Blood of the Gods: A Fantasy CKII Quest
- Thread starter Cavalier
- Start date
- Original Fantasy
- Location
- Vicksburg, MS
Dozens of children die of the flu every year in the US up to this time, despite the availability of modern medicine. The flu is nothing to sneeze at, it's certainly a scarier illness than the cold that we're suggesting it is to the other children-- and that aside, I've not heard of a cold that brings someone to vomiting.
I'd not like to stake our credibility as a friend and monarch on a situation that we know so little about. I can practically hear the "but you promised he'd be okay!"s already. The best we can do is to make sure that he is relatively well attended to, and generating attention through the potential exorcism may be one of the better paths available towards that end in my opinion.
I know flu kills. I just can't bring myself to care for everybody, even if it leads to out of character behaviour.
- Location
- Vicksburg, MS
I wouldn't characterize it as caring for 'everybody', it's not as if he's some unknown servant. He's one of the three friends we have among the people of our age group. I wouldn't go seeking out sick people to help, but it seems reasonable to care about one of the few friends that we do have presently, especially since all of our other ones are also close to him.
- Location
- Germany
[X] Diplomatic
[X] You will be anelephant elegant lady! Try to comply.
[X] It is an evil spirit! Arrange an exorcism.
-[X] Ask your Mother.
Let´s have mom a look at it. Also he isn´t the only one that got sick with something our aunt is down too, so i do think it is a bit more than just a cold.
[X] You will be an
[X] It is an evil spirit! Arrange an exorcism.
-[X] Ask your Mother.
Let´s have mom a look at it. Also he isn´t the only one that got sick with something our aunt is down too, so i do think it is a bit more than just a cold.
RedV
Refuelling
- Location
- Right here
Just making one comment on the popular bandwagon- it is very much a pampered princess who can't spell and hides behind her mom's skirts choice.
At least watching soldiers is honest admiration. And Diplomacy requires legitimacy which we don't have to be fully usable as a mediator. I would prefer the authority and command of armed forces- they don't give a shit about legitimacy once we get them and offer us more freedom in disposing of your enemies.
...doesn't anyone at all want to go Warlady instead of Princess?
At least watching soldiers is honest admiration. And Diplomacy requires legitimacy which we don't have to be fully usable as a mediator. I would prefer the authority and command of armed forces- they don't give a shit about legitimacy once we get them and offer us more freedom in disposing of your enemies.
...doesn't anyone at all want to go Warlady instead of Princess?
Not this time. I am playing warlords and warladies plenty already.
RedV
Refuelling
- Location
- Right here
Where? Can you PM me the links to those quests please?
I haven't seen a high martial female in an SV quest in CK2 format for quite a while now.
There is only one sorceress here we know of competent to assess things.
Or we could just blow off the sickness and probably lose a friend early.
- Location
- Iceland
[X] Martial
[X] This is boring, go…
-[X] Check out the soldiers in the courtyard.
[X] It is an evil spirit! Arrange an exorcism.
-[X] Ask your Mother.
[X] This is boring, go…
-[X] Check out the soldiers in the courtyard.
[X] It is an evil spirit! Arrange an exorcism.
-[X] Ask your Mother.
- Location
- California
[X] Martial
[X] This is boring, go…
-[X] Check out the soldiers in the courtyard.
[X] It is an evil spirit! Arrange an exorcism.
-[X] Ask your Mother.
[X] This is boring, go…
-[X] Check out the soldiers in the courtyard.
[X] It is an evil spirit! Arrange an exorcism.
-[X] Ask your Mother.
RedV
Refuelling
- Location
- Right here
Fair point.
Editing my vote to Mom, then.I guess she deserves some screen time.
- Location
- USA
[X] Diplomatic
[X] You will be anelephant elegant lady! Try to comply.
[X] It is an evil spirit! Arrange an exorcism.
-[X] Ask your Mother.
[X] You will be an
[X] It is an evil spirit! Arrange an exorcism.
