You know it's weird, all the discussion about the troubles of real life have actually helped me get my motivation to write. I can't help any of that, not really, but I can at least write to bring a little more joy to the people reading this quest
Vote closed.
Adhoc vote count started by DragonParadox on Jun 5, 2020 at 3:20 AM, finished with 76 posts and 20 votes.
[X] Yes (Guaranteed to be able to break the wards in time, may be able to reproduce them; Cost 100,000 IM in precious metals and other treasure)
Lord Lyegood had taken to your gifts with less enthusiasm than many of his peers, still deeply troubled at the thought of breaking his vows to those who had aided him and among other things provided him with an amulet to ward mind and soul from intrusion. For a moment he had almost reminded you of Stannis, though of course the Lord of Storm's End would never countenance equipping brigands to act against his rivals. The edge of honor sharp as broken glass, the old verse from a Braavosi poet long dead, ironically in a duel, comes to mind as you look back at the keep.
4x Sending Stone
4x Teleportation Charm
Lya's studies into the ritual do not alas bear fruit as swiftly as you had expected, at least not any fruit you might wish to taste. Persuading hundreds of fey to turn their loyalty to mortal lords, having the Old Gods strip down and alter the arcane matrix to prepared Scholarum infrastructure then persuade the lords to release their new fey vassals. You can practically feel the headache of days to come already.
The news from the shadow fey that there may be some sort of fey giant slumbering in Florent lands who could help undo the landwarrds is a relief, you might almost call it too much of a one, but you trust that between Lya's knowledge of all things magical, Dany's adamantine-sharp wit and Melisandre's great experience in matters of spirits and sorcery that they would see to it that seeking out this being does not cost you more than you stand to gain. Speaking of cost, Hurk of the Honeywaters apparently prefers to be paid in gold and silver which he hides away in lightless caverns in the heart of the hills, something you are thankful for, though perhaps the treasury clerks who will receive such an unusual request will not be.
Lost 100,000 IM
***
As evening begins to fall over the land you are just considering a message to your mother to ask which if any other Reach lords you would have to speak to, but before you can do so another far more urgent message finds you. You hear the familiar cold voice of a fury in your mind, though not one of those you personally work most closely with. Kyseth, assigned to Driftmark, your memory provides moments before the words actually register. "Assassins are moving. One of the maids assigned to Lord Monford's chambers is dead by sorcery. Her soul has been bound against returning."
It is all you can do not to jump from your seat and be in Driftmark in the span of the fourteen syllables. There has to be more to the report.
"Confirm," you send back as per standard practice. Asking questions before the full report is given in the limited manner the spell allows would cause more confusion than it solves.
Another stone triggers: "The family is all safe in our embassy in the Opaline Vault. The lady is distraught." Even in the cold tones of the urgent report you catch an edge of disdain for whatever Elysa Velaryon nee Celtigar had said about the sudden relocation of her family.
"Confirm," you say a second time, breathing a sigh of relief. Not just a killing but one where the soul had been bound remotely, if that had happened to Monford Valaena would be out for blood, dragon and all. Fuck, you would be out for blood. Lord Velaryon has been one of your more effective agents in Westeros and a leal vassal from the moment he took his oaths to you.
What do you do?
[] Set out to investigate at once
-[] Write in which whom (Valaena will wish to be involved)
[] Send investigators
-[] Write in which whom (Valaena will wish to be involved)
Do you send Lord Velaryon and his family back?
[] Yes, it could very well be that his absence from Driftmark might play a role
[] No it is too dangerous, you have assassins with remote soul binding loose in Driftmark
OOC: I hope this isn't too jarring to introduce background rolls from the opposition.
Lord Lyegood had taken to your gifts with less enthusiasm than many of his peers, still deeply troubled at the thought of breaking his vows to those who had aided him, who had among other things, provided him with an amulet to ward mind and soul from intrusion. For a moment he had almost reminded you of Stannis, though of course the Lord of Strom's end would never countenance equipping brigands to act against his rivals. The edge of honor, sharp as broken glass, the old verse from a Braavosi poet long dead, ironically in a duel, comes to mind as you look back at the keep.
