[Exalted] The Dragon's Spite

[Zaealix]

[ ] No. She didn't head into this one-night stand looking for a marriage, and she barely knows him. She wore the demon mask for a reason.
-[ ] Gently. She doesn't want to hurt his feelings or make an enemy of him.
[ ]"Listen, I wanted a night of fun, it was too long since the last time, and last night didn't help matters! And well... I paid for a season, but once that's up, I might very well just blow right out of here. Cahzor...It might be too early to say this, but while I might be dragon-blooded, I'm not the ONLY dragon-blood around. I'm a new face, and Cahzor is very old, with old grudges, ones that could send me packing with little more then the shirt on my back, and some painful new scars. Not the character-building ones, more like the reason Munir wears his mask."

So to break down where I'm going with my rationale:

1. use the 'I got DENIED!' and perhaps some petulance to reinforce that Demon Mask we were using before.

2. I realize Rena might be wanting to stay here given the whole 'build my power back up' thing, but this place? It feels like a swamp, a hotel that wants you to never leave. Rena didn't feel too strongly like she liked this place, and I don't want to tie ourselves down here permanently.

3.Basically? Fear. Thar be old politics and feuds, the kind that go back hundreds of years and are tangly snarl-like knots. I'm fairly certain this is thanks to me being a lazy bum and NOT keeping track of who's who and how the families interact but uhh, I kind of want to wait a bit before picking a faction to join. I'm kind of eyeing those dragon-purists from before, especially given the little sister. I wasn't planning on trying to convert Rena to good this time around but if the narrative swings that way...

 

[zang269]

[X] No. She didn't head into this one-night stand looking for a marriage, and she barely knows him. She wore the demon mask for a reason.
-[X] Gently. She doesn't want to hurt his feelings or make an enemy of him.
-[X] Too fast. WAY too fast.

 

[vali]

Well then. Remind me; for the "Choose one person you cherished and betrayed" vote, which option won? Was it our potential husband that we betrayed?

Anyway some quotes on this guy.

"I see that thrice-fooled oaf Haitham ak-Kas is moving in this direction, so I would really not spend time in his disgusting presence. Meira of the Sayu, farewell."

Click to shrink...

"Now, now," drawls a newcomer. "If Haitham put effort into anything except lazing around, the sky would probably fall in."

Click to shrink...

Haitham smiles at you. "I'm so awful to be presumptuous like that, my lady. Of course, if you want to talk to this boring, boring man whose mother was a blood-drinker, I will of course step aside. A gentle creature such as yourself should be praised for showing pity to such an awful being."

The look in Hilmi's eyes is murderous. "I don't need you to offer me pity," he growls, "and I hope this lady has better taste to fall for your easy vows and casual deception! Unlike many other beautiful women!"

Click to shrink...

As for the voting options:

[ ] No. She didn't head into this one-night stand looking for a marriage, and she barely knows him. She wore the demon mask for a reason.
-[ ] Firmly. A young man like this needs firmness or he'll hear "No" as "Maybe".
-[ ] Gently. She doesn't want to hurt his feelings or make an enemy of him.

Click to shrink...

The "grow as a person" option. She murdered her last lover when he tried to stop her, but maybe being run out of the north has taught her a lesson and she's grown as a person. Love isn't in the cards, not for a sorcerer with her past and her appetites, but this time she won't drag anyone down with her, won't hurt anyone other than herself.

Or maybe she just thinks he's a besotted moron.

[ ] Lead him on. Keep him interested and hopeful and pliable, but with no intention of actually marrying him. It will mean cutting back on her other flirtations, though, or at least not getting caught. Basically the same thing, right?

Click to shrink...

This strikes me as the most in-character, and also a terrible idea. "Cutting back on other flirtations" seems like the sort of thing that will inevitably backfire when he finds us fucking a prince of chaos or our bird-man. And then of course Rena betrays him, because that's what she does, and makes a powerful enemy. It's this sort of short-term thinking that led to her current life circumstances.

[ ] Yes. Of course! Who could turn down such a handsome, wealthy man who's the second-in-line to a powerful jansi?

Click to shrink...

I believe if this option wins we're basically required to murder/enslave people until we put our new husband on the throne.

There are some serious risks here. The fact that he's willing to marry some random (and powerful) stranger who just arrived in town means that there's more to the story. Maybe he's an idiot who no one likes or trusts, maybe he's got secrets and a history of his own and knows that only an outsider would be willing to marry him.

