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Myth: A New Age CYOA

Baltika9

Arcane
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Messages
9,611
Voting for Aiv. Not really a fan of mindraping the guy and pissing off his whole family.
 

Fangshi

Arcane
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,997
Alright, that should do it.


So the winning options are:

1. For the interrogation you will attempt to outsmart Wenzel with the plan in Aiv.

2. You will express interest in hiring the Doves but you will not recruit them until your finances improve/you know more about them.

3. You will not recruit the Bastards.

4. You will not recruit the Cocks.

5. You will not recruit the Knights.

6. You will not recruit the Hounds.

7. You will recruit the Greys. Gaining 500WPs and possibly 70WPS per month.

8. You will hire the Boys for 25WPs a month.

9. You will hire some of the unaffiliated mercenaries:

- Forty dwarven grenadiers at 20WPs a month.

- Forty dwarven warriors at 10WPs a month.

- Two illegal mortars at 20WPs a month.

- Twenty human legionaries at 20WPs a month.

10. You will attempt to turn the maid into a double agent.

11. You will take out another loan (of 300WPs) with Mayer to help pay down your debt with the Goldsmiths a little faster. He will hold off on collecting till your other debts are paid and he will charge a flat rate of interest on the loan. He reserves the right to ask you for a favour in exchange for not charging the usual compound interest. You reserve the right to refuse the favour and pay the difference instead. You will give him your accumulated extra spellbooks to act as a guarantee on the loan. These include: the Elemental Tome, the Worn Book, 'Golems for dummies', the half dozen unsorted spell pages, Gullveig's tome and the five spellbooks written in the language of the Spider Goddess. The Purple Sun scroll you will hold on to as it is potentially worth far more than 300WPs. Mayer will not attempt to sell the books unless you die or disappear and the loan can not be repaid through other means.

12. You will not open a gate to Muirthemne at the moment, perhaps something for later.



Given the hour here there will be a slight delay on the update as I won't be able to start it tonight. It should be up within thirty six hours though if everything goes according to plan.
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Fangshi said:
- Two illegal mortars at 20WPs a month.
I wonder, is there a way to legalize the mortars somehow?

What kind of regulations are they under? What kind of penalty are we looking at if those are not met? Confiscation? A fine?

How come Trakk was able to use his on the kingdom's territory without repercussions? It seems that foreign mercenary companies are allowed to utilize them under certain conditions.
 
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Fangshi

Arcane
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,997
Nevill said:
I wonder, is there a way to legalize the mortars somehow?

By a majority vote in the Assembly.

You would need to convince Houses Berg, Welf and Albrecht that it is a good idea to legalize private ownership of mortars/canons. They are the Houses blocking legalization within the Assembly.

Houses Hesse and Reginar as 'warrior Houses' do not care much one way or the other as they have no stated interest in possessing any. They prefer to rely on the strength of their warriors rather than machines.

House Seinsheim would be your ally in this. Seinsheim has long desired to field his own private artillery and some say he has even been developing some in secret. There was even the suggestion, put forth by Eberhardt and the republican Houses, of launching an investigation into Seinsheim's assets to ensure he was not developing weapons in violation of the law. Seinsheim, as always, stood defiant. He replied that any dwarf that wanted to 'investigate' his House better have a letter from the King's own hand or several hundred warriors at his back. At any rate all talk of an investigation died when you helped to wipe out Eberhardt's House, family and allies.

So it might be possible to convince Seinsheim to extend his proposal to include certain agents acting on behalf of the Crown or the noble Houses.

Nevill said:
What kind of regulations are they under?

They are class 3 weapons and reserved solely for military use in full fledged battles. The Pathfinders naturally have several though they are careful where they deploy them and the weapons research division of the Royal Academy also has several (most are new prototypes in testing and pre-production).

Nevill said:
What kind of penalty are we looking for if those are not met? Confiscation? A fine?

Confiscation and a fine. It is unlikely that you would be sent to prison, though it could happen, the political pressure the King could exert should be sufficient to prevent that. You would definitely be looking at a fine of a hundred or two hundred WPs and the confiscation of the weapons. The dwarven operators of the mortars would also likely see prison time.

Nevill said:
How come Trakk was able to use his on the kingdom's territory without repercussions? It seems that foreign mercenary companies are allowed to utilize them under certain conditions.

Trakk is ex-military (giving him the necessary contacts to obtain and conceal a single mortar) and he only used the mortar well away from the city and the Houses. The only people that knew he had the mortar were the soldiers in that fort and after you saved them not a soul was willing to tell; military honour and all that. You don't sell out a comrade in arms (or a former comrade in arms), especially one that just saved your life. If someone had tried his/her comrades would have seen to it that they were disposed of quickly and the King's agents/the Pathfinders would have taken care of the rest.
 
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Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Fangshi said:
They are class 3 weapons and reserved solely for military use in full fledged battles.
Can we learn more about the weapon classifications? How many classes are there and what weapons belong to which class?
 

Fangshi

Arcane
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,997
Class 1 weapons are 'traditional arms', hand weapons, spears, bows, crossbows, cocktails and the like. They are certainly dangerous in specific situations but they are nothing that the dwarves feel the need to specifically regulate. Not that they would really be able to regulate them anyway, dwarves are fiercely protective of their rights and disarming the 'dwarven people' (read: mercenaries and the Great Houses) would be akin to waging a war.

Class 2 weapons are not that different from class 1 weapons but they tend to be rarer and easier to regulate. As a result they tend to be more highly regulated. Class 2 items include magic weapons and artifacts, they also include 'dangerous' mundane weapons such as Mel's inventions and some of the things the Academy are working on. You do not need any sort of training or licence to possess or use class 2 items, again this is due to the impracticality of actually regulating these items 'in the wild' but those that produce and sell class 2 items require permission from the Crown.

