2334th Year of Man, 4th Month, 17th Day:You arrange for yourself and Dean to visit first thing in the morning tomorrow, you then spend the better part of an hour catching up with Fugitap before ending the meeting and sending him on his way.
...
You change the topic from your daughter by assuring Chieftian Foot that you plan on buying his collection once you are able to do so. He offers you his thanks.
Wrapping up your conversation with Chieftian Foot, you send him on his way with several large loaves of bread and bottles of wine. He tries to protest, but you simply inform him that you might send some children his way for testing, and that he can consider the foodstuff to be payment in advance.
Later that afternoon, you talk to Mackie about getting the kids tested. She is a bit confused as to why you might want to do that, as lowborns are not allowed into the priestly orders of the human gods. You inform her that if they prove talented, you will have them privately tutored in the casting of the Orcish Gods.
"But ain't the magic of non-human gods illegal?" She asks, sort of shocked.
"You know well enough that the magic I practice is far more illegal than Orcish Shamanism," you declare firmly,
"and if I can protect myself, I can protect your children. It will be fine.""Alright then, m'duchess, if you say its fine lets do it!"...
"How about setting me up a meeting with Peat? Could you do that for me?" You ask.
"Eh," The mayor shrugs,
"I don't think Peat is the one you want to talk to. He does the dirty work of their little group, but I think its the guy with the accent, the one who imports his potions from Titan Rock. I can't recall his name, but I think he is the guy who makes all the business decisions. Actually, your best bet is get all three of the brew-masters at once, unless you intend to pussyfoot around and play one against the others.""Could you arrange that?""Tell ya what," he answers,
"assuming the meeting with Lady Charlie goes well, and you want a strong negotiating position, I could have them all dragged to city guard headquarters this time tomorrow to meet with you in chains... If you'd like a less hostile meeting, it may take awhile. Last time I tried to deal with all three at once it took me almost a month to get their schedules sorted out.""Thanks, I'll consider that. We can talk after the meeting." You are actually more comfortable intimidating Orcs and Lowborns than you are politely dealing with them, but if you want friendly relations you could easily get somebody else in your household to do the talking at a more civil meet up.
You pause for a minute, thinking of a good question to ask to better get to know the mayor. The first question that pops into your mind is 'how did you become mayor', but you actually already know the answer. The Rothwells are longtime allies of the Kinkaids, and before your husband removed them from power and brought the Marlowes in, their Bloodline ruled Silver County. Their final defeat came at the hands of Archibald Horton, Glen's Father and predecessor as your husband's general, who decided to have the entire family executed without consulting Sylvester. The only male survivors to carry on the Rothwell name were Gregory, who saw the writing on the wall and fled to his in-laws, and his older brother Clarence, who was a member of the High Masons and was spared because General Horton didn't want to have the blood of a priest on his hands.
After the war, your husband offered Clarence the role of mayor as reparation for the unsanctioned slaughter of his family, but Clarence refused to take the charity unless Sylvester had his general executed for war crimes, a demand your husband refused to meet. The job was then offered to Gregory, who, lacking the pride and sense of justice of his brother, promptly accepted.
A few years ago your husband complained about how frustrating Gregory's corruption was, but confided in you that he felt too guilty about what his old general did to the mayor's family to throw the book at him.
Doubting this story to be something the mayor would like to revisit, you decide to probe with another common question that one might ask an acquaintance.
"So how is your family doing, Gregory? I haven't seen your wife and kids since I got here."The mayor frowns,
"None of em are in town. Julie is up visiting her family in the Godtouched Duchy... I have no clue how she is going to get back home with the Prince blocking the roads. Hope she is okay. Clarence, my oldest, is with Count Phineas, raiding Silver County to probe its defenses. The two young ones... They are at Riverwatch. They are... um... learning to fight under the Kinkaid's master-at-arms."His hesitation in speaking about his younger children, and the look of concern that spreads across his face as he does so, leads you to believe that the arrangement to have them live with the Kinkaids may not be entirely consensual on the mayor's part. You wonder what sort of agenda or ambitions Gregory might have been perusing to lead Phineas and Charlie into obtaining that kind of leverage.
