I'd suggest converting/breaking the knights, then finally break the Duke.
+1 Have some of the cult members invite a couple of knights to a meal.
Also ask the witch wizard if she knows any of the knights well enough to assist in converting them.
We should ask the priest too.
Her name is... Mischa Alwiz. Yes, that's totally her name. Or Mis-Wiz for short. What a fortunate coincidence!
Have the wizard tell the duke the priests were interrogating a Necromancer they believed to be the source of the evil, and that they'd make a report when they were done. Add that they have gotten a confession of working with the town witch to incite a riot.
Mischa returns to the Duke, reporting that A)The nightmares were just bad dreams after all B)The priests have captured a necromancer C)It would be a good idea to give the Knights some free time, might make their nightmares go away.
The Duke does not take kindly to being told what to do, nor does he enjoy hearing about a necromancer in his lands. He demands details- which Mischa comes up with on the spot, inventing an entire personality and backstory. This mollifies the Duke somewhat, but he still demands to see the necromancer. Mischa promises to return to the temple and arrange a meeting.
Neither Mischa nor the priest knew anything exceptionally useful about the knights- their relationship being colleagues rather than friends. You apply what information they do have into your efforts to tailor dreams to suit the individual, marginally improving the outcomes. Said dreams also change from being pure terror to a mixture of terror and temptation- beautiful women at their beck and call one moment, hideous beasts clawing at their eyes the next. Their already fragile psyches manage to hold up surprisingly well, mostly resisting their dream-temptations, and no more moved by terror than they were before, so you eventually decide to focus your efforts on the weakest three knights.
By focusing your energies on them, you are far more successful. Each time they succumb to the temptations you set before them, you reduce the amount of terror in their dreams, rewarding them as they grow ever greedier. Eventually their dreams are nothing but dark pleasures for them to indulge in, and it is at this point that you appear in their dreams in person.
"DO YOU ENJOY YOURSELF", you ask them. All three respond in the affirmative, not one of them considering the appearance of a demon in their dreams cause for alarm- after all, for the past few nights they have enjoyed the company of demonic succubi.
"WOULDN'T YOU LIKE TO ENJOY YOURSELF THUS IN YOUR WAKING HOURS?", you continue. It seems the thought had not even crossed their mind, but now that you mention it, they find themselves craving food they can actually taste, riches they can actually spend, bare skin they can actually touch. Their dreamworld pleasures seem to lose their appeal immediately, and all three express longing to be allowed to experience even a taste of the pleasures they have virtually experienced.
"PERHAPS THERE IS A WAY FOR THIS TO BE SO" The knights seem sceptical, but are willing to listen to your pitch.
"JOIN THE MEMBERS OF THE NEW WAY AT A FEAST TOMORROW, AND EXPERIENCE PLEASURES RARELY FELT BY MORTALS" The knights nod their heads in understanding, and you allow them to awake, with the parting words of
"SEEK THE HOODED FIGURE BY THE TEMPLE"The Knights each make an excuse to leave the mayor's mansion. Separately they make their way to the temple square, where they are greeted by one of your wealthier cultists, who invites them to his home. There a celebration is already in full swing. Decadent foods line the tables. Wine is consumed by the barrel. Naked cultists chase each other through the house, laughing in delight. In the basement, unbeknown to the knights, a kidnapped citizen lies on a makeshift altar, their eyes plucked, tongue cut off, and skin flayed- but still alive, and their agony fuels the atmosphere of debauchery in this place, as by your will the pain is transformed into diabolical pleasure, which subtly enhances the party-goers experience- their appetites are unending, the wine tastes that much better, and the, ah, 'bedroom activities' are wilder and longer-lasting.
The knights hesitate briefly before joining in on the fun, and soon they are quite drunk, covered in the remnants of a dozen little foodstuffs, and enjoying the show by a dancing cultist who is covered just enough to let the imagination run wild, inflaming the knights' libidos to the point that they barely manage to restrain themselves from jumping her.
Your cultists strike up conversation with the knights, asking about their job satisfaction, which is reasonable, with some minor complaints, the cultists insist the 'minor' complaints are quite serious indeed, and that they shouldn't have to put up with that sort of thing. Their judgement perhaps somewhat clouded by drink, the knights are convinced, and are soon loudly bemoaning their ill-treatment by the Duke.
