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Inactive [LP CYOA] Overlord
- Thread starter treave
- Start date
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2014
- Messages
- 633
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 11,370
Royal Invitation
“Well, the lady has spoken.” You rush in. Barbatos manifests on your right hand, its spikes saturated with an ominous, dark aura. Talal, recognizing the danger, shouts out a warning to his men and attempts to draw his sword. But you are too fast for him. You duck under the start of Talal’s swing and deliver a punch right in the center of his chest. His breastplate crumple inward, as does his sternum underneath it.
The rest of the fight – if it can even be called that – is over quickly enough. Rin lets loose and grabs the majority of the kills, not letting even a single soldier escape. “Ah, this is great,” she laughs, spreading her wings. “I’ve been cooped up for too long.” Runde guarded Lucy as per your orders, casting a spell or two when he could manage it. Aria managed to take down a couple of soldiers too: their hesitation to strike at her spelt their doom. Her brother, on the other hand, had refrained from any fighting. His brows are knitted in an expression of sadness. It seems that the outcome was not to his taste.
Beneath your foot, Talal chokes, blood dribbling down the sides of his mouth. His breathing is haggard, and he is barely clinging onto life. He certainly has a hero’s tenacity. “Wh-Why?” There is no enmity in his voice, only confusion.
“It’s for the sake of your Lady Zayan,” you explain. For her peace of mind.”
“That is so,” affirms Zayan, looking down at Talal as if he were an oddity to be dissected. “It’ll be easier if no one knows where I am going.”
“I… I see. If that is your wish…” Talal closes his eyes, a bitter smile on his lips, and breathes his last. Noble to the end, you think idly.
“And that’s a job complete. Fortunio.” You call out.
The self-proclaimed Bandit King slinks out of the trees, bowing as deeply and as politely as he can while approaching.
“Is everything ready on your side?”
“Of course, Boss. We can now pin this on my most troublesome rivals. It’s all ready to go.”
“Good. Just be careful not to get caught up in the fallout. I expect Methuss will be pressured by Dijeh to hunt for Zayan amongst the bandits.”
“Yeah, Boss, just as you said. Lay low, be watchful, gobble up the leftovers. It’ll be easy to do that when me and me boys are the only ones who know it’s coming. We’ll stay out of the knights’ way, don’t you fear.”
“You’ve already relocated?”
“Yes, Boss. Of course,” nods Fortunio quickly.
“Good. The hunt won’t last long. There will be talk of reparations for Dijeh’s loss, I’m sure, but that is politics for the two kingdoms to sort out.”
“Not for a man like me, that ain’t,” sighs Fortunio. “If it pleases you, I’ll just be following my orders, Boss, and start acting like I’m the savior of all us bloody bandits.”
“You do that. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure we both profit,” you grin.
As Fortunio and his men begin setting up the scene of the battle, Arlin approaches you nervously. “Did it really have to be done this way, Master Mer- Master Muhchacraken?”
“How would you have handled it, Arlin?”
“I.. I don’t know. I think we could have talked it over. Captain Talal and his men… they seemed to be very approachable to me. I think they would have listened if you said something… maybe lied to them.”
“Perhaps they would have,” you nod. You might have been able to spun a story that Talal would buy. It wasn’t impossible. “But I don’t think they would. They are good men, Arlin. Which is precisely why they were dangerous to us. It would be less complicated to kill them here than to leave them alive and hope their principles don’t trigger some troublesome betrayals down the road.” It’s a road you have walked down before, and you are not keen on travelling it again.
Arlin frowns. He seems unconvinced. “But-“
“You’re a pussy, Arlin,” mutters Aria as she walks past him, carrying a bundle of loot in her arms. You’ll have to ask her to leave that with Fortunio: they were needed as evidence for the culpability of the other bandit groups in the region.
The boy sighs. Giving you a sincere apology for questioning your decision, he walks off to help his sister.
***
Having sent Zayan back to Grahferde, you resume your travel towards the capital. It takes close to a week before you catch sight of its walls.
It is said that the capital city, Yuiria, has defenses rivaling that of any fortress in the kingdom. It straddles two large rivers, Ixnay and Amscray, which flow towards a great sea in the east. Its sturdy grey walls protect access to the rivers: they carry trade from various parts of the kingdom as well as from Byarlant and Dijeh, and are regarded to be rather important in the overall state of affairs. It is a towering city filled with spires, and at its center was your destination, a white palace that gleamed in the sunlight.
When you flash the ring at the gate, the guards snap to attention and salute you. “Ah, Prince Farland told us about you, sir! We have been expecting you!” The captain at the gate swiftly arranges for an escort to bring you to the prince.
Surprisingly, you are brought not to the palace, but to a rather expensive looking inn: the sort of place you would easily believe to cost a gold coin per night. After you pat Lucy’s back and send her off to the stables, the inn staff bring you up to your room.
It is luxurious, for the lack of a better word.
“A bed!” screams Rin as she leaps into the fluffy, plump mattress, abandoning all pretenses of being a polite, well-mannered lady. The demon princess begins to luxuriate in her long-awaited comfort. Runde, Aria and Arlin look around in amazement: there is a lot of expensive detail carved into the furnishings, and the carpet is so soft that your feet seem to sink into the floor. Idly, you estimate the cost of this place and what the owners must charge to stay afloat. It comes out to a pretty high amount: certainly, you would never be able to afford this at the moment on your own funds. You can only hope that the prince comes through.
