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File 148024461684.png - (225.84KB , 800x800 , 1.png )
761819 No. 761819 ID: bfb318

This is the reboot of the old Clamp Quest, which has been scrapped and no longer relevant.

"Eurgh...." Never did like waking up.

That's not saying much of anything, but this time it feels like I got stabbed in the gut. Gotta be fair to waking up though, cause I did get stabbed in the gut.

Let me see, how'd I get here... murdered a guy who stabbed me. Right.

I'm surprised the rest of the clan didn't finish me off me back while I was out - ah shit that was their chief I killed in a fairish fight. Which means I'm their chief now, aren't I.
Expand all images
>>
No. 761820 ID: bfb318
File 148024462722.png - (148.78KB , 800x800 , 2.png )
761820

>"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."
>>
No. 761822 ID: bfb318
File 148024465858.png - (122.31KB , 800x800 , 3.png )
761822

>"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."
>>
No. 761826 ID: 44359f

So... what now?
>>
No. 761827 ID: f0e552

next order, to ourselves: set everyone straight, we are the captain now.
>>
No. 761829 ID: 34c437

This clan has been very active and your also had a lot of conflicts. All thing considered, who are our current enemies?
>>
No. 761831 ID: 3373e2

Try to get some breakfast.
>>
No. 761833 ID: df49f7

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.
>>
No. 761843 ID: bfb318
File 148025810463.png - (92.09KB , 800x800 , 4.png )
761843

... ...

>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.
>>
No. 761844 ID: bfb318
File 148025817392.png - (131.01KB , 800x800 , 5.png )
761844

... ...

"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.
>>
No. 761845 ID: bfb318
File 148025823883.png - (199.76KB , 800x800 , 6.png )
761845

>"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."
>>
No. 761846 ID: 91cfcf

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?
>>
No. 761848 ID: 6505c6

>>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
>>
No. 761852 ID: 44359f

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?
>>
No. 761854 ID: df1c0c

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?
>>
No. 761857 ID: dd4df2

>>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).
>>
No. 761858 ID: 49f18e

get a list of important members of the clan and their roles
>>
No. 761867 ID: bb78f2

>>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?
>>
No. 761882 ID: 211d83

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.
>>
No. 761884 ID: 3abd97

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?
>>
No. 761909 ID: df49f7

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!
>>
No. 761982 ID: bfb318
File 148030244764.png - (205.79KB , 800x800 , 7.png )
761982

"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.
>>
No. 761983 ID: bfb318
File 148030247081.png - (140.44KB , 800x800 , 8.png )
761983

>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."
>>
No. 761984 ID: bfb318
File 148030251223.png - (246.40KB , 800x800 , 9.png )
761984

"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."
>>
No. 761985 ID: 211d83

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.
>>
No. 761986 ID: 3abd97

>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?
>>
No. 761987 ID: 398fe1

>>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?
>>
No. 761988 ID: 595d54

>>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.
>>
No. 761989 ID: 44359f

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?
>>
No. 761990 ID: 49f18e

keep people in their professions unless it causes problems
>>
No. 761992 ID: bb78f2

>>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.
>>
No. 761998 ID: a107fd

>>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.
>>
No. 761999 ID: 87353e

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.
>>
No. 762005 ID: 91ee5f

>>761984
>The sword Matron is currently holding.
"What the fuck is that supposed to be?! Is that a backscratcher or a toothpick or something?!"
>>
No. 762015 ID: bfb318
File 148031995866.png - (141.37KB , 800x800 , 10.png )
762015

>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.
>>
No. 762016 ID: 398fe1

>>762015
Yeah how about you just get those nosy noses in here.
>>
No. 762017 ID: 3abd97

>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.
>>
No. 762018 ID: 91ee5f

>>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!"
>>
No. 762021 ID: bfb318
File 148032266749.png - (211.36KB , 800x800 , 11.png )
762021

"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.
>>
No. 762022 ID: 398fe1

>>762021
Get them to come closer then punch Pawdigger in the gut. He sassed the most.
>>
No. 762023 ID: b412df

>>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.
>>
No. 762027 ID: e17aca

>>762021
Make a mental note to break pawdigger one you've recovered. It'll set a good example for the others.
>>
No. 762030 ID: 4854ef

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"
>>
No. 762031 ID: 44359f

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.
>>
No. 762033 ID: 325c8f

>>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?"
>>
No. 762034 ID: 3abd97

>>762021
Reach up, grab each of their heads, and smack them together three stooges style.
>>
No. 762042 ID: 49f18e

keep in mind Wind was their old chief, he probably appreciated this kind of stupid joking
>>
No. 762044 ID: df1c0c

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.
>>
No. 762045 ID: 595d54

Just sass them back first. >>762033 works. If they still don't seem respectful enough, start getting physical.
>>
No. 762059 ID: bfb318
File 148035753090.png - (211.23KB , 800x800 , 12.png )
762059

"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.
>>
No. 762060 ID: bfb318
File 148035753821.png - (199.66KB , 800x800 , 13.png )
762060

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.
>>
No. 762062 ID: bfb318
File 148035768989.png - (213.56KB , 800x800 , 14.png )
762062

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.
>>
No. 762063 ID: 3d2d5f

>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.
>>
No. 762064 ID: 44359f

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.
>>
No. 762073 ID: 595d54

>>762062
"Try Pawdigger, he got a nosebleed."
>>
No. 762085 ID: 850f11

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.
>>
No. 762097 ID: 91ee5f

>>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!
>>
No. 762102 ID: bb78f2

>>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.
>>
No. 762109 ID: bfb318
File 148038166398.png - (175.67KB , 800x800 , 15.png )
762109

"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.
>>
No. 762116 ID: 595d54

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.
>>
No. 762118 ID: 3abd97

>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.
>>
No. 762120 ID: 211d83

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.
>>
No. 762121 ID: 49f18e

Does Matron have a name? it seems more like a role
>>
No. 762123 ID: 91ee5f

>>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.
>>
No. 762125 ID: 49f18e

also you should hold onto that gem, it matches your eyes
>>
No. 762173 ID: bfb318
File 148039635141.png - (188.71KB , 800x800 , 16.png )
762173

"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.
>>
No. 762174 ID: bfb318
File 148039652266.png - (199.13KB , 800x800 , 17.png )
762174

>"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."
>>
No. 762177 ID: 211d83

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

Ask how long you need to stay in bed anyways.
>>
No. 762186 ID: 3abd97

>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.
>>
No. 762188 ID: 91ee5f

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."
>>
No. 762189 ID: 595d54

>>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.
>>
No. 762196 ID: 91ee5f

>>762189
>Or not letting him get exercise in bed.
Bow chicka wow wow~~ <3
>>
No. 762201 ID: bfb318
File 148040473361.png - (177.03KB , 800x800 , 18.png )
762201

"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.
>>
No. 762204 ID: bfb318
File 148040484115.png - (172.86KB , 800x800 , 19.png )
762204

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."
>>
No. 762205 ID: bfb318
File 148040484794.png - (152.86KB , 800x800 , 20.png )
762205

>"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."
>>
No. 762207 ID: 398fe1

>>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.
>>
No. 762208 ID: 44359f

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.
>>
No. 762211 ID: 91ee5f

>>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.
>>
No. 762214 ID: 595d54

Weeks? Is she messing with you again? And if not, how long before the risk is at least acceptable?
>>
No. 762215 ID: 44359f

>>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.
>>
No. 762238 ID: bfb318
File 148041545826.png - (199.05KB , 800x800 , 21.png )
762238

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."
>>
No. 762239 ID: bfb318
File 148041546820.png - (163.46KB , 800x800 , 22.png )
762239

"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."
>>
No. 762240 ID: 398fe1

>>762239
Well, how about you sit around for a few days first. See if you can stand the boredom.
>>
No. 762241 ID: 595d54

>>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.
>>
No. 762245 ID: 8deaa7

>>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.
>>
No. 762246 ID: 44359f

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.
>>
No. 762255 ID: 3d2d5f

>>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.
>>
No. 762257 ID: 49f18e

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?
>>
No. 762258 ID: 211d83

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.
>>
No. 762272 ID: 595d54

>>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?
>>
No. 762273 ID: 850f11

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.
>>
No. 762274 ID: 44359f

>>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.
>>
No. 762281 ID: 91ee5f

>>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?
>>
No. 762307 ID: bfb318

>>762245
A mistake was made; Matron mentioned Stonedigger a second time instead of saying Pawdigger was a scout.
>>
No. 762598 ID: bfb318
File 148049205435.png - (201.79KB , 800x800 , 23.png )
762598

"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."
>>
No. 762599 ID: bfb318
File 148049206247.png - (238.31KB , 800x800 , 24.png )
762599

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.
>>
No. 762600 ID: bfb318
File 148049206990.png - (132.70KB , 800x800 , 25.png )
762600

>"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."
>>
No. 762601 ID: bfb318
File 148049227242.png - (183.84KB , 800x800 , 26.png )
762601

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?"
>>
No. 762609 ID: 594c18

>>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?
>>
No. 762610 ID: 398fe1

>>762601
Yeah, any potential raid is worth preparing for, and right now it's peaceful so we can stand to wait a bit.
>>
No. 762617 ID: 91ee5f

>>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.
>>
No. 762620 ID: 61c7b9

>>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.
>>
No. 762625 ID: d95874

>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.
>>
No. 762630 ID: b2db0f

>>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.
>>
No. 762738 ID: 3abd97

>>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.
>>
No. 762746 ID: bb78f2

>>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.
>>
No. 762773 ID: bfb318
File 148055505053.png - (160.08KB , 800x800 , 27.png )
762773

"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.
>>
No. 762775 ID: bfb318
File 148055510223.png - (294.43KB , 1200x800 , 28.png )
762775

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!"
>>
No. 762777 ID: 595d54

"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?"
>>
No. 762778 ID: 211d83

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)
>>
No. 762780 ID: 8c0581

Listen to your mother.
>>
No. 762785 ID: 3abd97

>>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."
>>
No. 762786 ID: 398fe1

>>762773
Hey what about trade? You could get work from that blacksmith by paying the other tribe in cut gems.
>>
No. 762788 ID: 595d54

>>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.
>>
No. 762789 ID: 91ee5f

>>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. 762796 ID: 5d2db0

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!
>>
No. 762805 ID: 153e2b

>>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."
>>
No. 762825 ID: bb78f2

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.
>>
No. 762827 ID: 49f18e

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?
>>
No. 762829 ID: e05680

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'.
>>
No. 762845 ID: 90f3c0

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.
>>
No. 762905 ID: 5a2567

"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."
>>
No. 762906 ID: a80326

"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."
>>
No. 762908 ID: 5a2567

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?
>>
No. 762981 ID: af6e04

>>762780

Short, simple, to the point, and dismissive enough to show her you're not afraid of her.
>>
No. 763016 ID: bfb318
File 148063879092.png - (175.97KB , 800x800 , 29.png )
763016

"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."
>>
No. 763018 ID: bfb318
File 148063880171.png - (211.05KB , 800x800 , 30.png )
763018

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.
>>
No. 763019 ID: 595d54

>>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.
>>
No. 763020 ID: 3abd97

>>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.
>>
No. 763022 ID: 595d54

>>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.
>>
No. 763025 ID: 49f18e

clearly this should turn into a mud wrestling match
or a strip wrestling match . . .
>>
No. 763028 ID: 400446

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.
>>
No. 763029 ID: 5a2567

>>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.
>>
No. 763034 ID: 61c7b9

>>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.
>>
No. 763045 ID: 398fe1

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.
>>
No. 763047 ID: 3d25c6

>>763045
Yeah I think this is about right. And now if she does try anything more than that, Matron is around to stop her.
>>
No. 763052 ID: 91ee5f

>>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."
>>
No. 763064 ID: 211d83

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.
>>
No. 763070 ID: 91ee5f

>>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.
>>
No. 763111 ID: bfb318
File 148066284483.png - (159.59KB , 800x800 , 31.png )
763111

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 -
>>
No. 763112 ID: bfb318
File 148066285995.png - (179.97KB , 800x800 , 32.png )
763112

>"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-"
>>
No. 763113 ID: bfb318
File 148066286721.png - (184.50KB , 800x800 , 33.png )
763113

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.
>>
No. 763114 ID: bfb318
File 148066293962.png - (150.31KB , 800x800 , 34.png )
763114

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."
>>
No. 763116 ID: 398fe1

>>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.
>>
No. 763120 ID: 61c7b9

>>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.
>>
No. 763122 ID: 91ee5f

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.
>>
No. 763132 ID: bfb318
File 148067010373.png - (175.91KB , 800x800 , 35.png )
763132

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."
>>
No. 763134 ID: 595d54

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.
>>
No. 763135 ID: eec6e8

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.
>>
No. 763144 ID: 3d2d5f

>>763132
Fine, but if she poisons me you're gonna have to beat that healing potion out of her pretty quick.
>>
No. 763146 ID: 49f18e

