*checks*…Crap.
Okay we're reaching out for a reason are we?
Fiiine alright.
Do we go for salty, or just semi-salty?
…On the one hand if we curb it the woman will never know. On the other hand, catharsis. On the other hand, Scandal!
…As I see it, given the way this woman's described, I feel like she's gonna social climber her way back into grace with even this scrap of royal attention.
And that becomes more likely if we try to play nice with her.
On the other hand, we spit fire that could turn into an insult but uhh…
Better now then later given how well Vanessa is handling the Crown, that is, in a big public setting where she can spin doctor things…
Or maybe she could be useful in influencing the suitors but do we even want that with how she sounds?
On the other hand, biased angry child left at magic boarding school. So maybe not as bad as Vanessa makes her sound. Or more like her true colours and thus we're going to get her play-acting.
I'm tempted to try and cast Bridge Burning right now. Someone please convince me otherwise.
I mean, it's 6 dureks per turn, in a few months from now. Using the same amount for money to pay off loans will get save us 10 the next turn alone. Not worth it for now
I am unsure how you got that we could save 10 dureks next turn by paying of 49 dureks of debt, since that would at most save us 6 dureks of interest per turn.
Yeah, the amount we have to pay for the mines got bigger, than I expected, but I still think that it is better to deal with the mines now, rather than later.
[X]Plan: Get the Mines Fixed
-[X][REBUILDING] Start the Rebuilding Now (-24 Dureks)
-[X][MAINTENANCE OVERHAUL] Do the Maintenance Overhaul (-25 Dureks)
-[X][MINER DEMANDS] Eviction Restriction (Upsets Mine Leaseholders)
[X][VANESSA LETTER] Don't Send It, Write Something More Conciliatory (but still backhanded)
[X]Plan: Get the Mines Fixed.
-[X][REBUILDING] Start the Rebuilding Now (-24 Dureks).
-[X][MAINTENANCE OVERHAUL] Do the Maintenance Overhaul (-25 Dureks).
-[X][MINER DEMANDS] Eviction Restriction (Upsets Mine Leaseholders).
Yes, this will probably work. We'll probably have to take some from future earnings, but given the circumstances, it seems like a fair price to pay.
[X][VANESSA LETTER] Don't Send It, Write Something More Conciliatory (but still backhanded).
Unfortunately, it seems we literally do not have the funds to both fulfil all of their (quite reasonable) demands, and stabilise the nation's economy, and avoid pissing off the merchants. As vaguely scummy as it seems to refuse what is no doubt significant benefits to these miners for something as nebulous as 'the economy'…
…well, 'the economy' is actually very real and the Kingdom needs it.
Sorry lads.
Regarding Militia:
It was interesting to see how the Kingdom, although in technical possession of a militia system, has no culture nor obligation to back it up.
IRL, there were not many militias that had much success in distant offensive war (but the early republican Romans were one of them, so it can clearly work!), and often their deployment was constrained by the season (there's no point marching if it means the harvest fails). However, within the context of wars in general, and pre-modern war in particular:
While it is true that the mostprestigious forces in the known world are professional, militia based war hosts, especially when raised home in defence of their home, have near always proved more than able!
(After all.. just ask the early Romans, or the classical era Greek's impressive track record against anyone trying to conquer their hills and farms.)
Nowadays, obviously, the most powerful army in the world is America's, and they are extremely professional, and that very much colours our views of the past. It is not unfounded, either, for the complexity and extremely high technical expertise required of first rate modern forces combine very well with such an idea… but we do not live in that era. This world is one where a stalwart line that refuses to buckle is not only a, but often the, deciding factor in battle.
Unfortunately, our militiamen are crap and won't perform.
For lack of professional training regimens, militias substitute social bonds, individual incomes and martial, patriotic culture (perhaps another reason they've fallen out of favour nowadays). Meanwhile, our militia
- Obviously aren't valued by literally anyone, have little expectation they'll manage anything in battle, and no one- not even themselves- will be surprised when they fail.
- Are expected to be armed and trained by their feudal masters, instead of themselves, indicating that they likely don't have the wealth, land or time to address such things in their own right.
- Have I mentioned they fight for feudal overlords who frankly seem to prefer nice flowers over their well being?
- Not only that, but nobility are actively discouraged from investing in them, because a vigorous militia is an active threat to them! If you maintain your position in society by maintaining dint of warlike strength- why would you willingly create a rival? Peasants who can fight can fight you!
The fact that we have a militia system would tell me that, in some times of distant past, Halrun did rely on a strong militia culture to defend itself.. but since then, the nobility and their professional retinues have not only replaced them, but actively undercuts them.
Personally, this reallocation of military force is a tragedy- not because I want people to go to war, but because it centralises power massively into the hands of the aristocrat, and cripples the ability of the common folk to stand up for themselves. Certainly, the Kingdom would respect its farmers more if they were also its army!
But… as is, I think it's too late. The professional noble armsmen work, in a military sense, even if societally it's a gross concentration of power. To try and go back hundreds of years would be wildly disruptive, and trying to get those two systems to coexist is impossible.
At this point, I don't think the militia can be salvaged in our lifetime, even if we were to take on all the risks of trying. It may even be better to let it die completely, and remove the bloat from our administration, and the expectancy that our peasants die en masse against the armies our societies actually favour.
Such is life.
(I know I stepped out for a really long while, but I just had life stuff to deal with. Will try to check in semi regularly.)
Edit: Have we tried borrowing some money to get the mint running?
- Obviously aren't valued by literally anyone, have little expectation they'll manage anything in battle, and no one- not even themselves- will be surprised when they fail.
Well, there are Lords and Towns that take their levies more seriously than others. All the Counties take theirs reasonably seriously. the two Free Cities also take their militias very seriously.
Of course, that's got it's own problems because the Counties and the Free Cities are the subunits that could technically represent a greater threat to the Crown, because they're larger, more organized and wealthier.
Well, the one that wanted nice flowers was not specifically representative of them all, but it is true that many of the Lords prefer not to spend their money keeping their levvies in top tier shape
The fact that we have a militia system would tell me that, in some times of distant past, Halrun did rely on a strong militia culture to defend itself..
Halrun is only seven decades old. before Halrun it was individual lords and towns managing their own defense, to varying degrees of success. And Feudalism has always relied on distributed military power - Halrun's feudalism isn't quite like IRL feudalism in that nobles don't technically hold their land 'in fief', it's actually their land, but the principle of it being about military organization remaisn.
The levies are not in a tip-top shape in many places, but I do want to push back a little, and I apologize if I was unclear, they're not horrible. Just 'bad' at worst in some areas, but calling the levies up takes time, and historically has tended to be throwing numbers at the enemy for the professional army to be screened by.
I would raise examples like the fyrd system, the hoplite phalanxes and early Latin warfare- all of whom militia formed over nine tenths of the army, and professional soldiers maybe sometimes the elite reserves. The fact that militia exist to 'throw numbers at the enemy to screen the professionals' is atrocious- both in the catastrophic waste of life, but also in terms of what society defaults to thinking of militia, where 'stall the enemy' is Good.
Of course, that's got it's own problems because the Counties and the Free Cities are the subunits that could technically represent a greater threat to the Crown, because they're larger, more organized and wealthier.
Halrun is only seven decades old. before Halrun it was individual lords and towns managing their own defense, to varying degrees of success. And Feudalism has always relied on distributed military power - Halrun's feudalism isn't quite like IRL feudalism in that nobles don't technically hold their land 'in fief', it's actually their land, but the principle of it being about military organization remaisn.
Mea culpa, yeah, I forgot the lore. It's been a while.
And yes, feudalism very rarely plays well with militias. The mounted chivalry don't like rivals…..
