Goad the population into a killrage!
[1+2] Your words strike true with the populace, who bellow insults and oaths at you. Some begin to pick up rocks. One of the two guards stands in front of Taric and calls for them to back off.
"He killed my brother!" shouts one of the rabble.
"And my wife," says the second guard. The first guard glances back to him, then to the crowd.
"And my son," says the first guard. "But this is not the way!"
"You'd protect filth like him?" shouts the brotherless crowdsman.
"I would protect Justice!"
"Is it just that he should live, when he has slaughtered so many?" asks the second guard.
"No, but nor is it just for him to die this way. You, all of you, have lost kin to this man. Every man has lost a wife, every wife a husband - how many of our children are orphans now because of him? Would you deny
them justice?
"Sir Taric the 'Just' will die, I swear it, but not here and not now! When he dies, the whole of the city should witness it, to know that justice has been done. Will you deny the city its right to see his end? For the sake of your brother, for his wife, for my son - for all our lost sons - I bid you hold!"
The guardsman's words strike a note as true as Taric's goading. Despite the knight's rabid shouting, the people throw only fruit until he is taken away in chains.
When you are taken back by the guards, it is to a different cell. One of the guardsmen strikes you in the back of the head to stun you, then unlocks your manacles and leaves you on the ground. Before he closes and locks the door the guard, the second of the guards on the podium, speaks to you.
"I don't believe in justice. But I do believe you won't die kindly. They'll tear you with horses, limb from limb, and draw what's left on the rack before your end. A sane man would take another way out. Any way that might show up."
The door slams shut, the key turning with a hard click in the lock. You take your bearings. There is a thin, barred window near the ceiling, letting slim light in from the port. Beyond that and a coil of rope on the floor, the room is bare.
Find an empty house to sqaut in and head too the marketplace, where Taric is in the stockade.
Empty houses are plentiful enough, though new migrants are beginning to claim them. You sqat in an old bootmaker's shop and get your bearings in the city. [2] You hear that an Elbrethan knight, Sir Taric the Just (the man who tells you this speaks the epithet with a vicious sarcasm) was sent to the stocks today to be pelted with rotten fruit, but was taken away when the crowd got violent. Apparently he was responsible for the wholesale slaughter of the citizens here.
There is food in the city, to your surprise - apparently merchants have been jumping at the chance to import grain to seize upon the high prices, and the fisheries are still active now that the port blockade is lifted. The city's straits seem quite dire, but rumour has it that the new government is most likely to be hiring men of skill and opportunity in whatever capacity.
Ride to Miring
By horse, your journey to Miring is a quick one. You arrive to hear that Sir Taric was briefly taken out of the dungeons for public pelting with fruit, but was recently returned to them for his protection. You hear the same rumours any other new arrival would (see Kytuzian's response above).
Kain shrugs and then leaves, going to his quarters and composing a quick letter.
Kain raises a new regiment of his personal guard and pays his old one. He puts the newbies through a rigorous background check.
Kain gives the letter to his messenger boy to deliver to Amaryllis and sits down and looks at the dusty old piece of paper with the blueprints for the Eelspine Fortress on it.
Kain hires another Engineer, preferably from Brighthall.
[6] Your standards are a bit strict on the background check, and you end up cutting loose a few too many to manage a full regiment. You hire some of the more trustworthy back to make up numbers, but you might have a morale issue in future.
Brighthall's engineers are already gainfully employed by that nation. You hire a local engineer from Elbreth for a fee of
2 Ducats who will arrive come summer - spending another ducat will get him to you this season instead.
You have 3 Ducats remaining.
Spend 2 ducats to hire 1 missionary from the Eelspine Cyclicist Temple. Have them travel to Preston to begin preaching the true faith next season.
Spend three ducats on opening a Bank (Commercial Business, size I) in Preston.
