With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)

Prince Charon · Aug 4, 2021

Yeah, that'll get attention.

Darko · Aug 4, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
Dayrak Rainslick -late of Lord Barblash's reavers-

'of the late Lord'

Mr Zoat said:
By the time I got to Dayrak I'd got far

'gotten far'

Mr Zoat said:
Clar Karond, though it is here that I was…" He looks at me with an expression of pantomimed curiosity. "What is it that the religion of your homelands calls it. 'Born again'?"

Ohh boy.

Mr Zoat said:
My spies reported that you can retained the services of an elf

Remove 'can'

Mr Zoat said:
I get stink eye,

'the stink'

Mr Zoat said:
She considers 'human' magic to be beneath her." He nods. "I understand her problem. What do I get out of this?"

"Ah? So mercenary?"

You have no room to complain.

Mr Zoat said:
I hold up my right arm wither it and then cause it to swell with muscle before darkening the skin and lightening it again."

Remove "

Mr Zoat said:
"I know nothing of the precise effects of Curse of Aenarion-."

"Deal."

Careful Teclis, first research the thing.

iamnuff · Aug 4, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
"Deal."

"Ladies and Gentlemen. We got him."
Hook, line and sinker.

hance1986 · Aug 4, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
"Why should I ask for less than the dwarfs?"

' dwarves '

Mr Zoat said:
"I would have thought that someone as well-acquainted with dwarfs as you are would understand that centuries of strife do not simply disappear."

' dwarves '

Mr Zoat said:
"She was the first person to volunteer to have her mind altered. She's was inclined to suck up to powerful figures…" I shrug.

' She '

Mr Zoat said:
I hold up my right arm wither it and then cause it to swell with muscle before darkening the skin and lightening it again."

remove the quotation mark.

Mr Zoat said:
"No, because with dwarfs they do if you pay your fines. We might think that they're obsessive about it, but they apply their irrationally in a perfectly rational way."

' dwarves '

' irrationality '

Mr Zoat said:
"I know nothing of the precise effects of Curse of Aenarion-."

should be ' of the Curse '

Ardy · Aug 4, 2021

First, I am still immensely entertained by peace hammer in general.

Second, Paul (or maybe Grayven) needs to go to Lucifer's bar and say to the man himself "Hey handsome. Did it hurt, when you fell from heaven? Wink"

He'll suffer something horrific but it will be hilarious

Tzeentch · Aug 4, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
"I would have thought that someone as well-acquainted with dwarfs as you are would understand that centuries of strife do not simply disappear."

"No, because with dwarfs they do if you pay your fines. We might think that they're obsessive about it, but they apply their irrationally in a perfectly rational way."

Out of curiosity, how exactly does Paul intend to settle the particular grudge held towards Elfkind for the War of The Beard?

Tons and tons and TONS of gold? Underway Repairs?

And is there really any precedent to allow a third party such as Paul, to deal with such a monumental grievance between Elves and Dwarves in the first place?

Mr Zoat said:
I hold up my right arm wither it and then cause it to swell with muscle before darkening the skin and lightening it again."

"I know nothing of the precise effects of Curse of Aenarion-."

"Deal."

A BIT quick of Teclis to agree to that deal, but having read of the suffering he's endured thanks to the curse, I can't say I blame him.

Besides, he'll obviously give Paul the information he needs to fully treat his supernatural affliction so that no mistakes are made.

After he's healed, I wonder if a missive or even an appearance from a VERY grateful Tyrion should be expected. He DOES have a psychic connection to his twin, after all.

Mr Zoat · Aug 4, 2021

Darko said:
'of the late Lord'

No, he's still alive.

'gotten far'

I don't think that's correct.

Remove 'can'

Thank you, corrected.

'the stink'

I don't think that's correct.

Remove "

Thank you, corrected.

hance1986 said:
' dwarves '
' dwarves '
' dwarves '

No, for some reason, in Warhammer it's written 'dwarfs'.

' She '
' irrationality '
should be ' of the Curse '

Thank you, corrected.

