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Myth: A New Age CYOA

Grimgravy

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Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire
i just find it odd, that people are ok with helping a necromancer, a ghol, and demon, but draw the line at the nice guy whose birth to cultist parents doomed him. We've made helping the misfits of the world our thing. Throwing him into the dreaming for profit is just an ugly turn.
 

Fangshi

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Absinthe said:
1) Can we go to Timo first?

You can certainly try if you wish. He might not be willing to see you without an appointment though. I can add it as an option if you would like.

Absinthe said:
2) Can we recruit the Seekers now to have them with us for this mess?

You would need to go see them and talk to their leader but it is likely they will not help you with this unless you give them something as payment. Potentially fighting Wenzel is definitely outside their contract with the Army but I can add it without any difficulty.
 

Nevill

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Messages
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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
i just find it odd, that people are ok with helping a necromancer, a ghol, and demon, but draw the line at the nice guy whose birth to cultist parents doomed him. We've made helping the misfits of the world our thing. Throwing him into the dreaming for profit is just an ugly turn.
A necromancer and a demon were not directly acting against us at any given time.

A ghol did, and the choice of what to do with her provoked the most heated discussion to date. In the end, the option to spare her won out because there was a greater threat she could have helped us to take care of, and because the alternatives were pretty sadistic and fucked up. Throw the threat of the Watcher out of the picture, and Nanshe's fate could have been very different.

This nice cultist have recruited the very people that nearly killed us. And in contrast to Nanshe, his fate is not anyone's fault but his own.

I am not inclined to offer him a full pardon. I am sentencing him to a fate between lifetime imprisonment, far more comfortable than any earthly prison could offer, mind you, and a ward for mentally ill people that can't be released into the world. And I find this kind of fate pretty mild, all things considered.

Ask yourself, if Thais or any of the girls died, would we offer him a job as well? I don't believe so. But why is that affecting our judgement if he is not at least partially responsible for what happened?

Don't pull that card on me. He is guilty, regardless of whether he admits it or not.

And there is the matter of the lives of the regular guards that die daily in confrontations with the Eberhardt rebels supported by the cultists. The 'profit' you speak of is helping us root them out and stabilize the kingdom. What an ugly turn, right? Why are we more concerned with the life of a convict than with the lives of others, who are truly innocent by any definition you can think of?

I will give you that trying to help him is probably one of the more humane solutions. But there is more at stake than just his life, and I am not ready to put our trust in him blindly.
 
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Nevill

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Amended my vote:
Any reasons why not to try a gambit with the Goddess? I am awfully curious as to what she will have to say on the current situation.

Besides, we'll probably involve Mazzarin's favor anyway if she manages to get Thais or one of the girls killed. Why would we not let her learn that beforehand?


Anyway, bros, here is what I am thinking about Wenzel and Letta.

As the King's third son you are not sure if Wenzel will feel the need to acquiesce to your demands and even if he does it might damage your broader investigation.
We are investigating Albrecht's children to discover which one (or ones) of them is the traitor, right? That's all we need from them.

So once we verify Wenzel's guilt or innocence regarding the attack on the prison, our business with him is done, as far as the investigation is concerned. Unlike Jan or Timo, I see no real further use for him.

Therefore I propose a choice:

1. D) You will have Albrecht summon Wenzel to the Palace first thing in the morning without giving him the reason. As his influence comes mostly from familial ties, you do not think Wenzel would be able to refuse such an invitation. You will meet up with him in Albrecht's stead and take it from there. You will bring up Letta's imprisonment with him and see firsthand what kind of man he is, what he knows, and what further actions are warranted, if any.

Why would I prefer to handle it that way:
- I do not want to go into semi-hostile territory with demands I am not sure I can enforce and attempt diplomacy on someone who is used to impunity. The Palace is our turf and whatever we say there, goes. Albrecht gave us full authority to act as we see fit.
- I want to separate him from his clique. It is unlikely that his cutthoats will be allowed on Palace grounds, and certainly they will not be allowed to the 'family meeting' he is supposed to have.
- He is not a mage, and we can do the same thing we did with Hesse, when one of us fishes in his head for clues while the other maintains a conversation.
- If push comes to shove, we can make him do practically anything, from signing an order to release Letta to admitting the treason if such a need arises. Because mentalists.
- Without their leader to back them up, the Weasels would be unable to defy the will of King's guards and/or our orders. By isolating Wenzel from his gang, we gain a massive advantage should there be a need for negotiating Letta's freedom behind Wenzel's back. By intervening with the investigation by the Heroes of the Kingdom, they put themselves on one side with the Watcher's necromancers and Eberhardts. That's not a pretty place to be without any protection to count on.
- If we are unable to examine his mind for some reason, we might come up with a way to attune him to the Book of the Past and finish our investigation that way.

All in all, I just want to put us in a better position in the upcoming negotiations.
 