-[X] Ask your Mother.
- Location
- Southern Virginia
Looks like a relatively competitive vote here. Will call in another four or so hours and get started on the update after dinner.
Oh yeah, @Kipeci, Maryawy is male and the father of Tayuheret.
It also may be of broader interest that most capable priests can perform what you'd call magic using their Piety stat. Eurydice's mother does something different-but-similar using her Learning stat.
Oh yeah, @Kipeci, Maryawy is male and the father of Tayuheret.
It also may be of broader interest that most capable priests can perform what you'd call magic using their Piety stat. Eurydice's mother does something different-but-similar using her Learning stat.
- Location
- Massholistan
[X] Diplomatic
[X] You will be an elephant elegant lady! Try to comply.
[X] It is an evil spirit! Arrange an exorcism.
-[X] Ask your Mother.
[X] You will be an elephant elegant lady! Try to comply.
[X] It is an evil spirit! Arrange an exorcism.
-[X] Ask your Mother.
Hmm, I take it that whoever fixes it(or botches it) would then get the credit?
Prologue VI
- Location
- Southern Virginia
Interregnum Year 7-9 Results
There's much to learn from Ma'atneferure and Meryawy, and you make a good go at picking up everything you can.
From your governess you learn not just how to present yourself properly as a noble woman but also how to address others of noble rank. You practice ritual dances under her supervision and as a special treat are allowed to ride the chariot your own father was trained in. Ma'atneferure also takes time to let you know all the ways in which the Dowager Queen is seeing to the good of the realm in your name. As you get used to Ma'atneferure you come to try to model yourself more and more on her; her mature reserve and private kindnesses seem like what a Queen should be like. Toward the end of the year the Regent's health improves and she visits you more frequently once more, lavishing you with praise for your efforts and for paying attention to your tutors. The time will come, she says, as she pats you on the head, when you will need to make use of those lessons.
Meryawy continues to entertain you with stories of the gods, but in your ninth year the stories become more complicated. He speaks of metaphor and how the stories of the gods are intended to show the right path for mortals. The goddess Ma'at, as the guardian and personification of a righteous harmony, is the true model for the rule of Pharaoh. He would have you trust in the strength and example of Ra as a means to achieve Ma'at, but he admits all the gods have a role in the natural order. And once you come of age you will have to patronize and supplicate all of them for the good of Kemet. The priests who serve the gods serve at the leisure of the throne, he assures you when you feel anxious about that burden, and will be ready to assist you in any way you need.
Your mother visits you less often, and most frequently of all at night. She hugs you tightly when she does and you learn to associate the smell of her perfume with a sense of protection and warmth. There's still much she can't teach you yet, but she swears that as her daughter you will learn in due time. More than a divine bloodline is at stake with your survival, she says once to you. And she warns you to behave around the Dowager Queen and Ma'atneferure but not to reveal your true self to them or to anyone else.
+1 Martial, +2 Diplomacy, +1 Intrigue, +2 Piety, +1 Learning
School Daze
1D100 => 80
You close your eyes to the courtyard below as you strain to stay still. It's hard. The exercise is boring, and after a little while your feet hurt and your back begins to feel stiff. It takes all of your willpower to keep from swatting at a large horsefly you hear buzzing around near your head. You have to struggle with your own inclinations and the uncertain sense of time as you keep your eyes closed. But when you feel like giving up you think of how disappointed Ma'atneferure would be if you failed her test. You hang on long enough.
Enough, she says. You don't know how long it's been. As you place the scroll upon the table you look back out, and the soldiers have left the courtyard. Ma'atneferure smiles at you. She didn't expect you to last, but she is pleased you did. You have power in your blood, as does your aunt. But power is nothing without control. Without restraint.