Still- the Kingdom of Halrun is new, but the cultures who live here are presumably quite a bit older! Unless the land is relatively newly colonised (or conquered by another, very different culture), the attitudes and ideas of our ancestors, organised or not, would powerfully affect the Halrun of today.
…It occurs to me Necromancy might have helped with the idea of 'just stall them!' building because well…
When you have undead that hold together as much as due to your magical control and are used to fielding such armies…
you don't get off something like that easily. The use of levies might be something of a holdover/replacement from when the Necromancers ruled the roost, so to speak…
I'm confused by what you mean by this? The Counts are the top tier of the aristocracy in Halrun. The Lords are the tier below that, and can vary wildly in wealth, holdings and attentiveness to their levies readiness.
You keep calling it a Militia, but it's not. A levy is conscripting peasants and having them go to war with whatever they have to hand. The Free Cities have actual Militias, especially Eaglecrest, as do some of the larger Towns, but the aristocracy generally have personal armsmen and standing forces of their own (albeit smaller) as their primary armed thing. But we're not talking huge huge numbers. Small lords may only have a few dozen armsmen, Vallefor maybe has six hundred to seven hundred armsmen and standing forces for his County, though his levies are better organized and equipped than most because he's wealthy and paranoid enough to do that. Also pride. No one's catching a Trovus with shoddy levies.
You need to separate your idea of a citizen militia or things like it (which is what the Phalanxes were) from what these Levies are, which is not that. It's certainly possible for a levy to function as something like that in some cases, but in other cases it's just grabbing peasants and putting them on the battlefield with some cheap equipment. That was not unheard of in medieval history, and it's reasonably common in this universe (whereas how common it was IRL is sometimes a matter of debate). Standing armies are expensive, but militias are a very different thing from a levy.
Militias are community-organized defensive efforts. Levies are conscripts. Militias are usually made up of people who can afford (and critically, maintain) their own weaponry. Levies are happy to take a poor farmer that doesn't have a sword or spear of his own, in theory (when the levies get called up, weapon and armor makers start working overtime to make quick, cheap weapons and armor for levies that don't have any, but this too prolongs the calling up process).
And it's no issue for missing parts of the lore, there is a lot and I'm not always great at explaining it.
Fixing the mines may not be as good in terms of the Crown's money, but it's much better for the kingdom's economy since there's a lot of people not out of work, and a lot of ore flowing.
[X]Plan: Get the Mines Fixed -[X][REBUILDING] Start the Rebuilding Now (-24 Dureks) -[X][MAINTENANCE OVERHAUL] Do the Maintenance Overhaul (-25 Dureks) -[X][MINER DEMANDS] Eviction Restriction (Upsets Mine Leaseholders)
Vanessa's schedule for the next few days was going to be... interesting. She had Princess Janera coming today, Regara coming tomorrow, and Loran coming the day after that. It was putting her own staff into a tizzy, preparing for three such welcomings and associated feasts, etc, in a row, though Regara's visit, officially being a diplomatic envoy and not a courting, would be a more toned down affair compared to the other two.
Janera's arrive, like Lothar's, was greeted with general good will and good opinion from the nobles and courtiers, though there were some conservative nobles that sneered behind their hands about the Talcraft Dynasty's commoner origins. That every monarch of said dynasty apart from Olden The Great had married a noble, most of whom with pedigrees of two or more centuries, was of course, ignored because it was an inconvenient fact, for an elitist.
Vallefor had kept his own opinion about the Talcrafts close to the chest, but she had to assume he at least shared some of the disdain, given his overal mindset. He was just good at hiding it.
But, Nerinthar was a fairly popular country in Halrun, for spiting Morvak regularly, for giving Morvak such a terrible black eye when they rebelled over a century ago, and for generally being seen as a well-led, wisely run kingdom. The Talcrafts hadn't produced any awful Kings or Queens, after all.
Details about what kind of woman Janera was were... hard to come by. She was by all accounts, quite private, studious and dedicated. She had been given oversight of several small projects in recent years, likely to round out her education and appeal to possible suitors as a co-partner in administration (though the prospect of her marrying into Halrun probably hadn't been in King Olden III's mind at the time), and she'd proven to be a skilled administrator. She was by all accounts quite skilled with mathematics, architecture and natural philosophy, and had put that to work improving yields on several of the Crown's estates, and managing the construction of newer, more efficient dockyards at Oldensport[1], Nerinthar's largest port city.
But who she was as a person, beyond dutiful, mild-mannered and polite even to the meanest of commoners? Even Vallefor hadn't turned up much more than a few anecdotes, none of which shed many lights on her personality.
Then again, I may not end up marrying her for her personality. Vanessa really hoped there was more to the woman than just duty and work, if a marriage was the best option for the realm, but if not...
Well, she could make that work, if she had to.
Speaking of that, however, Vanessa ran-over the list of things Arandel and his staff proposed as the starting point for negotiations.
Mutual defense. The utility of such a defense against anyone other than Morvak was... debateable. In theory, access for Nerinthar's soldiers to cross Morvak, or sail along the river to reach Halrun, was possible, but it was a lifeline that was not something to be relied on if a war broke out against, say, the Red Spear, or gods forbid, the Kingdom of the Necromancers. (Unlikely though it was, one had to at least allow for the chance).
Mutual offense against Morvak, if war were to come, and expectation of joint-peace treaties, no separate peaces.
Trade agreements, such as could be managed given the distances. Perhaps better access for Halrunian exports through Nerinthar's ports, when going to the Andelerian Sea. Halrun did see many of it's exports - raw materials, usually - pass out onto that Sea at some point, and a cut in the costs anywhere in the chain could be helpful to some merchants, at least.
A small financial payment - Nerinthar was hardly Selissa, but it would not be unusual for the Kingdom laying suit to provide some payment to go with the marriage. Arandel and Rucdorn, considering Nerinthar's robust, but hardly Selissan, finances, expected 50-60 Dureks was a reasonable starting point, but it would likely be negotiated down. Not huge, but not nothing.
Officer exchanges and joint training. Nerinthar had a robust officer corps with a century and more of experience behind it. The civil war had seen mostly capable officers make it out to the other side, but Nerinthar's military academies were arguably second best to Morvak's, so some benefit could be gained through access to them.
Vanessa suspected that the demons would, as with the other two now slowly ongoing marriage treaty prospect negotiations, be in the details.
Janera's trip here had been by all accounts, much more sedate than Lothar's. She had taken residents at noble estates a few times, and stayed at inns suited to her standing as a Princess, but she'd also not shied away from camping if that was the most efficient use of travel time. Though it wasn't as if setting camp when you were a princess on the road with a retinue was a very different thing than when you were a more normal person traveling alone. To say the least.
Vanessa was pulled from her thoughts when the great doors at the end of the throne room opened, and Janera's procession opened.
The Nerinthar Ambassador was a grizzled, elderly army veteran, his left hand missing three fingers after a fight that - according to the stories he told - had come down to just himself versus about a hundred Lizardmen, and of course, he'd heroically come out the other end. His verifiable military career was solid, but he had a habit of telling tall tales about his specific exploits. He wore a blue uniform trimmed with copper-color cloth, the formal dress of a Nerinthar soldier in the colors of the Kingdom, the Horse Head that served as the symbol for the House of Talcraft a badge on his chest.
Behind him came a dozen of Nerinthar's Royal Guards, wearing chainmail and blue and copper tabards with the Talcraft Horse Head emblazoned on them in white. Each wore maces at their belts, a preferred weapon in Nerinthar, and a shorter sword on the opposite hilt.
Behind the guards were the expected spread of attendants, servants and staff, while Janera herself was between the first six guards and the latter six, protected and enclosed within their ranks.
