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So, it really was another Doppler. A smile appeared on the face of Carrak of Cintra, the man that he had chosen to impersonate. And it seemed that he had a favour to ask. He was inclined to do a favour for another one, particularly if there was money involved. That was valuable indeed. And it would rather nicely fund the plans that he had in mind. He was going to need material, and for material, he needed money.
"Something else. Even though we're splitting this, I'd like to be able to call in a favour from you as well. Favours between brothers." The Doppler stated. The job itself was an interesting one. What the other man said made Alanna snort. It must have been the devoted friend comment. Yes, she would laugh at that wouldn't she? And there was a powerful being involved. However, he was a Witcher. He felt confident that whatever he was facing, this body would have the ability to face it if necessary. Of course, depending on what it was, it wouldn't have to come to that. Yes, perhaps the fact that he was a Doppler would come in useful. Perhaps it would deter a conflict while Alanna got to work.
"Yes Adolin, I know what you're thinking and I'll do it. Whether I like it or not I've been stuck with you this far. I'm not leaving now that things are starting to get interesting." Adolin smiled, genuinely. It was probably the nicest thing that she had ever said, and most positive.
"Very well. Perceptive as always Alanna." He looked back at the other man. "Now then. Where will I find the one I am looking for? What is their name? And perhaps, what is yours?"​

The Witcher and his companion rode into Oxenfurt under the cover of night. She seemed to be sleeping soundly still. That was just as well, he had no idea what he was going to do yet and it wouldn't be terribly interesting for her. At least, for the moment. Olivia was bound to be here somewhere, he just needed to find her. The best place for that would of course be a tavern. But, he couldn't leave Tatiana. Not alone, not here. It wasn't as large as Novigrad, but bad things happened to young women tied to horses wherever one went. He was going to have to wake her up, because there wasn't going to be a safe way of going about ths. He didn't have any hideouts here. He just had to hope that something useful cropped up. Derrick navigated his way through the city to one of the bigger establishments. He tied his horse to a decent looking rail and untied Tatiana. He held her in place and shook her awake, cancelling the Sign's effect.
"Tatiana, wake up. We're in Oxenfurt. We're heading inside. There's someone I need to find, and then we'll get you a bed somewhere." Derrick spoke, helping her off the horse.





"Ach, stings like a ***** tha'." The dwarf spoke as the wet cloth stung his face. There must have been some kind of ointment on it that made it hurt that way. Then, for some reason, he was holding out his hand to him. "Ah knoo it's a little hard ta see me up there, but Ah am standin'. Ah'm headed back ta the forge, ye coming?" Wilfred pressed the strange cloth to his face and walked back to his forge, just as he said he was doing, resting his axe on his right shoulder as he walked.
"Actually, do me a favour will ya? Pick up tha' wee beastie an' bring it back. Call it payment fer me examinin' yer sword." The smith requested as they walked back, gesturing towards the Endrega Worker he had killed.

"C-Co-Come? With ye? I'm just a farm boy. I don't know anything about knightering or rescuing..." Gordon replied nervously. He took a couple of deep breaths and closed his eyes and thought about things. He could go back to helping dad and leave it to the nice knight lady to deal with things. Or, he could go with her and help find Matilda. She didn't know where she was going, and he had played around here and been with Bowen enough before that he kinda knew where things were. She made a little joke, and he smiled. His mind was made up. "Aye, I'll come with ye if ye want me. And I think that Matilda will definitely listen if I'm there too!" He gave a firm nod.
"So err... What do I do?" He looked up expectantly.






The streets of Oxenfurt were quiet at this time. Around some of the taverns, the laughter of drunken students and workers could be heard, and the clinking of the armour of the occasional Redanian soldier accompanied a patch of torchlight in the darkness on the streets. The night air was cool here. She felt right at home walking these streets. Adolin was following peaceably behind her. mercifully silent. It seemed that he had got the message that he was going to listen to her for once. That was at least, until she felt his hand fall heavily on her shoulder. She whipped her head around irritably, but then saw the look on his face.

"Hold on. Something is coming." Adolin gestured to the Medallion on his neck and Alanna nodded. She stepped quickly with a half turn behind him and prepared her magic for whatever came. He narrowed his eyes, and put his hand on one of the swords on his back, ready to pull it out at a moments notice. The person he was looking for soon emerged. A man with a silver sword, the man whom the Medallion was signalling to. He smiled. "Another of my own kind, taking up the task. I must admit, I am pleased to see it is so." He spoke of course, to Bryce, but he was not to know that. ​

Carissa Kill Count: 36 (+5)

Onamakritos arrived at the escape shuttle after Zahariel get aboard. She breathed a sigh of relief, somehow they had all made it. Her hand flicked to the door control and it slammed shut. She began to prep them for flight.
"Everyone, get ready! We're pulling Ien, Reitan and Aster and anyone else left down there out of here and getting back to HQ!" Carissa called to the people in the back with her. "And make sure that our prisoner doesn't escape!" A few hand movements later, the shuttle's engines roared to life and she pushed it forwards out of the tower. She quickly examined the battlefield below and swooped down to where she saw Ien fall. She saw the flashes of combat as Reitan and the Demi-God Kalak clashed below. She wondered where he was in all of this. Judging by the bodies, causing havoc for their men outside. This siege really was a lost battle. She put the shuttle down quickly and opened the doors.
"David, recover Ien!" She ordered, loading up her crossbow, another pair of bolts in hand. She fired them off, one by one, bringing down three soldiers who had noticed and were firing at them. She saw Aster riding around a horse a little distance away and rolled her eyes. Where did he...? Actually, never mind. He's such a bloody idiot. "Aster, Reitan, get aboard! Onamakritos, Zahariel, give them cover! David, once Ien is on board you do the same!"



