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[adwarf]

Ramus sighed as he stepped out into the street, he would have much preferred to enjoy his new chambers more but sadly he had work to do, on the other hand he could already feel this new land growing on him. The rampant banditry and history of civil war would give him more then enough clients to care for his men and fuel his preferred lifestyle, chuckling he carries on heading for where the majority of his men had taken up occupancy in a trio of inns on the south side of the city. People stepped out of the dwarf's way, maybe scared off by the massive sword strapped to his back, or the strange wolf head helmet tucked under his arm though he didn't mind much since after all the day was already looking up. Whistling Ramus set about his work ...

Send a large portion of my troops out into the city and the countryside searching for any scrap, hint, or rumor of where bandits, thieves, or other criminals may be hiding. They are to gather knowledge and bring it to me, not act on it, if anyone disobeys that order they are to be flogged and set on latrine duty for the next seven months.
Ramus sets out to search for similar rumors and hints himself afterwards.

[Ardas]

Whitehall was still picking up the pieces after the miner rebellion. The abandoned camp near the town still bore the marks of slaughter as Jawyn's entourage moved past it. Jawyn needed to pacify the area completely, root out remains of the peasant marauders and bandits that were preying on mining convoys. The time for economy would come later, but the young knight knew that as long as enemies of peace still drew breath there could be none of it. The town was intact and the castle untouched, as surpise attack with hurriedly raised levies put an end to the overblown ambition of disgruntled rockbreakers. Or maybe they wanted a better lot in life. The young knight couldn't blame them, but it was part of his duty to deal with them as he did. Just as their duty was to dig.

The riders had scant time after their arrival as they were told to saddle up again and call up the gentry of the earldom. some were sent out to watch land too, but the most important thing was carried out by the provisional governor himself. The scores of hungry and unemployed people that still roamed the county would be given a new job in building peace.
What free time he had between short meals, flurry of administrative work and recruitment, he spent on training. sitting and writing made him restless, and it felt to swing his hammer around even for a little bit.

Recruit 2 regiments. Outfit both with light armor. (£4)
Send out scouts around Whitehall and its surrounding lands to gather reports of any trouble and complaints and problems.
Call up 1 noble levy of Whitehall.
Train Polearm/hammer combat.

[filiusenox]

"Baseless claptrap. Karac gives a lazy wave of his hand at the Duke of Stormport's accusations, taking a slow sip of his wine, "Go then. Bring the Prince here. Let him judge me himself on the basis of your words. Neither of us has any evidence of the other's unfaithfulness, and our words are only inflaming this situation into hostility. Both things, being brought here or the two of us at each other's throats will bring his displeasure down on us." At this point, the Heir brushes some hair from his face as he leans upon his the arm of his chair, fist against temple. His eyes are fixed coldly on the Duke, his crooked smile curving thin lips.

"So, will you stop with this bluster and actually do something?"

[Hanslanda]

Daelin sighed as he strode into his house deep within Dorenshadt. The walls, covered with florid, beautiful script, were comforting after so much time spent in the stark, soulless walls of a human dwelling. Everything was properly sized for him as well, which was another comfort of home he had long missed. Behind him, a pair of his household guards waited patiently. He turned and gestured at them, sending them to greet their families. He was not concerned about an assassination here, now.

He went into his study, and broached a small cask of fine Dwarven ale, pouring himself a tankard full. He drank deeply, thoroughly enjoying the stout, earthy flavor of the beer after so much overly spiced, limp-wristed human wine. He set the tankard down, and pulled out sheets of parchment from his desk, and a stick of charcoal. He had quills and other such fancies, but he preferred the more casual charcoal for orders at home. He drafted an order for the levies to do their best to purge any bandits within his parcels, and for his household guard to escort Franz's shipments when they came. Then, he drafted a civil order to start creating or utilizing more arable land. Finally, he wrote an order lessening the working days in the mines to allow the former civil order to be carried out more efficiently. A slight drop in production wouldn't be too troubling, even to his starved treasury, if they could get some farmland up and running before the planting season was over...

Order the levy to exterminate and crucify any bandits caught on Dorenshadt parcels.
Order the household guard to prepare half their number to escort Franz's shipments.
Build/create more arable farmland.

[Taricus]

Send a large portion of my troops out into the city and the countryside searching for any scrap, hint, or rumor of where bandits, thieves, or other criminals may be hiding. They are to gather knowledge and bring it to me, not act on it, if anyone disobeys that order they are to be flogged and set on latrine duty for the next seven months.
Ramus sets out to search for similar rumors and hints himself afterwards.

[5] The troops, being rather adept in urban information gathering and somewhat surprisingly skilled in stealth managed to get a rough location of a few of the bandit bands in Stormborough's region. You would need to travel to in order to ascertain the locations of all the individual camps.

