Just some discussion first:
* Our guards did well. Let's
make sure they feel appreciated. Nothing too fancy. We don't need to bribe them. But let them know personally that we are pleased with their performance. Maybe get to know a bit about them. Incidentally
get their names. They've been positively helpful. They deserve to have us know their names. Find our their story. How did they came to be in our uncle's employ?
* Regarding the laboratory: we can afford the 200 gold. It would be a valuable thing to have, both now and in the future. I suspect that Soril has ulterior motives. He's doing his friend a favor by finding a buyer, and it wouldn't surprise me if he's getting a finder's fee. But I'm basically ok with that. If he benefits, his friend benefits, and we benefit...everyone benefits. That's fine.
Buy the lab.
* Regarding building fortifications, I suggest we wait.Fortifications have only minimal value if we lack anyone to man them. Whereas if we have armed forces, that has value whether or not we have the fortifications. Ideally yes,we'll have both. But training some men is more important, and less visible. If we start building walls, the Count will know about it long before we're finished. Whereas if we take 100 peasants and run them through through combat drills, fit them with some cheap, basic weapons and armor have them spar with each other, etc for several hours every week, that's not particularly suspicious, it's inexpensive, and it's probably of more immediate value. 100 peasants with pointy sticks and a willingness to use them is a stronger deterrent than an expensive wall people can walk around and a couple towers with no archers in them.
Start recruiting and training a part-time peasant militia * Regarding Soril's offer to find some mercenaries, I'm willing to listen to a proposal, but we're not planning on going to war right now, and I don't really want to pay a bunch of professional soldiers to stand around not doing anything. Mercenaries is something to consider when we have a definite campaign in mind and want to supplement existing forces. Buying an army wholesale is just not on the table right now. But, if rather than soldiers, he has a
commander in mind, somebody who can train the militia, teach them how to make their own fur armor and wooden spears and generally build a local army over several months, that's something I'd be wiling to pay for.
* Regarding Gavin,
talk to him. Need to find out his story, how he fell in with the knights, what their goals were, what his goals are, and whether he's going to be an asset or a liability.
Now, about those apprentive candidates:
- Gaskrul. Orc. 13 years old. Male. Orphan. Quiet. Seems to have considerable experience in Conjuration. For a child. This one is actually from Count Detwyx's lands. Just beyond the border. I would've turned him away, but it's rare to find a child who can summon a scamp at his age.
Natural ability is great. It is however, a slight concern that he's from Detwyx's lands. That's the place south of us with the Orc warchief who's being bribed into not overtly taking control. Why is this child here? Additionally, I'm on the fence about his conjuration talent. It seems a natural choice, since it's our specialty, so we'd be matching natural talent with good training. This could result in a powerful student. And the fact that he's an orc, could be good PR both with our guards, as well as with the southerners if we ever need to come into contact with them.
But, while it might be good PR with some, it's probably bad PR with others. And I'm not sure the good PR is necessarily even good PR. If he's an abandoned child from the
losing side of some orc clan skirmish somewhere, taking him in could have unfortunate consequences later on. Finally, I'm not sure that having a student skilled in conjuration especially benefits us. That's what we do. Yes, it would make training easier, but it's putting all our eggs in the same basket. It might be preferable to have a student who specializes in another school, so that we have two schools in our repertopie rather than only one.
So all in all this looks like a strong choice, but the ways it's strong are kind of questionable. And it would be absolutely awful if he's actually a scout from that war chief to find our more about us, we train him, and then he leaves with delicate information.
Talk to our guards and ask them if taking him will bite us later on- Theresa. 15. Female. Poor petty nobility. Very talkative. Seems to have a basic understanding of potionmaking and seems to have an aptitude for Restoration. A decent apothecary I'd say.
I would favor having an apprentice from the nobility. It means that she'll
understand some things better than the filthy peasants. That said, her natural ability is not impressive. I want to take the noble, but I think her skills make her just not a very attractive choice. However, she might be a useful ancilliary recruit. Alchemist/healers are nice to have. Especially if we're about to buy an alchemy/magic/research lab. Even if we take someone else as an apprentice, we might want to keep her anyway. But, being that she's from poor nobility, she's probably not looking for a job. She's looking to establish herself somewhere with a lot of potential to grow. An apprenticeship gives her that. Background alchemists/healer probably doesn't give her want she wants.
But then on the other hand, who knows, maybe she's more interested in her craft than climbing the political ladder. If that's the case, and she's looking for a nice cushy spot where she can attach herself to a rising star, and be in their court without actually personally expecting to make it big. If that's the case, she has talents we could definitely use. I propose we
talk to this one and find out what her goals her. If her goals are compatible with being a courtier rather than our right hand, then go ahead and recruit her . She's probably good to have in our retinue if she wants to be here, but I just don't see her going forth and spreading terror and conquest in our name.
- Merc. 16. Male. Serf. High natural magika reservoir. Seems to have an understanding of Alteration, although it is nothing special.
Nothing wrong with raw power. We can teach skill. But I'd prefer to not have a filthy peasant as an apprentice. I suppose if we can properly convey what a raw and wondrous opportunity it is, and if we can translate that into obsessive loyalty to the man who pulled him up to a greater station in life, it might be worthwhile. This is probably not a bad choice, but I'm just not very enthusiastic about it.
- Lassia. 14. Female. Some practical knowledge of Illusion and Restoration. She's more of a hunter than mage my lord, but she seems to have learnt quite a bit herself.
Kind of neutral here. We want an apprentice. Somebody who can become our right hand and go out and do great thing on our behalf as an extension of our will. A
mage. Not a hunter to happens to know some magic. She's probably not a bad choice, but she's not really what we're looking for. I'd say pass.