So D&T do not need to fill out any paperwork or pay anyone in government to keep their spell rings but the Brothers Dietfried and Mel both require licences to operate their shops/workshops. In theory they are also supposed to present all new items and inventions to Academy inspectors before they are put out for sale. In practice what happens is that merchants only show the inspectors items they know will pass scrutiny, they hide everything else and only bring them out for their long time customers.

Class 2 weapons are also the highest class of weapon that private individuals may possess legally.

Class 3 items are the highest level and restricted to military use, they include most of the projects the Academy is working on as well as all artillery, siege gear, chariots, balloons and the like. Most of these items require an order from the King, approved by the Assembly, to be used.

It is possible that a class 4 and a class 5 also exist but they would be reserved for weapons of extreme power or potential and their existence would be on a strict 'need to know' basis.
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Huh? Chariots are class 3 weapons? How come?

I mean, all it takes to construct one is to tie a cart to a horse. It does not get more 'conventional' than that. I'd expect to see them at class 1 tier.

What class are battle Elephants? Do the Hounds have clearance to use them?

Also, about the military. We are at +55 reputation with The Royal Army, but what does this mean in practice? Apparently, there are people who hold a benevolent view towards us, but who are these prople? Top brass? Field officers? Do they represent any kind of political power in the kingdom?

I've heard that many young nobles serve in the Army. Do they fall under military, or do they fall under their respective houses? It is kind of hard to tell where we stand with the young generation from the Great Houses.

What I am interested in is this:
Class 3 items are the highest level and restricted to military use
What would it take for us to own the mortars legally? To limit their use to the massive military operations only? To enlist in the Royal Army? One of the options was, of course, to change the existing law and to legalize them, but are there no others?

Does Cath Bruig regulate the flow of weapons in the same way?

What happens when a new weapon is developed? Who is in charge of assigning a class to it? If we eventually build our Final Fantasy airship, what legal procedures will we have to go through to keep it?
 
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archaen

Cipher
Patron
Joined
Mar 10, 2014
Messages
633
Aren't we already honorary Pathfinders? Anyway, can we make it official in a secret file so if it ever comes up we can claim qualified immunity?
 
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Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Yeah, kind of what I am getting at. How come Pathfinders have theirs? It looks those are semi-official, too, judging by the fact that Bari needed to obtain clearance and fill in some paperwork to 'legally' use them.

P.S. Call me slow, but I only just now figured why our birthdays are bunched up the way they are. :oops:
 
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Fangshi

Arcane
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,997
Nevill said:
Huh? Chariots are class 3 weapons? How come?

They can be easily regulated, so they are. Horses are not common and there are only a handful of ranches in the Kingdom, as a result there are only a couple competent workshops that can create a working chariot. Since there are so few workshops and ranches it was quite simple to ensure a practical monopoly on chariots for the state and that reality allows for their regulation under the law.

By contrast dwarven cocktails are much more dangerous than a few chariots but the formula for the cocktails is widespread at this point and it is fairly easy to make. The Crown simply can not control the production of those basic grenades so they are made legal.

It is simply a case of the law, and the state, recognizing the reality of the situation rather than spending hundreds of thousands of WPs trying to combat a phenomenon that it has no way currently of controlling.

Nevill said:
I mean, all it takes to construct one is to tie a cart to a horse.

Sure, if you want to field wagons against military chariots you can. Don't know how well it would work for you though.

Nevill said:
What class are battle Elephants? Do the Hounds have clearance to use them?

The elephants do not have a classification, same with the dogs or any other animal. The state does not view a couple elephants as a problem since they have not really caught on as a weapon of war. They are difficult to acquire and breeding elephants in captivity is also fairly difficult as many develop behavioural problems from the experience of being contained and disciplined.

If everyone started using elephants there might be attempts made by the state to classify them and control their use but for now they are similar to a class 2 (just without the paperwork), the Hounds simply had to notify the Crown that they had such animals for the sake of the royal records.

Nevill said:
Also, about the military. We are at +55 reputation with The Royal Army, but what does this mean in practice?

It means that there are several individuals placed at key positions within the Royal Army that are favourably disposed toward you.

Nevill said:
Apparently, there are people who hold a benevolent view towards us, but who are these prople?

You have spent no real time with the military in general so you simply do not know. The captains of the Royal Guard likely respect/like you based on your past heroics at the outpost, against Eberhardt and at Blackrock. That does not mean though that they neccesarily look forward to serving as your bodyguards as you are developing a bit of a reputation in that regard as well.

Nevill said:
Do they represent any kind of political power in the kingdom?

Very likely yes but again you did not spend any time with the military set (either hunting with the junior officers or at parties with the nobles where you would have met many of the senior officers) so you do not really know.

Nevill said:
I've heard that many young nobles serve in the Army. Do they fall under military, or do they fall under their respective houses?

Depends on where the individual's loyalties rest and how they view themselves. Some are counted under the Army and some are counted under their respective Houses just as some officers are more committed to what is good for the Army and others are more committed to their own advancement.

Nevill said:
It is kind of hard to tell where we stand with the young generation from the Great Houses.

In general most view you with suspicion and hostility. You are a threat to the order they stand to inherit so it is likely that they will be even more weary of you than their elders who already have power to protect them.

There are exceptions though but you don't know who.

Nevill said:
What would it take for us to own the mortars legally?

An order from the King backed by an act of the Assembly.

Nevill said:
To limit their use to the massive military operations only?

They already are limited to large scale military operations.

Nevill said:
To enlist in the Royal Army?

Only dwarves can enlist in the Army. You would need to get the laws changed if you wanted to enlist and if you did they would 'own' you for the next twenty years. You would not simply be able to leave. On the bright side if you survived the full term you would be given a decent plot of land to own in perpetuity with no taxes owing on it during your lifetime.

