2/3 Clamp 2016/11/27(Sun)03:03 No. 761820 ID: bfb318
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>"Hey!"

Some weird thing is looking at me. I think it was trying to shout.

"Who the hell're you?"
>"I'd love to answer that whenever someone asks me that, but you haven't named me yet!"
"Oh. You that kobold I came here to rescue?" Never did come up with a name for her.
>"Yeah then you got stabbed!"
"Yeah cause I'm a dumbass who can't stop making promises. First person of your kind I get buddy buddy with, and then I go promise 'yeah I'll get a sword poked through me to make sure your kid lives past childhood.' You know what though? From my sight, it looks like it worked. You see the guy I got stabbed by?"

... huh. I got clean bandages.

>"No, because I can't see through gravestones."
"You're damn right he's dead. Wait. You're talking. How long was I out for?!"
>"A couple of days."
"Guess when you grow up that short, you don't need that long to grow up. No one's killed me in my sleep, huh?"
>"Your head is a real credit to gnoll smartness, huh. You're the chief, dummy."
"Fuckin' knew it. Dumb as shit rules we got."
>"Yeah, but you're alive 'cause of it, so you can't complain."
"I can and will. Never wanted to be a damn chief."
>"You can boss people around, though."
"Then as my first act as Chief, I'm naming you."
>"You were supposed to name me anyway!"
"Yeah I'm just buying time cause, eh, uh... name, got to think up a name... Shabin. There you go."

She changes her facial expression from glaring to different glaring.

>".... that's just my mom's name!"
"Yeah well, dead people don't need names."

3/3 Clamp 2016/11/27(Sun)03:04 No. 761822 ID: bfb318
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>"Holy shit!"
"What."
>"You're a jackass!"
"And you're the highlight of your own species brainpower too, aren't ya. Figured that out all on your own. What, you don't like it?"
>"No, I like it!"
"Settled. Now, if I can't complain about becoming chief, neither can you, cause if it weren't for that, you'd probably be dead or... somethin'."
>"Or nothing! I wasn't in any danger! Some lady took care of me and fed me scraps and made sure no one hurt me too bad!"
"Yeah that sounds like a real lux... huh, so they weren't gonna eat you or sell you as a joke of a slave or nothin'?"
>"No! I was fine!"
"So why'd I come over here?"
>"Cause you're a dumbass!"
"Shit. Well if you're gonna hang around here, you're gonna have to get over luxuries like 'living for long' and 'not being surrounded by jackasses all day'. Wait a second, thought you were goin' off with some girl to go live with your own kind or somethin'?"
>"She ran away."
"The fuck and my next order as Chief is for you to shut that mouth of yours! Where the hell did you learn to speak like - Whatever, just get along with whatever kids are around."
>"I punched one in the face and he punched me back. So I punched him again."
"Damn, you're already fitting in."

So... what now?

next order, to ourselves: set everyone straight, we are the captain now.

This clan has been very active and your also had a lot of conflicts. All thing considered, who are our current enemies?

Try to get some breakfast.

Forgive me, but, I'm not sure what your problems are, Clamp. Aside from finding a shirt that can contain those thews of yourn.

I guess if you want to leave or find this kid some more of her kind to live with, then you'll need to earn some loyalty and respect from them so they'll go along with what you want. Well, once you're fit you can lead some raid or whatever to get something they want.

Let's see, how to be a leader.
1) Being feared is better than being loved, but better still to be both, and avoid being hated before anything else. If you have to be cruel then get it done all at once so you don't have to keep doing it all the time.
2) Bread and circuses. By which I mean keep their bellies full and their brains entertained and that'll be 99% of your problems solved before they happen.
3) Keys to power. You can't do everything by yourself so find out who else is in charge of things beneath you and keep them happy. If you can't keep them happy replace them with someone you can.

There you go, recipe for success.

1/3 Clamp 2016/11/27(Sun)06:48 No. 761843 ID: bfb318
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... ...

>Being feared is better than being loved, but better still to be both
Heard that before, but putting fear in a gnoll is as easy as putting a fist in their face. What's hard is finding a gnoll that loves getting punched in the face.

2/3 Clamp 2016/11/27(Sun)06:49 No. 761844 ID: bfb318
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... ...

"What now? Don't just keep staring at me."
>"You're the chief! You say what's now."
"Tell me about it. Cept with less being a bitch. Now I gotta go set everyone straight."
>"If you wanted to do that, why didn't you become a chief sooner?"
"Cause setting gnolls straight is like getting the ocean to quit making waves. Wait. I know what now. I need to get up and get some food and figure out how many enemies we got."
>"Nope nope nope. Lady says you've got to sit still if you wake up!"
"I'm the goddamn Chief I can get up if - "

>Gnolls need food
Damn, I hope the clan's been fed while I was out. Considering I got all my limbs, I'm assuming they had food to go around.

"Nevermind, I ain't turning down breakfast in bed. Get her over here with some food if she wants me to stay in bed so much. And bring her over anyway! I take it she at least knows who's in second charge around here."

Shabin waddles off.

"And bring me a shirt, Shabin!"

'Lady' must be that matron. Don't see many of those, but then again, don't see many gnoll clans with 60 or more gnolls. Plus, dunno if that count was before they assimilated my clan into them. Hopefully she knows what's up, but every matron I've ever seen just sits around and acts as an absorbant to all the kid pesterings, so that the adults don't gotta deal with it. They don't even fight or anything.

3/3 Clamp 2016/11/27(Sun)06:50 No. 761845 ID: bfb318
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>"Clamp, is it?"

... huh. Ain't that new.

"Matron, yeah?"
>"Yes."
"I got some questions."
>"I'd be concerned if you didn't. No matter how loyal we are, I would be unnerved to see a chieftain that did not care to hear the state - "
"Where's the damn food you were supposed to bring?"
>"... It's coming. Breakfast was already put away."

>"... is that all?"
"How many enemies do we have?" That puts her face in a reliefed look to hear me ask a question that ain't about me and me alone.
>"With a new chieftain is a new clan. Clans may still want a defensible spot like this, but the enemies we've had by bad blood no longer apply."
"... there's no damn way it's that simple."
>"Some of your originals says you were never Chief till a few days ago. Are you even aware of clan workings?"
"Are you?"
>"I've worked with Wind on Chief matters for years, and helped keep a clan this big glued together. I know know more about a Chief's work than most Chiefs. While you were out, I've been leading the camp."
"Son of a bitch I didn't know being Chief meant I'd get more sass than ever."
>"We aren't easily pushed around, and we're going to be showing that. But we are loyal." She's real quick to add that last part. Gnolls'll always be puffing out their chests I guess, always afraid the tougher ones'll bite off their spines if any weakness is shown. Guess it makes sense the chief gets more sass, come to think of it. Yeah, come to think, she does sound like she's been finding a tight line to walk.
"Yeah well, you can pretend to be Chief-by-extension or somethin' till this wound clears out."

She gives the babiest excuse of a smile. Wait a second, that's a look that people give me when they think I just admitted I don't know shit about a subject. Damn. Not like she didn't already catch on already, though.

Guess I just gotta remember what made me want to punch my old boss. Hunger, lack of fear of him. Huh. No wonder I wanted to punch him a bunch.

"Maybe I'll go raiding or something to -
>"You will do no such thing!"
"Damn, you're right, my sword! Where's my sword?"
>"As good as broken."
"What." Shit, now it's gonna bug me and I won't be able to think till I get a good sword back on my back.
>"We do have a forge capable of smelting iron. We have a blacksmith, too. He might be able to resmelt your beloved sword."
"You makin' fun of me?"
>"... I'm sorry. I know how attached one can get to a survival tool."
"Damn right. Now what you mean, 'might?'
>"He's... a rookie."
"The hell is this camp doing with a forge that can work iron, but no good blacksmith?!"
>"Some of your men killed our good blacksmith."
"Motherfuckers!"
>"Yes, that's what we said."

Ask her what the hell you can do if you can't get up or raid. Be annoyed when the answer is some variation of 'talk'.

How are supplies holding out? Does the clan have any problems other than a lack of a good smith? Where can we find a good one or train ours up? How likely is he to fuck up the sword?

>>761845

"Well since I'm stuck sitting here and this chief stuff isn't going to go away, get me up to speed on what the hell I'm supposed to be doing when I get up. I never asked for this."

also grumble a bit about that food and find out how your guys are doing with the new situation

Well then you need to get a good blacksmith. Or at least hire one. You know, you'd really do better with a steel sword than an iron one, boss.

Well, time for all the basic questions, I guess. Where do you live? Who lives nearby? What are the strengths, resources, weaknesses and deficiencies of any other clan or town or whatever that lives nearby, and same question about yourselves. How do you usually make your living, how do you usually get things you can't make yourselves? Do you hunt, farm, herd cattle, raid, or what? Did that blacksmith get his metal from your own mine or trade? Do you keep slaves yourselves, or take them for selling? Is there anything around that you gather and sell?

Are there any special challenges to survival around here? Particularly dangerous animals, dangerous places, big seasonal changes? Big winters or drought seasons that need stocking up for? Any local kings or whatever that try push you for taxes? Any supernatural whatnot?

What kind of world do you live in, basically?

So how long until the boys hear you're up. I imagine word travels fast. Does she think they'll just accept it if they hear they're working their backs to the bone while the chief sits on his ass all day?

>>761845

Have the matron give you the sitrep resource- and neighbour-wise.

Ask the matron if her people uses bow and arrows. Or do you remember if they did?

If so, get that blacksmith kid working on turning your broken blade into arrowheads, and one knife, for practice, unless the matron has a suggestion for more utilitarian things for him to practice on.

Arrowheads first, then knife. Point is, train the tyke up some before he gets started on something as ambitious as a sword. You can't do crap with a crap weapon, after all.

If any of the clan's got any spare passable weapons, tell 'em you'll want to evaluate 'em. If some gormless idiot is walking around with a good weapon but doesn't know how to use it yet, that counts as a spare weapon.

Once the arrowheads are done tell the Matron she ought send hunters out to practice with the new arrows (as an excuse to busy a bunch of 'em and get some more game in so as not to have to worry as much about the food situation).

get a list of important members of the clan and their roles

>>761845
Ok, I need all the info of settlements near us we have. We aught to find (and enslave) a blacksmith that can teach our boy a thing or two and help with the orders in the meantime. A gnoll clan ain't nothing without a good blacksmith.

We have enough means for a small raid to acquire one in the settlement nearby?

First order of business is to figure out what stuff your guys broke during the "takeover" and get it fixed. Once they see you fixing your "mistakes" your new tribe will like you better.

As for why no one killed you while you slept? Well they can't have liked the old chief much. And no one wants the job so are hoping you do better than the last guy.

New rule, keep the blacksmiths away from the fighting. I don't want to go through the trouble of getting one that doesn't suck just to see them get killed and have to start over again.

How's the clan doing with food? We didn't kill all the foodsmiths too, did we?

Well, if you can't impress people by displaying combat power from right out of your sickbed, maybe you can do the same with other forms of physical prowess. You guys admire virility, right? As Chief, assert retroactive droit du seigneur to display dominance. Begin by helping yourself to a handful of those honkers beside you, there. You've been missing action for a few days, after all!

... Nah I'm just kidding. You can take care of that sort of thing later.

If you've just merged two clans into one, you need to start getting them friendly with each other. A nice big project to share the work on should do well. And I just so happen to have one in mind! From what I gather, your two clans just had a fight. You'll have both lost some of your fighting power, a bunch of you are probably in recovery, and you have a new untested leader. It's right around this time that anyone else around you will want to see how strong you still are, especially if you've got a nice desirably defensible position like she said.

Well, a defensible position can be defensible-er! Those cliffs all around you make it hard for people to get in at you without falling and breaking their necks, but those trees up there make it look like there's space to stand, and people could just fire arrows down at you. It'd be easy for them to sneak up there through the cover, too. Fortunately, a bright side to you both losing people means whatever supplies you had will now stretch further, and you can spare more people from finding food. Tell your people to get up on the ridge and start clearing the trees, and use the wood to build a palisade wall up on top of the cliff, with some (defensible) ladders and stairs to get up there. Maybe a watch platform or two. Put a bit of a wall and a gate in that pass into this place, as well. You'll need more space here for both your clans anyway, so it's a good idea to expand the digs and build some new shelter/homes with that lumber, too, and maybe a longhouse for longhousey purposes, feasts and hanging out and holding chief court and so on, if there isn't one already. Do some upkeep on whatever you still have, too. Make sure people from both your clans are involved in the hard labor. People will need to make rope and stuff, as well, so people who can't move much can still take part and feel useful. Make sure everything's for communal purposes, not any particular person.

Everyone will be able to show off their strength and constructive skills, and know that they're safer thanks in part to their new comrades. The new wall shall be a symbol of the security and unity of your freshly joined clan!

1/3 Clamp 2016/11/27(Sun)19:07 No. 761982 ID: bfb318
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"If there's no raiding and no getting up, what am I doing and what am I supposed to be doing?"
>"Recovering on both counts."
"... that ain't gonna sit for long, woman. How're supplies? We didn't kill all the foodsmiths, did we?"
>"Har. No, we've got supplies. It's business as usual for our hunters. We've lost numbers, but now everyone's better equipped, and it's less mouths to feed."
"Any other problems than a lack of a good smith and my lack of a good sword?"
>"Hm... trivialities, I'd say. The fighters will want to raid before too long, and there's been tension between your old clan and our clan merging."
"Anything serious?"
>"Just scuffles."
"Back to my sword. How likely's that smith gonna fuck up my sword?"
>"Not so bad that he'd somehow ruin the metal remolding it."
"Yeah tell him to get to it. "

The food comes and I stop talking for awhile.

2/3 Clamp 2016/11/27(Sun)19:07 No. 761983 ID: bfb318
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>You know, you'd really do better with a steel sword than an iron one, boss.
Yeah I'd be so rich to own a steel sword.