You write a letter to one of the emigrants from Suul, a monk and learned scholar of the Burning Circle's order there. With the funding you provide, he is more than willing to move to Preston to try and bring the population under the Cyclicist sway. Travelling alone he arrives in a few short weeks, but he will be working his mission until the end of Spring before you see any reasonable results. It is possible during this time for a counter-missionary to be sent to oppose him.
You also have funds sent from the temple in Eelspine and employ them to start up the bank. With most of Preston's industry ruined by the siege, investors are welcoming the startup, but your limited funds mean that the bank is currently operating only on small, short-term loans and moneychanging. It will nevertheless improve Preston's prosperity as a result. The only problem is that you cannot operate this business yourself - you will need to assign someone you can trust to manage the bank, and all of the knights and monks under your direct command are already employed managing your land assets.
A missionary has been sent to Preston to begin a conversion attempt. A Cyclicist bank has been set up in Preston, but another player must manage it for you to receive any income - you cannot both run a business and own land/temples.Cyclicist Treasury: 0d
Hire 1 Spy specialist. Send message to the Storm Coast trading guild that I (under the guise of the name Decklan Lakeside), wish to join their guild. If my offer is accepted, immediately take out a loan of 1 ducat from the guild and build a weaving (textiles) workshop in Sheepy Hollow for 3 ducats. See if I can haggle the price of the business down to 2 ducats before taking out the loan.
You put out a few messages and make contact with an old acquaintance of yours. The fee of 2 ducats notwithstanding, he should arrive in Sheepstead by summer.
[5] Your ruse works spectacularly well, albeit by a stroke of luck. Apparently there is a rather wealthy Lakeside family on the far edge of the Storm Coast, located in the Republic of Malchor. It would appear the guildsmen thought you a relation and thus accepted your application based on 'your' family's reputation. You receive a credit scrip for 5d from the guild, with an expiry of 1 year on the credit limit - assuming you are not just planning to defraud the Storm Coast Traders' Guild, you will need to repay the ducat you are using by next Spring.
[3-1] Your attempt to haggle a better price fails; labour and equipment costs make up a lot of the initial outlay. This is probably for the best - had those negotiations gone any worse you could have ended up having to go even further into the Storm Guild's debt. You establish a workshop in Sheepy Hollow, which will produce 1d/year in profits. You can also spend money to buy wool from the local producers here, although there isn't enough local clothworking experience for you to do the outsourcing needed for large scale Cloth production. You'd need to introduce the skill into the region and make Cloth a major good produced by the province for that.
Mask's purse: 0d
Weavers' Workshop in Sheepy Hollow, size 1
Search the city's library of books about herbalism and browse the market and bookshops for books of poisons and herbalism.
[5] You quickly find that the local expert in herbalism (and, rumour has it, poison preparation) is none other than... Lady Drua. Damn it.
Your luck is slightly better than that. During her time in Elbreth, Marchioness Drua penned a couple of short essays on various herbs and their uses, cp[ies of which were added to Elbreth's archives. It isn't much (though you find indications that Drua intended to write a much more extensive treatise on the subject) but you have a start should you wish to conduct your own research.
Poison ResearchThis is a skill challenge. On completion you will gain the ability to poison your weapons, dealing an extra point of hp damage on your first successful stroke in personal combat.
Lady Drua's essays mention three distinct sources of poison; animal, herbal and mineral. You will need to obtain and study samples of all three types to get a better understanding of poison use.
1. Obtain a living specimen of one of the poisonous snakes of the Swastamik region. You will need a living specimen to milk it for its venom.
2. Obtain and prepare a herbal poison from its plant form, then determine the minimum lethal dosage to kill an average human.
3. Obtain a poisonous mineral compound and determine the required dosage to kill an average human.
Complete my research.
With the monkey and corpse in your possession, you have everything you need to complete your work. It takes a solid week for you to finish the drawings and notes, but by the time you are done you have a journal full of observations about the mechanics of anatomy.