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
>>
No. 763148 ID: 395c02

>>763135
This general line of reasoning sounds good. Definitely Grasswind should not be flouting the Matron like that.
>>
No. 763159 ID: 91ee5f

>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.
>>
No. 763164 ID: bfb318
File 148069940269.png - (163.72KB , 800x800 , 36.png )
763164

"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.
>>
No. 763165 ID: bfb318
File 148069941351.png - (179.79KB , 800x800 , 37.png )
763165

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."
>>
No. 763166 ID: 595d54

>>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.
>>
No. 763167 ID: 3d2d5f

>>763165
Doesn't look like you brought enough for the whole class.
>>
No. 763168 ID: 91ee5f

>>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."
>>
No. 763169 ID: eec6e8

"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.
>>
No. 763210 ID: 1a2e5d

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
>>
No. 763290 ID: bfb318
File 148076861422.png - (223.65KB , 800x800 , 38.png )
763290

"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.
>>
No. 763291 ID: bfb318
File 148076879321.png - (173.76KB , 800x800 , 39.png )
763291

"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..."
>>
No. 763292 ID: bfb318
File 148076880485.png - (235.88KB , 800x800 , 40.png )
763292

"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!"
>>
No. 763294 ID: 2ab82c

Kick. Her. Ass
>>
No. 763296 ID: cf85b0

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.
>>
No. 763304 ID: 49f18e

>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.
>>
No. 763307 ID: f429f6

>>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.
>>
No. 763310 ID: 595d54

"You know that was a huge waste, right? Think about that while I kick the shit out of you."
>>
No. 763316 ID: 91ee5f

>>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".
>>
No. 763318 ID: a8aa74

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.
>>
No. 763320 ID: bb78f2

Fantastic threat Matron, now she's getting HEALING SOUP FOR A WEEK!
>>
No. 763321 ID: 3abd97

"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.
>>
No. 763328 ID: a8bc5c

>>763296

This, but make sure that she doesn't happen to "accidentally" acquire a blade since our sword is still broken.
>>
No. 763341 ID: 1e1842

>>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.
>>
No. 763452 ID: a8bc5c

>>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.
>>
No. 763454 ID: 61c7b9

>>763292
Beat the shit out of her for wasting a vital resource. Then go fuck Matron. For like a solid eight hours.
>>
No. 763458 ID: 3e182c

Tell her to get out, and get to the center of camp. If this is happening, it's happening Publicly.
>>
No. 763459 ID: 395c02

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.
>>
No. 763653 ID: bfb318
File 148096131481.png - (154.25KB , 800x800 , 41.png )
763653

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.
>>
No. 763654 ID: bfb318
File 148096132719.png - (221.98KB , 800x800 , 42.png )
763654

"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.
>>
No. 763655 ID: bfb318
File 148096133449.png - (237.43KB , 800x800 , 43.png )
763655

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?"
>>
No. 763656 ID: 595d54

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.
>>
No. 763657 ID: e17aca

Suplex her to death.
>>
No. 763664 ID: 3d2d5f

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.
>>
No. 763666 ID: 400446

"try not to cry."
>>
No. 763667 ID: b2069d

>>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.
>>
No. 763669 ID: 91ee5f

>>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."
>>
No. 763671 ID: b412df

Not really.
>>
No. 763674 ID: 4863e5

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.
>>
No. 763676 ID: a8aa74

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.
>>
No. 763678 ID: a8bc5c

>>763674
Yeah, this is probably the best move.
>>
No. 763712 ID: 3e182c

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.
>>
No. 763714 ID: c441c1

hand Shabin over to Matron so she can still see the fight.
>>763674
this is good.
>>
No. 763747 ID: bb78f2

>>763655
Break her jaw, it's the least useful thing she's got.
>>
No. 763750 ID: 398fe1

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?
>>
No. 763752 ID: fa8f9d

>>763666
Jesus... and with the 666.
>>
No. 763906 ID: bfb318
File 148104026656.png - (210.42KB , 800x800 , 44.png )
763906

"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."
>>
No. 763907 ID: bfb318
File 148104027703.png - (199.96KB , 800x800 , 45.png )
763907

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.
>>
No. 763909 ID: bfb318
File 148104044512.png - (101.08KB , 800x800 , 46.png )
763909

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.
>>
No. 763911 ID: 595d54

>>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?
>>
No. 763913 ID: 1a2e5d

she might just be struggling now because she can't breath . . .
>>
No. 763914 ID: 44f8e2

Break her enough to make her really wish she had a healing potion but not enough to kill her.
>>
No. 763916 ID: 3d2d5f

>>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.
>>
No. 763917 ID: 4863e5

>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.
>>
No. 763918 ID: 595d54

>>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.
>>
No. 763919 ID: dd4df2

>>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.
>>
No. 763929 ID: cbb946

>>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.
>>
No. 763930 ID: 398fe1

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.
>>
No. 763946 ID: 3e182c

>>763929
This. But the dirt on the ground. And more violently.
Apply steadily increasing amounts of violence until submission sets in.
>>
No. 763961 ID: 211d83

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.
>>
No. 763986 ID: bb78f2

Gnoll that Gnoll into the ground.
GNOLLFORCE!
GNOLL!
>>
No. 764168 ID: 61c7b9

>>763909
I'm gonna go with "let her head out of the dirt, then sit on her." You're half-again her height.
>>
No. 764181 ID: af6e04

Give her another chance. Hopefully she'll learn it's time to give up after you've beaten her twice.
>>
No. 764748 ID: bfb318
File 148131042485.png - (156.83KB , 800x800 , 47.png )
764748

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."
>>
No. 764749 ID: bfb318
File 148131043213.png - (182.54KB , 800x800 , 48.png )
764749

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.
>>
No. 764750 ID: bfb318
File 148131044130.png - (152.84KB , 800x800 , 49.png )
764750

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."
>>
No. 764751 ID: bfb318
File 148131046328.png - (179.87KB , 800x800 , 50.png )
764751

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.
>>
No. 764752 ID: 595d54

>>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.
>>
No. 764754 ID: 3d2d5f

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."
>>
No. 764759 ID: 850f11

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.
>>
No. 764760 ID: 49fe0f

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.
>>
No. 764765 ID: c05359

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.
>>
No. 764772 ID: 91ee5f

>>764765
This.
>>
No. 764786 ID: 398fe1

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.
>>
No. 764788 ID: 1a2e5d

>>764786
if she IS the second best fighter you may want to start a boot camp . . . is Chop available on loan?
>>
No. 764802 ID: 91ee5f

>>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.
>>
No. 764883 ID: bb78f2

>>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.
>>
No. 765396 ID: bfb318
File 148158017373.png - (209.71KB , 800x800 , 51.png )
765396

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."
>>
No. 765397 ID: bfb318
File 148158018495.png - (372.84KB , 800x800 , 52.png )
765397

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.
>>
No. 765398 ID: 595d54

>>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.
>>
No. 765399 ID: 3abd97

>>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.
>>
No. 765400 ID: 49fe0f

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.
>>
No. 765401 ID: 398fe1

>>765397
Fix the watchtower. Just reinforce it with a ton of triangles everywhere. Triangles are strong.
>>
No. 765402 ID: c05359

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.
>>
No. 765407 ID: 395c02

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

Uh, go see the blacksmith sounds good.
>>
No. 765416 ID: 34c437

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.
>>
No. 765421 ID: 91ee5f

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.
>>
No. 765438 ID: bb78f2

>>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.
>>
No. 765458 ID: 7cd45f

I'm assuming Wind's body and effects have been recovered? Any idea what's in those caves?
Visit the blocksmith.
>>
No. 765490 ID: bfb318
File 148159949208.png - (195.90KB , 800x800 , 53.png )
765490

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."
>>
No. 765491 ID: 595d54

You already know where bandages go. On Matron.

"And what fucking miracle does 'evening up' mean?"
>>
No. 765492 ID: 211d83

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.
>>
No. 765497 ID: 398fe1

>>765490
Looks usable enough for the time being.
...where's the forge?
>>
No. 765500 ID: 91ee5f

>>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".
>>
No. 765503 ID: 595d54

>>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.
>>
No. 765504 ID: 3abd97

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

>>765490
I don't see no forge.
>>
No. 765505 ID: 91ee5f

>>765504
>I don't see no forge.
It could be off to the side because Lagotrope couldn't fit everything into the picture.
>>
No. 765512 ID: 8cb228

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?
>>
No. 765559 ID: df2e65

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.
>>
No. 765574 ID: 72bca3

>>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.
>>
No. 765576 ID: 1a2e5d

Waster is probably plotting her next plan to over throw you
>>
No. 765577 ID: e9df4e

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?
>>
No. 765632 ID: 3e182c

... "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.
>>
No. 765636 ID: 601a59

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?
>>
No. 765637 ID: 8cb228

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?
>>
No. 765654 ID: bb78f2

>>765490
I see, got no grinder here?
Don't know what you're gonna do with no grinder.
>>
No. 766125 ID: bfb318
File 148184621152.png - (193.91KB , 800x800 , 54.png )
766125

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!"
>>
No. 766126 ID: bfb318
File 148184621871.png - (197.34KB , 800x800 , 55.png )
766126

shnk

"..... You know what? How 'bout you make me a bigass hammer. Gonna be real impressed if you manage to fuck up putting a lump of metal at the end of a stick."
>"Y-y-you got it!"
"Won't even mind if it's copper or bronze or somethin. Know how to cold forge spears? How's the access to copper an' tin anyway if it's bronze? Got any flint knappers?"

I feel like I'm quizzing a baby on how to lay siege to a citadel.

"Just shove a lump on a stick."

I'm done with today.
>>
No. 766127 ID: bfb318
File 148184622597.png - (145.20KB , 800x800 , 56.png )
766127

>Contain rage
I go back to the tent, cause I'm gonna break something if the next place I visit has half the incompetence as the blacksmith. Gonna expect Leaf to show up at some point for somethin' useful before I go break something

"Matron. Why're we on a weird half-plateau, half depression? This is the kind of camp spot that's gonna get roasted, then some years down the line someone's gonna come discover the ruins of a place like this, look around, and say 'I know exactly why this happened.'"
>"Wind had big plans for it. He thought that with the right fortifications, it would be an excellent spot. Plus, it's difficult to find a wide open area that's also defensible - Wind was planning on having a few hundred here. If you don't like it, though, we only have so many belongings. We can search for a new spot and pick up there."
"Yeah send some scouts to see if there's a spot nearby that isn't the defensive equivalent of being caught with one's pants around their ankles. Speaking of clothes, I may as well take these bandages off, since the bandage storage is right here."
>"What? We store the bandages at the - oh, you're making a joke about me wearing so many bandages, aren't you."
"That's usin' your head. What, you hear 'em all or something?"
>"Only the ones involving taking them off."
>>
No. 766128 ID: 595d54

>>766127
"Don't tell me you prefer those."
>>
No. 766130 ID: 211d83

How you dress is up to you. I ain't about to give you any crap for it. And if anyone does gives you shit let me know and I will go teach them a lesson.

So how did the situation get so bad with Waster? Because she has a special kind of stubborn going on.
>>
No. 766132 ID: bb78f2

>>766127
Well that was joke about putting YOURS on, so hey you heard one of those.
You should maybe tie one in a bow sometime, mix it up a little.
>>
No. 766136 ID: 0476ad

Well, if you're thinking about those sheep they have, it's not that bad of a spot. Easy enough to keep them in with the river and cliffs and such. Wind probably had the right idea about this place being decent if it was fortified, and if you do plan to go raiding to nab people and bring up your population that way, then you'd not only have more people but some folks who could actually build. My guess is it comes down to your plans for the future, if you plan to expand you should stay here, if you plan to keep yourselves to yourselves as you are now you should find somewhere else. Moving somewhere else probably means losing those sheep, though, which means losing the wool for those bandages and the emergency food. You might also lose the forge, you'd need a wagon to carry all that stuff. And you really would need to find somewhere out of the wind to put it, you can't forge a weapon right if it's cooling down to fast on you. That's why forges are always built with at least a few walls around them!

Anyway, ask Matron how she thinks you're doing, now she's had a day or two to see how you operate. Also ask her if she knows any good ways to burn off anger/frustration, she must have found out a few by now or she would've exploded.
>>
No. 766137 ID: 398fe1

>>766126
Do YOU know more about blacksmithing than him? Would it be unacceptable for you to at least start teaching him? Like, at least teach him how to cold forge and how to put a hilt on properly.

>>766127
Well tell her you're glad you surprised her at least. Ask if Wind mentioned what fortifications he'd use. Was there something to protect the camp from archers stationed on the cliff face?
>>
No. 766143 ID: 3abd97

>He thought that with the right fortifications, it would be an excellent spot.
That's not wrong, but until we have someone who can build fortifications, we're outta luck.

>>"Only the ones involving taking them off."
Well I certainly go no complaints if you're offering. Might as well get some good out of that wasted potion.
>>
No. 766151 ID: 91ee5f

>>766126
That almost stabbed you in the foot! And that's your ass kicking foot! You wouldn't have been able to kick asses!

