I still have some reservations about this, but nothing ventured nothing gained, I suppose. Hiring someone as maid and then telling them why we actually hired has a chance to cause problems as well.
[X] Focus on trustworthiness and discretion. Carefully try to gauge their willingness to engage in a close relationship* with a female employer without mentioning Yanmae's name. Actual competence as a maid is less important.
[X] Focus on trustworthiness and discretion. Carefully try to gauge their willingness to engage in a close relationship* with a female employer without mentioning Yanmae's name. Actual competence as a maid is less important.
This. The maid freaking out, spreading gossip or trying to refuse but being forced into it are all very bad outcomes.
Kiralo had imagined many roles in his life, but this particular project was one of his most complicated and delicate. It didn't begin with interviews. No, that was just absurd. Instead, it began with a very simple search among the young snakes and the families here. Surely there were others like Yanmae.
It might seem a flawed search, but Kiralo had a plan. It required a lot of drinking and talking to these young nobles, and it took some real work to turn their interests away from their own sexual lives and passions, their own nonsense, and towards the subject of their sisters.
He drank, and regretted it every time, the alcohol the worst rot-gut sort of rice win, the kind of thing that one regretted not merely the next morning, but every morning for a week. But he kept on listening, searching for the perfect case, because it was going to be a subtle hint, but he was going to mask his own search in another search.
It was a bold plan, and for a time it didn't pay off.
*******
Ayila stood in front of him, holding a scroll. "It's not done yet, but I assumed you wanted to see progress?"
Kiralo nodded, but then added to the other girl, whose very presence terrified most of his spirits other than Aiystin, "But I also came to ask more about the artifact. What does it look like?"
"It is a mirror, one that reflects what one wishes to reflect, but within the mirror, the handle of it can be drawn out as a knife. It is one artifact, but it is something that can't be mistaken. The powerful spirits rest in the mirror, yes, but also in the blade of the knife." Ayila frowned. "It is a potent tool, as much for what it can do with spirits as what its spirits can do."
Kiralo frowned, looking at the woman who shared his living space. She was often cryptic like this, and hard to please with food, but she'd done miraculous acts, and he didn't want to press her too far. "I have agents. People I can ask to look for it. I'll be looking further, even as you tell me more about foreign magic. I keep my word, Cs-Ayila."
"That you do," Ayila said, smiling. "If you truly are starting the search now, perhaps it will not be so long before I am united with the artifact and can return home. As far as our magic goes, the thing that you clearly understand is that shamans and sages are those who can quickly command spirits, but also know how to lure them, to respect them. They have many similarities to your priests."
Kiralo tensed and said, "It is for my consumption, but it would be well for you to be careful who you say that to."
"Ah, yes," Ayila said, taking a breath. "I meant no disrespect."
Kiralo nodded, leaning back in his seat. "I understand, and I'm not going to condemn you for saying it. It's true in one sense, but not all that's true. But, the important thing is the type of spirits, and their classification. Because we can trade in spirits, even if they do not like being so far from their home. Spirits might cross the border, and spirits of dust, spirits of fire… there are many types of spirits that could be very useful for the army."
"I cannot speak to war, only use," Ayila said. "But the truth is that your Mages are too experienced with the art of sealing a spirit away and carefully using it up. They're too used to commanding, that they don't know about partnership unless they have a reason to pretend at it. I think that is why your priests distrust Mages so much. Either way, when it is complete, it'll be a decent text? I am not a writer, and I am just a woman, who--"
"Has a powerful spirit under your command. You are not just a woman. Admittedly, such false modesty would do you well if you stayed in this court," Kiralo admitted. "It seems to be a popular feature among many talented people. My sister Yanmae fakes the same level of weakness, and humility. At least until I saw through it, and even now, I bet if you met her she wouldn't know not to hide."
"Why are you telling me this?" Ayila asked.
"You're both of an age," Kiralo said, gesturing at her, then turning back down to his letters. "And both very good at what it is you do."