Technology Gained: Intermediate MechanicsWith this treatise, you have enough of a footing to start work on either an
improved catapult or
improved ballista. These will take the place of separate research projects, of which you may complete one yourself this year.
Skill Gained: AnatomistShould you end up in personal combat, your anatomical know-how will improve your chance of doing lethal damage - in a fight, you will score critical hits on an advantage of 4, not 5.
The technology you have gained is a pure tech, required for developing more practical applications. You can withold knowledge of it, or you can add your copy to the castle library in Sheepstead. Normally technologies cost 1 Ducat to copy to a new library, but the inventor/researcher of a tech gets a free copy when he makes it.
Set sail for Vasir, sell LQ lumber there.
[5-1] Unfortunately, your ship was forced to make a slight detour to avoid a sloop sighted on the horizon; not the one with the cross and red field, but a different ship. This has lost some valuable time on the journey. [2] There currently is not as much demand as usual for low quality lumber, but you are able to shift your cargo for 1.9d/tonne, making 3.4d after tax (rounded to the nearest 1 decimal).
Treasury: 6d
2 cargo spaces hired until Autumn 315a(Mild misrepresentation earlier; I meant to change that 2.1d from credit to
cash. This is your real account.)
Look for some ships to steal borrow.
[1] You have little luck in finding ships quickly, though you can spend another province movement to remain in place and wait for new targets (or move to another province to try, at a lesser cost).
Whilst you are cruising around, the spotter picks out a trio of sloops on the horizon. They are flying flags; a white cross on a red background. It looks like they are heading for you in pursuit.
New Rule: Staking out a sea province for targets costs 1 ship movement.Nalia: 5 moves left.
Slow the ship, anchor for boarding. Have the crew attempt to explain for some sort of arrangement due to being owned by me, former pirate aboard the 'Nalian' whose captain has since died and we've not had a chance to return to Suul to speak with the Archbishop. If they'd like to make arrangements to see the old captain's marque we'd be glad to provide it
[6] The knights board your ship and explain that if you can provide a valid letter of marque or permit of exemption from the Archbishop, they will bother you no further - as will flying Suulian colours if you are registered with the Archbishopric. Unfortunately, the only copy of the letter possessed is with Tearakudo himself. The crew aren't the salty dogs of the
Night Runner, so without orders to do otherwise they don't put up a fight.
The sloop has only limited space, so the knights take possession of the barrels of wine and instruct the captain to ensure they get a copy of that letter of marque in future.
The ship returns to Preston with only its cargo of flax. Things have not yet recovered from the war, [1] but the recent emigration of parts of the population to Miring included the local clothworkers. Flax is selling for a meagre 1 ducat/tonne, if you wish to sell it off here at all.
1.9d
Night Runner: 5 move
Cargo Ship: 4 move
prepare for
Mine some copper
A group is to start to head down to the Steppe to get horses.
[1-2+2] Your attempts to mine copper go extremely poorly. The deposits are quite close to a large mountain stream and some ill-considered mining results in a rockslide and ensuing flood. The water washes away the newly repaired mining tools, denying the main advantage you had.
[3] You make contact with some of the more friendly clans in the Steppe. Ztah cavalry are of course world famous (less so since the decline of the great Nakhates of the past) but jealously guarded for the advantage they offer. The tribes are not going to be easy to convince to trade this resource freely. You will need to offer them something valuable in return, probably another resource of equal strategic importance, or some sort of other aid.
Tell the guards i will give them my wepons as long as I get an audience with there leader. Tell them I am Ethan Massie a sword for hire
[3] The guards are willing to take you to the Chieftain once they take your weapons. They search you for any concealed objects and take possession of your sword.
Your journey to Weybridge takes a couple of days, but you are led into a longhouse on the crest of a hill surrounded by a low town wall. Houses of similar design cluster around it. You are brought before a Weylander chieftain, heavily built and possessed of a great red beard. He listens to the guard explain your story before addressing you.
