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[Weirdsound]

Alright. At time I am ready to start writing, I only have two real suggested actions, Tomcost's proposal, which nobody else has explicitly ratified, and Strawbarrel's, which again nobody else is backing.

So instead of a turn you are all getting a dump on all the local Counts and their families! Hopefully I'll have more than one person agreeing upon an action tomorrow.

The Hortons of Southjungle County:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Shortly after your grandfather-in-law, Maven Riverland, gained control of Redleaf Duchy, he met with the Kinkaids and signed the Treaty of Riverwatch. Regarded by local historians as a major victory for the Kinkaids, the pact in question granted them nearly full autonomy in ruling Roe River and Silver Counties and guaranteed them exclusive control of the Southern Crossing. In exchange, the Kinkaids removed their puppet, Argyle Pence, as Count of Southjungle, and allowed the new duke to install the Hortons as rulers of that county.

Like the Riverlands, the Hortons are one of the seven 'Romance Houses' of White River County, which sits just north of King's Road County in the Tradewind Duchy. The first Count Horton was an old man who had a short reign before dying and leaving the County to his young nephew Archibald.

Archibald was well studied in military history and battlefield tactics, and was particularly interested in the battles leading to the fall of the Gulf Dynasty that used to rule the kingdom from the Shores of the Monster Gulf - In particular he was a big proponent of the theory that the biggest factor in their fall was the systematic extermination of their allies, the Highly Civilized Savannah Orc clans responsible for building many of the Duchy's great holds. By the time your husband came into power and inherited his services as general, Archibald Horton had convinced himself that the only way to bring peace to the Duchy was to likewise eradicate the Kinkaids and the bloodlines loyal to them.

Archibald's skill on the battlefield was instrumental in your husband's victory, but the massacres he committed proved to be a hindrance at the bargaining table; The Kinkaid's refused to accept a favorable surrender agreement until the general had received some punishment. In the end, Archibald was stripped of all political and military power, and exiled to Sweet-Trap, a palace technically just south of the Kingdom's border. Until his physical state began to decline five years ago, Archibald passed the time by taking mercenary work for the Orcs and sneaking into the Kingdom to visit his friend Ernie Strongcurrent. He keeps a harem of Orcish and Human concubines at Sweet-Trap, and has fathered several children since his forced retirement.

None of Archibald's distant relatives or son-in-laws were interested in taking over a 'mosquito and orc infested county of no economic significance', So Sylvester administered Southjungle County personally until his only son at the time, a bastard named Glen Leaf who was permitted to take the family name and inherit both the county and the generalship, was deemed mature enough to rule.

Glen is just as good of a general as his father, and perhaps an even better fighter. A perfect gentleman, Glen is well liked by most in the Duchy except for the Kinkaids, their allies, and the wife of his long time boyfriend. He has been married to 23 year old Miri Horton for nine years, but according to Miri the marriage has not been consummated. Miri is considered a Countess, and wields political power equal to that of her husband.

The banner of House Horton depicts a desert camel on a red background. Glen and his Household also fly the banner of Southjungle County, which depicts an armored rider trampling an orc.

House Horton rules from Castle Horton, a modern no-frills castle on an island near the shore of Basin Lake.

The Kinkaids of Roe River County:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The three native houses of south Redleaf Duchy, Kinkaid, Rothwell, and Pence, all descend from the historic Roe family: The second most powerful house during the Gulf Dynasty. House Roe interbred frequently with important members of Savannah Orc society, and as such many members were hardly recognizable as human. After the Gulf Dynasty fell, the new king attempted to seize Roe family land for his loyal followers by declaring that no individual in possession of clearly Orcish features could inherit properties or titles in the kingdom.

Over the course of the Rapid Generations, a three and a half decade long period in which the children of House Roe were forced to reproduce as soon as they were biologically able in hopes of regaining their humanity before the current lords of House Roe died, the family split into several branches. Of these branches the Kinkaids became the largest and most powerful.

The early Kinkaids carried a deep resentment towards the new government based out of the Royal Duchy and all who were loyal to it, this, combined with the old Savannah Orc belief that all land belongs to them - some of it to rule over and the rest to raid, have made them a major thorn in the side of all those who have attempted to rule the Duchy since.

The present head of household is Count Phineas Kinkaid, a tough as nails warrior and solid military officer. Phineas came into power at age thirteen and has held his position for fifty nine years since. Phineas is known to be an honorable and chivalrous man: Willing to serve his Duke on the Western Front even while fighting him at home. He earned your respect and gratitude by allowing your parents safe passage to and from Cleanriver Castle while he was laying seige to it, so that they could witness the birth of your daughter Chasity. Phineas has earned the nickname 'The Iron Count' and a reputation for indestructibility; On at least five occasions he has suffered a mortal wound in battle only to travel a considerable distance to make it back to his healers and ensure his survival.