Deciding that you might need some serious leverage of your own should you choose to try and control the mayor yourself, upon your return home you deploy Wednesday to steal an article of his clothing through which you may lay hexes upon Gregory from the comfort of your own room.
2334th Year of Man, 4th Month, 18th Day:You wake before sunrise to find a pair of ruby studded men's underpants on the pillow next to you. Wednesday has clearly come through. You chuckle at the exuberance of the garment, if you decide you don't need it you suppose the gems alone would sell for a few hundred silver. Not wanting to be recognized entering a goblin establishment, you borrow a set of Mackie's lowborn clothes, and set out with Dean to visit the Goblins.
A wave of nostalgia flows over you as you approach your destination. You haven't been to a proper goblin Knifehouse since you were a teenager. Goblins are deceptive by nature in many parts of their lives, but when it comes to food they are the most honest folk you know of; Their restaurants are judged as much by how good of a view they give customers of the butchery process as they are on the quality of food. As a result, you have never known a Goblin to be in the slightest bit squeamish.
Fugitap greets you upon your arrival, and invites you to eat on the house; The Dark Mages will join you for breakfast. You are seated at a table two yards away from where your friend is pulling the scales of a caiman and another goblin is chopping up another large reptile that has already been cleaned. A glass barrier is moved into place to protect you from being splattered during your meal, and when you order a bowl of traditional Giblet Chowder, the chef comes out to claim the heart and entrails from the animal being butchered in front of you for your dish.
The Dark Mages arrive before the food does, and introduce themselves. Goblins always practice Dark Magic as a family unit. Tonsz is the necromancer and summoner of the group, while his wives Triciz and Nix are in charge of any hex weaving that needs doing. Oortx, a male concubine shared between the three spouses, is the group Deceiver, tasked with any actual demonic negotiations required.
You chat about the state of their operation over breakfast. Their role is mainly to support the mission's diplomats by spreading blessings related to persuasion among the staff tasked with hiring mercenaries. Trusting you as a member of the Bonedust Family and Chief Regional Dark Mage, they also confess to supporting the mission's efforts to spy on the human government of the city - using blessings related to stealth and deception. To power these blessings, they of course spread minor curses randomly across the cities population, and will place more serious curses on mercenaries who take down payment and run. Tonsz then mentions that they keep five wights and two ice wraiths around to defend the Knifehouse.
After breakfast, they lead you to the basement to where they have set up their dark workstations. The three essentials, an animation table, a projection stage, and a summoning circle are all present. The workstations are a bit small for human use, but you can make do for now. You then note that they also keep several planters of blessed mushrooms, which you are told are used for recreational purposes, in the Knifehouse's kitchen, and in the occasional potion.
With the tour complete you formally ask that they provide you tribute, in the form of access to their workstations for yourself and Dean. In a clear effort to earn your favor, they make a counter offer of workstation access, regular briefings from the mission's spys, and a 5% share in the Knifehouse, which will yield you a respectable monthly sum in the neighborhood of 300 silver. You graciously accept this counteroffer.
To keep him away from a likely murderous crazy countess, you ask Dean to remain at the Knifehouse to introduce himself to all of the key non-mage members of the mission. He happily agrees, and stays behind talking shop with the four mages while you take your leave.
...
Groghall seems to shudder a bit as Charlie Kinkaid, flanked by her son Wendle and seven other officers you are unacquainted with, enters the main room. She is a formidable woman, designed more for battle than beauty with a stocky build, large muscles, and heavily tattooed fair skin. She has elven blood in her veins, her mother being a halfbreed mutt who was allowed to marry into House Valorpit, so despite being seventeen years your elder looks to be in her late twenties or early thirties.
Lunch starts with Charlie complimenting your choice of residence, and noting the long proud history of Clan Gruel. You respond by dropping the date of Groghall's construction and referencing the epic party that was thrown to dedicate it. After concluding the usual impromptu orcish history trivia contest that occurs whenever you meet a Kinkaid, you get down to business.