Nevill said:
One of the options was, of course, to change the existing law and to legalize them, but are there no others?

Get the King to declare martial law and suspend the Assembly. Then he could write the order himself to give you permission to use mortars.

Nevill said:
Does Cath Bruig regulate the flow of weapons in the same way?

No. The Empire is too large and sparely populated to have much in the way of restrictions on its subjects when it comes to weapons. As long as those weapons are not used to cause excessive property damage or to murder the wrong sorts of people the law has no more of a problem with you possessing a mortar than a sword. Which is to say they would probably prefer if no one did but they are well aware that they can not enforce such a prohibition so they focus on more important matters (like trying to rebuild every major population centre in the entire Empire ;)).

Nevill said:
What happens when a new weapon is developed?

It is supposed to be brought before the inspectors at the Royal Academy. In practice though only weapons that are sure to pass scrutiny are brought forth. Things that are likely to be confiscated are usually hidden and sold on the sly to interested parties.

Nevill said:
Who is in charge of assigning a class to it?

The inspectors at the Royal Academy. Some are better than others and some are open to bribes but it is the best the Kingdom has been able to come up with.

Nevill said:
If we eventually build our Final Fantasy airship, what legal procedures will we have to go through to keep it?

If it has weapons on it, and let's face it, it probably will, then you will need to take it to the Academy and they will inspect it and every weapon that is a part of it. They will then give their ruling. Normally, it would probably be at least a class three and they might have to put it in a higher class all of its own. A couple well placed bribes or some pressure from the king might be able to change that classification or you could send it to be inspected but strip off all its weapons first. You could then argue that it is just a new form of transportation and not a giant, flying weapons platform.

As a completely new creation, with only the balloons to base its classification on, the legality of your airship would have a lot to do with the political situation in the Kingdom at the time you present it to the world. It is worth noting though that a high level classification might also play out to your advantage as it would severely limit the production and use of such devices in the Kingdom which would serve to curb your (legal) competition so long as you manage to get your aircraft approved. A low level classification or a classification exemption would make legal ownership of your ship an easier affair but it would also encourage imitators and competitors, so there is a bit of a trade-off.


For the moment though there are several large hurdles between you and a working airship that would have to be overcome before this would even become an issue.

archean said:
Aren't we already honorary Pathfinders? Anyway, can we make it official in a secret file so if it ever comes up we can claim qualified immunity?

You are honourary Pathfinders that is correct.

Well, the real Pathfinder agents do not receive legal immunity so I see no reason why you would. If they get caught with a mortar by someone that cares then they are expected to deal with that individual on their own. If they get caught doing something illegal in general they are expected to escape on their own. If they are captured why breaking the law they are expected to commit suicide. The King and the state will completely disown them if necessary and will denounce their actions as the work of extremists and mercenaries. At all times the King must be insulated against any blowback from Pathfinder operations, that is just the way it is. The Pathfinders do not exist.

So you will receive no official benefits from being honourary Pathfinders and in this case those are the only benefits that matter. Albrecht already does not care in the slightest if you own or use mortars. He is allowing you to do more or less what you want to solve the problem facing his kingdom. He will only care if the use of mortars is tied to you personally and even then he will only act if forced to by the Great Houses or other, sufficiently powerful, individuals.

Nevill said:
Yeah, kind of what I am getting at. How come Pathfinders have theirs?

They have them because sometimes you need to breach a fortress to murder the head of a rebellious House or crush a cultist uprising quickly before it becomes public knowledge.

Nevill said:
It looks those are semi-official, too, judging by the fact that Bari needed to obtain clearance and fill in some paperwork to 'legally' use them.

The Pathfinders may be an illegal, shadow branch of the government but they are still the government. There is all sorts of paperwork that needs to be filled out for every operation and requisition forms for siege equipment are a part of that. Bari has little patience for such things overall and he usually let Ari or his other teammates deal with that.

Of course now most of his comrades are dead and he has little to do except dream all day so maybe he should be woken up and made to finish all that paperwork. :lol:

Edit:

The update is making slow but steady progress. I should be able to finish it tonight if there are no more interruptions but I don't want to make any guarantees at the moment.
 
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Fangshi

Arcane
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,997
Well, that did not quite go the way I planned but I finally have free time today so the update will be out within twelve hours or so.


Edit:

Alright, the update is done. Not too sure about this one though... anyway it will be up as soon as I finish giving it a once over.
 
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Fangshi

Arcane
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,997
Chapter 59: Questions of Trust

How to do this?

Force would be the easiest way to get what you need. You would just have to demolish Wenzel mentally or physically, hell, you could even just leave him to the Sovereigns. One brief glance at the maul is enough to assure you that he will get the job done if you let him. Of course, there may not be much of the Prince left if you go down that route and that could make things more difficult for you in the long run.

His father would likely resent you if the Prince proves innocent and his brothers would certainly hate you without compelling proof to justify your actions. Finally there is the matter of Letta and the rest of the Sovereigns, if something goes wrong you might never secure their release.

Perhaps there is a smarter way to do this?

A better way to do this?

Is it possible?

Honestly you aren't sure but it is worth a try.

You cough, drawing the attention of all assembled, you grin and then you begin...

.

..

...

Actually this time it might be better to let Thaïs do this, you are only going to get one attempt after all. You just need a way of informing her of your plan. That should be easy enough to accomplish, you just need an excuse to mutter your plot to Caoilainn, she can do the rest.

As you cobble together a plan events continue to play out before you. The Prince, expert diplomat that he is, is moving ever closer to a premature end, "I am going to have you all hung for this! I am going to string you fucking peasants up! I am-"

He grunts and gasps as the maul's fist makes contact, a body blow that leaves him sucking air. You doubt the dwarf would even remain upright in his seat if the other Sovereigns were not holding him in place.