"I would like to meet her, before I leave," Ayila said, politely. She nodded, and then asked, "What letters are you writing?"
"I'm writing to the Division of Monastery Registration, as well as to the heads of the twenty great monasteries of the realm. And many of the minor ones. I'm requesting knowledge of their business, and what complaints they have. I'll no doubt be drowned in every tiny little petty complaint, but they matter, both as landholders, and as religious centers."
"I would think so," Ayila said, quietly, frowning. "You're a very busy man. And you have a headache."
"Try drinking as much as I do," Kiralo said, the complaint gentle.
"Ah," Ayila said. "You're not a very restful person. And yet you pray often, and you seem to enjoy this."
"Maybe I'm my father's son there," Kiralo admitted, hating to say it. "I don't know. He is my father no matter what I say, even if he was not like a father to me. Ayila, I don't know what you're going to do when you get back. Will you get married, truly, after all you've seen or done?"
"I… don't know. I need to. For the good of my family." Ayila shrugged. "I've seen men I find attractive, but that isn't the same as wanting to tie my life to them already, and what of my new spirit? He is a very dangerous one, and I cannot trust him to anyone but myself." Ayila stretched slightly, the thin young woman looking oddly fretted. "But I shall figure it out. I have time."
Ah, to be so young, Kiralo thought, before realizing just how old he sounded, to think that.
******
In a banquet, he heard a poem, badly declaimed, calling Hari a traitor and a friend of traitors long dead. To this all these young nobles toasted with a laugh, while the young bureaucrats and the various posers frowned, not sure what to say, especially when they were Kuojah's men, men who not only knew better, but knew that even if it were true, politics would compel them to at least defend him.
The ground was being watered, and the seed was planted, but it had not yet sprouted, Kiralo thought, staring morosely into his glass as the round of poems went around and around. He needed them to push it harder, and better. He needed competent allies, and yet if he put his fingers into a failed plot, he'd look all the weaker.
So he hesitated, and listened.
******
"Yeah, my sister," a young man, Bi'ying, said. "She has a reputation for… flirting. With… the servants." The young man was thin and very, very drunk. Honestly, he was only eighteen, and his hand was wavering as he leaned forward and pounded the table, his voice contrasting with this violent gesture. "But not just that. We had to break off a marriage between my cousin and the cousin of Lineage Pao-Sung because she and the cousin… it's insatiable. I do not know what we'll do, it's ruin, and unnatural ruin."
Kiralo smirked and said, "Aren't clothes unnatural? Your sister's desires, it's interesting. You know, I wonder if one could find servants for your sister."
"Servants for her?" Bi'ying asked. "You mean, that--"
"Yes," Kiralo said.
"That'd solve all of my troubles. Or maybe she'd have to learn to be discreet. We've been locking her up in the attic of a country house to get her out of the way. But if she could come to court, or at least to our primary country manor…" Bi'ying shook his head. "Women are… trouble. But we need them anyways. Even my own sister is trouble. But if you'd really…"
"I can look at least. I'm looking for a maid myself. Perhaps I could find the ones that I won't hire, the ones that aren't good maids, and ask them… see if." Kiralo gestured, vaguely, faking that he was even more drunk than he was.
"Oh. Huh. Well."
"I'll just hire one that doesn't act that way for the actual job, because you can never trust servants, can you?" Kiralo asked, with a confidential grin.
"No, they steal everything, the untrustworthy sots," Bi'ying said.
"Ah. Yes," Kiralo said, nodding as if he was agreeing.
The bait was set, the switch-off was going to be rather more difficult.
********
Kiralo stood looking at the line of cannoneers. "That's your demand?"
"You can pay us more than that," the burly man rumbled. Ha'sai, as he was called, a man without a lineage, one of the more minor workers, but one whose skill was without a doubt. He seemed nervous, almost afraid that Kiralo would reject it.
The heat was sweltering, and Kiralo almost did. But he knew that a good set of cannon-men, as well as cannon-makers, was worth far more than the raise in their fee they were demanding. It was an increase in how much they got per cannon that was well founded. The increase was modest, in theory, but when everyone shared in it, it added up. Especially in times of war. It was another expense, and yet Kiralo figured that he could afford it.