"...so like his father before him, the fourth chieftain had no choice but to name his eldest son as successor. And that is why Clan Bend is the only band of orcs to practice patriarchal succession... That reminds me Charlie, I was meaning to ask you a question." "Not even I know why Clan Stool hands succession to the late Chieftian's youngest niece or nephew who is of age, if that is what you were going to ask.""No. Not that. I'll explain that to you later, that story takes hours," you reply, laughing at your guest's ignorance,
"It is actually about the succession of my line. My son Dean, who can't be here today, isn't terribly interested in being Duke. He would rather practice the arts of House Bonedust, if you catch my drift. I'm strongly considering naming Joy Duchess instead. You commanded her in battle, what do you think Charlie?" A look of shock spreads across the Countesses' face. She clearly didn't expect to get what she wanted so easily.
"She is still a kid, so she lets her vagina lead her into some rash decisions, but that is nothing you can't get around by holding on to power as reagent or letting her husband rule until she is ready. Honestly, I think it is a great idea. She is a great fighter and has a mind for military tactics. She has a mean streak too, and I admire that greatly about her. Her membership in a priestly order also means the public see her as just and virtuous by default, which contrasts nicely with Prince Rubricon's reputation if you ask me. We'd just have to cover up the bastard is all."Joy turns beat red as Charlie speaks highly of her. The countess's words clearly mean alot to you daughter.
"You can't forget the political implications either mum," Wendle chimes in,
"if we make her Duchess her in-laws might flip sides. Imagine if you will, Lady Maeris, Port County won without an ounce of blood shed!"You nod, and open your mouth to speak before Redding cuts you off.
"I am glad to hear you find the idea agreeable Countess. Joy and I actually visited Mayor Rothwell this morning, and the three of us drafted this treaty to ensure everybody benefits should Joy and I be named Sylvester's successors.Everybody falls silent, as the mayor, who you note for the first time is sitting right next to your daughter and son-in-law, spreads a piece of Parchment across the table and everybody moves in close to read it.
Proposed: The Groghall Pact Regarding the Succession and Control of Redleaf DuchySignatories to this Document Agree to the Following:
1: All signatories shall deny the truth of any charges of sodomy leveled against the late Duke Sylvester Riverland of Redleaf, and shall acknowledge that all children born to Duchess Maeris Riverland before his death are the Duke's legitimate offspring.
2: Joy Strongcurrent shall be named heir to her father Sylvester Riverland, and acknowledged as legitimate Duchess of Readleaf. Duchess Maeris Riverland shall rule as regent until Duchess Joy Strongcurrent turns twenty-two or is otherwise deemed fit to rule by her mother or a majority of the Counts named below.
3: At such a time when Duchess Joy Strongcurrent rules the duchy without a regent, her husband Redding Strongcurrent shall be named Duke of Redleaf, and shall share in her authority.
4: Should Duchess Maeris Riverland perish, relenquish the title of regent, or be otherwise deemed unfit to rule by the majority of the Counts named below before Duchess Joy Strongcurrent is fit to rule on her own as per Article 2, Redding Strongcurrent shall be named Duke, and Joy Strongcurrent will be endowed with the full legal authority of her office starting on her 22nd Birthday or upon being deemed fit to rule by her husband or a Majority of the Counts named below.
5: For their treacherous support of Sylvester's Murderer, the present rulers of Silver County shall be stripped of their land and titles, and shall be subject to other punishment at the discretion of the legitimate duke, duchess, or regent. Upon the liberation of Silver County, Gregory Rothwell will rule over those lands in the Duchesses' name as count.
6: For their treacherous support of Sylvester's Murderer, the present rulers of King's Road County shall be stripped of their land and titles, and shall be subject to other punishment at the discretion of the legitimate duke, duchess, or regent. Upon the liberation of King's Road County, it shall be added to and ruled as part of Silver County.
7: For their treacherous support of Sylvester's Murderer, the present rulers of Gulf County shall be stripped of their land and titles, and shall be subject to other punishment at the discretion of the legitimate duke, duchess, or regent. Upon the liberation of Silver County, Farquad Riverland will rule over those lands in the Duchesses' name as count.
