2334th Year of Man, 5th Month, 17th Day:
Wenesday
You try to get a bit more information out of Talcutta, but it quickly becomes clear that his 'plan' consists of little more than buying boats, picking a direction, pillaging, and giving Axebeach a cut. You then ask your great-grandfather about returning the souls to either yourself or the joint account, and Talcutta refuses. He notes that no rules were broken, as the souls taken from the joint account were technically spent serving the interests of Axebeach, and that at the time there was no overboss, so the underbosses had every right to spend those souls as they saw fit.
Changing the subject, you then ask about buying his contract, and this time you get a slightly more favorable response. Talcutta plans on remaining in Tivavarav's employ for another few months until he sorts out his fleet, at which point he will figure out how to get out of the contract. If he spends too much on boats and dosn't have enough left, he will consider accepting your help.
2334th Year of Man, 5th Month, 18th Day:
Thursday
After hearing Chieftess Ivy's requests, you are able to assure her that at least two are acceptable. You have no problems making Lanette Ivy's founding priestess, and are more than willing to accept a political marriage to Midieon, although you would rather wait until you hand over the Duchy and retire to Axebeach before publicly attaching yourself to a demon. Chieftess Ivy agrees that waiting is reasonable, but Dean surprises you by floating a reason as to why you might want to arrange the wedding sooner.
"If you reach a point where you are able to negotiate from a position of strength, Mother," Dean explains, "the crown will be willing to give us more in exchange for you accepting exile the more openly affiliated with Dark Magic you are. If you are wed to a demon, they surely can't acknowledge you as Duchess, or even allow you to live on kingdom lands; If they grow tired of fighting us, and you make it seem as if their exile demands are a sticking point, they might bend over backwards and make an oerwhelmingly good offer to get you out of the Kingdom."
Regarding Joy becoming High Shaman, you inform Ivy that you must speak to your daughter and her husband before making any decisions in that department. Likewise the related issue of Dean snacking on Crank's soul must wait as well.
You then try to get Yaugur and Ivy to agree to the former impregnating the later in place of your father. At first Chieftess Ivy agrees only reluctantly, but when it is made clear to her that Yaugur is actually the founder of your line, she becomes much more willing. For his part, Yaugur negotiates a demigod child for himself after she ascends in exchange for demonspawn for her beforehand.
Dean then explains what it would take for him to take over Bonedust. "I have distant cousins that want the job, so it will not be easy. First my great-uncle must outlive my mother, so that he may adopt me as an orphan, give me the Bonedust name, and name me his heir to the magical aspects of the family business. Then, if I want to control the land and armies as well, I would be opposed by at least half the family."
Yaugur notes that he split political and supernatural leadership for two reasons. First and foremost, he wanted to ensure that House Bonedust could have a respectable leader, who wouldn't necessarily have to practice illegal magics. Secondly, he had alot of heirs. Between the ninety one legitimate children born to six wives over the course of his long life, the twenty three loyal members of the rebelling houses he adopted early in his reign, and the descendants of both groups, Yaugur felt that the more ways he could split up his estate, the more peaceful that transition would be upon his ascension.
The Balrog suspects that Clan Ivy's plan will resolve both issues; Under Orcish/Bonedust rule, it would be socially acceptable to be a dark mage in the Kingdom, and by conquering more lands the large family could spread out and claim new territory rather than compete over resources that have been in the family for ages. He would have no problem with Dean eventually reuniting the two offices once again.
You politely decline Chieftess Ivy's offer to share a mate for the time being. You are not sure if you want children or not...
You agree to Yaugur's demand in principle, but are unsure how breeding into the Emmits would be best executed in pratice. Trance suggests picking a royal you don't like, and letting her demons strip away their personality, intellect, and motivation to turn the poor fool into a mindless seed dispenser or child incubator.
The arrangements regarding Lanette and yourself are enough to satisfy Ivy and her family, so after a few hours of banter, the meeting is concluded without definitively deciding upon anything else.
2334th Year of Man, 5th Month, 19th Day:
Friday
Joy, having resolved to get back into combat condition as quickly as possible, plans on spending the day working out until her body quits on her, refreshing herself with divine magic, and then repeating the process. As her plan for day doesn't leave much time for her newborn daughter, Lanette is dumped on you for the afternoon, so you decide to show the kid off to one of your old goblin friends.
You bring the baby to the inn Faerix is staying at, and your friend is quick to invite you up to her room for conversation. She spends about twenty minutes gushing over Lanette, exclaiming that humblins, as she calls such half-breeds, make great leaders and diplomats as they possess goblinkind's wit and social skills without the strong tendency to deceive strangers. She then adds that Haggen wants one or two of such children in his family. You inform Faerix that you intend to raise the girl yourself, and the goblin laughs, before adding that if you need to get rid of Chasity after the war, she is sure Haggen would offer a good bride price.
