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[Taricus]

"What, that's the best you can do?! I've seen RATS that we're stronger and more competant than you! And you think this'll bring them back?! You lot shall be eaten by a rabbit, for it has more courage and manliness than ANY of you!"

Goad the population into a KILLRAGE!

[CyberGenesis]

Inquire as to the location of the noble

Vasir ship recall to Preston with 1 wine and 1 flax

[Ardas]

"Hmm, it seems as if someone made a large drop of materials in here..." Hans walked down the dock in Miring inspecting the place. The local traders were at all time low. His cloth shipment helped locals get back to normal life, but no one could afford anything anymore. But he knew that Preston still rolled along quite nicely and it was fairly close. That's where the grain will end up.
And whoever was robbing him of his business on the coast, that person will have to face Hans sooner or later....

Sail with Grain to Preston. Buy LQ Lumber there with all available cash (not credit) and leave to Elbreth. 

[ashton1993]

I wonder how Kytuzian managed with those Zimtar fellow thought Meng to himself as he approached the outskirts of Miring, he'd heard recollections of the terrible fighting near the castle, and slaughter of those in the surrounding area, thankfully his blindness hid the true horror of it but the smell gave information enough as did the absence of talk, it was all very quiet, a bit too quiet.

Find an empty house to sqaut in and head too the marketplace, where Taric is in the stockade.

[NoahTophatz]

Kytuzian Wakes up and the first thing he spots is a raider grinning: "{My Nahk he's awake}"
Nahk: "Anakyo I had hoped that this wouldn't of happened but you have forced my hand.
Anakyo as punishment for the crime of murdering three clansmembers I sentence you to 10 hours of #127. You better hope that you die in the first hour and remember that if you somehow survive the whole thing you go free"
Smiling raider: "{If he survives the whole thing he goes free but afterward...}"
Nahk state: Really annoyed
The Nahk is the leader of my clan aka me

Question Suul farmers on how to farm properly
Attempt to capture wild animals using hunting equipment from the hunting lodge
Submit Kytuzian to #127
Mine some copper

Spoiler: Ztah (Zimtar raiders) (click to show/hide)

Lands:
Elspine +2 defense [Elspine regions have +1 defense against troops coming from Suul due to rock-slide traps][copper][iron]
Elspine x1 [cave +2 defense][+4 defense total +5 against troops coming from Suul][no retreat]
Zimtar Village - +1 d/year - Elspine x1 [Zimtar Village][goatherd]
Suul x1 [hunting lodge]
Troops:
Steppe raiders x1 [personal][infantry][Raider][Elspine]
Warbears x 1 [Berzerker][heavy][Fear (hopefully)]
Tools available:
(Mining tools)
Treasury:
1 ducat
Important people:
The Nahk

[thatkid]

The King's Strategy Room, Early Spring...

(The Mask) Erik rubbed his chin, considering the proposition. "Is there any possibility," he began, still considering the Mask's request, "That we begin with a smaller business? As your ring grows more successful, you may find that the spy rings are able to...fund themselves. No?"

Later...

(Ludwig) Erik gave a small nod. "This will be done. Speak to my steward, he shall provide you with private quarters in Lady Drua's former chambers. They are close to the Alchemist Mahtan's quarters, and I am certain he will have no qualms with helping another agent of the Crown. Further, the Chronicler's former quarters are nearby as well, and you may find more records of use there than in the archives themselves." He paused a moment to consider the request for pay, and then queried: "Are the living expenses you are being paid not enough?

The King's Chamber, Early Spring...

(Kain) Erik sighed, and then quickly affected a smile. "Truth be told, I'd sooner wish you fund yourself. The less money coming directly from the crown for such an endeavor, the better. But nevertheless, it is done -- Simply tell me what it is for first, friend."

Later...

(Mahtan) Erik sat in his customary chair, a mug of ale in one hand and a crumpled letter, bearing the seal of a Storm Coast household, in the other. An identical letter lay crumpled in the fire, and even as Mahtan was ushered into the room by the guards the King watched the flames devour the words contained within. "Take a seat, Mahtan..." Erik stated somberly after a long moment of silence, his eyes did not leave the fire, "...and tell me: Where have you been?"

Later...

(Terenos) Mahtan hadn't even time to leave the chamber before Sir Edvin, clad in the glimmering steel of the Knight Guard, stepped into the room and dropped to one knee with a thundering crash. "My liege," the young knight, who was perhaps no older than fifteen, began before realizing that an amused Erik was waving him to his feet. "Erm...My liege," the knight began once more after clambering to his feet, "The Black Shadow of Elbreth has returned with a full compliment of guardsmen."
Though Erik was still trying to stifle laughter, he rose to his feet nonetheless. "Very well," he replied after a moment to regain his composure, "Have the guard gather in the courtyard to meet him. I will be down shortly..."

