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The Torches Rise (RWBY/CKII, After The End)

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@Chaeronea I just halved their stats for the stay at hand thing, mostly as an experiment for this. This means Russet would have a Martial score of 12-13, but how much of that is the truth or an estimation is really unknown.

And yes, Henry is more stable than Razz, but you'd have to have Dust Threads covering your entire body and come to a dark realization about how the world works to be less stable than Razz. (At that point, the dark realization would have made the person MORE stable!)

Edit: And ninja post. The answer to that first question is which is closer. You'll have your answer then. A ceremonial war is pretty much what I had described in the "You have chosen Menagerai Knight" post. A war where the combatants really just gather to throw insults at one another, occasionally throw spears and shot and then redefine territorial lines. It's a stupidly roundabout way to save face when the real thing happens in a bit of negotiation (give me this land and I'll give you this, and we will both look honorable because we were fighting each other). Doing the duel is another way to do it that will also cause prestige loss/gain.

I know I'm going to have a lot of hell for choosing that name, but the key context word for that line is "still". Atlas the Lands, during and after the Before Times, basically has nothing to do with Menagerie since it is literally on the other side of the world. The only real contact is through the rare raiders who get really, really lost. Most of those raiders die before they get past the lower section of Vale due to hunger.

Atlas the Hunter is the one who your father was still giving money to. Skye has no clue why this could be, but the players are free to guess.

Edit Edit: Until Atlas the Hunter leaves the story, I'll refer to anything coming from Atlas the land as Solitas/Mantle, given that it's the name of the continent/the actual name of that area's Kingdom.
 
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@Raiu Thanks for clarifying the situation regard Atlas the Huntsman vs Atlas the landmass, I just wanted to be sure.

Is Ulrich the mayor of Samaki, the town we can upgrade by expanding the fishing operations? Do we know why he's so angry at Skye - was it just because she knocked back his pushing her to marry his son, or was it something more? And talking of the marriage plans why did she leave Jove with a scar on his face - did he do something to upset her even more than his dad did? Or was he just the nearest person at the time when his dad finally pushed Skye too far? From what he said when Skye was listening in he seems pretty cool, or at least someone we can work with without expecting a knife in the back?
 
[X] Razz

[X] Yes.
-[X] Go armed

We got sufficent proof for sending Ulrich to prision?
Or is better to just warn him?
Or we go counter asassin his?

What do you think guys?
 
[X] Henry Liddel

Boo, motor mouth!

[X] Yes.
-[X] Go armed.

So money says Atlas is the secret spymaster. I'm having a curiously difficult time even finding previous mention of the guy, despite knowing there was previous mention other than the first results post.
 
Well, didn't intend for the vote to go on that long, but that's what happens when you blink and suddenly it's 4 PM.

It's clear that you guys want Henry Liddel and going armed to the meeting, so I'll call the vote here.

The reason for Mayor Ulrich of Samaki for hating Skye is party because of the rejected marriage proposals. Normally it would have been no big deal, but after about the twentieth time, in as many weeks, with just about every conversation with the guy ending up on the topic of marriage, Skye decided to shut him up. She challenged his son, Jove, to a duel and... Well, the dice were capricious (seriously, a crit fail that underflowed into a crit success) and her blade slipped. The end result was Jove having a scar that now almost bisects his right eye, and Ulrich believing that she tried to kill his son.

It was one of the random things I rolled on before the first turn, and we already see the chaos that this system can cause.
Raiu threw 1 2-faced dice. Reason: SECRET COIN FLIP Total: 1
1 1
 
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A Cryptic Meeting 1-4
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    • Ravenswood Keep, Dead of Night​
    You watch the clock as you hear the castle slowly winding down to sleep. The sound of the clock nearly drowns out the sound of a conversation coming from Earth's room. In the distance, you hear a bell signaling the changing of the guards. In a few minutes, it would be midnight, so you place Poise and Fury on your hips and set off to the family crypt.

