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[IronyOwl]

Tuesday and Wednesday were both the 21st.

Wait crap, I forgot.

Have Wednesday tail Fortune's sage. If he's being strongarmed into keeping tabs on her locally, she should be able to find out about it. If not, we'll know we need a wider net to figure out who's got what on him.


Also I told you this cartel business was shady. We should really reconsider doing away with or blunting it to get on the mercs' good sides (and make them more useful when we or our allies inevitably hire them), rather than raking in piles of money. Come to think of it, the good mayor probably wouldn't mind us dipping into his tax reserves, and Charlie might be willing to fork over cash for good purposes.

I'd really rather not murder the son of one of our vassals. Or a traveling merc, or a dunken dwarf (there are other kinds?). If we absolutely must keep the bastard quiet, double-hex him to fulfill our messenger contract. I'd rather just let him mention it but start loosening the cartel so we look like a good guy instead, and maybe hex the dwarf since he's looking for trouble anyway and demon worship is pretty good trouble.


Either way, let's take a gamble and try to kill two birds with one stone regarding Peat and his daughter. She wants to quit the shop and learn under us, we want Peat's terrible business skills to stop hurting so much, Peat wants his insolent daughter beaten for giving him lip. So we offer to mentor her part-time in the "ways of business"- which is code for actually training the poor girl in potions, but also avoiding the worst of Peat's blunders. I don't think we'll be able to do much for him padding out his buddies and getting his salesorcs to stop being dicks might be a little hard, but problem solving and hunter prioritization sound like things he'd be glad to have someone to handle for him.

If things go well, she might even be able to start training her companions and/or convincing Peat to do so, which would wipe out another major stumbling block. The only major thing left after that would be fumblefingers there, which we could probably convince the Chieftess to let go home or othewise mollify in some way. Or just put her on administrative duty, as suggested.

Also on the potion front, we should throw lover-boy a bone and go in for more practice sometime. I'm getting Fable 2 flashbacks and it's making this seem like a better and better idea.


Let's get that demonic goblin apprentice to teach black magic and social skills to. We could use another agent, especially one that could serve as an emissary to our other goblin contacts once we get them up to speed on Goblin Manners.

I feel like we should send the siblings a gift to commemorate their son's achievement, but I'm not sure what you send half-goblin necromancers to celebrate their first sapient violation of the laws of man and god. A shrieking slave, I guess? I don't think we have any of those. Maybe ask around at the Knifehouse, ideally some kind of potion.


I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but lastly-for-the-moment, let's go down to the guardhouse and publicly try a few prisoners. Mostly just make a big show of giving the bad ones scary sounding curses that are mostly obnoxious or hindering to future crimes, and graciously and magnanimously letting the good ones go.


Oh, yeah. Let's ask Fortune about her new friends. There's probably nothing good in store, but if a few potions might help, we should help.

Message for Yuk: (if you have something better, please say so.)
We have heard about their interest, and we are interested in turn. We want them to support our cause, and we can support them in turn.
Keep it vague. We won't commit to demonic slavery. I don't know about Dean, but I don't like it too much.

We should send our own message to Clan Ape but I just do not know what.

Reminder:
Clan Ivy is a half-demonic clan of assassins built over a literal gateway to hell. Clan Ape is a divine potioner's clan built into a forgotten beast's corpse.

Our message to Clan Ivy should therefore probably be something like: "Greetings, Ageless One and infernal cousin. While no demonic blood flows through the still-living members of my house, our bond with demons is strong; even now my father watches over me from the beyond, and my second eldest son prepares himself for a similar ascension. We both share a great respect for information and subtlety as well, as the dealings of me and my house with goblins will attest, and we have tested each others' strength on the field of battle.

I have no doubt we have much to offer each other in the days to come, and look forward to dealing with you more formally."

_{Note: This message is better suited for transfer by Yuk under the assumption that nobody's going to sell it, as a traceable confession that we're a demon-worshiping goblin-lover would be kind of not great for our human cred.}

Our message to Clan Ape should probably be something like...

...I'm having a hard time composing the perfect message, but the point is that we and our family do a bunch of awesome stuff they find awesome and/or do themselves.

Spoiler: Clan Ape First Draft (click to show/hide)

"Greetings, Blessed of the Divines and Master of the Cauldron. Your skill in potioncraft is said to be eclipsed only by your favor with the gods, and having worked with Peat, a close relative of yours, I believe, I can attest that this must be high praise indeed. Joy, my own daughter and heir, is a crusader of the Human Pantheon herself, and loves nothing better than to bring divine justice onto her enemies in the thick of battle, while my youngest daughter Fortune is blessed with prophecy from a Drowish Goddess.

I have no doubt an alliance between our peoples would be sacred indeed, and look forward to negotiating with you more directly."

_{Also, their clan is actually more 'magic' than explicitly divine potioners, but their Chieftess is "at least proficient" at everything "magical" which I assume means divine magic as well, and we've gotten explicit reminders of those two fields.}

Spoiler: Clan Ape Second Draft (click to show/hide)

"Greetings, Mistress of Magics. The prowess of you and your clan in matters supernatural is legendary, and my own house's accomplishments mirror its diversity and talent. My eldest son practices elven nature magics, while my youngest masters dark magics; I do likewise as well as potioncraft. My daughters are both blessed by the divines; my youngest with the gift of prophecy from a Drowish Goddess, while my eldest and heir, Joy, wades into the thick of battle to lay divine wrath upon her enemies.

With the wrath of the gods above, the clawing of the dead below, the whipping of wind and hex without, and the flow of potions and dark blessings within, I have no doubt our peoples would be invincible together."

_{Note: Joy's not due for another two months, but the orcs aren't arriving until around then anyway, so she can march into battle alongside them! Everyone wins!}

This is, of course, assuming we don't have anything substantial to say and just want to butter them up. If we want to actually convey information, we'll need to figure out what we want our arrangements to be with them. I'm cool with cheesing off the crown a bit (and making our dear Sylvester rather cross with us) by trying to re-entrench orcs in our Duchy.

[Weirdsound]

(Ninja'd by owl, but I tried to incorporate a small bit of his masterfully crafted post anyway. I do like how you suggest creating a Dark Mage, and then give her all these borderline morally acceptable suggestions. Almost reminds me of how his Young Gods character was a flesh eating deity who hardly every ate anybody :p)

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

You tell Yukprong that once he receives your payment, he is to let Chieftess Ivy know that you are aware of the clan's interest in you, and that you in turn are interested. The demon agrees to do just that.

You also tell Peat to have his men deliver a well crafted message playing up the divine connections of your daughters and requesting support, to Chieftess Ape.

---

2334th Year of Man, 4th Month, 23rd Day:

Friday

You inform Charlie that although you doubt you are ready for romance so soon after your husband's death, that Dublin is welcome to try. You then ask exactly who Charlie had in mind for court personnel. The Countess responds by informing you that there are pleanty of qualified individuals at Riverwatch, but she isn't sure exactly who would be interested. She offers to send word home that the Duchess has proven to be friendly to the Kinkaids, and is looking to fill key court roles. The message will likely draw candidates, perhaps even multiple for each office, that you can judge for yourself.

You reply that this is acceptable, and conclude the meeting.

2334th Year of Man, 4th Month, 26th Day:

Monday

You tell Watcher to pass the following message along to each of the dark mages, save for Dougpo:

"The current political situation within the Duchy is forcing factions to take measures that we have not seen taken before in these lands. Those in opposition to the prince are resorting to dark magic, which means victory for that particular faction will mean more rights and protection for dark mages within the Duchy. Therefore, the official stance of the dark magic community is opposition to the prince and support of his enemies."

