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[Mlamlah]

Raynor Casar, Royal Prince of Analysse, popular claimant on the future crown.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

13 Years old

Personality:
Strong leadership traits.
A passion for knowledge and education.
A deep love of family, particularly towards sisters.
Is bold when faced with an opportunity to prove himself, but tends towards caution much more of the time.
Has shown a desire to rule.
Quiet and assured confidence.

Health and Physical Abilities
Well
Mediocre fitness.
Youthful agility.

Social Skills
A strong understanding of etiquette and social grace.
Tends to inspire loyalty in others.
A bright and well honed mind.
Solid political skill.
Solid business Savvy.
Mediocre grasp of Adalbert language.
Knows a smattering of Keshlian.

Practical Skills
Amateur Magician
Amateur swordsmanship.
Amateur Shield-work.
Sword and shield technique: Amateur.
Novice riding.
Novice armoured combat.
Amateur Strategist.

Allies and underlings
The palace servants: Deep Love and Loyalty
Palace Pages and Squires: Healthy and lasting respect, newly restored loyalty.
Isvan the Apprentice Warmage: Eagerness to please, loyalty.
Ritalia: Loving and Protective, deeply loyal.
Barick the Bodygaurd: Protective.
Business Contacts: Polite.
Local Business partners: Respectful
Elwer, your squire: Eager to serve.
Courtiers and Politicians: Slightly awed.
William: Erratic, but loyal
Sir Evanson: Patronizing, but loyal.
Captain Verack: Polite, but otherwise indifferent.
Ishvakala the Hedge Mage:Amused and Grateful.
Sir Raymond the country Knight: Grateful

Magic
Apprentice-level Scrymaster, experienced at surpassing magical resistance. May only scry with one sense at a time. May set up poor quality scrying wards to hinder intrusion or alert you upon it. Capable of impressive power in forcing your way past screening wards, and of great subtlety in avoiding detection wards.
Novice Level War-Warder. You have some shaky skill in warding objects and people from specific kinds of harm which must be stated in the spell. None of your spells have yet lasted much more than an hour, and are easy to dispel.

-Spell Tricks known:
Artificial Wind. Can create breezes over an extended period, or a single momentary gust capable of sending light objects flying and unbalancing individual people.
Symbol reproduction. Can instantly reproduce the contents of one page on something else, the symbol(s) must be made with ink or a similiar substance to work, and must be performed on a flat surface.
Palm Light: You are capable of creating a shining light in your palm that is about as bright as a torch, you may also attach light to your fingertips as bright as a candle, the light has heat, but not much.
Missile Launching: This cantrip allows one to launch an arrow, bolt or similiarily sized missile at an opponent with the strength of a crossbow bolt. Could theoretically be used to launch less conventional missiles in a pinch.
Repel object: May be used to turn away missiles, blades and blunt objects, though not reliably.

Assets
Various travelling clothes of high quality, including cloaks and riding boots.
Riding horse fitted with barding, (quilted over top studded leather).
A modest collection of historical books.
A small collection of varied books on magic, including basic theory, scrying, warding of various sorts and warmagic.
High quality gold emerald-embedded brooch. A gift from your mother.
Cart with draft horses
Boots of sticking. Boots capable of fusing on any surface on the command word. Generally used for pranks.
An old trading galley-poorly manned.

Wealth:
Opulent palace quarters.
Personal servants.
Varied high quality clothing and jewelry.
Trade goods.
Various stall based portside businesses.
Modest Middle Man business.
Some partnerships with estalished small businesses.
A handful of small smithys, and attached metalworking businesses.
Generous Royal Allowance.
A tidy sum of money, a little more than enough to buy and man a decent sized ship.
A small hoard of useless trinkets and jewlery.
Ornate Plate Armor

War Assets:
Masterfully crafted Dagger.
High quality short sword.
High quality leather breastplate.
High Quality Scale Mail armor.
A crate of flashstones, capable of producing a blinding light when struck against a hard surface.
A ring shield, capable of producing a small shield of force energy on the command word. Limited life.
A stave of magical protection. Absorbs overtly hostile magic directed at the holder before shattering.

Bodyguard Equipment: Leather Jerkin over sturdy woodmans clothing, a high quality longsword, a warhammer, a hidden dagger, a short sword, a hatchet, a leather shield. A riding horse with custom saddle. Ornate plate armor. High quality Banded armor.

Squire Equipment: High quality shortsword, quilted armor and travelling clothes. Riding Horse.

The Silver Moon Mercanary Company
Headed by Verack, a northman warrior who has skill with a claymore.
Senior Members:
8 Axemen (throwing and Melee), 2 archers, 3 Halberdiers, 1 Fire Mage. All dressed in Ringmail/plate composite, with weapons of decent quality.
Recruits:
17 Able Bodied Trainees, 2 fire mage apprentices. Substandard training equipment.

You may be put off gaurd by the news of another potential claimant on the throne, but you don't let it effect your plans very much, and your stride remains unbroken. You even make a point of seeking out Erik at court and publicly embracing him as your brother, and congratulating him on his knighthood. With a flash of insight you briefly see the telltale signs of guilt on his face, and notice he is both polite and gaurded, traits unlike him. His mother also hovers closer on your approach. Most interesting.

