Tangletail

The Wheel of Time - Trolloc Wars

What? Where did you get that?

The "Introductions to the bottom of a glass" was just an expression.

The Wheel of Time - Trolloc Wars

Ah... if only Durandel was there too... two insane minds are better than one.

As I've mentioned before... this is the first character that's this off of her rocker. Hope it's doing well enough.

The Wheel of Time - Trolloc Wars

Shadar Logoth: Ardath

The woman…. Smiled softly as the respective commander had chided her for her behavior. In fact, she seemed to have expected such a reaction. Even practically baiting it out.Of course, she was a scholar and part of her duties was simply arguing facts, theories, and what have you.

She soon rose out of the lap of the creature she had sat in and walked around the room. Her tone taking a sudden shift as her smile seemed to fade. Her eyes twinkled a bit, but remained fixed in space as if she was drawing into herself. She was nearly a different person as she began to speak.

“Some eras ago, where war was prominent in this very world… a General waged a tactic in a land where chasms scarred the earth, that bore deep enough that light could not escape and could even turn a man to liquid if he were to fall. Naturally, these lands were prime area’s of defenses as you can funnel an army into one front, thus sending him into a gauntlet of arrows and boulders that’s a Grimm fable with a bitter end.”

She soon turned to face the man. Her face was practically like stone as “polito” continued the tale.

“This… particular General thought of something more unique. Instead of traversing the usual paths. He constructed mobile bridges. The labor he had origionally consisted only of slaves and camp followers… which is fine… as quality is not needed as a typical soldier’s life is as expendable as a drop of water in a lake.”

“He needed quantity to get an army across and to limit the disaster when one bridge fails. But to manufacture as many bridges as he needed with what he had was improbable. Annnd... it's not like loyalty wasn't running as high as it is now. When your liege tells you to die for him, you did it. So… he gave civilians a choice after conquering their towns and cities. Give labor with a chance of some sort of life, or suffer such cruelty that was not bound by possibility, but the limits of the imagination of man. He didn’t kill them. Not immediately at least, oh did he draw it out. It wasn’t torture, many would prefer that. It was as close to the heart of a demon as anyone could get. He starts with the family, and got real creative. Ripping their children apart piece by piece. Burning wives at the stake after sending them around the army like a shared mount. Making people walk through the cold uncovered until they stopped begging for their lives, but for blankets. You think it, he’s done it.”

“And he gave people only one chance. After a few public examples, if they did not have the courage to take both their family and their own lives…. Well he was at their mercy. Many, were quick to throw out loyalties as I am sure they are now.”
 

Ardath looked Ba’alzamon firmly in the eyes, with a fire in her reaching a feverish pitch. There was no games being played. No dancing around the fire. No beating the bush. Just the very personality of Ardath that sought results through her crusade. The very efforts that seemed to have gone unnoticed.

“Sir… I’ve studied the human mind long enough. And I know, that without a doubt that it’s possible for a man’s heart to not be swayed. But their hands can certainly be forced against all the whims of laws, loyalties, beliefs, and morals that they believe in when they are face to face with a fate far worse than the pains of death… and are still too cowardly to discover the final mystery.”

“Give me your go ahead. Give me a target. Give me a time frame. And I will be serving you your breakfast within their walls.”

Into The Dark: Mercenaries (Heroes of Fame and Fortune)

@Tangletail Uh, not honest at all, just not finding any good opportunities to steal anything for various reasons. I should know.

@BCTheEntity

Ah... my thief is honest. Ask him if he stole something, and he'd tell you yes if he did.

Into The Dark: Mercenaries (Heroes of Fame and Fortune)

<Snipped quote by Tangletail>

You just put a competitor out of business via one of those few ways which are radical but still legal!

@POOHEAD189 Everything's fine with your post, but it remembered me of not yet having made the necessary adjustments to mine. However I probably won't find the time to do this until... wednesday evening at best.

@Fetzen

I mean like you just arrived, and you hear someone say "Let's kill a thief"

Do you really want to say, "Ah yes, many usually call me Jackle. I'm an exprofessional, but honerable thief! Needless to say I still got it, and my hands will be under your command!"

Into The Dark: Mercenaries (Heroes of Fame and Fortune)

Ever contemplated how honest a thief needs to be when a group is trying to stop a different thief?

The Wheel of Time - Trolloc Wars

A bit rushed. Basically she's offering two options.