He's a lazy, womanizing idiot with "easy vows and casual deception". He's offered to marry people before and then broken his vows to them or just led them on. He's so much like Rena, so similar in personality, that I'm convinced that if we pick this option he'll lead us on, exactly like the previous voting option. At which point we'll enslave him with Peacock Shadow Eyes or something. I also wouldn't be surprised if he was a Yozi cultist or some other heretical thing, just like Rena.

...

Looking over the options, I actually think marrying Haitham is, if not a good idea, then absolutely an interesting one. He and Rena are a good learning experience for each other. Lazy, selfish, short-sighted, deceptive liars... it's like they were made for each other.

[X] Yes. Of course! Who could turn down such a handsome, wealthy man who's the second-in-line to a powerful jansi?
[X] Rationale: He's rich, he's easy, he's likely tolerant of her behavior, no one will think his sudden marriage unusual, and he's too lazy to fight off sorcerious enslavement.

 

[GGreader]

[X] No. She didn't head into this one-night stand looking for a marriage, and she barely knows him. She wore the demon mask for a reason.
-[X] Gently. She doesn't want to hurt his feelings or make an enemy of him.

 

[Sucal]

[X] No. She didn't head into this one-night stand looking for a marriage, and she barely knows him. She wore the demon mask for a reason.
[X] Rationale: If she wanted a partner, she would have worn the right mask for it. Don't want to offend locals for it after all.

 

[vali]

This quest is tagged bad decisions, come on people! Be ambitious! Vote for something exciting, something fun to read about!

[X] Rationale: If she wanted a partner, she would have worn the right mask for it. Don't want to offend locals for it after all.

Click to shrink...

Your rationale is that Rena turns him down because she doesn't want marriage, but you don't say why she doesn't want marriage. Is there some other potential husband you'd prefer? Do you just want Rena to stay single? Do you think this guy is a lying moron who's leading Rena on and she can do better? Or is there some other reason?

 

[Imrix]

[X] Yes. Of course! Who could turn down such a handsome, wealthy man who's the second-in-line to a powerful jansi?
[X] You are a rich fool offering me everything I want for the foreseeable future. I will milk you dry, make your jansi my own, and, if you can learn from my proddings well enough to become an attentive and biddable lover, keep you around as part of the harem.

We're a pulp sorceror, darlings, is there really any other option? More, we voted to build Rena's toolkit around building cults and ensorcelling powerful people. A powerful person has all but fallen into our lap. La, it would be rude to turn him down.

 

[Brainarius]

[X] No. She didn't head into this one-night stand looking for a marriage, and she barely knows him. She wore the demon mask for a reason.
-[X] Gently. She doesn't want to hurt his feelings or make an enemy of him.

And What's Her Rationale For Her Choice She Doesn't Tell Him?
[X] This guy is merely second in line for some miserable decaying city and an idiot besides. She can do better and needs to remain free to adventure and poke around ancient ruins to get more secret knowledge and consort with more wyldfae to recover her powers.

 

[Elero]

We definitely want to use this chance to go after the things on his lands that our map shows, imo. Whether we lead him on or actually say yes doesn't really matter to me just yet. Either way, we should make sure to get it in a contract.

 

[VagueZ]

This strikes me as the most in-character, and also a terrible idea. "Cutting back on other flirtations" seems like the sort of thing that will inevitably backfire when he finds us fucking a prince of chaos or our bird-man. And then of course Rena betrays him, because that's what she does, and makes a powerful enemy. It's this sort of short-term thinking that led to her current life circumstances.

Click to shrink...

Well, you've convinced me!

[x] Lead him on. Keep him interested and hopeful and pliable, but with no intention of actually marrying him. It will mean cutting back on her other flirtations, though, or at least not getting caught. Basically the same thing, right?

More seriously, I think this is the most interesting advancement, mainly because it has Rena having learned nothing at all up to now: she's still the same sorceress who left her last surroundings after all her deep contract work fell down around her ears. New surroundings, new people, same Rena: start tying up the first person of standing she can lure into her web, tying her contractual magic around the situation. Once she realizes she's tying herself into the same type of situation again, then we can see how she and the readers feel about trying to be different and/or extricating herself.

