As Ozzy had suspected, the hordes of Lemming Shock Troops hadn't gone far. As he hit his hammer on the ground, they erupted from hidden burrows, already down 100 health and pissed off. Some ran in each direction toward the lines of farmers, with more than half of them staying to attack the Butcher. Both maneuvers worked poorly. They weren't attacking with surprise, and the enemy was prepared.

Ozzy had spent the morning preparing the battlefield. First, he used the Vorpal Plowsword +3 to level the land and kick all the rocks to the sides of the fields. It was a difficult tool to operate properly. The sword hungered to carve through the soil the way it had lopped off heads when it was a weapon.

One, two! One, two! And through and through The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!

The Butcher used his strength to keep the plow in the ground and moving in a straight line as it raced through the land. The farmers watched in awe as the plow turned up rocks and tossed them to the sides, smoothing the ground at a breakneck pace with Ozzy trying to stay in control as he galumphed behind. As Ozzy created ten acres of farmland, the workers and farmers piled the rocks into rough barriers to fight behind, and a ditch was quickly dug in front of the wall.

On the perimeter, the lemmings spread out and were cut down easily by the adze-armed farmers. When a named rodent appeared, workers ran to help out. The horde was cut down quickly while another battle took place in the center of the field. Hundreds of lemming shock troops were attacking the Butcher. Shock troops could only do fifty points of damage and relied on their numbers to overwhelm their foes and find their weak points. With close to 300 points of mitigation, Ozzy didn't have weak points. He let them come and attack him and only killed the annoying ones trying to get into his nose or ears. After a minute, the watchers on the edge couldn't see him, only a huge pile of swarming rodents.

The Butcher breathed out using Butcher's Breath, sending flames out in a large arc as he slowly rotated, leaving only a pile of crispy friend lemmings. The bodies crumbled into black dust, completely charred. After casting Cleanse on himself, he walked to the next acre, and the carnage was repeated.

The named lemmings were small, only level 1 or 2, but there were a lot of them. Their General was a disappointment after the craziness of fighting Bucktooth. 'Big Lem' was a monstrously fat lemming, but only Level 4. His short legs barely lifted his belly off the ground. A level 4 Monstrous Boss was still a lot of monster for farmers to handle, but not after Ozzy chained his mouth shut. The newcomers from Farthing by the Pond dealt with him easily and ended the battle.

Successful Quest!: You have stopped the ten waves of Lemming Shock Troops, defeated 171 Lemming Shock Commanders, and killed 'Big Lem.'

Time Left: 1: 10:58

Generals Killed: 1/1

Shock Commanders Killed: 171/171

Farthing on the Pond residents taking part in the war: 96/96, with 96 surviving. 12 CSP awarded and 750 experience in STR and Adze.

North Farthing and West Farthing veterans taking part in the war: 110/110, with 110 surviving. 2 CSP awarded, 500 experience in a weapon used in the battle, and corresponding stat.

Contract Workers taking part in the war: 12/12 with 1/12 surviving. 2 CSP if Tier 1, and 1 CSP if Tier 2.

Ships Crew...let's be honest, they cheered you on and drank rum. You have to tell them how many Lemmings you had to shake out of your pants; they had bets going on that.

Additional building awarded to Farthing on the Pond: Fish Hatchery. The small lake next to the village will never lack fish. Every time a line is brought in with a tasty perch, catfish, or trout, the Hatchery will release a new fish into the pond. Nets will prove useless, as will using Dwarven Fishing Bombs.

Farthing on the Pond is awarded increased crop growth and a Wagonload of copper and cast-iron cooking gear. The crew of the Splinter was delighted with the novel idea of catching fish from the water. It took only a few minutes for branches to be shaped into poles and thin chains and hooks added. Some of the local children dug up fat worms and grubs from bait, and the crew had a contest to see who could catch the most fish. It wasn't even close, as Woodrat only had to cast his line, whistle softly, and a fat fish took his bait. Years spent sitting on a bit of wreckage had honed his fishing skills razor-sharp. After pulling a dozen large fish out of the pond, he took them to the village and traded recipes with the local cooks. Ozzy stole two of his fried catfish to eat on the way as he returned to the Keep for another night's work.

For those wondering where the Vorpal Blade came from, here is the poem from Through the Looking Glass : BY LEWIS CARROLL ’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe. “Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun The frumious Bandersnatch!” He took his vorpal sword in hand; Long time the manxome foe he sought— So rested he by the Tumtum tree And stood awhile in thought. And, as in uffish thought, he stood, The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, Came whiffling through the tulgey wood, And burbled as it came! One, two! One, two! And through and through The vorpal blade went snicker-snack! He left it dead, and with its head He went galumphing back. “And hast thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms, my beamish boy! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!” He chortled in his joy. ’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe.

He and Suzette caught up with each other for a late dinner around midnight. She could tell that she had something on her mind. "I got offered a chance in my Heritage, a big one. Could you take a look at these? I know you'll have questions.