Your cultists then mention the subject of religion- this proves a somewhat touchier subject, with the knights unwilling to be drawn into a conversation criticising the gods- until, that is, the dancing cultist sidles up to them and purrs in their ears how the gods do not approve of these gatherings. All but hypnotised, the knights listen enraptured as the dancer explains that the Old Way is obsolete, that it is time for a New Way, with a new way of thinking about the gods- after all, how can such pleasures be wrong? With that, she gives each of them a kiss on the cheek and returns to her dance. After that the knights are far more receptive to talks of heresy, and although they cannot be lured so far as to denounce the gods, they do agree that the gods have serious flaws, and that a New Way is needed.
As evening turns into night, you decide the time is right to grace the knights with your presence. Stepping into the room undisguised, the knights immediately recognise you as the being from their dreams, and shout their thanks at you- apparently too drunk or distracted to consider your appearance alarming. You make your way to their table, and apply a measure of mesmerism to your voice as you say
"I TRUST THAT YOU ENJOY MY FEAST?"-the knights nod in assent-
"THEN YOU WILL NOT MIND IF I ASK YOU FOR SOMETHING IN RETURN. NAMELY THAT YOU SHALL PRAISE MY NAME ABOVE THAT OF THE GODS, AND SERVE ME UNTIL THE STARS DIE"The stunned knights just stare at you for a moment... and then another moment... and then say "Well hang on, let's discuss this"
That willingness to even consider your offer is a sign of how far they have fallen- already their souls are tainted by evil, and in the discussions that follow, they grow ever more obedient to your voice, until eventually they agree to the original terms- to worship and serve you for eternity. This did require an expenditure of energy on your part, to nurture the budding evil in their souls and 'encourage' them to see things your way.
By this point, the Duke has run out of patience. The priests have still not given any word as to the outcomes of their investigations. Mischa is acting strangely, far more confident and confrontational in a way that seriously irks him. And now three of his knights have gone missing, having set out on various errands yesterday, and not returned. He has had it. This small town has caused him enough trouble. He is going to march into the temple, demand some answers, find his knights, and get out of here.
The confrontation with the Duke seems inevitable. He is a proud man, well aware of his own power, and so less likely to be lured away by promises of dark rewards. Though corrupting him may be possible, it would take more time than you have- and besides, a man of his station can get all the worldly pleasures he desires delivered to his doorstep. If you hope to convert him, you will need a clever approach. Alternatively, you could wipe his mind or eat him. Mm, speaking of eating, you are getting kind of hungry. Sitting around in this town surrounded by succulent humans (Especially the children. Children are delicious) has given you quite the appetite. Where was I? Ah, yes, the Duke. You will
-Convert him by [DESCRIBE METHOD HERE]
-Break his mind and make him your puppet.
-Eat him. Mmm...
In addition, assuming that your plan for the duke works, you probably want to give some actions to do afterwards.
Name: Nokluvgn
Age: 4.25 months
Physical might: 27
Mental might: 24 (-3: converting corrupt knights)
Followers:100 (74 villagers, 4 Wordbearers, 11 criminals, 7 rich men, 3 knights (heavily armed), 1 ex-priest)
Slaves: 13 (4 priests, 1 high priest, 8 guards (armed))
Servants: 10 (4 Brutewolves, two Smokewraiths, one devil-horse, 3 spectres)
Cults: The New Way (Fellshore): Low organization. 76 members in Fellshore (74 villagers, 2 Wordbearers)
Power level: 13
Of which: 6 spent gathering resources, 5 spent expanding the labyrinth
Resources: 9
Other:
The New Way (Nuulyd): 24 members in Nuulyd. (11 criminals, 2 Wordbearers, 7 rich men, 3 knights, 1 ex-priest)
Power level: 6
Resources: 0
Other: As they cannot exchange resources freely (yet), the two branches of The New Way will temporarily be tracked separately
Champions: Mischa Alwiz: The Duke's 'loyal' companion, now corrupted by the allure of evil.
Physical Might: 1
Mental Might: 6
Knowledge: Magic, very basic Necromancy.
Other: Figuring that if she is going to be a Necromancer she might as well do necromancery things, she has been sneaking off to the local cemetery and trying to raise the dead. So far all she has managed is to stir up some spirits- now spectres under your command.
Fortresses: Fellshore: A small fishing village nestled between a small lake and a forest (with mountains not so far in the distance), now undermined with tunnels and chambers forming a twisted maze, lit with smoky torches, where the shadows form strange shapes in the corner of your eyes.
Small tunnel network: increases secrecy of local cult. Being upgraded (15/50)
Small (hidden) altar: A suitable place to sacrifice to you and praise your dark name.
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Topic: Demonhood 2 -Number of giant minions lost: between 0 and 3- (Read 144336 times)