Sixteen years ago you were part of a coup.
A very indirect part. You weren't there when Duke...
A very indirect part. You weren't there when Duke...
Negotiated Surrender Quest
- Thread starter SeptimusMagisto
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Prologue
Sixteen years ago you were part of a coup.
A very indirect part. You weren't there when Duke Springhide overran the Royal Palace and its small contingent of guards and put the royal family to the sword. You just knew that it was going to happen, and when Springhide named himself Lord Protector of the land and its new ruler, you persuaded the soldiers under your command to accept him as such. All over the kingdom other generals, nobles, mayors, and senechals were doing the same thing. The Lord Protector had been well prepared.
In the end, most people had simply accepted what had happened and went along with it. Some did not. The next several years were full of battle and politics. But the resistance was less stiff than might be expected. Springhide made a lot of friends with his first few edicts.
(Select two of the following)
[ ] He signed a Compact with the nobility, granting them more privileges than they enjoyed under the old monarch, and devolving some of the central government's powers to them, earning the nobles' support.
[ ] He accepted merchants into his court alongside landed nobles and struck down several archaic laws making it difficult for them to do business. Silver flowed freely into his coffers.
[ ] He passed acts of debt relief and land reform. Tens of thousands of peasants owed him their new livelihoods.
[ ] He got rid of most restrictions on the use of magic. The mages were duly grateful.
[ ] He resolved long-standing feuds with surrounding countries, giving in on issues that were considered matters of prestige for the old royals, and earning full diplomatic recognition in return.
[ ] He commissioned magnificent works of art, giving himself an air of grandiose legitimacy.
Still, there was some resistance. You and your troops were sent to take a defiant fortress in the eastern mountains. Once you did, you stayed to hold it, and to quell further uprisings. For five years you administered the surrounding valleys as a military governor. Then, as a reward for loyal service and an acknowledgement of a de facto reality, you were made the count of the surrounding lands. Your troops were released into your personal service, and you duly distributed confiscated land among them, turning the foot soldiers into your levee and your officers into knights.
Then came eight more years of administration, of long ledgers accounting for harvests, mining, and repairs, of quelling the ever less frequent uprisings and the largely unchanging bandit attacks, of suppressing the ogres and adjudicating court cases. It was, you suppose, the life you always wanted.
And then the rumors started.
According to the whispers flying through your castle and every castle, town, and village in the land, Springhide's troops failed to kill the youngest prince, a newborn babe at the time of the coup. He was carried away by a soft hearted soldier and raised as his own son, or sent away by ancient magic to live with an old mentor on top of some mountain, or stolen away by fairies and now returned, or thrown into a river where he miraculously floated until landing in the reeds...the rumors lacked any consistency. At least at first. They got somewhat more specific from then on.
The Heir was seen fighting bandits, evading the guards, having dance parties with village folk. He joined a rebellion against Baron Ashsteel and defeated the baron's personal bodyguard in a swordfight. He disappeared into the Wild and re-appeared with a strange girl who could work miracles. For a year and a half he was seemingly everywhere, mocking Lord Springhide with his very existence. Then he seemed to vanish again, though the rumors stayed, wildly speculating about what the lost prince might be doing.
Then, sixteen years after the coup that killed his family, the Heir emerged for the final time
(Select one of the following)
[ ] At the head of a loyalist army, with nobles and peasants alike cheering his family's name.
[ ] Leading an army of clockwork golems out of an underground city lost to time and history.
[ ] With the very plants and animals of the kingdom following him to battle.
[ ] with a small party of vastly powerful companions at his side.
He struck at the capital with lightning speed, met the Lord Protector's army in the field, and soundly defeated it. He personally cut down Springhide's bodyguards while his Wild companion turned the Lord Protector into a buzzard. The capital opened the gates to him and he rode through the streets in triumph, entered the palace, and put on his father's crown. And with a booming proclamation (followed by weeks of scribes sending out letters to people who didn't happen to be in the same room as the new King at the time) he demanded that all who followed Springhide lay down their arms and submit to him.
You think you're going to do it.
Springhide? He was the sort of man who could throw down with an apparent legendary hero. Limitless ambition, mind like a steel trap, competence exceeded only by ruthlessness. You don't have it in you, and you don't know any of Springhide's supporters who do. The King's forces are probably strong enough to crush all of you together, and you can't imagine which one of you would get you together. So, you're going to surrender. Lay down your arms, bow your head, beg for the royal mercy. The only question is, which way to do it?
See, the king isn't outside your castle's gates yet. Probably he doesn't want to be. That gives you a little time, and a little leverage. You can surrender according to terms instead of just handing over everything you have and everything you are and seeing what might be given back to you. You can try to find out if the new King knows of your involvement in the coup, and maybe hide it if he doesn't. You can come up with arguments as to why you should continue to be the count around here. You can try to win the King's favor in one way or another.
You have a lot to lose. Time to see how much of it you can keep.
A very indirect part. You weren't there when Duke Springhide overran the Royal Palace and its small contingent of guards and put the royal family to the sword. You just knew that it was going to happen, and when Springhide named himself Lord Protector of the land and its new ruler, you persuaded the soldiers under your command to accept him as such. All over the kingdom other generals, nobles, mayors, and senechals were doing the same thing. The Lord Protector had been well prepared.
In the end, most people had simply accepted what had happened and went along with it. Some did not. The next several years were full of battle and politics. But the resistance was less stiff than might be expected. Springhide made a lot of friends with his first few edicts.
(Select two of the following)
[ ] He signed a Compact with the nobility, granting them more privileges than they enjoyed under the old monarch, and devolving some of the central government's powers to them, earning the nobles' support.
[ ] He accepted merchants into his court alongside landed nobles and struck down several archaic laws making it difficult for them to do business. Silver flowed freely into his coffers.
[ ] He passed acts of debt relief and land reform. Tens of thousands of peasants owed him their new livelihoods.
[ ] He got rid of most restrictions on the use of magic. The mages were duly grateful.
[ ] He resolved long-standing feuds with surrounding countries, giving in on issues that were considered matters of prestige for the old royals, and earning full diplomatic recognition in return.
[ ] He commissioned magnificent works of art, giving himself an air of grandiose legitimacy.
