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[Taricus]

This thread here is the main game thread. Most of the rules and such are in the OOC thread, thus it's required to read (And post a sheet in) before coming here.

Spoiler: Map (click to show/hide)

Full version here

Link to OOC thread: http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=134404.0

DO NOT POST HERE UNLESS YOU HAVE POSTED THE SHEET IN THE OOC THREAD AND HAVE IT APPROVED BY THE GM (Me)

IN ADDITION, NO ONE IS TO POST HERE BEFORE IITUEM DOES. ONCE HE HAS YOU MAY POST.

I will update this post, and the one below it at every season change, so that any readers can easily find the season updates, and players can find the seasonal events quickly at short notice.

[Taricus]

Reserving this post.

[Iituem]

The Grand Principality of Stormborough, Spring AA543

It is a cold grey morning, and though spring has begun to melt the valleys here in the passes the land remains thick with snow.  The castle city of Stormborough clamours with activity, but it is not the bustle of a vibrant town full of life.  The streets are packed with the weary and in some cases the wounded.  Tents blanket the fields beyond the city walls where half a dozen armies have been unexpectedly called from their wars to the ceasefire.  With less than perfect willingness have they surrendered their arms to the city's near-bursting armouries, but it is a condition of the Prince-to-be's peace.  Their lords and officers, and those who can fit within the cramped castle courtyard, look to attend his coronation.

After near three years of war, a halt has come to the fighting.  Now all wait with baited breath to see if peace shall follow.

----

Aethelred twirled four silk cords around his fingers, then tucked them away in a drawer and limped towards the mirror.  Sober blacks for mourning; Aethelred had dispensed with the normal extravagances for his coronation.  Black for his lost siblings, the Tear at his neck and soon enough that bloody crown.  Gold, velvet, ermine, jewels.  The country was collapsing and he had to put all that excess upon his head for the sake of tradition, of continuity.  It was the Tear that mattered anyway, and he already had that.  The stone shimmered beneath his collarbone, in what Aethelred fancied was pride.

There was a knock at the door.  Time to face the crowds.

----

The coronation itself had been stripped of as many trappings as possible, but even then the necessary proceedings took over an hour.  As tradition demanded, the coronation took place in the palace courtyard, beneath the open sky where the younger gods might give their blessing and beside a deep pit of fire from which the old gods might extend theirs.  Magi Blewyn and Mihaylow both conducted their own portions of the ceremony, anointing Aethelred with sacred oils and ash before Magos Blewyn placed the royal crown upon his head and Magos Mihaylow replaced the Tear around his heart.

When ceremony was complete, the gathered many adjourned to the mead hall for celebrations.  As custom dictated, the new Grand Prince addressed his people.  He was not a tall or imposing figure, and he walked with a limp that would have brought jeers to a beggar in the street.  Nevertheless, fine clothes, jewels and a palace full of armed guards commanded respect.

"Stormburghers!" called the Prince.  His voice did not boom or cheer, but a steady confidence held it as the hall's arches carried it to all who might hear.  "Everyone here has lost someone.  Someone you know has died, or been killed, or wounded or maimed or lost in the name of trying to put the right Prince on the throne.  The strong Prince.  The Prince who will keep you safe, keep Stormborough full of life and vigour.  I am not the Prince any of you fought for.  I am not the Prince whose name was called out in hope of a better future.  I am the Prince the gods saw fit to give you, and I make you only one promise.

"Peace.  There will be peace within the lands I call mine.  There will be an end to this war, an end to the fire and the bloodshed.  I do not promise you wealth.  I do not promise you glory.  I do not even promise justice or fair treatment.  I promise peace and I will kill any man, friend or foe, that gets in my way.  Now, drink and eat your fill.  The castle's kitchens have been opened, and the steward will see that what food can be is made available to your companions outside the walls.  I speak now with your lords to bring an end to this madness."

----

A short while later, the surviving lords of the realm met the Grand Prince in his council chambers, along with a small number of petitioners the chamberlain had judged of interest to the proceedings and granted access.  Aethelred took his seat and motioned to those assembled to take theirs.  A wench served goblets of hot spiced wine as he spoke.