[4] While you yourself are able to collate a few rumours, the troops have, by far, managed to gather more accurate information than you.

From the information gathered, you suspect there's around three to four camps within the royal demesne that the bandits operate out of. Scorching the camps, regardless of whether the bandits are in them should suppress their activity in the area. Of course, if they aren't in the camps, they're likely to move into other regions. Which may not be a bad thing if you could convince the local fiefholders to shell out a pound or so.

Recruit 2 regiments. Outfit both with light armor. (£4)
Send out scouts around Whitehall and its surrounding lands to gather reports of any trouble and complaints and problems.
Call up 1 noble levy of Whitehall.
Train Polearm/hammer combat.

[3] The scouts do not find much, and anything that could be considered a complaint or problem is something that would be best dealt in an open court session. They do find bandit activity, though they can't say exactly where it comes from, only that the bandits do seem to shy away from going into white forest.

[5,2,6,5,1] +40, 10,-10,+40,-10. (70/200 Points, Training needed for next level.)

Order the levy to exterminate and crucify any bandits caught on Dorenshadt parcels.
Order the household guard to prepare half their number to escort Franz's shipments.
Build/create more arable farmland.

[3] The levy, while somewhat successful in actively nailing up a few bandits, fail to achieve more than a minor victory against the bandits; most of the outlaws remaining at large in regards to the order. It would take a lot longer to start eradicating the menace in it's full capacity at this rate

[-] The guard asks for clarification as to whether they are to escort the caravan for it's entire route, or just from Severance and Dorenshadt.

[-] While a few adventurous families start to make steads down the river, it will take a lot more settlers and materials in order to make them into taxable areas.

[Ardas]

"Milord, the scouts only found few issues that could be dealt with immediately..."

The administration seemed like an ever-greater burden. Sitting alone in he private chambers in the Whitehall castle Jawyn contemplated his tasks and duties. He was thinking of his home, of the castle located by the river, defending the border of the kingdom. But if he wanted land of his own, he had to stay. Stay and suffer the duty of a palatine.

He considered the problems of the people in the area, and the only way of addressing them would be through open court. Tradition demanded it and commoners and nobles alike felt most comfortable voicing their concerns openly in front of the others. After all, the lower estate always needs to appear in force to muster the courage to face a single lord.

Hold open court in Whitehall in Prince's name.

[micelus]

Low concentration of arcane individuals and items in region. Likelihood of danger originating from magical sources slim. Still many likely avenues of intrigue to pursue. Must identify and neutralise.

Banditry and Piracy rampant in region. Insufficient resources to pursue. Will leave to others.

Tribals pose low threat. Must ensure that they remain so.

Eastern intrigues pose a low threat currently. May increase in coming time periods. Must decrease chance of this occurring.

Sympathies for other possible claimants. Unknown levels of support amongst populace. Must identify.

Religious factions possible threat. Must observe.
 


Identify any rumours or news on as to why the northern tribes have pulled back.
Identify any rumours or news on as to why the Shadow War has cooled down recently.
Identify if there are any possible rival claimants in the kingdom. Determine if any groups support them.
Determine how loyal the people of the city are to the Prince.
   

[Azthor]

"I am afraid I am not quite the fool it'd take to involve myself in a brawl in the royal palace, on the eve of the Prince's coronation, of all things. Should you wish to issue a formal challenge me at a later date, you are free to do so and have my blessings, alas, to fight you here would be mere petty murder, a madness I will take no part in" the Duke says as he turns to leave, motioning for Anders to follow.


Later, at Stormborough's best inn.

The Duke wades into the Inn with a small unit of Stormguards in tow¹, heading straight for a room, leaving a valet to deal with the innkeeper, instructed to book out the entire corridor. "Let none into the corridor" he orders the soldiers before entering the room.

Severan takes a seat, resuming their earlier discussion "Quite dramatic, I know, but at least now we can be certain of which we will not be overheard by the wrong parties. Lord Karac's petulance is only matched by his stubbornness. Believe me, most of the city would be glad to have him ran through with a sword, alas, he was born who he was born. Not that it could not be rectified. In the due time".

"There is much for us to speak of; much I need done, and yet too few individuals of sufficient competence for me to sponsor. You, however, Mr. Anders, I believe, might just be one of these individuals, a surprisingly select lot. More importantly, alas, is how far are you willing to go. You are well versed in the art of rhetoric and know how to handle a blade, that I can tell, and that bow probably isn't for show, but can you overcome unlikely odds for unlikely rewards?".

¹bless my awe-inspiring originality, I know.

[Iituem]

On the night of the coronation

As his last appointment before retiring for the evening, Aethelred sent a guard to fetch Karac from whatever wine-soaked hellhole he had ended up in.  It was time to check in with family.