Still, there was some resistance. You and your troops were sent to take a defiant fortress in the eastern mountains. Once you did, you stayed to hold it, and to quell further uprisings. For five years you administered the surrounding valleys as a military governor. Then, as a reward for loyal service and an acknowledgement of a de facto reality, you were made the count of the surrounding lands. Your troops were released into your personal service, and you duly distributed confiscated land among them, turning the foot soldiers into your levee and your officers into knights.
Then came eight more years of administration, of long ledgers accounting for harvests, mining, and repairs, of quelling the ever less frequent uprisings and the largely unchanging bandit attacks, of suppressing the ogres and adjudicating court cases. It was, you suppose, the life you always wanted.
And then the rumors started.
According to the whispers flying through your castle and every castle, town, and village in the land, Springhide's troops failed to kill the youngest prince, a newborn babe at the time of the coup. He was carried away by a soft hearted soldier and raised as his own son, or sent away by ancient magic to live with an old mentor on top of some mountain, or stolen away by fairies and now returned, or thrown into a river where he miraculously floated until landing in the reeds...the rumors lacked any consistency. At least at first. They got somewhat more specific from then on.
The Heir was seen fighting bandits, evading the guards, having dance parties with village folk. He joined a rebellion against Baron Ashsteel and defeated the baron's personal bodyguard in a swordfight. He disappeared into the Wild and re-appeared with a strange girl who could work miracles. For a year and a half he was seemingly everywhere, mocking Lord Springhide with his very existence. Then he seemed to vanish again, though the rumors stayed, wildly speculating about what the lost prince might be doing.
Then, sixteen years after the coup that killed his family, the Heir emerged for the final time
(Select one of the following)
[ ] At the head of a loyalist army, with nobles and peasants alike cheering his family's name.
[ ] Leading an army of clockwork golems out of an underground city lost to time and history.
[ ] With the very plants and animals of the kingdom following him to battle.
[ ] with a small party of vastly powerful companions at his side.
He struck at the capital with lightning speed, met the Lord Protector's army in the field, and soundly defeated it. He personally cut down Springhide's bodyguards while his Wild companion turned the Lord Protector into a buzzard. The capital opened the gates to him and he rode through the streets in triumph, entered the palace, and put on his father's crown. And with a booming proclamation (followed by weeks of scribes sending out letters to people who didn't happen to be in the same room as the new King at the time) he demanded that all who followed Springhide lay down their arms and submit to him.
You think you're going to do it.
Springhide? He was the sort of man who could throw down with an apparent legendary hero. Limitless ambition, mind like a steel trap, competence exceeded only by ruthlessness. You don't have it in you, and you don't know any of Springhide's supporters who do. The King's forces are probably strong enough to crush all of you together, and you can't imagine which one of you would get you together. So, you're going to surrender. Lay down your arms, bow your head, beg for the royal mercy. The only question is, which way to do it?
See, the king isn't outside your castle's gates yet. Probably he doesn't want to be. That gives you a little time, and a little leverage. You can surrender according to terms instead of just handing over everything you have and everything you are and seeing what might be given back to you. You can try to find out if the new King knows of your involvement in the coup, and maybe hide it if he doesn't. You can come up with arguments as to why you should continue to be the count around here. You can try to win the King's favor in one way or another.
You have a lot to lose. Time to see how much of it you can keep.
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Reserved
Reserved
Count of Shear
[X] He passed acts of debt relief and land reform. Tens of thousands of peasants owed him their new livelihoods.
[X] He got rid of most restrictions on the use of magic. The mages were duly grateful.
Springhide already had nobles and general ready to support him thanks to his conspiracy. But most common folk thought he was nothing but a murderer. Instead of trying to directly contradict them, the newly minted Lord Protector focused on making them think of him as a murderer who was trying to do something good. Was he? Who knows. You can't say you ever really got inside his head. It was probably more the other way around. In any case, he passed reforms that freed tens of thousands of peasants from virtual debt slavery, turning them into yeoman farmers, mainly at the expense of the nobles who didn't support him.
The mages were the bigger gamble. They used to labor under many restrictions. No mage of any kind could own a house within the limits of a city, town, or large village if that house contained a laboratory. No wizard could perform research that might one day lead to the creation of a spell for scrying distant places or reading minds. No necromancer could raise anyone buried in a grave, under penalty of death. That sort of thing. Under Springhide such restrictions were either dropped entirely or greater relaxed. This didn't make Springhide universally popular with mages. Indeed, some of the more conservative types strongly opposed it. But the most ambitious and ruthless mages saw it as a great boon, and many middle-of-the-road types simply saw it as a moderate convenience they could be grateful for. Springhide found it easier to find mages willing to work for him, and his opponents found it harder.
[X] with a small party of vastly powerful companions at his side.
The late Lord Protector always planned on the grandest scale. He thought in terms of provinces, armies, and social classes. He had the kind of personal insight that let him select the right people to do his bidding, but you know that as far as he was concerned you were never anything more than a tool though which he could control a certain number of soldiers and then later a certain piece of land.
The Returned Heir had a much more personal touch. The Wild girl was only the first companion he collected. Soon after rumors added a warrior of uncertain size who could scatter a dozen men with a swing of his arm, and a thief capable of traveling through sunbeams and shooting arrows through time. When the Heir and his companions broke into the headquarters of the Wizards' Guild, they left its secret vaults on the back of a gargantuan Phoenix, with a hooded figure beside them.
When it came time to confront his enemy, Springhide brought twenty thousand soldiers, bolstered by five thousand undead, dozens of elementals as tall as a tree, and a collection of varied mages. The Heir's forces numbered eight, including himself and the Phoenix.
Springhide never stood a chance.
The survivors' gibbering accounts describe a scene of total pandemonium. A Wild Storm descending on the battlefield, sweeping reality aside and leaving only chaos and monsters in its wake. The undead drowning and dissolving in a sea of words. The Lord Protector's mages being taken by a figure that covered any distance with a single step and resisted any attempt at description. The Heir leaping through the army's confused ranks, stepping on heads and shoulders, while his stout companion cut them down like grass. Then the final confrontation, Springhide's inevitable loss, and the unstoppable rout.
So, like you said, you're pretty sure you're going to surrender.
Speaking of which, it's time to begin your first step: taking inventory. Figuring out what you have, how you can use it, and what you may be willing to lose.
Your first and most important asset is, of course, yourself. You are
[ ] Name, first and last
Count of Shear, a land consisting of three fertile valleys and half of a mountain range. And before that, a general. And before that...