Corruption Rating: 26%

"Looks like your escape shuttle is here, I'll give you a chance to escape, unknown warrior." Kalak spoke in the midst of their combat. ​

Adolin Bonhart and Alanna Tanette sign up for Witcherbowl 2016! Way ho for almost total character wipe!

Vance was shocked. It was as if they were talking to the very embodiment of exposition. It was surprising that the girl was willing to say to much to them. Honestly, he would have expected hostility, and perhaps a little fear, not welcoming them in to coming to talk to her friend. Admittedly, he wasn't entire sure what a bunch of people 10 years older than her were doing following a girl to talk to someone also 10 years younger than them. And, more than that, they had all got roped into helping all of these people. He knew, morally at least, why they should. And, he supposed, if they didn't know a way out yet, they had better well find one. He didn't fancy staying in this underground hole forever, listening to this little girl talking to Zephyros who, as it happened, was talking as he really shouldn't have. He had no right to be talking about being a wizard. He wasn't a real wizard. However, he supposed that however strange he was, he was better for talking to Lina than Vance himself. He had nothing in common with her, or these people.

Eventually, they came to the city and the little girl had showed them a strange sheet of paper, one that she couldn't decipher. Truly, he wasn't sure about it either. He'd have to think on it to come to a reasonable conclusion as to what it all was. The one good thing about this was, she didn't think that they were heavenly beings anymore. She took it remarkably well. Then again, if it was him who told her, perhaps it wouldn't have been so good.

​

That could have gone better. Or worse really, he supposed. Wilfred groaned, pushing the body of the insectoid off him. It didn't help much that there was an axe stuck in it, which made it a bit heavier than it already would have been. Turns out, carapace could be kinda heavy. Howevr, the Dwarf was a smith and he was able to shove the thing away with a bit of grunting and elbow grease applied. The dead Endrega Worker slid off him and on to the ground and Wilfred stood up. He spat on it and pulled his axe of out the body. Well, he tried. It was a little stuck. He put a foot against the body and pulled again. This time, Shin****er came free with a sickening crunching noise.
"****, smells bad." He commented as he looked at the ichor stuck to the axehead. He saw the kid approaching. He looked fine, but apparently he was blind because he hadn't yet noticed him. The smith put one hand on his hip and the other he placed on his axehead, resting the hilt against the ground. "Ah'm doon 'ere. Are ye blind lad?" Wilfred felt something warm running down his left cheek and put his hand to his face. His face stung as he put his hand to it and he looked. It was covered in blood. His blood.
"Aww ****!" Wilfred cursed. Then he moaned because moving his mouth too much made the wound hurt. "Gonna need ta get thes patched up a' some point."





Back to Novigrad again? They had just come from there. Honestly, she couldn't stand the place. Besides, there wasn't much hope that they'd find the sorts of things that he wanted from there. At least, not in such a way that she would have liked. It was possible that the King was no fan of Witchers and might be able to supply some assistance, however she didn't fancy chancing with a King. There was a university at Oxenfurt. They had a better chance of being able to find the sorts of things they were looking for there. They might have figured out something that reacted badly with explosives there, or so she reckoned. Either way, she was not going back to Novigrad if she could avoid it. The city was frankly a shithole. Alanna formed up the portal, this time placing it on the docks of Oxenfurt, a place that she knew and quite liked.
"Alright, portal is ready Adolin. Come on through." She spoke. The Doppler looked at her with that intense glare that he always had on and walked through. She thought it amusing that the Witcher medallion on his chest was vibrating, bouncing around on his chest a little and spoiling the effect just a little. She smiled slightly. If an actual Witcher noticed, they might find that slightly suspicious. She thought to herself that if they did, maybe they'd kill him and she'd be free. After that, where would she go? The sorceress ignored that question and followed after him into the portal. It wouldn't matter for a while yet.

Adolin hated portals. He hated them with a passion. He stepped out, feeling slightly nauseous. He stumbled forwards a bit and opened his eyes. He never went through these things with his eyes open, although he always shut them at the last minute so that Alanna wouldn't notice. She was always taking shots at him, so he didn't need to give her any more ammunition. As far as people he forced into working with him, she was remarkably difficult to control. Adolin stretched his muscles and looked around. The portal closed as Alanna stepped on to the docks, and there they were. They had arrived in No-
"This is not Novigrad." Adolin stated, the Witcher's gruff voice making it seem a growl. The sorceress smiled at him sweetly.
"Yes Adolin dear. This is not Novigrad. This is Oxenfurt. Somewhere with class. Makes me wonder why I brought you here." The Doppler bristled and stepped forwards and started to raise his hand. He couldn't afford to make a scene. There were people here. He stopped and sighed deeply.
"Care to explain why exactly we are here?" He demanded.
"Simple. It's nicer than Novigrad, I'm tired of that city. And there's an academy here, quite a famous one. I assume you've heard of it?" He nodded, unwilling to make a scene by responding to her implications. "Well, we might be able to find some things along the lines of what you're looking for there, rather than making do with lamp oil or whatever you were planning to do before. It makes nice fires, but I think you're looking for a little more than a fire." As much as he hated to admit it, Alanna did have a point.
"Fine, I suppose you have a point." He sighed. Then he stood up taller and folded his arms, trying to take control of the situation a little. "Very well! Lead the way Alanna!"

