Probably not, and even if they were it wouldn't be a good idea. This place has deep seated "dragons try to loot and enslave us" issues and the PR hit wouldn't be worth it. This could be an opportunity though. For most people talking to a crowd like this is pointless, but for Viserys it could be a chance to diplomance a large group his strongest Triton opposition in a venue where their leadership can't easily step up to have a reasoned debate with him.
If their worry is that we'll get their people driven to extinction fighting squids then maybe now would be a good time to argue passionately for the ideals of the imperium and the policies we're following to avoid that. We have no less than three other species in dire straights that we're protecting, and have been protecting for a while now, so we can more than back it up.
The numbers did not look entirely real, Hermetia thought as her eyes slid over her assistant's ornate writing. Not a feeling she thought she would have again after the way Astral Currents had grown, carrying her own fortune from the ranks of the merely respectable to those of truly princely wealth, but this... well you could probably buy small realms with this, maybe not so small realms too. Curious, she had asked for the numbers on all enchantment acquisition for this month, from the shifting plains of Limbo to the jeweled delving of the Opaline Vault. The results had been... humbling.
Lost 1,911,040 IM
Vialesk Enchanted Item Commission (8th day of the 1st month, 294 AC)
Could one be humbled by a large enough pile of coin? A question for philosophers no doubt, but not the ones who took up positions at court, she could guess what those would say. Alas, that she was not left much longer to her cheerful contemplation of coins and would be wisemen.
The amber-inlaid door opened with a clang as a somewhat worried-looking Kennos of Kayce strode in. Judging by the fact that he had entered her chambers without knocking, it must be quite urgent, though from the lack of armor and sword in hand, she guessed it was not the kind of urgent that stained the carpets red.
"My lady there's a... mob of tritons outside being quite loud against the king and his interests here in Vialesk," the knight began.
Or maybe it was, the sorceress thought, reaching for the scroll-case she kept beneath her desk. "So they want to burn us all down... right there isn't enough fire around here to light an incense bundle. They want to tear the embassy down around our heads?"
"No, that is the strange part. They do not appear to be planning anything worse than hurling harsh language at the walls, and perhaps passersby, to hurt the realm's good name..." The Westerlander knight sounded outright bemused, but Hermetia, a daughter of Volantis and somewhat inured to the intrigues of Lys, could see how having a group of people stand by an embassy hurling abuse and demands might cause some damage all on its own.
"What is it about our presence they find so objectionable?" Hermetia asked, pondering who might have put them up to this. The Deep Ones came to mind first and foremost given their interests in the Endless Ocean, but certainly they would not be the only plotters.
"They think us being here would encourage more young tritons to go back to the Garden, back home that is, and get killed fighting Deep Ones. I don't think they like Breath Taker and his lot much, my lady," ser Kennos replied dutifully. "There were a handful calling them apostates, but most just called them mad. I don't think they like dragons too much either, so one flame feeding into another as it were."
"And this is all legal?" Hermetia checked. It probably was, or one of the Furies would have seen to notifying the proper authorities before the matter even got to her.
"Yes, my lady, as long as they don't hurt anyone," the knight confirmed.
What does Hermetia do?
[] Go out to try to address the crowd
-[] Write in (optional)
[] Investigate who might be behind the protests
-[] Write in (optional)
[] Leave be for now
[] Write in
OOC: Not the sort of intrigues Heremetia was expecting to face, but she is certainly not backing down. Not yet edited.
Here's an edited version of the chapter, @DragonParadox. I formatted the list of items commissioned to make them a bit easier to read (to my OCD brain).
[X] Plane of Water Ambassadorial Mission #1
-[X] Go out to try to address the crowd
--[X] After using what social buffs she has access to (via her own spells or spell scrolls), Hermetia will ask the crowd for patience, and to allow her to speak to them for a moment. She will assure them that the Imperium is making no special effort to convince young Tritons to immigrate to the Plane of Balance. She will also remind those present that many of their children, if they are anything like Humans, will be all the more likely to rebel against their parents if they are seen to be too strongly against their actions.
