushal has fallen, it seems that the Plague God wants others to fall with him. To him.

There is a plague spreading amongst New Columbia. That said, the heretics who did not take plagues seriously either died long ago, or fell to Nurgle. Chaos is surprisingly talented at maintaining quarantines, though it appears that Nurgle's domain of Freedom is causing trouble.

~

You've made a friend at the casinos in Selebretoria. Well, "friend", in multiple meanings of quotation marks. A Tzeentchian Knight (not in politics, currently) who's gambling addiction is one you're trying to subtly emulate. You get to talking about your recent victories, and he proposes to you an idea.

The world's most highest stakes game of Subra Hold'em. Get many Knight's involved. Your ante? A single Knight. He's game. Are you?

-[] I'm game!
-[] I'm out.

The Ghost Legion possess a way to boost Jack's odds, that defeat many methods of detection. However, it would still be up to Jacob's skills and rolls. This action will lose you honor, but might gain you new Knight Titans.

As a reminder, you own two other Knight Titans.

~

The Ghost Legion has marked the President as a person of interest.

Armstrong became a Squire after a tour of service in the Skeletal Navy. He excelled in this roll, and earned the privilge of becoming a full Knight. Serving under a Tzeentchian Knight, he served with distinction, earning him full ownership of his Knight. He got into politics. He was known by those in the know as as a secret Tzeentchian, until, suddenly, he broke all ties with the New Wing party and joined the Conservatives at a critical vote. This has made him deeply unpopular with Undivided ever since. He proved his skill, earning him the Bloodname of Steven. He fought in many battles, and eventually rose up to challenge the President in a duel.

The battle was fierce. The President almost won, until it was revealed that Armstrong's skin could harden in response to phsyical trauma. In his highly publicized fight, Armstrong displayed a great awareness of the President's style, and a deep well of almost unKnightly tricks. Ultimately, his nanomachines gave him the edge that was needed to win the fight.

His victory was far from widely accepted by the democratic public, due to the nanomachines. The Amir'kans before them hated the Dark Mechanicus. The Merchant Caste (almost everyone not a Warrior in Screaming Eagle considers themselves Merchant Caste, they do not hew to traditional Caste structures) fears that the Dark Mechanicus would take their jobs and destroy their way of life. They are completely correct.

Eventually, the scandal abated, and he faced no challengers for his position. His betrayal of the Undivided party and the scandal of the nanomachines have done his reputation no favors, but Screaming Eagle is not a democracy, it is a military dictatorship that must put on democratic airs if it wishes to keep its population from destroying its economy.

Armstrong spends a significant amount of time at the Bloodgate hotel, which he owns. He does not stay for the scenery or socialization, and the Ghost Legion has detected a substantial amount of security and privacy here. He has both a private elevator, and the top floor all to himself.

The Ghost Legion will continue to investigate.

~

Ghost Legion currency is not tied to some specific resource: Rather, it is tracked by other parties. As the Ghost Legion becomes more active, others start to take notice. Spending less than 20 means you are laying low. Less than 40 means you are stealthy. More than 75, and the Tzeentchians notables start to take notice.

You may spend as much as you like. Remember that you can never know who's watching. Bursts of activity are not as bad as sustained activity. There are ways of reducing intel costs. Some options might cost more intel than desired. Investigating the Cells is a first step towards other options.

-[] LOCKED: Capture and interrogate Four Eyes, 10 intel
-[] Bloodgate, 10? intel
-[] Investigate the Media cell, 15 intel
-[] Investigate the Smuggling cell, 20 intel
-[] Infiltrate the Nurglites 10 intel
-[] Infiltrate the Tzeentchians 15 intel
-[] Infiltrate other Undived 20 intel (can be done piecemeal)
-[] Infiltrate the Conservatives 5 intel (reduced by you)
-[] Infiltrate the Bloodnames 35 (can be done piecemeal)
-[] Investigate and try to Subvert a politician 5? (Investigation will likely suceed, you do not need to name more than a faction)

~

The media cell has dropped its prices once the elections are finalized. They do not seem to favor one faction in particular, but might be a contingency for some other purpose.

The smokescreen cell of the Ghost Legion has identified many similar cells to the smuggling cell. They do not seem to fight each other. Assuming they share one master, given the quantity of material they move around, and depending on this network's age? They likely possess anywhere from 30 to 130 Knight Titans. Screaming Eagle possess about 827 in active service, but this number fluctuates wildly, to attrition, wars, and cored prizes.

~

The first session of Congress is in progress. Your first impression of your fellow Senators? These people...

They're all assholes.

Except Holden Bloodfeast. He seems cool. You wouldn't hesitate to stab him in the back, however.

The Ghost Legion did a solid job of infiltrating the Undivided coalition. However, Eizen Stenbroth has them beat. A Tzeentchian Knight has risen high, quite far and fast. Marketing themselves as an excellent hedge against Nurgle's rising influence, especially now that Grushal is no longer eligible as anyone's champion. While the Undivided are not properly united under one banner (and may, in fact, not be able to this time), two camps have emerged. The Nurglites, and everyone else that's not a Conservative. Eizen managed to get that illustrious "everyone else".

You've been marked as an Anti-Nurglite, due to your myriad of anti-Nurglite actions such as, but not limited to:
Stopping riots in infuriatingly uncontroversial ways
Coring entertaining fixtures of modern politics
Being a killjoy when everyone was in a good mood
Being a weak bitch for calling for help when faced with a proper (if not legally sactioned) fight
Being a vengeful asshole
Being too charming and handsome
Gambling
Being pro-vaccine, but that's far from unique to you. Chaos is not bad at quarantines.

One of the Nurglite Senator's tries to goad you into challenging him, but you simply rub it in his face that's he's not as putrid as Potrash. This continues for a while until one of the other senators demand that one of you challenges the other, or for both of you to shut up. Since you don't have a feel for the other Senator's Knight Combat, you decline to challenge them, and the session continues.

You fit in rather well with your new fellows at the Conservative party. They seem to be a bit of a varied bunch than you were expecting. One of them is a voidborn pirate turned Knight, so Jack is far from the most exotic person at this table. You keep expecting some Conservative or even a Bloodname to tell you to tone it down with how hard you've been opposed to Nurgle, but none do.

The House of Bloodnames considers the facade of democracy to be important. Some Bloodnames might even be believers. As such, despite having a wide variety of rules and powers that favor them, on some issues, they defer to the Senate. One of the Senate's main powers, is that they may attempt to interpret non-military/industrial decrees of the House of Bloodnames as they wish. Naturally, this is a shitshow, even discounting Nurgle's rising power. The House of Bloodnames has only one demand at the moment: raise a war group of 30 Knights along with supporting Men at Arms to relieve some minor bush war that all clans in Kobas wage. The Bloodnames are not pressing any real agenda at the moment, probably for the best. The Detonation and the riots are fresh on everyone's minds.

There are Senate positions up for grabs (Champions are only an unofficial positions, and more connected to parties).

-[] Senatorial Squiremaster

Squires are those who have proven themselves, serving with distiction throughout a long military service. They hope to prove themselves as worthy of piloting a Knight. They spend their time trying to attain as much Knight sim time as possible. As Squiremaster, you would be in charge of overseeing the Knight simulation units.

-[] Senatorial Treasurer

A job known for enabling much corruption. Few who manage to become Treasurer tend to last long, as no matter how pure the Treasurer is, they will be blamed for whoever was embezzling. Losing this job is not the end of a Senatorial career. This is the Senate position most infamous for assassination attempts.

-[] Senatorial Minister of Intelligence

Something of a lame duck position, as the military keeps its intelligence to itself. However, perhaps that could change? This position has some access.

This session of the Senate does not pass any bills, focused as it is on establishing itself.

 

[Dynamesmouse]

When this game was announced, it immeditely caused a scandal in the Knight community, for treating the sacred Knight Titan as a mere gambling piece. However, scandals are simply another form of advertisement, and the media circus loved it.

Dona the Party Animal, and last real Champion of Slaanesh, is participating. She is desperate for power. If she loses here, it might just cost her everything.
Your "friend", Sama the Rapid, has wagered a Knight.
You, of course, have wagered Potrash's old Knight.
This pisses off the Freedom Party. Kephin the Unquarantined has declared his intention to join, aiming to take you down more than win.
A personal friend of Eizen, of the Reformists (literally everyone not Nurglite or Conservative), as wagered a Knight.
Remera the Risk Taker, of the Brazen Apes, is participating. A rising Bloodname of the clan with the best, if least amount of, Knights
No Tjapan is participating.
Yuza, a non politician Knight, is participating.

The Ghost Legion has a plan to tilt the odds in your favors, despite the various anti-psyker countermeasures that Khorne has available. All you know is it involved magnetic fingernail polish, and that it is quite hard to master. If only Asura had a human body. He understands it completely.

Spoiler: Rolls

Chart
Jack, +20+10
Sama, +15
Kephin, +10, gunning to hurt Jack
Yuza, +10
Remera the Risk Taker, +20/-5
Eizen's pawn, +15
Dona, +20 (Slaan Crit on quality!)