"I accept then," Kiralo said. "And you want your first task? Begin now, and we'll see what progress you can make. I'll be paying large bonuses for success."
Of course he would be. This was something that could transform war in Csirit.
Who is it that, ultimately, Kiralo finds or decides on?
[] Liqiu of lineage Fan, the daughter of a line famed as servants, man and maid alike, having served the Emperors or nobility around him for almost 6 generations. She is very loyal and very discreet, though somewhat plain, with slightly soap-scoured brunette hair and watery eyes.
[] Miexiu, a somewhat clever girl who was originally brought as a child to be the servant of a young girl. She has moderate skill as a maid, and is thought to be discreet, though sometimes given to gossip, and is somewhat pretty, with long, dark hair.
[] Ya of Lineage Ti, a third generation servant in her late twenties, who served the late Empress until her untimely death. Since then she's been serving a number of high-born ladies with discretion and care. And a lot of skill. When the topic was broached, she reacted… oddly, and the fact that she's between ladies is surprising. But she didn't… she indicated her ability to do so. She seemed cagey, and she's certainly the oldest of the possibilities.
[] Shan, a girl of Hari-Bueli, brought to court several months ago as a present. Born of Bueli, her trustworthiness isn't proven as she is only sixteen, but she was reputed to be a loyal servant, and she also only speaks, and does not write, Csiritan, which certainly reduces her ability to be a threat. She is also, Kiralo thinks--though of course he is a bad judge--quite pretty.
[] Xiaoli, a lady's companion, and rumored to be bastard daughter of a prominent Iritan noble. Quite smart, and seemingly loyal--but clever enough that this wasn't necessarily something stolid and impossible to change. With her father's death, she was sent to court with her half-brother, who then fell into disgrace after the revolt, and if not snatched up now, she will likely be gone. Somewhat pretty, in a pale, featureless sort of way. Pretty as an Iritan Noble is pretty.
[] Write-in, using these sorts of details, and I'll call you out if you make them 'perfect' for the case.
*******
[/spoiler=Rolls]
1d100+23+1 (Attractive, though not in the same way as used before)+5 (Interesting Write-in=69
Secondary Roll: 1d100+23 (Diplomacy)=103
-[][Ayila] A Primer On Foreign Magic
Need: 25, Rolled: 1d100+17=89
-[] A Cannoneer's Worth
Need: 45, Rolled: 1d100+15=60, success, and 1d100+8=40, minor failure
Revealing the first reroll of the pair of Unseating Poet ones: 22
[/spoiler]
A/N: And so here we go! Part 2 of… maybe 4, at most? So we're trucking along.
In a banquet, he heard a poem, badly declaimed, calling Hari a traitor and a friend of traitors long dead. To this all these young nobles toasted with a laugh, while the young bureaucrats and the various posers frowned, not sure what to say, especially when they were Kuojah's men, men who not only knew better, but knew that even if it were true, politics would compel them to at least defend him.
[] Liqiu of lineage Fan, the daughter of a line famed as servants, man and maid alike, having served the Emperors or nobility around him for almost 6 generations. She is very loyal and very discreet, though somewhat plain, with slightly soap-scoured brunette hair and watery eyes.
[] Miexiu, a somewhat clever girl who was originally brought as a child to be the servant of a young girl. She has moderate skill as a maid, and is thought to be discreet, though sometimes given to gossip, and is somewhat pretty, with long, dark hair.
[] Ya of Lineage Ti, a third generation servant in her late twenties, who served the late Empress until her untimely death. Since then she's been serving a number of high-born ladies with discretion and care. And a lot of skill. When the topic was broached, she reacted… oddly, and the fact that she's between ladies is surprising. But she didn't… she indicated her ability to do so. She seemed cagey, and she's certainly the oldest of the possibilities.
