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Vario "Goody Sarah, while I have no reason to doubt your skills in poultry education, I somehow think that your pupils might be... less than receptive to the precepts of neighbourly etiquette. Besides, even if you are correct, and it is the siren song of an open gate that tempts them from their path of righteous obedience, it is still your duty to make sure your chickens do not damage others' property. You shall maintain both your fence and Goody Bell's, and make sure that your gate is closed. You will be held responsible for any damage your chickens cause to others."
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Aug 5, 2017 13:34
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Hector of the Convoy Hector didn't really know what to do with the man. He hadn't even built his own castle yet, mostly staying with the soldiers. Still, Sir De Lupin said he wanted to meet with the rough peasant folk though, so that was what Hector did with him. During the time of his stay, Hector and Sir De Lupin went from one new farmstead to the other, bringing gifts with them for every one of those homes. They'd eat at their tables, sleep in their homes and play some of the usual games. It did of course meant that there wasn't really any fancy food for the man, but Hector figured that De Lupin wouldn't be coming down here if he wanted fancy things, when the city was so close by.
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Aug 5, 2017 15:43
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St. Adjoran The two merchants can neither agree on the dates nor trust each other. They agree to the ruling however, so runners are dispatched and when they return the matter will be resolved. Nadiya Speck somehow manages to get his hands on enough cloth to build a tent next to the Court. He hangs out his shingle and has a steady stream of confused and occasionally irate customers. Kalatha The digging commences immediately, to get below the frostline before the weather turns cold. A steady stream of dirt and loam is excavated, but not bones so far. Although some old pottery shards are discovered and dated to about 500 years ago. Vario Under the baleful eye of their lord the two goodwives curtsy, accept the ruling, and practically run out of court. Hector Surprisingly, despite first impressions, the foreign diplomat is delighted to go on a tour of farmhouses. He explained that the farmers in his home country lacked a certain joy of life, and seeing so many people actually happy to work the soil gave him ideas on how to bring vigor back to his own people. Everyone It is now time to depart for the Tea House meeting. Will you go? Who will you bring with you?
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Aug 6, 2017 18:58
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St. Adjoran, the Prophet-Sage goes to the tea party. He brings with him a modest retinue; a few bodyguards, a few servants, a clerk to keep meticulous account of expenses, and a few clerics who aid or stand in for Adjoran in his holy duties. His guards are mostly to protect him from brigands and monsters, and he makes sure that they do not flank him as he enters civilized areas, so that beggers, pessants and others can approach him and ask for his blessings, which he give readily.
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Aug 7, 2017 00:16
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High Adjudicator Annabelle Tjarn Boosts: Expert Policing Annabelle would be present at the party, joined by the standard retinue of justicar bodyguards, clerks, a few advisors from the military and the ecclesiarchy, as well as an inquisitorial escort.
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Aug 7, 2017 13:18
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Nadiya, the Torch of Righteousness The hell, did Kalatha really send a runner this far through the wilderness just to invite Nadiya over for a tea party? She, uh, sends the runner back to politely decline and request that correspondence be limited to serious matters as long as [more than 4 hexes] of hostile land lie in the way. But since the runner's here, might as well send them to the King to request a charter for a knightly order, effective following construction on turn 3. Don't need a response before then.
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Aug 7, 2017 16:08
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Vario Vario would go to the tea party, bringing with him a small contingent of trusted lieutenants.
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Aug 7, 2017 16:58
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Kalatha As host, Kalatha technically had the entirety of her forces in easy reach, but intended to have merely a polite honour guard as courtesy and tradition decreed. However, what she did have was a little time whilst everyone else was travelling, an ideal opportunity to interrogate the prisoners.
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Aug 7, 2017 19:25
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Hector of the Convoy Hector had been pretty nervous about Sir De Lupin, fearing he'd offend the king's visitor, but the man turned out to be a good man, who just wanted to understand the common folk better to help them better. Hector had offered to write him some letters, giving him the opportunity for the both of them to learn from eachother. Hector would come, Marco and Lucia coming along with him, with Sir Frederico passing on the long travels and also on politics. Lucia brought along some of her best fighters, the result of a little tourney held among the soldiers, as well as some of the archers who showed the most skill in 'high speed shooting' which had become a popular way to commit to archery for the troops, trying to raise the amount of shots they could make while maintaining a modicum of archery. Marco brought mostly samples of the first harvests from the fields, hoping to strike up some trade deals.
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Aug 7, 2017 23:33
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Prisoners Interrogating the imprisoned monsters has been slow going. While they posses the power of speech, they do not speak Wellsh or Frankish, so the most of the year has been spent training the primitives in a civilized tongue. At this point the hulking brutes are able to answer simple questions. Travelling So so far so good for those on the journey to Kalatha's den. Due to travel routes none of the Lords and Ladies contact each other until they cross the border, avoiding enemy patrols on the way.
