The Council of Generals Needed: 25, Rolled: 55+12=67, solid success, secondary roll unlocked for, let's say two people.
Wild Horses?: 1d100+7=84
Hari-Bueli?: 1d100+2=19, nope
If being at court was a campaign, then meeting with the Council of Generals was a siege. It took almost two weeks for the Council to agree to meet, not merely because some elements were hostile to Kiralo and most of all Kuojah, but because their own agreement on matters was frayed and uncertain, and there were more than a few concerns which they wanted to air as most and as strongly as they could.
Kiralo was just an excuse.
That didn't mean he couldn't listen, and that didn't mean he didn't transmit some of these words to Kujoah.
*****
"Pay partially in arrears by two and a half months?" Kiralo asked Kuojah, "There's a wide variety of other complaints, but this one sticks out to me, father."
"Ah yes, the soldier attacks me for…" Kuojah began.
"It's reckless," Kiralo said, "But I'm more curious about the level of anger and vitriol. They're going to be paid up in full, is that so? Two and a half months partially in arrears is a problem, though even the part they recieve is...not ungenerous. But they are treating it as if it is the last and final straw."
"If I pay them, they will push to act," Kuojah said. "You know this."
Kiralo did, in fact, know this. He was not a moron, and more than that, when a city started hiring mercenaries, it was because it wanted war. And similarly, no city held its pay far in arrears when it wanted to ask its soldiers to go out and fight and die. A war led to the spectacle of troops receiving almost their full years' pay in a week, and suddenly having so much money that as often enough it was wasted, thrown away in the sudden windfall after the lean times of obtaining only a fraction of the promised payment.
If Kuojah paid the arrears right now, it could be seen as an indication that he planned on sending the army on a late fall campaign, a short strike at, say, an unruly potential claimant.
"Yet the longer you wait, the more the common soldier will see that there is cause to distrust you. They've never liked you and never will," Kiralo said, "The gestures that are indicated here. Your refusal to bow a year ago when one prominent general returned from a minor bandit-killing campaign, your reliance on the palace guards for all possible actions…"
"Do you disagree with my decisions?" Kuojah asked.
Kiralo laughed, "I disagree with a thousand things you've decided, but it would be inane to expect you to give in to their demands. Doing so would not make them allies or pacify them, it would merely make them convinced that either you planned on betraying them or are getting weak and will give in on what they want. If I knew who they were. There are dozens and dozens of men on this council, and I know which five are the most important, but that isn't the same as knowing just what will happen."
"You can trust in Keung, the head of the Council, and you can trust that Li-Jan of the North will give you a hearing in the name of the respect he says he has for me," Kuojah said, "But Qing'lu of lineage Nu[1] of the South Divisions and Ha'Dong of the East are my enemies. Juae of the West is a wild card, and I don't know what he's planning."
Kiralo nodded.
******
The room had to be big to fit over forty people in it, and they sat in one long row surrounding him on every side, guards at their backs, though he could tell that some were more important than others by the way the guards were looking, the way they held their spears.
Spirits were as antsy as anyone else, and a spider-monkey whose sharp teeth looked ready to rip into flesh had to be shooed back by an embarrassed looking man whose manner was that of a trained magic-user, and whose arms and armor seemed ill-fitting at best.
Some of these men had risen through the ranks, but most were bureaucrat-soldiers, some of whom had never taken the field directly. They were chosen for their excellence and expertise, but that did make them a different crowd to play to then one might think. Yet if they were in truth quite different than the army proper, they were the conduit by which the Empire interacted with the generals that it held on a tight leash.
Most tended to side with their base of power over the Emperor, if forced to make a hard choice between the two, and plenty had--Kiralo suspected--the loyalty of those who reported to them.
"Speak," one of the figures said, who wasn't one of the five who truly ran things. "We all greet you, Cs-Kiralo, son of the much beloved Cs-Kuojah, whose respect for us is obvious and manifold."
Kiralo saw the derision in the faces of some and knew this was a test. "One man may not speak to the multitudes, for the multitudes will hear and say a thousand things, and thus men must have hierarchy." It was a quote, and Kiralo saw the tension enter the room.
"I would like to thus invoke a suspension of the Council and a division into their hierarchy. I ask this out of respectful humility to your service, and knowledge that this is no small request. If I have erred in any protocol, I apologize, I am used to the Southlands, and my military service may have coarsened my own tongue."
That, that of course created a stir, and the men turned and talked before one of them, nearly seventy and yet still robust (if rather paunchy) says, "We shall vote. All those who are in favor of the division, raise their paddles."
Nobody did at first, and then Keung, for that's who it was, raised his paddle. Seven others raised them along with him, because of course they were of his faction and under his power, and after a long moment Ha'dong, Juae and Li-Jan did, along with one or two acting in defiance of Qing'lu. It carried, and they began to move.
The way things were divided sometimes made sense, and sometimes didn't. That the man in charge of the rations and payments fell under 'East' was obvious enough, or at least not insane, but 'North' having fortifications when, from what Kiralo remembered of military history, it was literally every other direction that needed it was baffling. It seemed that some combination of tradition and personal power determined which sub-divisions fell under the five directions, though there was clearly some form of expected...division.
He could not imagine his father accepting otherwise, and from some of the looks that people were giving each other, some of the divisions were made against the desires of those involved. Either way, at the end of it there were only five people seated, and all others were lined up behind them.
"Thank you, honored Councilors," Kiralo said, "Now what I am here for today is to most of all understand your complaints and problems, and respectfully see if there is anything I can do."
"Anything you can do?" Qing'lu asked, "With respect, Cs-Kiralo, there is nothing you can do. The pay is in arrears and the army and this Empire has been going through some hard times. We trust of course that the Emperor, long may his new reign shine, will rule wisely and justly."
Qing'lu was in his late forties, a thin man whose skin showed signs of Southlander heritage, probably one or two grandparents, but whose manner showed a martial bearing that made Kiralo guess that, if he wasn't naturally a soldier, he'd at least proven some worth in the field.
"I am not responsible for my father's policies," Kiralo said, "But…"
"But what?" Qing'lu interrupted.
"Calm yourself. Let us listen," Li-Jan barked. The man had jowls, but he was younger than Qing'lu, and his beard looked strange on his face, in a court that tended towards the clean-shaven or those with thin, carefully groomed beards. It seemed almost an affectation, really.
