Ongoing crackdown on criminal activities within Potrac, combined with a party/social event for the nobles and important personages from all across the Continent has turned an already volatile situation into a literal powder keg of tension. Due to the fact that both the town militia and guardsmen of Potrac and the Royal Investigators from Ci-Alen are shortstaffed, they are increasingly turning towards adventurers to solve some of their myriad problems.
Unfortunately for those who believe in Law and Order, more unsavory characters are taking full advantage of the situation for profit. While it is unlikely that either the discussions among nobilities in the conference or the demonstration against central authority will produce any concrete result, a clever enough... or ruthless enough person may be able to shape the future of Weissen from this city today.
SpoilerCriminal Crackdown :
Criminal Crackdown on Potrac
Employer: Determined Royal Investigator
Rumors of illegal activity in Potrac is nothing special, but there are certain rumors that have disturbing implications for our society at large. I’m talking, of course, about illegal, untaxed sale of slaves. There is somewhat of a labor shortage these days with lots of serfs and peasants being recruited into state armies or fleeing to the cities, and the landlords are increasingly turning towards slaves to get things done. A lot of these slaves are undocumented and, quite frankly, we have no idea where they are even coming from. We suspect it is Potrac, of course. We would like it if you would help us investigate here.
STR and BLA: 16. Go around the town, beating persons of likely interest, until you find somebody willing to talk. (Success or Fail, you will increase your STR and CHA. Your bold and ruthless rating will increase)
AGI and SHA: 14. Tail persons of likely interest until you find out more. (Success or fail, your this will increase your AGI and WIL. Your Subtle and Melancholy Rating may also increase)
WILL and KNO: 16. Cast an invisibility spell, or other tricks, to tail persons of interest and find out more. (Success or fail, your WIL and AGI rating will increase. Your subtle and bold rating will also increase.0
CHA and TON: 12. Ask around until you find out more. (Success or fail, your charisma rating will increase. Your subtle and hopeful rating may also increase).
Reward: 60 Gold. Random Loot/Companion. Honor of Weissen Nobles.
SpoilerRiot Suppression :
Riot Suppression
Employer: Tired Police Chief
Listen, mobs and fights breaking out aren’t that special here, in Potrac. Those southerners have a lot of rivalries going on between each other, and we Weisseners have our own pride too, you see? Fights break out and things escalate. What we usually do is to just let it burn out and move in at the last moment to deal with the stragglers whenever a big brawl breaks out. It doesn’t put us guardsmen at undue risk, and allows the dockyard people to let off some steam, and keeps the rivalry of the gangs between each other, instead of towards the police.
Unfortunately, these hotshots at the royal capital doesn’t buy into our theory of policing our own city, and ordered us to break these ‘riots.’ Unfortunately, this caused the gangs to band together into a temporary alliance against the city. They’ve taken over one of the militia offices down by the docks and taken guardsmen inside as hostages, and are demanding the release of some of their comrades that we arrested. The royal investigators ordered us to secure the guard office again—obviously, they don’t really care about the fate of my men inside there. That is why I’m calling you.
STR and BLA: 18. A lightning-strike attack on the office building may enable you to cut or strike your way through the gangs to rescue those within. (Success or fail, this will improve your STR and AGI rating. Your bold and honorable rating will also increase)
AGI and SHA: 16. You can sneak into the building easily and set the officers inside free. (Success or fail, your AGI and CHA rating will increase. Your subtle and charitable rating will also increase)
WIL and KNO: 16. While anti-magical defenses of the guard office is significant, other mages working for the law-enforcement can help devise a solution to bypass it and teleport inside, allowing you to free those within. (Success or fail, your WILL and AGI rating will increase. Your subtle and bold rating will also increase)
CHA and TON: 14. Negotiate with the gang. This will likely not be taken well by the royal investigators, but would be the easiest and most reliable solution. As an added bonus, criminals will be somewhat grateful towards your reasoned approach. (Success or fail, this will increase your CHA rating. Your Subtle and melancholy rating will also increase)
Reward: 75 Gold
-Honor of Weissen Nobles
-Adulation of Common Folks
SpoilerPrice is Right :
The Price is Right
Employer: Lyra, Merchant Venturess
“The current chaos in Potrac represents an important business interest for me and my client,” Lyra, the fox-eared free-beastwoman explains. “There are certain things I need you to find… the payment will be commensurate.” Who would pay this much for some knick knacks and baubles?
STR and BLA: 16 She instructs you to rob a postal carrier and steal his mails… and also to smash open a trinket and antic shop to steal a specific urn within. (Success or fail, your STR and AGI rating will increase. Your Melancholy rating will also increase)
AGI and SHA: 18. She smiles and instructs you to sneak into another nobleman’s house… there is a valuable hidden on the third floor, second room to the right, third drawer from the top. She doesn’t explain ‘right’ from what. She only whistles out that you will know when you get there. (Success or fail, your AGI and WIL rating will increase. Your Melancholy rating will also increase)
WIL and KNO: 20. She frowns, and explains that if there’s anything that you could’ve helped with your skillset, she would’ve done it personally. Nevertheless, she instructs you to a police lockup at an office downtown, and explains that there are a set of knives that she desires, locked behind layers of magical defenses. If you could grab them, there will be a significant bonus. (Success or fail, your WIL and CHA rating will increase. There is a chance for a bonus. Your Melancholy rating will increase)
CHA and TON: 24 You could persuade a lot of these people to give up their goods willingly… although you may need to provide a suitable bribe. “Don’t look at me,” Lyra says. “I’m not going to provide you with bribe material.” (Success or fail, your CHA and AGI will increase. Your Melancholy rating will increase as well)
Reward: 75 Gold.
Connections: Lyra.
Secret.
SpoilerPolitics :
Immerse Yourself into Politics
Using either your influence, nobility, or reputation, you may be able to enter into political scenes and delegation between the four parties and potentially come to influence the outcome. Express your interest in it and I’ll send you the situation by PM, dependent on your reputation and nobility.
SpoilerBreak the Masters :
Break the Masters
Employer: Wild-eyed Standard Bearer
Here in Weissen, many live-in serfdom, more are conscripted than ever against their will, and the king and his cronies rule their autocracies from Ci-Alen, unaware of how things are in Potrac, most liberal city in Weissen. No more. Four parties from all over the world are meeting here. We must organize a march to show these delegates that our city demands change. Be warned. It is likely that the militia and counter protesters are out in full force.
STR and BLA: 16. Take up a banner yourself and lead the demonstration to Lady Emilia’s Palace! (Success or fail, your STR and CHA rating will increase. Your Melancholy and brave rating may also increase. )
Agility and Shadows: 20. Night of Desperate Ambushes. Guards and those friendly to the current regime in Ci-Alen are setting traps and ambushes in the dark. You will follow suit and set up counter ambushes.(Success or fail, your AGI and STR rating will increase. Your Melancholy and Ruthless rating may also increase)
Will and Magic: 16 Government mages are attempting to control the demonstrations using magical barricades and enchantments! You’ll have to disarm them! (Success or fail, your WIL and CHA will increase. Your Melancholy and clever rating will also increase)
CHA and TON: 18 Recruit more people! You will go around the town and encourage all who can to join the demonstration! The people will not be silent! They can’t have you all! (Success or fail, your CHA and STR will increase. Your Melancholy and Charitable may also increase)
Reward: None. This is likely to end in a disaster for all who participate. Likely, nothing will change as a result of your participation, but perhaps, one day, it shall.
-The monsters that Geld summoned in his heretical war against the Faith still lurk in the holy lands. Worse still, they sometimes wander into our own countryside, causing horrifying catastrophe whenever they do so. This time around, it appears to be some kind of giant snake that fires beams from its mouth.
-Strength and Blades: Kill it swords and axes (Difficulty Rating: 16. Succeed or fail, this will increase your strength and charisma rating. Your daring and hope may also increase.)
-Agility and Shadows: Kill it with arrows and bullets (Difficulty Rating: 14. Succeed or fail, this will increase your agility and will rating. Your hope and subtle may also increase)
-Will and Knowledge: Kill it with fire (Difficulty Rating: 18). Succeed or fail, this will increase your will rating. Your hope quality may also increase)
-Charisma and Tongues: Organize a town mob--and then slash and burn it (Difficulty Rating: 20). Succeed or fail, this will increase your charisma and strength rating. Your hope and melancholy quality may also increase. Your bringer of death will also very likely increase)
Potential Reward:
50 Gold
Honor of Weissen Nobles
Adulation of the Commoners
SpoilerEpidemic Requires Immediate Assitance :
Calling All Healers.
Employer: A church at Potrac
A church at Potrac is overwhelmed due to a spread of an epidemic in the city, and situation is getting worse. It is calling all volunteers with ability to heal to help them take care of the sick.
Strength and Blades: Unavailable for this mission.
Agility and Shadows: Unavailable for this mission.
Will and Knowledge: You know a variety of healing spells and knowledge of epidemics—and this may be a nice opportunity to test those knowledge (Difficulty Rating: 16. Your will and charisma will increase. Charitable, melancholy, and gleam will increase. This action will likely improve Weissen military strength)
Charisma and Tongues: Morale has been low among the staffers. You can try to encourage them—they are making a difference in the world. (Difficulty Rating: 18. Your Charisma and strength rating will increase. Charitable, gleam, and melancholy will increase. This action will likely improve Weissen military strength)
Reward: Favor of the Church of Lymilark
A Set of Potions
SpoilerHeist :
Calling all heisters!
Employer: Baneful Henchmen
There is a noble in a city close to the demonic border with some truly expensive antiques and gold in his home… we have a plan to get him to, ah, share, some of his wealth, but we need to hire some of you *disreputable lots* to carry this out. Shares will be reasonable. Don’t forget your masks.
-Strength and Blades: Become a bruiser! You can knock out a patrol or two, allowing the thieves to sneak inside. (Difficulty Rating: 20. Your strength and agility rating will likely increase. This will increase your ruthless and subtle ratings.)
