Topic: (SG) Rise of the Smith Lord (Read 20373 times)

Dopl · « **Reply #30 on:** July 08, 2017, 11:13:37 pm »

Quote from: VoidSlayer on July 08, 2017, 08:49:50 pm

Take only two of the were weasels as body guards. Of course our husband is welcome to his own two body guards since he is joining us. Only fair, 2 bodyguards each...

Weremules* but yeah, that sounds good

Atomic Chicken · « **Reply #31 on:** July 09, 2017, 07:11:24 am »

Weirdsound · « **Reply #32 on:** July 09, 2017, 05:45:04 pm »

The Criminal Element is neither friend nor foe,
but a tool for the wise to use against the moral.

-Writings of Drugar King Nihol the Wise

Smith Lord Aurora Wordfire, Refuge Queen of Silent Hammers, Empress Consort of the Southernfrost, and Queen Consort of Bedlamb and the Marble City

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Refuge City of Silent Hammers

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

It takes nearly an hour to gather everybody, but eventually you enter the meeting room flanked by both your present husbands, the mother of the absent one, Brother Anders, and his 10 bodyguard monks from the Order of Sterility.

Before you stand three halflings. The one in the middle is clearly Don Huck, a halfling in early middle age sharply dressed in a fine suit. He carries a gold cane in one hand, and a fine leather briefcase in his other.

The Hobbit on the don's right is clearly a goon or bodyguard, dressed just as sharply as his boss but far more muscular and closer to what one would expect from a large dwarf or small human in size. A nasty looking wooden club with a rusty spike sticking out hangs from the goon's belt.

On closer inspection, the creature on the don's left is not a full blooded hobbit. She wears a hooded cloak, and although she is far too short to be a proper drow, the strange female possesses the pointed ears, pale purple skin, and beady black eyes of the hated race. A brief consultation with the World Weld confirms that it is this hooded woman, and not the don himself, who is responsible for killing the human queen.

"On behalf of my family," the don begins, "I would like to welcome my new queen to Silent Hammers. I hope you find the town... to your liking. My name is Samwise Huck, but you may call me Branding Iron. I... usually... am not so big on the nicknames, but my nephew here," Don Huck elbows the goon on his right, "is also called Samwise Huck."

Branding Iron extends his arm to the strange hooded figure on his left, who kneels down to kiss an over sized diamond ring on her don's hand. "And this beauty here is my duaghter-in-law, Mril-Minda. She is family breadwinner. A chef, if you will, by trade. I promise there is nobody in the Kingdom of Narm better qualified to ensure that somebodies' goose is... how you say again... thoroughly cooked."

"Mril-Minda is more than she seems." King Emscythe whispers into your ear, "I can tell by the shape of her eyes that her drow ancestors are from the highest of their scummy bloodlines, and her name literally translates to 'Bastard Princess' in Drowish."

"Well, my queen, why have you called this meeting?" The don asks, "How may your... humble servant... be of assistance?"

You explain that your husband, Scholar-King Emscythe, is planning on someday making war with the Beetle Queendoms, and that you would like to assist him wherever you can. "In particular, I would like halfling help launching raids and generally raising hell in the Drowlands. I was also wondering if your... organization... is interesting in working with me to expand into the Trollish Wastes so as to box the drow queens in."

A wide smile spreads across the don's face. "The way you think, my queen, it is quite... pleasing. I feel as if we might be of help to one another. Please, accept this gift."

The hobbit passes his briefcase to Brother Anders, who carefully checks it for traps before opening it and presenting you with the contents: Jet black metal bars. You touch one, and know instantly that you are dealing with Night Mithril, an already legendary metal further blessed by the clerics of the hobbit criminal class to screw with the perception of others in low light conditions.

"My employees who belong to the digger races, they... speak of your highly Queen." Branding Iron explains, "They say you are not just the greatest smith, but the greatest smith to live. Is this true?"

