Blackspire moaned eagerly with each thrust, though she let out a sound that bordered close to a scoff at Imrae's own counter-quips. As Imrae's hand closed around the duchess's neck, again, the duchess actively rolled her eyes. "Stop embarrassing yourself, Imrae," the duchess said. Even her neck seemed to be made of unyielding muscle at a touch. "You couldn't even kill Zerillion. And I've met halflings with a tighter grip."<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">OoC</div><div class="spoiler_body">So, if it's not already clear... Lady Blackspire is no one's bitch. This is a woman who leads from the front, and has made a career out of killing orcs, giants, and just about anything else that causes trouble up in these mountains. If you want someone you can push around you'll probably have to look lower on the totem pole.<br/><br/>One of the central themes I had in mind for this campaign was the push and pull between Imrae and Aria. And failing to kill Zerillion has convinced Blackspire that Imrae's boasts are all just hot air at this point. Plus, Blackspire is... freakishly strong. Like, to illustrate, I rolled an athletics check to resist choking... This is what a nat 1 looks like to her.<br/></div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Roll vs choking</div><div class="spoiler_body">Aria Blackspire: 1d20+18 = 19 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=135491)<br/></div></div>