The following day, in Council chambers

The Prince summoned Duke Stormport, Duchess Severance and the Daggeroak to the council chambers, with instructions to Ramus No-Son to send a report on any of his findings.  With the official ceremony out of the way, the Prince had dispensed with his more elaborate finery and crown and wore a plain black tunic ensemble with the River's Tear around his neck.  When all were seated and pleasantries observed, Aethelred poured himself a cup of wine, cut it with water and offered the carafes for others as they might want them.  He gestured to a map and a ledger before him.

"Well, the good news is that we have money.  Taxes for the last year survived the war, and the bankers are willing to extend credit on next year's income, including vassal taxes.  So with the new taxes we have a little over thirty-four pounds to last the year.  We will get through this far faster than I would like, but at the moment I am inclined to prioritise rebuilding, re-establishment of trade and restoration of the army.

"I need capable advisors.  Canute, I'm appointing you Treasurer.  I don't want us spending more than thirty pounds this year, in case of bad harvests.  Anywhere we can get the nobles, the commons or the church to foot the bill, make it happen.  I want your advice on where you think our money is best spent; let's give ourselves a budget of fifteen pounds right now and see what we can do with it.  Be aware I have already pencilled three pounds for mercenary expenditure, don't count that against the fifteen.

"Daggeroak, I have already named you General.  I want a plan on how to attack this bandit problem.  I have already made provision for noble levies, but the problem with levies is that they are patriotic but lazy; they won't leave their own homesteads unless we are on an actual military campaign.  As things are right now I do not think it wise to leave every noble, major and minor, to deal with the bandits using solely his own levies.  They are hardly going to be equally distributed to make things fair, are they?  I am placing the mercenary companies under your command; they are paid for, so use them freely.  Mercenaries are active, but craven, so they will at least travel.  Retinues are the ideal, being both loyal and professional, but they are expensive.  I would care to hear your thoughts on hiring as well.

"Aria, I am appointing you Home Secretary.  We need to rebuild our country; bring back trade, ensure there is food and work for our people.  As I see it, we need to rebuild our towns to get our craftsmen working again; we need to re-establish trade internally and with the wider world; and we need to start reclaiming the farmland burned or gone fallow in the war.  I want to hear where you feel our priorities should be on this, and where specifically we should be focusing money.  Keep an eye on Ciall; I daresay the Church will already have invested some money there, making our job easier."


Release £1 to No-Son, holding back £2 for the present.

[Shootandrun]

Anders followed quietly, an amused smile returning to his face as he passed the heir. He remained silent throughout the trip to the inn, stopping only to recover his weapons at the exit of the palace. When the duke started speaking, his smile - which seemed to be present even in his neutral expression - grew broader. He inclined his head, as though acknowledging the worth of the questions, before replying.

"Odds are only as unlikely as one allows them to be, my lord. I value efficiency over needless dramatics, and pragmatism over courage. There is no place I am not willing to go as long as I believe there is an exit route, and the price makes the endeavor worthwhile. However, I prefer to choose my own methods. A few years in my business have taught me that an arrow through the eye is a surer way to assassinate someone than a knife in the back, and that painless, colorless poison is even more effective than that, no matter how much my employer might wish to have his enemy suffer.

Of course, my skills go beyond pointing metal objects towards heads and then accelerating them up to very high speeds. As you noted, I am quite adept at talking, and by association at getting people to talk, and I hold the belief that I can interact both with the common man and the proudest lord. My uses grow rather diverse from there -and they are yours to choose, should you be willing to pay. The exact price always depends on the services demanded, of course."

[Azthor]

"Good, I too am one to value results, and that is why I will name only what I need done, and you will request those resources you need to accomplish it. The burden of success, or failure, rests upon you, though you will receive support in any way requested. Rest assured, should I gain through your actions, I will ensure that you too gain from it, should nothing be accomplished, neither of us gain".

"Not that you will lack for provisions; your livelihood will be secured, and as long as your merit holds, so will you have another chance to prove yourself; however, gainful work requires successful work, and so major rewards will only come with triumph. Fabulous rewards, indeed".

"If you are ready and eager, let us begin. Should all go well, a special reward awaits you, and another task, otherwise, only your performance will tell. Certainly, you recall my earlier proposal to the Duchess of Severance. I was quite blunt back then, but I was so for a reason. Much more interesting, however, is her reply. She said she would consult with her vassals, did she not?"

"Those very vassals were vassals of my family in past, and I can certainly say they will be less than appreciative of once more folding within said dynasty. Once their answer comes, and that cannot be barred, a refusal is highly likely. Alas, it is with the peasantry that her heart lies, not those meddlesome Barons, and she fears little the possibility of their revolt, as they'd be beset by not one, but two armies".

