Eagle Rising: A warcraft Quest 5

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, welcome to yet another session of Eagle Rising.

I would apologize for the delay in making this thread. I was unsure on whether or not to make it here or on As it stands, it doesn't have any archives, so I am going to continue the the quest here.

In this story, we take on the role of Anlec Falconcrest, third son of the noble Falconcrest line of Alterac who leaves home and seeks the life of a knight abroad.
After fighting in the first and second wars, he returns home to find his land in ruins and the name of Alterac a curse upon the lips of men, elves and dwarves.

Can you help Anlec come into his own as a lord?
Can you make the Eagle rise once more?

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These are the lands of alterac, fairest of all the kingdoms. Your inheritance is the town of Strahnbrad, located at the center of the royal road that passes through alterac and is the lifeblood that sustains your people. The lands to the north are your domain, and encircled on the map. It includes bountiful farmland and groves that are in good demand for building ships.

The closest fortress to you is Falcon's Rest. The ancient halls of your fathers and currently occupied by you. Further to the North lies Eagle's Perch, an Alteraci Fortress that is claimed by the Alliance forces led by the Lordaeronian general Othmar Garithos.

To the south, at tower pointe is the Garrison that was commanded by general Hath during the second war. It lies abandoned now that Stromgarde forces have withdrawn from the passses. It falls to the king, Isiden Perenolde to
nominate a new garrison commander, and is a high honor the new noble houses are jostling for.

On the other hand, you have nearly been assassinated by a shadowy group that calls itself the Syndicate. They have promised to make Alterac run red with the blood of people like you and offer it to their new masters.

You previous campaign against them has ended in victory for you, and heartbreak. General Hath, the man you looked up to, and your older brother Otto both lie dead at your hands. They were plotting against you, but it doesn't make their deaths any easier.

You had fought alongside orcs against them, and the appearance of the alliance high command had nearly had you executed. With a lot of luck and some diplomacy, you escaped the noose and gained some minor reputation among the lords and ladies of the alliance.

You also found out that the Arcanist, Rathaella had some deep secrets of her own that she had hidden. You offered her the little comfort you could and the two of you sat outside in the snow before going back to her tent.

You wake up, your head on fire from two nights of drinking and one day of fighting, your head hurts like a dwarf is doing a jig on it while a gnome hits it with a hammer. You wake up and see the room is in a strange deeply purple half-light. You wonder what that means. You have no recollection of what you were doing last night.

>shout for your men
>investigate the room

>>investigate the room

you circle around the room, head reeling with throbbing pain, as you try to get your headings in order. You remember executing your brother, and then meeting with the orcs. You successfully asked them to stand down, and the man, The King wanted them to surrender to him personally. You remember a note, and a drawing, and a cunning plan. And drinking. Lots and lots of drinking.

As your eyes adjust to the darkness, you see a sleeping form lying there. Maybe that person knows where you are.

>wake that person up.
>try to escape from the room

>try to escape from the room

>>wake that person up.

Rolled 2 (1d2)

You have no idea where you are. Perhaps it will be easier once you escape the room itself. You cannot see clearly in this light and there are too many stools and tables here, as if it is someone's city quarters, not a tent. For a moment, a blind panic seizes you. You don't know where you are.

You breathe in deep, trying to organize your thoughts. The last place you were in was an encampment. This must be that encampment. All you have to do is crawl out and call the guards.

On your hands and knees, you slowly begin crawling away from the sleeping body, and towards the exit.
The bright light of the sun hits you, in the face, and you see two soldiers turn around and salute you. Your livery. They are dressed in your house colors.

>return their salute after standing up
>yell at them, ask them what time it is.

>>return their salute after standing up

We're a good leader after all.

>>return their salute after standing up

>>return their salute after standing up

If nothing else, you are a good leader of men. Even though your head is spinning, you stand up ramrod straight, and salute those men. Perhaps you are a tad too overeager, but the men seem to grin sheepishly at you while you do so.

After a decent amount of time, you drop your arms and the men around you do the same, and stop returning your salute. You recognize these men. They were supposed to be doing guard duty for the magi's tents. Why were they here? Did their shift get changed?

>ask the men why they are here, and not at their regular posts
>ask them what time it is right now.

>>ask them what time it is right now.
I don't drink so I can't say I know the thought process during/after a hangover, but
>guards should be guarding magi's tent
>come out of tent that isn't ours
2+2, mang.