"I know that you have little cause to talk to Kuojah, seeing as he is outside your chain of command," Kiralo said. That was a lie in every real sense and a truth in the only sense that mattered right now: the official.
They reported to the Emperor, gave reports and presentations to him, discussed things with his official emissaries…
Of course all of the Emperor's men were Kuojah's men, but that was the truth that could not speak its name. "I can be that chain. A direct link to talk to him, because I wish to be appraised of certain things, and so does he. You say the army is not ready, is this current?"
Juae leapt in now, the man a short, flinty-haired pure-blooded Csiritan, but one who looked as if he had seen few fights in his life. "The army could be ready, but it must be ready to do something. This is a troubled time, and there are threats that must--"
"Be carefully understood," Keung said, raising his withered hand, "What threats are you speaking of? Accusations will seep beyond this wall."
"We all know the situation," Ha'Dong said, "Yet we have to dance around it?!" He was the youngest, perhaps thirty, with a short, neat beard and a hand full of rings. Yet Kiralo recognized some of the rings, and more than that could guess that the strong feeling of powerful spirits was coming from him.
A more dangerous man than he might appear at first. All of them were, even those whose danger was entirely in the realm of politics.
"Yes, we all do," Kiralo said, and everyone turned, shocked, "After all, I have heard word that there are bandits here and about, and other rumors have come to me in the past, even in the Southlands, that in Hari-Bueli there are skirmishes and raids across the border. And there are raids from the Sea-Raiders. There are many threats that must be dealt with, as I am all sure we agree."
He had them, or rather he'd managed to move them to a point where they could not object to what was ultimately a platitude.
"This is so," Keung said with a sage nod.
"And what do you wish, then?" Qing'lu asked, "Or are you here to merely state the obvious?"
"Gentlemen, some of you have stated that the army is unready, and I would like to hear more about that. I would like to get to know you in order to smooth over any difficulties that exist, and to know the state of your readiness for...whatever problems come up in a more exact way."
He didn't have them, because they were their own men and one discussion, nor the small steps made over the next week or two to attempt correspondence with several of the Councilors to feel out their position, would not be enough to win everything.
But it was clear that two of the five supported acting immediately, Juae of the West, though reluctantly, and Ha'Dong of the West. Juae's support was hard to understand, but Ha'Dong's reluctance when balanced against the fire he showed was easy to understand. It was his problem, in a sense, and any failure or any success would be his to own. He no doubt had family and loved ones who would be within range of armies and scouts and raiders should war break out, and yet he also clearly seemed to dislike the man-who-would-be-Emperor.
Qing'lu seemed ambivalent, most of all driven by his dislike of Kuojah. He would fall as he would, and Kiralo made no progress in his direction, any more than he did in understand Juae's position.
Li-Jan was against intervention, but wanted to prepare for war anyways, and more than that seemed to have other interests to distract him.
And Keung, while clearly more of a character than Kiralo had feared (for one, he was actually a former soldier, though at seventy he had been off the field for many decades and had, Kiralo suspected, lost his touch), was ultimately a man whose opinions were Kuojah's opinions. None of the others entirely trusted or liked him, and while his power had to be respected, his respect for any opinion one way or another would be viewed as merely Kuojah's assent. Important, politically, but not something to sway minds.
*****
Then, at the end of the month, when he'd given up on gaining advantage merely by talking, someone came to him. Councillor Chao of Lineage Hao was in charge of the cavalry of Csirit, such as it existed. He had of course never spoken up whenever the Council was divided, other than on the topic he was given, but he seemed young and proud, the sort of man who smiled but held embers in his heart.
He was under Qing'lu, so seeing him there surprised Kiralo, who quickly glanced from the serving girl who would no doubt tell someone who would tell Kuojah of the meeting and all that transpired. Was he a liaison for Qing'lu's, here to make an offer in secret? Or a public offer meant to appear secret?
Either way, Kiralo stood as he saw him and gave a polite bow, "Greetings Cs-Chao, it is a pleasant surprise to see you here."
"Thank you, but it is all my pleasure. You asked about the numbers for the cavalry, and indicated that it was unsatisfactory?"
"It...was," Kiralo said, "But perhaps we should talk elsewhere."
"Where?" Chao asked.
Kiralo gestured for another one of the endless rooms that he had, behind a paper-thin partition. He didn't know the right spirits to be entirely sure of secrecy, but the ones that he could gather did, hopefully making enough noise to block out a little as a serving girl brought tea and then left.
"This is not much security," Chao said.
"It is more than we had before. So it is not acceptable because the number of horsemen you have assumes that no battle horses or travel horses are injured. This is an impossibility even among the Rassit and Tarnarin, who have every possible spirit they can to look after their horses, who are less prone to injuries in the first place, thanks to their breeding."
"Funding is what it is," Chao said defensively, "And that's just it. I'm here to say that if you're so skilled, then I could use your help." Ambition was there, and fire. The silver of his robes indicated a position of trust and power, and yet he was handling something which had little overall importance by Csiritan standards, at least in the last century.
But there was something more. This was a test, Kiralo decided, a test of many things.
"I am not willing to run your bureau, and I can tell that you are a man of some ambition towards the good of the Empire." Ambition, the teachings said, was no sin at all when aimed towards the betterment of the Empire, though how to tell it from personal aggrandizement was...difficult.
"I have been called this before," Chao admitted, flushing carefully.
An actor, it seemed?
"So, does Qing'lu know that you are here?" Kiralo asked.
"What he doesn't know won't--" Chao began.
"No," Kiralo said, quietly, looking at Chao, "I believe he knows, Cs-Chao, whether or not he has authorized that. I will not act directly against his wishes if he truly does not know about this meeting."
Chao froze, and for a moment Kiralo thought he had overplayed his hand.
Chao laughed, "You are a very clever man. Qing'lu has given me permission to feel you out on this matter, as a personal favor to me."
And because it would allow him to get a better understanding of Kiralo, and more than that, any glory that Chao gained would be reflected onto Qing'lu, and if he appeared magnanimous he'd be more likely to gain Kiralo's alliance, even against Kuojah if need be. If Kiralo had been willing to go behind his back, then that would have been yet more evidence and a way to attack him.