Alanna rolled her eyes, but smiled. Whenever he took that tone she knew that she had won and he was trying to make it look like it was all his idea.
"It's nighttime Adolin. It won't be open for random visitors." She pointed out. She giggled at the ferocious glare the Witcher's cat eyes were giving him. "I'll find us a room somewhere." Now, where to go? She also considered just wandering about the city while the crowds weren't around. She wanted to get familiar with the place again. Even the docks looked like they had changed a little since she was last here. ​

Corruption Rating: 26%

The human was quick to react, but not quick enough. He stepped back, entering a highly impractical spin. Kalak was about to move in when he conjured up another cyclone around him. The Demi-God stepped back, satisfied that he had at least been able to force a hit on his opponent which was more progress than he had been making thus far. He saw the orange glow from inside the swirling winds and the last came thrusting out at him again, this time ablaze. Kalak raised Duskfall as the lance came in and slashed downwards, deflecting the lance into the ground. Kalak generated a single Shadow Lance, placing it above the lance and pointed towards his chest. He pressed Duskfall down in an attempt to keep the lance pinned as he fired the weapon off at the human. He was giving him a good fight, he would give the mortal that much credit. He shuddered to think of what would have happened had the woman he was fighting earlier and this man fought him at the same time. This battle could have been much, much different.



Carissa Kill Count: 33 (+5)

Carissa had been pulling Rose back across the corridor and it seemed that nobody was going to stop them escaping now. She fired off the last shot in her crossbow, slaying another of Jayce's men and hung her crossbow on her belt. She saw her knife on the floor down the corridor. The Huntress was loathe to leave her kit lying around like that, but there was no going back for it now. She dragged Rose away as fast as she could. relying on the others to cover their escape now. Soon, she reached the Shards of Hope escape shuttle that they had prepared. She ran over to it and swung open the door on the side. She dumped Rose's body inside and ran into the cockpit. She turned it on and prepared for takeoff, then loaded her crossbow. She'd have to reattach the prototype magazine that she had developed, it was proving to be irritating fighting without it. When the others got here, she'd pick up the rest from outside. ​

Gordon wasn't clever, but he could tell when Serious Things were happening. When Serious Things were happening, Gordon needed to start behaving like a grown up. He could see that Ellyn's manner had changed a bit.
"Matilda never told me who the bloke was. I just know he reports to the barracks West of here." Gordon replied. "The troops have stayed in that garrison for ages. I don't think they're goin' anywhere." The farm boy looked down at the ground and scratched his head. He honestly couldn't think of anything else. She always said that she'd bring him round and they'd all get to meet him later. He looked up at Ellyn.
"D'ya think you'll actually be able to find 'er Miss Ellyn?" He asked, a sad expression on his face.

Well, the kid had guts that was for sure. Honestly, right about now the Dwarf was wishing that he had the flashy fancy silver sword. He was going to have to deal with the problem of the second Endrega himself. Sure, the kid had a fancy sword. Well Wilfred was a Dwarf and no bloody pinchy land lobster ******* was going to keep a good Dwarf down! He hefted Shin****er and stepped out of his shop. He gripped the trusty weapon with two hands and face off against the thing. Workers were pretty small, but so was he. This was basically a fair fight. Good thing that there wasn't a Warrior around anywhere otherwise they'd both be in trouble.
"Come on there ye wee beastie *******! I'll ****in' 'ave ya!" The Dwarf bellowed. The Endrega skittered forwards and lunged forwards faster than he could see. However, instinct was his guide. Wilfred roared and slammed the axe down in front of him. There was a loud screeching noise as the axe bit into the flesh of its head. It was not over yet. The creature swung forwards and Wilfred threw himself back, knowing that he didn't really want to get hit by these guys. His balance was off though, and the Dwarf ended up solidly on his arse. He looked up and he saw it scuttling towards him. He rolled away as it lunged at where he was and Wilfred heaved his axe over at it. There was a gout of blood as one of its limbs was removed. It backed off, alarmed that the stubby man had managed to dismember it. Wilfred picked himself up again.
"Alright then ya little *****, yer goin' on me wall!" Wilfred yelled, holding his axe above his head. The Endrega reared up and met his charge with another screeching noise.





Finally, after months of not receiving a meaningful post, they finally had one. The moment had arrived. Everyone had left Kaer Morhen. Adolin and Alanna entered the great castle of the Witchers. It was strange when it was empty. It was a mess in here, really. They looked around, saying absolutely nothing. There was nothing to say to Alanna. He was on the hunt. The hunt for a way to destroy Kaer Morhen. He had an idea about what to do to destroy it. After a while of exploration, they made their way into a basement in the castle. It looked like some sort of cellar where they kept their alcohol. Of course. Even Witchers needed alcohol for drinking. They were all the same. They were human. Just even more monstrous that the normal ones. They were made to be killing machines. He would destroy their factory.
"Mark this spot, Alanna." Adolin ordered. "We'll return here through a portal soon. Next time... Next time we'll come back with the materials necessary to destroy this place. These monsters will have no home to go back to. Open a portal back to Novigrad. We have some acquisitions to make." He folded his arms across his chest as Alanna began to set up the portal to leave the castle, their work done.