She was a beautiful young woman, her blonde hair cut surprisingly short by Halrunian standards, but Vanessa had been told that it was far more common in Nerinthar among the nobility for woman to keep their hair at lengths above the shoulders, an old custom that went back centuries apparently, though it faded in and out of style.
Vanessa was a little surprised to say she found that it worked well on her, the cut of the hair framing her face, drawing more attention to her silver earrings, her bright, attentive blue eyes and her slim, long neck. The dress she wore, with a high, open collar, did the rest of the work at drawing attention to her neck. It was a long, sleeved dress, a delicate silvery-white color, with gloves a part of the dress. It ended a few inches below her knees, which Vanessa knew some in Halrun would find a little scandalous, though less so than Balmain's fashion choices.
Vanessa didn't see anything to complain about with regards to the woman's dress however.
The Ambassador cleared his throat, "In the name of King Olden Talcraft, Third of His Name, King of Nerinthar, Trollslayer[2], Lord Protector of the Fields and Streams of His Realm, may I introduce Princess Janera Talcraft, daughter of King Olden, Princess of Nerinthar?"
Janera approached the dias, as had Essinya and Lothar, bowing the appropriate amount, before straightening up. Apart from her earrings, Janera was not wearing jewelry, though her dress was hardly simple nor cheap. She opened her mouth, speaking according to the expected script. Her voice projected well, but it was surprisingly soft, given that. It continued to speak to her apparently mild-mannered demeanor, that she raised her voice without losing that soft-spoken quality she was known for.
"Greetings, your Majesty," Janera said in direct, appropriate tone for the sort of petition she brought before - respectful, but not subservient, diplomatic but without the usual doubletalk. The woman really did carry and present herself as the perfect, dutiful princess.
I hope that's not all she is, or I might be bored to tears by her.
"I thank you, on behalf of my father and his realm, but on my own behalf as well, for accepting the suit I come to lay before you, for your hand. Nerinthar and Halrun share common foes, and common cause and interests. Our realms have always been on good terms, and it is my hope that those terms can bloom into something more, through a union of my House and yours, as a pledge of friendship forevermore between our realms, for as long as we shall live.
It was a bit bold of Janera to put it so bluntly and simply, in direct reference to Morvak there, but it wasn't as if everyone didn't know that the mutual threat of Morvak would be a very significant factor in the political calculus behind any marriage between Vanessa and Janera.
The small smattering of murmurs and reactions here were less than the last two times - everyone had known what to expect, after all - and it was hardly controversial for Nerinthar to court Vanessa's hand. Basically expected they'd make the attempt, given that they had an unmarried princess lying around who was attracted to women, and that Vanessa was as well.
"As you say, Nerinthar and Halrun have ever been on friendly terms, and there are indeed common interests to our Kingdoms. We have never stood as enemies or rivals, and your House is one that has shown great concern for the common people of their realm. Duty to those under your protection and leadership. Your father is a man of cunning and bravery, and has defended Nerinthar well for his reign."
"As for the suit for my hand, I am unmarried and unpledged, and your nobility of character and merit of your person," and the capacity of your father's armies "do you and your House great credit. I will hear and consider your suit for my hand, and consider and hear what your suit brings to the peoples and lands under my protection and rule. You are welcome in my Kingdom, and in my palace." As before, Vanessa stepped off her throne and walked down the dais, standing on the lowest step, but not stepping off the dais. Janera was her height than her, so Vanessa stood over her, given the dais.
"Welcome to Halrun, Princess." Vanessa gestured grandly to the guards and attendants. "Rooms have been set aside for you, your attendants and your guards. Ambassador," she nodded to the uniformed, scarred veteran. "Keeper Arandel will speak with you about the preliminaries."
The Ambassador nodded, stepping away to join Arandel, a few of his staff and some of the Nerinthar Guards going with him. The servants and some of the other guards followed the Seneschal and some of the Royal Guards off to the rooms set aside - again, in the same wing as Essinya and Lothar.
Housing all the suitors in that wing was doable, but potentially awkward. But five suitors at once was not exactly common, in Halrun's history, short as it was, so this was not what the Palace had been built with in mind.
Given that Regara isn't here officially as a suitor, she and her delegation will have to house themselves elsewhere in the City. So that at least, would prevent some of the worst of the awkwardness.
"Before you retire to your rooms after your long journey, Princess Janera, would you indulge me with a brief walk into the palace gardens?"
"Gladly, your Majesty," Janera said, in the same dutiful diplomatic tone. Vanessa held back her desire to demand the woman speak a little more like a normal human, knowing how bad an idea it was to say that, or anything like it, but still.
With guards from both Halrun and Nerinthar in tow, they walked into the Gardens, and Janera's eyes widened as she the trees and flowers there. In a most unprincesslike motion, she rushed ahead and away from Vanessa towards one of the flower bushes, the petals orange and fairly small, intricately spread around the center of the flower. The bush was growing next to a trellis, and the flowers had long grown onto that trellis as the bush extended into it, branches and vines artfully woven through the openings by the Palace Gardeners.
"A Sunrise Ember?!" Janera's dutiful, diplomatic tone was gone entirely, replaced by a fast-paced, higher-pitched, eager tone as Janera kept going, leaning forward to look closely at the flowers on the bush. "I've never seen one in person before, only ever in books!" She said, gently pushing the petals apart to get a better look at the center of the flower. She looked over at Vanessa as she kept speaking. "These are incredibly rare, found naturally only on the northern lower slopes of the Dragon's Teeth Mountains. Did you know that while most flowers can be pollinated by most forms of bee, or butterfly or wasps even, Sunrise Embers can normally only be pollinated by a specific kind of beetle? The Goblins of the north call those beetles 'Fire Biters' - supposedly their venom feels like fire being poured directly into your bloodstream. Some scholars believe that-"
Janera flushed as she realized she'd babbled on, cutting herself off. "My apologies, your majesty. I let my eagerness get away from me." Her tone was a little slower, more level now, but at least she sounded less like she was a hollow shell for duty alone.
Well. I suppose I've found what she's actually like, just a bit.
"Like flowers, I take it?"
"Flowers, insects, animals, all things natural philosophy," Janera admitted. "As a child, I dreamed of going to the islands off the coast of Vortigar [3], to study the birds and bats there. The ones there are some of the most unusual in the world." She rubbed the back of her neck. "Obviously, such was just a fantasy, but I have always studied the newest scholarship from the Islands, or anywhere else really, on plants and animals."
"I would think a woman of your standing would have the resources for such an expedition, no?"
"In theory, yes, but I am a Talcraft, and my duty to my people must take some precedence." Janera said, shrugging. "I am afforded the wealth and freedom to have a substantial collection of books on the topic, and can request visits from experts passing through the Kingdom, patronize them if they plan future expeditions... But I love my people and my Kingdom too much to just abandon my duties and go gallivanting off around the world."
Vanessa smiled, "A sentiment I am growing to understand, Princess." She considered what she was about to say for a moment, then, "I must admit, when I asked Keepers Arandel and Vallefor about you, they had little to say of you as a person. Though much to say of your dutifulness and your success in the projects your father tasked you with."
Janera gave a wry expression, "I learned from a young age that my... enthusiasm for natural philosophy and it's study was not shared by many of my peers, and it was better to keep it more private. But my studies have been wide-ranging, and I put them to use for Nerinthar, when I could."
Vanessa could guess at the meaning there - she had been an emotionally guarded child herself, at the Academ. She probably hadn't been bullied, not as a Princess, but even a princess could be exposed to the quiet, sharp tongued comments of young noble ladies a few years older than her, or the like.
"And yet you had no fear of showing them to me?"