Darko · Aug 4, 2021

Ardy said:
Second, Paul (or maybe Grayven) needs to go to Lucifer's bar and say to the man himself "Hey handsome. Did it hurt, when you fell from heaven? Wink"

I think Zoat mentioned that Lucifer is no longer in his bar owner stage.

Granted that didn't exactly last long in the comics.

Vaermina · Aug 4, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
"I know nothing of the precise effects of the Curse of Aenarion-."

Then you really shouldn't be offering to try and fix it...

After all... What if The Curse decides to punish you in some way for reversing its effects?

And nobody try to argue the Loremaster would warn Paul about it... Because he's a high elf... He would have no compunction about fucking Paul over to fix himself...

Chojin Patriarch · Aug 4, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
17th Vorhexen 2512
Mid-day

Dayrak Rainslick -late of Lord Barblash's reavers- and the leader of the Swordmasters detail stare at each other. The Swordmaster's hands are on the hilt of his sword and his body is tensed to spring into action, while Dayrak slouches at ease with his hands hooked into his belt.

"You know, the humans tell a joke about those who carry greatswords. Particularly those who rub the pommel like that."

Heh. Watch that mouth, Naggarothi, before you end up tasting shoe leather. Still, I doubt Elves have quite the same obsessiveness about their endowments that human men do... It's just more prone to coming out in their headwear than their weaponry...

Dayrak has taken surprisingly well both to having his priorities rewritten by the orange light and to fatherhood. A disadvantage Aranei had as an early adopter: I didn't entirely know what I was doing when I worked on her, and like a poorly set bone that's left her with a few problems. By the time I got to Dayrak I'd got far better at integrating new desires and diminishing rather than scrubbing antisocial ones. It made me feel less monstrous when I saw that he still had the freedom to question and mock my decisions, because it made it clear that I hadn't just created puppets.

Oh well. Mistakes made, lessons learned. And honestly, Aranei wasn't that good a person, so it came up as rather an improvement anyway.

Even if the result was that Aranei wouldn't needle someone to their face like this when I'm trying to forge an alliance.

Teclis regards him curiously.

In case anyone's wondering, No, Dark Elves in Warhammer don't look any different to the High or Wood Elf branches. More of a tendency towards sneering, assholery and dark hair, but not so great a difference as, say, the Drow of D&D.

"From where do you hail?"

"Clar Karond, though it is here that I was…" He looks at me with an expression of pantomimed curiosity. "What is it that the religion of your homelands calls it. 'Born again'?"

Heh. An Elf of dark humour, eh. I find myself liking him already.

It turned out that the violent nature of Dark Elf society caused him to keep his mordantic tendencies under control, lest he provoke someone into stabbing him. With that threat largely off the table he tends to let his tongue run free.

I nod. "Yes, that's what we call it."

Not that this Paul believes or worships any god, I expect. To paraphrase Pratchett, it'll only encourage the sods.

Teclis looks to me. "My spies reported that you can retained the services of an elf wizard, but I had no idea that the elves you claimed had settled here were Naggarothi. And I feel not a single trace of dhar about them."

"One of the ring's more subtle applications allows me to change people's desires. I encountered a group of Dark Elves raiding this village, and after I took them into custody… I didn't actually want to kill them, so I gave them the chance to volunteer to be 'de-Darked'." Huh. "Actually, that's a possible solution to your population problems. I could raid Naggaroth, repeat the process on those I capture and then transfer them-."

Admittedly, that's a slippery slope into Tangseid territory...

"No." Finreir glares at me. "I do not expect you to understand the depth of enmity between our two peoples, but the suggestion that we could become one once more is obscene."

And it's a sad and telling fact that it took the imminent end of the world to get them to work together. Never mind that the old divisions opened right back up when they found themselves in a new setting afterwards...

"That's.. fine, I'll keep them? Ah, anyway, Dayrak, is Klavaella-?

"NGWAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

Ah, she's busy resting? What with a newborn child under their roof...

Dayrak smiles as he turns around.

"A father's work is never done. But, come! See my daughter."

Who'd have thought a Dark Elf could be such a proud daddy?