A while later, there is a knock at the door.
“Are you in there, that man from Erise?”
It is the prince.
“Come on in.” You glance at Rin, who has immediately thrown on her armour and is standing off to one side like a menacing statute.
“Hello, my friend.” Farland Yuiry enters, giving you a brilliant smile. He seems genuinely pleased to see you again. Behind him, a dark haired beauty with a stern face follows.
“Ah, is that your adjutant sans helm?” you ask.
“Such rudeness, to ignore the prince’s greeting,” she snarls. “I should cut you down for this disrespect.”
“Oh? Ah, yes. That’s right. This is Lieutenant Leila Milhaus, and yes, she was my friend in armour back in Erise,” says the prince bemusedly. “Be nice now.”
“Your Highness, this man has zero respect for a personage of your stature. I do not know why you treat him so kindly.”
“He saved our lives, Leila, and he is not even a citizen of our kingdom. I would be a worthless man if I did not express rightful gratitude,” The prince’s words carry an air of finality, and that seems to cause Leila to fall silent, though she continues to glower at you. “Anyway, gratitude. Yes. That’s what I gave you that ring for. I suppose you have come for that favour I owe you?”
“Of course. Use it before you lose it, my father always said.”
“Well, it seems that you might have been using it elsewhere,” chuckles the prince as he eyes your hat. “I have heard of this man in a tall hat who visited Governor Hastwell in Ontoglia…”
“It must have been a coincidence,” you shrug harmlessly.
“I hope so. Dijeh’s genius inventor has gone missing in our lands right around that time, and the Dijehnese are rightfully angry about it.” The prince sighs. “You… wouldn’t have anything to do with it, would you?”
“Just a coincidence, nothing more,” you repeat. “Of course, I’d be happy to help you search for this inventor if you like.”
“That would be reassuring. A mage of your skills would be of great help, particularly in those bandit-infested woods. Anyway, the local garrisons have already been ordered to search, so I do not think your help will be necessary this soon, Sir Trider Muhchacraken.”
“Ah, I see you have discovered my name,” you say flatly.
“Yes. An… interesting name, to say the least. So, Sir Trider, have you given any thought to your reward?”
***
You decide to ask for:
A. Money. As much as he can afford to give you. Money is always useful.
B. A post in whatever magic society that serves the kingdom, should they have one. Experience tells you that this is the easiest way to access any magical libraries of theirs, short of breaking in and entering.
C. A lesser knighthood in one of the orders:
1. Grand Order of Yuiry, led by Belbro.
2. Order of the Azurelion, led by Wisteria Brescia.
3. Order of the Cobaltlion, led by Ordmung Milhaus.
D. Information and access to this angel that Methuss are said to be keeping.
E. Something else.
F. Nothing, for now. You will cash that favour in another time.
***
“That reminds me,” says the prince suddenly. “There is going to be a dinner banquet at the palace tomorrow evening. We are hosting some dignitaries from the Byarlant Empire; the Grand Imperial Archmage himself will be present. Seeing that you are a mage yourself, I thought you might be interested... I happen to have a couple of spare invitations lying around, and treating you to a nice dinner was on my list anyway. Might as well use it since I’m not paying for it out of my own pocket. What do you say, Trider? Are you willing to come around and hobnob with royalty?”
A. You accept the invitation. You are allowed to bring one more person along with you, and so you bring:
1. Rin
2. Runde
3. Aria
4. Arlin
5. Lucy
6. Zayan
7. No one
B. You reject the invitation. All that free food is wonderfully tempting, but you do not feel like attending such a flashy party would be a good use of your time. You will find something else to do while in the capital before leaving for Grahferde.
“Well, the lady has spoken.” You rush in. Barbatos manifests on your right hand, its spikes saturated with an ominous, dark aura. Talal, recognizing the danger, shouts out a warning to his men and attempts to draw his sword. But you are too fast for him. You duck under the start of Talal’s swing and deliver a punch right in the center of his chest. His breastplate crumple inward, as does his sternum underneath it.
The rest of the fight – if it can even be called that – is over quickly enough. Rin lets loose and grabs the majority of the kills, not letting even a single soldier escape. “Ah, this is great,” she laughs, spreading her wings. “I’ve been cooped up for too long.” Runde guarded Lucy as per your orders, casting a spell or two when he could manage it. Aria managed to take down a couple of soldiers too: their hesitation to strike at her spelt their doom. Her brother, on the other hand, had refrained from any fighting. His brows are knitted in an expression of sadness. It seems that the outcome was not to his taste.
Beneath your foot, Talal chokes, blood dribbling down the sides of his mouth. His breathing is haggard, and he is barely clinging onto life. He certainly has a hero’s tenacity. “Wh-Why?” There is no enmity in his voice, only confusion.
“It’s for the sake of your Lady Zayan,” you explain. For her peace of mind.”
“That is so,” affirms Zayan, looking down at Talal as if he were an oddity to be dissected. “It’ll be easier if no one knows where I am going.”