Round 1
J 30+99(-10)=119 **
S 15+65=80 *
K 10+63=73 *
Y 10+37=47 x
E 15+47=62 x
D 20+8=28, Crit fail=1 xx
R 20/-5+48+20=68

J**
S*
K*
Yx
Ex
Dxx
R

Round 2
J 30+68=98*
S 15+4=19x
K 10+92*
Y 10+14=24x
E 15+58=73
D 20+99 (-10)=109**
R 20/-5+20+3=23xx

J***
S
K**
Yxx
Ex
D
Rxx

Round 3
J 30+9=1, critfail, won tiebreakerx
S 15+27=42*
K 10+14=24x
Y 10+6=1, critfailxx
E 15+27=42*
D 20+5=25
R 20/-5+23+20=43**

J**
S*
K*
Yxxxx OUT
E
D
R

Round 4
J 30+66-10=86*
S 15+88-10=93*
K 10+41=51x
E 15+2=17xx
D 20+76=96**
R 20/-5+54-5=49x
Multiple Chaos crits. Since Jack is involved, bonus to not fighting.
70+10
Tension dispersed

J***
S**
K
Exx
D**
Rx

Round 5
J 30+43=73*
S 15+38=53*
K 10+74=84**
Y 10+28=38x
E 15+3=18xx
D 20+13=33x
R 20/-5+28+20=48

J****
S***
K**
Exxxx OUT
D*
Rx

Round 6
J 30+55=85*
S 15+47=62
K 10+13=23xx
D 20+89=109**
R 20/-5+39-5=34x

J*****
S***
Kxxxx OUT
D***
Rxx

Round 7
J 30+68=98**
S 15+46=61*
D 20+24=44x
R 20/-5+39-5=34xx

J*******
S****
D**
Rxxxx OUT


J 30+44=74
S 15+41=56xx
D 20+61=81**

J********
S**
D****
All remaining players decide to call it quits.
Jack won 4 Knights
Sam the Rapid won 1 Knight
Dona the Party Animal won 2 Knights
Jack rolled 3 chaos crits
Taint roll=84, succeed!

On the first hand, you soundly take from Dona a great pile of chips. You could get used to this sort of thing. You can feel her desperation. She's likely wagering her entire political future here.

On the second hand, you get some modest gains before bowing out. Dona was able to reclaim that which she lost from Remera the Blood Ape, who seems to take these things in stride.

On the third hand, your arrogance almost cost you, but it was Yuza who paid the price to Remera.

You're riding high on the fourth hand, Dona's grin is infectious. It seems fate turns against Eizen's pawn, under the glare of the Brass Collars. But there's something about your smirk that pisses off your "friend". You're able to feign weakness under his sharp glare. That seems to leave him satisfied.

Eizen's pawn is not able to continue under Kephin's attrition, his focus shifting away from you, someone he hates, to the Reformist's, who he is paid to hate more. Your growing pile pleases you.

Slaanesh must have some hidden influence to spend, or maybe you've all underestimated Dona. On the sixth round, she bluffed Kephin, focused far too much on you.

Remera is not able to hold out. He was far too reckless, in the end. He swears a vengeance upon you, for costing him so much, but does not cause more than a minor disturbance.

After Remera's loss, the game begins to die down, with Dona managing to goad your "friend" into losing an entire Knight. After this, Sam is no longer willing to continue, content with his gain of a Knight Titan. Dona sizes up your pile of chips, and follows suit, taking 2 Knights as her prize. It seems Slaanesh has not lost her foothold today.

~

Remera is pissed, barely giving you a moment's breather after your match until he challenges you. He's not willing to back down, and your handler signals that he doesn't think Asura is ready to take on a Brazen Ape Bloodname. He outright demands your Knight, setting the price for this duel. It looks like you will be the owner of 7 Knights tonight. He promises a fight until your gory end. As you set up a circle of equals in the casino lobby, you ready yourself.

And it's immediately clear that this guy must be a better ground Combatant than he is a pilot. He has to be. Otherwise, he would have to be the Order Master of the Brazen Apes.

You don't have a choice. You cannot hold back against this guy, not like you have been. Your soul fuels the power of your sword, as it begins to heat up and glow, causing the fire extinguishers in the lobby to go off. Remera does not hold back, does not care what tricks you hold. This beserker holds nothing back as you rely on a Ghost Legion sword style to redirect him. Your whirlwind of strikes leave trails of fire in the air, not only striking him off balance but distracting him for a moment. You hold back for split seconds, to avoid a strike on a vital organ, as you inflict deep cuts on him, and allow grazing hits on yourself. A cut on the brow leaves quite the bloody wound. In the end, you hold back on performing a clean, dramatic finish. You end the fight anti-climatically, with a cut to a tendon to throw him off balance, and a stab to the heart to end it.

More than the gaze of the crowd or the reporters, you feel the gaze of the sorcerers. This is beyond the Ghost Legion's ability to cover up.

You end the night, owning 6 Knights, plus Asura. And all it cost you was a not so minor secret.

~

You have your first real scandal on your hands.

What does New Columbia think? 1d100=2

The people are up in arms, declaring you a secret psyker. The Knights are up in arms, declaring you a gambling addict.

The Ghost Legion has no choice but to purchase influence from the media cell, potentially revealing their intentions. While they can disguise their intentions by purchasing many pointless, contradictory items, the Media Cell might be able to identify Jack as an Alpha Legion Agent, or simply notice that an Alpha Legion cell is active. It's impossible to tell at this point.

Regardless, the Media Cell does their job, and does it well. You are able to whether the storm of controversy, though your reputation took a beating and the Knights don't consider you as honorable anymore. They all move onto other things in time.

~

While this scandal disrupted some Ghost Legion plans, they segregated nature of the cells means that some are able to able to keep to task.

Four Eyes proves himself a vigilant oracle. He had many cunning tricks planned. Many warning sigils. Many bound demonic imps to serve as sentries and as emergency messengers.

The Ghost Legion capture Four Eyes, despite all his precautions. But somehow, everything goes horribly wrong. Insectoid demons of Malice emerge from the traps. The walls open to the immaterium, reality cracks and buckles. The building is brought low, and out from the rubble emergy the demons of Malal.

The agents are able to escape, with their prize in tow. While many Knights and Men at Arms arrive to quell the hoard, there is mothing tying the Ghost Legion to this incident.

As they interrogate Four Eyes in a black site, they are able to uncover the truth. Four Eyes's prediction was not clear, but one thing that he was certain of, is that Jack had some sort of a connection with Jane Oakheart. This connection could have been almost anything. He wasn't certain of anything aside from the existence of that connection, whether for good or ill.

Whil this might be a minor issue, or considered an unclear divination in time, the truth that cannot be denied is that the Detonation occured mere hours after Jack hit planetfall.

And now that Malice is publicly responsible for destroying a high rise building?

Who knows what the Tzeentchians are going to think.

~

Capturing Four Eyes is only part of the Ghost Legion's anti-Tzeentchian activities. With their previous insertion of agents into the Undivided camps, they are able to promote them even more with the mysterious and dramatic disappearacne of Four Eyes.

While the most influential Tzeentchians were concerned that Jack could somehow be part of a crazed Silver Imperial plot, they are now convinced that Jack is much more directly tied to Malice. While they are not ones to go to the authorities, they, like all the rest of Chaos, treat Malice like the rest of the galaxy treats Chaos.

They will be moving to investigate or eliminate Jack shortly.

~

Your desire to become the Squiremaster was not uncontested. The twin scandals you were a part of all but ensured it. You recieve another official challenge, from a middling Tzeentchian. He offers some weapons as his wager. This is not a duel to the death, a first for you. You do not consider him a threat to Asure, not like you did Remera.

Asura vs Tzeentchian
36+40=76
11, Malal Crit

Asura survival roll, 88, =78

As Asura got a solid hit in, he immediately darted away from a suspicious energy reading. Asura's quick reactions were enough to ensure they were able to clear the blast zone.

Further consequences?
66, -10 for Slaanesh critical.

The Malal explosion rocks the senate, but this time, they made sure that the wards and the structural reinformcements of the building they were in were made of studier stuff. This explosion was less powerful than the one that destroyed the senate prior, but a state of emergency is declared, regardless.

You technically won this duel. The Senate is in a dour mood.

~

Operation Spotlight has more cells at work than just those in Screaming Eagle or in the Dark Mechanicus Clan, the Rampaging Crocodile. The smokescreen cell has little difficulty in tracking the 4 four semi-official champions of the other four Chaos Gods.

Leon Osiris made waves when he declared that his Quest was over, and that he was joining clan Vigilant Spider. Rapidly earning a bloodname, he proved himself more than the equal of those who were pressing the Spider.

Daerla the Feast Giver has become sullen and withdrawn, over her god's recent loss of status in the Great Game. Some are considering challenging her.

Bulgrux the Acidic proved his namesake when he fulfilled a Brazen Ape commission for a new weapon. He promptly tested it on him in a duel by coring a hole straight through the cockpit with a terrible acid spray.

Spera the Ninefold has been practicing their long range psychic powers against the Knights of the Raging Orca clan by assisting some minor clans in their brushfire wars against them.

 

[Dynamesmouse]

New Columbia has had more than enough of its share of Malice problems. Fortunately for them, President Armstrong agrees. Leading the investigation into the Detonation personally, the President located the Malal cult that caused oh so many recent headaches. He orchestrates a textbook roundup operation that were you not a part of the security apparatus of Avernus, you would be impressed. It was far too showy. Regardless, President Armstrong has captured many Malice cultists, and has seemingly uprooted Malal's influence. For the time being, anyway.