-Agility and Shadows: You know how to sneak into the building and disarm any traps and security systems there may be, and you can lead the rest of the thieves inside too. (Difficulty Rating: 16. Your agility and will stat will likely increase. This will increase your subtle and ruthless ratings)
-Will and Knowledge: Illusions, very loud distractions, lock blasting, what can't magic do? (Difficulty Rating: 16. Your will and charisma stat will increase, succeed or fail. This will increase your subtle and ruthless ratings).
-Charisma and Tongues: Bluffing and casing will be your job. You know the finest gossips in the town, and you can leverage it to gather some information about the target from the maids and servants that the noble employs--and having a fast talker may be good to get past some guards. (Difficulty rating: 16. Your charisma and agility score will likely increase. This will increase your clever and bold ratings)
Rewards:
-75 Gold
-Possibility of a random loot.
-Favors with Criminals.
SpoilerClashes at Potrac :
Clashes at Potrac
Employer: Southern Smugglers at Potrac
Oi, you there. There are bunch of people from the 'capital' that doesn't us reputable businessmen from talking business to each other, you know? We would very much appreciate it if you would, I dunnow, distract a bunch of man in uniform for us. We can't offer much--would dig too deep into our bottom line, but you'll make a friend, and everyone wants friends right?
-Strength and Blades: Knock out a few patrols of royal guardsmen at Potrac and smash a few windows and carts--they should be too busy finding you to care about a few boxes being moved at the docks. (Difficulty Rating: 14. Succeed or fail, you will increase your strength and agility ratings. Your ruthless and bold rating will also increase)
-Agility and Shadows: Ambush a patrol and steal their officer's hat! Just be ready to run like your life depends on it. (Difficulty Rating: 14. Succeed or fail, this will increase your agility and charisma rating. Your subtle and bold rating will also increase)
-Will and Knowledge: Distractions eh? You can provide them with a distraction, alright. (Difficulty Rating: 14. Succeed or fail, this will increase your will and agility rating. Your subtle and bold rating will also increase)
-Charisma and Tongues: "Hear ye, hear ye, King Francis is a turd, and Duke Calistos is-" (Difficulty Rating: 12. Succeed or fail, this will increase your charisma and will rating. Your subtle and melancholy will also increase)
Potential Reward: 55 Gold
-Favors with Criminals
-Imperial Favor
SpoilerBorder Settlement Tensions :
Employer: The Marcher Lords
There are demons living near the borders. They are obviously spies and saboteurs who are waiting for their evil Queen’s inevitable attack on our settlers and villagers. Many of them are quite powerful, and some of them have already taken arms and attacked a few of our farmers. They will simply grow more powerful more we wait. They must be destroyed. We cannot offer much, but if we are to fall, all of Weissen will be under threat.
-Strength and Blades: It doesn’t matter if they know you are coming—they are simple rabbles. (Difficulty Rating: 14. Your strength and agility rating will likely increase even on a failure. This will also increase your bringer of death, honorable, charitable, and heartless rating)
-Strength and Blades: Defend them. They are desperate people too. (Difficulty Rating: 16. Your strength and charisma rating will likely increase. This action will weaken Weissen’s efforts to defend against the Demon Queen and will earn the ire of all Weisseners. Your charitable, honorable, and heartless rating will increase).
-Agility and Shadows: Terrorize them: they can be induced to leave—if they believe their lives are under threat (Difficulty rating: 14. Your agility and will rating will increase even on a failure. Your ruthless, heartless, and charitable rating will also increase. Your bringer of Death will increase.)
-Will and Knowledge: You can intimidate them to leave easily with your power over magic (Difficulty Rating: 12. Your will and strength rating will increase even on a failure. Your honorable, charitable, and ruthless rating will likely increase. Your bringer of death will increase.).
-Charisma and Tongues: Convince them to leave in peace. (Difficulty Rating: 16. Your charisma and agility score will increase even on a failure. Your honorable, charitable, and melancholy rating will increase. This action will strengthen the Demon Queen’s armies.)
-Charisma and Tongues: Organize a town guard. You won’t be there to fix their problems forever—the villagers and marchers must deal with this issue and you know how to convince them. (Difficulty Rating: 16. Your charisma and strength rating will likely increase even on a failure. Your honorable and hopeful rating will increase. Your Bringer of Death rating will massively increase. This action will strengthen Weissen’s military strength)
Potential Rewards
Reward: 75 gold.
Honor of Weissen Nobles.
SpoilerBandit Problem :
Bandits, Help!
Employer: Terrified Villagers
Help! A gang of bandits appeared around the town, all wearing silk scarves around their head. Obviously these bandits are demons taking advantage of the recent retreat of the army towards the central provinces! Please help us take care of them!
-Strength and Blades: Even if these bandits are demons, they are likely to be rabbles taking opportunity of the chaos rather than any serious demonic raiders. You should be able to make quick work of them. (Challenge Rating: 14. This will raise your strength rating even on a failure. Your honorable, and Bringer of Death may also increase)
-Agility and Shadows: Maybe if you can sneak into or near their camp, you can either intimidate them or eliminate enough of them to deal with the threat… (Challenge Rating: 14. This will raise your agility rating even on a failure. Your clever and Bringer of Death may also increase)
-Will and Knowledge: Blast these rabbles! (Challenge rating: 14. This will raise your will and knowledge rating even on a failure. Your ruthless and Bringer of Death will also very likely increase.)
-Charisma and tongues: Parley with the bandits, because you’ve clearly lost all your senses. (Challenge Rating: 20. This will raise your charisma and agility rating even on a failure. All will likely not be well on a failure. Your hope and brave quality will likely go up)
Potential Reward:
Mission Reward: 50 Gold
Adulation of the Common Folks
SpoilerFrancine's Challenge :
Employer: Von Cien Family
Description: 4 years ago, the fifteen-year-old heiress of the von Cien Family, a particularly ferocious swordsman clan renowned for its nearly impossible feats of swordplay, have declared that only those who defeat her in combat is suitable to take her hand in marriage. Countless men (and a not a few women) have taken the challenge in order to seize the great wealth of the Valhad noble family and win the hand of the heiress, Francine, in marriage. None have ever succeeded, but the offer is still open regardless.
-Strength and Blades: You shall enter the arena and face Francine on even terms. (Difficulty Rating: 300). (You will likely gain Bold and Honorable and stat bonuses in Strength and Agility, even on a failure)
-Agility and Shadows: Perhaps you can tire her out by dodging her blows… or find a way to weaken her before the bout. (Difficulty Rating: 290). (You will likely gain Clever and Ruthless, and stat bonuses in Agility and Strength, even on a failure)
-Will and Knowledge: Being a swordswoman, she will probably not expect magic, or otherwise be unable to deal with them. (Difficulty Rating: 280). (You will likely gain Honorable and Ruthless and stat bonuses in Will and Agility, even on a failure)
-Charisma and Tongues: If direct challenge and victory in the arena is impossible, perhaps it is easier to win her heart through the traditional means. (Difficulty Rating: 150). (You will likely gain Clever and Brave, and stat bonuses in charisma even on a failure).
Potential Reward:
Companion, Swordmaster Francine. +30 to Strength and Blades, +20 to Agility and Shadows. Provides perks: Overwhelming Force and Valhad Clan Style Swordsmanship
Letter to the Clergy of Potrac found pinned to the door of the church most affected by the epidemic.
Dear priests.
Every day, you shed tears for the lives forfeited to disease.
Every day, more people catch the disease.
Every day, more people join the list of those who will die.
And yet, you refused an offer to help.
Is it a good idea to wait for everybody to be ill and die slowly?
When a limb is rotting, the sick can still be saved if it is cut off.
When Potrac as a whole is diseased,
When the slaves and the nobles lay on the same deathbeds,
When the disease grows out of control,
Will you not regret not saving lives when you could?
Is it better to let the disease spread, or to cut it short now?
Is there a cost too high to be paid to save the healthy?
When you are ready to apply the cure to the disease, let a red flag fly over the chuch.
Waves of golden wheat rippled across the rolling countryside on either side of the well-trodden dirt road. Birds danced cheerfully through the clear blue sky, their song giving a spring to Troo's step. If you were anything but an eyeless disk of wood and studded steel, you would call it a beautiful day.
Remember how last time I said you had no swords? No Axes? Troo began to lift his hands again, but was quickly cut off. NO. You still don't have any. You had to kick the last one to death.
Troo smiled, his shiny new iron greaves clanking against rocks on the path.
That's not at all what I meant when I said you should buy a weapon. You can't kick a laser snake's head off. Have you seen a snake? It's all neck!
'Pretty easy target then.' Troo licked his lips, spider-like. 'The snakes in the estate garden tasted like chicken. Kind of. So this is just like a big laser chicken.'
How do you know what a laser is. And no, it is in absolutely no way like a giant chicken. Shouldn't even say that, with my luck you'll be trying to stomp on a giant fire horsehockyting chicken next week...
Goodman hummed happily, and wondered idly how long it would take to paint all the fences in the village, how many goats he could milk in an evening, and how many flies could be caught if he strung up a web between those two trees over there.
**
Purchase Iron Greaves (+2STR) for 25 gold.
Major Action: Take the Horrors from the South Mission. Troo Goodman will use all of his skill and experience to accomplish his plan: hit the snake until it no longer can be called a snake.
Minor Action: Paint all the fences in the village. If there's no paint, find some.
Minor Action: When Troo was a wee lad of only six feet tall, whenever he forgot to insult the peasant servants after dinner, or accidentally slipped in a 'thank you' to the dirty, good-for-nothing cooks, the Goodman Matriarch would make Troo jump on the spot a hundred times, only counting the jumps that were at least a yard high. To honour his dear-ol mum, Troo jumps fourteen thousand times to make up for all the peasants he 'forgot' to insult this week.
"YOU WANT ME TO WHAT," Gerda yelled in astonishment.