One: is after you sack a fort, village, or what ever that's near a river. You rip apart everything, and throw it into the river to fill it and build a damn. Including the bodies.

Two: After taking over a village or town, you force the villagers to build the bridges by salvaging buildings and the likes for material, and carry them.

My thought is... it wouldn't be a good idea to let a trolloc build anything complicated that needs to hold a lot of weight.

The Wheel of Time - Trolloc Wars

Shadar Logoth; Ardath

Shadar Logoth used to be a work of art, biological things strewn across the ground… many in pieces, some whole, but as a whole they told a story. A story of a thirst of survival hard fought, but perished. Now… it’s just dull. Not dreary, but… just boring. Fear would be the breakfast one would wake to at dawn. Despair would be the afternoon meal that lines the plates. And suspense would be the dinner that filled your belly. And cowardice would be the desert before slumber. None of which sated Ardath, and all had left her hungering for something more in her short week long stay away from her own blood bath of a campaign. Her own beloved collection of troops had diffused among the city, commanded to live a bit and do things… that trollocs tend to do. Be it cowering, fighting, procreating, or eating one another.

And before Ardath could say that her stay is finally complete, she must of course pay her respects to her beloved lord. Ah… yes, not a day goes by had she regretted this decision. Among the voices in her head attempting to waylay her path, and a few being the voice of reason, she remained very… very loyal. And he has yet to prove unfair. By her standards at least.

She practically pranced down the derelict streets. Waving to the shadows that were holes in her grasp of reality, and to those that were very real. A right down a boulevard, and she snatched up someone… she wasn’t sure who… nor did she care. And waltz with the stranger. The voices in her head all sang their tune. But soon she let go of her partner, throwing him through a doorway as she plucked up an object of some sort and continued on.

But eventually her dance came to an end as she quietly stepped through the doors of her lord. Or at least she believed there were doors. It was quite possible she was only touching air, but could feel the grain of wood biting at her fingers.

She watched the man chide his faithful creatures with a smile. And when he asked one final question… she stepped forward with a raise of hand.

“Ah, I do so believe that I could be of service –mi’lord~” She began. Her voice nearly singing as she strolled around the table. One hand was raised with her fingers gingerly brushing over the hoods of the Myrddraal.

“Sit my children, sit~” She sang softly to each one of them as she passed by. When they were all seated she giggled softly and clasped her hands together. “For Polito will happily teach you something very important!”

She turned to face her lord with a look of endearing respect.

“These little darlings are no fools my lords, and are more than capable of critical thought.” She held a small smirk. “I enjoy asking questions of those working with me… and they endure for the most part. Real interesting answers too.”

“But… they are young despite their appearances. Not in years but as a race. They have yet to develop the things that makes humans… well humans. And as appalling as that sound….” She giggled to herself… fondly remembering the sights she has seen… “humans are the greatest monsters you will ever see. Not by strength… or the fear they can bestow. But by sheer creativity. Weeee are -very- creative.”

She soon sat in the lap of one of the creatures, her hand running along it’s chin. A crooked and broad grin appeared on her lips. “When we wish to kill, we make tools. When we wish to conquer, we make ladders. And when we wish to cross rivers… we make bridges.”

She leans in close to get a closer look at the creatures face. Her smile now gone as her tone utterly change. “But what are these! Those words… are just words... only words... words with meaning... sometimes different meaning in languages. Symbols for concepts. And concepts… are vague. A duck can be a corpse, or it can be a little amphibious bird. A bridge can be constructed of wood or of ice. But I would not trust our cute little creatures with a hammer and nail. But corralling bodies? Most certainly”

She soon turned to look to the lord.

“I’ve always wondered… when facing the gates of death, what a sheep would be willing to do to save his life or his family’s. If they are willing to endure slavery for a lottery ticket for life? Would they be willing to build portable bridges and face arrow fire as their own kind tries to shoot them down before they can push them across the river?”

Her smile soon returns, “If that does not please you my lord. Then we can simply have the trollocs rip apart the villages, villagers, animals, trees, and dreams... and throw them into the river for a bridge. We can then walk on their corpses backs as the campaign continues.”

The Wheel of Time - Trolloc Wars

Quick question...

Is it possible for Ardath to be present in that meeting?

I was actually going to open up with her coming up with a way to bypass rivers safely while running a small experiment.

Into The Dark: Mercenaries (Heroes of Fame and Fortune)

Don't worry Hovbnob! The thief can help you set up your traps!

It takes a thief to know how to catch a thief!