"'bout a good blacksmith. We find one, or we train up ours. How long would the latter take?"
>"A couple weeks of dedicated practice. He knows the basics, he just didn't have the practice."
"Ain't goin' that long without my sword."
>"No..." she sighs. "I didn't think so."
"Any other clans around with a blacksmith we can 'hire'?"
>"What? Hire?"
"No ya dumb... I was - forget it, I meant steal. Capture and keep 'em on our side. Or enslave a human blacksmith or something. We got any of those?""
>"Humans? No, we're pretty deep into gnoll territory. The humans you brought to help take over were the first humans we've seen in a long while.."

Right, we only enslave other species, and I didn't smell anything different.

"Do we got the means to make a raid to snatch one?"
>"We could, if we knew about them. We know of some clans, but to be honest... we had deals and agreements with the other clans, but they were in Wind's name. They gave us tribute. Once Wind died, our scouts said that a lot of them saw this as a chance for a power change. Chances are, there's going to be a shift in leadership all around us. We'll keep you updated, and, I'll tell the scouts to specifically search for a blacksmith. But right now, all our data from just a few days ago is outdated now."
"Yeah. Do that. What else got broken? Figure if we're gonna merge, it's only fair our clan fix up what's broke."
>"Your clan had... no trade skills, Clamp. None. They're good fighters and scouts, but they can't fix fence even a termite would want to live in."
"We had some, then they got harpy'd. You know what? No more fighting for tradeskill people. Tired of losin' them. Speakin' of making fences, for a defensible area, sure looks like people can just stand up on those clifftops overhead and take some shots. If you guys are so great at building shit, how about we get some watch platforms and some walls and all that stuff."
>"Actually, you killed a couple of our better carpenters-"
"Fuck! Well get both of our old clans on somethin together."
>"Some of us know a little woodworking, but we're not engineers, Clamp. We can search for people that can make buildings - "
"No, focus on a blacksmith! You guys use bows and arrows?"
>"Yes."
"Then it ain't selfish of me to focus on getting a blacksmith."

Shabin comes running up.

>"I got you a shirt!"

...

>"It's the biggest one they'd give me!"
>"I'll talk to our tailor." says the Matron. "We at least have one of those."

3/3 Clamp 2016/11/27(Sun)19:08 No. 761984 ID: bfb318
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"Now I know word travels fast, and I know Shabin spent more time talking about how I woke up than she spent being useful. How's the mood about having to work asses off while the chief just sits in bed all day?"
>"I'm telling them if they want to get a couple days off, I could stab them through their midriff."
"... you ain't bad, Matron."

Yeah she mutes her facial expression, but she's beaming.

"Alright, who's important around here and what's their names? Anyone dumb enough to be aiming for Chief?"
>"Grasswind, Wind's daughter, will want to fight you as soon as possible. She's on guard duty so she doesn't bug you before you're healed. Hmm... Patch and Stitch are the tanners, Lasher is our bowyer, Gempusher is our jewel cutter, and Hitstick our tailor, and Sheepweaver is our shepard."
"... 'Hitstick'?"
>"Is that a problem?"
"That name is stupid."
>"You can rename him, if you li - "
"Hold on did you say jewel cutter? Wait, and a shepard?!"
>"Wind liked jewels. And yes, I know keeping sheep is unusual for us."
"Unusual?! It ain't gnoll-like. Neither of those things."
>"Gempusher can do other tasks, and as for sheep, if you still want to get rid of the sheep after winter, you won't cause any hard feelings."
"Eh whatever. Anyone else?"
>"Hmmmm... no, not really. Everyone else either has menial labor, or is a scout or a fighter. If you like, I can have the scouts come in and tell you who they think are going to be new chiefs of surrounding clans, and which clans might split up."
"Egh, spare me the maybes. I ain't doing shit till I have my sword anyway."
>"We have other swords, you know, if you're going to be an insecure baby until you have one."

Jewels can be traded and sheep provide wool and emergency food. You can look them over and make them prove there value to the tribe later.

Grab that sword and thank Matron. Then have her start marching people in here for meetings.

If they give you crap kill a unimportant looking one while still in bed.

>Gempusher is our jewel cutter
Why do we have a jewel cutter? Are we sitting on a mine or something? Are we selling jewels to non-gnoll fancypants?

If we were importing jewels just to cut em, that's kind of a waste of effort, for now.

(That does mean he's good with his hands and with fine tools, so he might be good for other craft work).

>Sheepweaver is our shepard
Hey, it's free food without hunting if things get bad, and free wool otherwise. So long as you aren't traveling in a warband, it's not like having sheep around is an inconvenience or anything.

>"We have other swords, you know, if you're going to be an insecure baby until you have one."
A piece of metal is better than nothing, but if it ain't mine, it still ain't mine.

>I can have the scouts come in and tell you who they think are going to be new chiefs of surrounding clans
What we got to worry about round here besides the other gnolls?

>>761983
Are you saying steel forging is a trade secret? You'd think it would be common knowledge by now considering how easy it is to accidentally make...

>>761984
Excuse me? That's a toothpick, is what that is. Unless they have something lying around comparable to your old sword you'll just feel silly. Is the blacksmith apprentice skilled enough to cast an iron slab with a hilt on it, then sharpen the edges?

>>761986
She said Wind liked jewels, so looks like he just ordered someone to make him jewels.

>>761987
Good steel's expensive as shit unless you have industrial-era manufacturing processes.

Ask if they're actually any good and then ask if you're too injured to fuck.

That wall still sounds like a good idea. It doesn't take much carpentry skill to chop down some trees, roughly smooth the sides and make points on one end, and jam them into the ground next to each other. Besides, if we don't have any carpenters any more, then we'd better bloody get started on having some again, right?

keep people in their professions unless it causes problems

>>761984
Jewel's we can trade. Wool too, if it's not too late or soon to shave the sheep. Honestly, the tailor could make refined goods out of that wool.

>>761989
Find the best surviving carpenter. have 'em start training any of the menial laborers who show the slightest interest in woodwork, as well as anyone who already knows how to handle an axe but is below average in bloodthirstiness.

It might be good to have Gempusher work on stonecraft, then they can cut stone when there aren't any gems at hand and add to the materials needed to reinforce the camp. This also might lead to finding more gems to cut and ore to smith.

>>761984
>The sword Matron is currently holding.
"What the fuck is that supposed to be?! Is that a backscratcher or a toothpick or something?!"

Clamp 2016/11/27(Sun)23:59 No. 762015 ID: bfb318
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>Are you saying steel forging is a trade secret?
Nah, pretty sure most blacksmiths that can work with iron can work with steel given the right tools, but making steel is a pain in the ass. Now that I'm chief, even if I did get a good blacksmith, it'd be a damn lot more helpful to make a shitton of iron things than a few steel things.

"Looks like ya got toothpicks! Did you see the size of my sword?!"
>"Swords don't have to be half your size to be useable."
"That's how I like 'em and that's how I'm gettin' them! What're the threats other than other gnolls?"
>"Around here? That's about it. If we expand too far then we'll start getting into other race's territory, but like I said. We're deep in the gnoll heartland."
"Huh. And 'bout those jewels, we got some? I ain't Wind, so unless there's some reason to keep 'em, may as well sell them off."
>"We'd need to find a buyer. Wind was the only one with interest, and everyone else for miles around us all wants to sell jewels, so join the line."
"Goddamn. Huh. Is stoneshover or whoever actually doin' stuff with jewels?"
>"No. We only came across looted gems. He's out of gems, though."
"Well then get 'im on stonecarvin' or something!"

She laughs.

>"Did you think he was just out there cloud watching? He's a jewelcrafter, but of course we have him doing other things when necessary."
"Yeah well, build some shit anyway! Unless they cry when they get a splinter, I want some walls, no matter how shitty they might look. Maybe I need to talk to some of these guys, cause this whole clan is sounding goofier the more I learn. So unless you want to fuck while we got the privacy, go fetch me some gnolls."
>"Please. You'd realize why I don't want you even standing up. I'll bring some gnolls over. Who do you want to see? I can also bring some scouts and fighters over, if you'd prefer the rank and file."

... I could tell her that, but it looks like a couple idiots are eavesdropping just outside the tent. I can smell 'em, and they aren't exactly noiseless.

>>762015
Yeah how about you just get those nosy noses in here.

>Please. You'd realize why I don't want you even standing up.
Then you can go find yourself a gnoll gal and I'll watch. I ain't judging.

>... I could tell her that, but it looks like a couple idiots are eavesdropping just outside the tent. I can smell 'em, and they aren't exactly noiseless.
Go grab the idiots hanging outside the tent. If they're so eager to see me, they get to go first.

>>762015
"I can smell and hear you guys out there! Either get your asses in here and say something or get your asses back to work!"

Clamp 2016/11/28(Mon)00:44 No. 762021 ID: bfb318
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"Well I ain't in a hurry to get up while I got an excuse, so you go off and find someone you like. And on your way out, tell those two snoopers to either get their asses in here or back to work!"

Matron sucks in her breath, and leaves.

>"You two! In the tent."

Two gnolls calm sauntering in and stand at the foot of my bed.

>"Hey, uh, 'Chief'!" the one on the left says. "I'm Stoneback. Nice throne."
>"Yeah, Chief! I'm Pawdigger. You feelin' okay? Need some soup? Wanna be spoonfed?" He makes baby-talk at that last word.

This level of sass is gonna get real old real quick if everyone's in on the party.

>>762021
Get them to come closer then punch Pawdigger in the gut. He sassed the most.

>>762022
If we're going down that route, they're at the foot of the bed, kick instead.

Personally I'd go with telling them to knock it off with the sass, then launching straight into the questions we need to ask them, but then again maybe they need a bit of violence to get them to drop the sass idk.

>>762021
Make a mental note to break pawdigger one you've recovered. It'll set a good example for the others.

The matron is allowed a level of sass because she's in a position of power and knows her place, these two are just some common ones who likely wouldn't have sassed their former chieftain when it came down to it.

Make sure that they learn their "lesson"

Say you don't think you quite heard what Pawdigger said right, there, could he come close up to your ears and say it again? If he does, grab his head and give him a lesson. Maybe knee him in the side and then grab, to throw him off in case he's watching for it. If he refuses to, say you guess you heard a cowardly piece of shit like you thought you did, then.

Perhaps you should consider getting someone to fetch you something you can lift. Exercise, you know? You don't want those muscles decaying. Can't use your stomach right now, of course, but you can put your arms to work, and maybe roll over and work your legs somehow too if you can do it without aggravating your wound. Or get someone heavy in here to lean on your feet while you push them back and forth? In any case, you're a huge hunk of muscle guy and that's a good image for people to have in mind about you, so long as you can show some brains, too, so build on it and don't let people forget your hella strong. It'll help you be ready for the inevitable challenges, too.

Coming into the tent and seeing you flexing your biceps and pectorals on some giant hunk of rock with a handle lashed on might also cut down on people's sass.

>>762021
Eh, you can sass with the best of them I'm sure

"Nope, and you're lucky I don't, seeing as you just volunteered to hold the spoon. So what do you jokesters do when you're not snooping around?"

>>762021
Reach up, grab each of their heads, and smack them together three stooges style.

keep in mind Wind was their old chief, he probably appreciated this kind of stupid joking

Grab Pawdigger and yank his face in real close. "Nope seems my arm's working just fine. Think I should test my teeth?" Then give him a real big toothy smile.

Just sass them back first. >>762033 works. If they still don't seem respectful enough, start getting physical.

1/3 Clamp 2016/11/28(Mon)10:25 No. 762059 ID: bfb318
File 148035753090.png - (211.23KB , 800x800 , 12.png )

"You volunteering to hold the spoon? Didn't know we had a gnoll so useless they were only good at feeding others."
>"Hey, someone's gotta hold up the spoon for the bedridden gnolls that're so weak they can't even chomp down!"
"Eh? Didn't quite hear you over on my sick bed. Step a little closer."

He comes over, gets grabbed by the neck, and then gets thrown on the ground. There's a token effort to break his own fall, but it's like he was expecting it to happen.

2/3 Clamp 2016/11/28(Mon)10:25 No. 762060 ID: bfb318
File 148035753821.png - (199.66KB , 800x800 , 13.png )

He rolls to the side and gets up, and the two of them make their way to the exit.

>"Heh." says Pawdigger. "I know your old eyesight's going bad, Chief, but I'm not the spoon!"

They keep leaving. Maybe it's that I got to make some runt eat dirt, but I ain't as mad about the shittalk. Maybe it's cause he showed me he can walk off a hit. Damn guy looks outright pleased I had him eat dirt.

3/3 Clamp 2016/11/28(Mon)10:28 No. 762062 ID: bfb318
File 148035768989.png - (213.56KB , 800x800 , 14.png )

Shit. I forgot to ask what those guys did. I sure as hell hope it wasn't scouting.

Two more enter.

>"Hey, Chief! Name's Patch, I make leather." says the girl. "... I guess I gotta make more, specially if you get fat laying around all day, haha!"
>"And I'm G... Gempusher. I know gnolls don't put much weight on shiny novelty metals, but hey, we can exchange this for stuff like healing potions."
"... healing potions. Now where the hell would we find healing potions this deep in gnoll land, for sale or not?"
>"Uh, I don't know, but Wind managed to find one! It should still be in camp some... where."
"Yeah, its location is a secret, but the only reason we had it is to see what gnoll is baby enough to lap it up!" Patch says.

>Damn guy looks outright pleased I had him eat dirt.
I guess it's a test of character. He was making sure his new Chief would fight back.

>Yeah, its location is a secret, but the only reason we had it is to see what gnoll is baby enough to lap it up!
I'll take baby gnolls over dead gnolls any day, if that's the choice. Someone find where those are hidden so maybe next time we're in a fight, we don't find ourselves with no blacksmiths or something equally stupid again.

