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To some people, this is a day like any other. They just do they same things they do ever day: Tend to their farms, sit on the marketplace selling their goods and otherwise work hard to try and keep their way of life.Those people? They're fools. They don't realize that they could so easily escape the chains of poverty and oppression, if only they realized their own power. But you? You know better than that. You know that Sevvran is running itself into the ground, and you're one of the few that could stop it. The question is... do you even want to? Samarah Ka Qismah Your 'cult', as the church likes calling it, is having quite a lot of success in the Red Vale. After all, people already worshiped the spirits - convincing them of yours is easy if you can also perform miracles. You now have enough of of a power base here that your followers are sending out missionaries on your own - your presence is likely more effective elsewhere. However, there are other things to worry about. Inquisitors still roam the Red Vale, trying - and mostly failing, of course - to convert the Valefolk to their faith. The occupying forces are as oppressive as ever, and people are suffering under their uncalled for behavior. What this means, to you, is that there are easy converts up for grabs, but your missionaries very well might be able to convert them without your help. And there are of course still tales of riches - and dangers - below the sands... Lord Commander Viktor Von Voss Lady Wulfe took you along on a walk through the capitol, doing inspections and talking about the situation in general. She's as stoic as ever, but you know better - something seems to be troubling her. Of particular note, she's most worried about the unchecked rebellious elements in Hissin and Archea and asked you to mobilize some troops to deal with the situation in one of the two. Before you can give an answer, however, de Wulfe suddenly stops, and starts staring at a seemingly random elf with a look of bewilderment.  While elves are indeed rare outside of their forests, surely, this reaction is a bit strange. Anathema You're arrived in Ark's Landing, called here by the claims of being the 'center of civilization'. While it's certainly not as impressive as your own capitol, back in the day - it is true that it's a sight to behold. As you get off the ship, you see a female knight and a male knight converse with each other. Going by the crowd's reaction, they are quite famous, or high ranked. While the male one seems to regard you as much as any other person you'd meet on the streets - the female one seems to be locked in a stare of confusion as soon as her gaze falls upon you...   Grand Inquisitor Karl Vondevan His Holiness the pope has called for your services once more. After greeting each other respectfully, he hands you two pictures.   "I want both of them dealt with. While capture would be preferable, so we can force them to betray the hiding holes of their heathen friends, kill them if you must. Their presence and actions taint Sevvran, and we cannot allow this corruption to spread..." he explains. Unfortunately, he falls into a nasty coughing fit soon afterwards, and has to excuse himself. Thankfully, an aide explains that you can find the first, the false prophet, in the Red Vale, and the other, the Windspeaker in Hissin... for now, anyway. While it's pretty clear to you that the False Prophet is the more dangerous of the two, the pope's strange fixation on the Windspeaker is well know. Chances are, the reward for capturing - or killing - the Windspeaker would be a lot higher than the False Prophet. However, you've already failed at catching the Windspeaker once. How do you feel about that? What was the pope's reaction to it? Anyway, what will you do? Do what's right for the church, or do what the pope prefers? Sudden Clarity You're just about to start your journey out of the Rainlands, and giving your farewells. The monk's opinions on your departure are mixed. What do you make of that? Also, Quiet Insight has given you a powerful item to help you on your quest. What is it? And most importantly - where do you go first? Sevvran is large, it's problems many, but your information about current events is... lacking, to say the least. Lavelle Ingernassa An opportunity presented itself! According to one of your informants, a supply caravan is headed for the front lines, full of food, weapons, armor... and even magical supplies. Which, as loathe as you are to admit it, are all things your little rebellion badly need right now. There is the problem that you don't know how well-guarded this caravan is - and as we're all aware, knowledge is power. However, can you really afford to let this opportunity pass? Kurt Hissin Your followers have been quite successful as of late! A recent raid has supplied you with enough weapons and food to last for a good month. Security has been doubled, of course, but that's to be expected with a success of this size. Your retainers have given you some suggestions as to what to do next: - The governor of Hissin's capitol is a known Sevvran supporter, and a bit too well-liked among the people. Assassinating him would not only stop the people from being slowly converted into Sevvran loyalists, it would also rekindle the flame of rebellion among those that still seek to free it. - The hideouts are starting to be overcrowded because of recent raids by the guards eliminating a few safehouses. You should look into finding more suitable locations, to make sure your guerilla fighters always have a safe place to retreat to... - The captain of the guard is cruel, and mistreats your ex-subjects horribly. The prisons are overflowing with your brothers and sisters, and surely so are their torture chambers. Most assuredly, you got some ready-made freedom fighters, all you need to do is break their chains and hand them something sharp. - There are rumors of powerful magical artifacts being unearthed in the Paramount Dominion ruins to the north. There may be something there that could help your cause. - It's becoming rapidly clear that while you have guerilla fighters, their training is sub-par. Most of these people are just former farmers, housewives, merchants, or what have you, not soldiers. You should find someone who can teach them how to fight better. This would not only raise the quality of your soldiers, but also their morale. - The secret passages the resistance uses to move unseen are being blocked off more and more by the guards. You need to find new ones, and cripple their capability to do so, somehow - trapping the tunnels would be a good start. Unfortunately, your manpower is limited - You can only do one of these yourself, and delegate two more to your retainers - otherwise, you'd likely overextend yourself. What will you do? Oh, and you've heard rumors of the Windspeaker being in Hissin. Which is a bit unfortunate, because it's likely to attract unwanted attention. Glaumdrang Wealth-Checker Disaster! A huge amount of gold has been stolen out of your hoard. Everyone that has been here recently claims to have neither seen nor heard anything, but of course that can't be true, because how would the gold be gone otherwise!? In other, less important news, the Pope has requested another loan. Getting quite deep into your debt, isn't he? What does he even need all this money for? Is he outfitting his inquisitors with armor made out of solid gold? One has to wonder. Oh, and the drat Balduwin pirates are on it again. Nearly one quarter of your ships have been raided, sunk, or even stolen completely over the course of this month. It's becoming rapidly clear that this situation is unsustainable. Leona Sevvran It's been a while since you had the palace to yourself, hasn't it? Boring old de Wulfe is out with the even older Voss, and you only got yourself as company. Oh, and that beautiful maid. Mmh, such wonderful eyes... Ah, where was I? Oh, yeah. You're alone. You could do all sorts of naughty things. No, not THOSE. Like, reading important documents, sifting through de Wulfe's personal stuff... Surely, there's SOMETHING you can find that gives your voice some more power, right? It's got to be demeaning, having de Wulfe on the throne when you're the princess. Throne's rightfully yours, right? Not that old hags. Alternatively, you could just go out and do things in the city. It's not like anyone has the authority to deny you around here. There's a few pubs that always have interesting stories to tell. You happened to overhear that a few travellers from Archea arrived lately. Perhaps you can wring some interesting stories out of them... Or more, if you're so inclined... Amerigo Hieronymus Hey, you remember Wealth-Checker? You just heard he got robbed, pretty hard. Now, that wouldn't be so much of a problem - if you were the ones robbing him. But, sadly, you aren't. de Wulfe is going to be pissed about only getting half the tax out of that dragon. And you know it's gonna be you that's going to be yelled at... so maybe you should help him get the money back. Minus tax, of course. Maybe make up some tax he forgot to pay. Alternatively, you could extort more money out of those nobles. After all, they've been stonewalling you until their legal staff suddenly and unexpectedly died. Don't you wonder what's up with that?
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Jul 16, 2016 15:06
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It was a perfect day in Sevvran, soon it would be an imperfect one Viktor knew but for these few moments the streets were at peace and all that was expected of him was to escort the Lady de Wulfe in public, and discuss matters of state. "On the matter of Hissin my lady I have some good news, the governer of our Hissin province Lord Housemartin has been making strides to ensure the relationship between the Hissians and Sevvran remains cordial, despite efforts by the disposed prince to disrupt our efforts to rebuild Hissin." "It would be for the best therefore that I reinforce our efforts there first, they are a valuable trading partner with the capitol after all so I shall handle this myself. As for the Archea situation I have Captain Founder enforcing our caravans through those lands, and I trust his ability to ensure those resources get to where they need to, further more-." Viktor almost bumped into de Wulfe as she suddenly stopped, he looked around quickly and sighted upon an elf. Elves, he was making an effort to be a lot more, polite, to them after that business with the envoy of the forest kingdoms back when he was a captain but, he always felt a little uncomfortable around people who looked like they were mere striplings, and then turned out to be hundreds of years older then Viktor. A hand was resting on the sword he carried, not to threaten in anyway but to assure that it was there, and he did have one. The look on de Wulfe's face was somewhat perplexing. After a few awkward moments, Viktor decided to break to silence, taking a step forward he said to the elf, "Excuse me madam, are you lost?" quote:
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Jul 16, 2016 16:21
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OscarDiggs posted:Glaumdrang Wealth-Checker -------- Many two-leggers would have panicked by this point. Glaumdrang considered the notion but then dismissed it. Panic had it’s place; when 50 armed and armoured warriors were barrelling down the tunnels crying for his head, that would be a time for panic. For now though, decisive action (or pointless busywork, depending on who you ask) was called for. A hundred accountants, fund managers, guards and other higher officials were scurrying throughout the main vault room trying desperately to rationalise what had happened. Before the mighty Dragon stood Lonus Sprypipe, Gnome Head of Finance, Daniel Burket, the General Manager of the Ark’s Landing Branch of the Bank and second only to Glaumdrang himself when it came to authority (but even then, that didn’t amount to much. Glaumdrang very much believed in micromanagment) and Valeria Tikor, the Ogre Head of Security. These three beings represented the best and brightest two centuries of familial hiring could produce and now was the time of their harrowing. It was four in the morning, thirty seven minutes into the hour. They would be opening the doors to the public in one hour and twenty three minutes. It was time to act. “Lonus” Glaumdrang coaxed the Gnome, “We need to find out if only my vault was hit or if other’s were as well. Start with the Royal Treasury. I want a full accounting of everything we hold compared to our most recent records. Every account we have gets checked and counted for accuracy. I don’t care how long it takes.” “Daniel, I want lists. Everyone who entered the branch over the past week, employee or member of the public. Every deposit and withdrawal made during that time frame and every employee on duty as well; I want them in here answering the questions security has for them. I don’t care if they’ve already been questioned once. From this point on until I say so, every withdrawal and deposit that would require a trip to the central hoards will be subject to a twenty four hour delay. Cancel every appointment and meeting that would allow a member of the public entry into our secure areas. Only employees and those with my express permission can leave the main lobby; for everyone else, entry is sealed.” “Valeria, I want you to enforce that sealing. No one gets in or out without going through two pairs of guards. Double all shifts patrolling the lower levels; tell them to keep their eye’s open for cracks, misplaced furniture, anything that might indicate someone tunneling in from the outside. Feel free to employ some new hires for the upper levels but I want the lower ones filled with level 4 staff only. Question all staff members again; you’re looking for discrepancies in their stories, things that they don’t agree on or that have changed since last questioned. I also want background checks on all employees to see if any have gone through a change in circumstances that might suggest a bribe or the need for one. Finally, give the guardsman who noticed the theft a promotion and a raise.” Turning to address all his heads of staff, Glaumdrang let out one last warning. “We are officially at a level three situation. You have trained for this so I do not expect any unreasonable issues for our valued customers. I will handle all loans and investments personally from here on. I want to be kept abreast on any other issues. Prepare the employee barracks and begin building up a food stockpile in the event we move to level four. And remember this banks motto, ‘The rewards for initiative are great and terrible to behold’, now on with your tasks, I have problems to erase.” They stood their, slightly dumbfounded. They often did so after a face-to-face meeting with their commander in chief and while Glaumdrang would usually find this amusing, his temper was a little bit frazzled by that point. With a roar of ”Now” and a brief gout of flame that sent them all running, Glaumdrang turned and stalked away. This theft was an issue, but not one that couldn’t be dealt with. The bank had, unfortunately, been victim to various thefts throughout it’s two centuries of function, but they had never targeted Glaumdrangs personal hoard before. Was it a personal attack? Random bank hit gotten lucky? Had they failed elsewhere and hit his account as a consolation? Question for later, when he had the bastards who did this strung up by the feet, heat slowly rising aS THEIR SKIN MEL-. A calming breath, more to assuage the junior clerk that he had been terrifying then anything else, and he was off. Dealing with mud-men was so difficult at times. But for now, mud-men was all he had. A break in at the bank, piracy destroying one of his and the kingdoms main source of wealth and a Pope looking like a riskier investment with every second. Still, with crisis, came opportunity. “You” he spun, glaring directly at the clerk he had been menacing seconds ago. A foul odour pierced the air, but nothing Glaumdrang hadn’t had to deal with over the many years. “Send a runner to His Holiness Pope Sahalnir and request a meeting as soon as possible. Wait” he stood in thought. “Send one to Lord Commander Viktor Von Voss as well. We must meet at his earliest convenience. Alright, while the Pope and the Commander get their appointment slips, let’s have a look around for clues. Glaumdrang will use +4 - First Bank of Sevvran on the basis that it’s his bank and he should be familiar with it and +2 - A Dragon in his Prime because it’s been his bank for 200 years and this isn’t his first rodeo for +6. He’ll be using this to direct and assist in the search of the bank, the accounting and the questioning the employees for clues as to what the hell happened. OscarDiggs fucked around with this message at 22:24 on Jul 16, 2016 |
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Jul 16, 2016 17:29
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Amerigo Hieronymus: Tariff Collector and Adventurer The situation with the dragon was like too much drinking or sweets, yeah, it felt good but was in actuality terrible for you. There was no love lost for the creature himself, but he was the kingdom's scaly, grouchy, fire-spewing golden goose and now someone was killing it. He thought about not contacting the dragon at first; Amerigo could claim a larger share if he found the goods AND look like an upstanding citizen for returning a fraction of it. The question was where the devil it was, even he personally would be hard pressed to make that much metal disappear that quickly. It would be the labor of hours for his crew and in his old days he'd be satisfied with fleeing with a single pack's worth. Amerigo was dealing with someone very lucky, very good, or both, and he'd have to get to the bottom of the mystery. Ultimately, he decided to speak with the dragon, they'd need to coordinate efforts and Amerigo figured he could get away with moderate amounts of gloating. Speaking of mystery, there was the issue of a dozen odd aldermen biting the dust in recent weeks. Having their legal and financial counsel bite the dust so suddenly made quite a few houses vulnerable to surprise audits, and he was going to press that advantage while he could. He wasn't going to poke around for the reason why they had died, but half of being lucky was taking advantage of the situations that arose. Amerigo is going to use [Death and Taxes+4] and [Gentleman and Scholar+4] to investigate the missing gold, and trying to contact Glaum himself. He's starting at places where you could even move that much material at once (docks, etc), taking a brief exploration of the sewers beneath, checking for tunnels, etc, and then questioning around town looking for leads on who has suddenly come into quite a bit of money. Mean while the Office of Excise is going to be instructed to audit the estates of the unfortunate noble houses that have lost their legal staff. I won't extract the cash, yet, just let them know what and how much I can take without doing it, yet. quote:[Death and Taxes+4]: There's only two things inevitable in life, and Amerigo's skill with a blade is equaled only with his mathematical abilities and talent for ferreting out lies and deception. Nor has he forgotten where he came from; he maintains the odd hodgepodge of skills and athleticism needed to survive the life of a wandering Ronwayne fucked around with this message at 18:08 on Jul 16, 2016 |
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Jul 16, 2016 17:49