"Not so loud," Fatima hissed at her companion, "We may be on the open country but they can still hear-"
Gerda glared back at the Kalmarian. "If you're afraid they can hear us, then doing that should be completely out of the question!"
The moonless night was decorated with an army of twinkling stars, with nary a single cloud in the sky. A small dirt road snaked across the borders of a quaint old-growth forest to their right, and verdant farmland to their left. A sign was near the two women, welcoming them to a village which name was unreadable in the dark, only a few miles ahead. Allegedly, the sign also claimed, the pair was only a few days travel away from Potrac.
"Look, Gerda," Fatima pleaded, "I know this is a bit scary for you to do, but ultimately, we need to capitalize on what we did last week. You heard of all the reported investigators that are looking after us, no?"
"Yes," Gerda was forced to bitterly concede.
"They have the whole army hunting for the woman, if they even know if its a woman, who dared to raise her firestaff against her traditional oppressors," Fatima triumphantly declared, "They're doing it in place of actually preparing for the horde of demons that are actually on their doorstep, that are actually attacking Weissen right now. They're so afraid of a peasant uprising, that they are selling themselves like a whore to Terma for peace and stability."
"All because of us..."
"Exactly, Gerda. They're afraid of us. And if we can capitalize on that fear, keep the nobles thinking they could be next, then we already won. Because, while they're trying to douse the fires we create, they will create the enemy that they're trying to destroy. A self-fulfilling prophecy."
The blonde haired woman sighed at Fatima. "I'm still afraid. That's my handwriting that is going to be spread all across Weissen, not yours."
"Yeah," Fatima nodded, "That's because you were the one to write the message. If I write the posters myself, then there's no way to validate that I was the actual shooter, since every rumor I heard said the investigators believe in the 'Lone Firestaffman' theory and wrote the message before I killed Sir Coward."
Gerda couldn't help but laugh at that barb. Guilt from being schmoozed into an impromptu conspiracy to murder aside, it's not like they picked someone who didn't deserve it; running away and leaving the rest of the village to die against his oaths was beneath his stature. At least, that's what she repeated to herself every night, in the vain hope to avert cognitive dissonance that some crazy hobo charmed her to run away from school and turn her into a revolutionary and a murderer.
"Besides, there's no way they could possibly implicate the handwriting back to you. It's not like you're a filthy noble or anything."
The Weissian awkwardly chuckled as she stared out a thousand yards into the distance. She's going to kill me one day, she repeated in her mind as more awkward laughter spewed from her mouth.
"Y-y-eah. T-that'd be silly..."
Fatima continued, unfazed, "So then, you up to it? We can start with this upcoming village. It's night, no one will see us. I promise"
"Okay..."
---
A note found in many villages in rural Weissen. While the exact word choice slightly differs between village to village, the general phrasing remains the same
"Hello, I am the individual that murdered [insert name of the noble we killed on turn one here], and I wish to anonymously speak to the people of [name of the village]
My firestaff is a veteran of many a conflict. I have fought down south against the decadent monarchy in Al-Kalmar, and I am bringing the People's War against the decadent monarchy up north here in Weissen. My firestaff hungers for the blood of the oppressors of this nation: the aristocracy, the church, and the weak King that lords over both. My manifesto is simple: when I see an injustice in Weissen, I will fix it. Permanently. Unfortunately, my attention has been drawn to a specific area of Weissen, so I do not have the time to clear out the rats of your community. But I am thinking of you, and one day I will return here to [name] and I will bring with me the flames of the Revolution.
The Empress Protects.
Sincerely,
The King's Worst Nightmare"
---
Potrac, a few days later
"This place reminds me of home," Fatima admitted.
This bustling port of a city was ripe with agitation and uncertainty. People hurried around to and fro place, not wishing to stick around for idle pleasantries or polite gestures. There was a sense of anxiety permuting in the crowd, as if something was about to go down very soon. A few brave individuals were already beggining to stage their initial protests, and the authorities watched them with a dubious glare. Fatima and Gerda just strolled by, trying to intergrate themselves without drawing attention to them.
"At least," the Kalmarian conceded, "home before the Revolution"
"Oh? Where did you grow up?" Gerda inquired.
"Imperial Capital. Which, as you can guess, is the capital of the Empire."
Gerda frowned. "That's.... a really boring name..."
The olive skinned woman shrugged. "I wasn't the one who came up with it".
"Well, yeah," Gerda protested, "But what was it called before the Revolution? What's its actual name?"
"Royal Capital"
"....No, seriously," Gerda irritably demanded.
"I'm being serious," Fatima pleaded, "We actually named our capital that! Honest truth!"
The Weissian shook her head in shame. "Sounds like the name someone picked because they were too lazy to come up with anything"
"Where you from, anyways?" Fatima deflected nonchalantly.
"Oh..." Gerda trailed off, deflecting herself, "Just the country... Boring life really. You wouldn't care."
"How did you afford to to to s-"
"SCHOLARSHIP"
"Geez," Fatima said, "What got into you?"
"Look, we're here to do a job? Let's just go do it".
"Ooooh," Fatima smiled with unbridled glee, "I like that attitude. Unforuntately, I don't know quite yet. Was going to sniff up the local rumor mill, see where our services are needed-"
The two paused as they saw local mages preparing barriers in the wake of the planned demonstration later that day. The mages were frantically casting spells as quickly as they could, as a foreman yelled something about time at the poor workers.
Fatima quickly grabbed Gerda and pulled her into the alleyway. Gerda yelped as she sucked into the shadows, only to see Fatima's bloodlusted grin shoved near the student's face.
"I got an idea, Gerda. I need your help."
Gerda flinched. "Y-yes, Fatima?"
"You saw those mages, right?" Fatima said as she mercifully gave Gerda her personal space back, "They're there to stop a riot. Perhaps even the demonstration itself. You get what I'm saying?"
"You.... You want me to kill them!?"
"Oh god no," Fatima hurridly assured, before muttering "Too many witnesses"
The Kalmarian continued, "No, I need your magic skills. I... never learned how to use magic myself, I must confess. Never had the need to. But no direct action is going to suceed with those barriers up. There isn't going to be any way for the protestors to go through them, and thats when the army surronds them and butchers them in the name of 'peace'. Do you want to let that happen?"
"No," the Wessian practically shouted, "No no no!"
"Then, I need you to help me disarm those traps, to let the protestors move free. And I think I have a way in. I need you to 'volunteer' to help set up the barriers. And then you create barriers that don't actually work, maybe even disarm their functional ones. I'm not a mage, I don't know how that crap works."
"And what about you?"
"I'll distact them. I could sell people snow in the Unvid Wastes. I can surely distract them to the point they don't even realize what I'm doing. I just don't know what my cover story will be."
"You're my servant," Gerda playfully teased.
"What?"
"I am a patriotic hieress, in university obviously, who wants to see law and order in Weissen. As soon as I heard plans for a riot, I took my favorite servant, who my father bought me for a birthday present, and traveled from the capital to Potrac. Too much of a nobody to participate in the politics itself, seeing as I am too young and too far down the succession line. But I still wanted to help.
You sold yourself into servitude as a way to escape Al-Kalmar during the revolution. You just share your sob story about your dead family and whatever tragic things you can think of. Make it interesting enough that they have to pay attention to you."
"I.... I'm not sure I like this plan," Fatima hesitantly protested.
"You got anything better, then?"
Fatima stared at the blonde woman for what seemed like an enternity, before uttering, "At least I won't have to make up a tragic backstory..."
"I'm so sorry...."
"Don't think about it. Let's just go, your highness."
Gerda nodded as she started to walk out of the alleyway. "I'm not royalty. I'd just be 'Lady'," she added with a smile.
"Ok, Lady," Fatima added, a small smile betraying her initial reluctance.
The pair walked towards the group of mages preparing the magical traps, who had by now moved further on across the road.
"Oi, whad der you two wan?!" The foreman angirly barked at the approaching women.
Gerda gracefully curtsied, remembering all she learned at court. "I am Lady Elsa von Guthre, and this is my servantwoman, Alyana."
Fatima awkawardly tried to copy the motions of Gerda, not expecting Gerda's elegant introduction.
"We have a proposition for you," Gerda offered with a courtly smile...
Spoiler:
Major Order: Do Priorty Mission Break the Masters, using the WIL method. As mentioned, Gerda and Fatima will use their skills as mage and major schmooser, respectively, to distract them so much, that they don't even realize they're being taken advantage of.
Minor Order 1: On our way to Potrac, we will distribute that note in the middle of that RP at otherwise conspcious place at the dead of night where no one will see us. In general, we tend to plan to travel at night, and rest during the day.
Minor Order 2: After pretending to be Gerda's servant, Fatima will wander off to mingle with the protesters, in an attempt to network or even agitate. Fatima might allude to her experience in the Revolution down south to people she trust, but she is not going to loudly advertize it, especially near guards.
Fatima will also spend her 25 G on buying a Cloth Dress (Cloth Pants, but I totally imagine Fatima wearing a dress)
It was dusk when Devid finally arrived at the site. The night suited it. A small circle of old mossy stones, forgotten for thousands of years, almost invisible to the naked eye, just a perculiar circle long from any nearby town. But Devid knew what it was. He carefully walked around the circle, finding the proper entry denoted by the two closest stones. Then he went to the growth in the middle. The iron oak of Mlga-Eth.
The tree was twirled around itself in a spiral almost neverending. One could not see where its patterns started or stopped. Its bark was rotten and flakey, but the trunk was polished and yellow as if a small sprout. Yet it was dry to the touch. His palm stroked the old tree, and the echoes of the buried site danced upwards, towards the sky. It had been long since the circle had been visited by an earthsong. It felt cold and careless to the touch. It was the song of persistence, the song of enduring death, drowned deep in the earth with the rest of the site.