The maul chuckles, "Little Prince, if you don't tell me exactly what I want to hear you are-"

Best not to let the mercenary finish that threat, your better half is going to have enough trouble calming the Prince without any more threats levelled against him, "That's enough," you calmly command the maul.

"I will say when it is enough!" he bellows back, balling a fist and preparing to turn on the Prince again, "This little fuck-"

You step forward and grab the maul by the wrist. He stops dead and stares at you in confusion, you crack a slight smile at the situation. He is probably six or seven times your weight, he towers over you, he could swat you away with a flick of his wrist but as you look into his eyes, behind the annoyance and confusion, all you see is doubt and a hint of fear.

"Let go," he whispers.

"No," you reply coolly, casually.

"I could break you in half," he mutters in response.

"Really," you do your best to feign surprise, it is convincing enough, "You can do that?"

He cocks his head back, his confidence returning. He puffs his chest out, repeating his threat, "When I want to, I can break people."

"Oh," you reply, nodding twice. You do not remove your hand however, instead you beckon him, with a single, slender finger, to lower his head.

He squints at you, tilts his head as he considers you and then, with a brief chuckle, he does just as you request.

You look into his eyes with a serene smile on your face as he moves closer still.

As his head pulls even with your own you lean forward slowly, rising up on your toes. As your lips brush his ear, you speak, a mere whisper, intended for him and him alone, "When I want to, I can break armies."

You drop back on you heels and begin to walk toward the far side of the room, your hand still around his massive wrist. You do not spare him a single glance.

He lets you guide him, his eyes boring into the back of your skull as you lead him across the room and out of range of the rest of your group.

You spin on your heel, and fire off a quiet question to the mercenary, "Do you want your fellows back?"

"Uh," he blinks twice, "Yeah, of course!"

"Then keep your voice down," you hiss, "And do exactly as I say."

You can read it on his face, his first instinct is to object. You don't give him the opportunity, "It is a simple choice- ah, what's your name by the way?"

"Everyone calls me Tusk," he answers bewildered.

"On account of being a maul?" you enquire.

"Yeah," he answers quickly, gathering his wits.

You try to explain yourself, "Well Tusk, I feel that between the tavern and our little conversation here that we may not have gotten off to the best start."

He laughs, "No shit!"

"I said keep your voice done, " you remind him, "I am going to get Letta and the rest of your friends out of Wenzel's compound but I need you to trust me and do what I say."

He shakes his head, "That sounds like a bad idea."

You sigh, it really is a shame that you can't have Thaïs do this, "Look, at this point how are you going to free the rest of the Sovereigns by yourself. You can't just murder a royal prince and expect to get away with it," well, actually he probably could if you spoke for him but Tusk does not need to know that, "And you can't drag him through the streets either."

He grumbles to himself, but nods, "If this does not work..."

You nod impatiently, "If it does not work then do what you have to but I think we can pull this off without any bloodshed."

"What do you need me to do?" the maul asks.

Well, at least now you have your excuse to communicate to Thaïs, "Just stand there and nod occasionally. Make it look like we are having a conversation but keep it quiet, I need to talk to my partner."

He nods but you can already see the questions forming in his mind as you begin to whisper to your ethereal officer, "Caoilainn?"

She clears her throat, clearly a little amused, "'I can break armies,' she says! You really are great with people, you know that?"

"Less talking and more listening please, I have another plan," she practically groans as you speak those words.

"Your plans tend to put us at risk," she mutters.

You take on the tone of an instructor, gently scolding her pupil for a lack of vision, "My plans also save our lives regularly and this one is completely safe, at least for us."

You sense her scepticism, "Well, what is it this time?"

You think she will be quite pleased with this plan, "We need to get a copy of the Prince's seal and a letter requesting that Letta and the rest of the Sovereigns be brought to the palace. Then we merely have to send it to Wenzel's compound and wait for the prisoners to come to us."

"That," she pauses to consider the notion, "That might work I guess and at least it puts us in no personal danger. A question though, oh brave and brilliant commander."

"What?" you answer as Tusk scrutinizes you, it is likely the maul thinks you are just a little mad, maybe you are.

"How do we get Wenzel to agree to writing such a letter?" it is a good question.

"I don't think we need to," you respond carefully, "We just need his seal and a sample of his writing. We get the Pathfinders to help with the rest."

Now this is all speculation on your part but if you were a highly illegal, shadow branch of the government you would likely have the ability to intercept and alter messages written by your enemies. It should not be that difficult to arrange for Wenzel to write a letter for you and once you do it should not be overly difficult to arrange for it to be altered.

If he proves to be exceptionally careless you might even be able to get him to put his name to a document that can be trimmed slightly to alter its meaning.

Caoilainn works quickly to pass the details on to Thaïs as you return to the group. They all seem far more relaxed now, mere clay in her skilled hands. The Prince even laughs with your partner as she recounts some of the miseries you suffered through at dinner with all those bankers when you were first establishing yourselves in the Kingdom.

She waves you over, "I was merely telling the Prince about our dinner with the late Barings and your strong desire to set the entire party ablaze."

The Prince grins at you, "You were really planning to set all those pompous little shits on fire? That's brilliant!"

He certainly seems to be in a better mood. Hopefully you will be able to get what you need from him.

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

"Well, that went well," you bask in the satisfaction of a job well done.

"Yeah, because you kept your mouth shut," Caoilainn chimes in.

Thaïs snickers.

You shrug it off, "Sure, laugh. Just remember which one of us came up with the brilliant plan."

You do not think it is a gross exaggeration to say that the plan was inspired, brilliant even, though it admittedly did not go off perfectly.

