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Ribbon Prancer
a76809
>>275311
[Nope, unless specifically told otherwise I will assume you are using the cannon in its most powerful format, IE Chaos Order collision shots. This does not mean he automatically goes for his full speed relativity shot, but will go with the Soul Grave combat algorithm defaults for how much force to dedicate to identified targets. Also you CAN'T selectively target your soul sucking, that's the whole point, its an indiscriminate, violent AoE ability-you'd need to be as good as Weinsho or Mordecai to change that, even Kyorto couldn't help you, since Mordecai already altered it into this.]
>>275142
My first priority, with no active threat to be found, is to clean the Domintus camp of souls, and replenish my slowly dwindling supply. But I nevertheless set aside the Pure lady and a handful of male aged mages as potential vessels to possess-why not plan for eventual court appearances-and then set to feasting. With how much death has run rampant here, much remains to be claimed.
[PYROMANCY MASTERY GAINED: MORDRE CAN NOW GENERATE CONVENTIONAL FLAME AND MANIPULATE THEM AS WELL FOR LESS LETHAL PYROMANCY]
Amidst the wealth of common soldiers, I find those mass mages, and while they teach me little individually, enough were slain....
>>275310
[Fanart Bonus, Ekron can carry both]
...Phohn, have Ekron bring Murhyihal and Akeakam to the Gialgorren Islands, see what they can do for Burduko.
At once Administrtor Mordre
[GEOMANCY MASTERY GAINED: MORDRE CAN NOW SIMULATE A COLLECTIVE GEOMANTIC SPELL AND CALL CLAY SIEGE GOLEMS FROM THE GROUND.]
>-It takes one minute to summon one, fifteen foot tall clay siege golem, of comparable strength, if not durability, mobility or lethality, to Mordre.
>-Multiple can be summoned, but all summoned golems require energy to be constantly supplied to persist, with costs rising linearly.
>-Clay siege golems require general orders in the same sense that Soul Soldiers do.
>-At ten thousand souls, ten Clay golems could be sustained at once. Sustaining a Golem effectively means devoting potential Geomancy of your soul/Soul Grave to their maintenance-it does not mean you lose magic, it means you can't call on Geomancy while maintaining them.
Oh, so the trick to their golems-sustained crafting... this is within the realm of emulation, and looks quite exploitable given the breadth of my Magic expertise. Excellent.
[POMUMANCY BASIC KNOWLEDGE GAINED: MORDRE CAN NOW AMPLIFY THE GROWTH OF PLANTS, OR FORCE THEM TO WITHER.]
I finish my aerial cascade of ravenous feasting, claiming the few surviving wounded and the freshly dead alike, wiping the battlefield that was the Domintus camp clean of that spark of life.
[+16,217 SOULS-----TOTAL SOULS IN SOUL FURNACE: 27,018 SOULS]
Well, there are obviously more in the battlefield before me... but intermingling friendlies, and the potential bad image... I deduce that ultimately, I must ignore the even greater bounty, in favor of a more political sort of power.
>>275113
[Triple Fanart Bonus]
>>275120
>>275487
[Fanart Bonus]
After my mighty feast, during which time the Domintus forces continue to be routed, I cast one last look at my completely slagged overarmor pieces scattered about the field, before taking off, leaving the eleven bodies behind in the now completely soulless graveyard that was the Domintus camp. I turn my newfound Pyromantic mastery into teasing and twisting, stretching and spreading the output of my thrusters, creating translucent wings of flame that glitter in the night sky, no longer lit by Ekron's presence. I move slowly, making sure I catch the eye of the State defenders-as I keep a hand on the Ruin Revolver, Inverting conventionally accelerated rounds with easy, the regeneration of my Deep Spawn barrels letting me fire an unending staccato burst over my slow approach, peppering the enemy forces as glass-bottomed craters end up having a terminal habit of falling on the densest pockets of Domintus Forces, their already weakening structure so shattered that my allies start completely overrunning them in my wake.
At this point, the Azelhaedran State defenders have largely stopped even trying to fight, the majority gaping open mouthed as we steamroll through the Domintus forces, several thousand falling each second between all that assails them-and during our approach, I call out, with a cavalier, eccentrically friendly charm I feel has become natural to my persona.