Devid sat there, drawing his earthvoice deep within the buried pillars. The mossy tops looked as if randomly scattered, but they were part of his reverbrance. And so his voice was drowned, deep within the buried earth, ancient aeons caressed by Lymilark’s hatred for all vile aspirations.
Devid opened his eyes. The sky was bright with light. Pglyhglvar rested just next to him, its unform of a body heaving with the wind. The site was emptied in rage. Devid drew a deep breath from the forest. The echoes were so dense now that none of them could be made out of the storm. He rose, placed his hand on Pglyhglvar who woked up, attentive, destructive. Absolution. Desecration. Wrath. And hope, so much hope.
Mingling with Hedge Mages.
“So... What’s that thing?” The mage pointed at Pglyhglvar’s strange form. Devid looked at it, then back at the mage.
“Well, it’s hard to explain,” Devid said, “You said you were in a new contract?”
The mage looked at his tome. “Well, yes,” he said, “Geld was a madman, but still a genius. I’ve long been looking into his contracts, and I’ve found out about some pretty neat stuff.”
“Interesting,” Devid said, “Tell me all about it.”
The mage scoffed. “I can’t tell you that! That’s my own work, dangerous, dangerous work! ... But perhaps you can tell me of the contract you’ve made with... that thing... in return? Then I might let go of a few notes.”
“You go first,” Devid said.
...
“... and that’s how my master had Pglyhglvar follow me.” Devid said.
“... So you actually don’t know how it was summoned?” the mage said, disappointedly.
“Beats me,” Devid said, “But I’m pretty sure the contract was performed in the place of myself somehow. So while my master is now dead, he didn’t make the contract. I did. He arranged for me to do so, somehow.”
“Well, well played,” the mage said. “I guess it’s an interesting approach, somewhat unorthodox in my experience. So well played, now you know what you do. At least I’m not completely empty handed.”
Devid smiled. “All knowledge is priceless.”
Last Convoy from the North.
“So you haven’t come to fight with us?” the villager said.
“I’m no brawler,” Devid said, “In fact, I’m more of an apprentice of sorts. Still in training.”
“So noone will help us?” the villager said, desperately.
“Oh, I will help you,” Devid said. “Quite a bit, in fact. See, I was of course sent here just to explain how poor your defenses are, but I can show it, in fact.”
“Huh?”
“See, I’m not that potent with magic. But this palisade there...” Devid waved a few times with his hands at the palisade, where half of it then collapsed. “See? And I’m not even that proficient at this thing. What are you going to do against a demonic horde?”
“But it’s our home...”
“I can’t help you fight. That’s not my role, and I don’t want to die. But I can help you live. Follow me back to the Hollow-Eyed Priest. As soon as the threat has been neutralized, I’ll follow you back to your village. Then noone gets hurt, other than the soldiers during their attempt to do so. You won’t make much of a difference against a horde of ogullra demons.”
“The current chaos in Potrac represents an important business interest for me and my client,” Lyra, the fox-eared free-beastwoman explains. “There are certain things I need you to find… the payment will be commensurate.” Who would pay this much for some knick knacks and baubles?
STR and BLA: 16 She instructs you to rob a postal carrier and steal his mails… and also to smash open a trinket and antic shop to steal a specific urn within. (Success or fail, your STR and AGI rating will increase. Your Melancholy rating will also increase)
AGI and SHA: 18. She smiles and instructs you to sneak into another nobleman’s house… there is a valuable hidden on the third floor, second room to the right, third drawer from the top. She doesn’t explain ‘right’ from what. She only whistles out that you will know when you get there. (Success or fail, your AGI and WIL rating will increase. Your Melancholy rating will also increase)
WIL and KNO: 20. She frowns, and explains that if there’s anything that you could’ve helped with your skillset, she would’ve done it personally. Nevertheless, she instructs you to a police lockup at an office downtown, and explains that there are a set of knives that she desires, locked behind layers of magical defenses. If you could grab them, there will be a significant bonus. (Success or fail, your WIL and CHA rating will increase. There is a chance for a bonus. Your Melancholy rating will increase)
CHA and TON: 24 You could persuade a lot of these people to give up their goods willingly… although you may need to provide a suitable bribe. “Don’t look at me,” Lyra says. “I’m not going to provide you with bribe material.” (Success or fail, your CHA and AGI will increase. Your Melancholy rating will increase as well)
Reward: 75 Gold.
Connections: Lyra.
Secret.
[EXPECT RP HERE SOON.]
SpoilerMinor Actions and Purchases :
Buy a Worn Greatcoat and Worn Gloves.
1. Alright, so that one time with the makeup was embarrassing as hell. Right. We should strive to improve our agility, instead. You know, crouching down on the ground makes you invisible, right? And doing parkour. I hear that Assassins just love this stuff. Going around and whatnot.
2. Speaking of which...Andros is my bodyguard, but he's a bit...well, boring. Not exactly exciting, you know. We gotta make him more charismatic. Prettier. Confident-er.
Arthur and Athena were lying on a rock and resting after a long day of walking. Their journey had gone well so far; they had helped the villagers to resist against the Demons and defeat them. It inspired the people in the region and gave them hope for a better future, gave them hope that they would finally defeat the evil Demons and live in peace. But what was in Arthur's mind wasn't the battle against the Demons but Francine. Arthur saw her today, when she was defeating in combat three men who had come to challenge her. From the first moment he saw her, he fell in love with her. He could not think about anything else. He was despaired; Francine had promised to marry the one who would defeat her in combat. Arthur was a pacifist and did not believe in using martial arts to accomplish his goals; but even if he did, there was no way to beat Francine in combat. Her skills were amazing and even more skilled people than him had failed to beat her. He was sighing all the time.
"You think about her, don't you?", Athena asked.
"What?", Arthur said, feigning ignorance.
"Francine. I could see how you looked at her."
"Unfortunately nothing could happen between us."
Athena smiled. "Good to know that you do not have any unrealistic ideas."
But Arthur did have such ideas. But, for now at least, he could only hope to hone his skills and become a better fighter.
Major action:
Will add detail/rp lat
EDIT:: The Price is Right, Agility and Shadows, use Satin as a puppet to break into the nobleman's house and steal from his drawers.
Minor actions:
1. The lack of response from Francine is... Disappointing, to say the least. If I want to make it out of Alice's tomb, I will need some disposable allies. Geld's creatures seem like a good start; eventually, I'll find one unlikely to consider Satin to be a snack. When the time comes, I'll be ready. (Attempt to convert a slave collar into a bridle or at least mimic a slave collar function on a bridle)
2. Reiza kisses Satin while she sews a small collar to fit her. "Sweetness, do you want to do something for Mama? Go on an adventure? Don't worry, Mama will be with you the whole time, baby, and this is going to keep you safe." (Sew a fear charm into a rat collar that will discourage small animals from approaching)
Major: Calling all heisters (Agility and Shadows): Both Ferira and Athalie will coordinate with each other in search for any traps and security systems and disarm them.
Minor: Mingle with Gossips
Minor: Mingle with Pickpockets and Hunters
“Fifty gold! This sir is the finest quality dwarven steel, you’re lucky you’re even getting it for seventy.”
“My father was a dwarven smith, I can tell mediocre quality when I see it.”
“If you don’t like the price you can leave.”
Kurmotum then turned to the crowd in the market place and shouted, “This man is trying to rip you off, take it from -”
The merchant quickly interrupted Coppermace with a hand to his lips.
“Fine, fifty gold”.
Coppermace walked away whistling.
Teresa grumbled, “Dad, that was dangerous, what if he started a fight with you? Was that twenty gold really worth it?”
“Honey, you are a non human in a human’s world. When dealing with humans, you’ve gotta make it clear that ripping you off would be the mistake of their life. That they may have a society to back them up, but you’re crazier and meaner, and before the law can back them up, you will have done something to them they can never forget. “
Mission: The Price is Right
Kurmotum Coppermace thought he’d never be in this position - sitting in Crow’s Gully, sharing a drink with Tybus Magadan. Not that frequenting Crow’s Gully was a shocking thing for Kurmotum, he had done a stint as a bouncer here in his early days to pay the bills, and had earned the respect of the tough nuts in the joint - they had collected enough cracked knee caps ove rthe years to know not to mess with him.
No, it was the sitting with Tybus part that was so strange. Tybus Magadan was to put it mildly, a terrible person, absolute garbage. He was the collection of every dwarven stereotype of greed distilled into one person, and he reveled in it.
If a plague hit a city and the cemeteries filled while Tybus was in town, you could bet the next day some of those graves would be empty and Tybus’ would be selling “meat” on the market. A brief non exhaustive list of Tybus’ crimes included theft, armed robbery, fraud, smuggling, arms dealing and pissing on a snake while strangling a cat in a Temple of the Faith (how this happened was a story Tybus never volunteered, and Coppermace never asked). The only low Magadan had not sunk to was slave trading, and that was more a matter of volatile profits than any true moral principle.
“So you’ve taken up the cause of the refugees,eh?” Kurmotum began. “I wonder how much you squeezed out of them.”
Because that was how Tybus worked-he found desperate people then squeezed out every gold coin like water from a towel. If Tybus was feeling merciful, the refugees might still have the clothes on their backs, maybe.
“Don’t look so judgmental, I’m doing this for reasons outside of gold. Vengeance mainly - those imperial backed smugglers hold a monopoly on the market and they’ve been vicious in keeping me out.”
“I’m glad to see you’re showing concern for your fellow man. Keep this up and maybe some day you’ll see people instead of walking bags of cash.”
“Be sarcastic all you want, I do have something I need to discuss with you - have you heard about Lyra, the free beast woman?”
“The one who visits the ruins of the Holy Kingdom often?”
“That’s the one. I need you to talk to her for me, see what you can find about the Holy Kingdom, and whether it has any inhabitable land perfect for a fleeing dwarven community. I would do it myself but…”
Coppermace groaned, “Please tell me you didn’t cheat her”
Tybus gave a shameless self aggrandizing grin and said, “Twice actually. She only caught me once though”.
