Clanfather Udu-Kai:Status-
Health:
Fine
Mutations:
Lightning Breath - You can exhale a destructive bolt of Chain Lighting that smites nearby friend and foe alike.
Living Battery - Your muscles store electricity which you can channel into your metal weapons for extra damage, armor for a nasty surprize defense, and other gadgets for god knows what.
Bronze Boned - Your bones are particularly tough, resistant to breaking, and can't be cut by anything short of sharpened steel
Digging Claws - You have short claws on your hands that aid allow you to easily dig through soil and soft rock. Also makes you slightly more dangerous in unarmed combat
Pheromones - You can influence the behavior of bugs and insects with enough proficiency to be a major factor in the battles such creatures participate in
Skills-
Military:
Skilled Spearorc
Competent Thrower
Competent Armor User
Competent Shield User
Adequate Rider
Adequate Commander
Social:
Professional Night Courtesan
Proficient Merchant
Adequate Administrator
Adequate Orc Courtesan
Industrial:
Accomplished Alchemist
Adept Herbalist
Adept Animal Dissector
Competent Furnace Opperator
Competent Brewer
Possessions-
Gear, Pets, and Equipment:
Masterwork Bronze Spear
High Quality Laminated Leather Armor
Steeloak Wood Boomerangs (3/3)
'Flashram' The Giant Glow Wasp (Trained for War, Trained as a Mount, Can be Milked for Venom, Can be bled for Lightning Ichor)
Custom Saddle for Flashram
Consumables:
Potion of High Evolution (1/1, Subject gains a number of beneficial mutations. This potion is potent enough that the subject is rarely recognizable as a member of his/her original race)
Draught of the Damned Host (3/3, Subject becomes host to several giant insect larva, who slowly eat the subject from the inside out to inflict a painful death upon them)
Potion of High Restoration (3/3, Subject is cured of any non-magical injury of ailment)
Synthetic Dragon's Blood (2/2, Further boosts the strength and agility of a vampire subject for several days. Highly addictive)
Bottled Moonlight (3/3, Allows and forces a werebeing subject to transform for 36 hours regardless of the moon's state)
Canned Eclipse (3/3, If drunk shortly before a werebeng subject's transformation, said transformation will be weaker than usual, but will leave the subject in control of their actions)
Potion of Close Wounds (8/8, Subject's flesh and bone are mended. Any blood lost by the subject is restored)
Potion of Override Metabolism (8/8, Subject does not need to eat for a month)
Gourmet Gunk (350/350, Can be mixed in with even the lowest quality grains by a completely unskilled chef to produce meals fit for a king)
Stored Belongings:
Alchemist's Workshop and Tools
"Chlemora's Handbook", Tome of Potion Recipes
"Lunar Servants", Encyclopedia of Werebeing Linage and Lore
"Bloodlines of Blood", Encyclopedia of Vampire Linage and Lore
"Beneath Highest Rock and Saltless Sea", Notes and old maps relating to the cavern system beneath and near the Three Valleys
Sack of Powdered Chitin (20/20, Ingredient for potions relating to healing, defense, or bugs)
Urn of Mixed Snaga Ashes (20/20, Ingredient for potions relating to agility and wit. Can also be used to limit the effects of a potion to goblins and orcs)
Barrel of Glow Wasp Vennom (50/50, Ingredient for potions relating to illumination, poison, pain, and social behavior)
Barrel of Lightning Ichor (50/50, Ingredient for potions relating to electricity, blood, predatory behavior, and insects)
Bag of Dried Cave Bloom Flowers (15/15, Ingredient for potions relating to earth, plants, darkness, and romantic behavior)
Bag of Dried Demoncaps (15/15, Ingredient for potions relating to the unholy, fungus, hallucination, mutation and insane behavior)
Preserved Cave Dragon Heart (5/5, Ingredient for potions relating to great strength, blindness, and prideful behavior. Can be used to boost the power of a potion to a great degree)
Friends/Guards/Courtesans-
The Wurms: Your personal orcish warband. Tradition dictates that you should treat these soldiers as you would your own kin, and that they should treat your will and interests as their own.
