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His work completed to the high satisfaction of the civilians that requisitioned his services, Hisaki bows to those in praise of those efforts, and to his squadron who performed at a high level under his expert leadership. "Should the tides of war come crashing again, should your soldiers be in desperate need of organization and excellence, should you call upon me again" His ego fully tantilized, his pockets full, he rides his stunky steed into the sunset.
After about an hour, Hisaki raises his banner.
"Under the Black Daimyo, Skull Squadron, we Ride against Cheliax!" he gets his team pumped for their next battle, mounting his Loyal Yzobu, who like the steed on the emblazoned banner, rides like a foul stench on an ill wind.
”Respite” Hisaki replenishes himself with tea and fruit. Looking over his folio, he adds some notes in an unrecognizable scratch, nods, and places it away, looking around at his squad mates, pleased with himself. He waters Quqotengir. Takes his banner, and places it on his Hornbow. Tactics Prepared: Banner: Attached to Hornbow Gather to Me! (◆; all ↺)
Pincer Attack (◆; all, ↺)
Strike Hard! (◆◆; one ally, ↺; brandish)
Hisaki makes a few crude alchemical explosives...
Alchemical Scholar: You gain the Alchemical Crafting feat. If you would automatically gain that feat (from your background or the alchemist class, for example), you instead gain a different 1st-level Crafting skill feat. Add an additional common 1st-level alchemical formula to your formula book when you take this feat. Each time you gain a level beyond 1st, add one common alchemical formula of that level to your formula book.
"Clarence. I think this prisoner believes he can answer 'who' questions with 'where'" he turns to his captive "He asked you Not where you have sailed from, but Who tipped you off - perhaps paid you off - about this shipyard. Please" Hisaki en-sterns his face "Give this good soldier a direct, honest answer, stripped of chicanery. You will be asked Once" Leaning in, Hisaki tries to flex imply that using force may be neccessary, even as he would rather keep them alive than to needlessly waste life.
"You might be ready to surrender - I can see it in your eyes - but for your Provocation of War - upon which you Tread with Ignorant Lightness - becomes a Slight that cannot go Unpunished!"
◆) Command Quqotengir
◆) Command Quqotengir
"I would request your surrender, but you seem unaware of just the danger you find yourself in. Some students must be taught using force. It is a pity you don't have more sense" Hisaki's pity is cold, calculating, strategic, sudden, definitive. our war hero calls ~) Drilled Reactions for Clarence
whipping his truty steed once again into a raging fury with the two-word command!
Having dismounted upon arriving to the docks, Hisaki fires off a quick bow shot to open with a simple volley against the Blue Gorilla - shooting just before barking announcing their secret club name, awakening in his allies the will and desire to go with him as to war Spurned into action, his trusty steed "Quqotengir" - named for a terrible storm - races like an ill wind over to the battle's developing front, and awaits his next orders - and the others!
◆) Strike
With a command, the beats whirls about 360 degrees, bucking and kicking!
Hisaki turns to his squadmates, and didacts “Build your opponent a golden bridge to retreat across” With that, he heads over to the sailors on a pure hunch, and demands "Spies!" convicting with only reasonable suspicion "Stand tall you two, and march off the docks at once. You are outnumbered. And take notice of the two brutes behind me" he either indicates the two ulfens or the two skeletons, unclear "You will not want me to ask twice. Leave now, and spare yourselves. The charade is revealed and your cover blown!"
Considering the party, Hisaki grabs an extra Lesser Oil of Unlife as his provision, bowing to Kitsch. He heads to the stable to mount his beast for the journey...
“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting” our Commander perks up a bit, naming his adages with didactic enthusiasm “Engage people with what they expect; it is what they are able to discern and confirms their projections. It settles them into predictable patterns of response, occupying their minds while you wait for the extraordinary moment — that which they cannot anticipate!” He looks to Nairaba and Kitsch, sizing them up, and infers "What is it that we are supposed to "Procure"?"
"I am Commander Hisaki. And these are my men" he gestures around the room "Soon enough, we will be able to constitute an effective taskforce, as it will be my pleasure to deliver whatever objectives, within reason, you desire, by extension of this implement" he bows deeply to the Head of Procurement.