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Grimgravy

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Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire
Considering how much Derryth and Thais want to avoid being trapped in the dreaming, I can't in good conscience (and I don't think our ladies would either) vote to send anyone there that isn't a right bastard or thorn in our side. Hallr is neither. And for the record, I'd be voting this way if we'd lost someone.

your 1D has merit.

Flop me to 1D>A and put me down for 4B
 

Nevill

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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Considering how much Derryth and Thais want to avoid being trapped in the dreaming, I can't in good conscience (and I don't think our ladies would either) vote to send anyone there that isn't a right bastard or thorn in our side. Hallr is neither. And for the record, I'd be voting this way if we'd lost someone.
Well, then your understanding of our characters differs from mine.

I was ready for a trip to the Dreaming if the choice was to go there or die. The Dreaming can be escaped, provided that someone is willing to get you out. Death can not.

We want to avoid the Dreaming because there is a lot for us to do in the real world, and there are many people who depend on us. Albrecht, Bari, the kids, Trakk's family, Nine - they are all our responsibility. We have to stay alive and awake for them, among other things.

What does Hallr have to live for? He destroyed the students he should have been responsible for with his own hands.

Do I believe in atonement? Yes, I do. But the man has to desire atonement in the first place. Like Lyssa. Hallr does not even understand what he did wrong.

If you think our ladies to be good judges of character, then what would you say about this?
If you tell him the truth you can not predict what Hallr will do but you doubt it will be good for you. You can not let him go, can you?
You want to tell the man that you have killed his lover and his charges, and you want him to hold no grudge against you because you say it was them who were at fault, even though all his life he did not feel the cultists were doing anything reprehensible. Then you will send him to tend to the most vulnerable members of your circle in the tower that is your most heavily guarded secret, with his alternatives being exile or death. And you want to command his trust, loyalty and respect without doing anything for him but bringing him suffering.

How is that even supposed to work?

Meanwhile, you have ignored my question about the information he possesses. Is it alright to overlook it and potentially doom even more people by trying to be overly delicate with a 'good' cultist?

The Dreaming has a lot of potential. It can be a prison. It can be a mental clinic (and we used it to keep our wounded friends sane upon waking up). It can be a rehabilitation center. It can be a training ground. It can be a meeting place.

It is not something to be dismissed as a simple 'punishment'.
 
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Nevill

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At this rate you are going to develop a bit of a reputation with the King's guards.
Fangshi, I would like to ask the Captain (why is Hamundr not with us? Is he making visits to the families of the deceased?) what is our reputation with the guards. What does the military think about us? The brass? The soldiers? I find it a bit strange that our achievements at Fort Blackrock did not influence their disposition towards us for the better, though overall our relationships are still pretty good (we are just a bit short of being outright allies).

I am asking this because I want to know how willing would be the soldiers to listen to our orders, should we assume command over a military outpost or a platoon (and we have the authority to do so, since our word is now essentially the King's word).

I would also like to know how difficult it would be to commission some air balloons and/or mortars for our cause. Normally it would require the decision by the Assembly of Lords, but now that the Great Lords are mostly elsewhere, does the King need these formalities, or can he make these decisions by himself?

If we are going to Wenzel's compound tomorrow, I want to know how feasible it would be for us to bring an airship or two with us and maybe a siege engine with a hundred or so of actual soldiers (Myrgard has about 1000 of them if I remember). Nothing says a bonus to diplomacy checks like a threat of an orbital bombardment and a fucking ballista parked outside of your compound.

If it is possible, it would be pretty hilarious. Do we have good enough reputation with the military to pull it off as a favor to us, though?

I do not intend to actually fight in the city, but if we don't come out of the compound in two hours or so, or if our negotiations will come to a halt, I think a little demonstration of power would be in order. That is the only language the likes of Wenzel understand. He thinks he has the station and that grants him power, but he can't be more wrong. Station and titles mean little to us.
 
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Fangshi

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Nevill said:
Fangshi, I would like to ask the Captain (why is Hamundr not with us? Is he making visits to the families of the deceased?) what is our reputation with the guards. What does the military think about us? The brass? The soldiers? I find it a bit strange that our achievements at Fort Blackrock did not influence their disposition towards us for the better, though overall our relationships are still pretty good (we are just a bit short of being outright allies).

You have a new Captain because you do not need a chariot commander in the middle of the city, simple as that. So you have been given an infantry captain instead. His name Gunnarr if you are curious.

You do not know what Hámundr is up to though he is likely back in the city by now (he would have had to drive back with the remaining chariots and the carriage). You have not seen him since you left the fort.

Gunnarr says the military officers he knows all respect your ability to get the job done.

The soldiers are not in the habit of confessing their thoughts to their officers. If you want to ask one of them you will need to get them alone and ask directly. Even then do not expect them to be terribly truthful one way or the other. As you noted you have the ability to command them which means they are just as likely to tell you what they think you want to hear as anything else.

Nevill said:
I am asking this because I want to know how willing would be the soldiers to listen to our orders, should we assume command over a military outpost or a platoon (and we have the authority to do so, since our word is now essentially the King's word).