He strides purposively towards the houses the Dark Elves built for themselves when they decided that even if they did force the human peasants to create something for them, it wouldn't be good enough anyway. As sea-farers, they all had reasonable carpentry skills. I had to fetch slates for the roofing and put my foot down on the issue of the giant blades that they felt needed to be stuck on every corner, but the buildings generally turned out pretty well.

To be fair, I'm sure such pointy decoration is more useful in Naggaroth, to keep the Gargoyles off the roof.

Loremaster Kaleina starts after him before either of her male colleagues.

"I will conduct the examination."

Slow down there a bit, sweetcakes. Might want to at least ask permission, first? These aren't Humans, after all...

I-. Dayrak is a veteran reaver, but she's a Mage Lord. I'm not really happy with her assuming that she can just walk into his house and start poking his infant offspring, especially considering the fact that I'm the only person on 'our side' who would have the slightest chance of stopping her.

"I-."

Though I don't doubt Dayrak has plenty of sharp blades within easy reach and would fight like a man possessed to keep his little girl safe...

Teclis raises his right hand.

"Kaleina, ask them permission. We are here as guests."

Ah, good, he's willing to enforce a little courtesy, I see.

I nod. "They don't have any outstanding warrants. Unless you have evidence of a crime for which they have not already been sentenced, I'm going to have to ask you to observe local law."

I get stink eye, but she nods at Teclis before following Dayrak towards his home, one of the Swordmasters in turn following her.

And given that this is Mousillion, vampire capital of Bretonnia, that 'ask permission to enter' is likely rigidly observed...

Hm.

"Though that does raise a point. What about their children?"

"It isn't a matter of magic. The divergence between Ulthuan and Naggaroth is cultural and historical."

In other words, Elf babies are Elf babies, whatever their birthplace...

"And we're not in Naggaroth and they're developing their own culture. By the time they're of age… What are they going to have in common with the elves of Naggaroth that elves from Nagarythe don't have?"

"I would have thought that someone as well-acquainted with dwarfs as you are would understand that centuries of strife do not simply disappear."

And you grossly misunderstand the Dawi code of honour, if you think that...

"No, because with dwarfs they do if you pay your fines. We might think that they're obsessive about it, but they apply their irrationally in a perfectly rational way."

Teclis chuckles quietly. "I suppose they do have that going for them. Alas, High Elves are creatures of passion as much as-"

But don't assume it'll be water under the bridge. A Dwarf may forgive a grudge, but they'll never forget it... Not for a generation or two...

"Nay, good sir! 'tis the perfect time!"

"-intellect..?"

Ah, there's a familiar voice.

I frown as I fly upwards to check-. Yes, Mallobaude's taking advantage of the autumn slow down in farm work to try and train local volunteers as men-at-arms. This is a fairly standard practice in Bretonnia, and it would relieve pressure on the small number of elf professional soldiers and on me if they could handle small numbers of attackers. Or at least contribute meaningfully to their own defence. And then there's the fact that according to Bretonnian custom, a local likely lad should have been appointed Knight Errant by now.

Or at least a much-put-upon squire. Still, I take it Mallobaude doesn't trust the Elves to join in the defence of the village, despite them being a lot more likely to succeed at it...

They're not being that enthusiastic. They've basically survived by having nothing worth taking. By not being worth the trouble to drag out of hiding. Getting organised makes them start to look like they're worth coming after.

There's an odd rumbling sound below me, and a moment later Teclis rises up next to me on a pillar of rock with a stone staircase wrapped around it. The whole thing is covered in moss and shrouded in mist, which-. Well, that's magic for you.

Heh. And now I realise where one of the Arcane Sorcery items got its inspiration: The Eternal Stair terrain piece. Still, good to see he's not one for flashiness where it's not needed.

Mallobaude grabs onto a teenage boy and corrects his stance, moving his wooden sword into a proper guard.

"The local Knight of the Realm?"

Despite Paul's best efforts to convince him otherwise?

"Technically, he's a Questing Knight. Ah, look, I need to ask a favour."