[ ] The second son of a duke, buoyed to your high position by the support of your father, who joined you in serving Springhide.
[ ] A celebrated soldier and commander who won his rank through a steady sword arm and a keen strategic mind
[ ] A silver tongued diplomat who knew just what to say to the right people to earn advancement.
[ ] A cunning spy who received his appointment in exchange for his silence on certain matters.
But of course that's in the past. For the last sixteen years you've been administering Shear. For the last eleven it was in our own name. You walked these valleys. You hunted in the mountains, visited the mines, drank from the streams. You don't want to lose this place.
The account books are on the table to your left. You're no merchant, but you proved unexpectedly good at reading the numbers. The valleys give decent harvests of wheat and barley, as well as some small amount of fruit. One of the villages takes in river clay and produces pottery. Nothing terribly impressive. This far from the sea the seasons are harsh and though the valleys are arable, their rocky soil is a far cry from the soil that can be found further west, which is black and melts like butter in one's hands.
The true wealth of Shear lies in its mountains. The pines that grow on these slopes are highly prized by shipbuilders for their extraordinary height. The mountains are veined with iron and copper. And then there is the true jewel of your county, the Green Mountain, filled with malachite. The semi-precious stone is as valuable as it is beautiful.
Your other asset is Shear's army. Most of the men who served under you on the day of the coup are now settled in your lands. And though most of them have grown too old for service, their sons have taken their place. Unlike the Royal (briefly Central) army which is made up of professionals paid in coin, a nobleman's army is mostly made up of peasants who owe him the loyalty due to a liege lord and get a break on taxes. Though you haven't marched your soldiers out of the county since you got here, there's been plenty to do. There are ogres and kobolds in those mountains, and the occasional griffin too. There are bandits everywhere. And given the previous count's willingness to fight to the death against Stronghide's rule, there is also the occasional rebellion. Less so in recent years, simply because most of the would-be rebels were killed or driven out in the first few attempts. Though with things the way they are now, you should be on the lookout for that.
You frown. You'll definitely need to figure out a reason for the new King to leave Shear in your hands instead of handing it off to someone else. Maybe even some surviving family member of the previous count, the one who fought for the memory of the King's parents instead of against it. Luckily...
[ ] You have contacts in the capital. They can feed you information on the King's way of thinking, and possibly even help change it.
[ ] You've kept in touch with Springhide's other appointees. You may be able to convince them to act in a way that serves your interests.
[ ] Your intense focus on your county's affairs led to definite improvements, ones the King will be forced to acknowledge.
[X] He got rid of most restrictions on the use of magic. The mages were duly grateful.
Springhide already had nobles and general ready to support him thanks to his conspiracy. But most common folk thought he was nothing but a murderer. Instead of trying to directly contradict them, the newly minted Lord Protector focused on making them think of him as a murderer who was trying to do something good. Was he? Who knows. You can't say you ever really got inside his head. It was probably more the other way around. In any case, he passed reforms that freed tens of thousands of peasants from virtual debt slavery, turning them into yeoman farmers, mainly at the expense of the nobles who didn't support him.
The mages were the bigger gamble. They used to labor under many restrictions. No mage of any kind could own a house within the limits of a city, town, or large village if that house contained a laboratory. No wizard could perform research that might one day lead to the creation of a spell for scrying distant places or reading minds. No necromancer could raise anyone buried in a grave, under penalty of death. That sort of thing. Under Springhide such restrictions were either dropped entirely or greater relaxed. This didn't make Springhide universally popular with mages. Indeed, some of the more conservative types strongly opposed it. But the most ambitious and ruthless mages saw it as a great boon, and many middle-of-the-road types simply saw it as a moderate convenience they could be grateful for. Springhide found it easier to find mages willing to work for him, and his opponents found it harder.
[X] with a small party of vastly powerful companions at his side.
The late Lord Protector always planned on the grandest scale. He thought in terms of provinces, armies, and social classes. He had the kind of personal insight that let him select the right people to do his bidding, but you know that as far as he was concerned you were never anything more than a tool though which he could control a certain number of soldiers and then later a certain piece of land.
The Returned Heir had a much more personal touch. The Wild girl was only the first companion he collected. Soon after rumors added a warrior of uncertain size who could scatter a dozen men with a swing of his arm, and a thief capable of traveling through sunbeams and shooting arrows through time. When the Heir and his companions broke into the headquarters of the Wizards' Guild, they left its secret vaults on the back of a gargantuan Phoenix, with a hooded figure beside them.
When it came time to confront his enemy, Springhide brought twenty thousand soldiers, bolstered by five thousand undead, dozens of elementals as tall as a tree, and a collection of varied mages. The Heir's forces numbered eight, including himself and the Phoenix.
Springhide never stood a chance.
The survivors' gibbering accounts describe a scene of total pandemonium. A Wild Storm descending on the battlefield, sweeping reality aside and leaving only chaos and monsters in its wake. The undead drowning and dissolving in a sea of words. The Lord Protector's mages being taken by a figure that covered any distance with a single step and resisted any attempt at description. The Heir leaping through the army's confused ranks, stepping on heads and shoulders, while his stout companion cut them down like grass. Then the final confrontation, Springhide's inevitable loss, and the unstoppable rout.
So, like you said, you're pretty sure you're going to surrender.
***
Speaking of which, it's time to begin your first step: taking inventory. Figuring out what you have, how you can use it, and what you may be willing to lose.
Your first and most important asset is, of course, yourself. You are
[ ] Name, first and last
Count of Shear, a land consisting of three fertile valleys and half of a mountain range. And before that, a general. And before that...
[ ] The second son of a duke, buoyed to your high position by the support of your father, who joined you in serving Springhide.
[ ] A celebrated soldier and commander who won his rank through a steady sword arm and a keen strategic mind
[ ] A silver tongued diplomat who knew just what to say to the right people to earn advancement.
[ ] A cunning spy who received his appointment in exchange for his silence on certain matters.
But of course that's in the past. For the last sixteen years you've been administering Shear. For the last eleven it was in our own name. You walked these valleys. You hunted in the mountains, visited the mines, drank from the streams. You don't want to lose this place.