~

Spoiler: Anyone care about Revera?

Revera the Risk Taker friends roll=92, dc 90
Weird. Rolling quality = 23 whew.
How calm are you? 36
Jacob diplomacy roll = 3

The Brazen Apes are not ones for revenge. They are more of a Knightly Order than a clan. They only recruit highly skilled Knights who possess the Mark of Khorne. They spend most of their time questing. In their case, it more or less means going around, using the Code of Duels to make their living. Knightly extortionists. Low in territory and Knights alike, they depend upon challenging other. Their way of life is risky, and so, they do not seek revenge often.

This is one of those such cases. Brere the Serrated was a recently joined member of the Apes. Apprentice to Revera the Risk Taker, who's life you have taken in a duel. He is here for his master's Knight Titan. He cannot be swayed from his path, despite the clear difference in skill. The only reason he hasn't challenged you is because he fears you would fight him on the ground. You cannot dissuade him from this path. You declare that should he challenge you, you would be aiming to core him, and that you would only fight him in a Knight as such.

He wagers his entire roster of personnel, he himself not having a Knight as valuable as Revera's.

You both enter the circle of equals.

Asura suffers a glitch in his prediction software. While he focused on not understimating his foes, Asura considered the Brazen Apes such a dangerous foe that your declaration that you were aiming to core his opponent gave him him a logic fault. This gave Brere an opening to do perform some painful damage to his canon arm.

Asura quickly recalibrates, returning the favor. The skill difference is now apparent, with Brere buckling despite his best. Thought that might have been due to a quick hack. Brere tumbles to the ground, and makes the mistake of defending his head instead of his mid section. A effortless blow cores out Brere, making you the owner of both his Knight and his retinue.

You need to invest in a bigger hanger.

Spoiler: Rolls

Asura 40-2 vs Brere 35, +30 to Asura

Round 1
Asura 1+30
Brere 35
Major blow to Asura

Round 2
Asura 84+20=104
Brere 83-10 (hacking) =73
Major blow to Brere

Round 3
Asura 95+20=115
Brere 4-10=-6

Auto cored due to holding back and extreme disparity.

You own 7 Knights that you are not intending to pilot yourself.

Potrash the Infuriating's Putrescence (+1 Nurgle KC)
Grushal the Undying's Phlegmatic Behemoth (+2 Nugle KC)
Kephin the Unquarantined's spare (+0 KC)
Remera's prize (+0 KC)
Yuzu's prize (-1 KC, hidden damage)
Remera the Risk Taker's Baelstrom (+3 Khorne KC)
Brere the Serrated's Shiverfell (+0 Slaanesh KC, improperly consecrated)

Normally, powerful people in this society have no problems finding Squires. As the Senator responsible for assigning which Squire gets to train in the Knight Sims, you don't have that problem either. If you owned one more Knight, you would officially represent 1% of all Knights in Screaming Eagle.

Your peers eye you with jealousy and fear. The Bloodnames have begun to take note. The Tzeentchians likely think that you are a Malice cultsist. The Nurglites hate you. The Conservatives keep you at a distance, for you kept your blessing a secret. Tjapan, Slaaneshis, and Khornates are not as warm as they once were. But none gainsay you.

They cannot. You can completely upend the balance of power, which who you select as your Knights.

Asura has almost outgrown the Senate, and soon, the Bloodnames will start to subtly force you out of the Senate, either by having you challenge one of them, or by joining or outright leading a warparty. You are quite disruptive to democracy, it seems.

You have a little bit of time before that, though. Time enough for one last duel.

You have agents in the Tzeentchian's camp. By all reports, Eizen seems to be the one in charge. There are a few who are concerned by Four Eye's vague prophecy, but the Ghost Legion can handle them in short order.

Before the last Senate session, a Tzeentchian challenged you to a small stakes duel. As you got into melee range, he promptly exploded. The "why" does not actually matter in this society. You can easily blame him, for using an expendable pawn to assassinate you. It doesn't need to make sense. It'll be nice and dramatic, just like how this society all but demands it. Most likely, when you challenge him, he will call allies of his own. A not so honorable way to respond to a challenge, but one he is legally entitled to. Asura is not enough to take out multiple Knights at once, not when someone as good as Eizen can properly hold him back. You will need to call allies of your own. You can make many friends in this society with the gift of a Knight.

DO NOT USE AN X TO MARK YOUR VOTE

-[.] Call the Reformists. Dona the Party Animal will answer your call, along with Heran the Golden.
-[.] Call the Freedom party. Yeah, even with some Ghost Legion agents, and Holden Bloodfeast hearing you out, this is not a good idea.
-[.] Call your fellow Conservatives. Once you claim that a Tzeentchian just tried to have you assassinated, they will have your back, at least for this matter.

This will be a three vs. three fight. Eizen has a Knight Combat of 37. Conservatives are more powerful Knights. If you call for the Reformists, you are effectively swapping parties. Do note forget to consider how this will affect the two non-Conservative parties. A tri-party Senate is an unusual situation for the House of Bloodnames.

Once this battle is finished, it is time for you to move on from the Senate, and start planning on challenging a Bloodname, or to form a war party. Assume there will be a small timeskip after this next duel.

-[.] Go for a Bloodname
-[.] Go join the brushfire wars that dot the Kingdom of Brass and Skulls

DO NOT USE AN X TO MARK YOUR VOTE

 

[Dynamesmouse]

There was, perhaps, a way and a time that you could have been allies with Eizen. This is not the place, and this is not the time. You seek him out in the Senate lobby, and promptly deck him in the face.

He doesn't see it coming. He will not be able to see anything to his left. Not that it will affect his Knight piloting abilities. This unprovoked attack causes some to get between you and your quarry. Much shoving and pushing, but you make your voice heard. You loudly accuse Eizen of plotting to assassinate you, of being the mastermind of the Reformist party. He accuses you of being an agent of Malal, citing the suspicious timing of your arrival. His two allies stand at his side, as you challenge him to a duel. He mocks you for having no allies of your own, of being a dirty gambler and a secret keeping psyker.

And while you might be in the middle of a scandal, that means little in comparison of a bribe of a Knight.

Sir Derfafov of Kebelot and Janga the Hook answer your call. They had already accepted your promise of a Knight each, and didn't bother bargaining for the good ones, either.

This will be the largest battle the Senate has participated in quite a while, even accounting for the Detonation.

Asura begins the battle on a rampage, showing off his excellent close range marksmanship as he charges into melee range, delivering great hits to Eizen's arms and shoulders. Derfafov follows your lead, and knock's Eizen's pawn off balance, attempting to match your brutal display. Janga, however, was too eager, and found that his opponent had braced themselves against the charge.

Eizen manages to recover somewhat, even going as far as to match you. His pawn surrenders befores Derfafov's might, and Janga is able to retaliate against Eizen's lackey.

The three of you are in excellent form, with you even going as far as coring the enemy Knight. Asura notices a problem immediately, however, as Eizen already had a sorcerer prepared to yank him out. Regardless, you have destoyed the cockpit, and the enemy fled disgracefully. The law is in your favor, here.

Eizen's lackey proved to be able to hold his ground far better than anyone here expected. Jen the Coiled One smirks, as he surrenders. For some reason, you doubt it is merely because of a bluff.

Spoiler: Rolls

Round 1

Asura+15, 8+15 (Khorne cit in your favor!)
Derfafov+10 86+10=96
Janga+10 28+10=38, moderately damaged

Eizen 27, Greatly damaged
Pawn 28, Badly damaged
Lackey 71

Round 2

Asura 39+15 = 54
Derfafov 73+10=83
Janga 68-3=65

Eizen 77-10-15=52 Greatly damaged
Pawn 44-10=34, surrendered
Lackey 31=31, damaged

Round 3
Asura 98+15=103
Derfafov 96+10=106
Janga 93-3=90

Eizen 64-15=54, Unit cored!
Lackey 84, damaged, surrender!

~

While this battle netted you Knight, it turns out the damned thing was operated and powered remotely by a Sorcerer. It is almost useless to you. Eizen is nowhere to be found, no blood in the cockpit. Remarkably little in the Senate has changed as a result of this duel, aside from the fact that you are down two Knights.

Eizen has gone into hiding. He legally still counts as a Senator. It seems that Jen has taken his place in the Reformists party.

At least it's not a total loss. Derfafov and Janga are both now ones you can call your allies.

The Ghost Legion has a plan to deal with the Tzeentchians.

~

Ghost Legion vs Tzeentchians
100 vs 1
I am not shitting you I have a picture of this on Discord

In a stroke of luck you can't even imagine, it turns out that behind the Tzeentchians was a group of Shifters. Behind the Nurglites was a group of Shifters. Behind the Tjapans was a group of Shifters. Behind the Khornates was a group of Shifters. Behind the Slaaneshi was, not, actually a group of Shifters, they just decided its best to keep some distance from the most corruptive of the gods. Besides, it keeps them on their toes. With careful calls to the Trust, the Ghost Legion was able to verify their absurd claim of being allies. The Shifters had no idea you were here. They recognize the importance of your operation, and have agreed to fully cooperate with Operation Spotlight.

Chaos Undivided in the Screaming Eagle is yours in its entirety. Do you want riots? They can set up riots. The Shifters tell you that they were behind the Detonation. Shapeshifters did 8/8/11.