Phineas is happily married to longtime wife Charlie Kinkaid, a woman who is perhaps the most talented general in the land and easily as feared as her husband is beloved. Charlie is considered a full countess, is at least her husband's equal in political affairs, and easily his better in military proceedings. Charlie's elven blood has allowed her to remain young and fertile into her sixties, and the pair have 14 children (10 surviving) and twenty-two grandchildren together so far. House Kinkaid practices the Orcish tradition of succession via merit rather than birthright, and with two generations of potentially worthy offspring to pick from, and an ageing Count who seems unwilling to name one his successor, there are rumblings that the eventual succession of Count Kinkaid might not be a peaceful one - Personally, you suspect Charlie will name somebody young and hold onto power as regent for a decade or so following Phineas' eventual death.

The Banner of House Kinkaid depicts a toucan on a green background. Troops led by Phineas, Charlie, or one of their offspring also fly the banner of Roe River County, which depicts the glowing red eyes of an unknown jungle predator peering out from a shrub.

House Kinkaid rules from Riverwatch, the ancient ancestral home of House Roe. Riverwatch is a cluster of luxurious and fortified structures representing the last three thousand years of human and Orcish history and surrounded by high walls.

The Marlowes of Silver and King's Road Counties:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The Marlowes are a well off and prestigious noble family from the Royal Duchy famous for producing great artists and legal scholars. Many years ago, Jasper Marlowe, a young knight from their bloodline, lost both his right arm and his squire (who was also his bride-to-be) to the goblins on the western front. After spending several years mourning his loss and studying military theory and history, Jasper took up work as Master-at-Arms to the newly appointed Duke Mavis Riverland and traveled with him to Redleaf Duchy.

As part of his duties, Jasper was responsible for teaching combat, tactics, and military leadership to the highborns of Redleaf Duchy. Over the decades he earned such an esteemed reputation as a mentor in these fields that distant nobles began to flock to Cleanriver Castle to learn from him. Over the past thirty years, it is said that a third of all medals awarded for military service in the entire Kingdom were given to his students or the soldiers fighting under his students.

During your husband's war against the Kinkaids all the major generals on both sides, Sylvester, Count and Countess Kinkaid, and Archibald Horton could all claim they had been trained by Jasper Marlowe. As it became obvious that this war was going to happen, Jasper made it quite clear that his loyalty belonged to the Duchy, and if asked he would be willing to fight at Sylvester's side; Not wanting to put a universally beloved one armed man in his late seventies on the front line, Sylvester never asked.

Shortly after the start of the war, Archibald Horton and a few of his soldiers entered Jasper's academy with the intention of executing one of his students, Silvera Kinkaid. Unwilling to let one of his charges be put to death, Jasper eloped with Silvera on the spot to remove 'Kinkaid' from her name and spare her from Archibald's designs on exterminating that particular bloodline.

Finding himself married for the first time in his late seventies, Jasper none-the-less managed to produce three children over the course of the war, his eldest a pair of twins fraternal twins named Horace and Charlotte. At the conclusion of the war, this newly formed branch of the Marlowe family was put in charge of Silver County as a reward for Jasper's decades of service.

As the twins grew up, they became close to your daughter Chasity who is only four months their elder. As Chasity began to flex her political and economic muscles, the Marlowe twins happily accepted a role as her underlings. By the time they were fourteen, the trio already owned significant shares in several silver mines and the Balloon Point Nature Mages guild. At that point things began to move quickly.

Three years ago Countess Consort Silvera Marlowe was struck mute for several months under suspicious circumstances. During this time the twins traveled to Cleanwater Castle and successfully convinced Sylvester that their father, who was rapidly approaching his 95th birthday, was going soft in the head and was no longer fit to rule. Jasper and Silvera were forced to retire to the Marlowe family compound in the Royal Duchy, and Horace Marlowe was put in charge of Silver County. Horace quickly proved to be a competent leader, but his interests clashed with Sylvester's; To protect his investment in the Balloon Traders of the Nature Mages Guild, Horace began to throttle trade on the Winding Path with heavy taxes, which proved a major setback to your husband's plan to modernize the duchy.

One year after Horace took over Silver County, Count Ricken Goldsail of King's Road County was assassinated, leaving only a mentally handicapped seven year old son as heir. News of the assassination came as you were making ready to visit your family and your husband was overseeing construction at Penceport, so when Chasity offered to test her political skills by solving the ensuing succession crisis for you and Sylvester, she was taken up on the offer. You returned home to find the late count's special little boy betrothed to wed Charlotte Marlowe on his 25th birthday, and that his bride-to-be was ruling King's Road County on her own in the meantime.

Count Horace Marlowe lives alone and presently has no marriage arrangements in place. You suspect he might be involved in an inappropriate romantic relationship with your daughter Chasity. Like so many others who have studied under his father, he shows talent as a soldier and a military officer.

Countess Charlotte Marlowe lives with the boy she is due to wed in sixteen years, and makes only a token effort to hide the fact that she is keeping several lovers in the meantime. She is already an accomplished poet, a known business owner, and a budding legal scholar.

Count and Countess Marlowe are the grandchildren of Count and Countess Kinkaid, but their mother burnt bridges with her birth family by fighting for your husband during the war, and the twins have made no effort to repair the relationship.