“I… I see. If that is your wish…” Talal closes his eyes, a bitter smile on his lips, and breathes his last. Noble to the end, you think idly.
“And that’s a job complete. Fortunio.” You call out.
The self-proclaimed Bandit King slinks out of the trees, bowing as deeply and as politely as he can while approaching.
“Is everything ready on your side?”
“Of course, Boss. We can now pin this on my most troublesome rivals. It’s all ready to go.”
“Good. Just be careful not to get caught up in the fallout. I expect Methuss will be pressured by Dijeh to hunt for Zayan amongst the bandits.”
“Yeah, Boss, just as you said. Lay low, be watchful, gobble up the leftovers. It’ll be easy to do that when me and me boys are the only ones who know it’s coming. We’ll stay out of the knights’ way, don’t you fear.”
“You’ve already relocated?”
“Yes, Boss. Of course,” nods Fortunio quickly.
“Good. The hunt won’t last long. There will be talk of reparations for Dijeh’s loss, I’m sure, but that is politics for the two kingdoms to sort out.”
“Not for a man like me, that ain’t,” sighs Fortunio. “If it pleases you, I’ll just be following my orders, Boss, and start acting like I’m the savior of all us bloody bandits.”
“You do that. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure we both profit,” you grin.
As Fortunio and his men begin setting up the scene of the battle, Arlin approaches you nervously. “Did it really have to be done this way, Master Mer- Master Muhchacraken?”
“How would you have handled it, Arlin?”
“I.. I don’t know. I think we could have talked it over. Captain Talal and his men… they seemed to be very approachable to me. I think they would have listened if you said something… maybe lied to them.”
“Perhaps they would have,” you nod. You might have been able to spun a story that Talal would buy. It wasn’t impossible. “But I don’t think they would. They are good men, Arlin. Which is precisely why they were dangerous to us. It would be less complicated to kill them here than to leave them alive and hope their principles don’t trigger some troublesome betrayals down the road.” It’s a road you have walked down before, and you are not keen on travelling it again.
Arlin frowns. He seems unconvinced. “But-“
“You’re a pussy, Arlin,” mutters Aria as she walks past him, carrying a bundle of loot in her arms. You’ll have to ask her to leave that with Fortunio: they were needed as evidence for the culpability of the other bandit groups in the region.
The boy sighs. Giving you a sincere apology for questioning your decision, he walks off to help his sister.
***
Having sent Zayan back to Grahferde, you resume your travel towards the capital. It takes close to a week before you catch sight of its walls.
It is said that the capital city, Yuiria, has defenses rivaling that of any fortress in the kingdom. It straddles two large rivers, Ixnay and Amscray, which flow towards a great sea in the east. Its sturdy grey walls protect access to the rivers: they carry trade from various parts of the kingdom as well as from Byarlant and Dijeh, and are regarded to be rather important in the overall state of affairs. It is a towering city filled with spires, and at its center was your destination, a white palace that gleamed in the sunlight.
When you flash the ring at the gate, the guards snap to attention and salute you. “Ah, Prince Farland told us about you, sir! We have been expecting you!” The captain at the gate swiftly arranges for an escort to bring you to the prince.
Surprisingly, you are brought not to the palace, but to a rather expensive looking inn: the sort of place you would easily believe to cost a gold coin per night. After you pat Lucy’s back and send her off to the stables, the inn staff bring you up to your room.
It is luxurious, for the lack of a better word.
“A bed!” screams Rin as she leaps into the fluffy, plump mattress, abandoning all pretenses of being a polite, well-mannered lady. The demon princess begins to luxuriate in her long-awaited comfort. Runde, Aria and Arlin look around in amazement: there is a lot of expensive detail carved into the furnishings, and the carpet is so soft that your feet seem to sink into the floor. Idly, you estimate the cost of this place and what the owners must charge to stay afloat. It comes out to a pretty high amount: certainly, you would never be able to afford this at the moment on your own funds. You can only hope that the prince comes through.
A while later, there is a knock at the door.
“Are you in there, that man from Erise?”
It is the prince.
“Come on in.” You glance at Rin, who has immediately thrown on her armour and is standing off to one side like a menacing statute.
“Hello, my friend.” Farland Yuiry enters, giving you a brilliant smile. He seems genuinely pleased to see you again. Behind him, a dark haired beauty with a stern face follows.
“Ah, is that your adjutant sans helm?” you ask.
“Such rudeness, to ignore the prince’s greeting,” she snarls. “I should cut you down for this disrespect.”
“Oh? Ah, yes. That’s right. This is Lieutenant Leila Milhaus, and yes, she was my friend in armour back in Erise,” says the prince bemusedly. “Be nice now.”
“Your Highness, this man has zero respect for a personage of your stature. I do not know why you treat him so kindly.”
“He saved our lives, Leila, and he is not even a citizen of our kingdom. I would be a worthless man if I did not express rightful gratitude,” The prince’s words carry an air of finality, and that seems to cause Leila to fall silent, though she continues to glower at you. “Anyway, gratitude. Yes. That’s what I gave you that ring for. I suppose you have come for that favour I owe you?”