"Thank you. It was a pleasure to meet you..." Derrick said as Vyle disappeared into thin air. The Witcher smiled. "Higher Vampire." He sheathed his silver sword and hopped back on his horse. He tied Tatiana's arms around him again and continued to ride to Oxenfurt, riding a little faster. The enigmatic vampire had piqued his curiosity. Now he felt to keep this whole affair through. The hunt for the mysterious Solomon and his equally mysterious hunter, the Higher Vampire. What might a Vampire want with a chaos-causing Sorcerer? It seemed like Oxenfurt was a good choice. That, and he could keep an eye on what he was doing to make sure that he wouldn't intrude on Veceslav's business. Ultimately, he still didn't know what the Vampire wanted after all... ​

The monster fell and it was over. It was fearsome, but it didn't prove to be much more of an issue. She removed her sword from the creature's body and walked over to look down the cliff to see if Johanna and the others were alright. It looked like quite the opposite. There was water down there, lots of it, which must have been how they survived, and then there were crocodiles. One of them seemed to be standing next to Frazer and Antonio. She reasoned that this must have been Johanna. Alessia jumped down, seeing that business with her armour might not be quite finished yet. There was an almighty splash as she fell and her armour and body rattled with the force of the landing. She was, however, alive and well as were the others. When the voice echoed from nearby, Alessia looked up with the sword still in her hands The crocodiles swam away at her command and Alessia eyed the woman suspiciously. Her suspicion was vindicated when she threw the spear, it barely missing one of their party only for it to return. The Knight slipped into a combat stance, both hands on her blade which she held at shoulder height and pointed at the woman. She glared.
"Why don't you try that spear trick again and see where that gets you and your crocodile friends?" She challenged. "We're here exploring this place as peacefully as we can. Care to offer the same respect?"




Vance felt Shani's hand slip away as Damian arrived, taking him back to the situation at hand. The shock was wearing off. He didn't feel so out of it now, but he didn't feel good. There was a painful lump in his throat and he could have sworn he felt a tear running down his cheek. He hastily wiped his eyes with his hand to remove any evidence of his weakness from sight. At least, so he hoped. If Damian was here then it wouldn't be long until Conrad came over with Thea and he couldn't let either of the two of them see that he was feeling weak. Damian at least, was harmless. Even if he was hanging around in his bed after what he now understood to be some kind of drunken night out. He blamed Edric.

As he was considering this, the little girl that he had almost killed came up to him and started speaking to him as if it was nothing. Referring to him, and the others, as Angels. Angels? And she was referencing a city. One, that he deduced from conversation, was named Ember. A city that was dying. And that didn't seem to openly bother her. The situation was becoming seemingly quite grim. He looked at the girl, then glanced away. He couldn't look at her. The more she spoke, the worse the pain in his throat got. She was innocent, completely. Idealistic, she had dreams. She touched his hair as if it was nothing, as if it were normal. As if she had no fear. How couldn't she fear? He had almost killed her! He forced himself to look at her. She was pale, ever so pale and her hair the same colour as her skin. Were his hair white, he wouldn't look too much different.
"Yes, there are more of us." He spoke, taking a deep breath. "You know this place better than I. If you recommend the pipeworks then, let us go I suppose." ​

"Drama and tragedy..." Derrick echoed, thinking on it. Veera and her insane quest with Aaron were the first things that sprang to mind. However, there was a risk involved in telling this man about what they were trying to do. It was still unclear where this man's priorities and loyalties lay. If he told him about what was happening... The two of them were in danger. And Veceslav was too by virtue of association. It was a risk, one that he didn't know whether to take. "I'm on my way to Oxenfurt to meet up with another Witcher, a friend of mine. Where we're going after that... I couldn't tell you. I don't know what this Solomon is like, but go wherever the strangest people are I'd say. Two Witchers in one place and we have an unfortunate penchant for terrible things happening. You might find your sorcerer there soon enough." That was the best answer that he could give this stranger. Anything more specific would put Veceslav in danger. Veera and Aaron had to be stopped, but he didn't want to put a confounding element in the path of the Crow. It wasn't that he doubted the man's abilities, but the easier it was for him the better. Veera was already a handful.
"Is that all? Like I said, I'm off to meet a friend and she's got a rather short temper." He finished with a friendly smile. Hopefully that would be enough to set this stranger on a different course. One that took him away from Novigrad, where the others probably were. ​

"I see you've a mild sense of humour too. If you're always in such a good mood we should get a drink some time." Derrick commented, half-jokingly and half-seriously. He lowered the sword, somewhat reassured that this wouldn't turn to violence. He was vindicated. Whoever these two were, they were looking for the strange fellow that used a portal to enter the Kaer. And the one that he watched leave, just because he didn't trust the guy. It seemed that his instincts were right. Derrick smiled. "Interesting fellow. Likes to giggle, right? He stopped at the Kaer. Something about just passing through. We told him to leave and I watched him go. He danced around through the place and left. No idea where he went I'm afraid."




"Ah doon't know. Et disnae matter ta me either. Yer a person an' tha's tha'. T'ain't mah business." Wilfred shrugged. It gave him the idea that it was a fairly young guy. Probably around 16, 17, or 18 and trying to make sure that he sounded like a real man. He probably hadn't even become a man yet. He chuckled at the thought and shook his head. Well, he could do whatever he wanted with his time. It didn't matter to him. "An' as fer yer sorcerers... Ah'd say... Novigrad en't bad. King Archon en't a bad fella an' he supports sorcerers. Soo, Ah figure ye might have a good chance o' finding something." Well the guy was being a little pragmatic trying to find some work here. He was about to offer a suggestion and then something happened.
"Oh **** me life." Wilfred cursed as the pair of Endrega Workers came towards them. Bowen really needed to keep these damn things down better. That, or they needed a Witcher. Unfortunately, the Gnomish Sihil that he used to keep around was sold off so he was without his best defence against these things, so he hefted his trusty axe. "Oi, ye shouldnae use tha' unless ye know what yer doing! Endregas are dangerous beasties!" Damn kids. ​