Kiralo was impressed, it was a very cunning way to construct a trap that, even when discovered, still worked. There was no way that Kiralo could judge or even dislike Qing'lu for that alone, and so he had to accept it and continue from there.
"Very well, I am glad that you are willing to talk with me."
"Worried that your reputation would get out?" Chao asked with a smile, "I have had several people tell me you were…"
He hesitated.
"Arrogant, no doubt," Kiralo said.
A Place to Ride Needed: 15, Rolled: 13+12=25, low/bare success, some complications involved
Effect: Find a place to ride, skill doesn't decrease...but Kiralo's insistence that he should care for his own horses and his confidence and skill make it so that both handlers and some of the others who show up to ride take an intense dislike to him. He seems to think he's better than them, they way they see it.
"Deserved arrogance?" Chao asked.
"Not arrogance at all. I like things the way I am used to them," Kiralo said, "Nobody is at fault."
"Well, we'll have to deal with the world as it stands," Chao said. "I don't know what light cavalry and heavy cavalry look like in the Southlands, but…"
"Do you want to see?" Kiralo asked quietly, and in a small room the words hung.
A month he had danced around even hinting at this to anyone, and more than that, even this was a question.
When he rode out on the yard, he missed others who were like him, who knew him. Who were his men, as Arimi and Vedal were. And they were a start, and perhaps a start of why the other riders had glared at him.
It was cliquish to always ride with them.
But now, but now he saw the first crack.
"I have a mercenary unit that I am the Captain of. The Wind-Dancer Rassit. If they came here, the world would change."
"I...am not sure whether that could be done."
"It would need the approval of many men from the start to the end. You are one of them. Your boss is another of them."
The Governor of Hari-Su was another.
There were many blockades to be ran, but Kiralo grinned.
"This...has promise."
"Thank you for saying so, Cs-Chao."
Effect: Odds of some options improved, a total of 3-4 options unlocked, ???
[1] IE: Nothing. He's calling Qing'lu a bastard with no acknowledged father. And he's not in the habit of lying in such an obvious and insulting way. So he's being an ass to say it, but Qing'lu is probably a bastard.
The courier service was quite well staffed, and could easily be made to understand a few facts. More than that, there were other facts that were hinted at being understandable.
Kiralo, sitting and sipping tea with some of the mid-level functionaries, very carefully declined any offer that perhaps the mail of others might be in his interest, since at the moment he had more interest in being able to send letters without them being read by everyone.
By everyone was the phrase, because someone was going to read it, and even with all that he'd done, privacy was only to be assumed when the message was a private one, carried by private courier tested for loyalty.
But at the very least their loyalty and reliability were evident. As well, the system of stops they had were well-planned (and any Southlander knew about the planning that went into such things) and while the horses that the couriers possessed were not up to Southlander standards, they were perfectly serviceable, and Kiralo wasn't going to be so impolite as to point out something like that.
Effect: Letters more likely to arrive without being read, and in the proper time, failures less likely to be of that nature if obtained, other subtle advantages, option unlocked.
*****
Where My Mother Lived Needed: 15, Rolled: 99+12+3 (Mother and Father)+5 (Synergy Bonus)=119+1d100=145, very solid critical success
There were many letters, and more than that there were careful inquiries. Kiralo wasn't going to take anything for granted, because the move was begun by the time his first week was out, and it was the first big move he'd made, almost as soon as he thought he could trust a courier not to immediately pass his letter around the entire court.
He sent dozens of letters, and got a handful of replies, but that was only the beginning of it. He also looked up and began to write down and track the lineages, aware that Irit was a province where nobles held a huge amount of power, as did the monks and holy figures. It was a split and divided, even faded, province where the river valleys no longer were the most fertile in the world, where faith had replaced power, and yet they were also a place where every two-bit noble thought himself the Emperor's chosen servant.
Most letters were oddly predictable. A chain of grudges and feuds, interference in which would do very little good for anyone involved. A lack of concern or mention of economic conditions except to complain of poverty or a bad harvest, but it was impossible to tell if either complaint was entirely correct. It was all frustrating, and the Governor's letter was itself little better at first.
After far too many pleasantries that meant nothing, including asking after his son and trying and failing to establish some distant connection with Kiralo's mother, he finally got to the meat of it.
"You have asked how things can be improved. I of course do not mean to imply that in any way things are less than perfect, for this province is as I have said the place where the First Emperor came into being and thus any troubles are very small against this fact. And, of course, peace and prosperity are nearly universal in this land of plenty, in which every river is a snake whose milk is human kindness. However, there are small patches of unruliness especially in some of the valleys in the Southwest, no doubt the result of enemies or foreign provocateurs
For in no way could Iritans themselves be guilty of such things, and while there are nobles there whose respect for law has been called suspect by incorrect fools in the past, I have no doubt of their loyalty and their complete lack of involvement in these matters and suspect that they are as fleeting as they are the result of outsiders, or perhaps the small number of our own who are not Iritan, some of whom are even heretics. Either way, it is not a major problem, but the valiant guards of these no doubt blameless nobles are unable to put down these minor threats, and aid whether monetary or physical, such as a few new valley fortresses, would be much appreciated."
He then talked for a long time on matters not all that important, his words wondering and carefully highlighting the names of these 'no doubt blameless nobles.' A quick search of the past showed that they'd clashed with him before and that a decade and a half before he'd used a patsy to accuse them of violating Imperial laws. An investigation had found some evidence, enough to censure them, but not enough to truly find them guilty.
It was, quite clearly, an accident of numbers that they hadn't been paying the full amount of duties that they owed.
The patsy was carefully discredited as a liar, and that was that.
The whole letter was a morass of careful insinuations and political maneuvers, but the need either for troops or for new forts was evident, as was the fact that the Governor was as involved in the black mud of Iritian politics as anyone else.
It was the second letter that illuminated things. Mei, the head priestess of the second most important monastery and shrine in the Empire, sent a message in reply which did not pretend to connection with his mother. What it did mention is that one of the several people Kiralo had written about--names his mother had told him--had been her mentor when she was a younger girl, and she allowed a few carefully formal remarks about her mentor to slip. The sort of remarks which hid well any sort of liberties that the women took in terms of casualness, openness, and fun.