Wenzel proved more than willing to enter into a deal with you and quickly sent a missive off to his subordinates at the compound. From there it was a fairly trivial matter to have the message intercepted and altered.

Three hours later the Sovereigns were brought to the Palace and hidden away by Albrecht's people.

As for Wenzel, he left thirty minutes after that, none the wiser but furious that his subordinates had not responded to his call. He promised to be in touch as soon as he finished disciplining his men. You do not doubt though that when he realizes what happened he will hold it against you. You have likely made an enemy today.

Still, your plan to free the Sovereigns worked perfectly. It is just a shame that you were unable to fulfill your other objective. Though you talked to Wenzel for hours you did not learn much of direct use and your attempts to subtly probe his mind proved fruitless. Every time you tried to slip into his mind and pick at his surface thoughts you failed miserably. His mind presented itself as a still lake surrounded by a dark, quiet forest. Whatever secrets he has they were very well hidden and a deep reading would be needed to get more from him.

The Prince left the palace without settling your suspicions one way or the other.

You thought about holding him indefinitely at the palace while you employed a more direct form of interrogation but in the end you dismissed it. You certainly have your suspicions, it would be well within the power of the Goddess or the Watcher to shield a mind subtly, but Wenzel is also a royal prince and it is equally likely that he has taken precautions to prevent his thoughts from being casually read. If you did assault him, in either meaning of the word, then you would be gambling everything on his guilt. If he proved innocent, you would make an enemy not just of him but of his brothers as well and you have enough to worry about without making unnecessary enemies.

You did learn a couple useful pieces of information though.

The first is that one of his lieutenants took a contract and about fifty men to the south of the city two days ago. The second scrap of information consists of the number of his captains, five in total, three dwarves, a maul and a human. Three of which are mages though he seemed unwilling to get into specifics on your first meeting.

It might be worthwhile to investigate his organization more thoroughly though you are uncertain if you are merely being paranoid or if there really is the influence of the Goddess or the Watcher at play here.

Your thoughts are interrupted by the door creaking open. Letta stands in the doorway, her face and arms bruised but not seriously injured. Thankfully Wenzel's people did not have a taste for in-depth torture.

The tired dwarf gives you a single curt nod; her short, blond locks dipping slightly. In a measured, husky tone she begins, "We have spoken about your offer, to investigate the graffiti around the city, and we will do it but we need a place to work out of and certain necessities."

"Shouldn't be a problem," you answer.

Thaïs inclines her head in agreement, "Certainly, whatever you need. Money is not a problem simply give our people a list of what you need."

"Alright then," he folds her weathered arms across her chest, "We will start tomorrow."

With a final nod, she pushes off from the doorframe and backs into the side room quietly closing the door as she goes.

"What do you think of her," your partner enquires.

"Seems nice enough," you respond with a shrug, "Calm, professional, level-headed."

Her question comes quickly on the end of your sentence, "The sort we need?"

"If we can get them, sure, why not?" it is not really a concern for the moment though. You still have much of the afternoon before you and you should not waste the time in idle talk.


1. The rest of the day is yours to do with as you please. You could go looking for trouble or perhaps take care of a few things while you have time in the city. You choose to:

A) Acquire replacement armour and weapons. If you are going to head into a warzone in two days time then you think it might be wise to look into replacing your missing equipment.

i. Go see the King. If you raise the issue of your ruined equipment with him you do not doubt that he will do his best to ensure you are equipped for the task ahead. You will likely have to spend the rest of the day either at the Academy or the armoury being fitted and trying out weaponry however you will also have access to some of the best armourers and crafters in the Kingdom.

ii. Go see the Brothers Dietfried. While you do need replacement equipment you also would like more energon cubes and mandrake roots, resources that are becoming very scarce in the city. If anyone can get some for you it will be the Brothers and they likely still have at least a few pieces of magical equipment you might find a use for.

iii. freeform - If you can think of another potential source of replacement equipment feel free to suggest it.

B) You will go to meet the Seekers. Since these mages will serve as your subordinates during your time in the south it might be wise to meet them now and get a feel for what they are like.

C) You will check in with your recruitment team. They should be organizing your new mercenaries today and there may be benefits to checking in on them before they return this evening with your new captains.

D) You feel the need to go get a drink and that is what you will do. You will take a small escort of no more than five and find a bar to spend the afternoon in. Who knows, you might encounter something or someone interesting.

E) Break into Wenzel's compound. Maybe you can find some sort of evidence that will either confirm your suspicions or prove the dwarf innocent of treason. As long as you are not caught you should be fine, if you are caught though things might get a bit hectic.

F) freeform


2. You have a few avenues of investigating the Weazels further, even without breaking into their compound.

A) You go for it. (several options may be chosen)

i. You send a team of Pathfinders to investigate them. Albrecht can deal with whatever they discover himself.

ii. You send your mice to spy on their compound. They will likely only have a day at most before you leave the city, however.

iii. You send Berty and a team of his choosing to draw out one of their captains from the compound and capture them for interrogation.

B) You do not bother with the Weasels. You have enough enemies as it is, no need to antagonize them further.
 
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Fangshi

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Messages
1,997
Party/Organizational Changes:

Party Changes:


None to speak of really.

Organizational Changes:

Lots of them but I will hold off on updating the info until you get your report back from the recruitment team.

Rolls:

When I wrote that I was uncertain about the update it was largely a result of the rolls.

This was essentially a full blown social encounter where very little of interest actually happened.

To be more specific there were two concurrent sets of rolls going on.

The first set dealt with managing Wenzel, the Sovereigns and freeing Letta and the other prisoners.

Almost all of these went your way.