"Well, as I said, my enthusiasm got a little away from me. The Sunrise Ember is a fascinating plant, and you rarely see them in any garden, because they have to be pollinated manually - Fire Biters cannot be brought down to pollinate them."
"I can see why a venomous beetle might not be welcome in the garden. Just how bad are they?" Vanessa was curious, but mostly she was curious to see how Janera responded.
Also, how much extra does it cost for my gardeners to manually pollinate these flowers? How did that even work? She'd have to look into the cost of the gardens - she had no objection to the gardens, they were soothing, pretty and useful, but there was still a question of specific costs to consider.
It hopefully wasn't too much. Those orange flowers were quite beautiful.
"Incredibly." Janera said, eagerly, voice picking up in speed and pitch again. "By all reports, unless a priest or mage can defeat the venom with their magic, death happens within minutes in most cases. Goblins can last for several hours, possibly even a day or more, according to one source." She looked back at the flowers. "Some people think that the Sunrise Embers themselves are one of the reasons Fire Biters are so deadly."
"I don't see the connection?" Vanessa asked, now actually curious about what the connection was.
"Well, the scholars are divided, but the extract of these petals, when reduced by 75%, is one half of a poison which - when properly concentrated - is even more deadly than a Fire Biter's Venom. The other half is the mucus of a Vieretorba Slug... and such slugs are common on the lower slopes of the Dragon's Teeth. Fire Biters have been observed gathering that mucus, but there's dispute as to why."
"...I'm not sure I'm comfortable having half of a very deadly poison just hanging around in my garden." Vanessa admitted.
"Your Majesty, I see four plants just from where I'm standing that, if added to food, could at least would risk major illness and potentially death if the symptoms aren't managed. Poison is actually quite easy to come by, in one form or another. It's poisons that kill quickly and can't be treated that you need to worry about."
Janera flushed again as she said that. "I - I don't actually study poison intentionally! I - there's just so many plants that can be harmful. Especially rare or unusual ones, which make for the most interesting reading." She added quickly.
Vanessa laughed a little, "I don't think I'm in any danger of being poisoned by you," There was no percentage in Nerinthar for that, and Janera didn't strike her as someone who would kill just for the hell of it.
Still. Maybe best to hire an extra food taster. Just in case.
"I can't say I share your love for flora and fauna, dangerous or otherwise, but I understand being passionate about learning something. Magic was never just a skill, always a passion of my own." Vanessa inhaled slowly. "Shall we walk?" She gestured for Janera to come with her, and the Princess did so.
"I don't think," Vanessa said quietly, "That it would be much surprise for you to hear that until my accession to Queen, I didn't think much about the idea of a political marriage."
"No, that just makes sense." Janera agreed, keeping her eyes mostly on Vanessa, though she couldn't help but look around at the flowers and other plants as they walked.
"While I must make the best marriage for the sake of Halrun," Vanessa went on, "I did promise myself I would at least make sure I married someone I could stand, and imagine at least a moderately successful marriage with." Vanessa offered a small smile. "So far, I haven't seen anything that would make me think something like that would be impossible with you."
Janera flushed again - this girl was very easy to fluster when her guard was down. Vanessa had to admit she liked the way the Princess blushed. Very pretty. "I - once you've seen me get ahead of myself with an interesting flower or animal, and you've seen me performing my duty, you've seen most of what there is to me, Your Majesty."
"Perhaps." She considered.
"In the spirit of disclosure - Nerinthar would benefit from an alliance between our realms, for all the reasons you and I both know, but my father said he would not expect me to marry someone whom I truly could not stand either. So far, I don't think that applies to you either, Your Majesty." There was a slight, shy smile to Janera as she said that. "Though obviously, we've only just met."
"True. In the interest of knowing you better, then, would you indulge me with a question?"
"Of course."
[ ][JANERA QUESTION] "Why are plants and animals so fascinating to you?"
[ ][JANERA QUESTION] "By all accounts, you're very skilled with mathematics and architecture. Are those also passions for you?"
[ ][JANERA QUESTION] "Is there a project you ever wanted your father to give you control over that he didn't?"
[ ][JANERA QUESTION] "Favorite Plant/Animal?"
[ ][JANERA QUESTION] "Have you rejected anyone your father suggested before now?"
[ ][JANERA QUESTION] <Write In>
[1] Oldensport did not always have that name, but Olden the Great's successor and heir, Queen Nara V, renamed the city after her father shortly after taking the throne.
[2] The Trolls of Longforth Swamp have been a persistent problem for Nerinthar since basically forever, and protecting the Realm from them has always been a responsibility of the Crown, so 'Trollslayer' is a title attached to every Monarch of Nerinthar since... forever.
[3] A tropical island continent to the south that one of - but not only - the main sources of spices for Pangar. Spices can also be imported from the Tlacten peninsula and the Subarex Region, far to the east.
QM Note: Okay, so this update was supposed to have Janera, Regara and Loran's arrivals. But between my inability to just get to the point, my desire to flesh out all the marriage candidates more than is likely necessary, and some real life factors that mean 1.) I had less time to write yesterday than I planned, and 2.) I won't be able to write tomorrow, I decided that in order to keep the schedule, I'd separate out what I'd written of the Regara and Loran bits and just post this one for now.
As partial compensation, I'll have the next part of the Suitors arriving, ideally both Regara and Loran, posted next weekend, rather than two weekends from now.
I apologize for this, but it is what it is.
DO NOT VOTE YET. VOTING WILL BE DONE FOR ALL THREE SUITORS AT ONCE FOR THE SAKE OF SIMPLICITY.
She's nicer but somehow…?
I'm not quite as sold on her as I should be…
IDK, her politics feel well-rounded in a good way, relative to the others (Paid to fight Morvak/NECROMANTIC SCANDAL!!!)
But this is the third of five so…
Ohoho there we go. I've expended enough digital ink on the general idea of an alliance with Nerinthar and so just want to say I appreciate them outright putting "mutal offensive alliance vs Morvak, no separate peaces," on the table. Mind you I don't think I want to take that option (unless things happen to make a Morvak war look really really inevitable) but the honesty is nice.
Regara's arrival was going to be a very different animal than Janera's had been the previous day.
Fortunately, none of Vallefor's had picked up even the slightest of whispers that anyone suspected there was anything like a suit for Vanessa's hand behind Regara's visit. Everyone seemed to be believing the official narrative - that Regara was here to personally take over the negotiations regarding the future of the border personally.
Pretty much everyone expected them to fail miserably - Morvak's reputation for poor diplomacy preceded it, and Basil's inflexibility in particular was known from Vortigar to the Tlacten Peninsula, or so went the saying. There was, of course, no way Vanessa, a Queen who had shown no indication she lacked a spine - would agree to simply hand over the Thornmarch without fighting for it.
And there was no way Basil would accept formally ceding the claim to the Thornmarch.
Low-level talks with the Morvakian Ambassador's staff had proceeded ever since Arandel's appointment, low-level staffers talking to low-level staffers, terse letters exchanged between Arandel and the Morvakian Ambassador - a terse, no-nonsense Priestess.
Tallend was the most important deity in Morvak, but in a rare moment of intelligence, Basil (or possibly Regara), when it came time to sending an Ambassador to Halrun after the civil war was over, had decided that sending a cleric of the God of Aggression and War to serve as the Ambassador was probably not a good plan.
Instead, the Ambassador was a Priestess of Askiran, which had it's advantages, but it also had problems - like most institutions in Morvak, the local Church of Askiran there had been broken to the power of the Monarchy, so at least officially, she took her orders as both Ambassador and a Priestess from the Morvakian Crown, albeit through different channels.
Though at least she negotiated in good faith... just without any give to her.