"Friends, Azelhaedrans, Countrymen!
In this, our time of triumph[b], on the cusp of our valiant victory over the Domintus forces-
I ask that you lend your ears to Old Mage [b]Mordre!"
[HAM TRIGGER: 01/HAMSOAP HYBRID]
As Domintus forces start doing what is supposed to be unthinkable to them and begin throwing down weapons, those few thousands remaining, as I build steam, unable to ask for a more rapt and silently attentive audience than this.
>>275180
>>275185
" Two hours ago, this battle was all but over[ in favor of the other side!
Two decades ago though, this would be unconscionable, for such a force to even be such a dire threat!
For this was the Azelhaedran State! A force that even the Mosmorden empire had to recognize the strength of!
A state where the mages faced the soul powers of the Mosmorden empire, and did not lose!
-It was not long ago I returned to this place, and found a village called Trekel.
Instead of proud citizens confident of the safety of their State,
I found a place protected only by the merits that it was far away from the outposts and the capital.
A sheer irony isn’t it? That a place is protected by merit of distance, instead of proximity to those that were its supposed protectors.
I remember voices of relief, that a ‘proper mage[/b]’ had arrived once again.
I have met many a 'proper' mage in my life, and disagree with the usage.
I have seen many called proper that were merely political sycophants, thinking only of their position-
And NOT of their responsibility to the people, to the lands they live in!
Nonetheless, the state as is had a DECADE to solve the troubles of this State.
I instead only gave myself two days. Imagine the gall, to solve the issues of years of decay, with nothing more than my my apprentice and some tools of war?
For in those early days, this golem and a score of loyal soldiers were my only possessions, my apprentice my only companion.
A ‘proper mage’, a mage of a broken empire, would laugh at the folly to try with so few resources.
A 'proper' mage would resolve that, come some future date, they would surely handle them, and leave time to heal the wounds.
What does a true mage do then, a competent mage? A [u]true mage laughs at the face of realities restrictions each day! He demands that fire might obey his whims, that the rain would appear where there is none, that lightning help instead of harm, THAT HIS WILL BE DONE/[i] and that nothing stands in his way! I took but this golem, soldiers-tools of war… and in the span of [i]DAYS!/b] I had freed the soil from the oppressors, such a task as one would expect machines of war to perform; [b]however, I did not let the folly of limits stand in my way! I had this golem till the fields, the soldiers build defenses, I spoke to those who had no home, those of Hashwood who had the ‘luxury’ of being closer to the ‘state control’. I sent to them a place that had just been reborn, that had no real way to handle them, but KNEW! Knew, that their rebirth was complete. In two hours of work, I had accomplished that considered impossible by proper channels and proper supplies, by a state that has lost its noble luster.
Another problem was to be faced! For Bandits, the plague of the State outlands, held out nearby in an outpost, threatening more still than just those of Hashwood should they not be obeyed. So much so that in order to defend themselves, a village forsook their ‘proper’ protections, and took up the title of Republic of Trepany, doing what they could to defend THEMSELVES since none else would. With little more than a village's militia and my forces, we took down forces that had held an outpost for over TWO YEARS! Growing stronger, stealing the secrets held within, and arming themselves in ways that threatened much broader safety. With them thwarted, I could not rest-for what of those still oppressed, still hungering for freedom, for their old prosperity? The village of Shellik was given our aid, and they turned food resources freed from banditry into profit and power! Resources that to this day, I know have helped lead these villages to the thriving state they now enjoy once more! Centers of trade, that have grown and been reborn as promised by the arrival of a true, working force! Of true safety! Of true PRIDE in their homeland, and their corner of it!