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Kurt Hissin quote:Psionic Gift[+4] Long said to be the gift of a great spirit, the royal line of Hissin has carried in its blood the great mental power. It didn't save his father, but there was never a need to train it for any kind of fighting. Kurt on the other hand has sought to master it to its full potential. He can speak mind to mind with distant people, coordinating his agents and forces. The loyalty of his men has been assured, for no disloyal thoughts could escape his probing. When patrols would near his hiding place they were turned aside, their minds clouded or controlled. And the few times strong individuals of power had found their way to him, he destroyed them with bolts of pure mental energy. Kurt stands before the map in his study room, hands clasped behind his back. The large canvas shows Hissin in great detail, marking many of its features. Below it is a copy, just as large, spread on a table carved from the mountain stone and littered with small figurines representing his various forces and that of Sevvan.. As his eyes close, Kurt concentrates and reaches out to the mind of an agent by the Sevvan-Hissin border. Its the usual time to check in and the agent is there. A brief thought and the man is sent back on his way, report delivered. With a sigh Kurt opens his eyes and moves a safehouse off the map. Thats the second one this month. He briefly considers there to be a mole, but the safehouses hit are too spread out to have been the work one of person. More likely its just that damm captain of the guard, stepping up his efforts to find Kurt. As he clenches his hands in anger a brief flame covers them, until Kurt notices and relaxes them. There's a knock on the door, before they open admitting Knight Barlas into the room. He was a member of the old Royal Guardsmen and has protected him during the retreat from the burning capital. Now he serves as Kurts captain, leading his forces. The problem is the man is the only real experienced soldier he has left. The few others who survived the invasion are spread thinly among his forces. "Barlas. What news?" asks Kurt. In answer Barlas takes a scroll from his pouch and hands it to his king. "Not the best I'm afraid. You'll see for yourself there. The new governor is gaining popularity. Our network of hidden passages are being found out faster than we can make them. That last raid was successful, but I'm afraid this is all a result of the security increase from it." replies Barlas. Kurt nods, listening as he reads of rest of it. The Windspeaker, moral declining among the untrained, and rumors of magical artifacts being unearthed to the north...as usual twenty different things to do and only so many he can attempt to. "What would you advise Barlas?" The knight shrugs. "Its the usual. We're fighting an upstream battle. Strike where we can and do what we must to strengthen our cause." Kurt begins walking, Barlas following behind. They come to the small throne room where Kurt takes his seat. The stone hallways are lit by striking rays from windows cut into the stone. In the throne room itself large lanterns and candles light its barren hall. A large Hissin banner is stretched on the wall behind the intricately carved wooden throne. As Kurt closes his eyes he concentrates once more, reaching out to speak to his main agent. Bartholos Alce, was once an alchemist in old Hissin. When Sevvan invaded the country the Alchemists Guild was one of the many casualties, destroyed in a catastrophic explosion as somebody lit up its stores. Most of the alchemists went underground or were 'hired' by Sevvan to serve it. In the months that followed Kurt managed to find Bartholos, who eagerly agreed to help in the rebellion. In fact the man had already started up his own network of agents to hinder the occupying forces. Now he serves as Kurt's main agent, or spymaster you might say. Bartholos, we've lost another safehouse. I'd hate to think we have moles among our people but that might be the case. Find out if anyones been spending extra cash, and see about setting up new safehouses. We must keep our forces safe. And see if anyone has seen the Windspeaker is the message Kurt sends him. There's a mental equivalent of a nod in the mans head, and Kurt opens his eyes. "Barlas. Send orders to halt any attacks for now. We must lay low for awhile and strengthen our position. I'll be sending you out for a bit. See if you can find somone who can help train our forces. I know they are with us and would die for the cause, but they still remain woefully unprepared for battle." Barlas nods. "I shall seek out someone of suitable martial status for the cause. How much should I offer them?" "See what they'll take. We have plenty of precious gems here and gold. Just not much to spend them on." replies Kurt. The knight bows, before taking his leave. After the man has left, Kurt speaks out loud. "The Paramount Dominion huh? Well I'll see if these rumors hold any truth..." Sending Barlas to find a trainer for my forces and have Kurt's forces cease their attacks for now in wake of the increased security and cracking down. Bartholos meanwhile will be checking to see how they've been finding our safehouses, and setting up new ones. Kurt himself, while he wishes to kill the captain of the guard has decided to let it wait. He'll soon have the man dead, but for now these rumors of magical artifacts have caught his attention. If they are true and he can secure some of these for himself, they will be a powerful tool in his rebellion.
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Jul 16, 2016 20:40
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Grand Inquisitor Karl Vondevan After receiving his commands from the Pope, Karl steps outside, and stands on the Great Bridge separating the papal palace from the rest of the city. He rests his hand on the stone, and looks down. From there, you can see impossibly far into the distance, down to the jungles below. What a beautiful day it was. The sun was shining, and there was a breeze. He looks out and wonders, why in such a beautiful world that Vallensius had made, mankind would repay Him through violence. Oh, he knows the answer. He knows about the wicked heart of mankind, and the rebellious spirit. But it was just such foolishness. The world was vast and rich, and Vallensius desired nothing more than that man enjoy its bounty. "Thus are we the authors of our own miseries, hurting ourselves and each other with evil", Karl says to himself. It's sad. There would be deaths with what Karl had to do. He knew that, and hated it a little. He saw the accounts of the tortures and executions. They were forwarded to him every week, and he read them, every word. It was his penance. It was just all so unnecessary. Why did they fight so hard to hang on to their lies and rebellion? Karl was, as he saw it, a surgeon. It was necessary to cut out the bad flesh so that the patient might live. But still, it could be hard sometimes. Shaking his head, he walked back to the Inquisition's offices. When he got back, he headed to his offices and called for his secretary. "I want you to write up two letters for my seal.", he says to the young man. "The first, to the Inquisition in Hissin. Inform them that the woman known as the Windspeaker is believed to be within the borders of Hissin, and tell them to be alert for her. She is to be captured if possible, killed if not." They wouldn't capture her, in all likelihood. He had led a search himself for her several months back, following rumors she had been in the Archean Reach. It hadn't gone well. She had always been one step ahead. He'd get to a village, just to find she had passed through the day before. One time he had tracked her to a mountain valley and had sworn he had her trapped, with soldiers blocking the only exit. But she was gone...somehow. The worst part of the whole thing had been coming back to tell His Holiness he had failed. Oh, there had been an outburst of anger, but it was a transient thing. That was the thing about His Holiness, he was never really angry, even though bursts of peevishness were more common now. But the real anger, the intense anger, never lasted. No, that wasn't the bad part. Karl could have handled anger. The worst part was how understanding he was. His Holiness had spoke, his words tinged with the disappointment that he was trying to conceal, and his questions had been about Karl's welfare. Karl had tried his best, he said. The woman was tricky. It wasn't the Inquisition's fault, and His Holiness still had complete faith in both Karl and the Inquisition. That was hellish; having to face both the Pope's disappointment and his compassion. Karl knew then that eventually he would face the Windspeaker, and he'd speak to her, and it would end with the death of one of them. Not today, though. "I want you to draft the next letter to the Inquisition in Red Vale. Inform them that I am not pleased with their progress and that I will be coming to the Red Vale myself to oversee operations." The secretary leaves, and Karl looks out the window to the East. "I'm coming, demon of the sands. And when I come, I'm going to burn your cult to ashes and then feed them to you. And we'll see then how powerful your Ra'Loah is then. Oh, yes." pre:Nobody Expects the Sevvran Inquisition +4 The Inquisition has eyes almost everywhere. It is the duty of sinners to confess their sins, and the duty of the faithful to report those suspected of heresy and sorcery, and the only appeals from the decisions of the Inquisition are to the Pope or the King. Karl has the theoretical power, at least, to order the arrest of anyone he suspects of sorcery or heresy, question them until he is sure of their guilt or innocence, and then punish the guilty. There are practical limitations to this, of course; the Inquisition is hardly the only power within the Church , and the Church is hardly the only power within Sevvran, and so, at least in the Sevvran homeland, is restrained in the use of its power. Accusations that the Inquisition is acting arbitrarily or overly harshly in recently conquered territories like Hissin or the Red Vale are merely rumors, and not substantiated. If you have evidence this sort of thing is occurring, Karl would dearly like to know it, as he firmly believes itsthe responsibility of the Inquisition not to abuse the power its given. Of course, if these are just rumors, well, Karl would remind you that it's a sin to spread lies and slander against the Church, and sins are punished now. Charismatic +2 Karl is, when it comes to matters outside of the parameters of his faith, easygoing and tolerant, eager to hear and take into account the opinions of others. He's self-depreciating and witty, he's a good listener, and has an easy smile and endearing personality. If he sets his mind to charm you, he will, and he's able to rationally and convincingly explain why he believes what he believes. He's a good mimic and a hit at parties. The Traditions of the Faith +2 Karl has been trained in the scholastic traditions of the Church. He is trained in languages, both church and civil law, rhetoric, science, mathematics, music, poetry and drama, politics, theology and philosophy, and has access to libraries and scholars. The Purity of his Faith -2 Good does not compromise with evil, or light with darkness. Karl won't compromise his faith or willingly ally with someone evil unless they're truly willing to repent. When it comes to matters of faith, he's willing to accept that some of his opponents aren't necessarily evil.... some might merely be deluded or ignorant, but he'll never come to accept their views as valid or believe that society should tolerate their holding them. Epicurius fucked around with this message at 04:03 on Jul 17, 2016 |
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Jul 17, 2016 01:40
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 Despite picking up the transport from the other side of the bay, closer to Blomstregårdian territory, she was the only elf on board. It did indeed seem like her people were now secreted away in their homeland, very few daring to step into the greater world. In uncharitable terms, cowards. "[So this is Ark's Landing…]" The great queen mumbles to herself in her native tongue as the ship began to moor in the harbour. The city was certainly big, that was undeniable. But it was big in that provincial capital way, a sprawling expanse of ill-fitting and disjointed designs just bursting at the seams trying to fit everybody into itself. Here, a resplendent temple made of sparkling marble standing tall over the cityscape. Then next to it, small wooden slums that houses the layperson. No rhyme, no reason, just urban expansion. This was in contrast to the grand, which Anathema's capitals were beyond any other description. Meticulously planned, perfectly executed metropolises that did not have a stone out of place. The dock was a bustle of activity, stevedores hauling goods and passengers rushing to and fro. But even amongst this barely contained chaos, Anathema stood out. Her ears were longer by half than any of the people around her. Even with the olive tanned sailors around, her skin was darker still. Her hair was in strong locs. Her vivid dress was unlike anything anybody in this part of the world would wear. She couldn't go without drawing attention in the human lands, unless she stuffed herself into a hooded cloak and avoided major settlements. But hiding away for any longer would be doing the world a disservice, abnegating responsibility totally. She couldn't bare the weight of yet more suffering at her inaction. Though her goal was to gain access to whatever passes as the city library or archive, to gain some understanding on the city and her empire, she didn't even get fifty feat before eyes were upon her. The common subject, perhaps having never seem an elf like her before. Dock workers, making conspicuous effort to keep their distance from her. Two knights, who seemed to be paying her special attention. When it becomes clear that she would not even be allowed to leave the harbour unmolested, Anathema sighs and puts on a fierce stare at the approaching solider. "Lost because I am not back home with the other elves frolicking amongst the trees of Blomstregård?" Anathema, without the hesitation of a kowtowed subject, fires back at the male knight. She had worked hard on her accent since she 'woke up' again in the world, but there was only so much she could do in the little time she had since then. Elf culture, at least in Anathema's time, thrived on taking studious years to perfect every skill. They had the lifespan for it, after all. But time, ironically enough, had not been on Anathema's side. She had to translate from the tongue to modern elven, and from there to translate again to this… common trade language the humans used throughout Sevvran. Even for the great Basilissa Anathema, she could not avoid a small but undeniable accent. Non-aspirated p's and t's. A trace of final-obstruent devoicing. An uvular trill. To an untrained ear, enough to detect she was foreign. To an academic? Perhaps enough to pinpoint the vague area on the westlands that she came from. "Or, Sir, do such well appointed knights accost every woman who takes three steps off the ferry?" Robodog posted:
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Jul 17, 2016 06:30
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Lord Commander Viktor von Voss It wasn't quite the response he was expecting and he looked taken aback. Maybe it wasn't the best approach but he knew that every other week someone tries to assassinate the regent regardless of the consequences. Something like at could make a man a little jumpy "Well, no I didn't mean it in that manner madam." He takes a step back. Bloody elves, try to offer directions and they snap at you for it. "You looked like you were looking for something ma'am." He shot de Wulfe a look that said 'Help me here.' ((I kinda assumed we were a short distance away from each other))
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Jul 17, 2016 08:43
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 The ritual fires have died down, the carcass of the sacrificed calf little more than blackened bones and cinders in a brazier along with some entrails spilled on the sands of the Red Vale. Surrounding the sacred rite are a hundred and one of Ra'Loah's faithful, gathered and robed, heads bowed and words of praise upon their lips. They've seen and heard Ra'Loah tonight, and awestruck worshipers pray in tongues as the crickets of the desert chirp relentlessly and the moon hangs oppressively overhead. The one who brought them here moves to speak, her midnight black robe rippling as she slowly draws back her hood, and those assembled bring themselves to a quiet to hear the words of the Prophet. "Brothers and sisters in Faith," Samarah begins, raising her hands as if to embrace them all, her voice a shout of impossible conviction. "Ra'Loah shall soon be worshiped throughout Sevvran and beyond, as It Wills it - I saw it plain as day in the fires, saw us assembled again beneath a mighty royal banner, our God's Name shouted throughout the world." They've heard talk of the Queen of Prophecy from her before, but she's not given them a name yet. It's not time yet, not until she can meet with who God intends again, to be certain of things. Visions of the future can be tricky after all, and seating the wrong person on the Throne of Sevvran would be a cataclysmic disaster - she has to be sure about it, in other words. But for now that's neither here nor there. "Go forth throughout Sevvran with my blessing, and share word of the True God. Let Its Will guide you, and let cleverness and caution temper your fervor - Inquisitors in thrall to the Great Enemy stalk the land, desperate to buy its favor with the blood of the faithful. They know not Whose servants they harm, but the hour of their judgement is close at hand." Raising her voice, she gestures towards the all but dead flames - and they explode to life, a great conflagration of towering flames and billowing smoke replacing the meager embers in an instant. A sign to guarantee her follower's faith, nothing more... courtesy not her God, but a little powdered Rustweed slipped onto the fires earlier, the slow-acting but flash-burning kind. As the ritual fire burns high again - by Samarah's extensively educated opinion, she's got about thirty seconds before the powder's consumed and the fire goes out, and with it her dramatic lighting - she raises her arms towards the heavens, looking rapturously at something that no one else can see. "As Ra'Loah commands me, so shall I go out into the wilderness - to the Haunted Ruins of Sihon, to fast and meditate and commune more fully with It. Until we meet together again, may the Sun bless your days, may the flames keep you safe at night, and may Ra'Loah's Will guide you onward." The flames go out as her prayer ends, and no sooner have they than the Prophet's disappeared from the midst of the procession. While her faithful flock needs to spread the word of God, she's prepared for her journey into the wilderness, to brave the demon haunted sands to find the place her God has chosen to reveal Itself and Its Will to her more completely. She'd visited it years ago after all, back when she was just Samarah the Scholar... it'll be even easier to find now, with the One True God backing her, and she can hardly wait to pass this test Its set before her.  Ruins of Sihon While I'm commanding my Cult to spread out and start mass converting everywhere they can, Samarah's making her way to a place of supernatural power to better convene with her God. Finding the place in question safely and interpreting what Ra'Loah reveals should be easy due to Wandering Scholar [+4], while Prophet of Ra'Loah [+4] handles the actually conveying directly with Ra'Loah and magically perceiving the future bit of things. Maybe It just wants Samarah to go all the way out there so she finds something significant and hopefully magical - she's not picky. In case it's relevant, both Spirit Blessed [+2] and Demon Haunted Wastes [-2] are probably at play here as well, even though the math cancels out. quote:
Rauri fucked around with this message at 12:24 on Jul 17, 2016 |
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Jul 17, 2016 11:52
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TheNabster posted:Lord Commander Viktor von Voss "Pardon me. You reminded me of someone for a second. We'll be on our way. But, if I may make a suggestion, perhaps do not reply so needlessly aggressively." Wulfe replies, moving on and seeing the conversation as over.