"Another favour."

Elf's got a point, you're racking up quite the list of owed boons.

"No, the others serve our mutual interest. This is just for me."

He shrugs. "You can ask."

"I'd like for you to arrange for someone to teach my girlfriend High Magic."

Ah, trying to do something good for the lady Aranei, eh?

He bows his head slightly, shaking it. "I'm sorry, but while humans might in theory be capable of learning to use qhaysh eventually, your species' relatively short lifespan makes it a practical impossibility."

"Ah, good news! She's not human."

...Which doesn't leave a lot of of options...

He looks at me, and-.

"The.. Dark Elves' sorceress. You're bedding her."

Given the only other alternatives consist of a Beastman, a Vampire or a very lost Wood Elf, I can understand that moment of confusion and trepidation.

"She was the first person to volunteer to have her mind altered. She's was inclined to suck up to powerful figures…" I shrug. "I didn't fully consider the likely consequence of leaving that desire in place. She's still using dhar, but obviously I'd prefer it if she moved away from that. I've bought a few books from the Imperial Colleges of Magic, but…"

"She considers 'human' magic to be beneath her." He nods. "I understand her problem. What do I get out of this?"

...Besides the goodwill of someone who is effectively a demigod?

"Ah? So mercenary?"

"Why should I ask for less than the dwarfs?"

Good point. I doubt his ego would allow that.

"Fair enough." I look him over. "I could probably fix your body up, if you like."

His eyes narrow.

"What do you mean by-?"

Ah, here we go...

I hold up my right arm wither it and then cause it to swell with muscle before darkening the skin and lightening it again."

"I know nothing of the precise effects of Curse of Aenarion-."

"Deal."

With raises a terrifying idea: Teclis with his full magical might and all the physicality of his twin brother Tyrion? He might not be so skilled in the use of arms, but he would be quite the nightmare in melee, well on par with a Chaos Sorceror...

Wow, the Renegade's swearing must have taken quite a while to die down. On the upside, we get Paul offering one hell of a great deal to the great Archmage. I wouldn't be surprised if Teclis is hoping he can flat-out eat the curse off of him, given his displayed ability to consume magical energies. The biggest risk is it also messing with his soul... On the upside, there's a good chance he'll come out of this considerably more virile.

Ladies...

Darko · Aug 4, 2021

Chojin Patriarch said:
In case anyone's wondering, No, Dark Elves in Warhammer don't look any different to the High or Wood Elf branches. More of a tendency towards sneering, assholery and dark hair, but not so great a difference as, say, the Drow of D&D.

Don't forget leather and skulls.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Admittedly, that's a slippery slope into Tangseid territory...

Yep.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Good point. I doubt his ego would allow that

Plus it's just fair that he get something.

Chojin Patriarch said:
the upside, there's a good chance he'll come out of this considerably more virile. Ladies...

Get your mind out of the gutter.

...

...ohh who am I kidding, I was also in the gutter.

Vaermina · Aug 4, 2021

Darko said:
I think Zoat mentioned that Lucifer is no longer in his bar owner stage.

Granted that didn't exactly last long in the comics.

He did, it was another in the long list of characters Zoat wrote out for being too powerful.

Senevri · Aug 4, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
"I know nothing of the precise effects of the Curse of Aenarion-."

Neither did I, and I know little of WH in general, but after a short wiki crawl...
- Wow, Teclis is a legit good guy. Could fit in with the JL.
- The curse is ill-defined, soft magic. If it's an ongoing effect, any cure OL can pull off might be temporary (although quite desirable, as "conventional" medical intervention also seems to work), or worst case, shift the effects to something nastier, such as neurological or psychological decreptitude.
OTOH, OL might be able to pull off a full cure, too. Both seem plausible.

Tzeentch · Aug 4, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
"I'd like for you to arrange for someone to teach my girlfriend High Magic."

ARANEI: The Teclis, High Loremaster of Hoeth, instructing me in the ways of Qhyash? Oh, how BRILLIANT, My Lord! Yes, I understand your intention! I shall apply all my arts, seduce this Archmage and steal all of his greatest arcane secrets for our benefit!