Even in the ashes of despair, hope-no, JUSTICE was to be found. I soon visited what was Berluut-Only to find it razed, citizens unjustly and cruelly killed, slain by forces they could not withstand. Approaching this, did I retreat to ponder ramifications, or turn my attentions to some broad concept of victory in order to appease my pride? NO! I immediately chased the perpetrators down, determined to bring to justice those who had slaughtered an entire village. I was on my own, left only with those that caused the fall of Berluut, and more forces headed their way. Did I hesitate or withdraw, Upon seeing the scope of the battlefield my quarry had fled to? No! The butcher was butchered! And I even found the time to aid the ‘proper’ forces of the state, to give them a victory against such villains as still control so many of this state's outposts! "
I pause, as the last din of battle ceases to clamor behind me, and I float closer to the main Capital gate, Eisenhardt fixing me with a knowing frown intermingled with far more complex emotions as Ulzrick, Vespinto-and Ozrick, Ozmand's disciple I met long ago-all grin like idiots, still clearly basking in the glow of victory. I see thousands upon thousands of faces glued on me, not just soldiers but builders and workers-even those with the clean, expensive look of politicians, of officials. I decide to conclude my speech before they get close enough to disturb my rhythm-My first impression will be striking, no matter what they may try.
Ekron has reached the Gialgorren Islands, comrade Burduko receives treatment. comrades Murhyihal and Akeakam conclude it exhaustion, and will have him awake shortly
In these two hours, more has once again changed than in a decade of this state's current administration. I find it an insult to the proud people of Azelhaedra! I look at the leaders, the decision makers that allowed such battle at the capital for multiple days, unable or unwilling to fend off such a threat to this nation's heart-and then I look to my forces, who forced resolution in a mere two hours. In two hours, a decade of decay personified in the slow crush of an invasive siege, to now repelling such dogs like the State of old would have! For that was the True Azelhaedran State. We do not need a ‘proper’ Azelhaedran State like we have seen for so many years, mired in bureaucracy and indolence as decay continues to bring a once mighty nation down, nor do we need to simply stop the rot and resist further losses!
Those in finery pushing through the crowds have far more troubled faces than before, and several become more agressive, more desperate in their approach-as I see lights in the eyes of onlookers, a glimmer of hope, of a nostalgic desire for 'the good old days' being tapped, turned to my favor. I pick up my voice just as I see one of the officials attempting to speak over me.
"I Intend to bring back the True Azelhaedran State! No longer shall those who were sacrificed to the ‘proper’ state have spent their lives to defend what is now a shadow of its former glory! In honor of those who fought, who persevered, who dared defy what is proper for what is True, for those that simply did what had to be done and protected their home. I Invite all who share this vision of a True Azelhaedran State to join me! For in the last two hours, we have defeated Albert Weinsho, a well-known 'hero' of the Mosmordren War, a powerful soul mage who committed vile crimes in the pursuit of power, who directed his malicious influence against the state-we drove off Aurockoth the Reaper Made Flesh, that living weapon that no longer knows friend from foe, The Pure Lady was slain as were the last three Knight Captains with her, even her Soul Grave was bested-in all, forces that all threatened the State-TODAY WE HAVE DEFEATED A GOD! Would a proper mage dare attempt these feats? I think the last long years can give you that answer. A single True Mage can defeat a god when it dares reality, what can a single unified True Azelhardran State do then? A place that mastered War and Mages, and still holds that power. I invite all of you to join me in reclaiming the powers of the past and paving the way for future glory! For I shall no longer stand by as I watch proper mages decay what has been built. This war has cleansed the slate of decay! The True Azelhardran State shall be awoken by the taste of victory once more! We have defeated a god in these last two hours!"
The crowds enthused din, the murmurs of excited consideration, feeding off the priase I give them in sharing the credit for what were largely my accomplishments. I can practically feel their egos swell, and a general sense of Chaos, of Change, begins to overtake the crowd, still glued to me-and far more invested, as I see many of the officials now shouting, calling out to soldiers that don't respond, a look of restored national pride gleaming in their eyes. I prey on this human weakness to always yearn for past glory, combining it with the ample competence I and my forces just displayed. Not only do the State citizens seem enthused, the soldiers all look ready to follow, obviously expecting me to lead them to a glorious victory as a self titled, self proven 'True' Mage..... and perhaps see if I am worthy of their respect. Many reasons can compel a man-and I tap one of the most basic:
"With the full support of a True State, WE SHALL ONLY NEED TWO MORE DAYS TO CLEAR THIS LAND OF THE FILTH AND BANDITRY THAT A DECADE OF NEGLECT HAS GIVEN IT! WHO WISHES TO LEND THEIR STRENGTH TO RESTORING OUR GREAT NATION!?"