As you say, you have the right to take command should you wish. As a result they will follow. Whether they want to or not is of less importance. These are not mercenaries that you have to win over (and that are used to having a fair degree of freedom to do what they want), they are soldiers and they will do their jobs with the utmost professionalism (for the most part) until they cease to draw breath.

Now you can speculate that they might be a bit hesitant to serve under you. If for no other reason than that you tend to get stuck in where the fighting and the odds are the worst. You always seem to make it out alive but that does not mean they will...

Nevill said:
I would also like to know how difficult it would be to commission some air balloons and/or mortars for our cause.

Extremely difficult so long as the Grand Assembly still sits and the laws of the Kingdom remain in place. You can not use the army to threaten dwarven citizens and expect the lords to not do anything.

Nevill said:
Normally it would require the decision by the Assembly of Lords, but now that the Great Lords are mostly elsewhere, does the King need these formalities, or can he make these decisions by himself?

Most of the leaders of the Great Houses might be out of town but their subordinates are still sitting in the Assembly. Sessions are still being held and the rule of law is still in effect, the King can not simply do whatever he wants unless he is willing to suspend the Assembly which would not help his cause when 'Eberhardt'/Eberhardt is running around proclaiming him a tyrant.

Nevill said:
Do we have good enough reputation with the military to pull it off as a favor to us, though?

You do not have a high enough reputation with the Army to make them break the law like that.


Current Tally:

asxetos:
1.A
2.A
3.A
4.x

Kz3r0:
1.Bi
2.Biii
3.B
4.B

Nevill:
1.D
2.Biii
3.B
4.A

Jester:
1.A
2.Biv
3.A
4.x

archaen:
1.D>A
2.Biii
3.A
4.x

Grimgravy:
1.D>A
2.Bv
3.A
4.B

Absinthe:
1.D
2.x
3.x
4.x

1.
A) 2 votes
B)
i.
ii. 1 vote
C)
D) 4 votes

2. 1 abstain
A) 1 vote
B)
i.
ii.
iii. 3 votes
iv. 1 vote
v. 1 vote

3. 1 abstain
A) 4 votes
B) 2 votes

4. 3 undeclared, 1 abstain
A) 1 vote
B) 2 votes
 
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Nevill

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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
You can not use the army to threaten dwarven citizens and expect the lords to not do anything.
Are the Weasels considered dwarven citizens, though? From what we hear, they are mercenaries comprised mostly from outlaws and various scum, and they are involved in illegal activities. Can it not be passed as a police raid, rather than a violation of the law?

Do we know what kind of transgressions would be enough to make Albrecht stop overlooking his son's actions? This kind of cronyism ticks me off. Do people really consider putting Wenzel in jail a sign of weakness? From my point of view, it is having him on the loose that proves that Albrecht's rule is weak.

By the way, why are the air balloons not with the main army?
 

Fangshi

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1,997
Nevill said:
Are the Weasels considered dwarven citizens, though? From what we hear, they are mercenaries comprised mostly from outlaws and various scum, and they are involved in illegal activities. Can it not be passed as a police raid, rather than a violation of the law?

Not if you are parking airships over their compound and setting up artillery in front of it. A police raid might be justified (though it would be rather humiliating to House Albrecht) but using Army assets to threaten (or even attack) Wenzel will be seen as crossing a line. It would be like deploying armour and military aircraft to threaten a crime boss, it would be seen as excessive.

Nevill said:
Do we know what kind of transgressions would be enough to make Albrecht stop overlooking his son's actions?

Treason, and- well, just treason actually. As long as Wenzel is not harming anyone or anything important he is free to do whatever he wants.

Nevill said:
Do people really consider putting Wenzel in jail a sign of weakness?

It will be used as a sign of 'bad breeding' and will be held against the rest of House Albrecht. From a political perspective it is better to let Wenzel have fun in the shadows than drag it all into the light and confirm the rumours.

Nevill said:
By the way, why are the air balloons not with the main army?

Albrecht does not want to lose them. He does not seem too confident of the chances his son and the army have in the south.
 

Nevill

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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Treason, and- well, just treason actually. As long as Wenzel is not harming anyone or anything important he is free to do whatever he wants.
How important is 'important'? Do we qualify? Do our friends qualify?

Is he allowed to disobey a direct order from the King? Is anyone else?

I still don't have a clear idea of what we are and aren't allowed to do, even after being selected as King's emissaries.

It will be used as a sign of 'bad breeding' and will be held against the rest of House Albrecht. From a political perspective it is better to let Wenzel have fun in the shadows than drag it all into the light and confirm the rumours.
Really? Isn't it better from a political perspective to send him away to some god forsaken hole near a frontier where he can't do much harm?

How old is Wenzel, by the way?

Albrecht does not want to lose them. He does not seem too confident of the chances his son and the army have in the south.
How many do they have in the whole kingdom? Why so little?

What does he expect to use them for if he loses the army? Does he even have contingency plans?

