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Niers Astoragon 

First mention (by name): 2.18 
First appearance: 2.18 
Species: Fraerling
Status: Alive
  1. Niers
  2. Professor
  3. Tallman of Baleros
  4. The Marsh-parter
  5. The Titan of Baleros
  6. The World’s Smallest Strategist
  7. Titan of Swamps and Jungle
Total mentions
5401 mentions
First mentioned in chapter
Last mentioned in chapter

Mentions

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Chapter
Text
2.18  Far away, and in a large tent on the middle of a hot and humid day, Niers Astoragon, second in command of one of the Four Great Companies of Baleros, and highest-leveled [Strategist] on the continent, gently pushed over the king and stared at the chess board.
2.18  Niers did not rage. He was not, in fact, angry. Instead, he smiled, in much the same way Erin had. He put one hand on his chin and stroked it, feeling stubble rasp under his fingers. He had forgotten to shave, or sleep for that matter. He had been waiting to play the puzzle-maker and after an initial disappointment, his patience had been rewarded tenfold.
2.18  For a second, Niers debated hunting for his razor. He would have borrowed one of his lieutenant’s blades, but he hated how they fussed over him. A dagger as large as he was was still a dagger, and he was more than strong enough to lift it. It was just awkward, that was all.
2.18  Appearance trumped desire. Niers was a Level 63 [Strategist], and on his shoulders the fate of his company rested. He could not let his soldiers down. But—perhaps after he had played another game?
2.18  Niers reached down for a chess piece, and then he paused. A sound was coming from outside—a dissonance in the sounds of battle. Niers listened, and sighed. Some fool had just deployed the other army’s elite vanguard against his soldiers, turning this skirmish into a far bloodier battle.
2.18  Niers reached down for a chess piece, and then he paused. A sound was coming from outside—a dissonance in the sounds of battle. Niers listened, and sighed. Some fool had just deployed the other army’s elite vanguard against his soldiers, turning this skirmish into a far bloodier battle.
2.18  His soldiers would need his help. Niers raised a hand and said two words.
2.18  The air on the battlefield changed. Satisfied, Niers turned back to the board, ignoring the roar that came from his soldiers as the tide shifted once more.
2.18  The chess pieces didn’t answer out loud. But as Niers saw the white side reset itself, he knew he would find part of the answer in the game. He sat down, concentrated harder than he had for what seemed like years—
Interlude – Quiet Discussions  Niers Astoragon, the Titan and [Strategist] leading this army, sighed as he looked up from the map and waved the Courier into his tent. He already knew—or suspected—who the letter was from.
Interlude – Quiet Discussions  The young female Courier who handed Niers three letters wasn’t even sweating. It had to be a Skill, or a magical item of some sort. Niers eyed her belt idly as he accepted the first letter and pulled the envelope open. He was quite tempted to buy an artifact like that for himself on days like this, but it would be needlessly expensive to order, given how many other enchanted items he carried. If only the magics didn’t clash so—
Interlude – Quiet Discussions  The young female Courier who handed Niers three letters wasn’t even sweating. It had to be a Skill, or a magical item of some sort. Niers eyed her belt idly as he accepted the first letter and pulled the envelope open. He was quite tempted to buy an artifact like that for himself on days like this, but it would be needlessly expensive to order, given how many other enchanted items he carried. If only the magics didn’t clash so—
Interlude – Quiet Discussions  Niers grunted as he kicked the sealed envelope’s lid off and noticed the delicate, gold-edged card. Of course. It had to be from her. What a waste of time.
Interlude – Quiet Discussions  Any message sent by a Courier was almost always opened within seconds of receiving it. That was because no one would send pointless letters at such expense. That damned Magnolia Reinhart knew that, and so she sent Niers letters constantly, forcing him to open them on the off chance he was receiving vital information.
Interlude – Quiet Discussions  How he hated and admired that woman’s twisted mind. But Niers knew what he would see the instant he pulled the delicately scented card out of the envelope, and he tossed it on the table after only a few second’s cursory study.
Interlude – Quiet Discussions  The lizard girl standing closest to the entrance nodded and began sorting through the letters. Niers sighed as he turned back to the map, conscious of the eyes on him. He stepped to one side casually, allowing Umina to pick up the letter he’d opened. She moved very carefully, as if afraid one mistake from her would crush him.
Interlude – Quiet Discussions  He hated being treated like that. But Umina was new to his group of students and so she wasn’t quite used to his stature. Either she would learn or she would not. Niers concentrated on the battle and put petty distractions aside.
Interlude – Quiet Discussions  Yes, that was the irony of the nickname his enemies had given him. Niers had embraced the name, but it did cause confusion, which was why he sensed the Courier’s eyes on his back as he turned back to the map.
Interlude – Quiet Discussions  To hear talk of the second-in-command of one of the Four Great Companies of Baleros, Niers was a giant in every sense. He led his armies to victory after victory, using his mind as a weapon where most [Generals] led with their swords. He could outmaneuver any foe, defeat any force, even those three times as large as his. With his Skills he could turn his soldiers into horrific monsters, yet if he needed to retreat his army would become ghosts on the battlefield.
Interlude – Quiet Discussions  He was a monster, the highest-level [Strategist] on the continent—perhaps the world. Quite sensibly, Niers kept his exact level hidden, but his prowess was unmatched. So they called him the Titan, and only some got the joke. And that was that Niers was tiny. He was only six inches tall.
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