And someone figure out who Grass was trading with. I got no use for pretty gems, but I got plenty use for keeping good gnolls alive. That's a good trade for us.

Tell them you'd consider it if it meant you'd get less wisecracks about being on your back, but you know you'd just be trading for other ones. Find out where it is, though, in case your place gets attacked and you need to be up on your feet to fight again quickly. Otherwise keep it for someone who'll die without it. There isn't anyone like that from the recent fight, is there? Some poor sap who's been taking days to die?

Ask Patch if there's anything already on her list for what people need, and if not tell her she should get to work on stocking up the stuff needed for craftwork. Straps, strips, weapon grips, lashings for tents and the new walls, et cetera. There's a lot of things that need leather bits and bobs. As for Gempusher, tell him you'll think about putting him back to work on gems if it seems there's going to be a use for it, but for now whatever stock Wind had built up will do for any sudden trade opportunities. Ask him what else he can do, you'd assume he knows at least a bit about cutting non-shiny stone? It might be an idea to carve out some space into the cliffs, for storage and shelter. Or if that's too ambitious, even just carve some grips into the stone for people to climb up and down to the ridge. Maybe you can set Shabin to work learning from him on that, her people live in caves, right? Maybe she'll have talent. I notice he wears earrings, too, does he know about working metal at all? Blacksmithing is a particular skill he probably doesn't have, but even some talent with copper and tin and such can make useful tools. Pots and pins and so on.

Also, ask them both to tell you about those two that were just here, Pawdigger and Stoneback. What do they do, and what are they like?

I'd suspect Pawdigger of going and doing some "oh man the new Chief is so brutal look what he did don't we hate him" thing, only that seems both un-gnollish and unlikely for anyone to believe given what a screwup he'd have to be to get bled by someone in a sickbed.

>>762062
"Try Pawdigger, he got a nosebleed."

Have Gempusher show you his work. If it's good stuff then he can keep the job. If he is a crappy gemsmith then its another matter entirely.

Ask if he can carve stuff other than gems. Like semi precious stones and rare wood.

As for the healing potion get that found. Send Shabin to go dig it up from whatever hole its in. Or climb that tree behind your tent to find the hollow he stashed it in. Can save it for a emergency or use it on anyone who might be slowly dying after the takeover.

>>762062
>if you get fat laying around all day, haha!
If I get fat, then I'll sit on you and I'll blame you guys for giving me too much food and wasting our food supply on me when everyone else is probably starving to death! But I'd mostly blame Matron for not letting me get out of this damn bed!

>>762062
Baby? Those things get you right back in the fight.
Not to mention good for enslaving since so many other species are made of butter. You can't hardly teach 'em who's in charge when they die under the lightest breeze.

Clamp 2016/11/28(Mon)17:07 No. 762109 ID: bfb318
File 148038166398.png - (175.67KB , 800x800 , 15.png )

"Maybe Pawdigger, he got himself a nosebleed."
>"I hope you're kiddin', Chief."
>"Duh. Cept I'm not kidding when I say a baby gnoll's better than a dead gnoll."
>"Least dead gnolls don't eat our food."
"But you can't get a dead gnoll to grow up. How's the leather supply?"
>"Decent, just decent. Lot of our clothes are looking worn, but that just means we've got more for straps, backpacks, that good stuff.

"Know where that healing potion is?"
>"Nope.
"Shabin, how about you?"
>"Why would I?!"
"Dunno. See, this is the shit that gems might be useful for, and apparently potions just gets lost! I want to know of its location and keep it around, so we don't lose any skilled gnolls. They're hard enough to train and rare enough to meet."

Gempusher starts to smile, but I must give him a bad look cause as soon as I look over he knocks it right off.

"Gem, what can you do besides gem pushin'? Stone carving? Cut some structures in the mountainsides here? Do a little metalworking?"
>"Oh, uh, I can shape metal a little bit, but I'm not that great at swords and stuff. I can carve, cut, and engrave stone though! Oh, wood too."
"Mining?"
>"Uh... I know a little about mining, but..."
"Forget it. Show me your gemwork and maybe it'll be worth keeping around, specially if we find out who buys cut gems for more useful things. Run through the raw stock we had, then get to some stonework."
>"Oh okay!" He says, and starts patting around his clothes. "Here, I - uh - I have a polished emerald, take a look and tell me what you think! Wind said that I was getting pretty good, but it's tough for me to tell how good is good. I - sorry. I like gemstones. About that healing potion, though, I would guess the Matron would know about the healing potion. I mean, no one's gonna seriously think you're a baby for using it on yourself, Chief, considering you, er... it was a bad wound, wasn't it?"

The emerald gets passed to me, and I have a squint at it.

Yep.

That looks like an emerald.

You'll be fine probably. Unless people start needing me to do more than yell or you actually get fat it's better saved up.

Ask him how much he knows about how gems cleave.

>Gempusher starts to smile, but I must give him a bad look cause as soon as I look over he knocks it right off.
Maybe it's being called useful then being reminded how easily he could be killed in the same breath that did it.

>no one's gonna seriously think you're a baby for using it on yourself, Chief, considering you, er... it was a bad wound, wasn't it?
I'm not dying. We'll save em for next time someone's dying. Ain't worth someone dying later just so I'm stuck on my ass a little less now.

>Wind said that I was getting pretty good, but it's tough for me to tell how good is good.
Tough for me to say how good either, I never looked at many gems. It doesn't look ugly or fake so you must be doing something right.

>I can shape metal a little bit, but I'm not that great at swords and stuff.
If he's only good with small / fine metal working, he could make stuff like fasteners, pins, buttons, screws, nails, arrowheads, etc. There's stuff to do when he runs out of gems.

And yeah don't be too hard on him. There's no harm in someone having a hobby that's sometimes useful for trading. Life's short, might as well have a job you like if you can.

Eh jewels look best in the light usually.

Have him carve you a small rock sculpture to see his true skill. Maybe a toy for Shabin.

As for my wounds you will have to ask Matron. She says lay here for now and she looks like she knows what she is doing.

Does Matron have a name? it seems more like a role

>>762109
>I have a squint at it.
If you have to squint, then that means that either it's really small or this a sign that your eyesight is starting to go bad because of your old age.

also you should hold onto that gem, it matches your eyes

1/2 Clamp 2016/11/28(Mon)21:12 No. 762173 ID: bfb318
File 148039635141.png - (188.71KB , 800x800 , 16.png )

"How much does this sell for?"
>"Wind knew, I just cut and polished, sorry." says Gempusher.
"Well I believe it's an emerald so good job."

Patch starts ogling the exit.

>"Anything else, Chief?" she asks.
"Nah. Cept get Matron in here. Gempusher, go make yourself busy. Make a stone sculpture or something, let's see how good you are at that."
>"Okay!"
>"Don't let the bugs get your fur any motlier, Chief!" says Patch.

I'm probably gonna knock her head on something too, someday.

2/2 Clamp 2016/11/28(Mon)21:15 No. 762174 ID: bfb318
File 148039652266.png - (199.13KB , 800x800 , 17.png )

>"You called?" asks the... Matron?
"Yeah. You got a name or somethin'?"
>"... hm, no one's asked me that in years. No, everyone's come to call me the Matron, and any other name is too old to mean much to me now."
"Real simple name."
>"Wind gave half of the camp their names, you know. We name the pups, but here, they get a new name as their rite of passage. You'll be doing that, too."
"... how 'bout I delegate that to you."
>"That's fine, but no complaining then. Still, if you don't like the name of any gnolls here, you can give them new names. Including me."
"Speakin' of weirdass Windclan habits, heard you guys got a healing potion."

Matron starts choosing her words all carefully.

>"If I knew where it was, I would have told you, even if I don't want you using it on yourself. You survived the -"
"Gonna stop ya there, I don't want it for myself! I want to know where it is so some wounded blacksmith doesn't take his talents to afterlife."
>"Oh! That's a relief. But sorry, I don't know where it is myself. The only - is that an emerald?"

"Huh - yeah. Forgot to give it back to Gempusher. Guess it's mine now."

"Anyways, the only person who knew where the healing potion was stored was Wind, and..."

Now she looks like she doesn't want to talk at all.

>"Grasswind."
"Well then go ask, don't say it like she's the ruler of the underworld or some shit."
>"Ha, not even close, but she won't tell me. Just forget about the potion for now. It's not going anywhere, and the chances of us getting attacked right now are almost zero. Grasswind's the one person I'm barring from visiting you, and I think you'd like it to stay that way."

Give her the emerald and say you will trust her decision on Grasswind.

Ask how long you need to stay in bed anyways.

>Grasswind's the one person I'm barring from visiting you, and I think you'd like it to stay that way.
Yeah, if she wants to try and kill me she can wait for a better fight. No one proved anything stabbing no one in bed.

Say this as a sorta joke to her.

"I'm not gonna be in bed long enough to start getting fat, am I? Because if I do get fat, I'm gonna blame you for not letting me get out of bed."

>>762188
Or not letting him get exercise in bed.

Seriously though, an ETA on how long before you're better, what she knows about Grasswind, and anything else she thinks is important would be nice to know.

>>762189
>Or not letting him get exercise in bed.
Bow chicka wow wow~~ <3

1/3 Clamp 2016/11/28(Mon)23:32 No. 762201 ID: bfb318
File 148040473361.png - (177.03KB , 800x800 , 18.png )

"Here, I got this emerald."
>"What do you want me to do with it?"
"Anything more useful than having it sit on me forever. Anyway, I'll trust that judgement of yours on Grasswind and hang tight."
>"Really? I mean, good. Yes."
"Now how long am I gonna be in bed for? At this rate, I'm gonna get fat."
>"At this rate... ? Have you checked your belly at all since you woke up?"
"... wait wha -"

...

Wait a second I've barely fuckin' eaten! I wouldn't have gotten fat.

2/3 Clamp 2016/11/28(Mon)23:34 No. 762204 ID: bfb318
File 148040484115.png - (172.86KB , 800x800 , 19.png )

She's failing to keep her personal giggle party to herself. Shabin ain't even trying to hide a laugh. Heh, okay, she did get me.

"God damn, you too, huh? Didn't know I was assimilating in a clan of comedy gnolls."
>"Yes, if anything, you've lost weight. Thanks for the laugh, Clamp."
"Well put away that funny business, cause I gotta know how long I've gotta be in bed for. Too long, and it is gonna make me soft, specially if this bed doesn't have any exercise happening in it." I say, lookin' a far bit too downward for my inner gentlegnoll to approve of.
>"Hrm... you sit tight for a couple of days, and just move around carefully. That was already too much movement for my comfort. After a couple of days, you can start getting some light exercise just to stay in shape, but no heavy lifting, no fighting, no raiding. Past that, we keep an eye on it, but even if it looks closed up, a wound like this can reopen on the inside."

3/3 Clamp 2016/11/28(Mon)23:34 No. 762205 ID: bfb318
File 148040484794.png - (152.86KB , 800x800 , 20.png )

>"After about 4 or 5 weeks, I think you'll no longer be at risk. Until then, you spend most of your time in bed."

>>762205
Ask her how often she's gotten her patients to sit still for as long as she wants them to. Because you sure ain't.

Weeks? Dang. Keep it cool, boss, don't blow up at her. I'm sure you've broken a leg or something before now, right? A few weeks isn't as bad as it could be. Tell her if you're on your back for four weeks no-one's going to give you any respect, and ask her if she's been spreading that diagnosis around. If she was telling people that's how long you'll be out before you woke up, they're more likely to take it better than if it gets spread around now. Also ask her if there are any other ways to speed up healing besides the potion. Some herbs nonsense, maybe? Some other clan nearby with a shaman or some nonsense?

If you can recover yourself, I've got some general questions that I was late asking, too. It'll be good for her respect of you if you ask a few more "good of the clan" inquiries after talking about yourself, anyway. Ask her about Pawdigger and Stoneback. It'd have been better to ask the other two since they wouldn't have thought so much about what you asking meant, e.g. that you forgot to ask them yourself. Maybe just ask her to give you a summary of them personality-wise, who they're friends with, and she'll casually hint at their jobs while she's at it.

Also, ask how many kids they have, and how many people total died. I've been thinking, you guys will probably need to up your numbers anyway, so what if you all took the opportunity to tie yourselves together a bit? If you take a well-liked guy from one clan and a well-liked girl from the other, put 'em together and they pop out a kid who'll inherit some of the affection from their parents, it'd help the clans think of themselves as tied together. Maybe do that a couple of times with a few parents, for best effect. How do you gnolls do things like that, you don't strike me as the marriage types, would people object to being asked to do that sort of thing? And how long does it take you guys to grow up to a useful size?

Anyway, you'd want to make sure your food and security and such is settled first, of course, but it's an idea to lay on the table.

>>762204
>lookin' a far bit too downward for my inner gentlegnoll to approve of.
You mean that guy that looks like you, but is also wearing a top hat, a monocle, and a fake mustache? Yeah, tell him to fuck off. Your eyes are allowed to wander.

>>762205
>Clamp's face.
I laughed so hard, now I feel like I've been stabbed in the gut! XD

>"After about 4 or 5 weeks, I think you'll no longer be at risk. Until then, you spend most of your time in bed."
"I'm reeeally starting to reconsider that healing potion right about now."

>>762208
>Kids.
You do know that the kids are basically looked after by mostly Matron because the parents are busy doing other things, right? More kids means more work for Matron and I don't think she's ready to do that just yet. Maybe after things have calmed down some more.

Weeks? Is she messing with you again? And if not, how long before the risk is at least acceptable?

>>762211

We could just tell someone off to help her. Anyway, she doesn't seem to be overloaded right now, considering how cheerful she is, so once Clamp takes over more of the Chiefing work she should have plenty of time. I'd bet she only needs to really take care of the small kids, anyway, the ones old enough to do some work probably attach themselves to someone else as an apprentice sort of thing. Like I said, I'm not suggesting anything happen right now, only to mention the idea so we can find out what's feasible. Even just one or two ladies with a mix-lineage kid riding around inside 'em could do a lot to shoot down plans anyone might be making to cause strife.