Discreet but.... I don't know, she seems almost afraid, but I could be wrong about that. She seems to have experience though (maybe that's why....), even if she's a good deal older than Yanmae.
[] Shan, a girl of Hari-Bueli, brought to court several months ago as a present. Born of Bueli, her trustworthiness isn't proven as she is only sixteen, but she was reputed to be a loyal servant, and she also only speaks, and does not write, Csiritan, which certainly reduces her ability to be a threat. She is also, Kiralo thinks--though of course he is a bad judge--quite pretty.
[] Xiaoli, a lady's companion, and rumored to be bastard daughter of a prominent Iritan noble. Quite smart, and seemingly loyal--but clever enough that this wasn't necessarily something stolid and impossible to change. With her father's death, she was sent to court with her half-brother, who then fell into disgrace after the revolt, and if not snatched up now, she will likely be gone. Somewhat pretty, in a pale, featureless sort of way. Pretty as an Iritan Noble is pretty.
Inclined towards Ya at the moment but I'd like to know why she's changed jobs so often since the Empress's death.
From the description she seems like someone who, if she doesn't turn out to be attractive to Yannae herself, won't get offended but will find a suitable girl - and do the job better than Kirralo. Which is good, we cant be spending all our time getting Yannae girlfriends.
[X] Ya of Lineage Ti, a third generation servant in her late twenties, who served the late Empress until her untimely death. Since then she's been serving a number of high-born ladies with discretion and care. And a lot of skill. When the topic was broached, she reacted… oddly, and the fact that she's between ladies is surprising. But she didn't… she indicated her ability to do so. She seemed cagey, and she's certainly the oldest of the possibilities.
I've gone with this because she's experienced and has served many high born ladies with skill, so she has the qualifications. Her age isn't really an issue given reproduction isn't on the tables, and an older more experienced woman may be better than a young one in this situation given Yanmae's age. Finally, given she's served a number of different people, that it appears she's kept their secrets even afterwards is a good sign should things for whatever reason not work out.
Actually; that point above isn't the final one as I've had a thought while writing. We know the Emperor's death was questionable, and it mentions that the Empresses death was also untimely, so hiring her could also be interesting should there be something linking them.
[X] Xiaoli, a lady's companion, and rumored to be bastard daughter of a prominent Iritan noble. Quite smart, and seemingly loyal--but clever enough that this wasn't necessarily something stolid and impossible to change. With her father's death, she was sent to court with her half-brother, who then fell into disgrace after the revolt, and if not snatched up now, she will likely be gone. Somewhat pretty, in a pale, featureless sort of way. Pretty as an Iritan Noble is pretty.
[X] Xiaoli, a lady's companion, and rumored to be bastard daughter of a prominent Iritan noble. Quite smart, and seemingly loyal--but clever enough that this wasn't necessarily something stolid and impossible to change. With her father's death, she was sent to court with her half-brother, who then fell into disgrace after the revolt, and if not snatched up now, she will likely be gone. Somewhat pretty, in a pale, featureless sort of way. Pretty as an Iritan Noble is pretty.
[X] Ya of Lineage Ti, a third generation servant in her late twenties, who served the late Empress until her untimely death. Since then she's been serving a number of high-born ladies with discretion and care. And a lot of skill. When the topic was broached, she reacted… oddly, and the fact that she's between ladies is surprising. But she didn't… she indicated her ability to do so. She seemed cagey, and she's certainly the oldest of the possibilities.
[X] Xiaoli, a lady's companion, and rumored to be bastard daughter of a prominent Iritan noble. Quite smart, and seemingly loyal--but clever enough that this wasn't necessarily something stolid and impossible to change. With her father's death, she was sent to court with her half-brother, who then fell into disgrace after the revolt, and if not snatched up now, she will likely be gone. Somewhat pretty, in a pale, featureless sort of way. Pretty as an Iritan Noble is pretty.
[] Liqiu of lineage Fan, the daughter of a line famed as servants, man and maid alike, having served the Emperors or nobility around him for almost 6 generations. She is very loyal and very discreet, though somewhat plain, with slightly soap-scoured brunette hair and watery eyes.