1 Band Chief (Wields a masterwork bronze maul and wears high quality laminated leather armor. Mounted on a Giant Cave Spider. Mutated to receive superorcish speed and power)
1 Fate Brother (Dual-Wields bloodsteel scimitars and wears high quality laminated leather armor. Mounted on a Giant Cave Spider. Mutated to be a better sneak and rider)
1 Fate Sister (Fights unarmed with mutant powers and hexes. Wears a silk gown treated to resist heat. Mounted on a Basalt Steed Golem. Mutated to channel the element of fire)
10 Mutant Crushorcs (Equipped with assorted natural weapons and lead-weighted copper maces. Wears normal quality laminated leather armor and assorted mutant natural armors)
10 Mutant Spitorcs (Equipped with assorted mutant breath weapons, as well as boomerangs, weighted nets, short copper blades, and javelins. Wears normal quality basic leather armor)
6 Orcish Troll Handlers (Equipped with silver whips and bronze short blades. Wears normal quality laminated leather armor over normal quality copper chain shirt and leggings)
12 Rust Trolls (Large humanoid monsters capable of rending any form or alloy of iron like wet tissue. Regenerate fast. Could become unruly if the troll to handler ratio gets above 2:1)
Land and HoldingsClanseat Valley - A medium-small alpine valley, mostly clearcut of trees for farmland. The seat of power of the Clan of the Three Valleys. Home to light manufacturing and medium farming.Castle Powderforge: Your ancestral home A large castle capable of holding a garrison of 400 troops. It used to have even more sleeping room, but it has been renovated to increase food storage. The castle forge has also been replaced with a distillery in recent years.
Twin-Smithy: A small town that mainly serves as a trade hub for the scattered orcs of the valley. It is home to the estates of two feuding highborn bloodlines of smiths and furnace opperators, The Bluesheen and the Ashland. Aside from the highborn estates, the town includes a small market place, a pub, and a guard barracks.
Deadquarry Lake: A small lake that used to be the quarry where the stone for castle and forts of the Three Valleys was harvested. Nowadays it is home to a well regulated fishing industry, and a small pack of were-yak who live on an island.
Spiritkeep Valley - A large and wooded alpine valley, mainly inhabited by elves. Home to medium manufacturing and medium farming.Growngold: A medium sized Orcish town that traditionally serves as a trading hub for the local elves looking to send and receive goods to and from the other valleys or human lands. Features a Taskmaster's Mansion, Large Marketplace, and a Banker's Guild.
Righteousroot: A large elven forest retreat belonging to the loyal Cliffbloom Tribe. Home to a Queen's Tree, Temple of Harmotzald, Beast-Breeders Circle and a Hunters Circle.
Fruitfulbranches: A large elven forest retreat belonging to the alliance controlled Jasmine Tribe. Home to a Queen's Tree, Justice Tree, Alchemist Circle and a Gatherers Circle.
Dreadnut: A medium sized elven forest retreat belonging to the alliance controlled Greenmaster Tribe. Home to a Druid's Tree, Manor of the Sorcerer Skaldvalt, and a Treesinger's Circle.
Spiritkeep Woods: The wild and mostly untamed forest that covers most of Spiritkeep Valley. Home to many great beasts, and the three elven tribes.
Lowhammer Valley - A large low-lying temperate valley that is open to the Saltless Sea. It is somewhat urbanized, and controlled by the rebellious Twin-Blood pact. Home to heavy industry and medium farming.Hammerdeep: A small city that sits on the mouth of the Three Valleys' major cavern entrance, The Toothed Pits. Features a Taskmaster's Mansion, Small manufacturing district, Large Marketplace, Miners Guild, Wood Cutters Guild, Spelunkers Guild, and Jewelers Guild.
Blackbelch: A medium sized city that is singlehandedly home to much of the Three Valleys manufacturing capacity, and serves as the interim capital of the Twinblood Pact. Contains an Overlord's Mansion, Hall of Parliament, Huge Marketplace, Medium Sized manufacturing district, Factoryworkers Union, Blacksmiths Guild, Carpenters Guild, Masons Guild, Engineers Guild, and City Walls.