"These are dark times for the McKinley clan. Tell me, mercenary, why I should hire you rather than cast you out?"
Order McHale and the Doc to fight each other to the death.
[2] McHale doesn't waste any time. He draws his axe and goes straight for McJohnston. The doctor has just enough time to draw his own blade before the would-be Herse bears down upon him.
Greg McHale: +1 Weapon, +1 Armour. 3/3hp
McJohnston: +1 Weapon, +1 Armour. 3/3hp
[6+2 vs 3+2] A heavyset man screaming a warcry and bearing down on a man with a battleaxe is a hard thing to dodge. McJohnston fails to do so, taking a blow to his collar. Blood runs freely, but does not start spurting. [McJohnston 2hp]
[3+2 vs 6+2] McHale pulls his axe out of McJohnston's shoulder - his free arm goes limp. The doctor draws his blade across his body, slicing into McHale's leg. The stroke might have taken the chief's limb off were it not for his armour. [McHale 2hp]
[2+2 vs 3+2] McJohnston wrenches the sword out of McHale's leg, forcing the warrior to his knee. Blood spurts from the wound. [McHale 1hp]
[4+2 vs 3+2] Before McJohnston can deliver the killing blow, McHale smashes his axe into McJohnston's chest. The blow is turned by the doctor's jerkin but the impact smashes several ribs. [McJohnston 1hp]
[6+2...] McHale lifts himself up on his one good leg, hefting the axe in both hands and letting loose a piercing cry. McJohnston brings up his sword to deflect- [...vs 4+2] -but is not strong enough to block the direct stroke. The axe shatters the sword blade in two and continues along its inexorable path towards McJohnston's skull.
The last thing McJohnston sees is the way his own blood glints in the light reflecting off McHale's axe blade.
Dr Turok McJohnston has been slain.
Start work on an Encyclopaedia of Alchemy and Herbalism while the voyage across the sea continues.
You begin work on your encyclopaedia, but the sheer size of it means that you will need to complete it in two halves, each probably taking you a year to complete unless you split the burden with Locanil (each taking on one project) - but he might have his own work to pursue.
Alchemy ResearchAlchemy is such a wide ranging discipline, covering metallurgy and the properties of materials, the transmutation of substances and a subtle philosophical discipline to boot. You will need some experience of both the practical and spiritual aspects of alchemy.
1. Visit a major steelworks, taking notes of the metallurgical principles used therein and applying them to alchemical doctrine.
2. Find and interview a forger of gemstones or pearls, or one who plates objects with gold and silver to learn about their skill.
3. Obtain an understanding from a master alchemist of the experimental and spiritual disciplines that underly the art.
Herbalism ResearchThe sheer breadth of herbs available present your greatest barrier to compiling your opus on herbalism. After this, it is simply a question of cataloguing their uses.
1. Gather or obtain a full complement of herbs from a) the northern Storm Coast, b) the Samakhet Isles, c) the Mirish Coast and d) the Swastamik region.
2. Obtain as complete a record as possible from consultation with other scholars or local herbalists of the local uses of the herbs found.
Your work aside, the ship draws close to a shore. You ask the captain where you are and he indicates a coast just north of Preston.
"We're on the coast of Aching, part of the Republic of Groan," he explains. "We're going to pull in to Acre for supplies, then join up with the rest of our fleet." The captain hands you a note, the edges marked with engraving and other deterrents to forgery.
"This scrip should afford you passage along the whole of the Storm Coast, courtesy of the Order. You'll find our name's good anywhere from here to Samakhet for paying your way." The knight chuckles at a private joke. "Well, maybe not good. Infidels, after all. That's why we won't be able to ferry you into Vasir - we're not on best terms with the Storm Guild right now." You hear a crewman in the background mutters an oath about Taloisists. The knight captain gives you a short nod and gets back to his crew.