"I will not deny it."

"Then please hear a poor hobbit out. You see there are alot of open contracts to... cook... for various drowish nobles in the Beetle lands." Don Huck explains, "Sweet Mril-Minda is a great chef, but drow are famously hard to cook for. They are always trying to... serve each other, if you will. Very paranoid people. Hard to surprise. So I am hesitant to send my lovely daughter-in-law to fill those contracts... My little boy would be so heartbroken if instead of serving the drow, his wife was served by them. Perhaps you could make her some... kitchen equipment that could give her an edge... if you get my drift."

"The metal is yours to do with as you please," The hobbit concludes, "a... gift to a friend, no? But use it right, and together we might serve a heaping helping of chaos to the drow. As for launching raids and expanding into the Troll Swamps, those things are out of my hands. The expansion sounds expensive, and like an investment; It would have to go thorugh Don Baggins, who runs the family books. A propper raiding program would call for lots of manpower, so we would need the blessing of Cutlass Bill, the Don of Dons. As a... favor... to a friend I will gladly plead your case to them. Is there anything specific you would like me to mention, queen?"

Before you can answer, All-Lord Ukareem leans in to whisper in your ear. "That crook had a look of utter contempt on his face when he spoke of the other Dons. He will use you against them, for his own gain. Mark my words wife."

How do you proceed? The process of making an artifact will skip time for several months at the very least, at which point you will have likely fallen pregnant and your husbands will have left your side, so if you agree to make the Don's Assassin a toy, be sure to list anything you want to do before actually starting the construction process.

Dopl · « **Reply #33 on:** July 09, 2017, 06:11:26 pm »

I very much like the idea of making the daughter in law an artifact. We solidify ties with Iron Brand, even if he plans to betray the other dons, I think he could be a useful pawn, and if he turns against us, we have constant tabs on who he has built up to be his best assassin. I'm all for it. For specifics to discuss with Iron Brand: If he seems to contempt the other dons, perhaps he would not be against industry? might be a good idea to discuss the idea of establishing industry, with implications that the illegal guilds would profit from it due to better equipment being more accessible.

Is there anything I'm forgetting that we should do?

IronyOwl · « **Reply #34 on:** July 09, 2017, 08:50:58 pm »

Hobbit Godfather is the greatest thing and I am severely rethinking having them all sidelined or killed. If they all feel that way about each other, we might even be able to gain control of them by fracturing their cohesion just a bit.

In fact, let's give them a test.

We'll tell the Dons (meaning we'll tell Branding Iron to tell the Dons) that after a few months for personal matters and to arrange the logistics, we're going to begin expanding in force into the Trollish Wastes, assimilating drugar tribes and anything else that lives there, raising dark fortresses to defend and serve as staging areas against the drow, and generally civilizing and making use of the region. As the hobbits and Dons in particular are our valued citizens, we can only assume they'll wish to join us.

If so, they'll get to take part in the same cycling bounty system as everyone else. In essence, control of our staging areas (and other installations, if/when any) will cycle between anyone willing and able to use them, either innately, because we trust and value them enough to loan them control of our forces, or by alliance/purchase with less qualified groups. The more they use this control to harm the drow, empower the kingdom, and otherwise fulfill our decrees, the more they'll be rewarded and the higher their standings as it comes time to dole out more permanent positions. Including over the Beetle Queendoms proper, once they've been subjugated/destroyed.

For us, this gives everyone a chance to scramble over themselves proving themselves to us, while those uninterested join in anyway via being hired by those that are. For the Dons, this gives a chance to get legitimate (and therefore relatively unquestioned) control over land, which they might be desperate for or totally uninterested in. Either tells us more about them. More importantly, it gives them serious questions over how involved they want to be and in which ways. Taking the lead versus hiring themselves out to our more glory-hungry subjects is a start, but the real kicker is whether they go in as The Hobbit Dons or as individual guilds, maybe even shards of guilds. If they glom together, we know they're relatively unified, if only superficially. If they shatter, we know they're more free-spirited and will have driven in the first wedge.