The account books are on the table to your left. You're no merchant, but you proved unexpectedly good at reading the numbers. The valleys give decent harvests of wheat and barley, as well as some small amount of fruit. One of the villages takes in river clay and produces pottery. Nothing terribly impressive. This far from the sea the seasons are harsh and though the valleys are arable, their rocky soil is a far cry from the soil that can be found further west, which is black and melts like butter in one's hands.
The true wealth of Shear lies in its mountains. The pines that grow on these slopes are highly prized by shipbuilders for their extraordinary height. The mountains are veined with iron and copper. And then there is the true jewel of your county, the Green Mountain, filled with malachite. The semi-precious stone is as valuable as it is beautiful.
Your other asset is Shear's army. Most of the men who served under you on the day of the coup are now settled in your lands. And though most of them have grown too old for service, their sons have taken their place. Unlike the Royal (briefly Central) army which is made up of professionals paid in coin, a nobleman's army is mostly made up of peasants who owe him the loyalty due to a liege lord and get a break on taxes. Though you haven't marched your soldiers out of the county since you got here, there's been plenty to do. There are ogres and kobolds in those mountains, and the occasional griffin too. There are bandits everywhere. And given the previous count's willingness to fight to the death against Stronghide's rule, there is also the occasional rebellion. Less so in recent years, simply because most of the would-be rebels were killed or driven out in the first few attempts. Though with things the way they are now, you should be on the lookout for that.
You frown. You'll definitely need to figure out a reason for the new King to leave Shear in your hands instead of handing it off to someone else. Maybe even some surviving family member of the previous count, the one who fought for the memory of the King's parents instead of against it. Luckily...
[ ] You have contacts in the capital. They can feed you information on the King's way of thinking, and possibly even help change it.
[ ] You've kept in touch with Springhide's other appointees. You may be able to convince them to act in a way that serves your interests.
[ ] Your intense focus on your county's affairs led to definite improvements, ones the King will be forced to acknowledge.
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Soldier and Administrator
[X] Shelby Penwood
[X] A celebrated soldier and commander who won his rank through a steady sword arm and a keen strategic mind
You didn't buy your rank with wealth, gain it through influence, or sweettalk your way into it. You simply proved yourself over and over and over again, first in battle then in command, until nobody could ignore you. Everything that you had, you earned. Some people might be proud of that. For you it was just a reminder of every advantage you lacked. Maybe that's why you jumped at the chance to collaborate with Springhide. You wanted to see what it was like to have things easy for once.
The men loved it, of course. A rough and tumble warrior general who's also good at his job is easier to follow than a political appointee. Your competence earned their loyalty, and that loyalty stayed when they settled on your new lands. They never knew of your grand bargain, so to them your ascension was a just reward for a lifetime of hard work and following orders without questioning where they came from. And their own plots of land were the same. They taught their children the same ethic, encouraging them to do whatever you say and trust that everything will turn out fine.
Besides, your skills continue to be useful. These mountains may never be fully domesticated, but you and your warriors have kept them tame.
[X] Your intense focus on your county's affairs led to definite improvements, ones the King will be forced to acknowledge
Truth be told, you never really cared much about Springhide or his conspiracy. You were never anything more than a piece in a game he was playing. You knew that. Once your part in the game was done, there was no real reason for you to keep paying attention. So you left the Lord Protector and your co-conspirators to their affairs and tended to your own house.
You were good at it, too. Back in your officer days, you quickly figured out that most quartermasters were either neck deep in graft, or else simply grabbed whatever supplies they could find and didn't bother to write it down properly. You fought with every bit of your clout to replace them with neurotic little scribes and mathematicians, and then you checked their ledgers personally just to be sure. That practice probably helped your command record as much as any brilliant tactics on your part.
You brought that attitude and experience to your fief. It was just more of the same - ledgers and account books, facts and numbers combined with personal accounts to give perspective. Listening to experienced stewards to find out that if a bad harvest happens, giving everyone a break on their rent saves more money in the long run. Figuring out how often bad harvests happen so you can budget for the lean years instead of borrowing from moneylanders. Improving efficiency here and there and saving a little money from each project until you have enough to pay for something new that produces income. And so on.
You performed many small feats of management in your time administering this fief. You also completed three major projects.
[ ] You hunted far and wide for experienced griffin trainers, wishing to turn a threat into a commodity.
[ ] You built a new town in one of your valleys, filling it with craftsmen.
[ ] You built several border fortifications, paying for them with special grants from the Lord Protector.
[ ] You imported new varieties of crops and agricultural techniques, letting more of your mountains be used for farming
[ ] You strongly encouraged as many mages as possible to move into your lands
[ ] You instituted an annual Art Festival with an appropriate reward, pushing the skills of your malachite carvers and coppersmiths
[ ] You built mills, roads, and canals.
[ ] You found and tapped a rich vein of coal
[ ] Your army was big. Your lands were mostly tamed. You lent some of your troops out as quasi-mercenaries.
[ ] You negotiated special contracts with shipbuilders on the other side of the kingdom.
[ ] You opened a university.
One other thing happened during your tenure as count: you got married. As a nobleman, you couldn't really avoid it even if you wanted to. But why did you pick your wife?
[ ] Her dowry was substantial, even by a Count's standards.
[ ] She had skills that complemented yours, making up for your deficiencies.
[ ] She was the most extraordinary woman you ever met.
You're beginning to regret your self-imposed isolation. It's left you groping about blind and deaf, guessing at everyone's motives.
Well, not totally blind. You do have a few people informing you of what's happening in the capital. Not professional spies of the kind who break into vaults to read private documents and lurk in shadows to listen in on conversations. Just normal people like a palace servant or a cobbler who frequents a lot of taverns writing you letters about the things they see and hear in exchange for modest stipends. It's just a step above asking random travelers for news, which is what you're forced to do in regard to other cities and castles.
The letters tell you that the young King has chosen to pause his rampage. After three years of fighting he's sheathed his sword and hardly leaves the palace. It's possible that he knows the folly of trying to hold an entire kingdom with the strength of eight people, however extraordinary they are. Or maybe he's eager to enjoy the pleasures and luxury he believes are rightfully his. Or maybe he's hard at work compiling a list of conspirators, gathering evidence, and deciding whom to smite and in what order. Your sources aren't close enough to the throne to know the answers to these questions.