PAUL: .....Aranei I made a deal with Teclis, and he's willing teach you what he knows. That's all. There's no need to seduce ANYONE.

ARANEI: (a little disappointed) Oh... Are you sure?

PAUL: QUITE sure. (turns to Teclis) Don't worry, she won't try anything. No seduction attempts whatsoever.

(Teclis looks Aranei up and down appreciatively, and turns back to Paul...)

TECLIS: (a little disappointed) Are you sure?

NightmareWarden · Aug 4, 2021

Tzeentch said:
ARANEI: The Teclis, High Loremaster of Hoeth, instructing me in the ways of Qhyash? Oh, how BRILLIANT, My Lord! Yes, I understand your intention! I shall apply all my arts, seduce this Archmage and steal all of his greatest arcane secrets for our benefit!

PAUL: .....Aranei I made a deal with Teclis, and he's willing teach you what he knows. That's all. There's no need to seduce ANYONE.

ARANEI: (a little disappointed) Oh... Are you sure?

PAUL: QUITE sure. (turns to Teclis) Don't worry, she won't try anything. No seduction attempts whatsoever.

(Teclis looks Aranei up and down appreciatively, and turns back to Paul...)

TECLIS: (a little disappointed) Are you sure?

Hmm. How attractive will Teclis be after Paul fixes his body?

Also it looks like Peacehammer!Paul hasn't tinkered with his libido, so… raises eyebrows.

Tzeentch · Aug 4, 2021

NightmareWarden said:
Hmm. How attractive will Teclis be after Paul fixes his body?

Well, his twin is supposedly one of the most handsome elves on Ulthuan, so there's certainly a strong likelihood of Teclis being made almost identical to him.... unless any vanity he might have compels him to ask for an extra feature or two, like larger muscles for example.

Dappershire · Aug 4, 2021

Tzeentch said:
any vanity he might have compels him to ask for an extra feature or two, like larger muscles for example.

"...and I want a bigger hat!"

Blinks · Aug 4, 2021

Dappershire said:
"...and I want a bigger hat!"

Teclis is already a whole lotta hat. You start adding more hat you'll be reaching Nagash levels and you don't want that. You never go full Nagash.

Smartkittykhan · Aug 4, 2021

Well this is turning out rather productive for everyone involved.

Wonder what other things Paol's done with the Dwarfs.
Actually if he killed Skarsnik does that mean Karak Eight Peaks is part of the Karaz Ankor again?

Mr Zoat · Aug 4, 2021

Senevri said:
Neither did I, and I know little of WH in general, but after a short wiki crawl...
- Wow, Teclis is a legit good guy. Could fit in with the JL.
- The curse is ill-defined, soft magic. If it's an ongoing effect, any cure OL can pull off might be temporary (although quite desirable, as "conventional" medical intervention also seems to work), or worst case, shift the effects to something nastier, such as neurological or psychological decreptitude.
OTOH, OL might be able to pull off a full cure, too. Both seem plausible.

The problem is, what does that do to his intuitive grasp of magic? Teclis didn't become the greatest wizard purely by studying extra hard; he had a knack for it was his brother did warfare. What if the Curse was the reason for that?

Smartkittykhan said:
Well this is turning out rather productive for everyone involved.

Wonder what other things Paol's done with the Dwarfs.
Actually if he killed Skarsnik does that mean Karak Eight Peaks is part of the Karaz Ankor again?

Kind of. The dwarfs don't really have the people to fully reoccupy it.

Vaermina · Aug 4, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
The problem is, what does that do to his intuitive grasp of magic? Teclis didn't become the greatest wizard purely by studying extra hard; he had a knack for it was his brother did warfare. What if the Curse was teh reason for that?

But... He did become the greatest wizard by studying extra hard...

FreeGod · Aug 4, 2021

hance1986 said:
' dwarves '

There is plenty of disagreement about how the species of short tough people should be spelled including alot disagreement not how the different plurals work and when they should be used.