8: Upon being made aware of this treaty, the present rulers of Port County will be given ninety days to renounce Sylvester's Murderer, and swear fealty to Duchess Joy Strongcurrent. Should they do so, Count Ernie Strongcurrent shall be considered named in this document. Should they refuse, they shall be stripped of their land and titles, and shall be subject to other punishment at the discretion of the legitimate duke, duchess, or regent. In this scenario, Port County will be ruled directly by the Duchess and shall be handed down to one of her legitimate offspring who has not and shall not be named heir to the Duchy.
9: For their loyalty to Duke Sylvester Riverland's memory and bloodline, the rulers of Southjungle and Roe River County shall keep their land. Count Phineas Kinkaid and Count Glen Horton are hereby named in this document.
10: Upon the liberation of Clean River County, it shall be ruled directly by the duke, duchess, or regent as per longstanding tradition.
11: Should Gregory Rothwell ascend to rule over Silver County as per Article 5 of this document, Duchess Maeris Riverland shall be named Mayor of North Bank City should she desire the role.
12: Should Duchess Maeris Riverland decline the role of Mayor of North Bank City, or at such a time her reign as mayor comes to an end, Article 18 of the Second Treaty of Monument Palace, which bans the legitimate ruler of Roe River County from appointing the mayor of North Bank City, shall be nullified.
You are stunned. You didn't expect Redding to take matters so far into his own hands so quickly. One look at Charlie tells that she is thinking the same thing about the mayor.
After everybody finishes reading, Joy is first to speak.
"Personally, I could do without the regent stuff, I mean strap a sword to my right hand, shield to my left, and a title to my name, and I'll kick the prince's ass all the way to whatever demon mom feeds her enemies to, but I think it is more than fair to my beloved mother, favorite man, and the greatest military officer this duchy has ever seen, right? No need to nitpick details when we all agree on making me duchess, right?" You can tell the last thing your daughter wants to see is the argument between three of her favorite people that may momentarily break out.
Duchess Maeris Bonedust Riverland:Status -
Age: 46
Health: Fine
Hexes and Aura:
An aura detector of average skill could tell you are the practitioner or victim of dark magic...
Hex of the Demon Tivavarav (Weak, Curse [Your soul goes to Tivavarav upon death], Self Inflicted, Grants knowledge of several demon hexes)
Hex of the Demon Pogpugrooog (Weak, Inactive, Self Inflicted, Grants knowledge of several demon hexes)
Human Soul Prepped for Scrap (Weak, Self Inflicted, Necromancy Materials bound to your own soul for lack of better storage)
Dwarven Soul Prepped for Wighthood (Weak, Self Inflicted, Necromancy Materials bound to your own soul for lack of better storage)
Mundane Skills:
Excellent: Demon Lore, Lore of Goblin History
Great: Herbalism, Deception, Goblin Manners, All Other Non-Exotic Lore
Good: Demonic Manners, Courtly Manners, Intimidation
Magical Skills:
Your parents arranged for you to be 'captured' by Goblins when you were young, so that you could learn their arts. When you grew older, you returned home on several occasions so that your relatives could teach you the Dark Arts that Goblins don't teach to women. The result is that when it comes to goblin magic, you are the jack of all trades...
Hex Weaving: The base upon which the Dark Arts are built. Every being has its own Hex (also called a True Name or a Hex Sign) that describes it perfectly, and by binding one being's hex (usually that of a demon) to another being's soul the Hex Weaver can work wonders. A Hex is, sadly, too complex for a carbon based mortal mind to retain, so to know a Hex one must have it bound to their soul, or held in some other sort of supernatural storage. Typically important demons include knowledge of their key minions hexes as part of their own hex, so a prospective Hex Weaver can get 2-4 for the price of 1. A Hex Weaver can bind any Hex they know to a being so long as they have phyiscal or emotional contact with that being, or physical contact with an object that being has been in extended physical or emotional contact with. Once a Hex is woven, it can be activated as a curse at any time; Hex Weavers who also have the means to negotiate with demons may also arrange to activate a hex as a blessing. When activating a blessing or a curse, you can give it any non-lethal effect reasonably related to the Hex you are using to place it. You presently know the following useful Hexes...