"You will forgive my brusqueness with the masses.  I am not a speaker, as my elder brother was.  Nor am I an inspirer of troops, as my elder sister was.  Regrettably, they are both dead and the people look to me.  They desire action, and so do I.  I invite each of you to present what grievances you hold and formally introduce yourselves to me.  But first, would the chamberlain be so good as to give us a brief on the current state of the realm?"

[3man75]

Ptw

[Hanslanda]

(Also PTW)

Daelin sits in his seat, the too large chair leaving his feet dangling ever so slightly, and he sniffed at the mug of hot spiced wine and winced regretfully, wishing it were a nice stout ale or perhaps some whiskey. Still, one does not impugn the hospitality of a new Prince on the day of his coronation, so Daelin kept his silence and turned his sharp gaze on the chamberlain.

[filiusenox]

Lord Karac Vytas -- or Anwin was dressed in the darkest, finest blacks his wardrobe had to offer. Threads of gold weave accentuated the outfit which consisted of a simple doublet and pleated trousers, both of well-stitched silk. Knee high black leather boots and a nettlecloth blood-red belt completed the outfit. The rough fabric and unyielding leather contrasted nicely with the thin silks, in his opinion, but he didn't make it known.

Instead he lazed in his chair, and, after a moment of hesitation, accepted a goblet of wine from a server. The smell was heavenly, the vintage fine compared to the wine in his own cellar. It was thick with alcohol and heady with the promise to relieve his boredom. It was hard to put it down or pawn it off on some sap. Much to his regret, he found himself inhaling the scent when he could've been drinking, his newly found willpower forcing his hand away every time it tempted him.

Instead, he let his eyes fix upon the dwarven duke, Daelin. It was strange to see such a dumpy creature in the presence of noblemen, and even stranger still to see him tolerated. He stares for far too long to be polite, and only after a long while does his attention shift to the Chamberlain

[Hanslanda]

Daelin felt the prickling feeling of a hostile gaze upon him, not an altogether uncommon thing amongst these humans. He noticed from the corner of his vision that the upstart Vytas was staring at him with that odd mixture of curiosity, resentment, hatred, and fascination that oh so many humans took up upon seeing a dwarf in the flesh. The whelp was scarcely taller than Daelin himself, and quite a bit thinner, as dwarves measure such things. Daelin turned his gaze momentarily from the chamberlain to the young noble, and tilted his head forward ever so slightly, letting his deep brow cast his eyes into shadow for a brief moment. To the noble, it would look as if Daelin's eyes suddenly flared with that unsettling inner light that granted the dark vision that feral animals had used to hunt humans since time immemorial.

Daelin turned his gaze back to the chamberlain after a brief exchange of gazes, putting the noble from his thoughts but for one minor consideration. Daelin thought that the young man's outfit was a little ostentatious, but again, this was something he'd come to expect from human nobles.

[Iituem]

Spoiler: Map (click to show/hide)

The chamberlain spread a map of the realm before the Prince, who studied it and a small scroll nearby.  He set the scroll to one side and gestured to the map as he spoke.

"Let us start at the top, shall we?  Duke Stormport, Lord Severan, I believe you currently lay claim to some ten parcels of still productive land, plus Stormport proper.  Duchess Severance, Lady Cairn, I note the same.  If either of you wish to continue your families' disputes over Severance and its lands I should encourage you to speak now or I will consider the matter settled indefinitely.  Duke Valleyfall's lands have been hit hard by the war, but he holds similar standings at present.

Speaking of Valleyfall, I understand Sir Wilk has withdrawn his vassalage from Duke Valleyfall and is currently making a petition for Woodsedge to be a direct Crown vassal.  I would be interested in hearing your reasons.  I'd like to extend my thanks to Baronet Landemourne for retaking Whitehall after the miners' rebellion.  Duke Valleyfall is making a plea to have Whitehall reinstated as his vassal, but I am again willing to listen to a counter-argument if you can muster one.  My condolences also on your father's worsening condition; Landemourne castle remains in his hands, but several of my courtiers have urged you to appoint a regent to take care of the defence in his stead.  There is feeling at court that the- that your mother is not capable of maintaining the responsibility.  At least, not on her own.