>>766127
>"Only the ones involving taking them off."
Good to know that I surprised you with a joke about putting more bandages on!
>>
No. 766155 ID: 54a237

Well, at least I was a little original.

So, why are we planning to just take the Blacktorch's blacksmith? Why not take the whole clan without any half-measures? I mean, if we're going to start quarreling, why not finish it in the same move?
>>
No. 766156 ID: 398fe1

>>766155
Careful now. That's suspiciously close to a long-term plan of uniting every gnoll clan under Clamp.
>>
No. 766157 ID: 54a237

>>766156
God forbid it happen on purpose.
>>
No. 766164 ID: 595d54

>>766157
Dealing with one or two clans is bad enough, tbh.
>>
No. 766168 ID: 62e3c5

>>766155
Clamp is annoyed enough being responsible for this many idiots. I don't think we want to add a whole clan more on top of that. A few good tradesgnolls are essential to making anything that won't immediately fall apart.
>>
No. 766174 ID: 8cb228

So... what exactly will it take to annex your weakest neighbor wholesale? Who IS the weakest neighbor, and what skilled gnolls do they have? What's their tactical and strategic disposition?
>>
No. 766187 ID: 91ee5f

>>766157
But if it does happen by complete accident, then it'll be fucking hilarious! XD
>>
No. 766188 ID: 54a237

>>766175
Dynamics of empire, man. If we expand to get resources, or just some breathing room, our borders expand. We act to protect those borders by taking out anyone trying to raid us, our borders'll get bigger. I doubt any Gnoll clan will jump to the aid of their neighbors, either, and by the time that changes it'll be too late.
>>
No. 766232 ID: 9ab95f

Taking out the weakest nearby clan actually sounds like a decent idea. No matter the size, every gnoll you get is fresh talent. If your lucky maybe they'll even have a talent you need. Plus If the power difference is clear, you might be able to bully them into joining you bloodlessly, or be able to setup (through threats or kidnapping) a one on one battle royal between you and their chief, so as to preserve as many gnolls as possible. You never know who the valuable ones will be.

In the meantime, it's getting late. Why not blow off some steam and fuck the shit outta Matron?
>>
No. 766257 ID: 1a2e5d

>>766132
seconding this
Suggest she tie a bow on one of the outer bandages
>>
No. 766262 ID: c441c1

>>766132
I like it.
>>
No. 766280 ID: 043af3

Next morning, task all of your competent scouts, spies, explorers, rangers, and cartographer types (hah!) with giving you an idea of the surroundings. Features, strategic points, objects of interest, resources of all sorts, unknown areas, animal populations, other tribes and groups (and their territory, strength, disposition, demeanor, notable skilled individuals, etc.), as much as possible. Even knowing what you don't know will be helpful. You need data! You can't make bricks without clay, after all.
>>
No. 766281 ID: 043af3

>>766280
And while they are out, do a survey of what you have, inspecting and getting to know the local gnolls, their skills, what resources the camp itself has, talk to people about their talents and interests. Maybe someone has some under-used knack somewhere. Find out if there are any local problems that need heading off, figure out people's goals and wants and worries.
>>
No. 766287 ID: a8bc5c

>>766281
That happened already.

There's a shirt issue according to the gnoll formerly known as grasswind.

The camp's defenses suck, food's alright for now but there's also something about needing new weapons.

Guess we'll have to barter with the blacktorch clan to get properly armed before we can do any proper raiding.
>>
No. 766288 ID: 595d54

>>766287
We asked about bartering before.
>"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."

I don't really think it's going to work well. Even if they agree to talk they'd probably ask for unreasonable terms.
>>
No. 766293 ID: 043af3

>>766287
Yes, okay, we asked others about this stuff. But we haven't systematically talked and introduced ourselves to everyone and talked to everyone. We have the time, we should trust our own judgment over others we don't know, no matter how well meaning. It's a small clan, we can get through it in an afternoon, let's knuckle down and do it!
>>
No. 766417 ID: bfb318
File 148195759966.png - (159.59KB , 800x800 , 57.png )
766417

>What exactly will it take to annex your weakest neighbor wholesale?
Figuring as long as I beat up their chief in a fight or somethin', it's not too hard. If nothin' else, it'll make up for the numbers.

We already got scouts keeping an eye on neighbors, but apparently killing Wind made a big shakeup around here, so there's nothing solid yet. Tired enough of dealing with this clan by itself, anyway, but I'll want to know things once they come up.

Guess tomorrow I'll end up meeting the handful of people I haven't already.

"I'll be figuring that if I'm the worst chief you've ever seen, you'd have the nerve to say so, Matron?"
>"I'm glad I don't need to test my nerves, then. It's yet to be seen if you'll be a good chief, but my worries about a... disaster of a chief aren't around me, anymore. In fact, I'm more worried that our camp is a disappointment, to you."
"Yeah well... ain't gonna butter that one up, I ain't impressed, but you don't see me runnin' away to the hills over it. Anyway, you prefer those bandage jokes to involve takin' 'em off?"
>"No."
"Well good, 'cause I ain't joking about taking them off."
>"... are you seducing me?"
"No, I'm tellin' you to get the bandages off the Matron and the Matron on the bed."
>"Do you prefer face down or - "
"Real sick of questions all the time, Matron! I'll put ya where I damn please."
>>
No. 766418 ID: bfb318
File 148195763850.png - (198.71KB , 800x800 , 58.png )
766418

Yeah, this is both a good celebration on being chief, and good consolation to the fact I gotta be chief.

>"Boss."
>"AH?!" Matron nearly screams in my ear, damnit.
"Leaf."
>"Got details on the camp. Doesn't look like they have the materials to keep him workin', so he wanders a bunch. May not even raid the camp if you don't feel like it, but he doesn't wander too far, either."

The Matron kicks at me.

>"Can this wait? Talk of that doesn't help... this."
"You kiddin'? A good competent report is exactly what my boner needs. Leaf, talk to me."
>"Their camp is at the bottom of a valley, just nearby a waterfall. Their camp is heavily trapped, but there's openings we can use in them. The blacksmith often wanders, too. If we want to be sneaky and just snag him while he walks, we've got to only bring a few gnolls. If we get found out, we fight or flee. The fight would be tough with only a few, but fleeing means they'd boost their defenses if they learned we were after their blacksmith. Or, you know... you can just grab half our camp and steamroll 'em and take all the survivors in with us to replenish the numbers."
"What if I just do the good ol' tactic of Chief versus Chief?"
>"Eh, these gnolls are real, eh... brotherly? Real us versus them mentality. Kinda, how do you say..."
"Dumb?"
>"Yeah."
>>
No. 766419 ID: 211d83

Steamroll sounds good. Can get a good feel for the quality of your new troops that way.

Let Leaf know so he can plan things and continue with Matron. Get some of the perks of the job before you have to go deal with idiots.
>>
No. 766420 ID: 595d54

Yeah, let's just crush them. Get a feel for your followers and how good they are at being followers when you're leading.

Now tell Leaf to buzz off, he's not getting a free show and if you want this to happen again without the risk of claws or teeth getting involved, at least try to make Matron happy. Besides, I doubt you want any rumors about you being bad in bed to spread.
>>
No. 766428 ID: 91ee5f

Tell Leaf to next time not give a report while you're having fun in bed. For Matron's sake and for the sake of your balls. Because that's what Matron is gonna end up kicking if this happens again! And you don't have a healing potion to fix that kind of damage! DX
>>
No. 766430 ID: bb78f2

Steam it. Makes a statement and honestly, making a permanent enemy out of a clan and it's a problem just going to have to be solved down the line, where they might get stronger.

While Leaf's here, ask if he wants to join in. Matron, I know he seems a tad creepy, but he's wily. Could be fun.

Good bonding experience. Also for morale.
>>
No. 766431 ID: 3e182c

Kidnap the blacksmith but get caught on purpose.
make a real big stink about it. Attract as much attention as possible. Then pretend to flee, and lead your pursuers into an ambush by half the camp. Then steam roll into what remains at their camp.
Losses: Minimized
Gains: Maximized
Boner: Secured
>>
No. 766432 ID: c441c1

>>766431
sounds good. Having a secured boner is always nice. However the problem would be getting Gnolls to stay still long enough for a ambush let alone getting them to agree to one.
>>
No. 766436 ID: 49978d

>>766431

Sounds good. Capture blacksmith, let yourself be caught running away with him, lead them on, spring ambush. Have the ambush guys near enough that if something unexpected happens you can go right to Plan B calling them in to sweep up straight away.

But right now, Clamp, just say "Good job, I've got an idea for a plan and a couple of questions to go with it, but I'll tell you tomorrow 'cause now I'm informed I intend to give Matron the full attention she deserves. Unless she's into havin' you around, you can go rest up."

Then make sure you do give her your full attention, because she does deserve it and also because I'll bet who's layin' who doesn't stay secret in camps like this and you want the gossip about your bed prowess to be as good as about your fight prowess. I doubt you're a guy who does things by halves, anyway.
>>
No. 766443 ID: 62e3c5

How predictable are his walks? Time, general direction from camp? We could send a couple gnolls to grab the blacksmith while a slightly larger group fakes a poorly planned raid on the other side of the camp before running off. If they're that kind of stupid they might just celebrate their victory so hard they'd hardly recognize one of their guys got nabbed until hours later.
>>
No. 766459 ID: 32b3ca

As much as I want to give Leaf the order to black-bag the Black torch blacksmith, there's no sense in dragging this out. Whatja think matron, the clan up for a raid?
>>
No. 766460 ID: 043af3

>>766459

Wait till you are not fucking to say this! Having a good reputation in bed is important.
>>
No. 766461 ID: bb78f2

If we're not going to offer Leaf to join, can we at least tell the guy to take a little bit of R&R tonight and find some chick or dude to bone?

Can't have our best man have blue balls. Nope. Also, seriously he should consider siring some pups soon. His work is dangerous and we need more Leafs in case the worse happens, and while training is important, his natural talent needs to spread through generations, even if it's a recessive trait.

Maybe have Waster be the mother, I see potential in her, so maybe having a pup will mellow her out and let her reach it, in addition to passing it to the pup along with Leaf's. Or it'll make her temper worse, and that anger can be used on the enemy, so really, plus on both outcomes.

What, a man can play Gnoll Emblem: Fates if he wants to.
>>
No. 766467 ID: 62e3c5

With all this talk of having Leaf joy I'm tempted to tell Matron that at least he had the courtesy of revealing himself this time without any further elaboration. Is it still a joke if we don't know that its true but wouldn't be surprised if it was?
>>
No. 766484 ID: a107fd

If we're going for the steamroll, make sure everybody on our side can identify the Blacktorch blacksmith on sight (or by smell or something), and knows how important it is to capture that one not just alive, but intact enough for strenuous work. Remind 'em that there would be a lot more margin for error on that issue if only we had a healing potion.
>>
No. 766511 ID: a8bc5c

Well if you are already in matron then leaf's going to have to wait a minute.

If not then politely tell her to wait a minute then go talk to leaf about the raid.
>>
No. 767563 ID: 7a524b
File 148243337845.png - (159.38KB , 800x800 , 59.png )
767563

>"Say, should I be coming back later? Don't know if you want a reputation for being distracted in bed." Leaf asks.
"I'm still goin', aren't I?"
>"It's rude." says the Matron.
"How the hell's it rude?"
>".... it's as though saying I'm not worth your undivided attention."
"The hell? This is sex, not war theory, all I'm doing is bumpin'. You saying I'm so dumb I can't do that and hold a conversation at the same time?"
>"No, that... erg, forget it, keep talking to Leaf."
"... erg, fine. Leaf, the lady doesn't want to give out free shows and she's spooked by the sight of a competent scout. Cover up your eyes or somethin'."
>>
No. 767564 ID: 7a524b
File 148243342934.png - (164.23KB , 800x800 , 60.png )
767564

>"Okay, Boss."
"We're gonna lay an ambush. Get some guys to kidnap the blacksmith, but make 'em fail and get a group of his mates to chase us. Then we ambush their whole group with our real force, take 'em out, then raid the ones that were left at camp. Divide an' conquer an' all that."
>"Boss, that's... huh, that's smart." says Leaf.
>"I didn't know you were a tactician, Chief." says Matron.
"What the fuck is with you two and thinkin' I'm a brickhead, huh? Can't use my head in a fight, can't say words while humping, goddamn."
>"Sorry, Boss. I'll have the details to make a good ambush." says Leaf. "I know you're going to want to go right away, since you won't want to use the hammer you're getting for long."
"What, now you don't think I can use a hammer?"
>"I dunno about that, but the hammer you're going to get isn't gonna be great. Anyway, Matron is still making annoyed noises, I think she thinks you're still being rude, boss. You might be getting a bad reputation in bed if you don't tell me to get outta here or something." says Leaf.
"The hell do I care about a good reputation in bed? I'm a damn Chief, and I can have any girl I want! I could have you join in with the Matron if I wanted!"
>"Is that an order?"
"It's a statement! You don't gotta if you don't wanna. And since I'm the nicest damn gnoll in the camp, only if Matron wants, too. How's that for bein' a gentlemen?"
>"More than I dared to hope, sometimes." Matron says.
>"Yeah I can go someplace else." says Leaf. "I'm assuming you want to be part of the ambush squad instead of the sneak squad. We have 50 gnolls here, they have about 20 there, so you gotta say how many you want to bring. Oh, there's also a nice cavern exit I found that leads out of our camp. I bet that's part of why Wind liked this weird spot; big numbers of gnolls can leave this area easily without being seen by enemy scouts."
>>
No. 767573 ID: 309d35

Dammit, now I need to do math at the same time? Now I see what you say about mixing business and pleasure.

