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[LordBucket]

...umm, kill him? Our guards are no longer paralyzed. Six wolves don't seem like a credible threat to me. The enchanter doesn't seem like he's in good shape, or very motivated to fight. The quartermaster is an unknown, but presumably the commander is the tough one and all of them seem like they're not eating very well. We have competent orc guards plus us, an experienced mage capable of conjuring frost atronachs, who incidentally just meleed a bear to death. We're clearly combat capable.

Deal with him right now.

Also, micelus...kind of fee like you phoned this last update in. Is he really going to tell us to pay a debt without even bothering telling us what it is he thinks we owe him?

[micelus]

((...I forgot to mention that didn't I? Terrible mistake :x. Let me rectify that.))

[Weirdsound]

Yeah. I'm leaning towards just killing the mo-fo, but we might as well try playing the mutual hate card first. We have nothing to lose for it.

"Listen. I am truly sorry that my rat of an uncle deluded you into thinking that his handshake meant anything. The old toad let me rot in prison while he lived it up in the manor. I have no love for him. I, unlike him, am a man of my word, so I mean what I am about to say: You have three choices.

First, you can agree to serve me. I have plans to expand and improve the fief, and could make use of an enchanter. You will be given proper quarters and a steady allowance, and perhaps even the hamlet that you want some day. Together we may move past my uncles bullshit.

What I will not do, however, is honor the debt of a dishonorable man. Your second choice is to leave this fief and never come back. I will not peruse you.

If you neither flee nor kneel, we default to the third option. Your death. Perhaps I smite you here with my guards and summons, or perhaps death will drop upon you when you least expect it, but if you insist on squatting in my shrine and reminding me of my vile uncle, you will not draw breath for long."

[3man75]

Yeah. I'm leaning towards just killing the mo-fo, but we might as well try playing the mutual hate card first. We have nothing to lose for it.

"Listen. I am truly sorry that my rat of an uncle deluded you into thinking that his handshake meant anything. The old toad let me rot in prison while he lived it up in the manor. I have no love for him. I, unlike him, am a man of my word, so I mean what I am about to say: You have three choices.

First, you can agree to serve me. I have plans to expand and improve the fief, and could make use of an enchanter. You will be given proper quarters and a steady allowance, and perhaps even the hamlet that you want some day. Together we may move past my uncles bullshit.

What I will not do, however, is honor the debt of a dishonorable man. Your second choice is to leave this fief and never come back. I will not peruse you.

If you neither flee nor kneel, we default to the third option. Your death. Perhaps I smite you here with my guards and summons, or perhaps death will drop upon you when you least expect it, but if you insist on squatting in my shrine and reminding me of my vile uncle, you will not draw breath for long."

+1

[micelus]

The illusionist shook his head, seemingly surprised at your decision. " A shame, milord." He looked back at the shrine, cursing at himself for sending his wolves back in.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

 Round 1][3+1 vs 3]
 Round 2[4 vs 2]
 Round 3[2 vs 1]

Without a thought, he ran straight for the shrine doors, hoping to turn the tides. Your guards however, knowing his plan, beat him to the door, barring his way. What happened next was the only  possible outcome when you arm two orcs with maces. For all his spells of illusion, he was not much of a fighter. Your two orcish guards made a fine bloody mist, with all that remained being only vaguely identifiable with that of a human. He made a poor choice by expecting him to give in to his demands, a fool truly. The man dead, you looked at poor Gavin, still standing by the column as if nothing had happened. You decided to keep him around for now. What mattered right now, was the pack of wolves inside the shrine. [5] Your battle-hardened guards easily beat their way through the pack, who upon proper observation, are weak mangy creatures. With them dealt with, the priest can finally come back in. After you take whatever possessions this Order had, of course. [2] To your disappointment, there seems to very little.

Loot:
100 gold
x1 Gavin

That sordid business done with, you return to your other duties.

Turn 3/4


[4] With the Summer upon you, you speak to Soril about the fief, advising him not to bring in too many workers and to increase the food supply. He tells you, with a smile you've never seen on an Altmer, that he's already sorted out the problem. He plans to feed any workers he hires personally from his own pocket. He also offers to hire you some professional soldiers, at a much reduced price of course.

The fief, he tells you, is small and in a very unstable position. He also however says that this could easily be changed with a few improvements here and there; a few deals with important men and some fortifications to guard against intruders. Of course, he says in a quiet tone, the Count would be snooping around if you decided to build some walls or towers around the fief; it's unfortified for a reason. You're not quite sure why Soril knows that and he quickly changes subjects to a friend in Solitude who could be persuaded to sell a complete laboratory for 200 gold.