Other than informing our husbands and Count Chance of our plans (and fishing for assistance from the latter), I don't think we have anything else to do before working on the half-drow's artifact. I agree it'll be a good move for several reasons.

Glass · « **Reply #35 on:** July 09, 2017, 09:27:56 pm »

+1 to both of these. Good ideas abound here.

Weirdsound · « **Reply #36 on:** July 10, 2017, 01:06:25 am »

They told me Aurora Wordfire was a hermit and virgin,
but when I traveled to the Oven of Origin, I found her to
be glowing as if she had just lain with a talented incubus.

I asked her why this was, and she gave me no answer.
Another pilgrim, a smith from the newly minted race
called dwarves, would later tell me that the Smith Lord
"was entranced and fulfilled by the mere thought of the
artifact she was making."

-The First Diggers: Encounters and Accounts, by Mery Shorts

Smith Lord Aurora Wordfire, Refuge Queen of Silent Hammers, Empress Consort of the Southernfrost, and Queen Consort of Bedlamb and the Marble City

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Refuge City of Silent Hammers

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

You grin as it dawns on you that the hobbits may not be as united as they seem. "I think, honorable Don Branding Iron, that I can spare some time and make some particularly effective kitchen tools for the daughter-in-law of a friend. As for the other Dons, tell them this:

In a few months time, we're going to begin expanding in force into the Trollish Wastes, assimilating drugar tribes and anything else that lives there, raising dark fortresses to defend and serve as staging areas against the drow, and generally civilizing and making use of the region. As the hobbits and Dons in particular are our valued citizens, we can only assume they'll wish to join us.

Once built, these subterranean staging areas will be available for anybody who wishes to aid my kingdom or harm the Drow to use. When the drow fall, and it comes time to permanently divvy up the land and assign titles, those who made good use of these staging areas will be given special consideration."

The hobbit nods. "I thank you for your kindness, friend, and hope for their sake and yours that Don Baggins and Cutlass Bill understand the significance of this opprotunity..."

"Hmmm..." You interject, "On the topic of opportunity and other Dons, it has been brought to my understanding that some in your family stand opposed to the industrialization of Silent Hammers. Surely you are not so short sighted, friend."

Branding Iron pauses, obviously caught off guard by this particular line of inquiry. "Well... ummm... The opposition you speak of stems from Don Cherryweather the Silent. He runs... what shall we call it... the Family Wealth Redistribution Society. Myself and Donna Sherry, who runs the... um... family pharmacy... have no objection to your people growing prosperous, and would in fact welcome growth. No matter how rich a city becomes, there will always be a demand for... how you say... warm meals and medicine. You Diggers though... you have a famously low tolerance for Wealth Redistribution. Don Cherryweather, however, believes that it is only the poverty and desperation of your people that prevent them from running his entire operation out of town, and the other Dons all back him on that belief."

The Hobbit glances over his shoulder at you as he leaves the room, beckoning the two other members of his party to follow. "Between you and me, queen, Cherryweather is a bitter, cowardly, and short sighted old excuse for a halfling. As a friend, I warn you that there is no reasoning with that gentleman. I've been trying to convince the other dons to let me arrange a meal for him for years."

---

Several days later, you find yourself back at Count Chance's palace in the city of Goldears, explaining your plan to civilize the Trollish Wastes to the human lord. Chance listens intently, before offering his answer.

"I wont beat around the bush, Lady Wordfire. You know what I desire. Declare yourself my ally, and swear that the veteran leadership and crafting prowess of your people will be on my side should the kingdom fall to civil war, and I will gladly work to help you strengthen your position until then."

"Aid in war?" You scoff, "That is a pretty tall order. I'd need to know what sort of specific 'help' you could provide my agenda before I could even consider such a pact."