“Anything else I need to know?”
“Lyra is at Potrac, looking for someone to do a paying job. I suggest you get right to it, it will certainly place you in a better position to ask questions. Though I warn, it involves stealing so it might tickle your prissy little conscience.”
Kurmotum rolls his eyes. “As long as I’m not ripping out the bread from an orphan’s mouth, I think I’ll be fine.” Then he muttere, “geez, first I go to Potrac, then I do a mission for you people, next thing you know I’ll be marching into the Holy Kingdom with an army at my back.”
Tybus looked at him oddly. “You’re not in it for the long haul? A dwarven homeland sounds like your kind of cause.”
“They're not even paying me! Right now I'm just helping out because I can… and besides I'm not what these guys need. I'm not a hero - I'm a failure. I'm a washed up has been rootless and without direction.”
Tybus stared piercingly at him - “No you're not a hero as you're not what the refugees need but you are what they've got.
So let me clue you into something - their leader is an almost fanatical ideologue who's sermons on a brotherhood and sisterhood among dwarves almost makes me want to believe and is practical enough to try to organize the exodus is not a hero. But both of you are what they've got and the refugees will have to make do with you.”
Minor Action: Ask Lyra a series of questions trying to determine the best location for a refugee settlement of a few hundred. Mark these locations on a map of the Holy Kingdom
The assassin bowed before a man in loose fitting green robes.
“Gibbons, so good to see you” the assassin said with fake warmth.
Gibbons wore an ingratiating warm smile on his face and it was easy to see how he maintained his web of shifting alliances and rivals, but the assassin had killed enough of his rivals to know him for the power hungry black hole he was.
A small time smuggler scraping a profit off the luxury trade between the Kalmar-Temarian border, he had joined the revolution early, and was rewarded with the post Minister of Espionage. It had been he who had pushed the idea of supporting smuggling operations in Weissen, and using a combination of Imperial gold and Imperial might, he had incorporated several rival organizations into his own to create a Kalmar smuggling ring with a presence in every major city in Weissen. Most of the profits of the operation were paid to him, and he used to build a finely tuned machinery of spies and informants in Al Kalmar. In the early days of the Revolution, it had been what saved the Empress’ position. Enemies abounded and she granted her most loyal minister whatever power he needed to deal with them. As a result a vast network of prisons was built around the Empire. There were spies stationed at every tavern, and what few congregations of the Faith that were left had at least one spy listening on them. Faceless agents dragging a man kicking and screaming out of his home and disappearing into the night became commonplace, and Gibbons was not above using the families of the suspect in his espionage work - one of his men’s favorite tactics was to shadow the man, wait until his children were separated from him, then approach the children as a “friend of the father” to question them. In recent years as the revolution grows more secure, the visible signs of the espionage and intelligence network have faded from sight, but the power and threat remains.
The Empress’ court was a bunch of ambitious, cutthroat, ruthless bureaucrats vying for power, and Gibbons was the most ambitious, cutthroat and ruthless of them all. The assassin realized he was in over his head working for him, but the potential access to secrets was immense. If only he could survive this.
“In your time working for me, you have done a wonderful job in aiding the Empire’s smuggling ring. In recognition of this, I think it is time I begin assigning you more sensitive tasks, and ones more worthy of your skills,” Gibbons began, pacing around the room they were meeting at, “I am sure you’ve heard of the conference at Potrac?”
“Yes sir. Is there someone at this conference you wish for me to take care of?”
“No, this is not a strictly assassination job, I need you to get some intel on a Temarian noble who will be at the conference. He is a part of Duke Zyro Valcan’s faction, but I have some concerns about him. I want you to take this Diplomatic passport, pose as an Al Kalmar diplomat and investigate him discretely.”
“This seems like a job one of your men should be doing.”
“I would, but if they were caught, it would cause a diplomatic incident that would tank me. With you, I have some measure of plausible deniability.”
“So it’s a matter of ‘if you get caught, you’re on your own’”, The assassin noted wryly.
Gibbons shrugged, “Did you expect anything else?”
“Just one question- to the social dance that’s supposed to be held, can I bring a date?”
The assassin had remembered Teresa once told him that she’d like to go to a dance or any kind of social occasion with a partner once, and this seemed like the best opportunity to grant that wish.
“Why?”
“A dandy dancing wooing a girl is less threatening and thus less suspicious.”
“I am more worried about your partner’s access to any sensitive information.”
“Don’t worry, my intended partner understands the operational security required in this line of work, and will not press for details.”
“Very well, then, you , I will grant you a second document for your date.”
A short and uneventful journey to Potrac later, the assassin found himself sitting in Sunrise Inn, face to face with Teresa.
“Hey” he said, “good to see you.”
“Good to see you too. Is there something wrong? It’s usually a while before we see each other again,” Teresa asked, her eyebrows drawn together in a slight frown of concern. There was so much she didn’t know about the assassin and she had long ago resigned herself to the fact that there was alot she wasn’t going to know, but she was still worried about him.
“Nothing wrong really, I happen to have a surprise for you. But first can I get something to drink? My throat is parched”.
Teresa called the serving woman over, a homely woman of thirty years, and ordered, “Can I have the inn’s special?”
“Lemon tea for me” the assassin said.
“Lemon tea? What are you a grandmother?”
“I’ll have you know my grandmother was the type to drink hard liquor with all three meals of the day”.
There was a bout of awkward silence as the assassin realized this was the most personal fact he had revealed to Teresa since they became friends. The silence lasted until after they had finished their drinks at which point Teresa asked, “So what about the surprise you wanted to show me?”
“Ta-daa”, the assassin said rummaging through his pocket and taking out an official looking scroll with the empress’ insignia on it, “I am now a diplomat for the Kalmar Empire. At least, until the conference is over.”
“How the hell did you forge one of these?”
“This isn’t a forgery, it’s the real deal. My client has the means to get these legally, and he’s given me one to spy for him. But that’s not my surprise. Remember how you said you liked to dance? Well, my client gave me another for you. We can go to the Grand Ball together.”
Teresa sat up straight and her mouth hung open. He remembered that? And he actually got her a passport to go to a ball?
“Well...that’s certainly a surprise”, Teresa began weakly, “but I don’t know, I have a job tomorrow, and wouldn’t you be embarrassed to show up at a ball with someone like me?”
“Someone like you? What’s that supposed to mean?” The assassin said, feeling himself get frustrated. Most of the time, Teresa didn’t let the negative attention of society at large get to her, but from time to time her insecurities surfaced and he hated watching her denigrate herself. He knew it wasn’t a simple issue. Even a loving father couldn’t make up for the fact that human society’s discourse on demons amounted to - “Kill them all”.
“Don’t be dense, you know what I mean”, Teresa said, her voice raised, her eyes flashing.
“Let’s make one thing clear”, the assassin said calmly, “you are a beautiful woman, and it should be you who’s ashamed of going to this ball with me.”
“There’s still a matter of the timing. I have a job tomorrow.”
That won’t be a problem, the ball’s the day after tomorrow.”
Minor Action: Have Teresa go to this ball. Maybe there will interesting conversations afoot and she can learn some interesting things while increasing her Agility, or maybe she talks to some nobles and increases her relationship with the nobility.
(This is different from Mingle in Politics since I have none of the requirements, and in this case I will be affecting nothing, just trying to pick up on juicy information.)
This really sucks but I can't seem to find enough time and energy to give this game the attention it really deserves, and I don't want to do things half-assed either. I'm going to drop this for now, but I hope to return some day in the future, hopefully sooner rather than later.
Resolutions Phase 2
I'm extending the update cycle significantly while I try to get some stuff together on my end. In any case, resolution choices will be expected within 1 week from this post.
SpoilerTroo Goodman :
Truly, one could not hope to come up with a plan similar as Troo Goodman did—to hit the snake until it no longer resembled a snake, with nothing but fists and shields. Then again, most people weren’t Troo Goodman, and still had some semblance of sanity remaining in their brain. Few of martial’s men and villagers who led you to the snake stood dumbfounded as you somehow deflected the beam of destruction emitted by the snake with a kick from your greaves (something the Dwarven Smity who crafted it himself would note to be flat out impossible) and subsequently punch the snake in the face when it leaped in for the kill, caving its skull in with the boss of your buckler.
“Please don’t tell me you are going to eat the monster again,” your shield begs.
+4 STR. +2 Charisma (+Brave, + charitable)
-But of Course. (Seriously? Eating eldritch abominations again? Strength Challenge at 18. This may raise your strength rating slightly. There may be consequences on failure. This may increase your Brave rating.)
-Feeling full today (Thank goodness. Normal quest reward. Increases in honorable)
-Let’s Burn it instead (A curious idea indeed. Will challenge: 16. This may raise your Melancholy rating)
-Convince the villagers to eat it (Oh for the love of... Charisma Challenge: 20. This may raise your subtle and melancholy rating. There may be consequences on failure.)
Minor Actions
Paint the Town Red- Your quest to pain the town’s fences go well—luckily you were able to purchase some red paint from a strangely giggly beastwoman with fox ears in exchange for something surely unimportant that you have forgotten all about it now. (-1 Gloom. +Adulation of the People)
“Please stop, you are disturbing the neighborhood,”
The constable with a handlebar moustache admonishes you halfway through the attempt, much to your annoyance. Fortunately he leaves after a few moments, intimidated by your stature, but the mood is lost. You wander into the town to find something to eat instead.
SpoilerFatima :
Oh my word, what a terrible story! Are you quite alright?