Over the next few weeks she drills you almost like the captain outside drills his soldiers. She has you standing rigid for hours. She has you do pointless tasks over and over again. But you know it has a purpose and she rewards you when you do well. After a while it becomes less troublesome to comply. You find yourself having to strangle back your impulses less and less often. And as your posture improves, she teaches you ritual dances. You incorporate them into your walking, adjusting your posture as you do. You learn control over your body as well as your face.
Ma'atneferure approves of your progress and seems warmer to you. You'll continue to practice your poise and composure with the ritual dances and drilling on your posture, but it's become second nature to you. Your lessons on the positions of the court resume afterward.
Lose Impulsive (+1 Martial, -1 Stewardship, -1 Intrigue)
Gain Poise (+1 Diplomacy)
Poise + Poker Face => Composed (+2 Diplomacy, +2 Intrigue)
Sick Friend
1D100 => 57
You have your handmaiden take you to see your Mother in her official capacity as Royal Magician. She takes you into the servant's wing of the palace, into a poorly lit and sparsely furnished series of halls. Shadows seem omnipresent and you see no servants for some time before you reach a large chamber with doors of solid sycamore wood bound with bronze. She knocks on the door reluctantly, and a charged few moments pass before it opens seemingly on its own.
You step inside followed by the handmaiden, who waits at the entrance as you look around for your mother. The chamber is eerily lit with an almost green-shade of light, illuminating tables piled with scrolls and strange potions in glass flasks. You find her toward the back, as the illumination is fading, sitting in a plush wooden chair and reading a scroll. She's dressed in a colorful and heavy cotton pleated skirt, with a white apron extending from her bare breasts to cover her midsection. It is strange foreign attire, and accentuates her exotic pale skin and long, curly hair the color of wine.
"Princess Meritamun," she said, acknowledging your presence. "What may I do for Your Majesty?"
You tell her what you had head of Bakenptah and his condition, and your own concern that falling so suddenly may make it the work of evil spirits of the sort in league with Apophis. You ask her if she could conduct an exorcism to drive away the spirits.
She looks at you sadly and nods. "If it is the will of Your Majesty I must look into the matter." She stood and bent down to whisper to you. "And my daughter, it is time you saw with your eyes your birthright. We have not had enough time to talk but we may do so on the way."
It took a little time to arrange for a litter to be carried by available Eunuch-slaves and for an escort of the Guard of Horus to be rounded up. The Chief Eunuch, Ptahshepses, confers with your Mother briefly before seeing you off. You take the opportunity to tell Mother all about your lessons with Ma'atnerferure and Meryawy, and she praises your conduct. She also seems pleased with your posture and bearing, complimenting it as truly regal.
You look out of the litter at the grand thoroughfares of the great city of Temes on your way to the house of Ipy, father of Bakenptah. They seem… drab. Many of the structures on the sides of the road seem to be unoccupied. A few beggers linger on the streets, none daring to approach a royal litter and its escort. There are merchant stalls here and there and some traffic of workmen but the city seems almost too big for all the people in it. In the distance down the Grand Thoroughfare you can see the harbor, which is crowded with ships; perhaps all the people are working at the docks?
Ipy has his own palace in a district reserved for civil officials. As you reach it you see teams of slaves along the way cleaning the streets of debris and collecting nightsoil. A few city guards are in evidence watching over them.
You're struck by how much smaller Ipy's palace is compared to the royal compound. The litter-bearers stop outside the gates as the Guard of Horus demand entrance on your behalf. A harried looking servant soon appears and lets you all inside, directing you to the nearby marble stairs. You follow in the confident wake of your Mother.
Ipy met her at the top of the steps. He was a tall, powerfully built man, as though rough-hewn from the marble of his palace. He was dark from years in the sun and dressed in a modest skirt and the blue-and-white cowl of his station. A comely woman with the woolly hair, broad face, and darker skin of the peoples of the south stood beside him and looked on anxiously. She presented a marked contrast to your mother, though the skin of Ipy and of most of Kemet looked about halfway between the two. Your own favored your mother's far more, though.
"I have come by Royal command," your Mother said to Ipy. "She is fond of your son."