---[X] Hermetia's bodyguards and the embassy staff will be on high alert for any potential assassins who might use the opportunity to take a direct shot at our representative.
-[X] Investigate who might be behind the protests
--[X] As part of the investigation, send a priority request to the House of Mirrors and the Inquisition for assistance.
--[X] Hermetia will also contact Breath Taker for advice on dealing with the Tritons. If someone is manipulating them, he may be able to provide valuable insight into their culture on the Plane of Water.
[X] Plane of Water Ambassadorial Mission #1
-[X] Go out to try to address the crowd
--[X] After using what social buffs she has access to (via her own spells or spell scrolls), Hermetia will ask the crowd for patience, and to allow her to speak to them for a moment. She will assure them that the Imperium is making no special effort to convince young Tritons to immigrate to the Plane of Balance. She will also remind those present that many of their children, if they are anything like Humans, will be all the more likely to rebel against their parents if they are seen to be too strongly against their actions.
-[X] Investigate who might be behind the protests
--[X] As part of the investigation, send a priority request to the House of Mirrors and the Inquisition for assistance.
--[X] Hermetia will also contact Breath Taker for advice on dealing with the Tritons. If someone is manipulating them, he may be able to provide valuable insight into their culture on the Plane of Water.
---[X] Hermetia's bodyguards and the embassy staff will be on high alert for any potential assassins who might use the opportunity to take a direct shot at our representative. ---[X] Reminder: Hermetia is at this point now authorized to lean on the Crown's resources in the pursuit of her objectives in Vialesk and its environs, besides the Inquisition and House of Mirrors. What the Commissariat in Sorcerer's Deep suggests is what comes standard to many provinces when their presence is requested to deal with a problem of a nature which cannot be solved by purging it with fire, spell and blade: Information.
----[X] Hermetia will spend as much as required to get a chain of informants set up, taking special pains to ensure she is not violating any local laws with regards to the nature of their employment. It should be relatively safe however to hire the local water mephits or other denizens to report gossip and linger in places where they could track movements of people, and likely as not everyone who is interested in brokerage of information likely has done the same to those beings who aren't suited to earning a living more effectively for amount of energy and skill invested versus the profit.
-----[X] She will maneuver socially for as much as her involvement as possible rather than in a clandestine fashion. If we need to take less than legal action to respond to such in kind, we will employ Companion-grade agents to take care of it at some point. Ideally she would try to deal with this problem if at all possible through negotiation with the parties interested in tarnishing our good name, or if it is clear they are provateurs set in their path by a darker power, to expose it to the city's authorities.
------[X] If Hermetia is able to take overt action in Vialesk with what and who she has on hand right now, she will do so as it falls within her remit, essentially. Priority is of course compliance with the city's authorities. -------[X] Speaking of the City's Authorities, seeing as how we are now facing diplomatic issues, one of the largest vectors for solving this issue and allowing Vialesk to keep its new trading partner and prospective military ally would be to politely ask them to use some of their own resources to assist us. We don't technically have to do everything ourselves if it isn't just us who benefits from it, it's just a bit of give and take.
BTW, Crake, I slightly edited one line and added another to my vote a few minutes ago, if you want to include it as well.
--[] After using what social buffs she has access to (via her own spells or spell scrolls), Hermetia will ask the crowd for patience, and to allow her to speak to them for a moment. She will assure them that the Imperium is making no special effort to convince young Tritons to immigrate to the Plane of Balance. She will also remind those present that many of their children, if they are anything like Humans, will be all the more likely to rebel against their parents if they are seen to be too strongly against their actions.
---[] Hermetia's bodyguards and the embassy staff will be on high alert for any potential assassins who might use the opportunity to take a direct shot at our representative.
EDIT: @Crake, I also added the red highlighted part to my plan earlier. Forgot to mention it.