4x Sending Stone
4x Teleportation Charm
Alas, Lya's studies into the ritual do not bear fruit as swiftly as you had expected, at least not any fruit you might wish to taste. Persuading hundreds of fey to turn their loyalty to mortal lords or having the Old Gods strip down and alter the arcane matrix to prepared Scholarum infrastructure and then persuade the lords to release their new fey vassals... You can practically feel the headache of days to come already.
The news from the shadow fey that there may be some sort of fey giant slumbering in Florent lands who could help undo the landwards is a relief, you might almost call it too much of a one, but you trust that between Lya's knowledge of all things magical, Dany's adamant-sharp wit and Melisandre's great experience in matters of sorcery and spirit, they would see that seeking out this being does not cost you more than you stand to gain. Speaking of cost, Hurk of the Honeywaters apparently prefers to be paid in gold and silver which he hides away in lightless caverns in the heart of the hills, something you are thankful for, though perhaps the treasury clerks who will receive such an unusual request will not be.
Lost 100,000 IM
***
As evening begins to fall over the land, you are just considering a message to your mother to ask which other Reach lords, if indeed there are any, you would have to speak with, but before you can do so another far more urgent message finds you. You hear the cold familiar voice of a fury in your mind, though not one of those you personally work most closely with. Kyseth, assigned to Driftmark, your memory provides moments before the words actually register. "Assassins are moving. One of the maids assigned to Lord Monford's chambers is dead by sorcery. Her soul has been bound against returning."
It is all you can do not to jump from your seat and be in Driftmark in the span of fourteen syllables. There has to be more to the report.
"Confirm," you send back as per standard practice. Asking questions before the full report is given in the limited manner the spell allows would cause more confusion than it solves.
Another stone triggers. "The family is all safe in our embassy in the Opaline Vault. The Lady is distraught." Even in the cold tones of the urgent report, you catch an edge of disdain for whatever Elysa Velaryon nee Celtigar had said about the sudden relocation of her family.
"Confirm," you say a second time, breathing a sigh of relief. Not just a killing, but one where the soul had been bound remotely. If that had happened to Monford, Valaena would be out for blood, dragon and all. Fuck, you would be out for blood, too. Lord Velaryon has been one of your more effective agents in Westeros and a leal lord from the moment he took his oaths to you.
What do you do?
[] Set out to investigate at once
-[] Write in with whom (Valaena will wish to be involved)
[] Send investigators
-[] Write in (Valaena will wish to be involved)
Do you send Lord Velaryon and his family back?
[] Yes, it could very well be that his absence from Driftmark might play
[] No it is too dangerous, you have assassins with remote soul binding loose in Driftmark
OOC: I hope this isn't too jarring to introduce background rolls from the opposition. Not yet edited.
Here's an edited version of the chapter, @DragonParadox.
Speaking of cost Hurk of the Honeywaters apparently prefers to be paid in gold and silver which he hides away in lightless caverns in the heart of the hills
I'm glad to see we're supporting such a valuable part of the adventurer's ecosystem!
More seriously, how does he judge value? How will the deflation of gold impact him? If we for him to wait 6 months to reveice his pay in exchange for a volume hike, could we save money? He's Fey enough that he probably isn't using human market values, after all.
This probably isn't worth the effort and risk of a resentful/distrusting employee, however. I'm just musing here.
Huh. Viserys said "fuck". That doesn't happen often, does it? I can't actually remember it happening before, but to be fair I don't usually notice this sort of thing (it's just topical to me right now).
We might murder people more often than we swear on-screen
[X] Set out to investigate at once
-[X] In addition to the guards already on the scene, Viserys, Richard, Dany, Xor, Valaena, and two Mind Dragons will take part in the investigation. Unfortunately, Dawnfyre will need to remain behind for this mission.