"Praise be to the gods, or is it to you?" Ipy replied. "I will not get involved in your quarrels with the Regent. You already know this."
Your Mother inclined her head, and you stepped around her. "I asked her to look at Bakenptah," you affirmed. You explained your concern for evil spirits. Ipy looked dubious, but his wife shivered and begged him to allow the Magician access to their son. He relented quickly, and led the two of you to Bakenptah's room.
He was resting quietly on a small bed, much smaller than your own. He turned his head as you entered, weakly. Your Mother stepped over to him and pressed her hand against his head. "He burns with a strong fever," she said. "It is no evil spirit here."
Your Mother glanced over at the ivory statue of Bastet held on a shelf approvingly. She bent under the bed and pulled out a cat, which meowed and leaped out of her arms onto the bed with Bakenptah. "He is well protected from such as those. And a curse would be too much effort even to strike at the father. Ipy is a man of no noble blood or standing."
She seemed to take a certain enjoyment in pointing out your friend's parent was a commoner.
You asked her if there was anything she could do for him.
She answered you in her language, the one she had taught you from early childhood. "The priests of this country could drive out spirits and break a curse, but this is a mere illness. It is an upset or imbalance of the body. They could pray to their gods for healing. But what I do is different, my precious daughter."
Your Mother placed her hands upon his head again. At first it seemed that nothing was happening. But Bakenptah began to stir after a few moments, while your Mother seemed to sweat. Even you noticed the room getting warmer. Eventually, she stepped back with an effort as Bakenptah's eyes opened wide.
"Meri… Princess Meritamun!" He coughed a bit as he shifted in bed to lean up from the waist.
Your mother excused herself as you talked with your friend. He marveled that the pain was going away and he felt cooler. You were glad you asked your Mother for help and thought you could do it again.
On the way back to the palace another thing occurred to you. Could she not heal your aunt, the Dowager Queen as well as Bakenptah?
She shook her head. "What your aunt suffers is neither curse, nor illness, nor affliction of spirits. It is in the nature of her blood. I can restore a form to what it is supposed to be. It is hard to do so for others, but it can be done. I will teach you. But even I cannot change the form of a person. You will understand, my daughter, when the time comes."
Your Mother seems very tired when you get back to the palace and hands you off to Ptahshepses at the entrance of the palace. You don't see her again for another three days, though when she appears before you that night she is as warm and kind to you as ever. And you can hardly wait to learn the secrets that she promises will be yours.
Result: Bakenptah healed.
There's much to learn from Ma'atneferure and Meryawy, and you make a good go at picking up everything you can.
From your governess you learn not just how to present yourself properly as a noble woman but also how to address others of noble rank. You practice ritual dances under her supervision and as a special treat are allowed to ride the chariot your own father was trained in. Ma'atneferure also takes time to let you know all the ways in which the Dowager Queen is seeing to the good of the realm in your name. As you get used to Ma'atneferure you come to try to model yourself more and more on her; her mature reserve and private kindnesses seem like what a Queen should be like. Toward the end of the year the Regent's health improves and she visits you more frequently once more, lavishing you with praise for your efforts and for paying attention to your tutors. The time will come, she says, as she pats you on the head, when you will need to make use of those lessons.
Meryawy continues to entertain you with stories of the gods, but in your ninth year the stories become more complicated. He speaks of metaphor and how the stories of the gods are intended to show the right path for mortals. The goddess Ma'at, as the guardian and personification of a righteous harmony, is the true model for the rule of Pharaoh. He would have you trust in the strength and example of Ra as a means to achieve Ma'at, but he admits all the gods have a role in the natural order. And once you come of age you will have to patronize and supplicate all of them for the good of Kemet. The priests who serve the gods serve at the leisure of the throne, he assures you when you feel anxious about that burden, and will be ready to assist you in any way you need.