Discreet, good traditions but appearance might not appeal.
[] Miexiu, a somewhat clever girl who was originally brought as a child to be the servant of a young girl. She has moderate skill as a maid, and is thought to be discreet, though sometimes given to gossip, and is somewhat pretty, with long, dark hair.
Pretty, but a gossip. We don't want a gossip.
[] Ya of Lineage Ti, a third generation servant in her late twenties, who served the late Empress until her untimely death. Since then she's been serving a number of high-born ladies with discretion and care. And a lot of skill. When the topic was broached, she reacted… oddly, and the fact that she's between ladies is surprising. But she didn't… she indicated her ability to do so. She seemed cagey, and she's certainly the oldest of the possibilities.
Discreet and experienced as a servant, main drawback is age, but I think if she isn't interesting to Yanmae in her own right, then she knows how to get someone who is.
[] Shan, a girl of Hari-Bueli, brought to court several months ago as a present. Born of Bueli, her trustworthiness isn't proven as she is only sixteen, but she was reputed to be a loyal servant, and she also only speaks, and does not write, Csiritan, which certainly reduces her ability to be a threat. She is also, Kiralo thinks--though of course he is a bad judge--quite pretty.
Attractive, but unproven due to age. Being unable to communicate by writing helps a lot, but I'm not sure how much Yanmae would be interested long term in someone who's illiterate.
[] Xiaoli, a lady's companion, and rumored to be bastard daughter of a prominent Iritan noble. Quite smart, and seemingly loyal--but clever enough that this wasn't necessarily something stolid and impossible to change. With her father's death, she was sent to court with her half-brother, who then fell into disgrace after the revolt, and if not snatched up now, she will likely be gone. Somewhat pretty, in a pale, featureless sort of way. Pretty as an Iritan Noble is pretty.
Good prestige, somewhat pretty, but intelligence is double edged here, particularly if she thinks the duty is offensive to her.
On the other hand, picking her up before she hits the ground may net some kind of gratitude?
[X] Ya of Lineage Ti, a third generation servant in her late twenties, who served the late Empress until her untimely death. Since then she's been serving a number of high-born ladies with discretion and care. And a lot of skill. When the topic was broached, she reacted… oddly, and the fact that she's between ladies is surprising. But she didn't… she indicated her ability to do so. She seemed cagey, and she's certainly the oldest of the possibilities.
Has everything I think we want most. If Yanmae doesn't want her she'd still be helpful in arranging other servants who Yanmae does want with considerably less awkwardness than getting her brother to go shopping for her.
However, let it be noted that your good roll means that I eliminated any potential options that would be openly and immediately problematic. Like the "sometimes given to gossip" girl is balanced by the fact that she's noted as "discreet" which means the things she gossips about aren't things held in confidence... at least so far.
Time and events can change things, but going into it, none of them will be a terrible/bad choice.
[X] Miexiu, a somewhat clever girl who was originally brought as a child to be the servant of a young girl. She has moderate skill as a maid, and is thought to be discreet, though sometimes given to gossip, and is somewhat pretty, with long, dark hair.
So she gossips about random things, not really a big deal. She could gossip about important things, but so could any of the others, and atleast she is noted to be discreet. We could also perhaps get her to tell us any gossip she hears. And she's pretty.
Regarding the other voted for options, Ya's reaction and the fact that she has been passed between multiple ladies makes me suspicious. She's also a good deal older, which I don't think Yanmae is interested in. Xiaoli's loyalty is.... uncertain I'd say and probably the one most likely to change. The fact that she's smart might be either a blessing or a curse for us.
A discreet gossip strikes me as having spy potential - always useful so long as she's spying for Yannae (and Yannae is on our side). Ya's proven experience is hard to beat though.