[4] Sometime after seeing Soril, you send out messengers all around your fief to find a suitable apprentice. This being High Rock, it is teeming with Bretons with some degree of magical aptitude. Then again, you're also located in the middle nowhere.After some tests and observations, your Overseer whittles down the prospective apprentices to a list of 4. This he leaves on your desk for further consideration.

Spoiler: Applicants (click to show/hide)

- Gaskrul. Orc. 13 years old. Male. Orphan. Quiet. Seems to have considerable experience in Conjuration. For a child. This one is actually from Count Detwyx's lands. Just beyond the border. I would've turned him away, but it's rare to find a child who can summon a scamp at his age.
- Theresa. 15. Female. Poor petty nobility. Very talkative. Seems to have a basic understanding of potionmaking and seems to have an aptitude for Restoration. A decent apothecary I'd say.
- Merc. 16. Male. Serf. High natural magika reservoir. Seems to have an understanding of Alteration, although it is nothing special.
- Lassia. 14. Female. Some practical knowledge of Illusion and Restoration. She's more of a hunter than mage my lord, but she seems to have learnt quite a bit herself.

[3 Actions may be taken per season, of which there are 4 per year. ]
Count Lacroix expects you to meet him in the Autumn
Countess Lightbreeze has invited you to a feast in Winter.

Spoiler: Known Issues (click to show/hide)

[4]Your overlord, Count Owyn Lacroux, has requested you to personally swear fealty to him as well as speak of your late uncle.
[4] Nightly noises have been heard at an old abandoned tower at the southern border of your fief.

Spoiler:  Arkwick (click to show/hide)

Hawkcroft Manor: your late uncle's home, Hawkcroft Manor resides on a hill overlooking Arkwick Village. A 2-meter stone wall offers it some protection towards outside attacks. It is sturdy if somewhat dilapidated.
Iron Mine: the main source of Arkwick's exports, it has employed the people of Arkwick for centuries.
Small Farms x15: several small farms throughout Arkwick's hinterlands help feed the village, although imports from surrounding fiefs are often needed due to Arkwick's poor soil.
Arkwick Village: The centre of the fiefdom, the village maintains a small shrine to the 8 Divines, a communal plaza and a town hall. All other structures are either homes or small shops.  (~600 pop.)

Spoiler: Finances (click to show/hide)

Gold: 1360

Income: 110/season(base income is 100/season)
Iron Production: 75/season
Food Production: 25/season
Altmer Trader: +10% seasonal income

Expenses
Tax: -10%/year (normal tax rate is 20%)
Alteration Services: -30/season

Net Yearly Income: 175

Spoiler: Personnel (click to show/hide)

Altmer Trader (Soril): -50% tax. +10% income.
Loyal Overseer (Brethyn Jorwatch): +1 to speechcraft rolls against serfs and servants you employ.
x2 Bodyguards: -1 to all combat rolls toward you if either are present.
Gavin

Spoiler: Beren Hawkcroft (click to show/hide)

Race: Breton
Former Profession: Mage
Skill- Competent: Conjuration
Skill- Familiar: Restoration, Alteration
Skill- Dabbling: Illusion, Alchemy

Skill Levels:

Mastery: You are counted as one of the world's foremost users of this skill.
Expert: You have effectively mastered this skill.
Competent: The skill has become well engrained into your person.
Familiar: You have learnt from your mistakes and as a result, failures are far less common.
Dabbling: Some practice made into the skill. Failures common.
Dunce: Utterly unversed or incompetent. Failures are very common.

Rarities:
x5 Soul Gems (Empty)
x1 Mage's Staff: a mundane staff, this Mage's Staff could be easily imbued with souls, allowing it to cast spells.

[LordBucket]

Just some discussion first:

 * Our guards did well. Let's make sure they feel appreciated. Nothing too fancy. We don't need to bribe them. But let them know personally that we are pleased with their performance. Maybe get to know a bit about them. Incidentally get their names. They've been positively helpful. They deserve to have us know their names. Find our their story. How did they came to be in our uncle's employ?

 * Regarding the laboratory: we can afford the 200 gold. It would be a valuable thing to have, both now and in the future. I suspect that Soril has ulterior motives. He's doing his friend a favor by finding a buyer, and it wouldn't surprise me if he's getting a finder's fee. But I'm basically ok with that. If he benefits, his friend benefits, and we benefit...everyone benefits. That's fine. Buy the lab.