Whether or not the Marlowes are potential allies largely depends on whether or not Chasity is a victim of or a participant in the Prince's wicked scheme; As her best friends, you doubt they will long suffer your daughter being mistreated, and that if she is a part of any scheme their involvement can be assumed. You could also bank on the fact that their testimony against their father might be false, and recall their parents, but you are unsure if the now 97 year old Jasper would be willing to fight his children, even if they had wronged him.

The banner of the Marlowe family depicts a silver flute on a purple background; The banner of the Redleaf Duchy branch of the family features a spearhead where the flute's mouthpiece ought to be. Horace also flies the banner of Silver County, which depicts Monument Palace in red against Grey Mountains. Charlotte also flies the banner of King's Road County, which depicts a charging rhino.

Silver County is ruled from Monument Palace, the crown jewel of ancient Savannah Orc architecture, and former seat of their Grand Chief. Monument Palace is the largest residence in the Kingdom east of the Ironheart Mountians, and the wall engravings there are the best known record of Savannah Orc culture, history, and religion.

King's Road County is ruled from the Riverland Customs House, a modest but comfortable structure built by your grandfather-in-law to both tax incoming and outgoing goods and provide housing to the Count's family after Crumbling Castle was finally deemed uninhabitable.

The Gulfs of Gulf County:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The Gulf Dynasty was founded when the sea dragon Mystario settled at the mouth of the White River and aligned itself with the mighty Heroine Seavina Gulf. Seavina and Mystario together won the fealty of House Roe, the Savannah Orcs, and the scattered people of what would become Tradewind Duchy. They then forged these three groups, along with many mercenary Orcs from the Jungles to the South, into a mighty army. Seavina's forces marched across the Kingdom, Unseated the Underoot Dynasty, and broke Drowish influence over the human nobility by slaughtered all full-blooded and half-blooded members of their race. Her son would then go on to colonize the jungles south of the Roe River to gain control of Jungle Orc slaves as cheap labor.

With the dragon's aid, the Gulf Dynasty ruled the kingdom for six hundred years, and was considered the golden age of architecture in the realm; The Priestly Order of the High Masons could work openly with expert Savannah Orc Stone-Shaman to erect beautiful castles across the kingdom.

Eight hundred years ago, Five Noble Families from the Hollowground and Frontline Duchies, who opposed the Gulf Dynasty for various reasons, united to bring about the dynasty's end. Within two generations they drove the Savannah Orcs to extinction, injured the dragon Mystario to the point it could no longer fly, and were besieging the walls of Gulf City, then the Royal Capital. King Neil Gulf was forced to negotiate surrender.

Today the Gulf Family controls Gulf County in Redleaf Duchy, as well as Cape County just across the border in Tradewind Duchy. The Gulfs of Cape County are more or less puppets to various criminal interests from the Rising Isles, and until a hundred and fifty years ago the same was true in Gulf County. Then Duke Jerris Wroughtiron, tired of dealing with forigen crime to north in addition to the Kinkaids to his south, petitioned for and received a royal edict empowering the Duke of Redleaf to name any adult of their choice, of age belonging to the Gulf Bloodline, as successor to Gulf County.

When Count Seagrahm Gulf died seven years ago, your husband wanted Virgil Gulf, a respected member of the High Masons and skilled engineer, to take on the office of Count and help lead his efforts to modernize the duchy. Virgil was hesitant to accept, going so far as to require an arranged marriage between his eldest son and your daughter Chasity before he agreed. Once on board, however, Virgil found that he enjoyed his position far more than he had expected to, and became fast friends with your family.

Virgil has been married to longtime wife Lanette Gulf for thirty years. Lanette is considered a Countess Consort, and wields little political power. They have three children, and two grandchildren. Their eldest child and only son, Fang, was supposed to wed your daughter Chasity after wrapping up his work excavating a distant dwarven ruin in three to four years.

You are almost positive that fear is the only thing keeping the Gulfs loyal to the Prince, and that they would be your allies otherwise. The Prince eloped with Chasity, who was supposed to join their family, and with the significant exception of the Hortons your household is presently closer to the Gulfs than any of the other counts in the duchy.

The Gulfs are militarily the weakest counts in the duchy by far; They are still bound by the 800 year old treaty that ended their dynasty, which puts a harsh limit on how many men a Gulf is permitted to command.

The banner of House Gulf depicts the light blue scale pattern of the dragon Mystario. Virgil's household also flies the banner of Gulf County, which depicts the fluke of a Dire Orca breaching a calm ocean surface against a cloudy sky. House Gulf will sometimes fly the old national banner of their Dynasty, which depicts a gold crown hung over an oar, as a sign of independence or rebellion.

The Gulfs rule from Victory Hold, a large but spartan fort ironically built as part of the effort to topple their Dynasty centuries ago. Virgil, however, has made a project of restoring the old royal palace in the ghostown of Gulf City, and reckons that he will have the living quarters done within the year.   

The Strongcurrents of Port County:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Although they are the youngest family to rule a county in Redleaf Duchy, the Strongcurrents are second only to the Kinkaids when measuring uninterrupted length of reign over a county.