Hammerport: A large orcish town on the coast of the Saltless Sea controlled by the Twinblood Pact. Home to a Taskmaster's Manor, Large Trading Port, Medium Military/Piracy Port, Medium Fishing Port, Shipbuilders Guild, and Buccaneers Guild.
Freepulse: A medium sized dark fortress under construction to serve as the new capital of the Twinblood pact. Home to a Dark Priest's Quarters, a Re-Education Camp, Heavy Fortifications (Under Construction), Direct Tunnel to the Caverns (Under Construction), Slave Pits (Under Construction), Shrine of Summoning (Under Construction).
The Toothed Pits: A portion of the caverns that open directly to Lowhammer Valley. The Citizens of Hammerdeep gather fungal wood, stone, metal, gems, and the scales and bones of prehistoric beasts here. Navigating through the caverns between The Toothed Pits and the smaller caves near Titan Pass and the upper valleys is difficult but not unheard of.
The Saltless Sea: A massive freshwater lake that forms the southern border of Lowhammer Valley. The Saltless Sea provides ample fish, and connections for trade, piracy, and warfare with several independent Human, Dwarven, and Goblin settlements. The steep rocky beaches provide decent protection for the valley against invasion by sea.
Roads and Forts - The former are treacherous in large part because the latter are not properly supported by the clan...
Lower Titan Pass: The medium altitude road connecting the lands of the Elven Alliance to Clanseat Valley. Only rendered impassable by the worst winters. Harried by primitive bandits from the underworld.
Mid Titan Pass: The medium to high altitude road connecting Clanseat and Spiritkeep Valleys. Often impassable in the winter. Harried by primitive bandits from the underworld, and the occasional organized gang of human and/or orcish raiders.
Upper Titan Pass: The extremely treacherous high to extremely high altitude road connecting Spiritkeep Valley to the lands of the United Humans. Usually only passable late spring through early autumn. Home to several entrenched human and orc bandit camps.
Crossroads Pass: The three-pronged low lying road that connects all three of the valleys. Usually safe from extreme snowfall, but known to flood following a winter of good snowfall. Mostly safe above Fort Three Roads, but subject to rebel patrols below the fort.
Fort Canyon-Walls: A defensive position that consists of two gated walls and several structures between them. Blocks off and controls Lower Titan Pass, but skilled subterranian explorers have been known to bypass it. Currently unsupported. Marks your northeastern border.
Fort Three Roads: A modern marvel of Orcish Engineering that sits right on the spot that gives Crossroads Pass its name. By damming and releasing mountian streams, Fort Three Roads can block the path to either Clanseat or Spiritkeep Valley with temporary lakes, and flood out the road to Lowhammer Valley by releasing said lakes.
Fort Glacier: A large and ancient castle thought to be built by the frost giants of old. Blocks off and controls Upper Titan Pass, but can be bypassed via an alternate route that sometimes opens up during particularly warm summers. Currently supports itself by doing business with bandits. Marks your western border.
Clan Armies: These are forces that your position as Clanfather allows you to command and delegate control of as you see fit. Other ally forces that you can't command directly, such as the personal war bands of your vassals, are not listed here. You have the right to create more clan armies through the draft.Castle Powderforge Garrison - 200 Strong. Armed in assorted cobalt and ironbone gear. Typical soldier is armed with a spear and a crossbow. Stationed at Castle Powderforge.
Crossroads Garrison - 85 Soldiers and 10 Engineers Strong. Armed in assorted colbalt and ironbone gear. Typical soldier is armed with a spear and a crossbow. Hardened by battle. Stationed at Fort Three Roads.
Glacier Garrison - 
Soldiers Strong. Little is known about this force. It is believed to consist of mainly former bandits recruited by Dreg-Dreg.
Clan Resources:Vault of Foreign Currency and Ingots (5000/5000)
Food Stores (20000/20000)
Quarried Stone (3000/3000)
Lumber (10000/10000)
Low Quality Military Uniforms (250/250)
Iron Quality Military Uniforms (150/150)
Steel Quality Military Uniforms (30/30)
NPCs in Party/Court:
Plunt - A lowborn male orc of 33 years who serves as the Band Chief of the Wurms. The traditional duties of his post include the day to day management of the band, leading the band in battle when you choose not to do so yourself, and seeing that the band is inherited by another worthy Orc highborn in case of your death. Plunt hails from a simple tribe of Yak herding nomads. He is loyal to a fault and has courage in excess, and these traits led you to pick him out of all the Orcs in your band to serve as chief. Through your potions and exposure to the caverns, Plunt has mutated into a monstrous physical specimen; He can dead-lift his mount over his head, and outrun it over short distances.