Your ancestry becomes clear to you, but which of your ancestors will you choose to follow? Some of them were travelers from distant places. Their blood in your veins gives you choices:

Wandering Tribes of the Wastelands: Some were left behind when the last elven ships sailed from the Vale of Tears. Unable to flee in time or refusing to go, the remaining elves of different ancestry were forced to form mixed-blood tribes. This saved them, strengthening their lines. These tribes still exist, wandering the wastes, taming the great beasts to fight for them, and choosing their leaders based on physical strength and the power of their minds. Over the centuries, some found ways to leave the wastelands and explore the old continents.

+4 STR, +4 CHR. Enchantment can be used to Dominate Weaker Minds.

Light Fae of Alfheimr: The Fae who hold Oberon as their king migrated from Alfheimr to create kingdoms in the land of men. The civil war that split the elves into many factions weakened them, and they could not withstand the combined armies of gnomes, humans, and giants. Oberon took his coalition and retreated to Underhill, granting each of his followers their kingdom. While other elves and fairies do the same, only those who follow Oberon receive his blessing.

+2 CHR, +3 AGI, +3 RAD. Small magics become powerful in the hands of the Fae. Cantrips and Hedge Magic will become Fae Magics, increasing the power of weaker spells.

Spells from The Road of Shadows will be retained.

The Shadow Fae of Myrkalfar: Angered by their queen, Yningva, being scorned by Oberon, The Shadow Fae left Alfheimr and journeyed to Myrkalfar on the borders of Swartalfheim. There they lived in the shadows, learning from the Dark Elves and mixing the new knowledge with what they brought from the bright lands. Myrkalfar is home now to other creatures, and the Shadow Fae move in disguise among men or conquer Underhill realms for themselves. Neither light nor dark, they blend into other backgrounds and are masters of hiding in plain sight.

+3 CHR, +3 INT, +2 WIS. Increased ability to wield magic from The Road of Shadows.

Half-Elven

A mix of elven and human ancestry has given you beauty and grace. You are welcome in each community, but never fully.

+2 CHR, +2 AGI, +2 DEX, +2 CON. You gain the skills Make new Friends, I'm sure we've met Before, and You talk, I'll listen.

Ozzy looked through the different options. All of them were powerful, and he did have a lot of questions. Suzette sat next to him, nervous.

He put his arm around her. "Are you thinking I'm going to be surprised you've been keeping secrets?"

"You aren't?"

He sighed. "Susy, how long have we known each other? You love playing a spy or assassin. Any femme fatale was your preference. And you were good at it, just like Rolly was good at taming dragons, and Ben liked being a pirate or dashing hero. So not surprising that you picked up some Shadow Magic along with that collection of odd cantrips you got with Hedge magic and Wild magic. It was a little noticeable when you gained some decent magic. None of us thought you'd settled for just being a barmaid. I'm assuming you're actually some shadow mage or assassin?"

"Enchanting Assassin is the class. Road of Shadows was the magic that came along with it. I really wasn't sure about revealing it, but a friend with a similar class said I wouldn't weaken it if I only revealed it to a few people close to me. Especially if they had their own secrets."

Ozzy nodded. "Makes sense. A subtle class works best if people know you don't have it."

"Now, tell me your thoughts on these options. Could you look at them and be blunt?

"I know this is a bad idea, but ok. The last one lets you play it safe and keep doing what you've been doing. It shouldn't interfere with advancing your current class. The others push you one way or another. Shadow Fey means keeping secrets, especially from certain Fae Lords. Potential trouble there. It also limits what you can do with more powerful shadow spells because you don't want people to see them."

"Light Fae looks like it could align you with Alwyn, and we know he has to deal with a lot of politics. At the same time, it would strengthen your alliance with the Fae and bring some protection to the town. And the magic looks good. You could gain some useful options if it turns that odd collection of cantrips into better spells. The top one I don't like. Bending people around your finger with a smile is one thing, but this looks like real mind-bender crap. But it is powerful."

Suzette digested that for a second. "Yeah, the first is out. If my head were messed up like it was at the start of the game, I'd have grabbed it just to not let people like Brandon screw with me. Half-Elven looks safe, too safe. Both light and dark Fae have increased magic, but you're right; if I go with Shadow Fae, I have to hide. But there's another side to Light Fae that I like. I get to keep my Shadow Magic. That means even if I gain some flashy magic, I can keep that as an ace in the hole."

Ozzy let out a long breath. "Good, because I like that option the best too."

She elbowed him in the side. "Now, your turn. You mentioned you had options."

"I did, but you'll notice we're out of food, and Jorges is over there waiting for me. How does tomorrow sound to you?

"I'll pack another picnic. We meet up here again or after your next glorious war of killing gophers."

"Yeah, so much glory. I was still picking lemmings out of my clothes an hour later. They even got in my boots."