Four hundred years ago, the then duke of Redleaf County discovered that his unwed daughter was pregnant, and that her suitor and the presumed father would be off to war in a week and a half. Traditionally, wedding feasts in Redleaf Duchy feature a monster fish from the gulf as the centerpiece and main course, but to obtain one in time for the rushed and hurriedly planned wedding in ten days seemed impossible. His chef, Hogarth, promised that he would procure such a meal anyway, and set off in a longboat down the Clean River with his wife, son, and twelve men from a nearby hamlet, none of whom had any experience hunting sea monsters.

Miraculously the fishing party returned eight days later with the largest Dire Lionfish ever caught in the Duchy. Although the Duke suspected illegal orcish divine magic was involved in the mighty feat, as to travel from Cleanriver Castle to the ocean and back by boat with twelve men and no load takes nine days minimum, he was nonetheless so impressed that he granted Hogarth and his family a plot of land and the name Strongcurrent. Sixty years later, Hogarth's great grandson married the daughter of the ruler of Port County, and five years after that he became count when his father-in-law and brother-in-law both died in a boat accident... while hunting Dire Lionfish.

From the start the Strongcurrents have always been loyal to the Duke and enemies of the Kinkaids, and this held true during your husband's reign. Ernie Strongcurrent was a fervent supporter of your husband and his war effort, going so far as to take loans to hire more men and purchase supplies in pursuit of victory. After the war, however, Sylvester and Ernie had a falling out over your husband's treatment of Archibald Horton.

Archie and Ernie were born seven days apart, and became best friends while training under Jasper Marlowe. They wound up marrying a pair of twin sisters and sharing a wedding feast. When, much later, their wives died two months apart, they spent a year at the Royal Capital courting younger women and cheering each other up. Although Ernie didn't subscribe to Archibald's theory that slaughtering the Kinkaids was the only way to bring true peace, he found the idea of the victors of a war facing punishment for war crimes to be unthinkable, and although he remained a staunch political ally of Sylvester's following the war, he was no longer on speaking terms with his Duke.

At the time of your husband's death, he and Ernie were just starting to get along again, bonding over the wedding of their children. Your husband has always been good friends with Redding, though, who is around the same age as him.

Ernie is a widower with three sons and a daughter, all married. He has nine grandchildren so far, soon to be ten if he accepts Joy's bastard as part of his family. Although by no means hostile or unloving towards his youngest son, Ernie is disappointed in Redding for learning lowborn magic, taking up mercenary work, and not taking the loss of his fingers as a sign to find a less violent profession.

Redding has three children from his first marriage, all around the same age as Dean and Joy. Joy finds the fact that she is now their step-mother to be awkward, and her sibblings (and step children) mock her endlessly about it. 
-Cyania was one of Joy's best childhood friends, and a fellow member of the Steel Sisterhood; Cyania lives with her grandfather and has been selected to become Ernie's mistress-at-arms once her predecessor retires.
-Noir, another childhood friend of Joy's, is a young cavalryman who dabbles in nature magic like his father; Noir is still serving on the Western front. Joy has confided in you that he is possibly the father of her child, and as far as you know her husband doesn't know this.
-Greent, who ran in the same circles as Chasity and the Marlowe twins growing up, is a mercenary who takes after his father by using the bow, and shows a strong independent streak by illegally practicing Orcish Divine Magic. Greent is with a mercenary group based out of North Bank City, but is currently away in the jungles on an extended job; You suspect he might be joining your household when he returns.

Ernie is extremely cautious and conservative by nature. You are positive that picking a fight with the crown is the absolute last thing he wants to do, but you know he also cares deeply about his family. He loves Redding and adores Joy, so there is a solid chance that declaring that they are to inherit the duchy might be enough to make Count Strongcurrent flip sides.

The banner of house Strongcurrent depicts a Dire Lionfish. Ernie and his two eldest sons also fly the banner of Port County, which depicts a hurricane as seen from above. Redding does not like to dirty the reputation of his noble house with commoner magic, and so if he flies a banner at all, it is the banner of one of the several mercenary companies across Redleaf and Tradewind Duchies that he invests in.

Joy has taken up the Lionfish emblem of her married name, but still also flies the three banners of her father: the warthog of House Riverland, the naked marsh nymph of Cleanriver County, and the Orc-Eater Python of Redleaf Duchy. If she becomes Duchess, she will be expected to fly the banner of each county under her rule as well.

House Strongcurrent reigns from Vanity Beach, a palace built by the Gulf Dynasty as a summer home and honeymoon destination. Built mainly from magically hardened and sunlight repelling glass, many sea monsters dwell within the aquariums built into the walls. With the exception of the royal palace and possibly a few of the old drowish mansions made of crystal, Vanity Beach is the most valuable piece of residential real estate in the Kingdom.     

...Okay. I spent more time on that than I expected. Enjoy.

[Tomcost]

Holy carp. I loved it! This setting is so complex. How much time did you spend thinking about all this?


As for in-game suggestions, we definitely want to ally with the Strongcurrents. The Gulfs are weak but we could easily convince them to flip sides if we are winning the war. We can just tell them to stay out of it until necessary.