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Jul 17, 2016 13:32
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Lavelle Ingernassa A small room upstairs from a tavern in the old section of Archea. This part of the city took the most damage during the Sevvran invasion centuries ago. Wooden buildings stick out among the older stone structures, and there are still empty sections of earth, where even wooden rebuilding wasn't worth the cost. That a surviving Old Archean tavern should be their safehouse...the poetry's not lost on Lavelle, even if inflamability was the main motivator in its selection. The Group gathers around a square table, arguably too big for the room, with a map across it, folded to show Archea and its immediate surroundings. Sinara leans over the table, marking possible routes for the convoy with the little wooden figurines she's so fond of carving. "Our informants," she explains, "say this is a significant shipment. Enough food, arms and armor for perhaps five thousand men." Lavelle's eyebrows darted up, her arms uncrossed. "Heavily guarded?" "Likely," Sinara said. "But...unknown," she admitted. Trilon sat up at that. "Then how do you expect us to take this convoy!?" he shot. Sinara had scored a coup by bringing this information to the High Sorceress, thus threatening his position, at least in his mind. He didn't understand that Lavelle parcelled out tasks to maintain careful rivalries among her inner circle, and so Sinara's win suited her just fine. "We must be prepared to strike, willing to do whatever is necessary" the High Sorceress said. Her fingers stretched out over the map. "Prepare a raiding party for my leadership," Lavelle said to her lieutenants. Their usual raiding parties numbered perhaps a dozen, easily enough to take on a barely-defended commercial shipment, or an undisciplined military one. Her fingers rapped on the table. "Thirty," she concluded. Sinara gasps, before putting her composure back on. "Thirty?" she pressed. Lavelle glared at her, dunking her soul in icy water. "Yes, understood, High Sorceress," Sinara said. "Trilon," Lavelle continued. "Gather supplies from our hidden stocks. We will need horses, food, costumes," Lavelle considered her choice, "Robes, as they use in the Vale." Having seen the reaction to Sinara's stumble, Trilon bowed his head. "Understood, High Sorceress," he said crisply. Trilon snapped to his feet, Sinara nipping at his heels as they went about their work. Using [+4] Cult of Archea to assemble a raiding party and get on the move to intercept the convoy. They'll travel to an area for observation, where they can take stock before moving in to strike. quote:
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Jul 17, 2016 20:04
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"Looking for something?" Anathema returns the question to the accosting guard. "Are we not all looking for something, sir knight? Is this unceasing longing that humans, naturally, consider to be part of 'human nature', but which among we elves is known as 'vela'ghenn', and runs something like 'kottar hhaw' in the dwarven tongue, simply not just part of who we are as people? Is not our curiosity and never-ending search for meaning one of the fundamental conditions of life that we all together share?" Clearly, this was a somewhat rhetorical statement. Anathema continues without giving the gormless guard enough time to understand half of the words she had just used. "Ark's Landing is new to me. As such, I am attempting to find what passes as culture in this sprawling morass of a capital. Arts. Literature. Bibliothèque. The central core of what it means to be Sevvran. The soul of your kingdom." She answers the man, one hand on her hip and the other gesturing lightly to the city around them. "If you can direct one to that, then by all means you may be useful." The other knight walks over, equally well armoured and armed but in something that appeared slightly less battle hardened. For a moment, Anathema is concerned there would be a confrontation in the street. As if she wasn't drawing enough attention already. But thankfully the knight seemed to only want to retain her offsider. Something Anathema was amenable to. "The confusion is understandable, sir knight. We must all look alike to your eyes." She offers her a small smile and nod. "A typical response from the strong to the weak, dare not talk to your betters lest you face the consequences. If that is all, sir knights." Anathema, seeing the two knights turn to leave her, offers them a curt bow. She had her own matters to see to, after all. Anywhere of serious learning would most certainly not be on the docks.
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Jul 18, 2016 07:51
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 Please. Sex isn't the only thing I think about. And de Wulfe might be old, but she's certainly no hag, still as beautiful as ever, mmm. Anyway! No, I have more important things to do than to spy on our loyal, if unsuited Regent, or taking one of the maids for a tumble (for now at least). Duty calls, and so do I. For a maid, who is sent out with orders, and before long a meal is prepared, and my two guests arrive. Sinelle and Lady Asmanda, two courtiers long at my side, one the daughter of no one of importance, the other the daughter of a minor local house. Both minor members of court, but women of intelligence and resource. "My good ladys, I'm pleased you were free to join me for our lunchtime meal." I gesture at the table, laid with an elegant, though not extravagant spread, the centerpiece a bowl overflowing with fruit and berries coated in crystallized honey, soaking in a rich cream. The meal progresses pleasantly, full of idle conversation, but at near end I let out a small, sad sigh. "Our good friend Petra is still nowhere to be seen, I know the two of you know how dear she is to me... Perhaps others in the court might have had word, if the two of you could hear anything of her whereabouts it would be a weight off my shoulders if you brought news to me." The conversation moves on eventually, and the meal comes to a close, and the two women head off back into the castle. I'm sure they'll bring any news that is to be found to me. After finishing the last of the fruit, I dab gently at my lips with a damp cloth and send my maid to bring in a page, and then clear up the remains of the meal. The page is sent to fetch my arms and armor. Once he returns and helps buckle the armor on, I have him leave off the breastplate enameled with the symbol of House Sevvran, modified somewhat to show my bastardy, instead going for a simple chain mail hauberk, making it far less obvious who is under this armor, and then I head out into the streets, aiming for the walls of Ark's Landing. The Old Bear and The Wolf are making inspections, it wouldn't do for the only one of Blood Royal at court to be seen doing less, and having the bastard Princess seen on the walls, talking with the men serving there will do wonders for morale. As an added benefit, it'll remind them subtly that they're guarding her, and not their King. In the event the King falls, it'll make them that much more likely to support her claim than any would be usurpers. And the same would be true even if the King doesn't fall... Arriving at one of the barracks along the wall, I find some of the men there are in the yard training, so without making it known who I am, I head in, working at the dummies along side them until the time comes for sparring. I take up place alongside one of the men there, and we have a good, if rather quick bout -rather typical of a man really- and I've moved on to the next. It doesn't take long before a small crowd of the guards have gathered, wagering on the fight between me and the local captain. He puts up a better fight, but gets disarmed in the end without a deal of difficulty. Removing his helmet to wipe his sweating brow, he asks for the name of the knight who bested him. "For my valiant partner at arms, of course. I am..." And with an extravagant gesture and a smile, I sweep my own helm off my head, letting my long golden hair flow free into the air, creating a rather remarkable effect if I do say so myself -and judging from the looks on many of the faces there, I'm not wrong. "the Princess Leona. Come Captain, walk with me." I gesture towards the wall, and together we make our way up. "I like to visit the men to make sure you're being properly supplied, see that morale is high, that manner of thing. Is there anything I can do to help keep the brave men who protect us night and day in good order?" Working our way along the wall, we discuss matters for awhile, then he heads back to his barrack, and I continue along, stopping to exchange pleasantries and gossip with the other guards I pass. Sending some followers to search for word of Petra, while I working to build support among the serving troops in Arks Landing, reminding them of who they're protecting Blood of Kings [+4] and grabbing their attention with my skill and beauty Warrior of Renown [+2], Courtly Beauty [+2], for a +8. Leona Sevvran posted:
GodFish fucked around with this message at 08:07 on Jul 18, 2016 |
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Jul 18, 2016 08:03
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Sudden Clarity I fear my departure is already too late. The sky rumbles, as if in agreement. I shake my head, adjust my robes once more, then push open the great temple doors. Before me are arrayed nearly all of the monastery's current denizens. I suppose I should be flattered at the ceremony. It is, after all, not often one of us is given such a mission, and the monks have made a show of support. The elders themselves are seated serenely before the gates, and pilgrims swarm to observe, in awe despite being wet and tired. An auspicious send-off! But I know the doubts that lie behind the eyes of my brothers and sisters. More than a few of them have told me openly that they oppose my leaving the temple; how many more have kept their thoughts to themselves? Enough. I left such fears and doubts behind when I cast off my neophyte's robe. The First Sword does not let the uncertainty of others cause her own blade to waver. I stride down the ancient steps and out into the rain, past the rows of watching eyes. My mentor, Quiet Insight, waits for me at the gate. He raises his hands; we follow his lead, and as one we invoke the blessings of the gods. Send forth your mercy! Send forth your wisdom! But, oh, most of all, send forth your fury! Help us to destroy the vermin that bite at our heels! The heavens give no reply, save the unending rain. But that is answer enough. With the prayers complete, my mentor steps forth and hands me an inlaid box. I don't need to open it; I've already seen the treasure inside, when it was brought out as part of a ceremony honoring Ardent Voice, the monk who originally brought it here almost a century ago. It is a slender knife made of jade, with its hilt crafted in the shape of a heron, which Ardent Voice prised from the dead hands of its maker, an enchanter and heretic named Petnos the Hollow. By means of some forbidden and blasphemous art, it allows one to leap incredible distances, and thereby travel at great speed across the land. A wondrous thing, though it assuredly cost Petnos his wretched life, and probably his soul as well. But though its creation was unholy, things are only things; this tool may be turned to the service of the gods, in the right hands. My hands. I bow, and take the box, making a show of being properly reverential. And then it is time to be away. I'm going to head to Ark's landing, by means of jumping really far and really fast. quote:Sudden Clarity megane fucked around with this message at 11:21 on Jul 18, 2016 |
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Jul 18, 2016 11:10
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Lord Commander Viktor Von Voss A short distance away, you can barely hear Wulfe mutter 'I wonder if I'll find an agreeable elf before I die of old age...' as she continues on. However, your inspection tour is soon interrupted again, by a messenger. He bears a sigil you know all too well. Wealth-Checker. He wants an appointment with you specifically. "... It seems this is one of those days... Very well. Voss, go see what that oversized chicken wants. I can handle this myself." Feel free to take control of the messenger, OscarDiggs. Glaumdrang Wealth-Checker There are two things that are really curious about this situation: First, the fact that everyone really seems to be telling the truth. There are no odd inconsistencies, at all. Sure, a lot of them seem a bit frightened, but that's probably because they're having a chat with a dragon. Secondly, there are a number of gold transfers written in the books that shouldn't be there. They are otherwise in perfect order - except the other side of the transactions never existed. As you dwell on this matter, however, it appears you received a message, from your frienemy Amergio. It appears he wants to assist you in this matter, and has already started investigations of his own. Finding Clues: 2d6+6 13 (ignore what link says I goofed) Huge Success! While you don't find any suspects, you at least have a hunch as to how they did it. It's now only a matter to figure out where the money actually went. Amerigo Hieronymus: Tariff Collector and Adventurer You weren't able to find where the money itself went - but, it's easy enough to figure out who suddenly got more money - it's usually the guys yelling the loudest in the bar. And lo and behold... Yeah, you guessed it. Everyone is as drunk as a dwarf on a bad day, because they've given out a number of rounds that likely numbers in the double digits. Unfortunately, it's kind of hard to make things out in the noise of the drunken brawl that erupted just as you walked in... but on the other hand... The guy you're after is knocked out, with a curiously heavy purse bulging out of his pocket. Interesting... Finding Clues: 2d6+8 17 Huge Success. You found one of the culprits on a spending spree. He only seems to have a smaller part of the loot with him, though. Kurt Hissin I rolled for you, this time, but you need to note the qualities you want to use for rolling!! Your own project bears fruits - via middlemen, psionic suggestion, and other means, you have managed to get your hands on a very curious orb. It's somewhat plain visually, but your power tells you more - it resonates to your energy in some way. Unfortunately, it is broken, and quickly leaks any energy infused into it. Bartholos reports in a day later. "Milord, my have rooted out multiple spies and verified the background of our cells. In doing so, they also managed to confiscate the Sevvran' bribes - the money is being delivered to our safehouses as we speak." Unfortunately, any joy from that success quickly fades as Knight Barlas returns. For he returns battered, his armor damaged in multiple places. "Mi lord... I was unsuccessful. There don't seem to be any suitable men not already in Sevvran's pocket. In fact, more than one engaged me in battle, and I had to abandon the mission. And... in my hasteful retreat, I am unsure if I was able to cover my tracks properly. I am sincerely sorry for my failure, milord..." Boom. He wasn't. Knight Retainer Roll: 2d6+2 4 Failure! Not only did you not find any suitable men, you attracted undue attention... Spymaster Retainer Roll: 2d6+4 14 Huge Success! Bartholos not only found the moles and dealt with them, but also their payment. Artifact Hunting: 2d6+4 11 Success! You found a strange orb that resonates with your mental power. You are going to need to identify it, however, and by the looks of it it will also require repairs. Grand Inquisitor Karl Vondevan You arrive in the Red Vale with a detachment of loyal inquisitors a few days later. And immediately you are faced with the first problem - how do you root out a hidden cult when everywhere your eyes fall looks the very same? Perhaps the locals could give you pointers, but you know just how well they like your kind... Grand Inquisitor. Anathema You get a few (actually, a lot) of odd looks, but you make it to the library. Contrary to the stories you might hear, the Sevvran do not appear to be brutes in armor. The sheer size of this library states otherwise. This is also your current problem. How do you even find what you're looking for here, in a library larger than most castles? Samarah Ka Qismah The fire suddenly bursts up explosively, and in a second, engulfs you entirely. As you are awash in flames - a scene unfolds itself. No, a multitude