If she turns him down, firmly or gently, we're making a clean break with something that I think on a story level is more interesting if we have Rena dig herself back into a hole before she starts trying to dig out, or even realizes that she's digging.

As far as being real... well, if it's real then we start trying to make things happen legitimately, and it's a new task on the to-do list. I'm not opposed to that, I just think that "maneuver Haitham into a good place and see if maybe I'm serious this time, I think I am" either falls out to one of two possibilities: one is that she'll change her mind and then we're just straight back to leading him on except Rena was honestly pretty much deceiving herself more than anyone else so we might as well have voted for it. The other is that she makes a real effort to settle here and we get into a quiet duel with, say, another powerful sorcerer who might already be entrenched in this land. That's a fine story, but I am quite looking forward to Haitham blinking tears away while accusing Rena of using him.

 

[Crimson Alchemis]

[X] Yes. Of course! Who could turn down such a handsome, wealthy man who's the second-in-line to a powerful jansi?
[X] You are a rich fool offering me everything I want for the foreseeable future. I will milk you dry, make your jansi my own, and, if you can learn from my proddings well enough to become an attentive and biddable lover, keep you around as part of the harem.

An opportunity has fallen on our lap, Rena would be remissed if she didn't exploit it. Exploit away.

 

[Broken25]

[x] Lead him on. Keep him interested and hopeful and pliable, but with no intention of actually marrying him. It will mean cutting back on her other flirtations, though, or at least not getting caught. Basically the same thing, right?

Some people never change

And as for actually marrying him, well, honestly, this place it's just too sad and decadent. There is no future in Cazhor, only past

Rena is too ambitious to tie herself down, even if the immediate riches are great.

 

[changeling]

Ok, seeing that the majority of players want more of crazy ride than seeking the optimal choices, I am just going to ignore the obvious hook in that sexy, wealthy hunk of meat:

[X] Yes. Of course! Who could turn down such a handsome, wealthy man who's the second-in-line to a powerful jansi?
And What's Her Rationale For Her Choice She Doesn't Tell Him?
[X] my magic not-cat can eat your soul and wear your flesh if you disobey me. Soon I will have many more creatures at my back and call, given what wander around in the wyldstrom and who know what they could do to brainwash mortal like you. What can go wrong? Nothing

 

[EarthScorpion]

Ok, seeing that the majority of players want more of crazy ride than seeking the optimal choices

Click to shrink...

Oh, I wouldn't say that.

Rather, the traditional quester's model of "optimal" is a very wasted and thin thing. It's something that relies on the GM letting you get away with refusing to pick a size, that requires that the NPC characters don't observe the way you act and draw conclusions of it, and other complexities of social interactions that aren't covered by the risk adverse path. Sometimes you have to make enemies, and it's about choosing the enemies you make.

And that's something that's very true here - risk aversion isn't the best path here, because refusing to take risks means Rena runs out of money in a dying city. But on the other hand, neither is the kind of overconfidence that comes from assuming the GM won't make you suffer. You're going to have to take risks; make plays. But of course, Rena's natural inclinations have led her to near-destruction once already (as @VagueZ put well above). Put simply, things are complicated, other characters have agency and are watching Rena and making their own observations, and doing well in this quest might well just be a matter of making the right gambles at the right time.

Because, certainly, playing the traditional "optimal" way won't turn out well for Rena.

 

[changeling]

Oh, I wouldn't say that.

Rather, the traditional quester's model of "optimal" is a very wasted and thin thing. (...)

Click to shrink...

Yes, I see that. "Optimal" wasn't the best word here, my apologizes to other players. I don't expect "one choice is clearly better/have less of narrative complications than others" style in this quest. I think we will have clear tendency toward the most flamboyant and "loud" solutions. Which isn't wrong.

 

[No7sHere]

[X] Yes. Of course! Who could turn down such a handsome, wealthy man who's the second-in-line to a powerful jansi?
[X] You are a rich fool offering me everything I want for the foreseeable future. I will milk you dry, make your jansi my own, and, if you can learn from my proddings well enough to become an attentive and biddable lover, keep you around as part of the harem.

 

[Yaga]

[X] Yes. Of course! Who could turn down such a handsome, wealthy man who's the second-in-line to a powerful jansi?
[X] You are a rich fool offering me everything I want for the foreseeable future. I will milk you dry, make your jansi my own, and, if you can learn from my proddings well enough to become an attentive and biddable lover, keep you around as part of the harem.