The Marlowes are a gamble. If Chastity did all this on purpose, they are all a problem.

On the other hand, if the prince loses royal support, we can easily turn the war around.

[StrawBarrel]

The reason why I haven't posted more actions is because I've been a little busy and I didn't really want to hold up the game with suggestions differing from Tomcost. Seeing I have more time today, I'll throw up my ideas and we'll hopefully come to a conclusion.

[StrawBarrel]

Double Post.

Let's talk to them in private. No need for the Whipman to be here.

How about these new terms:
-They give us 50% of their income from potion brewing.

I think it should be 10% on potion brewing.

-We help and organize their bussiness. We may want to send them the goblin hexers from the knifehouse to make more potent potions and organize stuff, increasing their profit (and giving the goblins a share of the profits). Dean could help in this too.
-Zeph now only pays to us, and his investors.
-They tell us of any news: orcish news, anything regarding those famous thieves, and everything they consider important.
-We can issue production orders from them. And they will have to deliver us potions from the best quality they can get. So no watering down any with booze.

This is good.

After that, we can hex them where they stand with Talcutta's fear hex, so that they fear us and don't even talk about this to anyone. We can also mention that we are in charge of the dark mages of the whole Duchy, so don't even think about escaping.

I don't think we should do this. Unless they're astoundingly troublesome, then I guess we should do this.

I guess didn't actually disagree with too much, just no hexing and a lower cut.
As for cutting down prices, how about a monthly reduction of prices by until we're at the x5 normal potion price? First month, x9; second month x8, and third month x7; etc. This is so they adjust to new prices and see if they work things out. Not sure if that is needed at all, but we should ask Caddor for help regarding the potion business.

I'll hopefully get more stuff on the potion guild and other actions later, just wanted to get something up to continue the conversation.

[VoidSlayer]

Meh we can cut prices after we win, for now we need cash money.

Let's talk to them in private. No need for the Whipman to be here.

How about these new terms:
-They give us 50% of their income from potion brewing.
-We help and organize their bussiness. We may want to send them the goblin hexers from the knifehouse to make more potent potions and organize stuff, increasing their profit (and giving the goblins a share of the profits). Dean could help in this too.
-Zeph now only pays to us, and his investors.
-They tell us of any news: orcish news, anything regarding those famous thieves, and everything they consider important.
-We can issue production orders from them. And they will have to deliver us potions from the best quality they can get. So no watering down any with booze.

After that, we can hex them where they stand with Talcutta's fear hex, so that they fear us and don't even talk about this to anyone. We can also mention that we are in charge of the dark mages of the whole Duchy, so don't even think about escaping.

And after all the conversation, we want private meetings with them:

With Peat, we inform him that the old clans are coming back for the war, and that the Countess wants to use them as fodder. We demand that he tells us later about the posture of his clan about the Countess.

With Syzzik, we ask a couple of his powder weapons as courtesy, with a reasonable amount of ammo. We want to test them.

With Zeph, we tell him that there may be the opportunity for us to be bussiness partners with his "investors", and that we may be able to provide "distractions" and have some "contacts" that may help them.

+1 as long as we make clear that the heavy tax is until we win, then we can set up a larger ranging long term less intrusive relationship.  Give em fear and hope.

[IronyOwl]

I'm gonna laugh super hard if Joy's bastard turns out to be a Strongcurrent anyway.

Rather surprised to learn Phineas Kinkaid is so honorable. "Willing to serve his Duke on the Western Front even while fighting him at home?" Damn.

Also goddamn, Glen. You couldn't take the V ONCE? Not even to produce an heir or anything? We should set Mili up with someone nice.

As for in-game suggestions, we definitely want to ally with the Strongcurrents. The Gulfs are weak but we could easily convince them to flip sides if we are winning the war. We can just tell them to stay out of it until necessary.

The Marlowes are a gamble. If Chastity did all this on purpose, they are all a problem.

On the other hand, if the prince loses royal support, we can easily turn the war around.

Yeah. Of course, shouldn't be too hard to keep the Gulfs out of it, seeing as they have no manpower in the first place. Presumably their support is going to have to be economic or political in nature, which is probably pretty easy to drag your feet on.

Then again, if Chasity and the Prince figure this out, it might not be hard to threaten them into getting on with it. Putting troops in Gulf County might be paramount; if we can get the Strongcurrents over to our side, it also shouldn't be too difficult.

Really, our main concerns are the Marlowes, the crown, and the fact that all of our allies hate each other. Supposedly Charlie is about to bludgeon one of the Marlowes into submission, which is actually kind of hilarious given that he's descended from a Kinkaid. This may be an extra bit of GLARE from Charlie to Mayor about his treaty stunt.

So if Chasity's not in on this, it's basically going to be the entire Duchy against whatever the Crown feels like throwing at us for their most reviled prince. I figure it goes without saying that if the King decides to mess with a goblin-allied black mage Duchess, he's going to get all kinds of pointy ends.

That said, we still have a bunch of infighting to worry about. The Kinkaids feel like they own the place, the Hortons and Strongcurrents hate them, and that's before we get into Glen's murderfrenzy over his husbando or whatever other personal crap is undoubtedly going to crop up.