With the major declaration out of the way, you also request that Watcher request an article of clothing from Nezbit, so that you may pass along the hex of the demon he is looking for. You then dismiss your Wight.

As watcher leaves, he mentions that since he spent a good chunk of the month tracking you down, you can expect his next report early to mid month 6.

2334th Year of Man, 4th Month, 27th Day:

Tuesday

You pass out instructions to members of your household over breakfast. Tempest is ordered to bring her troops to Chieftain Foot's apartment, and move the collection of orcish documents there to your personal chambers. She is also instructed to follow any directions the Chieftain gives reguarding the proper handling of the library.

Once Mason finishes eating and leaves the table, you instruct Wednesday to keep tabs on him for awhile.

Next you turn your attention to Dean, and tell him his services as an augur will be required. Nezbit, one of the local dark mages you are involved with would like the hex of an insect related to insects or the jungle, and you would like to be put in touch with a demon who is in the messenger business.

Dean promises to get right on Nezbit's request. He then informs you that he already has the hexes of two solid messengers, and could weave either or both into your soul immediately. "Nragelth is the messenger I use more frequently as she gives a better price, and I have a pretty solid business relationship with her, so dropping my name might help when negotiating with her. Right now I'm getting up to two messages a week, with replies, for every three hexes from her organization I maintain, but I think her actual going rate for most customers is one message per two hexes. The other demon, Ovinsial, charges more for messenger service, but he also offers soul transport service at a reasonable rate - 20% of the transfered amount to send a soul to a demon in the majority of realms. Ovinsial is also well connected, and is a direct vassal of the Goblin Pharaoh."

He pauses for a second, "Both are kind of wheeler-dealers, and might have all kinds of services to sell at any given time. Either could feasibly have anything, but they both have specialties; Nragelth's minions are thieves and temptresses who are skilled at separating the other beings in her realm from their material belongings, which means she is often looking to unload demonic and divine goods, usually at below market prices. Ovinsial dabbles in the slave market and often has demonic servants avaible to purchase on a lifetime contract."

You consider your options. Aside from your already crowded aura being further tainted, there is no real harm in taking both; It is not like Dean would activate a curse on you.

---

After breakfast you head to the basement to meet with your prisoners, whom you interrogate individually. You ask the Dwarven mercenary about fishing going ons in the city and the region, and he responds by calling out the potion cartel. You let him rant for a bit, before threatening him into talking about other issues. He mostly tells you things you already know (the mayor and the ferrymen are corrupt), but does give you two juicy facts. An orcish architect named Litter, who is overseeing the renovation of a mead hall three doors down from Groghall, is actually the chief Agent of Clan Shark in town. He also tells you that an exotic mercenary who usually drinks at Afterlife, a cheap and seedy inn on the far side of town, claims to be a former member of the mercenary group that Prince Rubricon used to invade your home, take out your guard, and kill your husband. You thank the dwarf, and quickly apply a curse to make him forget the last several days of his life before ordering a couple goons form Caiman Swarm to turn him loose in the middle of town.

Next you speak with the human mercenary, who you quiz about current events in Orcish Lands. This merc is more than willing to talk, and tells you that several veins of copper were found on the land Clan Bucket, of a minor clan associated with Clan Python, one of the sacred clans with a presence in town. Clan Porridge, a minor clan closely aligned with Clan Gruel has decided to try and muscle them off their land and claim the copper for themselves. The merc had been helping Clan Bucket defend their lands, but got cold feet and left when he heard rumors that Chieftian Gruel had promised to mobilize his coalition and exterminate all those keeping his allies from the copper. You know enough about Orcish lands to understand that a source of Copper there is a big deal, as although it is an inferior metal on its own, a solid alchemist can make several useful materials from it. Although you wish your ally wasn't going to war in the jungle in your time of need, his victory might give smiths aligned with you more options to work with.

Having gotten the information you wanted out of the mercenary, you tell him that the Cartel will forgive his transgressions if he delivers a message to clan Ivy for you. First you pull out a needle and prick his hand, drawing blood, which allows you to weave two powerful copies of Yukprong's hex deep into his soul. After deceiving him into believing that you have placed a curse on him that will strike him down if he fails to promptly deliver the message, you give him a scroll containing more or less the same tidings you intend to have Yukprong pass along, and a bag of 50 silver for supplies. You then have two Caiman Swarm Orcs escort him across the river. You will activate the curses in a few days.

Your last victim, the bastard son of Baron Teal, is treated somewhat more harshly. You ask him about the political situation regarding the prince, and he tells you he knows nothing; He has fallen out with his father and hasn't been back to Cleanriver County in almost a year. Although you are pretty sure the young man is telling the truth, you try several more times after tormenting him with various curses, and eventually he breaks down and starts telling you the prince and your daughter have been planning this for years, but you know a thing or two about interrogations, and are fairly positive that he is telling you a tall tail to make the torment stop. Calling Caddor down to take a turn, just to be on the safe side, you head upstairs and prepare for what is to come next.

Tracking Mackie down, you instruct the servant to draw you a hot bath in your chambers. Then you head to the kitchen, where you combine some stored grain, stored booze, and a few plants from the yard to brew a blood thinning potion. The process takes just a bit over an hour, and when you finish, you order the bastard brought to your chambers. You get him to drink the potion, telling him it will relieve the agony he has just been put through, before throwing the bound man in your tub and instructing one of the Orcs present to slash the arteries in his wrists. You lean over, put your hand on the screaming and dying man's shoulder to assign his spirit to Tivavarav, and shush him by threatening to have your demon friend break down his soul for scrap if he can't die quietly like a man.

You then retire for lunch while your victim bleeds out under the watchful supervision of Caddor and a few Caiman Swarm orcs. As you take your time finishing your stew, the young man is already quite dead by the time you return. With a swift gesture, you raise the corpse as a mindless puppet, and order it to rise from the tub and stand at attention. You grab the lifeless body by the shoulder, and as it no longer has a soul to protect it, you are able to weave the hex of the prepared dwarven soul directly into the man's flesh.

Stepping back, and ordering all other witnesses present to do so as well, you activate hex, guiding the prepared soul across the realms from its resting place in Tivavarav's vaults to its new home in the bastard's body. Once in place, the soul gets to work; The body collapses and thrashes upon the ground as true intelligent undeath seizes it. A brilliant blue aura erupts around the corpse; Wights are beings held together and protected by a feedback loop created by the willpower of their soul and the necromancy of their creator, and as the loop produces more energy than is required to power a wight, the excess is dispelled in a visible aura. A Wight's aura maintains its body in its present state of decay, grants it mild protection against physical and magical injuries, and also makes it stick out like a sore thumb.

After about half a minute, the convulsions stop, and it rises to its feat. It sputters and makes rasping sounds for about ten seconds, before figuring out how to use the power you have provided it to speak without breathing. The new wight thanks you for calling it back to the living world, and states that it looks forward to serving you; Like all undead it is bound to serve its master, and, like all non-Bonedust souls processed by Tivavarav, it has been modified to desire nothing more than seeing your goals met and condition bettered, so that it wont resent serving you and go all literal genie. You think this Wight is some sort of soldier, but don't quite remember - Tivavarav just threw it in to close a deal with you a few years back.

