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[Weirdsound]

Alright. Here is a big old dump on the Orcs.

---

The more intelligent of the two surviving Orcish species, Jungle Orcs are well built humanoids with skin tones of varrying green and grey that stand between six and seven and a half feet tall. Although many clans practice selective breeding for desirable traits to suit their lifestyles, there are enough commonalities between members of the species to form a few (mostly) accurate stereotypes: They are stronger than humans, but in most ways less clever. They lack the selfish individualism of mankind, which makes them poor negotiators, businessmen, and dark mages, and instead deeply value the honor and well being of their clan, for which they will go to great and often violent lengths to protect. They are know for their discipline, so their rangers, nature mages, and especially their divine casters are respected by most races.

In times of need many clans will sell less valuable Orcs as slaves to the goblins. Such slaves as usually well fed, given individual housing, and employed as guards, slave overseers, unskilled laborers, and/or professional curse victims (to allow their dark mages to support more blessings)

Orcs excommunicated from their clan who make it across the Roe River into human lands (and their descendants) congregate around the major mercenary markets in Redleaf and Tradewind, most notably North Bank City, in hopes of earning a living and proving themselves to the point where they might be invited to join another clan.

The Jungle Orcs inhabit a stretch of land North of the Goblins, South of the Humans, West of the Gulf of Monsters, and East of the Ironheart Mountains. Orc Country is similar in size to Redleaf Duchy, but seemingly less developed and with a much higher population density. Orcs living in this region almost strictly adhere to the Clan System.

To Orcs, clan loyalty is more important than blood relation; Orcs are rarely monogamous, and Orc females are hardy enough to support themselves for the duration of a pregnancy without help from their mate. A newborn Orc is weaned within two weeks and then separated from its mother to be raised communally and indoctrinated in clan beliefs by the clan Childminders. Children who do not learn to eat solid food fast enough, or otherwise show physical weakness or deformity, are left in the Jungle to die. In clans that practice selective breeding, incest within strong bloodlines, often between closest relatives such as parents, offspring, and siblings, is encouraged or even mandated. An Orc may expect to inherit combat gear or a minor office from a biological parent, but important positions and valuable property are passed down based on merit, with kinship (theoretically) only coming into play as a tiebreaker.

The typical clan consists of 80-500 Orcs, and sustains itself by maintaining fruit orchards, hunting, fishing, brewing 'mead' from the extracts of various jungle insects, and raiding whatever neighbors they happen to be on unfriendly terms with. Well off clans flout their status by engaging in open warfare, building meadhalls in human and goblin territory, and hosting large parties and important guests.

The eighteen most successful clans are considered to be 'Sacred Clans'. Each sacred clan carries the endorsement of one of the eighteen constantly feuding Orcish Deities. Most Orcs practice polytheism, but the vast majority of clans name one of the eighteen as head of their Pantheon, and to some degree align themselves to the interests of the sacred clan endorsed by that god.

Of these sacred clans, the four strongest are considered to be 'Mighty Clans'. The mighty clans rule from and maintain impressive castles and fortresses left behind by Human, Savanah Orc, and Goblin attempts to colonize the jungle, and each controls more wealth and warriors than the average human county.

Here are some details on the six Orcish Clans significant to the game so far.

Clan Foot:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Chieftain Foot used to lead a clan of 147 Orcs, that declared Hammerhead (God of sea-monsters, cunning, persistence, and war) as head of the Pantheon; As such they were aligned to the interests of Clan Shark. Shortly before Sylvester became Duke of Redleaf, Chieftain Foot accepted a risky offer from the Kinkaid Aligned Count Nelson Rothwell; He would spend six months leading his warriors in raids against Cleanriver County in exchange for twenty sets of dwarven made enchanted steel armor. Usually clans of less than 300 are considered too small to operate in human lands, but Chieftain Foot thought the reward was worth the risk, and set out with the eighty members of his clan fit for the battlefield.

The first two months of the operation went fine, but shortly after the second moon passed, Chieftain Foot was captured by your father-in-law. By Duchy Law, Orcish Chieftians are the equivalent of human highborns, and must be treated well in captivity. You and Sylvester were living with his father at the time, and as Foot was given free reign of Cleanriver castle, you became his friend and he gained your respect as a master of Orcish Lore. Clan Shark paid his ransom six months later, but by the time he was released, his clan had all but fallen apart. To make matters worse, Clan Shark declared Clan Foot indebted to them for the amount of the ransom, so the Chieftian had to sell the eight orcs who remained loyal to him as slaves to the goblins to make a dent in the debt.

Shortly after your husband declared open war against the Kinkaids and the Mighty Clans, Chieftain Foot returned to Clean River Castle begging your help. He had taken a loan from Clan Python to pay off the rest of his debt to Clan Shark, and when he couldn't pay, Chieftess Python took his entire collection of rare documents on Orcish History and Lore, which was worth at least several hundred times his debt to her.

As Clan Python looked to be an active enemy participant in his war, Sylvester swore to get Chieftain Foot his books back if the Orc would serve as tutor to his lore obsessed wife for the duration of the conflict. For the next several years, Chieftain Foot was your constant companion. He taught you all he knew off the top of his head, and when Sylvester held up his end of the bargain and returned the library, he helped you translate some of the ancient orcish dialects present in his collection that you were not yet familiar with. Because you trusted him so much, and all the Duchy's members of the Steel Sisterhood (the preferred midwives to the nobility) were busy at war, Chieftain Foot was tapped to use his slightly illegal orcish divine magic to attend to you during the births of the three children you had during this era; Chasity, Dean, and Joy.

After the war, Chieftain Foot settled in North Bank City upon hearing that the mayor was the son of the human he used to take work for and prone to giving out favors to friends. The Chieftain was always too proud to take his problems to you, but you strongly suspect that Gregory didn't hold Foot in the same esteem that his father did.

You wonder how desperate and broken the Chieftian is to be selling the same collection that he basically gave up years of his life to you and your husband to recover. You figure that if he were to receive five thousand silver on top of whatever he needs to pay off his debt, he could pay enough clanless orcs to commit to Clan Foot to start taking mercenary work and siring the next generation. For another ten thousand on top of that, he could buy some territory out in the jungle with friendly neighbors.

The Sacred Clan of Gruel:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

A Sacred Clan endorsed by Bolt, the Orcish Diety of Storms, Fire Elementalism, Swiftness, and War. Clan Gruel shares its religion and is aligned with about three dozen smaller clans, but the vast majority of them are too weak and/or distant to drag into a conflict on human soil.

The current Chieftain Gruel acts the part of the stereotypical honor-before-reason Orc, but you know him to be far more cunning than he lets on. Sensing an opprotunity to earn glory and build human alliances of his own, he pledged his clan to Sylvester's crusade against the Kinkaids and Mighty Clans, and was able to bring eighteen hundred of his own warriors, plus another twelve hundred from the other clans of Bolt, to fight for your Husband within the duchy.

Chieftain Gruel quickly won your husband's respect with his skills as a military officer, and quickly became something of an unofficial commander often put in charge of human troops as well as orcs. During the final days of active conflict, while Archibald was busy running amok and slaughtering households in silver county, Chieftain Gruel was tasked with preventing the final enemy host from breaking up Sylvester's Siege of Riverwatch in what would prove to be the decisive battle.