The official news was that Regara came with full plenipotentiary power from her father, cutting through some of the complexity, to find terms that could be acceptable to both realms.
And so, Vanessa sat on her throne, running through the list Arandel had given her - this one written entirely by himself, rather than bringing more staff into the know.
At the most basic level, of course, there could no movement on the Thornmarch. It would enrage the nobility and most of the city-dwellers in the Kingdoms. Rural peasants might not much care, but even mildly well off people in the towns might be upset. Too much blood and treasure had been spilled to take it. More practically, the Thorn River was just too good a defensible border to lose.
If the suspicions about the likelihood of a succession dispute were correct, then Regara would want Halrun's support in the ensuing war. Financial and diplomatic support at a minimum, but military support as well - and Halrun would need to provide it, or the whole treaty would be meaningless if Priscilla won.
Mutual defense. Pretty standard, had to be expected. Morvak, at least, would be in a nominally better position to provide help against foes like the Necromancers or the Red Spear, but equally... it would risk drawing Halrun into Morvak's wars.
Morvak would want at least some commitment to Halrun helping them in South Zarsim - and more critically, to helping them with Hengri, Illegorst, Nerinthar... this would have to be something they'd have to strenuously argue against, as much as possible. Vanessa did not want to incur the expense and deaths of helping Morvak expand its borders. The marriage would be unpopular enough.
Access to Morvak's military academies, especially their logistical schools, would be very useful. And better access to Morvak's weaponsmiths, at a cheaper price, could be useful.
Of course, the risks to Vanessa's popularity were significant. Vanessa didn't necessarily think it would lead to an immediate coup, but if she didn't manage this well, she might make enough people - important people at that - decide to listen to her as far as the most unhelpfully interpreted letter of the law went, and no further.
Vanessa knew enough about history, and about the problems Aigosa faced with its Queens' lack of central authority, to know how damaging that could be.
The doors to the central hall opened once more, and the Ambassador, clad in her priestly garb with a badge of the crossed Sword and Axe that was the Sigil of Morvak on her chest spoke:
"In the name of King Basil Rezan, Tenth of His Name, King of Morvak, Rightful Overlord of Nerinthar and Selissa, Keeper of Velermarch, Master of the Dead Hills, King of Hengri and Illegorst, Sword of the Realm, Chosen of Tallend's Faithful, Lord of Battles, Victor and Conquerer and holder of numerous attendant and other titles, may I present Princess Regara Reza, Daughter of Basil and Princess or Morvak?"
No Cape.
Regara came with the now expected twelve guards, but unlike the last three suitors to arrive, Regara herself was just as armored as her compatriots, half-plate armor, with the crossed sword and axe of Morvak in Red on White on her tabard, and that of her fellows. Though unlike her guards, she wore no helmet, her long red hair in a single, simple braid, though quite long.
Given her armor, it was hard to get a good measure of Regara's body, though her face was striking. Not so much beautiful - her face was perhaps too sharp, too hard for that - but definitely handsome, and eye-catching. The woman walked like a big cat - a mountain lion, perhaps, or like the tiger's she'd heard about, far to the south. Carefully controlled, poised for attack if needed, moving with grace and power. She had a sword at her belt, and Vanessa had no doubt the woman was more than ready to draw and use it if provoked, even here, in the heart of Halrun.
"Your Majesty. There is much recent history between our realms, but with a new monarch, comes a new chance for a new page to be turned," Regara said, approaching, but not getting as close as the suitors had, the Royal Guard in good position to intercept her if she tried to get closer.
"It is in that spirit that I come on behalf of my father, so that you, a Queen new to her throne, might be willing to discuss the prospects of turning such a new page, for the betterment of Morvak, and the safety and security of your realm."
Ah yes. Right. The thinly veiled threat. Regara had, through private channels, warned there would still be one - Basil would expect it, everyone else would doo - so Vanessa didn't let it make her think Regara was trying to have it both ways.
Though she would invade in a heartbeat, if she thought it was the best option for Morvak.
Looking at Regara, her unflinching pose, the way she'd been stiff during her bow, the firm, unflinching expression on her face... Vanessa could tell this was a woman who found her convictions, and believed in them.
It's just good for us that she thinks peace with Halrun is still her best option.
"Wise philosophers have long said that it is better to talk, rather than to war, and that if there is to be war, it is better it be fought with words, rather than blood." Vanessa said, looking at Vanessa. "Halrun will bow to no threats, veiled or otherwise, least of all from a realm so recently at war with us. But Halrun prizes peace, and we are more than willing to engage in discussion to secure it." She stepped off her throne a little.
"There will be much chance for talk between Keeper Arandel and you in the coming weeks, but it seems that if King Basil takes this possibility of peace so seriously as to send his own daughter, the least I can do as a peer to His Majesty is have some personal involvement in these talks."
"A sound decision," Regara agreed. Vanessa gestured to Arandel with a light flick of her left hand.
"A room has been set aside where we can begin the preliminaries. I don't expect us to resolve everything today," the elf explained, "But we can certainly establish some ground rules."
"That seems acceptable," she gestured to two of her attendants and a few her guards to follow her, "I wouldn't presume to take them into the meeting room, but I must insist they be allowed to wait outside the room." She added, and after a moment, Vanessa nodded to her guard captain, who accepted the order.
As they started to leave the throne room, Regara turned to the Morvakian Ambassador. "Not you," she said in a quiet voice - it didn't carry far, but the cutting motion she made with her hand carried her intent all the same.
"Excuse me, Princess?" The Ambassador asked. "This is my-"
"That I need to come here at all to address this matter personally is because of you, Ambassador," Regara said curtly. "Count yourself lucky that my father hasn't recalled you for your poor performance." Regara poked the other woman in the chest, hard, making her stumble back a pace.
The priestess-turned-Ambassador inhaled sharply, staring at Regara, flushing with embarrassment or humiliation at being publicly shamed like this. "If that is your command, then I obey, Princess."
"It is. Return to the Embassy with the rest of my guard and attendants."
The Ambassador gave a very stiff, formal and forced bow before turning to that, while Regara turned Vanessa.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty," Regara offered in a quiet, formal tone. "But it seemed efficient to remove useless actors from the conversation."
"She does seem superfluous to the discussion now that you're here," Vanessa agreed.
Vanessa, Arandel and a few of her guards, followed by Regara, two attendants and a few of her guards walked down a hallway, and then into another and into a room that Vanessa had been told was commonly used for these sorts of diplomatic meetings, away from public eyes. The room had a number of maps on the walls, of Halrun, of the surrounding kingdoms. The room had very small windows only at the uppermost part of the walls, so Vanessa could imagine it could get quite stuffy.
Before Regara came in, she surrendered her sword at the demand of Vanessa's guards, and then both sets of guards remained outside, leaving Regara with only her two attendants, and Vanessa and Arandel.
"Should we expect any trouble from your... dismissal of the Ambassador, Princess?" Arandel asked cooly. "She's never been very flexible, but that's more your father's fault than hers."
"She's entirely my father's creature, we can't exactly have her sitting in on negotiations about the Thornmarch that aren't happening." Regara shook her head. "You won't surrender the Thornmarch, and frankly, I don't want Morvak to have it either."
Vanessa blinked. "So if we just offered it to you -"
"I'd say no. Rivers make for excellent neighbors, for both of us." Regara answered. Her two attendants didn't react to that, so they must have known Regara's opinion.
Interesting. Vanessa was pretty sure the redheaded woman wasn't even lying.
"There's a lot that will need to be worked out if the prospect of a marriage alliance is to be considered seriously." Vanessa said, after a moment, cutting to the heart of the matter. "And you are not the only candidate here for this."