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Aug 9, 2017 22:19
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Kalatha Interrogation Learning languages was a two way street: Ensuring she could comprehend the guttural tongue of her 'guests' was vital for future intelligence operations. Still, it was enough to begin determining, in short pidgin phrases, what could be gleaned. "Who is your boss? "Who is your boss's boss?" (And so on until they do not know.) "Where are they?" "How many like you are there?" Strategy meeting at the Tea House Matters had been planned out, contingencies laid in. Impeccably drilled honour guards were to accompany each guest as they arrived within the demesne, and a major-domo was assigned to each delegation to ensure their needs were met. For the meeting itself, a substantial upper room had been secured, a large table bearing a map of the realm laid out for their perusal, with seating to the sides. Kalatha was, as ever, the perfect host: Auxiliaries were on hand should anything unplanned be called for.
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Aug 10, 2017 00:46
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Hector of the Convoy "So, what is our hostess like?" Lucia asked as they made their way through unreclaimed areas. "Oh, she's a wonderful woman." Hector said. "Even before I was made a noble, she'd shown a real interest in the wellbeing of people, and very pious as well. I'd have thought it real odd if she had not been made on of the new nobility. Helped out our folk during the stay in the city plenty of times, and never really asked for anything back that was too much trouble. She can be a bit intimidating. Not as much as the High Adjudicator or the Torch of Righteousness, but just, very proper." He sighed. "Once we have money, I probably should look into getting a tailor or something. The outfit I brought probably is going to make me look like one of the serving staff again or something." ... The outfit was totally underdressed for the occasion, and the Majordomo's outfit did in fact look a bit more proper. Marco generally walked around with his hands behind his back, and touched everything with great care as if terrified of breaking something, while Lucia made great shows of not at all being impressed and scandalizing Hector and Marco by asking the Major Domo for some a pint of ale. She clearly expected it not to actually be around, only to be served a pint that she had to concede was 'actually pretty good ale' that they had brewed locally. The others also took a few tries of it as well, both to sample it, they might want to buy some of it after all, and to settle their nerves a bit. The three of them would enter in the upper room, Hector reminding herself to greet the woman as an equal. Whatever he had been, the King had decreed that he was her equal, and he should act like it. "Ah, thanks for the invitation, Lady Kalaha. It's good to see your people are doing well. "
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Aug 10, 2017 03:48
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St. Adjoran, the prophet-sage was... less than pleased with the honor-guard, but instructed them to spread out around him and move no closer than 5 feet unless trouble came; he wanted the masses to be able to approach him and ask for his blessings, as he always did when moving through a city. Upon ariving at the tea hourse, he had him and his companioned lodged and then took time to pray by himself and have a cup of tea with the common folk and passing travellers. Only then did he proceed upstrais to the meeting, and had his major-domo procure a glass of wine. Wine was a minor indulgence of his. Entering the upstaris meeting room, he greeted Hector and Kalatha warmly. "Lord Hector, Lady Kalatha, how wonderfull to meet again. I hope your settlements are prospering beneath the eye of God."
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Aug 11, 2017 02:05
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High Adjudicator Annabelle Tjarn Boosts: Expert Policing Annabelle arrived, her carriage (decorated with fineries, but in such a way as to appear greatly dignified instead of opulent) surrounded by the stone faced members of her retinue, flags of ecclesiarchal heraldry flapping in the wind, signaling to everyone in the know of such things exactly who was present. The honor guard was accepted, indeed, it was expected for it was a normal part of the procedure when accepting visiting high nobility. They were shown their appointed places in the formation by the captain of the bodyguard. Annabelle herself, however, did not remove herself from the carriage until she was at the destination. And the moment she stepped out, a justicar having opened the door with a deep bow, a brief fanfare was played by her escort, punctuated by the loud declaration of a herald. "Hear ye! Hear ye! Her magistry, High Adjudicator Annabelle Tjarn of the ecclesiarchy, speaker of His Will, purveyor of Her Benevolence, meter of righteous judgment and penultimate say on the law of the land, has decided to grace this place with her holy presence. For God and King!" The herald, too, bowed deep and scuttled out of the way of Annabelle's stride. Annabelle did not address the man in any way, mainly because directly addressing heralds was a bit of a faux pas. Really, Annabelle felt the entire introductory procedure of high officials of the ecclesiarchy a bit heavy handed, but that's how it had always been, as written in their code of conduct compiled over the generations. The footsteps of Annabelle and her bodyguard clacked against the stairs as they climbed them in silence, seeming eerily hollow when juxtaposed against the booming fanfare that had rang just moments ago. Only when in the presence of the the other nobles, did Annabelle finally speak, as well as offer a light bow. "Lady Kalatha. Lord Hector", she turned to Adjoran, performing the holy sign with her right hand, "Saint Adjoran." "This humble servant of the King greets you, and thanks the gracious hostess for her kind invitation to her halls." Theantero fucked around with this message at 14:38 on Aug 11, 2017 |
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Aug 11, 2017 14:35
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Vario's voyage was uneventful, the short distance and the small size of his group minimizing the chance of attacks. He accepted the honor guard, appreciating the discipline they exibited. He could not help but wonder how much actual battle these soldiers had seen, however. Their movements looked rehearsed more than trained, as if appearance, rather than survival, was the ultimate goal. He reached the tea house and dismissed his lieutenants, leaving his horse with them. He reached the room appointed for the meeting, and greeted those who were already there. "Lord Hector, Lady Annabelle, Saint Adjoran, I am glad to see your voyages have been safe. Lady Kalatha, I thank you for the hospitality and the opportunity of this meeting".