Cornius - A highborn male orc of 20 years who holds the distinction of being your Fate Brother. As your fate brother, Cornius is legally an extension of yourself. He can fight your duels, be punished in your place, father your legitimate children should you prove infertile, and in your absence wield the authority of any post you have obtain. He is expected to end his own life in the event of your death. Cornius was caught red-handed trying to assassinate a political rival of his father's, disgracing him to the point where the only post suitable for his birth was that of your fate brother. Cornius views morality as a weakness, and will advise you to commit grave sins if he thinks it will bring you material or political gain. Cornius has mutated to become more spider-like; His skin is dark and chitin-like, he can move silently and climb well, and he possesses an extra pair of arms.
Burn-Char - A highborn female orc of 19 years who holds the distinction of being your Fate Sister. As your fate sister, Burn-Char is legally an extension of yourself. She can fight your duels, be punished in your place, bear your legitimate children should your eventual spouse prove infertile, and in your absence wield the authority of any post you have obtain. She is expected to end his own life in the event of your death. Burn-Char was raised underground and exposed to heavy mutagens growing up, and as a result she catches fire and her bodily fluids turn to magma when she is hurt or angry. Unable to lead a normal life or wear proper armor because of this, Burn-Char has practiced the art of hex-weaving so that she may still fight, and signed up to be your Fate Sister in hopes that your experiments would make her stronger. Burn-Char is well read and highly opinionated, she will hold a bitter grudge against those who sway your will against hers.
Stoody - A male orc of 23 years and questionable birth. Stoody is the son of Balk-Ma and the late Taskmaster Tin-Tin-Ugg. He wants to see the clan reclaim Lowhammer Valley so that he may avenge his father's death and take his father's old post. He carries several powder weapons on his person.
Balk-Ma - A highborn female orc of 49 years. Arrugup's widow and Stoody's mother. She seems to have some basic military, administrative, and courtly skills, but whatever intentions she has beyond avoid getting thrown out of the castle' have yet to be revealed.
Tumuk - The lowborn 55 year old band chief of The Rolling Truffles, the late Arrugup's personal war band. His traditional duty would be to find some another worthy young highborn to lead the band, but he and his men are content to hang around the castle. Tumuk in his 25 men are all better armed and trained than your standard troops, but many are out of shape and approaching middle age. Wields a maul, crossbow, and full set of plate armor, all made from dwarven steel, in battle.
Youthfangs - An ancient vampire with an origin that predates recorded history. Youthfangs takes the form of a 9 year old goblin girlchild who works as a servant to the head seamstress of Castle Powderforge, but is actually the defacto leader of Vampire Kind in the Three Valleys. To the best of your knowledge, she seems to be more interested in advocating for other vampires than pushing an agenda of her own. She is not much of a fighter on her own, but vampires of her bloodline can call upon the shades of their more powerful victims to fight for them.
Auxiliary Queen Twigem - A highborn elf of 211 years who serves as the The Alliance of Elven Queendoms' emissary to your court. It is pretty clear that her goal is to secure the alliance of the Three Valleys Clan for an upcoming war against the humans. Twigem is also responsible for leading the Elven Tribes of Spiritkeep Valley who have pledged fealty to the alliance. Twigem is accompanied by a retainer of 60 alliance soldiers, some of whom look to be casters as well.
Lord Henry Brax - A highborn human of 62 years who serves as the The United Human Kingdoms' emissary to your court. It is pretty clear that his objective is to secure the alliance of the Three Valleys Clan for an upcoming war against the elves. Henry uses the Twinblood Pact rebels as leverage, the support or embargo of human ports on the Saltless Sea could make or break the rebellion in the long run. Henry is accompanied by a retainer of 15 men, and intends to send for more once Upper Titan Pass clears.