of scenes. In fact, an incoherent mess of them. It's hard to make most of anything out, exactly, but you catch glimpses of the following things: - A child, abandoned in the desert, reaching out their hand to those who abandoned them. - A woman, on a throne. Her crown has been shattered in half and she only wears the left half of it. - A girl, fighting her tears, clearly fighting someone against her real feelings. However, suddenly, the visions too burn away, and only one thing remains: A troop of Sevvran inquisitors, with heads of goats and an seemingly unending march. As the vision ends, something incorporeal seems to pull you towards the northwest. But you knew, already, did you not? You never caught flame. It was merely a test of faith, not that you would ever fail such a thing. Ritual: 2d6+8 15 Lavelle Ingernassa Thanks to the early warning, you manage to scramble together a raiding party. Sitting in strategic positions in a canyon, your troops are ready to strike. Your scouts return soon after, reporting on the number of guards - roughly matches your own. Shouldn't be much of a problem, considering you have magic at your disposal, and they do not. Your troops are already eager to strike, like half-starved tigers looking for a meal... Scouting Roll: 2d6+4 8 Success. You're in a decent location for an ambush, and the convoy is surprisingly lightly guarded. Leona Sevvran The troops are absolutely roaring in applaud as you (somewhat overly dramatically) remove your helmet. They're certainly impressed, it seems, and the captain no less. The captain of the guard takes you on an impromptu tour of the barracks soon after. Well stocked armory, not so well stocked food supply, and sadly completely broken down training gear. On top of that, several of the sleeping quarters seem ripe to soon fall apart - which would be a problem, considering how overcrowded they are... In other news, your two (girl)friends are very eager to please you, and only a day later, return with news: She's been spotted traveling somewhere to the north. Unfortunately, said news is several days dated, but it's something, right? As usual, she didn't say where she went, but apparently she wanted to 'exercise her sword arm'. Whatever that means... Impressing the guards: 2d6+8 17 Huge Success! The troops see you in a much better light now - an actual equal warrior, not just some dumb noble to be protected. Follower Roll: 2d6+2 11 Success. You did find a several day old trail of her, but that's it. Anything further will require a more mobile investigator. Sudden Clarity You get a few odd looks by travelers on the road, but they just chalk it up to the amazing monk techniques. Seems like your order is a bit mythical out here. Anyway, you make it into Ark's Landing safely. Not much of a welcoming fanfare, by that I mean none at all, but that's kind of to be expected. The question is, where do you go? The Palace would be the most logical choice, of course, but perhaps somewhere else strikes your fancy.
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Jul 18, 2016 18:36
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Lavelle Ingernassa Sinara's information paid dividends. The raiding party has dispersed themselves about the upper rim of the canyon, carefully using a mix of magic and technique to stay well hidden. Dusk approached, a fine time for a strike, as the enemy would be tired, disoriented. Nor could they see in the dark. The caravan rolls up the canyon slowly. Lavelle hugs in against a rock, watching intensely as they get in further, further, harder and harder to back out. At her signal, two of the company cast an incantation and a huge slice of the canyon wall crumbles. Sliding down, the rock kicks up a tremendous amount of dust, and piles in to block the way forward. Into the dust Lavelle leads half her party, Sinara with her, half under Trilon's command to keep watch from above. As they move through the confusion, they drop in to form an arc behind the caravan. Stones before them, Archeans behind them. Nowhere to go. Before the dust settles, Lavelle draws herself up, tossing her concealing robe aside. The High Sorceress steps forward with confident strides, eyes aglow, arms outstretched. One guard turns and a hastily fired crossbow bolt whizzes past her. Not a flinch. A gesture tosses the guard off the rear wagon and smashing against the wall. Let them think she could do it to them all at once - they need not know what's real and what's a parlor trick. "This caravan," her voice booms, echoing - with some magical help - off the walls of the canyon. "Belongs to the people of Archea! I, the High Sorceress, command you to surrender. You will lay down your arms, NOW, or you will die, NOW." Lavelle's heart races, as she waits the pre-arranged five seconds, before Trilon's team starts attacking from above. At night, confused, an attack from an unexpected angle should catch them unaware, and her own team can engage as well if needed. Funny how good planning often comes off as magic. 5... 4... 3... Using [+4] Queen of Shadows to spring the trap and attempt to bully the guards into submission. [+4] Cult of Archea to go into battle if they aren't cowed.
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Jul 19, 2016 03:09
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The meanings of her God's visions are so clear to her. Drawing her hands into the sleeves of her robes as the fire burns down around her and her visions fade with it, the prophet Samarah is already making her way away from the deathly still ruins towards her Destiny. Ra'Loah has made Its Will known to her, and there's nothing that will stand between her and what she's been chosen to do. Even still, as she trudges through the endless sands that separate the Red Vale from Sevvran proper, she cannot help but endless replay what the flames showed her, what her visions of the future truly mean. She knew to go Northwest, that much was obvious... but was else that God had shown her might have escaped her understanding somehow? The child eludes her. Her own religion? Though she instructed them to scatter, they might not - and she is leaving the Vale behind with every step she takes. Perhaps someone significant to her destiny, her God? Yes, it's quite possible... perhaps even the youth of her second vision. The woman, her God's Chosen Queen of course. The cracked crown... of course, Leona Sevvran. A bastard, yes, but the blood of kings flows through her veins - through half of her lineage. There's nothing to worry about the Kingdom being split, as Samarah originally feared. Surely it's merely an indicator of her bloodline, a sign from Ra'Loah as to who she need assist in taking the throne. The girl... The Wolf's Pup? It seems most likely. Poor girl. Even if De Wulfe is in the wrong, and will suffer for it - fighting against her true calling, failing to support a woman that raised her and that she cares about... it's distasteful to Samarah. Offensive even. Rather a true enemy than a false friend, after all. Petra has chosen wrong thus far. By the time Samarah's emerged from that desert near Hissin and the Spearhills, clad in robes and armed and sustained by her Faith, she's said countless prayers for both those she's seen in her vision, and the faithful flock she sent throughout the kingdom of Sevvran. Mostly though, she saved her prayers for the one she'd seen in the flames, the one who would unite the realm and champion Ra'Loah's forces against the coming darkness. "Mighty God Ra'Loah, Creator of All Things Good," she's started many prayers this way, though by the time she's come wandering out of the wastes, she truly, deliriously means it. "Show the True Queen Leona the way, and help keep her on the path of righteousness - towards her destiny." Samarah looks from under her heavy black robe towards the noonday sun overheard, and perhaps she truly does see something; hear someone speaking back to her. "As you command oh Ra'Loah, I obey." With every step she draws closer to her destiny, after all. Using Prophet of Ra'Loah [+4] towards Rauri fucked around with this message at 07:14 on Jul 19, 2016 |
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Jul 19, 2016 07:02
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Kurt Hissin Now what is this? Kurt's efforts at finding out the sources of the rumors of magic artifacts to the north had born some fruit. The look on the Sevvan merchant's face when he returns to the capitol without the orb he had been entrusted with is something he'd love to see if he wasn't so busy here. So far though, it had eluded his understanding. It seems to be some sort of reservoir of energy, be it magic or his own, but any further function either doesn't exist or is hampered by its damage. Any energy he imbues it with dissipates, at a proportionate rate to the amount he puts into it. He sets it aside, and focuses on listening to the reports of his retainers. First, he reaches out mentally and hears the report of Bartholos. Regrettably, there were indeed moles. Some of our countrymen took Sevvan gold to betray their fellows. Worry not, they've been dealt with. On the bright side, I was able to identify their handlers and with some men seize their gold stashes. Now those funds will be helping us sends Bartholos. Who was behind this latest scheme? replies Kurt. To the best of my info, it looks like Vlasan, the captain of the guard, was behind it. Isn't it about time we did something about him?. Kurt gives a mental sigh. Start the preparations for that prison raid you were telling me about. I still need to hear Barlas's report before I decide on our next move, but that damm captain is at the top of my list. Its only a couple hours later that Barlas shows up in his battered state. Kurt sets aside the orb, which he had been pondering again, and starts tapping his fingers as he listens to Barlas's report. The tapping of his fingers on the wooden throne stops as Kurt hears the loud boom and sighs. "It would appear you did not. Still, its the first nor will it be the last time someone's found us. The important thing is you're safe. Now gather up the men and lets greet our guests. They should at most have breached the first gate. If they've gotten here this swiftly after your arrival they won't of even had time to report back yet." The orbs deeper mysteries will have to wait but for now he's already thought of one way he might harness it... The Vale Fortress posted:Early in the founding of Hissin a great fortress was either found or built (the royal records are unclear on this). Whatever the case, it became the last fallback of the king. Hidden up in the mountains only three days hard ride from the capital, its almost impossible to find. The rocks of the sheer cliff at the entrance form a natural illusion, hiding the entrance until you're nearly upon it. A narrow passage, just large enough for a cart but not a wagon follows a winding path for some time until a small clearing. Two paths here lead to dead ends but another straight path leads up higher into a gatehouse. It sports a large wooden gate and two half towers. Once through, you can see there are no fortifications to defend from any attacks from the other side. Here yet another sort of large clearing at the base of a rise. As you go up it there is a large rupture in the mountain floor, revealing a rushing river at the bottom of a drop. On the other side, more mountains. Except...for the drawbridge and fortifications on the lowest part of them. Here lies the Vale Fortress, built into this small pass here. On the other side lies its namesake vale, about the size of a large city and filled with grass, trees, and some caves. A small towns worth of buildings, currently vacant, are built into the sides of the vale. As the clinking of metal and pounding feet greet his ears Kurt makes his way through the eastern battlement to the top of the gatehouse. He only has around 100 troops here, plus some servants, but all are willing to fight to the death for his cause. The fortifications negate any number advantage an enemy could bring to bear and the location would make assembling siege weapons a strenuous task at best, with any supplies needing nearly a third of a day to get here by cart. Furthermore the size of the clearing and its steep grade prohibits anything larger/heavier than a catapult. He reaches out with his mind to his agents in the nearby town. It hosts only a small force of around 20 rangers, but they're the cream of his guerilla fighters and placed there for just such an occasion as this. When Kurt has finished up here, should any messengers be sent or soldiers escape, they'll find only arrows waiting among the trees for them. As the men finish assembling in the courtyard and archers take their place on the gatehouse, Kurt reaches out mentally to the sentries on the passage gatehouse. Report. Whos that at the gate? While Kurt deals with these unwelcome guests, he had instructed Bartholos to start laying groundwork for a raid on the prison to kill that damm captain, using King in Hiding[+4]. Using bribes to get info, having his men infiltrate as workers, etc. Quornes fucked around with this message at 03:19 on Jul 22, 2016 |
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Jul 19, 2016 07:56
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Thankfully, none of the odd looks are backed up with words or actions. Or are from those more heavily armed or armoured than those knights who greeted her at the harbour. The sovnya seemed to have gone out of style over the centuries, Anathema totally failing to find any weapon of the sort. What seemed to pass as polearms now were either ludicrously impractical war-hammers or poorly made disposable spears. She could fall back on her axework and swordplay if she had to, but with only a finely-made dagger strapped to her thigh and a throwing knive hidden down each boot she was hardly armed enough for a seriously conflict. Not that Anathema shied away from violence when it came to her, but she did not seek it out needlessly. Having to stab Sevvrani on the streets of the Sevvran capital was more or less the definition of needless violence. So, she is allowed to go on her way without further interruption. Thought she assumed otherwise, the Library of Ark's Landing was not terribly difficult to find. Because it was huge. Not the size of her own Dominion Archives, long since crumbled to ruin, but the largest she had seen since clawing her way out of her own citadel. Not even the repositories she visited while still in Blomstregård compared, perhaps elves in these times valued trees over pulping them for paper. And one suspected that such a collection was only amassed through wholesale looting after cities fell and kingdoms invaded by King Leopold. That was never how Anathema collected captured knowledge, she always sent her transcribers in to copy everything of import into the tongue and sent back to the Archives. But perhaps that was too much effort for some. Whatever the case, the library was huge and Anathema's lack of command over the language meant that she would have a long time finding what she needed. Now, she wasn't one afraid to defer to others when her own ability was lacking. As rare as that was. So, the erstwhile queen first approaches the sprawling reference desk. "Good afternoon, magistra." Anathema smiles to the bookish young scholar behind the rosewood desk, bowing her head slightly to the girl. "I must tell you that I am impressed by the enormity of the collection you possess here. I had the presentiment that such literary culture had no place in Ark's Landing, but clearly I was under a misapprehension. But this extensive archive is why I am in front of you know." Anathema begins to explain, effortlessly deploying her words and charm. "I am afraid I am unfamiliar with the cataloguing system you employ at this library, and so must throw myself upon your mercy for assistance." She implores. "I am interested in your history, as you may tell I am not quite familiar with the human kingdoms." She smiles somewhat bashfully, making a small indication to her left ear. "If you could perhaps look upon your reference catalogues for me…" I need to talk fancy and ingratiate myself to get some help so [+6] The People's Queen, the Patrician's Princeps to ask the young library assistant for some help looking in the card catalogue and reference books and that to find books! History of the world, if possible. History of Sevvran Kingdom under the reign of the Leopolds. Maybe even IDing the oldest stuff in their collection to have a stickybeak at and read!! Maybe it's almost as old as Anathema.
