>>14500694
Get a bearing of what we have so far. Who is under our control? Who haven't we talked to yet? Etc.

Previous Thread: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/14476631/

Roster:
Tukon Reid, human duellist
Cagrazod, Marteau technologist/warrior
Marred Khess, Human Priest of Thunlin
Orpheus, Kapoacynth Spy/Shadowdancer
Ritter, Mandragon Dragonblooded Warrior
Jethar, Ripouse Artisan (And Family)
Rejek, Gnoll/Ripouse halfbreed (unknown skills)
Yumea, Ripouse Fighting Woman
Paima, Ripouse Fire Elementalist/Thief

Riposue Honor Guard: 5 
Nabur
Martred
Gaphreg
Uljerg
Frizrez

Ripouse: 65

28 humans (3 injured)
11 gargoyles (1 injured)

Total: 119 (4 injured)

Important Possessions: Dominion's Memory
Aldinian Leather Talent

>>14500746

You have conversed with everyone on your roster at some point, save Rejek and Yumea. Jethar you have spoken with before, but not since he entered your group.

>>14500790
Let go see both of them, starting with Rejek.

>>14500809

Rejek is a very large ripouse with a great iron club. He sits by himself away from the other ripouse, looking off to the dimming plains as he sharpens a few of the angled studs on the weapon. He wears a boiled black leather cuirass with some metal plates on the front with numerous marks on it, and tattered leather over his legs with a quilted red doublet.

"Hey." He says, nodding over at you.

(Back in 15)

>>14500904
"Hey...how have you been holding out?"

>>14500947

"Hey...how have you been holding out?" You ask him.

He shrugs. "Well as ever. I've never been this far out on the plains before." He points out to the brush. "You probably can't see 'em, but there are a couple of skulking weasels out there. Probably a mated pair. They have wide markings, though. Real interesting."

>>14501253
"...you know a thing or two about wildlife, I see."

"I, uh, I'm not used to talking to people." He says. "Well, humans as well. But I don't know much about this sort of thing."

>>14501335

"...you know a thing or two about wildlife, I see." You say.

"Yeah, I hunt for my own food. It was either that or I wouldn't get much." He says. "Your cook seems nice though. Gave me a big serving."

>>14501437
"We're not one to discriminate here. We need all the help we can get..."

Trail off a bit.

"I used to have trouble talking to people too. While I guess being from a wealthy mage's family is easy compared to other people, still...it's lonely on the top."

"We're not one to discriminate here. We need all the help we can get..." You say.

"I'm glad my gambit paid off for you, then." Rejek says. "I'll try not to get in the way."

"I used to have trouble talking to people too. While I guess being from a wealthy mage's family is easy compared to other people, still... it's lonely on the top." You say.

"Well, I've never seen what the top looks like." Rejek says. "I guess the bottom can be lonely too."

>>14501623
"So Rejek; what is it you do?"

>>14501639

"So Rejek; what is it you do?" You ask him.

"I'm a lot of things. I hunt, I track, I fight." He says, indicating his club. "I do like fighting armored folks. Nice and slow, easy to hit. I can treat leather some too if you got it. I'm not as quiet as that icy fellow, but I can sneak some too. I'm not much of a group fighter, I admit. At least, not with a group of allies."

"Before I forget, thanks for taking me along." Rejek adds, rubbing the back of his head.

>>14501716
"I should be the one thanking you." Smile gently.

"Well, if you need more alone time, I can leave, if you want..."

"I should be the one thanking you." You smile, gently.

He stays silent, looking at his weapon for a moment.

"Well, if you need more alone time, I can leave, if you want..." You say.

"No, it's fine." He says. "I mean, I'm just not good with people. You and your people seem nice enough though. Maybe I'm just not good with ripouse? Heh." He grins in spite of himself. "I dunno. It's nice to talk, I guess. I'm just not used to making conversation that doesn't involve insults."

>>14501860
"Not good with the ripouse?"

>>14501874
I think Rejek was the half ripouse half gnoll who was not very well liked typically. Will check archive to confirm

>>14501874

"Not good with the ripouse?" You ask.