It would be ironic if this issue is resolved by politely asking the local government for a little help, and they launch a thorough and effective investigation into the matter and resolve it without telling us.
@DragonParadox does love subverting our expectations, like making us deal with every problem in a new location, especially if Hermetia does all of the grunt work in setting up a local intelligence operation, then at the end of the month the local government gets back to her and says the problem is solved and not to worry about it.
It would be ironic if this issue is resolved by politely asking the local government for a little help, and they launch a thorough and effective investigation into the matter and resolve it without telling us.
@DragonParadox does love subverting our expectations, like making us deal with every problem in a new location, especially if Hermetia does all of the grunt work in setting up a local intelligence operation, then at the end of the month the local government gets back to her and says the problem is solved and not to worry about it.
Note On Psionic Commission Pricing: +25% standard market price for items with manifester levels 1-5; +40% standard market price for items with manifester levels 6-10; +70% standard market price for items with manifester levels 11-15. Manifester level cannot exceed 15.
2 Slotless Crystal Charm of Hustle (5th Manifester Level, 1/Day) - 2,160 IM each (Total: 4,320 IM + 25% markup = Total: 5,400 IM)
1 Slotless Crystal Charm of Empty Mind (Augmented to 15th Level, +9 bonus to Will saving throws for 1 round, 1/Day) - 17,280 IM + 70% markup = 29,376 IM
1 Slotless Third Eye: Conceal [equivalent to Mind Blank] (15th Manifester Level) - 48,000 IM + 70% markup = 81,600 IM
2 Third Eye: Conceal [equivalent to Mind Blank] (15th Manifester Level) - 24,000 IM each (Total: 48,000 IM + 70% markup = 81,600 IM)
Note On Psionic Commission Pricing: +25% standard market price for items with manifester levels 1-5; +40% standard market price for items with manifester levels 6-10; +70% standard market price for items with manifester levels 11-15. Manifester level cannot exceed 15.
2 Slotless Crystal Charm of Hustle (5th Manifester Level, 1/Day) - 2,160 IM each (Total: 4,320 IM + 25% markup = Total: 5,400 IM)
1 Slotless Crystal Charm of Empty Mind (Augmented to 15th Level, +9 bonus to Will saving throws for 1 round, 1/Day) - 17,280 IM + 70% markup = 29,376 IM
1 Slotless Third Eye: Conceal [equivalent to Mind Blank] (15th Manifester Level) - 48,000 IM + 70% markup = 81,600 IM
2 Third Eye: Conceal [equivalent to Mind Blank] (15th Manifester Level) - 24,000 IM each (Total: 48,000 IM + 70% markup = 81,600 IM)
We mass produce luxury trade goods that are in high demand in far off places, just like the Tang did with porcelain and Silk.
Accordingly, we're like staggeringly rich.
Honestly we could probably BUY Westeros at this point without the need for a Major Invasion. Just need to get Tywin, Cersei, and Robert out of the way first
More importantly to this action, we are providing such a huge volume of trade to the city, that there really isn't any tangible reason why there shouldn't be a bunch of factions fighting to keep us around while we sit serenely in the middle of the fray chilling out and reaping the benefits without any further investment of resources. Not that we're inclined to rest on our laurels, mind you, but allies from trade interests should be easy to find if the city's authorities have their hands tied.
More importantly to this action, we are providing such a huge volume of trade to the city, that there really isn't any tangible reason why there shouldn't be a bunch of factions fighting to keep us around while we sit serenely in the middle of the fray chilling out and reaping the benefits without any further investment of resources. Not that we're inclined to rest on our laurels, mind you, but allies from trade interests should be easy to find if the city's authorities have their hands tied.
Huh I actually wondered if the protest was going to be about the Eirynes being present, but no was a pleasant surprise.
I mean brain drain is a legit concern when it comes to migration plus the all too human(? Sapient?) concern of parents and their young ones rushing off to battle. I'm guessing the Tritons do not have a Westerosi militarism bone in their body, do they?