    The crypt is cold, even cooler than the church had been. It is also dead silent, with your breathing and footsteps being the only sound. If there is one good thing about being a Fanus, it is the ability to see well in the dark, so you deigned to bring a light.

    Alone in the crypt, you walk over to your father's tomb. His grave is small, next to your mother's and your unnamed sibling's. The headstone bares his likeness, an old, regal face that, despite his age and the carving, manages to show a spark of youth that you never saw extinguished. The sculptor did well to-

    From behind you, you hear the scraping of stone against stone. You whirl around, drawing steel as you face the stone wall. The graves of one of the previous rulers (Grandfather's?) slid open and the light of a lantern shown through. You squint your eyes against the light, looking for the source. Despite yourself, the person you see wasn't what you were expecting.

    "Alan?" "Ah, Lady Ravenswood. You are slightly early." Your chancellor stands up from the secret passage, maneuvering the lantern to keep it from striking the sides. The wolf casts his gaze around before nodding. "Good, you did come alone... and armed. I commend you for that."

    "Now, hold it. Am I to believe that my chancellor is also my spymaster?" The response Alan gives is a stifled laugh.

    "Oh no, no no. That's a conflict of interest that I would very much prefer to avoid. My friend asked me to come along to do the talking for him." He indicated the secret passage, where a second figure was climbing out.

    Your skin crawled the instant you saw him. You're not sure why you reacted like that. He didn't seem hostile, there was no bloodlust coming off of him, but there was something... wrong. So wrong that you hardly noticed anything else about him other than a pair of claws.

    "I see you noticed his quirk. Lady Ravenswood, let me introduce Balthazar, your spymaster and one of the most secretive people I have had the pleasure of knowing. That wrongness you feel is far from unique, most people dislike Balthazar, especially Huntsmen."

    "And just why is that?" This time it is Balthazar who speaks, his voice coming through cobwebs and long disuse. "They fear me. Their armor, their Aura. That cannot stop me." Pit, that man is unnerving. And just what does he mean by that?

    "I know my friend is lacking several key features, some of which are more critical than most, but in the realm of skullduggery, he is unsurpassed. Normally he would simply provide a report, but what he found was urgent enough for him to meet you directly." At this, Alan steps back, looking towards his silent, uncanny friend.

    "Well, what is it?" You say, looking at the man. Now that you have a closer look, you see that Balthazar is an unremarkable human, almost carefully so. There is one thing that does stand out about him. It's his eyes. Looking into those grey eyes is like looking into the eyes of a dead fish.

    "I found three spies while inspecting the lands. One was from Wadno. Asad wanted to know how strong army is. One from Maskax. Cilmi sent her to try and seduce your brother and gain his support for the push. Another from Maskax, this one to poison your army. Sent later, plans must have changed. They no talk." Nameless One, his voice is hard to listen to. "Tracked down a fourth, couldn't catch. Safehouse was in flames. Retrieved this letter."

    Your spymaster pulled out a singed letter and handed it to you. The words are written in a cypher, but there was a translation in extremely precise handwriting. "You are charged with determining the loyalty of the Ravenswoods to the Rightful and Legitimate House of Buhaw. If they harbor any dissension, slaughter the family whole and set fire to their villages. Show my vassals the price for treason under my reign. King Rigard Buhaw."

    You blink at that name. There was never a Rigard Buhaw, however there was a Rigard Sand, the bastard son of King Buhaw who was disowned and exiled from Chaw after a falling out with his father. That had been a decade ago, but even if he did come back, he had no legal right to the throne. Then again, the letter sounds like this pretender king doesn't care about legality.

    Knowledge of Spymaster Balthazar, Balthazar Opinon Revealed? (-/10), An Uncommon Curse?, Spies purged from Yeqerta, Knowledge of A Fifth Player, Coded letter from Rigard Buhaw gained.
     
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    • If you can guess just what curse Balthazar has, I'll give them a +10 bonus to the action of their choice, or some private insight to share at their discretion. Their choice.