[X] Ya of Lineage Ti, a third generation servant in her late twenties, who served the late Empress until her untimely death. Since then she's been serving a number of high-born ladies with discretion and care. And a lot of skill. When the topic was broached, she reacted… oddly, and the fact that she's between ladies is surprising. But she didn't… she indicated her ability to do so. She seemed cagey, and she's certainly the oldest of the possibilities.
[X] Xiaoli, a lady's companion, and rumored to be bastard daughter of a prominent Iritan noble. Quite smart, and seemingly loyal--but clever enough that this wasn't necessarily something stolid and impossible to change. With her father's death, she was sent to court with her half-brother, who then fell into disgrace after the revolt, and if not snatched up now, she will likely be gone. Somewhat pretty, in a pale, featureless sort of way. Pretty as an Iritan Noble is pretty.
Adhoc vote count started by Random Member on Nov 10, 2017 at 8:47 AM, finished with 3993 posts and 9 votes.
[X] Ya of Lineage Ti, a third generation servant in her late twenties, who served the late Empress until her untimely death. Since then she's been serving a number of high-born ladies with discretion and care. And a lot of skill. When the topic was broached, she reacted… oddly, and the fact that she's between ladies is surprising. But she didn't… she indicated her ability to do so. She seemed cagey, and she's certainly the oldest of the possibilities.
[X] Xiaoli, a lady's companion, and rumored to be bastard daughter of a prominent Iritan noble. Quite smart, and seemingly loyal--but clever enough that this wasn't necessarily something stolid and impossible to change. With her father's death, she was sent to court with her half-brother, who then fell into disgrace after the revolt, and if not snatched up now, she will likely be gone. Somewhat pretty, in a pale, featureless sort of way. Pretty as an Iritan Noble is pretty.
[X] Miexiu, a somewhat clever girl who was originally brought as a child to be the servant of a young girl. She has moderate skill as a maid, and is thought to be discreet, though sometimes given to gossip, and is somewhat pretty, with long, dark hair.
Ya was a well outfitted woman, someone whose entire life had been service, and not the kind of service that did to be anything less than perfectly dressed in an Iritu in soft fall colors, browns and reds that seemed almost incidental to the patterns on her long sleeves, which she wore in the Empress' old style. Her face was thin, and a little wan, but she had a strong smile, and as he tried to evaluate her for her appearance, he could not make a decision.
Truthfully, he knew far too little about what it was that might drive a person like Yanmae. He wasn't attracted to this woman, but he couldn't call her unattractive. She had strong bones, too, and soft, gentle hands that nestled into her lap as she spoke. Kiralo was standing, while she was sitting, legs crossed and head bowed, respectful of her betters, and with only discreet, quiet spirits that remained within her.
By the third generation, it was said, service was all but bred into them. Kiralo was not sure if that was true, but he did know that if a horse could be bred for its qualities, then why not a person? Either way, there was something peaceful and yet also watchful about her, her answers always entirely perfect, her record similarly so.
"There's one more thing. In addition to the position I am looking for, as a maid, I have another that I am curious about."
"Sir?" she asked, frowning in consternation. "May I ask as to what this position is?"
"No, you may not," Kiralo said, just to watch her reaction. She didn't even blink, just accepted that there was something she wouldn't know. It was not that unusual, but he couldn't really imagine someone making themselves so much like a mat on the floor. He was too curious to ever accept that, though he wondered if that was because of his power and his position: it'd never been in his best interest to shut up, close his ears, and do what he was told. The Rassit demanded many things of their members, but blindness and deafness were not among them.
"But I shall tell you anyway. There is a girl, a friend of a friend's sister, who has an… interest in women. She's almost seventeen--"
Indeed, Yanmae was perhaps already seventeen. In the Southlands, birthdays were celebrated, but in Csirit, birthdays were at most a private affair, a congratulation or two, a small gift: except of course for one's elders and one's young children, they deserved some recognition either of their journey towards adulthood or the increase of their wisdom with age.
He didn't even know her birthdate.
"Ah," Ya said, quietly.
"Would you be willing to work for such a person in those capacities as with others, discreetly? Or to be able to help find someone who could do so, if you are not able," Kiralo said.