"The pleasure of your resurrection is all mine. I look forward to giving you purpose, servant, now identify yourself as best you can, so that I might know how you can best serve me."

It scratches its head, and pauses to admire its tall frame and long arms. "Damn. This is a human body isn't it. That is going to take some getting used to."

"Don't worry," you answer kindly, "the soul cleaner should have set you up to adapt quickly to any humanoid body. You will be used to it in a few days tops. Don't worry about it, servant, just tell me about you. It would please me greatly if you did so. Start with you name, if you can."

"C... Clair." The wight frowns, "No. That isn't right. I'm male. Clair must be the person who donated her polearm and light armor skills to me. I think I got memories of her husband too, they were good together... Crap... I'm sorry mistress, I can't remember my name. I think the first syllable was 'Ru'. I remember who I am though. I was a guard at the dwarven fort of Deepfingers, until they threw me out... I think I was taking bribes from narcotic smugglers. The rest of my first life, I was a highwayman. Lasted a good thirty years before my gang tried to hold up a one-armed old man on the Winding Path who turned out to be Count Marlowe. I was the only survivor in my group, and Marlowe sent me to his Duke who had me executed."

"Your name is Rugath," you answer, smiling at the realization that this is one of the souls you send to Tivavarav personally, "I don't recall your surname. I was at your execution, the Duke's wife, remember? You begged me to intercede on your behalf. It has taken me a few years, but consider your plea for mercy granted."

You quiz Rugath on his abilities, and find him to be more than a passable goon. Between his undead immunity to pain, ability to be easily repaired at a reanimation table, and visible defensive aura, his attributes lend themselves to combat and intimidation roles, and his collection of skills match; As a dwarven guard he is a perceptive individual proficient in the use of blunt weapons, axes, and heavy armor. His corrupt nature and drug addiction taught him negotiation, the appraisal of potent chemicals and potions, and a little bit of potion brewing. His thirty years as a highwayman have taught him to be intimidating, use a crossbow, and navigate; He knows the high roads of the Ironheart Mountains like the back of his hand. He has a few other skills and memories that he can't account for, which you know to be bits of souls that were shaved down to be scrapped; These additional skills include light armor, polearms, horse riding, tanning, and goblin law.

To make sure this new minion is functioning at the best of his abilities, it would be wise to provide Rugath with the gear you intend him to use, and give him a few days to get use to using it in a taller and leaner human frame.

---

You and Caddor spend the afternoon at Syzzik's Imports, shooting guns and discussing how to best optimize Peat's business. Everybody agrees that the first priority should be getting Peat himself to take on more of a brewing role, and hand over operations of the company to somebody else. Your first suggestion is to put Palm in charge, but Syzzik quickly calls out your naivety; The old orc is already sabotaging the business, putting her in charge would only give her more tools with which to cause damage. You consider the foreigner's words carefully, thankful that his flattery is limited to your personality and appearence, and that the fear curse doesn't render him unable to call out your mistakes.

Caddor, who you told about Hilltops, then suggests taking her as an apprentice and seeing that she gets the chance to learn busniess sense from him; As a half human, she should be less terrible at it than her father. This time you are the one who calls out the flaw in the idea, informing Caddor that a healthy orc of Peat's age would likely find the idea of being replaced by his offspring to be quite offensive.

Syzzik notes that Peat respects his business acumen, and that he would be willing to run the day to day operations of Mogpan, but would ask either a cut or a reasonable salary to do so. Caddor adds that he would be willing to run the business as well, but only after you give Dean permission to become a manifestation; Until then too much of his time is taken up on your son's daily torture regime.

Overall little is decided at the meeting, although many interesting and radical ideas regarding many facets of the business are tossed around. In the end, it will up to you to make up your mind and decide what is to be done about Peat's shop, and who will implement the changes. The Orc respects you more, but Caddor has a better business sense. Syzzik has both the respect and the knowhow, but isn't intrested in working in 'that smelly Orc joint' without compensation. It wouldn't be too hard to strongarm him into it you suppose.

The little get together is concluded by you asking if the Cartel could survive a price cut should you have the need to butter up the mercenaries. Syzzik explains that as prices go down, sales go up, and the prices could be slashed quite a bit without having an effect on the bottom line. He adds that the main benefit of the price-fixing comes in labor; By making about the same money selling fewer potions, the businesses in the Cartel don't have to work as hard or hire as many brewers. He concludes by saying that if you can find or train four brewers for each interval of 10% you intend to slash prices, which will not be an easy task with Peat killing prospective brewers left and right, potion cost can be cut by as much as 4/5ths with minimal financial loss.

---

After you send Caddor away, you spend another hour getting some private gunplay practice with Syzzik. While you work, you decide to throw your instructor a bone, and quiz him about himself; Since you already have legitimate highborn offspring, it is a bit more acceptable to show affection to more worthy commoners such as war heroes and rich merchants. There is at least no harm in considering him as an option, and at the very least you can likely get more out of the man if he thinks he has your favor. He happily answers your questions, and by end of the lesson you have his life story.

Syzzik is a bit more than a year older than yourself. His father was a sharpshooter and acrobat in one of Titan Rock's famed traveling circuses. His mother was a prostitute who followed the troope around until she found better employment and a permanent home around Syzzik's fourth birthday, and promptly left the family. Left with his dad, Syzzik was taught the circus trade and was performing by the time he was twelve. When he was seventeen, his act caught the eye of an old lady who owned one of Gearport's largest powder weapon manufactures, and she promptly invited him to join her harem of trophy husbands. He then lived in luxury with the lady and his brother-husbands for seven years until her death.

When his wife died, Syzzik inherited a modest portion of her massive fortune, comparable to what a small county in the Kingdom brings in through taxes in half a decade, and a few proprietary weapon designs. He invested most of it in an effort to start his own gunsmithy, but was forced to liquidate his business at a major loss when an employee sold his designs to a competitor who could make Syzzik's guns faster and cheaper. He then took what he had left, purchased four moderate sized ships, and began to make a life for himself smuggling guns into the kingdom and partaking in the occasionally act of piracy. Twelve years ago he visited North Bank City for the first time, to shake down a gun buyer who owed him money. While he was in town, he noticed that the situation was right for somebody to swoop in and corner the potion market, and he had both the capital and ambition to do just that. Within a year he had taught himself the bare basics of the craft, moved into town, opened his own store, and laid the groundwork for the cartel.

The only family he has on this continent is an eight year old half-drow daughter named Mable. He bought the girl's mother as a slave from the goblins as a curiosity, but owning another sentient humanoid made him feel guilty, so he gave the mother her freedom and twenty thousand silver, and she left him shortly after the girl was born.

You learn that Mable stocks shelves at the store on Wednesday and Thursday, takes shooting lessons from her father at the range in the early mornings on most days before the shop opens, and spends much of the rest of her time learning the history and magic of her mother's people from a private tutor Syzzik hired for her.

---

You ask Fortune about Dunlap and Greywing when you tuck her into bed for the night. Your daughter doesn't always know how somebody is going to die, and usually refuses to tell you when she does, claiming that it is wrong to mess with destiny. Tonight though she is forthcoming.

"One of them will die in action," she states, "following your orders. The other blames somebody in this household for their lover's death, acts violently against us, and has to be put down. I can tell you this stuff now.... now that father's death has come to pass. I don't think I knew enough for you to have stopped it anyway, but I couldn't have you trying. I knew it was not my time, but I couldn't be sure who else around father would die with him. That is why I tried to talk you into taking us to aunt Miri's with you."