A young girl's voice called out from the darkness as he let loose with the blast of lightning. His chest seized up and his dropped his staff. In the flash of light, he saw Zephyros tackling the girl down and the bolt flying past them to detonate harmlessly against the cave wall. He staggered back in shock. I almost killed her. I almost... Killed her. She doesn't look a day older than Thea and I... I... Gods preserve me... Shani was shouting at him. He took the criticism numbly. He looked down at the staff, at the hand that held it. The hand that almost became the hand of a killer. He stared at his hand, somehow even paler now. His body trembled. He was vaguely aware of a fire being lit and there was light. He could see in his peripheral vision the blood beneath Florica, and it didn't look good. There were words, but they tumbled over his head as if he were hearing them from far, far away. He felt a hand clasp around his own and saw it was Shani's. He remembered what Florica had said, what Shani was saying on the way down. How all of that had led to him ignoring Thea, who was supposed to be his daughter. How he had almost killed a child! He wanted to tear his hand away. To tell her not to touch him. Not to come near him. But he didn't. He felt weak. He couldn't bring himself to.
"Shani..." Vance rasped, his throat dry from the shock. He swallowed, restoring some moisture to his mouth. "I'm sorry too... Damian will be here soon... He'll be here soon... He can heal Florica, like he healed Thea. It'll be okay. And Conrad will look after Thea and I'll... I'll be right here." Vance squeezed her hand in an attempt to be comforting, but he couldn't bring himself to look down. He simply stared down the tunnel, towards the direction the little girl had gone. The girl he had nearly killed. ​

It seemed that there was nothing to be concerned about. The girl from the window had come downstairs and identified them as wizards. He was about to ask how she guessed, but then he realised he was carrying a large staff and a sword and the whole thing made sense. Now that he thought about it, they really did stand out in this place. It was a wonder that they hadn't attracted more notice. That being said, who was to say that they hadn't? It was very easy to pick up a sense of paranoia. Apparently, this girl was pretty volatile. To say the very, very least. Planning to poison herself and crying hysterically... Dale couldn't help feel sorry for the poor girl. Her surrogate father attempting to marry her... The thought of it made him feel sick.
"It'll be fine, we'-" Before he could finish his sentence he was suddenly and violently pulled away up the stairs. It was hard to get a train of thought together in this environment, let alone say something coherent when one person was having a breakdown and the other one was useless. This was an awkward time, and Dale was truthfully entirely unsure of how to deal with it. When they finally got upstairs and into her room, it was a grim affair. Pitch black, and the familiar smell of birds. Lots of bird **** too. "Bloody hell, the state of this place... We're going to have words with the Judge. I don't know what that noise was, I didn't hear anything, but if something comes then we'll deal with it."




Vance heard Shani exclaim that something was happening, and so followed. They were trying to find Florica, and as much of a grudge as he held at the world right now, it wouldn't win him any favours to be unhelpful here. The nobleman dutifully followed along, until there it was. The Hole. It was wide enough for a person to fit through, and it was pitch black down there. Shani went in, and Zephyros just behind. He could see the bottom faintly from the light that was cast down the hole, and also that Shani had fired her grappling hook into the roof of the cave. He took a deep breath. The only way was down at this point, and he had to climb. (Rolling to see if fail - Vance is not a fail, 17. Suck it Damian, Dorian superiority!) He reached down and grabbed the rope then lowered the rest of his body in. Solid ground left him and his hands slipped down the rope. He panicked and gripped harder, braking his fall. Slowly, Vance lowered himself down. By the time he reached the bottom, he was white as a sheet but alive. Which, by the sounds of it, was more than Florica could say. He looked sadly at where Shani knelt with Florica in her arms.
"I am sorry, both of you." Vance said genuinely, although what he was sorry for even he was not sure of. Perhaps he simply regretted crossing their paths. Perhaps their fates would have been averted if it were not for that one night, in a tavern. At least he was looking for Thea that time. Before he could say anything else, Shani stood up as something was coming. Vance raised his staff and fired off a bolt of lightning in that general direction, sending a flash of what would be blinding light in this darkness out against those gathered and not expecting it, nor used to the light. ​

Vance looked back and saw Thea come down with Damian. It wasn't a pretty affair, but Damian healed up her injuries. He was about to go and talk to her, but then he realised. I left her up there by herself. His daughter walked away, over to Conrad. He was speechless. How could I have been so stupid? I forgot about the girl I'm supposed to be protecting! He glanced back at Shani, and realised that he had been a fool. I was pursuing this woman, and then... I forgot my own daughter. I was too busy with whatever I had to say to her to even consider... The nobleman's face fell as the full extent of his mistake hit him. He turned away out of shame, refusing to look at her. She would be upset with him. It was a wonder she wasn't causing some kind of incendiary disaster at the moment. He'd have to find a way to make it up to her. To make up his mistake. Vance had screwed up royal, that much was obvious. He'd figure out something. For now, he'd just have to wait until a later time. It was probably kind of insensitive to bother her now. It wasn't as if she even bothered to come and talk to him. No, it was straight to Conrad. He felt a surge of bitterness towards the other man over that fact. Conrad was always the one making friends. He was always the one with company. Vance knew that he was better than him. That was why it was a tough pill to swallow that everyone seemed to care about the weakling new blood here. The more he thought about it, the more he realised - He really was alone here.