“Of course. Use it before you lose it, my father always said.”
“Well, it seems that you might have been using it elsewhere,” chuckles the prince as he eyes your hat. “I have heard of this man in a tall hat who visited Governor Hastwell in Ontoglia…”
“It must have been a coincidence,” you shrug harmlessly.
“I hope so. Dijeh’s genius inventor has gone missing in our lands right around that time, and the Dijehnese are rightfully angry about it.” The prince sighs. “You… wouldn’t have anything to do with it, would you?”
“Just a coincidence, nothing more,” you repeat. “Of course, I’d be happy to help you search for this inventor if you like.”
“That would be reassuring. A mage of your skills would be of great help, particularly in those bandit-infested woods. Anyway, the local garrisons have already been ordered to search, so I do not think your help will be necessary this soon, Sir Trider Muhchacraken.”
“Ah, I see you have discovered my name,” you say flatly.
“Yes. An… interesting name, to say the least. So, Sir Trider, have you given any thought to your reward?”
***
You decide to ask for:
A. Money. As much as he can afford to give you. Money is always useful.
B. A post in whatever magic society that serves the kingdom, should they have one. Experience tells you that this is the easiest way to access any magical libraries of theirs, short of breaking in and entering.
C. A lesser knighthood in one of the orders:
1. Grand Order of Yuiry, led by Belbro.
2. Order of the Azurelion, led by Wisteria Brescia.
3. Order of the Cobaltlion, led by Ordmung Milhaus.
D. Information and access to this angel that Methuss are said to be keeping.
E. Something else.
F. Nothing, for now. You will cash that favour in another time.
***
“That reminds me,” says the prince suddenly. “There is going to be a dinner banquet at the palace tomorrow evening. We are hosting some dignitaries from the Byarlant Empire; the Grand Imperial Archmage himself will be present. Seeing that you are a mage yourself, I thought you might be interested... I happen to have a couple of spare invitations lying around, and treating you to a nice dinner was on my list anyway. Might as well use it since I’m not paying for it out of my own pocket. What do you say, Trider? Are you willing to come around and hobnob with royalty?”
A. You accept the invitation. You are allowed to bring one more person along with you, and so you bring:
1. Rin
2. Runde
3. Aria
4. Arlin
5. Lucy
6. Zayan
7. No one
B. You reject the invitation. All that free food is wonderfully tempting, but you do not feel like attending such a flashy party would be a good use of your time. You will find something else to do while in the capital before leaving for Grahferde.
Nevill
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2009
- Messages
- 11,211
Aria seems to take it surprisingly well. Not that I expected less from her, but she appears not to question us in the slightest. That might be a good thing and a bad thing. I'd rather have a lieutenant that would be able to point out my flaws and come up with solutions that differ from mine.
Like... Arlin, I suppose. The boy has a certain value to him that is hard to come by in a henchman. He follows us, and yet he thinks for himself and disagrees with us. How many overlords have fallen because their minions have been too afraid to raise a timely objection?
However, Arlin wouldn't think of leaving us as long as Aria supports us. Overall, the twins balance each other out very nicely.
All in all, we have dealt with the situation in a fairly professional manner. I hope we keep it up.
Ugh. I kind of hoped we would be able to enter as a trader with the permit we've bought, and avoid jumping into the royal affairs right away. Not that it would have mattered much, considering our appearance and entourage.
The Prince must be very keenly aware of the State's affairs, to have learned about our deal with the governor so quickly. Must either have spies, or be in contact with the governor, too... and we didn't hear anything about it from the old man. That suggests to me that Farland may not be a simpleton paladin that he appears to be - or that he is in contact with another player from his family. We must be wary.
I knew it!
Another target acquired. This would be a fun one, too, given her attitude towards us.
I an not convinced by anything Farland offers. I don't want knighthood or their library (the most powerful spells are likely to be in private possession), and the only thing that is of interest to me is their angel.... which I don't want to talk about, because a) it is a security matter and will mark us as a person who has access to some information he has no business knowing - and I'd rather avoid that kind of attention b) she might recognize us as a fellow angel c) I'd rather not talk about angels at all given our paper-thin disguise. Chances are, we will learn all about her anyway when the time comes for Methuss to break out the big guns.
I would keep the favor (and thus, keep our options open) until we learn more about the situation in the country and beyond. However, our dad was a wise man:
Keep it for too long, and we might become an enemy of Methuss and lose our chance.
1. F. Nothing, for now.
Speaking of learning more... the banquet looks like a perfect opportunity. Of course, since I am a big fan of Nasreddin, there is only one logical companion choice.
2. A5. Lucy.
She is a very polite and intelligent cow. We have no reason to be ashamed of her. What's more, I think our presence would liven up an otherwise formal event and our eccentricity will attract the people we would want to deal with and repulse the ones that we wouldn't. It would be a good litmus test - our methods and behaviour seem to clash with those of the traditionalists like Leila anyway.
People who can see past that and accept dealing with strange, those are our go-to people.
Besides, if half the codexers want us to become the next Caligula, they'd better start acting like one.
If not Lucy, then Rin or Aria would do just fine. I'd prefer Aria since Rin is already getting an unproportional amount of our attention.