With that to chew over you begin the months activities, and it is another busy month.
Verack gives you an update on the status of his company. He and his men have outfitted themselves in a ringmail-plate composite, and taken on almost a score of young lowborn recruits, including a pair of apprentices for their fire mage. He expects that some of the recruits will give up or be injured by training, though also that he should gain ten or so new regulars.

Your work at getting your metalworkers to work in concert with one another, and improve their craft at weapons and armor. It takes some effort to get them to willingly work together, as a rule skilled tradesmen guard their secrets closely, but the walls are beginning to break down. Next is opening the lines of communication with other metalworkers in the city, with the smithys you don't own and the craftsmen not beholden to you. If you hope to start a guild you will need to have as many metalworkers as possible to be on your side, willing to chain themself to the organization you are laying the groundwork for. Progress on that front is slow, but being made. In the meantime you are spending more money than you are making from your combined businesses, as a result of the rapidfire buying of and establishment of new ones.
You accept Sekhons invitation to sit the guild with him, and bring with you all of the Keshlian nobles and merchants that call you ally-for now. You can tell he did not expect you to win so much support so quickly, and with that gain so much power in his very own organization. Using your new voice, you urge the guild to assist you in establishing a hold on the local production of arms and armor and in acquiring access to ships, shipyards and magic goods all in the aid of future warfare. You're fairly certain you've entrenched yourself strongly in the guild, and you cant tell if Sekhon is displeased by that or not.
You manage to secure yourself Rai; a second rate Keshlian sea mage who took the side of imperial forces in the revolution, and was exiled for it. He's not too thrilled by his position aboard a vessel Keshlian merchants laugh and say is worthy of him, he apparently was once a man of means. You are as of yet unable to find a lowborn or unlanded shipless captain, so the mage currently serves as the ships de facto captain, though commanding sailors is drudgery he finds unpleasant.

Your tutoring goes very well, and you combine that with your combat lessons with Barick. You find that you're rapidly beginning to grasp the particulars of troop movement, supply and combat maneuvers. You know the conventions of warfare now, but you are also fairly sure that the true chaos of real warfare would still be a challenge to manage, particularly with magic always being a factor that could turn an entire war on it's head. Barick continues to teach you swordsmanship, but with your tutor observing and constantly stopping sparring to correct form or make observations on some of your shortcomings. You find yourself often annoyed with the old man, but you are learning, though you note it is not quite as physically intensive as when Barick teaches you.

You make a point of clearing a part of your schedule to spend time with family. Catherine is eleven years old now, and very shy. She has a lot of interest in tales of valor and bravery, and you take advantage of your knowledge of history to tell her tales that you think are quite good. Mary is six, and a creature of willpower and energy. She is unafraid to say what she thinks, and is unwilling to let another make her be quiet and still.
William has become much less erratic since you left, but has also become deeply thoughtful and grim, and is often distracted. From what you can tell most of his free time is spent digging through several hundred year old tomes kept from falling to pieces only through magical preservation. You urge him to get out of the palace and do something, suggesting to him that he might in the least advise and help you with personal record keeping in your mercantile dealings. At this he regularly denies your requests, telling you that his research is of the utmost importance, and countering with requests that you help him track down accurate information on the Aikeen dynasty of old.
Your mother likewise seems to have very little time, and your attempts to speak with her are not always met with success. When you do see her she seems aged and tired. It would seem she and your father have had something of a falling out, and she is trying very hard to win support for either you or william to sit the throne, but with little success. She notes that you have done more to win support for yourself than anyone else. She had apparently expected to be key in putting you on the throne if you did sit it, but her maneuvering has amounted to much less than she had hoped. You can tell that is a blow to her pride.

You clear a portion of your time for magical studies, and again use Ishvakala and your shared business as an excuse to expand your collection of books on magic. Your studies go well enough, and with the aid of some lessons from Isvan you manage to expand into a new branch of magic. You are beginning to grasp the basics of warding magic, and may enchant people or objects to protect from very specific forms of harm for a limited time. Your casting ability in the discipline varies wildly still, and you arn't confident in your abilities, but in a pinch it might prove a useful skill.
Every night you spend time honing your scrying abilities, and your scrying is made all the more difficult by the recent request of extra wards being acted upon by palace Wardens. At first the wards block your abilities almost completely, but with time you sharpen your ability to surpass wards even further. You may even be able to grow to slip past detection wards if you keep your practice up. Being able to do as you have done without many years of training is unheard of as far as you can tell, and you find yourself very proud of these abilities. As an exercise, you use these powers to memorize the patrols of palace gaurdsmen as they go about their business for the hour or so before you go to bed.

The last of your time is spent either socially or at court. At court you switch gears very much from your normal routine. When you would normally keep courtiers off balance and at arms length, you now make the effort of treating them as friends, and attending as many of the constant barrage of social events as you are able to make time for. Dances, dinners and even the occasional countryside ride. A few of your new acquaintances urge you to take up falconry with them, but you seriously doubt you have the time to do so, and you get little enough sleep as it is. Still, you seem to be making a few genuine friends, even as some of the people you meet and socialize with irritate you immensely.
You briefly contemplate how your entire life you have made allies among the next generation of nobility, while currently only a particular few nobles with land and titles have openly pledged support of you there are many who will one day come into land of their own who are quite fond of you. If promises hold, the adoration of young nobility could one day bring you a great deal of power even if you do not become king.

