2334th Year of Man, 4th Month, 18th Day:"Yes, Joy, its a fine treaty," you answer you daughter carefully,
"the three of you did a good job looking out for everybody's interests, but I think the countess and I are going to need to have a private chat before I can agree to it.""I concur," Charlies agrees as she shoots the mayor a nasty glare,
"the general idea is fine, but I think I need to iron out a few details with your mother Joy."Without another word Charlie, who seems to know the layout of Groghall uncannily well, leads you to your own chambers and shuts the door behind you.
"Alright, listen Maeris, I'm not going to bullshit you here. My goal is to take back what your family took from us, and perhaps then some, but I have nothing against Sylvester or his legacy outside of that. None of the Kinkaids have any objections to putting the duchy in charge of you or one of your children if you work with us.""I figured as much," you shrug.
"Listen, all politicking aside, I am fond of your daughter and want what is best for her, but speaking pragmatically, I want as much influence as I can get over her as well." She pauses for a second, as if to choose her next words carefully.
"If the two of us work her together, we can get alot more of what we want than if we play tug-o-war with the poor girl's heartstrings, and even if you don't trust me, we are better off competing with each other than we are competing with each other and Redding."You blink.
"What are you getting at Charlie?"The countess gives one of her bloodthirsty smiles that could put a caiman to shame.
"I say we sign the treaty, and then kill Redding. Just convince him to tag along with me, and I'll see he 'falls in battle'. I'm going to be laying siege to Riverland Crossing, dangerous stuff, anything can happen.""And what of his family?" You ask, fully expecting a satisfactory answer. You can't help but admire Charlie's ability to adapt on the fly. You note that the mayor would likely know the truth of what happened on account of her previously telling him that she was planning to do the same to Dean. Seeing his co-conspirator killed might just put the fear of the gods into him.
"A bit of a Gamble. There is a good chance they don't know the kid is a bastard, so they might still go along under the assumption that their blood flows through the heir. I could even round up a few girls as far along into pregnancy as Joy, and swap her child with a full-blooded human male should something... intresting... pop out of her." The Countess grins again,
"And the kid might not even matter, Count Strongcurrent might just swap sides to avenge his son should Redding fall at the hands of somebody loyal to the prince.""And what of the mayor. He seems like trouble as well. Do we get rid of him too?"Charlie laughs, and leans against one of your bedposts,
"Nah, I've been putting up with his crap since the end of our little skirmish with your husband. He will aggressively act to forward his own interests, but he isn't going to put a knife in anybodies' back so long as I have his children. Hell, if you say we can do business together, I'll even let you hold his leash. What do you say, we got a deal? Sign the treaty and rub out Redding?"You shoot the countess a glance,
"as much as you don't want to hear this, the treaty means nothing without Horton's signature."The countess rolls her eyes,
"Uggg... I can't see him signing a document as favorable to the Kinkaids as what the boys came up with. We sign it, kick the prince's ass, and negotiate with Glen from a position of strength afterward."This time it is your turn to laugh.
"Who said anything about Glen? If we do this, I could get his wife to sign it on behalf of Southjungle County.""Alright, fine. But we should publicly announce Joy as heir at once, details of her reign and authority pending negotiation with House Horton. Things move quick enough, we could get ol' Ernie to switch sides before he finds out his son is dead." Charlie chuckles as well, and looks you up and down in admiration of your ingenuity, before suddenly becoming dead serious once again.
"So do we have a deal?"You take a deep breath. This one requires some serious consideration. The Countess' plan is decent. Not only does it remove a potential rival, but it also gives you leverage to earn more allies by negotiating a second marriage for Joy. You could even have your father make sure to scrub any incriminating memories of Redding's death while preparing his soul for your use, and keep him as a member of the household afterward - Heck, you could put him in a body with a functioning hand and he could use the bow as a weapon again.
Even taking Redding out of the picture, you are not entirely satisfied with the treaty, but you could easily use Miri Horton to re-negotiate the things you don't like or even delay the ratification of the document indefinitely.
Then again, Redding could still be an asset. Since losing the fingers on his right hand, and with them the ability to work a bow, his has learned earth magic to remain relevant on the battlefield. He is by no means a master of the craft, but more than good enough to be a threat in combat. Although he is uncomfortable leading human troops with 'commoner magic', there are plenty of Orcs and goblins to go around. He is also the person in your household closest to Glen Horton, and could be useful in negotiating with the count.
Glancing around the room, you note two things that could help you negotiate the present situation. The copy of Charlie's letter to Gregory, as transcribed by Wednesday, sits folded on your dresser; Throwing it in the Countess' face could take her out of her game plan. You also note that Wednesday herself has chosen to hide in your room while the meeting takes place, and is lurking in the shadows with a knife unnoticed by your guest. With a simple signal, you could drastically change the tone of the meeting by having her hold it to Charlie's throat. If you feel like acting in a particularly rash fashion, you could even have the countess killed on the spot.
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 among 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.
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Topic: (SG) The Redleaf Epic (Formerly Widow: A Duchess Scorned) (Read 66459 times)