You blink, "You knew when your father was going to die? That... that must have been difficult for you."

Your youngest child shrugs her shoulders. "Not really. Death is comparatively cheap in our family. We can thank you for that. Besides, I know more than I should about the circumstances of my death, so knowing how other people die is a cakewalk."

You sigh. This again. "You should tell me what you know about that, sweetie, maybe we can prevent it."

Fortune pouts, and begins to slowly work herself up into a tantrum. "What if I don't want to? I want to get it over with and let you fix me! I'd rather have vision than a pulse, mom. My destiny is important, and I know you love me, and I love everybody in this family, but all that is insignificant! It means nothing! Look at my eyes! I'm a freak! I belong to Tetha, and you are just borrowing me!"

The room falls silent, as you don't know how to respond. After about a minute your daughter, realizing how deep her words must have cut, tries to make things up to you.

"Listen, mom, I guess you have a right to know. If you promise not to interfere, I'll tell you what little I know of my own destiny. It is pretty awesome." Your daughter offers a smile that is somewhere between pensive and prideful.

You consider your options. Lying comes naturally to you, and would be even easier in this case as your potential victim lacks the vision required to read your body language, but are sure you would feel bad about deceiving your daughter, even to save her life.

Next turn will hopefully wrap up any RPs started here, run 5-6 days, and implement changes at Mogpan if a good consensus can be reached.

[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)
Elf Soul Prepped for Ghoulhood (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 87 Active Curses, are of the soul harvesting variety)
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.

Yukprong The Servant of Trance
-Yukprong will pass along unlimited messages to Trance, her other minions, and ranking members of clan Ivy so long as you support a puppet of Trance by using his strong hex twice to make a mortal subservient to the deity and infatuated with the idea of demons tampering with his/her soul.

Tivavarav The Soul Dealer:
Balance: +1 Soul, +1 Curse
-You have seventy nine assorted curses from Tivavarav's organization active, which combine with seventy nine of Tivavarav's soul taking curses to support seventy nine blessings on Charlie Kinkaid's soldiers, per below
-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])
Rugath, Undead Creation - (Fighter/Thief, Loyalty Compelled, Offensive to Polite Society)
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. Filled with a Libarary of Orcish Lore, Culture, and History)
Noble Quarters [10/15] (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)
Bottle of Divine Birth (Increases a child's divine magic potential if it finishes the bottle before tasting its first drop of mother's milk)
6 Months of Aura Suppression Potion (Must be taken daily to be effective)

Income and Tribute:
1000 Silver
>30% Share in the Potion Cartel (Yeilds between 30,000 and 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]

I'm amazed at the diversity of things there are in this game. I mean, from running bussiness, to romantic implication, to politics, to dark magic.

Question for the GM: can we unweave that very strong hex and weave it again on us? If not, could we just hex Dean, unweave our hex, and have Dean hex us back, but with a weaker state?

Well, here we go with the suggestions:

About Peat's bussiness:
Have Syzzik manage Peat's bussiness, and have him have a cut of it (I guess that what is decided will be compensated by the income increase).
Begin training Peat's excess staff into potion brewing, and his brewers as well. So that they can lower prices later.
Tell Peat to not instantly kill other brewers. Instead, have him tell us about them. We may be able to make them join the cartel.

About Fortune:

Holy hell. I don't know what to say. Dammit, to which extent would a mother grant vision to her child, if it means eternal undeath? And even then, would that work? I mean, the possibility of that godess screwing with her in the afterlife is real, right?

More suggestions:

Ask logistical information about the powder weapon smuggling to Syzzik. We have contacts, maybe we can do something.

Get Rugath an imposing heavy armor, a heavy mace, and some scary helmet with horns or something like that. He is going to be our enforcer, and our personal bodyguard in the battlefield. Make him practice, maybe with some of the orcs, but only with practice weapons, just in case.

Have a chat with Dean. We know that he wants to be left to his own dark mage stuff, but we don't know if he would be willing to occupy in a more diplomatic role within his speciality. Ask him how he sees himself being the representative of the dark mages, in our behalf.

To my fellow players: we have to discuss what to do about our husband's soul. Which skill do we want for that mummy? Hex weaving would allow him to be self-sufficient. Otherwise, we may just go for a skill we don't have any idea about. Like druidism, or dwarven alchemy.

[VoidSlayer]

Druidism or Engineering seem like good ideas to me.  They are things outside our specialties and building things was something which Sylvester was known for before his death.

Maybe we should ask for one set of demonic armor for our wight?  Also a crossbow.

Idk about the potion business lets just solve that soon.  My suggestion would be to pay Syzzik to train the most competent orc business person and bless that orc with an entrepreneurship blessing as well.  That should at least make them halfway competent.

Also, and I don't mean to sound too cold, but if Fortune is going to die soon anyway we could always use a betrothal to try and bind some people to us temporarily, as she will likely face her destiny before we ever have to go through with it.

Having Dean take care of the requests from the dark mages is actually good training for his later demonhood.  Knowing how to negotiate and deal with them from a position of strength and authority and such.

Yes get some training from Syzzik in the gun while discussing the gunpowder weapons and possible importers. IF we end up rebelling in truth then who cares about gunpowder bans. 

For the black potion.  Discuss it with Joy and also offer to bless the baby with some hexes to improve inherent fire and water magic ability or something.  Taking care of our grandchild is a mother's duty after all.  And I think Redding would be less opposed to adopting a child if they are a natural mage and priest.

We should tell Faith that we are glad that she offered but that right now we are still hoping to find a way to save and heal her in this life.  Let's not lie to her.  Either we agree to not interfere or don't ask.

[High tyrol]

Druidism or Engineering seem like good ideas to me.  They are things outside our specialties and building things was something which Sylvester was known for before his death.

Maybe we should ask for one set of demonic armor for our wight?  Also a crossbow.

Idk about the potion business lets just solve that soon.  My suggestion would be to pay Syzzik to train the most competent orc business person and bless that orc with an entrepreneurship blessing as well.  That should at least make them halfway competent.

Also, and I don't mean to sound too cold, but if Fortune is going to die soon anyway we could always use a betrothal to try and bind some people to us temporarily, as she will likely face her destiny before we ever have to go through with it.

Having Dean take care of the requests from the dark mages is actually good training for his later demonhood.  Knowing how to negotiate and deal with them from a position of strength and authority and such.

Yes get some training from Syzzik in the gun while discussing the gunpowder weapons and possible importers. IF we end up rebelling in truth then who cares about gunpowder bans. 

For the black potion.  Discuss it with Joy and also offer to bless the baby with some hexes to improve inherent fire and water magic ability or something.  Taking care of our grandchild is a mother's duty after all.  And I think Redding would be less opposed to adopting a child if they are a natural mage and priest.

We should tell Faith that we are glad that she offered but that right now we are still hoping to find a way to save and heal her in this life.  Let's not lie to her.  Either we agree to not interfere or don't ask.

1+

[VoidSlayer]

Oh, I missed that fire and water elementalism are lowborn magics...

[Tomcost]

I like engineering. Sylvester will love being able to build things.

I also like the idea of telling Joy about the potion. She will love the idea.

I had totally forgotten about the  entrepreneurship (damn, I hate this complicated word) blessing. We should totally put it on whoever ends up running some bussiness.



Also, as another suggestion:

Tell Redding about that presumed mercenary who participated in Sylvester's murder. He may be able to get more information about that.