The first rolls were to see if you could even control the mercenaries. I was expecting Derry to fail these and require Taide to take over but she actually did reasonably well. Not enough to actually win over people with her word but good enough that she did not need help.

Following those rolls there was an entire set made by Thaïs to determine if she could convince Wenzel you were looking to hire his men. She did about average when compared to her stats and my expectations, which is to say she did very well and convinced the Prince to talk to you and to send a letter off to call on his second in command.

Wenzel received a roll to determine if he would sign his name to a letter you drew up but he passed the roll and insisted on drawing it up himself.

You then fell back on 'plan B' and simply had the message intercepted and modified.

The Pathfinders are fairly good at this sort of thing and they passed their rolls to create the forgery.

The letter was taken to the compound and first the guards, then the officers were given chances to realize something was up. The checks for the guards were very hard while the checks for the officers were simply difficult (largely as a result of the brilliant job done by the Pathfinders). The prisoners were sent off under escort to the palace.

Once the prisoners reached the palace they were freed and hidden.

While all of this was going on you were talking to Wenzel and there were a number of rolls here that led to a situation where you did not really learn much of interest at all. Whether that is because Wenzel knows nothing or because you rolled poorly I can't say for the moment.

You did receive some information on the structure of his organization and the like but nothing terribly useful. If anyone wants I can type out the specifics tomorrow after I get a bit of sleep.

So half of the plan went of flawlessly and the second half did not discover much for whatever reason which did not give me very much to work with and led to a shorter update.

(I probably could have padded it out with more dialogue but again, for whatever reason, you did not actually learn much of interest so I decided to spare you three pages of D&T talking to the Prince about the weather and the latest ghôl-ball scores.)

Finally there were a couple rolls to determine if the Sovereigns would decide to take your offer or not. The way that was handled was by a vote after each member of the group had spoken their mind on the issue. The Sovereigns held the meeting in private however so D&T were not privy to who supported the idea and who opposed it.

There were also a fair number of rolls around the Kingdom and beyond, none of which I can really get into but a lot of them involved Mazzarin and maybe I will type up that story as an Interlude if I have some time in the near future.

A final note on your existing scheduale:

- Your ritual with Hallr will be conducted 'tonight', so either the next update or the one after that depending on how things go.

- Your session with the 'spy maid' will take place 'tomorrow' so likely in three updates depending on how things go during the rest of 'today' and your meeting with Timo.

If nothing horrible or unexpected happens you will get one final choice of what to do with your last afternoon and the day after that you will head south with the Seekers and whoever else you want to bring.
 
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Nevill

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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Eh, I was actually hoping that it would be Wenzel's second-in-command bringing the prisoners to the Palace. I have no qualms about breaking his captains.

Guess we'll have to leave this for another time. The Arrows might be interested in getting a hold of his officers, since the two companies do not get along very well. I guess we can lend them our mortars to break inside the compound for a quick raid, as long as they don't leave a trace leading back to us.

Wenzel was furious that his men didn't show up, but who did bring Letta and the rest of her team back? Did they just release her? Or do we have some Weasels sitting in a dungeon right now?

Every time you tried to slip into his mind and pick at his surface thoughts you failed miserably. His mind presented itself as a still lake surrounded by a dark, quiet forest.
The stillness we found in Wenzel's mind reminds me of our encounter with the village major.
You slip a suggestion into his mind. It takes a bit of doing but eventually it seems to sway him. He tells you that he knows absolutely nothing. His mind is strangely flat though, you can not get your hooks into it and you do not pick up any strong emotions... It is like a great and still lake... the surface a complete mirror...
A Prince can afford to have his mind shielded, but a peasant? It points to someone's influence, and given the information we have, I am beginning to suspect him now.

What was the reason Albrecht dismissed him as a threat, again?
Albrecht could see him as the traitor if he could somehow manage to stay sober enough to even plot such a thing. Wenzel has motive but lacks the ability to actually pull it off in Albrecht's estimation.
He seems to have the motive, but does not have the means. Well, what if the means were given to him by a third party? His mage captains are highly suspect.

I guess we still need to wait until the Arrows return to do anything about it. But I think this needs to be done before we leave the city.

Since we have most of the day free, can we both visit the brothers Dietfried and arrange for a meeting with the Seekers for today? If it is one or the other, the Seekers are a priority for me, but I don't think a single shopping session would be enough to take the rest of our day.

By the way, were there any news from Timo? When is our meeting due? The next morning?

What arrangements have the Sovereigns made to break into the Weazels' compound? We might need a few pointers from them.

- Your ritual with Hallr will be conducted 'tonight', so either the next update or the one after that depending on how things go.
Does he need to be conscious for this? I would assume having a memory of crossing a border between the worlds might impact the authenticity of the dream we have arranged for him.
 
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Kz3r0

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May 28, 2008
Messages
27,013
A)ii.


Actually I don't think wenzel is a traitor, but I suspect that an interwested party can shield his activities behind the figure of a royal prince without him knowing nothing, I also think that his mind was shielded by this interested party, I suggest that we should try to kidnap one of his mage captain and extract the info we need from him.
 

Nevill

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Messages
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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Actually I don't think wenzel is a traitor, but I suspect that an interwested party can shield his activities behind the figure of a royal prince without him knowing nothing
Yes, it is a possibility as well. A prince that can grant full pardon no matter what the Weazels do, with a hatred for his father and an access to the secrets of the Crown, is a weak spot in Albrecht's defences that would be hard for his enemies to miss.

The things on my to-do list before we leave the city (except for the obvious scheduled meetings) would be:
1) Shopping.
2) Meeting the Seekers
3) Optional: Meeting Liechtenauer (I want to hire/employ/brofist this dude so bad!)
4) Optional: acting on the information from Hallr
5) Optional: acting on the information from the maid
6) Optional: meeting with Lady Grey (it looks like it will happen this evening regardless)
7) Optional: raiding the Weazels

Fangshi, a few questions.