It was the secret that people didn't want to know in a way, even though they had to know it. So mentions of walking under trees could just as easily be interpreted as 'of course I climbed that big old tree' especially when she talked about how blue the sky was when one got a birds-eye view of things.
But the main of the letter dealt with a single woe.
"Most of all, we are crowded. Women have been pouring in, and young boys who we must turn away. Bandits and criminals have ravished a large part of the southern half of the province, and as people run from broken families and lost lives, they rely on us and other religious centers to do what others won't. The nobles perhaps mean well, but...they sometimes do not see the suffering that is going on.
It is easy to miss the small details when one looks upon the vast mountain.
We are overwhelmed, and the poverty and war is real and subtle, though I know that you have much on your mind, any prayers you could send our way, or aid for the struggling refugees, would be much appreciated.
It has become an epidemic. Many of the girls we take in are the daughters of bandits who have been killed, for in some valleys everyone did what they had to do to survive. They tell of their father's love and don't see him as a monster, yet others, the children of victims speak of the cruelty of the bandits.
It began last winter, with a hard, cruel winter that swept in from the north, and in the summer months it has reached its height, but the violence was still contained. But in the last month it has begun to spread with the refugees, and if this season is one of famine and the winter one of hunger, and if even the spring brings no harvests of winter vegetables, then the province will erupt into bloodshed on a scale that cannot be contemplated.
By the chain of Emperors from the First unto forever, may Irit be blessed with peace.
Anything you can do, however small, would be appreciated. I understand though, some of what you haven't said. Your mother was made to leave her home. I...cannot express my feelings of this in written words.
I hope that you are settling in well to court.
Mei."
Effect: Gained...three State options and a number of Courtier actions. Gained a great big problem thrown onto your lap.
*****
A/N: And there we go. Rumors and Gossip next, and then onto Turn 2. Remember, dice roll bonuses are granted by Omakes/Reaction posts.
Currently I think that the poem is worth a +6 on one roll, though not sure how to allocate that for next Turn. We'll see.
Kiralo said, "Now what I am here for today is to most of all understand your complaints and problems, and respectfully see if there is anything you can do."
For in no way could Iritans themselves be guilty of such things, and while there are nobles there whose respect for law has been called suspect by incorrect fools in the past, I have no doubt of their loyalty and their complete lack of involvement in these matters and suspect that they are as fleeting as they are the result of outsiders, or perhaps the small number of our own who are not Iritan, some of whom are even heretics.
Holy heck this old man loves his run-on commas. I'm almost sure this is stylistic suck, but a whole letter filled with sentences like these almost makes me want Kiralo to spite this old man horribly.
Qing'lu may be parroting Kiralo here, or Kiralo may have been meant to say "anything I can do", I'm not sure which.
Rather paunchy, perhaps? The meaning still comes across, it's just odd, is all.
Holy heck this old man loves his run-on commas. I'm almost sure this is stylistic suck, but a whole letter filled with sentences like these almost makes me want Kiralo to spite this old man horribly.
Fixed. Except for the Governor. Because nothing is broken. It's packed less because he sucks at writing, and more because (it's hard to convey it) he's literally twisting in the wind mid-sentence. Like, every new clause contradicts or builds on the last to deny or abrogate or turn an accusation into an insinuation, or an insinuation into an accusation...
We are overwhelmed, and the poverty and war is real and subtle, though I know that you have much on your mind, any prayers you could send our way, or aid for the struggling refugees, would be much appreciated.
It has become an epidemic. Many of the girls we take in are the daughters of bandits who have been killed, for in some valleys everyone did what they had to do to survive. They tell of their father's love and don't see him as a monster, yet others, the children of victims speak of the cruelty of the bandits.
It began last winter, with a hard, cruel winter that swept in from the north, and in the summer months it has reached its height, but the violence was still contained. But in the last month it has begun to spread with the refugees, and if this season is one of famine and the winter one of hunger, and if even the spring brings no harvests of winter vegetables, then the province will erupt into bloodshed on a scale that cannot be contemplated.
By the chain of Emperors from the First unto forever, may Irit be blessed with peace.
Anything you can do, however small, would be appreciated. I understand though, some of what you haven't said. Your mother was made to leave her home. I...cannot express my feelings of this in written words.
I hope that you are settling in well to court.
Mei."
Effect: Gained...three State options and a number of Courtier actions. Gained a great big problem thrown onto your lap.
Oh god....that's one royalImperial clusterfuck...and one which I'm glad we saw early. A good intervention there would give the mercenaries something to do quelling bandits, and give us achievement for dealing with a problem...if we deal with the problem anyway.
Hmm, I'm trying to decide whether to release the Rumors tonight or tomorrow morning.
Either way, Turn 2 probably isn't coming until Saturday?
Though the fact that I'm not going to do an opener piece of fiction will help. The way I figure it, with as god-awful long as the Turn itself is (eight thousand words), it's not like I lack for material to flesh out what's going on.
There are rumors of a preacher, or perhaps it was a bandits, of some strange spirit-ridden faith who has escaped prison, right before he was going to be executed. He has disappeared, in what is sure to be a great social embarrassment to the Governor.
It is likely to harm his daughter's marriage prospects, when before they had seemed so bright. Small humiliations of no import can sting like cannot be imagined. It is said that his daughter, a wild girl who needs for discipline considering the place, ridden with non-Csiritans, that she lives, has taken ill to bed with the shame of her father's disgrace.
Whether she will be able to marry in the Spring into the Nan line of Csrae and further her father's ambitions towards glory are a matter of fervent speculation.
Ocean's Blessing
The Sea-Raiders have finally suffered a solid defeat, and against all of the fears of court, it was not at the hand of Prince Jinhai. The merchants and members of one of the cities of Hari-Su cut a deal with a group of Sea-People, who defended and fought off the Sea-Raiders when combined with the militia of the city.
Neither the number of deaths nor the aftermath of this unusual alliance are known, but it is clearly a disgusting thing that good Csiritans had to ally with not only foreigners, but ones who were barely human, if that.
The whole court waited for Kuojah to send a letter of censure, demanding recompense for breaking his laws of isolation, yet while no praise has yet come from the throne (as if that would ever happen) neither has any condemnation, and with that lost battle, which was said to be surprisingly involved, a major portion of their raiding fleet caught, the raiding season (started up after the fall storms) ending prematurely, bringing relief to much of the coastline.