>>ask the men why they are here, and not at their regular posts

he is really really fucked. Anlec couldn't walk out of a tent properly

Also how's that mor quest going? Not going there except for all the bitching in that sticky.

"You men, what are your duties?"

"Capn' Benedict told us to guard the mage's quarters milord."

"And why are you here now?"

"Doing our job milord"

"Why am I here now?"

"I don't know milord. You carried the elf lady back to her tent last night, milord. Maybe you spent time there in her company milord?"

What is that blathering idiot saying, it is not like you to take advantage of a woman like that.

"What do you mean, you oaf? What are you insinuating."

"N-nothing milord. We was just saying that you being a gentleman helped the lady to her quarters, but you was so tired she let you sleep in her tent."

>bribe the sentries to shut them up
>ignore what they clearly mean. You are above this

its going pretty good. They want me to kill moot and hiroshimoot, ban /k/ and kill myself

>>ignore what they clearly mean. You are above this

I mean, rumors will spread, but bribing is below our station.

>>ignore what they clearly mean. You are above this

>>ignore what they clearly mean. You are above this

So the usual eh? Cool.

You look at the men, and smile. They were right, let rumors be rumors. Any man that knew you personally would agree that you were above such base acts of lust. You must have helped her back to her tent and then fallen asleep from exhaustion. Yes, that must be it. You leave the men to their duty and try and find your way back to your tent.

The sun is brighter than ever and it is hurting your eyes. Those welding goggles the dwarves and the gnomes wear would certainly come in handy right now you wonder. You manage to sit back in the tent and put your head down on the table, wondering what Gamil Gunmar is up to. If he knows how much you have been drinking, he will challenge you to another drink off. Dwarfs are just like that.

Not for the first time in your life, you swear that you are never going to drink again. As you slowly fall asleep, the command flap of the tent opens, and Benedict enters, his uniform perfect in the morning light.

>tell him to leave you alone. You are hungover as hell
>ask him what he wants now.

yeah, its kinda fun, my quest is by far the most participated in. Kinda neat

>>ask him what he wants now.

>>ask him what he wants now.

>ask him what he wants now.

"Yes, Benedict, what do you want now?"

"My lord, I thought you would be dressed by now. The king is growing impatient. I was sent here to find you, the men told me you were in the command tent."

"What does he want now? does he want my manhood as a thank you gift for saving my neck? If so remind him that he became king only because I vouched for him."

"My lord, the king awaits your presence. The orc chief will only surrender his sword to you, not to anyone else? The king is livid, and Archmage Modera told me to find you with all haste!"

You grumble as you get up.

>wear a diplomatic outfit, as a loyal bannerman of the king
>wear a warrior's outfit as befits a conquering lord of Alterac.

>>wear a warrior's outfit as befits a conquering lord of Alterac.

>wear a warrior's outfit as befits a conquering lord of Alterac.
Fuck it, sides the orc will only respond with force, so it's best to respond in kind. If the king looks pissy about it explain it to him about appearances so that things will not boil over into a fight that could lead to needless death. After all something something certain expectations are expected.

>>wear a warrior's outfit as befits a conquering lord of Alterac.

"Ah, very well benedict. Please help me into my grandfather's armor."

The falcon armor is an old dwarf forged piece of steel. Luckily your grandfather was about the same build and height as your are, so the armor fits you perfectly and you don't feel uncomfortable.

The chest piece shows a falcon carrying a ram in it's talon, the artwork done in bronze and gold. It is inlaid over the steel which shines with a dull blue color as it is polished over. The shoulder pads are made in the shape of a falcon's head, and you wear the helmet which has among other things a stylized falcon sitting on the top of the crest.

It is a gaudy piece of armor, better suited to show than to actual combat, but you are happy to wear it just the same. If anyone doubted your legitimacy before, seeing you accept the orc's surrender in the thing would make them think twice.

Benedict already has your horse ready, and the two of you go towards the center of the lake as fast as you can. You can see a painter making a sketch of the scene on the far banks of the lake.

King Isiden Perenolde looks resplendent in his armor, which shines as though made of gold. You notice that Lady Modera and Prince Kael'thas have changed into more glamorous dresses as well.
Lady modera looks particularly attractive in the backless gown she is wearing, which does justice to her toned atheletic body. You wonder just how much of that is magic. Mages were unnaturally young, and you knew that they lived for hundreds of years for the most part. Maybe that was why they were allied with the elves?

