3821, the third month of the year, and the first month of spring.
Adeeb Wasirri, Lord Governor of Dhum-Blud
20 years old
Health and Physical Abilities
Fit
Healthy
Social Skills
Practiced in Court Manners
Rogueish Charm
Practical Skills
Competent Swordsman
Competent Tumbler
Mediocre Rider
Novice Sneak
Personal Possessions.
A well bred riding horse. (Mare.)
An aging riding horse. (Stallion.)
A Fine Duelling Saber.
Several Sets of gentleman's clothes.
Walders old clothing and perfumes. (The former is gaudy and a little big, and the latter is a little too strong.)
Councilors, Vassals, Allies and Agents.
Formal Councillors
Aldagor. Barrister, Elderly noble courtier.
Balpher. Garrison Commander, noble courtier.
Desan. Steward, young noble courtier.
Elerik. Junior Garrison Commander,Low-born Wasirri Guardsman.
Agents
Vest. Friend, Lowborn duellist and former smuggler.
Eduard. Lowborn Courtier.
Vassals
Mayor Veera
Sir Madagor
Holdings.
Bonewatch
-Tiny Stone Keep on a hilltop.
--Sparse Furnishings
--Dwindling Larder (Bread, Salt, Wine, spices.)
--Small dungeon under the castle. 12 cells.
-Stables (10/25)
-Barracks (Sufficient space and bedding to hold a little over a hundred men.)
-Armoury (Stocked with Spears, swords and bows of mediocre quality. Stocked with Quilted armour and padding of poor quality. Stocked with plenty of poor quality arrows.)
-Rickety wooden outer palisade.
-patchy overgrown "dirt" roads.
-Mostly Unmanned rickety wooden watchtowers.
-a handful of wooden homes within the walls.
-A well with plenty of fresh water.
-A few nearby farming families.
Bleak-Haven
-Village
--The Wretched Mut A seedy Tavern
--A well maintained Windmill
--A small shrine to the local patron spirit
--A few scattered homes.
--A few poor craftsmen.
-Your Manor
--A few Fine furnishings.
-Overgrown Patchy "Dirt" Roads
-An interconnected farming community in the local area.
Military
-Bonewatch Garrison. (53 soldiers of weak discipline and limited combat training. Armed with bows, spears and short-swords of varying quality. Girded in quilted linen armor, steel caps, and the occasional breastplate. Wearing the King's colours.)
-Unnamed Fortified Watchtower Garrison (20? soldiers.)
-Household Gaurd. (19 Skilled Fighters trained in urban and close-quarters combat. Armed with arming-swords, bucklers and longknives. Girded in Quilted Doublets, steel breastplate,open-faced helms, greaves and bracers, all of good quality. Loyal to your family and wearing your family colors.)
-Bleakhaven Community Watch. (A group of locals that fluctuates in number, protecting, keeping watch on and patrolling the town and outer farms.)
Assets
-A heavy bag of gold "Crowns"
-A chest half full of Silver "Crowns" (Many clipped and restamped.)
-Eight Light Riding Horses (local breed, frisky and quick, but also small and unsuited to long hard travel)
-4 Rickety Wooden Carts
-5 Months worth of poor quality grain.
You summon Aldagor and have him prepare a few copies of your new decrees, and then set to writing letters. You are not particularly practised in writing official dispatches to vassals, but your penmanship is still quite well suited to capturing your own flair for the dramatic. In your letters you explain that upon taking your position you have noticed that the late Walder's laws are considered rather harsh and unpopular with the lowborn subjects, and as such you are planning to repeal or at least revise them. You do however invite each of your vassals to express any concerns they may have, or any council that they might offer on this matter. You ask Veera to send a return letter telling you when to expect him, something that should buy you a few days at least, to prepare for his coming and decide how to receive him. To Madagor you express that you are glad that the feud between the Knight and the late Lord Governor has been put to an end, a state of affairs certainly better for the realm. You invite him too to come see you when he is able, though you express regret that you are currently too busy with matters of state to travel to his hold. Seeing as you have suitable horses ready for the task you have the letters sent by rider, giving the task to two of the more competent members of your garrison.