Conversation then shifts to the good old days, and Faerix gives you an update on your other friends from Goblin Lands, some of whom are in situations relevant to your interests.
Nubbling, Haggen's orc-blooded mutt of a slave who looked after him and his friends, was granted his freedom and a good set of demonic armor by Haggen shortly after you returned to your people. Nubbling took to doing mercenary work in the jungles, and eventually became attached to Clan Scarab. As he is not a pure-blooded orc, he is often tasked with negotiating on the Clan's Behalf, and as such has alot of dealings with Axebeach. Nubbling also has several offspring, including a set of fraternal twins named Pelvis and Throat who are ranking soldiers at Scarab's Meadhall in North Bank City.
Motaurix, Haggen's half sister and the oldest of the teenage females in your group, was caught practicing necromancy, a male magic, and was ore or less forced to marry below her station as a result of the scandal. The head spouse in her marriage, Utazah 'Wiskey' Pier, is the War Boss of Armageddon Pier.
Tina-Rey Tethers, a member of the Dread Knights who was legitimately captured by the goblins and housed in the same quarters as you, briefly returned to human lands after winning her freedom, and wound up serving as one of Prince Rubricon's personal bodyguards. She quit after a few months and returned to Fort Bloodwalls because her charge had been pressuring her into sex and had gotten her pregnant. She is now one of Haggen's ranking military officers. Her only child, the bastard son of the man who took your husband, goes by the name of Julius Emmit-Bloodwalls, and is a first mate on The Kracken's Hunger, one of Axebeach's pirate ships.
The discussion ends on the topic of the Pharaoh, who is throwing an exclusive ball to celebrate the 50th year of his reign on the final day of the year. Faerix informs you that she will be representing Fort Bloodwalls at the event, and extends an open invitation to any members of your family to attend as part of her entourage.
---
After dumping Lanette off on Virgil, you pay a visit to Chieftain Ash who is camping with other members of his clan in the courtyard of a small ruined fort nearby. Ash is some kind of Orclike creature, as you understand the ruling class of his home city are, who stands even taller than the jungle orcs who make up his clan, and possess pitch black skin smirched with white freckles, to the point where he looks like a clear night sky.
He is reluctant to speak with you at first, but after reading the letter, invites you to into his tent to speak. You learn the reason for his apprehension is that he expects to go to war against Clan Gruel as soon as the festival wraps up, and understands that said clan is very close to the Riverlands. Still, he holds Syzzik in the highest esteem, and your lover's recommendation is all he needs to consider you a friend.
Deciding to try and treat him like any other orc, you bluntly ask if he would be willing to take part in a demonic organization tasked with making artifacts for Clan Ivy. He is interested, but a bit confused, stating that he didn't know it was possible for mortals to do such a thing. You admit such an arrangement is unusual, but explain you will likely have the resources to either make it work, or help him ascend. Ash tentatively agrees, pending the details of the arrangement of course, before turning the conversation to the copper wars.
Ash thinks the situation might be too far gone to resolve in a bloodless fashion. Several larger clans have already pledged to aid their smaller allies in either seizing or defending the copper mines, and Ash states bluntly that no Jungle Orc would willingly go back on such an agreement. He then states, however, that he is not quite so honorable, and would be willing to sever his relationship with the clan he had been hoping would provide him with copper if Clan Gruel could be convinced to share with him and if Clan Ivy could be convinced to remain neutral. When he learns you are living in Groghall, he suggests the he could send a few of his orcs back with you to mate with some of the Clan Gruel soldiers stationed there, thus establishing kinship between the tribes.
Your romantic relationship with Syzzik then comes up, and Chieftain Ash is more than happy to give you a few pointers about dating his friend. He informs you that Syzzik's favorite dish is called Traveler's Stew, and is made from pig's feet, vegetables, and the eggs of the Queen Pigeon, a bird commonly used as livestock on Titan Rock. Syzzik is also a big fan of music and theater, and as such invests in several drama troupes back in his homeland - he tried to build a playhouse in North Bank City a few years back, but the mercenaries, likely under orders from Trevor Wikes, burnt it down on opening knight. You also learn that your boyfriend has no given name; Syzzik is his father's surname. The unusual orc goes on to explain that many children born to unwed circus employees in Titan Rock don't have names, as to name a child in that culture is to claim responsibility for it.