You cannot be stopped once you got started. The revolutionaries tore down her house with foul magic and necromancy! They carved off her mother’s face and used it as a mask while kissing her father! The Empress has a collection of tanned human skin that she wears for public ceremonies as masks! The government mages, first skeptical and cautious of your guise as a ‘patriotic heiress’ soon listen rapt with horrified fascination as you begin to list the alleged crimes of the Revolutionaries in Al-Kalmar, with Gerda meekly agreeing and confirming every word you say. Soon the government mages surround you in a little gossip circle sharing some exaggerated horror stories they overheard from the docks regarding Al-Kalmar, how the Empress executes hundreds of men and women every day (usually false) and how her edicts rain down from the heavens or simply appears in paper form inside a person’s room or possession without any explanation of how they got there (true). This quickly devolves into further gossiping about the newest horrible creatures emerging from Kingdom of Lymilark and how snakes taste like a particularly sad chicken while Gerda begins her work in disarming the traps.
The government mages are shocked when all of their traps fail to go off, the protesters not even noticing their presence as they simply roll through the streets, the few soldiers remaining on the sidelines and letting the protestors pass without resistance. “Honestly,” one of the mages remarks. “I never really liked Lady Emilia much anyways.”
“Yeah,” another soldier quickly agrees. “What was she thinking, letting all these Al-Kalmarians into the country anyways or organizing a diplomatic meeting with them?”
Indeed, should we do something about it? Convince the mages to join the protesters with the express purpose of protesting Lady Emilia’s friendliness to barbaric Al-Kalmar… but of course you could always use them differently… say, tearing down the magically fortified gates of her palace… (Charisma Challenge: 20. This may increase your subtle and ruthless. This will likely end badly for you. This may decrease Weissen military strength and may greatly increase the concern Talmarian Empire have towards Weissen, but it may also increase revolutionary spirit. ).
Leave them to their inane gossiping and join the protestors. You could of course, just stick to the original plan—whatever that is, and follow the protestors. Perhaps you have an agenda at this point too that may change the outcome. Regardless, this will likely end badly for you. This may increase revolutionary spirit. Your brave quality may increase.)
Leave now that your job is done. You may, of course, take the prudent option and leave before the constabulary descends upon the protestors. (This will likely not end badly for you. This may increase revolutionary spirit slightly. Your subtle rating may increase. )
Minor Actions
-The notes are quickly found by the constabulary and confiscated before most of the literate population can read them. Government officials and cynics are quick to point to your note as being the work of some upstart zealot or copycat trying to receive attention, but nevertheless the constables are more determined than ever to find and kill you.
-Most people of Weissen are skeptical of Al-Kalmar and all the rumors of vicious brutalities that occur in the regime, but they do seem to appreciate the idea of breaking noble power and privilege. Even if Lady Emilia is trying to create an image of a responsible autocrat and noble, she is still using her monopolies and power for the benefit of her own capital after all. And don’t even talk about the other snobby nobles, forcing their ways into the free city of Potrac! (+3 Revolutionary spirit)
SpoilerValeska Ti :
The list of things that Lyra wants is a list of truly eclectic junk that you must question why anyone would want these. Lyra does, apparently, however. The smiling beastwoman avoids the question whenever you ask for the reason why these trinkets and keepsakes are necessary.
Nevertheless, these are items of some sentimental value to the people, unlikely to relinquish it without resistance. You befriend many of the targets, hitting them with conversation when they are in public enjoying themselves in taverns or Termarian-style clubs. You suggest to one man that he should relinquish a locket containing the only picture of his loved one, reasoning that it was keeping him from moving on. He is silent for a few, long moment. Just when you feel as if you’ve missed your mark and must move on to the next, he places the locket on the table in front of him and leaves.
Lyra is beyond ecstatic when you return with the locket and other trinkets of sentimental value you manage to convince the residents of Potrac to abandon in your care. “I won’t ask how you managed to collect these,” she says, looking over the keepsakes. There is hunger in her eyes.
She pops open the locket to leer at the cameo within, and you catch a glimpse at what is contained within. The cameo depicts a young man with brown hair, wearing rich, aristocratic clothes. “I’ve always wondered,” Lyra quips before shoving the locket into one of her many pockets. “Why these aristocrats and nobles ever bother to mingle with us common folk. Seems too much trouble for either of us. Ah well,” she shoves a heavy bag of gold towards you.
“Your payment, and because you’ve been so effective… you may ask me one question… or ask for something within my possession.”
+6 CHA
+3 AGI
+Subtle, +Melancholy
Ask her a Question about the Empress: If she is truly Geld’s associate, and Geld associated with the Empress in her formative days, than she surely knows something about her that you do not—something that may allow you to regain her favor and pardon you of whatever crime you committed against the Empire. Lyra smirks as you consider the question. She will not make this easy. (Charisma Challenge: 24. Your Melancholy and Subtle may increase. Your Charisma and will rating may slightly increase.)
Ask her a Question about Geld: This is likely one of the only time that you can ask a question to someone who’s familiar with Geld. Perhaps you could even find out why he destroyed the Kingdom of Lymilark. Lyra opens a law book and a history book when you consider this question—better be ready for obscure references to past events. (Will and Knowledge Check: 20. Your Will and CHA rating may increase. Your Gloom and Melancholy may increase.)
Ask her a Question about Herself: This is likely a safe option, but a bit boring. (This may increase Lyra connection further. Your Melancholy may increase)
Ask her a Question about the Nameless God: You must be mad. (This will likely end badly for you. Your Gloom and Melancholy rating may increase.)
Ask for a boon from her treasury: A safe and wise choice. (This will grant you an artifact which provides a +3 bonus on any stat you wish, able to be placed in any slot you desire).
Minor Actions
Agility Training: You have absolutely no idea how this happened, but you accidentally stumble into a hostile colony of cats when you attempt to run along the rooftop of Potrac. A hostile colony of teeth, claws, and fur that relentlessly chase you across the rooftop hissing and clawing at your legs until you ungracefully falls into a pile of hay from the roofs. You agree with yourself that this did not happen and move on with your life.
Making Andros More Charismatic: “What the hell,” Andros says as you dab some eyeliner below his eye. “Is wrong with you and your makeups.” Then he looks at a mirror that you acquired for him.
After a short while, you both decide that this too never happened.
SpoilerDevid :
Finding the bandits turn out to be surprisingly easy. As you travel through the forest, you hear a loud wailing which, once followed, leads you to a clearing where a half dozen bandit or so are surrounding a crying woman with a bag of books loudly complaining about how she was getting robbed, raped, and killed.
“Err… listen lady,” a scrawny bandit says. “We are just highwaymen, we don’t really rape or kil-“ they are cut short by a blast of magic knocking them into trees and rocks.”
The woman thanks you profusely as she gathers back some of the books that the bandits took from her—which turns out to be surprisingly racy romance novels most likely proscribed in majority of the countries—and you turn your attention to the surrendering bandits.
“It’s not like we want to be bandits really,” one of the bandit says. “But some of the smaller towns and villages near the frontier was conquered by roving demonic tribes. We need the money to pay them off.” “My sister’s ill, and also taken by demons.”
They offer you a variety of excuses for their actions. It is your choice, of course, to believe them or not.
WILL +2. +Ruthless
Offer them Redemption, if they serve you: Normally it would be foolish to enter into a pact with villains such as these bandits, but your spirits can ensure that these humans keep their end of the bargain. (Charisma Challenge: 20. Your Charisma and Will rating may increase. Your charitable and subtle rating may increase)
Kill them all and claim the reward: As you have agreed to do. (This will increase your Bringer of Death rating, ruthless rating, and honorable rating. Normal quest reward).
Drag them to the Constabulary: A live capture will yield additional rewards. (Will Challenge: 20. This will increase Will and charisma, even on a failure. Your honorable and melancholy rating may increase)
Let them go: Perhaps you believe their excuses. Perhaps you just think this is funnier. Perhaps you are like one of those fishermen who practice catch-release with their quarry. Whatever the case, you let these villains go. (This will increase your melancholy rating and increase your Favors with Criminals. ).
Minor Actions
An Unwelcome Visitor: A vision comes to you as you meditate—centipedes twitching and whispering, scurrying about all over your sight. It is dark, and you can barely make out the shape of some… *thing* moving out in this chthonian darkness. A flash of light, and in front of you is a woman’s face, one eye wide open in terror and the other dead and glassy. “Save us,” she whispers. Centipedes ensnare her face and drag her away out of her vision.
You wake up. You are on the surface, but what's this? A centipede scurries off your cloth and quickly runs off(+2 WIL)
SpoilerCoppermace :
Coppermace:
In the chaotic streets of Potrac, especially with most of the police force being invested in dealing with protestors or that gang war at the docks, nobody even gives you a second glance as you smack down a postal worker with the flat of your axe. You pick out the letter she instructed you to take—an important looking envelope with a seal of a minor noble. You then run to the antiquary store and smash the door—but the antiquarian is still inside. He stands aside meekly, attempting to explain that nothing in the store is worth taking, but his eyes widen when you grab the urn that Lyra instructed you to take. He begs you not to take them—crying out that it holds no value to you, but is immeasurably valuable to him. You take a closer look at it—a cremation urn. You take it anyways.
Lyra is ecstatic as she looks over the trinkets and other eclectic junk that you have liberated from the people of Potrac. She gingerly picks up the envelope. “A love letter,” she explains. “Never delivered. Never will be delivered. The noble who wrote it will never muster the courage to write another. She will go forever unknowing of him,” she sighs and hands you a bag of gold.
“I will also allow you to ask another question,” she whispers. “Or take from me something, within reason.”
STR: +3. AGI: +1. Ruthless.
Ask her a question about what you need to survive in the land of Lymilark. It’s true that there are some surviving towns and villages in the land of Lymilark, but news rarely travels outside of these enclaves and they are unusually tightlipped about their success in adapting to their hostile environment. Perhaps Lyra will be more open about it. She smirks when you ponder the exact question. She will likely not make this easy. (Charisma Challenge: 14. Your honorable and hopeful rating may increase. Your Charisma and Agility rating may increase. )
Ask her a question about Geld: Perhaps learning what he exactly did to Lymilark will help. She takes out her books when you ponder this question. (Will and Knowledge challenge: 14. Your Gloom and Melancholy rating may increase).