Your mother visits you less often, and most frequently of all at night. She hugs you tightly when she does and you learn to associate the smell of her perfume with a sense of protection and warmth. There's still much she can't teach you yet, but she swears that as her daughter you will learn in due time. More than a divine bloodline is at stake with your survival, she says once to you. And she warns you to behave around the Dowager Queen and Ma'atneferure but not to reveal your true self to them or to anyone else.
+1 Martial, +2 Diplomacy, +1 Intrigue, +2 Piety, +1 Learning
School Daze
1D100 => 80
You close your eyes to the courtyard below as you strain to stay still. It's hard. The exercise is boring, and after a little while your feet hurt and your back begins to feel stiff. It takes all of your willpower to keep from swatting at a large horsefly you hear buzzing around near your head. You have to struggle with your own inclinations and the uncertain sense of time as you keep your eyes closed. But when you feel like giving up you think of how disappointed Ma'atneferure would be if you failed her test. You hang on long enough.
Enough, she says. You don't know how long it's been. As you place the scroll upon the table you look back out, and the soldiers have left the courtyard. Ma'atneferure smiles at you. She didn't expect you to last, but she is pleased you did. You have power in your blood, as does your aunt. But power is nothing without control. Without restraint.
Over the next few weeks she drills you almost like the captain outside drills his soldiers. She has you standing rigid for hours. She has you do pointless tasks over and over again. But you know it has a purpose and she rewards you when you do well. After a while it becomes less troublesome to comply. You find yourself having to strangle back your impulses less and less often. And as your posture improves, she teaches you ritual dances. You incorporate them into your walking, adjusting your posture as you do. You learn control over your body as well as your face.
Ma'atneferure approves of your progress and seems warmer to you. You'll continue to practice your poise and composure with the ritual dances and drilling on your posture, but it's become second nature to you. Your lessons on the positions of the court resume afterward.
Lose Impulsive (+1 Martial, -1 Stewardship, -1 Intrigue)
Gain Poise (+1 Diplomacy)
Poise + Poker Face => Composed (+2 Diplomacy, +2 Intrigue)
Sick Friend
1D100 => 57
You have your handmaiden take you to see your Mother in her official capacity as Royal Magician. She takes you into the servant's wing of the palace, into a poorly lit and sparsely furnished series of halls. Shadows seem omnipresent and you see no servants for some time before you reach a large chamber with doors of solid sycamore wood bound with bronze. She knocks on the door reluctantly, and a charged few moments pass before it opens seemingly on its own.
You step inside followed by the handmaiden, who waits at the entrance as you look around for your mother. The chamber is eerily lit with an almost green-shade of light, illuminating tables piled with scrolls and strange potions in glass flasks. You find her toward the back, as the illumination is fading, sitting in a plush wooden chair and reading a scroll. She's dressed in a colorful and heavy cotton pleated skirt, with a white apron extending from her bare breasts to cover her midsection. It is strange foreign attire, and accentuates her exotic pale skin and long, curly hair the color of wine.
"Princess Meritamun," she said, acknowledging your presence. "What may I do for Your Majesty?"
You tell her what you had head of Bakenptah and his condition, and your own concern that falling so suddenly may make it the work of evil spirits of the sort in league with Apophis. You ask her if she could conduct an exorcism to drive away the spirits.
She looks at you sadly and nods. "If it is the will of Your Majesty I must look into the matter." She stood and bent down to whisper to you. "And my daughter, it is time you saw with your eyes your birthright. We have not had enough time to talk but we may do so on the way."
It took a little time to arrange for a litter to be carried by available Eunuch-slaves and for an escort of the Guard of Horus to be rounded up. The Chief Eunuch, Ptahshepses, confers with your Mother briefly before seeing you off. You take the opportunity to tell Mother all about your lessons with Ma'atnerferure and Meryawy, and she praises your conduct. She also seems pleased with your posture and bearing, complimenting it as truly regal.