[IronyOwl]

(Ninja'd by owl, but I tried to incorporate a small bit of his masterfully crafted post anyway. I do like how you suggest creating a Dark Mage, and then give her all these borderline morally acceptable suggestions. Almost reminds me of how his Young Gods character was a flesh eating deity who hardly every ate anybody :p)

Weird mixtures of monstrous and benign are the best. :3

You lean over, put your hand on the screaming and dying man's shoulder to assign his spirit to Tivavarav, and shush him by threatening to have your demon friend break down his soul for scrap if he can't die quietly like a man.

Ooooooor we could do that!


Poor Fortune. We should consult with Mason to figure out everything he knows about the current situation.

...

Okay, hear me out.

Hex of the Demon Yaas: Granted by Bound Hex. Relates to servitude to the demon Pogpugroog, Darkness, Perception, Deception, and The Act of Espionage.

We buy Fortune a trained pet to sit on her shoulder, or animate one. Then we build up three curses from Pogpugroog or her goons, and use them to apply a blessing of perception to Fortune that allows her to see through her pet's eyes.

It might not work, the blindness being divine and Tetha being directly in her head and all, but it's worth a shot. We should probably also get three spare hexes from Poggy so she'll keep us informed on Fortune's condition in general; no doubt some criminals would be happy to shoulder this burden rather than rotting in jail.

Technical Note: If we need a stronger connection between Fortune's blessing and its target, we could also curse the pet to let Fortune steal its sight rather than share it. This would no doubt make Fortune sad, though, so we might want a few pets so she can swap between them.


Speaking of Fortune, let's ask if there's anything we can do to avert their fates. Presumably if she's friends with them she'd prefer they don't die tragically. We can double-check with Mason later; he might have a more external opinion of prophecy.

I still say we should get that demonic apprentice and ask around for a goblin gift.

We should accept and contact both of Dean's messenger hexes, find out what they're offering at the moment.

I'm curious about Syzzik's daughter and the Drow. We should ask him about both, and come in to have a chat with her when she's available.

We should bring in the supposed mercenary to question personally. Preferably with a hefty bribe rather than a lot of goons, as hefty bribes tend to encourage benign conversation.

[Tomcost]

I like the idea of the pet. I don't know if it would be possible, but I like the idea anyway.

[VoidSlayer]

We should probably not be messing with gods... until we know whats actually happening.  I am all for using demonic magic to defy gods who curse children but we need to know we wont make it worse.

But it is a good idea.

Did we send a message to the Hortons?

[IronyOwl]

Unless hexing her or the ability to see in any form interferes with the divine, I wouldn't think it would break or anger anything. I guess we could ask Fortune about it before we buy/make the pet; if there's anything overtly wrong with the plan you'd think she'd know about it.

Don't believe we've sent anything to the Hortons, which we should really work on. Right now it looks like we've gone full Kinkaid, which to be fair we kind of have.

Again, the problem is motivation. Charlie wants material stuff and to run amok. Easy to give her when she's on the winning side. Glen wants to mount the severed head of every last bastard involved in his husbando's murder on a pike. Nnnnnnot as easy to provide, especially when two of the counts in question are likely going to switch sides to us immediately, two might be kind of on our side but I doubt it's that smooth, and we've already stripped him of official general status.

We might want to try just writing him a letter asking for his stance on the war or something, anything to get us a better idea of what he wants and how he feels about things. We could also try writing or even visiting Mili, but she might not be super knowledgeable about her husband's revenge campaign for his one true love that isn't her.


Also, long term issue: We should reaaaaaaaaally find out Glen Horton's opinions on necromancy and Sylvester's eventual fate. Since, you know... we're going to get him back at some point, only not quiiiiiiite as Glen remembers him. Depending on how that goes, finding out Sylvester's a mummy in our employ could give him some solace or enrage him utterly.

[Weirdsound]

@Tomcost: You could weave a weak copy of Yukprong's hex first, and then undo Nix's handiwork. Using another Hex Weaver like dean would also work.

2334th Year of Man, 4th Month, 27th Day:

Tuesday

You decide to get some loaner demon armor for Rugath. He is unsuited for subtle work, so you might as well make him as unnatural, frightening, and dangerous as possible. Deciding to get all your demonic business over with in a few days once you activate Yukprong's hexes to pay for his message, you decide to get him studded leather armor with which to train in the meantime. You also decide he needs proper weapons, so a maul, a crossbow, and some bolts are added to the shopping list as well.

Since you are taking Caddor, your usual designated shopper, with you to visit Syzzik, you send Tuft to gather your silver reserves and make the purchases. You figure the grissled old warrior at least knows enough about weapons to get what is required at a reasonable quality and price. The Orc returns with the gear around dinner, and informs you that your silver reserves are down to 650. Rugath is ecstatic about his new toys, and heads out to the yard to train.

---

You press Syzzik for more information about Mable. A Drow's soul is structured differently from the soul most other mortal races, it cannot freely attune to the gods, preventing most subspecies from performing divine magic. It can, however, trap, contain, and modify other souls within itself, which means well trained drow can create loyal undead and demonic minions for themselves without learning hex weaving or summoning. Practitioners of most races would have to become manifestations and defile their soul with demonic aspects to allow them the same ability, and even then it is rare; Your father was the only known human in the last two hundred years to learn the Drowish arts of modification.

Syzzik informs you that his daughter is indeed learning these arts, but is not very good yet. "Her instructor tells me her human blood limits her to holding two extra souls at once, which means all she will ever be able to make in terms of demons are various imps. I am told she has a solid theoretical grasp on soul cleaning, but she will need alot of practice to start preparing souls for undeath, and getting her souls is hardly easy and rarely ethical."

"Huh, I didn't have you pegged as giving a damn about ethics, Mr. Cartel Pirate Smuggler." You tease.

The foreigner shrugs, "I don't, but I'd like her to turn out to be a better person than me, ya know, and she has to be present at the death to collect it, so I can't have people killed and lie about where I got them from."

"I'd like to meet her sometime," you respond with a grin, "Could I pop for a lesson in while she is learning to shoot in the morning sometime?"

Syzzik returns the smile, clearly thrilled that you are showing an interest in his family, before using that interest to safely make a move. "You are welcome to, but it would be tough to teach you both at once. My daughter is far more advanced than you, and is presently working on her rifle skills. How about you come over to my home for dinner some time to meet her? I rent out the second floor of that beautiful Gulf Dynasty building overlooking the marketplace, it used to be a customs house centuries ago when there was a proper crossing in town. I enjoy the irony of a smuggler making his home in such a place."

Caught off guard by the offer, you promise Syzzik you will think about it, before quickly changing the topic and asking about his import operation, implying you have a contact who may be of use to him.

Syzzik explains that every two and a half months one of the ships in his fleet, usually the Bigtop or the Madam Ricewind drops off potions and other legal imports for several merchants at Port Leviathan in Port County. Syzzik's share of the goods is transported to a warehouse on the property Baron Corizin Sparrow, one of Ernie Strongcurrent's vassals who has coastal land just north of the border between Southjungle and Port Counties.

Baron Sparrow also controls an uninhabited island just offshore from his estate, and two or three times a year another one of Syzzik's ships, usually the Acrobat, drops anchor there and unloads what more or less amounts to the entirety of Redleaf Duchy's illegal gun imports. Sparrow is responsible for selling most of the guns, and gets to keep a generous cut of what he makes as payment for his services, but some are set aside for Syzzik.