We'll leave like 20 gnolls here, maybe less, to hold down the fort and make everyone think we're still here; about 5 for a kidnapping squad, maybe more- so long as the Blacktorches think they can take 'em- everybody else on the ambush.
>>
No. 767574 ID: 595d54

>>767564
"Fuck, Leaf, you think I have a boner for numbers too? Leave enough to defend this place, 5 on kidnap, rest on the ambush."
>>
No. 767579 ID: 730b97

Hey, now that we've just about got our plans in place, if she ain't into having our spooky ghost friend join in, it'd be a real good time to /impress/ her. Sure, a good chief can have any girl he wants, but a /great/ chief, every girl should want him! You're not going anywhere, put those skills to use.
>>
No. 767580 ID: 790549

I say about 20 gnolls total on the job. 3 go to grab the blacksmith while the rest set up the ambush. We can always nix finishing off the camp if not enough fall into the trap.
>>
No. 767582 ID: 49978d

>"The hell? This is sex, not war theory, all I'm doing is bumpin'. You saying I'm so dumb I can't do that and hold a conversation at the same time?"
>"No, that... erg, forget it, keep talking to Leaf."

She's thinking there's more to sex than bumpin' and humpin' and you're not doing it. It's like if you tried to comment to someone about trying to fight and talk at the same time, and they said "All I'm doing is hitting guys with pointy sticks, you saying I'm so dumb I can't" et cetera.

In any case, Matron being Matron and probably having a bunch of kids, she's sure to have had sex a lot and know a lot about it. Weren't you giving out about Waster not respecting Matron's opinions earlier? Plus you don't want anyone to just give up on talking to you about a problem they think exists, that's just a bad precedent. Give Leaf his orders and once he's left you talk to Matron and get her advice, and then you make sure that if she ever gets called back to your bed again she'll be happy about it.

Anyway yes, enough to defend, 5 or 6 on capture squad (make sure you pick the fast runners) and the rest in ambush. You'll probably have to give everyone a pep talk/chewing out before you go to make sure everyone does their part right and doesn't accidentally kill the blacksmith or something.
>>
No. 767589 ID: 850f11

If you were fucking Matron properly she would be to distracted by pleasure to give you sass. So obviously you are failing at sex.

I mean what kind of chief can't even fuck a matron silly? You need to improve your sex game quick.
>>
No. 767598 ID: 211d83

Matron sort of is the resident expert on sex. If you can't get her distracted enough to ignore Leaf then yeah you are doing it wrong.

So ask her what she likes and give it to her. Sex wise I mean.
>>
No. 767606 ID: 595d54

If you get tired of Matron talking you should kiss her. Purely to shut her up.
>>
No. 767618 ID: 7a524b
File 148244982304.png - (149.41KB , 800x800 , 61.png )
767618

"Great, numbers. Just... keep two sets of fingers on camp, one hand set on the kidnapping group, the rest on the ambush."
>"What?" Matron asks.
>"That's 20 on camp, 5 on kidnapping duty, 25 on ambush." says Leaf.
"Yeah whatever.
>"You should learn to divide, boss. It's handy. I'll get everyone up first thing in the morning and tell them there's going to be a raid. I'll also sort out the people best suited to each task."
"Yeah whatever. Get outta here Leaf before your math lesson makes me limp." Oh, he's gone. "Alright Matron, now you got my undivided attention. I'm a fighter, not a fucker."
>"... it's fine, Clamp, the priority is on you being a good chief. How you are in bed is of little consequence."
"You calling my manhood of little consequence?"
>"Wh-what? That's not what I said, Clamp."
"That's what I heard! Bumps ain't good enough for you? What else is there to sex?"
>"... do you actually care?"
"I gotta learn how to fuck you hard enough so that you won't even notice when Leaf an' I are holding a conversation. Cause I ain't gonna lie, this ain't gonna be the last time."
>"... fine, then the first thing you have to come to terms with is that you do need to use your head."
>>
No. 767622 ID: 7a524b
File 148245018128.png - (148.71KB , 800x800 , 62.png )
767622

The Next Morning

Never knew sex could be turned into a damn brain ache. Unlike every other girl I've laid with though, Matron's still in the same bed this morning. That either means I did the best I ever did in my life, or this is just the bed where she sleeps normally.

I can trust Leaf to sort out the details, and I'm hearing them gather up.

>"It would look bad if everyone was waiting on you to get up. You should go make a speech."
"A what."
>"Didn't your old boss make speeches to pump you up?"
"... if he were the chief here, he'd just go out there and yell at us to not fuck this up. Figured I'd follow his example."
>"You can do better. Just... try to do better than that."
>>
No. 767626 ID: 595d54

>>767622
But did YOU enjoy it, Clamp?

And go talk at the clan about how it's important to get a new blacksmith and how they should learn to work together and see how well they can fight with each other.
>>
No. 767627 ID: 211d83

Well get up and give a rousing speech about stuff.


Ok Gnolls we are going to go steal us some new Gnolls. We need a Blacksmith first so a couple of you are going to go do a shitty job at trying to kidnap him while he is out for a walk.

You make a mess of things and get them all to chase you.

Then the rest of us will show up from hiding and knock the rest of there asses out and make them part of our clan.

We do a good job and everyone will have proper weapons and equipment in no time.
>>
No. 767636 ID: 49978d

Ok, let's see. A speech. Something suitable for gnolls, and for Clamp.

"All right you lot, if you've been paying attention then you know what the plan is and what your part in it will be, and if you haven't been paying attention then you'd better make sure you find out because if I find out some chucklehead didn't know what they're supposed to be doing I'm going to give them some scars to remind 'em to make sure they do next time."

"Now since I know that's asking a lot already for some of you I'll tell you what you might not know, which is why we're doing this. Basically, everything's a mess right now, not just for us but for all the other clans around us. After what went down here all the morons who've been waiting for their chance around us have decided to kick up trouble in their own clans, so they're all merging or splitting or killing each other and it's not going to be long before I'm not the only fresh Chief around here. And because they're fresh, all those new Chiefs and their new clans are gonna want to show off their stones to try look strong, which means they might think of trying their luck to see how hard we are and if they can take anything off us. So we need to look strong and smart enough that they won't try it unless they're stupid, and we need to actually be strong and smart enough that the ones that are stupid won't be a problem, and we need to do both quick."

"So first thing we're doing is going to grab some more gnolls to bulk up our numbers more and to have people who can make the shit we need. The guys we're going after are known for having good weapons, so we want to show our stuff by beating them down while nabbing their blacksmith to boot. Then he'll make good stuff for us and help teach the one we have already to do better work, so we'll have two good blacksmiths. But if we can, we want to grab more than him, especially carpenters or other workers we're missing, so remember: only kill as many of them as we need to keep the rest of them down, and don't fuck up the ones we capture too much because you're going to be livin' with 'em."

"Speaking of livin' with people, this is the first big thing we're all doing together after merging our old clans, so I want to see some teamwork and I want to see you all trying to put on a good show for the gnolls you don't know. Some of you are going to think others of you are fuckups, and I know there are going to be fuckups, just don't be petty pieces of shit to each other, do what the people who know their shit tell you and save the big fights with each other for when we're all back and we have time for them."

"And to help make sure you all do your best not to do anything that'd piss me or everyone else off, when we all get back I'm going to talk to everyone and have them name the person besides themselves they think did the best. I'll be checking with Matron so no playin' favorites or grudges. Person who has the most other gnolls saying they're top shit gets to be clan champion for the week, first pick of the cuts on every meal and top of the list for askin' the new blacksmith to make something for them, maybe some other good shit as well, I'll think about it. And I'll also be asking everyone who bottom shit was, and finding out how exactly they fucked up, and they're going to get some extra fuckin' special treatment too, probably with my fists, so keep that in your heads as well."

"Any questions?"
>>
No. 767638 ID: 309d35

Alright you pack a clowns listen up, we're going to annex the Blacktorch clan. We'll be outnumbering them by like ten Gnolls, and we'll hit 'em in an ambush, so that'll just make it more embarrassing if you fuck up, so don't do that. Everyone know which group you're in? Now show me what you can do.
>>
No. 767641 ID: 91ee5f

>>767636
That's a great speech and all, but are you sure it should be that long? Because I don't think Gnolls are known for being long winded.
>>
No. 767672 ID: 7a524b
File 148246651672.png - (165.34KB , 800x800 , 63.png )
767672

I get up, have some breakfast and get up on some mound for this speech giving purpose.

After I look around the plateaus and make sure people have my back, because this thing looks like an assassination spot.

"Alright you runts, if you've been paying attention, you know what the mission is. If you weren't, then go ask someone else, then ask 'em to punch you in the face for not paying attention. As for why we're doing this? We lost some numbers, I want us back up to full. So we're going to 'claim' the Blacktorch clan. Everyone know what the blacksmith looks like?"
They all nod their heads.
"You in the front, you nodded. Care to tell everyone what he looks like for those who nodded but don't have a damn clue?"
>"Uh, er..." he struggles hard. "Right! Er, that is, his right ear has a chip in it, he's got pale fur with blackish dots on his extremities. He's right about six foot five, and looks like our blacksmith's build if our blacksmith didn't skip leg day!"
They all laugh at Sharpsteel, and now I know what the blacksmith looks like.
"Good. We've got to get some skill in here, so with good weapons, a good carpenter to make some good walls, and gnolls falling out of the woodwork, ain't any of the new clans coming up around us are going to even think to screw around with us. Now, our teams each have some of my old clan in here, and I expect both my old clan and the clan that always lived here to get along just well. Anyone raising shit for no good reason is gonna be on some shit duty. And speakin' of, I want everyone paying attention to what everyone else is doing, and at the end of the fight, each fighter's gonna come up to me and tell me who they think did the best job that isn't themselves, and why. And I'm gonna be there too so if I see anyone making shit up to play favorites, they better be the sort of gnoll that doesn't want dinner! The gnoll that gets the most votes gets to be the clan champion for a bit, which comes with things like first cut of the meals, and the first cut of gear for a week. After me. I'm still gettin' my sword and I'm still eatin' what I want, so the champion just gets the best deal out of the people who aren't chief. Any questions?"
>"Yeah!" one gnoll to the side says. "What about us on guard duty? Why do we just have to sit around all day with no chance of being chamption?"
>>
No. 767673 ID: 595d54

"No one wants the camp to be overrun, and if they get pissed off enough that they follow us back or the plan goes wrong you'll get your chance to fight too."
>>
No. 767676 ID: 211d83

If you think guard duty is just about sitting around and doing nothing then you probably are not champion material.

Don't worry though. We will rotate people and everyone will get there chance to prove themselves. Will have a champion for the raid and more chances to earn that spot later.
>>
No. 767681 ID: 91ee5f

>>767672
>looks like our blacksmith's build if our blacksmith didn't skip leg day!
So, basically, he's got this build >>765490 but with really big legs, right?

>"Yeah!" one gnoll to the side says. "What about us on guard duty? Why do we just have to sit around all day with no chance of being chamption?"
Say this: >>767676 .
>>
No. 767683 ID: 3e182c

>"Yeah!" one gnoll to the side says. "What about us on guard duty? Why do we just have to sit around all day with no chance of being chamption?"

Oh, you didn't think being champion got you a free pass out of the pit did ya?
Being champion means you gotta accept any challenge to your title down in the pit at least once per day.
So all you stuck on guard duty can still be champion. All you gotta do is take it from the last guy.
>>
No. 767685 ID: 309d35

So the camp doesn't get taken over while we're gone, stupid. If you're looking for a chance to be champ, you'll get it later.

Aw crap, this is like what Ghingis Khan did, conquering more and more to keep his people happy.
>>
No. 767687 ID: 91ee5f

>>767683
Don't encourage them to fight each other. We might get attacked and we'll need everyone ready to fight back instead of getting killed because they broke something while fighting over who was champion!
>>
No. 767689 ID: 49978d

"Yeah if you don't get attacked you don't get a chance to prove yourselves, but on the other hand that means you don't get the chance of swords stuck in you and being laid out for days or weeks, either, so that's worth a little. If you do get attacked then I'll ask around here just the same and there's 20 of you so you'll have a chance too, if the raiding team can't agree on someone. We'll also have a bunch of gnolls we're dragging back here against their will, and if you don't get attacked you'll be fresh and we won't be so we'll get to see you guys wrangle the captives. All of that put together, yeah it won't be as likely you'll get champion, but maybe. Can't bring everyone on all the raids. After this if it goes well we'll be in better position and I'll want all of you getting turns getting out and staying home, so you'll have your chance sooner or later. And tell you what, if someone on the raiding team does get champion I'll pick someone on guard duty to get something nice too. Same thing for the raid if someone on guard somehow manages to get champion."