Prince Kael'Thas wears the ceremonial robes expected of an elven prince, and beside him, King Perenolde looks like a callow boy dressed in tin.

Uther the Lightbringer, and Lady Abbendis stand in their full military uniform, their ranks evident upon their tabards, and uther's might evident in his hammer. For the first time, you notice the lightbringer's eyes shimmer with an unnatural blue color.

>address uther first
>address kael first
>address isiden first
>Write in

>>address isiden first

He's our king, like it or not, the others are foreigners we owe no allegiance too.

>>address isiden first

>Address Isiden first
Hail my king, I hope I didn't keep you waiting, shall we continue then?

Or something to apologieze about being late or something something.

You make a sweeping bow before the king.

"My king, you called for your loyal servant?"

Isiden's face breaks into a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. " Indeed I did, foremost of my bannermen. Yonder orcs are stubborn creatures. They refuse to surrender to me, saying that they will only bend the knee to you."

"what would you have me do my king?"

"give me their sword. Let them see who rules this land. Let them know that they stay here by my wish, and mine alone."

You bow to the king. Then you begin to walk over to the orcs. The old orc on his chair passes his axe to Galvangar, who brings it up to you. Right before he gives it to you, he looks at you in the eye and growls something. Modera hastily translates,

"This axe has been part of the frostwolf clan for generations, and is a sign of our freedom and is wielded by our protectors, we give it to you in the hopes that you will spare our pups and our women."

You nod to Galvangar as you accept it.

>say something to the old orc, accepting the axe.

>say nothing, bow and take it from him.

>>say something to the old orc, accepting the axe.
So if I give it to that pup would you revolt?

>>say nothing, bow and take it from him.

There's really nothing we can say to him to make this less painful for him. Let's just get it over with.

>say something to the old orc, accepting the axe.
So long as this axe remains in human hands, I will ensure you are protected.

Wording my boys will always be vital when dealing!

>>say something to the old orc, accepting the axe.
"This axe you wield, it is a good axe. As lord of these lands, I accept it. Though your freedom may be taken from you, you need not fear me. As long as you live on my lands, you will not harm other, and no harm shall befall you."

Who exactly will be in charge of these orcs? Anlec, Isiden, or someone else?

Us I think, but the boy king wants to rub the orcs face in that he's the one whose in charge over us and in return them.

BLOOD AND THUNDER

You take a deep breath. Then you speak

"This axe you wield, it is a good axe. As lord of these lands, I accept it. Though your freedom may be taken from you, you need not fear me. As long as you live on my lands, you will not harm other, and no harm shall befall you."

Modera translates that into a series of grunts and growls, and stamps her feet. That satisfies the old orc. He nods at Galvangar, and the orc lets that thing go. It is much bigger than you expected. The orcs use it in one hand. but you would need two hands to swing it.

You carry the axe over to Isiden perenolde,and kneel before him, presenting the thing to him with both your hands. He tries picking it up with once, but the unbalanced weapon quickly tumbles away. You catch it in time.

"Very well, orc chieftain. I accept your surrender. The lands of Alterac valley are now yours. Listen to me, and you can live out the rest of your days here. I bid you good day."
Then he makes a very flamboyant bow which you couldn't have done if your life depended on it.

While modera translates, Isiden beckons you over. "Lord falconcrest, thank you for presenting me with a herd of orcs instead of killing them. As a token of gratitude, you get to take care of them. you will have to pay for them of course."

>thank the king (sarcastically) : write in
>say nothing

>>say nothing

>>say nothing

>say nothing

"ill have to deduct some funds from my shrubbery and model budget but whatever you think is wise your majesty"

>>say nothing

(wow, way to go guys, buzzkill)

You bow before your king, solemnly accepting the duty. Beasts though these orcs were, they had done no wrong to you, and had helped you find your brother and end the demonic threat to alterac.

It would be unbecoming of a knight and a lord to break his promise. You would strike hard when these brutes slipped up, but until then you would treat them as fairly as you could. You know what happened to stormwind, what orcs did to those under their power. You wouldn't do the same. It is what made your kind better than theirs.

A sound mind, and a great heart. As the rest of the group returns to their tents, ride back in silence with modera and Kael'thas. You wonder idly how Rathaella is doing now, the news yesterday was harsh for her. Maybe you should have told her the sanitized version of the story.

>ask the magi about the elves in Dalaran
>ask the magi about the orcs and their academic interest.

>>ask the magi about the orcs and their academic interest.

