LOG START
[17:54:25] Master of Games
All Creation, Beneath the Sword
Session 18
One advantage of carrying four stinking demon heads with you for trophies: they’re an great deterrent to any defenders who might be motivated to get in your way. Some of the troops swear the heads try to bite. It’s probably their imagination.
After Kagemori promised to exterminate the blood ape demons marauding through near-fallen Nathir, your next goal is to present your kills to Sword Prince Gensuji. That means moving towards the front lines, where resistance is still most fierce. Once can accuse Gensuji of several faults, but cowardice isn’t among them.
Your scouts and Kagemori’s and River Snake’s attention help you evade defenders—there’s not a few traps and clear ambush spots. Speaking of ambush… There’s a strange noise as you stop in the shadow of a building. Gensuji’s troop can’t be far now, but what’s that sizzling? Sharp ears say it seems to come from the wall, and then the soldiers retreat from it as a spot on it, around chest level, begins smoking and bubbling, as if the brick itself was boiling. The melting spot spreads and a human-like, but horned head manifests in its middle, leering with ill intent.
[17:59:35] Raizo
Raizo holds up the blood ape head toward the head-manifesting melty brick spot. “No funny business with us or you’re next, horn head.”
[18:00:03] River Snake
Snake looks at the weird demon-face as he prepares his weapon “I was hoping we were done with demons for today”
[18:00:43] Datei ma Kagemori
”Name yourself or be gone from our sight.”
[18:15:17] Master of Games
Nathir has probably been wishing it was done with demons for a week or so. The being hisses and raises its nose like a slighted noble, but stops. The head rises on the wall, melting a hole in it as it goes, and goes from seeming like a tiger ready to lunge to a tall wave with a face standing in an it-shaped hole. Its voice sounds like a violent boil. “Names are a temporary diversion. Call me metody, if it’s so important to you.” It takes a look at your banners and sniffs. “Why did you stop? Who goes there?” A voice at least one of you has heard before issues from behind the demon, somewhat hard to make out over the froth. Hoarhound, which likely makes this her bound demon.
[18:17:36] Datei ma Kagemori
”Datei ma Kagemori. My entourage and I have returned from our demon-slaying expedition.”
[18:25:43] Master of Games
”Stand down and let us through. Stay material.” The demon—metody—rolls its eyes and solidifies into a distorted human form, with legs and arms too long for the torso and a neck as thick as its head. Its skin looks melted and pulled taut, smaller protrusions and irregularities smoothed out as if one had dissolved them in water. It steps aside, keeping a sullen, wary glare on Raizo, and allows Hoarhound past, who waves into the building and is followed out by Prince Gensuji and the Iachi commander who Kagemori saw last night.
[18:29:45] Master of Games
”What’s all this? We figured we were about to ambush some defenders on the other side of the wall. Good thing we didn’t.” Gensuji looks pleased, looking around the assembled troops. Surely, he notices the heads.
[18:30:26] Datei ma Kagemori
”My prince, the blood apes have been dealt with.”
[18:32:35] Master of Games
”This fast? How many losses? Did any get away?”
[18:33:00] Raizo
”Yes, only my dignity, no.”
[18:33:43] Datei ma Kagemori
”He speaks true.”
[18:34:39] Datei ma Kagemori
Kagemori gestures for the other heads to be brought forward.
[18:36:19] Raizo
Raizo’s men carrying them bring the heads forth, probably having kept them in sacks or something for ease and general consideration.
[18:41:41] Master of Games
Four heads are piled up at the Prince’s feet, who rests his sword in front of him with raised eyebrows. Close up and unsheathed, you can see the famed Imperial Daiklave is made of pitch black metal that shines like a beetle’s carapace, with a guard of brass and its hilt wrapped in brilliantly blue leather. “Well. I have to admit you’ve exceeded my expectations.” “Not possible.” The second-in-command with Gensuji steps forward, on his armor the lantern-fruit crest of the Iachi. “I watched those monsters massacre half a division of Uema’s best, and you expect us to believe two dozen reserves beheaded them all with no losses?”
[18:46:31] Datei ma Kagemori
”There is more to a battle than a strong arm. I am blessed to have a brilliant tactical mind at my disposal, and we ensured the monsters were caught on the back foot. Without their hellish speed, well, it became a lot more fair of a fight. The men deserve the credit. I did very little other than take some of the attention of the demons.”
[18:49:43] Raizo
”Not possible, yet here we are. These things aren’t exactly just lying around.” Raizo shrugs, probably more smugly than he may have intended.