Once a week, a wagon driven by Orcs from Clan Python brings goods from Baron Sparrow's estate into town. The legal stuff goes straight to Syzzik's Imports. The guns spend a few days in the basement of Clan Python's Meadhall before Peat's men discretely drop them off. Syzzik then informs you that something as simple as a copy of Count Strongcurrent's naval patrol schedule would allow the smugglers to be much more brazen about bringing guns into the Duchy.

As you leave, you tell Syzzik that you have decided that he shall run Peat's business, and that he will get a cut based on his performance. You also ask him to round up volenteers from Syzzik's redundant staff that you can teach potion brewing to, in hopes of lowering cartel prices.

---

"Thanks for the offer sweetie, but I'm going to fix you in this life. I actually have been kicking an idea around in my head about how I can do it... how would you like a pet?"

You have several ideas as to how you might let Fortune borrow the vision of an animal in theory, but they all involve either making the creature undead, and thus inappropriate for some audiences and situations, or would require the assistance of a skilled Druid to pull off.

Fortune's strange glowing eyes seem to light up even more, and your creepy child briefly returns to being a normal kid again. "A pet? For me? Can I have an Orc-Eater Python please? Pretty pretty please! I promise it will be safe. My destiny has nothing to do with being eaten by a snake."

The animal depicted on the official banner of Redleaf Duchy grows to be fifty five and a half feet long and slightly over a foot wide. As the name suggests, they are capable of killing and eating full grown Orcs from all but the largest bloodlines, so of course somebody Fortune's size would be a trivial snack for such a beast. Since the Gulf Dynasty fell, one has been kept by the Duke of Redleaf, both as a pet and a means of public execution, until Sylvester's father refused to get a new one when the specimen the Riverlands inherited along with the Duchy died. Ever since Fortune found out about this, she has been begging for one, but Sylvester forbade it. They are frighteningly common across the Duchy, but it might take a dedicated search effort to find the sort of monster specimen that Fortune's ancestors kept.

"We will see about that," you answer, "but lets talk about your friends. What would you say my best chance of subverting their destiny is?"

Your daughter pauses for a second, before answering "best bet is to put off their expiration date until Chieftian Gruel gets back. Try to avoid giving Caiman Swarm orders. When Gruel gets back, you can have him assign them to another post where they wont take orders from you."

You filter her words through the lense of Mason's advice on the matter. The scholar explained to you that death prophecies can be subverted, but doing so becomes harder and harder as the predicted body count and fallout increases. Going off of that, the lives of two rather insignificant warriors within an Orc clan should be within your ability to save. Mason does warn, however, that Fortune was given her gift for a reason, and that by acting on your daughter's prophecies, especially in a predictable fashion such as to save a life that is of value to you, you might be furthering the interests of the Goddess Tetha.

2334th Year of Man, 4th Month, 28th Day:

Wednesday

In the morning, you instruct Redding to look into the mercenary involved in Sylvester's death, before having frank discussions with Dean and Joy.

Dean would be interested in helping you run the local Dark Mage community, suggesting that he might be able to learn of most of the practitioners of the Black Arts within the city from the good folk at the Knife House, and tend to them while Watcher does his best with the rest of the Duchy. While you talk, Dean also pressures you for final permission to corrupt himself beyond the point of no return and become a proper manifestation, although you are not totally sold. If Dean were to become a manifestation, and something were to happen to Joy, your options for heir would be reduced to Farquad, Fortune, and possibly a newborn bastard. On the other hand, however, giving your permission would make Dean far more powerful in only a matter of hours.

You bring up the potion to Joy, who seems ecstatic with the idea and would love nothing more than for her daughter to take after her. When you bring up demonic blessings for the baby, however, joy changes the topic to blessings that would protect the unborn child and allow her to get back on the battlefield before its birth. You drop the topic.

Visiting Syzzik for a shooting lesson after breakfast, you think you catch a glimpse of Mable working in the back. She is a girlchild with drowish grey hair and really bad sunburn on her pale skin, but you only see her from behind, which prevents you from getting a good look at her eyes - if she had drow blood, they would be pale red, pink, or yellow.

Syzzik occasionally gives you a pointer or pays you a compliment as you shoot, but he is rather occupied trying to make sense of the goblin shorthand in Caddor's audit report and Peat's nonsensical and nearly non-existant book keeping methods. Although your conversation is brief today, he does confirm that the girl you saw was indeed his daughter.

At the end of the day, Redding brings you the exotic mercenary tied to Prince Rubricon. The sellsword in question is a tall and lanky creature with purple fur and a face full of canine features. You are unsure exactly what he is, aside from a member of one of Titan Rock's many strange savage native races. Communication is rough, the mercenary dosn't speak any Kingdom Common, but he is sort of literate in Orcish Script, so you question him in writing.

You learn that he is part of a group of elite priests of the Titan Nostruem called the Deathfangs. The group is about fifty strong, and each member is a well trained assassin who can use divine magic to become invisible. He claims the Deathfangs are infamous in Titan Rock, and were looking to make a name for themselves within the borders of the kingdom as well. 'Jonas', as Redding has taken to calling the mercenary because his actual name defies all attempts by human lips to pronounce it, had been sent south to request work from the mighty clans, as he was the only group member with any Orcish communication skills.

Jonas couldn't get any work from the clans, and is afraid to return to the Deathfangs as the penalty for failure of an individual assignment is either execution or castration. All he knows about your husband's death is that his leader was just negotiating a retainer for the Deathfangs to work exclusively for Prince Rubricon when he left them three and a half months ago, but that the negotiations looked to be going south at the time.

2334th Year of Man, 4th Month, 29th Day:

Thursday

You wake up a bit after midnight to the sound of Chaos in the Mead Hall. Your servant Mackie is throwing a fit because she just caught her eighteen year old daughter Shelly sneaking back into her bed in the servant quarters with a mostly empty bottle of expensive Orcish Mead. She declares that no daughter of hers is allowed to sneak out and sleep with men, and locks Shelly in her room until further notice.

You are almost positive that the bottle of mead Shelly brought home is the exact same one that Peat kept on his desk...

At Syzzik's Imports, you receive quite the shock when Mable meets you in the store, and informs you that because her father is busy at Peat's place today, she will be leading your shooting lesson.

The girl refuses to talk magic, informing you that her studies are a pain and Thursday is one of her days off, which means she would rather not think think about it. Instead she grills you about your family, and informs you on several occasions that her father means the world to her. You get the feeling she knows what her dad wants.

Luckily, as a mother of five, you are rather skilled with children, and are able to get her to loosen up a bit and be friendly. She tells you that your daughter Joy is her hero, and that the rally Charlie held for her was one of the most exiting things she had ever seen. She then tells you that if the succession dispute isn't resolved by the time she reaches womanhood, she will take her gun and blow Rubricon's head off herself, in spite of the fact that Syzzik forbids her from being a soldier or a murderer. You have the distinct feeling that Mable takes after her father alot, and is not very likely to be the 'better person' he hopes she will turn out to be.

Mable actually proves to be a decent teacher, and you leave the lesson feeling as though you have improved a bit.

Back at home, Wednesday informs you that she was unable to dig up much on Mason. The scholar only left the Mead Hall once while she was following him, and that was only to watch Fortune when your blind daughter decided to explore the neighborhood otherwise unsupervised. The Ghoul's next move was to break into his room, and read Mason's diary, but found the document written in some deep-race script that she didn't understand, and since Mason rarely strays far from his room, she didn't feel comfortable sticking around to transcribe it for you.