Yet, some ask, what if this relief is spent gathering up an armed force for a campaign to take the capital in the Spring? Certainly, this weakened pressure means that if their armies wish to march forth they can do so, at least for a number of months, without having to fear too badly what will happen while they are away. Could not this victory be the beginning of a larger and vaster defeat for all of Csirit? Only time could tell!
A Lost Child
The son of Governor Baoling of Hari-Nat is lost. He was headed north into the mountains with an expedition on yet a damned fool adventure of his, in Baoling's words in a tear-stained public letter. His son had gone several times north into the mountains, and never before had he faced any danger that had threatened his athletic poise and skill at managing such affairs, but with an early snowstorm and lost contact, there are many that suspect that the Governor's son, whose name is Hiro, after that great hero, might be gone for good.
Even if he isn't, the young man will inevitably die if winter falls and he is still lost. The winters that far north, and even farther north than that into the mountains at the top of the world, can blister a man's skin off, and the place is haunted by strange and secretive and oft-dangerous spirits.
Gossip--
The Son Returns!
Mysterious, handsome, apparently powerful in a foreign land. Bold and arrogant and pious, that is Kiralo of Lineage Ainin, and as the son of Kuojah, missing for twenty-five years, he has excited almost endless speculation about his nature, his plans, and how he might change the entire court dynamic.
There are those who call themselves his enemy, and those who are even bold enough to say they are his friend.
And there are those who watch. And wait.
A Fall Marriage
A marriage enlivened the last week of the month, as Bi of lineage Ola, the son of a prominent courtier whose holdings in rich Hirand were the envy of all, and the daughter of Yin, Yia of Lineage Yi. Yin is a well known bureaucrat of high scholarly distinctions whose primary job is to regulate and keep watch over the landholders of Hirand, especially around the central areas. It is a match that is likely to bring great fortune to both parties, and one that Kuojah would normally work to derail for the fears that, in fact, what was happening was happening.
Yin would no more regulate his own son-in-law's father's property with the full care and rigor that Kuojah might wish in him than he would cut off his own member and deprive himself of all future dividends and all future gains.
May it be a happy union.
A Lovely Boy
At sixteen, he is a sensation worth treasuring, or so the rumors say. Han, a young dancer who was bought from his family in Irit has made quite a showing in several official events, including a banquet which the Emperor briefly attended to raise a glass (though not of alcohol) and bless with his presence.
The dancer is lithe, agile, with all of the beauty of fragile youth, and already there are many men who wish to...be his patron, as it were.
The obsession reminds Kiralo of the Southlands, which also obsessed over things which were often so very minor compared to the stately affairs which they were sometimes engaged in. It was a way to cope, perhaps, since the court was moving closer to disaster, but it gave the world a strange feel to hear men openly speculating on the future dances and career of a sixteen year old peasant boy who just happened to catch everyone's passing fancy.
There is a world out there.
That peasant boy came from a province on the brink, torn by war, and perhaps he was detached from that: from the north where the trouble has only begun to spread, but Kiralo suspected it might not be the case.
*****
A/N: So, this was fun to write, in part because I tried to give a skewed and sometimes completely inaccurate view of what was going on, based on what the court would care about and what the court would know, which was often only very tangentially related to reality. Getting more rumors, or more accurate rumors, would involve building up a network of contacts and allies or the sort.
So we have problem in Irit, dancer from Irit, need to bring Rassit, make pay for regular troops... How can we combine these things. Also we mush settle in court this turn, if we are not planning campain in Irit...
There is also a possibilty of andveture. If we take our Rassit companios and ride quickly could we rescque Han in one action?
This is without a doubt the most important gossip among them all.
Unbeknownst to the court this boy's uncle's cousin's ex-husband is also the confessor-priest of the province's governor who happens to be drinking buddies of Prince Jinhai. We must capitalize on this thread at once!
That peasant boy came from a province on the brink, torn by war, and perhaps he was detached from that: from the north where the trouble has only begun to spread, but Kiralo suspected it might not be the case.
The son of Governor Baoling of Hari-Nat is lost. He was headed north into the mountains with an expedition on yet a damned fool adventure of his, in Baoling's words in a tear-stained public letter. His son had gone several times north into the mountains, and never before had he faced any danger that had threatened his athletic poise and skill at managing such affairs, but with an early snowstorm and lost contact, there are many that suspect that the Governor's son, whose name is Han, after that great hero, might be gone for good.
Even if he isn't, the young man will inevitably die if winter falls and he is still lost. The winters that far north, and even farther north than that into the mountains at the top of the world, can blister a man's skin off, and the place is haunted by strange and secretive and oft-dangerous spirits.
So...did he go alone or with a group? Not that it matters, we don't have the skills(do we?) and time to find him in unfamiliar terrain, even though it'd earn us his father's gratitude if we did.
And having two Hans makes it hard to track. Hans should be Solo
So...did he go alone or with a group? Not that it matters, we don't have the skills(do we?) and time to find him in unfamiliar terrain, even though it'd earn us his father's gratitude if we did.
And having two Hans makes it hard to track. Hans should be Solo
Influence: 5 (Kuojah's Power)+2 (Kuojah's Wealth)+1 (Kuojah's Need)-6 (New to Court)+1 (Rassit Race)+1 (Strange and Foreign)-1 (Strange and FOREIGN)+1 (Not Entirely His Father's Son)+1 (Diplomatic Might)+1 (But Not too Foreign)=6 Influence
Having established contact with the Council of Generals and begun his negotiations with them, Kuojah of course wishes for him to continue to work with them. As well, there is the matter of the banditry and unrest in Irit, as well as the possible projects to pursue involving both military reform and personal aggrandizement.
Plus, while Kiralo has done some good work in establishing himself, there is still much left to do, and very few hours in the day to do it. He has, by his own standards, been doing fairly well so far, but he's well aware that at court and in politics a lot can change in a matter of minutes and days, and that past success is not always the same as future triumph. Still, he's confident nonetheless as the last month of fall begins.