And that's if Chasity, our soulless schemer, is an innocent pawn in all this. Uh huh. If she's the mastermind, and possibly if she's just somewhat involved (she may have intended to usurp her father but her boyfriend took it too far, for instance), then we've got to deal with the Marlowes in addition to all this other stuff. Fortunately Charlie's about to punk one of them, but he's supposedly pretty good in battle and Chasity might have anticipated this, so it might not be as smooth as Charlie thinks it will.


I'll try to get an opinion on the potions sorted out soon.

[Weirdsound]

Fortunately Charlie's about to punk one of [The Marlowes], but he's supposedly pretty good in battle and Chasity might have anticipated this, so it might not be as smooth as Charlie thinks it will.

All Phineas is doing in Silver County at the moment is probing their defenses and launching raids to disrupt their economy and potential supply lines. The Kinkaids have not committed to an actual attempt to take back Silver County quite yet. The troops at Riverland Crossing in their own county, who are under the command of men loyal to Glen or the Prince, are the more pressing concern for the Kinkaids at the moment.

[VoidSlayer]

Someone has been hexing people to put all her friends in strong places, but that doesn't mean she organized the execution.

[IronyOwl]

Fortunately Charlie's about to punk one of [The Marlowes], but he's supposedly pretty good in battle and Chasity might have anticipated this, so it might not be as smooth as Charlie thinks it will.

All Phineas is doing in Silver County at the moment is probing their defenses and launching raids to disrupt their economy and potential supply lines. The Kinkaids have not committed to an actual attempt to take back Silver County quite yet. The troops at Riverland Crossing in their own county, who are under the command of men loyal to Glen or the Prince, are the more pressing concern for the Kinkaids at the moment.

Ah, okay.

Someone has been hexing people to put all her friends in strong places, but that doesn't mean she organized the execution.

Like I said, she might have been only somewhat involved and the thing just got away from her. But it strikes me as overly optimistic to hope she's completely uninvolved and just happened to be crowned Duchess as the dust settled.

[Weirdsound]

(Alright. Tired of waiting. I'm going with Tomcost's actions, but with a 30% cut. 30% being a happy medium between 50% and the 10% Strawbarrel is proposing instead.)

2334th Year of Man, 4th Month, 18th Day:

You send Gregory and his cronies away, leaving Topman the lasher just outside the door in case you need him. You then turn to your three new 'business partners' and offer them a toothy grin. "Alright boys, here is the deal. First of all I'm taking a 30% cut from each of you, but you wont be paying me out of the goodness of your hearts; I will provide organization and other assistance as I am able, in hopes of increasing your profits, after all if you make more money I make more money."

You stop in front of Zeph and lay a pointer finger on his bare chest. "It is your lucky day, since you are the only one here who at least tried to do busniess with me, I say you don't have to pay the other two anymore. Just me and your investors."

Backing off, you address them as a group again. "I'm also going to insist that you pass along to me any news you get relating to Famous Housebreakers, Major Orcish Clans, and anything else that you think I might need to know about. Lastly, if If I place an order for potions with any of you, I want it filled in a timely manner and not watered down with liquor. Are we clear?"

The three merchants confirm their compliance, and then you set to work cursing them; You dramatically cup you hands around each of their necks in turn, to weave the hex of Talcutta into their souls. After you finish all three, you activate the hexes to make them each slightly more afraid of you; You prefer to use a light hand when imposing fear on others, as heavy deep seated terror can lead people to do stupid things.

"You are now all at the mercy of my Dark Magic. If you try to screw me, or to escape, you will pay dearly." This is a slight fib; Once a hex has been activated all you can do is unweave it, and you don't wish to come across as petty or strange by taking their clothes right in front of them, but you are sure you will have ample opprotunity to put more Hexes on them later as needed. By the looks on your victims faces, you can tell that they take your words as the truth anyway.

You then call Topman in, and instruct him to unchain the prisoners, allow them to dress, and escort them each to private holding cells so you can have one-on-one meetings with each of them.

---

You can tell Peat is scared shitless as you enter his cell. The orc tried to have you killed, and he clearly knows that you know.

He stammers a long-winded apology, which you acknowledge without accepting or declining before getting down to business. "A murderous pretender holds my husband's office, and with my husband's death so dies his ban on the mighty clans. Charlie Kinkaid is sending one of her sons to round up the four to return to the Duchy and aid us. Tell me, Orc, where does Clan Ape stand on the Kinkaids?"

Peat takes a deep breath as he notes that he is not moments away from being executed. You allow him a good thirty seconds to regain his composure before he responds. "We have lost a good deal of respect for her bloodline - they were unable to protect us from your husband, but permission to return to the Duchy is too good of an offer to pass up. We are strongest when we work with and against your race."

"So Clan Ape would pledge to Charlie's cause?"

"Without a doubt," Peat answers, "All four mighty clans would."

Suddenly, the Orc's face brightens as an idea enters his head. "I know much about your kind. Humans don't come to trust or respect their enemies like Orcs do. You might prefer Clan Ape to pledge your cause directly, rather than through the Kinkaids, Hmmm?"