They do know that the King and his companions don't seem to be in a hurry to resume their journeying. The Phoenix is making a nest in the palace gardens. A tower of words has risen on the outskirts of the capital. The thief has disappeared shortly after the makeshift crowning ceremony, stepping out into the sunlight and melting away. But his parting speech indicated he hasn't gone very far. The strange creature that devastated the mage corps stalks the nightly feasts. It neither eats nor sleeps, and though it seems to be right there, it continues to defy any attempt at description. The warrior and the sea priestess consume an obscene amount of alcohol as they trade tales, and the Wild girl is never more than three steps away from the King.
In a move that bodes ill for you, the King has seen fit to disband most of Springhide's court. To replace the various Ministers, he's called up courtiers who retired from his father's service. For the most part they run the gamut between old an ancient, so this can hardly be considered a permanent solution. There are also several younger appointees whom nobody seems to know. Given the King's way of doing things, ou assume they're people he's met on his journey. Figuring out who they are and where they came from could give you valuable insights into that journey...assuming you ever have the time or the resources for that sort of thing.
As well, the King has ordered the remains of the army he personally devastated to regroup and present themselves for inspection. Something like half of the remaining soldiers obeyed, while the other half slipped into the shadows, trembling in fear. The other units of the Royal Army are likewise being recalled from their postings. However, the King has made no similar moves in regard to nobles and landowners. It seems you have some breathing room.
You could certainly use it. Every day you stall is one more opportunity to do something. You can ingratiate yourself with the new King. You can erase any evidence of your complicity in the coup - or at least come up with a really good excuse. You can convince your fellow lords to surrender with you and claim credit - or else prompt them to rebel, buying you time and making you look better by comparison. You have a thousand small goals worth accomplishing.
Which of them you might accomplish, and how depends on your answer to one question.
What kind of a person are you?
[ ] There is a reason you were involved in Springhide's coup. You fight dirty, and you're willing to take big risks for a big payoff.
[ ] You're not an altruist. You care about people and things you consider "yours" and nothing more.
[ ] You're clever and persistent. All you ever wanted was for the world to recognize this and compensate you for it.
[ ] You think that despite everything Springhide's coup was good for the kingdom. You sincerely hope the Heir's return will be even better.
[ ] Write-in
[X] A celebrated soldier and commander who won his rank through a steady sword arm and a keen strategic mind
You didn't buy your rank with wealth, gain it through influence, or sweettalk your way into it. You simply proved yourself over and over and over again, first in battle then in command, until nobody could ignore you. Everything that you had, you earned. Some people might be proud of that. For you it was just a reminder of every advantage you lacked. Maybe that's why you jumped at the chance to collaborate with Springhide. You wanted to see what it was like to have things easy for once.
The men loved it, of course. A rough and tumble warrior general who's also good at his job is easier to follow than a political appointee. Your competence earned their loyalty, and that loyalty stayed when they settled on your new lands. They never knew of your grand bargain, so to them your ascension was a just reward for a lifetime of hard work and following orders without questioning where they came from. And their own plots of land were the same. They taught their children the same ethic, encouraging them to do whatever you say and trust that everything will turn out fine.
Besides, your skills continue to be useful. These mountains may never be fully domesticated, but you and your warriors have kept them tame.
[X] Your intense focus on your county's affairs led to definite improvements, ones the King will be forced to acknowledge
Truth be told, you never really cared much about Springhide or his conspiracy. You were never anything more than a piece in a game he was playing. You knew that. Once your part in the game was done, there was no real reason for you to keep paying attention. So you left the Lord Protector and your co-conspirators to their affairs and tended to your own house.
You were good at it, too. Back in your officer days, you quickly figured out that most quartermasters were either neck deep in graft, or else simply grabbed whatever supplies they could find and didn't bother to write it down properly. You fought with every bit of your clout to replace them with neurotic little scribes and mathematicians, and then you checked their ledgers personally just to be sure. That practice probably helped your command record as much as any brilliant tactics on your part.
You brought that attitude and experience to your fief. It was just more of the same - ledgers and account books, facts and numbers combined with personal accounts to give perspective. Listening to experienced stewards to find out that if a bad harvest happens, giving everyone a break on their rent saves more money in the long run. Figuring out how often bad harvests happen so you can budget for the lean years instead of borrowing from moneylanders. Improving efficiency here and there and saving a little money from each project until you have enough to pay for something new that produces income. And so on.
You performed many small feats of management in your time administering this fief. You also completed three major projects.
[ ] You hunted far and wide for experienced griffin trainers, wishing to turn a threat into a commodity.
[ ] You built a new town in one of your valleys, filling it with craftsmen.
[ ] You built several border fortifications, paying for them with special grants from the Lord Protector.
[ ] You imported new varieties of crops and agricultural techniques, letting more of your mountains be used for farming
[ ] You strongly encouraged as many mages as possible to move into your lands
[ ] You instituted an annual Art Festival with an appropriate reward, pushing the skills of your malachite carvers and coppersmiths
[ ] You built mills, roads, and canals.
[ ] You found and tapped a rich vein of coal
[ ] Your army was big. Your lands were mostly tamed. You lent some of your troops out as quasi-mercenaries.
[ ] You negotiated special contracts with shipbuilders on the other side of the kingdom.
[ ] You opened a university.
One other thing happened during your tenure as count: you got married. As a nobleman, you couldn't really avoid it even if you wanted to. But why did you pick your wife?
[ ] Her dowry was substantial, even by a Count's standards.
[ ] She had skills that complemented yours, making up for your deficiencies.
[ ] She was the most extraordinary woman you ever met.
***
You're beginning to regret your self-imposed isolation. It's left you groping about blind and deaf, guessing at everyone's motives.
Well, not totally blind. You do have a few people informing you of what's happening in the capital. Not professional spies of the kind who break into vaults to read private documents and lurk in shadows to listen in on conversations. Just normal people like a palace servant or a cobbler who frequents a lot of taverns writing you letters about the things they see and hear in exchange for modest stipends. It's just a step above asking random travelers for news, which is what you're forced to do in regard to other cities and castles.
The letters tell you that the young King has chosen to pause his rampage. After three years of fighting he's sheathed his sword and hardly leaves the palace. It's possible that he knows the folly of trying to hold an entire kingdom with the strength of eight people, however extraordinary they are. Or maybe he's eager to enjoy the pleasures and luxury he believes are rightfully his. Or maybe he's hard at work compiling a list of conspirators, gathering evidence, and deciding whom to smite and in what order. Your sources aren't close enough to the throne to know the answers to these questions.