"I am able, sir," she said, though her perfect poise seemed slightly shaken, as she bowed her head deeper in obedience. He wondered what she'd think of it, but couldn't really know. If she was lying, he would have noticed, but something seemed odd about her response.
He couldn't tell what. "How old are you?"
"Twenty and six," Ya said.
Younger than he'd thought, though perhaps the years had not been kind to her. Not that she was wrinkled or in any way different, but she seemed older than him, slightly too drawn. Perhaps that was just life as a servant: perhaps people aged at different speeds based on how they lived.
"Very well. I shall require your secrecy, and then I shall send you to her. Your pay is her business, but she has the money to make it generous," Kiralo said with a smile. "If you are not okay with this, please say so. There is no dishonor in refusing."
Ya didn't say anything for a moment. "Do not worry."
Kiralo nodded to himself, wondering how she'd react once she figured out just where she was going, and the implications.
He wondered what Yanmae would think, but knew that it was not his place to ask, at least not yet.
*******
The spirits were restless, stuck in the black metal of the shell. It was an impressive rendering, and he wiped his brow. Even just standing in this room felt so hot that he needed a drink of water, and he'd let his spirits go loose to move about, one of them fanning him with its power, its very nature turned towards helping a tired man on a long march who was tormented by the sun. It helped on horseback, too, and with one's horses as well.
"This is certainly something," Kiralo said, glancing over at the team.
It was a huge shell made of black metal, covered and filled with spirits that were carefully bound in a way that made his skin crawl. It was bad, it was distasteful, but the truth was that it seemed to be very, very effective.
He stepped closer, and then touched it. "Please make no more of them until we can test how close to the real thing we got. And remember, discretion…"
It was something: what that something was was simple. A start.
*******
Ayila set the report on his desk weeks early, full of information that was both familiar and new, information that he couldn't use at the moment, but which he thought would be very helpful in a number of ways, such as looking at the nature of spirits, and research into the priestly spiritual ways.
He'd have to read it further, and she'd not stayed long enough to ask him about news from the hunt.
All very well, because he didn't have news.
A Primer On Foreign Magic Gained: +5 to all relevant Action Rolls (Involving researching, using, understanding or countering foreign magic.)
*******
Kiralo knew he had to act. The accusations against Hari were not going anywhere, or rather they were hitting ears, but not the ear of the Emperor. And in fact they couldn't hit the ear of the Emperor directly.
But Kiralo had an idea.
*****
It was time for memorials to the throne, sayings and petitions made to try to sway the Emperor, and Kiralo knelt some dozen feet from Hari, carefully and humby bowing his head as a young man swaggered forward, and then fell to his knees right before he reached the throne. "Oh wise Emperor, may I speak my words? I am but a humble subject of no great import, but--"
Kiralo tuned it out, instead watching Hari out of the corner of his eye.
The Emperor nodded his assent, and the young man, Han (a common name) said. "I petition your Imperial Serenity to help solve a great moral question that has been debated among many of the best people in the realm. Whether it is true or not that the Princely Dynasty of Basrat was in its basics mis-conceived. Whether they were truly loyal except for one foolish man, forced followers of him by his status and power? For there are many who say this, Cs-Hari, a poet of great repute, says that the line is pure and the splitting off of dynasties is a wise policy. Should we repeat it again? But others say, and their wisdom cannot be doubted either, that this was and always will be a mistake."
The boy finally took a breath. "So we come to you, all those involved in this debate, and--"
Hari was wincing. Eyes were onto him as Han continued to name names, a few people on each side who were having the debate, people whose stances would be looked into: many of them old or retired, or not in a position where humiliation would hurt nearly as hard as it did to the old man who grit his teeth behind a placid smile and whose spirits began to leap and dance, out of control.
Kiralo just smiled, whispering to his own spirits to settle down, and watched. The audiences continued, but everyone kept on glancing from this particular Han to Kiralo, and then over to Hari. They guessed what was going on, and when the audiences ended, Hari approached him.