Also in keeping with your alliances, you host a few gatherings of your own, generally inviting those you consider friends and allies. These dinners serve as a great excuse to gather information, consolidate unnofficial alliances, and introduce your friends to one another. Sir Raymond manages to make it to one such gathering, and he tells you that after the events of a few months passed he has decided to form a proper militia in his lands. He's also attempting to turn the ear of his liege-lord to your service, though he in turn also has a liege-lord, so even that support would be suspect depending on how politics go. At such a dinner one of your allies, -the second son to a duke-, tells you that he's in touch with a hedge knight of the sail, who has neither the money or influence to get himself a ship, and would probably be willing to captain your vessel, which he notes is currently without a known name. It is apparently bad luck to have a nameless ship, so it might be worth your time to think something up. If you did provide the Knight with a ship, he would have the full rights of knighthood restored to him, and you would have your first true vassal.

In your dealings, you begin to attend to the inevitability of marriage in your future, a matter your parents have curiously left to you to decide on. You certainly don't have a shortage of betrothal offers, but looking through the letters such things generally arrive in is nothing more than paperwork, and not sufficient for your purposes. You arn't having a lot of luck so far in finding a bride that just might suit your ambitions to one day conquer Keshla, but there are two local girls you meet who are your own age who might be suitable. One, is the first and only child to a local count, currently apprenticed to a Court Warden, and apparently a very talented mage for her age. The second is the third daughter to a Duke, you've met her a few times and found her to possess a biting wit and a skillful grasp of scholarly matters, and she is already growing to be a beauty. Her father controls a Duchy that borders both Adalbert and the Bandit Baronies, which has necessitated a strong military force on his part, he provides a large portion of the nations heavy cavalry, and his father before him established an academy for the training of warmages.
It would probably be worth it to further broaden your candidates for marriage, or in the least to spend more time with those you think you may become betrothed to.

Another month has passed, and sources tell you that preparations for the Royal Wedding are nearly complete, and Penrod will be on his way very soon. At the most you will have a little more than a month before he arrives, and your sister Ritalia will be married. It's a little more rushed than necessary, but you suppose that is the way of things sometimes. From what you have been able to tell, Ritalia is making the most of her last days living at the palace, though she has picked up the hobby of riding regularly, and has taken up falconry. She seems to enjoy these pursuits more than she thought she would, and she has a bird of her own that she adores.

Another month behind you, and another ahead. What is next for Prince Raynor of the House Casar?


GM Note:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Whew. I did not expect you guys to be so thorough in your scheduling, good job on that score, it makes it a lot easier for me to keep track of things.
Anyway, quite a bit to think about in this update, and this one took me a little while to work through. I apologize if you find this update too long, if you do i suggest that you narrow down the things you are doing. I'm happy to make updates as long as necessary however.

[Weirdsound]

I'd say more or less keep the same schedule as before. I'd stop meeting with William so often and Spend Time with Erik instead though.

We should stop the next time-skip once plans for the royal wedding become more concrete and imminent.

-Take up the offer of the captain. Name your second rate boat after your father's concubine, technically honoring her while simultaneously taking a not so subtle swipe.
-When spending time with your sister Catherine, ask her if she would be interested in learning magic like the heros of the stories you tell. If she is interested, and promises to keep your talent a secret, begin teaching her the very basics of magic. Perhaps get your older brother to help teach her a bit as well, if he can be bothered.
-Make it clear to Sekhon's guild that you will start heavily pushing the Keshlian Cause after the royal wedding. Tell Sekhon that you will want somebody of high blood whom you can proclaim as the true emperor, and that since it is his guild and his nation, he should pick. Suggest he select somebody greedy and/or dumb enough to be controlled by the guild once he gains power.
-Take note on how quickly you are losing money on your business ventures, and how long you can keep up at your current pace.
-Get your affairs in order. Find smart people you can trust in all aspects of your business. You will likely be neglecting your business ventures for at least a few weeks come time for the royal wedding. Best make sure we don't have a repeat of last time...
-Do everything you can to meet with Erik away from his mother as often as you can. Sell him on your friendship, and on the potential idea of going to war in Keshlia. Learn about his wants, desires, and political goals, and make it clear that you can both become more powerful and influential if you present a united front in dealing with your father. If he confronts you over succession issues, honestly admit that you do want the throne, and that you find his mother a bit hard to digest at times, but assure him he is still your brother and that you wont do anything stupid if he gets named crowned prince.
-Use your social time to broaden your list of candidates for betrothal. Consider girls between the ages of 7 and 18. We would be more than willing to marry someone a bit older, or wait a few years for someone younger to become of age, if it means finding the right person to marry or family to marry into. Even though we are leading the guild towards the idea of installing a puppet emperor, do not give up on looking for a highborn Keshlian.
-On that note use your social time to meet with the two girls you have already turned up. Meet with the Count's Daughter a few times and gauge her trustworthiness. If we think she can keep a secret, it may be worth it to add her to our secret magic studies club with Isvan regardless of if we consider her a potential wife or not. When dealing with the Duke's Daughter, see if her quick wit can be translated to intrest and skill in the world of business. Write both of the girl's fathers and say that you are considering taking each as your bethroved, and are getting to know their daughters better in the meantime. Ask them to keep the matter private for the time being, as you do not wish to upstage your sister's upcoming wedding by publicly courting women.

[3man75]

I'd say more or less keep the same schedule as before. I'd stop meeting with William so often and Spend Time with Erik instead though.

We should stop the next time-skip once plans for the royal wedding become more concrete and imminent.