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Jul 19, 2016 11:15
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Karl Karl drinks the warm water slowly, ignoring the grit and letting the liquid trickle down his parched throat. He wants to gulp it, to swallow it in torrents. He wanted a bath; to remove the sand that was everywhere, staining his clothes, skin, and hair a reddish-brown. More than that, though, he wanted not to hear what he had just heard. "What do you mean, you've had no converts? None? How is that even possible?" "Your Reverence, it's the people!", the monk standing in front of him. "They're superstitious and ignorant, and they hate Sevvrans and won't listen to us!" Karl feels the blood rising in his face. "Of course they hate us. We just took over their country! And of course, they're ignorant and superstitious. It's our job to free them from that!" "Look. The Red Vale isn't like anywhere else in the kingdom. The inhospitable conditions mean that humanity is clustered in their fortress cities that can maintainblife. This is an opportunity. Invite whatever passes for religious leaders in this city to a debate. I will use this opportunity to publicly preach the truth of the Faith and demolish their superstitions. Meanwhile, I want you to make yourself useful. So long as they think all Sevvrans are the enemy, they won't help us. Let's take this opportunity to remind them that, while Sevvrans may have attacked their city, the Church did not, and use this opportunity to help those affected by the war." No one expects the Sevvran Inquisition +4 to set up a hospital and a food distribution center in the city. Charismatic +2 and The traditions of the Faith +2 to engage in public preaching and debates about religion. Epicurius fucked around with this message at 16:20 on Jul 19, 2016 |
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Jul 19, 2016 16:17
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Glaumdrang Wealth-Checker and Lord Commander Viktor Von Voss A young man in fine dress hurriedly approaches you. He looks afraid and dishevelled in his worn, crumpled suit. Smelling of terrified sweat and another, more pungent odour, he approaches you. “Lord Von Voss!” he practically screams. “The Bank! There’s been-! He needs-!” He stoops over for a second, trying to catch his breath before continuing “Chancellor Glaumdrang requests your presence at the Bank, Lord Von Voss.” Von Voss raises his hand. “Very well” he said with an exasperated sigh, “I will be there shortly.” Turning to the Regent and giving her a salute he continues. “My Lady I will have the movement orders drawn up on my return, but first I best see what that miserly bugger wants from me today. Good day to you.” He turned back to the luckless assistant with a nod. “Lead the way.” After a harried journey through the shifting side streets of Ark’s Landing, you both quickly arrive at the First National Bank. The entire place seems to be on lockdown. Guards move to stop you, but their leader intervenes and waves you through. Even more guards loiter around the main building. You shuffle past them, eventually reaching Head Office. The massive doors, easily four times your own impressive height, are slightly ajar. “Ah, Lord Von Voss” rasped Glaumdrang, somehow managing to be both silky and slimy at the same time. “So good of to visit on such short notice. I am afraid we must skip the pleasantries today as I have called you here on urgent business.” “So I have gathered, a bank robbery was it? I assume you’ve brought me here to pull lawmen off duty to deal with it.” Again, thought Von Voss. Every Time there’s something that you do not like happening to you I get called out it seems. “You wish for me to mobilize a few of the city guard to assist in your investigation I take it?” “Ah, it’s so refreshing to have someone know what needs to be done without being told. For the most part, that is why I need your assistance. There has been a theft, but a robbery may be overstating it. No, this crime is far worse. These repugnant elements somehow managed to falsify my banking records. A number of anomalous gold transfers have been taking place with no opposing ledger to back them up. If it were a simple robbery, this would be far easier to deal with. As it stands, a few of your highly trained lawmen kicking down doors won’t be sufficient. There must have been a great deal of planning involved to pull off a caper of this nature. Simply put, I need the best investigative men you have to offer tracking these scum down!” The Commander looked at the dragon. “Falsifying bank records sounds more like something more in line with Amerigo Hieronymus’ line of work than mine Glaumdrang, I can ask the Watch Commander to put his best men on the job but this is the business of the Revenue surely?” “You are right when it comes to Hieronymus’ duties in this matter but this matter is far too sensitive. Neither myself or dear Amerigo are invested with the same… powers and responsibilities that you have, and while Amerigo has reached out to offer his services, neither of us have the powers of a watchmen. That’s not including the fact that anyone willing to steal from a bank is likely willing to kill to keep their gains. And I would just hate to lose dear Hieronymus that way. At the very least, your tacit support is a necessity moving forward, if only to provide the trained and specialised manpower that the Revenue Office and the Bank do not have. And of course, a reminder from Commander Von Voss himself as to just how important a swift and efficient investigation is in this matter will surely bring about much swifter response.” Von Voss sighed “Very well, I shall ask them to liaise with the tax-gatherers, and any of your… Specialized workers to assist in your investigation.” He made a note of it in his book, he was going to have to write a lot of orders this evening. “Anything else?” Glaumdrangs eye’s seem to light, a confidence you didn’t know was missing quickly returns to the Dragons posture. A light, airy smiles plays across his mighty maw. “Well old friend, there is one other thing. Bank heists are not the only crime I have had reports about. The Balduwin sea seems to be suffering from a piracy epidemic; far more so than usual. I fear this is only going to grow worse as Sevvran faces further… instability. We need to deal with this now, before it bites into the kingdoms income at a critical stage. I am willing to bankroll the creation and pay patronage toward maintenance of a far more extensive civil merchant marine to help deal with this issue, but again such matters go beyond the authority I have been invested with. Simply put, I need some official assistance with dealing with the more bureaucratic aspects, which means dealing with the… regent. Previous interactions between her and myself have been quite energetic and I am afraid that, if I approached her myself… well, wires get crossed, tempers get raised, you know how it is, dealing with a volatile working relationship. If it were a partnership between you and myself, I think the Regent would be much more positively disposed to the venture.” “Yes I imagined she would be.” Remembering the last time the Regent and the Dragon were in the same room together, the palace nearly caught fire. Sometimes he felt as if his title should have been ‘Lord Communicator between Hostile Parties.’ “I will put in the request to the Regent to expand and deploy increased naval patrols, and I shall make a personal request with Grand Admiral Thorne. he will know what the navy needs better than I do. I assume you’ll be lodging payments with the shipwrights after this meeting is concluded?” You catch a slightly dangerous glint in Glaumdrangs eye. “Have no worries friend. I will do whatever it takes to safeguard this great nation’s economic future. If needs must, I will have my people liaise with your people to liaise with Thorne and the Regent, should any problems arise.” The Dragon leans backs, regarding Von Voss with fondness. “I believe that concludes everything Lord Commander. Thank you for making the time to see me.” “Quite, good day to you sir.” And with that, the Commander quietly left the room.
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Jul 19, 2016 20:20
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Sudden Clarity It is right that the people of Sevvran should be amazed; for all his sin, Petnos' creation is a mighty thing, and I reach the capital as though borne by the winds themselves. Those I pass gaze in surprise and, I should hope, respect. But there is none of that to be found among the citizens of Ark. The great city gates tower over me, and once through I am but a strangely-dressed traveller, a single drop of water in an ocean of people. No one gives me a second thought. It is... disconcerting. The scale of the place! There are single buildings here larger than the entire temple complex. The Rainlands' entire population could like as not fit within the square in which I now stand. An enormous statue of Emperor Leopold I looms over me, carved in uncanny detail from solid marble. Magnificent! It is not without reason that they call this place the jewel of civilization. ...but there is rot, here. In the faces of those passing by I see worry and fear, as though the whole city is simply waiting for a catastrophe they see as inevitable. Or, even worse, hoping for catastrophe, scheming in darkness, that they might profit off of the downfall of the Realm! I grit my teeth. The city seems a boiling pot, filled with rats squabbling to stay alive. I must act! "Do not despair, oh people of Ark!" I leap to the top of the monument, drawing my blade to catch the eyes of those arrayed below me. "The gods have not abandoned you! Though the Realm is assaulted on all sides, our enemies must slither through the grass like venomous snakes, for they know they face a terrible opponent! They know that the Realm is strong, that its people are strong! We will smite them with divine fury! The people of Sevvran will stand united! Know this: heaven shall aid you in your time of need. Faith shall be your sword and shield!" Using +2 Religious Authority to rile up the population a bit. I'll wander through the city and talk to people and make speeches and generally cause a big fuss.
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Jul 20, 2016 18:07
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Viktor Von Voss Back at the palace, Von Voss was sat at his desk as he began sharpening his quill. Well at least this time the request made was a request that was fairly easy to handle, sometimes he felt that the Dragon thought he was just another peon to be used and disposed of when he is no longer useful. drat him. But needs must, and with the nation as it is they couldn't afford to have mysterious criminals stealing the nation's wealth when it needed it the most, he began writing some letters. - Commander Vynes, we have gathered disturbing reports that enemies unknown have stolen from the royal treasury several hundred pounds of gold guinea for means unknown. The revenue has requested the aide of your investigative abilities, and those of your most astute lawmen, to rendezvous with the Tax office and seek these criminals out. The economic livelihood of this nation cannot afford to be undercut by underhanded rogues, I would be grateful for your co-operation. -Lord Commander Von Voss - Grand Admiral Thorne, reports of increased pirate activity along the coastal routes of Sevvran have been a major cause for concern for 'certain parties'. He has agreed to funding the construction of several new ships for the purpose of strengthening our security along our naval trade routes. The sum of (AMOUNT OF MONEY HERE) will be deposited with your shortly, you will know better then I do where it will be best put to use. -Viktor P.S. Are we still confirmed for our squad reunion on the 31st of July? Have you heard from Old Ironside? - My Lady Regent, we have received a sum of money from 'concerned parties' for the purpose of dealing with the increase of piracy along the Sevvran trade routes. I have sent orders to expand the fleet with the funds to Grand Admiral Thorne and I request the authorization to deploy increased merchant navy fleets to secure our coastal borders against this threat. Thank you for your time. -Viktor - Captain Founder I will not be within the capitol for a few days whilst I deal with the situation in Hissin, I request a report of the progress of our relief caravans through Acacia and will supply additional soldiers if needed. -Lord Commander Von Voss - Lord Housemartin, Lady de Wulfe has requested my aid in assisting you with the matter of rebels within Hissin and have authorized the deployment of 2 Battalions to Hissin for this purpose. I will be overseeing their orders until we are established, your assistance in this manner would be of great help, you know the current state of the country better then I do. -Lord Commander Von Voss --- The Lord Commander is writing troop orders to various parties in order to enact his current plans for the situation surrounding Sevvran. It will vary from recipient to recipient but he will be using his personal influence (The Bear of the North [+4]) and supreme authority (Captain and Commander[+4]), to ensure that all parts start moving towards the execution of these orders.
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Jul 20, 2016 18:45
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Glaumdrang Wealth-CheckerFrom the desk of Chancellor Glaumdrang posted:Amerigo Hieronymus, with the power invested in me as Chancellor of the First National Bank of Sevvran, I charge you with the duty of securing Gold reserves stolen from the vaults by malicious and criminal means, and with bringing the perpetrators to royal justice. The following letter of authority will give you limited power over my staff as well as access to the evidence I have managed to gather so far, the most pertinent being fraudulent balance transfers. I have spoken with Commander Von Voss who has agreed to ensure his best men are available. Use them however you need. Contact me should you require further assistance or funding. I will consider 20% of the retrieved gold (after whatever taxes you may wish to apply) as payment for services rendered. Conduct yourself with comportment on this matter, and there will be many more opportunities for mutual profit. Glaumdrang Wealth-Checker Letter Of Authority posted:Let it be known that the bearer of this letter, Amerigo Hieronymus, is hear-by a special deputy of the First Bank. All requests up to level 2 access are to be granted immediately. All other requests are to be routed to the Chancellor. All possible aid must be delivered to the bearer of this letter until the completion of his task. Done and done. Trusting a two-legger to this task galled Glaumdrang, but it was necessary regardless. The investigation skills that young Hieronymus possessed were second to none. At this point, retrieving the gold was not top priority; finding out how the bastards had done this in the first place, with apparently no member of his staff turning against him, was the first step in ensuring this didn’t happen again in the future. Like it or not, Hieronymus was best suited to the task. And who knows, if he did actually manage to reach the bottom of this mystery it would only prove his value. There would be a lot of profit to be made in such a partnership. But that was for a later time. Right now, Glaumdrang had some pirate to exterminate. He attended to this task with glee. Giving Amerigo Hieronymus special powers for the duration of the crises to investigate the bank theft in the name of Glaumdrang. Also, let’s start liaising and getting this pirate hunter fleet started. We’re pursuing a two front track; giving some private funding to the navy in order to boost naval patrols in pirate infested areas and protect my shipping while also developing a strong “special” relationship with the Admiral and his Chiefs Of Staff. For this, I will be using +4 - First Bank of Sevvran for the actual funding, +2 - Loans and Patronage the World Over to start calling in a few favours to speed the process up (either the relationship or the pirate killing) and +2 - A Dragon in his Prime because this wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had to see a few pirates murdered or suck up to some big wig. Also, I happen to know that there is going to be a lot of ship-building on the horizon. I want some of my fund managers buying up stock in shipyards and ship construction materials, before they get more expensive. I figure this is one is going to be a minion roll?
