[X] Acceptable Secrecy: You will disappear after saving the children and all that. You will however, run it in one very different way: you will tell your kids. This could either end well, or terribly; your progeny are gifted, but young; it is not impossible they could let something slip.
For six-thousand years, the walls of Arnheim have stood on dread Naggaroth, a silent beacon of chivalry. Protected by the noble and valiant High Elven warriors, these colonists originally stood against the wildlife, the beasts of Naggaroth. The head-strong nobles of Tiranoc who came found challenges to their valor and their strength.
Then the Sundering came, and the greatest test of all came. Elf slaughtered elf, brother against brother, bodies piled higher than the great mountains of the New World; blood fit to swallow the walls. Near constantly the Dark Elves come, seeking to throw down this last, great fortress and feed its inhabitants to their dark god, Khain. It has only been by the wisdom of its rulers that it remains steadfast strong.
Kanobin has been no different, wise, strong, and defiant to the last in the face of the false king. This wisdom and strength is necessary, for the upheaval in Arnheim can be described as nothing less than monumental. Ever has there been a population of the un-elven in its walls, escaped slaves-- humans mostly-- but Finubar has taken that one step further, and in the taking birthed chaos. For you see, he has convinced Kanobin to open the ports to *all*, including dwarfs.
As you might expect, being that a great number of the elves of the fortress lived during the War of the Beard, this was not very popular. Lurid stories of the dwarfs slaughtering whole cities spread like fire, the stories of the whole families wiped out. Whether or not they are wholly true cannot be ascertained-- but they don't need to be to flame tensions. It has only been by the wise hand and deft cunning of the Dauphin that all has not fallen.
How unfortunate, then, that his children are so unfit to follow him.
His daughter, Aetra the Elder, embodies fully the sheer arrogance of the elves. Domineering, sneering, and cunning, she has a thirst for power and little understanding of the inherent responsibility of her position. There are those that whisper her cruelty is born not of her intrinsically, but for the cruelty of her peers-- the Belle of Arnheim may once have been...not so. Certainly, if you ask her brother of those times, he will tell the same...
Her brother, Amyan, is little better. A jester and n'er-do-well, he follows his whimsies wherever they might lead. He takes a special delight in tormenting his sister by his japes; indeed, Queen Bianca of the Dwarfs has her magic clasp thanks to this delight-- he stole a chunk of metal ripped from the Warp and worked it into the clasp, before giving it to his traveling companion.
With two such reprobates near the helm, it is unfortunate that the Druchii try so hard to kill Kanobin...
"I can live with telling near no-one where we are going. I can accept that, as much as anything else one can accept. But we must tell the children where we are gone to."
She gives you a look somewhere between surprised and delighted "And here I thought you might want to try and make assassination honorable." It poured out without thought-- but the look she gives you, as though she is afraid of how you might respond, says she wishes she could go back and stop. It's sad that it's fallen to this, but at the same time it is nice to have these things in the air instead of as an unspoken tension.
"I spent five years of my life killing beings because my goddess demanded it, for I knew she was good and right. I knew her heart was not so cold as to demand murder. I knew those who she believed deserved to die, deserved to die-- and often the way it was done was sore far from how the childish Knight I was might have done it, but often in the dark, with them knowing not my name nor my glories. Now, here, my wife whose heart my Lady has bound me to asks that I kill beasts for her? Dear, this shall be no difficult matter but only greatest ease.
Now then, what are we going to do first?"
Morgyan looks, surprised--but then you'd swear her eye flashes. It passes, though, as she pulls a map out from...somewhere, and stabs it in the big forest marked there. "There is something we need to do, beyond anything else. For the ritual proper, I need the blood of corrupted beings, to forge the knife what kills Mab. Not just any beings, either, but the worst of the worst. Psychopaths, serial killers, liars (tax collectors, in a pinch). There are two that strike me as possible, then.
You know of Sir Vrasbeltic?"
"Yes, yes. We fought together in the defense of Chateau Chaud. I imagine you are planning to make his disappearance, somehow, more depressing?"
"Less and more. To make a very long story short, he has been transformed into a wolf-- and only the person who did it to him can undo it. Meaning we will need to find out who, force them--"
"I am not killing that man."
"Oh no, he lives." Morgyan gives a cruel smile, one you have never seen on her before. It is likely the same smile she had as she dealt with those few bandits who escaped the day you met. "We are going to kill and rip the heart from whoever did it to them."
"...Acceptable. The other option, then?"
"A dozen women, disappeared like clockwork during Lily Day. A dozen, killed. I know where to find their killer, and he should fall swift to your blade."
"I'm sensing a but coming."
"The magics of the Traitor who cursed Sir Vrasbeltic will make their sacrifice more potent and draining on Mab, while the Lily Day killer is not so-- it will work, but she will be but dreadful in the dying. Given that you will take more risk in fighting both Mab and the Sacrifice, I feel only fair letting you decide who."
Well, that is something.
[] You might not be quite the naive boy you were once upon a time, but BY THE LADY ARE YOU NOT GOING TO LET A SERIAL KILLER GO *AGAIN*. No-one kills innocent women and gets away with it.
[] You will save Sir Vrasbeltic, and in the doing right this wrong, a decade in the making. You can also simply have Morgyan tell your kids who is the Lily Day killer, just one more reason you should be truthful and forthright among the many you've seen.
[X] You will save Sir Vrasbeltic, and in the doing right this wrong, a decade in the making. You can also simply have Morgyan tell your kids who is the Lily Day killer, just one more reason you should be truthful and forthright among the many you've seen.