 

[vali]

More thoughts on Haitham...

"Haitham is here?" Sadia says, turning pale. "Oh no! Please don't tell me that Hilmi ad-Dib is also here!"

"I'm afraid so, my dumpling."

"Oh. Oh dear." Sadia smiles at you. "There will probably be a fight then, when those two get low in their glasses."

Click to shrink...

Marrying him gets us Hilmi as an enemy.

His hair is windblown; his eyes have bags under them and his skin is sallow. Still, despite those blemishes, he is not un-handsome

Click to shrink...

He's not healthy. I mentioned earlier that I suspect he's so similar to Rena in personality that I wonder if he's doing something heretical, like Yozi worship. But on second thought it's more likely to be stress; Hilmi does claim he's having financial troubles.

Haitham shakes his head sadly. "You made a horrible mistake, then," he tells you. "I suppose we'll just have to invite a winter rose such as yourself to as many parties as possible to make your stay here more pleasant."

A winter rose? You're actually impressed. This man might look like he's falling asleep on his feet, but such a quick blending of your aspect and your origin is to be praised.

Click to shrink...

People call him a fool, and maybe he is, but he's not stupid.

He grins at you boyishly. "Life is hard when you're second-in-line to the Kas lands."

"Are they extensive?" you ask. "I'm sorry, I'm a stranger to the city and…"

"No, no, it's quite alright. You're not to know. Yes, in fact, my jansi has the greatest holdings down in the Old City, so," he laughs, "they have plenty of reason to be jealous."

Click to shrink...

He claims to be rich.

"You're not worth more," Haitham says, making lazy shooing motions with his hands.

"Some day, someone will cut that throat and you'll see how far all your smart comments get you." Hilmi

Click to shrink...

He's so hated he's getting death-threats from his sworn enemy Hilmi. If we marry him, we're going to end up having to deal with this guy.

"You forget yourself, Kas. Your lands are barren wastelands, your men are tired and weak, and your fountains dry up. You can't be so presumptuous as to claim such a fine woman for yourself."

Click to shrink...

His enemy says he's poor.

"So, what happened with you and Sadia?" you ask, twisting your head back to glance at him as you spoon.

"Oh, I broke it off," he says, holding you tight while keeping up his lazy motions. "She's a good lay, but she's pushy and demanding. Plus, she doesn't have a large inheritance so my folks were against the engagement in the first place."

Click to shrink...

He was going to marry Sadia, but she was too poor for his family and too pushy for him. Which is interesting, because Rena is even poorer and pushier. But he claims this isn't an issue, because...

"Plus, it'd be awfully convenient. I'm second-in-line to the lands of the largest jansi. I could give you anything you desire. And if I bring home a dragon-child fiancée, my parents won't dare say no to such a powerful bride. They'll get out of our way and let us basically do what we want. It's a match made in the halls of the gods."

Click to shrink...

... Rena is a dragon, so her being poor can't stop her family. As for whether he likes Rena or not, I assume we'll turn him into our puppet soon enough so his opinion on her personality isn't an issue.

...

So he's definitely a questionable pick. He's unhealthy for unspecified reasons. He has people that would love to see him dead. His relationship with his family isn't great, and they'll probably dislike us. Rena is very demanding and there's going to be huge personality clash we'll need to defuse with mind control. He is absolutely going to lead us on and refuse to actually commit to the marriage, like what he did to Sadia, but again, mind control.

The fact that his rival Hilmi claims he's destitute is interesting, but given that he'd like to see Haitham dead I'm hesitant to take his claims too seriously. Is Haitham struggling financially? Probably. But I suspect he's still rich enough for our purposes.

All said, Haitham isn't a great pick. In retrospect wearing the demon mask was a mistake, as there were much higher quality men on offer. But what makes Haitham unique is that he's easy. He's ready to marry today, not in six months, and when he announces the marriage no one will be surprised; the surface-level interpretation will be that he charmed another beauty.

We get his money, we get his soul, we deal with whatever Hilmi throws our way, we get on with our plan.

 

[Indivisible]

It's clear from what both he and other people have said that Haitham's word isn't worth much. He seems to treat an offer of marriage in the same way other people treat offers to go out. Any relationship can't be relied on to be longterm, so we should milk him for what he's got.