A blue spirit was skittering down his side, looking like a long-legged bug, while another spirit, a sort of whispering spirit of the winds, surged forward to try to meet with his own wind-spirits, who he whispered to for another moment before looking up. "Cs-Hari, so good to talk to you."
"You are a bastard," Hari said, his voice hard, but carrying slightly more than he might have thought. Perhaps Kiralo had… whispered one of the wind spirits of his own to throw the words. "This is an uncouth attack on my person."
"What is?" Kiralo asked. "I don't know what you're speaking of. Ultimately, I think that if you are truly innocent of any lack of wisdom, the Emperor will understand. More than that, surely he will see the wisdom of your position if it was truly wise. Was it?"
"It was a… youthful folly, an assumption that I made that was wrong. It has nothing to do with any of your cruel vendetta against me, Kiralo."
Not Cs-Kiralo.
Kiralo.
"I'm sorry you feel that way, Cs-Hari. There is a brotherhood of poets, or so I was told, a network of people who understood something of each other. I am very respectful of the effort you have put into your poetry," Kiralo said. Hari winced, and everyone understood the words hidden behind the polite meaning: I respect your effort was another way of saying that he didn't respect the poems themselves.
"I… think your effort is misplaced on doggerel that is against the beauty, balance, and harmony that Csiritan poems have always exemplified against the hurried and graceless bayings of foreign barbarians whose side you so often…" Hari paused. He took a breath. "I apologize, I might have gotten over-passionate in my defense of what I believe."
"Do not worry," Kiralo said with a polite, victorious smile. "I understand how it can be."
******
"I did not mean to be so bloodthirsty, but it was the only way to get it done," Kiralo said, examining the pasture that had been carefully selected. He was standing in it, rubbing the side of Storm, one of his secondary horses. The mare was in a good mood today, and so was Kueli.
"Bloodthirsty? If you think that's bloodthirsty," Kueli said, taking a pull from his skein, then how will you react when there's actual blood. Man, so he lost his cool and that's that?"
"Events are turning towards him resigning in disgrace," Kiralo said. "But I can't be sure of who will be selected for the next position, because the tools I used were not loyal to me. They have their own plans, and I'll have to deal with that."
"What if it tips them off, of the greater bloodbath?" Kueli asked, with a shrug.
"Well, it's such a small thing. If we had a larger purge planned, surely we wouldn't be talking about people that the General knows are not involved," Kiralo argued.
"Ah, right. That would do it. He's on his way, isn't he? You ready for the conference?"
Kiralo sighed. "No, and I still don't have an assistant, though I have been looking for secretaries in…"
Where to look?
[] Among young scholars who have relatively recently passed an exam.
[] Among military bureaucrats, or lower-level officers with scholarly training/etc.
[] Among palace bureaucrats.
[] Among the servants/scholars of gentlemen.
[] Among the gentlemen literati.
[] Write-in.
*******
-[] The Turtle's Shell
Need: Variable, Rolled: 1d100+10=86
Final Unseating roll: 41, a very, very bare success…
-[][Kueli] Mercenary Pasturings
Need: 35, Rolled: 1d100+15 (Kiralo's Martial)=94, and 1d100+10 (Kueli's Stewardship)=107+1d100=128
[] Among young scholars who have relatively recently passed an exam.
Inexperienced, so we can mold them, while seeming neutral...but this may result in further time commitments.
This is the pick for someone either entrenched or trying to appear unaligned.
[] Among military bureaucrats, or lower-level officers with scholarly training/etc.
[] Among palace bureaucrats.
These each align closer to one faction while moving further from others. The military would probably be a mistake since we're already considered very military.
[] Among the servants/scholars of gentlemen.
Poaching minions.
[] Among the gentlemen literati.
Certainly political, but they are also connected and we could use connections.
[X] Among young scholars who have relatively recently passed an exam.
Kuojah can probably warn us if the bureaucrat is an established spy, whereas someone who just passed the exam could be corrupt or have compromised loyalties. Military is a bad idea, as noted.