Hex of the Demon Tivavarav: Bound to soul. Relates to Control and Ownership of one's soul, memory loss, the cold, and entrepreneurship (This Hex Supports 7 Active Curses - The souls of yourself, your children, and your son-in-law Redding fall into Tivavarav's possession should that person die while effected by the curse)
Hex of the Demon Gungor: Granted by Bound Hex. Relates to servitude to the demon Tivavarav, Water, Nightmares, Torture, and Ill Health
Hex of the Demon Talcutta: Granted by Bound Hex. Relates to servitude to the demon Tivavarav, Aquatic Creatures, Scavenging, Fear, and Tool Use
Hex of the Demon Yaugur: Granted by Bound Hex. Relates to servitude to the demon Tivavrav, Fire, Aggression, Swordsmanship, and Warfare
Hex of the Demon Pogpugrooog: Bound to Soul. Relates to Lore of the Deep Pantheon, Divine Magic of the Deep Pantheon, and the Unshaped Realm of the Abyss
Hex of the Demon Kanisswo: Granted by Bound Hex. Relates to servitude to the demon Pogpugroog, Influence over the deep races, Caves, and Fungus
Hex of the Demon Yaas: Granted by Bound Hex. Relates to servitude to the demon Pogpugroog, Darkness, Perception, Deception, and The Act of Espionage.
Necromancy: The trick of animating the dead isn't terribly complicated, but to grant a walking corpse intelligence and longevity, Necromancy must be practiced in conjunction with the other dark arts. A Necromancer typically purchases the souls required to support useful undead from a soul cleaner, a demon who specializes in prepping souls to be either torn apart to fuel a hoard of undead with animalistic intelligence, or raised into a specific state of advanced undeath. You can raise any suitable corpse you find without any special equipment, but you need access to an Animation Table to make undead out of multiple corpses, or to add new parts to existing undead. You know it is possible to raise incorporeal undead and to put souls you purchase into inorganic animated constructs, but you would need training under a specialist to learn how to do either of those things.
Summoning: Summoning is most simple of the Dark Arts in Theory, but the most complicated in practice. Moving matter, information, and energy between realms is easy with the right equipment, but unless such a move is part of a negotiated deal with a demon or other extraplanar being, the consequences can be nasty. You need a projection stage to easily communicate with beings off realm, and a summoning circle to move most objects; Until you can acquire those the best you can hope to accomplish is to call imps (lesser demons made to move between the universes) loyal to a demon whose hex is bound to your soul. There are two ways a summoner can move beyond the basics; A Binder is a Summoner who knows her own Hex Sign and uses it to influence or control powerful demons without negotiation. A Manifestation is a Summoner who permanently defiles her own humanity to summon demonic aspects directly into her own body - a Manifestation who lives long enough will usually transcend mortality and become a true demon themselves. The following are your demonic contacts, and the deals and arrangements you have with them.
Tivavarav The Soul Dealer:
-Tivavarav will support one blessing through his hex or the hex of one of his minions for each two curses supported through his hex or the hex of one of his minions
-Tivavarav keeps ten sets of powerful demonic armor that he loans out to members of the Bonedust family on an as needed basis
-If Tivavarav gets a hold of the soul of somebody related to the Bonedust Family through blood or marriage, he will prepare it for useful undeath in the least intrusive way possible, and will not sell it to non-family members
-Tivavarav allows you to contact his minions directly
Gungor The Soul Cleaner:
-Gungor will unconditionally support up to two blessings through his hex
-Gungor will give you a birthday gift each year on the 23rd Day of the 6th Month
Pogpugrooog, Scourge of the Deep Gods:
-Pogpugrooog will support one blessing through her hex or the hex of one of her minions for every three curses supported through her hex or the hex of one of her minions
-So long as you have placed at least three active curses supported by Pogpugrooog or one of her minions, not counting those used to pay the support of a blessing per the above agreement, Pogpugrooog will tell you what she knows reguarding your daughter Fortune's relationship to the Goddess Tetha. This agreement does not include the exact details of the early death Fortune predicts for herself - If Pogpugrooog discovers this information, she will tell you so, and then it must be negotiated separately.