2334th Year of Man, 4th Month, 30th Day:

Friday

A good sized party from Riverwatch arrives in the morning, consisting mainly of people responding to Charlie's letter requesting applicants for key positions in your court. They set up at the same inn Charlie stayed at while in town, and present themselves to you one by one.

First to enter Groghall is an Orc who dwarfs all the Clan Gruel soldiers, standing in at a bit over nine feet. You don't need to see his tattoos or hear his introduction to know that this one comes from one of Clan Spear's mighty warrior bloodlines. He takes a knee, and as you predicted introduces himself as Shadow of Clan Spear, a master of heavy armor, two handed weapons, and several forms of Orcish martial arts. He is interested in the position of Master-at-Arms, a courtly role responsible for training his lord or ladies' troops, as well as their children and children of their vassals. A Master-at-Arms to a Duke is also generally expected to know and teach military tactics to up and coming officers, which Shadow admits he wouldn't be comfortable doing, but you don't necessarily expect your reign to last long enough for that responsibility to come into play anyway.

The other applicant for the Master-at-Arms role is Baron Lucas Wilder, a tough as nails soldier in his sixties who owned land in Silver County before Sylvester took it away after the war. He has mastered the bow, spear, and sword-and-shield combo, and has spent most of the time since he lost his land studying military tactics under Charlie Kinkaid. Redding can vouch for the man's skills as an archery instructor.

Only one person applies for the role of High Priest, a member of the Steel Sisterhood named Linda Cromwell, better known to the nobility of Redleaf Duchy as 'Snakeyes' for both her intimidating stare and gambling habit. The High Priest has several duties, chief among which is to access highborn children for the potential to perform Divine Magic, and train those worthy in the basics of divine casting until they are old enough to be sent to a cloister to learn the secrets of a priestly order. The High Priest also presides over all weddings, funerals, and feasts in their lord or ladies family, and occasionally local lowborns as well.

Snakeyes was the Kinkaid's ranking officer among the forces of Clan Ape during their war against Sylvester, and claims to be a close friend of the Chieftess. Since the war, she has spent over a decade back in Godtouched County training to enter the Valkyries, an advanced suborder within the Sisterhood. The Valkyries practice enchantment, the empowerment of minerals with various magical forces, alongside their divine magic to provide a place for the dead; As no god in the human pantheon offers a proper afterlife, the best one can hope for without selling their soul to a demon or dark mage is to have a Valkyrie preside over their death and seal his or her soul into a piece of metal or a cut gem to be handed over to the High Masons and used in the construction of an artifact that may aid in the preservation of the Kingdom. To accomplish this, Valkyries have the ability to instantly strike down anybody suffering from a severe enough physical or psychic injury. Snakeyes implies that she could teach your daughter the basics of her suborder, so that you and Redding can send her away for another decade of training once the war is done, and hold onto power longer yourselves.

You note that if you would rather not have Snakeyes, or want an excuse to keep Joy off the battlefield even longer, you could give the title of High Priestess to your daughter.

Charlie's letter didn't draw anybody interested in becoming your steward, but you do find two potential Court Mages. The role of the court mage is simply to handle any magical concerns or research the lord or lady of the court is unwilling or unable to deal with themselves. In a city as large as North Bank, you shouldn't have much trouble finding any sort of mage you might require, not to mention you know a thing or two about magic yourself. Your applicants seem to know that their role would likely be redundant, and both freely admit that they are applying in hopes of learning the Black Arts from you.

The first is Fairweather Kinkaid, Charlie's 19 year old Grandaughter. Fairweather is a member of the Priestly Order of Dread Knights who also dabbles is druidism and fire magic. She is a bit young and inexperienced for the role, but quite bright and ambitious.

The second is a dwarf named Finch who used to enchant armor for Clan Spear. He is a master of all the mundane and magical dwarven mineral arts, and also an air mage who owns his own balloon. He seeks to learn the Black Arts in hopes of being able to better do busniess with the Goblins.

After the last of the applicants present themselves, and you have dinner, Dublin Kinkaid arrives in his majestic silver inquisitor's gown. The man has slimmed down a bit since you last saw him at his wedding shortly after the war. He presents you a gift, a brass chain necklace with three large emeralds attached. When you examine the necklace with your trained Hex Weaver hands, it tremors in response to your touch, as if a soul rests just out of your reach under the surface of each gem.

"I picked this up off a Summoner I Slew in the Royal Duchy, m'lady," he explains, "He had sealed a lesser demon in each of the gems. My investigation shows there is a star beast in the left gem, some member of the tentacle genus in the middle, and a sorrow's daughter in the right. I think we should get together some time, I can chase them out of the gems, and you can try to bully them into contracts. I won't lie, even if nothing is destined to happen between us, I find the very idea of courting a mistress of the Dark Arts... my natural adversary if you will... to be exhilarating."

You can't help but find something a bit appealing about his offer. Usually it would be suicide for a Dark Mage who isn't a skilled binder to bring a demon into the mortal realm before negotiating a contract, but none of the three demons mentioned would be any match for an inquisitor. The Star Beast is a rarely seen minor demon which fights with weaponized light, but is better known for its ability to both read and falsify omens in the night sky. Tentacle demons vary wildly, but are usually melee fighters the size of a horse that use their many limbs to disarm and rip apart multiple humanoid foes at once. Sorrow's Daughters take the form of young orphan girls, and can hijack the minds and souls of anybody who does them an act of kindness out of pity. You might be able to get the demons out by yourself, or even negoiate with them while they are still safely inside, but you would have to run your own tests first; There are several ways you can think of off the top of your head that a mage could have used to put the demons in there.

Feel free to ask questions of any of these guests...

2334th Year of Man, 4th Month, 31st and Final Day:

Saturday

First thing in the morning you activate the two curses on the mercenary visiting Clan Ivy, per Yukprong's instructions. You then send word to the Knifehouse that you will be using their facilities in the afternoon, and set off to the guardhouse.

Gregory isn't around, so the Lasher Topman shows you to the prisoners. First you are shown to the mass holding cell where minor criminals are held for such crimes as debt and public intoxication. There are nine people being held, and you give them all a minor curse from Pogpugrooog or one of her minions; Three to get updates on Fortune from your contact, and six more as you might be using blessings of Yaas to help said daughter regain her vision.

Topman then shows you the cell block where those charged of more serious crimes are being held. Right now there are only three prisoners, as Gregory just turned a whole bunch loose the other day. You can question or pass judgement on them as you please, otherwise Gregory will just let them go when he gets sick of them or they have family members throw some gold his way.

Cases to Try:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

-An old lowborn lady named Flute is in jail for killing a merchant's guard dog with a butcher's knife. She rants and raves jibberish, and is clarly not in a healthy state of mind. Topman says this is the third time she has done something like this in the four years he has worked with the City Guard.
-A young female Orc who castrated her mate because her baby was born with a gimpy leg and had to be abandoned.
-A man overheard by Gregory telling other patrons at a bar that your Daughter Fortune is a freak and should be killed or expelled from town before she dooms everybody.

After concluding your business with the prisoners, you head to the Knifehouse to call up some demons. First and foremost on the list is Yukprong, who has received your payment, passed along your message, and already has a reply for you.