"Means I'll pick a second-worst person too, though, so you don't get to let yourselves be terrible either."

>>767683

I don't think we want to do that, the point is for people to want to get champion, and someone who can perform well out in the field may not necessarily be the kind of person who can perform well in the arena.
>>
No. 767691 ID: 3e182c

>>767687
It's only once per day, plus fighting trains them, and motivates them to train harder.
Hell we could forget the whole once a day thing all together. Have them go all Afro Samurai on each other.
Better fighters is always a good thing. Lacking a master at some form of martial combat to instruct, the only way to get better at fighting is to fight.
>>
No. 767693 ID: a107fd

Being the best guard or scout is a different skill set than being the best raider. If all you want is glory, wait your turn. This isn't going to be the last raid we ever do. If you want to be good enough at scouting and guarding for that to be worth a reward, talk to Leaf.
>>
No. 767708 ID: 7a524b
File 148247910621.png - (179.59KB , 800x800 , 64.png )
767708

"Ya gotta stay here so the whole camp doesn't get taken over while we're gone, dumbass! We'll rotate who attacks so you'll get your chances, unless you keep up that attitude, at which point you ain't ever being champ. So just plant your asses down and you'll get your turn to possibly get maimed while raiding!"

Matron shoots me a glance like I'm screwing up the whole 'pump up the clan for an attack' deal.

>"Still not fair we have to sit out first!" some other wussy shouts out.
"Fine then, ya prissies, if you want pats on your back for being the best guards or scouts, go talk to Leaf when he gets back! And if you leave your post to look for him, you can bet your asses you aren't ever bein' champ."

Where the hell did Leaf go anyway? Whatever, he'll probably show up later. There's a couple grunts that almost look like there's gonna be a little protest, but they shut up like what's good for them.

The 30 of us take off into the caverns once I pick up my hammer. It's a pretty narrow cave but we all fit. Leaf's got a point, that as on as this place is a secret, any enemy scouts will be completely in the dark to where we went off to.
>>
No. 767709 ID: 7a524b
File 148247912182.png - (247.91KB , 800x800 , 65.png )
767709

We walk for a few hours until we're a bit out of where their camp is supposed to be. We're at the sides of a valley, where the hunting team is going to be dragging the blacksmith through. That team goes on ahead while we get in position. I don't do much for ambushing so I leave it to Leaf's plan. All I know is once those guys come running back and we see a bunch of other gnolls chasing, we kill those gnolls. We all have bandages tied around our foreheads so we can tell friend from foe.

We keep on waitin'. Sure is taking a long time, but they were going to nab the blacksmith while he was off walking, and I'm sure he doesn't just constantly walk out of the camp. Pretty sure we're close enough that if things went down, we would've heard the commotion.

The forest then sounds real quiet. The birds stop chirping, the wind stops blowing, even a nearby brook seems to stop running. It's all a sure sign that something big is about to happen as time itself seems to slow down for what's going to transpire.

Then one of my clanmates, just aside from the bushes, lets out the biggest goddamn sneeze I have heard in my longass life.

In the dead silence that follows, we all hear the sound of a gnoll's footsteps in a spot where no one was supposed to be, running away from us, towards the Blackwhatever camp.
>>
No. 767710 ID: 91ee5f

>>767691
Again, any injuries they suffer will hinder and/or get them killed when we need them to fight.

So like >>767689 said, someone who does well in the field doesn't always translate to someone that does well in an arena.

And personally, if someone gets named "champion" after a raid or something, they might be injured. And it'll be easy to take that title from them if you don't let them heal, which might make their injuries worse, which will prevent them from fighting or defending when we need them.

So, no challenging to be champion.
>>
No. 767711 ID: 595d54

>>767709
Archer, slinger, spear? Anyone with a projectile weapon? If not, just run him down.
>>
No. 767713 ID: 91ee5f

>>767709
>We all have bandages tied around our foreheads so we can tell friend from foe.
Well, where are the bandages?
>>
No. 767714 ID: 7a524b

Art fix: Bandages are added.
>>
No. 767715 ID: 309d35

Pick up sneezing Gnoll, Throw him like a football at the runner.
>>
No. 767724 ID: b039e3

>>767672
"That's why we'll rotate who's guarding, even regular champs are gonna be guards as much as everybody else, gives everyone a decent chance and it means we're not idiots that have our worst at home all the time, so some other clan's best might breeze in here and take our shit.
Anyone does real well repelling a raid gets similar champ benefits for a day. Same rules about trying to bullshit yourself or someone else a reward."
>>
No. 767727 ID: 3e182c

>>767709
The group can't break position to go after him. It would sacrifice for the kidnapping squad.

We should be able to send up to three for pursuit while still maintaining our advantage. Tell the three fastest guys to move their asses.

>>767710
Then you wait till the injury heals before allowing challenges.
And yes, injuries could and probably would happen. That is unavoidable. But aren't occasionally injured but otherwise well-trained gnolls better than dead untrained gnolls?
>>
No. 767748 ID: 49978d

So someone heard one gnoll. That's fine. Whoever it is probably isn't the blacksmith (or else we're way out of position and the kidnap team were gonna fail anyway), just a scout or someone who's gonna run back and tell them that they heard someone around. They'll either send out a small party to track this one gnoll, and we can ambush them, or they batten down and don't let anyone out for a day or so, in which case we can try some backup plan of letting them see the kidnap team just trespassing in their territory, or making some pretend small raid to lure them out, and basically the same events we were going to do play out anyway, just a slight delay to picking up the blacksmith.

Anyway, for all you know the kidnap team already did their job and are on the way. Worst comes to worst you can fall back on just crushing them, since you have the numbers. The only two problems I can think of are, one, if this person who heard the sneeze had already seen how many people you have, and a scout that good wouldn't have given themselves away by running off the moment they heard something. Whoever they are they probably know the land better than you and you put all the fastest people in the kidnap team, so no use running after them now. Second possible problem is that they might send out a squad big enough to give the kidnap team more trouble than they're expecting. If you've got a good backup sneaky person with you you could send them off to warn the kidnap team that some local caught wind that there's someone creeping around.

Are gnoll sneezes really distinctive? You have about the same shape faces as wolves and such. Animals sneeze too.
>>
No. 767758 ID: b039e3

>>767709
probably going to need to send the guy what sneezed out to wander (kinda in the open) a bit, make it look like one ditz rather than a whole ambush
>>
No. 767816 ID: 7a524b
File 148252576800.png - (209.14KB , 800x800 , 66.png )
767816

I yell at the two people next to me, since we were closest.

"You two, after 'im! Any archers, shoot 'im!" I don't trust the aim of any of our archers anyway.

I go and grab the sneezer. Maybe some gnoll's sneezes could pass for a wild animal, but not this guy. He looks like someone who's about to die. It's a good, fitting look on him.

"You're gonna make up for it, too! Go get him!" I tell sneezer, and get ready to throw him at the enemy.
>"I'm so sorry! He's probably slow though, he was holding a big sword!"

I stop the throw.

"How big."
>"Like as tall as me!"

That sounds like a sword I need to have.
>>
No. 767817 ID: b1b4f3

TIME FOR CLAMP!
>>
No. 767818 ID: 595d54

>>767816
Only if it's actually any good. Hurl the sneezer and run sword guy down with some backup.
>>
No. 767824 ID: 91ee5f

>>767816
The bandages around their foreheads are missing again!
>>
No. 767826 ID: 309d35

Continue the throw, provide backup. Everyone else, keep waiting to ambush.
>>
No. 767834 ID: 3abd97

>>767816
Throw him at the guy, then beat the guy up and take the sword.

"Good eye. Less good nose."
>>
No. 767840 ID: 90f3c0

Don't go chasing after him yourself and potentially mess up the ambush. Stay in position, have Sneezer retrieve the sword for you.
>>
No. 767869 ID: 7a524b
File 148254355403.png - (276.28KB , 800x800 , 67.png )
767869

The strategist in me says to stay still and don't blow the cover, but it's too late to give its thoughts cause I'm already running down the hill and throwing sneezer after our target. Dunno if I'm faster than I thought, if my clanmates are slower than they should be, or if I just found the right motivation. Cause that sword looks pretty nice.

We're gaining on him, and I throw sneezer a second time when he starts lagging behind.

>"We're almost at their camp, Chief!" one of the others says. There's no sign of our kidnapping group.
>"Wait, I thought their camp was to the right, this guy's going around or something?" the other says.

Getting just about close enough to the guy that I can throw sneezer right at 'im.
>>
No. 767870 ID: 595d54

>>767869
Throw Sneezer at his legs and demand to know who the fuck he is.
>>
No. 767871 ID: 211d83

Like all good Gnoll battles this will quickly descend into chaos and confusion as it will turn out that everyone has gotten everything wrong the second you let them out of your sight.

So get that sword whatever it takes so you can lead from the front. If you have to subdue everyone yourself then so be it.

Or if you do have to run for it at least you have a nice sword to run away with.
>>
No. 767872 ID: e22b1d

Well you might have just surprised some random guy who happened to be wandering these parts. But he does have a sweet sword and you are already running so fuck it.

Knock him over with sneezer and steal his sword. Then draft him to work for you and hope the rest of the plan is not blown.
>>
No. 767873 ID: bb78f2

>>767869
That's no Gnoll I thought I'd ever see.
So GREEN.
Maybe he's an actually a werewolf of some hippy ass elf with green hair, or a werewolf scratched a tree and gave it a daytime curse and it turns out the werewolf curse can transfer to plants.
>>
No. 767875 ID: 595d54

>>767873
or it's camo
>>
No. 767876 ID: 91ee5f

>>767869
From this angle, Clamp looks like he's fat! XD And that guy on the far right looks like he blindfolded himself! XD

Make sure someone holds his mouth shut, so that he can't yell for help!
>>
No. 767877 ID: 309d35

We can't. Can you imagine what would happen if this went south because you wanted to nab some passerby's sword? That's one sword, but a blacksmith can make swords his whole life; think long term.
>>
No. 767886 ID: 49978d

Huh. I think this guy might be a different clan's scout or something. I guess someone's been having the same ideas as you?

Your hammer might be a more accurate throw than sneezer. Try it and if you can't catch up to him in the next 30 seconds or so, turn around and head back.
>>
No. 767925 ID: 3e182c

Clamp You're getting off track. You can have all the nice swards you want later, but this guy is clearly leading you into an ambush of his own.

Why did You, the giant lumbering behemoth chase him in the first place? You have subordinates for that.
Get back to the front and lead your gnolls! They need you.
>>
No. 767926 ID: 7a524b
File 148256777269.png - (220.82KB , 800x800 , 68.png )
767926

Green gnolls are a bit unusual, but nothing like a black and white one.

>Clamp looks fat
Shit, after lying down for so long, I feel fat.

The smart bits of me are telling me that I have subordinates now. I can send others to chase after runts like this. I'm the one that's supposed to stick to the plans and get a blacksmith to make swords all his life instead of risking it all for a single person's sword.

But if I were like that, I'd have been chief a long while back. I throw Sneezer right at 'im. I could throw my hammer too, cept a square hit from the hammer could hurt him bad. I just want to ask who he is and then knock him out as soft as possible.

Sneezer sails like a real arrow, but the target sees him coming and sidesteps and keeps running. So we keep on chasin', and he redoubles his efforts to stay out of arm's reach, but he looks like he's huffing. The two other gnolls beside me stay in front, and Sneezer gets up just in time to run behind me.

That said, I don't like how far we're going. Guess I'll just tell my guys to call it off, it's -
>>
No. 767927 ID: 7a524b
File 148256778218.png - (205.49KB , 1200x400 , 69.png )
767927

Damnit, I run past a pair of trees that hid the cowards that call themselves archers, judging by their bow and arrows. Probably were waiting for all of us to go forward than shoot us in the back like cowards.

What's really buggin' me is that since I thought of this very shit happening, I get to hear myself say I told me so.
>>
No. 767929 ID: 595d54

>>767927
They're carrying quivers and they seem smug. I doubt they have melee weapons ready, so do you know what that means?

THE CLAMP.

Grab their heads and smash them together.
>>
No. 767932 ID: 3abd97

>>767927
Archers have no right to be smug when they're in arm's reach.

Sweep both your arms in backhand swings, so you smash the archers' heads back against the trees they're right next to.