That was fine. He didn't need them. He was better than them all. He was powerful, he was skilled, he was rich and he had influence. He could create binding contracts and alter the effects of time itself! Nobody here could match him. And they never would. That was the fate of anyone that opposed a Dorian. He would prove that he was better than Calxiyn, and even Lucia some time. Yes, Vance Dorian would be the name that the rest of the Guild whispered in reverence for his skill. Not that dagger flinging woman, or the pink haired hussy. ​

Derrick heard Tatiana asking him to 'use the thing' to help her sleep. He smiled slightly at the description of his use of Axii. Of course, she wasn't a Witcher or a Sorceress so he could hardly blame her for being at a loss for words as to how to describe what he did. That, and she wasn't in the best of states anyway so. The Witcher released a hand from the reins of his horse and formed the sign, then placing his hand on her forehead.
"Sleep peacefully, Tatiana. Pleasant dreams shall come." He spoke, willing the Sign to have the desired effect on her mind. He couldn't imagine how other Witchers got on without the more advanced applications of Axii that he had discovered through his years of (ab)using it. Once she was asleep, he put his hand back on the reins and rode harder for the city, knowing that she probably wasn't going to wake up for a while.

Suddenly, a tall figure in a dramatic cloak stepped out of the bushes and demanded he hold. Derrick pulled back the reins sharply. The horse whinnied and reared, nearly bucking himself and Tatiana off. Luckily, he was a Witcher and prepared for such things. The horse rightened itself and that was when he noticed. His medallion was vibrating intensely. He exhaled. There was a small girl there, and he was entirely unsure of what this was meant to be. Either way, he foresaw a problem emerging. Disentangling himself from Tatiana, he dismounted and drew his silver sword.
"My medallion is vibrating. You look like a human. That says to me Sorcerer, Doppler, or Vampire. Former or latter I'd guess. Most Dopplers don't go for something so grand." Derrick observed coolly. He eyed the two of them suspiciously. It could be one, or both. He wasn't sure yet. He slipped into a stance from which he could quickly move. "Now, what do you want? If you couldn't tell, I've got somewhere to be."




The Dwarf scoffed at what the stranger was telling him about the sword. He didn't find that story particularly likely, but it wasn't a good idea to openly mock the idea as far as he could tell. Usually these sorts got a little err, angry if you called them out on their thievery, or possibly even murder. He didn't fancy his chances that this wasn't some sort of murder. And if it was in fact an Aen Seidhe blade, it only made sense that this human would have the sword. They had a nasty habit of killing non-humans. The whole murdering non-humans thing got him into the Scoia'tael for a while, but nobody here needed to know that he sympathised with them, even armed a Commando unit one time.
"Yeah, Ah believe ye. Ah dinnae care much as ta where ye got the thing. Jus' be careful, and mebbe ye try an' find a proper sorcerer to figure oot yer enchantment. Ah can just tell ye et's there, ye've got ta do the rest." Wilfred explained. The Dwarf took a seat and folded his arms. "Anythin' else ye need?"

"Sir farmer? Oh my. I ain't no Sir me lady! If there's a sir 'round 'ere it's me Da'!" Gordon beamed. Even if he wasn't a Sir, it was wonderful to hear something like that said to him by a knight. And such a beautiful one at that. And she was a warrior of some kind. She was probably the most amazing woman he'd ever seen. More than that, she asked his name and called him a young man! That was proper language that was! Only Delaine said that when she was being polite! "Me name's Gordon Miss Ellyn! An me sister..." His expression turned a little sullen and the farm boy looked down at the ground, fidgeting nervously.
"Well... Me sister... H- Her name's Matilda an' she's around yay high..." Gordon launched into as good of a description that he could manage of his sister, mentioning that she was only a bit shorter than he was and that her hair was long and a wet sandy colour. And curly. Very curly. "She went an' disappeared yesterday night. She was seeing a Nilfgaardian fellow an' she didn' come home. I think she ran off to be wedded. She ain't come back an' we're all worried..." ​

Aedan merely nodded and followed after Sanderson as they began to walk to the the village of Fordington. It seemed that they were walking. Others were not perhaps so used to this, but he certainly was. For the most part, he was all but unknown to the rumoured comforts of carriages and other such things. Walking would be no particular worry for the Druid. Besides, some time in the wild would be a pleasant experience for him.




"Well duh, it's a tomb. And it's old. Goes back to the Dragon Wars from what I can understand. Couldn't tell you which one though. Anyway, Fogwarden is the tomb of a famous general during the time so, there. There's loot. And there's whatever the other guys are carrying I suppose." Kellan answered. He scratched his head and his face scrunched up strangely as he tried to think of any other things that people would get by following him. One person actually spoke up other than Baldomar. It was some guy who looked as weird as he did. Oh well. It was support. Kellan gestured at him. "See? This guy has the right idea! Adventuring spirit everyone!"

Meanwhile, Aston watched everything with curiosity and still some surprise. He hadn't quite gotten over the fact that this man had the nerve to barge in here and then offer them an alternative job. He had to admit, he'd rather do this one. The fact that there was a definite race against time and the idea that there was competition appealed to him. Very, very much so. It didn't seem like anyone else was really objecting so, it was all just as well really. Hopefully Sanderson wouldn't get too annoyed that they had totally gone off schedule though.
"It wasn't anything too stressful. There are some nearby ruins and I was planning to get us over there via some carriages in Varewyn and we'd have a poke around. I believe that there was a recently discovered one and that they were looking for people to go explore it. In any case, it doesn't matter now. I think we're going to take this opportunity instead." Aston answered. He stepped forwards and looked harshly at Kellan. "Whoever yo-"
"Kellan Sithwyr, sole remaining knight of the Order of the Radiant Sword. I'm sure you heard of us." Kellan interjected rudely with a look of pride on his face. Aston gave him a look, and something told him deep down that he actually had no idea who the Order of the Radiant Sword was, and that made Kellan feel very sad. Poor Haven. It was his fault in a way. Not his finest hour.
"Fine then, Kellan." Aston spoke. "We're going into the city and getting some coaches. Give us some instructions as to where to go."
"Sure. I'm not exactly going to, you know, just say 'go here' and then let you all guess where you're meant to be going. You'll have to help me find the exact place though. I've never been there myself so..."
"Then we'd better get going bloody quick then." Aston rolled his eyes and looked at everyone. "Alright everyone, we're off to this tomb in the Hinterlands!"