That said, while the Shifters have captured Chaos Undivided, they do not have many agents elsewhere.

At this point in Operation Spotlight, the only things you need to do are to subvert the Media Cell, attempt to subvert the widespread Smuggling cells, gain influence among the other clans, and have Asura amass enough skill that he can usurp the President.

And all of these things, just a take a little bit of time

~

As you leave to go on a Quest for worthy foes for Asura, your allies take it slow and steady. They don't make any major moves, other than to keep the public tense. This keeps the Knights from making any major moves. The Shifters are quite adept at keeping things appearing tense, but remaining quite stable.

Asura goes to war, killing many Knights, making a name for himself. You can safely call him a veteran for the trail of destruction he has walked. You have a nice collection of Knights that you've cored. This is sure to come in handy.

Asura Knight Combat: 43
Jack Fellblade Honor: 78
Wealth: ...

As you and Asura walk into the hangar, to admire your growing pile of treasure and Knights, you notice something has gone horribly wrong.

There's nothing here. Everything of value other than Asura is gone. None answer your hails. Asura notes that all the cameras are recording is looped footage, but that the Ghost Legion black box has been untouched.

Your retinue, your Ghost Legion agents, are dead.

 

[Dynamesmouse]

The last section of the previous update has been retconned.

~

Retamaris III is a baren world. Many would call it a frozen wasteland were it not for the pools of lava that erupt from below. In between the frozen nothingness and the rock melting heat, is a small ring area where a modest civilization can be made. This planet is rich in mineral resources, easily tapped by those who happen to own the magma taps. They are a common prize that Knights who quest for glory fight over, especially since no one clan is allowed to own a tap for more than 8 years. After that period, ownership is up for grabs. The King's law that Knights must avoid unnessary collateral damage is in full effect around these magma taps. Outside of these hellish pits, craters dot the landscape. Many interesting metals can be found within these site. They are common duelling grounds.

It is these grounds you have had Asura learn and fight in.

Connecting these mining sites are a vast number of railways. Your base is a bit far off from any civilization, but you have a nice connection to a railway junction that you used to move around on Retamaris.

You are off to another duel, when all of a sudden Asura engages the train's emergency brakes, and orders everyone to battle stations.

As you don your disguise and Asura initiates his Jack Fellblade voice program, he demands an explanation. The only response is artillery fire. Asura redirects all available energy to the shield generator. The enemy does not hesitate, turning an ambush on a moving train into a vehicular assault.

Meanwhile, your base has come under heavy attack. The enemy utilized powerful scrapcode and jamming equipment, but the Ghost Legion is seldom caught off guard by such technologies. The assualt is a different matter

The rails behind you are promplty severed by a pre sighted artillery shot, meaning that simply leaving the way you came in is no longer an option. More powerful jammers are used against you. They are not effective on you, but they are more than enough to ensure that you cannot communicate with anyone other than your HQ.

The vehicles press on, closing in despite Asura's accuracy. You need to get involved directly. These guys are far better than the crappy Men at Arms that litter Kobas. Much better equipment, tactics, and discipline. You are beyond them, and do not need to reveal any secrets to hold the line, allowing Asura to keep up the ruse, and get involved personally.

Your base, however, is under a much fiercer assault. Black clad soldiers, vehicles, and sorcerers combine their talents, as they press the attack. The Ghost Legion is forced to reveal just much of its combat potential, to keep the enemy from taking the inner walls.

Asura deftly finishes off the assault, and She Who Darts Suddenly takes you, and departs as fast as she can to the base. While you are in transit, your forces manages to hold back the invaders.

When you breach reality again, it is swinging. You kill most of them, sparing only a few by using your telepathic sword magic to knock a few unconscious. Darts Suddenly crushes the sorcerous fools who think they can escape.

As your retinues tend to their wounded and dispach vehicles to pick up those left at the train, the Ghost Legion begins field interrogation. They are able to currently extract only a few words: "To the end of glory".

Spoiler: Rolls

Ambush!
Asura interrupt!

Surprise round negated. Hostiles initiate an attack on both the train, and the base simoultaneously.

Train vs Hostiles
74
64
Raiders halted and take minor damage.

Base vs Hostiles
35
89
Outer perimeter breached


Train redirection attempt, 10, Nope
Asura, radioing for help on all open channels 39
Enemy blocking all open channels, 95

Train vs Hostiles
28+20=48
63-5 (hacking)
Asura 57
Jacob interrupt 54

Base vs Hostiles
49+20=69
84
Inner walls pressed, Ghost Legion revealing ability.

Train vs Hostiles
6+20=26
45-15=30
Asura 89

Wayguide speed 47, will arrive next turn

Base vs Hostiles
55+15=70
56

Inner walls holding.

Base vs Hostiles
51+15
55-10
Jacob interrupt 69

Capturing prisoners at the train
43
Investigation 27

Capturing prisoners at the base
65
Investigation 49

~

This brazen assault might have caught you off guard, but that does not mean they were able to cover their tracks well enough to hide from you.
The Ghost Legion, along with you and Wayguid of the Deep, launch an assault on an enemy staging facility.

You breach reality in ways that the Alpha Legion isn't prepared for. You go first, splitting apart any machine that could be a threat, or using sword telepathy to knock any personnel unconscious.

Jacob 15
Ghost Legion 84+20=104
Alpha Legion 84

While the Alpha Legion is vigilant, the Ghost Legion is simply superior. You take your prisoners, and begin investigating this facility.

You do not find much of interest on the computers, but as the Ghost Legion interrogate prisoners, you uncover the enemy's objective.

They recieved their orders from the Smuggling Cell of the Screaming Eagles.

Their main objective was to steal the prizes that Jack Fellblade had accumulated. Killing Jack was only a secondary objective. They did not anticipate either the base or the train to be so vigilant or well defended.

They were not expecting any Alpha Legion activity. As a result of how well you foiled their plans, the prisoners tell you it is very likely they will now consider Jack Fellblade either a patsy of the Alpha Legion, or that someone in the Smuggling Cell wanted to sabotage this operation.

~

With the information gathered from the attackers, multiple cells of the Ghost Legion spring into action, some aided by the Shifters.

The Smuggling Cells are one operation, spread widely over Kobas. They are deeply involved in scraping wrecked Knights, stealing Knight parts from suppliers, dealing in used Knight parts in both buying and selling, and in rare cases, Knight theft. They are an excellent source for used Knight parts. They have accumulated enough materials for an estimated minimum of 80 Knights, assuming that this cell has been in operation for 30 years.

They have identified multiple people as persons of interest in this investigation, including one President Armstrong.

It is likely that the Knights are being stored in Blood Viper territory, surprisingly close to the Screaming Eagle's territory.

Operation Spotlight must consider that Jack is now being watched by the Alpha Legion, being consdiered either as a patsy, or even worse.

Your handler notes that those Knights, if recovereable, would make excellent bribes.

This attack was a brazen act, by their standards. It seems likely that someone has taken a note of your rising power, and has decided to end you before you could become a threat.

-[] Do not change Jack's course of action, continue questing for worthy opponents.

-[] Have Jack return home to the Screaming Eagles, to obtain a Bloodname.

 

[Dynamesmouse]

You waste no time on your return to the Screaming Eagle's capital. You have gained glory, you have returned with some modest prizes, and most importantly, you have trained Asura significantly.

You challenge Regnus the Furious, a great personal ally of Armstrong, wagering a significant amount of resources and personnel in exchange for the Bloodname of Lincoln.

As the duel begins, perhaps Asura has learned much. Perhaps Regnus has become complacent. Regardless, Asura breaks through the pitiful defense, and keeps up the assault. As Asura inflicts blow after blow, Regnus is not willing to give up. He realizes far too late that his previous belief of Jack being a merely rising star was out of date, and by the time he realizes that he is outclassed, Asura ends his life with a blade through the cockpit. The powerful Knight known as the Furious Axe Grinder is yours.

Spoiler: rolls

Jack Fellblade goes for a Bloodname
Asura KC 43, Bloodname quality 90, 42

Asura 78+5
Bloodname 5
Major damage

Round 2
94+5=99
Bloodname 17-10=7
Extreme damage

Round 3
60+5=65
49-20=29
Loot roll, 92

Ghost Legion vs. Media Cell
2+20=22, Shifter reroll 54+20
Media Cell 33

In time, the Ghost Legion taps Asura for assistance. They hatch a complicated plan, using Asura to gain read only access to many devices, to track the flows of information. When this didn't work, the Shifters got involved, making their own scandals so that the Ghost Legion can track the flow of manipulations.

In the end, the master of the Media Cells seems to have departed, without a clear identity to pin him to, though the Ghost Legion beleive him to be a Slaaneshi. The Media Cells goes to sleep, and is only a long term problem. So in short, they will not be a problem for the duration of Operation Spotlight.

The Ghost Legion slots into control of the media with few problems.

GL+Shifters vs. SE Smuggling cell
69+20 vs 64
Armstrong identified as master of the Smuggling Cell

It took a lot of tracking, a few interrogations, and a large warehouse full of used Knight Parts, but the Ghost Legion has come to the conclusion that Armstrong is either the master of the Smuggling Cells, or at a minimum, a high ranking agent.