1/2 Clamp 2016/11/29(Tue)02:31 No. 762238 ID: bfb318
File 148041545826.png - (199.05KB , 800x800 , 21.png )

Takin' a deep breath. Not losing my cool now, specially since there is a good reason to stay chill for at least a couple of days.
"How many gnolls have you taken care of that sat still for as long as you want?"
>"All of them."

Gonna stare at her till she gives some details. She waits, so that scrawny, neglected gentlegnoll in me can keep on fuckin' off, cause I'm gonna let my eyes wander on down 'till she catches on that I think she's full of shit. Cept she's she's doin' an impressive job of acting like she doesn't even notice.

>"Are you changing the subject to having kids, Clamp?"
"That's all you, I'm just thinkin' about somethin' more recreational. Well least till you killed the mood with filling my head with little brats."
>"Hey." says Shabin.
"I know what I said, ya brat. That said, we gotta repopulate, and what better way than assimilate than some good ol' fucking between clans."
>"I've already brought it up, Clamp. I want you to learn how the internal camp works, but you can leave the little bits like that to me. Our old clans seems to be getting along. The heirarchy of ranks is still being sorted out with periodic scuffles, but it's becoming one heirarchy, and that's the important thing. Then we can think about, as you so quickly put it, 'fucking', and get a few new adults in here in a few years. Till then, keep your pants on."

2/2 Clamp 2016/11/29(Tue)02:31 No. 762239 ID: bfb318
File 148041546820.png - (163.46KB , 800x800 , 22.png )

"Good to hear. How about Pawdigger and Stoneback? Those two looked fresh."
>"Very. Stoneback is a fighter who has strength and potential, but no experience, and Pawdigger is a scout who will... either get better or die trying."
"Good way to put it. Now about this bullshit about 'every gnoll' sittin' still for how long you tell them to. That makes me think every gnoll you've cared for died."

She stifles out some snrks before she realizes she doesn't need to stifle 'em, and laughs. Real nice when people laugh at my jokes, but I was hardly jokin'.

"No no... Alright, I admit, until now, I've chained every gnoll with a need to rest to their bed."
>"You shoulda kept the streak going, lady." Shabin mumbles.
"Well I don't know if I should be real honored you thought I was an important enough gnoll to make an exception of, if I should be impressed you'd be smart enough to know that'd go over real badly, or if I should mock your head for thinkin' I'd ever sit here for weeks!"
>"Don't tell me you've never broken a bone."
"Sure, but not my legs, so I could still walk. How long till the risk of having my guts explode is low enough to be acceptable?""
>"A week or two."
"That ain't acceptable! I'm reconsidering that healing potion already, here."
>"Erkh... you're the chief. However you want to do it, you can do it, if you want."

>>762239
Well, how about you sit around for a few days first. See if you can stand the boredom.

>>762239
Fine, fine. Agree to sit around for a while to see if you can stand it. Chances are enough things are going to happen to keep you busy, anyway.

>>762239
And what about Pawdigger?
>"Very. Stoneback is a fighter who has strength and potential, but no experience, and Stoneback is a scout who will... either get better or die trying
Rest for two days then see how's your gut doing.

Say you'll give lying on your back a try for now, but you can't give orders all day, so you'll need something useful to spend your time on so people don't think you're eager to sit still. You'll start by taking stock, bringing people you don't know in to just chat and weigh them up and get a handle on the history and relationships you don't know, and you can set up plans - can you get some charcoal and something to draw on brought in, for maps and stuff to be made? Maybe just a long stick to draw in the dirt beside your bed? - but you'll need something else to do. So, what can you do besides fighting, Clamp? I assume your clan can at least do maintenance on their own gear, and make the basic hunting tools. You could put in your turn making snares and nets and keeping weapons sharp, at least. Nothing wrong with your arms, seems like.

By the way, Clamp, make sure you keep showing some respect to the Matron, there, and don't expect to keep too much dignity or intimidation on her, because she's probably been the one, you know... keeping you clean for the past few days. And if she expects you to not move from that bed at all for a few more days, she's probably going to help you with that sort of thing again. You're kind of in the baby zone with her already, is what I'm saying. I don't think she minds, it's her job, and it's not like she'll have forgotten how big you are or how you dealt with her old chief, but.... well, you know. Once you recover and she's had some time for all that to slip her mind a bit, then maybe you can re-contextualize her mental image of you.

>>762239
I don't got a choice here. If I sit on my ass for weeks the clan isn't gonna respect me. If I pussy out and drink the potion they won't either.

Frankly getting murdered by my own gnolls is a bigger health risk than the hole in my side.

since she's the matron, would it be fair to assume that she's spawned a number of kids? are any of the adults hers? would she care overly if any got offed?

You know how bad gut wounds can be Clamp. If you tear something down there moving to much you don't want to die like that.

So work on getting that health potion found and keep it on you. Then if a emergency comes up and you need to be mobile right away you can drink it.

And if not you can recover normally.

>>762255
>>762109
>I mean, no one's gonna seriously think you're a baby for using it on yourself, Chief, considering you, er... it was a bad wound, wasn't it?

Matron seemed a bit emotional about the Grasswind issue. Is Grasswind one of her kids maybe?

If you do take the healing potion you had better restock the supply as a show of good faith.

>>762273

That reminds me, the Grasswind issue is probably better dealt with sooner rather than later in some way, just so that she doesn't have to aimlessly stew. Putting her off too long might make Clamp seem cowardly, too, like he's avoiding the issue. Maybe he should arrange to have her invited to meet him later, just straight up ask her if she wants to fight him, and have Matron there to ask her how long it will be until it can be a fair fight. Then they can both put it aside until then, instead of just having a vague cloud hanging over them.

If we really wanted to put Grasswind on good behaviour, what we could do once Clamp has a bit of free time is have all the camp's kids called in for him to oversee while everyone works. He can play teacher by telling them hunting/travel/war stories and such, and the kids he doesn't know can tell him stories about their clan they've already heard, and then when Grasswind is done whatever she's been set to now, she can come in and talk to Clamp while Matron and a bunch of anklebiters are around. That'll keep her a bit more civil.

>>762238
>Till then, keep your pants on.
Wait, are your pants even on right now? Or were all of your clothes removed when they put you in bed?

>>762245
A mistake was made; Matron mentioned Stonedigger a second time instead of saying Pawdigger was a scout.

1/4 Clamp 2016/11/29(Tue)23:47 No. 762598 ID: bfb318
File 148049205435.png - (201.79KB , 800x800 , 23.png )

"Hrmph. A couple days is fine. Grasswind your kid or something? Don't want to show me your pride an' joy?"
>"She is, but so are some others who are more than welcome to come see you. But Grasswind is Wind's firstborn, and was supposed to take over the clan someday. She's ambitious, and unlike most of us, put more stock in her heritage than most ever care about."
"Oh, so you're tellin' me I killed someone she cared about, and killed her dreams while I was at it, huh?"
>"Now you get it."
"And how close are the rest of your kids to you?"
>"I've cared for and raised most of the gnolls in Wind's clan. Whether I birthed them or not, I consider all kids here my kids. Parents may take pride in their kid's achievements, and our clans will bond together on sharing kids, but I have and will teach them that the clan is a far more important bond than who spawned who. I couldn't drill that in through Grasswind's bullheadedness. Anyways, the little ones might be close to me, but it's just my responsibility that they make it to adulthood. Once they're grown up, they're no longer my children. They're clanmates, and their own people. Don't think I let myself get overly attached to any."
"Well how about we arrange an exact date for a fight between me an' Grasswind so she can wait till then. Till then, get her to show me that healing potion so I can hold it on me, and use it up if I reopen the wound."
>"Fine. If you used it now, it should get you back to full health, but if you wait till you re-open your wound, you'll just get it to close up again, and get back to your current state."
"Important thing is that I don't have a lameass death. Bring me raw materials I can use in bed to make tools out of! May as well do some menial labor."
>"Hm, come to think, it's about time to change your bandages."
"I can do that myself!"
>"So everyone tells me, yet they don't have the practice like I do in making sure it's snug. They just think as long as the bandage is in loose contact with the wound, it works out."
"I ain't your practice dummy for baby care."
>"The last couple of days have taught me differently. At least I won't need an assistant to lift your back, anymore."
"These bandages aren't even that dirty!"
>"Not on this side, no, but with our sheep, we have plenty of cloth."

2/4 Clamp 2016/11/29(Tue)23:47 No. 762599 ID: bfb318
File 148049206247.png - (238.31KB , 800x800 , 24.png )

After all that, some more gnolls come in, and Matron brings in a giant bunch of kids to introduce me to them and them to me. There, we share some storytime and they practice the fine art of shittalking the Chief.

Ultimately, looks like we got about 50 gnolls. 10 are my own and 40 of Wind's. After storytime is over, Matron brings in some raw materials so that I can finally have some alone time to wind down till I get some sleep.

3/4 Clamp 2016/11/29(Tue)23:47 No. 762600 ID: bfb318
File 148049206990.png - (132.70KB , 800x800 , 25.png )

>"Clamp. Hey, Clamp."
"Eh...?"
>"Yer dead."
"... Leaf, the f'ck are you doing?"
>"Saying what I'd be saying if I were gonna assassinate you. The gnolls on watch are bad. Terrible even. An elephant could sneak by them."
"The fuck is an elephant?"
>"A giant lump of walking meat."
"Whatever. Leaf, you ain't a good judge of character if you judged 'em by how well you could sneak by 'em. It's the middle of the night, damnit. Cold as ice, too."

4/4 Clamp 2016/11/29(Tue)23:51 No. 762601 ID: bfb318
File 148049227242.png - (183.84KB , 800x800 , 26.png )

Leaf was one of my own older clanmates. He isn't much of a sparring partner, but by far the best scout and assassin I've ever seen in my life. The guy's downright spooky.

>"Oh, uh, how you doing?"
"Yeah I'm doin' great thanks for askin' after tellin' me you coulda slit my throat if you wanted."
>"I don't want to do that. Plus, I've been on watch, just in case. Anyways, I've been doing some scoping out, I heard you wanted a blacksmith, right?"
"Yeh."
>"Right here."

He tosses me some paper. I let it fall.

"You know I can't read in the dark! Oh, you makin' fun of me too, huh?"
>"No, I'm leaving it with you so you can read in the morning. They're directions. Blacktorch Clan. Just a few hours walk from here. About 20 strong. Camp is lightly fortified and well trapped in a dense part of the forest, near the bottom of a valley. They have a forge and their weapons looked like alright quality, but looked like they were well made for gnolls specifically. That's about all I know. Want me to spend a couple days learning more about it?"

>>762601
Well, I don't see why not. Although, it may not be worth Leaf's time - we have some other scouts that aren't totally incompetent, right?

Right?

>>762601
Yeah, any potential raid is worth preparing for, and right now it's peaceful so we can stand to wait a bit.

>>762601
Should we just ask him to go find that health potion and bring it here or should we just wait? Because Leaf looks to be smart enough to find it and, from what we've seen, he's also quiet enough to not get caught.

Although, that might be a breach of trust if we tell him to go steal it.

>>762601
More intelligence seems like a good idea. Let's go with his idea. Maybe in another few days you'll be off Gnoll Pup Jungle Gym duty and able to adequately inspect the new troops without having your organs explode out of your body.

>Leaf was one of my own older clanmates.
>The guy's downright spooky.

... Is he a ghost? He looks a bit solid for a ghost. Maybe he's half ghost. A romance for the ages.

Anyway, tell him good work, but things still need to settle here for a bit so no need for better scouting right away. You might even actually trade with them for the weapons/service rather than raiding, or just send your rookie blacksmith to learn from theirs for a while. Give em the ol' one-two payment-and-threatening. I'd say ask them to send theirs to teach rather than send ours to learn, but I doubt they'd agree to it.

Tell Leaf that in the meantime, then, you'd like him to try training up the schmucks we have here that he says are so bad.

>>762601
Good job Leaf.
yeah, scope the place out for a bit and keep your eyes peeled around camp too, I'm mostly working blind in here.

>>762601
>learn more
Yeah, prolly. Information helps, and it'll be a few days before I could possibly whip this place into shape for a raid after all the shakeups, anyways.

Good work, Leaf.

>>762601
Take a close look at their diplomatic relations. See who they trade with, what they trade, and their typical costs. I won't be price gouged.

1/2 Clamp 2016/11/30(Wed)17:17 No. 762773 ID: bfb318
File 148055505053.png - (160.08KB , 800x800 , 27.png )

"Good work. Maybe you go do somethin' a little more useful and we get one of our better scouts to do that, yeah? We do have at least a couple good scouts, right?"

....

"Go keep check out that Blackfoot Clan, Leaf."
>"Blacktorch."
"Yeah. That. Oh, how they treating you? Gettin' a hard time over your creep eyes?"
>"The rumors that I'm a vampire have already made their way throughout camp."
"What, did ya drink someone's blood or somethin'?"
>"No. One of them said I looked like a zombie, as well."
"Maybe if you weren't so green. Oh, how 'bout ghost?"
>"No one's thought that, that I'm aware of. Yet."

>"... no one inside of this camp, anyway." he adds.
"After you do your recon thing, how 'bout you teach our schmucks some of your scouting tricks?"
>"You got it, Boss."
"An' maybe if you train 'em during the day, they'll stop thinking you're a creature of the night."
>"No. It is best to train them at night. It is also best for me if they fear me."

Almost want to see if he can't find that heal potion, but I gotta at least let Matron try to ring it outta Grasswind before I go all subterfuge on them. Don't much care for that or lyin' in general. Damn shame it's necessary sometimes.