Vassals:
Fort Commander Tormonulorg - An ancient and respected Orc who has watched over Lower Titan Pass from Fort Canyon-Walls for generations. An old injury to the throat has rendered him mute. It is not common knowledge, but you know him to be a vampire. He is in dire straights as Arrugup refused to support him.
Fort Commander Dreg-Dreg - A skilled military leader who has watched over Upper Titan Pass from Fort Glacier since the later days of Poor-Guruk's reign over the Three Valleys. It is rumored that once Arrugup cut off support to his fort, Dreg-Dreg began to allow bandits passage in exchange for a toll.
Fort Commander Cachi-Ug - A young orcish witch who has watched over the Crossroads Pass from Fort Three Roads for the last two years. It is rumored she got the post because she was Arrugup's mistress. Her military skills are untested, but her fort and forces are well maintained and supplied.
Tribe Queen Elfiro - Leader of the Cliffblooms, the last elf tribe in the Three Valleys that is still a vassal to your clan. Elfiro herself is still an adolescent, and her uncle Titanjax serves as regent.
Taskmaster Trugben - Leader of Growngold, the only Orcish village in Spiritkeep Valley and an important trading hub. He is perhaps a bit too close to the Elven Alliance politically for comfort.
Non-Controlled Factions Active in The Three Valleys -
The Alliance of Elven Queendoms: The political and military superpower that resides in the temperate and taiga forests to the north of your lands. Their ambassador has recently called in fifty of her soldiers, perhaps to counteract a similar move by the humans. Two tribes of elves in Spiritkeep Valley are vassals to the alliance.
The United Human Kingdoms: The political and military superpower that resides in the temperate and tropical grasslands to the west of your lands. It is likely that they have called in troops, or will do so in the summer, if the elves have done so.
The Twinblood Pact: A group of rebels against clan rule consisting mainly of Goblins and Undercaste Orcs of Goblin descent. The pact has gained full control of Lowhammer Valley, and have slaughtered all prominent clan loyalists on their lands.
You call your court to the throne room to ask some questions and pitch some ideas. The first thing you bring up is the feuding bloodlines of Bluesheen and Ashland, hoping to learn all you can about them in hopes of possibly playing one against the other. From what you understand, the feud started 190 years ago when Teerorga, the fleeing daughter of the last great Orc Emperor, settled in the Three Valleys and chose break off her betrothal to Swordhurg of Ashland in favor of marrying Cluk-Urg of Bluesheen. Although Teerorga attempted to mitigate the political damage, and distance herself from both families, by declaring her marriage the start of a new great bloodline destined to rule all of the Three Valleys, the house of Ashland never truly forgave the house of Bluesheen for Teerorga's action.
These days the rivalry is fueled more by lack of opportunity than anything else. With the roads plagued by bandits and the ports possessed by rebels, the bloodlines fight tooth and nail over the few buyers of metal that live an Clanseat and Spiritkeep Valley. These circumstances have escalated things to point where members of the Bluesheen and Ashland have been recently making fairly blatent attempts on each other's lives.
Today Ashland Hall is controlled by Boneclang, a male Orc known more for his witty and opportunistic behavior than his strength, while the manor of the Bluesheen Bloodline is ruled by Shiibleu, a feared pirate who had to flee from the rebels in Lowhammer Valley and ended up marrying into and taking over the family. Both leaders will likely attend any sort of official function at the castle, so it shouldn't be too difficult to meet them if you wish.
Your Court's View on: The Feuding Bloodlines(Unless there is a general agreement to let somebody else in on it, you will only reveal sneaky and contraversial ideas, such as provoking one of the families into starting trouble, to members of your court that you can trust. Members of your court that you can trust will have a blue glow to their name under the politics spoiler.)-Plunt has little to contribute on the matter.
-Cornius thinks that there is a good chance tensions between the families deescalate once you start supplying the forts and they can start selling their metal. Best act quickly if you want to provoke one into causing trouble.
-Burn-Char feels that you should skip the pretenses and sneaky shit. Orcs respect strength and decisiveness. She suggests simply siding with one family and annihilating the other, using only your might as justification.