>>ask the magi about the orcs and their academic interest.

>>ask the magi about the orcs and their academic interest.

>ask the magi about the orcs and their academic interest.
We might also ask them how they plan to help us with "donations" for the orc upkeep.

this, other wise we might be in trouble..

seconding

>>ask the magi about the orcs and their academic interest.

Thirding this, we don't really have the money to look after ourselves AND orcs.

This is a delicate topic you want to broach. You address Lady Modera. Of the two, she seems to be more likely to listen to what you have to say without outright dismissing it.

"My lady, you asked my leave to come and visit the orc encampment, as a prerequisite for your aid."

"Indeed I did lord Falconcrest. I hope for your sake you don't plan on reneging on our agreement." Her eyes twinkle with a purpling blue glow as she says that, and you observe small tips of light darting towards her right index finger. It is a mesmerizing sight and you forget yourself for a moment as you watch the orbs of light coalesce and grow bigger.

"You were saying, lord Anlec?" She says in a tone that reminds you of a mother scolding her child. That snaps you back to the present.

"Ah, yes. I was saying my lady that I am a little stretched on coin. You see, the king has decided that I am to shoulder the cost of the orc burden all by my lonesome, and I do not have the money for that. It ill behooves me to be this frank with you, but this is the truth."

"So you want Dalaran to pay for your internment camp? Lord Falconcrest, it this is a jest, it is ill timed."

"No, certainly not my lady. I was just wondering, if I were to grant you limitless access to these orcs, I might be able to tell the king I did so because you were interested in them for your research."

>3d6+1 for cunning check

Rolled 4, 4, 5 = 13 (3d6)

Check out these 1s!

Rolled 2, 4, 6 + 1 = 13 (3d6 + 1)

Rolled 3, 6, 5 + 1 = 15 (3d6 + 1)

>Cunning check: Success

"Yes, of course, a part of our coin, to secure our study of the orcs in their natural habitat. What do you say to that my prince?"

"A wise idea lady modera. This way, we can keep the orcs away from the prying hands of -" he points towards your camp, "and help create a second experimental set up to compare our results. I am certain Archmage Antonidas will be pleased at this arrangement."

You exhale rapidly. The mages have agreed to pay for much of the Alteraci internment camp. Although it bothers you that they have so much wealth hidden away in that city of theirs, the more they spend on the orcs, the less you have to do yourself.

"My lady, what exactly is your research on? I never asked before, but I am quite interested."

"Interested in the arcane Lord Falconcrest? We might make a mage out of you yet." Lady Modera laughs politely. You smile and nod, waiting for the Archmage to continue.

"You see lord falconcrest. Ever since the portal has been closed off for good, the orcs have been becoming far more passive. Take the example of Durnholde. It housed a large number of orcs who had to be beaten to temper them, but now, even the most harshest of beatings causes them to work sluggishly."

"It would seem you are not hitting them hard enough, my lady."

"Our jailers think so to, lord Falconcrest. However, we are of a more analytical mind. The orcs seem to be suffering from early stages of withdrawal."

"like from too much alcohol abuse?"

"Like that. Ever since the portal has closed, the amount of fel magic in the air has reduced considerably. And with this the orcs are becoming far more passive. They cannot wield their magics and their dark powers, and their warriors seem to be happy as brute laborers."
"

>nod and break off conversation.
>talk to her about the dark portal

>talk to her about the dark portal

>>talk to her about the dark portal

>>talk to her about the dark portal

>>talk to her about the dark portal

>talk to her about the dark portal

"Why do you think it has to do with the dark portal?" You ask. You are not a man who is mindful of the arcane sciences, and this seems too fanciful to be true

"You see, Anlec, the Dark portal is a two way gate between Azeroth and the orcish homeworld or Draenor. From what we have been able to gather, the orcs used the dark portal as a conduit to pool all the fel into this world. As a result, the blasted lands are now a ruined mess where nothing that grows is untainted.

The wizard Medivh, was the one that led them here, for what purpose we cannot tell. He used the tower of Karazhan as a nexus point around which to summon the orcs. Which is why the orcs appeared where they did. Khadgar hoped that with his mentor's death, the portal would be closed, but it was not to be. While medivh's death did close the portal. The connection between the two worlds remained.

Which is why Nethergarde was built after the second war, to keep an eye out on the portal. The expedition succeeded in closing the rift beyond the dark portal, and they are the reason why the amount of fel magic in azeroth has lessened. As the fel magic recedes, the orcs are becoming more lethargic." She finishes her lecture with a flush.