[x] Lead him on. Keep him interested and hopeful and pliable, but with no intention of actually marrying him. It will mean cutting back on her other flirtations, though, or at least not getting caught. Basically the same thing, right?

And What's Her Rationale For Her Choice She Doesn't Tell Him?
[X] Getting access to the dig sites on his family's lands

 

[veekie]

[x] Lead him on. Keep him interested and hopeful and pliable, but with no intention of actually marrying him. It will mean cutting back on her other flirtations, though, or at least not getting caught. Basically the same thing, right?

[X] Getting access to the dig sites on his family's lands

 

[toxinvictory]

[X] Yes. Of course! Who could turn down such a handsome, wealthyman who's the second-in-line to a powerful jansi?
[X] You are a rich fool offering me everything I want for the foreseeable future. I will milk you dry, make your jansi my own, and, if you can learn from my proddings well enough to become an attentive and biddable lover, keep you around as part of the harem.

 

[Aleph]

So, hmm. I'm of the opinion that a "gentle no" is the worst choice here. It means we get nothing from him, and we don't even get him off our back - because he won't take a gentle no as a "no", he'll take it as a "try again by pestering her". If we're gonna have him pestering us to marry him, we should at least be leading him on deliberately to string gifts out of him and solve our money issues.

By the same metric, I don't think "yes" is a good idea - yet. It means committing ourselves to a faction now, and while I fully intend to pick a side eventually, doing so before getting a better lay of the land seems... unwise. Especially since there are hints that this guy isn't the catch he's presenting himself as - quite apart from anything else, he's pathologically lazy, or he wouldn't be asking like this.

So it's a toss-up between a hard no and leading him on. And @VagueZ gives some convincing reasoning for why I think leading him on is the more interesting, in-character choice that opens up a way for Rena to have some important character development onscreen rather than just skipping there immediately. I have a yen for character grown and personal development, so I'll pursue that gladly.

[X] Lead him on. Keep him interested and hopeful and pliable, but with no intention of actually marrying him. It will mean cutting back on her other flirtations, though, or at least not getting caught. Basically the same thing, right?

And What's Her Rationale For Her Choice She Doesn't Tell Him?
[X] Getting access to the dig sites on his family's lands

 

[mothematics]

[X] Lead him on. Keep him interested and hopeful and pliable, but with no intention of actually marrying him. It will mean cutting back on her other flirtations, though, or at least not getting caught. Basically the same thing, right?
[X] Because she can get away with it, and she wants to, and that's all the reason she has ever needed to do anything.

 

[Elero]

[X] Lead him on. Keep him interested and hopeful and pliable, but with no intention of actually marrying him. It will mean cutting back on her other flirtations, though, or at least not getting caught. Basically the same thing, right?
[X] Getting access to the dig sites on his family's lands

 

[boo600]

I... have no words.

There's just so many ways to play this. I feel like I'm trying to come up with a way to kill 682- "There's a lot of good options, but none of them seem like they'll really work out in the end. What haven't we tried before?"

This... I just... no. Gehiterf.jeirog ergege.

(Rebooting)

I mean, it's dynastic politics, but toned down so much that I just have no idea how to respond. Do we act like an actual person, or Machiavelli in miniature hidden behind a smiling face (which may have eaten a soul)?

I mean, we can steal souls (and thus faces). I'm kinda wondering if he has any resources worth looting. I mean, we've taken ONE soul so far, and it was basically a sentient mouse. (Small god. Whatever). Let's steal souls!

No, boo600. Bad. I can hear your typed words even now! But why, I ask? He has a soul. He doesn't have an irreplaceable skillset. He has money. We're alone with him.

But people will catch us, you say. 'Okay, how?' I ask. No one actually knows for certain that we're the one he was seen with, barring people he's told. Besides, we'll look like him. If people don't believe us, we'll eat their souls, too.

But the expedition, you cry! Meh. There's a Wyldstorm. Let's take some souls and head into that! Then we'll come back for the Jadescroll treasures, with an army of Raksha at our back! We'll take Amigere's soul, so he can't tell anyone, and lead a full-scale invasion!

Bleh. Sorry, guys, I seem to be channeling Psycho Gecko somehow. I don't know why; I haven't read Worm in a while, and I haven't even started on World Domination in Retrospect.
In any case, rest assured: I want to find whatever random treasure that Jadescroll leads to as much as you do.

Then we can take their souls.