Earl Ciall, Lord Car, my condolences on your losses personal and temporal.  I understand that Ciall is but a ghost port now, bereft of all but soldiers, and the surrounding fields burned.  Resources are scant, but if you can make adequate plea we may go some way to restoring your city.  Trade has ever been the backbone of Stormborough.  Earls Greybend, Westwater, your own towns have been ruined by war also and I will hear your pleas in turn.  Be warned; there will not be adequate resources to spare to restore all three.  Not now, and I make no promises to the future.  Aid will go where it is needed most, and I will not be afraid to triage one of your towns to save the others.

Earl Greybend, I acknowledge your request for independence from Severance.  Earl Westwater, I acknowledge your request for independence from Stormport.  I am sure your current lieges will have much to say upon the matter.

Earl Dorenshadt, Lord Borokshtan, thank you for attending.  The war's cutting of trade to your halls has left you in a similar state to the other Earls; an impoverished city and little arable land.  Your hall's survival has slightly more assurance than that of the aforementioned towns, as your supply of iron and other metals is essential.  I cannot however guarantee the supply of resources for reconstruction, only that your halls will be preserved.

From what I understand, each duke should currently be able to support five regiments of levies and each earl two, bearing in mind the losses already suffered.  I would like to get these men back to their homes and back to their fields, but understand that I will still hold you to your obligations to provide levies.  At present there is no minimum levy established; that may change.  You may make your cases as to this also.

Magos Blewyn, Magos Mihaylow, thank you both for your assistance today.  Your estates remain largely intact, but I understand that the temple lands have always been somewhat scattered and as such may be found all over the country.  After accounting for crop damage and depopulation, you both have five parcels' worth of taxable land.  Traditionally, the temples have been exempt from taxation on account of the spiritual and charitable work they perform.  I inform you that I am placing this condition under review; impress me with your arguments.  This brings me to my next point.

Ladies, gentlemen, the matter of the day is money, and money means taxes.  I understand Lady Bertha, my eldest sibling, promised to continue the tax exemptions my father established when he won his throne.  Lord Harold, my elder brother, promised something similar in a bid to make himself popular.  I do not care about popularity; I am going to raise taxes, and that will be in addition to the levy requirements.  Where they will fall and who will bear the burden will be decided today.

My final point is one of land.  A lot of men have died, and many of those men have died without heirs.  Of those some were landed, and the upshot is that with the exception of Landemourne the majority of the country's castles remain in the hands of governors and officers rather than barons and baronets.  Tied to those ten castles are ten parcels of land, of which nine are currently directly administered by the Crown.  Landemourne remains in Baron Landemourne's hands of course, but under his current circumstances the Crown is forced to regard it as part of its administration.

I do not care for these castles to remain in common hands.  Lords, or at the very least knights must hold them.  Therefore I intend to hand these out to nobles as my favour permits, or ennoble suitable candidates as the situation requires.  Those who bear the kingdom's interests in mind, as well as their own, shall receive my favour and the land in turn.

No doubt you have much to say.  Begin your arguments."

[filiusenox]

Swirling the wine within its glass, Karac watches the Prince, eyes flicking to the map briefly. The heat was gone from it and he passed it off to a server for another, fresher goblet. This one he actually lifted it to his lips, taking a deep draught that drains the glass. Setting it upon the chair's arm, mentally berating himself for drinking it.

Then he straightens and calls towards the Prince. His tone, while low, is polite and crisp.

"My highness, if I may make a recommendation? Our neighbors see us as a divided and broken people--" Pausing to accept another glass from a waiter, inhaling the scent and slouching back as he speaks, seeming to think he has the attention of his Prince and brother. "For the safety of our people, and the safety of peace, we should show them we are a united people. Form alliances with them, rebuild those old trading routes that once brought gold into the Royal and Noble coffers."