[X] You will save Sir Vrasbeltic, and in the doing right this wrong, a decade in the making. You can also simply have Morgyan tell your kids who is the Lily Day killer, just one more reason you should be truthful and forthright among the many you've seen.
[X] You might not be quite the naive boy you were once upon a time, but BY THE LADY ARE YOU NOT GOING TO LET A SERIAL KILLER GO *AGAIN*. No-one kills innocent women and gets away with it.
[X] You will save Sir Vrasbeltic, and in the doing right this wrong, a decade in the making. You can also simply have Morgyan tell your kids who is the Lily Day killer, just one more reason you should be truthful and forthright among the many you've seen.
[X] You will save Sir Vrasbeltic, and in the doing right this wrong, a decade in the making. You can also simply have Morgyan tell your kids who is the Lily Day killer, just one more reason you should be truthful and forthright among the many you've seen.
It was hoped that Morathi's death might lead the Dark Elves to war amongst each other more than usual. Unfortunately, it was not so-- indeed, perversely in its own way, the death of Morathi has made the Dark Elves even more annoying, proving even beyond the grave her terror.
You see, the sort of hidden war that could be hoped for was brewing among the Dark Elves, as usual. However, before anything too fantastic might happen, a curve ball came. Some of the highest Dark Elven Sorceresses, Hag Queens included, came together under an anonymous invitation, they believed came from Malekith.
It didn't.
They headed to the manor. They believed they would be safe. They believed they would eat together. They believed it would be a relatively peaceful night.
It wasn't.
The sorceresses believed that, as Lady Vahler passed out the food and drink, Malekith was coming. They thought they would relax at the expense of their foe, Lady Vahler. They believed they were going to go home at the end of the night.
They weren't.
Instead, a powerful magic, or poison, killed half the assembled crowd. Worse might have happened that night, but it does not deserve printing by any decent person. In any case, with such blood shed the Dark Elves lost much-- but in turn a great many, powerful, sorceresses, have, to use the vernacular, "Got the fuck out of Dodge" by tagging along on slaving raids, to try and avoid the same happening to them. On the one hand, that is a lot of dead Sorceresses; on the other, it is not so many as might have come if the Dark Elves had warred amongst each other as you desired, and worse, they have unleashed themselves on a great many innocent people.
It is said, even, that Malekith might seek to make the Lady Vahler his--ulgh--mate-- and in the doing seat her atop the pile of Elven society at his side. She is far from Morathi-- but she can still be a pain.
The bloody Executioners had more betrayal, for the Love of the Lady!
Still, there are promising rumors from Karond Kar. Very promising.
[X] You will save Sir Vrasbeltic, and in the doing right this wrong, a decade in the making. You can also simply have Morgyan tell your kids who is the Lily Day killer, just one more reason you should be truthful and forthright among the many you've seen.
The kids can handle the Lily Day Killer, and this way we also save a noble Knight who is a friend.
[X] You will save Sir Vrasbeltic, and in the doing right this wrong, a decade in the making. You can also simply have Morgyan tell your kids who is the Lily Day killer, just one more reason you should be truthful and forthright among the many you've seen.
The sorceresses believed that, as Lady Vahler passed out the food and drink, Malekith was coming. They thought they would relax at the expense of their foe, Lady Vahler. They believed they were going to go home at the end of the night.
It is said, even, that Malekith might seek to make the Lady Vahlen his--ulgh--mate-- and in the doing seat her atop the pile of Elven society at his side. She is far from Morathi-- but she can still be a pain.
[X] You will save Sir Vrasbeltic, and in the doing right this wrong, a decade in the making. You can also simply have Morgyan tell your kids who is the Lily Day killer, just one more reason you should be truthful and forthright among the many you've seen.
[X] You might not be quite the naive boy you were once upon a time, but BY THE LADY ARE YOU NOT GOING TO LET A SERIAL KILLER GO *AGAIN*. No-one kills innocent women and gets away with it.
[X] You will save Sir Vrasbeltic, and in the doing right this wrong, a decade in the making. You can also simply have Morgyan tell your kids who is the Lily Day killer, just one more reason you should be truthful and forthright among the many you've seen.
[X] You will save Sir Vrasbeltic, and in the doing right this wrong, a decade in the making. You can also simply have Morgyan tell your kids who is the Lily Day killer, just one more reason you should be truthful and forthright among the many you've seen.
Give the kids a relatively easy starting Personal quest.
[X] You will save Sir Vrasbeltic, and in the doing right this wrong, a decade in the making. You can also simply have Morgyan tell your kids who is the Lily Day killer, just one more reason you should be truthful and forthright among the many you've seen.
Our son is quite capable of dealing with the mortal serial killer while we go curse breaking. A proper leader knows how to delegate after all.
[X] You will save Sir Vrasbeltic, and in the doing right this wrong, a decade in the making. You can also simply have Morgyan tell your kids who is the Lily Day killer, just one more reason you should be truthful and forthright among the many you've seen.
[X] You will save Sir Vrasbeltic, and in the doing right this wrong, a decade in the making. You can also simply have Morgyan tell your kids who is the Lily Day killer, just one more reason you should be truthful and forthright among the many you've seen.
"Invite everyone to a fancy dinner, then poison the lot" is a very old assassination plan, but the only specific time I can remember it being used was in Uncharted 4 (and the perp wasn't a woman).