 * Regarding building fortifications, I suggest we wait.Fortifications have only minimal value if we lack anyone to man them. Whereas if we have armed forces, that has value whether or not we have the fortifications. Ideally yes,we'll have both. But training some men is more important, and less visible. If we start building walls, the Count will know about it long before we're finished. Whereas if we take 100 peasants and run them through through combat drills, fit them with some cheap, basic weapons and armor have them spar with each other, etc for several hours every week, that's not particularly suspicious, it's inexpensive, and it's probably of more immediate value. 100 peasants with pointy sticks and a willingness to use them is a stronger deterrent than an expensive wall people can walk around and a couple towers with no archers in them. Start recruiting and training a part-time peasant militia

 * Regarding Soril's offer to find some mercenaries, I'm willing to listen to a proposal, but we're not planning on going to war right now, and I don't really want to pay a bunch of professional soldiers to stand around not doing anything. Mercenaries is something to consider when we have a definite campaign in mind and want to supplement existing forces. Buying an army wholesale is just not on the table right now. But, if rather than soldiers, he has a commander in mind, somebody who can train the militia, teach them how to make their own fur armor and wooden spears and generally build a local army over several months, that's something I'd be wiling to pay for.

 * Regarding Gavin, talk to him. Need to find out his story, how he fell in with the knights, what their goals were, what his goals are, and whether he's going to be an asset or a liability.

Now, about those apprentive candidates:

- Gaskrul. Orc. 13 years old. Male. Orphan. Quiet. Seems to have considerable experience in Conjuration. For a child. This one is actually from Count Detwyx's lands. Just beyond the border. I would've turned him away, but it's rare to find a child who can summon a scamp at his age.

Natural ability is great. It is however, a slight concern that he's from Detwyx's lands. That's the place south of us with the Orc warchief who's being bribed into not overtly taking control. Why is this child here? Additionally, I'm on the fence about his conjuration talent. It seems a natural choice, since it's our specialty, so we'd be matching natural talent with good training. This could result in a powerful student. And the fact that he's an orc, could be good PR both with our guards, as well as with the southerners if we ever need to come into contact with them.

But, while it might be good PR with some, it's probably bad PR with others. And I'm not sure the good PR is necessarily even good PR. If he's an abandoned child from the losing side of some orc clan skirmish somewhere, taking him in could have unfortunate consequences later on. Finally, I'm not sure that having a student skilled in conjuration especially benefits us. That's what we do. Yes, it would make training easier, but it's putting all our eggs in the same basket. It might be preferable to have a student who specializes in another school, so that we have two schools in our repertopie rather than only one.

So all in all this looks like a strong choice, but the ways it's strong are kind of questionable. And it would be absolutely awful if he's actually a scout from that war chief to find our more about us, we train him, and then he leaves with delicate information.

Talk to our guards and ask them if taking him will bite us later on

- Theresa. 15. Female. Poor petty nobility. Very talkative. Seems to have a basic understanding of potionmaking and seems to have an aptitude for Restoration. A decent apothecary I'd say.

I would favor having an apprentice from the nobility. It means that she'll understand some things better than the filthy peasants. That said, her natural ability is not impressive. I want to take the noble, but I think her skills make her just not a very attractive choice. However, she might be a useful ancilliary recruit. Alchemist/healers are nice to have. Especially if we're about to buy an alchemy/magic/research lab. Even if we take someone else as an apprentice, we might want to keep her anyway. But, being that she's from poor nobility, she's probably not looking for a job. She's looking to establish herself somewhere with a lot of potential to grow. An apprenticeship gives her that. Background alchemists/healer probably doesn't give her want she wants.

But then on the other hand, who knows, maybe she's more interested in her craft than climbing the political ladder. If that's the case, and she's looking for a nice cushy spot where she can attach herself to a rising star, and be in their court without actually personally expecting to make it big. If that's the case, she has talents we could definitely use. I propose we talk to this one and find out what her goals her. If her goals are compatible with being a courtier rather than our right hand, then go ahead and recruit her . She's probably good to have in our retinue if she wants to be here, but I just don't see her going forth and spreading terror and conquest in our name.

- Merc. 16. Male. Serf. High natural magika reservoir. Seems to have an understanding of Alteration, although it is nothing special.

Nothing wrong with raw power. We can teach skill. But I'd prefer to not have a filthy peasant as an apprentice. I suppose if we can properly convey what a raw and wondrous opportunity it is, and if we can translate that into obsessive loyalty to the man who pulled him up to a greater station in life, it might be worthwhile. This is probably not a bad choice, but I'm just not very enthusiastic about it.

- Lassia. 14. Female. Some practical knowledge of Illusion and Restoration. She's more of a hunter than mage my lord, but she seems to have learnt quite a bit herself.