Faced with an enemy that outmanned his forces twofold, Chieftain Gruel broke the spirit of his foe by calling out the 'Iron Count' Phineas Kinkaid and defeating him in single combat, and then taking advantage of the situation by routing the opposing army to capture two enemy leaders: Crank, High Shaman of Clan Ivy and the too-pregnant-to-participate Charlie Kinkaid. Phineas was able to escape, even with half his face cleaved off, but with his wife captured and no way to break the siege against his home, he was forced to surrender shortly afterwards.

After the war, Chieftain Gruel remained close to your family for a spell. During the years between Archibald Horton being stripped of power and Glen becoming mature enough to run things for himself, the orc held the title of Interim General of Redleaf. The initial plan was for Chieftain Gruel to rule the new land Sylvester wanted to carve from the jungle as both Lord of the County and Chieftain of a newly minted Mighty Clan. This fell through when the nearly 800 year old law preventing those with Orcish features from inheriting titles, originally created to take land from House Roe, came to light and Sylvester couldn't convince the king to repeal it. With his more ambitious dreams dashed, Chieftain Gruel returned to the jungle in hopes using the reputation he gained in war to win new allies and carve out more territory for his clan.

You are grateful for Clan Gruel's hospitality, but a bit curious as to why they have not pledged to your cause yet. They are likely stronger than they were when they last fought for your family, and would be much welcomed help. Your best guess is that the Chieftain dislikes your odds and dosn't want to heavily invest in a loosing battle. Another possibility is that he respect's Sylvester's desire for order in the Duchy, and doesn't want to drag in more troops than he can provide for without resorting to raiding and poaching.

Of the officers assigned to you by the clan, Tempest is of the most interest. Two sorts of Orc get the honor of leading troops based out of a meadhall: Respected veterans, and youngsters being considered for an important inheritance. The warmage could easily be the next Grand Shaman, or even Chieftess, of Clan Gruel.

Clan Gruel is led from Camp Gruel, which is a week and a half away from North Bank City. They maintain a presence in the Duchy through Groghall, your current residence.

The Mighty Clan of Ape:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

A Sacred and Mighty Clan endorsed by Shriek, the Orcish Deity of Merriment, Wisdom, Wizards, and War. Likely the smallest of the Mighty Clans in terms of population, but the most powerful in terms of magic. Their Nature Mages are on par with those of the elves, and the upper ranks of Shriek's priesthood are at least as magically potent as the leaders of the kingdom's four priestly orders. They are acknowledged as the innovators of the Orcish tradition of using meats and animal extracts in potions, and still know a handful of sought after secret potion recipes that nobody else can make. The only magical arts they have not mastered are the Dwarven skills of enchantment and alchemy, and of course the black arts. They only lack the former because their land is not rich enough in metals to make Dwarven Magic useful, and the latter because, like most Orcs, they are too honest and honorable to get very far when negotiating with demons.

Clan Ape claims to descend from a terrible unnamed forgotten beast who took the form of a gorilla and emerged from the caverns a thousand years ago to kill and forcibly impregnate many jungle orcs. Gulf Dynasty records confirm the existence of such a creature, which was slain in battle by a joint effort of the Dragon Mystario and five hundred officers of various priestly orders. Its corpse was build into the structure of Castle Terror, a beautifully morbid piece of Gulf Dynasty architecture that the leaders of Clan Ape still call home today.

Clan Ape claims that the bones of its ancestor will one day be resurrected by a Dark Mage who is either a member of or kin to the Clan of its descendants. Logically, you think this is just a story cooked up to lure Necromancers into joining the clan, as the bones of forgotten beasts are notoriously resistant to re-animation... but the thought of controlling such a monster is an alluring one indeed.

The Current Chieftess Ape is an extremely powerful Air Elementalist, the only living non-elf known to be able to conjure and repel true tornados and the storms capable of spawning them, who is at least highly proficient in every other school of magic practiced by her clan. Your new lackey Peat is marked with a tattoo declaring close Kinship to the Clan's Leader. He is too close to her in age to be an ancestor or descendant, so your best guess that he is a first cousin, sibling, half-sibling, bound to her by some sort of oath or life debt, or father of her offspring.

The Mighty Clan of Shark:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

A sacred and mighty clan endorsed by Hammerhead, the Orcish Diety of sea-monsters, cunning, persistence, and war. Clan Shark is the Mighty Clan considered most dangerous by the rest of the world. The descendants of Savannah Orc colonists who first settled what would become clan territory early in or just before the Gulf Dynasty, Clan Shark still possesses the archived knowledge of their more civilized ancestors. Although they lack the patience and resources to exploit most of this wisdom, Clan Shark has the means to output boats and ships full of pirates and raiders at an alarming pace. A couple times a century, when Clan Shark works up the nerve to start outputting ships capable of reaching exotic lands, organizations representing shipwight and mariner interests in both human and goblin lands will harass nobles and hire mercenaries to blockade their port, set fire to their ship yards, and slaughter as many Clan Shark engineers as possible.

When called to fight in human lands, Clan Shark will display a couple of the other technological advances that make them scarier than the average orcs; Seige Engines and a working knowledge of biological warfare. They are the only Orcs known to have taken fortified structures from humans without human assistance since the time of the Gulf Dynasty, and plague often persists for years after their armies leave an area.

Clan Shark is operated out of Monument Beach, a massive castle designed as a replica of Monument Palace in Silver County; A massive structure with walls and ceilings covered in Orcish Script. Whereas Monument Palace is engraved with the history, culture, and theology of the Savannah Orcs, Monument Beach contains a record of their scientific progress. Some historians theorize that Monument Beach was home to the King's secret Research Guild near the end of the Gulf Dynasty, and that the walls contain schematics relating to designs equally or even further advanced than the Steam and Powder technology from Titan Rock. Although you are sure such theories are blown out of proportion, you have read enough of the castle's engravings transcribed in Chieftain Foot's library to know that the kingdom might someday benefit if its great scientific minds were to be given full access to read its walls.

The current Chieftain Shark is a frightening individual with some human blood to afford him an impressive curly red beard. On land he is a fierce fighter who uses imported powder weapons and a scimitar enchanted to drink the blood of its victims so rapidly that to be cut by it almost always means death. At sea he is even more frightening, as he fights with a similarly enchanted spear off the back of his pet sea-terror (likely a Dire Lionfish with demonic heritage bred for him by some shortsighted Dark Mage) which can fire venomous spines the size of lances at targets hundreds of yards away with uncanny accuracy.

You currently have two potential ins with Clan Shark, but they are both long-shots. Your friend Chieftain Foot used to lead a clan loosely aligned with them. He only knows the Chieftain in passing, but would be allowed to move across their land freely and likely enter Monument Beach.

Your ancestor Talcutta, who is now a demonic minion of Tivavarav whom you may easily contact at a Projection Stage, spent time at monument beach ninety years ago. In exchange for offering his services as a Dark Mage, the Orcs let him study their walls and practice the divine magic of Hammerhead. He could have insight.

The Mighty Clan of Spear:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

A sacred and mighty clan endorsed by Cayde, the Orcish Deity of History, Craft, Diplomacy, and War. Although the Kinkaids have worked closely with all four mighty clans for centuries, Clan Spear is perhaps their closest ally - human or orc. Clan Spear is famous for their infantry and riders, who are numerous, expertly trained, and well supplied with high quality imported gear made by human and dwarven hands. They are infamous for going all out when operating in human lands; When the Kinkaids come calling for troops they hold hardly anyone back at home as reserves. These favors are returned in full; Historically peace in southern Redleaf Duchy has meant that the Kinkaids have been busy in the jungle fighting for the interests of Clan Spear.