---
The supernatural party is just plain wild, taking place in a large hall in the empty city beyond the gate. Your father spots an old friend, and leaves you, your children, Virgil, and Yaugur alone at a table. Nobody in your group has the nerve to attempt to break the ice with a divine stranger, so you end up chatting among yourselves for a few minutes, until, to your mild surprise, Pogpugrooog approaches your table. The chubby succubus has chosen to attend the party to keep an eye on some of the Deep Dieties she expected to show up. She helpfully points out Tetha at Hammerhead's table, who takes the form of a radiant young Drow with the same glowing eyes as your daughter. She then turns her attention to Virgil, and noting that your friend seems sad and lonely, quickly seduces him with her demonic charm and leads him off somewhere private. After they leave, you can't help but stare at Tetha, who seems to notice you as well. The Goddess makes eye contact and shakes her head, perhaps indicating that this party is not the appropriate setting to discuss whatever you might have on your mind.
You are next to be pulled away from the group, as Nuxhidieon invites you to his table to discuss the matter of your marriage to him. Deciding that you would rather have Yaugur protect your children, you go alone. The only other beings at his table are Tooshel and Viishel, a pair of Elder Demon enforcers who appear to you in the form of giant spiders. Tooshel and Viishel, Nuxhidieon explains, have been assigned to answer to you directly. Both offer their hexes, although Viishel, who prefers to work on the mortal realm, notes that your soul has so many hexes that taking two more will make it blatantly obvious that you are a dark mage, and says that as an alternative to hexing you he could move to North Bank City so that you may call on him in person.
After arranging lines of communication with your new underlings, you and your betrothed get right down to business. Nuxhidieon has no issues with you keeping as many lovers as you wish, noting that doing so may even be to your benefit depending on how you go about seeking immortality, before promptly transitioning into explaining your options in that key department. The end-goal, of course, is to turn you into a powerful demon that can feed off Ivy and Trance while leading their demonic underlings for all time. To mark your important status, your bethroved intends to make you a one-of-a-kind demon form, but notes this will take him some time - likely a few decades more than you have to live. In the meantime, you have two options: Becoming a manifestation and channeling demonic forces that can prolong your mortal life, or embracing undeath for awhile.
Nuxhidieon esimates that he could prepare your body and soul to accept demonic energies with about a week and a half of uninterrupted torture, or after about a month on a less rigorous schedule. As for undeath, one of the tricks Nuxhidieon was known for as a mortal was using uncleaned souls to raise whatever sort of undead he desired - a feat preformed only the most prodigious of dark mages; All you would have to do is brew some sort of poison that would afford you a painless death, drink it, and wake in your own body but in a far stronger state of existence. Another option would be to arrange some sort of public death, and rise in somebody elses body, which would allow your uncle to adopt Dean as an orphan and set the ball rolling to make your son his heir.
Deciding to change the subject to something less morbid, the two of you indulge in some wedding planning. If you wish to scare the crown and get hitched before resolving succession issue, town square of North Bank City would be the ideal venue for a public wedding. If you would rather wait until taking over Axebeach, Nuxhidieon reminds you that according to goblin law all marriages between demons and mortals should be presided over by a Dark Lord. You are sure you could get Haggen, or perhaps even the pharaoh, to host the event.
For the Honeymoon, Nuxhidieon would very much like to visit Vanity Beach. You are not sure Ernie Strongcurrent would appreciate a demon stomping around his home, but then again he would be in no position to complain; It was he who demanded you get married.
Your conversation is interrupted, just as you reach the part about expectations regarding offspring, by a pair of Orcish Deities. Bolt, the patron god of Clan Gruel, and Berry, the goddess who endorses Clan Fig. Both gods have been talking to Joy about Greent, who as it turns out is an important divine caster for both of them. Both deities have been around long enough to understand human marriage, and as such grasp the consequences of your daughter being married to Greent's father; They had just asked her to formally adopt Greent so as to secure their blessing for her family, and your daughter, thankfully, told them that your permission was required. Although divine blessings would be nice, you have several reasons to feel uncomfortable with this arrangement; First of all Greent is a bit older than Joy, so the relationship would be a bit awkward to say the least, and secondly it would give Greent, and thus Chasity if he does end up marrying her, a legitimate claim to inherit the duchy should something happen to Joy.
Luckily you are given a somewhat safe out to the situation when Trance, flanked by Chieftess Ivy, approach your table to make sure things are fine.
"Are these to fine gentledeities giving you any trouble, Sister Maeris?" The Chieftess asks. You can tell at once that Bolt and Berry are both more than a little afraid of Trance.
---
You make the mistake of trying some of the drinks, only to find that deities and demons drink far stronger stuff than mortals do. The rest of the night is more than a little bit hazy for you, but luckily you wake up in your own bed alone, safe, and seemingly unviolated. You check the time, and find it is going to be another short day.
Next turn should run two days and a night, until just before the Night of Black Acceptance begins. Give me four people to visit during the day, and decide if you spend tonight's party with the mortals or those beyond the gate.
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Topic: (SG) The Redleaf Epic (Formerly Widow: A Duchess Scorned) (Read 66264 times)