-Stoody is very partisan towards the Bluesheen Bloodline, as he and Shiibleu share a passionate hatred of the Twinblood Rebels.
-Balk-Ma mentions that she is good friends with several prominent members of both bloodlines, and would be willing to exploit those friendships if you asked.
-Tumuk is very partisan towards the Ashland Bloodline, and admits he intends to pledge his Warband to one of their heirs, a young warrior and Mukorb, once a suitable pair of Fate Sibblings can be found for him.
-Youthfangs informs you that Ashland Bloodline is guilty of treason, and that she would gladly trade the proof she has on the matter for a favor.
Next you bring up the matter of securing the Three Valleys against the elves, bandits, and humans. Nobody objects to this course of action, but you get the feeling that nobody thinks you should remain neutral once war breaks out either. Stoody is very keen on getting the humans to help punish the bandits, and Tumuk thinks siding with the elves will yeild great trade opportunities. The others don't have strong feelings on which side to take, but feel that remaining neutral would be a waste; Your court feels that whoever controls Titan Pass will possess an insurmountable advantage in the upcoming war, and that the clan would have much to gain in terms of land and reputation by participating in the conflict.
Everybody feels that supplying Fort Canyon-Walls is a pretty trivial task. Arrugup only cut the forts off from food because he had an irrational fear of starvation, and sought to hoard as much food has he could in Clanseat Valley at any cost. The castle's stores are full, so the residents are presently only taxing enough to replace what they eat, but with many farms and few trade partners there is plenty more food to just take. The Average Orc is naturally large and imposing, and most have at least some combat training, so it would not be difficult to send some men under the command of an officer to round up 70 heads and send them to Fort Canyon-Walls.
You mention that you wish to visit Fort Three-Roads and Fort Glacier. It is suggested that the best way to make the trip would be to travel down Crossroads Pass to Fort Three-Roads. Once you conduct your business there, you should take the other upper fork and cut through Spiritkeep Valley, perhaps stopping to visit your other vassals, to reach Upper Titan Pass which you can then travel to Fort Glacier, assuming that the winter snow has receded enough to render the route to the fort passable. It is possible that The Worms, with their leather armor, will be mistaken for a rival bandit group and challenged by those whose's turf they are encroaching upon, so you may wish to leave them home or give them metal armor from the Castle Armory if you would rather avoid trouble than fight bandits on Upper Titan Pass.
Your Court's View on: Securing Your Land-Plunt would be willing to accompany you on your journey, or stay back and arrange for men and food to be sent to Fort Canyon-Walls.
-Cornius suggests that you might be better off sending him to Fort Glacier than yourself, as Commander Dreg-Dreg seems to possess a similar pragmatic mind to his own.
-Burn-Char finds Dreg-Dreg's behavior to be unacceptable, and feels a statement should be made by executing him and appointing a proper replacement. She ends up overheating in a heated debate with Cornius on this topic, and has to leave the room before stuff starts melting.
-Stoody is far more interested in fighting the rebels than getting involved in the fort situation, but offers to help however he can.
-Balk-Ma has little to contribute on this matter.
-Tumuk says that his War Band, The Rolling Truffles, could either accompany you or help round up peasents to garrison Fort Canyon-Walls.
-Youthfangs has little to contribute on this matter.
---
Once you are finished with your court, you turn your attention to the Elves of the Alliance and the Humans of the United Kingdoms. You know plenty about each side in the upcoming war from your time wandering the world.
The Alliance is a loosely organized coalition of larger elfish tribes and their vassal states. Although they have nothing resembling a strong central government, the major tribes of the Alliance are very close to and protective of one another. They have a much larger population than their rivals, and a higher spellcaster per capita ratio as well, all together putting them in an enviable strategic position.
The United Kingdoms are ruled by the Bronze Colossus Redirons, who managed to subjugate several large human civilizations through his might and wit. Redirons is a strong leader who keeps a well armed and organized military. The United Kingdoms keep their troops universally clad in metal armor and trained to fight as a unit. They are also unafraid to call upon goblin, orcish, and dwarven mercenaries using their great wealth.