Title: Upon the Uneasy Throne
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of success: 65%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The Emperor sits in public judgement upon the throne, reading decrees and formalizing the decisions that he (or another) have long since made in the private chambers and hallways and dining tables of the great and the powerful. But attending upon him making those pronouncements and watching who says what and why can be a very informative venture. One picks up tidbits of the plots and plans of others, listening carefully and talking even less, and if Kiralo attended regularly for a month, perhaps he'd learn something of the dynamics of the court.
Title: Absolute Rubbish, Laddie
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of success: 70%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The old man who is the official poetry tutor is incompetent, that much is obvious. Or at least he is not nearly as skilled as Kiralo himself, and not a particularly good teacher. It could be an idea to try to give the Emperor a few pointers here and there on walks in the garden, and to learn more about this Hari. While Kiralo is not exactly aiming to be the Tutor of Poetry to an Emperor, a decrease of Hari's influence in this area might lead to an increased closeness with the Emperor that could be politically useful.
Title: Rumors of War
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy and Martial averaged
Chance of Success: 60%
Time: 1 turn
Text: Nobody knows of the battle that Kiralo fought, and while he wasn't that interested in it in one way, perhaps his friends are right that if spread in the correct manner, and done so skillfully enough to not seem as if it were pure bragging about carnage and death, it could definitely improve Kiralo's reputation among certain circles, and his ability to influence future military decisions at court.
Title: A Confused Code
Dice Rolled: Intrigue
Chance of Success: 55%
Time: 2 turns
Text: Arimi's strange pidgin Anlan-Bueli-Csiritan-Southlander is hard to understand when he switches into it, and seems to share the grammatical composition of absolutely none of them. That could make it a surprisingly useful language if one wanted to convey coded messages, since Arimi doesn't switch into it often, and the odds of anyone being able to work it out are actually somewhat slim, and the odds of anyone taking the time to do so are even slimmer. It'd take some studying and work, though.
Title: To Protect...
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy (primary), Stewardship and Martial (Secondary)
Chance of success: 83%
Time: 1 turn.
Text: Kiralo needs bodyguards, and it is certainly an expense that his father can hardly object to, all things considered. Choosing a proper bodyguard detail is a matter both of judging people to be loyal and faithful, as well as skilled, and making sure to hire them at the proper expense.
Title: To Serve...
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy and Stewardship
Chance of success: 75%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: A staff is required, dedicated and at least no more likely to gossip and slip secrets away than any other servant. There are meals to be cooked, rooms to maintain, and otherwise manage. While no doubt Kuojah could personally provide some staff...they'd be his people, men, women, boys and girls that would be employed. There are obvious reasons why Kiralo is skeptical of such a thing.
Title: Judge Not
Dice Rolled: Stewardship
Chance of Success: 70%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The Ten Judges are mysterious beings, whose judgements and whose worship are both central to Csiritan religion and yet their own mysterious side-path. Speaking with the Judge-Priests of the Court might help Kiralo understand them more, and their own influence on matters of morality is very strong in the heart of the court, where life, death, and what comes after are so important. As well, they might possess some knowledge gleaned from the previous Emperor's funeral, which they would have helped preside over.
Title: A Prayer For The People
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 60%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: People are dying in Irit, in the birthplace of the Imperial Cult and the Csiritan people. Death and chaos stalk the land, unknown to the courtiers...unless Kiralo acts. If in a public ceremony in the middle of the day and at other times he began to mention and ask others to pray for and make their best wishes for the suffering thousands of Irit, so woefully starving and dying to bandit attacks, then it would become something that could not be ignored. Pressure might increase, nobles might provide aid to Irit outside the government's official actions, or it might catch the eye of someone higher up.
Title: At Beating Hearts
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 80%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The monastary at the very heart of the empire is a holy place, and many wish to visit it. Some are allowed the priviledge, and some who go learn something more both about magic and faith itself. Oh to talk to Spirits that have seen the passing of two-hundred years as if in the blink of an eye, and talk to the holy men of that blessed place. It would be an important religious experience, and one that Kiralo would be loathe to miss.
Title: Ride Along Friends
Dice Rolled: Martial and Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 55%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Perhaps they merely haven't gotten off on the best foot. Either way, Kiralo is not particularly friendly with many of the stableboys, managers of the stable, and riders of the court, and these are people who in theory should at least have some bond that ties them together with him. Repairing the relationship will be difficult, and probably involve trying to break down the barriers using their common ground.
Title: From a High Horse
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 50%
Time: 1 turn.
Text: The entire state and nature of the light horseman of Csirit is currently unknown. While it certainly risks coming across as arrogant and more than that of alienating those who are already somewhat resentful of him, testing the skill and prowess of the light cavalrymen who are stationed and posted at the court could make a good first move in evaluating just what talent is on display to work with on a small scale, perhaps as a first step towards larger scale reforms without the difficulty inherent in such a proposal.
Title: Doctor, Doctor...
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of success: 70%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The doctors that treated the Emperor are still alive despite his death. Kiralo could talk to them about the previous Emperor, and see if there are any hints there as to how his death had gone down, and whether there is any chance it could be a result of foul play.
Title: Hunting Season?
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy and Personal Combat
Chance of success: 47%
Time:
Text: Kiralo is not particularly an enthusiast of the hunt, though of course he has skill. However, if he did want to look into and ask about the death of the Emperor, it might be helpful to make friends among those in the court who do hunt, and see whether anything could be gleaned from them as to what had happened to the Emperor. As well, hunting is certainly one way to make friends or allies, at least in the Southlands.
Title: Clothes Make The Man
Dice Rolled: Stewardship
Chance of success: 77%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Getting custom-tailored clothing that is fitting in the most modern and recent Csirit fashions could certainly go a long way in allowing him to fit into the court once his novelty wears off, and would likely increase the chance of acceptance, especially among those who are tied to traditional clothing...as well as those who are fashion trendsetters.
Title: A Matter of Honor
Dice Rolled: Personal Combat and Diplomacy
Chance of success: 35%
Time: 1 Turn.
Text: In the Southlands, duelists and duels were common, for all that Kiralo had avoided it as much as possible. However, like any sensible man he had carried a sword. Here up north, the only people who carry a sword about court are those who fancy themselves duelists, which is frowned upon by a great many people in the court. Kiralo could cultivate a fake reputation as someone who has fought duels and keeps himself as a duelist in order to justify having his sword at his side at all times.