-Take up the offer of the captain. Name your second rate boat after your father's concubine, technically honoring her while simultaneously taking a not so subtle swipe.
-When spending time with your sister Catherine, ask her if she would be interested in learning magic like the heros of the stories you tell. If she is interested, and promises to keep your talent a secret, begin teaching her the very basics of magic. Perhaps get your older brother to help teach her a bit as well, if he can be bothered.
-Make it clear to Sekhon's guild that you will start heavily pushing the Keshlian Cause after the royal wedding. Tell Sekhon that you will want somebody of high blood whom you can proclaim as the true emperor, and that since it is his guild and his nation, he should pick. Suggest he select somebody greedy and/or dumb enough to be controlled by the guild once he gains power.
-Take note on how quickly you are losing money on your business ventures, and how long you can keep up at your current pace.
-Get your affairs in order. Find smart people you can trust in all aspects of your business. You will likely be neglecting your business ventures for at least a few weeks come time for the royal wedding. Best make sure we don't have a repeat of last time...
-Do everything you can to meet with Erik away from his mother as often as you can. Sell him on your friendship, and on the potential idea of going to war in Keshlia. Learn about his wants, desires, and political goals, and make it clear that you can both become more powerful and influential if you present a united front in dealing with your father. If he confronts you over succession issues, honestly admit that you do want the throne, and that you find his mother a bit hard to digest at times, but assure him he is still your brother and that you wont do anything stupid if he gets named crowned prince.
-Use your social time to broaden your list of candidates for betrothal. Consider girls between the ages of 7 and 18. We would be more than willing to marry someone a bit older, or wait a few years for someone younger to become of age, if it means finding the right person to marry or family to marry into. Even though we are leading the guild towards the idea of installing a puppet emperor, do not give up on looking for a highborn Keshlian.
-On that note use your social time to meet with the two girls you have already turned up. Meet with the Count's Daughter a few times and gauge her trustworthiness. If we think she can keep a secret, it may be worth it to add her to our secret magic studies club with Isvan regardless of if we consider her a potential wife or not. When dealing with the Duke's Daughter, see if her quick wit can be translated to intrest and skill in the world of business. Write both of the girl's fathers and say that you are considering taking each as your bethroved, and are getting to know their daughters better in the meantime. Ask them to keep the matter private for the time being, as you do not wish to upstage your sister's upcoming wedding by publicly courting women.

+1

I was going to say that the Duke's dauther sounds like the best candidate of the two. Her father has experience with heavy Calvary, a magic academy that his dad made, a beautiful Daughter, and she has wit. The future countess would be interesting also but maybe more of a magic buddy/friend then a wife. But continue to look and please ask around for their names.

[jaass]

I'd say more or less keep the same schedule as before. I'd stop meeting with William so often and Spend Time with Erik instead though.

We should stop the next time-skip once plans for the royal wedding become more concrete and imminent.

-Take up the offer of the captain. Name your second rate boat after your father's concubine, technically honoring her while simultaneously taking a not so subtle swipe.
-When spending time with your sister Catherine, ask her if she would be interested in learning magic like the heros of the stories you tell. If she is interested, and promises to keep your talent a secret, begin teaching her the very basics of magic. Perhaps get your older brother to help teach her a bit as well, if he can be bothered.
-Make it clear to Sekhon's guild that you will start heavily pushing the Keshlian Cause after the royal wedding. Tell Sekhon that you will want somebody of high blood whom you can proclaim as the true emperor, and that since it is his guild and his nation, he should pick. Suggest he select somebody greedy and/or dumb enough to be controlled by the guild once he gains power.
-Take note on how quickly you are losing money on your business ventures, and how long you can keep up at your current pace.
-Get your affairs in order. Find smart people you can trust in all aspects of your business. You will likely be neglecting your business ventures for at least a few weeks come time for the royal wedding. Best make sure we don't have a repeat of last time...
-Do everything you can to meet with Erik away from his mother as often as you can. Sell him on your friendship, and on the potential idea of going to war in Keshlia. Learn about his wants, desires, and political goals, and make it clear that you can both become more powerful and influential if you present a united front in dealing with your father. If he confronts you over succession issues, honestly admit that you do want the throne, and that you find his mother a bit hard to digest at times, but assure him he is still your brother and that you wont do anything stupid if he gets named crowned prince.
-Use your social time to broaden your list of candidates for betrothal. Consider girls between the ages of 7 and 18. We would be more than willing to marry someone a bit older, or wait a few years for someone younger to become of age, if it means finding the right person to marry or family to marry into. Even though we are leading the guild towards the idea of installing a puppet emperor, do not give up on looking for a highborn Keshlian.
-On that note use your social time to meet with the two girls you have already turned up. Meet with the Count's Daughter a few times and gauge her trustworthiness. If we think she can keep a secret, it may be worth it to add her to our secret magic studies club with Isvan regardless of if we consider her a potential wife or not. When dealing with the Duke's Daughter, see if her quick wit can be translated to intrest and skill in the world of business. Write both of the girl's fathers and say that you are considering taking each as your bethroved, and are getting to know their daughters better in the meantime. Ask them to keep the matter private for the time being, as you do not wish to upstage your sister's upcoming wedding by publicly courting women.