[18:52:19] Datei ma Kagemori
”Feel free to check the heads however you want, if you believe them to be falsehoods. Though the easiest test is simply to see if anyone spots them in the city again. If the reports continue to come in, then clearly they still walk free and fit. But if not…”
[19:03:56] Master of Games
”True enough. I’ll be frank, Datei, nobody expected your force to amount to much when you showed up. You’ve distinguished yourselves and it’s not even noon. What’s wrong, Iachi? If it’s a fluke, you’ve nothing to fear. Just do even better.” The Iachi commander acknowledges his liege’s words with a stony face. The Prince looks between Datei and Iachi, and Kagemori doesn’t need the Sun’s own insight to know what Gensuji wants here: a bit of healthy competition between famous rivals to keep them busy with each other and focused on pleasing the Sword. “Maybe these heads could even convince the last defenders to finally give in…” “My Prince, if we don’t crush them now, they will only be a thorn in our side later.” Iachi gives Kagemori a glance he didn’t need to. “Maon’s side, you mean.”
[19:11:23] Datei ma Kagemori
Kagemori smirks. “That sounds like Maon’s problem. Or do you plan to administer the city yourself? As for convincing them to surrender, it might be workable. A strike at morale can be as deadly as poison. Do we have a way to communicate with what constitutes the remaining leadership?”
[19:14:39] Raizo
”Is there even any leadership left? At the risk of overstepping, what are the strategic goals we’re pushing toward, and how are we making progress on them?”
[19:28:27] Master of Games
”Insurgency’s a problem for Vaneha as a whole.” Iachi scoffs at Kagemori, but Gensuji ignores him. Instead, the Prince studies Raizo. “The harbor. Nathir’s a merchant city, and they think like merchants.” His tone makes it clear he doesn’t consider this a good thing. “Their strategy’s been to make our victory too costly.” Iachi clears his throat and continues on Gensuji’s behalf. “Maon’s ships haven’t been able to land without compromising the blockade, but if we can reach the harbor district on land, they won’t hold on two fronts. We’ll strong-arm them into letting the ships land, and if the harbor is ours, Nathir is ours.”
[19:36:00] Raizo
”Thus the steady advance in that direction. And their leadership? Do they have a single leader organizing their efforts or is it every man for himself out there?”
[19:42:57] Master of Games
Now it’s Gensuji’s turn to scoff. “They must. You don’t get this much effort without someone to rally under.” Iachi hesitates briefly before adding. “We know there to be skilled mercenaries among the defenders, paid with Guild silver. Likely they coordinate.” Raizo’s scouts were pretty sure at least some of the defenders were, in fact, simply angry and armed locals on their own initiative.
[19:45:37] Datei ma Kagemori
”If we can identify and communicate with the leader of the mercenaries - or the guild prince paying them - it would be easy enough to convince them to surrender. For those motivated by the Guild’s talents, there’s always a price.”
[19:55:33] Master of Games
Gensuji considers, then taps the ground with his daiklave for emphasis. “Find a runner. Easiest to send them to the harbor. They’ll carry the demons’ heads as a show of force and good will, and a new offer of surrender.”
[19:56:18] Master of Games
”We’ll keep moving while they go, to keep the pressure up.”
[19:56:55] Datei ma Kagemori
”Say we’ve gotten reinforcements, and more are on the way. A truth and a lie together are stronger than either apart.”
[19:59:59] Master of Games
”Not bad. Let it be done. We’ll move as well as soon as that is sorted out. Datei, your force can join ours. How long has that been? Datei and Iachi in the field next to each other?”
[20:03:47] Datei ma Kagemori
”Before my grandmother’s day, I think. I will accept, of course. Though…If I might offer a counter-offer. I could deliver the message in the place of the runner. I am likely not as fast, but I can be quite convincing. Plus, the heads might be more effective an argument when paired with the swords that met their former necks.”
[20:05:37] Master of Games
”And cut a deal on the side, yes?” Iachi regards Kagemori with open suspicion. “It wouldn’t be the first time, my Prince.”
[20:06:47] Raizo
”I see trust comes hard here.”
[20:08:50] Datei ma Kagemori
”My services come with a price, of course, but it is a fair one. I would not let down my prince or house Maon.” He leaves it unsaid that he would let down Iachi.
[20:10:37] Master of Games
The Prince grins. “Speaking of your grandmother, Datei, here’s one thing mine used to say: Rivals keep each other honest. Send an equal number of men from the Datei and Iachi divisions. If they agree to talks, invite the Maon as well.”
[20:13:13] Datei ma Kagemori
”A perfunctory gesture, but I suppose they can look menacing as I do the work.”
[20:15:06] Master of Games
Iachi pretends not to have heard Kagemori and turns around to find appropriate envoys.