"Let it be known that you are not easily taken advantage of then," Lord Chance conceedes with a slight smirk,"Agree to the pact, and I will give you control of my marble quarry for 10 years, 15 Force Units worth of human soldiers for 10 years or until war breaks out, half the contents of my royal granary right now, and the bugbear I keep in my dungeon should you find need for it."

The offer seems decent on the surface. The food, soldiers, and stone would all come in handy, and although you have two Drugar husbands who would likely help you find powerful enough practitioners of black magic to work the breeding pits of a dark fortress, you wouldn't say no to a free bugbear either.

How do you answer Lord Chance's Proposal? Also, what sort of artifact do you wish to make for the Assassin, and which material(s) from the Advanced Resource list do you wish to use? More materials means more powers for the artifact wielder, but also a longer artifact construction time.

Dopl · « **Reply #37 on:** July 10, 2017, 01:59:36 am »

Perhaps we should look into offering protection to don Iron Brand, if we want to 'make some food for' Cherryweather, not something to do soon though, as it could start an entire war among the hobits. I am very worried about what happens if we agree to the duke's deal. As in: Immediately after the raids the king dies, and our now weakened troops must participate in war. That is worst case of course. Something about him just worries me I guess.

Ask him when the access would begin, because I don't want to waste some of the time we have the quarry dealing with Cherryweathers goons trying to slow down the growth of industry, and would love to have our miners able to be safely sent to the quarry without worry the day access for us begins.

For the artifact, I vote something made of night mythril, perfect for an assassin, and perhaps some sulfur? Not much as I'd rather save it for Emscythe and his people. Definitely no bloodstone, no matter what. An assassin with a weapon that's more efficient at killing us and the majority of our kingdom does not sound like a good idea

VoidSlayer · « **Reply #38 on:** July 10, 2017, 02:32:22 am »

Instead of a weapon, why not make a suit of light chain-mail out of night mithril, steel, marble and sulfur. The idea is it would absorb the souls of the slain to defend the wielder from both physical attacks and detection. The cook surly knows how to prepare meals on her own, she just needs the proper outfit to do so with.

IronyOwl · « **Reply #39 on:** July 10, 2017, 06:26:46 am »

Quote from: Dopl on July 10, 2017, 01:59:36 am

Perhaps we should look into offering protection to don Iron Brand, if we want to 'make some food for' Cherryweather, not something to do soon though, as it could start an entire war among the hobits.

I like this idea but am also concerned about backlash if our nice restaurant owner goes against the will of the other Dons. We may have to wait for a convenient excuse or until we're established enough that ordering/requesting it would be seen as sufficiently convincing.

Quote from: Dopl on July 10, 2017, 01:59:36 am

I am very worried about what happens if we agree to the duke's deal. As in: Immediately after the raids the king dies, and our now weakened troops must participate in war. That is worst case of course. Something about him just worries me I guess.

Maybe I'm overestimating our ability to contribute, but I feel like he's basically asking us to secure the crown for him in exchange for... well, some nice capital to get started, certainly, but not exactly a king's ransom. I assume. I don't actually know how much kings go for round here.

Still, it is true that we need initial supplies to get the ball rolling, after which our incredible talent and beauty should turn us into a powerhouse on whatever scale we're able to work at. I'm open to considering other possibilities, but unless we can think of something better we might as well take the deal, get paid now, and then be relatively sure of having a decent ally on the throne proper when it comes time to collect.

Quote from: Dopl on July 10, 2017, 01:59:36 am

For the artifact, I vote something made of night mythril, perfect for an assassin, and perhaps some sulfur? Not much as I'd rather save it for Emscythe and his people. Definitely no bloodstone, no matter what. An assassin with a weapon that's more efficient at killing us and the majority of our kingdom does not sound like a good idea

Quote from: VoidSlayer on July 10, 2017, 02:32:22 am

Instead of a weapon, why not make a suit of light chain-mail out of night mithril, steel, marble and sulfur. The idea is it would absorb the souls of the slain to defend the wielder from both physical attacks and detection. The cook surly knows how to prepare meals on her own, she just needs the proper outfit to do so with.