Ghost Legion vs Armstrong
8+20 Shifters+5 Intel+15 Asura+10 She Who Darts Swiftly=58
13+15 (anti AI)
Armstrong's learning and intrigue, and dark mech connection/capabilities revealed.

Bloodgate was much more secure than anyone, Ghost Legion included, realized. However, its security systems were no match for the combined skills and capabilities that Operation Spotlight could bring to bear.

At the bottom of the hotel, beneath half a mile of security measures and dark, well defended tunnels, they discovered the truth.

Armstrong did not make a deal with the Dark Mechanicus, he is a full on Dark Mechanicus Magos. Performing twisted experiments on the brain stems of kidnapped civilians and Knights alike, infusing them with mind controlling nanomachines. Partially to create a cleaner Mind Machine Interface for the Knight Titans, but mostly as a method of control. The work was not finished. The Ghost Legion was attempting to subtly sabotage the nanomachine control system, when Asura got pinged by a Dark Mechanicus AI detection subroutine. Asura was not able to prevent the alarm from going to Armstrong, and the Ghost Legion realized that there was little point to destroying the lab, since all its data would be backed up inside Armstrong.

~

The moment Armstrong recieved the signal, he ordered an immediate Knight Parade, to announce a revolutionary technology that would propel the Screaming Eagles as first among equals, the Ghost Legion was forced to air out his dirty laundry, causing an immediate uproar, propelled by the Senate and the Media working together. They pin him as a Dark Mechanicus spy, for working with their signature technology. The Bloodgate scandal rocks the Screaming Eagle. The President is never popular, outside of a major war, anyway. Armstrong cannot relent at this point, and orders the military to install the technology into all Knight Titans immediately. The media reveals the truth of the nanomachine project, triggering an immediate widespread rejection of the President's orders.

The revolution has started early.

Shifters put aside the differences of Chaos Undivided, and rally together. The Bloodnames are furious, and collectively reject the Presidency. As they rally in their Knights, and all march for Armstrong's head, he activates the nanomachines that were stealthily installed in as many Knight Ttitans as Armstrong could manage.

Screaming Eagles sees this as an outright betrayal on the part of Armstrong. Ten of the twenty five bloodnames and a little over a hundred Knights are bound to his will. The other great clans have heard of this great betrayal, and begin to move in.

With Jack's impressive string of victories and his most recent claiming of the most powerful Bloodname's Knight, he takes command of the rebelion. Asura proves to be a quick study, and readies many programs to deal with the infection.

~

It seems that Armstrong knows that the jig is up. While you are preparing an assault, Armstrong performs a breakout maneauver, and heads to a spaceport. It seems that he is intending to flee, knowing that even should he win remain President against this revolution, long term victory is impossible. This turns into a running battle, as the President feels no remorse in sending disposable Knights your way.

Everyone in Screaming Eagle is working together now, though. There is little that they can do on such short notice, however. The Armstrong Knights find only minor trouble on the approach to the spaceport.

It is here, that the majority of your forces are able to pin him in place, as he desperately tries to take over the spaceport. The Ghost Legion instructs She Who Darts Swiftly on how to discreetly disable any mass transport shuttles that Armstrong would need, forcing him to waste time on finding a functional one.

As you order a charge, Armstrong responds with sacrificial pawns. They are nothing against the force of Bloodnames at your command. Holden Bloodfeasts even gets some hits in, his wingcap not just for show, it seems. Sorcerers are able to knock out many Knights, with a little help from Asura fraying the nanomachines control. Still, hundreds die.

Armstrong seems to understand that this is the end for him, as he joins his Bloodname slaves and faces you head on in battle.

You have the numbers advantage. You have more bloodnames than he does. He wants to go down swinging, and your Bloodnames don't want to cause a large amount of casualties. He and his horde charge directly, as you met him head on, confident that you can redirect the flow of battle or that Asura can hack his way to victory.

It seems that too much time in the laboritory has made him rusty]. The prototype control system was not finished, giving Asura a greater ability to hack into enemy units. With how buggy it is, he is confident that the Ghost Legion can pass off any oddities in this fight to a faulty slave collar.

Armstrong relies too much on dirty tricks and preparations. It's nothing that Asura hasn't been training to deal with, though. Feints ignored, taunts are meaningless. Has everyone simply overestimated Armstrong? You make a note to have the media edit this fight, to play up Armstrong as amore worthy opponent. Claiming the Presidency is simply stage 2 of Operation Spotlight.

As most of his slaves are dealt with, and his mech suffering major damage, you call out to him a formal challenge, simply to ensure that he Presidency is yours.

Seeing something resembling an honorable death, he accepts your challenge, and releases all his slaves. Seeing how badly he was being beaten in a Knight, he elects to a ground duel.

Armstrong holds little back, unlike you. You have to struggle to not just simply gut him outright. It would be embarrassing to claim the presidency this easily. He thought that his nanomachines would give him an edge. They would, but unfortunately, you are Jacob Oakheart, not simply Jack Fellblade. His arms turn into a pair of blackened axes. You amputate an arm and his head with a diagonal cut.

Apparently that isn't enough to kill him outright. You feign surprise instead of simply pressing the attack, as his head and arm reforms, you see a familiar face. Tranth's face. Huh.

Again, you stuggle to not make him look weak in front of you. You'd like to think you suceed, as you let the fight contintue on, even as he adapts new forms and tactics. As he wears himself out, it seems he has a new idea of how to fight you. A bilateral cut seems his body disform, becoming a cloud of nanomachines. They fly into Asura. As he has left the circle of Equals, you officially become the President of the Screaming Eagle.

As you quickly jump back into the cockpit, you realize you hurt Asura by having so little faith in him. The nanomachines were quickly isolated, got confused while Asura studied Armstrong in confinement, and then were subsequently disposed of.

Spoiler: Battle of the Spaceport

Jack's Revolution
63, 73, 45
Armstrong's slaves
17, 32, 42

Round 2,
Jack Vs Armstrong
80 vs 36+10=46, Major damage to Armstrong
Armstrong special weapon, nanomachine missile! 76, direct hit!
Asura counters with hacking 57, delay effects!

Bloodnames vs slaves
48+15 (numbers) =63 32-15 hacking=17, slaves take minor damage

Round 3
Jack Vs Armstrong
95
38+10-10=38, major damage
Armstrong hacking, 17 vs 6, Asura soundly secure

Bloodnames vs Slaves
88+10+20=118
36-15=21
Domination

Nanomachines, son!
Asura 53
Armstrong 44

Round 2
2
2
Yes, seriously

Round 3
81
75

~

Between the absolute control of the Senate, the Media, the circling clans sensing blood, and the fact that you personally slew the second least popular president in Amir'ka/Screaming Eagle history, the Fellblade Presidency is off to a great start!

Asura was able to extract much intel from Armstrong. Namely, while he started as a Rampaging Crocodile plant, he eventually broke his nanomachine shackles with help from Chaos Undivided. After studying nanomachines and the nervous system, he hatched a decades long plan to usurp the Screaming Eagles. Using nanomachines to augment his body and mind, he rejected the false gifts of the dark gods as the shackles they were. He was naturally a genius, and trained as a spy. He usurped the Screaming Eagle smuggling cell somewhere along the way.

He defeated the former President through using nanomachines to influence his mind, to get him to accept a ground duel, where he had more control. While he was by no means weak, he let himself get rusty. He thought he had more time. He was quite close to a system that would both improve a Knight's ability to control their machine, and for the machine to control them. He never anticipated the media would be unified against him

It is unlikely he told anyone about a possible AI breaking into his lab. The Ghost Legion is able to quash any idea that an AI was involved in anything. All you need to do now is fight off the clans who think you were weakened by this display, and get them to come around to thinking they take a swing at the Kingdom of Confusion.

Oh, and find out where the Smuggling cell was storing those Knights. A great bargaining chip, that one.

 

[Dynamesmouse]

Your ascension to the position of Clan Leader happened much faster than anyone anticipated.

You are not without rivals, however. Nixon the Perilous challenges you for the position of President. Between Asura having his measure, him still suffering from the affects of the nanomachines, and the recently laundered Druhkari power sword that's been installed, you have faith in Asura. You elect to a Knight duel. Victory here in this manner would secure your position.

Asura crushes him and his ambitions decisively. Sparing his life so that you can preserve a powerful bloodname, you'll be sure to send him to deal with one of the Great Clans that is bothering you, in the wake of the Bloodgate scandal.

It's not only the Great Clans that test the borders of the Screaming Eagle. Bulgrux the Acidic also comes, making a right mess of things. You decide to challenge him directly, to force him out of your territory.

Asura has come far since he faced down Grushal. It shows, in the slow and steady beatdown he delivers. While attritional fighting is rarely the best way to deal with a Nurglite, between Bulgrux's skill and sheer toughness, Asura is slowly winning. Bulgrux seems to excel in these sorts of environments, but Asura is both more skilled and more technologically advanced with his new power sword. Bulgrux lets himself slide into the tempo of the fight, a mistake that Asura punishes. Bulgrux retaliates, but it's nothing that a quick neural twitch and a shot to the chest can't counter. He surrenders, and true to his word, leaves peacefully.

If only the other Nurglites in your territory were so peaceful. They've been whipped up into a riot again, but this sort of thing just happens every so often here. The people take it as a sign that things are returning to normal, after the Detonation and the Bloodgate incident.