"Of course. And you have Lothar and Janera here, just for additional complexity." Regara chuckled. "But I think," she leaned forward a little, palms flat on the table, speaking in a low voice, "that I can convince you that an alliance with Morvak is better for your realm. That is," she added, straight up, smirking, "why I'm here."
"So it is." Vanessa agreed. "To begin, let me ask you a question: Why Halrun? I understand that you want Morvak to have at least some peaceful relations, but why in particular me? If nothing else, Nerinthar does have Janera."
"Well, Nerintharians hate Morvak more than Halrunians, so I doubt that would go anywhere," Regara answered. "The fact is, you do need to marry sooner, rather than later, which benefits my goals for Morvak. And, put simply - there's no endgame in fighting a war with Halrun. My father and my sister don't really understand one thing - when we claimed the Thornmarch, there was no Halrun. There was no unified realm capable of resisting us, so further expansion on this side of the river kept being put on the back burner."
She laughed, "After all, there was no chance that anyone could unify all the petty little fiefdoms. From what I understand of previous monarchs intentions, the plan was to expand further... whenever we had the time. And then Halrun emerged. Rather put an end to that. But say my sister becomes Queen after our father," Regara said, walking over to one of the maps of Halrun on the wall, "Everything goes right, she breaks through your defenses at Thornferd in a matter of weeks, and... what? Does she march to Eridia? If she takes that, then what? Is she supposed to hold it, with supply lines that long?"
Regara ran her finger along the map, between Thornferd and Eridia, then scoffed, "Halrun is massive, so large even you don't know what to do with all that space. It's entirely possible we could take Eiridia before your armies are fully mobilized, but you'll still have those armies, and I doubt you're stupid enough, Your Majesty, to let yourself be trapped in the city before it falls."
She shook her head, "Unless we're fortunate enough to defeat all your armies in detail, close to secure supply bases, and enforce terms from there, there's no endgame. And then what? We can't take your entire realm, and it wouldn't even be practical to impose a puppet like my ancestors did in Nerinthar and Selissa. Occupying the whole country would have a cost in blood and treasure I don't even want to imagine."
Vanessa watched Regara continue, the princess quite animated, and clearly having given a great deal of thought to the question.
I suppose it's good that she's quite firm in her 'I don't want a war with Halrun' viewpoint, but I am a little disturbed at how much thought she's clearly put into how to invade us. Nor how confident she is that taking Eridia would be so simple. Morvakian overconfidence was a well known reality, but they had earned that overconfidence.
She made a mental note to look into the defenses of the capital.
"And if we just settle for the Thornmarch, maybe a bit more... what then? We do this all over again next generation. Morvak has enough interminable conflicts to deal with, and the Thornmarch is hardly worth it. A friendship with Halrun, however, could be worth a great deal."
Vanessa considered Regara's conclusion as the princess leaned against the wall, watching her.
"You've given this a lot of thought."
"I've spent most of my life trying to imagine ways for Morvak to get out of the mess my ancestors got us into when they frittered away most of our lands and vassals. Ways other than simply rolling over and 'accepting fate', anyway."
"Which does bring up some issues about what exactly you want from Halrun the most." Vanessa cocked an eyebrow.
"I should think that's obvious. Tell me, which do you think I want the most from Halrun?" She chuckled softly, and Vanessa wondered if this was a test, or if Regara was just curious as to what Vanessa thought.
Or possibly both.
Vanessa looked over to Arandel for a moment, considering everything she'd heard about the state of things in Morvak, and everything she could imagine Regara might need. There was a first, obvious answer, and yet... maybe it was too obvious?
[ ][REGARA DESIRE] "Our help when the inevitable civil war between you and your sister breaks out."
[ ][REGARA DESIRE] "Our military and financial assistance in South Zarsim."
[ ][REGARA DESIRE] "Our food. Our raw materials. Both at better prices than you can get now. Halrunian grain could feed your armies indefinitely, theoretically."
[ ][REGARA DESIRE] "Our assistance in your other border wars - Hengri, Illegorst, Nerinthar."
[ ][REGARA DESIRE] "More than anything else, you want to be able to strip the border defenses on the Thorn River knowing we won't invade."
[ ][REGARA DESIRE] (Write In, Subject to QM Veto)
Vanessa needed sleep.
With the two feasts and all the attendant discussions and matters of state surrounding the arrivals of first Janera and then Regara (and with the latter, she'd had to hear a few petitions from people who just had to remind her of all Halrun had spent claiming the Thornmarch, as if there was any risk Vanessa would trade it away. Apparently not everyone was as sure Vanessa wouldn't give it away as she'd thought) and then turning over all her marriage prospects in her head as she tried to get some sleep...
She hadn't gotten much, the last two days. Vanessa had had many nights in her younger years, where she'd gotten by on little to no sleep, and she'd managed to power through yesterday, but today...
Her headaches were back with a vengeance. She'd have to see one of her physicians for a tonic to help her sleep tonight, at the very least. It was all Vanessa could do to avoid yawning - though she was pretty good at managing that. She'd had a lot of practice when learning from Cyril. He didn't appreciate his apprentices yawning when he was teaching.
Her attendants had had to do her makeup a little differently today, to cover the bags developing under her eyes, and for once, Vanessa had actually agreed to let her attendants to have relative free range when it came to applying it.
She wondered if the courtiers and her council were as exhausted with this whole formalized ritual as she was. The crowd of assorted hangers-on to court, who served minor functions, if at all, and seemed mostly to be there to hobnob with... all the other people who were just there to hobnob, though Vanessa doubted it was that simple, did seem a little smaller today.
The guards, servants and functionaries who had to be here were still here, of course, and Vanessa was seated on her throne, ready to be done with the formal process of these events for the month, once Loran Taygraf came in and formally laid the suit they all knew was coming.
Arandel's list of things to try to get from Illegorst was a rather short one, limited by the fact that there just wasn't much Illegorst had to offer, in many ways, at least nothing that Nerinthar didn't also offer.
Mutual defense against Morvak, yes, that was a given and part of the whole point. By all evidence, there was at least less interest in mutual offense within Illegorst, the Principality not having any real territorial claims to make on its northern neighbor.
Illegorst's expertise with guerilla warfare, archery and skirmishers did make for an enticing ally in the right kind of war, especially given Halrun's empty space - if a war did break out with Morvak, or anyone else, Illegorst's ways of fighting, combined with rebel experiences during the civil war, could make for a formidable, if unconventional, defense.
A small payment, as with Nerinthar, was not outside the realm of possibility.
Beyond that, it was somewhat nebulous. Illegorst did have extensive ties with Syleria, and Vanessa could imagine some ways she could use that - there were stories suggested that the Princes and Princesses of Illegorst did have the right to petition the Aviseyan Seers for advice, and Vanessa could certainly see a value there, if it was true. Her divination magic was one thing, but the Aviseyan Seers acted on the scale of generations with their visions. Even Cyril was dwarfed by their collective divinatory magic, to put it lightly.
Also possible access to Syleria's magical lore and expertise, even indirectly, was a potential gain.
Of course, it was also possible that neither were that possible. And Loran Taygraf might just win her over by being the most desirable option as a person, since Illegorst's primary value would still be mutual defense, an increase in international recognition and legitimacy, and better rates from the banks.
And of course, having an heir. She'd have to get busy with that soon after marriage.
The doors to the throne room opened again, as they had every other time a visiting dignitary came, and the Illegorst Ambassador, an elderly elf-blooded Baroness, clad in an elaborate, stifling-looking dress, blue and white and with this expansive lower bit that looked positively absurd to Vanessa, like a miniature dome made of fabric.