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Aug 11, 2017 16:24
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Strategy meeting at the Tea House Kalatha Vizier Kalatha of the Three Precepts was garbed relatively simply, if with her usual impeccable style, in a commander's dress uniform, a wordless statement of intent as to the nature of the business they were to conduct. She greeted each of her guests with genuine warmth as they arrived, all in full accordance with the decorum of their people. "My Lord Hector, you are most welcome. Our people have been a shining example of tireless work to bring us to this point, I can hardly take the credit for the prosperity they have earned. I trust the journey was not too arduous." "Sacred Prophet-Saint Adjoran, our people are blessed and honoured by your presence. I am grateful that you made the time and effort to allow those in my care to approach you for your benediction: Our people truly know that Her eye is upon our endeavours, and our success is down to Her grace in regard to our labours. I hope the journey had no unforeseen problems." "My lady High Adjudicator, in the King's Name be welcome here. I express gratitude for your presence amongst us, and I fain to hear that everything was in order on your travels." "My lord Vario, hail and well met. Let us all grasp this opportunity as one in the name of our King and our God, that all may fare the better for it. As you voyaged safely to our harbour, so too are you safe at my hearth." "My Lords and my Ladies, our peer and ally Lady Nadiya has declined to attend, given her present remoteness. As we are unlikely to be at cross purposes with her, a reasonable consideration given the distance involved. Now, to business:" She gestured towards the map table, and with a little simple illusion, highlighted a portion of land.  "We are strongest where we are able to support one another. Securing the isthmus of the peninsula is a priority. With these objectives in mind, these are our plans going forward, to create trade links between those under my command and both the High Adjudicator and the Steel Heron's demesne, enabling seamless transit between the two as well. By securing our flanks, "we will be able to strike out along the coasts and into the interior with impunity. We also sever the remnants trespassing on the King's lands on the peninsula itself from any inland support, enabling them to be ground between the hammer and anvil of the three vanguards here and those positioned to claim the rest of the peninsular territory."
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Aug 11, 2017 20:04
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St. Adjoren, the Prophet-Sage "The trip went uneventfull, thank you," Adjoran replied, and waited duitifully for kalatha's explanations and suggestion. He then nodded. "i see no problems with this; I would then suggest that i move towards your terretory and on towards the Lord Vario's demense, as well as across the peninsula and allow hector to expand behind; that we may join our terretory in an unbroken connection between the front and the castle of our most holy king. I further suggest we join together to petition his Most Holy Majesty for a single carpenter for use to expand our infrastructure with a unbroken road, broad and safe, by which we may trade goods and support one another in our efforts.
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Aug 13, 2017 03:46
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High Adjudicator Annabelle Tjarn Boosts: Expert Policing Annabelle nodded at Kalatha, her otherwise gentle demeanor still marred by her usual lack of any sort of smile, "I have indeed been blessed in my travels. I thank Her Benevolence for shielding me from hostile hands", again, she performed the holy gesture as she waited for the lady to finish. Only afterwards did she opine, after the saint had had his say. "I, or my advisors, have no objection to this plan of action. Indeed, I know of their opinion on this, for your suggestion is remarkably similar to our consensus. Thus, this arrangement has the blessing of me and the ecclesiarchy at large." "As for petitions, Saint Adjoran, I cannot be of immediate assistance. For I have already petitioned His Holiness The King this very year to gain a access to the charter of Paladins Justicar at my demesne. Any more requests at the current time would be a major faux pas at my part."