Acre proves to be a reasonably sized port, on par with Miring before the war but without the prosperity of that kingdom's market. You make a few enquiries and find that the region is mostly agrarian, devoted to pig farming and grain production. [2+1] The locals at the port give Locanil a few ill looks, but no more so than any other hooded stranger. At least he had the good sense to keep his tail tucked in this time.
[3] According to local rumour, the pig farms in the region have been raided lately by poachers from the Dead Plains, a dry and barren region to the west. Nobody is known to live there, but the rumour mill suggests some bandits might have moved in lately.
Acre is ruled by the Republic of Groan, whose capital Groan is in the next province over, Groaning. You ask about the names; a local explains that a long time ago there were two different peoples that fought for control over the regions; the Groans and the Aches. There was a royal marriage that united them about two generations before the people rebelled and created the Republic in its current state, ruled by a council of nobles and a Doge elected periodically from amongst the nobility.
In Weyland...One night, a traveller arrives at the Jarl's camp. He is covered in thick clothing and parts of his face are wrapped in bandages, but the bloodstains on the bandaging around his torso and head suggest the result of battle rather than a deliberate attempt to obscure his features. He asks to meet with the Jarl and waits patiently until he can be seen before entering the Jarl's tent to speak.
"Greetings, Jarl," says the man in a rasping but clearly Prestoner accent. His voice has a slight monotonal quality to it, likely from difficulty speaking. "My name is Robert. I am a trader. I am looking for slaves and livestock, for which I will pay well." Robert pulls a small purse from his coat with bandaged, bloody fingers and drops it onto a table, if there is one. A guard opens it; there are several slightly bloody gold coins in Groaning coinage.
"With your permission, I will remain until you or another provide slaves or livestock for me to purchase. Then I will pay, and leave, and return later with more money. This arrangement will continue until you are dissatisfied with it. The coins are a tribute, and payment for a large tent, which I will require. I prefer to conduct my business at night. My eyes were damaged in battle, light is painful."
The Night Trader pays Jarl Manskinner 1 ducat in tribute.
If accepted, the Night Trader will remain until further notice, during which time East Weyland will gain 14d/season in Market Allowance and the cost of Slaves and Livestock will increase by +3 increments. Rumour of this will spread.
In Preston...A sleek new trading ship pulls into Port Preston, from which a richly dressed ambassador departs. He makes his way to the castle with a small bodyguard and arranges an audience with Grandmaster Black. Once an audience is arranged, he speaks as follows.
"Greetings, your Grace, Grandmaster. On behalf of the Storm Coast Trading Guild may I extend my congratulations on your recent martial victory here. I regret that King Phillip's ambitions proved excessive, but am glad to see the city in such capable hands.
"Our relationship with the Mirish Coast, including Port Preston, has always been a troubled one. The attacks of piracy by the Order of St John in particular, striking in the name of Orthodoxy, have only served to drive the wedge between us. Preston refused our earlier offers of protection in these matters and attempted to take the matter into its own hands. Such a regrettable mistake.
"We come here to fix that. The sacking of Preston caused a great loss of industry, particularly in the service and financial sectors. I represent both the Storm Coast Trading Guild and the Guild of Storm Coast Shipwrights. We appreciate the dire need you have of industry and infrastructure and so come to offer our services. We are prepared to put no less than sixteen ducats into the service industry here on behalf of the Guild of Shipwrights, and a greater amount into the financial industry with a Guild Chapterhouse. In return, we would desire monopolies in whatever field we contributed to,
and a preferential sales tax rate for guild members of no more than 5% and guaranteed tax rate for the next five years of no more than 10% on our industries here.
"Of course, if you feel you can do without our assistance, we will be happy to leave you to your own devices."
The SCTG offers major industrial investment in Preston in return for tax breaks and monopolies.
In MiringTrubaldsome is interrupted by one of his new staff, the former Chamberlain (and perhaps the only loyal or trustworthy member of his father and Leuki's staff left) who gives him an update on the status of the kingdom. Several issues need addressing.