Ask her a question about herself: A safe choice. (Normal mission reward. Your melancholy may increase. Your relations: Lyra will increase.)
Ask for something from her treasury: A wise and safe choice (This will grant you any item that may provide +3 bonus to any of your stats.
Minor Actions
Another Question: “How greedy, to be asking for more information!” Lyra remarks with a smirk. “But I will accept. There is nowhere in Lymilark that is safe for habitation. There is no particular place that is any safer than any other place in Lymilark. However, any place in Lymilark may become safe for habitation. This, however, will require much work on your part.”
Teresa: Manages to sneak into the ball disguised as a servant of the Al-Kalmarian delegate and is privy to much knowledge from within the ball. She successfully leaves before the other servants grow too suspicious, and informs you that the Al-Kalmarian delegates don’t seem too interested in whichever way the dice rolls as to the negotiations. (+1 AGI)
SpoilerFerira :
Ferira
You decide to sneak into the mansion using an arbalest to fire a zipline from a nearby house. Once inside, you disable alarm circuits and bells while the others silently knock out guards in the building. A close encounter with the house cat almost leads to the entire operation becoming a bust, but you have prepared a suitable bribe in form of salmon, and you and your criminal friends are able to sneak into the gallery, grabbing as much silverware and particularly expensive looking decorations as possible.
Of course, you could grab more… One of the criminals, emboldened by the initial success, insists on raiding the treasure room where the noble would likely be hiding their greatest treasures. A risky move, but it could be worth it.
DEX +4. WIL +1. +Ruthless, + Subtle
Venture Further into the Mansion: Risky, very risky, but so very worth it… (DEX Challenge: 20. This will raise your brave and subtle. Chance for increased mission loot. Failure will have consequences.)
Ransack another part of the mansion: Less risky, but also less worth it (Dex Challenge: 16. This will raise your subtle rating. Chance for increased mission loot. Failure will have consequences)
Leave: A most wise and prudent choice (This will increase your melancholy and subtle. Normal mission loot)
Minor Actions
Gossips: Town gossips today are full of useless information such as the latest news of atrocities coming out of Al-Kalmar or whether or not snakes taste like a particularly sad chicken.
A pickpocket attempts to pickpocket you during a conversation. It is rather rude, and after you teach the man a lesson that he won’t be forgetting any time soon, other criminals appear to be avoiding your gaze. You learn nothing in particular.
SpoilerLunet :
Lunet
One of lesser known export of Weissen is slavery—the close proximity to the demonic borderlands allow for enterprising marcher nobles to round up slaves in raids and sell them to the highest bidder at towns such as Potrac. Such trades are tightly regulated and controlled, of course, unless it isn’t, which is usually the case in Potrac unfortunately.
Anotheere strange aspect of demonic slavery in Weissen is that possession of demons as slaves is actually illegal in the country. Weissen simply *exports* demonic slaves, but would not care to actually have them working in the Kingdom. It simply causes more trouble than it is worth, Weisseners argue, because of the close proximity to the Unvid Waste emboldening the demons attempts to flee their station into the waste with valuable knowledge of the human realms to aid their demonic friends. This is exactly why trade in demonic slaves are tightly regulated in Weissen unless, of course, it isn’t, which is the case everywhere.
The illegal slavers you are searching for appear to be guilty of both crimes—dodging taxes and regulations involved with trading slaves as well as actually selling demons within Weissen borders! They have a small auctionhouse set up by the dock in an unused warehouse where they sell particularly valuable demons—mostly elves and some fairy-like creatures, to nobles and merchants with special interests in such beings (perhaps to gather fairy dust or elf ears something, you hope). You could, of course, simply walk away and let the criminal investigators from Ci-Alen handle this, but where’s the fun in that?
WILL: +3
AGI: +2
+Subtle, + Bold
Reveal yourself as a mage and blast everyone! You will not let this injustice (are you talking about the slavery or tax dodging…?) continue any further! You blast the auctioneer, his guards, the other guards, and anyone else who comes nearby you when you cast your spells! (Will Challenge: 22. Your bold and just rating will increase. Failure may have consequences. Increased chance for loot. This probably won’t lead to bringer of death, but let’s be honest, it’s gonna increase bringer of death.)
Reveal yourself as a mage and blast everyone! You blast the auctioneer, his guards, the neighborhood dog, the terrified slaves, the roof, some unfortunate urchins… EVERYONE, but hey, at least you don’t have to hold back. (Will challenge: 20. Your bold and heartless rating will increase. Failure may have consequences. Increased chance for loot. This will lead to bringer of death).
Call AIforn in to raid the facility! Instead of calling the law enforcement, you could go for some vigilantism of your own and launch a raid into the auctionhouse, freeing the slaves, imprisoning the slavers, or just stealing their stuff. (Strength Challenge: 16. Your bold and subtle rating will increase. Failure may have consequences. Increased chance for loot).
Report their activities to the Constables: As you have agreed to do (Your honorable and just rating will increase. Normal mission reward).
Lunet
One of lesser known export of Weissen is slavery—the close proximity to the demonic borderlands allow for enterprising marcher nobles to round up slaves in raids and sell them to the highest bidder at towns such as Potrac. Such trades are tightly regulated and controlled, of course, unless it isn’t, which is usually the case in Potrac unfortunately.
Anotheere strange aspect of demonic slavery in Weissen is that possession of demons as slaves is actually illegal in the country. Weissen simply *exports* demonic slaves, but would not care to actually have them working in the Kingdom. It simply causes more trouble than it is worth, Weisseners argue, because of the close proximity to the Unvid Waste emboldening the demons attempts to flee their station into the waste with valuable knowledge of the human realms to aid their demonic friends. This is exactly why trade in demonic slaves are tightly regulated in Weissen unless, of course, it isn’t, which is the case everywhere.
The illegal slavers you are searching for appear to be guilty of both crimes—dodging taxes and regulations involved with trading slaves as well as actually selling demons within Weissen borders! They have a small auctionhouse set up by the dock in an unused warehouse where they sell particularly valuable demons—mostly elves and some fairy-like creatures, to nobles and merchants with special interests in such beings (perhaps to gather fairy dust or elf ears something, you hope). You could, of course, simply walk away and let the criminal investigators from Ci-Alen handle this, but where’s the fun in that?
WILL: +3
AGI: +2
+Subtle, + Bold
Reveal yourself as a mage and blast everyone! You will not let this injustice (are you talking about the slavery or tax dodging…?) continue any further! You blast the auctioneer, his guards, the other guards, and anyone else who comes nearby you when you cast your spells! (Will Challenge: 22. Your bold and just rating will increase. Failure may have consequences. Increased chance for loot. This probably won’t lead to bringer of death, but let’s be honest, it’s gonna increase bringer of death.)
Reveal yourself as a mage and blast everyone! You blast the auctioneer, his guards, the neighborhood dog, the terrified slaves, the roof, some unfortunate urchins… EVERYONE, but hey, at least you don’t have to hold back. (Will challenge: 20. Your bold and heartless rating will increase. Failure may have consequences. Increased chance for loot. This will lead to bringer of death).
Call AIforn in to raid the facility! Instead of calling the law enforcement, you could go for some vigilantism of your own and launch a raid into the auctionhouse, freeing the slaves, imprisoning the slavers, or just stealing their stuff. (Strength Challenge: 16. Your bold and subtle rating will increase. Failure may have consequences. Increased chance for loot).
Report their activities to the Constables: As you have agreed to do (Your honorable and just rating will increase. Normal mission reward).
Minor Actions
Gossiping: You don’t know what’s wrong with the people that you have decided to talk to today. You were holding a reasonably nice conversation with commoners regarding slaves and how they are taking over more jobs than ever after the Great Holy War, and then suddenly they are in tears, mumbling incessantly about the neverborn and nevercreated, whispering that their vengeance will not forever be denied. “Sorry,” the constable who rounds them up says. “They ate some snake meat.”
Potion Brewing You purchase some rather reasonable reagent from the alchemy store to brew your own potion, but something goes wrong. You don’t know what went wrong exactly, but the moment that you taste test the new potion with a small sip, you lose consciousness. When you wake up, a significant chunk of the local flora has been burnt to a crisp and Aiforn is begging you to never drink that again. You stash the new potion just in case anyways.
Obtained: A Mana Berserker Potion: Drinking this potion may damage your Will, but also strengthens your WILL by a half for one mission. Chance for blowbacks, even on a success.
SpoilerAlaric :
Alaric
You are not the first to arrive at the mansion, in front of which is a makeshift arena. There is, in fact, a line of warriors and soldiers wishing to try their luck… or simply watch Francine and her swordplay. The line ultimately terminates at a stone sparring arena at the center of the mansion’s courtyard, where Francine holding a one-handed saber awaits new challengers. You watch as the warriors who arrived before you challenge her one by one, first with fascination, than with growing horror.
None ever withstand more than a single blow from her blade. In fact, it almost appears as if attempts to parry her strikes are meaningless. Sword, shield, armor, spear, magic, none of these thing ever matters against the tiny saber that she wields—she simply cuts through them all as if there’s nothing there in the first place. Quite frankly, the techniques that she’s employing is physically impossible—you see her split a plate-armored knight in twine, cutting through the longsword that he raised to block, as easy as cutting through a sheet of paper. This would be impossible already considering her choice of weapons, but she also somehow managed to cut through only the metal armor of the knight, leaving the clothes and flesh underneath unharmed.
Then, it is your turn. You strike first with Damocles, hoping to land a strike before she can launch her own devastating blow. To your extreme surprise, you do not instantly fall in defeat—she takes the moment to parry your blow aside instead. Her riposte comes slower than you expected—and you barely manage to block it aside. The sheer force of her half-hearted cut makes Damocles groan in pain. You realize after a few further exchanges that she’s going easy on you—she has been going easy on everyone on this competition, but she’s showing you even more restraint than she already reserves for others. The match is decided in a much more traditional way than you imagined—you become tired and one of your parries go wide—you didn’t spot a surprise feint around Damocles, and she capitalizes on this moment with a tap to your neck with the blunt of her saber.