You meet with the deserters who brought back looted horses, arms and armor to your castle. The six of them seem plain folk, gruff but respectful. They explain to you that they joined the garrison in better times, after the war but before the plague hit. They however, would be willing to once again serve a reasonable lord, one who won't prevent them from seeing to their own folk when times are harsh. Their fears seem quite allayed when you ask them to gird themselves and take up residence at your manor, to defend it and the town as it's very own garrison. You also mention that they may soon be called upon to defend the interests of both yourself and the townsfolk.
With the goodwill of these men earned, you turn to the matter of the less willing of the deserters, currently awaiting your judgement. It is explained that they are among the crop of men banished to this far-flung province, rather than locals. These three in particular, they claim, are thugs and layabouts. Their crimes however, had not been so bad as the eight who had already been put to death through lowborn justice, and the Bleak-Haven folk had had their fill of bloodshed, so they were uncertain what to do with these three. As you are now lord and administrator of these lands, they leave the decision to you, though they hope you will not add scoundrels such as these to your ranks.
You have a few matters to discuss with Desan, specifically matters of supply and taxation. Currently the castle larder is in sorry supply, with yourself and your court eating poorly. Seeing as you have guests coming, it would also prove an embarrassment if you could not at least provide sufficient meat, salt and drink. The diet of your troops also, is currently rather poor, consisting almost entirely of meals from your grain supply, and grain cut with bad seed at that. So, with your steward you discuss these things, and what your options might be. The easiest option may be to either send out members of your garrison to hunt and forage, or to recruit or hire peasants to do so for you. It is a pity you lack huntsmen, beyond whatever amateurs may be present in the garrison. The food that could be gathered this way is limited however, though perhaps managing a little rabbit or venison would certainly be helpful. You could also purchase food, either from the locals relatively cheaply, or from the merchants currently selling food to the locals, who likely have better and more various foodstuffs in stock, though more expensively sold. The local peasantry likely wouldn't mind a little coin, and might be easier to swindle, if that is the sort of thing a lord such as yourself would do, though the variety and quality of goods they might provide would likely be limited. If you bought enough food, you might even be able to improve the diet of the garrison, in addition to refilling the larder of your household.
Taxation is another option. The current convention for lords in the province is to tax twice a year, a small tax during spring, and a large tax in the fall, each after planting and harvest,respectively. The conventional wisdom is to be lenient on crop farmers during the small tax, and it's focus is generally on providing labour and trade goods. These matters all however, are dependant on the needs and wishes of the reigning lord.
You seek out Elerik and find him observing a handful of the troops sparring. You solicit his opinion on the garrison, asking specifically how they might fare in engagements with the local bandits. His opinion on the matter seems mixed. The troops lack discipline, and arn't yet good at fighting together as a group, as such in a real battle, or simply a tough scrap, he fears that they might easily break if they ever felt the jaws of the enemy closing in around them. As individuals they arn't awful fighters though, they simply lack proper training and organization, something that might be mended with time. He does however state that if they have decent leadership in the field and find favourable engagements that they should be able to handle themselves in small skirmishes. After a moments thought he does add the disclaimer that that will probably only stand as long as they are fighting humans, rather than monsters.
Briefly you meet with one of the petitioners, a blacksmith apprentice hoping to serve under you. He's been training for four years under the bleakhaven blacksmith, but has had a disagreement with him, and is seeking a new place to work and live. He's spent his days shoeing horses, smelting metal and forging farm tools mostly, but he assures you that if given a proper space to work he should be able to make repairs on simple armour and weapons, and even make a little of his own given practice, if you wish it of him.
The other six petitioners are simple peasants. Folk who know animals and fields, but who know little of castle etiquette or decent cooking, unlike your other servants. Your currently overworked servants could probably use the help, though it would mean more mouths to feed, and at least until they learn, it would also mean that half of your servants would be somewhat ill-mannered and unskilled.
You have a few decisions to make before the arrival of the Mayor, including planning on how you might receive him. You do have plenty of time to consider and plan what you wish to say to and ask of your vassal, and it's a matter worth considering.
Author
Topic: Delegation: A fief management suggestion Game (Read 24717 times)