This close bond stems from their common blood; Both factions descend from House Roe. While the Kinkaid's bred out their orcish features to hold onto their land after the Gulf Dynasty fell, Clan Spear fled to the jungle and purged itself of humanity. Despite choosing different biological paths, the groups remain culturally and politically close with religion being the main source of their continued bond. Cayde, the god of Clan Spear, was one of two Orcish Gods openly worshiped in the Kingdom during the Gulf Dynasty, and is actually the origin of the human family's name. As Cayde is still worshiped on the human side, so to does Clan Spear keep the human pantheon; One of the bloodlines within the clan maintains enough human ancestry to work the magic of the human gods, and the Kinkaids keep members of the clergy in the jungle to teach these cousins the secrets of the human priestly orders.

Clan Spear operates out of Roe Crossroads, a walled off and luxorious complex originally built at least a millennium ago to serve as a hub for jungle orcs (then considered a lesser race) being sent north to serve as slave labor elsewhere the kingdom. Like all branches of the old Roe family tree, however, Clan Spear considers Riverwatch its ancestral home, and it is quite likely the Kinkaids have a few clan dignitaries squirreled away there in spite of Sylvester's ban.

The current Chieftain Spear is a master of most mundane weapons and armor. He can fight as a deadly ranger in the jungles, or as a shining knight on the plains. He is a big time gambler, is known for inviting enemy officers to his camp under the flag of truce to play cards.

Despite initially rejecting all things human, Clan Spear is now no more against the crown than the Kinkaids are. It has reached the point where Charlie and Phineas will even bring members of Clan Spear to the western front with them on a regular basis. Movement through the Duchy to reach the front, in fact, is the only exception to Sylvester's ban. You suspect, then, any soldier from Redleaf Duchy with a tour or two of the front under his or her belt may have contacts within Clan Spear, but you also suspect that Clan Spear would rather pledge to the Kinkaids than you.

The Mighty Clan of Ivy:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

A sacred and mighty clan endorsed by Trance, the orcish deity of demons, espionage, sabotage, and religious fanaticism. Although by no means the most feared of the mighty clans among humans, Clan Ivy is terrifying to their fellow orcs. Although they field a good number of warriors, the spies, saboteurs, and assassins of this clan are its real strength. Most of their bloodlines carry demonic elements to them that render agents of Ivy particularly persuasive, seductive, stealthy, and/or deceptive.

Many misinformed individuals think Clan Ivy practices Black Magic, which is incorrect, as they are actually one of only a handful of clans to outright ban the practice. Viewing Demons as sacred beings, Clan Ivy believes that mortals are not worthy of bargaining directly with them. Instead their goddess Trance keeps a handful of demons as her chief servants, and allows her mortal followers to tap into their might indirectly through divine magic in her name. Despite their distaste for performing dark magic personally, they still respect and depend upon foreign dark mages; The believe that there is no higher honor than to fuel a sacred beast, and as such the coming of age ritual for important members of Clan Ivy involves seeking out a foreign dark mage to receive a minor curse.

A small handful of particularly ballsy members of Clan Ivy decide to seek out and recieve a curse from the wife of the Duke who banned them from human lands, at the Duke's own castle. Sadly none of them, to this point, have gotten past your husband's guards.

Clan Ivy rules from the infamous Current Castle, a truly ancient construction presumably built by Goblin hands. The flooded basement of Current Castle holds a true rarity: One of three known stable gates to a demonic realm that is not directly inhospitable to mortal life. It is said that radiant energy from the gate is responsible for the nasty currents and megafauna found in the Gulf of Monsters. The demons of the place beyond the gate, known as the Eternal Mire, are more monstrous predator than cunning deceiver.

Chieftess Ivy is a 1500 year old ageless half demon who leaves the day to day operations of the clan to her Grand Shaman. She only ever leaves her chambers to meet with extremely important dignitaries, to appoint new orcs to key positions within the clan, and to participate in celebration of the holy days of orcish gods. Most Dark mages speculate she is consuming the souls of her clan en-mass as they die and using the energy she gains through doing so to perform experiments on the gate.

Clan Ivy does frequent business with the Goblins of Bloodwalls Fortress, so if they have agents in town, you suspect the good folks at the Knifehouse would know who they are. You could also try to get in touch with them through magical means; Your son Dean is a Augur, a specialist at finding whatever demon a dark mage may want to have dealings with. You are fairly sure he could get you the Hex Sign of one of the god Trance's demonic servants, so you could contact them at a Projection Stage, quicker than a physical messenger could reach Current Castle.

[Tomcost]

I so love these info dumps. So much strategic potential!

Let's see. Clan Spear is out, but we can contact the other three. And they are going to respect us more than the Kinkaids, with all the honor thing going.


But I have to ask all of you one thing: how far are we willing to go to take back our lands? Would we eventually want to break with the crown? Because in our hands is the power to potentially make an army of goblins wielding illegal gunpowder weapons, dealing with orcs, and fielding armies of undead and demons, all while gaining the support of the darks mages of the land.

Anyway, as for actions for the week, I'd say:

Have a talk with Redding, with the following points:
-We saved his life. He is bad negotiator who almost got himself killed by dealing with someone who didn't even have enough power and was the Kinkaid's puppet (he is our puppet now, too). He could have made that document himself.
-He was only saved because Joy likes him and he helps us to keep her out of battle. In politics, you have to make yourself useful. Make that clear.
-Throw in his face our political accommplishments of this week.
-Make him clear that he is not a Strongcurrent. He is not even in Sylverster's family now. He is a Bonedust now, and his loyalties now belong to our family. Keep this vague. Joy should tell him all the soul stuff. If she wants to, of course.
-After all this, offer him our tutelage in matters of politics. He will inform us of his every political move, and discuss it with us, so that he doesn't kill himself.
-Also discuss the means to contact the Strongcurrents and make them pledge to our cause. Also, we want as much information as we can about how the current situation is across the Duchy.

Work with the goblin hexers to organize the potion bussiness

Learn how to fire that gunpowder weapon, if we agreed on doing that

Send Mackie's Children to Chieftain Foot.

Talk with Charlie about how we can help her troops with our magic. Explain to her that our magics can bless just as they can curse, but the former requires of the latter. Ask her if she is willing to accept a weak curse in her troops to bolster their fighting potential. We can offer a swordsmanship (Yaugur blessing) blessing in exchange of something weak like finding all fish they sink their teeth into to be utterly disgusting (aquatic creatures are Talcutta's domain) and selling their souls to Tivavarav. Of course, we won't mention the last part involving souls. If it is not posible to do this on all the troops without they knowing, just do that on those that we can. Have Dean help us with that. It is a family bussiness after all.

Have a talk with Tiv. Ask him which demons does he "sell" right now. Also, talk about a possible agreement with him: we may want to keep specific souls to gather information out of them, so we don't want those souls to be immediately processed.

Ask from Zeph a handful of strong aura masking potions We could need them in case of inquisitorial interference or something.

[StrawBarrel]

But I have to ask all of you one thing: how far are we willing to go to take back our lands? Would we eventually want to break with the crown? Because in our hands is the power to potentially make an army of goblins wielding illegal gunpowder weapons, dealing with orcs, and fielding armies of undead and demons, all while gaining the support of the darks mages of the land.

I don't think we need to break from the crown unless the crown sides with Rubricon. As for the forbidden resources, I think they should only be used in emergency.