"You could make that happen?" You asked, a bit shocked. Although they revere combat, most orcish clans view the act of declaring war to be petty and below them. Instead, a clan looking for a fight will either interpret some minor wrong against them as an act of war to be retaliated against, or pledge loyalty to the cause of another. As non-orcs rarely have any issues declaring war to get what they want, more human and goblin factions end up receiving such pledges than orcsish ones do.

"I wager my honor I could," Peat answers, "Your bloodline bested Clan Ape, and Charlie's failed it. Also, even though I shamed myself and failed to recognize you by appearance, the reputation of the Duke's wife precedes her. We know you are wise in the ways of our race as the Kinkaids are, and that you practice the most potent of magics, which the Kinkaids can not claim to do. All this makes you the more desirable ally, and I promise that my scouts can reach the clan before Charlie's messenger, so your offer will be heard first."

A nervous smile breaks across his face as Peat gets to the point. "Such a good faith arrangement will be impossible while you are extorting a member of the Clan. Out of friendship, respect, and apology for acting against you in my ignorance, I will still offer a 10% stake in my business."

You consider the implications of such an arrangement. When your husband came into power, Clan Ape was capable of fielding around nine thousand warriors in the Duchy. You are sure this number has dropped a bit since, but unless you want to do like the Kinkaids and allow the warriors of Clan Ape to sustain themselves by freely camping, poaching, and raiding within the Duchy, you would be responsible for feeding and housing them. You would have some time to prepare, about two months at least - It is about a three week journey each way to Clan Ape's territory, and you imagine it would take them some time for them to gather their forces.

A pledge to your cause would not allow you to control Clan Ape directly, but they would be expected to follow the objectives you set using means of their own choosing.

---

By the time you meet with Syzzik, the foreigner has managed to compose himself. Nervousness shows on his face, likely a result of your fear curse, but you can tell right away that you are dealing with an intelligent and ambitious man who will likely try to milk his newfound business partner for all he can get out of her.

You decide to open the conversation by getting right to the point. "Syzzik, I would like some powder weapons. To test as a curiosity."

"I see," the merchant answers. You note his accent, while still distinctly present, isn't nearly as strong as it was when you met him in his shop, "a wise choice. You know, the only reason the crown has them banned is out of fear. Even the user of the most basic musket is as deadly with a month of practice as a longbowman is after devoting years to his craft. A highborn willing or forced to ignore the King's law could quickly raise an effective fighting force out of the unskilled peasantry by giving them such devices."

Syzzik, leans against the bars of his cell as he continues. "I will provide what you ask, of course. I do recommend you limit your experimentation to the test range at my shop, the walls of which are enchanted against sound to avoid incriminating myself and disturbing my neighbors. Just send whoever you want to run the tests to the shop with a note saying they are with you."

He hesitates for a second. You can tell your curse is interfering with whatever he is planning to say next, but in the end, boldness wins out. "Forgive me for noting this, but it does seem that you are built to be more of a respectable lady than a fighter. If your intention is to reclaim what belongs to your family, you will have to struggle for it, and I know enough about the Dark Arts to know that they are not the most practical magics in the heat of battle. If my Duchess was to visit my shop again, I would bestow upon her one of my blessed artifact guns with which to defend herself and drop whatever I am doing to train her in how to use it whenever she wishes."

The man is clearly desires your political favor, and might be trying to court you in a romantic sense as well - he is around your age. Still, the idea of becoming as dangerous as a trained ranger in a month holds some appeal, and if Gregory's assertion that he is the cartel's leader is true, then Syzzik is competent enough to be of real use to you should he earn your trust.

---

Zeph thanks you profusely as you enter his cell. "Oh. Wow... I ran the numbers in my head. By only paying you and not the capos, your little ultimatum actually makes me more money. I think we are gonna get along great mam. S'rry 'bout the stupid offer the other day. I couldn't straight up refuse my Duchess, but Peat would hack one of my limbs off if I sold ya potioners gear. Figured m'best option was to make ya an offer ya had to refuse."

"Well, I suppose he was the scariest person you knew before I came along," you chuckle darkly, "but I digress. The only reason I'm still bugging you is that I would like you to pass a message along to the Jade Lady Burglars. I would like a partnership with them if they are interested. I might soon be causing some distractions they could exploit, and I might have contacts they could use."

The commoner smiles. "I will do that, but ya might have the opportunity to do so first."

"Whatever do you mean by that?" You ask raising an eyebrow.

Zeph laughs, "My sister and her husband have a son named Tyger. He works as a courier. I think you know him."

Zeph is not wrong. Tyger is the young half-elf who delivers Watcher's reports on the dark mages he is supervising to you. As a practicing divine caster of Jivince, the elven god of thieves, travelers, secrets, and chivalry, Tyger can move across the Duchy quickly and almost unnoticed. Perhaps his parents call upon the same god to aid them in their 'work'.

It might be awhile before you see Tyger however; You suspect, taking recent events into account, that Watcher will seek you out in person to deliver his next report once he figures out where you settled. Still, at least your Wight will know where to find the courier.