Terenos and his men entered a courtyard muddy from rain and filled with several dozen steel-clad knights, great swords held pointed down with shield in front in a stoic ceremonial pose, their dark blue cloaks billowing about them in the sort of winds that could only precede a thunderstorm. In the center of the courtyard stood the King himself, clad in a dark red tunic of some fine fabric, his father's longsword slung over his back. "Welcome, Terenos," he cried out, his baritone voice eerily accompanied by the whistle of wind through the burnt ruins of the east wing, "I've been waiting to see you."

[Terenos]

Terenos bowed solemnly, thoughts running through his head quickly.

A fire? Another one? Maybe we should get some stone quarried out of the mountains.. His guard..well, I did come with troops didn't I. ..Or maybe Trubaldsome is acting against me. It never goes smooth.
Course it hasn't, It hasn't since two years ago when your brothers assassin's burnt down that farmhouse while you were in the barn. 6 lives to spare your miserable hide. Easier if you'd just died without making a fuss.

Straightening and shaking those thoughts from his head, Terenos spoke clearly to the king.
"My King, I bring dire news from the east. Per..haps we should speak alone?"

[filiusenox]

"Indeed...I feel much guilt and shame for asking you for money... Two ducats worth will go to recruiting and paying the upkeep for a regiment directly under the MIA and to pay a few  Anti Espionage operatives, and the other two will be used to start and hopefully finish work on the Eelspine castle. Of course...Unless you don't wish me to work on the Castle..."

[thatkid]

The King's Chamber, Early Spring...

(Minister Kain) Erik's eyes widened in surprise. "Yes, of course." he replied quickly, affecting another smile, "You shall have the four necessary ducats. And should you require more for the construction of your fortress, I will gladly provide it." He paused a moment, adding, "Such a structure would no doubt be useful whilst hunting down those raiders...it's a shame we've taken so long to begin construction on it, eh?"

Give Minister Kain 4 ducats for the spy ring and the Eelspine Fortress.
15.5 Ducats left

The Courtyard, Early Spring...

"These..." he paused a moment, realizing that the Knight that stood closest to the Assassin was no more than thirteen, and then continued "...erm...men are my personal guard. Anything which I might hear, may reach their ears as well. Nevertheless, you must wish to get out of the wind and rain. Come, we will meet in the Dining Hall."
With that Erik turned, striding off in the direction of the central wing of the palace. Half of the Knight guard fell in line behind him, the other half stood motionless as statues, waiting for Terenos to move first.

[Zako]

"I see, if by self funding you mean..."

Mask takes a quick glance towards the commander before leaning in and whispering;

"embezzlement..."

before leaning back again and continuing like normal, well as normal for him that is.

"then yes, you would be correct. However this requires 3 things to work: we need actual spies in our service, and other than myself and possibly other 'guests' in your employ, then we have a total of none. Second, we require funds to carry out the act of 'aquiring' funds from others. Ironic, is it not? Finally, we require a target, of which I currently have none, as it is you who must decide where to direct my efforts.

I admit, what I ask for is somewhat a bit too much, but the beauty of this setup is that it can adjust to the amount of available money we currently have, while returning a suitable amount over time, if the business in question doesn't go out of business of course. Of course, we can always start with a smaller plan at first, that is completely understandable considering the state of the country at the moment, as well as the events to the east. However, in order for me to do my job, I still require funds and a target. I am afraid you must provide both at this time, sire."

The Mask pauses for a moment, chin on the back of his hand in thought before speaking again.

"One other thing sire, do you know of any people who are currently employed in your service who are in the same occupation as I, myself not included? These people could be useful in starting the spy rings."

[filiusenox]

Kain nods in agreement. He stares at the dregs in the bottom of the glass.
"Yes...it would, but I was rather busy last year... I'm sorry to say... and also the second matter of business...which is frankly more disturbing and strange...take what I say with a grain of salt...it has no evidence besides a corpse...and even alive he was very unreputable character..."Kain drains his glass and pours another, which he drains again.
"I found one of the Suulian mercenaries that raided the town of Stonewood, last...Autumn I bielive? Yes... He was left behind and one of my men found him half dead and with great wounds...I gave him a deal, we would help him out to the best of our abilities, but he was to tell us who sent him against Stonewood...He may have been telling a lie however..." Kain sighs again and mutters something along the lines of 'slippery eel he was.' Taking another big sip from the glass, he continues,
"He said Sir Taric hired those mercenaries."