It is as if everyone in the kingdom suddenly got hit by the idiot ball.
 

Fangshi

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Messages
1,997
Nevill said:
How important is 'important'? Do we qualify? Do our friends qualify?

Well that is the question isn't it. The ladies honestly are not sure.

They are fairly confident that they could get the King to abandon Wenzel if they really tried (though without evidence of treason such a request is likely to alienate the King somewhat). However they also doubt the King would go out of his way to avenge them if Wenzel were to murder your entire party. There would be little incentive for the King to further antagonize his son for the sake of dead allies and any public confrontation on that issue would merely demonstrate how weak Albrecht is right now, encouraging more unrest and disobedience from the Lords.

Nevill said:
Is he allowed to disobey a direct order from the King? Is anyone else?

Allowed? Legally, no but in practice anyone that thinks they can get away with it will do as they please. The King only has as much authority as he can enforce and with the Kingdom unraveling around him it is all rather murky.

Nevill said:
I still don't have a clear idea of what we are and aren't allowed to do, even after being selected as King's emissaries.

As much as you can get away with given your contacts and allies. As long as you succeed then all will be forgiven. If Albrecht is still alive and in charge at the end of this he should be able to spin most things your way.

Nevill said:
Really? Isn't it better from a political perspective to send him away to some god forsaken hole near a frontier where he can't do much harm?

He does not wish to take such a vacation at the moment so he has remained in the city, surrounded by a small army.

Nevill said:
How old is Wenzel, by the way?

About one hundred and twenty or so. So just shy of middle aged.

Nevill said:
How many do they have in the whole kingdom? Why so little?

They are expensive to build and difficult to maintain. The sandstorms of the desert really do a number on them if you are not careful.

They are also dangerous to the Lords and so they are carefully controlled. To build new ones requires an order from the Assembly.

Nevill said:
What does he expect to use them for if he loses the army? Does he even have contingency plans?

Well, if the very worst outcome occurs he plans to use at least one to evacuate what remains of his family. He will not go with them of course, he has fled his Kingdom once and has vowed to never do so again. If the Kingdom falls, he will fall with it.

In less extreme cases he will use them to move his Pathfinders if needed. He also intends to use them to help defend the city.

His plan was and is to fortify and defend the city. The walls of the old city and the artillery batteries he is setting up will make taking Myrgard quite difficult. He would rather fight against whatever is coming from the south at the capital than out in the field but he was overruled and the army was sent out anyway. If the army falls he will use all the resources he has left to hold the city.

Nevill said:
It is as if everyone in the kingdom suddenly got hit by the idiot ball.

Perhaps they are all cultists trying to bring about the end of the Kingdom?

Or perhaps they panicked when someone unleashed a horde or 'demons' in the south, at the same time that the ghôls began their most aggressive campaign in a generation, at the same time that Eberhardt came back from the dead and revived his insurrection, at the same time that a necromancer led horde poured out of the mountains.

I wonder if Derryth had a hand in causing any of that... :lol:
 

Nevill

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He does not wish to take such a vacation at the moment so he has remained in the city, surrounded by a small army.
Well, that's the point. You don't ask them to. You order them, and if they disobey... well. Let's say it demonstrates your weakness far more than any of the talks about bad breeding if you leave that unanswered.

Eh. Let's just say I am a bit disappointed with Albrecht's indecisiveness on this matter.

About one hundred and twenty or so. So just shy of middle aged.
So pretty young, all things considered. A life of military service and being subjected to military laws might still do a boy some good.

Wonder if Morpheus can help with that as well... :lol:

They are expensive to build and difficult to maintain.
How expensive, actually? One thing I want from Melete is a Final Fantasy style airship to traverse the Mythverse in. ;)

He would rather fight against whatever is coming from the south at the capital than out in the field but he was overruled and the army was sent out anyway. If the army falls he will use all the resources he has left to hold the city.
And does the city even have enough resourses to withstand the siege? Where would they get the food?

I wonder if Derryth had a hand in causing any of that... :lol:
We didn't resurrect the Eberhardt... I think... I hope? :lol:

And by the way, isn't it too early for the ghouls to launch any kind of offensive? Nanshe has been the Empress for what, two weeks? Did the clans just surrender to her? There were still those who were content to serve the Watcher. I thought the process of unification would take years. I have trouble linking that to our actions alone, or at all.

Ah, well, we'll just have to sort it out, like always. :salute:

Edit:
Allowed? Legally, no but in practice anyone that thinks they can get away with it will do as they please. The King only has as much authority as he can enforce and with the Kingdom unraveling around him it is all rather murky.
And yet bringing a military force with you to enforce the King's will is seen as excessive and a gross violation of the law.

Sorry, I don't get it. How else do you enforce your laws if there are people unwilling to abide by them? If one does not obey his liege, that is treason and should be dealt accordingly, no?

I do not understand why I can not use force to make people comply with my requests when they refuse a direct order from the King - or from the King's emissaries. People that do not recognize the King's right to rule are not subject to the laws of the kingdom that are based on the assumption that the King is the ultimate power.