+ "The first is the pressing issue of taxation. Much of Miring's prior wealth came from taxing shipping. Since the takeover a lot of trading has already taken place that has been untaxed, meaning that Miring has been unable to take a cut of this. He strongly urges you to put the sales tax rate up to the 10% rate that is standard for the Storm Coast."
+ "Defense of the realm is the next concern, which ties back to the problem of money. Miring's manpower is almost non-existent, coming to about 4 parcels' worth. You could raise two more regiments at best from the available peasants, but probably another two if you and Aulon expanded your personal guard. This still means the largest army you can field without hiring foreign mercenaries is seven regiments, and that only with enough money. Your brother and father made great use of vassalage to overcome the shortage of arable land in Miring, but you can see the dangers that brought as well."
+ "Did I mention money is a problem? Miring's industry has collapsed in all three sectors since the implosion of Leuki's cabinet and the war. You will need to rebuild local industry back up to its former levels, and I strongly recommend a tax there as well. You might be able to get as high as 20% income taxes on businesses, but more than that is risky for a business that isn't nationalised."
+ "The other main source of Miring's money was our port. Port Sleen was famous for the breadth of goods that came into its harbour. We used to have no less than twenty distinct major trade goods available for trade in Port Sleen; now we have two. We need at least fourteen to support Port Sleen at its current level of prosperity - without it, the port's economy will collapse by next year. Our trading agreements all lapsed when your brother died, and with the question of whether we still remain an independent state on the cards the treaties have not been renewed. Some of the old partners may still be willing to renew their treaties; others may take more convincing, especially if we do not have much to offer. They may want to get a better deal - some of your father's original trade deals were fairly one sided."
+ "Traditionally we have banned the import or trade of Arms and Slaves here in Miring, lest we risk open revolt. Both of these goods are very lucrative, especially the arms trade. If you were brave enough, you could legalise trade but put a high tax on it to try and sweep up some of the profit. Twenty percent might be viable, though that is a touch extortionate. Right now, though, arms are selling dangerously well here."
+ "If we live through the next few months and manage to either negotiate some sort of peace or arrangement with Elbreth - or if by magic or miracle we end up in another armed conflict and live - we may wish to think about what resources we are producing here. It would be very expensive to try to establish ourselves as a new manufacturing centre, at least four ducats to give us an even chance, six to have a good chance, but if we can produce one of the more expensive, higher-demand goods it might give us a trade advantage both in tax and what we can offer in treaties. A toolmaking industry might be a good suggestion. Expensive as that would be, I might suggest having a company subsidise the attempt in exchange for early tax breaks."
+ "We should also consider employing the sailors in the docks before anyone else does. Right now we have no fleet - even a single ship would be an improvement."
"Finally, we received a message from the Storm Coast Trading Guild. They have offered to build industries here in the financial and service sectors, and even to offer a golden handshake of six ducats. The price is dangerously steep though, sir; they demand monopolies in both industries, complete tax breaks for the first five years, minimal sales tax on their merchants and the right to station troops here for the 'protection of their interests'.
"Your father never trusted the Guild and worked hard to keep them out of Miring - their demands would have interfered too much with the trade freedom of the kingdom and prevented us from making the agreements that brought us such wealth. Leuki was wise enough to follow in his footsteps. If we agree to a deal like this, we will get a much needed boost of cash but we will essentially be at the Guild's mercy - especially once they put troops on our soil. You might well find it terminally difficult to resist their demands hereafter, and rest assured they
will make demands.
"However, you are the King. The decisions are yours."
The SCTG offers to rebuild the financial and service industries of Miring, plus provide 6 ducats in funding, in return for complete monopolies over both industries, complete tax breaks for the first five years on said industries, 5% sales tax rates for Guild merchants and the freedom to station military troops in Miring.
Author
Topic: You are King! (Spring 315a) (Read 188763 times)