[X] High Marshall Avecarn
[X] None
Welp, I don't think either 25 point option are what we need, either here, or long term, so None is an easy vote.
I'm voting for the High Marshall for two reasons, I think we have the best odds of convincing him to let us defect of the two non Arete choices, and if we flub the roll I think we can take him with a Flash Buy Stance, or at worst two, either way a victory over him, social or steel it doesn't matter, will give us a great drop, hopefully Rank, or possibly The King Stands Alone, given his shear level of badass.
The reason I think we can pull this off is manifold, first, he is the Hammer, he would be half expecting any opponent he faced to choose service over death, we won't have to justify our desire to turn coat, and hopefully we can avoid a tyrant proc by playing up our pride. Additionally his soul is tuned to Authority, building up the society he lives in by recruiting those bound to the call who show promise is already part of their military culture, it has the Weight of History behind it, Precedent, turn his souls deep love for Order and Hierarchy against him. Let him add another feather to his cap by bringing in the raider that spooked the council.
Second, is his effort level, he doesn't want to be here, if we give him a good reason to avoid a fight, he will be predisposed to take it.
Third is our low Rank, it actually may do us a favor here, we obviously didn't overpower our last opponent, so we have some way to hit above our class, and that could be anything, it changes the calculus to this veteran, the best Swordsman doesn't fear the second best, but a man with a gun, as Indiana taught us all so long ago. He will rightly belive he can take us, given that his Evocation advantages him against foes of lower rank, but as we did not beat Vanreir fairly in a contest of strength, he can not KNOW, which will nudge him into excepting our desire to turn coat, after all, he's retired, why take the risk?