"I need you to convince her that the marriage is in the populace's best interests, as a representative thereof, so to say. It will not be easy, and you may need to persuade third parties to make an impression, but resources will be made available as you require them. Should her reply be positive, then your task will have been deemed successful.

"I intend to request a very special commission in the near future. Should you succeed, it will not be one, but two items that will come. What awaits you is not mere gold, but an artifact of your trade, extremely valuable. A bow crafted by a legendary bowyer, the likes of which few exist in the world. Of course, should you prefer gold, that too can be arranged, though it'd be a shame".

"What say you?"

[Shootandrun]

Anders remained silent a moment, musing on the task. A frown painted his expression when he spoke again, but his voice seemed contemplative.

"I will require a reason for her to talk with me, which includes a story, a place, and an excuse to be in that place at the right time for us to meet. I could parade as a messenger carrying a message from the town mayors, but I have too little knowledge of the area to sound authentic, and even then she might find out about the lie anyway; and one must remember that it is highly possible that we will be seen in the future together. She might raise questions if her would-be husband appears to have a representative of her peasantry on his payroll. Even if I can start talking with her, my advice will only ever have the worth of that of a stranger, even if it is a well-meaning or wise-looking one.

This will be quite the endeavor indeed, both in setting it up and accomplishing it. I will need a way to have a discussion with her; anything will do, but remember that if we are only in the same room for five minutes I might not have time to make a lasting impression, and if I am too far below her station it might look strange of me to initiate a conversation with her, or she might dismiss me. If it is within your power to find a way around that, convincing her that the common folk want peace should be as simple as two and two, if your assessment of her character is correct. If you cannot get me in a position where she and I can discuss, I will try and do something anyway, but... Well, I will only have one chance at it, and I do not have much time to set things up. It would be risky."

He stopped speaking for a moment, his frown deepening for a few seconds before vanishing completely.

"Of course, if you arrange the meeting all by yourself and all I do is talk, a bow made by a 'legendary bowyer' might be too much of a payment, as much as I would like to have it. I would be perfectly happy to settle for a lesser price, should you take some weight off of my shoulders."

[Azthor]

"It must no be too important a position, lest it be obvious that you are predisposed in my favor, and yet high enough that you might speak with her. If you were to enter as my valet in tomorrow's meeting, that might just grant you the opportunity, though you will have to weigh your words carefully to make it believable. Surely, you might allude to the peasantry's prosperity in my lands, convincing her that those Barons stand against the marriage for their own personal interests. It is, after all, no secret that many of them wish to marry their own heirs to the Duchess, and my lands are, indeed, rather prosperous".

"As for the reward, if you feel the bow is too great a reward, I will gladly indulge you. I offer you full retainership, and the status and stipend that come with it, should this endeavor prove successful. Simultaneously, the very same bow or quantity of gold shall be made available as a reward for your next task; provided that you have no qualms over the amount?".

[filiusenox]

Karac left the glass, and the remainder, on the edge of his seat for the servants and rose to leave. A false smirk curved his lip ever so slightly as he shut the door behind him. He walked, never hurrying, never lagging for long. Meeting rooms, kitchen, and calm orders to the servants all eventually gave way to the door of his brother's bedroom, the Prince's bedroom. Hair was brushed back under a foppish hat snatched from the head of some drunk minor lord, a red, gaudy thing that even he knew was overcompensating for something, sleeves picked at, boots knotted.

Then he gave the door a solid thump, boisterously, but still politely calling through the wood.

"Brother, are you ready for the meeting with the Princess Drymark? Or shall I postpone it for you?"

The guards, meanwhile, were still looking over the palace for him, following the words of the servants he organized for the meeting later to try and track him down.

Much Later...

Greetings and salutations, Baron.

I have been made aware of an issue within your lands.Namely, bandits. I've never seen a battle up close before, and I expected that it may be useful to come and learn from you about this matter while you deal with rabble that has been raised against you. Watching and learning from one such as yourself.

--
Karac Anwin, of the House Anwin, younger sibling of Grand Prince Aethelred, Inheritor of The Vytas Estate.

[Iituem]

The previous evening

A stern, irritable voice called from the room within.  "I think the Princess can wait until the morning; we'll see her after Council.  Come on in, brother."

Karac arrived in the room to find the Aethelred sat in one of the chairs by the fire, Tokay in hand.  He set the glass down, stood up and with a certain amount of limping crossed over to his brother and embraced him, kissing him for good measure.  A smile broke over the Prince's face, absent for most of the day.

"How are you, Kar?  Forgive my brusqueness earlier; it is to our advantage for the court to feel we are at odds.  It may allow you to get to places I cannot.  Is the new tunic fitting well enough?  Are you settling into your chambers alright?  Have some Tokay, I barely touch the stuff, it's all for show.  Here, I'll fix you a drink."