>"Anything else, Boss?"
"'Ey, maybe if you find out they're friendly, we can just buy the blacksmith or trade 'em one of our gnolls!"
>"You're a funny one, Boss."
"Then fuck'n laugh!"
>"Ha ha haa."

That laugh drips with sarcasm, but he's actually smilin'. Cept I wasn't joking this time, either! Then again, we'd need a skilled negotiator or diplomat or whatever, cause if I told the Blacktoe clan that, they'd be thinking it was a joke too. Clans either at war, or one eye contact away from it. Hard to set up deals. Wind probably could've done it, but my diplomatic days are behind me. To get that blacksmith.... it's probably gonna come down to the ol' tried an' tested method of recruitment. Kidnapping.

Sure, just about every gnoll is honestly as loyal as they get to their clan, but that only applies in day to day life. Take 'em away from that and feed 'em right for a month, and suddenly their heart comes tumbling into a new palm. Fickle stuff.

2/2 Clamp 2016/11/30(Wed)17:18 No. 762775 ID: bfb318
File 148055510223.png - (294.43KB , 1200x800 , 28.png )

He slinks back down and through the tent flap like a damn gooball, letting me get back to sleep.

I wake up to the sound of Matron yelling from the center of camp. Something about yelling at someone to get back here.

The tent flap is yanked aside, and some girl is glaring at me lying down in the same pose I've been in for days. Great, she almost looks like me.

>"Clamp, is it?! Get up so I can knock you back on your ass for good!"

Huh. She's trying to get me out of bed, she could pass for a relative of mine, she's mad...

"... you my inner consciousness?"
>"You'd need to have a brain to have that! I'm Grasswind, but don't bother learning my name, 'cause in a second it's going to be 'Chief' to you!" She sounds even angrier now, probably also noticing we don't look too distant on the family tree.
>"You are not to fight Clamp, Grasswind!" Matron's screaming sounds like she's almost caught up.
>"If you aren't going to stand up, then I'll fight you while you lie down!"

"Yeah, idiot, like anyone's going to be impressed if you beat someone who can't even get up. Think anyone'll follow someone dumb enough to try a fight now?"

Don't do that girl you know the clan would never accept you if you don't fight me openly. If you want to be a proper leader you will fight me fairly in front of everyone.

You will get your chance once Matron lets me out of bed in a few weeks. Until then cool your head.

(if she goes for you choke her out or something so you can avoid moving your torso to much)

Listen to your mother.

>>762775
"Ain't no one who was ever worth the name Chief earned it by stabbing someone in bed while they were down."

"You too big a coward not to fight an opponent daddy's already opened up for you? Or are you gnoll enough to wait and know chiefs are decided by worthy fights."

>>762773
Hey what about trade? You could get work from that blacksmith by paying the other tribe in cut gems.

>>762780
Actually, this is good. Short and sweet, and she cared way too much about her dad. If that doesn't work point out it's a stupid idea, but try that first.

>>762775
Yeah, if you try that, then no one will call you "Chief" because no one will respect someone who beats up a guy that has a hole in their torso. If you want anyone to not think you're a coward that couldn't beat me at full strength, then you're just going to have to wait for me to be fully healed.

Or.....if you don't want to wait that long, there is a healing potion lying around here somewhere. But I'm gonna stop ya right there and say, no, I don't want it. So you're either gonna halfta wait or you're gonna halfta force that healing potion down my throat. And I'm serious when I say you're gonna halfta force it down my throat, cause I'll throw you out of this tent if you come near me with that thing!

No one gets called chief for very long when they got there title by beating on a wounded leader. If you want a good fight now then your going to have to shove that healing potion down my throat!

>>762775
well it's not like you didn't expect this.

"Look, if you want a fight I'll give you a damn good one when I'm not in danger of ripping like an overcooked sausage, and if you win? fine, I'll call you Chief and talk shit like everyone else. Until then though, we're both stuck listening to Matron whether we like it or not."

kill me in bed, and you'll be forced to kill your mother to prove your strength to the clan. you wont earn any respect otherwise.

how much does she look like Wind?
she's clearly got some of Matron's coloring . . . any chance you banged matron a few years back?

Tell her if baby wants her chiefdom that bad then fine. Not like you're in any state to stop her. Then in the most condescending tone possible tell her 'enjoy, you earned it'.

This seems like a good chance to goad Grasswind into handing over the potion, even if you don't want to use it right away. Don't mention the potion, just taunt her about being too afraid to let you heal before fighting you, she only thinks she can win if your incapacitated. Hopefully she'll offer the potion as a means of fighting you at full strength sooner.

"Yeah, let's see how many people call you "Chief" after you do that, I wanna know. I'm not standing, so come on, then. I guess a gutted gnoll who hasn't used his legs in a few days must be a fair fight to you, huh? Nice self-esteem you got there."

Since the blacksmith's clan is 20 and you're 60, strongarm diplomacy might be more your speed. It's like regular diplomacy, except instead of charisma and finesse and concessions, you loom over them and flex your muscles and go "man we sure need [thing], would save everyone a lot of trouble if we had it already". I mean, really, raiding is a lot of trouble and danger to go to for something that you could get by waiting a while, anyway. You just want to speed up your own blacksmith's progress, or get enough weapons and stuff to do you until they get better on their own. Bit dumb to go to that much risk for not much gain.

Hmm, how about hostage-taking instead of full-blown kidnapping recruitment? Steal them away for a few weeks, tell their clan they can have them back for whatever payment, put them to work teaching your guy while they're with you, then trade them back for a bunch of swords or whatever. Bigger payoff in the short term, not as bad blood with that clan in the long term. Still some bad blood, of course.

Being gnolls, and you being yourself, you could probably just go "hey fuckers we don't really want any beef with you but we need a blacksmith and you have one and we're bigger than you, we could take him but I feel like being nice so let's just trade hostages until your blacksmith teaches ours to not suck so much and then we'll swap back, best deal you're gonna get."

"Kill me on this fucking bed and you won't live long enough to get what you think you deserve.

But you'll sure as hell earn what you are due."

Oh hey, now I think of it, that might have been Pawdigger's mischief. He comes out of your tent with blood dripping off him, Grasswind gets the idea you're in form. He doesn't even need to say anything.

Open with "If you think givin' Pawdigger a bloody nose means I can fight now, I hate to break it to ya, he's just dumb."

If that gets a reaction, or just if you get enough time for Matron to catch up, tell her you guess it's about time your bandages got changed anyway, so how about giving Grasswind a show?

>>762780

Short, simple, to the point, and dismissive enough to show her you're not afraid of her.

1/2 Clamp 2016/12/01(Thu)16:33 No. 763016 ID: bfb318
File 148063879092.png - (175.97KB , 800x800 , 29.png )

"Listen to your mother." That's all I say, and she gets mad at that. Then again, she probably gets mad at anything.
>"I would sooner to her than you, because she's been more of a Chief the last few days than you!"
"Yeah, probably."

Looks more like she took after me than Wind, but maybe we share a common grandpa or grandma or somethin', I dunno. She's definitely no long lost daughter, 'cause I'd remember it if I banged Matron.

"Guess the Matron really will be Chief if you kill me, since ain't a single mouth here that'll say 'Chief' to a girl that gutted a sick gnoll."
>"We'll see about that." She says, and starts coming towards me. She's not grabbing her sword or anything, an' her claws don't look that impressive.
"Well come on, then."

2/2 Clamp 2016/12/01(Thu)16:33 No. 763018 ID: bfb318
File 148063880171.png - (211.05KB , 800x800 , 30.png )

Matron runs in and tackles Grasswind to the ground. And here I was beginning to think Matron was the sort who avoided fights.

That's no end to it, though, they're starting to have a tussle around my sickbed. No teeth or claws or anything that'll really hurt one another, but they're sure goin' at it.

I was gonna talk blacksmith business with Matron, but her keepin' Grasswind from jumping on my throat is really puttin' a damper on my business aspirations.

>>763018
"HEY EVERYONE! GRASSWIND IS SUCH A WEAK LITTLE COWARD SHE HAD TO TRY AND SNEAK INTO MY TENT TO KILL A GUY STUCK IN A BED! COME SEE THE WIMP WHO THINKS SHE CAN BE A CHIEF!"

Not loud enough to mess up your gut, just loud enough to get everyone's attention. I'm sure that if we weren't dealing with gnolls we could have some sort of heartfelt talk or some shit to de-escalate things nicely, but we are and I doubt she's going to take a heart-to-heart seriously, especially from Clamp.

>>763018
Just clamp on around Matron and squeeze her against you until someone passes out. Grasswind can't have much air in there with them tits in the way. (Family hug might actually defuse a gnoll conflict, in a roundabout way).

That or it's time to just fuck someone into submission. The gals did throw themselves into your bed after all.

>>763020
>That or it's time to just fuck someone into submission. The gals did throw themselves into your bed after all.
Would be nice, but Matron made it pretty clear Clamp's in no state to fuck.

clearly this should turn into a mud wrestling match
or a strip wrestling match . . .

Hold one under each of your arms and conduct business like that. I think expressing your sincere concerns about their behavior and conduct, while adding physical pressure on their tracheas for emphasis, is the best way for you to communicate here. If you're not about to get up, try shouting 'enough' to at least get matron to knock it off.

>>763019

No need to shout, Matron was just screaming on her way here a moment ago. If anyone who cares is in range to hear, they've already heard.

Anyway, Clamp. Can you grab on the wall behind you and tug it down? Suddenly being covered in loose tent might make them feel silly enough to calm down, and if not, it'll tangle up around them and slow them down. Squirming around under a fallen tent probably won't match Grasswind's image of how she earns Chieftainship, either.

>>763022
Would literally kill him, either way. Ruptured abdomen is no joke.

Anyway, now that we're no longer in imminent danger of murder, let's call the Scouts over and see if we can sell tickets.

Okay here's my analysis. Grasswind didn't grab her sword because she wasn't planning to actually kill you. She wanted to bloody your nose, and make you bloody hers. She wanted to vent her anger on you, and make you take her seriously.

So do that. Reach over and smack her upside the head. Tell her you will fight her when you can put up a good and proper fight.

>>763045
Yeah I think this is about right. And now if she does try anything more than that, Matron is around to stop her.

>>763016
>Looks more like she took after me than Wind, but maybe we share a common grandpa or grandma or somethin', I dunno. She's definitely no long lost daughter, 'cause I'd remember it if I banged Matron.
Or maybe Wind was your long lost brother?! Which would make Grasswind your niece and you're her long lost uncle!

>>763018
Just sit there and silently watch them wrestle. Then, regardless of whether they stopped or they're still going, just casually say, "Please tell me I'm not the only one that thinks it's weird that Grasswind looks like me."

Wait for a opportune moment and use a claw to slit the back of Matrons boob bandages while she is distracted.

Once those get free it should halt the wrestling contest.

>>763064
As funny as it would be to see that, that wouldn't work if you only cut the bandages because she's wearing a shirt over the bandages. So, Clamp would have to cut both Matron's shirt and her bandages.

But that honestly doesn't sound like something he would do.

1/4 Clamp 2016/12/01(Thu)23:14 No. 763111 ID: bfb318
File 148066284483.png - (159.59KB , 800x800 , 31.png )

Hm. Probly should do somethin' about this. Damn, not a single person came when Matron came shouting.

>"You're sticking your old face where it doesn't belong!"

Guess I could pull the tent over... nah, this isn't some single night camping tent, I'd just rip a hole where I yank from.

>"Immature child, calm down!"

Hm... oh, maybe Wind was some long lost brother of mine. Or more likely half brother. Then again, come to think of it, I took after grandpa more than pa. Wait, no, that wouldn't change the possibility.

>"Get off me, you boob encumbered hag!"

Heh, she's at least got a vocabulary. Wonder if slicing that shirt and bandages off Matron would stop the fight. Nah, that's just my dick thinking. Good bandages are tough to find, and they probably take Matron so long to take on and off, that if I sliced them off then I'd have both of 'em going for my throat. Makes me wonder why if Matron puts them on 'cause she's so modest, or 'cause she throws herself into fights every day.

>"If you can't even pin this old woman down, you think you can fight Clamp?!"

Fucking hell... I can't remember what color Wind's eyes were for the life of me.

Oh, there we go.

"Now I remember! I'm Grasswinds uncle."

>"What?!" says Grasswind.
>"What?" Matron echoes, no better at detecting bullshit, apparently.

There. Got their attention. Now just gotta -

2/4 Clamp 2016/12/01(Thu)23:14 No. 763112 ID: bfb318
File 148066285995.png - (179.97KB , 800x800 , 32.png )

>"Ghk!"

Or Grasswind can use the opportunity to suckerpunch Matron. Matron falls backwards, and Grasswind uses the momentum to come running to me.

>"The fuck did you say about being my Un-"

3/4 Clamp 2016/12/01(Thu)23:14 No. 763113 ID: bfb318
File 148066286721.png - (184.50KB , 800x800 , 33.png )

She forgot that my arms are still working fine. I grab her throat and squeeze, holding her at full armspan. She puts her claws in my arm, so I squeeze harder till I'm close to crushing her windpipe.

"How about you get out of here and wait till I'm good to fight you, then fighting you's the first thing I do when I get up. You understand?"

She wobbles her head like she's trying to nod. I hold it there, cause she still looks pissed and I don't feel like fucking around with her.

4/4 Clamp 2016/12/01(Thu)23:15 No. 763114 ID: bfb318
File 148066293962.png - (150.31KB , 800x800 , 34.png )

Then I let her go. She has her coughing fit and stumbles out of the tent.

Matron gets back on her feet, sighing and looking all pathetic.