"Yeah, well I'm half gnoll." Rejek says. "You can guess how I was conceived. My mother gave me up for adoption. Word got out eventually, and, well, my good treatment stopped. I was beaten for fighting, and I got called a cannibal, carrion eater, the usual. I was given half a share of food, because I was half ripouse. I got tossed in a cage when I got in bad enough trouble, they were worried I'd try and kill someone. They haven't picked on me since I grew up though. I had to hunt a lot more than most of the hunters to keep my stomach full. My hyena, Ulk kept me company, but she passed on a couple years ago." He shrugs. "They had me believing I was bad for a while though. Eventually I just stopped listening."

>>14501997
Disreguard this, I suck cocks. >>14500747

>>14501874
>>14501997
I know; I'm just bringing it up in character because, hey, we're already playing 20 questions with our cast; now's the best time to ask these sort of things.

Also, OP, Gargoyle Quest? :3c

>>14502013
"Ah; I'm sorry to hear that."

>>14502049

"Ah; I'm sorry to hear that." You say.

"Well, it's not so bad now. I can just spend my time with someone who won't treat me like crap." He pauses for a second. "Rather, some people."

He looks over at you. "We may not have known each other very long, but just know that I will do whatever it takes. I've never fought a dragon, but they can die just like anything else, with enough smashing." He pats his club with one hand. "I'll fell it. When I promise something, it gets done. So count on it."

>>14502170

I think that's a good point to politely excuse ourselves and find Yumea. We shall have MAXIMUM MORALE.

>>14502024

>>14502493

>>14502452

"I believe you. Thanks for the support." You say.

Rejek nods simply and sets his weapon down. "I'll do my best."

You head over to see Yumea and the other female ripouse warriors. They are as large as the males, and you see two of them arm wrestling one another on a table as you pass. Yumea is sparring with another of her crew, using slender wooden spears. She brings her spear down across the other ripouse's hand as she lunges forward, tilting it up to the disarmed woman's chest. Yumea smiles, patting her on the shoulder. "You've improved a lot, Elmey. Keep going, try to make your feints flow naturally without any delays." Elmey nods, looking over at you.

Yumea follows her former opponent's gaze to see you. "Good evening, Melane. Here to inspect the troops?"

"That and to make sure everyone's in good spirits. Dragon hunting is a daunting prospect. Not to mention the group we'll have to face afterwards."

>>14502794

"That and to make sure everyone's in good spirits. Dragon hunting is a daunting prospect. Not to mention the group we'll have to face afterwards." You say.

Yumea nods. "I appreciate your honesty. My sisters and I are used to fighting against gnolls, raiders and the like. Tukon said he'd give us some tactical advisement on the matter. If you need us to, we can guard you or anyone else from harm by conventional attackers."

"It may not be a glamorous job, but someone's got to do it." She says, patting you on the shoulder and grinning. "You look like you've seen a few fights in your time as well. And they told me the mandran women were more the kind to stay home and take care of the kids!" Yumea laughs. "From the way your soldiers tell it, especially Tukon, you're a regular general."

>>14502024

By the way, here's gargoyle quest. It posted weird earlier, sorry.

>>14502256

"I must be, or we wouldn't have made it for this long. I wish I could remember more of it. Some of my memory is still a little fuzzy from an incident we had before I came to your confederacy."

>>14502907

"I must be, or we wouldn't have made it for this long. I wish I could remember more of it. Some of my memory is still a little fuzzy from an incident we had before I came to your confederacy." You confess.

"Fuzzy headed, huh? Well, shape up, sister!" Yumea shakes you lightly. "An army can fight like one ten, twenty, a hundred times its size with the right leader and tactics! I haven't ever seen such a Just make sure you're ready when the time comes to lead, and we'll all be behind you."

You nod. "It's coming back to me, I can do just fine, I'm sure of it. If our men- oop, if our TROOPS are in high spirits, just make sure they know I won't risk their lives unnecessarily."

Yumea nods. "We're fresh. Some of the men here are kinda green, but my sisters and I have enough experience to pass around. Tukon's done good with yours, though. We'll see if we can make a human and ripouse tactic that will show them our true strength!" She grins wildly, her left hand clenched and shaking with enthusiasm.

"That's the spirit I like to see. Carry on then."