I like this thinking outside the box, and agree there's probably no reason to make her more effective at murdering us exclusively. Well, unless we want to use her against rival diggers, but hopefully we'll be able to keep that to a minimum.

I'm personally in favor of going Full Dwarven and gluing (almost) everything we own into one gigantic lump. We have:

Night Mithril [Criminal Activity]
Sulphur [Wicked Gods]
Steel [Protection]
Bronze [Fire]
Marble [Light]
Stone [Earth]
Wood [Nature]

How about a mask or chain cloak? It might grant the ability to avoid detection near or even pass through relevant materials. Imagine being unable to be seen by firelight, being able to pass through solid stone, being able to slip into one mushroom and out another... I don't actually know if artifacts can do any of that, but it'd be neat if they could.

Aside from that, my vote would probably be for armor. As Void points out, the murder isn't the issue so much as the not being murdered in the process part. Which I assume is largely a matter of detection, hence my preference for avoiding detection/bypassing obstacles, but who knows.

VoidSlayer · « **Reply #40 on:** July 10, 2017, 07:31:17 am »

No need for fire earth or nature, I mean, it doesn't need to be the most overpowered artifact.

10ebbor10 · « **Reply #41 on:** July 10, 2017, 08:06:32 am »

Quote

-I can create mighty artifacts by inscribing the items I create with the great deeds of myself or the item's intended recipient (Granted by the World Weld)

We may want to have a bit of a meeting with Mril-Minda first, so that we know what great deeds she accomplished. Otherwise, making an artefact will be hard.

Mithras · « **Reply #42 on:** July 10, 2017, 09:15:19 am »

As I understand it this is her great deed.

"Somebody living in Downtown Silent Hammers has ensured that King Razor of Narm will die without a male heir by striking down his pregnant wife and escaping undetected."

I propose we use this deed to create an item both useful and thematic, and one which will be difficult to use against our own person. Here is my attempt at that.

Steel and Night Mithril. This cloak, woven from fine strands of Mithril and Steel (unless this is beyond our craft then simply weave the Mithril and Steel wires into black cloth) shows two sides, the inside is a record of the user's first deed, the silent killing of an innocent and her mother, as more criminal deeds are done in shining steal thread, they will be magically inscribed on the inside of the cloak (bonus helps verify that the target has indeed been dispatched by the hands of the assassin). The outside of the cloak is almost purely a black practical for moving in the shadows, it's wearer is protected from the perception of crime, that is those who somehow manage to see her through natural or magical means simply find it difficult to conceive that the wearer could be doing something wrong.

(Not sure if this is an appropriate power level but thought it might be fun to have an option that was something a bit different from straight up stealth armour which was where my mind first went)

Name it the shroud of innocents.

Glass · « **Reply #43 on:** July 10, 2017, 10:09:14 am »

You mean innocence, yes?
Anyway: yes. That sounds like an awesome idea. But does it help if they see you doing a crime?

Mithras · « **Reply #44 on:** July 10, 2017, 10:13:44 am »

The idea is that she's probably killed a lot more innocent people than one unborn baby and those deeds (encapsulated in the single dramatic event we know of) fuel the aura of innocence.

Don't know, I'm not sure how powerful an item with two materials would be, that said, I imagine for an assassin of her skill simply having magical plausible deniability on the approach and when leaving a scene is a significant edge.

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Author Topic: (SG) Rise of the Smith Lord (Read 20373 times)

Dopl

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Atomic Chicken

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Weirdsound

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Dopl

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IronyOwl

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Glass

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Weirdsound

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Dopl

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VoidSlayer

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IronyOwl

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VoidSlayer

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10ebbor10

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Mithras

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Glass

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Mithras

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