Karses II, Friend of Caesar, Heir to the Loam Coast, and Descendant of the Divine Clay Elf Bloodline:Condition: Fine
Holdings:
Cash Reserves (Aproximately 4.7% of Imperial Coin in Circulation)
29% of Total Shares in 'Sons of Caesar Trading Company'
45% of Voting Shares in 'Sons of Caesar Trading Company'
Mansion in the Heartland City of Portum
4 Docks in the City of Portum
Luxurious Apartment with the Imperial Palace
Country Home along the Imperial Highway
x19 Shops and Workshops (Scattered Across the Imperial Heartland)
x17 Vineyards and Plantations (Scattered Across the Known World)
x14 Mines (Mainly Precious Metals and Gems, Scattered Across the Known World)
x30 Imperial Merchantmen (Divided into two fleets)
'Wayward Clay' (Personal Flagship made from Enchanted Ceramic. Armed with two ballista and a crew of trained soldiers. Coming of age present from your father)
Traits:
Businesself
Networker
Negotiator
Public Speaker
Wealthy
Well Traveled
Greedy
Ambitious
Empathetic
Self Controlled
Living Legend (Civil Rights Icon, God Incarnate)
You and Tsunamia decide to wait it out with the fleet, but dispatch the
Blue Charm back to the heartland to inform Caesar about Xamut V's recruitment and your impending marriage.
During your evening visit to the
Breaking Lust, you ask your betrothed why her father might be attacking Humpback Island. Tsunamia hasn't been home for awhile, so she can't say for sure, but has a few guesses.
First would be the fact that the Everstorm Lands, over which Tideus rules, are cursed. The weather gets progressively worse and worse unless its fleet is at war. Secondly, the King of Humpback Island is fairly friendly with the empire, and allows the Imperial Navy to resupply and repair in his ports, so
by destroying said ports, Tideus can better protect himself from Caesar's aggression... or retribution. The third reason is one you are familiar with -
Humpback Island is a major exporter of tin, which is required to make bronze. You actually used to own a mine there, although you never got around to visiting before you wound up selling it to an investor looking to cash out his stock in the Sons of Caesar Trading Company.
It takes you a few days, but eventually you work up the nerve to talk to Tiber about retirement. You make it clear to him that you find the view of the Clay Elves on this matter to be distasteful, but if he is interested in retirement, now would be a good time to do so. The old sailor considers your words, and tells you he would prefer to stay on until the
Wayward Clay heads south again, at which point he would be willing to transfer to one of your other ships. He knows several captains in your service who would be willing to retire,
but Tiber's wife and children are accustomed to a comfortable lifestyle, so he intends to work for you in some capacity until the day he drops dead.---
After spending yet another week with Xamut's fleet, you are feeling comfortable enough to start delivering rousing speeches. You promise sailors that once business up north is concluded and your wedding dealt with, the fleet will return to and rebuild the Loam Coast, stronger and more wealthy than ever before. Lead by a God-King with the backing of two of the world's mightiest naval powers, you promise that their homeland will rise to prominence once again.
The sailors buy into your words, and even your brother is touched. You are not sure what the situation will be once you return home, but you are now confident that you can count on the total support and loyalty of your navy.
---
The next forty days drag a bit.
After two weeks, the provisions stashed aboard the Wayward Clay run out, and you are reduced to eating the pickled seafood provided to Xamut's fleet by Tideus. You find it to be revolting, to the point where it becomes uncomfortable to kiss Tsunamia as her breath now reeks of the stuff (which she finds delicious - she was raised on such fare). You start to lose a good deal of weight, and some members of your crew become violently ill.
Eventually you reach the point where you can no longer take it, and begin to express your displeasure about the fare. Xamut, clearly wanting some better food himself but unwilling to be the first to admit weakness, uses the will of the Pharoah as an excuse to dispatch a few ships on a whaling expedition.
They return after a few days with fresh meat.
As the whale meat is divvied up, moral unsurprisingly rises, and the fleet erupts in song and merriment.
Your crew begins to exchange songs and games with Xamut's men, each teaching the other a bit of their culture. Tiber in particular takes to fleecing the elves out of a good deal of money through various imperial dice games.
This small amount of vengeance makes your captain feel much better, but dosn't do anything to change the opinion of Xamut's men about him. Although you have no proof, you believe that your captain may be cheating in his dice games - you have heard from older sailors on several occasions that he was notorious for doing so back in his youth.
---
At long last, Xamut finds his query. It happens quite by accident, and is almost missed, when a single light is spotted in the distance on a clear night. It lasts for only a few minutes before it is extinguished, but Tsunamia assumes the form of a gull, and flies off to investigate. She returns several hours later, and reports
a massive collection of boats, most under the flag of Humpback Island. A strategy meeting is quickly assembled.
Xamut's force is outnumbered greatly;
Humpback Island's navy is about 200 ships strong. The advantage, however, still belongs to your side according to both your betrothed and brother. The enemy only has about 30 proper warships, (the rest are converted merchant or fishing vessels), and even those are likely inferior to the ceramic hulls and battle-hardened crew of Xamut's ships.
All present are at least somewhat confident that your 84 ships will win the day despite being outnumbered.Your brother wants to attack at dawn, and asks what role you would like to play in the upcoming battle.
Although it would be safer to stay behind and avoid combat, you would only bolster your reputation by participating in the fight. You could ride into battle aboard the
Breaking Lust or
Homeland Soil, depending on the expertise of Tsunamia or Xamut respectively to see you through safely.
You are sure that in doing so, however, you would be making a statement in support of the party you chose to sail with at the expense of the other. Xamut's ceramic ship is sturdier than Tsunamia's wooden hull, but the awesome powers of the Blue Witch would likely keep you safer if you wind up getting boarded.
Although you lack any formal training or experience in naval warfare,
you could lead the fleet personally from the Wayward Clay. Although he has never commanded a fleet this large, and doesn't have a reputation for naval brillance like Xamut or Tsunamia,
Tiber is a competent military sailor and one you would trust to get you through the battle.Of course, Tsunamia says you have friends among the enemy fleet.
It would be risky, but you could sail out before dawn and try to make contact with them.
Author
Topic: (SG) Vassal: Rise of a Pharaoh (Read 23633 times)