Have a talk with Redding, with the following points:
-We saved his life. He is bad negotiator who almost got himself killed by dealing with someone who didn't even have enough power and was the Kinkaid's puppet (he is our puppet now, too). He could have made that document himself.
-He was only saved because Joy likes him and he helps us to keep her out of battle. In politics, you have to make yourself useful. Make that clear.
-Throw in his face our political accommplishments of this week.
-Make him clear that he is not a Strongcurrent. He is not even in Sylverster's family now. He is a Bonedust now, and his loyalties now belong to our family. Keep this vague. Joy should tell him all the soul stuff. If she wants to, of course.
-After all this, offer him our tutelage in matters of politics. He will inform us of his every political move, and discuss it with us, so that he doesn't kill himself.
-Also discuss the means to contact the Strongcurrents and make them pledge to our cause. Also, we want as much information as we can about how the current situation is across the Duchy.

I don't think we say should a lot of this stuff to Redding. First of all, we know Redding is Socialite so I reckon he isn't incompetent nor was his life ever in any danger at the presentation of the treaty. Also we shouldn't say he is only useful for two things because that is frankly untrue. As for bragging, I think this should be avoid as well as it isn't kind to berate people, like much of these conversation points. We shouldn't tell him who he isn't, but I am welcomed to telling him he is part of our family, Riverland and Bonedust. I don't think we need overtly say we'll teach him, but instead bring him and Joy along for certain meetings to watch and give us their opinions on decisions. Then again maybe we can tutor them formally given that we possess Manners, Intimidation, History skills? I agree fully with asking him about his family and the situation in Port County.

Work with the goblin hexers to organize the potion bussiness

+1

Learn how to fire that gunpowder weapon, if we agreed on doing that

I'm not sure if we'll have the time now, so I think we hold off on learning.

Send Mackie's Children to Chieftain Foot.

+1

Have a talk with Tiv. Ask him which demons does he "sell" right now. Also, talk about a possible agreement with him: we may want to keep specific souls to gather information out of them, so we don't want those souls to be immediately processed.

Ask from Zeph a handful of strong aura masking potions We could need them in case of inquisitorial interference or something.

We should do these too.

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.

I think we should take these actions as well.

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.

According to Weirdsound's info dump:

You could also try to get in touch with them through magical means; Your son Dean is a Augur, a specialist at finding whatever demon a dark mage may want to have dealings with. You are fairly sure he could get you the Hex Sign of one of the god Trance's demonic servants, so you could contact them at a Projection Stage, quicker than a physical messenger could reach Current Castle.

We proably can contact Haggen.

Send a messenger to the Hortons and request for them come meet with us. This shouldn't be a problem since our borders are safe. As for contacting everyone else in the duchy and beyond, our mundane means seem to be through sneaky people on foot, hot air ballons, horses, and such, while magically through the Projection Stage, but only to a limited amount of people.
Think about other ways to contact people far away.
If we can't think of any alternatives, then lay out the plans to make an undead messenger bird.

Declare Joy Duchess. Unless everyone has a change of heart for some reason. We also probably want to make a declaration to offer people to switch to our side either at the same time or soon after so news can trickle down to them as soon as possible.

Talk to Charlie about her plan to take Riverland Crossing. We have to have her repeat this plan to us to hide the fact we already know a majority of the details. This is pretty important as 20% of our income is here and how we must prevent the Clans from ravaging our lands. I think we have to either stop her from allowing the four Mighty Clans back all together or allow the four Mighty Clans to help us on the condition they do not raid the duchy now and in the future. Also I think we can improve her plan by contacting the 2 pro-Horton officers and telling them to have their men fight on our side during the siege.

Have Caddor help reorganize Peat's bussiness.

When he comes back, ask Chieftain Gruel if we can construct things in his Groghall (work stations).

[Tomcost]

nor was his life ever in any danger at the presentation of the treaty.

Charlie wanted him dead, because he put himself in a position where he could influence future-Duchess Joy, and Charlie didn't want that. We prevented Charlie's plot, because she could have enacted that without us knowing (like she wanted to do with Dean). So, we saved his life, to a certain extent.

Also we shouldn't say he is only useful for two things because that is frankly untrue. As for bragging, I think this should be avoid as well as it isn't kind to berate people, like much of these conversation points. We shouldn't tell him who he isn't, but I am welcomed to telling him he is part of our family, Riverland and Bonedust.

It is more in character for us to be trying to intimidate somebody, than being polite. Or at least when we know that someone wants power like Redding does (he himself having declared that he benefited from Joy being declared Duchess).

We proably can contact Haggen.

I'd rather have a topic to speak of when we contact somebody. Unless we just want to say hi. And I guess that it is not the case.

Send a messenger to the Hortons and request for them come meet with us.

Same as before. What do we want to talk about? I mean, to agree with such a plan, I should know why are we doing this in the first time.
Also, I'm in favor of meeting only Miri. We can arrange better terms with her alone.

Declare Joy Duchess.

Done:

Back downstairs, you and Charlie announce that while you agree on naming Joy heir, that no formal document should be signed without the presence of the Hortons. Those in attendance are encouraged to spread the word, and after everybody finishes their lunch, the meeting is concluded without incident.

Have Caddor help reorganize Peat's bussiness.

I don't see a reason to support or be against this. Unless you want Caddor to oversee the other goblins, in which case it is fine.

[VoidSlayer]

We should talk to Charlie into focusing her efforts on getting the support of Shark and Spear clans while we work on Ivy and Ape.  It will be easier to convince them to join and under better terms for us if we divide the effort.  She may be hesitant at us taking fealty of some of the mighty clans but having all four join the cause might even convince some of the lesser ones to join, and so we should put every effort into getting them all to join.

Try and contact clan Ivy through dark mage means, if we can talk directly to their leader/demon/demi-god and get their support Charlie's messengers would be useless and redundant.  We could point out that we are the daughter of an ascended (lesser) demon and have a long blood line with them, which might excuse our directly dealings with them.  We also might be able to get access to a wide variety of dark knowledge if the leader needs some specific lore or skills in her ongoing research.

[telling him he is part of our family, Riverland and Bonedust.] We should totally be friendlyish-familyish with Redding.  He will get power eventually, a few years and he will be Duke, with his sons set to inherit the Dutchy.  We want Joy to inherit while the other children do not want the seat and will deny it for other interests.  All our interests align, we can point out the averted death but only to show we really do have his best interests in heart.

Send a message to the Hortons to meet with us and back Joy as Dutchess as well as discuss the treaty.  We need to get our ally under our umbrella.  We may need to promise to let him take whatever revenge he wants, but if he is fine with our Orc army joining in then that is a small price to pay.

I really do not see why we are sending humans to learn orcish divine magic that is both illegal and they cant use.

Get chieftain Gruel's and chief Foot's advise on taking on either or both of Clan Ivy and Ape, including what it might cost and how much we can control them.  I want to know around how much we will need to beg borrow or steal and how we can ensure their loyalty, short and long term.  If we can turn our husband's and our reputation into lasting alliances with the two clans it will be a fitting legacy to pass to Joy.

Tell Peat he has a deal, but we need to set up a formal treaty or whatever for them to join.  Things we can offer?  Demonic blessings to aid magic and potion production among other things.

[Weirdsound]

Humans can pratice the magic of Orc Gods, but not visa-versa. Next time I do a dump, unless I see a more relevant need to do it on something else at the time, it will likely be on the human gods and their Priestly Orders.