Nixon, and a trio of Bloodnames, see to the other challengers in short order, proving that the Bloodgate scandal has weakened the Eagle in the slightest. A claim bolstered by the fact that a minor clan couldn't even get past your far flung outskirts.

With the Media, the Senate, your Presidency, and your territory all firmly secure, you move onto phase 3 of Operation Spotlight.

It's time to influence the others into starting a war for you.

~

Historically, the King is most likely to call a council of the clans whenever the dust settles, and he simply feels like it's time to go to war in the material realm. The faster you act, the faster you can be done with this.

Since speed is your objective, you decide to have your diplomats pay the Reckless Crocodile a little visit, to convince them that they should support you in rallying the Kingdom of Brass and Skulls against the Kingdom of Confusion. You offer the nanomachines that Armstrong started and Asura completed (the mind control bits were stripped off).

It's easy to tell that greed is their biggest motivator. Between the sacred technology, and the thought of earning Khorne's favor, they eagerly agree with you.

Curiously, a diplomatic envoy of the Vigilant Spiders arrives shortly after you do. The agents that you deployed have been hard at work seeding the Crocodiles with spies. There is little they need to do when the Spiders attempt to argue that Kobas should ally itself with the Kingdom of Confusion. That they are safer together, than letting the Silver Imperium pick off their nearby foes one by one. Fortunately, their arguments fall on mostly muted ears.

~

Your next task saw you visiting the lands marked by the Blood Feud. The Blood Dogs split off from the Blood Vipers long ago, due to the abuse they suffered when the Vipers dedicated themselves to the Cycle of Revenge, in an attempt to protect themselves against a plot most likely started by Spera the Ninefold. While this dedication did break any fate weavings upon them, it does little to protect you from more mundane plotting. The Blood Dogs were those who suffered the most from the Cycle of Revenge, and they specialize in pack tactics and other dirty methods of fighting, while the Blood Vipers kept most of the scientist caste in the split.

Giving the Blood Dogs the Man Machine Interface nanomachines makes them eager allies of yours. They will support you when the time comes. You've likely pissed off the Blood Vipers.

But you don't need to win them all, now do you?

~

It is the end of the third year of Operation Spotlight, and it seems that things are calming down, now. While the Screaming Eagle remains its riotous and contentious self, you believe deep down that it's probably what makes them happy.

You make sure to keep Asura on a training regimen by fighting a wide variety of opponents. He has conquered worlds. Though given that the average world in Kobas has less than five Knights on it, just by statistics, this is far from an impressive feat.

Your next diplomatic assignment brings you into orbit. You seek out the enigmatic Rampaging Orca clan. The Blood Mages of the King and the Career Naval officers made a pact, and formed a clan. An oddity among the Great Clans. They are much more focused on things outside of Kobas, on the plays that the King of Kobas himself makes in the Great Game. While they listen to you, it's more due to your status than any particular interest. To them, war is war, and the Blood Must Flow. You do not make much headway with them.

Neither do the diplomats of the Vigilant Spider. The Orcas are not used to having so many guests. Again, the Spider argues that the Orcas should attack the Silver Imperium.

~
You were meaning to depart, and influence another clan, when your preparations are suddenly halted by the Champion of Tjapa paying you a visit, and causing quite a ruckus.

Leon Osiris is the Champion of Tjapa. The Ghost Legion informs you that Leon Osiris fell to Khorne, shortly after the Clan Leader of the Vigilant Spider died in a shuttle incident. Coincidences start piling up and up, when all of a sudden, a major riot breaks out.

It looks like an Undivided Riot, except that Chaos Undivided is still two parties in the Senate, while the Knightly Conservatives are split between the mostly Undivided Reformists, and the Nurglite Freedom party.

For some unfathomable reason, the Tjapans just split off from the Reformists and joined the Freedom party.

The Shifters tell you that this is not any play of theirs, that the Tjapans they weren't pretending to be all just made this decision simultaneously, faster than they could interfere with.

Both the Ghost Legion and the Shifters tell you that the shadows shifted in response to someone's command, quite blatantly, but faster than they could intercept.

The Tjapans and the Nurglites are both rioting in the streets, while the new Champion of Tjapan, Alatoc the Golden seems to be egging them on. He doesn't seem to fit into the shoes that Leon left behind when he fell to Khorne.

The riots of the Detonation are on everyone's minds as a result of these events. Even with the media plausibly on your side, it still has caused a mess of things. You can't really afford to leave at this point. The shadows are paying you so much attention at the moment. The Ghost Legion believe that they prevented them from finding out anything important, but your frankly absurd rate of promotion would make anyone suspicious.

~
It is the fourth year of Operation Spotlight, and the only conclusion you can make is that Be'lakor is spending a fair amount of influence in this region. Between the Kingdom of Confusion beginning some trade with the Smouldering Jaguar clan, and giving samples of their technology to the Reckless Crocodile?

He has someone on the inside. His man is most likely Leon Osiris. While the death of the Vigilant Spider's previous leader was not deemed suspicious at the time, Leon Osiris fell to Khorne shortly thereafter. Losing him prestige as one of the Champions of the Other Four. Most likely, this was not a true conversion, but rather a religion swap for political convenience. The Ghost Legion initiated an assassination attempt against him, but they were unsuccessful. The sheer amount of scrutiny this action caused almost led to the capture of an agent, despite the initial clean getaway.

Shortly after this event, the Kingdom of Confusion offered samples of their technology to the Crocodiles. While you had many spies inside the Crocodile, their greed overcame your influence.

The Shadows in Kobas… are beginning to stir.

It's not all bad news, however. Your agents begin to close in on the Knights that the Smuggling Cells have been stockpiling.

Current Clan Alignment

Blood Vipers - Against Silver Imperium
Blood Dogs - Against Confusion
Brazen Apes - Leaning against Confusion
Smouldering Jaguar - Against Silver Imperium, trade deal with Confusion
Raging Orcas - Disgustingly Neutral
Screaming Eagle - Against Confusion
Vigilant Spider - Against Silver Imperium,
Rampaging Crocodile - Against Silver Imperium, Confusion has gifted technologies

You have a difficult choice to make. You can get involved in taking over the Knights that the Smuggling Cells have been stockpiling (granting you a massive amount of influence and power), or you can go to war against clan Vigilant Spider, with your own private goal of hunting down and slaying Leon Osiris.

-[] Take it slow.
-[] Slay the Shadows.

 

[Dynamesmouse]

It was the work of years of investigations, but the Ghost Legion was able to finally track down the main hangar of the Smuggling Cells. Given how valuable the contents would be to Operation Spotlight, it's only natural you bring all you can bear. All you can bear being yourself, an AI, and a Borderlion.

She Who Darts Swiftly deposits Asura in a crevice nearby, while she herself wears a device that will let her send a receive their signals.

As she creeps into the complex, she and Asura begin to search the place for the Knights, avoiding traps physical, digital, and beyond. They disable the self destruct mechanisms the Alpha Legion planted on the Knights, and a little bit of light sabotage on the other defenses of the facility are an excellent way to start the attack.

You are shoved out of the immaterium, and cut down the enemy personnel. You're not here to take prisoners, and the seems the obscure nature of the facility has dulled their vigilance. The Ghost Legion initiates their own assault.

With their traps bypassed, and their tech under assault, they comport themselves quite well in this worst case scenario. Sadly, it is not enough, and you secure your prize.

One hundred and fourty Knight Titans.

~

There are consequences, when two spymasters go to war, in an area that has little understanding and even less ability to counter spycraft. Between two clan heads dying in short order, you dealing an extreme blow to the Smugglers, the multitude of both Ghost Legion and Belakor's agents acting, and intentional terrorism from the Ghost Legion, paranoia grips the land.

Prizes are ruined through sabotage, the unwary are assassinated, accusations fly and witnesses are brutally silenced. Crime skyrockets, and the used Knight part market is in shambles. All of this, mostly to make sure no one can credibly accuse you of any wrongdoing.

~

You waste no time in declaring war on the Vigilant Spider. Your proclamation comes as a surprise, but it's nothing that the Media and the Senate can't cover for you.

You cannot afford to waste any more time, now that Belakor's agent is acting against the Imperial Trust.

You muster a wide variety of forces. This isn't going to be a Knightly excursion. You will use the military in whatever capacity you can to open an opportunity to assassinate Leon Osiris the Bloodsoaked.

You even get Daerla the Feast Giver, Kobas's own Champion of Slaanesh, on your side

~

Kobas has very specific rules on how the navy is to be used internally. Between Great Clans, the navy is rarely a factor.

You begin an assault onto some borderworlds that will make a good springboard onto something critical.

Eagles
35, 89, 63
Spiders
17, 97-10, 44

One of them overs stiff resistance, but's its noting that Asura can't just simply overcome with a sleight of hack. You take your first objective with minimal difficulty, and can now threaten an important foundry of theirs.

Eagles
27 1 60+10
63 15 69

You begin your assault on Setis, a core piece of territory when you meet stiff resistance. It turns out that the Vigilant Spiders were able to rapidly muster some beast rider regiments. They have a habit of fading in and out of existence in this clan. Normally, the monsters eat their riders, and they seldom have the experience necessary to be a threat, or the mounts go extinct due to chaos's poor treatment. However, it seems that they cobbled something together, using sorcerous means. Confusion's work, it seems.