In general it is thought that each side will have a heavy advantage when the fighting takes place in their home environment. The front will likely form at the edge of the low lying forest far to the west of your mountainous land, and there the war is likely to prove a stalemate until somebody messes up bad enough to allow the elves to string together a chain of successful battles on the plains, or the humans to do so in the woods. If either side, however, was to take control of Titan Pass, they could bypass the front line and the bulk of the enemy troops, and this could very easily be the deciding factor in the war.
Since you know the general circumstances of the battle, you take the next logical step and call upon the two Diplomats to provide the specifics in turn.
The closest Elfish settlement to Clanseat Valley is the great forest retreat Piedapple, a place you are fairly familiar with as it is one of the main points of entrance to the caverns in Allience lands. Piedapple is part of the Shakeroot Tribe, the southeastern most major civilization in The Alliance who are known as masters of Earth Magic. Piedapple is nine days travel by foot from Castle Powderforge, and four other Shakeroot controlled retreats sit ten through fifteen days away as well. Piedapple is theoretically ruled by Auxiliary Queen Twigem herself, but as she is more or less a full time diplomat to your castle, real power in the retreat belongs to The Spelunkers Circle, a group which you have personally taken work from in the past. You are sure word of your connection to these elves will get out, as your war band likes to brag about its adventures.
The humans are a bit further away, as their lands on the far end of Titan Pass take at least sixteen days to reach, and that is assuming favorable conditions on the pass. The Closest of the United Kingdoms to you is the Eagle Throne, which is the human superpower's outpost on the Saltless Sea. Eagle Throne controls several powerful port cities, the closest of which is their capital Braxburg at twenty days travel by foot away. The ruleing Brax family came to power in the year 49 when their founder Johan Brax slew a sea dragon and a dwarf in a strange mood made him an artifact crown from its bones. Your diplomat Henry is sixth in line for the throne. Henry informs you that the future of the Twinblood Rebellion is entirely in the hands of his family and their fleet, but Twigem helpfully points out that there are other naval powers on the Saltless Sea as well who could play a part in supporting or blockading your enemies.
Having learned what you can from the envoys you change the topic to their personal guards, in an attempt to reduce them in number. This turns out to be a bit of disaster, as each party easily turns the discussion back on you. Twigem informs you that there are vampires at Fort Canyon-Walls, and that she can't travel to or from her home without passing through the fort and fearing for her life. Henry adds that Fort Glacier is little more than a glorified bandit camp, and so any trip he might make to or from his home would also require protection at the present time. He also bluntly informs you that forcing them both to drop to five guards would be unfair and unsafe for him, as Twigem would just keep five spellcasters who easily outclass his five best men. You leave the meeting fusterated, wishing that you knew more of Human, Elf, and international diplomatic social protocol.
---
Finally you track down Youthfangs to discuss creating a spy-ring. After consulting her on the stuff you talked over with your court,
(for convenience I will keep Youthfangs opinions and advice on general court matters on the same part of the post as general court stuff, but you don't think any of the others know of her presence, so unless the players vote otherwise you will just have private meetings with her), the discussion gets down to business.
"I already have what amounts to a spy-ring set up, child. Because you are a friend of my kind, I will let you use it in exchange for favors. I'll give you general information I know off the top of my head for free, but beyond that it will be one task in exchange for one specific inquiry or act of subterfuge."She chuckles, and outlines the pair of favors you could perform for her at the present time.
-Youthfangs is expecting to entertain a very important vampire sometime this fall, and hopes to offer him a meal of a highborn mortal. She asks that you throw such a mortal in your dungeon, and publicly declare that you have had him/her executed. One of the soldiers in Youthfangs' thrall will drag the victim away to be held until the dinner party.
-One of Youthfangs' brood, an elf of importance at the Beast-Breeders Circle at Righteousroot, claims to have discovered a cave containing a large and well entrenched slime nest. Youthfangs would like somebody with caverneering experience to convince her minion that attempting to explore and raid such a place without alot of backup is a bad idea.
---
It is now time to secure your land by visiting the other two forts.
Which/How Many men do you bring with you? Who, if anybody, do you leave in charge of re-supplying Fort Three-Roads?
Author
Topic: (SG) You are an Orc Clanfather (Read 6071 times)