Title: Poetical Exercises
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of success: 75%
Time: 1 Turn.
Text: Kiralo could explore just who the prominent living poets are in the court, and go to their gatherings and learn more about just what the culture is like in Csirit when it comes to poetry. Perhaps he could even make a stir, if he does well enough.
Title: An Unfinished Play
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of success: ???
Time: 2 Turns.
Text: Kiralo has a play that has yet to be finished, a classic Southlands house-drama of a sort that he had begun to practice writing, having made two of them in the previous year and each a clear improvement over the last (the first being quite dreadful). He could continue his work on this, a link to the Southlands he has left behind.
Title: Letters to a Poet
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of success: 85%
Time: 2 Turns.
Text: The old man is still in the Southlands, and still no doubt writing the horrible verse that he calls poetry. Perhaps he could write to the man, and see just what has been happening in the Southlands courts, though it would take a while for the letter to make the round trip, especially the first time, unless means are eventually acquired to speed the journey.
Title: Trust in Arrears
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 45%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The Council of Generals do not trust Kuojah, and they probably never will. But if Kiralo can talk to them and talk to Kuojah and at least begin to figure out some sort of common ground there, especially in the matter of the pay held in arrears, it would be all the better for his future ability to actually get anything done, because at the moment any and all interaction is like pulling teeth, and Kiralo is not likely to influence and shape the policy on either end when the status quo is so very hostile.
Title: To the West
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: ???
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Juae of the West is a wild card, just as Kuojah has said, and that means that his support is very important. In order to even know how to gain it, one first has to know the man himself, both what he wants and what sort of man he ultimately is. He needs to be felt out delicately, else others notice and understand Kiralo's game and beat him at it, or any other number of possible bad outcomes.
Title: The Opener of Letters
Dice Rolled: Intrigue
Chance of Success: 60%
Time: 2 Turns
Text: Perhaps a courier or two could be convinced to sometimes tell tidbits of the information they are transferring. It is not likely that they will provide huge levels of details, not on the budget Kiralo currently has, strained as he is by his father's careful management of his money, but a few details at the right time could begin to reveal some of what the webs of messages outwards say and mean.
Title: Gossip of Servants
Dice Rolled: Intrigue
Chance of success: 55%
Time: 2 Turns.
Text: Kiralo is not in any way a spymaster, but he knows the ways of servants and secrecy at least well enough that he could attempt to create a network of servants who share gossip with him and pick up the juiciest tidbits from their employer's rooms. They wouldn't be anything like a full spy network, and will be unwilling to risk all that much, but it could still
Title: Local Spirits
Dice Rolled: Magic
Chance of success: 60%
Time: 1 Turn.
Text: There are many local spirits whose names and nature Kiralo does not know, and whose parallels he doesn't understand. He could attempt to give himself a crash course in the matter, for future reference and knowledge.
Title: Academy Days
Dice Rolled: Magic+Diplomacy
Chance of success: 70%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The Imperial Magical Academy is located in Csrae as well, though it is outside of the Palace City for reasons both moral, political, and practical. A visit could be made to ascertain their situation and whether there is any aid and friendship to come from this quarters. It is also a prerequisite for any number of actions involving the academy in the future.
Title: Eunuchs!
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of success: 65%
Time: 1 Turn.
Text: The Eunuchs of the Imperial Court are the servants and officials that nobody notices, at least until they rise to power and prominence. In earlier eras they were far more powerful than they are now, and far more united, but the Head Eunuch is still a middle-high ranking member of the taxation bureaucracy, and an ally of Kiralo's father, so making his acquaintance would be one way to build on his ability to influence the government.
Title: Csrae Bound
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of success: ???
Time: 1 Turn
Text: One of the sub-ministers in the Bureau of Masses and Governance is a certain Yonu of Lineage Yon, born low and risen high by luck and skill, a man whose ambit is crafting the link between the city as a whole and the Court City within it. Befriending such a man may be important in the future, and more than that, he has sent a letter of introduction mentioning some bond or tie, though its nature is kept obscured. The longer it is left to wait, the more likely that Yonu of Lineage Yon will assume that his offer of a meeting was declined.
Title: The Fast-Set
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of success: 70%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Kiralo's insults towards his father in modified and softened form have made the rounds, and there are those who would likely be better inclined towards him for having made them, especially those who are young, impressionable, and quite a bit more irreverent than Kiralo is. Perhaps they will be fooled into thinking that a lack of care for his father represents a lack of piety, or that this means they are opposed. Even if they aren't planning anything against Kuojah, making their friendship could certainly open some doors. He can still make contact with them in the next month and merely explain that he was particularly busy, but that now he's willing to party with them.
Title: Welcoming Party
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of success: 40%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: It would be highly ambitious, but Kiralo could organize a party to celebrate his own arrival, large and complicated by the dozens of factors that would have to be involved including entertainment, food, drink, guest lists...it could go very wrong very easily, but could also have considerable advantages of properly done. Last chance to do so.
Title: A Letter to A Friend
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of success: 95%
Time: 2 Turns.
Text: Kiralo can send a letter to Kueli, not so much giving orders as asking after him and seeing just what is going on down in the Southlands from his perspective. May start a longer-term/automatic correspondence.
Title: Family Matters.
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy.
Chance of success: 100%
Time: 1 turn.
Text: Just so, family matters. Kiralo could ask around and learn about just who his step-sisters are, who their family is, and other such matters. It would not take long to learn a little about them, and the more he knows the more he might be able to interact with them once he is finally settled.
[] Write-in. If you have a suggested option, most likely of a personal nature, you can say it, or say, 'Hey, does X official exist?' or the like. I'm willing to hear it out, and I'll make a vote option based on it if it gets popular/etc.
******
Influence=1 (Father's reflected glory)
Title: Hired Bows
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy (Primary), Martial (Secondary)
Chance of success: 9%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Attempt to get permission for the Wind-Dancers to come into the empire as hired mercenaries employed by the state. This would mean they'd be partially out of Kiralo's control, or that he'd be classified as the head of these mercenaries, which might significantly change his position at the court, and not necessarily for the better...but it's easier than the alternative.