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Elfberserker
Liturgist
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2013
- Messages
- 1,540
B
A4. Arlin > A5. Lucy
A position in mage circles should make us more personally more well rounded in magical area as well boost our spell research, since we don't have to reinvent the wheel.
If we are lucky maybe we get cute mage appreantices down to road to help us, because after alldon't we have duty as gentlemen to help delicate young ladies in study of magic? It would be also help us, if we didn't have to train all lab assistance from ground up to help us in magical research....Then again maybe I am looking too far ahead.
Arlin,Rin and lucy are my primery choices for the evening.
Rin has her court training and isn't that naive compared to arlin at laest....She could be also wonderful troll with her ideas of love and pretty boys.
Arlin can think for himself without resisting our course of action as well bein polite young boy, but lack experience in court.
Lucy seems to be intelligent and sure way to stir up party and defninately dividing the nobles to those who are entertained and those who are annoyed....There are also good side being considered as eccentric personality as it leaves most nobles not wanting to work with us, because of Cow trick
Voting for Arlin for now and listening the arguments.
A4. Arlin > A5. Lucy
A position in mage circles should make us more personally more well rounded in magical area as well boost our spell research, since we don't have to reinvent the wheel.
If we are lucky maybe we get cute mage appreantices down to road to help us, because after alldon't we have duty as gentlemen to help delicate young ladies in study of magic? It would be also help us, if we didn't have to train all lab assistance from ground up to help us in magical research....Then again maybe I am looking too far ahead.
Arlin,Rin and lucy are my primery choices for the evening.
Rin has her court training and isn't that naive compared to arlin at laest....She could be also wonderful troll with her ideas of love and pretty boys.
Arlin can think for himself without resisting our course of action as well bein polite young boy, but lack experience in court.
Lucy seems to be intelligent and sure way to stir up party and defninately dividing the nobles to those who are entertained and those who are annoyed....There are also good side being considered as eccentric personality as it leaves most nobles not wanting to work with us, because of Cow trick
Voting for Arlin for now and listening the arguments.
Got to go for DA5, remember the Angel Liberation Front plans? This is necessary for all of that business. I don't want to become any more entangled with this kingdom; shed our favor for useful info and make use of it as makes sense.
It may be useful to meet up with the international magery, but we ought to bring Lucy if we are to do it. She's very pretty and the most well-mannered of our followers, definitely the most suitable for bringing to a fancy dinner in more ways than one.
It may be useful to meet up with the international magery, but we ought to bring Lucy if we are to do it. She's very pretty and the most well-mannered of our followers, definitely the most suitable for bringing to a fancy dinner in more ways than one.
Nevill
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2009
- Messages
- 11,211
Why go with a pre-configured idea when there is a freeform option?
Personally, I'd like to have a piece of land that could be easily fortified to build our fortress there. Grahferde isn't really the best HQ - located between 3 kingdoms, close to some ancient ruins that prompt undue interest, and protected only by a forest, it is only a matter of time before it is wiped out in some conflict or the other. It is also unsuitable for keeping prisoners (we are passing on quite a few batches of perfectly fine human material on account of how easy it would for them to escape).
Sure, they won't give us a castle, but if we can start making moves to get/build one? Sounds like a worthy pursuit.
Looks like the 'Dex wants to use the favor ASAP because it doesn't know what else to do with it. Seems like a waste.
Personally, I'd like to have a piece of land that could be easily fortified to build our fortress there. Grahferde isn't really the best HQ - located between 3 kingdoms, close to some ancient ruins that prompt undue interest, and protected only by a forest, it is only a matter of time before it is wiped out in some conflict or the other. It is also unsuitable for keeping prisoners (we are passing on quite a few batches of perfectly fine human material on account of how easy it would for them to escape).
Sure, they won't give us a castle, but if we can start making moves to get/build one? Sounds like a worthy pursuit.
Looks like the 'Dex wants to use the favor ASAP because it doesn't know what else to do with it. Seems like a waste.
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 11,370
You can ask for some land, but the thing about building a lair on land that you officially got from someone else, on record, is that you can't easily hide the fact you're building one. Besides, whatever land you can get won't be a lot compared to the territory you can expand into back in the forest, and it would need you to build the fortifications from scratch anyway, in which case you might as well start in a place you already own and is relatively hidden.
Castle construction takes a long, long time, involves very many people and is incredibly expensive.
We should definitely get one eventually, but it's a bit much for a favor and we're not having any unsupervised actions around there for a long time even if we avoid conflict with Methuss. Better to do that sort of thing in house with workers of our own.
In the meantime, I find that the potential mobility of our group is a great benefit that we lose if we start piling up nice things and infrastructure that we can't just ditch if war comes our way and we do poorly.
We should definitely get one eventually, but it's a bit much for a favor and we're not having any unsupervised actions around there for a long time even if we avoid conflict with Methuss. Better to do that sort of thing in house with workers of our own.
In the meantime, I find that the potential mobility of our group is a great benefit that we lose if we start piling up nice things and infrastructure that we can't just ditch if war comes our way and we do poorly.
Nevill
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2009
- Messages
- 11,211
Well, I am not sure if they can even grant us land, given that land ownership has been nobles' prerogative (at least in Europe), and the prince can't grant us a full title.