You clap for a moment before asking her, "What is so special about these orcs?"

She looks at you for a moment before answering.

"You see, all the orcish magic was either based on shadow and fel, including necromancy. However these orcs seem to be channeling elemental magic itself, which has only been observed among some gnolls, and the dwarves of Aerie peak. They are the piece of the puzzle that doesn't fit, and thus important for our resarch."

Even she finishes, the sentries in the camp let you through. You invite the magi to dinner, but they say that they must take their leave. "Besides, poor Rathaella is quite exhausted after the time you spent with her." Modera says with a smile as they leave you at your tent.

Timeskip incoming lads.

Discuss meta stuff now.

ok, here's a question.

Are you a Jaina and Thrall guy or a Jaina and Arthas kind of guy?

the latter. It fits like pottery.

How big do you guys think Alterac really is? I have a hard time believing it's a pair of snowy valleys (one of which is uninhabited) surrounded by some foothills, myself. I'd place it at maybe half the size of Switzerland.

well, up until stratholme at any rate.

I dunno, I felt Thrall and Jaina had a bit of interesting chemistry going on. It could have been more, had Chris Metzen not decided torpedo it. And then Theramore exploded.

Pretty much. I like to think it is an mixture of Greco-bactria in terms of location and Switzerland in terms of land.

I must be the only guy who never saw anything between them. I mean she is the second human who is nice to him and he projects the first one on to her.

so, no one wants to talk about anything related to the quest so far?

This timeskip is going to be rather big, think around the start of Wc3.

could be that there was some projection going on, but the fact that Jaina was willing to throw in with the orcs for peace probably made Thrall think she was a pretty alright gal, I just wish that Aggra wasn't being used as a character assaination device that strips what makes Thrall, the Warchief that I followed in vanilla.

Well I would like to say that you're doing alright desu

eh, i guess part of the appeal was that their initially had to work together and past the differences and blood stained histories to becoming actual friends.

and if they could do that, why not go further?

yes. Excellent.

Are there any possibility that there is going to be some major confliction going on between Anna and the elf mage? I have the feeling that the former is more likely going to be resentful if we bring back a elf mage waifu. And the same will be said of the elf as well.

I'm on team Anna desu though, so take what I say with a grain of salt I just don't want to wind up like some prince of Dornes...

Hm, I'm wondering if Thrall would allow us to send some people over to Kalimdor with him?

No clue about the source material just here for quest.

I don't think Thrall is gonna happen for another 15 years or so. Wasn't he born after the second war?

i think we're skipping to the beginning of WCIII, so he should be there.

I kinda think the anna thing was a moment of weakness. We were drunk and wanted to know more about what happened to our land. Then she begins crying and we are a softie.

I like to think that if it was anlec instead of Arthas at Stratholme, and jaina started to cry, We would let the city transform while we let her cry into our shoulder.

it was less about that and more about thrall becoming the earth warder that ticked me off. The Thrall/Aggra relationship would have been well done if it was slowly shown throughout the expansions.

yeah. fair warning, we are not going to see thrall as the green good guy though.

Alright sleepy, how do you think I am doing so far?

not entirely sure what possessed Thrall to put Garrosh in charge of shit.

My guess is that Chris wanted the status quo to stay edgy.

we may never know.

Except that she pretty much shits on everything Thrall had done to learn and build himself up as a person.

>Thrall takes his name as a stand against what he was to show he is no one's slave.
No, your name was Go'El you should forget about that slave name you were given!

>Had a human women who taught him how to read and write and helped him later escape
If she were a real orc womyn she'd have escaped and killed the man not die!

>Learning about the elements and learning to become diplomatic for these various factions
Fuck that orc culture strong are right and do what we want

Just...fuck that whole aggra shit, I mean itd be nice if Thrall got someone he loved and would have had a connection with, Jaina would have been okayish, but maybe someone else that had been introduced before hand would have been much better.

I can agree with you about the slowly shown bits of the relationship, just not a hey so this is my gf brown orc baby maker and I'm gonna be a father guys whooooo

>yeah. fair warning, we are not going to see thrall as the green good guy though.
ok, fair enough.
But wouldn't that mean that the Frostwolves have since departed from our lands? Or are they still hanging around, but we're tenuously at peace with them?

you will see, soon enough.