Potion Brewing: Potion Brewing is the art of exploiting the chemical and magical properties of plants by combining them with other ingredients to yield potions and salves. Most Potion Brewing can be done with the common kitchen equipment and still that is available at Groghall, but some more concentrated potions will require a specialized Potion Still. Some Potions are dangerous or lose their effects when exposed to air, and will require a Sealing Station and Flasks to safely produce and store. Many human commoners dabble in this craft, but the goblin tradition as you have been taught includes the trick of changing a plant's useful properties by using Hex Weaving to place a blessing upon said plant while it grows. The ability to identify useful properties in plants is tied to your Herbalism skill. Useful plants for Potion Brewing will be listed with your assets.
Household:
Joy Strongcurrent, Daughter - (Fighter/Divine Caster/Lorekeeper, Deeply Loyal, Pregnant/Cursed [Soul goes to Tivavarav])
Redding Strongcurrent, Son-in-Law - (Nature Mage/Socialite, Ulterior Motives [Desires Power], Crippled [Hand]/Cursed [Soul goes to Tivavarav])
Dean Riverland, Son - (Dark Mage/Fighter, Deeply Loyal, Strong Dark Magic Aura/Cursed [Soul goes to Tivavarav])
Fortune Riverland, Daughter - (Herbalist/Scholar, Deeply Loyal, Child/Touched by a God/Crippled [Blind]/Cursed [Soul goes to Tivavarav])
Caddor, 'Prisoner' - (Fighter/Merchant, Loyal)
Mason Greenplanes, Studies your Daughter - (Scholar/Socialite, Ulterior Motives [Curious about Fortune])
'Mackie', Lowborn Servant - (Laborer, Loyal)
Wednesday, Undead Creation - (Thief/Spy, Loyalty Compelled, Offensive to Polite Society/Maintenance [Drinks Living Blood])
Tuft of Clan Gruel, Minion - (Fighter/Archer/Orcish Socialite, Loyalty Tied to Site, Ageing)
Tempest of Clan Gruel, Minion - (Fighter/Divine Caster/Nature Mage, Loyalty Tied to Site)
Assets:
Home:
Dining Hall (Suitable for Formal Meetings)
Kitchen (Roomy and Well Stocked enough to perform basic potion brewing on a small scale without interrupting meal preparations)
Master's Quarters [1/2] (Luxurious Space, Comfort, and Decoration for you and whoever you choose to share your bed with. Could fit a single private workstation)
Noble Quarters [9/15] (Ample Space, Suitable for members of your household who are Highborn, Wealthy, or Military Leaders)
Servant Quarters [22/30] (Suitable for the commoners in your household, and for non-combat hirelings)
Barracks [60/200] (Suitable for common soldiers)
Basement (Currently Storing enough grain to feed the hall's current population for two years, and has space for 4 Workstations)
Yard (Contains a bathing pool. Has space for 10 Workstations, but the hot, rainy, tropical climate makes the yard a poor location for most labor)
Personnel:
Mackie's Children [6] (The two older girls help you and your daughters dress. The others maintained your family quarters back home and may be redundant here. Lead by Mackie)
Groghall Staff [15] (Orcs who perform the cooking and cleaning at Groghall)
Caiman Swarm [30] (12 Veteran Orcs of Clan Gruel and 18 Assorted Mercenaries. No standard uniform. Lead by Tuft)
Typhoon Swarm [30] (30 young and possibly green Orcs of Clan Gruel. Leather Armor, Obsidian Tipped Swords, Copper Tipped Ammo. Lead by Tempest)
Magical Goods:
Gregory Rothwell's Underpants (Can be used to place a weak-medium powered hex on the previous owner)
Income and Tribute:
5% Share in Rivertower Knifehouse (Yeilds Aprox 300 Silver a Month)
Access to Magical Workstations under Rivertower Knifehouse
Regular Reports from the Goblin Spy Ring
(Map goes here when I get around to making one)
Redleaf Duchy:
The Kingdom's Southernmost Duchy east of the Ironheart Mountains. Its Northern border, shared with the wealthy Tradewind Duchy, is an imaginary line drawn from the lighthouse at Gulf City west to the Ironheart Mountains. To the east lies the Gulf of Monsters, a stretch of ocean famous for inhospitable currents and many species of fierce sea life capable of capsizing small boats. The Western border is considered the treeline of the Ironheart Range, mountains home to several several dwarven cities: Some independent, some vassals to the human kingdoms, and some vassals to the goblins. The Southern border of the Duchy, and the Kingdom, is the Roe River, which is formed by streams that come out of the Mountains and flows east and slightly south to reach the gulf; The jungles beyond the river are infested with Orcs, but the most dangerous clans have been driven far from the border.