Naturally, the monarchy in the kingdom is not absolutionist, and the Assembly exists as a limiter of that power. But that limiter only comes into play if the King's order is 'unreasonable', and I don't think a request to release a person that is being held illegally qualifies as such. It is well within the King's rights to demand one to abide by the laws of the state and apply force to see it done if they refuse.
 
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Nevill

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They are fairly confident that they could get the King to abandon Wenzel if they really tried (though without evidence of treason such a request is likely to alienate the King somewhat). However they also doubt the King would go out of his way to avenge them if Wenzel were to murder your entire party. There would be little incentive for the King to further antagonize his son for the sake of dead allies and any public confrontation on that issue would merely demonstrate how weak Albrecht is right now, encouraging more unrest and disobedience from the Lords.
What if his attack fails? What if he gets some, but not all of us, sparking a small scale 'civil war' as we will try to get back at him for that?

We would not be dead, but something would have to be done to prevent that from happening.

What would Albrecht do then? Ask him really nicely to step down? Because that proved really effective so far.

Or will he do nothing and risk losing us, and the kingdom with us?

I would have to ask again. If his son will work against us while we are trying our best to sort out the situation in the country, would it count as treason? Because from my perspective it is. Wenzel would be actively undermining his own country for personal reasons.

Avenging us may be futile, but preventing harm from coming to us in the first place might be a good idea.
 
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Fangshi

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Nevill said:
Well, that's the point. You don't ask them to. You order them, and if they disobey... well. Let's say it demonstrates your weakness far more than any of the talks about bad breeding if you leave that unanswered.

That is what I am getting at. Albrecht 'asked' him in private to take a 'vacation'. He 'declined'. If Albrecht forces the issue in public then it will reveal his weakness, his inability to control his children like a proper dwarf should. Right now it appears like the King just does not care, Wenzel is 'beneath his notice' and so no one else cares. If it becomes public knowledge that Wenzel is defying his father, that will lead to a loss of face/prestige and can be used by his opponents.

Nevill said:
Eh. Let's just say I am a bit disappointed with Albrecht's indecisiveness on this matter.

The only other solution that he sees as acceptable is to have his son killed secretly. He is not so heartless as to desire that so he pretends not to notice, leading everyone else to ignore the issue as well.

Nevill said:
So pretty young, all things considered. A life of military service and being subjected to military laws might still do a boy some good.

Wonder if Morpheus can help with that as well... :lol:

The Prince of Dreams is always looking for more pieces for his collection. He does not have too many princes and Wenzel would make it an even three hundred, a nice round number.

Nevill said:
How expensive, actually? One thing I want from Melete is a Final Fantasy style airship to traverse the Mythverse in. ;)

Just make the airship a casino for the fabulously wealthy. It will pay for itself.

A full blown Final Fantasy style airship though would be quite expensive to build since they tend to be quite impressive constructs. Probably 5000 to 10000 WPs to build and a few hundred WPs to maintain monthly. It would certainly be a powerful tool though and a monument to its owner's wealth and power.

One way to help handle the cost would be to attract investors to cover the development costs. There are definitely individuals in the world that would like the ability to carry large amounts of cargo (or soldiers) across the continent without having to worry about raiders, bandits and monsters. They would likely want airships of their own and you could make a fortune building them (provided it is possible of course). That would also mean that at some point you would lose control on who exactly can build and field such things.

If you wanted to do it on your own you would need a substantial financial (and perhaps industrial) base from which to work. It would take time and it would be a considerable investment but you would also be able to ensure that you are the only owner of such a device (at least for a few years until the rest of the world tries to catch up).

Nevill said:
And does the city even have enough resources to withstand the siege? Where would they get the food?

The government has stores of food. And the garrison currently in Myrgard is as big as the army heading south, then factor in mercenaries, House guards, militias and the like and he can probably field a force of several thousand. No way to know at the moment if that is enough to win with.

The King seems to think that if left alone his enemies in the south will kill each other and he is not terribly concerned about Stoneheim, his is a 'northern House' and the fall of Stoneheim will not hit him as hard as it will many of his opponents. It is a calculated risk.

Nevill said:
We didn't resurrect the Eberhardt... I think... I hope? :lol:

Who knows? ;)

Nevill said:
And by the way, isn't it too early for the ghouls to launch any kind of offensive? Nanshe has been the Empress for what, two weeks? Did the clans just surrender to her? There were still those who were content to serve the Watcher. I thought the process of unification would take years. I have trouble linking that to our actions alone, or at all.

There were hundreds of ghôls under the Watcher's command. They are now all free and if your plan worked they have probably all thrown their support behind Nanshe.

The only ones that stayed were members of his priesthood since they would be killed by the free ghôls if they are caught by them.

Unfortunately I can not answer any questions beyond that since Derryth does not know what Nanshe has been up to.