>"Sorry. Violence is the only language she understands, but it was too rash of me."
"Yeah well, I want to talk about getting a blacksmith, cause I don't feel right getting into the full swing of bein' chief until I have my own damn sword back."
>"Hm... better get you the sword, then."
"We found a blacksmith. Some... black... uh, Blacktorch clan. Figure if we kidnap the guy, we can have him here for a few weeks, make some stuff, teach our guy some stuff, then sell 'im back to the Blacktorches for tools or weapons or somethin'."
>"I know of them. I don't think they'll like that plan."
"Well of course they won't like it!"
>"I mean that I don't think they'll play the game of buying their own gnoll back. It sends the image that we can just keep stealing their skilled professions for gain. They'd fight us, either right then, or when they think they can win later."
"How 'bout strongarming them into it? Say we're bigger than 'em, so either we take their blacksmith, or we raid 'em and take their blacksmith."
>"Either a ransom or strongarm talk would get us the blacksmith, but I don't believe Blacktorch would stand for it either. This talk of talking to them instead of just taking what you want... are you Wind's brother?"
"No. Or maybe I am and he's my long lost brother, I dunno, but Grasswind looks a damn lot like me."
>"Hm... yes, she does."
"Never seen a gnoll get so damn mopey about getting in a scuffle before."
>"I am not proud of the reasons. Grasswind shouldn't be proud of this situation, either."

>>763114
Why don't we just outright rent their blacksmith then. We got some jewels, right?

As for Grasswind... well, you'll work through it. Once you give her that fight she wants maybe things will get better. Maybe you can let her beat you up a little before you put her in her place, too.

>>763114
If they're so obsessed with "professionalism" and "maintaining international prestige", I agree we should just rent the Blacksmith. Let's be honest, we really just need him to teach our rookie how metal works, then Rookie can teach a few more smiths from the clan.

Playfully punch her shoulder and tell her that as Chief, you're ordering her to stop beating herself up over how she handled Grasswind. She acted the way she thought was best to stop Grasswind and that's nothing to be upset about.

Plus, if violence really is the only language she understands, then as soon as you're fully healed, you'll have a nice long "talk" with her in her "native language" and hopefully you'll be able to get her to behave herself.

Also, you might want to tell her that Leaf, the guy that everyone's calling a "vampire" and a "zombie", says all of her recon guys suck and you asked him to train them. He said he would train them, but only at night. Then ask her what she thinks about that. Also, show her those papers Leaf gave you last night.

Clamp 2016/12/02(Fri)01:15 No. 763132 ID: bfb318
File 148067010373.png - (175.91KB , 800x800 , 35.png )

The Matron pats down her fur while we talk.

"How about jewels to rent out the blacksmith?"
>"I can assure you that the Blacktorch clan has absolutely no interest in gemstones. Perhaps with wool, but... they are not negotiators, Clamp. Even Wind didn't find it worth having words with certain clans. Still, these are just my feelings, and if you wanted someone besides yourself to negotiate with them, I would be willing to try."
"Maybe Leaf'll find more about 'em. He's the one that found the place." I say, and let her look at Leaf's notes. "Speakin' of him, how about he trains up some of the other scouts? He trash talked 'em pretty hard, and not in the way your clan's been to me. He made it sound like they're half blind and wear shoes outta breakable twigs."
>"Hrm. You're not asking my permission, are you?"
"More like if you got anything to add."
>"I do not. Leaf makes me uncomfortable, but I would love for our scouts to hold a candle to him."
"He's a big softie once you get to know him, but don't bother gettin' to know him."

I mess her fur up again with a ruffling punch to the shoulder.

"Now as Chief, I'm telling you to stop beating yourself up over tackling Grasswind. Hell, I like knowing you've got a little fight in you. Anyway, I'll be talking with Grasswind, if ya catch me."
>"Mhm. I won't beat myself up over it, but I would very much like to make it up to you, if you would have me do a favor for you. I will have Grasswind cook your dinner, if that is acceptable. She is neither good nor bad at cooking, but she should make it up to you as well, and she could use a lesson in subservience. Wind let her roam too freely."

Aww, she's actually smiling.

"Sounds great. Just make sure she doesn't mess with it."

I don't think she'd try poison, but I wouldn't put her past laxative or just making it taste bad.

Actually, I was thinking. Grasswind trying to fight you is to be expected, it's how things work, but the blatant disrespect she just showed Matron is something else. She should know Matron knows what she's talking about when she says someone can and can't fight, and she should listen. We wouldn't put up with, say, the lesser scouts going and thinking they know better than Leaf and ignoring his orders, so why would we someone thinking they know when someone's injured better than Matron?

So, she needs discipline. Trouble is, we need to give her a punishment she won't just ignore, and one that's clearly about her disrespect to Matron and not her actions or attitude toward Clamp. Maybe order her to be Matron's slave for a few days? Ask Matron's opinion.

>>763132
Fine, but if she poisons me you're gonna have to beat that healing potion out of her pretty quick.

she might just try burning it out of spite.

however, her pride might compel her to do a good job to simply show how talented of a gnoll she is.

either way it might take the edge off her wrath

>>763135
This general line of reasoning sounds good. Definitely Grasswind should not be flouting the Matron like that.

>I will have Grasswind cook your dinner, if that is acceptable. She is neither good nor bad at cooking, but she should make it up to you as well, and she could use a lesson in subservience.
How rare is it for a gnoll to have a skill like cooking? Like actual cooking and not just holding meat over a fire until it "looks cooked".

>>763135
This.

1/2 Clamp 2016/12/02(Fri)09:23 No. 763164 ID: bfb318
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"Gonna trust she won't do anything like poison it, but for all I know she's gonna throw in too much spice or some unpleasant material. Make sure she doesn't mess around with it."
>"I'll tell her that if she fools with your food, she'll only get food like that for a week."
"Just keep in mind you'll have to beat the location of that potion out of her real quick if I start choking. This gonna be some actual cooking or just holding meat over a fire till it looks cooked?"
>"Actual cooking. Wind enjoyed spices and other luxuries."
"Ain't even a little surprised. Anyway, the girl could use some discipline anyways. Fighting me is the norm, but that was some blatant disrespect she gave you."
>"Hrm. You're right. Make your point when you beat her. Hopefully, that will work."

The Matron then excuses herself, and I'm left to another day of laying in bed. Kids climb on me all day and gnolls come in to introduce themselves. I hope no one's expecting me to remember any names on the first introduction.

2/2 Clamp 2016/12/02(Fri)09:23 No. 763165 ID: bfb318
File 148069941351.png - (179.79KB , 800x800 , 37.png )

What does get my attention is the smell of a fancy prepared meal coming my way. Grasswind comes through the tent holding a bowl.

>"Your dinner."

>>763165
"Good." After she's given it to you, "Do you have any actual idea why we look practically identical? Doubt it's a big coincidence."

Also, if we have luxuries like spice, probably worth asking Matron where we got that from. If it was a trading partner, that'd be useful.

>>763165
Doesn't look like you brought enough for the whole class.

>>763165
Hey, look, no sword this time. That's an improvement.....sorta. She still looks like she hates you, though, no surprise there. And she looks like she's gonna throw that at you.

>"Your dinner."
.....I feel like pointing out that the sun doesn't look like it's going down, so it's too early for dinner. Then again, I could be wrong because Clamp has been stuck inside the tent all day, so it actually could be dinnertime.

I guess eat up. And if she did do something to it, don't use one of the other gnolls with you in the tent as a taste tester, it'll make her think of you as a coward.

You should probably tell her you were just making up that whole "I'm your uncle" thing to try and distract her for Matron, even though Matron was the one that ended up getting distracted. And because you really do look like her. Although, you should also mention that you're not sure if you and her actually are related or not.

And while she's here, ask her if there's anything the camp needs, other than her obvious answer of, "You not being the Chief."

"Smells good, thanks. By the way, just said that uncle thing earlier to distract you, in case you were still thinking about it. Maybe we have shared grandparents or something, I dunno."

Do you know who all your parents/grandparents were, Clamp? If you do, maybe ask her if she knows. Though maybe Matron would know better.

Be prepared for her to have mixed the potion into the food and jump on you when it looks like it works.

Tell her she can be camp Chef, it's like being chief in fact it's only one letter away!

making jokes seems part of the clan's identity, maybe embracing it a little will help the clan and Grasswind see you as one of them

1/3 Clamp 2016/12/03(Sat)04:37 No. 763290 ID: bfb318
File 148076861422.png - (223.65KB , 800x800 , 38.png )

"Good."

Seems a little early for dinner, but whatever, it's been long enough since lunch.

"Doubt I'm your uncle, by the way. Doesn't even matter if I am."
>"It's just a coincidence."
"Or a grandparent."
>"Coincidence."
"Don't even know my grandparents, just heard of 'em. Anyway, smells nice, you can be the camp Chef."

Pretty sure everyone but her can take some jokes, but for a second I think she's about to throw the bowl at me.

She isn't that dumb, though.

"Get off me ya little brats, this is all mine." I tell the whiny shorties.
>"There's enough for all of you in the communal area." says Matron. "Go."

They all start clambering off of me to run to get their food and leave me to eating my own.

"Where'd we even get spices from?"
>"Raiding." says Matron.
".... there better be a second bowl comin', by the way.

2/3 Clamp 2016/12/03(Sat)04:39 No. 763291 ID: bfb318
File 148076879321.png - (173.76KB , 800x800 , 39.png )

"Grasswind. Does the camp need anything, in your eyes?"
>"A new ch - "
"Aside from anything having to do with me bein' Chief."
>"New weapons, and all of our shirts are in tatters. Food is fine but it's all the same stuff, our defenses..." she trails off going into an enormous list of reasons why our camp isn't an unattackable, unseigable fortress.

I savor the meal, much as I wanted to just roll the bowl over in my mouth. Sun's starting to set after all.

Wait a second. Somethin feels - Grasswind did poison the meal!

"I didn't seriously think that there was any gnoll that was gonna poison another gnoll..."

3/3 Clamp 2016/12/03(Sat)04:40 No. 763292 ID: bfb318
File 148076880485.png - (235.88KB , 800x800 , 40.png )

"With a healing potion!" I could feel the potion working on my guts. They're fine, now.
>"You got 5 seconds to get on your feet, Clamp!" says Grasswind. "Now you can't bitch when I merge your snout into your face!"

Kick. Her. Ass

Called it.

Tell her if this is a proper Chief challenge, you need more witnesses. Gotta make sure everyone sees you win, right, Grasswind? Don't want anyone to deny it, do you?

Go outside and call to fetch people to watch. While they're coming to see, you can stretch a bit and get used to using your legs and stuff again. Then kick Grasswind's ass. And once you have her ass kicked, then you have a double dose of judgement to deal out. One for disrespecting Matron, second for wasting a potion that could end up being someone's life just because she was impatient. Having witnesses means you can announce them both proper, doing it in front of everyone will be part of her punishment.

You can decide her punishment for disrespect on Matron yourself, but maybe call for suggestions on the potion crime from the camp, once you've laid out what it means and why it's bad.

It'd be a good opportunity to demonstrate to the group the kind of shit you won't put up with.

>and all of our shirts are in tatters

leave her face in tatters! . . . also her shirt.

Okay Opening move, shout a battle cry to gather the attention of the crowd, then tackle her through the tent opening so there's room for people to gather around

reasoning with her is pointless, you gotta make her look like a joke to the rest of the clan.

>>763292
Dammit girl, that was a waste. Fine, if she's so impatient to get this over with, we might as well get it over with.
But do it properly, no idea if there are any rules or traditions about this kind of thing but you're not going to fight in the tent with nobody watching.

"You know that was a huge waste, right? Think about that while I kick the shit out of you."

>>763292
Someone else could've needed that more than me, you selfish little brat! But I guess Matron was right, violence really is the only language you understand. So, let's step outside and have a nice, long "talk".

Tell her you're going to need five minutes to remove the bandages and get dressed. You'll meet her outside after that. Whoever's getting their tail handed to them is going to do it where everyone can see it.

Fantastic threat Matron, now she's getting HEALING SOUP FOR A WEEK!

"So now some gnoll is gonna die for lack of healing later, because you couldn't wait to get your ass kicked.

"You're that selfish, and that short sighted, and you think you're cut out to be Chief?!"

Then punch her in the face, hard as you can.

>>763296

This, but make sure that she doesn't happen to "accidentally" acquire a blade since our sword is still broken.

>>763328
Yeah, wouldn't that suck? Clamp kicks her ass, but ends up getting stuck in bed because she stabbed him and he's got a hole in his torso, again. Only this time, no healing potion, so he's gonna have to actually heal the normal way.

>>763341 Come to think of it, we may want to barbarically down the rest of the soup before doing anything else.

The healing potion might not have fully fixed clamp's injury if it got diluted at all by being added to the soup.

>>763292
Beat the shit out of her for wasting a vital resource. Then go fuck Matron. For like a solid eight hours.

Tell her to get out, and get to the center of camp. If this is happening, it's happening Publicly.

Yeah I think the only way we can really settle this is gonna be a merciless beatdown, if she's willing to try to fight you while you're injured in bed, disrespect Matron, and waste important resources like a healing potion.

That said, I'm assuming that the would-be chief has more going for her than just a burning desire to beat you, so don't underestimate her and all that.

1/3 Clamp 2016/12/05(Mon)10:08 No. 763653 ID: bfb318
File 148096131481.png - (154.25KB , 800x800 , 41.png )

That was probably the only magical item we had or will have without a huge stroke of luck.

Gotta calm down. Not gonna do any good to beat the shit out of her right now.

"One of these days, there's gonna be a gnoll that gets a mortal wound, and they're gonna die because we had no healing potion. Matron." I swallow down the rest of the soup. "Get everyone in camp around some spot where everyone can see me beat Grasswind."
>"Alright. Grasswind. Meet us in the communal arena in five minutes." the Matron says.
>"How do I know Clamp's not gonna bail?"

We stare at her like an idiot in the same way we'd stare at a tree like it's a tree. She gets the hint and leaves.

2/3 Clamp 2016/12/05(Mon)10:08 No. 763654 ID: bfb318
File 148096132719.png - (221.98KB , 800x800 , 42.png )

"Where the hell is a shirt?"
>"The tailor is making one. You still have your shorts."