+1

I was going to say that the Duke's dauther sounds like the best candidate of the two. Her father has experience with heavy Calvary, a magic academy that his dad made, a beautiful Daughter, and she has wit. The future countess would be interesting also but maybe more of a magic buddy/friend then a wife. But continue to look and please ask around for their names.

-1 for telling him about the eventual war with Keshlian, and eventual power we might share. We need to be cautious for what we say for we do not know how much his mother's grip is in him. Just tell him we are genuinely concern for him and that he seemed to greatly changed since we last meet, we just want to know what happened. Also, we should subtly ask the court mage what happened if we don't get a proper answer from Erik.

Now for the younger sisters, Catherine will make and excellent politician she just lacks confidence. We need to give her some confidence thus peaceful practice of magic will help her in this regard. Mary has the personality of a warrior, we should start introducing her with some basic sparring of wooden swords. Also, spend some time with Ritalia. Better yet try to get most of our sisters together so we can spend time with them because this is probably the last time our younger sisters will see of Ritalia for a while.

Be careful with the count's daughter that is a talented mage, we do not know her thus we shouldn't reveal too much on our magical ability. Maybe we can joke about our "poor" magical ability and ask if we can show us a couple of tips on the schools of magics she learned. If she ask on our ability just show her some of the spell tricks we learned.
___

Start incorporating the war-wards(ex.cast ward on cloth to protect from sharp implements then stab with a dagger what happens?), and wards from the spymaster sub-school into your magical training session, and maybe start reading about some offensive spells.

[Weirdsound]

Mary has the personality of a warrior, we should start introducing her with some basic sparring of wooden swords.

I'm not sure it would be appropriate for a woman to be a warrior in this setting, but if it is, go for it. Otherwise just focus on growing close to her; We can find away to make her useful when she is a bit older. Even we didn't amount to all that much at her age.

[Mlamlah]

Mary has the personality of a warrior, we should start introducing her with some basic sparring of wooden swords.

I'm not sure it would be appropriate for a woman to be a warrior in this setting, but if it is, go for it. Otherwise just focus on growing close to her; We can find away to make her useful when she is a bit older. Even we didn't amount to all that much at her age.

There is a law in place that allows a woman to claim all of the rights of a man, including the rights of inheritance, the right to occupy official positions traditionally reserved for men and even to accept a knighthood. This law was put into place specifically to accomdate female mages of skill and power, but on three different occasions it has been claimed by magicless women who later became knights. This though, is very rare, and there are of course always going to be those who would regard such "exploitation" of the law with disgust.
Still, such figures all garnered a lot of fame and glory, though it was their exceptional skill that allowed them to claim the right in the first place.

In order for a woman to gain the right they must have the explicit support of either a king, two dukes, or five counts.

EDIT: to be clear, I meant that the right is rare for magicless women. It is pretty common for a skilled mage to claim, though political marriages for such women are occassionally made a little more difficult.

[3man75]

Mary has the personality of a warrior, we should start introducing her with some basic sparring of wooden swords.

I'm not sure it would be appropriate for a woman to be a warrior in this setting, but if it is, go for it. Otherwise just focus on growing close to her; We can find away to make her useful when she is a bit older. Even we didn't amount to all that much at her age.

There is a law in place that allows a woman to claim all of the rights of a man, including the rights of inheritance, the right to occupy official positions traditionally reserved for men and even to accept a knighthood. This law was put into place specifically to accomdate female mages of skill and power, but on three different occasions it has been claimed by magicless women who later became knights. This though, is very rare, and there are of course always going to be those who would regard such "exploitation" of the law with disgust.
Still, such figures all garnered a lot of fame and glory, though it was their exceptional skill that allowed them to claim the right in the first place.

In order for a woman to gain the right they must have the explicit support of either a king, two dukes, or five counts.

If we marry that one duke's dauther we could be half-way their. but let's talk to her about it first.

[Weirdsound]

Do as Jass said and train her with a wooden sword. Do it under the pretense of child's play or teaching her self defense for now. Seeing who her dad is, there is a fair chance that she may be an exceptional enough fighter down the road to gain legal rights.

[Mlamlah]

So, some setting exposition:

The climate of coastal Analysse is subtropical, and the bay of mirdas (the sea analysse borders), resembles the Mediterranean in many respects. Wind and weather are therefore subject to various changes.
The ships most common in the area (with the exception of fishing vessels) are Galleys, though Cogs and Holks are common enough as well, particularly on inland rivers.

Naval warfare differs a little from contemporary history, made more complex by the presence of mages, making a variety of strategies feasible. The use of artillery (magical and contemporary), ramming and boarding are all common, and mages provide defences to any of such strategies in a way unavailable to fleets of history.

[3man75]

Idea.

Guys we have a merceanary company with a competant captain, mage {an 2 assistants who will hopefully become mages as well}, and lots of dudes.
So what do we need? we need a monster someone with a history of going into the breech and accomplishing the impossible. Someone like a certain claimant to the throne...thoughts beside him saying no?

[jaass]

Idea.

Guys we have a merceanary company with a competant captain, mage {an 2 assistants who will hopefully become mages as well}, and lots of dudes.
So what do we need? we need a monster someone with a history of going into the breech and accomplishing the impossible. Someone like a certain claimant to the throne...thoughts beside him saying no?

Perhaps when we are older.

______

One more suggestion try to gauge Sekhons on how he reacted with our big entrance into the guild.