Hisaki looks around the table "It appears you are the only one who uses spells, Lieutenant Váfriðrfaðir" He clasps his hands together: Commander of an Undead Army! Maybe I should change my name to Hisaki-Baphon! Joking with himself, he is careful not to express the likely-insensitive thoughts out load. Leaning back before the table of food, seeing a 7th, Hisaki rises "Here - take my seat. I will proceed to lookout for Venture-Captain Brackett. Once we have our briefing, we have much work to do"
Producing his own personal set of handsome handcrafted wooden chopsticks, Hisaki resigns himself to the custom of sharing a meal before talking business, expertly pinciring each crab cake and plunking it with a gentle wrist to distribute an upside down dollop of dip before placing it before his mouth to consume cleanly and without spilling. As Ulvard’s food begins to arrive, he hastens his pace, finishing with the bed of greens and sipping his sake, clearing space exactly in time as one last dish wouldn’t otherwise have been able to deploy itself onto their table surface. It does. He considers the talking dog, wondering silently if it was trained and if it ever had a master - for an affirmative in both cases would expedite some of the exercises he had intended to subject the group to! - but instead of opening his mouth and vocalizing the indecent line of questioning, our calculating hero leans back to assist digestion. Wouldn’t want a disturbed stomach to interfere with their mission ahead.
Clandestine were not his mission, our suddenly-accosted Commander holds both prongs of his proverbially-forked tongue, sliding them into the back of his throat, for fear of unleashing additional spectation and speculation were they not to be forcefully leashed. Indeed, as it is best not to lose a war before stepping onto the battlefield, the egotism that drives our hero runs deep enough to allow for shrewd self-reflection, allowing him to assign concomitant value in proportion to what "battles" are ones he chooses to eventually win, decisively. Marching back over to the abandoned seat, he places a customary tip on the counter, obeying the woman, as well as an additional amount for the crabcakes, also replete with customary tip. Casting the old lady a passing bow if he might catch himself in her sights, imagining that she be monitoring his compliance from a vantage point superior to his own, it is without obstentation that Hisaki intends to slip away from her fixation with his redirected behavior, purchasing his deliverance in coin. Returning to the more malleable company of his incumbent squadmates nonplussed, he continues his conversation, eagerly awaiting the rest of his squadron to take it's shape...
"Perfect..." Clasping his hands in a sort of prayer position in front of his chest, Hisaki makes an unconsciouss "wave" flowing motion with his fingers as they make and break gentle contact with eachother. He examines the two brutes before him, trying to evaluate which between them has more brains than the other, and coming up empty. When his rice wine arrives, our egotistical hero tosses it back with a practiced technique, and places the glass upside-down back onto the bar, vacating the seat he had occupied for no longer than the time it took to make contact, order, and consume the spirit. He strides between the dromaar - dwarfed by them in physical height but not overall presence - and introduces himself. "Brave warriors, I see that you have heeded the call" to be discreet, he flashes his wayfinder, hoping both of them will be able to infer that: #1: Hisaki is a Pathfinder
"We have a lot of work to do, and I look forward to a fruitful collaboration. My name is Commander Hisaki" neither saluting them nor extending his hand, instead, Hisaki keeps his words direct, his posture upright, his expression serious. And adds a piece of advice, looking around, quietly: "There is no instance of a nation benefitting from prolonged warfare”
Gather to Me! (◆; all ↺)
Protective Screen (◆; one ↺; brandish)
Strike Hard! (◆◆; one ally, ↺; brandish)
⚔⚔⚔ ⚔⚔⚔ ⚔⚔⚔
"Good" he feeds the creature a treat - some kind of food-condensed "bar" made of vegetable and grain. Remains a moment to watchit finish the snack, and turns to leave. Making his way with light feet to the Brine Shark, he sneaks up to the bar, and orders a rice wine, placing exact change on the table. No tip.
Looking left, then right, for it is common knowledge that privateers of any order intermingle with the locals of any respectable dive bar (even ones that claim the title 'bistro'), our proud General (of an army that probably does not yet exist) ponders this auspicious day. A crude but merciless-looking bow strapped to his back, our hero dismounts his steed - some particularly pungeant breed of "horse" with yak-like horns - and tying it to the hitching post in a nearby barn stall. "Quqotengir, stay"
"The skillful soldier does not raise a second levy, neither are his supply-wagons loaded more than twice" Perhaps alluding to being self-sufficient, somehow Hisaki engages the conservative mentality and co-opts it into adopting a more liberal foreign policy by speaking directly to it's worst fears. Or perhaps it's war-splaining bluster? He let's the Ekkeshikaar elder's render their own opinions...