Kind of neutral here. We want an apprentice. Somebody who can become our right hand and go out and do great thing on our behalf as an extension of our will. A mage. Not a hunter to happens to know some magic. She's probably not a bad choice, but she's not really what we're looking for. I'd say pass.

[3man75]

Theressa would be great because her potion making could net us a good profit once we have the lab set up.

Lassie  (I see what you did their) could become our Ranger captain once we've shown her some combat spells and such.

[Weirdsound]

Summer: (Assuming we can follow up on Summer Actions like we did with the knights)

-Tell Soril to look into professional soldiers, and present us with some contracts representing various cost and manpower levels this winter. We will be unsure of exactly what, if anything, we want until after we visit our boss.
-Give Soril 250 Gold and tell him to get us the lab. The extra gold is to work out any complications that might arise in shipping, haggling, or installation, but inform him that you doubt somebody of his skill should need it, and that he is free to keep any remainder as a finders fee.

Fall:

-Bring in Gaskrul and Theresa as apprentices. Gaskrul is an orphan and wont be missed in his homeland, expecially if we take precautions. Change his name, make up a new origin story for him to memorize, and perhaps see if one of our Bodyguards would be willing to adopt him and perhaps give him some combat training; Conjurations + Ability to kill things is how you harvest souls if I remember correctly. If we throw some gold in, this can even be a means of rewarding our bodyguards. Instruct both apprentices to try and teach each other the basics of the magic they already know, and to get settled in the manor. Proper instruction from us will start next season.
-Go Visit our Lord, and see what is up.
-Return Home and Hold Court. Listen to the problems of our citizens, pass judgement on their criminals, ect.

[Vacio]

Summer: (Assuming we can follow up on Summer Actions like we did with the knights)

-Tell Soril to look into professional soldiers, and present us with some contracts representing various cost and manpower levels this winter. We will be unsure of exactly what, if anything, we want until after we visit our boss.
-Give Soril 250 Gold and tell him to get us the lab. The extra gold is to work out any complications that might arise in shipping, haggling, or installation, but inform him that you doubt somebody of his skill should need it, and that he is free to keep any remainder as a finders fee.

Fall:

-Bring in Gaskrul and Theresa as apprentices. Gaskrul is an orphan and wont be missed in his homeland, expecially if we take precautions. Change his name, make up a new origin story for him to memorize, and perhaps see if one of our Bodyguards would be willing to adopt him and perhaps give him some combat training; Conjurations + Ability to kill things is how you harvest souls if I remember correctly. If we throw some gold in, this can even be a means of rewarding our bodyguards. Instruct both apprentices to try and teach each other the basics of the magic they already know, and to get settled in the manor. Proper instruction from us will start next season.
-Go Visit our Lord, and see what is up.
-Return Home and Hold Court. Listen to the problems of our citizens, pass judgement on their criminals, ect.

I am in favor for looking for hired help, but giving 50 extra gold to Soril seems a bit much, 20 gold should be plenty. I like the idea of getting two apprentices we're not sith so why stop at one, Theresa is good choice with Alchemy & Restoration but I don't like the fact that she's talkative she's bound to spill information later on that we might want to keep secret so we'll have to keep an eye on her. As for Gaskrul, he can benefit from us the most but what do we get from him that we don't already have? My second choice would be Lassi seems to be a better choice she has hunting skill that we don't have which could be useful when combined with illusion and it seems have a lot of experience for her young age. (I'm thinking invisible & silent ranger in the future. Also  since I am cruel person, calm animal to befriend animals right before you shoot an arrow at their vital organs.)

[3man75]

Summer: (Assuming we can follow up on Summer Actions like we did with the knights)

-Tell Soril to look into professional soldiers, and present us with some contracts representing various cost and manpower levels this winter. We will be unsure of exactly what, if anything, we want until after we visit our boss.
-Give Soril 250 Gold and tell him to get us the lab. The extra gold is to work out any complications that might arise in shipping, haggling, or installation, but inform him that you doubt somebody of his skill should need it, and that he is free to keep any remainder as a finders fee.

Fall:

-Bring in Gaskrul and Theresa as apprentices. Gaskrul is an orphan and wont be missed in his homeland, expecially if we take precautions. Change his name, make up a new origin story for him to memorize, and perhaps see if one of our Bodyguards would be willing to adopt him and perhaps give him some combat training; Conjurations + Ability to kill things is how you harvest souls if I remember correctly. If we throw some gold in, this can even be a means of rewarding our bodyguards. Instruct both apprentices to try and teach each other the basics of the magic they already know, and to get settled in the manor. Proper instruction from us will start next season.
-Go Visit our Lord, and see what is up.
-Return Home and Hold Court. Listen to the problems of our citizens, pass judgement on their criminals, ect.

+1