"My mistress has received your message, and is delighted that a mutual interest exists. She formally pledges Clan Ivy to the cause of restoring Redleaf Duchy to your descendants, and advises you to prepare your locality for an influx of four thousand troops to be arriving through the summoning circle in five days. More will come later, but there is a dispute over copper a half days travel from clan lands, so the clan is on high alert."

Five days? You have five days to get ready to play host to four thousand orcs? "T-through the summoning circle? That is impossible! You can't summon someone to or from the same realm they are presently in!"

The Demon laughs at you, "In the depths of the Chieftesses' Castle lies a gate to a realm of demons. She has set up her summoning circle beyond the gate. The troops walk through, and despite being thirty seconds from home, are far enough away to be summoned to the mortal realm."

You blink in shock. That an is ingenious use of the gate with far reaching implications.

"The Chieftess wants to move beyond a simple cause pledge," the demon continues, "and towards true and proper Kinship. Before that dialogue can be advanced, she requires a show of faith to prove her longing is reciprocated. You, or one of your descendants by birth or marriage, must be chosen to step into the summoning circle and invite my brother Danzielipip into their soul to be made a divine caster of trance. If the person elected does not have the capacity to be a divine caster, they must invite me into their soul first; I can grant the potential."

"That... that is quite the show of faith she asks." 'Never use the circle to open a person's soul to a demon' is literally the first thing a new summoner learns. Demons can in fact teach new skills in a matter of hours, or even expand the divine potential of those who open up to them, but once allowed access demons are free to do whatever they want with a soul, often times making the naive caster who allows them inside into a puppet, or at best re-writing their values and priorities to match their own.

"Indeed. The Chieftess wants to establish true Kinship with a high human bloodline badly, and this is common knowledge in some circles. She demands an exercise of trust to prove she wont be taken advantage of. She wishes to hear no further messages from you until the test of faith is complete; Until then, you will deal with her intermediary who shall arrive with the troops."

You step into the summoning circle, and allow Yukprong to give you Danzielipip's hex. Then you terminate the link and call up your father. After exchanging pleasantries, you inform him that you would like the engineering skill grafted onto Sylvester's soul - carefully of course. Dear old dad agrees to do just that, and the pair of you talk for a bit longer before you move on to the next demon on your list: his boss.

There have been no significant changes to Tivavarav's stock since you last called upon him, but he gladly agrees to send one of the sets of demonic armor he keeps for his favorite business partners to borrow in their time of need. His grotesque face briefly vanishes from the stage, and a single set of red armor that is tougher than steel, as light as studded leather, and highly resistant to the effects of nature magic appears in the circle. You thank Tivavarav, and decide to check in with Pogpugroog.

The chubby yet oddly attractive face of the ancient succubus appears on the stage, and breaks into a smile upon seeing you.

"Heeeeelooo there Maeris Darhling! I was worried sick when the guards you had cursed for me died and you stopped calling. I sent some agents to look into the situation, and you wont believe what I found out!"

The demon then proceeds to explain that the hugely popular young Prince Denzel, sixth son of the king and squire to the wicked Rubricon, is secretly a divine caster of the Goddess Tetha. Apparently Tetha offered Denzel her aid in winning the crown for himself should he marry your daughter Fortune. The young prince was in the process of trying to figure out how to bargain for the hand of a blind and anti-social ten year old without coming across as crazy or admitting to illegal magic when he caught wind of Rubricon's scheme, and promised his cousin his aid in winning support from the crown in exchange for Fortune when all was said and done.

Pogpugroog doesn't know what Tetha is playing at by tying your daughter to the throne of the Kingdom, but the demon is intrigued and now Fortune's situation has her full attention.

[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)
Hex of the Demon Danzielipip (Weak, Inactive, Self Inflicted)
Human Soul Prepped for Scrap (Weak, Self Inflicted, Necromancy Materials bound to your own soul for lack of better storage)
Elf Soul Prepped for Ghoulhood (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 87 Active Curses, are of the soul harvesting variety)
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
Hex of the Demon Danzielipip: Bound to Soul. Relates to servitude to the Orcish Diety Trance, Divine Magic of the Orcish Gods, Spears, and Family Ties

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.

Yukprong The Servant of Trance
-Yukprong will pass along unlimited messages to Trance, her other minions, and ranking members of clan Ivy so long as you support a puppet of Trance by using his strong hex twice to make a mortal subservient to the deity and infatuated with the idea of demons tampering with his/her soul.

Tivavarav The Soul Dealer:
Balance: +1 Soul, +1 Curse
-You have seventy nine assorted curses from Tivavarav's organization active, which combine with seventy nine of Tivavarav's soul taking curses to support seventy nine blessings on Charlie Kinkaid's soldiers, per below
-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:
Balance: +6 Souls
-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])
Rugath, Undead Creation - (Fighter/Thief, Loyalty Compelled, Offensive to Polite Society)
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. Filled with a Libarary of Orcish Lore, Culture, and History)
Noble Quarters [10/15] (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)
Bottle of Divine Birth (Increases a child's divine magic potential if it finishes the bottle before tasting its first drop of mother's milk)
6 Months of Aura Suppression Potion (Must be taken daily to be effective)

Income and Tribute:
650 Silver
>30% Share in the Potion Cartel (Yeilds between 30,000 and 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.

[VoidSlayer]

So here is my thought on Dean.  We could use his manifestation to bind the links to clan Ivy, making him both a divine caster and part demon, but I am afraid of him being taken over rather then being in the driver seat.  We can not make that kind of decision without consulting both father and uncle.  And maybe Dean? 

That said, the portal proves a terrible power.  If we can get on clan Ivy's side we could move whole armies through projection tables, allowing us to immediately move our forces around to defend allies or even spring up unexpectedly inside cities.

Let's bless Joy with a hex that will tell her immediately if there is any illness with her or her child.  Catching those kinds of things early could allow other magics to heal them. 

Here is my idea for the prospective counselors.  Give them a challenge to see how they react.  Ask them how they would garrison 4000 orcs in the city in five days.  Tell them they have six hours and can consult and work together on a solution if they want.  I doubt any of them will expect us to actually provide 4000 orcs but it sounds like a difficult problem designed to test them.

I am up for other discussions about the counselors (having two who can forge enchanted weapons seems like a win) but I would rather see them in action before making any decisions.

We should see if our father or one of his associates would be interested in giving some lesser work to Mable.  If he has a backlog of souls that need to be prepped for scrap he could give one to her and she could do it for free just for the experience.  Later she could do it for pay in souls or training.  We could drop a nasty hex on her as collateral if she tried to run away with the soul, though I doubt she would.

So the popular prince is here for Fortune.  We might be able to use that later if we can get in contact with him.  If he turns on his brother at an opportune time I think marrying Fortune to the soon to be king would be a good idea.

As for the Deathfang 'Johas', we now have a pact with one of the mighty clans, we can discuss work with him and hire him through subcontracting with Clan Ivy.  This would get an invisible assassin on our side to do something later and give him the hope of returning to his order successful.  We could at least get quotes on how much his services would cost.

Send a message to count Horton through Miri.  Inform him about us being declared Dutchess, Charlie being the new general to give him time to pursue his revenge and our plan to turn Port and Gulf counties to our side.  Explain that all justice will be pursued against the prince, the Marlowe's, our daughter and those who supported the conspiracy.  Also that gulf and port counties are just being pressured right now and will no doubt declare the prince a murderous traitor.  And if they do not they will be put to the sword as well.

We should send a message to Gulf county containing something since Redding is taking care of Port.