"In the name of Princess Allara Taygraf, Shield of The Realm, Keeper of the Orb and Scepter of Maelgra, and Princess of Illegorst, I present to you, your Majesty, Prince Loran Taygraf, brother of Princess Allara, Prince of Illegorst."
Behind her came a much smaller group of people than any other suitor. Not even twelve guards - just four, all of them elf-blooded like the Ambassador and the Prince, bows and quivers on their back, dark green and brown mottled leather armor, small handaxes on their belts, broad-bladed weapons that looked vaguely like scimitars, but without much crossguard on the other side of their belts.[1] There were even less servants and attendants than in previous delegations.
Again, ignore the gun and the crucifix, and his ears are slightly pointed because he's elf-blooded, but this is the general look/vibe I wanted to get across
Loran Taygraf was a handsome man, with sharp, pointed features, cheekbones that seemed carved from stone. His longish black hair fell messily around his face in a way that was too... artful to be accidental. Combined with the faint stubble he had - elven blood tended to reduce how much body hair humans had, especially when it came to beards - it added to a certain... roguish air.
Not in the same way Lothar was roguish. Lothar had had a charming, center-of-attention sort of roguishness. The man who might steal your heart while cheating you at cards sort of air to himself.
Loran had a more... dangerous air to him. He had a bow and arrow, and that weird scimitar-like blade at his belt, a long leather coat that was decorated with the Eagle of House Taygraf on it in gold and silver thread along the outside. The coat hung open, and he wore well-made, even fancy clothing, tailored exactly to him, but rugged and durable, not exactly what you'd expect to find a prince in, and yet.
He reminded Vanessa of Regara, just a little, that same... barely contained wild animal energy, but perhaps even more so. He walked not so much with a commanding air, but an air that all but ignored other people, a forceful stride that demanded attention and demanded people get out of the way, if they were in it.
Dark hair, dark eyes, and the menacing, dangerous air he carried with him gave him a sort of... brooding, mysterious look that Vanessa hated to admit wasn't... unappealing. And unsurprisingly, Loran was handsome, so once again the simple process of elimination of getting rid of a truly repulsive marriage candidate wasn't an option.
Syrokis wasn't exactly a looker, so ugly royals are possible, is this generation just lucky? Vanessa chuckled internally at that thought.
Still, Loran being attractive didn't really mean much when Essinya, Lothar, Janera and Regara were all attractive as well.
"Greetings, your Majesty," Loran bowed, a soft smile playing across his features. This was no 'dutiful prince' tone, nor was it Lothar trying to be charming. There was something... intense about his voice and eyes, that Vanessa couldn't place, but it drew her attention, despite his soft-spoken, quiet tone - well, relatively quiet, he was still speaking loudly enough for her to hear him on her throne atop the dias.
"I thank you behalf of my sister, and her realm. Our two peoples have never had anything but good relations," true, but they didn't have that many relations at all, beyond perfunctory ones, and some trade. "And I come here to you today to represent her, but also to represent myself, to lay suit for your hand, that our two realms might be unified in common friendship and purpose against any enemies that might threaten the people under your protection, and that of my sister."
He paused, stretching the silence out for several seconds more than he had to, then: "It is the highest duty of nobility and royalty to serve their people, and it is my hope I will serve mine, and yours, by serving as a bridge between realms."
There weren't exactly a lot of murmurs of surprise this time, though there were murmurs, people reacting, probably quietly discussing for a moment, before Vanessa raised her hand and everyone slowly silenced.
"It is true that Illegorst and Halrun have only ever had friendly relations, and it is true that my duty as Queen places service to the people under my protection most highly. The House of Taygraf is a noble and honorable one, and the nobility and character of your person is unimpeachable."
There certainly were no claims Loran lacked character anyway. Just that he was a loner and a woodsman.
She stood and began to step down the dias. "I am unpledged and unmarried. I will hear and consider your suit for my hand, and consider and hear what your suit brings to the peoples and lands under my protection and rule. You are welcome in my Kingdom, and in my palace."
She stepped to the last step of the dias, and the prince approached, so that he was standing just below her - he was tall enough that he still stood over her, just a bit, even with the step.
"Welcome to Halrun, Prince." Vanessa gestured grandly to the guards and attendants. "Rooms have been set aside for you, your attendants and your guards. Ambassador," she nodded to the Countess in the elaborate dress. "Keeper Arandel will speak with you about the preliminaries."
The Ambassador nodded and went with Arandel, while the Seneschal approached to lead the guards and the attendants.
As with all the other 'official' suitors, Loran would be getting rooms in the same wing was them.
"As for you, Prince Loran, perhaps you would indulge me, before you retire to your rooms after your long journey, with a private moment in the gardens?"
"Of course," Loran agreed. Four of Vanessa's guards formed up, ready to come with her, but Loran turned to his own guards. "Go with this one to the rooms," he told them. "I can handle a walk in the garden alone."
The guards hesitate for a moment, and one rolls his eyes, and then they nod, going with the Seneschal and the attendants and staff off to the requisite rooms.
"Are you sure, Prince Loran?"
"I doubt you've invited me here to kill me. That doesn't seem like a smart play, and you're supposed to be quite a clever woman, Your Majesty."
"There are protocols and forms to be observed." Vanessa considered.
"Protocols and forms are... stifling, to my mind. I don't object if you feel the need to bring guards of your own, of course, but if I bring four, and you bring four - it would have been quite crowded. And that's no fun at all."
Vanessa nodded after a moment. "Alright." She raised two fingers, and her Guard captain gestured to two of the four that had stepped forward and they walked behind her and Loran as they moved into the gardens.
"You have made quite a different entrance than my other suitors." Vanessa noted.
"I'm a very different person than any of them." Loran said simply. "I've never met Lothar or Essinya Serriados, but I have met Janera, when she attended my sister's wedding some years back. But even just going by stories for the others, I can safely say I'm nothing like any of your other suitors."
You might have a bit more in common with Regara than you realize, though. They did have that dangerous air to them, but Loran's definitely came with a distinct brooding mystery to him. As they reached the garden, Vanessa took several steps away from him, raising a hand to keep him from following.
Loran watched her back for a moment, then looked around at the gardens, lips a thin line, dark eyes quite difficult to read.
Yes. Brooding mystery. Of course, how much of that was genuine and how much of that was an affect was an interesting question.
"I hope I hold up to your inspection, Your Majesty," Loran murmured, smirking.
"Life would be simpler if you and some of my other suitors didn't," Vanessa replied. "I've been honest with all my other suitors, and I will with you, on this matter: I was not raised, as you likely were, with the expectation that I would be put on a marital auction block sooner or later. I accepted the crown when offered knowing this would have to happen sooner or later-"
"But you expected later?" Loran interrupted, taking a few steps towards her, getting into her space, taking up more of it than even his height and build would suggest. "I'll admit that I was surprised as well when my sister decided to offer me up for this." He gave a sardonic, grim laugh. "I knew some sort of arrangement was coming, eventually, but never when."
"That's still more mental preparation than I've had." Vanessa took a small step back, mostly so she didn't have to crane her neck as much to meet his eye. He really was a very tall man. "But yes, I did anticipate having a bit more time to acclimate myself to this." She inhaled sharply, very aware of him, standing this close. She didn't feel stifled or hemmed in by him, which had to be quite the accomplishment given his deliberate efforts to get into her space. Her two guards were closer than they might normally be, hands on their blades, though Loran's own hands weren't near his weapons.
"But I decided, when the call to suitors was sent out, that I would at least allow myself the basic criterion of 'could I live with the other person'. Hopefully, we'll get the chance to find out if that holds true for you."
"I think you'll find, Queen Vanessa, that I can be very easy to live with." Loran murmured, in a softy, husky voice - the rough note had always been there, Vanessa realized, but his tone now emphasized it in a way that again, Vanessa hated to say was far, far from unappealing.