But I'd like to make some moves towards it - perhaps, procuring the resourses necessary to build a castle, making a few contacts... I don't really know where to start, but I'd rather not spend our favor before we do.
I'd like to spend it when we have some kind of a long-term plan, to help put it in motion. It's rare when you get to ask for anything. Taking some cool stuff at random in hopes that it would be something worthwhile is not an approach I approve of.
But we aren't really mobile. Mieren is in Grahferde, and the gobbos aren't going anywhere. And now there's Zayan, too, who can't move around freely.
We have already made some investments that we are unlikely to let go of.
Anyway, it doesn't have to be the castle. However, I can't shrug off the feeling that taking any of the options on offer would be selling ourselves too cheap.
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By obtaining Zayan, you have already started. The more important question is, do you want your castle to fly?
Nevill
Arcane
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Ah, yes, that was very much a part of my reasoning to grab her.
Unless it's an underground fortress. Yuiria-3 incoming?
A flying underground fortress? A bit of an overkill, but sure.
Bibbimbop
Arcane
We are, first and foremost, a mage. Let's keep that in focus. We need to gain access to all that mystical research.
Why do we keep boosting mana and magic stats?
Do you want info on where to learn necromancy?
You want to get more materials and info to help Zayan do her own research? She's a hunted shut-in now, so she effectively needs our help obtaining the resources for all her experiments.
All these require good info on magic. Even if the Mage orders are tame and ban necromancy, they'll have a clue where to begin.
BA5
Inviting either twin is pointless. Even if you buy that one theory, "the twins must be royalty because only royalty is special enough to birth twins" then we still wouldn't want such a thing to be discovered now in such public circumstances. Otherwise, you're wasting an invite on little shits who are peasant stock through-and-through, and really have no future in court.
Lucy is a quirky option that I like.
Carnage Pigeons don't necessarily sound like a species that believes in brotherhood and solidarity. That's kinda why people have tried not to become a full member of the species till now. If we really wanted to "liberate" carnage pigeons, the first question would be why we ourselves don't want to be one.
Why do we keep boosting mana and magic stats?
Do you want info on where to learn necromancy?
You want to get more materials and info to help Zayan do her own research? She's a hunted shut-in now, so she effectively needs our help obtaining the resources for all her experiments.
All these require good info on magic. Even if the Mage orders are tame and ban necromancy, they'll have a clue where to begin.
BA5
Inviting either twin is pointless. Even if you buy that one theory, "the twins must be royalty because only royalty is special enough to birth twins" then we still wouldn't want such a thing to be discovered now in such public circumstances. Otherwise, you're wasting an invite on little shits who are peasant stock through-and-through, and really have no future in court.
Lucy is a quirky option that I like.
Carnage Pigeons don't necessarily sound like a species that believes in brotherhood and solidarity. That's kinda why people have tried not to become a full member of the species till now. If we really wanted to "liberate" carnage pigeons, the first question would be why we ourselves don't want to be one.
lightbane
Arcane
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2008
- Messages
- 10,200
Yay, an update! I was missing my fix this lp.
Anyway, lots of stuff to consider: First, one caveat of pretty much any of these rewards is that they'll bind us to Methuss one way or another. The Prince is not an idiot and he knows we're up to something. Should we not take his offers and his invitation, he could "remind" us that we're in his territory now. So we cannot remain neutral no matter what we do. Knowing this, I vote for:
1: E2>E1>B>D. Tits are tits, therefore +1. After that, having access to their magical libraries is a must: not only to have an opportunity to learn illusion spells (which we need ASAP, we cannot go around with that getup forever), but also because we could learn more about the world, along with having the chance to make up an excuse that we're part of some sort of distant, foreign and strange culture that doesn't allow us to fully reveal our head in public.
I see no reason why Erd would ask for the knighthoods. These guys would not tolerate our clothing quirks for too long, for not to mention that Mercant is not big into discipline. Meanwhile, asking for their Angel will trigger all of their alarms. At worst case scenario, they could even lock Erd with their Angel to force each other to reproduce and grow an army of Pigeons for the rest of his life. But perhaps that wouldn't be a really bad fate, no?
As for the dinner invitation, if Byarlant has greatly skilled mages, there's a chance they will see through our disguise in no time (moreso if their Archmage is coming). At best, that mage will immediately notice we are using a strange and highly complex spell in order to be able to talk, gathering his interest. At worst, there could be an antimagic field placed around the table to ensure everyone behaves, which would be really inconvenient for us. But that's part of the fun, right?
Lastly, about who should be our companion, Rin seems a solid choice, but she's not really polite and educated as she pretends to be. In case you have forgotten:
So she's not a good choice. Arlin or Aria (especially the former) would be good candidates though, they know the language and no-one would suspect of children. Inviting Zayan is tempting as well, but it's a certain death. Runde... No idea, it might raise a few eyebrows, but not as much as the cow (was it ever mentioned what's the goblin's average diet?).
Lastly but not least, Lucy sounds like the most fun choice, but it will tarnish the Prince's reputation and make us look like even more of a freak, but that might not be so bad. Therefore, I vote for:
2:A4>3>5>2>6.