[StrawBarrel]

nor was his life ever in any danger at the presentation of the treaty.

Charlie wanted him dead, because he put himself in a position where he could influence future-Duchess Joy, and Charlie didn't want that. We prevented Charlie's plot, because she could have enacted that without us knowing (like she wanted to do with Dean). So, we saved his life, to a certain extent.

Huh, I didn't of it this way. I thought of it as explaining to him he would have gotten murdered right then and there in the Groghall rather than later implications. Telling Redding that Charlie is dangerous is fine. We might have to tactfully tell Joy of this danger at some point too.

Also we shouldn't say he is only useful for two things because that is frankly untrue. As for bragging, I think this should be avoid as well as it isn't kind to berate people, like much of these conversation points. We shouldn't tell him who he isn't, but I am welcomed to telling him he is part of our family, Riverland and Bonedust.

It is more in character for us to be trying to intimidate somebody, than being polite. Or at least when we know that someone wants power like Redding does (he himself having declared that he benefited from Joy being declared Duchess).

It's more than being polite, it's the fact that we need to treat him decently as an ally. We need to have a positive relation with Redding if possible. This guy is our son-in-law, there's so far nothing abhorrent about him, and he's the Duke/Duke consort of Redleaf. As for character, just because we have the skill of intimidation, doesn't mean we have to use it.

We proably can contact Haggen.

I'd rather have a topic to speak of when we contact somebody. Unless we just want to say hi. And I guess that it is not the case.

See if Haggen is any condition to send us aid. If so ask him what aid he can provide (lend money, resources, spies, commandos, whatever).

Send a message to the Hortons to meet with us and back Joy as Dutchess as well as discuss the treaty.  We need to get our ally under our umbrella.  We may need to promise to let him take whatever revenge he wants, but if he is fine with our Orc army joining in then that is a small price to pay.

I think we have a lot to talk about. There's the treaty and having them inform us about their situation and condition.

Have Caddor help reorganize Peat's bussiness.

I don't see a reason to support or be against this. Unless you want Caddor to oversee the other goblins, in which case it is fine.

Caddor is known by us as a Merchant and we do not have the Merchant skill. He can probably spot holes in Peat's business with more ease than us.

I really do not see why we are sending humans to learn orcish divine magic that is both illegal and they cant use.

We can keep the orcish divine magic underwraps from the officials and Chief Foot said he can determine whether or not any of them can learn it. This is more of a long term investment as it educates some people who can hopefully help the Duchy and our family down the road. It also gives Foot something to do.

Declare Joy Duchess.

Done:

Back downstairs, you and Charlie announce that while you agree on naming Joy heir, that no formal document should be signed without the presence of the Hortons. Those in attendance are encouraged to spread the word, and after everybody finishes their lunch, the meeting is concluded without incident.

Forgot about that, thanks. I was more thinking of a public announcement in North Bank City that Joy is their new Duchess. No formal ceremony or coronation, that can be done when we win the civil war, but a loud clear statement that the Riverland Dynasty is still in charge of Redleaf.
---
Here are my thoughts on the potential destructiveness of the Hortons and Kinkaids. Count Glen Horton wants to massacre people and the Kinkaids want bring the Orc Clans back to raid our territory. Allowing these things to happen may give us some military bonus, but I believe it will give us greater military problems and economic problems as well. To win the war of the hearts and minds of the people we must show that we are the better and more benevolent leader than the vile Prince Rubricon, who was only in our home because Sylvester was very kind person. Allowing mass killings and ravagings to occur would turn people against us quickly and have them flee banner of Rubricon or otherwise not us. Also the more brutal devastation will leave us in a direr situation when we reclaim Redleaf.
To stop Horton, we must convince him that justice rather than vengeance is needed to right the horrendous wrongs. In order to best live up the legacy and memory of our deceased husband, lover, and friend, we must be just and fair in the face of injustice and keep order within the Duchy. We should capture those that wronged us and decide their punishment through the swift justice of the courts rather than the rash shortsightedness of vigilante violence.
To prevent possible raids in the Duchy during war and well after, we have to be fairly firm on this position. If we can not convince the Orcs to do so in our meetings, then we should forgo their help as it would not be worth the cost.

[Weirdsound]

(Alright. No clear yes or no answer on calling Clan Ape yet, but I have enough to work with. All actions related to Redding, Charlie, and by extension the Mighty Clans have been skipped as a favorable random event should have you reconsidering your options.)

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

Deciding the decision regarding Peat's offer is not one you can rush into, you ask how much of a head start the Kinkaid's messengers could be given while remaining confident that Peat's men could beat them to Clan Ape. Peat suggests two days, and since Wendle Kinkaid hasn't left town yet, that gives you at least three days. Peat then informs you that if the Kinkaids intend to visit each of the mighty clans in a logical order based on distance, that Clan Ape would be the second visited, so you likely have a bit more time than that.

You conclude the private meetings with each of your three underlings with a respectful 'thank you', and return home.

2334th Year of Man, 4th Month, 19th Day:

You are roused early, and informed that a crowd is gathering in town square to hear speeches from those in power. The intention of this impromtu event, of Charlie's invention, is to show unity and rally behind Joy as heir. Although you are sure Countess Kinkaid timed the event to reduce your household's ability to participate, you have Mackie and her daughters hurriedly help you into a nice dress and set out for the rally.

Not terribly comfortable in the art of public speaking yourself, you make a point to stand beside each speaker and project an intimidating and authoritative presence.

Charlie speaks first, and opens with a good five minutes of praising your daughter as a soldier and leader, even going so far as to honor Sylvester by stating she gets it from her father. Her speech then transitions towards the theme of opportunity. Opprotunity to reclaim what belongs to the children of South Redleaf Duchy while at the same time honoring Sylvester's legacy. Opprotunity to prove the strength of the Duchy against that of the crown, and avenge the Duke they have all come to love, or at least respect. Opprotunity to bring back the mighty clans, and use their strength to complete Sylvester's work and modernize Redleaf. She concludes by mentioning her close relationship with Joy, and implying that her reign as Duchess would serve to fully unify the two sides of the war that was fought at the time of her birth. Although you are quite sure duchywide unity and Sylvester's projects are near the bottom of Charlie's list of priorities, the Countess hit all the right notes in her speach, firing up the crowd for the next speaker, Redding.

Redding's speech is shorter and less organized than that of his predecessor. He opens with a few self-depreciating jokes focusing on his mutilated hand, and points out that he doesn't know if he'll actually be made full Duke yet or not. He then turns his attention to the mercenaries gathered, appealing to them for aid and mentioning some of the company leaders by name. He concludes by noting that he is sure Sylvester is smiling down on all present. Although his speech is nowhere near as impressive as Charlie's, it gets an impressive reception from the gathered mercenaries. You know he has taken up some sell-sword work since losing his fingers and learning Earth Magic, and that he invests in several companies, but the thought begins to kick around your head that perhaps your son-in-law is far more connected in North Bank City than he has let on to you.

Joy herself is the final speaker. She wears an almost humorously large dress to hide exactly how far along she is in pregnancy (the plan of course being to delay the announcement of her child's birth until it could have feasibly been conceived after her time on the front), and despite being caught completely off guard, she speaks with poise in a well organized manner. The Priestesses of the Steel Sisterhood are taught how to preach, which you suppose isn't all that different from public speaking. Despite of the fact that she is aware it belongs to the Bonedust family in some capacity, she opens with a solemn prayer for her father's soul. She then publicly thanks Glen Horton for saving her from the prince, before turning it around and subtly placing some responsibility for her father's death on him. You frown, strongly suspecting her intent is to discredit Glen so she can give Charlie the powerful office of general.