The journey to Fogwarden Dale has begun. If any of you want to interact along the way, please say so and do so. Otherwise we'll just show up when our glorious leader permits. ​

(Thanks to Aelin Fireheart for the cool banners, especially Aston's)

Kellan knew that in life, sometimes strange things happened. He was stuck in an undead invasion in Haven and had accidentally helped that whole affair along, and he escorted a little girl out of the city in the process. None of that he would ever have saw coming in his life. But what he definitely wouldn't have forseen is the man that he worked with, a barbarian from the mountains and a strange man all things considered. They parted because he frankly couldn't stand the way the man spent his time living. Bushes, despite Baldomar's protests to the contrary, were not good beds. Quite the opposite in fact. After all of that nonsense, he never thought he'd see the man again. But there he was. And demanding a hug. Kellan could only smile and embrace the Shaman.
"Baldomar you magnificently ugly *******! I never thought I'd find you here!" He exclaimed joyfully. "I thought you hated city folk!" After a couple of seconds, he released Baldomar and looked at everyone else.
"Well come on, he's up for it! What are all you lazy buggers doing anyway? You're just sitting there! I'd say looking pretty too, but really none of you ar- Whoops. I should stop saying stuff like that." Kellan facepalmed and looked at the rest of the group and decided to try again. But better. "Okay, just forget I said that. You're all very handsome people and I'd love to have you all on the adventu-" Nope, that wasn't going to work either.
"Oh who am I kidding, just come help me stop those guys from stealing all of the **** in the tomb! They're a pile of twats and I say we go mess them up royal And we'll steal all the stuff instead!!" Nailed it.

Aston had no words for what he was witnessing. He could only conclude it was a pile of idiocy. Whoever this guy was, and apparently it was a friend of Mr Hammer Grater which only boded well, he was a complete idiot with no idea of how to actually speak to people. He wasn't offended by anything said at all, but more that he was trying to encourage them to do something with such incompetence. He actually kind of felt bad. He obviously felt very strongly about stopping these 'twats' from stealing all the '****' in the tomb. Not strongly enough to clarify what exactly though. However, he had to admit to himself that this sounded a great deal more interesting than what he had lined up. The Hinterlands was good for adventure and well, tombs were tombs. They were probably only going to have to deal with the guys trying to raid it themselves so, it would be fine!
"You know, I actually like this idea. Somebody else can deal with the Forgotten City job, or we'll do it later. Any objections? Or questions for that matter?" He hoped some people would actually ask questions. There was a lot that they didn't know and it would be disappointing if not one of these people actually asked something.




"I'll have a word with them. I'm sure that we'll be able to come to an arrangement." Aedan said reassuringly. He was well aware that it probably wouldn't make sense to Sanderson, but that was partly by design. "Thank you for allowing me to try my way. I believe that nobody needs to die here - Human or Drake." The Druid bowed his head and placed both hands on his staff as he waited. The others would probably think him rather bizarre now. That was fine. People like him were oft misunderstood. Why should any creature die needlessly? Killing the Drakes here would serve no purpose when there were alternative solutions. Unless of course, they were the unreasonable sort of Drake. Some animals would listen to you, some would not. Just like people. It would probably surprise most of the folk gathered here that animals could be a lot like people when you got to know them. ​

Derrick led Tatiana out as carefully as he could, knowing that in her condition she was fairly fragile. He didn't want to hurt her when she was so vulnerable. On the way out, he picked up some food supplies that they might need as well as some leather. He was going to tie her into the saddle and he figured that leather strips would be more comfortable than rope and he didn't forsee anything that would require the stronger rope happening while they made their way to Oxenfurt. When it came to mounting up, he guided Tatiana on to his horse first. One she was up, he tied her legs to the saddle so they wouldn't slip. Next, the Witcher himself mounted, then placed her arms around her chest and tied those together to ensure they didn't slip apart. He rolled up his cloak around his shoulders so that it was thick enough to make a makeshift pillow. That way, she wouldn't be getting a face full of hair and armour the whole time and could be at least somewhat comfortable in the saddle. It wasn't perfect, it probably wasn't comfortable, but it was better than nothing. The mage Kreuz made his way out as well, and as Derrick went to set off he spoke to him.
"Tatiana and I ride for Oxenfurt, we've business there." Derrick spoke. "Follow us if you wish, or go your own way." With that, Derrick of Kaedwen rode for the city, with Tatiana riding at his back.




Wilfred was setting up for the morning. It was like every morning really. A pounding headache from the last night's drinking, 'cause that was what it took to get him down these days, then sticking his head in a cold bucket of water he filtered and boiled to get all the (literal) **** and whatever was in the river water out of the damn stuff to really wake up. The Pontarsfork farmers were getting to work, as they did at this time of the morning and he opened up shop in the forge. He retrieved today's project, a steel plate that he was going to work into a new shovel for one of the farmers. He actually forgot a lot of their names. They were all country folk and were kind of the same to him. But hey, all the same meant they were all friendly and not likely to kick the **** out of him for being a Non-Human. Delaine shot him a lot of funny looks, but she was Novigrad city folk and apparently not too badly off so it was hardly surprising. City folk were all the bloody same. As the dwarf looked at the piece of metal he was about to work with, someone entered his store.