Of course, perhaps all of this is part of an elaborate trap and we'll end up drugged and dragged into the Sixth Prince's rape dungeon, but even then I believe our character would be able to escape somehow.
Anyway, lots of stuff to consider: First, one caveat of pretty much any of these rewards is that they'll bind us to Methuss one way or another. The Prince is not an idiot and he knows we're up to something. Should we not take his offers and his invitation, he could "remind" us that we're in his territory now. So we cannot remain neutral no matter what we do. Knowing this, I vote for:
1: E2>E1>B>D. Tits are tits, therefore +1. After that, having access to their magical libraries is a must: not only to have an opportunity to learn illusion spells (which we need ASAP, we cannot go around with that getup forever), but also because we could learn more about the world, along with having the chance to make up an excuse that we're part of some sort of distant, foreign and strange culture that doesn't allow us to fully reveal our head in public.
I see no reason why Erd would ask for the knighthoods. These guys would not tolerate our clothing quirks for too long, for not to mention that Mercant is not big into discipline. Meanwhile, asking for their Angel will trigger all of their alarms. At worst case scenario, they could even lock Erd with their Angel to force each other to reproduce and grow an army of Pigeons for the rest of his life. But perhaps that wouldn't be a really bad fate, no?
As for the dinner invitation, if Byarlant has greatly skilled mages, there's a chance they will see through our disguise in no time (moreso if their Archmage is coming). At best, that mage will immediately notice we are using a strange and highly complex spell in order to be able to talk, gathering his interest. At worst, there could be an antimagic field placed around the table to ensure everyone behaves, which would be really inconvenient for us. But that's part of the fun, right?
Lastly, about who should be our companion, Rin seems a solid choice, but she's not really polite and educated as she pretends to be. In case you have forgotten:
So she's not a good choice. Arlin or Aria (especially the former) would be good candidates though, they know the language and no-one would suspect of children. Inviting Zayan is tempting as well, but it's a certain death. Runde... No idea, it might raise a few eyebrows, but not as much as the cow (was it ever mentioned what's the goblin's average diet?).
Lastly but not least, Lucy sounds like the most fun choice, but it will tarnish the Prince's reputation and make us look like even more of a freak, but that might not be so bad. Therefore, I vote for:2:A4>3>5>2>6.
Of course, perhaps all of this is part of an elaborate trap and we'll end up drugged and dragged into the Sixth Prince's rape dungeon, but even then I believe our character would be able to escape somehow.
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Nevill
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2009
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- 11,211
He does not know about the village - which is the only thing in his territory, and he can be reminded that we might just as easily be in one of his enemies' territory right now. There is precious little he can do to stop us.
So no, he does not get to speak to us from a position of power. He does not have any leverage over us. His only hope of getting us on his side - if that's what he wants at all - is to make us want it, sincerely.
There is nothing wrong with tying ourselves closer to Methuss, but I'd like us to do it without basing it on false premises.
Mieren's frozen body can be carried around by our folks (or we can just stick the head in a jar if all together it's too much hassle). The goblins would probably pick up and move into an active volcano if we told them to; the only reason that they stuck around their podunk village was out of faith that their god would return, and as far as they're concerned we're back now. Zayan is also not a fixture cemented to the walls of the village, as I think should be clear because we only just sent her there.
I'm not saying that it wouldn't be a huge hassle to uproot everyone and go somewhere else, we're not exactly Mongols here and the logistics would be rough, but ultimately it would be possible for us to do if we were okay with probably the less healthy goblins dying on our way to greener pastures and losing some progress on whatever Zayan will be cooking.
Grahferde is better than nothing as a base of operations, but if it's all torched and we leave in a hurry we don't lose that much except for the way to sustain our goblins that they're accustomed to. If we spend a favor on getting really good land and a castle constructed, that's a massive investment to lose if a huge angry army starts heading our way. I don't want to be that attached to the politics of any particular kingdom when we still know so little.
This was a trip to gather information, so let's get that information. Find out what's going on with the angel; if it pisses off the prince, fine, that means we can not be worried about upsetting him later if we need to take action against Methuss. He doesn't know where we actually live now anyway, and he's not really in much of a position to hold us against our will at this precise moment.
Even if you sadly don't want to liberate it and snuggle in its luxurious feathers, a lot of information we could glean about the angel could be used to figure out what's going on with our character. If we can gather any sort of idea of how they might control or contain it, that's incredibly helpful to us in avoiding being controlled or contained ourselves if we see anything similar about to be used against us in the future. Anything about its capabilities would be fine, too-- do they have proficiency with particular sorts of magic, weaknesses? How long does it take for them to heal from, say, a wing being clipped?
Nevill
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2009
- Messages
- 11,211
Well, and I think we wouldn't be.
Yes, we have little in the way of investment, and we can easily move elsewhere... if we don't mind leaving everything but ourselves and the kids behind. Because even if we could move the gobbos in case of Methussian invasion (is that the hypothetical scenario we are talking about?), where would we move to? The ruins are probably the most middle-of-nowhere place in the whole Kingdom (going by Enzel's statement about the patrols not reaching Erise). Anywhere else and we'll be out in the open. Would we be able to go to Barzam? They love us subhumans, especially after our stunt! To Dijeh? Why, of course, they would be happy to have Zayan back. Maybe Byarlant would have us... chained and under Athos' control, that is.