Oh your fucking everything up. Character is a complete bitch for elf poon. Challenges don't actually matter. And all of the above is just me fucking with you.

Nah it's going okay. Only things that are bothering me is Anlec's character just seems to jump between two different points of reference very quickly with no build-up or tension.

We have failed some tests but they haven't seemed to have affected what is written. If that is the case look at First European War which handled that way of writing very well.

see, you might have missed the rolling that ended up with us putting on a puppet on the throne of Alterac.

What do you mean by character jumping between two points of reference?

Player choice. They and I as well I think chose not to go to a meeting that would have been beneficial to us.

When things are okay or stable Anlec is calm, even-headed. A soldier and gentleman but a bit spaghetti with women.

Then when things go sideways or even tits up he panics which is something that doesn't make much sense as he was in several of the worst battles of the war it seems. And there seems to be no in between he is one or the other.

Think he means the whole one moment we're a badass knight whose been fighting greenskins for a few years to a guy whose panicking at things that are going wrong...

see, lots of people are calm when it is their field of specialty. Anlec never has had to deal with politics. He was the third son of a lord and being a rich guy's son went off to become a knight with dad's money. Everything he sees and does, is from his point of view. He is an excellent tactician, but not the guy who plans for every eventuality.
He is not Kesselring, but rather Rommel. If everything is following the plan, he does well. If shit hits the fan, he panics.

What happened was that he realized that he was the last of his line and his family's legacy depended upon him. He was planning on using the militia and crushing the brotherhood, and then gaining prestige in the court of alterac. Instead he nearly got caught hobnobbing with orcs.

This is a bit of a pickle for an alteraci nobleman because they are always going to be viewed as traitors, kinda like the french in ww2 and the surrender monkey meme.

Makes sense, but I'd rather have him doing his panick internally, but manage to scrape by with a plan of sorts, some what like what we did with the whole, aha! Internmen camp type thing.

like some user said, people make the best ideas when drunk.

The smell of horses, the cold mountain air and the pines mingles in your nostril as breathe in deep. Down in the uplands and around Andorhal, it is getting hotter by the day, but here, it remains cold all year around. You prefer it that way now. The days of your youth are long gone and you cannot tolerate the harsh weather of Lordaeron anymore. For better or worse, your days as a brother are over. You have become a nobleman of Alterac. Even as you stare into the sky, you see a black speck fly by the mountains.

Taking a gnomish farseeing device that Gamil gave you on your last birthday, you focus on the speck. It is a solitary raven, flying against the wind and making for what looks like the capital city. You wonder what a bird like that is doing so far away from home. As you watch from the tower, a knock on your door brings you back to your present surroundings. It must be Anna. You really must tell her where you are going. Neither of you are as young as the first time you met.

"My lord - "

"Please dear, you can call me Anlec. We have been over this." She smiles sadly and nods. Her eyes are still dry from crying. She cries a lot these days. You would too, perhaps, if you could cry anymore.

"You shouldn't have come here dear."

"It is what he would have wanted. My lor- Anlec."

You nod solemnly. Down in the courtyard, you see a crypt has been finished, and a bier stands above it. There is a body on the pyre, and anna cannot look at it without crying.

Your heart sinks as she hides her face away and leads you down the stairs. She will not cry. Not before you. Not before her children. She has been strong, she has always been strong.

The priest, Roland stands, a diminutive figure before the pyre reading from scripture. You still recognize the words. Words for consecrating the dead. Words for granting free passage into the afterlife. Words for being embraced by the light.

As the priest begins reciting the last stanza, Anna breaks down in your hand, her two twin daughters too young to understand what is going on, but copying their mother nonetheless. The real suffering will be when they start asking where their father is? And if he is going to bring them sweets.

"And so we bid farewell to Benedict Snowvale, faithful husband, loving father, and peerless comrade-in-arms." You speak the words mechanically. They cannot express the sorrow you feel. Another life you extinguished. Another family torn apart all because of you.

Anna passes the torch to you, her fingers brushing against yours for an instant.. You light the pyre, and stand straight as the lord you are as the flames consume the body of Benedict Snowvale. Loving Father, Faithful husband, and a good man.

You let Anna cry into the shoulders of Garth for a while, she needs someone to be her shoulder, and you cannot be that person anymore. After she is done drying her tears, she leads her children away promising to take them some place cooler. You are still watching the embers when garth salutes you. You return it.

>Ask Garth why he is here.
>ask Garth what he remembered about his son in law.