-[X] Allow Monford to return to Driftmark for now, but ask that his wife and son remain in the Opaline Vault until this matter is resolved.
--[X] In addition to his normal guards (Plant-Imbued Shadow Creature Cat, AdvancedSorcerer CreatureSnapdragon Leshy, Black Champion, Erinyes), one of the Mind Dragons accompanying us on the mission will also remain by his side while we investigate.
--[X] For the duration of the investigation, Kyseth the Fury will be loaned one of our Circlets of Perceive Betrayal to wear. While its ability to detect traitors is not fool proof, it will add yet another layer of protection for the time being.
If you're aiming for permanent resident status or full citizenship, I suggest keeping Canada in mind as well. As you would be eligible for public health care and reasonably priced medication (ie not US prices).
Also, the minimum wage here is around $14 an hour in Ottawa (or about $10USD) and I would expect an entry-level Accounting job (I think that was your major) to be around $30 if you can find one.
I've been investigating about Canada, but apparently permits for foreigners to stay are not very long-lasting. Either that or you are required to have a job offer beforehand, and having a Bachelor's degree under my belt and not much else I can't actually sell myself to compete with locals.
I appreaciate all your help though, you have answered me more than once before when I bring this topic out. I will keep Canada in mind if Europe fails
Huh. Viserys said "fuck". That doesn't happen often, does it? I can't actually remember it happening before, but to be fair I don't usually notice this sort of thing (it's just topical to me right now).
We might murder people more often than we swear on-screen
I've updated the Armory to take into account the resources distributed or expended in the latest chapter. Removed 4 Teleport Charms, 6 Sending Stones, and 1 Plane Shift Charm.
It's nice that we can assign these things to our friends and allies.
Alright I'm a bit slow on the uptake and/or general make up of our various schemes, is this the Fey moving on us, the fish, the Cold fuckers, or the Golden assholes?
Alright I'm a bit slow on the uptake and/or general make up of our various schemes, is this the Fey moving on us, the fish, the Cold fuckers, or the Golden assholes?
Ah, the bitch. Almost forgot about her. That was a pleasant dream.
Is this setting off the conquest? Do we get to kill them now? Please?
I know I'm getting impatient but playing this quest is like playing a Godzilla game with rts elements. I know it's safer to build up our bases and all but by god I want to burn something.
Depends on how exactly she was killed and how her soul was affected.
We might just be able to use a Speak with Soul spell, though Speak with Dead is always an option even if the soul has been trapped, destroyed, or otherwise inconvenienced (such as a Thinaum weapon being used to kill the maid).
Gonna need to see how the investigation goes before we speculate too much.
If you find it easier to find a job in a big city, you might also want to look into living further away, commuting, and then working a few hours less a week, depending on rent, changing 5 work hours into travel hours each week, might actually have you come out ahead.
Commuting suck of course, but it don't necessarily suck more than work(depends on your job) so if your job pay you 20 dollars an hour, and you can get an apartment for 150 dollars per week less, by spending an hour a day more commuting, then you're coming out 50 dollars ahead(minus travel costs, but work related travel, can often be deducted in your taxes)
Of course this is all theoretical, but just remember, that just because you work in a city, don't mean you have to live in it.
Huh. Viserys said "fuck". That doesn't happen often, does it? I can't actually remember it happening before, but to be fair I don't usually notice this sort of thing (it's just topical to me right now).
We might murder people more often than we swear on-screen
Can't be presenting an improper image for his little sister and precocious niece, after all. It's hard enough to get the former to act like a Princess and keep her swearing to Abyssal (which is more vulgar than Common, come to think of it, just has the benefit of being little understood by most people around her), better not to absolutely corrupt the other one at least in this respect.
Can't be presenting an improper image for his little sister and precocious niece, after all. It's hard enough to get the former to act like a Princess and keep her swearing to Abyssal (which is more vulgar than Common, come to think of it, just has the benefit of being little understood by most people around her), better not to absolutely corrupt the other one at least in this respect.