Title: Household Retainers
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy (primary), Martial (Secondary)
Chance of success: 6%
Time: 2 turns.
Text: Kiralo could also try to get the Wind-Dancers declared 'Household retainers' and thus under his supervision and control and not that of the state, except that of course he would loan their services to the Empire. A neater solution, but rather more difficult and unlikely.
Title: At the corner of Empire.
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of success: 65%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Hari-Bueli is a far-off province, and the governor has his own concerns. There have been rumors that Bueli has been raiding extensively, perhaps Kiralo could establish contact with him to learn more.
Title: Alms...
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy, Stewardship
Chance of Success: 65%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Distributing grain and goods to those who are poor is a pious act, and more than that the act of an Emperor, who must provide when times are sick and the Empire is weak. Call upon the forces of government to provide grain and as much help as possible for the refugees and those caught at the edges of the bandit infection. It will not end the banditry, and for obvious reasons distributing it into the valleys controlled by bandits is...unlikely to succeed, but beginning to do so might be a good-will gestures that will show Mei that Kiralo is working for the people, and might even more importantly slow down the tide of death and despair.
Title: Put Down
Dice Rolled: Martial, Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 35%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: An army is what is needed to lance the boil of the banditry, but beyond any difficulties with planning the campaign, and the fact that the army hasn't been paid and winter will set in and so it will have to wait months, most likely, is convincing everyone to go along with it. It will be a difficult process at the best of times, and this is far from the best of times, and yet what other option is there?
Title: Fort Up
Dice Rolled: Martial, Stewardship
Chance of Success: 60%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The Governor has requested obliquely that perhaps a few more forts could be paid for and made. This would perhaps allow his troops to fight bandits more effectively, or perhaps it would wind up falling through, but the first step is to unlock the funding and resources to begin this process. Perhaps once he has his feet under him, the Governor and his generals can handle the situation on their own?
Title: True Lords of the Clipped Coin
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy and Stewardship
Chance of success: 70%
Time: 2 turns
Text: Kiralo knows people who know people. In Hari-Os, they say that the people who truly rule that province worship only money, and he knows bankers who could put pressure on them to learn more about their concerns and any possibility that they might be...backing Prince Jinhai, though it will take time.
Title: A Letter To A Prince
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of success: 65%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Prince Jinhai is at least at the moment keeping open the idea that he is friendly to the throne, so Kiralo could attempt to open up a correspondence to him. Secrets won't be shared of course, but perhaps Jinhai might trip up or reveal some small aspect of himself. Even if he doesn't, learning about the potential enemy can be helpful.
Title: Between South and North
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of success: 75%
Time: 1 Turn.
Text: Hari-Su is a province composed of people of both Southlands and 'Csiritan' stock, a place that is of some interests both to Kiralo and to those who have interests back in the land where he was born. He could discreetly inquire as to the news and events of Hari-Su, and send a polite letter to their governor, in an attempt to open up dialogue.
Title: Farthest North
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of success: 70%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Hari-Nat is the province that borders the vast and barely passable in the best of times mountains of the far north. It is often the province that stands out of the way of the major conflicts, waiting and seeing what happens, not strong enough to ever declare independence as some have during times of conflict, but not so weak as to be conquered and subjugated. Even its people are a little different, altered by the cold and harsh climate. Investigate into them more fully.
Title: Supplicants
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of success: 6%
Time: 1 Turn.
Text: Begin the long bureaucratic process of opening up the distant possibility of perhaps having court ambassadors. At this stage, it's making the argument that other local powers should be allowed to send a train of supplicants to give and exchange gifts with Csirit, whom they would acknowledge as the center of the world and the greatest power that has ever lived, paying homage as their inferior status makes the only right action and the only just thing. It would be a first step on the road to slowly opening up Csirit, even if it would be fraught with perils on both sides of the negotiation: both the chance of offense and the chance of rejection are high, though the odds might grow better with events.
A/N: A few notes. First, vote by plan.
Second, if you're wondering how investing multiple influence dice on a multi-turn project works, here's how.
If you put two dice into something that lasts three turns, you get to roll two dice and all, but only one of those dice are 'invested.' Because to do otherwise would be to highly disincentivize actually spending multiple dice to do longer, more difficult projects. The lack of incentives is also the prospect of failure and the fact that it might take multiple actions to make large progress on any one thing...
[X] Irit primary and some settling in
-[X] Absolute Rubbish, Laddie (we should not neglect Emperor)
-[X] Rumors of War
-[X] A Prayer For The People
-[X] Trust in Arrears (there should be som syngery between this tree and state action, Irit is nice excuse for paying troups)
-[X] Clothes Make The Man (I think this or bodyguards should be here)
-[X] Csrae Bound ( we are on time limit here)
-[X] Put Down
Generally, now that we know of the troubles in Irit, I want to use our influence to help out and hopefully court favor with the Governor.
[] Plan Praying for Irit
[] A Prayer For The People
-[] 2 Dice
This looks like the best way to use Court Actions to help out Irit, and I want to get a good success here.
[] Trust in Arrears
-[] 2 Dice
We have started to get some influnce with the Generals. I would like to pursue that further, instead of branching out and spreading our influence thin. The rather low probability of success (56%) means that we should assign two dice.
[] Csrae Bound
I would like to contact Yonu before the chance passes.
[] Clothes Make The Man
This is among the things that will need to be done some time soon, and we are trying to curry favor with Irit, which seems like a rather traditionalist province to me. Proper Csritan clothes could be helpful.
[] Alms...
Edit: Switched my vote for tactical reasons
This will help Irit get through the winter and gather good will.
Title: Absolute Rubbish, Laddie
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of success: 70%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The old man who is the official poetry tutor is incompetent, that much is obvious. Or at least he is not nearly as skilled as Kiralo himself, and not a particularly good teacher. It could be an idea to try to give the Emperor a few pointers here and there on walks in the garden, and to learn more about this Hari. While Kiralo is not exactly aiming to be the Tutor of Poetry to an Emperor, a decrease of Hari's influence in this area might lead to an increased closeness with the Emperor that could be politically useful.
I basically agree. But there are several things that I think need to be done soon, among them getting our own servants, getting proper clothes and getting bodyguards. I just chose to start on the bodyguards because they seem the most vital, but I could be persuaded to choose something else.
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