You don't even need to use a full clamp on these guys. Just the first half of opening your signature move will take em out.
>>
No. 767943 ID: 49978d

Spin around to your left, grab the one there with your right hand while throwing out your left to smack that guy's bow as he brings it up, then smash the guy you've grabbed into the other. You've got your good pal sneezer backing you up. If you can don't kill them, since these guys might make good "recruits" as well, but don't take any bad risks.

Watch out for other ambushers. A really clever person would have one guy lead you, two shoot you, and then another two or three spring out to finish you off close quarters once the archers had softened you up, since archers aren't usually supposed to go in close unless they can't help it and I expect a lot of gnolls take more than a few arrows to stop fighting back.

This looks surprisingly well-organized considering you guys are supposed to be the attackers here. I'm increasingly suspecting these guys are a different clan from the one that lives here, and this is going to turn into a giant three-way fight.
>>
No. 767947 ID: 790549

Points for a good idea but demerits for poor execution. Archers should never have hid for an ambush so close to where the enemy would be passing by. Grab 'em and bang their heads together to teach them a lesson for when they try it again for you instead of against.
>>
No. 767950 ID: 3e182c

>>767927
You're running too fast to stop normally in time.

Jump, spin around backwards in the air and then shift your weight forward so you land facing them on all fours.

Not only will you stop, but your momentum should prime you to sprint or leap for these two.

Don't bother with the hammer, no time. Just grab one assailant and slam him in the other.
>>
No. 767952 ID: bb78f2

>>767927
They're within arms reach, if their not fast enough, you may just be able to bonk their heads into each other with your big massive arms.
>>
No. 767966 ID: 309d35

Grab one in each hand, smash their faces together. Now that you know it's a trap, all you can do is extricate yourself quickly.
>>
No. 767987 ID: 7a524b
File 148262031714.png - (285.60KB , 800x800 , 70.png )
767987

I ram my heels in the ground hard enough to make an imprint for weeks and swing my arms to the sides. I'd say these dumbasses aren't worth recruiting, since apparently they're such a bad shot that they need to shoot in point blank range.

But then again, I'll take what I can get. I grab both of their faces, but and they both try to pull their arrow back and fire at me. Course when I ram their heads against the tree, their aim suffers. One of 'em misses, but the other grazes the back of my head and slices my bandage off and manages to cut me. Nothing worth a blink but damn if it isn't irritating.
>>
No. 767990 ID: 7a524b
File 148262042276.png - (232.04KB , 800x800 , 71.png )
767990

I clonk their faces together as I look at 3 other gnolls start engaging my own two. Sneezer's running up, and the first target that ran from the ambush location just realized what's going on, and is turning around to face us.

"Are you guys even blacktorch?!" I yell to them.
>"Hell no!" says one. "They're ours, so whatever you're doing here, forget it and leave!"
>>
No. 767991 ID: 2fffb5

>>767990
"No." Back to killing them.
>>
No. 767992 ID: 3abd97

>>"Hell no!" says one. "They're ours, so whatever you're doing here, forget it and leave!"
Like hell. They can either stand down and cut a deal to split stuff with you, right now (we get the blacksmith, non-negotiable) or you're going to kick their asses before they ruin your ambush.
>>
No. 767995 ID: 56ffef

>>767992
Gnolls aren't the type to negotiate when they are already in battle.
Back to the killing.
>>
No. 767998 ID: 49978d

Ok, make sure to re-tie your bandage some time soon or you'll get attacked by one of your own guys.

Anyway, time for tactics. Shout "Fine, we'll leave, back off! Guys, back to me!" Then leave... to rejoin the rest of our force, send your scouts out, wait for whatever these guys are going to do, then sweep in with your whole force and take what you want from them and blacktorch once they're worn out from fighting each other.

It'll look bad for a moment, but once your guys known what you're planning it should be fine (you'll want to whisper it to them right away, while you're heading back), and you need to go check how your original squad is doing. If you're lucky, they actually managed to catch the blacksmith while you were messing around here, and you won't risk him dying from these chuckleheads before you can take them out. If not, you might need to do something to make sure you get him. Might be a good idea to get out of here soon anyway, this noise might've attracted the locals. Best these guys get their plan ruined rather than you.

Of course, all of this is dependent on the idea that you guys can actually stop fighting. That might not be a realistic possibility, the way gnolls are, and most of your clan still getting used to following your orders. You might not want to take even a temporary hit to the image of your courage, too. So, if you don't judge the tactical plan valid, a second plan: mop the floor with these guys and punch one of them until he tells you what his group is here for. Maybe tuck him under your arm and do your interrogation while you get back to your main group. Take their weapons.
>>
No. 768007 ID: 7a524b
File 148262561525.png - (189.55KB , 800x800 , 72.png )
768007

"No."

Wouldn't care to take a hit to my image later on, but it's too soon to have us back off now. I'd have to shout loud enough for the whole Blacktorch clan to hear me to get these numbskulls to stop fighting anyway.

Once I run up and they realize I wasn't just standing on a mound back there to look taller, they start backing off and withdrawing.

Course, we're on their heels, so we could try and run them down and at least get one or two more, probably. The smarts in me is nagging at me to stop being a dumbass. Up to this point, I've always just been able to run around the battlefield however I damn well please. That was before I was chief, so maybe it's about time to go back to the ambush spot. We got those smug archers for questioning, anyway.
>>
No. 768011 ID: 3abd97

>>768007
You drove off the people trying to steal your ambush. Following them as they retreat towards possible reinforcements and better places to use their arrows, and leaving your own plan undermanned and to fall apart in your absence, is a bad idea.
>>
No. 768012 ID: 211d83

Sadly you are the boss man now so you have to make the smart choices and lead by example. That sweet sword will be the next goal after blacksmith guy and you can find out who owns it from archer assholes.

For now get back into ambush spot so you are not out of place when your guys run by with the Blacktorch clan on there heels.
>>
No. 768015 ID: 91ee5f

Time to stop chasing them and head back to your ambush spot.

Hopefully, you're not too late and you can still pull off the plan!
>>
No. 768016 ID: 49978d

If you can't get all of them it's not really any use getting any, so yeah. Tell your guys to grab those archers, and that you need to go back and check on the others and maybe waking up with 20 other gnolls glaring down at 'em will make this pair talk quicker. Take up the rear guard yourself while you're on your way back, you have sharp senses, and don't just follow your own trail back because if the blacktorch were lucky enough to get wind of that and send out their own scouts it'll make it easier for them, circle a little and follow your way back from the futher side. Not too far, you don't want to get lost.
>>
No. 768017 ID: b039e3

>>768007
Eyes on the prize big guy, maybe some punks and one hefty sword vs probably a whole clan and the swordmaker is a no-brainer.

It's good you stumbled onto these green assholes though because them blending into the background and shooting arrows could have done some serious damage had they gotten the jump on you, they probably have some beef with blacktorch and were out for blood, you've no time for that.
>>
No. 768032 ID: 2fffb5

>>768027
Who cares? You have overly smug prisoners, no ambush team, and no need for a name. Why not just kill them and start finding out what the situation is? It's not like they're going to tell us anything useful when they can stall us with shit like names.
>>
No. 768033 ID: 7a524b
File 148262937101.png - (220.63KB , 800x800 , 73.png )
768033

"Back off, runts. We're leaving." I say. My clanmates look at me like we're supposed to run after them, but they don't argue.

While we walk back, the two archers are waking up. Some spare bandages are used to lock their snouts shut until I drop them off at the center of our ambush zone.

Once we do get back, someone whispers to me that a few of our scouts think that there's more of these green assholes snooping around, but they're careful not to get too close to us. There's still no sign of the ambush team, apparently.

I drop the two archers down a little dip where we aren't out in the open.
"You make a bark after we undo these, we'll make sure you only get a squeak out." I say, untying them.
>"You expect us to talk or something?"
"I do, and I'm not even gonna ask a whole lot to start off. Who are you with, if not the Blacktorch?"
>"We're the Irontree Clan! Who the hell are you guys?"

... I'd say we were the ones asking the questions here, but they bring up a damn good question.
>>
No. 768035 ID: 211d83

What better time to name your new clan then while out in the field off the top of your head!

So what was the old name of the clan? Just Wind's clan or did he have a spiffy name?

Could name it Clamps clan. Or maybe after a object or location. Like the crappily defended Valley/mesa clan.

Or just look around you and throw some words together. Like you are sort of reddish and you like steel so the Redsteel clan. Or whatever really.
>>
No. 768047 ID: 90f3c0

Pick an ironically boastful name that implies how well defended your camp is. Like Stonefortress or Ironplateau.
>>
No. 768048 ID: a107fd

Wrong time to make a big decision like that, and letting the prisoner turn things around is just about the worst mistake you can make during an interrogation.

"We're the ones who captured you idiots. Were you here for the Blacktorch blacksmith specifically, or just any of their assets you could grab, or what?"
>>
No. 768053 ID: 309d35

We're the democratic people's republic of answer my fucking questions or I'll make you wish you were smothered in your crib. How many assholes you got with you, where are they, when are they attacking, did you capture anybody?

If you really think now's the time to come up with a name, how's Iron Tide for size?
>>
No. 768057 ID: b1b4f3

>>768033
Clamp are you saying your clan didn't have a name!?

How about the Stonecrusher clan.
>>
No. 768059 ID: 91ee5f

>>768033
>Who the hell are you guys?
We're the clan of "Answer my fucking questions before I rip your arm off and beat you to death with it"!

You can decide the name later, when you get back to camp. I'm sure Matron can help you with something that important.

>>768048
No! Shhhh! Don't specifically name the blacksmith! That'll tell them what we're trying to get!
>>
No. 768072 ID: 49978d

Obviously, the name of the clan must be derived from that which unifies them. That which holds them together, which guides them, which comforts them, which urges them to strength and wisdom, something that they all admire.

You are, of course, the Bandagetits clan.

... but seriously coming up with names is hard and answering this douche's question weakens your position, so make sure he knows you're the one asking things here. Maybe punctuate the sentiment with a slap across the jaw.
>>
No. 768080 ID: 7a524b
File 148264704470.png - (200.97KB , 800x800 , 74.png )
768080

I slap his jaw.

"We're the Clan of answer my fuckin' questions before I rip your arm off and start beating you with it to make you talk! Now let's play don't get your throat stabbed. The rule is simple. We're gonna stab your throat. As long as you tell us shit we want to know about, we won't stab your throat. When you stop, we cut your throat. You ask another question that we don't want to answer, we cut your throat. Spill enough information, we don't cut your throat. Here's a start: What are you assholes doing here?"
>"We always raid these guys." says one. "They have good weapons and equipment, and we don't know where they get it from, so we get it from them."

I start shoving a blade to the throat of one who's kept quiet.

>"They've tried stopping us!" he says. "But we've gotten good at hiding and picking them off from afar without doing direct warfare."
>"Yeah, that's what we're going to start doing with you! Unless you got Softpaw, we know where you're all at now, and are going to just shoot arrows at you till you leave."
>"Yeah! We're only 15 strong but we're some of the best. You got lucky you got a good eye, big guy, standing behind a couple of trees usually works, close range or not."
>"Just a little to the left, and I would've got your eye!"
"Your losing your topic. Start talking about how I can get your scouts off of us."
>"You'd have to kill most of us or the chief, guy, and good luck finding him."
>"Or just finding most of us!"
"And you just happened to come here on the same day as us?" I ask.
>"I guess so! I didn't hear anything about other clans coming by. Why - uh, nevermind. What else could we say? We'd rather live through this, ya know. We're damn good archers. It'd be a waste. A big waste. Just, real dumb kind of waste to kill us."
>>
No. 768081 ID: 3b108e

"You're not my archers."
>>
No. 768084 ID: 309d35

I don't need luck, I've got you. When your friends come back, where are they going to come from and how?

Drag them back to the ambush site, and tell everyone to keep their heads on a swivel. Keep Tweedledee and Tweedledum gagged up, too.

Also, is that paint or are they naturally an unnatural shade of green?
>>
No. 768087 ID: 7a524b
File 148264933222.png - (166.39KB , 800x800 , 75.png )
768087

"You're not my archers."
>"We can be!"
>"We'd rather be yours than dead!"

Not even a little loyal. These guys don't seem to be camoflauged, either, and are just naturally green. Not too uncommon for some gnolls to have a spring coat like this when there's more green than brown.

Still, as much as I loathe archers, I can't deny they're useful, plus, they still know stuff.

"You lot!" I say, to the rest of the clan. "Keep swivelling your heads, keep an eye out! And you two, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, where are your mates going to attack from?"
>"All over, and all at once! We're really good at emulating bird noises and have all kinds of communications. There's two scouts per group, one watcher, one shooter. When the right call is made, everyone shoots, then we run to a new location, and repeat."

He pauses to take a breath. Right then, the sound of gnoll barking and yapping snaps through the forest from a ways away. It's in the direction of the kidnapping group. Either the kidnapping group is barking too, or a whole lot of the Blacktorch clan is chasing 'em.