Darko · Aug 4, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
The problem is, what does that do to his intuitive grasp of magic? Teclis didn't become the greatest wizard purely by studying extra hard; he had a knack for it was his brother did warfare. What if the Curse was teh reason for that?

We know the curse played a role in him devoting more time to studying since due to the damage it caused to his body he didn't really have much of a choice.

His father, who was also a highly skilled and knowledgeable mage and from whom Teclis may have inherited his talent, also spent more time with Teclis, partly due to Teclis needing more care and partly because Teclis shared his inclinations towards intellectual pursuits.

We know the curse played a part in him becoming a talented mage, but not if it's the source of his skill with magic.

SirKaid · Aug 4, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
No, for some reason, in Warhammer it's written 'dwarfs'.

In a purely pedantic sense "dwarfs" is more correct than "dwarves". Words of Norse origin are pluralised by adding an "s", not with "ves". The entire reason "dwarves" is a thing at all is because Tolkien got it wrong and browbeat his editor when the poor man tried to correct him on it.

Of course, in a real world sense "ves" is is equally, if not more, correct because English is a consensus language and more people use "ves" than "s".

Basically it can go either way; I personally like "s" because having a sharp sound applied pedantically is basically peak dorf.

FreeGod · Aug 4, 2021

Thinking about it the Dwarf mindset would make many of them extremely suitable as recruits for an orange* lantern corps (so long as the rings don't turn them into stone). Pick a Dwarf with the right grudges and they will pursue them with a power and persistence that most power ring users of any color would be hard put to match.

*Or red

DAT_NOOB · Aug 4, 2021

SirKaid said:
In a purely pedantic sense "dwarfs" is more correct than "dwarves". Words of Norse origin are pluralised by adding an "s", not with "ves". The entire reason "dwarves" is a thing at all is because Tolkien got it wrong and browbeat his editor when the poor man tried to correct him on it.

Of course, in a real world sense "ves" is is equally, if not more, correct because English is a consensus language and more people use "ves" than "s".

Basically it can go either way; I personally like "s" because having a sharp sound applied pedantically is basically peak dorf.

Is it not Dawi?

FreeGod · Aug 4, 2021

DAT_NOOB said:
Is it not Dawi?

It gets worse when you consider that dwarfs tend to be in fantasy universes with many different fantasy languages. Considering that the English language custom is usually to steal words from other languages which language should we steal it from?

Ganurath · Aug 4, 2021

Anyone else find it funny that Aranei is a Dark Elf while Kaleina is a High Elf in the story, when the reverse is the case in the song from which they derive their names?

Hell's Razer · Aug 4, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
No, for some reason, in Warhammer it's written 'dwarfs'.

I suspect it might be for the same reason they are 'orks' instead of 'orcs', legal judo (or avoidance thereof) with the Tolkien Foundation.

Tzeentch · Aug 4, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
"No." Finreir glares at me. "I do not expect you to understand the depth of enmity between our two peoples, but the suggestion that we could become one once more is obscene."

"Obscene" definitely sums up The End Times.

Wouldn't you know it, the only wiki page that appears to cover Finreir is in Spanish. Thank God for Google Translate. VERY reluctant to teach humans Magic, though I suppose after seeing what absolute monsters humans can become, (in the case of Mannfred von Carstein), it's fairly understandable why he would be a bit wary of humanity as a whole.

Oddly enough, he might be one of the few elves that takes mankind seriously, if only for the threat they might represent to Ulthuan.

With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)

Just zis guy, you know?

Connoisseur.

Connoisseur.

A pitiful excuse for a man.

I trust you know where the happy button is?

I trust you know where the happy button is?

Dedicated ragequitter

Connoisseur.

Well worn.

Veteran Lurker

Connoisseur.

Well worn.

Not too sore, are you?

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Versed in the lewd.

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Getting out there.

Getting some practice in, huh?

Making the rounds.

Dedicated ragequitter

Well worn.

If you see a God on the road fuck it!

Connoisseur.

Know what you're doing yet?

If you see a God on the road fuck it!

Accused of writing in a far away land

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