[Ardas]

Jawyn listened intently to the assessment of land and situation. The young knight observed the gathering with his bright eyes, clad in armor and wearing a fur cloak over his back. The slip-up at mention of his mother was an annoyance that he had to bear everywhere. His face and stature made it apparent why. His features were smooth, slender, yet carrying the bulk of muscle that a knight would have. Nonetheless, the slightly elongated ears, the high cheekbones and the eyes that veered towards an almond shape made his lineage obvious. One could say they added nobility and grace to his appearance, but at the same time it marked him out. It was also a reason why he carried a title of a baronet rather than earl, even though he dwarfed other counts with his money, lands and achievements.

He refused wine as it was passed around, and now that the time for speaking was came, he stepped forward and begun, with a clear, strong voice.

"My liege, my request is simple and is borne by the strength of my achievements. It is not a plea for mere charity, but a request to reward a noble for deeds that mark his success. Duke Valleyfall was unable to protect the land from strife and it fell to me to gather up men and strike at the rebels at Whitehall. I did my duty, even though my calling was to remain and not react. I believe that de facto action makes me the lord of that land, whereas Duke Valleyfall forfeited his right through negligence and weakness. It would be a stain on my honor to give in and swear allegiance to anyone lesser than the prince himself, who watches over the realm."

Jawyn looked over the court, feeling the attention of the room on him. Sympathy was probably scarce in the room for one like him, but so far he felt he needed none.

"As for matters familial, I would ask your courtiers to keep to their business. I know well enough that there are many a man who would not mind being appointed a ward to Landemourne castle, and many of them would relish to have the castle be flown under your banner, only to pocket the rents. But as long as Lord Landemourne lives, he is the master of that place and I am his heir, while his wife is adequately prepared to do what needs to be done, wielding both pen and a bow. That is is far more than can be said about some other ladies, whose 'needlework' is not quite up to par to my mother's."

Brash, arrogant, strong. Jawyn cared little for other lords, and hoped that the prince would accept him. After all, he had nowhere else to turn and needed a strong patron.

"Lastly, for matters fiscal and military - While my ranks means little, I do believe that the land and the people need time ot recover. I've seen Falken after the war, and I've seen the condition of the miners that forced them to rise up. There is no taxing a land that cannot feed itself properly."

[Hanslanda]

Daelin sighed inwardly, knowing that to support Jawyn would be seen as one minority raising up another. Though he had no love for elves and their trickery, deception, and overly flowery manner, he strongly agreed with Jawyn's points, most specifically that the Duke Valleyfall had neglected his position and thus was no worthy of being a noble. He weighed the costs and benefits as he had been taught by those old human courtiers so many years ago. His dwarven nature called for him to press the manner of duty and honor, but his human training told him that he must not over-extend himself politically. Considering the dual nature of the situation, Daelin came to a decision swiftly.

"I agree with the knight, milord, insofar as his point about Duke Valleyfall is considered. The man has failed his people, his sovereign, and has shown himself unable to provide the protection he is sworn to give. Were I to fail so spectacularly, I would take coaldamp duty." Daelin narrowed his eyes, and nodded his head at the Prince, "As far as my halls are concerned, you need not waste resources on them. They have served us well so far, and I do not doubt they will continue to do so. I do feel some degree of trepidation at the state of my food supply. I will make it my first priority when I return to Dorenshadt. If there is anything me or my people can do to help the kingdom, you need only ask, milord."

[Azthor]

Duke Severan slowly raises himself from his seat once the Prince has finished his coronation speech.

"Your Highness" he nods.

"I see no matter for debate in the taxes and levies you propose, as long as I am treated no differently from my ducal peers; likewise, I expect to retain full control of my levies when the realm is not on a campaign".

"However, a contract of vassalage must be upheld, now and always. As my obligation to you stands in rightful vassalage, so does the Earl of Westwater's stand to me. I entertain no such petty machinations as thoughts of independence, and nor should my vassal. He is free to voice those concerns that are lawfully his to have in my Court, but I should hope such an unwarranted breach of his vassalage will not come to pass here "

"Finally, though I abide by your desires in peace, a claim is a claim, and it is, indeed, all too true that my dynasty harbors a strong claim on the Duchy of Severance. Having been in my family for generations, that is not something I can easily let go without great blemish to my family; however, I'd be willing to lay down such a claim were the Duchess of Severance to agree to a contract of marriage, so that I might rest easy on my dynasty's continued prosperity".