Joy's speech then takes a major turn in your favor, when she declares that she will refuse the office of Duchess until Cleanriver Castle has been reclaimed and the prince punished. She states that as Sylvester's true love and best friend, that the right to pursue justice belongs to you, and that you shall pursue it with the full authority of the office of Duchess of Redleaf. She then touches on your sinister reputation, and your maiden family's goblin ties, before outright stating that if the crown gets involved, she would heartily endorse turning this skirmish over succession into a full scale civil war and bringing the powers of darkness to bare against the crown. She concludes by extending the blessing of the goddess Weneth to all present, and imploring the deity to look after the Duchy and its legitimate rulers in these troubled times. You note Charlie is having a hard time hiding her shock, the event clearly did not go as she intended. You smile, satisfied that your daughter's loyalties still, for the moment, lie chiefly with you.

The floor is open for you to make a speech should you choose to do so, and although Joy is be a tough act to follow, the people clearly buy her declaration that power now lies with you. Charlie and Redding would lose much credibility if they were to act against any public decree you make at this moment.

Joy's loyalty should also buy you some leverage in your planned meetings with Redding and Charlie. In game time, those meetings happen shortly after the rally concludes, but I doubt talking to demons or picking up a gun will be affected by your decisions there, so I'm going to skip ahead to those.

---

Dressed discretely and comfortably, you set out to run some errands once the crowd thins out and calms down. You first stop at Syzzik's Imports to pick up a powder weapon. You don't intend to lead troops anytime soon, but an artifact weapon could be more handy than dark magic as a tool of self defense.

You enter the store, ask for Syzzik, and once he emerges the merchant offers you a low bow, before pressing a button on one of his shelves causing it to slide to the side and revealing the stairs to his basement. The good stuff is kept downstairs, where you find a secondary sales floor filled with blessed gear, powder weapons, and potent potions that likely were imported.

After letting you get your bearings, your new business partner takes a moment to explain the basics of powder weapons to you. Powder Weapons are almost exclusively manufactured in the city of Gearport on distant Titan Rock. The independent government of the city sets strict standards on the manufacture of powder arms and ammunition, and per these standards there are four classes of individually wielded powder weapons, or guns as they are called in their native land. The standards allow for ammo from any manufacturer to be used with guns from any manufacturer, so long as the ammo is used with the class of gun it was designed for.

The most basic class of gun is the musket, which Syzzik tells you to think of as a particularly loud longbow that hits much harder, fires a bit faster, and is much easier to train people to use. He usually sells his muskets for three to five hundred silver, about twice as much as a well made steel longsword would cost, but expects the price on all his guns to go up soon - the prince's takeover has cut him off from his suppliers in Port County, but he assures you he always keeps his storerooms full in anticipation of such inconveniences.

The rifle, at its most basic, is functionally a superior, safer, and easier to load musket. Syzzik explains that the standards for rifles are kept intentionally loose, so many variants with widely differing attributes and pricing exist. The loose standards are a double edged sword, however, and Syzzik confesses that many rifles, including most of his stock, are poorly made and sold to rubes looking for anything better than their muskets at rip-off prices.

The double gun is Syzzik's personal weapon of choice due to its effectiveness in close quarters - where a shop keeper is most likely to defend himself. The double gun has two barrels, which can each fire one shot per loading. The double gun is the only class of powder weapon that takes two types of ammo: Shot, which effectively spreads shrapnel to tear up anything at close range, and Slugs, which allow the double gun to function as a limited but hard hitting rifle. Double Guns are expensive; Syzzik has never sold one for less than 1100 silver.

Lastly you are shown the quad guns, the smallest and most advanced variety of powder weapon. Syzzik shows how the revolving chamber holds four shots, which can be fired in quick succession. Because they are small and have less kick they are the easiest to pick up and learn, but because they can fire so fast they also have the highest skill ceiling - a quad gun master can hold a weapon in each hand to take out eight foes in several seconds. Although not without flaws, small size renders the power and range of quad guns underwhelming in comparison to other powder weapons, quad guns are the most complicated to produce and expensive to purchase items Syzzik sells, with the exception of some particularly advance rifle varieties.

You mention that you doubt you will be leading troops, so you would like a double gun like he uses for self defense. Syzzik explains that for most people, a quad gun is a more effective defensive weapon. Doubles are great for shopkeepers because they can keep them under their counter, and generally know that they will be using them indoors at close range where they are most effective, but quads can be concealed on one's person, are effective in more environments, and are more forgiving for rookies to use as they carry more shots.

The shopkeep ducks into another room, and returns with a quad gun of purist white. "This, my Duchess, is Troublemaker. As an artifact it is rare, beautiful, and knows no better, which makes it worthy to be wielded by a lady such as yourself. It is yours, but because guns are dangerous, and Troublemaker moreso than most, I cannot in good conscious allow you to leave with it until you allow me to teach you the basics. Shouldn't take but an hour, two tops."

Deciding that you don't want the weapon without the safety lesson anyhow, you consent to some training and Syzzik leads you to his firing range. With an hour and a half of work, you find that you are consistently able to hit the torso of a human-shaped target at twenty paces, and that you can fully reload the weapon in about forty seconds. As you train, the merchant occasionally adjusts your posture or grip when he finds it unsatisfactory, and when he does so his hands linger on your body for just a moment longer than necessary. Perhaps a quirk of his, or perhaps a subtle expression of romantic interest; If he did desire your affection, either out of actual attraction or desire to gain political and economic favors from you, the fear curse you put on him could be keeping the man from making the first move. 

Once he is satisfied that you can use a gun without blowing a hand off, Syzzik shows you the artifact's special feature. He instructs you to pull a small mechanism on the back of the gun into the upright position before firing another round into the target. When you do so, the round detonates on impact with a mighty boom, blasting the target into bits where your previous shots had just put holes in it. "When the mechanism is up, my Duchess, the Titan Roshstream channels explosive energy into any round that passes through Troublemaker. The explosion is actually a bit less effective than a normal shot on somebody wearing full plate armor, but anybody wearing clothes, leathers, or chaingear is going to get torn to bits. Anything inside of three paces of where the bullet hits is going to be hurt pretty badly, so always keep the mechanism down when you are not using the gun. You never know when you might have to shoot somebody inside of three paces on short notice."

Syzzik then casually picks up his own quad gun, and cleanly puts all four shots through the cranium of another target, seemingly ignoring the kickback and pulling the trigger as fast as he is able. Having demonstrated how much room for improvement you have with the quad gun, he invites you to come back and practice with him anytime, before sending you on your way. You note he only sends you home with 24 bullets; Enough to protect yourself, but nowhere near enough shots to get significant training in on your own.   

---

You head to the knifehouse after dark. You find the resident mages busy using the projection stage when you arrive, so you sit down for a second dinner with Nix, one of the goblin hex weavers who isn't involved with the current proceedings. Over a fresh dish of panther sausage and melted cow cheese, you mention Clan Ivy, and that you intend to employ Dean's services as an augur to get in touch with one of the demons close to their god. You mention this because the augury process requires the use of the summoning circle and projection stage for many hours, and you would like to schedule a good time for Dean to work without disturbing the schedules of the mages who own the equipment. You are shocked when Nix offers you a more direct solution.