The large numbers of beasts catches your forces off guard, turning your advance into a stalement.

You tap into your reserves. The enemy cannot afford to lose here. Tjapa's light neither shines nor blights you here.

Eagles
70 55 5
Spider
60 75 16-10

Karl the Crusher, clan leader of the Vigilant Spiders, approaches you. From his bellowing, you get reminded of better days of having Orks as your enemies. Powerful and stupid, it seems that he thinks his ascension to clan leader means you are on even footing. You get the impression that he only thinks he's in charge. Still, killing this fool will likely inconvenience Leon.

Asura is clearly the better Knight. The two face each other down, only doing light attacks, sizing each other up. After a light hit with a cannon, the battle turn hectic, as both commit to the deadly melee. Three story tall Knights trample the roads and the occassionally some Men at Arms. Karl cannot keep up against he pressure of Asura's relentless assault. As the battle turns in your favor, the Champion of Tzeentch, Spera the Ninefold, interferes. Far from being caught off guard, his quick arrival is nevertheless able to interrupt your swings. However, She Who Darts Swiftly simply deposits a bomb in a cockpit of one of his Knights, catching the entire network off guard.

16+15
27-10, Minor damage

Round 2
94+15=109
91-3=88, Minor damage

Round 3
56+15=71
36-7=29 Moderate damage
Spera the Ninefold interrupt 82, damage prevented
She Who Darts interrupt, kills clone

Eagles 3 15 58
Spiders 26 33 63

Battle of Champions
Jack 28+15 major damage
Karl 83-7
Spera 36-10 (clone dead)-10(hacking), defensive focus
Daerla 83

The tide turns, both chaotically and not in your favor. Your forces take damage. Karl gets a good hit in as Spera is sent reeling by Daerla's assault killing a second clone. Killing Karl would inconvenience Leon, and so, you all press on, ordering your forces such that Karl can't disengage easily.

Battle of Champions
Jack 38+5
Karl 12-7-10, -5 lol
Spera 1 ow
Daerla 70

Daerla seems to have experience in dealing with Spera's clones, as she kills anothers and severly damages a fourth. You get in a great hit, as Asura is able to force Karl into outright tripping.

Eagle
22 67 84
93-10 27 53

The war stabilizes, in your favor.

Jack 31+5
Karl 27-20,
Spera, Retreats and gives cover to Karl
Daerla 43

Karl is too badly damaged to continue. Spera uses his sorcerers to cover both his retreat and Karl's. The pursuit is one.

Karl has sustained too much damage. Spera abandons him, and he seemingly accepts his fate, facing Daerla, the faster of you two.

Karl's last stand
11
Your response
1
Who lives? Jack is evens
3
Daera dies.

As Karl draws in Daerla, he holds off a fatal blow, simply so he can give his reactor a chance to detonate. Fortanutely, Daerla was the one closest, not you. Daerla dies in a great Conflagration.

For some reason. For some fucking reason, an agent of the King arrives to the battlefield, and drags Karl's soul off the battlefield, promising a ressurection.

Despite the boon the King granted, war is chaotic. The enemy only hears that that Karl is dead.

97 56 59
8 40 61, -10 to all, Khorne crit

One of the fronts is emboldened by the news. Despite the fierce resistance, you are able to press on on most fronts against a demoralized enemy. The foundry is in sight. So far, you have rejected all communications from the enemy, but now that Karl is dead, Leon communicates with you. You are here to kill him, not to talk. You only agree to a temporary ceasefire if you can meet in person.

You're not sure what is on Leon's mind as he agrees. He has kept himself far from the battlefield, and mustered many demons and bodyguards.

Once the Ghost Legion has confirmed that Leon is not a body double to the best of their abilities, do the two of you meet face to face.

You do not say any words. The second you see him, you tear through his bodyguards. He was prepared for you to try and kill him. Still, they stall you for a critical moment, enough for him to slip away. As he warps out, She Who Darts Swiftly also makes a strike of her own, simply disguising herself as a Tzeentchian Demon who doesn't fit the mold. She herself is able to inflict a fleshwound.

With the paranoia flooding this realm, the mutual accusations of dishonorable assassination attempts simply fill the air.

The short ceasefire gave Asura enough time to repair himself. The enemy will take note of how fast this was able to be accomplished.

You always knew this was only going to be a lull i nthe fighting, and so, your forces are able to pick up from where they left off.

Eagle 36 37 2
Spider 16 22 25

Leon desperately tries to stop you from claiming the foundry, and takes to the field personally.

Batlle
Jack 75+5
Leon 45-5

It seems that Leon shelled out for a custom Drukhari hacking defense. It will not last long, not before Asura's hacking capabilities. He uses his blessing of flight to emulate jumpjets, and darts around the battlefield, but it matters little to Asura's marksmenship. He takes major damage from multiple rounds.



He retreats, giving you an opening for another Assassination attempt.
99-10
56 vs 24, major demonic defender shattered
89 vs 46
Leon survival roll 74, major wound!

Eagles 1 61 40
Spiders 34 67-10 19
Two fronts wavering on your part.

If it wasn't for Belakor's demonic defenders, Leon would be dead. As it stands, She Who Darts Swiftly could only make a meal of his arm. Leon escapes to a bunker. It is unlikely you will be able to catch him.

Asura loudly proclaims victory over Karl and Leon both, harming the morale of the Spider's forces.

50 62 45
86 70 91, -10 to all, 2 fronts collapse, everyone reinforces the corridor to the Foundry.

Here, in the corridor, there is little aside from a mass of bodies that could stand in the face of Asura. The Spiders have nothing that can contest him. It is here the war shall be won or lost. Your forces taken too much damage to go for another strategy.

44+10 vs 69-10
Stalemate


The defensive specialty of the Vigilant Spiders shines through, even in the face of an AI.

75+10 vs 57-10

But the enemy has run out of warbeasts, and Asura can use hacking to full effect. He is gaining so much combat experience. You remember when you were scared enough of Grushal that you had to call for aid. He is tireless, and uncontested on this battlefield.

40+10 vs 45-10
23+10 vs 12-10
17+10 vs 57-10

It was three more days of steady advances, when the enemy unleashes a proper counterattack. Asura blunted the charge.

76+10 vs 38-10

Despite unleashing all they had in the end, your forces quickly rally and counterattack. You have taken the great foundry of Setis, in a stunning blow to Spider's logistics and honor alike. The damage both sides took was spread out across the military, not just the Knights. Two Champions of the Four clashed here, and a clan leader died heroically. Your voice will count for more influence at the Great Council, while the Spiders defeat will be remembered for some time.

As a cherry on top, you have She Who Darts Swiftly simply blow up the factory. You accuse Leon of defying the Knight's Code, by denying you your rightful prize. The Ghost Legion is able to cut through the haze of accusations. Leon's honor has been impacted severly.

As the world is yours now, and the foundry is in shambles, you simply loot it for all it is worth, taking many slaves and choice scrap. You even acquire some intel that is sure to be mildly useful in dealing with Leon later.

 

[Dynamesmouse]

With the Spider and Leon punished and your reputation burgeoning, you still need more influence. You decide to personally seek out Dova Brayhan the Eager, the Chapter Master of the Brazen Apes. Only legally a Great Clan, they consider themselves more of a Knightly Order than a clan. They do not train squires and give them Knights. They accept only Marked Khornates as members, and only those skilled enough to consider going for a Bloodname, with a bit more time and training. They have the fewest members, and the least non-Knight military or territory of them all. Most members spend their time questing, basically practicing Knightly extortion. They know how to shake someone down without the recipient losing too much honor. This legally encouraged extortion is their way of life.

Dova Brayhan eagerly seeks out worthy opponents, a rarity among the Clan Leaders. He does not seek to kill them, merely best them.

The moment you make it known you are looking for him, he makes it known he wishes test your mettle.

The two of you hit it off, though he's put off that you want to fight on foot instead of in a Knight. You explain that you wish to earn the title of Firestorm before you get stuck with the Gambler. You ask for an alliance with the Brazen Apes, he asks for a king's ransom of supplies, and agrees to a ground Duel in a Colluseum.

This will be a diffiicult fight, due to his Brass Collar. Your sword magic is sure to give an impressive show, but won't be very useful.

Dova is a favorite of the crowds. While your firesword wows the crowds, it seems they care more for Dova. You intend to take this fight slow, since you are more here to make an ally than to win.



Jack 40
Dova 35

Round 2

Jack 60
Dova 46

Dova uses an excessively flashy style. You try to match him. Neither of you are pressing the fight.

Crowd Pleasing
Jack 6
Dova 53

The crowd knows Dova. Chaos rarely loves an underdog. However, it seems the Slaaneshis have heard of your bachelour status, and do their best to present themselves as available, all the way in the stands.

Round 3
Jack 30
Dova 20

Round 4
Jack 46
Dova 92

Crowd Pleasing 2
Jack 39
Dova 49

As you get into a tempo of trying to wow the crowd, Dova decides he's going to start taking this seriously.

Round 5
Jack 10
Dova 34

Round 6
Jack 50
Dova 48

Crowd Pleasing 3
Jack 38
Dova 84

The crowd think they know the tempo of the fight, the blow Dova delivered to your head barely phased you, but it did force you to take him a bit more seriously. Dova can fight while showing off, you need to work at it.

