POOHEAD189

The Witcher: Under the Shadow

"M'lord, our scouts report people approaching." The sentry remarked, huffing what breath he could in his oversized paunch. If his father had given him less able men, he wouldn't be able to clear a pantry much less a forgotten keep. Even as he had the thought, he knew it was unfair to some of the men that had been conscripted, but he knew that his father had no done his best to give his bastard the best. A part of him wondered if this wasn't simply some plot to get rid of him.

Balidvar lifted his rump off the log he and the Captain had been sitting on, standing to his impressive height. His rugged chin and hard eyes weren't reassuring to the sentry. "Well soldier, perhaps that's because we're expecting people to join our expedition. Are they wearing Nilfgaardian uniforms?"

The sentry stuttered, looking back twice before answering with his jowls. "I wasn't informed sir." The proclamation brought a black look from Balidvar that made the sentry lowered his head. The man had likely been a provincial militiaman before he'd been commandeered to be apart of a covert invasion essentially. Well, that either meant they were being attacked and would all be dead, or their guests had arrived. A quick gesture with Balidvar's head sent the sentry off again.

The next person to appear wasn't a Nilfgaardian, but it wasn't someone he expected to see either. A woman of darker complexion. Did he see some Nazairi in her? "If you're a Temerian, then you're most welcome." Balidvar said, giving a quick jerk of his hand. After a moment, it would be clear he was indicating to the cauldron of soup they had to provide for the newcomers. As he did so, he saw someone else.

If he hadn't expected the previous newcomers, he nearly fell over when he saw her. There was a shake of his head and a sigh, but he was clearly pleased. "Avery. I haven't seen you since..." He fell silent, bowling over what he was going to say. "I trust you're here at my father's request? Good to have someone who can perform more than rudimentary spells." Despite his initial mask of neutrality, he was glad to see her.

Speaking of rudimentary magic, the next two newcomers were practitioners of just that. It was fortunate they were far hopefully far better at the sword and their knowledge of beasts. Witchers would be invaluable for this incursion, but he'd need to keep an eye on both of them. He'd only met two others in his life, and one he found he couldn't trust the hard way. He hoped he was an exception to the rule.

"Strange company" His Captain commented, and moments later an Elf walked into view, taking great attention to detail at the assorted crowd. Balidvar couldn't rightly blame him. The bastard replied with a "You're not kidding." Before raising his voice to the Aen Seidhe. "Hail friend! Come and rest for a moment. We'll be leaving shortly." He made sure to give the elf his clear endorsement. He'd have no racism in his ranks. Infighting would only harm them.

"How many left, Jurga?" Balidvar asked. His Captain, a former footman for his father's army, stroked his chin and thought for a moment. The camp was growing packed, with men gathering equipment and hauling packs upon their shoulders once more. A few of the lads had to be kicked into getting up from their breaks, cursing to the heavens. Jurga attempted to reply. "I believe there's-"

He was interrupted by a red haired woman who called to the whole assembly, asking if these were the people she had been searching for. He sincerely hoped no one of importance had heard her outside of this circle. The Captain called, giving her an "Aye!" as a figure, hooded and cloaked approached from behind her, carefully picking his way toward Balidvar until he stood before him, taking his measure. What the man said gave Balidvar the only smile he'd had since yesterday.

"I can tell we'll get along, Renar." He said, extending his hand to shake.

Within the hour, they were off, with bellies full of beef stew and only a few murmurs to give any signs they were passing through. The woods were as cloaked as Renar, even such a sunny day seeming overcast in the canopy that loomed above them. The trees almost felt as if they were marking their passing, and from the stories there had been of the Toussaint woods, they literally might have been. Their trail led them north, past a large gully and brambles, into the slopes of a hillock within the wood, crossing above the incline before they were at level ground again. It was another hour of walking over gnarled roots and sliding between bushes, doing their best to remain quiet until the treeline gave way into rough grass and the sight of low mountains, and a Castle of ill-repair that stood as an immovable specter of the surrounding land.

"Is that it?" One of the soldiers asked, squinting with the cloud enshrouded sun in his eyes.

"Dye think there's any other spooky castles round 'ere? A bit off innit." Another replied.