She was, of course, in full control of herself, however.
"I'll have to find out if that's true." Vanessa took another step back, then turned, walking further into the garden, hearing Loran keep pace next to her, not looking at him yet. "I've heard only so much about you. You don't do much at court in Illegorst, do you?"
"Not as such, no." Loran agreed. "I prefer the quiet, when I can take it. Relative solitude - myself and a few close chosen companions, at most. And my people have always a great affinity for the natural spaces of the world, for forests and vales and streams, almost as much as our elven forebears."
"And you spend much of your time in the wilderness." Vanessa concluded.
"As I said, I like the quiet, the solitude. Gives me time to think, to experience the world around me. It's easy to get lost in the noise, at court."
"Could I expect you to be gone for great lengths of time if you were King Consort then?" Vanessa asked, raising an eyebrow. She wasn't sure how she felt about that, frankly. Having a Consort that was at least present might do wonders for her sanity, assuming she enjoyed their presence. And she was hardly one for the wilderness herself.
"Much less than in Illegorst, but if you would allow it, I would like to explore the wilderness here in Halrun, when my duties as Consort would allow it." Loran came around to stand in front of her again, and reached for her hand. Vanessa was honestly took taken aback by the motion to pull her hand back in time, and he ran his thumb gently across the back of her hand, along her wrist.
"Obviously, as reigning Queen yourself, you could hardly take as much time in the wilderness as I, but I could take you with me, at times. Show you just what it is about the wilderness that draws me in..." He said in that same husky tone of voice.
Vanessa pulled her hand free from his, "I'm not sure I'd take you up on that, but I suppose the option exists, should we reach that point. Regardless, there is much that needs to be done, much I need to do, so we can't linger here forever. I wonder though, if you might indulge me in one further question?
"Of course."
[ ][LORAN QUESTION] "Is your sister really a vampire?"
[ ][LORAN QUESTION] "What does Illegorst have to offer that the other realms laying suit for my hand don't have, in your mind?"
[ ][LORAN QUESTION] "Are you always so... forward, to put it lightly, with unmarried women?"
[ ][LORAN QUESTION] "Exactly why would you more willing spend time at court here, than you do in Illegorst?"
[ ][LORAN QUESTION] "Why did you bring such a small retinue? A preference for solitude only justifies so much when it comes to bringing so few guards."
[ ][LORAN QUESTION] <Write In>
[1]: These are machetes. Vanessa has never seen a machete, they're not generally seen as weapons of war, so she didn't see any during the war or anything - woodsmen and scouts and such might use them, since they're multipurpose, but Vanessa didn't interface with those types much either. And being raised in a major city and then a Wizard's tower didn't give her much familiarity with the kind of weapons rural types might use.
Okay. There we are. Loran's section beat me up a bit, had to rewrite a few parts, but.
On the surface, it is true that Illegorst has seemingly less to offer than some of the other options, though the possibility of more through Illegorst's connection to the elves of Syleria does exist. How much that possibility exists, well, Vanessa hardly knows.
Each marriage candidate is intended to be a viable option, but some realms just have more to offer than others, to various extents. But there are of course, unknown factors that may be operating with each suitor, and their respective realms. And of course, you may just decide you like the idea of certain specific suitors with Vanessa, whatever their realm's merits. I certainly won't be punishing you, the players, for picking a 'wrong' choice, because no wrong choice exists.
Earlier iterations of the idea that became this quest focused much more on the suitors, actually, to the point of it being more pseudo-dating sim than anything else. I ended up adding more and more kingdom management stuff and it ended up becoming the quest you see today. But each suitor was thus written to fit within certain personality types and tropes, or mostly so. Each is meant to be more than just a trope. Janera, as you might have seen, is definitely the 'Adorable Excitable Nerd' trope. Lothar is the handsome charming roguish gambler type.
And Loran is indeed written to fit to certain tropes and types as well.
Voting for the [JANERA QUESTION], [REGARA ANSWER] and [LORAN QUESTION] is open, and will continue for at least 72 hours, possibly more if there is contention or seems like there's more votes left to be had. I will reproduce the Janera Question options from the previous post below, for ease of reference:
[ ][JANERA QUESTION] "Why are plants and animals so fascinating to you?"
[ ][JANERA QUESTION] "By all accounts, you're very skilled with mathematics and architecture. Are those also passions for you?"
[ ][JANERA QUESTION] "Is there a project you ever wanted your father to give you control over that he didn't?"
[ ][JANERA QUESTION] "Favorite Plant/Animal?"
[ ][JANERA QUESTION] "Have you rejected anyone your father suggested before now?"
[ ][JANERA QUESTION] <Write In>
…So apparently I do not like the shape of Half-elf's game. Just feels a tad uncomfortable..But then, I never did quite get the whole 'bad boy' thing myself so that's likely a lot of it.
So far…
Necro-Lady is…Kiind of 'would be more fun if she wouldn't split kingdom in half'.
Rogue-Elf actually DOES interest me in his military aid.
Turning sheer expanse of land into a defense in itself is a thing, in fact, even if Russia has historically never really been fond of the notion (then again given the price they pay, I can see why…) but he offers a more elegant and less costly take on it then scorched earth.
Jan's got the oroblem that even if she's nice her Kingdom feels too generic to be that great. I guess the problem is she's mostly a 'safe' option…
Except not really because she demands a consort hubby short of magic to get around the biological requirement of man and woman…
Maybe that Warrior King will actually do it.
Oh yeah there's Money Rouge. Him I like more then Elf and he's actually kind of topping the list on personality-he actually feels like a high Charisma type proper, instead of just quote-unquote being pretty.
No? As I said right at the start, magic exists to allow two women to conceive a child without the involvement of any men. It's easily affordable for nobility and won't actually cost in-game Dureks, kind of assume the cost is already baked in.
Poorer or middle class commoners might not be able to have it so easily, but Vanessa will have that option without a problem.
The exact mechanics of how it works can be left up to the imagination, that's not important, but if Vanessa marries a woman (i.e. Regara, Janera or Essinya) they will have no more difficulty getting an heir together than if she married a guy.
Is it bad that I want to form some sort quadarchy of all the "mutual defense against Morvak" countries plus Morvak? Basically I think if we all stick our oars in right as the civil war kicks off we can trounce the Pro-war sister's faction and put Regara on the throne. All her points about how war with us is pointless stand marriage or no. The main advantage to be had here is that she wins. We can help her win with or without a marriage.
Therefore I suggest the following unconventional plan.
We marry tall dark and woodsy (Loran Taygraf) to secure an alliance. If he is fun we can go travel with him to spend time away from the stress of court and if he's not it seems like he would be happy enough semi-banished to a remote hunting lodge. Then we turn around and play matchmaker between Regara and Janera. This would secure an alliance between Talcraft and Morvak, and between us and Syleria. This would mean that when Regara pulls the trigger on her civil war she has the backing of 3 countries plus the parts of her own country that she can keep the support of. This would hopefully produce a short victorious civil war that sets our entire little region on the path of peace for at least a generation.
EDIT - The longterm goal of such a scheme would be a fourway agreement that if anyone declares war on any of the others in the agreement everyone else gangs up on them and puts and end to it. We are ALL better off with our mutual borders basically protected from one another, even Morvak who really wants to be focused elsewhere at least for a while.
[X][REGARA DESIRE] "Our help when the inevitable civil war between you and your sister breaks out."
[X][LORAN QUESTION] "Are you always so... forward, to put it lightly, with unmarried women?"
[X][JANERA QUESTION] "Is there a project you ever wanted your father to give you control over that he didn't?"