You got some options here guys! I think after you wrap up these meetings, and perhaps some demonic negoiation/shopping, we will do a turn that covers the week or two until Gruel's men come to town to take him away. So start thinking of actions in that time-frame, and if you have any business with either Chieftian Gruel or the Kinkaids, suggest it now as they might not be back for awhile.

Duchess Maeris Bonedust Riverland:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

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 (This Hex Supports 3 Active Curses - The three owning members of the potion cartel are cursed with a persistent and mild fear of you.)
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)
Locket of Rothwell Childrens' Hair (Can be used to place a weak-medium powered hex on Greg's kids)

Income and Tribute:
30% Share in the Potion Cartel (Yeilds Aprox 40,000 Silver a Month)
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 and the Potion Cartel

Geopolitical Situation:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

(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.

[IronyOwl]

Wow. Taking control of one of the Clans for ourself would be awesome, but at the moment we have no method to feed or store them*. It would also probably not go over very smoothly with Charlie if we steal her traditional allies from under her.

*We're now making around 40k a month (less if we drop Peat's share from 30% to 10%, not as less if we boost his revenue by ~30% by getting his business sorted out), and <9k orcs... well, Foot's rent was 11s a month, but he's probably living in a nice enough place to hold all those books. But even if each common soldier orc costs around 4-5s to house and feed, that assumes North Bank City is set up to actually sell us that much food and housing, and once they start roaming that'll become more complicated.

I'm kinda meh on the powder weapon(s). We'll be breaking enough laws as is, we probably don't want a flashier and less familiar/archetypal way to do that unless we get desperate or really want to personally get into battle. Plus Dark Mistress is a way cooler class than Gun Witch.

Syzzik himself seems pretty useful, though. We should let him know his offers are appreciated.


The next week should probably be spent getting Peat's shop up and properly running. Not sure what else, if anything; if we want to steal Clan Ape (and not let them run wild on Duchy lands) we'd want to organize proper feeding and housing with the Mayor. And probably let Charlie know so she doesn't have her messenger waste two months before finding out we've been plotting against her in secret.

[Weirdsound]

The next week should probably be spent getting Peat's shop up and properly running. Not sure what else, if anything; if we want to steal Clan Ape (and not let them run wild on Duchy lands) we'd want to organize proper feeding and housing with the Mayor. And probably let Charlie know so she doesn't have her messenger waste two months before finding out we've been plotting against her in secret.

Not saying that not telling Charlie is a good idea, but her messenger wont be wasting two months. According to the letter Wednesday stole, she is sending her son to contact all four of the great clans on a single trip. Also, if you coordinate with the mayor, Charlie will likely find out through him.

...Yeah. That response was just a cheap bump. If I don't have an action to go on in the next three hours, give or take, I'll likely give you guys another info dump of some sort.

[3man75]

Just saying but an info dump could be useful at about now.

I'm a bit lost on how to procede.

[VoidSlayer]

Goblin armies would be high treason... but if they traded us food and other supplies for the orcs at unbelievably low prices that would hardly be something of note.  Asking the goblin prince to support us financially or logistically might be the best way to go about it.

We should let Chieftian Gruel know about Clan Ape.  They will be on her side, but pledged and paid by us, it shows we are not weak and can call up our own allies.  Gulf County may even be a source of revenue if they join us, they can not field a large army but maybe they can support a mercenary orc one.

Securing control of at least some of the Clans is vital to preventing the Kinkaids from unleashing a horde of orcs to pillage throughout the Dutchy and beyond.  War will be brutal but preventing as much pillaging as possible will at least preserve some of our husband's legacy in that regard.

Many of Charlies soldiers are going to die in the upcoming battle, I still wonder if there is any way we can collect their souls.

[Tomcost]

So, how about if we control clan Ape, and let them follow the Kinkaids? But we can order them to go do something else if we want to? I mean, imagine if the Kinkaids are going to fight a huge battle, and suddenly nine thousand orcs say "no, we have other things to fight" and go away.
Otherwise, an orc army allows for Redding to use his magic skills along them.
We need information on how much will it cost to feed them, and if we can sustain it. Hell, we may even get Chieftain foot as a general for some of them.
Anyway, if we decide to control this clan, we should tell Charlie. She won't like it, but it is still better than keeping it in secret and causing even more mistrust.

I would accept the blessed artifact gun. It would alow us for an exceptional negatiation and self-defense tool. We don't want to use it, we wil just have it for self-defense. Also, we should train a little bit with that. I would go so far as to pretend to fall into his game so that he gives us that weapon for free. He is also a good bussinessman, we could use him to potentially make money on other activities.
And I just imagined that if we ever betray the Crown, goblin armies fielded with muskets will wreak havoc on the while kingdom.
Even better, undead goblin armies using muskets. Wait, no, I went a tad too far.

I would thank Zeph for his information. Maybe we can use Tyget to contact the Gulfs and the Strongcurrents.


And, after we finish all of this, we need to have that "talk" with Redding. But how we do that should be discussed with more detail.