-He should consult her guest for advice, for he is an expert in the field of dreams.
-The Duke's advisers, as that they may whisper more corrupting thoughts into his trusting ears.
I still say with the Duke even halfway under our power, burning that other city to the ground (and having all our cultists escape as refugees) could spark a real war between two great nations.
Certain members of the Duke's court start to behave a little differently.
The high priest who he employs to advise him on religious matters has become reclusive. When he does show himself, his advice is no longer to spend more on temples, but rather to dole out harsh punishments to those suspected of blasphemy, whilst giving murderers and thieves the benefit of forgiveness. The Duke understands, knowing that what he saw in Nuulyd must have shaken the man, reaffirmed his faith in some way- so he dutifully proscribes lashes to a peasant who cursed before a priest (the peasant curses the cruelty of the church), whilst in the same breath letting a violent robber go free with naught but a fine (the man has no intention of changing his ways)
His councillor claims that the words of visiting dignitaries are insults in disguise, recommending they be repaid in kind. The Duke, however, has been trained to be polite in matters of diplomacy, and suggests that the councillor get some rest.
His steward complains of nightmares, of dreams in which he is tempted with visions of great wealth. The Duke commends him on resisting temptation, in dreams as in life.
The commander of his knights seems eager for battle, no matter who it may be with. The Duke is inclined to trust him when he insists that a peasant 'uprising' (a couple of villages that were accidentally taxed twice refused to pay the second time, and beat up the tax collectors) be crushed in force, and dispatches a squadron of knights to the villages, the commander at their head. (Some courtiers murmur that such a harsh response may breed resentment, especially given the ultimately understandable nature of their grievance.)
His wizard, rarely seen in court, appears frequently to weigh in on matters both magical and mundane. The Duke is pleased to finally have her earnest council, and listens attentively as she suggests searching for necromancers or their ilk and confiscating their possessions- and then giving them to her to, uh, dispose of safely. Unfortunately, he tells her, he has no idea where to even begin to search for such folk, but that she will be the first to hear about it if he does.
His wife, a young lass half his age, undergoes the most pleasant change, in the Duke's opinion. Where once she was somewhat cold and distant, he now finds her an eager companion- indeed, if she had her way they would spend the entire day together. For now she must make do with nights, which she does, in ways the Duke had never even heard of. He could get used to this sort of thing, he muses, thanking whatever force has made his wife so much more... loving.
Whilst observing these changes, the Duke makes time to visit his new friend. A man of power, or so he claims, this strange figure is a guest of his wizard, though he does not claim to be a wizard himself. Privately, the Duke worries that the man may be a more unscrupulous sort, but so long as he is helping him deal with his nightmares, he supposes it does not really matter what manner of being this visitor is.
Introduced as an expert in the field of dreams, the man has told him how to deal with his nightmares. He has provided him with incense which has a foul smell, but is said to drive away the dark spirits that cause bad dreams. He has given him an amulet, made of some slick-black metal and freezing to the touch, which allegedly absorbs bad influences and neutralises them. He has told him that physical pain can overwhelm the mental pain of lost sleep, and recommended that he use a knife to cut himself before sleeping. The Duke believes at least half of what the man says to be absolute bunkum, but cannot deny that some combination of them has reduced the frequency and intensity of his nightmares. Indeed, it has to some extent replaced them with pleasant dreams, such as ones where he finds himself in the company of his wife and several of her friends, all in a state of undress and eager to please, or ones where he is presented with a near endless buffet of delicacies, which taste quite real for being dreamstuff, or, in a dream worryingly similar to what his steward reported, he finds his pockets overflowing with gold and his treasury lined with gems. This does make him worry that perhaps these are merely nightmares of a different form, one of temptation rather than torture- but he concludes that if these are nightmares, he never wants to have another regular dream.
...
You (Nokluvgn) observe the Duke as he dreams. Unfortunately, he has been surprisingly resistant to corruption, and even after all your efforts you still do not think this is the time to outright convert him. On the other hand, he has been corrupted to some degree, and thanks to the corruption of his advisers, the nature of his rule is sliding away from justice, and into the realm of arbitrary cruelty. Already you can detect a faint sense of suffering in the land that was not there before, though it is meagre yet, nothing strong enough to truly invigorate you.
But you can change that. With subtle whispers you direct the Duke's actions, causing him to
-Overtax the peasantry, leading to starvation and dissent.
-Strike out against other realms, fanning the flames of war.
-Defy the priesthood, speaking out against them, creating rifts between them and the populace.
-Grow paranoid, lashing out against members of his court, depriving him of friends and allies.
-Do something else.
Meanwhile, you pursue other projects. You shall
-Help Mischa in her quest to obtain study materials by scouring the land for traces of signs of Necromancy
-Raise more minions to serve you [namely X]
-Work on corrupting yet more inhabitants of the castle [see previous update's choices]
-Do something completely different.
You also consider sending your Wordbearer back to Nuulyd with orders to burn the town down
-But decide against it.
-And decide it is a great idea.
Name: Nokluvgn
Age: 5 months
Physical might: 25 (-1: creating corrupting amulet, given to Duke)
Mental might: 23 (-1: creating corrupting amulet, given to Duke)
Followers:105 (74 villagers, 4 Wordbearers, 11 criminals, 11 rich men, 3 knights (heavily armed), 1 ex-priest, 1 mercenary captain)
Slaves: 12 (4 priests, 1 high priest, 7 guards (armed))
Servants: 10 (4 Brutewolves, two Smokewraiths, one devil-horse, 3 spectres)
Cults: The New Way (Fellshore): Low organization. 76 members in Fellshore (74 villagers, 1 Wordbearer, 1 knight (heavily armed))
Power level: 13
Of which: 4 spent gathering resources, 5 spent expanding the labyrinth, 3 spent training.
Resources: 16
Other: Training is underway (9/30). Thanks to the tunnel network, the cult can act in relative secrecy with only a minimum of unspent power. The village appears totally normal at first glance.
The New Way (Nuulyd): 32 members in Nuulyd. (11 criminals, 2 Wordbearers, 11 rich men, 4 councilmen, 2 knights (heavily armed), 1 ex-priest)
Power level: 6
Of which: 4 spent recruiting new members
Resources: 1
Other: Another successful recruitment drive sees four members of the town council succumb to temptation and join the New Way. They even try to invite the Mayor, but after some hesitation she declines to join their feast.
Champions: Mischa Alwiz: The Duke's 'loyal' companion, now corrupted by the allure of evil.
Physical Might: 1
Mental Might: 6
Knowledge: Magic, basic Necromancy.
Other: Finds herself thinking of you ever more fondly, to her consternation. Briefly wonders whether this whole Necromancy thing was such a good idea. Then remembers how much power she stands to gain, and decides it totally was.
Fortresses: Fellshore: A small fishing village nestled between a small lake and a forest (with mountains not so far in the distance), now undermined with tunnels and chambers forming a twisted maze, lit with smoky torches, where the shadows form strange shapes in the corner of your eyes.
Small tunnel network: increases secrecy of local cult. Being upgraded (30/50)
Small (hidden) altar: A suitable place to sacrifice to you and praise your dark name.
Author
Topic: Demonhood 2 -Number of giant minions lost: between 0 and 3- (Read 143864 times)