As far as unification of all ghôlish clans goes Derryth believes it is unlikely, at least in the short to mid term. No one knows how many ghôls are out there or how many lands they claim in whole or in part. Some scholars think there may be thirty or forty thousand in total, others think there are hundreds of thousands and a few even claim there are millions. At any rate it would take a fair amount of time and a lot of effort to unify them.

I suppose you could contact her in the Dreaming and ask her really nicely how many soldiers she can currently raise. It might work. ;)

Nevill said:
And yet bringing a military force with you to enforce the King's will is seen as excessive and a gross violation of the law.

That is correct. If that seems unfair I would simply say that it is likely that even the loyalist lords do not want a particularly strong King that can order them about easily.

Nevill said:
Sorry, I don't get it. How else do you enforce your laws if there are people unwilling to abide by them?

City guards mostly and they do not get to use balloons and mortars.

Nevill said:
If one does not obey his liege, that is treason and should be dealt accordingly, no?

Who is disobeying Albrecht?

Certainly if someone does disobey him then he could send in the army and draw everyone's attention to the issue but so far there has been no such treasonous activity. :lol:

Nevill said:
I do not understand why I can not use force to make people comply with my requests when they refuse a direct order from the King - or from the King's emissaries. People that do not recognize the King's right to rule are not subject to the laws of the kingdom that are based on the assumption that the King is the ultimate power.

Oh, you certainly can use force on all those that disobey the clear orders of their sovereign lord or his representatives. Should you find such people feel free to. :lol:

Nevill said:
Naturally, the monarchy in the kingdom is not absolutist, and the Assembly exists as a limiter of that power. But that limiter only comes into play if the King's order is 'unreasonable', and I don't think a request to release a person that is being held illegally qualifies as such. It is well within the King's rights to demand one to abide by the laws of the state and apply force to see it done if they refuse.

Oh certainly, if someone is being held illegally then it is completely within the King's power (or your power as his representatives) to demand their release. Should you find evidence that someone is being so terribly mistreated then feel free to make demands of the offending party. No doubt they will immediately move to release the prisoner should they have such a prisoner.

However you have made no demands of Wenzel and he has refused you nothing. You have not even spoken to him yet so the use of such a threat of force would still be seen as quite excessive by the nobility and other interested parties.

Nevill said:
What if his attack fails?

If he tries to kill you and fails then feel free to kill him. You already have permission to kill any or all of his family if you feel you need to, Albrecht has been fairly clear that he places the survival of his kingdom over that of his family.

He would prefer though that you not murder his children unless it is neccesary.

Nevill said:
What if he gets some, but not all of us, sparking a small scale 'civil war' as we will try to get back at him for that?

If you want Albrecht to have Wenzel killed then go talk to Albrecht and if you have a compelling reason the King will put you in touch with the necessary people to ensure it gets done. You will have to excuse him if he does not want to directly participate in the murder of his children.

Beyond that you already have permission to do what you deem necessary to preserve the Kingdom.

Nevill said:
We would not be dead, but something would have to be done to prevent that from happening.

What would Albrecht do then? Ask him really nicely to step down? Because that proved really effective so far.

If Wenzel killed someone important to you and you asked Albrecht to have him killed he would likely agree to it. He likely would not like the idea but if you convince him that it is necessary then that is what he will do as you are much more useful to the Kingdom than Wenzel is.

If Wenzel killed you both but some of your people survived it is hard to say what the King would do. Your people are not worth much to the King directly and it is hard to say if 'justice' would outweigh a father's love for his son, even a son like Wenzel.

Nevill said:
Or will he do nothing and risk losing us, and the kingdom with us?

He trusts you to take care of yourself. If you need resources or personnel then ask for them and he will do what he can.

Nevill said:
I would have to ask again. If his son will work against us while we are trying our best to sort out the situation in the country, would it count as treason? Because from my perspective it is. Wenzel would be actively undermining his own country for personal reasons.

It would depend on the situation.

What he is trying to say is that it would be devastating for his House to have Wenzel arrested on a charge of treason.

Nevill said:
Avenging us may be futile, but preventing harm from coming to us in the first place might be a good idea.

The only way the King could guarantee your safety is to tie the two of you up in your chambers and never let you leave the palace. He has given you complete control over the investigation and as long as you don't burn down what is left of the city you will have his support. :lol:
 
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archaen

Cipher
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Mar 10, 2014
Messages
633
Ill also flop to 1.D > 1.A
I would also like to ammend my 2.Bii vote to include Nevill's 2.Biii but also ask for a meeting or location of "She who waits" from Morpheus. I assume he knows who she is. I would like the eldritch horror waiting to plunge a knife into the back of the spider goddess get involved on our side sooner rather than later.
 

Fangshi

Arcane
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,997
archaen said:
but also ask for a meeting or location of "She who waits" from Morpheus. I assume he knows who she is. I would like the eldritch horror waiting to plunge a knife into the back of the spider goddess get involved on our side sooner rather than later.

That can likely be arranged (provided there are no objections) should you decide to talk to Morpheus.