The other major river in the duchy is the Silver River, which starts in the mountains of the west central Silver County and passes through Nymphgrass, a mirthful tropical marsh, before splitting into two forks in Port County. The northern fork makes the short journey east straight on to the gulf, while the southern fork dips south into Southjungle County and fills Basin Lake before veering east again to meat the gulf.
The main biome is tropical Savannah, with thick jungles near the Southern Border and splotches of desert to the north. Thin bands of temperate and alpine forest exist in the extreme western reaches of the Duchy where the elevation is higher.
The Counties:
Southjungle County [Friendly]: The Southeastern most county. Home to good fishing in Basin Lake, good farming in land cleared along the rivers, and for producing skilled rangers. Ruled by Count Glen Horton.
Roe River County [Friendly] [You are Here]: The Southwestern most county. Home to good farming in land cleared around the rivers, some silver mines in the northwest, the duchy's only crossing into Orcish lands, and the major mercenary market of North Bank City. Ruled by Count Phineas Kinkaid.
Silver County [Hostile]: The western central county. Home to many silver mines in the Southwest, the duchy's only crossing into Dwarven lands, and the Duchy's only Nature Mages Guild in the town of Balloon Point. Ruled by Count Horace Marlowe.
King's Road County[Hostile]: The Northwestern most county. Home to many farms, as well as the Major intersection of the Ancient King's Road and the more contemporary Royal Highway. Ruled by Countess Charlotte Marlowe.
Gulf County[Hostile]: The Northeastern most county. Home to many roads connecting to the ports of Tradewind Duchy to the North, some farming, and the Ruins of Gulf City, the ancient capital of the second dynasty. Ruled by Count Virgil Gulf III.
Port County[Hostile]: The eastern central county. Home to good farming along the river, and the only port of trade in the Duchy. Ruled by Count Ernie Strongcurrent.
Cleanriver County[Hostile]: The central county. Home to great farming along the river, and the capital of the Duchy at Cleanriver Castle. Ruled by Prince Rubricon Emmit.
Your Dependable Contacts:
Local -
Fugitap Bloodwalls [Old Friend]: A Goblin who grew up in Bloodwalls fortress where you were imprisoned. He is now part of a discrete Goblin delegation to North Bank City that hires mercenaries to fight Orcs and Subterranean peoples. You wouldn't be surprised if he knew where to find Workstations where one can perform Dark Magic in town.
Chieftain Foot [Old Mentor]: A Bankrupt small-time Orc warlord who lives in a small apartment in town. He is the Kingdom's leading expert on lore regarding the Orcish Pantheon, and will train anybody who has the coin in Orcish Divine Magic.
Duchywide -
Miri Horton [Best Friend]: A sheltered girl in her mid twenties who knew nothing but the highborn circles of the Royal Capital until she was married off to Glen at age 14. You bonded first as mentor and student (demon lore fascinates her), and latter as shoulders for each other to cry on when the relationship between your husbands came to light. She has the desire to do something wicked, such as learn Dark Magic or cheat on her husband, but can't seem to find the guts to follow through.
Lady Jane Gulf [Old Mentor]: A landless highborn who owns a small trading caravan that operates in the north of the Duchy. She is the best regional historian you know, especially when it comes to the Second Dynasty, when her ancestors ruled the Kingdom from the Banks of Monster Gulf.