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Aug 13, 2017 12:29
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Vario "I have no objections to St Adjoran's plan of solidifying our control of the peninsula. As an immediate goal, I can liberate the stretch of land to the southeast of my castle and continue to make headway towards the Castle. I also agree with the idea of petitioning the King for a road. It might be premature, but I feel that we should have a plan for what happens after we control the peninsula. Even if it's just a rough idea, we might not have again the occasion to meet face-to-face."
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Aug 14, 2017 11:47
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Interrogation It had taken months to get to the point where the prisoners could be understood by their captors. Now, as the first snow falls and with the other Lords present, the actual questioning can begin. "We are legion." The beasts hiss in unison, their eyes suddenly glowing red as their breath sets fire to the steel cages. "The Overlord calls, the Overlord demands an audience... the over- "Possession" One of the captors says, the others falling to the floor as if their strings are cut. Fires surround the last one as his body swells in size until it snaps loose of the bars of the cage. "I have learned enough from this charade. We shall meet again." Calmly and without malice, the massive creature cuts a hole in the tent that has served as an impromptu jail and heads for the wall.
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Aug 14, 2017 19:31
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Interrogation What an excellent opportunity for target practice. The escape contingency had been planned in advance, drilled thoroughly, and was about to be tested: archers forming up with speed and efficiency, with pikemen in position to step in and shield them. Chaplains ready to pray for Her grace should it be necessary, and the signal sent up indicating an escape attempt was underway.
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Aug 14, 2017 23:39
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Arrows The archers lined up in the fading light, took careful aim, and loosed their bows, sending a cascade of arrows in the monster's direction. Most of them bounce off his thick hide but a few manage to find weak points, sending him to his knees. The creature vomits blood and fire as more arrows rain down upon them as it manages to stagger a few more steps, and then dies. As it dies its body shrinks down to the original size, whatever dark magic empowered it has dissipated upon death.
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Aug 15, 2017 19:12
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Hector of the Convoy "It seems best that we start by making the peninsula completely safe, before we move forward. I don't mind sending a petition to the King as well for a road. It would be good for trade, and also, if we need to get armies and supplies towards the front quickly. How far east were you thinking to expand your territory, eh... exalted Saint?" He said, not sure what the proper form of address was. "And I was hoping to take the area south, so there aren't any monsters near the wall of the capital."
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Aug 18, 2017 22:45
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Kalatha One of Kalatha's highly trained clerical staff entered the chamber, the Vizier making a gesture of pardon as she stepped away to see what he had brought. They returned to the table, and the clerk began handing out the dossiers, as Kalatha spake: "My lords, my ladies, we were able to successfully capture a number of the enemy, and have engaged in studying them at length. Here are the fruits of that research: As you can see, they have demonstrated a number of surprising abilities indicative of a potentially greater threat further down the line. Take these with my blessing, may they be useful to us all in future battles."
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Aug 20, 2017 20:38
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St. Adjoran, the prophet-sage "Not far; northeast or north-northeast, until we meet the sea. By my calculations, each of us should have [4 hexes] of area, including that which we already hold. This depends, however, on the co-orporation of others." With this, Adjoran turned towards lord Vario. " I would greatly appreciate it if you expanded westward and rely instead upon mine troops to expand my domain toward yours; upon the continent, you may expand endlessly, while i and Lord Hector, confined to the penensula, are more limited in our expansion."
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Aug 21, 2017 00:44
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Vario "I have no qualms with modifying my plans to accomodate for your needs. I will expand westwards in the immediate future, and then focus on entrenching my position. I have no desire to rule over large swaths of land, for I want to be on the offensive against monstes, not to waste soldiers defending unnecessary large territory. Perhaps I can leave the settling and fortifying of the lands to you and lord Hector, while I focus on cleansing the occupied territories."
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Aug 22, 2017 10:53
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Nadiya MEANWHILE . . . On a quiet day in Nadiya's court, a civil advisor named Alexa approached her with a proposal. “M’lady, I suggest we start taking census now, before your holdings grow,” Alexa said. “Mm yes, that does sound like something you'd do. Very well then.” Alexa waited intently for Nadiya to offer any insight, but when none came Alexa spoke up again. “So… how would m’lady like for us to go about our census?” “I don't know, and I have more important matters to attend to. It's just a census, do the needful and I'm sure the Lord will provide.” Self-compelling Leave It To The Little People; not only does the poorly organized census provide inaccurate information (though the job is small enough at this point that it's not that big a problem) but more importantly Alexa starts assembling a modest bureaucracy accountable only to herself. 1+1=2 Fate Points, subject to approval
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Aug 23, 2017 17:03
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