>>14503084

"That's the spirit I like to see. Carry on then." You say, grinning at the ripouse woman.

"Yes ma'am! Alright girls, time for the late night exercises!" Yumea shouts, clapping her hands to get the other ripouse's attention. They begin to form up, running in place. "I want 100 push ups and sit ups from each of you! No slacking!" She gets up to the front of them, leading them as she does the exercises herself.

Guess it's kinda late then? Let's get some rest then.

>>14503177
>>14503234
Wait; I thought we just ate breakfast after we had the dream of Dominion. :V

>>14503312
>"Yes ma'am! Alright girls, time for the late night exercises!"

Then again, maybe we all forgot what time it was. And then Melane was a time paradox.

>>14503394

And then I was a dumbass.

Yeah, it should be morning. I'll be back in 15.

So yeah. You've chatted up everyone on your list, or at least spoken with them once.

What will you do, now that we know it's not night?

>>14503957
Well, since we've checked on with everyone AND contacted a vestige of Dominion, can we have a time skip to 3 days from now?

Also, going to bed OP. It's late... :(

>>14503988
I can agree with this. This sections dragging on a bit.

>>14503988

Sure, you return to your experiments until then.

Orpheus returns a day before you reach the edge of Kresis' lands. "I bring the insights into that man's character that you requested, Melane Kiried." He kneels, giving the impression of exhaustion.

"Are you alright, Orpheus?" You ask him.

"Yes, I just had a long walk here. Their tight patrols kept even me from being able to relax in their territory. I am not used to dealing with other creatures who enjoy a great deal of time in the water." He says. "Nonetheless, I have seen his clan with mine own two eyes. They wear leathers made from cowhide, wield spears made from steel and a tough, black wood. He has a powerful ally, a black dragon that has bred with several of his wives to produce dragon blooded sons. Evidently, some of them have put black dragon's blood into their veins." Orpheus pauses, to allow you to interject.

"A DRAGON? But, a black you say? Aren't they still incredibly rare here?"

"What else do you know about this dragon?"

>>14504389
>>14504409

"A DRAGON? But, a black you say? Aren't they still incredibly rare here?" You ask him.

"They are unusual to see, but I did recall some were active in the Mandran city states." Orpheus says. "Sea traders from what I deduced."

"What else do you know about this dragon?"

"Its name is Rhyxantal. It is 126 years of age. Kresis raised it from a young age after it was orphaned. Apparently it has tapped into ice magic under his tutelage to replace a missing toe lost to its voracious parent." Orpheus pauses for a moment before continuing.

"From what I can tell, they are ruled by the one who can defeat their chief. Kresis may appear old, but they have a healthy respect of him. He fought one while I was there who was two or more feet taller than him, used an axe. He was beaten, humbled, but not killed."

"This is good information to know. If I tried the same speeches I whole-heartedly gave the ripouse, I likely would not see more than laughter. Thank you Orpheus."

>>14504664

"This is good information to know. If I tried the same speeches I whole-heartedly gave the ripouse, I likely would not see more than laughter. Thank you Orpheus." You say.

He smiles, his jaw's teeth rising up in front of his top ones. "'If mine help be appreciated, I shall pass down into the underworld to retrieve thy request.' The Journey to the Underworld, Act 1, Scene 6. A personal favorite.

"Additionally, the tribe is called the Sunsplitters, in the lizardman tongue 'Tresk'Aldres'. Their braves have a kind of marker used to denote a number of victories over their foes in that of colored cloth upon their belts, weapons, or as an armband. It seems to go in order from yellow to deeper shades of red. Be sure to prepare for the warm conditions of the swamp. I shall retire to bathe and rest, I believe some of the swamp bits have not left my skin. Feel free to ask further questions once I have finished." Orpheus stands, obviously tired, and stalks off to the bath wagon.

I'm gonna call it a night, too. See you next time.

>>14504909

Alright. The next game will be on Monday at 21:00. Sorry folks, I felt like a piece of shit today, so I was writing slow. Enough of my griping though. Plan on meeting that fukken lizard soon. Do you remember what his race is actually called? Oh well, if you forgot, they'll remind you soon enough.

"Even from the depths of the underworld, I will return to lead you."

-The Journey to the Underworld, Act 3, Scene 7