As we leave, we can hear Grasswind shouting around the camp to come see the fight. Pretty sure this is the first time most of the new clan has seen me standing upright. They've been jokin' around while I was laying down, but now they don't look all that keen to approach me. Then again, I've seen this before when my old chief became chief. No one fucked around with either the old old chief or the old chief till the fight was over.

>"You're tense." says the Matron.
"You know how pissed I am? That girl killed one of her own. She'd get killed normally, but no, she's gettin' off easy right now just cause the person she's doomed ain't dead yet." Maybe no one's messing with me cause they're catching on that I'm gonna bite off the ear of anyone who looks at me bad. "We got a communal arena?"
>"It's a pit in the ground. People look down into it with a better view up high. It looks like Grasswind is already in there, so go ahead and walk down. This is going to be you planting your feet as Chief, by the way. How people will view your worth as Chief, and how you treat Grasswind, is going to have more consequences socially than you're probably used to."
"Any recommendations?"
>"No."

Sounds more like she just doesn't want to give me directions than not having any.

3/3 Clamp 2016/12/05(Mon)10:08 No. 763655 ID: bfb318
File 148096133449.png - (237.43KB , 800x800 , 43.png )

Maybe it's just my ego as Chief taking hold of my head, but Grasswind sure doesn't look like she's got much to stop me from kicking her shit in. Pretty sure this is where most gnolls would realize they made a mistake, but she just keeps on glaring. I gotta be fair though, she'd lose more face backing out now than she'd lose by losing a fight.

I'm going to beat her up no matter what, question is, how easy I'm gonna make it look, and whether I'm just gonna smack her a bit or send her to a sick bed for a few days. Pretty sure I'm gonna give her a few extra punches just for the Matron and the late healing potion anyway.

>"Looks like everyone's about here? Any final words as Chief?"

Don't get overconfident, just in case. Watch out for any tricks. Kinda tempted to beat her down, but someone might need the sick bed unless there's a surplus of those. Take the fight seriously and make it clear that you're stronger by a good margin, but don't humiliate or underestimate her.

Suplex her to death.

She wasted valuable resources and probably cost us a gnoll's life in the next fight. That kind of stupid selfishness means she's getting sent to bed for a few days. Power is the only language she understands.

Don't kill her, don't maim or permanently disable her. She's no good to us that way.

Added handicap: don't bother removing the kobold from your shoulder. Win without your passanger getting hit.

>last words as chief
Only a selfish idiot throws away magic on impatience and pride. A chief puts the clan first.

"try not to cry."

>>763655
Nope.
Anyhoo, in the offchance she's not totally unjustified in her confidence despite you having grappled her into submission while still injured, I wouldn't try anything fancy.

Get a hold of her and knock her into next week.

>>763655
Wait! Don't start fighting yet! You've got to get Shabin off of your shoulder! Don't want her to get hurt by accident!

>Any final words as Chief?
"I'm not gonna have any final words. I'm still gonna be Chief after I kick your ass."

Or

"The worst job to do around camp that no one wants to do, whatever it is, I'm gonna have you doing that for a whole month."

Not really.

Take that thing off your shoulder. You can throw her up out of the ring, she's small and light. It won't seriously damage her.

>"Any final words as Chief?"

"Not yet."

Beat her up but leave her capable. It still might be the case that you'll need one more good fighter in the days to come; that was another reason why you might have needed the healing potion, to get someone in fighting shape in a hurry, so leaving her unable to fight would be hypocritical.

Don't go out of your way to make it look easy, just straightforward effectiveness and efficiency. Show everyone you're a serious fighter, not a grandstander. They'll respect that. They're gnolls, they know fighting, trying too hard to be impressive would just make you seem insecure.

Save the extra punishment for after. Once you have her defeated, grind her face down in the dirt and declare her crimes and the punishment to everyone, to make it clear what she did wrong and how pissed you are over each crime. If people think it's just part of the chief challenge beatdown, then it won't be any use for teaching everyone else a lesson about what you won't put up with.

I say make her Matron's slave for a while, for that crime, and for the potion... how about taking her name? Give her a new one. "Waster", maybe. You might need to threaten everyone else a bit to make sure everyone changes what they call her. Then tell her maybe she can get a better one if she earns it some day.

Get Shabin off of your back before you begin.

Just tell her 'not yet' and take a few moments to stretch. Remember, you've been confined to a bed for a bit now, and we don't know how effective healing magic is on muscle atrophy. It'll be best to see just how weakened you are before punches start getting thrown.

>>763674
Yeah, this is probably the best move.

Smack her down in one blow to assert your dominance, Then clamp her by the neck and let her dangle and choke for what will seem like an eternity to her. Make sure everyone knows that this second part is for wasting precious life saving magic.

Drop her in a heap just before unconsciousness finds her, and walk off.

hand Shabin over to Matron so she can still see the fight.
>>763674
this is good.

>>763655
Break her jaw, it's the least useful thing she's got.

What I'm curious about is why she thinks she's doing this. Is she the only gnoll here that loved her father enough to fight you? Or does she really think she'd make a better Chief?

>>763666
Jesus... and with the 666.

1/3 Clamp 2016/12/06(Tue)08:04 No. 763906 ID: bfb318
File 148104026656.png - (210.42KB , 800x800 , 44.png )

"Not yet. For now, try not to cry."

I toss Shabin back up for Matron to catch, and start doing a few stretches. I'm a bit stiff, but shouldn't be all that out of shape.

I gotta wonder why Grasswind's fighting me like this. Mad about my killing her pops, sure, but from what I've seen, Wind was an unusually diplomatic kind of gnoll that cared about building a society that didn't revolve completely around beating the hell out of each other.

Grasswind doesn't seem to like me being the new Chief, and might want to follow in Wind's footsteps. Which is funny to me, 'cause she's a walking stereotype of meat headed brutality.

>"Are the two of you ready?" Matron asks.
"Yeah."
>"Yes!" says Grasswind.
>"Then begin."

2/3 Clamp 2016/12/06(Tue)08:04 No. 763907 ID: bfb318
File 148104027703.png - (199.96KB , 800x800 , 45.png )

The damn audience is yelling and cheering, now, as we start fighting.

I'll admit that Grasswind's faster on her feet than I gave her credit for. Her claws manage to sail right past my arm to get at my ribs. She manages a tiny scrape that probably isn't even gonna draw blood. She goes for a similar move again the second time, but she ain't so fast that she pull away safely enough. I grab her forearm from that second slice.

3/3 Clamp 2016/12/06(Tue)08:07 No. 763909 ID: bfb318
File 148104044512.png - (101.08KB , 800x800 , 46.png )

With a yank back, I spin her around, grab the back of her neck, and shove her face on the upward slope. The dirt is piled on pretty softly, but that just means I grab the back of her head and shove it in farther. She's kicking backwards at me, but can't land anything well.

"Shut it, crowd!" I yell to the clan. They shut it.

"Grasswind, I'd start slamming your shitty face in the dirt some more and call it a fight, cause ain't nothin wrong with challenging me to a fair fight, but there's no gettin' off that easy. You disrespected Matron, and wasted a healing potion of all the fuck. For the next month, you're gonna do exactly as Matron says, when she says it, how she says it. And for wasting the potion, your name is gonna be Waster." I eye the crowd, making sure that sinks in. "You work hard and do right, you'll get renamed back to Grasswind. You keep flapping your jaw, and I break it."

Figuring being a slave to Matron and removing her identity might be punishment enough, but she keeps on struggling, so I figure someone like her might not need gentle punishments.

>>763908
Well, looks like she really does only understand violence. Announce that she has 5 seconds to quit it and prove she can learn without being beaten up. If she still won't, start hitting her until she stops struggling.

All this assumes she can breathe. You're not suffocating her, right?

she might just be struggling now because she can't breath . . .

Break her enough to make her really wish she had a healing potion but not enough to kill her.

>>763909
Slam her head into the ground. Pause. Repeat if she keeps fighting. Keep repeating till she stops.

Time she has to spend in bed recovering doesn't count towards her month. She has to actually work off her time.

>one small scratch

I wouldn't believe it of a gnoll, but if she's on her dad's "some things are more important" shtick, she might think killing you is more important than her honor or whatever. You should get that checked out for poison.

She might just need to breathe. Get a knee on her back and pull head back up. Ask her if she has something to say. If she does just want to keep fighting, say that you guess if Grasswind got her go, Waster should too, and toss her back and let her come at you again. Beat her again, to make it clear you're not just lucky. Tell her (and everyone listening) that the only reason you're not breaking her legs now is because the clan might need fighters soon, but if she thinks she can cause trouble and risk lives for the sake of her own temper tantrums then she's worse than useless and you're gonna reconsider.

If that doesn't calm her down then yeah break something. Or hit her emotionally by shouting up to the crowd saying Wind seemed smarter than this and asking if they're sure she's his.

>>763917
Yeah, poison might be a worry, but if it didn't even draw blood it doesn't seem it got into the bloodstream. So that's something.

>>763917

Something like this. If she keeps resisting, mumble, so the crowd doesn't hear, 'Yeah, we gotta be related if you're this goddamn stubborn, Waster.' and then look up and shout 'Hey, did Grasswind maybe adopt this fool, Matron? Ain't much a Wind's wits in the lass. She can't even tell when she's beat.'

If that does not give her pause, wreck her until she falls unconscious. Punches and chokes only, no essential broken bones, she'll need those. If she didn't want to be outclassed in a fight, she should have known better than challenging you.

>>763909
Lift her head and ask if you've made yourself clear.
Any other response than 'yes chief' and you reintroduce her nose to the dirt.

Don't taunt her. Get her to submit, though, one way or another. Even if you have to let her up just to beat her down.

>>763929
This. But the dirt on the ground. And more violently.
Apply steadily increasing amounts of violence until submission sets in.

Pull her head out and give her a chance to respond. If she gives you sass continue the fight.

Am half thinking it would be best to let her go and see how she reacts instead of just beating on her.

If she goes for you again keep overpowering her each time. Make it obvious to her and the crowd that she is no match for you.

Gnoll that Gnoll into the ground.
GNOLLFORCE!
GNOLL!

>>763909
I'm gonna go with "let her head out of the dirt, then sit on her." You're half-again her height.

Give her another chance. Hopefully she'll learn it's time to give up after you've beaten her twice.

1/4 Clamp 2016/12/09(Fri)11:07 No. 764748 ID: bfb318
File 148131042485.png - (156.83KB , 800x800 , 47.png )

The thought of her poisoning me with that scratch crosses my mind, but that'd be suicide for her. She's dumb through stubborness and short sightedness, but she should know that she's gonna get murdered if she offs me with some poison.

"You got five seconds to get your struggling!"

She doesn't stop. Oh, wait, she probably can't breathe. That might have something to do with it. I put a knee on her back and pull her face out.

"You done?"
>"Go to hell, bastard."

Her face meets the dirt again, hard, before I pull back again.

"Now?"
>"Fuck you."

2/4 Clamp 2016/12/09(Fri)11:07 No. 764749 ID: bfb318
File 148131043213.png - (182.54KB , 800x800 , 48.png )

I yank her out and throw her to the side.

"Fine, come at me again if you think I got lucky."
>"Quit looking down on me, bastard! I was the best fighter in Wind's clan, outside of Wind himself!"
"Tough order, shorty." That better be a bold faced lie.

She comes at me again.

3/4 Clamp 2016/12/09(Fri)11:07 No. 764750 ID: bfb318
File 148131044130.png - (152.84KB , 800x800 , 49.png )

She gets the dirt again.

As much as I like knocking down other gnolls repeatedly, this is getting pathetic. I put my knee on her back.

"Got anything to say?"
>"Fuck. You."
"I sure don't see the resemblence between you an' Wind. Ya don't look like him, and you're as dumb as half an earthworm. Sure you weren't adopted?"

That hits some nerve, and she starts struggling.

"You're real lucky we need fighters, 'cause otherwise I'd break your useless ankles."

4/4 Clamp 2016/12/09(Fri)11:07 No. 764751 ID: bfb318
File 148131046328.png - (179.87KB , 800x800 , 50.png )

She tires herself out. If I had a fun time beating her up, it dried out a long time ago. After about the 5th time I ram her face in the ground, she finally stops moving. I get up, she wobbles upright, and for a second it almost looks like she might have another go at me. Looks like even she has limits to how stubborn someone can get, and she turns away from me. Her spirit's probably going to come in handy when she's fighting an enemy, and be a pain in the ass everywhere else. I'd even respect that persistence if it didn't belong to the dumbest bitch I've seen in awhile.

>"Fuck youuuu!" she says yet again, before going to climb out of the pit.
>"Learn how to lose sometimes, Grasswind!" someone calls out. "I mean Waster! Sorry Chief!" he says, then barks up at the air.

Then someone else barks. Then two more. Then I remember that when a new Chief is fully recognized by the clan, they all start barking to commemorate the event for some bullshit traditional reason that I can't be assed to remember. Everyone starts barking like a buncha animals and it gets damn loud that it reminds me why gnolls can't hide the location of their camps worth a damn. It's giving me a headache.

>>764751
Is there anything you're supposed to do, yourself? Might want to do that. Also, ask if she actually is the best fighter here or that was just brag.

Stand there in silence for a bit. After you've given them a little time to celebrate:

"All right, that's enough you lot. Go find something useful to do."

She has some issues doesn't she?

That adopted thing made her mad. Does she look like her dad? Could it have any truth? Or maybe she is just insecure about her place in the clan.

Whatever it is we can look into it later if need be. As long as she keeps her stupidity to a acceptable level it should be fine.

Anyways let them yap a bit then tell them to shut up and start doing chief stuff. Get a nice chair set up somewhere and have them all come and introduce themselves. Then tour the camp and get a idea of the layout. Bring Shabin with you to tell you what she knows about people. Then figure out what sort of chief you want to be.