What happens with the Sovereigns now? Are they going back to their own compound? What are their plans for dealing with the Weasels (since we didn't resolve the matter decisively), do they want our help with that? If we are to act against the Weasels in the near future, would they be willing to provide assistance?

Is there anything she or her companions learned about the compound or the people there during their captivity? Names, numbers, floor layouts, guard shifts or maybe they have overheard their guards talking about something interesting - anything at all that might be useful to us? Speaking of which, what did we learn about the Weazels?

Who will the Sovereigns report to and receive payment from during our absence? Mayer? Skite? Or should we deal with appointing our representative when we are leaving the city?

Is there merit in investigating the dreams of Wenzel's captains and the Prince himself to narrow the circle of suspects (to check if it is a single commander we are going after, or the whole group)? What would be involved? Some kind of offering to Morpheus? How effective can a dream inspection be and should we even bother with trying?

Oh, and an introduction to the rest of the Sovereigns would be nice. So far we only know Tusk and Letta by their names.
 
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Nevill

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Messages
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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Liechtenauer who was that? I cant recall the guy.
The dude that refused to serve the Great House Berg as a champion.
One becomes a champion by being chosen by the lord of a house to serve as one (you can always refuse but it is considered a great honour and only one dwarf has ever refused the call to be champion, it happened five years ago).
[...]
Liechtenauer was his name.
[...]
Berg sent forty men to make him 'reconsider'. Only one returned to tell Berg that Liechtenauer still was not interested.
[...]
The 'Artisan' is considered by many to be the second best swordsman in the city. Liechtenauer is the best. The two do not get along well as a result though the rivalry is almost completely on the 'Artisan's' side.
Sounds like he is the kind of person that is right up our alley. :love:
 
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archaen

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Did we want to take the mortars for firepower and the legionaires for bodyguards to the south with us? Is Albrecht giving us our chariot escort again?
 

Nevill

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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Did we want to take the mortars for firepower and the legionaires for bodyguards to the south with us?
Not me. Legionaries as bodyguards may be fine, but why would we want to make the knowledge of us having illegal mortars public?

Why do we even need personal mortars when there is supposedly a whole army waiting for us?

Is Albrecht giving us our chariot escort again?
Do we need one? Shouldn't the Seekers be enough?

I guess we can decide ourselves what we should or should not take. Albrecht is likely to agree to whatever proposal we come up with if it is rational.
 

archaen

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We are headed to an army in the south but we aren't going to be commanding it out right. We can wave our letter from the King about but I think that won't get us anywhere with the command staff out in the field. If we have the mortars with us it gives us an option to use massive firepower without orders having to go through the Dwarven chain of command. The other benefit is that we don't have illegal weapons sitting inside our compound that is most likely going to be infested with spies that will report their existence the assembly. I am proposing we box the weapons up in crates and don't pull them out unless we need them. If we do need them, though, they will probably be invaluable.

As for the forces we take south, I think having a few units directly under our command to use as reserves, guards, and strike teams will only help in the conflict and if we can get trained units for free we should take them. We don't even know the allegiance of these other mages or how much we can count on them if four shades or 10,000 ghols come trundling out of the woodwork.
 

Nevill

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Messages
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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
We are headed to an army in the south but we aren't going to be commanding it out right.
Albrecht asked us to cooperate with whomever is in charge there, not take over.

We can wave our letter from the King about but I think that won't get us anywhere with the command staff out in the field. If we have the mortars with us it gives us an option to use massive firepower without orders having to go through the Dwarven chain of command. The other benefit is that we don't have illegal weapons sitting inside our compound that is most likely going to be infested with spies that will report their existence the assembly.
If we have mortars with us, we are flashing them right in the face of the Great Houses we are supposed to ask for permission to bring them along, first.

If you don't want the matter brought before the Assembly (read, the Great Houses, since the King does not care) by the spies, why would you think it is a good idea to take the mortars straight to the Great Houses? The spies would not even need to do anything. :D

As for the forces we take south, I think having a few units directly under our command to use as reserves, guards, and strike teams will only help in the conflict and if we can get trained units for free we should take them. We don't even know the allegiance of these other mages or how much we can count on them if four shades or 10,000 ghols come trundling out of the woodwork.
What do you mean by getting trained units 'for free'? The escorts? They are no more free than the rest of the dwarven army.

I doubt that having a few units under our direct command would change the tides of the war (though it would be nice having people that would follow your orders to the letter). Do you think to wage war in spite of the dwarven command there? That's never a good idea.

The goal of meeting the mages before our departure is to see how much you can count on them, but they have their reputation as a company at stake there. One of the reasons we even considered them was because they have no history of known failures. They have signed with Albrecht to provide assistance to the army for a month, and if they break their word - and that is not something you can keep under a rug, - they can say goodbye to any commercial activity in the Kingdom. Unless, of course, the Kingdom is razed to the grround.
 
Last edited:

Fangshi

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Messages
1,997
Nevill said:
Wenzel was furious that his men didn't show up, but who did bring Letta and the rest of her team back? Did they just release her? Or do we have some Weasels sitting in a dungeon right now?

The Sovereigns were loaded into the carriage you used to send the message to the compound. The Weasel captains did not seem terribly interested in escorting them once they were in the custody of guards representing Albrecht and the Sovereigns were still restrained with fairly heavy chains so the chance of them getting away was rather low anyway.

Nevill said:
Since we have most of the day free, can we both visit the brothers Dietfried and arrange for a meeting with the Seekers for today? If it is one or the other, the Seekers are a priority for me, but I don't think a single shopping session would be enough to take the rest of our day.

It depends what you want to do.