Round 7
Jack 1
Dova 21

Round 8
Jack 35
Dova 78

Crowd Pleasing 4
Jack 90
Dova 2

You drop your sword. You cannot let the embarressment get to you. You have to quickly draw a pair of knives to fend off the assault. Dova presses the attack, confused by your move at first. You are not as used to using knives as you are swords, but they are Blades all the same to you. You accidentally slip into Oakheart style as a reflex for an attack.

The crowd goes wild at your spectacular display of pyromancy.

This has gone on for long enough, you feel.

Round 9
Jack 69+20 (taking this seriously)
Dova 38

Round 10
Jack 52+20
Dova 82

Crowd Pleasing 5
Jack 49
Dova 15

Dova can feel you get serious. From how confident you fight. He has to drop pleasing the crowd.

Round 11
Jack 57+20
Dova 7

Round 12
Jack 94+20
Dova 26

That's a 98 difference, did Jack just kill him? High=bad
68
fuck

Crowd Pleasing 6
Jack 35
Dova 18



You've overestimated Dova's endurance. He's not used to fighting for this long. You've gone through hell and back multiple times. Dova has made you bleed, enough that you can't afford to hold back without some questions. In your eagerness to end this fight, you've overestimated him.

He was supposed to parry, but you broke through his guard instead, as his injuries and tiredness caught up with him.

Many believed that Dova had the King's favor, that he was destined to become one of his Princes. But the King send someone to collect his soul.

The Brazen Apes did not like you killing Dova. They actually liked the guy. Regardless, they intend to keep to the word that Dova swore. They believe it was an accident that someone died in the arena today.

Scarra ascends as the new Chapter Master of the Brazen Apes decisively. While he does not like you, as Dova was his friend, he will keep Dova's word, especially once you offer part of that King's ransom that Dova asked for as your wager.

~

You decide that the Dark Mechanicus is a threat to be dismantled.

The Ghost Legion is happy to oblige.

The Fabricator Executor is found dead, as the technology of the Kingdom of Confusion has exploded, kill him. There is a great controversy over who killed him. Not all of the blame befalls the Kingdom of Confusion as you desired. They are also not likely to fall into civil war. They are disgustlying taken this about as well as they can, given how uncertain they are.

The Ghost Legion also tells you the Fabricator was a Tranth Clone. Weird.

~

Rampaging Crocodile takes the assassination frustratingly well. They've done the logicaly thing of withdrawing from society, hunkering down, and reducing the output of their forges. They know that there are dangerous things in the shadows. They do not jump to conclusions. They are not convinced that it was the Alpha Legion or the Kingdom of Confusion. They do not believe that they can acquire sufficient data, and devote all available manpower to to minimize the harm of spycraft, even if doing so harms their territories, social standings, or even factory outputs.

This well balanced response is never the less, cowardly in the eyes of the Knights. However, Kobas is now reeling. This is now four great clan leaders who have died in short order. You have destabilized this society far too much, and must now take some actions simply to alleviate the pressure.

The Ghost Legion tells you that while they would ordinarily leave at this point, the simple truth is they do not believe an exodus is possible at this point.

~

Reckless Crocodile is a problem. They are soon to be allies of the Kingdom of Confusion. They've shut down their society in a similiar way that Avernus does whenever it gets hit with a Chaos Incusion. While this costs them, it's the right play.

But they've made a fatal flaw. They've depended too much on their technology. The paranoia that grips the realm shields you, and so, you have Asura go on the offensive, against the Dark Mechanicus. You tap your Shifter allies. Some Senators resigned, to get ahead of some scandal. You send She Who Darts Swiftly.

While this might make Screaming Eagle less safe from the shadows, you see an opportunity to steal a great clan outright.

Asura, Shifters, Ghost Legion, and She Who Darts Swiftly are a terrifying combination. AI's are visible in the noosphere as unstoppable forces of sophistication, when they act. Asura holds back, not perfoming an all out assault, but instead hacks firewalls that the Ghost Legion find annoying. She Who Darts Swiftly installs bypass mechanisms in servers too closely scrutinized for Asura to subtly hack. The Ghost Legion acquire login credintials, and set up patsies to take the fall, as the Reckless Crocodile begins their hunt for spies. Meanwhile, all three of them work together to assist the Shifters take new rolls, as they do not merely infiltrate important personnel, they replace them outright.

The Ghost Legion gives the Reckless Crocodiles a false victory to feel confident in. Shifters steal the memories, implants, and places of key figures, and She Who Darts Swiftly deals with any emergencies as they pop up.

In the end, Asura installs the Armstrong nanomachines in the new clan leader, the only part of Reckless Crocodile Operation Spotlight found difficult to replace. He is the only one to understand just how screwed they all are.


59 vs 51

Next year, Reckless Crocodile will do as you say.

~

You have the Senate. You have the Media. You are the President. The only thing that isn't yours outright are your Bloodnames. Over time, you've been working with them, making them a part of your "inner circle", getting them to like and trust you.

100, 44, 8

A lot of them do. They're believe that an Unmarked President is going to do wonders for public order. Some are salty that they didn't see an opening for Clan Leader. You're pretty sure Nixon is talking with someone he really shouldn't be, but it's not a problem that you can't solve with an assassination.

But not all Bloodnames actually care about Democracy. Screaming Eagle was an old clan, before Amir'ka's diaspora. They are very insistent that now is the time for you to take the Mark of Khorne. Between the Mark, and some blessed equipment, you will secure dominance among the clans. They make some really good arguments. Not to you, of course, but among themselves. Taking the Mark is not an option.

You cannot dissuade them, at first. This isn't something they are relenting on.

But you hold your ground. Claiming that you are Just That Good. That your feats are yours and yours alone. That victory was yours alone, not to be shared with any but your allies, not a god.

They do not have the capacity to force you. They are not particularly swayed by your words, but, you do have an option. A very undesirable option. A compromise. Instead of swearing yourself to Khorne, you instead, just make yourself more... spiritually close to him.

~

It was something of a public ceremony. These disgusting blood rituals. You kill. You torture. You murder, and maim.

You coat yourself in the blood of warriors and innocents alike.

These people, they're assholes. Whether they deserve death or not for the threat they pose, nobody should die like this.

You kill Jack's own citizens. You burn and raze buildings to the ground. You are covered in blood, and the things you do will haunt you. You are soaking in Khornate taint. It could be worse.

This eight hour "ritual" is, naturally, a public spectacle. Some come out of the woodwork to test themselves against you, to say that they've crossed blades with the President. Some Nurglites see an opportunity to kill you, foolhardy as it may be. They all die to a man, for you are only permitted to spare only a single witness who crosses your path.

As you near the end of the ritual, returning to the Senate where you will be feasting on tainted human flesh, it seems that the old Khornate philosophical argument of whether it was "maim, burn, kill", or "maim, kill burn". You are asked, before the feast begins. You answer "Kill, Maim, Burn", and this is the correct answer, despite the fact that you use a superheated sword.

Somehow, just fucking somehow, Dona the Party Animal gets involved in this Khornate argument, and argues that instead of Main Burn Kill, it's instead,

A STEEL CHAIR TO THE FACE

Oh, that Senator is going to the hospital on the stretcher, with that sort of a skull bash.

The Shifters tap Holden Bloodfeast to interfere. Not to prevent escalation, no.

Holden Bloodfeast slugs Dona the Party Animal in the face. The respected bipartisan has just started a brawl on the Senate Floor!

What started as a mild Khornate philosophical issue has turned into a small riot. No one is drawing weapons, but between the shoving, the shouting, the miniature riot is just enough for the Shifters to swap the disgusting Blood Feat with something a little less tainted.


~

Five clan leaders have died in short order. Armstrong by you, Flemming by Leon, likely forced to by Flemming's paranoia. Karl died in a suicide attempt to take out Daera. You accidentally killed Dova, and then ordered Scayther's death.

The paranoia has reach a fever pitch. You have no choice but to go out and try to calm the general public. You're not even attempting to blame Belakor or the Kingdom of Confusion. You need stabiltity, here.

Jack's diplomacy rolls to calm things down
18, 68, 70

You have a hard time at first, but people aren't used to actually listening to the President of the Screaming Eagles.

But you've defeated Armstrong in a duel. You went to war against Vigilant Spider and killed their clan leader. Then you killed the Chapter Master of the Brazen Apen in ground combat. People are looking to you, once you give yourself a bit of distance from Screaming Eagle.

The Media in Screaming Eagle has a further reach than anybody in Kobas knows. Most simply laugh or rage at the spectacle, but few deny that New Columbia has an unmatched standard of living for most people. Kobas is more Undivided than it seems, once you get past the Knights at the top level of society.

Things are still unimaginably tense here, but you've got things to calm down somewhat.

Current Clan Layout

Blood Vipers (want to ally with Confusion against Trust)
Blood Dogs (tentative allies)
Brazen Apes (dissapointed allies)
Smouldering Jaguar (trade deal with Confusion)
Screaming Eagle (yours, honor gain)
Raging Orca (aloof)
Vigilant Spiders (Leon's, want to ally with Confusion, honor hit)
Reckless Crocodile (yours, honor hit)

Kobas Tension: High (do not let get too high or low)
Jack's Honor: High (somehow broke the President cap on Honor?)
Jack's Taint: 10/30
Leon's Honor: Taken a hit

Now, it's Leon's turn.