[Terenos]

Terenos shrugged and ordered his men to take some rest in the barracks, then followed the King towards the Dining Hall. The general mood of Elbreth had changed in his absence.. War he supposed did that to a place.. Plus Terenos was certain that no small number of accidents had afflicted the place. He contemplated how best to tell the king the events since his last letter.. This was not going to be a good story, though parts of it were good.

Besides why was he worried..The King trusted him right?

He strode with purpose into the Dining Hall, ready to recount his tale.

((Im leaving it there in case you want to yknow, get the drop on my character, or something.))

[thatkid]

The King's Strategy Room, Early Spring...

(The Mask) "I will provide you with two ducats worth of funding. With this, you may open as many businesses as you possibly can. I recommend finding a member of the Storm Coast guilds to...work alongside." The King replied calmly and quickly, studying the Mask for his reaction. "I hope that will be enough to start at least one business? I imagine with the correct amount of cunning, and the correct amount of concealment on the part of...those who look into such things, embezzlement should be simple enough. Speak to Marquess Lonemine, and tell him I sent you." He paused a moment, considering, and then added: "I shall grant you two more ducats, as well, to begin your...eh...circle. I would have Miring infiltrated first."

Give the Mask 2 ducats for business purposes, and 2 ducats for recruiting spies.
11.5 ducats left

The King's Chambers, Early Spring...

(Minister Kain) Erik nearly spit up his wine at the accusation, only keeping it down by the grace of God himself. "You...don't believe that, do you?" he frowned, studying the Minister in a new light. Had he chosen incorrectly? "Sir Taric may be dishonest in...many aspects. But he is loyal to his liege, and, more importantly, loyal to his subjects. What would he gain from such an attack?"

The King's Personal Dining Hall, Early Spring...

As they entered the dining hall, a spacious and open room with two long wooden tables and a raised dais upon which a smaller table with chairs sat, one of the knights quickly moved to stoke the already burning fire in the great central fireplace while two more moved to open a keg of ale and pass out mugs whilst the rest took seats at one of the tables, making quiet small-talk the whole while. Erik fell back at the door to walk alongside Terenos, speaking with a casual air as he led the diplomat to the dais "I had hoped that...no ill had befallen you in Trubaldsome's rebellion, or in the battles with Preston. It is good to see that you are well." He paused a moment, motioning for Terenos to take a seat to the right of the central chair.
Sitting down, Erik continued, "In any case, I have heard many rumors of the events in Miring and Preston. Some concerning you, but..." He paused once more as Sir Edvin handed Terenos a wooden mug before seating himself to the left of the King, opposite of Terenos. "I am eager to hear a first hand account of everything that has happened."

He paused then, and the small talk of the room immediately faded to silence as Erik looked to Terenos, his blue eyes icy as the sudden warmth faded away, his voice powerful and stern: "And you'd best tell your tale truthfully."

[Zako]

The Mask bows his head in thought for a moment, before nodding a few times.

"Ahhh... I see. You would make a good spy I think, my lord, if you don't mind me saying so. Take it as a compliment, and from me, that doesn't happen all that often.

An excellent idea by the way, siding with the Storm Coast guilds. We can always use their connections and money to our benefit, plus the trade itself is not to be laughed at. I hear they supply credit to new merchants that join them, I shall see if it is true in any case.

And by Marquess Lonemine, you mean Minister Kain? We spoke with each other on the way to battle the bandits. A fine man, if I do say so myself."

The Mask picks up the book that he showed the king and stands, tucking his chair back in. He bows deeply to the king, and much to the suprise of the commander, to him as well.

"I have much work to do now, so I must bid my leave of you for now. Thank you sire for both the funding and advice, I shall put it to use as much as possible. And thank you Commander Lief, for not overreacting to my profession as is my past experience with guards. Good day to you both."

Sweeping his cloak back into place, he hurries out of the room, shutting the door behind him. He had a Minister to catch up with.

--------------------

Later in the day, after Kain's meeting with the king:

The Mask stood in a shadow by the door to the room that Kain and the king were talking in. As soon as Kain left and closed the door after himself, he promptly stepped out of the shadows, much to the fright of the guards.

"Minister, I require to speak with you on matters of the kingdom. The king sent me to talk with you. May we go somewhere private?"

He spared a glance to the poor witless guards.

"Pay attention boys. It's the king you are guarding, not some halfwit merchant."

[Terenos]

((Warning, Rambling ahead, Spoilered for convenience.))

The relief flooding through him was almost something he could grab, and store away for a less pleasant day. The King still trusted him. It was time to explain everything that had occurred from his point of view.