You look out of the litter at the grand thoroughfares of the great city of Temes on your way to the house of Ipy, father of Bakenptah. They seem… drab. Many of the structures on the sides of the road seem to be unoccupied. A few beggers linger on the streets, none daring to approach a royal litter and its escort. There are merchant stalls here and there and some traffic of workmen but the city seems almost too big for all the people in it. In the distance down the Grand Thoroughfare you can see the harbor, which is crowded with ships; perhaps all the people are working at the docks?
Ipy has his own palace in a district reserved for civil officials. As you reach it you see teams of slaves along the way cleaning the streets of debris and collecting nightsoil. A few city guards are in evidence watching over them.
You're struck by how much smaller Ipy's palace is compared to the royal compound. The litter-bearers stop outside the gates as the Guard of Horus demand entrance on your behalf. A harried looking servant soon appears and lets you all inside, directing you to the nearby marble stairs. You follow in the confident wake of your Mother.
Ipy met her at the top of the steps. He was a tall, powerfully built man, as though rough-hewn from the marble of his palace. He was dark from years in the sun and dressed in a modest skirt and the blue-and-white cowl of his station. A comely woman with the woolly hair, broad face, and darker skin of the peoples of the south stood beside him and looked on anxiously. She presented a marked contrast to your mother, though the skin of Ipy and of most of Kemet looked about halfway between the two. Your own favored your mother's far more, though.
"I have come by Royal command," your Mother said to Ipy. "She is fond of your son."
"Praise be to the gods, or is it to you?" Ipy replied. "I will not get involved in your quarrels with the Regent. You already know this."
Your Mother inclined her head, and you stepped around her. "I asked her to look at Bakenptah," you affirmed. You explained your concern for evil spirits. Ipy looked dubious, but his wife shivered and begged him to allow the Magician access to their son. He relented quickly, and led the two of you to Bakenptah's room.
He was resting quietly on a small bed, much smaller than your own. He turned his head as you entered, weakly. Your Mother stepped over to him and pressed her hand against his head. "He burns with a strong fever," she said. "It is no evil spirit here."
Your Mother glanced over at the ivory statue of Bastet held on a shelf approvingly. She bent under the bed and pulled out a cat, which meowed and leaped out of her arms onto the bed with Bakenptah. "He is well protected from such as those. And a curse would be too much effort even to strike at the father. Ipy is a man of no noble blood or standing."
She seemed to take a certain enjoyment in pointing out your friend's parent was a commoner.
You asked her if there was anything she could do for him.
She answered you in her language, the one she had taught you from early childhood. "The priests of this country could drive out spirits and break a curse, but this is a mere illness. It is an upset or imbalance of the body. They could pray to their gods for healing. But what I do is different, my precious daughter."
Your Mother placed her hands upon his head again. At first it seemed that nothing was happening. But Bakenptah began to stir after a few moments, while your Mother seemed to sweat. Even you noticed the room getting warmer. Eventually, she stepped back with an effort as Bakenptah's eyes opened wide.
"Meri… Princess Meritamun!" He coughed a bit as he shifted in bed to lean up from the waist.
Your mother excused herself as you talked with your friend. He marveled that the pain was going away and he felt cooler. You were glad you asked your Mother for help and thought you could do it again.
On the way back to the palace another thing occurred to you. Could she not heal your aunt, the Dowager Queen as well as Bakenptah?
She shook her head. "What your aunt suffers is neither curse, nor illness, nor affliction of spirits. It is in the nature of her blood. I can restore a form to what it is supposed to be. It is hard to do so for others, but it can be done. I will teach you. But even I cannot change the form of a person. You will understand, my daughter, when the time comes."
Your Mother seems very tired when you get back to the palace and hands you off to Ptahshepses at the entrance of the palace. You don't see her again for another three days, though when she appears before you that night she is as warm and kind to you as ever. And you can hardly wait to learn the secrets that she promises will be yours.
Result: Bakenptah healed.
- Location
- in the trash
Sounds like some sort of nasty genetic affliction stemming from inbreeding.