Let them have the moment while you climb out again and check that Waster is taking her place with Matron. Check where Shabin got to, as well. Once that's done, you can tell everyone to get back to work, and now you can check in on that work yourself. Do a patrol around the camp and then if nothing else comes up go help with the muscle work building that wall.

Give them a few moments. As much as it annoys you it does mean they've accepted you, and they'd probably feel a bit off if you cut them off too soon. You need them all comfortable with your leadership. Once they're done tell them to get back to work before having Matron give you a tour of the camp site. Maybe go out and explore the full territory a little if nothing urgent comes up.

>>764765
This.

After things have calmed down a bit and you're out of the pit, maybe ask someone if Waster was really the second best fighter in the clan.

>>764786
if she IS the second best fighter you may want to start a boot camp . . . is Chop available on loan?

>>764788
According to the timeline, this is before we've ever met Chop. But! Because he's Chop, I'm sure Clamp has heard rumors of him.

>>764751
SHADDAP! ALL OF YOU!
Take a cue from Leaf and leave.
If you're not on duty for anything or working on trade skills, you better be training.

1/2 Clamp 2016/12/12(Mon)14:02 No. 765396 ID: bfb318
File 148158017373.png - (209.71KB , 800x800 , 51.png )

I guess I'll let it slide. Keeps goin' for minutes though. Forget if I was supposed to do somethin'. Can't stand it after awhile, though.

"Shaddup, all of ya!" I say, and they do that. "Go celebrate by doing somethin useful."

They all start barking off 'got it Chief's' or something close enough to that, and I go up to grab Shabin and the Matron.

"Girl's got issues. She actually adopted or somethin'? Doesn't even look like Wind."
>"No, she's legitimately Wind's child, believe it or not. People stopped joking about her being adopted though, since she never took it well."
"What, she got people to stop? Wait a second, she's not actually a good fighter here, is she?"
>"... she's not talented, if that's what you're asking, but she's strong. She usually relies on brute force to win fights instead of using her head."
"Great, that's dumb as well."
>"You just rely on brute force, too!" says Shabin.
"Yeah well, it works for me. Guess I'm gonna have to go train up some people, or have one of my guys be a trainer, 'cause that was pathetic. Right now, I'm going to go have a look around camp and see what's up."
>"Oh, right. Leaf left this. He said to give you this sketch of the camp when you asked."
"Well why the hell didn't he give it to me right away?"
>"You'd have to ask him."

2/2 Clamp 2016/12/12(Mon)14:03 No. 765397 ID: bfb318
File 148158018495.png - (372.84KB , 800x800 , 52.png )

Leaf ain't exactly a professional cartographer, but he is mostly literate, which probably makes him the best map maker in all the gnoll heartland by default.

Course, I keep telling him to use simple words, so I can read only most of this. Something about caves, for starters.

The camp is way bigger than I thought it'd be though. Not huge, doesn't take long to walk across, but definitely not the tiny, cramped camps that are more common. Wind probably wanted room to expand, but I'm really starting to wonder what the hell 'defensible' means around here.

Guess I could go visit a place or two, but it's gonna be nightfall here shortly, and people are probably gonna be going to bed soon, or at least winding down.

>>765397
Okay. Your camp is all on one side of the brook, so that's something. Put up a wall behind it and a gate at the bridge. Back entry, too, maybe. The watchtower is probably better off up a cliff. See if you can get a ladder put up on a bit near the entrance to your tent's clearing and a tower built above the ladder.

>>765397
Well, you've fresh water at least. You're surrounded on 3 sides by forests, and apparently you're sitting in a crater. Meaning people can sneak up on you, and have the high ground when they do so.

You can hide non-combatants in the caves during a fight at least, assuming they've been cleared of critters already. Hopefully that gives you someplace cool and dry to store supplies, too.

>what do
Visit the blacksmithery, maybe? You're going to need metal and weapons no matter what, and from what you heard, the place got all messed up after your clan fought Wind's.

Ok yeah, you want to build walls along those two entry ways and up above on the cliffs. It'd be way too easy for someone to bring some ropes along and slide down to run amok. They could also sneak some sort of supply or staging area up there above you, and keep you from striking back since you'd need to climb the cliffs.

This place can be super defensible if you build it up, though. That south cliff, with the two entry ways walled off with narrow gates, would make for you first line of defense. Then you'd have the river for a second one and you can build a wall in the choke to the area with your tent for the last one; once you have everything else set up, you should set up a little reserve supply and such there. You could use the caves but you wouldn't be able to escape, you don't want to get stuck somewhere without a back door. Though, it doesn't look like it'd take much digging to set up a hole between the caves and the area with your tent? A concealed one, even, if you can manage it. That'd be handy. Though I don't like those big question marks on the caves. Ask around, the gnolls living here had to have looked into it.

The walls around the top of the cliffs would be the big part of the defense project, but at least you'd get lots of practice. If you wanted to save on effort, you could just string walls between the trees that are already there. If you build some hunting lodges up out there, and off where the back entrance comes out, you could have advance warning of anyone coming from that direction. Having some hidden drop points and caches for your hunters and scouts around the place is a good idea, anyway. Get Leaf to scout around for good places for that sort of thing while he's teaching.

Anyway, first thing, find out where Waster's gone because she's supposed to be here serving Matron's every whim.

>>765397
Fix the watchtower. Just reinforce it with a ton of triangles everywhere. Triangles are strong.

Yikes, shitty deathtrap watchtower is right. Both entry ways cut between it and bridge back into camp. If an invasion happens your watchgnbolls are probably going to be trapped there. That should really be right next to the bridge, preferably on the same side of the brook as the rest of the camp.

Yeah gonna have to work on actual defenses at some point.

Uh, go see the blacksmith sounds good.

You will be attacking other tribes very soon, so this place need to be ready to be attacked before that.
Ideally we should guard the entrances and make fortifications on top of those cliffs, but that may take time and resources you can't afford to spend. As a provisory measure you could build a fortification on both sides of the bridge to guard resources and concentrate the fight in a smaller more defensible position.

You don't exactly need those bandages around your torso, right? Might as well take them off.

>>765400
>Anyway, first thing, find out where Waster's gone because she's supposed to be here serving Matron's every whim.
She just got beat up in front of her clan, which must've been extremely humiliating. She's gone off to lick her wounds (probably not literally).

But, if she's like any child that gets upset over not getting what they want, she probably went to her room, or in this case her tent, to go pout and maybe even cry a little when no one's looking.

>>765397
I like to think of Gnoll's as units of measurement. I wonder how many Kilognoll's away is that camp with the good blacksmith?

Ask Matron for some advice on what to focus on besides your legitmized obsession with your sword.

I'm assuming Wind's body and effects have been recovered? Any idea what's in those caves?
Visit the blocksmith.

Clamp 2016/12/12(Mon)19:24 No. 765490 ID: bfb318
File 148159949208.png - (195.90KB , 800x800 , 53.png )

I'll take the bandages off once I have a place to put them.

"Matron. Question time. What's in the caves?"
>"The southwestern ones are where most of us sleep. The northeastern ones have caverns leading deep underground. Many of us have heard noises we aren't comfortable with, so we've sealed off the chokepoints, and no one likes to go inside of there regardless. Leaf's map does not seem to show it, but our storage area is in the communal area, by the way."
"Did Wind's body and effects get dealt with?"
>"Yes. He has a gravestone, and his belongings - sentimental ones - are buried with him.

It looks like we were in a depression, but the high ground is only northwest, to northeast, to east. Southeast, the ground is actually lower. Still.

"From what I'm seeing of Leaf's notes, this place's defenses are the shittiest thing and I don't even think I needed help taking this place out."

I look to that guardtower. It's not just a deathtrap because of its location, it looks like it's going to collapse under Shabin's weight.

"Someone relocate and fix that guardtower."
>"We don't have any carpenters, Clamp."
"Well someone who's not a total idiot try it. I've seen human's towers. Use triangles. Just build it out of triangle shapes, damn. Walls, too. Tell me we can make walls. Fortify all the entry ways, and the top of the cliffs above us." At least I've been seeing archers and watchmen keep an eye on the cliff. Someone could slide down with some rope easily, but it looks like they'd be sitting ducks for our archers to pick off as long as they don't doze off. "And may as well have multilayered defenses, so get another wall on the inner side of our brook."
>"Do your clansmen know carpentry? Wind wanted a similar thing, but none of us have much talent for it."
"... better than nothin'. Guess we might need to find a carpenter gnoll after a new blacksmith. Speakin' of, let me see our blacksmith."
>"Alright."
"And where the hell's Waster? Thought she was supposed to be serving your whims by now."
>"Let's wait until tomorrow morning for that. She's in her tent, no doubt venting right now."

I head over to our blacksmith. The guy looks like he needs to start swinging hammers with his legs too.

"Blacksmith. What's your name?"
>"Sharpsteel, Chief!" Right, I was probably told that before. Whatever.
"And what is that waste of metal leaning on that rack?"
>"Aheh, that, ah, was gonna be, your, uh, replacement sword, once I... get it evened up."

You already know where bandages go. On Matron.

"And what fucking miracle does 'evening up' mean?"

Are you going to waste a pound of metal trying to grind a edge onto that thing?

Go flex it and see if it snaps in half in a slight breeze.

If it does have him get back to practicing on making small knives.

>>765490
Looks usable enough for the time being.
...where's the forge?

>>765491
>You already know where bandages go. On Matron.
That's right. She needs all the help she can get to contain those those things! And I believe Waster was pretty accurate with her earlier description of Matron being "boob encumbered".

>>765500
And of course Clamp will have to make sure he puts them on very carefully. It's not like they grow on trees, he'll have to be very sure he gets it right.

That sword is gonna need more than a little evening out.

>>765490
I don't see no forge.

>>765504
>I don't see no forge.
It could be off to the side because Lagotrope couldn't fit everything into the picture.

Figure out the elevation thing. Why the hell are you in a crater, or depression, rather than on a hill or something? Or at least a valley (cause, you know, river valleys are nice) where the features are so you can't trivially be outflanked? What the hell is in the area? What does the scouting say? There HAS to be a better place for a camp, right?

I see an anvil but I don't see the forge for heating the metal that should be right next to it. Or the quenching barrels. Or half the other shit a blacksmith needs. Work table? Chisels? Grindstone? I also notice this seems to be outside in the open air. Tell me you have your forge inside the caves where the wind won't be messing up the temperature on you. Or at least in a nook or something. Where do you keep your coal or charcoal. What's the metal reserves situation. Are we going to need to steal a new set of blacksmithing gear as well? Goddamn.

... I hope you at least have some gods to damn things.

Ok, a good blacksmith's only going to be half what you need if you don't have a carpenter who can make weapon and tool handles and barrels and all that as well. That gemcutter is probably a half decent mason if he has time to practice, you have a leatherworker too, but a carpenter and a blacksmith you need, for sure. And all the gear they'll need. I hope the carpenters that got killed at least left some decent tools behind.

>>765490
Repress rage.
Okay, well it looks and will probably work like a sword when it's done. That's a start.
Really need to check those blackreach dudes though.

Waster is probably plotting her next plan to over throw you

Okay. Your blacksmith is making a sword shaped object that is not a sword. He has none of the setup for actually making a sword like it should be. Ask him, flat out, what are his limits for useful weaponry that it'd be sane to really go into battle with. What would he actually trust? Cold-forged iron spears?

... "Even up"?
You know what. Fuck swords completely right now. This guy is clearly incompetent when it comes to making them.

Maybe he could make you a maul or war-hammer for now, instead. Surly he can place a large chunk of metal on the end of a stick.

That gem guy looked like he had a bit of copper to make earrings and such. Maybe this guy should try his hand at bronze stuff? No way this guy is doing anything with steel, and for your purposes bronze would probably be better than iron. Needs more sharpening, can't make such long blades with it, but doesn't rust so much either and you don't need as hot a forge to melt it down, so it's easier to reuse. Don't know if you guys have access to tin, though, you don't need near as much of it as copper to make bronze with but it's harder to get. If you need to make some arrowheads or such you're only going to use once, straight copper is fine for that, or any weapon that you're ok lasting only one or two hits or that depends more on weight than edge. Can make ok tools with it, though, if you don't have better. Copper armor is possible too, it's pretty bad but better than nothing.

You got any flint knappers?

Yea, investigate access to copper / tin / flint. Miiiight want to go more primitive than 'iron' for a bit. Go down to stone age, or bronze age stuff, since you don't have a decent forge or smelter or anything. Hopefully you all have some flint knappers. What's the hottest oven/forge/kiln/etc. in the area?

>>765490
I see, got no grinder here?
Don't know what you're gonna do with no grinder.

1/3 Clamp 2016/12/15(Thu)15:56 No. 766125 ID: bfb318
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I look around. There's at least a forge, grindstone and some other tools and all that. Not just an anvil and a hammer. So it's at least got the equipment.

"This is the first blacksmith shop I've seen that was outdoors. Sure you aren't supposed to be in the caves or somethin'? Looks like people rolled out crap from there over to here."
>"Er, my predecessor worked in the cave, but it's pretty scary in there, and it doesn't matter, does it?"
"You know what, I wouldn't fuckin' know, would I. What carpenter made these barrels?"
>"We don't know, we raided for it."
"Yeah that sounds like it's gonna be the trend. Gotta find that blackreach - "
>"Blacktorch." Matron corrects me.
"You think I give a shit what they're called?"
>"Unless you want to see us raid the completely wrong clan, I suggest you pay some mind."
"Whatever. The one with the good blacksmith."
>"S-sorry." says Sharpsteel. "I'm trying."

I pick up the sword.

"What fucking miracle does 'evening up' mean? This thing looks like I could snap it in half with my bare hands. In fact that's what I think I'm gonna do, if it doesn't grow feet and run off! It couldn't look any worse if it does!"