They do know that the King and his companions don't seem to be in a hurry to resume their journeying. The Phoenix is making a nest in the palace gardens. A tower of words has risen on the outskirts of the capital. The thief has disappeared shortly after the makeshift crowning ceremony, stepping out into the sunlight and melting away. But his parting speech indicated he hasn't gone very far. The strange creature that devastated the mage corps stalks the nightly feasts. It neither eats nor sleeps, and though it seems to be right there, it continues to defy any attempt at description. The warrior and the sea priestess consume an obscene amount of alcohol as they trade tales, and the Wild girl is never more than three steps away from the King.
In a move that bodes ill for you, the King has seen fit to disband most of Springhide's court. To replace the various Ministers, he's called up courtiers who retired from his father's service. For the most part they run the gamut between old an ancient, so this can hardly be considered a permanent solution. There are also several younger appointees whom nobody seems to know. Given the King's way of doing things, ou assume they're people he's met on his journey. Figuring out who they are and where they came from could give you valuable insights into that journey...assuming you ever have the time or the resources for that sort of thing.
As well, the King has ordered the remains of the army he personally devastated to regroup and present themselves for inspection. Something like half of the remaining soldiers obeyed, while the other half slipped into the shadows, trembling in fear. The other units of the Royal Army are likewise being recalled from their postings. However, the King has made no similar moves in regard to nobles and landowners. It seems you have some breathing room.
You could certainly use it. Every day you stall is one more opportunity to do something. You can ingratiate yourself with the new King. You can erase any evidence of your complicity in the coup - or at least come up with a really good excuse. You can convince your fellow lords to surrender with you and claim credit - or else prompt them to rebel, buying you time and making you look better by comparison. You have a thousand small goals worth accomplishing.
Which of them you might accomplish, and how depends on your answer to one question.
What kind of a person are you?
[ ] There is a reason you were involved in Springhide's coup. You fight dirty, and you're willing to take big risks for a big payoff.
[ ] You're not an altruist. You care about people and things you consider "yours" and nothing more.
[ ] You're clever and persistent. All you ever wanted was for the world to recognize this and compensate you for it.
[ ] You think that despite everything Springhide's coup was good for the kingdom. You sincerely hope the Heir's return will be even better.
[ ] Write-in
Anna and the Greater Good
[X] You imported new varieties of crops and agricultural techniques, letting more of your mountains be used for farming
[X] You built mills, roads, and canals.
[X] You instituted an annual Art Festival with an appropriate reward, pushing the skills of your malachite carvers and coppersmiths
Truth be told, yours wasn't a tale of a brilliant steward and administrator inheriting a run-down estate and restoring it to its former glory. Your predecessor seemed a competent man, even if he didn't have your skill with numbers. He brought the harvest in on time and knew the importance of roads. Your own infrastructure upgrades were largely the result of time passing and revenues accumulating.
Your other ideas were more inspired, or so you hope.
First of all, you brought in hardier crop varieties, ones that would strive even in the rocky soil of mountain slopes. You taught your peasants how to properly till the uphill soil and how to dig the drainage ditches. It was hard wor, for you and especially for them. But with the harvest increased, your county finally began to produce all the food it needed. The merchants riding into your county on wagons full of grain were told to bring something new next year. They came back with salt and dyed cloth, children's toys, dried and sugared fruit, and aromatic candles - all products of industries that didn't strive in your county, but ones that elevated life above mere survival.
Your annual Festival was even more interesting. Your county's masters were already competing with each other for prominence. You just made it official. You made it a spectacle, one that drew people from all over the kingdom. Your artists showed off their skills, won prizes, and sold their art under pretentious pseudonyms. Malachite jewelry boxes by Andersson! Copper mirrors by Erikkson! It always made you chuckle.
[X] She was the most extraordinary woman you ever met.
...Sure, why not.
It's not as if you never met an outspoken woman before. In the village where you were born women could often be seen carrying a pig under each arm and wielded skillets with all the grace of champion swordsmen. In the army for every five or so men there was a tough as iron woman, and most of the female mages working with your unit couldn't wait to inform everyone of their own superiority.
Anna, though...she was something different. You met at a knighting ceremony - yours, hers, and that of a dozen other deserving candidates. You were rising in rank and needed a title, however empty and devoid of privileges, to give orders to other knights. She was joining a questing order. Her dislike for you was immediate and, you felt, quite unprovoked. You felt she was lovely and strong, if needlessly confrontational. She felt you were the scum of the earth. Normally you would simply withdraw from her, but there was something about her...you stayed near her for the entire two days.
In years to come you came into proximity on several more occasions - formal balls, military exercises, chance meetings on the road - and each time she made sure to make it clear how much she didn't like you. Being under her verbal assault was like having hot water poured on you - scalding, yet cleansing. And in time you came to understand that she didn't dislike you nearly as much as she claimed to. She was confused by the feeling she got in her chest when you were near, and she took that confusion out of you.
To make a very long story very short, in time the two of you worked though all the misunderstandings and were wed. Anna became more honest about her feelings, and her barbs became more playful than hurtful. Though her old fire did return at times - she certainly showed her annoyance when her bely grew large with your firstborn
[ ] son
[ ] daughter
[X] You think that despite everything Springhide's coup was good for the kingdom. You sincerely hope the Heir's return will be even better.
Well, "good" is a relative term. It's easy to moralize when it's not your family getting slaughtered in their beds. And you're not going to pretend that the whole thing was some grand rebellion of the people's champions against tyranny and incompetence. The old king was not particularly evil. Springhide's soldiers found no hidden torture chambers in the palace. Nor was he stupid or foolhardy enough to absolutely need replacing before he plunged the kingdom into a crisis. You have no convenient excuses with which to cover your naked ambition.
Springhide, though? He was something else. He worked ten times harder than any king, because he wasn't a king. He was desperate to keep his authority, and the only way he could do it was by making people think him being in charge was a good idea. You think that maybe that kind of insecurity is what people need to truly shine. And that's something the returned Heir provides in spades. You're working harder than you have in years, and you bet every other Springhide appointee is too.