Guess I should decide if I'm gonna worry about keeping these two alive to recruit them, or just kill them now and not worry about it.
>>
No. 768088 ID: 3b108e

>>768087
Eh, worst case, they can be a consolation prize. Leaf could probably use them, even if he just breaks them to find out how good they are and any secrets they have. Keep them for now. Get to that fight.
>>
No. 768090 ID: 309d35

Recruit them. Worst case scenario, we kill them later. Looks like you've already put the fear of god in 'em, now make sure they don't desert before we whack this softpaw jerk.
>>
No. 768093 ID: 49978d

String them up and you and another big guy hang them over your backs as arrow shields while you run.

You're about to be in the middle of a three-way fight, and that's bad. Basic tactic is, if you're fighting on two fronts, go for the easiest fight first and try win it as quick as possible. So go fight the blacktorch guys. You can drop your two archer captives when you're about to hit them, so they don't weigh you down. They might wriggle off: too bad if so. If this green clan shows up while you're fighting the blacktorches, than at the very least when they shoot into the melee they have an even chance of hitting the people you'll be fighting. If the blacksmith's around make sure you get him out of danger's way as much as you can. Melee's chaotic enough, with all these trees around to boot, that the greens will waste most of their arrows and shouldn't land lethal on the shots that do hit.

If you're lucky, these green guys didn't figure out exactly how many people you have with you, and won't think much of sticking around to fight you and whoever the blacktorch've sent out once they see you all, and will bugger off. Worst case might be you having to beat down the blacktorch guys, get them to tell you where their camp is, and then fall back to take shelter there where these green guys won't feel like following for a little raid like theirs, since they're set up for this hit and run stuff. Which will be hard, since you'll have to steamroll yourselves back over the whole blacktorch clan, but it'd be better than letting the greens just take shots at you, and you do have the numbers plus the advantage of fighting whoever's been sent chasing separately from whoever's at their camp, since they must have left at least some behind.

So, for now, original plan: go ambush the blacktorch clan who are chasing your kidnap squad. Take them out quickly, and keep an eye out for what the greens do. If they fall back now that they're 12 vs 30 vs 20, great, keep on the original plan, you'll just need to be on guard for them to try swoop in again after. If they attack, then shout at your dudes that you're fighting your way to the blacktorch camp. Hopefully Leaf will appear to guide you there, but if not you'll have to rough up a blacktorch, tell them the greens are shooting at them as much as you and get them to tell you where to go.
>>
No. 768097 ID: 7a524b
File 148265214614.png - (237.50KB , 800x800 , 76.png )
768097

"Go run your asses to the kidnappers!" I yell out, but wave over a few people to give the order to to bind and gag these two archer dimwits and have someone strong stay back and carry them. Once it's settled, we run forward.

From what I'm seeing, there's about 15 of us charging to help the kidnappers. There's 5 to 10 of us lagging behind either because of our recruits, or because of some bullshit excuses. I see one of us limping ahead of me, but is going backwards to me. He looks like one of the kidnappers.

"Explain to me why we've got to run so damn far away. It may as well not have even been an ambush."
>"They - their Chief was too fast and tackled a couple of us! We don't want to leave them behind, but now there's just 4 of them getting overran, since I ran to get help since I didn't know if you guys would realize we needed the - "
"Yeah great the hell are the rest of you gawking at, get over there and help!"

Some damn bird noises mix in with my 'help', and is followed by a pair of yelps.

>"Archers!"
"Fuck it, take out the Blacktorch, use 'em as arrow distractions! Take them out hard and fast!"
>"Orders for me, boss?" Leaf asks. I don't even see him; he's probably up in a tree above me.
>>
No. 768098 ID: 3b108e

>>768097
Murder anything that makes a bird noise.
>>
No. 768099 ID: 3abd97

>>768098
Or just push them out of the trees, whatever. Keep the friggen green arrow losers from ruining all this.

As for Clamp, I think he needs to go pull the kidnap and ambush part of the plan out of the fire. Make sure we get our guy, beat up the pursuers causing problems.
>>
No. 768100 ID: 49978d

First, to tell you where the blacktorch's home base is and if there's anything super important you need to know about it or the way to get there. Then to try and trip up these archer guys, whatever way's best for him, no need to be careful with their lives. Does Leaf know any bird signals himself? He could try use one to warn you when the archers are setting up and from what direction. Have him make the call now, and tell everyone to listen for that call again; when they hear it, they need to duck behind something away from where they heard the call from. Leaf will only be able to do that once or twice before the greens catch on, then he'll need to switch to just causing trouble. Tell him not to get himself killed, you'd rather tank a few arrows than lose him.

You should go back to the people lagging behind yourself, Clamp, to encourage them to catch up to the rest as quickly as possible. Getting your full numbers to bear as quick as you can is vital. Even take a turn carrying anyone who needs carrying yourself, since you're one of the biggest guys here, and your muscles/bed fat can suck up a few arrowheads. It'll do good for your reputation.
>>
No. 768101 ID: 91ee5f

>>768097
>"Orders for me, boss?" Leaf asks.
"Go have some fun! Kill any gnoll archers that're making bird noises and firing arrows at us!"

This forest is pretty much a playground for Leaf and, since he's so good at hiding, he could probably sneak up on and kill all of them.
>>
No. 768107 ID: 309d35

Keep those green tweety bird bastards off our backs. Just push 'em out of their trees and move on if you need to. If you find an asshole named softpaw with a big sword, kill him.

Now get in there and kick ass.
>>
No. 768113 ID: b039e3

>>768107
get them archers off us, quick as you can, don't care how.
>>
No. 768120 ID: 3e182c

Have him find the Iron Tree chief while you charge Blacktorch. Have him report back to you immediately upon finding him.
Once his location is known, and the blacktorch chief is down, have leaf lead you to the Chief of the Iron Tree and take him down personally.
>>
No. 768125 ID: a107fd

>>768107
>If you find an asshole named softpaw with a big sword, kill him.

Retrieving that sword is a higher priority than confirming the kill on Softpaw, and neither of those objectives hold a candle next to bringing the blacksmith back to our camp, alive and functional. All those tweety green bastards are here for the blacksmith too, they just don't know it.
>>
No. 768205 ID: 7a524b
File 148271856797.png - (194.66KB , 800x800 , 77.png )
768205

"Murder anything making a bird call behind us. If you see a bigass sword, bring it to me! If you see a Chief, bring me to them!"
>"You got it."

That order gives the stragglers some time to catch up to me and look like they want to be spoonfed orders too, but damn if they shouldn't be able to figure it out. I tell 'em to follow my lead, and I figure the rest of this fight can be done with the usual tactic.

Rampant violence.

Some bastard with no bandana gets the first taste, and I hope to hell that he was a Blacktorch clanmate and wasn't just someone of ours who had their bandana fall off at a bad time. I'm holding back enough to just knock 'em out for awhile. Maybe they'll wake up too soon, maybe I hit 'em too hard and they die. This is the only way I know to test how thick their skull is.

Some arrow whacks me. Motherfucking green arrows.
>>
No. 768206 ID: 7a524b
File 148271859676.png - (204.82KB , 800x800 , 78.png )
768206

Rampant violence continues. I swing the hammer nice and easy. Bones still break, but it's doing wonders for increasing the chances that we'll have some survivors.

Damn green arrows are getting a deathwish. They're focusing up on me, and not even doing their bird calls. Leaf takes his sweetass time.
>>
No. 768208 ID: 7a524b
File 148271872707.png - (225.12KB , 800x800 , 79.png )
768208

I look around. Nothing but bandana wearing runts. Leaf shows up.

"Leaf, I got arrows in me. Why's that?"
>"Sorry Boss, I couldn't kill 'em all within 60 seconds. Killed two, knocked out three. The rest ran off."
"Any sign of anyone important?"
>"The Blacksmith is still tied up right there. Their Chief and about 7 remaining Blacktorches just ran back to camp. That's all I know."

Probably about 15 to 20 of us that are ready to fight. We might've lost six to eight gnolls, but once we collect all the enemy survivors, we'll have 10 to 15 recruits. That's what we get if we leave now.

Who knows what gear the Blacktorch has. Normally I'd charge the bastards down easy, but there's no guarantee that green arrow clan ran off far. Could just be regrouping.
>>
No. 768210 ID: 3b108e

>>768205
Set fire to their camp and see if that gets them to move out? Forest fires shouldn't be that huge a concern, live wood doesn't burn well and they're good for getting rid of dead underbrush.
>>
No. 768212 ID: 3abd97

Assuming we've met up with the original grab team, I think we've got what we came for. Some recruits, and a blacksmith. Pushing on and dealing with what's left of this clan and the green fuckers at the same time is a problem we don't need.
>>
No. 768213 ID: 211d83

We got most of what we came for and pushing farther in this mess will just get more guys killed.

Have everyone grab a wounded gnoll and lets get back to camp.

Unless Leaf can get you more info quick is probably better to not overreach ourselves.
>>
No. 768214 ID: 3b108e

>>768212
Come on, we saw a cool sword and we're gnolls. What're we supposed to do, leave it alone?
>>
No. 768215 ID: 64f807

Those assholes archers are a pain in the ass. If we can reach them let's kick their asses.
>>
No. 768216 ID: 309d35

>>768208
About 7 guys who run from a fight shouldn't be much trouble. If we take out the Blacktorch boss, we'll have enough muscle to wrap up with those green pricks too.
>>
No. 768218 ID: e22b1d

Can you wander up to the camp and challenge there leader to combat?

Would be you with your makeshift hammer vs a guy with a probably awesome sword but might be worth a shot.
>>
No. 768222 ID: 91ee5f

>>768212
This.
>>
No. 768223 ID: 65df20

This is mission accomplished right now. Pressing on into anywhere between one and two ambushes is probably not necessary, and if you want to inspire better loyalty in your OWN gnolls, trading their lives on diving into traps is probably not the best idea.

Better to withdraw for today. Have Leaf cover the rear and make sure the green guys don't follow your inept minions back to your secret tunnel.
>>
No. 768239 ID: b1b4f3

>>768208
The plan went bad and attacking will result in more losses than you were planning. Return to base and get Leaf on researching this Irontree clan. They're the next target, and taking them out might even get blacktorch to forgive kidnapping their smith.
>>
No. 768256 ID: 7a524b
File 148273345327.png - (289.54KB , 800x800 , 80.png )
768256

I could challenge their boss to a fight, but no guarantee he'll take the offer. Some clans'll do that, some won't.

If we could set a fire in their camp then maybe we could smoke 'em out, but that's got a lot of if's about if it's feasible and if it'll do any good.

Tough pick, but I've had about enough.

"Alright let's get outta here!"
>"Aren't we going to run down the rest?" someone asks.
"Fuck that, ain't worth it, we got what we came for!"

We run off before the archers realize we're leaving so soon. Our forward and backward scouts make sure we're not being cut off or being followed before we can march back home peacefully. By the time we get to the cave, I'm given a better idea about what we got and what we lost.

Raid Complete
Gnolls lost:
2 Scouts, 5 fighters.
Gnolls recruited:
3 Scouts, 7 fighters, 2 Archers, 1 Blacksmith

(+6 Gnolls Total)

Total gnolls wounded: 12

Item Report: Small boost in overall weapon quality. No special items gained.

>>
No. 768257 ID: 7a524b
File 148273346398.png - (177.87KB , 800x800 , 81.png )
768257

We dump off all our crap at the communal area. Our camp didn't get burned down while we were gone or anything, so that's nice.

The blacksmith is dropped off in front of me while Leaf and Matron start digging the arrowheads out of me.

"I hear you're good."
>"Er... what?"
"At blacksmithing."
>"I - yes. I'm probably the greatest gnoll blacksmith you've seen. I know I'm the best I've seen."
"Well now you get to make me the best two handed sword sword I've ever seen. You can show our resident rookie the ropes."
>"... you raided our home and killed that many just for me?"
"You got a problem with that?"
>"Oh, no, it's just nice to be appreciated before even starting."
"Don't get flustered. You're gonna have a ball n' chain for a week just so you don't try anything. Other than that, you'll be comfy and fed."
>"So I live here, now."
"That's right."
>"Hrm, assuming Blacktorch doesn't manage to snag me back. This place looks... kind of a shitty place to defend - "
"Shut the fuck up and start working on my sword alread!"
>"Alright, alright!"

....

....

"Leaf."
>"Boss."
"The hell are you doing?"
>"Testing for poison."
>>
No. 768258 ID: 3b108e

So Matron wasn't the one he was interested in watching, huh? And shouldn't he be looking at the actual arrows for that?
>>
No. 768259 ID: 211d83

Leaf if you wanted to get this close to me you had the chance yesterday when I was with Matron.

But yeah would be a shitty thing if they sunk that low.

We should check if any of the other new gnolls know how to carpenter. Cause we should probably be ready for someone wanting there blacksmith back soon. In fact I would have Leaf set up a ambush at our most undefended point so we could capture said raiding party when they show up one night.
>>
No. 768262 ID: 309d35

>"Testing for poison."
No, really. What are you doing.