Just before the resounding shout, a set of magically amplified voices call out, a last gamble to preserve their order.
>"AND WHAT MAKES YOU WORTH LISTENING TO, HM? WHAT PROOF DO WE HAVE YOU ARE RESPECTABLE, AND NOT A DANGEROUS UPSTART!?"
Military habit kicks in and the soldiers stop, looking back to a collected group of those in regal attire, before turning back to me, looking for an answer.... I have the feeling they will check what I say, what proof could I offer-
"I believe I have a solution."
-That whisper-
"In fact, I can smooth several complications obstructing your climb to national power now and soon to come."
Lenryt what-
"Observe."
A soft, girlish voice, swollen without distortion to shake the ground yet no louder than a scream presses down on the world as Lenryt speaks more openly-and in Eisenhardt's eyes I see genuine fear, cautiously restrained.
"A MORE PERFECT INTRODUCTION COULD NOT BE ASKED."
The night sky is stained brilliant lavender and violet, periwinkle and indigo all weaving together, solid light that writhes and twists, space folding in what must be an unnecessarily flashy entrance-
As into existence does the little girl Lenryt appear, the transpacial weight of her soul suppressed for now as her intensely violet eyes look up, from her perch midair on what appears to be a slightly aged and exceptionally plush armchair, the pieces of some board game floating amidsts sparks above her hand as she continues, her voice now softer-yet still shaking the world. I see rancid fear in the faces of several officials, but only admiration among the populace-many clearly recognizing the Grand Elder Mage, one of the now five Elder Mages, slayer of the other two. ...What is she.
"I am aware many among you know who I am, and as you likewise understand I have many duties I must attend to, I shall be direct. I came here because the Esteemed Mage Mordre here, operator of this Soul Grave you see here, has earned an Honorary title as Master of both Spatial Manipulation and Golemcraft, and is to be accorded the same respect as a Master Mage of the Mortal Coil itself. I believe the fact he is being given such prestige would be adequate proof he is sufficiently trustable and likewise capable to accomplish what he has proposed-would you not agree, Honorary Master Mage Mordre?"
"With this," she continues within the shielded walls of my mind, blindly casting her words into my thoughts.
"I do believe I have caught you. Attempt to reject what I propose-which will become quite legitmate, I assure you, and can been spread to every Mortal Coil outlet in an hour-and your attempt to wrest control of the state into your own hands fails. Accept, and be gifted with a set of teleportation rings one hundred feet in diameter keyed to your soul, placed at the capital and every Magitech Research Outpost in the state, all eighteen, including the Arcanoworks, Blue Knight's three, Weinsho's three, the remaining State controlled four, and the seven remaining controlled by bandits, outlaws, vagabonds mercenaries. It should perfectly back your claim of Spatial Mastery, only able to be activated by your soul, and the Golemcraft can explain your remote manipulation, your pet World Parasite and minion Deep Spawn. In short, it makes your proposal easily able to be accomplished in hours and will make your attempt to claim control by popular support as likely of success as I estimate it can without destroying the mortal's suspension of disbelief."
She smirks so softly, so coquettishly as her piercing gaze flicks my way, and the runes on my skull sizzle.
"As you decided you will deny me access to your thoughts, you must choose to either end up serving me anyway, or see your carefully wrought plans fall to ruin. I will not allow a Piece as influential as you to run about unknown and outside of my domain."
She tips her head incrementally as she adds a finishing flourish to her mental commentary, smile now knowing... and strangely gentle. ...I still sense no active threat from her, despite-
"The choice, of course, remains yours, as it should. Now, Mordre, aberration that claimed true existence for itself..... choose your path."
...............
Should I accept Lenryt's twist to my introduction to the state, effectively insuring my successful takeover while making me an agent of Lenryt, even if vicariously? If so do I want to target Weinsho's based first, or some of the Bandit outposts?
OR
Should I reject her intrusion, and attempt to soldier on and still claim public support? If so how do I plan to recover, and what should I say?
>Pick one or the other please.
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