Current Tally:

asxetos:
1.A
2.A
3.A
4.x

Kz3r0:
1.Bi
2.Biii
3.B
4.B

Nevill:
1.D
2.Biii
3.B
4.A

Jester:
1.A
2.Biv
3.A
4.x

archaen:
1.D>A
2.Biii
3.A
4.x

Grimgravy:
1.D>A
2.Bv
3.A
4.B

Absinthe:
1.D
2.x
3.x
4.B

GreyViper:
1.D
2.Bii
3.A
4.x

1.
A) 2 votes
B)
i.
ii. 1 vote
C)
D) 5 votes

2. 1 abstain
A) 1 vote
B)
i.
ii. 1 vote
iii. 3 votes
iv. 1 vote
v. 1 vote

3. 1 abstain
A) 5 votes
B) 2 votes

4. 4 undeclared
A)
i.
ii. 1 vote
B) 3 votes
 
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Absinthe

Arcane
Joined
Jan 6, 2012
Messages
4,062
4B This plan is fucking dangerous. If our luck is sour, the spider goddess could attack us right in the dreaming and that would be the end.
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
The only other solution that he sees as acceptable is to have his son killed secretly.
Ahem. 'Disappeared' would be a better word. :)

The Prince of Dreams is always looking for more pieces for his collection. He does not have too many princes and Wenzel would make it an even three hundred, a nice round number.
I was thinking more like using the unique qualities of the Dreaming to turn it into a behavior correction center and inviting Wenzel for a temporary stay of several years.

See, I don't want you to think that we have found our AWESUM BUTTON and that Islam the Dreaming has all the answers, but you have introduced a whole plane with unlimited potential, and I want to explore that. Dreams can be (or feel) no less real than reality itself, but there are no limits to what is possible within a dream. We have already indirectly asked Morpheus to keep an eye on the mental state of our sedated friends, we are using lucid dreams to enhance our abilities and understanding of ourselves, we have used it as the world's first instant messenger client, and there are bound to be even more uses for it that we did not think of yet.

If we ever want to, we can even gradually prepare Hallr to the idea of reality, and have far more control over how well he takes it. Not that I think we would ever do that, but it is possible.

Bringing Wenzel in to participate in the third Great War against the Dark, dragging him through blood, mud and shit where no one cares for what he was in his previous life so far as he can hold a sword, with no luxuries left to enjoy but a roasted rat and a feeling of camaraderie between the survivors, with money and station losing their meaning in the face of the enemy who simply does not care - I think such an experience can be life-changing. Of course, if we want it to stick, we would have to tie the legend up with the state he will find the world in upon his return.

Can the Dreaming do that? Forge people into what we want them to be, I mean? We already plan to use it as a platform to fight our fears and complexes, as part of our memory integration sessions. I feel like expanding upon the idea. :)

There were hundreds of ghôls under the Watcher's command. They are now all free and if your plan worked they have probably all thrown their support behind Nanshe.
Yeah, about six hundreds or so, according to Nanshe. That's not a big deal, in theory. If I recall correctly, Ceannard and his sixteen archers alone have killed about 100 of them on the way back from the desert. Even though Uttu may have been exaggerating, Biliku has no reason to.

That's about the numbers I expect to see on the ghol side.

I suppose you could contact her in the Dreaming and ask her really nicely how many soldiers she can currently raise. It might work. ;)
Or we can meet her personally in two days if she is still alive by then. I think we would have a few things to talk about.

City guards mostly and they do not get to use balloons and mortars.
City guards are good against citizen riots and other disorganized rabble. When you have an army of several hundreds of armed thugs sitting in a fortified compound to pacify, you want something stronger than police force - a SWAT team equivalent, at the very least - and since it looks like they do not officially exist, that is why I was angling for the military support.

That is why I am asking what I am allowed to bring to the negotiations table when dealing with such matters.

Certainly if someone does disobey him then he could send in the army and draw everyone's attention to the issue but so far there has been no such treasonous activity.
Do I read it correctly that the Weazels disobeying Albrecht would not be half as much problematic as Wenzel disobeying Albrecht? Is that what I am reading? :)

You have not even spoken to him yet so the use of such a threat of force would still be seen as quite excessive by the nobility and other interested parties.
Meaning that I can not employ such a force unless I make proof of one's illegal activities public?

I can see now why the dwarves have a bit of a terrorist problem. :D

If you want Albrecht to have Wenzel killed then go talk to Albrecht and if you have a compelling reason the King will put you in touch with the necessary people to ensure it gets done.
We can likely deal with Wenzel perfectly by ourselves, thank you. But I would like to explore that idea about the correction center.

What he is trying to say is that it would be devastating for his House to have Wenzel arrested on a charge of treason.
Fair enough. :salute:

Fangshi said:
archaen said:
I would like the eldritch horror waiting to plunge a knife into the back of the spider goddess get involved on our side sooner rather than later.
That can likely be arranged (provided there are no objections) should you decide to talk to Morpheus.
I am interested in that as well.