So how'd that raid go, clamp? Are you happy with it, do you think the rest of the clan will be unhappy about it?

And how are the votes coming in for Champion?
>>
No. 768263 ID: bb78f2

>>768257
Keep an eye on those archers man. They're practically walking, living spies at this point for when the inevitably turn coat for their dudes, which are a lot better at subterfuge than you are.
You need to have your Main Man Leaf convert them to your cause first. Belief in a Clan without Borders a name.

Now we need an engineer, for base development/research and/or maybe a wizard for more specialized research.

(I have no idea if Clamp is The Boss or Big Boss or Major Zero, or if Leaf is Big Boss or Ocelot or Kaz. Is new blacksmith Sig Int? Doesn't seem like a Huey. Matron can be Paramedic, Eva and/or Amanda. Wind is MOST clearly Quiet though.)
>>
No. 768265 ID: e22b1d

Leaf are you snuggling me? Cause I do not hear sniffing back there and I would think it would be easy enough to inspect the arrows for poison.

Now if you actually want to sample some of my recently improved skills in bed talk to Matron to set up a appointment.
>>
No. 768267 ID: 3e182c

Get with matron. Find out what the old clan name was so we can come up with somethin appropriate.
We should regroup and finish blacktorch soon, but we desperatly need carpenters. That should be fine the next scouting target.
>>
No. 768268 ID: 91ee5f

>>768257
>"Testing for poison."
Really? Cause it feels like you're actually hugging me like you were worried about me or something.

Hey, Matron, has Waster been behaving herself while we were gone? She giving you any trouble? Cause you have my permission to punish her if she starts giving you shit.

>>768263
>(I have no idea if Clamp is The Boss or Big Boss or Major Zero, or if Leaf is Big Boss or Ocelot or Kaz. Is new blacksmith Sig Int? Doesn't seem like a Huey. Matron can be Paramedic, Eva and/or Amanda. Wind is MOST clearly Quiet though.)
*insert MGS 5's Sins of the Father by Donna Burke here*
>>
No. 768271 ID: 91ee5f

>>768268
If I'm poisoned and I have to be stuck in bed again, then I'm going to be so fucking pissed. And when I get better, we're going to go fuck up Irontree as payback.

Also, Matron, we got a name or something? If it's a good name I might keep it. If it's a shitty name, then I'm gonna change it.....and if you've got any suggestions on what to change it to, I'm listening.
>>
No. 768275 ID: 61c7b9

>>768257
Okay, first of all,that's not how you test for poison, second, if you wanted to cuddle you should have mentioned it some time ago.


...Maybe he's good in bed?
>>
No. 768276 ID: b039e3

>>768257
roll eyes and mutter something about him being a big softie

"Anyway, that was a bloody nuisance. I can't decide if it's good or bad for blacktorch to be such good targets their ambushers end up fighting each other. Matron, you hear of these irontree guys?"
>>
No. 768280 ID: 3740b1

>>768276
Victory sex! Push Leaf down and make him a proper lady gnoll while Matron gets on her knees to give Leaf the handy you sure as hell won't be reacharounding.
>>
No. 768284 ID: 8cb228

Don't do victory sex, no time, you got work to do!
>>
No. 768286 ID: 6086e9

>>768276
This

also (if it's not already common knowledge/Clamp already knows) ask Matron about clan naming; do you keep one of the old ones (chiefs/ majoritys) or make a new one
>>
No. 768289 ID: 3e182c

>>768280
Victory Sex?
The operation may have been successful. But Gnolls Died.

Sure Gnolls are less adverse to combat and death than humans are. Sure Clamp probably didn't know them and probably doesn't personally care... But that doesn't mean they weren't someone's sons, someone's brothers.

Even if it's something simple, as chief it's Clamps job to make sure the dead get their last Rites.

There is value in ritual. It solidifies the past, brings value to the present, and help's those who live move forward. Even from a purely pragmatic standpoint, honoring the dead would improve moral, both at home and on the fields of battle.
>>
No. 768291 ID: 3abd97

>"Testing for poison."
You couldn't lick the damn arrows for that?
>>
No. 768292 ID: bb78f2

>>768257
Came up with a thought, you COULD just threaten the archer's with death if you start suffering symptom's of poisoning. And if you die before that could happen, the next chief here will kill them and take over, if massive infighting doesn't occur in the power vacuum first, but they'll probably be killed in the riot.

That way you'll know for sure.
>>
No. 768299 ID: 7a524b
File 148277865273.png - (175.30KB , 1000x800 , 82.png )
768299

"Really. Cause I don't hear any sniffing, I don't see you licking the arrowheads, and this feels like snuggling."
>"I sniff quietly. It's easily confused. Don't mind me."
"Seems like last night would've been a better time to be doin' this."
>"You weren't shot with arrows, Boss."
"Go see what those two archers are made out of, you big softy. Go have victory sex with 'em to win 'em over to this clan, I don't give a shit."

>How'd that raid go?
In my opinion, was definitely worth it for the clan. Probably not worth it for the ones that bit it, but if we ever do a raid that doesn't involve one of ours dying, it means it was a tiny raid. Bunch of us got hurt, too, and need a few days before they can do much, but no one's in critical condition or had any lost limbs or anything like that.

Didn't get lucky with a proper carpenter or any gnoll with trade skills other than the blacksmith, but said blacksmith does know a thing about woodworking, just enough to make his own tools out of wood. Course, some of that carries over to general woodworking, but he wouldn't know how to make a good guardtower or anything like that. He says he'll have a quick, usable sword for me in a couple of days, but as time allows, can make a superior sword in a couple of weeks.

"Matron, ever hear of Irontree?"
>"We know of them, and that they're a nomadic clan, but otherwise, you learned more about them than we knew."
"Alright. Where's the graveyard?"
>"What?"
"The gravestones to mark the gnolls who died?"
>"... I have no idea what you are talking about."
"For fuck's... alright, apparently that doesn't happen around here. We're going to set up a tradition. Dead gnolls get a marker, with their name, and a small little engraving about who they were. We can put it in the caves people are spooked by or something."
>"Did someone you care for die?"
"I didn't even catch their names, but they still fought to get what we got today, and what, does this clan just not give a shit about gnolls dying for the good of the clan?"
>"Of course we do." she snaps at me. "We share the stories orally. You can start putting physical markers down if you like."
"What was this clan called anyway?"
>"Just Wind's Clan. We should change that. If you have any interest in the name sticking after you die, I don't recommend 'Clamp's Clan'."
>>
No. 768302 ID: 3b108e

Consider apologizing or at least asking about those stories.

As for names, I guess the standard is the neumono naming sense, so... does it have to be descriptive or would the clan be fine with something else?
>>
No. 768303 ID: 3abd97

>gravemarkers
If you wanna do that right, count the gnolls who died in the battle where the clan was formed. Including Wind.

>If you have any interest in the name sticking after you die, I don't recommend 'Clamp's Clan'.
Pf. I'm barely worth naming after myself. Clan should be something bigger than one gnoll, anyways.
>>
No. 768310 ID: 9ee0cc

Given how easily assaulted this place is, we could name the clan the Deathtrap clan. Plus, it misleads enemies.
>>
No. 768313 ID: 3e182c

Stories? Stories are great. We should have a feast, and in it commemorate those who were lost. Fill the whole night with the stories of the departed. Even those who were captured can share about their old clan-mates who died in today's battle.

Knowledge of basic wood working means our new Blacksmith can build a palisade. It's just entrenched logs really. The important things to have are saws, axes, spades, and maybe bark strippers. It may be wise to get half a dozen unspecialized knolls working under him tomorrow, to train up more smiths, get him some help. It'll be time before they can make Decent weapons, but they will be invaluable for making all sorts of tools. Not to mention, once they are trained up, a team of blacksmiths can make high quality arms quite quickly.

As for the name, I'm gonna throw Storm Hold out there. First off, It's a combination of Wind (Storm) and Clamp (Hold). It's also appropriate since we have enough knolls to literally storm our enemies instead of just raid them, and this place can be built up into a literal fortress (A hold).
>>
No. 768314 ID: 97cee0

Irontree are nomads, huh? That sucks, gonna make it hard to track them down for a bit of good ol' grudgery. I have a sneaking suspicion they're going to continue pestering you, too. We'll have to look into them.

>marker with their name

... Are you sure that many of this lot can read, Clamp? The way Matron snapped at your there makes me wonder if maybe reading's not so common around here and she's sensitive about it.

>>768310

Sounds like it'd be kinda demoralizing, if the gnolls in the clan start thinking they're in a deathtrap.

Let's see, we have those two sets of cliffs, above and below, and hopefully one day we'll have towers to look out from them. Something with "watch" in it, maybe? It's a good word, makes you think of vigilance and awareness and discipline. Implies power, too, that you've got an eye on things. And the red-brown fur spectrum seems common here. Redwatch? Rustwatch, like you're looking out on the rusting remains of your enemies' gear?
>>
No. 768315 ID: 91ee5f

>>768314
>Something with "watch" in it, maybe? It's a good word, makes you think of vigilance and awareness and discipline.
Overwatch?
>>
No. 768330 ID: 7a524b
File 148278834725.png - (177.06KB , 800x800 , 83.png )
768330

"Right, lemme think. Stories are cool too, but we'll throw in physical markers for them and the ones when I took over the place."
>"What about Wind?"
"Yeah the bastard can have one too."
>"... how oddly generous."
"You got a problem?"
>"I have the opposite of a problem with that."
"Damn right. May as well share stories about some of 'em with a good feast tonght. Figure we may as well celebrate since all in all, it was a success. I got no attachments, but I figure they had siblings or someone that cared."
>"You would also want to honor your siblings, if they died?"
"No fuck that, if any siblings of mine died then good riddance. Just figure that not everyone's got a mutual state of ignoring one another when it comes to their siblings."

>Does it have to be descriptive or would the clan be fine with something else?
Clan's gonna be fine with whatever I give 'em.

Descriptors are most common even back at my homeland, like the Slicers or the Wagon Rollers. Still some that're more figurative though, like the Salamanders.

So far, leaning on Storm Hold or Redwatch. Maybe say fuck it and go Deathtrap.

The votes come in a bit later when it starts getting dark, and Stoneback's the winner. Apparently he fended off three gnolls by himself for a good 30 seconds or so, and without him, the three Blacktorches could've snatched up the blacksmith and carried him back to base, and we'd have had a tougher fight against a regrouped clan.
>>
No. 768331 ID: 3b108e

>>768330
Well, good to know Stoneback's got some experience now. Go congratulate him and announce you're clan Redwatch now. Plus it's time to get some grave markers. We might as well put the graveyard on the other side of the river, it'll get in the way of stuff otherwise.
>>
No. 768332 ID: a107fd

>>768313
Stormhold sounds good to me. Plus it covers the 'our base would be really easy to attack' angle without being quite as obvious as "deathtrap."
>>
No. 768334 ID: 3abd97

>>768330
I like Storm Hold. It references our plans to fortify, our fury and your signature move, the clamp, is a kind of hold so it connects to you in a roundabout way.
>>
No. 768335 ID: 91ee5f

>>768330
>Clan name.
I vote Storm Hold.
>>
No. 768337 ID: bb78f2

>>768330
Moonstone Mongrels

Stormhold's fine too. Sounds more like a Fortress though
>>
No. 768338 ID: 3e182c

>>768337
We will Make it a fortress!
A Dwarf Gnoll Fortress!
>>
No. 768357 ID: 7a524b
File 148279835470.png - (702.49KB , 1000x800 , 84.png )
768357

"Storm Hold. That's our clan name."
>"Hm. That sounds good, although like the name of a fortress."
"That's the only way to make this place defendable, and I don't plan on having to run multiple places like I ain't already tired of dealing with so many runts all - wait a second. Wind already had a gravestone, didn't he?"
>"Yes, you got me. Still, it's just a monument to prevous chiefs, and having one with your blessing would be special, I think."
"What am I, a priest?"

I go over to the feast table and have at the meal. All I can eat, and Stoneback gets the same treatment.

Leaf shows up. Tells me the archers got potential. Not much for tactics or hand to hand fighting, so there's work, but apparently their marksmanship is top notch. Figure as long as people keep an eye on 'em, after a few weeks they'll be as good as ours.

He also gives a set of reports from the scouts returning with word on the outside. Apparently there's 4 nearby clans that are joining forces.

The sentiment's that they had a decent thing going with Wind, but it wasn't on equal footing, so now they want equal allies. Apparently half of it is an expectation that I'm going to go rampaging through the countryside, and they want to be able to stand up to us.

Knowing gnoll politics, an alliance like that probably won't last, and I'd just as soon let it collapse in on itself. Two problems with that; it sounds like a pain in the ass to be around while it does last, and apparently there's a couple good carpenters in that mix. Plus, just to get 4 clans to do that, it sounds like there's a real negotiator in there too, somewhere. Somewhere in the report was a mention of an old tactician that Wind used to know, too.

I want all those skills and damnit, I may need to expand after all.
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