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Jul 21, 2016 23:11
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Well, the barracks could have been worse and they could have been better, but frankly I had much higher expectations of our principal defenses in the capital. What has the old Bear been doing? When I take my leave of the walls, I promise to do what I can for their situation, and head back to court. Even with the shameful state of the sleeping quarters, my success with the guards has me feeling quite pleased, perhaps I should indulge myself with the maid tonight... But that's for later. Its too early to expect news back from my ladys about Petra, so I suppose I might as well put my time to good use until then. I'll approach the chief officals in charge of money and guards later, but The Bear, and the old Tariff Master and de Wulfe can wait a bit. They might have the final say, but their underlings are just as important to the process of getting funds shifted around. For now, I send out invitations to three of Amerigo's chief aids for a private dinner with me. Private here meaning, the three of them, me, and several of my servants, obviously. Not the other kind of private meals. Just before they're due to arrive, word reaches me of the arrival of a woman monk of the Order Resplendent in the city, preaching. Taking the last moments before my guests are here, I write out a note to her, whoever she is, and send it off with a courier. A Scroll, sealed with Leona's seal posted:To the Monk of the Order Resplendent, Then I finish my preparations for the guests, who arrive promptly on time. My servants usher them into the dinning room, where I have a lavish meal spread on the table. The discussion passes amiably, I've seen and talked with all three of these man for years at court, though none have ever shared my special favor. In any case, the meal is accompanied with small talk for most of the duration, but near the end, before anyone has drunk too much of the fine wines I've provided, I bring up the issue of our guards. "Gentlemen, today I went for a small tour of the walls, looking into our defenses. Though the men stationed there are brave, they're lacking some of the funding they need to keep things running smoothly. The several of the barracks seemed near collapse, and their stores of food were unfortunately low." I sigh, and take a small sip of wine. "I understand that the treasury has its limits, but these men are our first, and nearly only, line of defense from attack. If any of these rebellions were to gain strength and move on the capital, we need our defenses to be in prime condition if we're to last until reinforcements could arrive. Anything the three of you could do to help aid our guards would be a weight off my shoulders and I'm sure my royal brother would be most relieved to know his sister and loyal men such as yourself were well protected." After receiving their replies, positive, negative or neutral, I let the conversation shift back to more pleasant subjects for the night. I'll discuss this further with Amerigo perhaps, but first lets see if my words had any effect. Using Courtly Beauty [+2] (court manners) and Blood of Kings [+4] (charisma + wanting royal gratitude) for +6 to convince them to try and fund the guards better
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Jul 22, 2016 08:59
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Amerigo Hieronymus: Tariff Collector and Adventurer Well well well, that was certainly convenient. Amerigo was both pleased to get a strong lead and also professionally insulted that the cur didn't at least wait until he was in the next town over to start blowing his ill-gotten gains. There was a method to professionally squandering you're hard-stolen loot and it seemed the younger generation had not learned that lesson. After having the spendthrift packed up and taken back to the Assessor's office for a more in-depth and personal conversation, Amerigo takes some time to review the correspondence with the dragon. ... ... No, no this had to be some sort of trick, there was no way he/it was simply going to let Amerigo in and pore through the books, but nevertheless, that what the letter seems to indicate. Armies were on the march, empires crumbling, and a dragon now believes in financial transparency. The end times are probably here, but Amerigo decided if that were the case he'd have a front row seat to the event. "Pack my ledgers and tables, we're going to wring out a Wyrm's records of wealth." [Death and Taxes+2] to interrogate this idiot about his part in the plot and [Gentleman and Scholar+2] to use the access Glaum has given me to investigate his records.
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Jul 24, 2016 00:38
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 IMPORTANT! Please roll for yourself for now on. It's getting a bit much rolling for both myself and 10 other players. I will simply reduce your roll by the number of ranks I think don't apply, and tell you about it. Also, here's a world map (special thanks to epicurus):  Lavelle Ingernassa Your words strike hard - they're shaken, and some even dropped their weapons. However... Trilon's attack fails to launch, and you can quickly see why - they've been ambushed themselves, by a lone cloaked individual. Bouncing around with the grace of an elf, they take out a small number of Trilon's troops before Trilon manages to hit them in a crossfire, launching them into the canyon, close to your position. Trilon's blast incinerated the cloak, and the assailant, who seems surprisingly unbothered by the fall, simply sheds it, revealing...  Oh dear... The Wolf's pup. Looks like the battle is a lot more even than you first thought. "Hold steady! I will get you through this!" she yells at the guards. Unfortunately, getting launched off a cliff doesn't really help such a statement, and it fails to accomplish anything. You have discovered Petra's Qualities: [+6] Stalking Menace, and [+2] Hot-Blooded Crusader. Her Weakness remains unknown. Ambush: 2d6+4 11 You break their morale. Holding Steady: 2d6+2 9 Counter-Ambush: 2d6+6 9 Petra attempts to ambush the other group, and accomplishes little other than getting launched off a cliff. Holding Steady (Trilon): 2d6+4 14 Petra takes 6 Damage ranks and downshifts "Hot-Blooded Crusader" in order to block the damage. Leona It's easy to convince cowards to spend money on protection, is it not? In the very same day, you 'suddenly' receive word of several 'donations' towards the city guard. Not only that, you finally heard something new about Petra: She went to the Archean Reaches, traveling with a caravan in doing so. Anyway, it's just about nighttime, now, and you soon make to bed. You then have a very strange dream. First, you meet a woman of great beauty. She smiles upon you, before your vision turns black in your dream. In what appears to be a later time, the woman hands you a crown - one which you realize instantly. For it is your half-brother's. It is bloodied, broken, and the woman forces it upon your head. As you look around, you realize the entire castle is ablaze - not that it seems to stop the woman. For she shoves you onto the throne and locks you onto it with chains of flame. You soon wake up, in the midst of night, drenched in sweat - you feel incredibly hot, and a sense of dread washes over you. Stealing poor Amerigo's money from under him: 2d6+6 13 Samarah Ka Qismah You can quickly feel your will crumble as you feel Ra'Loah's disappointed gaze so strong you worry it crushes you into dust. For you seem to have forgotten that it is the gods that command mortals, and not the other way around. Only because you of your previous dedication, you realize, is it that your request was granted - however, probably not entirely the way you intended. You can feel your power weakening as his gaze vanishes. It appears Ra'Loah wants you to atone before he restores your power once more. Your Prophet of Ra'Loah [+4] Quality is temporarily reduced to +2 until you find a way to atone. A likely way of doing so would be finding a person of some importance to convert... without using divine power. Surely you can pass this test, prophet? Visions: 2d6+4 6 Kurt Hissin Fifty men, with light gear. Likely a troop of bounty hunters. I don't think they were expecting us here, milord. the guard replies. That would mean that fighting them isn't the problem - making sure they don't run away is the real problem. They rush deeper into the fortress, clearly blinded by bloodlust - your blood, specifically. A few men split off to engage your troops on the battlement, while the remaining forty or so charge forward, engaging whoever they find. Barthalos reports a mixed success - he's managed to make an actual assassination possible, but... a few of the workers took the bribe, and reported it anyway. The captain is now paranoid as a result. He also brings troubling news: The Bear has just dispatched two entire battalions your way. In the middle of the mental conversation, however, your mental focus nearly breaks as you see a figure jump in through a window. Which is strange, considering the huge drop below that window. But it quickly makes sense as you look at the woman closer... "Hello." she says, making a motion - and pulling the orb out of your pocket, and floating it in front of her eyes, which inspect the item with curiosity. Raiding: 2d6+4 7 They're spread too thin, looking for you. Should be easy to defeat, however, the men on the battlements might pose a problem to your troops, and your secrecy. Preparing for Assassination: 2d6+4 10 Partial Success. While he manages to bribe and infiltrate his way into the inner circle of the captain, he caught wind of it, and has become paranoid as a result, making the actual assassination harder. Anathema The girl is no match for your charm, and she very quickly smiles at you with glee, bringing you book after book after book personally... In huge stacks. You'd imagine she'd collapse under such weight, but somehow she manages it. She also brings you some tea, not that you'd recognize what kind, and a bit of hand food. It seems to you that she's really grateful for being treated so well. Your learned mind easily devours the knowledge within, and you're now mostly caught up with the kingdom's history. There are a few things, however, that caught your curiosity. First, you were not once mentioned in any of the books. Not even indirectly. It seems that you weren't just villified, but completely erased from history here. Not even a caricature of you exists here... which brings us to the second one. The female knight you met is in fact Lady Beatrice de Wulfe, the current regent. There's surprisingly little about her also - mostly just praises about her combat ability that border on mythological. She's served under the Crown for about as long as Viktor von Voss' (the male knight) has, but she certainly aged better than him. But, it does make you wonder... was it the fact that you are an elf that made her spot you in the crowd, or did she recognize you? No, surely, that is an impossibility. Incidentally, the girl, and overhearing a few nobles talking (in a library, no less...) inform you of the most recent events - mostly the fact that multiple revolutions are growing, de Wulfe's protege seems to have turned against her, and the huge feud between Wulfe and the Pope. Speaking of religious matter, you can hear (and see, incidentally, the window just happened to show her in the statue in full view) a monk preaching to the masses. Granted, nowhere on the level that you could have, but still. Karl Your efforts work surprisingly well. At first, they back away from anything Sevvran, but the lure of food and medicine quickly brings them in anyway. Quite a few of these infidels thank you personally, but you can tell they are very wary of the inquisition - likely due to the Pope's more... direct method. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like you arrived in time - one of those peasants here tells you that he saw a massive fire in a dead ruin, and a robed woman heading northwest from said ruins. It's quite likely you just found the false Prophet... or at least her tracks. Her followers remain nowhere to be found, unfortunately. Setting up stuff: 2d6+4 14 Sudden Clarity Your fiery speech has been received well. The peasants seem have gotten their faith in the church and government renewed, and you are now the talk of town, and quite a few people seem to have taken note of you! Including the Princess herself, actually! She has sent you a letter, inviting you for a chat (and meal). You could certainly use the latter. Would save you provisions, anyway. Riling up the Masses: 2d6+2 10 Viktor Von Voss The replies to your letters soon arrive. Mostly confirmations of your orders, although Thorne did note that not only is he coming, he'll bring his child daughter with him! He was already looking forward to introducing her to you. Other than that, he thanks you for the money and wishes you best of luck in your work. Wulfe merely replied with a 'Acknowledged'. As in, she came up to you and told you that. You can tell she wished to just have a bit of a chat between friends, but unfortunately she had to attend to her duties again (and some idiotic nobles). You do note, however, that apparently the captain of the guard forwarded some money towards you - apparently Princess Leona did something that isn't simply hedonistic. How amazing. Speaking of which, maybe you can take SOME work off Wulfe's back and make sure Leona is actually content. You know how much work irritated nobles can be. Commanding People: 2d6+8 12 Glaumdrang Wealth-Checker Thorne sends you his regards, and promises to 'happen to patrol your preferred routes more often than others'. Of course, it's going to take time to actually build the ships - but the important part is, those ships are going to be built in YOUR shipyards. You made sure of that. On your own end, your staff has received your orders and has begun working together with Amerigo. Fleet Investions: 2d6+8 16 Amerigo Hieronymus: Tariff Collector and Adventurer Unfortunately, the guy's still out cold, so not much luck there. But you did find something interesting. There have been several building purchases that lead into the same nothingness. Some in the port, some in the slums, and even on in the marketplace. It's quite possible they're being used as safehouses by your dear 'friends'. Certainly a lead worth investigating, anyway, since while they can hide their tracks, they certainly can't hide buildings. Crime Solving: 2d6+4 11 Yami Fenrir fucked around with this message at 11:19 on Jul 24, 2016 |
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Jul 24, 2016 00:45
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Lavelle The guards waver, oh so deliciously. Swords and shields drop into the dust with a most satisfying thump. Lavelle, she looks like the cat who ate the canary. It'll be easy to dispose of these lackeys and march off with the bounty... Commotion on the hills! Lavelle's glowing eyes snap up wards, in time to see the figure land in the dust, cloak tattered and burned off. The raiding party shuffles, gathering together, holding their wands and staffs and talismans just a bit tighter. "Lady Asfaran!" the High Sorceress declares. "I'm flattered you came all this way. Do you truly think you can protect these men?" she sneers. The Wolf's pup is, she knows, very unlikely to be cowed, but now's not the time to have the guards get their courage back. One guard's already reaching for his sword on the ground, until one of the raiders sends a rock flying to smack his hand. "What could bring you here?" Lavelle muses, stalking up on the young woman. "The Regent must have something very very valuable in this shipment to have you protect it." Lavelle raises a finger. "Or did she," she says. News of the split between the two had spread even to Archea - Lavelle wagered it might be news only to the gormless muscle employed as guards. "Perhaps you're here to seize it yourself!" she declares, gesturing widely. "I welcome you to try." The sorceress brings her hands together and sends two tendrils of shadow lashing out at the young warrior, to ensnare her. <Platonicsolid> Shadow ensnaring Petra. <Platonicsolid> .roll 2d6+4 <Platonibot> Platonicsolid: 15 (2d6+4=5, 6) Platonicsolid fucked around with this message at 14:47 on Jul 26, 2016 |
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Jul 25, 2016 22:44
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Kurt Hissin Kurt watches from up high as the attackers spill out into the fortress below. His men are well armed, in heavy armor and trained to act as as one under his mental commands. While these bounty hunters look to be a bunch of like minded individuals all out for themselves. They came seeking gold and fame, but they'll only find death. Lure them in farther. Fall back and wait for my command before pressing the attack. None must leave here alive.. The sound of clashing metal breaks the peaceful silence of the Vale Fortress. Once the attackers had overextended themselves he struck in a two pronged attack. Focusing his will on the mental aether, a powerful cloud of confusion wrapped itself around the bounty hunters, dulling their minds and attacks. Then, he mentally linked with his men. In unison, trusting the will and commands of their king, they struck their blows as he nudged and guided them. What one man saw the next was aware of and could react to, striking down this attacker before he could lay one of the defenders down from behind, or parry a blow in seemless conjunction with his fellows attack. The effort is taxing, and Kurt can only maintain it for a short period before having to withdraw his mental abilities from the fight. Still the effects were devastating, with the majority of the attackers dead already and what few left routing. They'll find nothing on their way back but death as they leave the rocky passages back into the open, where the rangers await to pepper them with arrows before finishing off any survivors with quick bladework. The bodies in the fortress are taken to the clearing across the river and buried...where all the others who've found him ended up as well. Most encouraging for Kurt is that his mental stamina seems to have improved. Last time he attempted such an endeavour he couldn't sustain it half as long. Well done men. We'll break out the brandy tonight. As his men go about the business of cleaning up, he takes the time to check in with Barthalos. Hmm well good news, bad news there. Kurt is about to reply when he gets his second unexpected guest of the day, the Windspeaker! And shes interested in his new orb too it would seem. Kurt raises an eyebrow at her as he speaks. "Ah the Windspeaker. I suppose this saves me the time trying to find you. We've just finished dealing with our other..unexpected guests, but would you care to stay for dinner? I feel we might have much to talk about". At the same time he reaches to pull back the orb with his own gift. While hes attempting banter with the lady hes relaying a series of commands to Barthalos. These new battalions need to go. At the same time that will only increase scrutiny and make our efforts here harder. Now since they're coming from Sevvan proper, given the distance supplies will be a problem. So they'll have to stop at that supply depot on our western border. See what can be done about poisoning the supplies there. sends Kurt. And the guard captain? replies Barthalos. A moment of thought, then Enact the plan. Have him killed and the prisoners freed. We can't keep them in the major cities so send them out to some of the villages we control. Then lay low for awhile. The governor will be the next to die, but I'd like to consolidate our forces a bit more first. Also see what news your agent in Sevvan can send. I need to know who else is stirring the pot, who I might ally myself with. Using Psionic Gift[+4] to befuddle and confuse the attackers, while helping use King in Hiding[+4] to guide his soldiers to victory against these foolish bounty hunters. Fortress Defense: 2d6+8 16 Having Barthalos send men to poison the incoming battalions supplies. King in Hiding[+4] Poison Supplies: 2d6+4 15 Lastly, the time has come for the captain of the guard to die and free Kurts subjects. King in Hiding[+4] However I think Vengance[-2] applies here in which case it would be 12, not 14 Death to the captain: 2d6+4 14 Quornes fucked around with this message at 03:15 on Jul 26, 2016 |
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Jul 25, 2016 23:06
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Donations are a good start, but I hope they're remembering the important part is making sure the guards stay funded so they can keep protecting us. Still, it's a job well done! Satisfied with my work, I don't worry too much about the report on Petra. It's just like her really, she was always running off to test her skill against this local hero or that new tourney champion when we were younger, though usually she'd tell me about her plans. I might send some riders after her on the morrow, but for now I'll let it stand. I drift off to sleep that night snuggled between a pair of bed maids -a common practice among the ladies at court, though most of them aren't nearly as intimate with theirs as I am- only to awake suddenly a few hours later in a cold sweat. Shivering, despite the heat filling me, I push back the blankets and sit up, trying to hold the dreams in mind like water cupped between my hands. What did that mean? Or did it mean anything at all? Dreams are often prophetic in the tales, but life isn't a story, and the details are fading fast. Trapped to a throne in chains of fire... But I want the throne, how could I be trapped there? Disturbed, I awakened one of my bedmates and lose myself in her, but even that isn't nearly enough to wipe the memories from me. When we both awaken the next morning, I'm still left with the sense of fear, the memory of fire, and the face of the beautiful woman floating in my mind. Smothering the dreams further with a rich breakfast, I head out into the yard to train, and ponder what to do with the day. I still need to hear back from the monk of the order.
