NPCBut the feelings break against the unyielding rock of your will.
NPCA woman with a bone plate over one eye draws a knife and moves to plunge it into the man standing opposite her.
YOU"Stand down, both of you! Get a hold of yourselves. You are Guardsmen, for Throne's sake!"
NPCYour words strike like a slap. The woman stares at her hands in horror, then casts the knife aside.
Cage-Born Woman"Forgive me, Your Lordship/Ladyship! The Drover, that vile creature... Thank you for bringing me to my senses!"
NPC(sequence)
Abelard"The standard punishment for brawling is no less than twenty lashes for each participant." The Seneschal wipes away the blood trickling from his nose and continues, more quietly. "But under the present circumstances, I believe some leniency may be shown."
end of branch
Cage-Born Woman"You'll have to forgive our people. They're simply afraid..." The woman makes to leave, then hesitates. "Listen, when you fight the colonel, try to strike him under the left ribs. A local beast got hold of him once, tore a rib clean out. He took that rib back and used it to stab the beast dead... Now he has a weak spot there. Thought it might help you."
end of branch
YOU"Cease this madness at once! We cannot afford such a waste of life!"
NPCYour words strike like a slap. The woman stares at her hands in horror, then casts the knife aside.continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Stand down, both of you! Get a hold of yourselves. You are Guardsmen, for Throne's sake!"
YOU"Cease this madness at once! We cannot afford such a waste of life!"
YOU[Observe in silence]
Cage-Born Woman"The Handbook states that cowardice is punishable by death!" With a practised, fluid motion, the woman slits her comrade's throat, spits, and then stalks away.
NPC(sequence)
CassiaCassia raises her hand to her mouth and freezes. "Those... those are not their colours. It is as if something vile has been smeared over them, blotting out the usual hues, concealing the truth!"
end of branch
IdiraIdira casts a wary glance at you. "Don't blame them. When that beast shrieks, it smothers even my whispers. What hope do mere mortals have..."
end of branch
Entry point 2 of 4
NPCThe emotions engulf you and as if in a dream you watch the scene unfolding before your eyes.
NPCA woman with a bone plate over one eye draws a knife and moves to plunge it into the man standing opposite her.continues where this line first appears above
Entry point 3 of 4
NPCThe woman turns, and for a second it seems she might lunge at you. Then the denizen of the Cage shifts her gaze back to her comrade.
Cage-Born Woman"The Handbook states that cowardice is punishable by death!" With a practised, fluid motion, the woman slits her comrade's throat, spits, and then stalks away.continues where this line first appears above
Entry point 4 of 4
NPCThose standing before you look utterly spent. Dark circles ring their eyes and their movements are jittery and frantic. Every sign speaks of people pushed to the very brink.
Cage-Born Man"What is there to celebrate? Batoshski speaks the truth. They'll take us all and toss us into the grinder as cannon fodder!"
Cage-Born Woman"And what is there for us here? To chew on vine leaves and shake with fear? I would rather die for the glory of the God-Emperor among the stars!"
NPCA soundless shriek lances through everything around you, setting your very eyes vibrating within their sockets. Fury, terror, and revulsion surge upward in a boiling tide from the depths of your consciousness.
NPCYet this time, the influence seems weaker. The earpiece Vedka gave you is doing its work.
NPCA woman with a bone plate over one eye draws a knife and moves to plunge it into the man standing opposite her.continues where this line first appears above