Weird looking fella to be sure. Dressed in all black like that, but he didn't look too threatening under the hood. That was the fun part of being a Dwarf, it gave you a whole new perspective on people. Most humans would have trouble with hoods but no, not Wilfred Hoover. See right up the hood, **** up their shins so they're down on his level and when you've got a human down that low, they're at the Dwarf's mercy. The stranger came in with what usually would be a quite a pedestrian request, but this time not so much. This time, the Dwarf would admit to being a little confused as to what had been brought to him.
"Pass it 'ere lad, Ah need a look at et." He took the sword and lay it down on a nearby table. He examined it for a few moments, taking care to examine the blade and the edges, as well as the hilt and the crossguard for clues. He also prodded it with an ingot of Dimetrium to see if anything happened. Something definitely did happen, he could feel it. He removed the metal and placed his hand on the blade. It felt a little warm. He applied the Dimetrium again. Cold. Wilfred frowned and turned to face Ethan. "Yer toy's a weird one, ta be sure. Ah'll be level with ya, t'ain't something Ah've come across much in me life. Ta start with, et's Silver. Ta me, tha' screams a Witcher's blade. But, et gets stranger. There ain't many a Witcher tha' galvanises their sword ta make et black." He hefted the weapon.
"However, Ah'm keeping a second guess en mind. Ye see, et's enchanted. Ah cannae tell ye what exactly, but et seems ta have some inner heat. Might be a flame enchantment o' sorts. Tha's saying ta me et's an Aen Seidhe piece. Seen a couple o' pieces like et en Mahakaman." Wilfred judged. He handed Ethan the sword again and stroked his beard. "Where'd ye get a weapon like tha'? They en't common. Et's not like ye'll just pick one o' these up lying in the woods like ye might a shittier blade."


Meanwhile, out in the fields of Pontarsfork the men of the village got to work. Among them in their own field, were Dave and Gordon Buttle. As they ploughed the field (not that sort of ploughing), Gordon chanced to look up and spotted a knight riding through the village. He had seen the horse stabled outside Delaine's inn, so he could only assume that h- she? had stayed the night. He nudged his father excitedly.
"Da!" He exclaimed. "A lady knight! Surely she'll help find Matilda!" Dave could only groan. Gordon was trying to make up for it by doing whatever he could, but this was too much. They didn't have the coin to pay the knight and besides, h- She? would probably just ignore him anyway.
"Gordon, I know yer trying to help but-" Gordon wasn't going to have it.
"Plough that Da'! If you won't find Matilda, I will!" Gordon threw his plough to the ground and raced off across the fields. Gordan sighed heavily. Oh, the follies of youth. The young farmer intercepted Ellyn along the way with a frenzied wave. "Sir lady knight! Sir lady knight!"
"Me sister's gone missing! Can you help me find her?" Gordon asked with a hint of desperation. He fixed Ellyn with a pleading look. ​

Carissa Kill Count: 32 (+5 for successful capture)

Rolled 1-10. We decided that success was a 3+ due to numerical advantage and Garrett's solid plan. Rolled a four (Phew XD)

Hammerkop made himself useful. Whatever his magic was, it saved her life in that moment. Rose's feet were swept out from beneath her and she fell forwards. She didn't waste any time taking her chance. She loaded a Paralysis bolt into her crossbow and fired it straight at her, Rose's resistance crumbled, her body now unable to react to what her brain demanded of her. The Huntress grabbed Rose and hoisted her up in front of her, using her as a meat shield. She struggled to load in a standard bolt by hanging her crossbow off her hand, placing the bolt in the hand on the arm around Rose's neck and then pushing the bolt in. She fell back, crossbow aimed towards the advancing members of the order.
"David, Onamakritos, use your magic. Collapse the ceiling to cover our escape. After that, we're abandoning Sky Tower. Zahariel will sort himself out." The Huntress ordered. As much as she'd have liked to work him into plans, the Ancient God was far, far too unpredictable to factor into anything. Not to mention that insane amount of autonomy he was granted. Not that, she supposed, anything Jaden could have done would have stopped him. This way, it least it looked like Zahariel had Jaden's permission.




Corruption Rating: 25%

Another volley of orbs came at him as he advanced. Kalak swept Duskfall up in a wide arc and parried them away, however he spotted the man finally move. In alarm, Kalak sidestepped and slammed the Zweihander diagonally down to deflect the lance. It seemed that he was going to be a problematic one after all. However, there was an opportunity for an opening of his own. Kalak generated another trio of Shadow Lances and fired them, arcing them around in three different directions. One from above, one from his left side and one from his right. He had a plan to make an opening in this Lancer's defences and by the name of his grandfather, he would do it. ​

Carissa saw Rose coming after she revealed herself. She was in the midst of trying to reload. Visible alarm appeared on her face as the woman with twin swords rushed her. She wasn't prepared. She evaluated her options. Her best choice was to retreat, obviously. She wasn't a close range fighter. She could see the sword movements that previously she had only seen perhaps once, and that was from a distance. A commanding officer at one of the few battles that they had lost. It seemed that she was a sign of bad luck when it came to their victories. The Huntress drew one of her knives and parried one of the blades away, losing the weapon in the process and leaped backwards to get some distance, taking advantage of the fact that in order to strike in her co-ordinated fashion, Rose had to move slower. She didn't dare try a shot, not at this range so she sufficed herself with running. Which, she later noted, caused her to be moved away from Jayce's bullets. If Rose hadn't intervened and changed her direction, she'd be a dead woman. She was also one dagger short at the moment, but that was worth her life.
"You're not getting me today you *****!" Carissa hissed. "Onamakritos, David! Take this insolent woman down, but be careful! I want her alive!" She now had more reason to catch this one alive. For the trouble she was causing her, the so called Black Rose was going to be picked, thorns and all. ​