There was a short wall, roughly teen feet tall and made of stone, surrounding the lower portion of the castle that wasn't obscured by the rocky crags behind it. The gate was unfortunately broken, its wooden frame smashed as if a group of trolls had taken to it with a fury. That would need repairing before much else, but they still needed to make sure the keep itself was safe from brigands or monsters.

Balidvar waved for all to gather round, his unspoken command clear he didn't want any shouting or raised voiced to bring unwanted attention to them. As they moved, he dropped his pack of laden equipment with a crunching thud upon the dirt, and he unsheathed his saber silently. "We move in from the front. Avery, Nadia, and Renar, stay close to me. You Witchers as well. Once we're past the gate, I need you to search the courtyard and then move into the keep. The rest of you, stay here in the field. Keep away from the trees. We made it through the wood with no incident, but that doesn't mean there's no incident to be had. Best not to push our luck, aye?"

He waited for the others to respond, and he gave the signal. "Move."

Warhammer Fantasy: From Small Beginnings...

I will reply within 24 hours or so!

A tribute to the former fans of Star Wars

I liked Star Wars as a kid and even know I like it but not to the same extent as back then. The Star Wars movies were fun and all but it was the various games I played based on the franchise that really got me into the series. I am not ashamed to say that I liked the prequels though I will easily admit there was a lot done wrong in them, especially the Phantom Menace. That said, what the Prequels managed to do was show how the Empire came to power and what the Republic was like before the Empire which was great at establishing lore. Just knowing what the Jedi Council was like and how many there were during that time period was exciting and interesting. Quite a few fun games were made based on the prequels that I had a lot of fun with and I did enjoy the Clone Wars series, even if it was a bit wonky.

Despite all the flaws, the Prequels opened up so much of interest to the fans about the Star Wars Universe, and prequel series like Knights of the Old Republic were fun and amazing, with quite a bit of influence from both the prequels and original sagas. Fans' imaginations soared and tons of role plays and games made the community feel alive. Also there are plenty of games like Jedi Knight that were placed after the original series and based on the Expanded Universe that were quite interesting, unique, and fun.

Then came along Disney with the Sequels and the first thing they do is declare the entire Expanded Universe as non-cannon. Ok, so technically that makes sense as you wouldn't want to be bound the Expanded Universe when trying to make a sequel which is fine, but just the fact that they had to go out of their way to point that out was a bit concerning. It was a red flag for me, though a small one. Still there was a lot of good characters and story lines in the expanded universe, though admittedly I knew mostly just the game stuff but there were definitely a lot of good story lines and characters to mess around with. Also there were a lot of interesting politics that I gleaned from the few books I read about the New Republic and the challenges it faced, the sequels basically just blew it up, literally.

@IceHeart

This is the main reason I like the prequels and dislike the sequels, (among others). Say what you will of the movies or how well they were made, but the prequels opened up so many different concepts and eras of the Star Wars universe. The Sequels not only basically dumped all of it, but from what little inspiration was gleamed, it had subpar extensions on its narrative.

Except for the Mandalorian. Great series. But that's because of Jon Favrue's vision and not a Disney executive one.

Video Games: The General Discussion & Community Thread

WC3: Reforged making regular WC3 INTO Reforged involuntarily is the Devil's Work. Fucking criminals

Chaos

This thread is unlocked, fortunately.

The Witcher: Under the Shadow

I have postponed my move along post for the end of this weekend since we have collabs going, but I will postpone it no further!

@Bazmund I will look at your sheet very soon, my friend.

Warhammer Fantasy: From Small Beginnings...

Elgi treachery if you ask me

Out on the Rim

Disturbingly, the Gamorean's laughter at the erupting swoop sounded as much childlike glee as violent, and the flames only grew hotter as the vehicle grounded into the sand and the bodies within began to cook in the fire and unrelenting sun. The other swoops, having lost their evident gusto decided it was time to report their failure to their boss. Or more likely, they would send one of them to report their failure and the rest would do their best to remain scarce until Jabba had forgotten of the incident.

The horking from the Gamoreans continued as Cleo and Leyla approached, with the Bith driver turning the vehicle in a wide arc around the landmark so as to present the weapons in a more easily accessible fashion. Though Cleo simply theorized the Bith was making it easier for him to drive away in case it became dangerous again. The Iridonian didn't blame him, but kept his eye on him just the same. If the Bith made a getaway before he and Leyla were back on the transport, he'd find him and make him pay.