However, I must caution people that She-Who-Waits perhaps does not harbor that much of a grudge against her sister as one might think:
"Father told mother to fuck off. That my aunt had come to him for protection, that she had sworn never to leave him and that she was bowing out of the intrigues of my people. Mother would have none of that though and the two fought. Mother was much more powerful than father, she had all the strength of her devoured siblings and most of the strength of that creature but father had been prince for far longer than she had been a goddess and it was his plane they were fighting in which makes quite a difference all things considered," she grins from ear to ear, "Father won and let her go, not out of mercy but because my aunt asked him to. Naturally mother tried again and again after that for some time."
Still, I would like to talk to her all the same.

And I guess I will rephrase my 4th choise without altering the existing votes. I am interested in having a talk with the Goddess regardless of whether we get to threaten her or not. The list of topics and the reasons why she might answer us are outlined in this post. And put me down for 4 Aii>Ai.

4. A Plan: You will ask Morpheus to put you through with the Spider Goddess. Since you have common enemies, despite being enemies yourselves, you might even exchange some of the information that does not directly concern you. You would like to look your adversary in the eyes and see what are her goals in all of this, and it should be rather safe since Morpheus is under an agreement to grant you protection while in the Dreaming.
Ai)
You go through with the plan to contact the Goddess. You think such a meeting might give you additional insight into the situation you are in, even though she is hostile to you and not terribly trustworthy.
Aii) You will contact the Goddess, but you will also write a will requesting Mazzarin to destroy her, her kin and any of her followers of note (with the obvious exceptions of your girls, the orphans, Christine and Nephila) if you ever die regardless of the reason to blackmail her into not interfering with your actions. You are as sick of her constant meddling as she is of yours.
B) No, you do not contact the Goddess. You do not believe it will work and you see it as a waste of time and resources.

Absinthe said:
This plan is fucking dangerous. If our luck is sour, the spider goddess could attack us right in the dreaming and that would be the end.
It is Morpheus' plane. He is stronger than she is there, and he is obligated to protect us. And according to Lyssa, no harm can come to you while you are dreaming. 'Things that do not play by the rules' do not include the Spider Goddess who can be forced to comply by virtue of being weaker than the Prince.
He merely shakes his head, "Now, I understand I have a certain reputation but you have nothing to worry about here. I could not sweep the three of you away even if I tried, even if you begged me with all your sweet hearts. You are not actually here, you see, you are dreaming and so you are safe. You can not hurt me and I can not hurt you so I thought we would talk a little."

"Is he telling the truth," you ask the witch.

"Yes," she answers, eyeing the demon, "He is not lying as far as I know. He should not be able to harm us if we are simply dreaming."
If Morpheus can't hurt us in his place of power, the Goddess would not be able to, either. Case in point:
However if you die while in this dreaming state you will simply wake up. You are almost completely safe in a regular dream.

It is one of the reasons I refused the plan with the egg. It should be perfectly safe.
 
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Fangshi

Arcane
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,997
Nevill said:
Ahem. 'Disappeared' would be a better word. :)

Disappeared could also work, yes, as long as he does not show up later accusing the Crown of anything.

Nevill said:
Can the Dreaming do that? Forge people into what we want them to be, I mean?

It has never been done. You would have to introduce the idea to Morpheus, he might find it... fun. :smug:

There would also be the issue of getting Wenzel back though. Now this may not be too difficult as the lords of the Dreaming are used to trading pieces in their collections on a fairly regular basis (like sports cards for example) but what it would mean is that you would have to give him something or someone of equal or greater value.

Nevill said:
a SWAT team equivalent, at the very least

The Pathfinder officer branch fills that position. If they have to go in the problem inevitably disappears.

Nevill said:
Do I read it correctly that the Weazels disobeying Albrecht would not be half as much problematic as Wenzel disobeying Albrecht? Is that what I am reading?
icon_smile.gif

Quite possibly.

Nevill said:
Meaning that I can not employ such a force unless I make proof of one's illegal activities public?

Meaning it would be seen as quite inappropriate to jump immediately to the most extreme weapons available to you. :lol:


RE: The Spider Goddess meeting

Sure, I can split the meeting into 'threatening' and 'neutral' varieties if you wish. They will be counted separately though as they carry with them the potential to create widely different outcomes.
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
There would also be the issue of getting Wenzel back though. Now this may not be too difficult as the lords of the Dreaming are used to trading pieces in their collections on a fairly regular basis (like sports cards for example) but what it would mean is that you would have to give him something or someone of equal or greater value.
With the rate we are feeding Morpheus new souls it would be more of a problem to find people that are still awake after several years. :lol:

Meaning it would be seen as quite inappropriate to jump immediately to the most extreme weapons available to you. :lol:
But I want to be XTREME. Like Bari. He was pretty cool when he had limbs. :(
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
So... just to clear things up.

How would 2Biii work in combination with 3A? We tell him that Janine is dead and then dump him in the world where she is supposedly alive?

They are kind of at odds with one another.
 

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