[Mlamlah]

Raynor Casar, Royal Prince of Analysse, popular claimant on the future crown.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

13 Years old

Personality:
Strong leadership traits.
A passion for knowledge and education.
A deep love of family, particularly towards sisters.
Is bold when faced with an opportunity to prove himself, but tends towards caution much more of the time.
Has shown a desire to rule.
Quiet and assured confidence.

Health and Physical Abilities
Well
Mediocre fitness.
Youthful agility.

Social Skills
A strong understanding of etiquette and social grace.
Tends to inspire loyalty in others.
A bright and well honed mind.
Solid political skill.
Solid business Savvy.
Mediocre grasp of Adalbert language.
Poor Grasp of Keshlan language.

Practical Skills
Mediocre Magicianry
Mediocre swordsmanship.
Amateur Shield-work.
Sword and shield technique: Amateur.
Amateur riding.
Novice armoured combat.
Amateur Strategist.

Allies and underlings
The palace servants: Deep Love and Loyalty
Palace Pages and Squires: Healthy and lasting respect, newly restored loyalty.
Isvan the Apprentice Warmage: Eagerness to please, loyalty.
Ritalia: Loving and Protective, deeply loyal.
Barick the Bodygaurd: Protective.
Business Contacts: Polite.
Local Business partners: Respectful
Elwer, your squire: Eager to serve.
Courtiers and Politicians: Slightly awed.
William: Erratic, but loyal
Sir Evanson: Patronizing, but loyal.
Captain Verack: Polite, but otherwise indifferent.
Ishvakala the Hedge Mage:Amused and Grateful.
Sir Raymond the country Knight: Grateful
Sir Bepher, your Vassal: Respectful

Magic
Apprentice-level Scrymaster, experienced at surpassing magical resistance. May only scry with one sense at a time. May set up poor quality scrying wards to hinder intrusion or alert you upon it. Capable of impressive power in forcing your way past screening wards, and of great subtlety in avoiding detection wards.
Novice Level War-Warder. You have some shaky skill in warding objects and people from specific kinds of harm which must be stated in the spell. None of your spells have yet lasted much more than an hour, and are easy to dispel.
Novice Level Force magic. You may use crude energy with basic competence. Currently this allows you to bludgeon and move things forcefully and indelicately, with strength just barely above your own physical strength.

-Spell Tricks known:
Artificial Wind. Can create breezes over an extended period, or a single momentary gust capable of sending light objects flying and unbalancing individual people.
Symbol reproduction. Can instantly reproduce the contents of one page on something else, the symbol(s) must be made with ink or a similiar substance to work, and must be performed on a flat surface.
Palm Light: You are capable of creating a shining light in your palm that is about as bright as a torch, you may also attach light to your fingertips as bright as a candle, the light has heat, but not much.
Missile Launching: This cantrip allows one to launch an arrow, bolt or similiarily sized missile at an opponent with the strength of a crossbow bolt. Could theoretically be used to launch less conventional missiles in a pinch.
Repel object: May be used to turn away missiles, blades and blunt objects, though not reliably.

Assets
Various travelling clothes of high quality, including cloaks and riding boots.
Riding horse fitted with barding, (quilted over top studded leather).
A modest collection of historical books.
A small collection of varied books on magic, including basic theory, scrying, warding of various sorts and warmagic.
High quality gold emerald-embedded brooch. A gift from your mother.
Cart with draft horses
Boots of sticking. Boots capable of fusing on any surface on the command word. Generally used for pranks.
An old trading galley-poorly manned.

Wealth:
Opulent palace quarters.
Personal servants.
Varied high quality clothing and jewelry.
Trade goods.
Various stall based portside businesses.
Modest Middle Man business.
Some partnerships with estalished small businesses.
A handful of small smithys, and attached metalworking businesses.
Generous Royal Allowance.
A tidy sum of money, a little more than enough to buy and man a decent sized ship.
A small hoard of useless trinkets and jewlery.
Ornate Plate Armor

War Assets:
Masterfully crafted Dagger.
High quality short sword.
High quality leather breastplate.
High Quality Scale Mail armor.
A crate of flashstones, capable of producing a blinding light when struck against a hard surface.
A ring shield, capable of producing a small shield of force energy on the command word. Limited life.
A stave of magical protection. Absorbs overtly hostile magic directed at the holder before shattering.

Bodyguard Equipment: Leather Jerkin over sturdy woodmans clothing, a high quality longsword, a warhammer, a hidden dagger, a short sword, a hatchet, a leather shield. A riding horse with custom saddle. Ornate plate armor. High quality Banded armor.

Squire Equipment: High quality shortsword, quilted armor and travelling clothes. Riding Horse.

The Silver Moon Mercanary Company
Based in a converted Warehouse in the docks district.
Headed by Verack, a northman warrior who has skill with a claymore.
Senior Members:
8 Axemen (throwing and Melee), 2 archers, 3 Halberdiers, 1 Fire Mage. All dressed in Ringmail/plate composite, with weapons of decent quality.
Regulars:
1 elite archer, 1 archer, 1 halberdier 1 axeman. (dressed in Ringmail, weapons of mediocre quality.)
Recruits:
13 Able Bodied Trainees, 2 fire mage apprentices. Substandard training equipment.

Verack provides you with an update on the company. Four of the recruits have completed training outright, providing the company with two archers, a halberdier and an axeman. You hear that one of the new regulars is the best archer in the company, a crack shot who must have had practice with a bow already. Verack has promised to rely exclusively on metalworkers working with you for the replacement of equipment and the outfitting of new troops.