Through his visor, he took the measure of the pig-like Aliens. Most Gamoreans were the same. Lazy and brutish, but much of their fat bodies were muscle and they made fine body guards. The Klatooinian was harder to get a bead on, as they were more versatile like humans, and yet he needed to worry on him less, likely. The Klats might have a variety of skills, but they had been serving the Hutts since before there was a republic or an empire. He was no traitor, if anything.

A lead Gamorean approached, Vibroaxe at the ready even as he oinked a primitive Huttese, asking Cleo why it took him so long. Cleomenes snorted, feeling refreshed that the Gamorean wasn't expecting a passcode or any confirmation. These creatures did simple business. 'Wait for the man with a transport and a line of supplies' was likely the only orders they had received. Cleo spoke back in the same strange language, telling him they had some trouble on the sands, and asking where his money was.

The green brute grunted to his companion, who went behind the large skiff to likely retrieve their pay. Another Gamorean stepped forward, but instead of looking at Cleo, it stalked over to the crashed vehicle. Somehow a human had managed to survive, likely having leapt out before the thing had exploded. He was crawling across the sand, clearly hurt with likely a few broken bones. He turned his head just in time to see the Gamorean raise its Vibroaxe. The man held his hands up futilely, only for the spike of the blade to pierce his chest cavity. He spasmed for a mere moment, and then died on the spot.

Cleo wasn't a fan of stark executions, but that one had been trying to kill him a minute before. The murderer Gamorean laughed, his mirth carrying on only long enough until he realized he had been shot, a hole having gone straight through its gut. Dumbly, it looked down and touched the blood flowing from his chest, only for him to be shot again. It fell dead, and the other Gamoreans looked around with sudden fear and held aloft their Vibroweapons as the Klatooinian turned the cannon around anxiously.

A telltale cry from the distance told Cleo all he needed to know, and the Iridonian relaxed, albeit only somewhat. He held a hand in front of Leyla to calm her.

"It's just the customer." He said, as dozens upon dozens of figures began to simply appear from the dunes. Man-like things covered in wrapped cloth and wearing rebreathers and goggles, grunting into the air in a way no other people did. "The Tuskans probably didn't like the Gamorean stepping so close to their number lying in wait. As long as we stay calm, they'll get their guns and we'll get paid." He told her.
@Penny

The Witcher: Under the Shadow

@Stormflyx@Lemons@Kassarock@Hank@Kassarock@NecroKnight
In two nights, we move along to the next destination!

Tales of Tamriel

When they had entered the tavern, Dax had walked in hooded and cloaked, doing his best to keep the hissing out of his voice when he asked for a place to sleep the night. He had set Kris down at the closest table, so as not to draw attention to how beat and out of breath she was. The Saxhleel wasn't very well versed when it came to societal subtleties, particularly for Landstriders. But he knew to be clever enough to keep himself less than conspicuous, at least when he cared to be.

He didn't think the innkeeper believed that he wasn't argonian, but the least he could hope for would be for the man and the regulars to not see his telltale scale color. The color of dried blood was usually a marker for him in other areas, even in his native blackmarsh. He knew he would stand out with it in Morrowind as well, even upon the outskirts of the province.

Minutes passed, and he (as well as Kris) could finally rest within one of the rooms. Daixanos crouching upon his clawed feet, gnawing at the slices of dried beef he had packed like a savage beast that had not eaten in days, holding it greedily to his maw. His powerful tail flicked back and forth as he devoured the food, and once he was done he opened his mouth, and it was hard to decipher it was to breath or if he was smiling.

"We have survived another day." He said, standing to his impressive six feet in height. "A successful day as well. There are many dead Dark Elves in our wake."

There was a lively quality about the Argonian. Even without being able to tell his facial expression, it was clear he had the energy to do much more if it meant the slaughter of more Dunmer, despite his fatigue and wounds. He flexed his clawed hands, and his tail smacked the ground with a thump. With an effort, he calmed himself and cleared his throat, perching himself by the window to gaze into the fading light of the overcast day.
@Penny