"I actually know the hex of Yukprong, one of the demonic servants of Trance of which you speak. You don't have to have your son waste time with augury."

Astounded by your good luck for the day, you give Nix consent to place the Hex, and she grabs you by the wrist. Her grip is gentle, but she deftly uses one of her claws to break your flesh and draw a bit of blood. Blood drawing is only required to place particularly powerful hexes, so you hope that Nix's action is more a force of habit than born out of ill intent. Most Goblin casters become highly specialized in particular areas of Dark Magic, and are prone to falling into routine.

You feel the new hex on your soul a few seconds later. It is strongly woven to the point where Nix could use it to place a doozy of a curse on you, and knotted tightly enough that it would take you a good half-days effort to remove on your own. She could activate it at any time of her choosing, but for now all it does is allow you to contact Yukprong and significantly foul up your aura.

Just as you are about to bring up the Goblin's heavy handed style, the other dark mages emerge from the basement and inform you that the equipment is free for you to use, so you head downstairs without raising the issue. You are fairly sure Nix means you no harm. 

In the basement, you waste little time calling up Tivavarav at the projection stage. A massive image of his grotesque head, like that of a goat but rotting, missing its eyes, and bleeding from the empty sockets, appears before you. Tivavarav is glad to see you, and informs you that your family and his entire organization has been worried sick since Sylvester's soul showed up in his possession and you stopped contacting him. Apparently your mother got so concerned she gathered some troops, both Bonedust aligned and Redleaf Duchy soldiers pulled from the front lines, and sent them to check on you via the Winding Path.

You swear under your breath. You don't know how many or what kind of forces were sent, but Winding Path would dump them right in the middle of presently hostile Silver County, and you highly doubt they would stand a chance should Count Marlowe attack them directly. To make matters worse, the only friendly troops in the area are under the banner of House Kinkaid, and somebody looking out for your interests but unaware of the details could easily assume them to be the enemy.

After filling Tivavarav in on the exact situation, the demon offers to pass it along, with any other messages you choose to send, to your family. You then get down to business, inquiring about your husband's soul and his other stock. Tivavarav explains that your father has already started to work on Sylvester, and will likely give you the soul for your birthday if it is ready in time. If not, it will go up for sale, but will be held for you indefinitely if you would like, or sold to your mother for the family catacombs otherwise. Tivavarav hasn't been personally been keeping tabs on the soul cleaning process lately, but reckons it is already too far along to change the type of undeath Sylvester is being prepared for. He does suggest that you contact your father if you would like to request that skills, memories, and/or personality traits be added to or removed from the soul.

Before showing you his wares, Tivavarav mentions that you that all ten sets of demonic armor are available to borrow, and would be a great boon to any troops you have trained in heavy armor use. He also adds that your situation is dire enough that you may contract the services of Yaugur should you wish to do so.

Yaugur, the founder of the modern Bonedust family, is a Balrog, a particularly powerful variety of fire demon that stands sixteen feet tall and is somewhat resistant to most magics, and impervious to any mundane weaponry short of a direct hit from a siege engine or powder explosive. He wields Bonedust, the namesake of your bloodline, which is a twelve foot long greatsword that appears to be made out of mundane iron but can cleave through stone walls like steel through cheap leather. To top it off, while on the mortal plane, Yaugur can maintain blessings much more easily, and would likely offer you several dozen free ones for as long as he is around. As kin, Yaugur's contract is for complete, unconditional, and uncorrupt servitude to the summoner's interests over the negotiated period, terms only an exceedingly skilled binder could usually expect to get from a demon of such power.

Tivavarav notes that you are up one soul with him, on account of Sylvester's death. Noting your difficult circumstances and the fact you were likely fond of that particular soul, he offers to make it count for triple credit if you buy now. You note that for three souls, you could get a non-casting soul prepared for a state of basic undeath, a soul to be scrapped, or a month long contract to summon one of Tivavarav's lesser servants. You could hire a reaper, a quick and durable scythe wielding melee shock trooper, or a worker devil who can serve as a tireless mason, carpenter, fisher, or farmworker and will likely know the basics of several schools of nature magic.

Tivavarav's Stock

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Souls:
For Scrap - 12 in stock, 2 souls each
Wight, Formerly Elven Performer - 1 in stock, 3 souls
Wight, Formerly Lowborn Human Soldier - 1 in stock, 3 souls
Wight, Formerly Highborn Human Scholar - 1 in stock, 3 souls
Wight, Formerly Dwarven Guard - 1 in stock, 3 souls
Wight, Formerly Orcish Ranger and Fire Elementalist - 1 in stock, 5 souls
Ghoul, Formerly Goblin Slave Driver - 4 in stock, 3 souls
Ghoul, Formerly Elven Thief and Prostitute - 1 in stock, 3 souls
Ghoul, Formerly Elven Divine Caster - 1 in stock, 4 souls
Ghoul, Formerly Dwarven Master Smith - 1 in stock, 5 souls
Chimeric Abomination, Formerly Goblin Slave - 19 in stock, 2 souls
Chimeric Abomination, Formerly Dwarven Dark Mage - 19 in stock, 8 souls
Chimeric Abomination, Formerly Kobold Scavenger - 3 in stock, 3 souls
True Vampire, Formerly Human Spy and Assassin - 1 in stock, 5 souls
True Vampire, Formerly Merfolk Water Elementalist of Royal Blood - 1 in Stock, 9 souls
False Angel, Formerly Highborn Human Priestess of the Dread Knights - 1 in Stock, 7 souls

Contracts:
Balrog - 1 Available, 15 Souls per Month of Service, Contract stipulates Unconditional Service
Reaper - 9 Available, 3 Souls per Month of Service, Contract allows reaper to freely kill where doing so wont harm summoners interests
Nightmare - 5 Available, 4 Souls per Month of Service, Will only allow riders who are sufficiently wicked or skilled in dark magic
Worker Devil - 18 Available, 2 Souls per Month of Service, Contract stipulates summoner provide them with daily rations of drugs or booze

Once you wrap up your business with Tivavarav, you try checking in with Yukprong, the demon Nix was kind enough to put you in touch with. You ask if it would pass a message along to its divine master, and it responds by offering to deliver any message you want, as well as a reply, in exchange for two souls. You get the feeling Yukprong isn't used to dealing with Dark Mages, as usually the going rate for messenger service is a few hexes placed for the duration of time the service is used. Further complicating things is the fact that Yukprong's hex has nothing to do with soul ownership, so paying up would be complicated; You would have to either ritualistically slaughter two people at the summoning circle, which you know how to do but have never done before, or send the souls to Tivavarav and bargain with him to make the delivery on your behalf.

You have other options of course. You could try to haggle or bluff to get what you want out of Yukprong, as deception and demonic social protocol are areas in which you are strong. If bargaining goes well, you might find out about other services the demon is offering, but if it goes poorly you could piss off Trance's entire organization. You could also get Dean to find the other demonic servants of Trance and try your luck with them. Lastly, it is likely the goblins here do business with Yukprong if they know its Hex sign; The might be willing to help, but you would look pretty pathetic if you came crawling to them on a matter worth only a couple souls. The goblins might also know of Clan Ivy's mortal agents in town if you are willing to try a slower channel of communication.

A mixed bag this round, but as usual options abound...