"The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting" Hisaki, vague and esoteric, presumes to let the implied lessons of his carefully chosen words speak for him. Could it be that whatever fears the council has a adeptly answered by short adages within the extensive literary cannon of "war" alluded to by his brief mention?
Hisaki stands. “Who wishes to fight must first count the cost” Short and vague, it's unclear which side he is supportive of. Perhaps they will read strength in the curtness of his comment - perhaps foolishness. Not that Hisaki has ever cared about looking foolish - so long as his cause is righteous.
Hisaki sprint across the field, upends his banner pike, and stabs the earth elemental with it! "Prepare for The End!" he declares confidently despite this being the second "end" thus declared as the ritual keeps spitting out foe after foe after foe! ◆) Stride
The battle redoubled, Hisaki moves to shank the brown creature, then jam his banner back into the ground, declaring victory for the third time!
◆) Step
Plant Banner: [manipulate] You plant your banner to inspire your allies to hold the line. Plant your banner in a corner of your square. All allies within a 30-foot burst immediately gain a number of temporary Hit Points equal to half your Intelligence modifier. These temporary Hit Points last for 1 round; each time an ally starts their turn within the burst, these Hit Points are renewed for another round. While your banner is planted, you can signal your tactics abilities only with auditory signals (instead of your choice of auditory or visual). If your banner is attached to a weapon, you cannot wield that weapon while your banner is planted. While your banner is planted, any effects that normally happen in an emanation around your banner instead happen in a burst that is 10 feet larger (so a 30-foot emanation becomes a 40-foot burst).
You can use this action again while adjacent to your banner to retrieve it. An enemy adjacent to the square you planted your banner in can remove your banner as an Interact action, ending this effect and preventing you and your allies from gaining any of your banner’s other benefits until you have successfully retrieved it.
Hisaki watches the fire elemental fall to Flory's claws - he watches an earth elemental fall to Cercuciel's slash. He grabs his banner and menaces the remaining air elemental. "To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." ◆) Interact to Grab Banner
End It!: [banner] [incapacitation] Requirements: You and your allies currently outnumber enemies on the battlefield and you or a squadmate have reduced an enemy to 0 Hit Points since the start of your last turn. At your proclamation that victory is already at hand, your allies march forward with an authoritative stomp, scattering your enemies in terror. Signal all squadmates a ected by your commander’s banner; you and each ally can Step directly toward a hostile creature they are observing as a free action. Any hostile creatures within 10 feet of you or a squadmate after this movement must attempt a Will save against your class DC; on a failure they become fleeing for 1 round and on a critical failure they become fleeing for 1 round and frightened 2. This is an emotion, fear, and mental effect.
"Focus fire squadron. Then we can " Pulling the polearm from his back, Hisaki punishes the summoned creature from afar, waving the standard, then jams it into the ground, causing the hearts of his allies to surge with pride and infinite confidence! End It!:
[banner] [incapacitation] Requirements: You and your allies currently outnumber enemies on the battlefield and you or a squadmate have reduced an enemy to 0 Hit Points since the start of your last turn.
At your proclamation that victory is already at hand, your allies march forward with an authoritative stomp, scattering your enemies in terror. Signal all squadmates a ected by your commander’s banner; you and each ally can Step directly toward a hostile creature they are observing as a free action. Any hostile creatures within 10 feet of you or a squadmate after this movement must attempt a Will save against your class DC; on a failure they become fleeing for 1 round and on a critical failure they become fleeing for 1 round and frightened 2. This is an emotion, fear, and mental effect.
◆) Interact to Draw Breaching Pike w/ attached Banner
Plant Banner: [manipulate] You plant your banner to inspire your allies to hold the line. Plant your banner in a corner of your square. All allies within a 30-foot burst immediately gain a number of temporary Hit Points equal to half your Intelligence modifier. These temporary Hit Points last for 1 round; each time an ally starts their turn within the burst, these Hit Points are renewed for another round. While your banner is planted, you can signal your tactics abilities only with auditory signals (instead of your choice of auditory or visual). If your banner is attached to a weapon, you cannot wield that weapon while your banner is planted. While your banner is planted, any effects that normally happen in an emanation around your banner instead happen in a burst that is 10 feet larger (so a 30-foot emanation becomes a 40-foot burst).
You can use this action again while adjacent to your banner to retrieve it. An enemy adjacent to the square you planted your banner in can remove your banner as an Interact action, ending this effect and preventing you and your allies from gaining any of your banner’s other benefits until you have successfully retrieved it.
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