There is Galbaldy, I suppose, but when you think about that we are considering it because we know it the least...
We don't really have a place to go to if we are also talking about taking anything that we can't carry with us. We can't even keep Lucy in such a scenario, since she won't be able to outrun cavalry.
That's why we should either be as clandestine as possible - at least as far as our HQ is involved - and not piss Methuss off, or start turning it into an unassailable location that would be able to withstand the crusade of the armies of the
Ah, but that's not how Secret Services work. First, they place you under surveilance. Then at some point your drugged and unconscious body goes on a one-way trip to the Rape Dungeon.
At least, that's how it is supposed to be with normies. Powerful mages might be an exception to the rule.
Just a reminder that we are dealing with court intrigues here.
That's an oddly specific line of inquiry.
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lightbane
Arcane
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2008
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- 10,200
Ah, but that's not how Secret Services work. First, they place you under surveilance. Then at some point your drugged and unconscious body goes on a one-way trip to the Rape Dungeon. At least, that's how it is supposed to be with normies. Powerful mages might be an exception to the rule.
Mages have their hands chained to the wall and their mouths gagged to prevent them from casting spells with somatic and/or verbal components.
But perhaps it won't end that badly. Perhaps the Prince is content to play dumb if we ask about the Angel, then pretend he has to go somewhere and leave. Later on we would realize there's a bunch of strange men wearing dark clothes with hoods
Now seriously, going to the East would be the best place to relocate our headquarters. Of course, there's the matter about hungry monsters roaming around here, but maybe that would be an advantage for us.
That reminds me: treave, I suppose Zayan was teleported to the village, right? Did she ask for something else in return for waiting for us here and behave? The last thing we want is to get back only to realize our goblins have been replaced by cat-like zombies, or something worse.
Lastly, should the Codex accept the invitation, would we be able to do something else before going to the palace? Such as changing our hat for a less suspicious one, to say an example.
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B
A1
A1
ScubaV
Prophet
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2011
- Messages
- 1,022
B>D
A4>A5
I think of all the possible dinner companions, Arlin is the most suitable. Rin has absolutely no grasp of subtlety with either words or actions and cannot be counted on to keep her mouth shut if needed. Aria seems similar in personality, if not quite as bad. Zayan might be okay to bring with a good disguise, but she's not exactly diplomatic either. We could possibly think about Runde as a slave companion. And Lucy is obviously the lulzy choice.
That leaves Arlin. He obviously has no taste for fighting, but I think he has a keen mind and might pick up some things we miss, especially if people discount him as a lowly peasant boy and let their guard down. If there is a place for him to develop some skills, this is probably it.
A4>A5
I think of all the possible dinner companions, Arlin is the most suitable. Rin has absolutely no grasp of subtlety with either words or actions and cannot be counted on to keep her mouth shut if needed. Aria seems similar in personality, if not quite as bad. Zayan might be okay to bring with a good disguise, but she's not exactly diplomatic either. We could possibly think about Runde as a slave companion. And Lucy is obviously the lulzy choice.
That leaves Arlin. He obviously has no taste for fighting, but I think he has a keen mind and might pick up some things we miss, especially if people discount him as a lowly peasant boy and let their guard down. If there is a place for him to develop some skills, this is probably it.
a cut of domestic sheep prime
Guest
B
A1 - We're a merchant and she's our lovely and demure wife, remember?
I just like the idea of bringing a beautiful axe-murder everywhere.
edit: also, she might be useful - in case this is a trap. (I mean, we know this nation enslaves humans and angels alike. What if he wants to capture us? Why else would he invite someone he is already suspicious of to an important banquet?)
Also, was it ever explained how Trider McCracken became "Trider Muhchacraken"?
A1 - We're a merchant and she's our lovely and demure wife, remember?
I just like the idea of bringing a beautiful axe-murder everywhere.
edit: also, she might be useful - in case this is a trap. (I mean, we know this nation enslaves humans and angels alike. What if he wants to capture us? Why else would he invite someone he is already suspicious of to an important banquet?)
Also, was it ever explained how Trider McCracken became "Trider Muhchacraken"?
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Nevill
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2009
- Messages
- 11,211
That's a gross misrepresenting of her character.
Rin has zero trouble pretending to be a proper princess when the mood strikes her. She never felt the need to do so with us (and I think that's a good sign), but it doesn't mean she is incapable of it. It just means that she doesn't see our company to be as stiffling and constraining as that of the officials at her palace, and doesn't play pretend wih us.
She quotes her father when she talks about how good she is at pretending. Do we have any reason to suspect that the Demon King is lying?
That's how she behaves when she needs to be formal:
A perfectly polite and courteous noblewoman with nary a flaw in her manners. It's not who she is, but her acting skills are nevertheless solid.
If we are searching for an escort with courtly manners, Rin should be our first choice. Just tell her upfront what is required of her, and that it's her mission, and she'll behave. In comparison, Arlin is just a village boy whom no one will pay much attention to.
The question is, do we?
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