[Weirdsound]

Duchess Maeris Bonedust Riverland:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Status -

Age: 46
Health: Fine

Hexes and Aura:
An aura detector of even modest skill could pick up there is darkness about you, but as much as it comes from outside sources, you could quite easily be mistaken for a victim rather than a practitioner...
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)
Hex of the Demon Yukprong (Very Strong, Inactive, Woven by the Goblin Nix)
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
Decent: Handguns

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 physical 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.
Hex of the Demon Yukprong: Bound to Soul. Relates to servitude to the Orcish Diety Trance, Orcs, The Soul's Potential for Divine Magic, and Willful Subjection to Demonic Influence

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 sometimes 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)

Gear:
The Artifact Quad Gun Troublemaker (Bullets can be made to explode on impact)

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 [Business 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.

[Tomcost]

Holy crap.

For the Speech:
-Praise Joy for her determination and honesty, Redding for his experience, and Charlie for her tactics and her work as a general. Redding and Charlie will like that we legitimate their roles.
-Put emphasis on taking back the Duchy, and that we are all citizens of it. The other counties should be conquered, but not razed. This means no plundering other lands if possible. This is something directed to Charlie and her orcs.
-Discredit the Prince as a coward. We have to make his claim less legitimate.
-Say that we are going to pursue justice before vengeance, and that those counts who were tricked into following the prince will have the opportunity to turn back. Otherwise, they will meet the full extent of our force and be judged by their crimes.
-Close up with talking about the peace that will follow once we get through this, the modernization of the Duchy, and that we will honor Sylvester's memory of making this a better place for everyone.

With Tiv:
-Tell him to tell our mother to end a messenger as quickly as she can to tell the troops that the Marlowes are traitors and the Kinkaids are heping us. We have to prevent infighting.
-But off the soul from the elven thief and prostitute. Special undead should be sneaky!

Contact Father
Ask him to leave Sylverster's memory as intact as possible. We need his information.

Haggle with Yukprong for hexes instead of souls

[VoidSlayer]

If we primarily keep skills we could use Sylvester as an advisor, if we keep memories we might get to the bottom of the mystery, if we keep personality, and Horton really loved him, we could offer him his old lover in a new immortal vampire body.

For the Speech:
-Praise Joy for her determination and honesty, Redding for his experience, and Charlie for her tactics and her work as a general. Redding and Charlie will like that we legitimate their roles.
-Put emphasis on taking back the Duchy, and that we are all citizens of it. The other counties should be conquered, but not razed. This means no plundering other lands if possible. This is something directed to Charlie and her orcs.
-Discredit the Prince as a coward. We have to make his claim less legitimate.
-Say that we are going to pursue justice before vengeance, and that those counts who were tricked into following the prince will have the opportunity to turn back. Otherwise, they will meet the full extent of our force and be judged by their crimes.
-Close up with talking about the peace that will follow once we get through this, the modernization of the Duchy, and that we will honor Sylvester's memory of making this a better place for everyone.

+1 but I would add in loyalty to the king and empire.  Call out the prince as an outcast, oathbreaker and criminal working against the crown, who attacked and caused chaos in an otherwise peaceful and prosperous land, who only other conspirators would support.  This allows us to call out the king as violating the feudal contract if the crown forces move in to help, hopefully hurting the loyalty of the other dukes and giving us a justification for calling in orcs and other (non goblin) allies.

[Weirdsound]

You guys still want private meetings with Charlie and Redding? Only reason I didn't do em this turn is because once the RNG told me that Charlie's surprise rally would turn out in your favor, I figured you'd want to factor in the leverage it would give you.

[Tomcost]

If we primarily keep skills we could use Sylvester as an advisor, if we keep memories we might get to the bottom of the mystery, if we keep personality, and Horton really loved him, we could offer him his old lover in a new immortal vampire body.

Then just change it to Keeping Sylvester as intact as possible.

+1 but I would add in loyalty to the king and empire.  Call out the prince as an outcast, oathbreaker and criminal working against the crown, who attacked and caused chaos in an otherwise peaceful and prosperous land, who only other conspirators would support.  This allows us to call out the king as violating the feudal contract if the crown forces move in to help, hopefully hurting the loyalty of the other dukes and giving us a justification for calling in orcs and other (non goblin) allies.

+1. I didn't write this because I couldn't word it. Thank you.

You guys still want private meetings with Charlie and Redding? Only reason I didn't do em this turn is because once the RNG told me that Charlie's surprise rally would turn out in your favor, I figured you'd want to factor in the leverage it would give you.

I do. Maybe in better terms than I suggested.

[VoidSlayer]

Still meet with Redding and confirm our mutual interests and get him to bring his family on board if possible.  Our other children do not want the seat and he and Joy will share power eventually once the war is concluded.  Also we will still not hesitate to take his family's lands and execute their leaders or even flood the county with out of control pillaging orcs if they actually do go against us.

Still meet with Charlie and tell her we will be looking to get the loyalty of Ivy and Ape, send out the messenger to Ape first.  Tell her that we think the crown and other counts are unlikely to be on our side, but a public stance of support for the king will make his betrayal all the more infuriating to our allies (and the other dukes).  Also promise that if the crown does get involved then rather then raiding within the dutchy they could eventually pillage the lands of Tradewind.

Oh and we should get the worker devil, we can already supply drugs and booze thanks to the goblins and alchemists.  He and Redding could fortify the defenses of the city or expand our troop capacity.

Was there a cost for the demonic suits of armor or was Tiv offering that for free?  That seems unlike him.

If we primarily keep skills we could use Sylvester as an advisor, if we keep memories we might get to the bottom of the mystery, if we keep personality, and Horton really loved him, we could offer him his old lover in a new immortal vampire body.

Then just change it to Keeping Sylvester as intact as possible.

Sorry, I was just going over the three main options and what we could expect from them, I personally support concentrating on one so we get it intact rather then getting all three in a weakened state. 

[Tomcost]

Still meet with Redding and confirm our mutual interests and get him to bring his family on board if possible.  Our other children do not want the seat and he and Joy will share power eventually once the war is concluded.  Also we will still not hesitate to take his family's lands and execute their leaders or even flood the county with out of control pillaging orcs if they actually do go against us.

If we go with the more nice path, the part of killing his family is maybe a tad too much. But we can just say that they will meet justice.

Oherwise, +1

Still meet with Charlie and tell her we will be looking to get the loyalty of Ivy and Ape, send out the messenger to Ape first.  Tell her that we think the crown and other counts are unlikely to be on our side, but a public stance of support for the king will make his betrayal all the more infuriating to our allies (and the other dukes).  Also promise that if the crown does get involved then rather then raiding within the dutchy they could eventually pillage the lands of Tradewind.

+1, I guess. Also we should propose the mass hexing.

Oh and we should get the worker devil, we can already supply drugs and booze thanks to the goblins and alchemists.  He and Redding could fortify the defenses of the city or expand our troop capacity.

We don't need to fortify a city we don't even know if it is going to be attacked. Also, it belongs to the Kinkaids. I'd rather not do it. I support the elven wight, for later use.

If we primarily keep skills we could use Sylvester as an advisor, if we keep memories we might get to the bottom of the mystery, if we keep personality, and Horton really loved him, we could offer him his old lover in a new immortal vampire body.

Then just change it to Keeping Sylvester as intact as possible.

Sorry, I was just going over the three main options and what we could expect from them, I personally support concentrating on one so we get it intact rather then getting all three in a weakened state.

If I have to choose, I choose Memory. Otherwise, I'd rather have everything, even if it means less control for us. I'd rather ask our father about how possible is everything.