You decide it would be best to give your ship over to a more experienced captain, and a Knight would certainly add some legitimacy to anything you undertake with it. The man is one Bepher, recently given a knighthood for helping a merchant captain transport important cargo, and defeating two pirate ships in the process. He's barely twice your age, and as far as you can tell all of his possessions are on his person. He wears leather armor, and bears on one side a scimitar, and a magicians wand on the other. When you ask him about the wand he tells you he's a dabbler, just barely skilled enough to tap the power of wands and staves.
After examining your ship -now named Lady Arelar- he frowns and hesitantly agrees to captain it, on the condition you don't take too long in making at least a few improvements. He has quite a few suggestions. He tells you the sail and mast on the ship are useless, the mast was damaged at some point, and the captain put up a smaller sail instead of making repairs. He tells you his first change would be to take down the mast whole, and put up a new one with a lateen rig. He'd like to put a cleaving enchantment on the prow, preferably one that would Last at least a year. He tells you a cleaving enchantment would give it the top speed of a larger ship, and would help if you ever need to ram and board anyone. He tells you he'd need to make a few changes to make it defensible, nevermind war worthy. At the least he'd like to hire a few fighting men he knows who could also work the rig, while he'd put the sailors already working ship belowdecks as oarsmen, and a few great crossbows should be mounted on the ship. If you want it truly war ready you would have to get a small catapult, or even set up a forward firing ballista. It's a long list of changes to be made, and altogether would be somewhat expensive, but he's leaving it to you to decide what to do with the ship.

Your combined businesses are bringing in rather mediocre income altogether, but your Keshlan allies are beginning to lend aid in squeezing out every copper you can. They point out inefficiencies in your bookkeeping or supply, and provide you with more contacts to better extend your Web. A few Keshlans do what they can to buy a few metalworking businesses of their own, to add to your attempts to form a guild. You arn't there yet, but so far your allies are helping you to speed progress along, and showing you a thing or two in the process.
You begin seeking out accountants and merchants you can trust to head the particulars of business, but with so much competition and work in the market, you only manage to attract a few men you feel trustworthy, and only as accountants.

In turn Sekhons guild in large part takes your advice. They use what wealth they have left, and the business savvy with it, to ready for war. Mostly they are securing galleys and building ships, and manning those ships with whatever refugees they can scrape together and having them properly learn how to man a ship. Preparations are even being made to drag a small fleet from the site of an old battle with magic, and restore what ships they can. Some of the more militarily minded scoff at this plan though, and you are hesitant to lend the aid of your connections. Even if a proper fleet can be scraped together, the Keshlans still need soldiers and mages, resources they greatly lack currently.
You meet privately with Sekhon one day, and ask him to assist you in finding a puppet that you might put on a throne, a figurehead to champion your cause. He considers this and tells you he will see what he can do, and parts with a cryptic remark about no longer underestimating you.

Your tutoring continues well enough, but the speed of your progress slows somewhat. There are some parts of open warfare that are a little counterintuitive, and the conventions of magic in warfare are very difficult to take into account. You just need a little more time though, and you should be able to grasp the ideas somewhat.
During your swordsmanship lessons, you learn that the man was the one who taught the basics of swordsmanship and jousting to your father. Considering that your father was once a tournament champion as a prince, that must be a point of pride for the man. Your training currently focuses on form and grace, where when Barick taught you he simply forced you to adapt and learn through the practice of sparring. Your form does improve somewhat from this new training, and your swordwork benefits greatly but your shieldwork and raw combat skills do not improve much. You now have a strong grasp on how to fight with short or longsword, though would still be handily beaten by any man of real skill.

Your studies in magic go well enough, and you find a new book from your secretive benefactor. A book on warding a mind from intrusion. Psionic magic is a rare skill, and little about it is known, so it's debateworthy if such a discipline is worthwhile, though... only a few months ago you were briefly hypnotized, so it might be worth looking into. Tightening up your wardening magic sadly, does not go as well as your progress into basic theory, though your more subtle practice is giving you some ability at sleight of hand, including in the casting of spells.
You expand into another category of war-magic as well, and may create crude force energy. This discipline of magic is primarily used to deflect physical objects, to crudely bludgeon and even to cut.
Your scrying continues it's steady progress as ever, and it's possible you could begin to use it as a method of spying, and you are on the cusp of being able to use more than one sense at a time in your scrying.

You continue to spend time with your family, and raise the possibility of playing at swordplay with Mary. She seems hesitant at the idea, but then Catherine expresses interest too, and Mary's hesitance turns to eagerness. Their nursemaids arn't too eager at the idea of the girls playing at something so rough, but you explain that you think noblewomen should know how to defend themselves, and win the servants over. You try to teach catherine some basic meditations and mental exercises to focus the mind, but that goes atrociously, and you predict difficulty in any future sessions. By contrast, Catherine picks up swordwork rather quickly, though both she and Mary tire easily.
Just as you give up William as a lost cause, a lightning bolt seems to go through him. You see little of him, but some kind of frenzied purpose colors his actions when you do. He takes to wearing all manner of magical trinkets, and is dressed as a mage rather than a noble. You hear that he has entered talks with the heads of the Warden order, probably negotiating for a position as a mage among them.
You work at spending time with Erik, and at court and privately. At court he holds you at arms length, but you do meet with him occassionally in private. He seems more reserved than you remember, but he assures you that he is just stressed by political pressures, and still considers you a friend. He's not too eager at the idea of the enormous responsibility and pressure inherent within a Kingship, but he's resigned himself to the possibility, and he won't rally against it. He acknowledges that you want the throne, and it's becoming relatively public that you want to reclaim Keshla, but he plainly says that he can't make any sort of promises.