Now, there are two ways things can go from here. The King can either seek vengeance or the good of his people. If he chooses the former, there is little you can do. You'll just end up thrown out alongside everyone else, just like the former Ministers. But should he choose the latter, and sort the wheat from the chaff? You're confident you can be wheat. Let all those who used their ill-gotten positions to beggar their people face any punishment the King desires. You and the other good stewards will be galvanized by this trial, encouraged to keep working for the good of the land. You'll make it your mission to make the King see that. Not just for your own good, but for everyone's.
Now that that's settled, where will you turn your attention next?
[ ] The King's companions unnerve you. Study a treatise on magic to try and figure them out.
[ ] Your ignorance about the kingdom's political affairs bothers you. Comb through what reports you have and try to piece the situation together.
[ ] You might as well finish going over your account books. Tidy up the last of your county's affairs.
[X] You built mills, roads, and canals.
[X] You instituted an annual Art Festival with an appropriate reward, pushing the skills of your malachite carvers and coppersmiths
Truth be told, yours wasn't a tale of a brilliant steward and administrator inheriting a run-down estate and restoring it to its former glory. Your predecessor seemed a competent man, even if he didn't have your skill with numbers. He brought the harvest in on time and knew the importance of roads. Your own infrastructure upgrades were largely the result of time passing and revenues accumulating.
Your other ideas were more inspired, or so you hope.
First of all, you brought in hardier crop varieties, ones that would strive even in the rocky soil of mountain slopes. You taught your peasants how to properly till the uphill soil and how to dig the drainage ditches. It was hard wor, for you and especially for them. But with the harvest increased, your county finally began to produce all the food it needed. The merchants riding into your county on wagons full of grain were told to bring something new next year. They came back with salt and dyed cloth, children's toys, dried and sugared fruit, and aromatic candles - all products of industries that didn't strive in your county, but ones that elevated life above mere survival.
Your annual Festival was even more interesting. Your county's masters were already competing with each other for prominence. You just made it official. You made it a spectacle, one that drew people from all over the kingdom. Your artists showed off their skills, won prizes, and sold their art under pretentious pseudonyms. Malachite jewelry boxes by Andersson! Copper mirrors by Erikkson! It always made you chuckle.
[X] She was the most extraordinary woman you ever met.
...Sure, why not.
It's not as if you never met an outspoken woman before. In the village where you were born women could often be seen carrying a pig under each arm and wielded skillets with all the grace of champion swordsmen. In the army for every five or so men there was a tough as iron woman, and most of the female mages working with your unit couldn't wait to inform everyone of their own superiority.
Anna, though...she was something different. You met at a knighting ceremony - yours, hers, and that of a dozen other deserving candidates. You were rising in rank and needed a title, however empty and devoid of privileges, to give orders to other knights. She was joining a questing order. Her dislike for you was immediate and, you felt, quite unprovoked. You felt she was lovely and strong, if needlessly confrontational. She felt you were the scum of the earth. Normally you would simply withdraw from her, but there was something about her...you stayed near her for the entire two days.
In years to come you came into proximity on several more occasions - formal balls, military exercises, chance meetings on the road - and each time she made sure to make it clear how much she didn't like you. Being under her verbal assault was like having hot water poured on you - scalding, yet cleansing. And in time you came to understand that she didn't dislike you nearly as much as she claimed to. She was confused by the feeling she got in her chest when you were near, and she took that confusion out of you.
To make a very long story very short, in time the two of you worked though all the misunderstandings and were wed. Anna became more honest about her feelings, and her barbs became more playful than hurtful. Though her old fire did return at times - she certainly showed her annoyance when her bely grew large with your firstborn
[ ] son
[ ] daughter
[X] You think that despite everything Springhide's coup was good for the kingdom. You sincerely hope the Heir's return will be even better.
Well, "good" is a relative term. It's easy to moralize when it's not your family getting slaughtered in their beds. And you're not going to pretend that the whole thing was some grand rebellion of the people's champions against tyranny and incompetence. The old king was not particularly evil. Springhide's soldiers found no hidden torture chambers in the palace. Nor was he stupid or foolhardy enough to absolutely need replacing before he plunged the kingdom into a crisis. You have no convenient excuses with which to cover your naked ambition.
Springhide, though? He was something else. He worked ten times harder than any king, because he wasn't a king. He was desperate to keep his authority, and the only way he could do it was by making people think him being in charge was a good idea. You think that maybe that kind of insecurity is what people need to truly shine. And that's something the returned Heir provides in spades. You're working harder than you have in years, and you bet every other Springhide appointee is too.
Now, there are two ways things can go from here. The King can either seek vengeance or the good of his people. If he chooses the former, there is little you can do. You'll just end up thrown out alongside everyone else, just like the former Ministers. But should he choose the latter, and sort the wheat from the chaff? You're confident you can be wheat. Let all those who used their ill-gotten positions to beggar their people face any punishment the King desires. You and the other good stewards will be galvanized by this trial, encouraged to keep working for the good of the land. You'll make it your mission to make the King see that. Not just for your own good, but for everyone's.
Now that that's settled, where will you turn your attention next?
[ ] The King's companions unnerve you. Study a treatise on magic to try and figure them out.
[ ] Your ignorance about the kingdom's political affairs bothers you. Comb through what reports you have and try to piece the situation together.
[ ] You might as well finish going over your account books. Tidy up the last of your county's affairs.
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William and What You Know
[x] son
Dear William.
Even though Anna really let you have it while she was pregnant with him, she ended up being really happy that he was born. And so were you, really. Though as he grew up, you couldn't help but notice how different he was from you. As a boy you spent most of your time stick-fencing and exploring the local wood. You imagine Anna was the same. In contrast, William
[ ] Was usually found in the castle's small library, reading every book he could get his hands on, even the ones written in dead languages.
[ ] Sat in the garden for hours at a time, saying nothing and barely moving.
[ ] Could usually be found laughing with the other children or singing to them, always eager to be the center of attention.
[x] Your ignorance about the kingdom's political affairs bothers you. Comb through what reports you have and try to piece the situation together.
All right, time to look over the papers.
The Kingdom of Concord sits on the inner rim of a crescent-shaped continent, bordering the Inner Ocean and five other nations. Formed roughly five hundred years ago following the fall of the Iron Empire and the final scattering of its undead legions, the kingdom is composed of seven duchies, which are themselves composed of fifty-something counties.