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Jul 26, 2016 00:43
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Sudden Clarity Yes, good! It brings me joy to see hope and faith return to the faces of the people. All may serve the gods, even those who think themselves weak or worthless. A single stone may seem unimportant, but gather enough stones and you may turn the very Yrensias from its path. These humble servants of Vallen shall be the first stones in a great fortress. Sevvran will need more than a few faithful commoners to ward off the evils that encroach upon it, though. I need an army. Thus, when a man of the Spearhills approaches me with a message from the Bastard Princess herself -- one of the few in Sevvran to boast an army of her own -- I find myself caught between joyful surprise and suspicion. To be called to such an audience, just wen I most need it, seems very auspicious, as though the gods have granted my wish... but there is no doubt in my mind that Her Highness has an agenda of her own in this. The Throne sits empty, after all -- barring the Wolf, who may well be itching for the chance to run free. I know I would. Quiet Insight often said that nobles hunger for power just as a dog hungers for meat. I crack my knuckles irritably. Dogs may well hunger for meat, but a starving dog must eat what he is given, after all. The Princess has requested that I attend her, and even if she had not, I would still need her support to protect the Realm. Trying to guess at what might lie within her heart is a waste of time; I must convince her regardless! The man who delivered the letter mutters something about a reply, but I ignore him. Here is my reply: at the first light of dawn, I set off through the winding streets of Ark, up through the endless rows of houses to the nobles' roost upon the hilltops. The occasional reverent glance from those I pass on the way fills me with confidence, for I know that the gods have led me here, for good or ill. I climb the steps to Her Highness's palace and inform the startled footman at the gate that I am here to meet with the Princess as requested. (For some reason, he and the other servants seem somewhat stunned at my presence. I wonder why? I didn't even touch the gate; I gather that they are usually locked, and it is impolite to try and open one without permission. Ah, perhaps they are simply not used to seeing someone dressed the way I am! Hmm.) megane fucked around with this message at 02:33 on Jul 26, 2016 |
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Jul 26, 2016 02:29
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For a day I am nearly entirely despondent, dead to the world as I feel my God's judgement upon me, my connection to It wane. As always, my greatest sin is pride - thinking myself intelligent and educated and cultured for years, and now the pleasure I take in being a trusted servant of Ra'Loah. Its judgement of me is just, as of course it is. I deserve to suffer for my pride, and can only pray I am worthy of passing this test It has set before me. Emerging from my travels and tribulations throughout the desert, I seem to find myself in a small town in the mountains of Hissin - Rookrock, if I remember right from my earlier travels. Largely full of loyalists to their King in Hiding, I expect to be turned away, disheveled and semi-delirious as I am, but sacred hospitality compels them to take me in, feed and care for me. I think I knew that in my past life, but it's hard to remember now. Every moment of recovery is accompanied by the acute knowledge that my God is watching me, waiting for myself to be a worthy vessel for Its Will - and I hear and obey, mighty Ra'Loah. As I recover over the next couple days I preach to the people of Rookrock, returning stories and teachings of the One True God in exchange for their generosity and hospitality. I'm wise enough to know that only the desperate, bored, and thrill-seekers from the outlying communities attend on day one - hoping to see miracles no doubt. No one leaves disappointed, despite the lack of showmanship some were hoping for - Ra'Loah is a righteous God and I can speak with great conviction when discussing him, and even better can use what I know of the religion of this region, it's people and their culture, to tailor my approach. They might not see signs of God, but they hear Its words and teachings and commandments clearly. This is a people that longs for hope, and I can provide it for them - Ra'Loah can provide it for them. By the end of the second day, my flock in this community has doubled. By the third, nearly everyone in the town (and many beyond) turns out for my sermons - and I suspect there is hope yet for this region, and for myself. It seems a humble mountain town, true. My precious black cloak is weather-beaten and stained, more ruddy brown than anything, frayed and torn at the edges. Yet Ra'Loah has plans for us both, no matter our crude nature... <Rauri> Convert Hissin Mountain Town <Rauri> !r 2d6+6 <Krysmbot> Rauri, 8 + 6 = 14 +2 Prophet of Ra'Loah for preaching conviction and charisma, +4 Wandering Scholar due to tailoring arguments / knowing their cultural identity and concerns. Yet I've not forgotten my earlier folly - Ra'Loah helps those who help themselves. While I spread the word of the One True God and administer to my newfound followers, I'm open to their plights, stories, and tales... especially if they involve the rest of Sevvran somehow, and especially for things that might help me find the King in Hiding. My journey through the wastelands of the Red Vale took days, and it's likely I missed a great day of things relevant both to myself and Ra'Loah's interests. With these people's tales I'm slowly filled in on what's occurred, and my mind is alight with possibility and the Will of God. <Rauri> Gather Information <Rauri> !r 2d6+4 <Krysmbot> Rauri, 11 + 4 = 15 +4 due to Wandering Scholar, Samarah's used to synthesizing lots of primary source information into a cohesive and useful narrative by which to understand what's going on / what's occurred. Rauri fucked around with this message at 08:06 on Jul 26, 2016 |
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Jul 26, 2016 07:52
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Viktor Von Voss "Are we fully provisioned Major?" The yard was a bustle, carts and equipment moved across barracks as the muster went out. The orders were simple, two battalion's to enforce the security of the occupied Hissen Capitol, and squeeze the rebels to the outskirts where they belong. "Yes mi' lord, do you wish for us to begin marching soon?" "No first battalion will leave early and secure the route to Hissin, the rest will follow shortly" "We will? What for Sir?" Von Voss turned to, who was it again, oh yes Major Mountjoy Standfast. "Major you have read my memoirs about our campaign against Dread Morgan the Pirate Emperor yes?" "Of course Sir, I've read a lot of your books Sir." "Good, then inform me what does a fighting force need?" "Erm, food, water, wea-" "Support, Major, is what it boils down to, the things you have listed are necessary but it all boils down to support. We as the army of the state require the support of the state to function, the rebels require the support of the people to supply them due to being enemies of the state. Either side without that support loses, losing is to be avoided on our end." "With this in mind my orders are as follows" "1. The route between Sevvran and Hissin will be secured to allow safe passage between these two nations, I want a checkpoint in every village and a garrison in every supply depot, if anyone so much as moves a bushel of grain without authorization and surveillance I want that man brought in. Only a fool will attack an army head on with a fighting force, he will seek to deny us our supplies, prevent them." "2. Once we have brought this into place we shall move in the third battalion" "Third Sir?" The Lord Commander turned him around and he saw. "Stonemasons?" "Yes Major and alchemists and few doctors and members of the clergy who volunteered, I called in some favours. The king in exile desires the support of the people to maintain his shadow war and as long as we leave his country as a ruin he shall get it. King Leopold IV left it in pieces I wish to put those pieces back together. A guerilla army without the support of the people dies out, so we shall kill them with kindness." "We'll be leaving soon." --- 1. Von Voss knows how this goes Kurt, he's played the logistics game before you were even born. With the military and the strategic mind of the commander coming into play, we can use Both +4 aspects on this order to fortify our supply routes. 2d6+8 = 17 (6,3 +8) 2. Then in addition to the heavily armed soldiery we are bringing in civilian craftsmen to aid in getting the mostly broken infrastructure of Hissin up and running again and generally assisting the population, helping raise Lord Housemartin's stock with the populace at large, and weakening rebel support. Since these aren't people under Von Voss' direct command we will just be using [+4] Bear of the North for this. 2d6+4 = 12 (5,3 +4) TheNabster fucked around with this message at 13:21 on Jul 26, 2016 |
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Jul 26, 2016 08:54
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Karl He was too late. She was gone....loose in the kingdom. He almost admires the woman. It's a daring plan; leaving her base of support, striking out. He wants to go after her, desperately; to abandon everything and go find her before she can do damage, because the news that she's left the Red Vale makes his stomach sick and his heart cold with fear. He knows well the damage she could do. But, no, that was a demon speaking. That was how demons worked. They took your emotions: your fear, your anger, your lust, and sometimes even the more noble emotions, and used them to tempt you towards sin and foolishness. No, he had to finish what he started here. He had to replant the Inquisition in the Red Vale on a more solid foundation, or else it would all come apart again. He had to set it up, so that when she returned, she would find less of a friendly home than when she left. Ok. Reforming the Inquisition in the Red Vale. No more indiscriminate use of terror. Instead, just discriminate and deliberate use of terror. Restricting our targets of actual violence to the following: 1. Those who threaten or harm the Church, it's clergy, or its members. 2. Those who actively work against the Church in its mission. 3. The cult of Ra'Loah. Continuing with the feeding stations and hospitals. Also setting up orphanages and schools, the schools free to the poor, with a nominal fee to help cover expenses for those who can afford it, said schools to teach true history and religion, instead of what the pagans believe. Also, the Inquisition to start an indepth study of the people's beliefs, to find out what is compatible with the religion and what is not, and active preaching and debates to help win over the people. So that's Nobody Expects the Sevvran Inquisition +4 and The Traditions of the Faith +2 to help reform the Inquisition in Red Vale. Reforming the Inquisition: 2d6+6 14 Epicurius fucked around with this message at 00:01 on Jul 27, 2016 |
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Jul 26, 2016 12:36
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Anathema never considered herself a great philosopher, merely a well read woman. And while she was never a moral leader in the Paramountcy as such, she liked to present herself as an example one could follow. Anathema never asked from her people more than she would be willing to give herself. She avoided eating meat, for in her view the greatness of a nation could be judged from the way its animals were treated. And in the same vein she treated even the lowliest librarian assistant with a grace and dignity befitting a royal dignitary. The young woman was doing her job with aplomb, with little more than a kind word and a smile. Clearly this city was sapping the happiness and contentment of life out of the common folk if she was so eager to help with only common courtesy given to her. But such excellent help deserved kindness in kind, especially with the food and tea along with the piles of immensely helpful books. "Thank you again, magistra. You are an immense help." She smiles, bowing her head to the girl. It was truely acceptable tea (one of the books seemed to suggest it was tea leaves flavoured with citrus oils), which after so many years without it was like ambrosia. The language construction, while foreign, was far less complicated than the tongue. It was not difficult to pick up. Anathema devours book after book, tome after tome in next to no time. She finished a stack of books by the time the young assistant had brought her the next pile to read through. The general history of the last few hundred years was easy enough, the rise of Sevvran as a kingdom of note. But earlier than that was sparse. And there was nothing of the great and terrible Queen Anathema. No good, no bad, just being totally erased. It was one thing to have her legacy slandered and destroyed, but totally ignored like she never existed? That was something else. That was a king trying to make himself seem like the greatest conquerer in all history, in her humble opinion. Erase all before, history starts now. It gave her a poor impression of a man she didn't even know yet. But along with the overwhelming praise of this regent Lady Beatrice de Wulfe (the lady knight Anathema had met, no wonder her armour was so ornate), it seemed to be the logical answer. A king without compare, a regent who is the most skilled fighter in all history. And don't dare question such statements, lest you face consequences. If the accosting at the docks was actually the two knight somehow recognising her, seeing the legendary Basilissa Anathema of Blomstregård alive in the flesh, then this suddenly coloured events. If she officially did not exist, just a legend, just being here might be a threat to the crown and this mad king. Who knows if they did or not, but without support in this foreign city Anathema had to be careful. Avoiding the palace and those knights seemed to be the prudent route to take right now. Hopefully, the talk of multiple revolts occurring in the provinces would keep attention elsewhere. And the talk of the regent's apprentice taking arms against her. And the talk of the regent and the leader of the church feuding. Anathema certainly would never let her Paramountcy fall into such a farce, but she was not to know what exactly happened in the last few hundred years to lead here. Poor leadership from the King down, was the most simple answer. The regent failing in her role, and poor integrating of provinces into the kingdom. All flaws Anathema had dealt with herself, and fixed. But could this king and this regent fix them? She doubted it. Even as Anathema and the delightful librarian gossiped and sipped on tea, a religious type was preaching to the masses outside the library. The people ate it up. To so easily be comforted by mere religion? The people must have little else to hold dear to their hearts. A failing of the state to provide security to the common citizen. But there was only so much books and a pleasant afternoon chat over tea could inform the Basilissa. She had to see the people herself, gauge what they really thought of the kingdom their new king left them with. And making sure she was off the radar of those knights wouldn't hurt either. "I suspect I will return for research and scintillating conversation, magistra. But as you have shown me, I fear I have a few matters to attend to. Many thanks for the tea." Anathema bids the kindly librarian farewell for now, descending into the urban sprawl of Ark's Landing. There would be no shortage of people to talk to, and more importantly listen to. In the public squares and city greens, where crushing crowds were eager to share their thoughts on every subject under the sun. In the langar, sharing a meal with those who had no money to spare for such basics. In the women's shelters, giving those who had nobody else to turn to a sympathetic ear to listen to their tales. And even the slums, where the lowest of the low had fallen through the cracks and were left with nothing. It was here that she would get a real picture of what the real people thought of Sevvran. What the real people suffered through. How they wanted to change to see things better. Okay so basically the people seem to be downtrodden and easily whipped up into an angry mob judging from the librarian and the crowd outside? So Anathema is going to press the flesh and go and see how the average joe is. Listen to concerns, get their views on the wars and the rebellions and what they are really worried about. Lend them an ear! Give them support and succour! [5:31pm] Robodog: meet with and listen to the hoi polloi [5:31pm] Robodog: !r 2d6+6 [5:31pm] Krysmbot: Robodog, 7+6 = 13