    Also, I'll tell you that the "curse" scares me because of the implications it has, particularly in use. Its the same reason why scenes of tearing open an Angel's AT Field in Neon Genesis Evangelion scares me. Also, if you see this, don't point it out.
     
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    Raiu said:
    If you can guess just what curse Balthazar has, I'll give them a +10 bonus to the action of their choice, or some private insight to share at their discretion. Their choice.

    Also, I'll tell you that the "curse" scares me because of the implications it has, particularly in use. Its the same reason why scenes of tearing open an Angel's AT Field in Neon Genesis Evangelion scares me. Also, if you see this, don't point it out.
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    it sounds like his curse is something like a Blank from Warhammer 40K or am I wrong
     
    Is at least one of those parts Grimm related?

    Because my guess is either he's been infected by the Grimm, or else he actually IS at least part Grimm somehow.
     
    "And just why is that?" This time it is Balthazar who speaks, his voice coming through cobwebs and long disuse. "They fear me. Their armor, their Aura. That cannot stop me." Pit, that man is unnerving. And just what does he mean by that?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    ...does Balthazar have a very unorthodox Semblance? Something along the lines of it literally allowing him to attach his soul to someone who kills him, and has the unenviable quality of being a incurable poison to the body allowing him to eventually take over their corpse?
     
    Yun said:
    ...does Balthazar have a very unorthodox Semblance? Something along the lines of it literally allowing him to attach his soul to someone who kills him, and has the unenviable quality of being a incurable poison to the body allowing him to eventually take over their corpse?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    And a step farther away. However, you're now pointed in the sole direction.

    Edit: Oh look, punny joke!
     
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    Plagued Lands Marriage Options 1-5
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    • If there is one thing for you to be thankful of in these times, it's that even when plague runs rampant through the lands, there are always people who want to be married. Marrying into a landed family is a powerful tool, which is why you're sure people are even willing to take your family name.

    You wonder what your father would say at this. Probably: "Finally! All it took was me dying for my girl to find someone!"

    Actually, that might be what he would say.

    [] Jove Ulrich: You're a bit surprised at this one. It's been about three years since Mayor Ulrich last tried to have you two married, but it seems this time it was the son who sent the offer. More importantly, it seemed he sent this without the prompting of his father. Beyond the political concerns, he is an upstanding man, and well known for his knowledge of business. You were right, he does look better with that scar.

    [] Absinthe Asad: You know, you should have expected this one. Absinthe Asad is the fourth son of Alric Asad, your neighbor to the north. He's older than you by a few years and was married on his name day. The marriage ended only a short year ago when his wife was taken by the plague, and it seems he finished mourning her. You know him personally though as a very prideful man. You thought you hurt that pride when you bested him in a duel, so you could consider him your rival in a way.

    [] Mutsu Daneda, the son of Ritsuko didn't just reply to your polite letter asking about anyone willing to marry, he came to your province. Officially, he claimed that it was to see the lands of an ally and see their culture, but there was something else that you saw in his posture. He is well known for his grasp on language, even having written a few poems that you've (tried to) study. You have heard rumors about him though, saying that he is not what he seems.

    [] Russet- No. No no no. Pit no! He's a fat braggart who never shuts up! If there wasn't a dearth of people for you to marry, he wouldn't even be on this list! (weighted x0.01)

    [] Suwari Ekidnu: The neighboring tribe whose lands you've been looking at (and as it turns out, whose raiders you've turned away) sent a message that the third son of their Champion would be willing to marry you. You've never met him, but he is known for being a pious man, though that piety is tempered by the fact that tribal societies value martial honor. The letter said that you killed his half-brother who was the leader of the raiding party (oops?) but they commended you for your strength in doing so (uh...). Marrying him would give you a useful claim to the Ekidnu's lands and that Dust vein though.

    [] None: None of these choices work for you, and you would rather wait for the plague to leave the lands to find a better spouse. (Weighted 0.5X)

    The Question that I posed is still available, and it will stay open until someone finds the answer to it. Don't worry, it's just the nature of a powerful tool that you have at your disposal.
     
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