Your friends at court congratulate you on your first vassal, and that small thing seems to lend you some leverage in your machinations to gain the strength for war, and to seek out a good betrothal. A few Keshlans want to purchase Baronet status from the crown, but don't have the political pull, and the Crown has no shortage of money. It's possible you could convince your father to grant titles, and it could provide you with some leverage with them, for coin or favors.

With some of your free time you spend time with your prospects for Betrothal. Arialla, the mage has a very busy schedule, but you invite her with you and some other nobility on a countryside ride. She sits a horse uneasily at first, but with a casting she affixes herself to her horse, and showing off increases the strength and speed of the creature. She talks very little, and it's taking some time to get her to warm up to you. She seems very absorbed in her studies, and reads constantly.
Liona, the dukes daughter is a contrast. She seems to be bored by any kind of silence, and is easy to bring into discussion and debate. Simple topics are of little interest to her, but she seems to derive great enjoyment from anything intellectually stimulating. Occassionally she can be cold, and it seems she is quick to deliver a biting remark, but in this she treats everyone the same way. If anything she seems to enjoy your company much more in comparison to other young noble's, you may possess a different kind of wit than her, but she seems to be able to appreciate it.
A few other possibilities come up in your dealings. One girl three years your senior is the daughter to Gerald, the knight commander of the knights of the crown. Her father has taught her the basics of tactics and swordsmanship, and she's apparently a rather skilled archer.
A warmage apprentice two years your senior seems to be taking quite a shine to you, she's the only daughter but second child to a baron, and she's quite pretty.
A Duke well known for his rich mines is trying desperately to marry off some of his many daughters. He's offering a barony outright to anyone who he deems worthy of a girl two years your junior, and a barely tapped iron mine to anyone who marries a girl only a year older than you.
You also meet occasionally with a shy Keshlan girl who is apparently Sekhon's daughter. You arn't sure exactly how old she is and her Analyssian is poor, but she seems bright enough, and is a dabbler in Keshlan magic.

Penrod is on his way to Analysse, and should be here within two weeks. Ritalia seems extremely nervous, has grown jumpy, and occassionally babbles. You spend what time you can reassuring her and offering the comfort of your presence. It calms her somewhat to listen to your plans and intentions, and she seems amused that you are already considering marriage. It feels like she's the only one in your life who remembers how old you really are, and it eases your mind somewhat to have her around. You will be very sad when she is gone.

Your Uncle Duke(or prince if you prefer) Robilard has sent you another letter. Though while the last was an open invitation, this one is an outright request of your presence, "preferably in the privacy of my castle where we may speak in confidence as Uncle and Nephew."




You have preparations to make before the wedding, but what exactly will those preparations be?

GM Note:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Your money has remained more or less constant this month, but no promises that's going to continue, particularly considering what you may or may not do.

Ship upgrades will occure retroactively because it won't change anything, and it will just be neater that way.

Roleplaying section ho! But you have a brief window to scheme and plot, or to plot and scheme, and preemptively start other mini-roleplaying sections.

[jaass]

How many day ride is Robilard from the capital?

[Mlamlah]

If you travel speedily on hasted horses*, barely under a week, but you would have to travel with very little protection. Robilard's letter says he is willing to provide the horses himself, but that he understands if you would prefer to wait until after the wedding.

(hasted animals are enchanted for speed, however, the stress put on such a creature from the enchantment often kills them in a few days, so it's never done on people, at least not in the last century or two.)

[3man75]

In total 6 girls are up for marriage.

1. the uninterested count girl who's a studying mage.
2. The duke's Daughter who seems to already like us and the added benefits of her fathers land. {he has the best heavy calvary and a mage academy their}
3. A warrior girl who's father the Knight-commander has taught her well apparently.
4. A warmage's Daughter who already knows magic which i feel defeats the first but that's up to you all.
5. Another Duke who's willing to give land away to anyone worthy for one of his daughters. Iron mine could be used for our business correct?
6. A Kelshan girl Daughter of the Merchant guild leader Sekhom. Could be good for our current business and for his respect in the guild.

Of this list i like so far...

2. because she likes us, is growing up to be pretty, and her dad has cool toys.
3. She could be a great asset on the battlefield if we wanted.
4. "shes taken quite a shine to you"...well were the prince that's normal. But yeah she knows magic already and likes us. Could be good to have a study partner right?
6.  Why do we have to marry in the country? heck why marry for political reasons when were strong enough without it? Sekhom's Daughter could help us in business practice and leverage over him to get him to accept us more openly.

Reasons 1 and 5 are not so good....

1. like i said 4 is basically 1 but without noble title and actually likes us off the ground.
5. We could use the barony to give away to a kelshan noble {which is stupid in my opinion} or have someone build/collect taxes for us. The second option
is a stupid iron mine that...we don't really need are smiths are fine without cheaper iron they can manage.

Thoughts? i'm really torn with 2 and 4...maybe we can talk to the apprentice mage tto gauge her a bit?