Spoiler: Terenos Rambling (click to show/hide)

"I traveled out to meet King Leuki. Offer them the aid of our army..Alas I lost both regiments under my command upon arriving. I do not think I can be blamed.. Fresh troops, an unfamiliar urban enviroment against local peasants set to rob the place blind.. Fortunately I still broke the small siege that had occurred. I was welcomed into the castle and set about plotting its defense.

Admittedly I was starting to believe at this point that there was some curse upon my leadership and maybe, just maybe I could cause the death of all the Miring troops, and we could snap up their land without an issue.

After a few naval skirmishes, I was inside the castle explaining my plan for defense to the king. That is when Chicane von Trubaldsome struck. He slew King Leuki for the crown of Miring. And then expounded slightly on his plan to me. It was his intention to have assassins strike at King Philip, and Prince Karl, in order to claim Preston and Miring for himself.

He also demanded from me, at crossbow-point, that I serve him and kill you. In exchange for Elbreth. I would never do such a thing.

I did not kill King Leuki, much as rumor suggests I did. And Chicane was slain by my hand in honorable combat. Because if not, I would now be dead, Preston and Miring would be united and they would be marching against Elbreth.
 I have permitted the rumors that both were murders done by my hand because the deeds were more valuable claimable by an Elbrethian assassin. I had to think quickly, and I used those rumors to secure control of the situation, declare myself regent, and I then intended to take the crown to you..No Kings without crowns.."

With that, He pulled the Crown of Miring from his travel pack, and handed it to King Erik. He then resumed his tale of events.

"I still had a hostile army advancing from the north, so I gathered every defender and troop left to Miring and attempted to parlay with the Prestoners. I met them in an open field and told them the conspiracy had ended, No more lives needed to be lost.. The fact I held the crown swayed them into retreat. The fact I held the crown swayed the Miring troops to attack me. Apparently they didn't trust my accounting of events. Lords Above protected me, but alas, all the soldiers of Miring had to be slain.

With no army in the land but the personal guards of myself and Manning Ilbrecht, my good friend and trusted aide.. How could I have left?  Some semblance of order had to be kept. I sent Manning ahead, to shadow the Prestoner force, and to prevent more bloodshed over this conspiracy if possible, aid our own troops in battle if not. I traveled south to meet Sir Tarics reinforcements.

Upon reaching the reinforcements..Something had to be looked into. I borrowed the army to travel to Chicane von Trubaldsomes estate. A man does not create a far reaching conspiracy without leaving something behind. Letters, resources, something. In truth I found the deeds to a profitable business..And handed them over to Lady Drua. I had just killed her husband...It was ..Only ..right that she got some..measure of recompense.

-Then-, Leaving 3 regiments to hold order, I and Taricus traveled north to find an incredibly suspicious sight. A massacre of Prestons army. And tales of a brutal storm that struck fiercely at the Prestoners. I heard tell of the looting of Preston's docks, to fund the Grand Master's war effort, I did not think a slight looting of the noble estates would go amiss in order to pay for my own troops, or to train them further.. Not every regiment of the Preston army was accounted for. Several are still missing. Grand Master Black has had no luck in tracking them down. And these regiments had catapults. Hence the concern.

Whilst I was looting, clearly the tongues of my soldiers wagged. Trubaldsome departed towards Miring with great speed. Aulon yl Marchis joined him before too long. Not wishing to be burdened with treasure, and with a possible betrayal on our hands, I returned half of what I'd taken and used the rest to train my troops better, and bribe the Admiral of Preston, into letting me make use of the navy...Incidentally if you could see your way clear to authorizing a tax exempt status for him, for at least 3 years I would be most appreciative. I did give my word about it.

I sailed south to prevent more bloodshed. I cannot speak to what occurred prior to my arrival, but the remnants of the Miring navy left port to attack me, so I made sure to strike first. Were it not for the actions of the captain of the Night Runner , We would have surely been bested at both sea, and land.

Because next, I saw Elbreth soldiers outside the castle, laying siege to it. I saw the gates pour open, and I saw Mirish peasants massacre crown soldiers, and possibly capture or kill Sir Taric. After the loss of Manning's regiment, lost to the cold uncaring seas, there was literally nothing that I could do by docking and fighting him. So I chose to retreat, and deliver a report to you. Because unless I miss my guess.. Trubaldsome would have sent messengers ahead to discredit me. Paint himself a victim. Or me a regicidal maniac. "

His tale concluded, Terenos scratches at the thin growth of beard he has developed recently. Lords Above but he needed to shave. All this rushing about..It would have to stop.