[X] Markus- the spy, the information-broker.
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You leaned back and sighed, a soft exhalation, unheard over the clamour of the city outside the carriage.
The troubles plaguing the city ran far deeper than purely monetary concerns. A city's infrastructure was necessarily designed to handle new arrivals, but this was far more than a handful of new arrivals. No- this was hundreds, thousands of new citizens, fleeing the troubles of the outside world and seeking safe harbour within its walls.
If only that were the only problem. No- in turn, hundreds of refugees meant that the jobs those hundreds had previously performed were now going unfulfilled. Hundreds of farms were now left untended; scores of minor villages were now missing seamstresses, hedgewitches, blacksmiths, labourers. Lyen's End, its resources already stretched dealing with such an influx of new arrivals, would find itself dealing with the additional issue of suddenly losing a great portion of the infrastructure cities relied on to function.
And yet those same refugees considered this half-life, this existence of begging at street corners for the silver to feed for a night, better than living outside the city's walls.
Something unnatural was stirring in Lyen's End. Unsurprising- under Nicholais' rule, the natural order had found itself twisted and perversed with near-ritual regularity. It would be more surprising if a single year under Nathaniel's rule had somehow healed the land.
Your fingers unconsciously tugged at the cuff of your sleeve, a nervous habit ingrained in you from the time you were a child.
The problems here were not something you could so easily deal with- not if they had already spread this far, not if the very land itself had come to accept the twisted
wrongness that even now seeped through the stone and blood of the city. Again, unsurprising- if this were a simple matter, Nathaniel would hardly have asked
you to handle it. You were investigating this not from any lingering sense of affection for Nathaniel, but rather from necessity.
Put simply; you had more experience dealing with the twisted arcane energies that had scarred the land than any of the servants the King actually trusted. Half-asleep and naked, you could quell in minutes that which would take them hours to isolate and contain. You were almost certainly not the King's first choice to deal with this; you were likely the
only person with both the power and experience to deal with this in a timely manner.
Which led to your current status; being escorted to the Duke's palace by an armed contingent of guardsmen.
This was not how you had imagined being escorted when you had turned on Nicholais. Not that you were going to complain, of course.
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A looming threat hangs over the city, but an even larger threat looms over the countryside. Fey creatures devastate the city, appearing and slaughtering citizens by the dozens before guardsmen can respond. If this is deemed preferable to living in the countryside- what is
happening out there?
Thankfully, you did not come
entirely ill-prepared. You'd brought...
[X] Weaponry- as you understand weaponry, anyway; your definition of these things always seems to differ from that of most. Blades of iron, chains of silver. Salt. Blessed water. A chalice, cleaned and sanctified- wide-brimmed, the better to catch your blood in. It is not perfect, by any means- but then, if you play your cards right, you should only rarely be engaging directly in combat. You
repel and
disengage, you do not stand for a protracted fight.
-
Gives you access to various defensive materials, useful for fortifying and preparing defensive locations, as well as repelling and banishing spiritual opposition. These materials synergize very well with your Skirmish and Malison skills.
-
Additionally, gain 5 XP.
[X] Research materials. Books, yes, but also maps, journals, quills and ink and paper abundant. Your knowledge of occult matters is extensive, but by its very nature, magic is unknowable, unquantifiable. The notes of those before you will help, to an extent. You can classify, you can learn, you can prepare.
-
Gives you access to various research journals and histories of the area, as well as maps of the area, both in and out of the city. The benefits should be obvious. These materials synergize very well with your Occultism and Alchemy skills.
-
Additionally, gain 5 XP.
[X] Your grimoire. An ancient thing of blood-stained hide and a pungent stench, your grimoire contains extensive notes on the preparations and habits of performing rituals- a powerful type of magic, a restrained type of magic. You prefer to utilize your malison and invocation when necessary, but there are times when rituals suffice better.
-
Gives you access to a grimoire, granting you access to the Rituals skill. This skill will automatically gain two ranks; further ranks must be purchased with XP as normal.