Watcher [Undead Creation]: A wight you made with the soul of a skilled inquisitor and the biggest Orc Corpse you could find. This loyal servant roams the duchy, keeping tabs on and enforcing your will among the other dark mages of your land.
Worldwide -
Farquad Riverland [Eldest Son]: You arranged for Farquad to work in elf lands so that he could study nature magic from the absolute best, and by extension gain a better grasp of dark magic. He ended up falling in love with his tutor, and teaching her his family's craft in return. He is far more interested in his partner, children, and studies than politics, but you are sure you could get him to come home if you could get in touch.
Lindwal Bonedust [Mother]: Since dad ascended, your mother has been tasked with keeping the catacomb at Bleaksoil, the ancestral home of the bloodline. Her main duties involve buying the souls of fallen family members and adding them to the thousands strong family army of sentient undead that waits below their castle for such a time desperate enough to see their use.
Maerii Alleye [Twin Sister]: Not a practitioner of Dark Magic herself, your sister serves as the head of intelligence for the family. Her main job is to keep an eye on the inquisition, which is easy seeing as she is married to its leader, High Inquisitor Righteous Alleye. She is also responsible for seeing that captured goblin highborns are held by 'understanding' households.
Truman Bonedust [Uncle]: A powerful manifestation who has lead the Bonedust family since your father ascended. By his own estimation, Trueman is most skilled dark mage among humans, and 3rd or 4th amoung mortals overall. Most of his men are caught up on the Western Front, but you are sure he could send you some support. You are sure he would prefer you to name somebody other than Dean heir.
Rizza Bonedust [Niece]: At only 27, Rizza is already in charge of the families interests in nearby Tradewind Duchy. She is a powerful binder who can enslave mighty demons to do her bidding. Uncle made it clear that you are ultimately in charge of all family activity on the East Coast, so she technically answers to you, but you have never actually tried to pull rank and boss her around before.
Haggen Bloodwalls [Old Friend]: Fort Bloodwalls, where you were imprisoned, is the closest Goblin Fortress to your land. Its current leader, Haggen, was nothing but a trouble-making prince who became your best friend during your time there. Haggen has lots of available troops, and might even be willing to send them to your aid, but openly fielding Goblin forces would be a high treason from which there would be no going back.
Voxxy Taffers [Old Friend]: A girl of mixed dwarven and goblin descent you befriended at Fort Bloodwalls. Voxxy now runs a whorehouse at Chaingreaves, a Dwarven City in the Ironheart Mountains with heavy Goblin sympathies. She has dirt on many important dwarves and goblins, and is good at arranging meetings between important humans and goblins at the neutral ground of her establishment.
Omegiz Irongag [Old Mentor]: The lorekeeper at Fort Bloodwalls who taught you more about demon lore and goblin history than most human libraries will ever contain. He has since been promoted several times, and is now the personal lorekeeper to the Goblin Pharaoh, who leads the loose goblin coalition against the Kingdom and is easily the strongest dark mage in the mortal realm.
Extraplanar -
Tivavarav [Trusted Business Partner]: A small time soul dealer who partnered with your family generations ago. He offers fair prices to the Bonedust Bloodline, and even allows them to contract the service of his Balrog servant Yaugur, the sort of demon that under most circumstances only a skilled Binder could hope to control.
Gungor [Father]: Formerly Gunner Bonedust, your father ascended to proper demonhood on the eve of 70th birthday. Gungor quickly found employment and protection under long time business partner Tivavarav, for whom he preps souls for sale to Necromancers. Although it is bad form to do business with him directly while you know his master’s Hex, he still looks after you in his own way.
Pogpugrooog [Busniess Partner]: A demoness who serves as a consort and midwife to the Deep Pantheon, and trades their secrets to other beings as a side business. You sought out contact with her on account of the Deep Pantheon’s involvement with your daughter Fortune, and for a price she has thrown you a few useful tidbits of knowledge over the years.
Author
Topic: (SG) The Redleaf Epic (Formerly Widow: A Duchess Scorned) (Read 66242 times)