If you want to replace your armour or pour over their magic items then you are looking at a shopping session that will take you four to six hours. If you are only interested in popping in for a moment to see if they have any roots or cubes then yes, you can do both though that would be a separate option. I can add it if you would like.

Alternatively, if you want to go see the Seekers in the evening then you can do that as well. You would have to push back the ritual with Hallr to some point after midnight and your other teams would have to wait for your return but it is definitely possible should you desire.

Nevill said:
By the way, were there any news from Timo? When is our meeting due? The next morning?

Yeah, he has a few hours free tomorrow morning and that is when you will meet him.

Nevill said:
What arrangements have the Sovereigns made to break into the Weazels' compound? We might need a few pointers from them.

One of the Sovereigns has a relative that works for the Weasels. A second cousin he is not too close with but who was willing to help them slip into the compound between shifts. From there they just had to find the prison, break in, free their friends and escape, all without being caught, simply really. :lol:

Nevill said:
Does he need to be conscious for this? I would assume having a memory of crossing a border between the worlds might impact the authenticity of the dream we have arranged for him.

No he does not need to be conscious, unless you want to say something to him before casting him into the Dreaming for what may be the rest of time. ;)

Nevill said:
What happens with the Sovereigns now? Are they going back to their own compound? What are their plans for dealing with the Weasels (since we didn't resolve the matter decisively), do they want our help with that? If we are to act against the Weasels in the near future, would they be willing to provide assistance?

Well, now they will begin their investigation using Albrecht resources to see what they can find out about the graffiti.

They will either work out of the palace or if they decide they need more space/time alone they will work out of one of the old Pathfinder safe houses that is no longer used.

They will not go back to their compound as Wenzel will be watching it and would likely attack again if they were spotted.

They don't require your help for the moment as they are focused on your investigation rather than the Weasels.

If you act against the Weasels then it would likely not be all that hard to convince the Sovereigns to help.

Nevill said:
Is there anything she or her companions learned about the compound or the people there during their captivity? Names, numbers, floor layouts, guard shifts or maybe they have overheard their guards talking about something interesting - anything at all that might be useful to us? Speaking of which, what did we learn about the Weazels?

They did not learn anything that you do not already know. Their knowledge is limited to numbers, locations and the structure of the organization.

The guards in the prison are not in the habit of gossiping around the prisoners, last person to do that had to clean out the sewage pits.

What you learnt about the Weasels is easily summarized:

The Weasels have been expanding of late. They now number close to five hundred members and Wenzel has been giving his captains more freedom to do as they please when he is not around. They have been getting aggressive, pressuring local businesses and other mercenary groups and they have acquired a fair amount of marginal land as well.

Wenzel assured you during your conversation that the new resources he has acquired would prove more than sufficient to aid you in any operation you might seek to undertake. His confidence in his own strength might be a sign of concern should you decide to further provoke him.

He was not able to give you any details on the specialties of his mages. He merely said that they, 'do magic'. You do not actually think that he was ducking the question as he seemed to know very little about magic and mages in general. IT is entirely possible that even he does not know what his captains are capable of.

If you really are suspicious you could ask Albrecht to have a Pathfinder team investigate. OR you could pull Martin's team out of the Palace and try to have them infiltrate the Weasels' compound.

Nevill said:
Who will the Sovereigns report to and receive payment from during our absence? Mayer? Skite? Or should we deal with appointing our representative when we are leaving the city?

Mayer in all likelihood as he manages your finances and is the highest ranked person in your group after D&T. If you want to appoint a representative before leaving you can also do that, you will need to decide who is staying and going anyway.

Also if you want any resources of personnel brought in from Blackrock before you leave you should send off the message now to give them enough time to reach you.

Nevill said:
Is there merit in investigating the dreams of Wenzel's captains and the Prince himself to narrow the circle of suspects (to check if it is a single commander we are going after, or the whole group)? What would be involved? Some kind of offering to Morpheus? How effective can a dream inspection be and should we even bother with trying?

I can't tell you if it is worth it but it is an avenue you could pursue.

You would need to make a deal with Morpheus to have his people spy on and record the dreams of the Weasels.

Yes that would require giving Morpheus something or someone he desires.

It can be effective but you have to rely on the target dreaming about what you want to know and you have to figure out if the information in the dream is based on reality or simply the target's hopes, fears or desires. For example simply because a person dreams or thinks about murder does not mean they are actually seriously considering committing a murder. So there is something of a grey area there.

Nevill said:
Oh, and an introduction to the rest of the Sovereigns would be nice. So far we only know Tusk and Letta by their names.

Easily done. I had intended to give you their names as they became important so that they would stick out in your mind but here are their names:

Slainge - the male fir'Bolg archer. Quiet, keeps largely to himself, but one of the best archers this side of the Cloudspine
Slog - the male human sellsword. Weilds an axe and a large round shield. Competent enough, skilled with a blade, he asks few questions and generally follows Tusk\s lead.
Jape - the female human archer. A bit of a troublemaker with quick hands. She specializes in breaking locks and slipping past traps.
Ylfa - the female dwarf that you talked to in the tavern. She is one of the more level headed members of the group. Fights with a spear, shield and a sword.
Brami - the male dwarf that you talked to in the tavern. The default 'second' for the group, decent leadership qualities even if he does have a bit of a short temper at times. Fights with a sword and shield.
Eitri - male dwarf grenadier. Interested primarily in money but seems to have a strong loyalty to the group.
Brokk - male dwarf grenadier. Seemed nice enough, a quiet sort, he just sat in the corner sharpening his knife.
Hrani - male dwarf warrior. The newest member of the group, you get the impression that he is still trying to prove he belongs in the group. He thanked you several time for helping them. He strikes you as young for a dwarf. Wields an ax and a shield.
 

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