“You’re different than the most idiots I face,” Francine. “It would’ve been a shame if you got knocked out in one blow.” She grants you a surprisingly warm smile as she returns to the center of the arena to await the next challenger.
STR+10. AGI +10. +Brave, + Melancholy
Refuse to admit your defeat and attack her once more: Strength Challenge Rating: Unknown. This’ll likely anger Francine, but may raise your stats further. Your Brave and Ruthless rating will also increase. This’ll likely go badly for you.
Ask her questions when she finishes for the day: Since you are inside the mansion anyways, you may as well stick around and watch the rest of the bouts proceed. Perhaps you’ll even learn something from watching her. Perhaps you’ll even be able to speak to some of her family members or servants. (Charisma Challenge: 15. Even a failure may yield something valuable. This’ll raise your brave and honorable rating)
Leave: You have been defeated. You will leave gracefully. (Normal mission reward. Francine’s family may appreciate this show of grace. This’ll raise your honorable and melancholy rating).
Minor Actions
The new workout routine seems to work, at least, in terms of making yourself stronger. A miraculous way of increasing your own strength! You say excitedly to Damocles. It is sometimes wondrous how a sword can give off an aura of disdain and disbelief, but Damocles does so at that moment. “Isn’t it kinda obvious that this would make anyone stronger…?” (+1 STR)
“I am, of course, not at all a demon. Would a demon wear armor like this and carry a sword?”
“Yes?”
“Ah, but you are wrong, you see, demonic tribes have religious adversity towards—“
All bullhockey, but surprisingly effective considering how ignorant Weisseners are in general. (+1 CHA)
The humans of the marcher lords territories are emboldened by the news of recent victories at the village you visited last. Some of the nobles recognize you and hail you as a hero, vouching for you as you make your speech to help the townsfolk organize into guards and train to defend themselves. The training and recruitment goes well—too well. Soon, the newly organized and established town militia are attempting to form raiding parties of their own, launching attacks against close by demonic settlements and hamlets. You only become aware of this as you lead one such band, which encounters a carriage driven by a demon. Your men immediately descends upon them, knocking the driver off the carriage and cracking open the carriage, ignoring the demon’s complaints and screams. Inside is the demon’s family, two children and one woman. There’s nothing else to suggest that the demon was a threat to humans. “What have we ever done to you?” the demonic driver screams. “Every year, you humans push us further into the wastes. Weissen was ours! All you see and possess were once ours! You are a race of thieves and bandits!” The militia captain next to you scoffs at that.
“We’ve heard enough,” he says to you. “Kill him and let’s move on.”
+4 CHA, +1 STR. +Weissen Military Strength, +Honorable, +Hopeful
Instruct your men to execute the demons: This is what you are expected to do. (Normal Quest reward. Your honorable and melancholy rating will increase. Your bringer of Death score will massively increase)
Instruct your men to leave them at peace: This will end badly for you. (Charisma Challenge: 32. Your Hope and Melancholy rating will increase.)
Leave without a word: Perhaps you are one of those people who believe inaction to be somehow morally unquestionable. Gods do not see a difference. (Normal quest reward. Your Melancholy and subtle rating will increase. Your Bringer of Death Score will massively increase)
Kill the Demons yourself: Perhaps you are heartless, perhaps you simply wish to bear the burden yourself. It matters not. (Strength Challenge: 12. Your melancholy and honorable rating will increase. Your bringer of Death score will massively increase. Normal quest reward)
Minor Actions
There is a response from Francine in a form of a letter instructing you to be near a certain place by certain time. The tone of the letter makes it look like a letter of challenge—to a duel. "Do you think 'beat some sense into you,' is a metaphor for something?" your companion snarks at you.
Everyone turns pale as a ghost when they realize that some of these poems refer to Francine. “I’m sorry,” many of them stammer. “But I need to leave. Away, from here.” They turn and run.
You wonder if you’ve made a grave mistake.
SpoilerAn-Nur :
It is hopeless.
The cause of the disease is unknown—people whisper of demons poisoning water wells or bad air from Al-Kalmar. They only know who to blame-not how to fix this crisis. Ultimately, neither do you. All you can do is assuage their suffering as you watch them die.
(Failure, but not all is lost. +favor of the Church, + Melancholy, +Charitable. +2 WILL, +1 CHA)
-Mercy Kill the worst afflicted: There is no hope for the worst afflicted people—and keeping them alive merely distracts the priests from tending to those who may yet still be saved. You can pretend to use healing magic to euthanize these people. (Will challenge: 20. +Charitable, +Heartless, +Melancholy. Bringer of death may increase Failure will have consequences).
-Redouble the efforts: Perhaps you do not want to admit defeat. (Will Challenge: 24. +Charitable, Melancholy. Your favors with the church may increase. Failure may have consequences)
-Accept that this is how it shall be. Perhaps you are a prudent person. (+Melancholy.)
Minnor Actions
Some of the gossipers are reluctant to share their gossip with a stranger from al-Kalmar, but a round of drinks and small gifts change their mind rather quickly. Soon, they can’t stop telling you about all the girls that a local lord is bedding or how a priest of Lymilark is rumored to be consorting with the demons in the North. All junk information, of course, but maybe useful later. (+1 Charisma, -2.5 Gold)
Commoners, who also help out with some of the care at the temple ask you incessantly about the battle with the giant spiders. Some of them ask if it is true that the spider was the size of a house. Some of them ask if they truly had many eyes. Some of them ask, for some reason, whether or not it tasted like cheese. Surely nobody is mad enough to actually eat them to know. Whatever the case, you feel as if you’ve made a good impression, and your legend is growing among the commoners, even if the nobles feel as if you are making it too much of a big deal. (+Adulation of the Commoners).
Spoiler*altzer :
Politics
Lady Emilia does not know who you are, but recognizes the crest of your squire, and decides to treat you with some modicum of respect. “Lord Regent is being unreasonable with their demands,” Lady Emilia notes. “Kicking out Al-Kalmar or imposing further control over the population will only lead to more cries for change. Just look at what’s happening right now outside that the central nobles had the bright idea to crack down on Potrac. Gang warfare, protests, and probably worse happening all over the city. And who gets blamed for this? Me,” she scoffs as she downs a glass of wine.
“All I really want,” she says. “Is to be left alone in my city in peace, free to make my own fortunes, much like how many people who visit my city is given the opportunity to. Is that not what happiness is? To have just enough fortune or money at the right moment at the right place?”
Al-Kalmarian delegates are a strange mix. Some of the more serious-looking officials are in full state of panic (and you note that the more serious of the diplomats are all demons) while the human diplomats constantly sneer and make snide comments at Weisseners. “To be honest,” one of the human (or at least, human looking) member of the Al-Kalmarian delegation says. “Our presence in this meeting is frankly unnecessary. Everyone knows that whatever the Crown Princess of Terma says will go because Weissen is a Termarian puppet state. Everyone knows that, even if you Weisseners would never admit it.” When you mention how the demonic diplomats of Al-Kalmar appear to be taking this more seriously, he begins to chortle. “Wouldn’t you be nervous too, if you were a demon in this place?” he says. “More seriously, it’s not like Al-Kalmarian Empire is really a monolithic entity, there are factions all over. Some of us foolishly believe that good relations with Weissen even matters when it clearly doesn’t—all we ever need is an alliance with Terma and acceptance that Weissen is Termarian territory by right. Our esteemed furred friends (a derogatory remark, you note, of the Simian race who comprise most of the demonic Al-Kalmarian delegation) belong to the faction that believe that we should be forming a grand alliance with other nations to not be constantly bullied around by Terma. Idiocy. It’s no wonder why the Empress sent them out to Weissen to be embarrassed. No offence, but we know that you people hate us too anyways.”
Your efforts to delay or stymie the actual impact of the meeting appear to be going smoothly, with the few Termarian nobles you spoke with agreeing on the merits of the status quo to avoid an international incident. While Lady Emilia’s close confidents and few allies seem appreciative of such an effort, it appears as if you’re earning the ire of the central nobles in this regard—who would appreciate a clear response from Terma regarding this.
+4 CHA
+2 AGI
A tragic error occurs in your attempts to deal with the marcher lords involving some chickens, demons fleeing from Weissener military patrols, and some cowherds, resulting in a loss of a notebook containing some rather salacious materials, belonging to a local prince. You make the wise decision to retreat before the prince's fury is turned upon you instead of the hapless peasants. (+Evelyn Military Strength)
Summoned Spirits soon bend to your will, becoming your servants. However, it appears as if they make some effort to prevent talking about their other masters... but enough of them drop hints that majority of mage lords in Weissen are capable of summoning spirits one way or another.
"Lady Emilia," one of the spirits you bent to your will says. "Is a real slave driver."
SpoilerReiza :
The noble's mansions are protected minimally today--the city guards are overextended and only few household servants and guards remain in today's political climate. Still, the dogs that the noble keeps are vicious, and they pose quite a challenge for your little familiar.
Nevertheless, it does its job well, and soon you are making your way away from the noble mansion with a collection of letters in your hand. Lyra claps her hand when you present these to her. "Good work, but I feel as if you are interested more in the reward," she says. "You want power, and I respect that. Knowledge can be power too, and I have that in droves..."
She sits down across from you. "What would you like to know?"
-A question about herself: Guaranteed success. May increase relations with Lyra once more. Your melancholy may increase.
-A question about Geld: Will and Knowledge Challenge, 20. Your gloom and melancholy may increase.
-A question about her: Lyra's face tightens, smile vanishes from her lips. Will and Knowledge Challenge, 24. Your gloom and melancholy may increase greatly.
-Geld's monsters have stronger will than you realize, and your efforts to tame them are in vain.
-Your new fear charm on your familiar functions as expected. Although it was minimally effective against the dogs in the mansion, you are pleased to note that it serves as very excellent insect repellent.
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