"And with that I've voiced my position. May your reign be long and prosperous, Your Highness" he says, waiting to be dismissed, before retaking his seat.

[Taricus]

The chamberlain waited until the prince had finished speaking up on his own. (Rolls not shown)

"In addition to the current political situation, I fear that there are even larger problems at play here. While trade has been steadily booming, most of it is being wayliad by bandits and pirates. It's gotten so bad that unless something is done about it, a lot of the merchants are threatening to completely forget even considering the kingdom on their trade routes. The bandits are making a right nuisance of themselves on just about every trade route between the cities, and it's gotten to the point where they simply control the roads and tax the merchants themselves, and without anyone to act upon it, they may even start collecting even more followers from even the lesser nobles though you losing your legitimacy, Milord.

The pirates preying on the sea routes almost as bad, being lesser since they aren't so prevalent and pervading your influence. A few merchants have reported a significant amount of their cargo and ships being taken from them, and from what rumours we've heard about the ships, they're based on the coastline nearby. While not nearly as pressing as the bandits, they can certainly escalate into a downright menace if not dealt with properly." The chamberlain  said, coughing and clearing his throat before continuing.

"The bright side to all this that the tribes in the north pulling back somewhat, which should make the border there somewhat safer, though there's still a couple of clans active within the woods. And the blasted shadow war in the east has somewhat cooled, atleast on our own ground. Possibly because the bandits drove out their own operations into crime here.

Also, there's a delegation from the south, from Drymark. They would've come, but they said their leader was a little... shy. From what I gather though, it's supposedly one of the princesses of that realm, and unmarried as well. Perhaps that is the cause for their visit? Having Drymark as an ally would certainly send those tribals running off to their mothers, and certainly get those rowdy easterners to shape up atleast." The chamberlain remarked, stepping back once he had finished speaking.

[Shootandrun]

Anders was standing in the back of the room at the beginning of the ceremony. He had gotten his way inside by making a mutually beneficial deal with a guardswoman, and was technically here as the envoy of a rich merchant of Falken. Thankfully, no one was keeping track, so he could fulfill his true purpose without much trouble. He listened carefully to all who spoke, and judged them all, one after the other. The prince he found interesting, but made sure not to judge him too quickly; although there was more to that one than met the eye, he was not certain that it was all good. The lordling with the wine he dismissed as unreliable due to the alcohol, the baronet he decided was either too honorable or too convinced of his own capacity to defend himself.

The duke who proposed a marriage he found interesting. He sounded direct, cynical, and sufficiently belligerent to need some strong arms. He was, all in all, perfect. While the man was still standing before the prince, Anders cut his way through the crowd, smiling warmly and charmingly along the way to all those who were offended by his elbowing. He took a seat next to the duke's, and waited for the man's return. As Severan was sitting down, he leaned to the side slightly, looking straight ahead, and whispered a few words.

"Pardon my audacity, my lord, but I wished to compliment you. You see, I am the kind of man whom men of higher station hire to perform deeds which the gods have no need to know of, and while you were speaking there, I found that you were both the kind of man who might just be able to use one such as myself, and the kind of employer under whom I believe I could prosper. Do you think a mutually beneficiary deal could be arranged?"

The whole thing was said in a relatively quiet tone using a fluid voice. As he was speaking, however, he tucked up his left sleeve ever so slightly, revealing chainmail underneath; he had no desire to leave a doubt as to what his area of work was.

[Azthor]

"You have some balls approaching me like that" he says in deadpan, creating a long pause.

"I can appreciate that" he says, his tone then softening.

"The royal coronation is not, however, the appropriate moment for discussing employement opportunities. Once this is done with, walk by me, if you will, I am sure we have much of mutual interest to discuss, Mr. ...?"