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Jul 26, 2016 14:00
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 Well it was a start, now he needed to act on what he found. Amerigo pulls out the city records and spends several hours determining ownership and layout, if there's any sort of plan on file. Obviously they wouldn't include any secret rooms or tunnels but a man with his background could probably guess where they might be. Armed with this information, he proceeds to the fun part. Caravan, temple, banking house, or even a simple warehouse, nothing quite beat the feeling of a lock shattering under your boot. His men and the loaned out goons the dragon had lent him fan out and begin turning over the properties in question, looking for any of the lost loot or further clues. Using [Gentleman and Scholar+4] for researching the buildings for any notable information and developing a plan of attack, and then kicking in doors and searching for evidence with [Death and Taxes+2]. 2d6+8: 17
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Jul 27, 2016 00:39
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Glaumdrang Wealth-Checker The humble Racktet; a simple yet effective tool. One Glaumdrang rarely needed to use these days, but nothing could beat the warming glow that made the mighty lizard feel 4 centuries younger. Paying the Admiral to pay him to build ships for the Admiral who would then use these ships to serve his needs. And now, with the sudden increase in work, those same shipyards would be worth far more then they were before. The wonders of insider trading! Glaumdrang could flip them for a not insubstantial profit… but no. Discounts were the way into a humans heart and owning the shipyards of Ark’s Landing would allow him to be friends with generations of Admirals and Captains to come. Besides, they would be further useful for future projects. A personal flagship? A personal fleet? That’s not even counting the hundreds of carpenters, shipwrights, teamsters, transporters, captains and whoever else no reliant on him. Gold was nice, but that influence was the true key to power in these turbulent times. But what to do next? Security was as tight at the bank as was possible and no measures couldn’t be put in place until Amerigo came back with word on just how the thieves had managed their accomplishment. The Admiral had now increased patrols along his preferred trading routes (though they would be of limited effectiveness until the new ships had been christened in port) and there wasn’t much else Glaumdrang could do to deal with that threat at the moment. With the excitement of imminent danger dispersed there was only one thing left for Glaumdrang to do; his job. The wars that seemed to have no end in sight on top of the recent uprisings endangered the economic health of the nation. A weakened economy meant a weakened bottom line which could not be allowed in this time of uncertainty. And if anything, the recent troubles had highlighted the importance of a diversified portfolio. Scanning the reports his employees had sent him there was one area that looked like the perfect fit. Mistfall was reasonably close the the Capital and quite isolated from the recent rebellions in the north. It had abundant natural resources, including hardwoods, pitch and copper, very important to ship construction and maintenance. And wouldn’t you know it, there was a lot of ship construction on the horizon! There were also reports of hidden dangers in the deepest, richest mines but that could be dealt with later. There was a lot of groundwork to get through first. Glaumdrang is going to concentrate on setting up a merchant port and enclave in Mistfall in order to better secure the vast resources it has on offer, to expand the influence he has outside of the capital and make resources more readily available for ship building. He will use +4 - First Bank of Sevvran to raise funds, +2 - Loans and Patronage the World Over to gain control of the local merchants and put a few loyal to him in the area and +2 - A Dragon in his Prime since this is pretty much his element. OscarDiggs Establish Merchant Port and Enclave in Mistfall OscarDiggs !r 2d6+10 foxxbot OscarDiggs, 5 +10 = 15 It's 13, not 15. Already had a chat with Yami. OscarDiggs fucked around with this message at 11:43 on Jul 27, 2016 |
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Jul 27, 2016 11:14
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 Location qualities are NOT to be used in your rolls directly. You can invoke them by rolling your own qualities, and they will affect difficulties for rolls, but other than that they are for me only. Glaumdrang Wealth-Checker Your operation goes well... but sadly not perfect. Your infrastructure is just fine, the merchants are set up.. but you have serious trouble getting workers. People just don't seem all that interested in working the mines or chopping trees... which is strange considering they're some of the richest mines in the entire kingdom. And, there's the fact that they're disappointing a dragon and all. Success. You got everything set up - but apparently people here are preferring angry dragons over working those mines... Going to veto "A Dragon in his Prime" here - it's been used too much of a catch-all quality for my liking, and this is stretching it a bit. You got your other qualities for merchant stuff. Doesn't affect the outcome, however. Amerigo Those doors were probably expensive, you know! Replacement issues aside, your goons have been pretty successful. They recovered 80% of the gold. Well, that's what they say. You have this hunch they're keeping some away from you. While you're now sitting in a office filled to the brim with coin (in fact even your seat is covered in them), another henchman arrives, bringing you a letter. He claims to have found it during his raid... and then forgot to tell you after. Classic, huh? You open the letter... and, somewhat disappointingly, can't read a single word written in it. Which is highly unusual given how many languages you can speak. That, or it's just gibberish. But is it ever? Anathema Well, the first thing you notice is that people really don't seem to know how to treat elves anymore. They're mostly just backing away from you, staring in awe, that kind of stuff. In fact, it was kind of hard to strike up an conversation with them! But, of course, not that this would inconvenience your sheer force of charisma in any way. soon, you strike up conversation with the downtrodden. And, it's pretty much what you expect. They're weary from the war, mothers worrying about their sons, yadda yadda. You've heard it all a thousand times. Perhaps literally. There are, however, a few interesting things you picked up: Rumors speak of a strange benefactor of the poor. While they aren't willing to introduce you to this person (yet) The people here are very welcoming of you, having been swayed by your silver tongue. You can rest, here, or perhaps even hide, should the need require it, now. Karl Unfortunately, not all is well. You're here on a hunt, not as a missionary - and your funds reflect that. Those schools? They don't set up overnight, and they cost money. And manpower. While you scraped enough together for this city, it doesn't seem viable to try and extend this project much. And there's another problem. You know, the inquisitors? They don't seem to care much about your reform. Citing Papal orders, they mostly just laugh at your attempt - and somewhat more worryingly, happily continue in their methods. It just struck you that these people... might be corrupt. Is it, perhaps, that the more you shield yourself against sin with faith, the easier it is for sin to find cracks in your armor? Kurt Hissin Quick note: You only get 1 action, 2 if it's a directly applicable follower quality in the same scene as you. Your two retainers will be rolled for by me! I'll let these rolls stand, just something for the future. Unfortunately, your attempt to poison the incoming battalion's supplies was a horrible failure. They saw it coming a mile away. And who could do that, but the Bear himself? Yes, he's personally coming your way. And his men have already slaughtered half the guerilla fighter cell you sent to poison them. In fact, their mental death-woes haunt you as you attempt to converse with the Windspeaker. In fact, just now you realize just how tired using your power so much at once made you. "You shouldn't overdo it, you know. A power like yours is dangerous. You need to tame it still." she advises as she orbs seems to twist and bend in her hands, changing colors and breaking apart before reforming. "Curious item... Do you understand what this is? Hmm... probably not. But it will help you in your quest for revenge, if you can fix it... but first, let me ask you, Kurt Hissin. What is your rebellion about, really? Is it about your people..." You suddenly hear Bartholos' voice in your head. Or rather, his scream. You can tell - he's just failed his assassination attempt, and got wounded, perhaps badly. "Or yourself?" You get 1 BP!. The Windspeaker's words bite, don't they? It's almost as if she's implying something that makes you angry, deep down. does that make you feel vengeful towards her? Lavelle The battle around you devolves into a bit of a brawl as the forces clash. However, the two of you end up facing off against one another - without interruptions. "Don't you dare accuse me of any of these things, you ignorant brigand! Someone has to protect these people from your kind. And I will." is her reply. She then charges at you, with a scary burst of speed. With a well practiced jump, she brings down the blade on your head... Only to be stopped by your shadow tendrils at the very last second, giving you time to dodge the attack. However, she violently struggles against the tendrils holding her arms, soon breaking free again. Counterattack: 2d6+6 13 Petra takes 2 ranks of damage, going down to Stalking Menace [+4]. Leona and Sudden Clarity The two of you meet. Nothing from my side - just talk. Samarah You can feel your inner fire once again roar ablaze as you bring new flock to the god of flame... however, the coal of defeat still stings. Actually, it's not just an inner fire - your cloak catches fire, for but a second, and as it cools you realize its impurities have been removed. The people around you only only stare in sheer awe at the obvious miracle, and bring you offerings - including a map of Hissin, a lot of food and drink, and useful information. The old King of Hissin, for example. They tell you a tale of his stalwart battle... from the shadows. Striking against the kingdom, and attempting to revive his kingdom. It seems he is ever vigilant for any advantages - and what is the greatest advantage, if not literal gifts from God? In other, less important news, the map you were given has several hideout spots - caves, abandoned houses, resistance tunnels... speaking of which, you were also given a mark of Hissin, that will identify you as a resistance fighter, if you feel the need to. As for finding the King in Hiding - it's easy. These people are in mental contact with him - and the captain of the guard here knew his location. He is in an abandoned fortress to the west of you. Since it's been marked on your map, it should be easy to find... assuming you don't get lost in the mountains there. Quality restored. Viktor Von Voss Your efforts are already showing success, and you have not even arrived at your destination yet! Already, the thralls of the psionic cretin seek to poison your food and water, but of course, you were prepared for it. The guerillas were put to the sword - mostly. Only a few escaped. Your soldiers march forward with a steady pace, now in sight of the city Lord Housemartin resides in. However, very worryingly, the city's alarm is going off. SOMETHING is causing a huge commotion. Yami Fenrir fucked around with this message at 20:12 on Jul 28, 2016 |
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Jul 28, 2016 20:09
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Karl Was this it, then? Were his plans to bring the Red Vale into the fold doomed before they began? That there was no money, well, that was a blow, but not a serious one. Money could be found. Manpower. Things could be shifted around. Karl had spent enough time at the papal court to know that. It was a problem, but it was strictly a material problem, a secular problem, and they could be solved. Not easily, but they could be solved. The other though...the other sickened him, made him want to retch. Was it just blindness on their part, or something more? He knew, faith illuminated, it didn't blind. It wasn't that he was opposed to violence as such. He knew sometimes the body had to be damaged or destroyed to save the soul, and he knew that the Church was parent to the people, and, like any good parent, sometimes needed to punish. But this? He knew the papal orders. He helped write the papal orders, and nothing he was proposing was against papal orders. Why be put in charge of the Inquisition in the first place, if his orders were just to be mocked or ignored by his so called subordinates. Or was this some flaw in him? He had never really led anything before; just administered under others. Was he somehow incapable of it? Incompetent? And if he was, then wasn't his continued leadership of the Inquisition a sin? Kurt knew that individuals in the Church, just like everywhere else, could be corrupt, or wicked. Being ordained wasn't magic; it didn't somehow make you immune to sin. But for an entire organization within the Church to corrupt itself? Impossible. No, this had to be his weakness, somehow. He needed to purify himself. He needed to pray. Going out to the desert to fast and pray. Don't think I have any particular traits to use.
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Jul 29, 2016 01:48
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 23:21 |
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I'm in the middle of my morning training when a servant arrives with the message that the monk I requested was at the palace to see me. Not the best timing in the world, considering I'm armed and armored, and quite sweaty from the exercise, but it would be rude to keep her waiting the length of time it would take to make myself presentable, given that I requested her. But perhaps showing her that I train my body would do more to win the favor of one of the Order Resplendent than a show of beauty would. Putting my helmet, sword and shield to the side, I leave them for a servant to put away, and head to meet her in the rest of my armor. The servants have just brought her to the small hall off my chambers when I arrive. Stepping into the room, my eyes widen slightly. Ahhh, such a beauty! Heavens, but I want her. Keeping my mind as much away from those subjects as I can, my smile is regal and delighted as I approach. "I hope you'll forgive my attire, not expecting you so soon, I was training in the yard when you arrived. I can be cleaned up and back shortly, or if you don't mind a slightly sweaty princess, we can forgo that." I bow my head in a sign of respect to from royalty to a monk, and offer her my hand, palm down, for her to kiss, a sign of respect from a monk to royalty. "As you know, I'm the Princess Leona Sevvran. And you are..?"
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Jul 29, 2016 02:21
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