The Everbound royal family is the third to wear the crown. The first royal house lost most of its useful members to a war and then the rest to a plague. The second simply lost prestige until the queen found it expedient to marry a great warrior and take on his name instead of doing it the other way around, effectively starting anew. Perhaps the blood of that ancestor was responsible for Lester Everbound's survival and his subsequent exploits as the Returned Heir.
He's Returned to a troubled kingdom. Obviously Springhide's coup created its share of chaos, but he only got away with it by exploiting the already existing divisions. Everyone's clawing for power. Maybe it's always been that way, but it really feels like it's been getting worse since you were a kid. Merchants trying to push for de jure power, especially in the South where the nobles get most of their income from trade anyway. Lots of people moving into towns, swelling them up and building them out until they're big enough to demand city chapters, much to the consternation of various barons and counts. Everyone fighting over appointments to the army, the Ministries, and the tax collectors. Mages trying to get more freedom - well, they lucked out with Sprinhide. Now it's mostly other people trying to get them less freedom. Peasants experimenting with new crops, artisans experimenting with new crafts, artists experimenting with new techniques - none of it particularly objectionable, but all of it causing its own kind of chaos.
To be honest, you haven't kept up with most of that. You find it easier to understand numbers than people. So while you may know the actual laws that resulted from a showdown between a township and a merchant guild, you wouldn't know the principal actors in the struggle...and you'd be hard pressed to guess when they will clash next.
Luckily, there is an exception. Something you understand. Something you know.
[ ] You know your neighbors.
The hardscrabble nobility of the Eastern mountains and the Northern marshlands keep mostly to themselves, but you were determined to know who surrounds you. The denizens of these hard to reach lands felt freer to defy Springhide than those living elsewhere. Correspondingly, more of them ultimately paid the price and ended up replaced with Springhide's appointees, like yourself. Others proved more neutral, either out of apathy, a staunch refusal to get involved with politics, or because they were too busy fighting their lands to fight anyone else.
[ ] You know your trading partners
A few of them live nearby, but most do not. After all, trade is at its most profitable when it's with someone completely different from you. Your products reach far enough South to just brush the robust trade networks of the Inner Ocean and far enough West to reach the fairy glades. Your acquaintances aren't defined by their location or their political alliance, but by their reliability, reasonableness, and dedication to profit.
[ ] You know the army
Though the complex network of favors and patronage didn't benefit you directly, you learned to understand it in your attempts to survive. Even after more than a decade away from the army, you know the biggest names and the brightest stars. You can quickly distinguish between officers who've been promoted on merit and ones who know someone, bribed someone, or caught someone's eye. You think you could do the same for other similar organizations, such as civil service, though you wouldn't be quite as effective at it.
Dear William.
Even though Anna really let you have it while she was pregnant with him, she ended up being really happy that he was born. And so were you, really. Though as he grew up, you couldn't help but notice how different he was from you. As a boy you spent most of your time stick-fencing and exploring the local wood. You imagine Anna was the same. In contrast, William
[ ] Was usually found in the castle's small library, reading every book he could get his hands on, even the ones written in dead languages.
[ ] Sat in the garden for hours at a time, saying nothing and barely moving.
[ ] Could usually be found laughing with the other children or singing to them, always eager to be the center of attention.
[x] Your ignorance about the kingdom's political affairs bothers you. Comb through what reports you have and try to piece the situation together.
All right, time to look over the papers.
The Kingdom of Concord sits on the inner rim of a crescent-shaped continent, bordering the Inner Ocean and five other nations. Formed roughly five hundred years ago following the fall of the Iron Empire and the final scattering of its undead legions, the kingdom is composed of seven duchies, which are themselves composed of fifty-something counties.
The Everbound royal family is the third to wear the crown. The first royal house lost most of its useful members to a war and then the rest to a plague. The second simply lost prestige until the queen found it expedient to marry a great warrior and take on his name instead of doing it the other way around, effectively starting anew. Perhaps the blood of that ancestor was responsible for Lester Everbound's survival and his subsequent exploits as the Returned Heir.
He's Returned to a troubled kingdom. Obviously Springhide's coup created its share of chaos, but he only got away with it by exploiting the already existing divisions. Everyone's clawing for power. Maybe it's always been that way, but it really feels like it's been getting worse since you were a kid. Merchants trying to push for de jure power, especially in the South where the nobles get most of their income from trade anyway. Lots of people moving into towns, swelling them up and building them out until they're big enough to demand city chapters, much to the consternation of various barons and counts. Everyone fighting over appointments to the army, the Ministries, and the tax collectors. Mages trying to get more freedom - well, they lucked out with Sprinhide. Now it's mostly other people trying to get them less freedom. Peasants experimenting with new crops, artisans experimenting with new crafts, artists experimenting with new techniques - none of it particularly objectionable, but all of it causing its own kind of chaos.
To be honest, you haven't kept up with most of that. You find it easier to understand numbers than people. So while you may know the actual laws that resulted from a showdown between a township and a merchant guild, you wouldn't know the principal actors in the struggle...and you'd be hard pressed to guess when they will clash next.
Luckily, there is an exception. Something you understand. Something you know.
[ ] You know your neighbors.
The hardscrabble nobility of the Eastern mountains and the Northern marshlands keep mostly to themselves, but you were determined to know who surrounds you. The denizens of these hard to reach lands felt freer to defy Springhide than those living elsewhere. Correspondingly, more of them ultimately paid the price and ended up replaced with Springhide's appointees, like yourself. Others proved more neutral, either out of apathy, a staunch refusal to get involved with politics, or because they were too busy fighting their lands to fight anyone else.
[ ] You know your trading partners
A few of them live nearby, but most do not. After all, trade is at its most profitable when it's with someone completely different from you. Your products reach far enough South to just brush the robust trade networks of the Inner Ocean and far enough West to reach the fairy glades. Your acquaintances aren't defined by their location or their political alliance, but by their reliability, reasonableness, and dedication to profit.
[ ] You know the army
Though the complex network of favors and patronage didn't benefit you directly, you learned to understand it in your attempts to survive. Even after more than a decade away from the army, you know the biggest names and the brightest stars. You can quickly distinguish between officers who've been promoted on merit and ones who know someone, bribed someone, or caught someone's eye. You think you could do the same for other similar organizations, such as civil service, though you wouldn't be quite as effective at it.