Over time, many cities had claimed to be the axis upon which the world turns. For just a few, it had a ring of truth. Alumahi was such a city. Founded in time immemorial, many empires had flown their banners from its walls, but the City of Markets had endured them all. For you though, this city is home. Foreigners might see its strange customs and people and be bewildered, but you never knew differently then to hear five different tongues spoken on your way to the market, and five yet again different ones on the way back. Your family is one of many who had carved out their own place here. By far not one of the great houses, but large enough for its name to be known.
Gold and Treachery - A Trade Magnate Quest
- Thread starter Azel
- Start date
- Original
- Created
- Status
- Ongoing
- Watchers
- 132
- Recent readers
- 0
- Threadmarks
- 18
-
Statistics (8 threadmarks, 21k words)
User Total Azel 8 -
Loading…
-
Loading…
Prologue - House Selection
- Location
- Germany
Over time, many cities had claimed to be the axis upon which the world turns. Place where great conqueror, emperors and sorcerers built their palaces, or those who believed themselves to be such. For most, it was empty bluster. For a few though? For a few, it had a ring of truth. Alumahi was such a city. Founded in time immemorial, many empires had flown their banners from its walls, but the City of Markets had endured them all.
To this day, the city sits on the periphery of many great realms, growing fat off the trade ships and caravans meeting in the one place where the quarrels and wars of great empires are a far away concern. Since the great Metuan Empire fell, no one managed to claim Alumahi as their own, leaving the city to be ruled by the whims of the great trade houses instead. But it is not by their blood that they rule and even the fortunes of the eldest dynasty can turn to ashes in an instant. Coin and treachery is what rules the city called the Whore of the Seas.
For you though, this city is home. Foreigners might see its strange customs and people and be bewildered, but you never knew differently then to hear five different tongues spoken on your way to the market, and five yet again different ones on the way back. Your family is one of many who had carved out their own place here. By far not one of the great houses, but large enough for its name to be known.
Your family is:
[] House Sarraqu
The Atawan Coast to the west has been infested with pirates since the days of the Metuan Empires fall, raiding both shipping and the coasts around them for plunder and slaves . Most traders would rather not travel these waters at all, preferring the longer, northern routes, but the city of Firaspur, trading in purple dye and gold brought from the far south, still beckons many to try. Your family has been braving these waters for a long time and made a fortune from it despite the risk. This could not have happened without finding some arrangements with the pirate fleets though, and while no one could ever prove that a galley flying the green eagle of the Sarraqu has engaged in piracy itself, the rumours are still persistent. But you know that it does not have to be this way. Respect can be earned, even if it will be hard. Or it can be compelled with the power bought with gold and purple.
Advantages:
[] House Qardu
Just as no one can recall when Alumahi has been founded, so can no one remember when the Apnagu Islands just north of it have not been fought over. Small and barren, they are of little value, but they offered shelter to many people from all over the White and Blue Seas. Cults and pirates had their hideouts here, always trailed by fleet of one state or another, who just as often fought each other. On one of those small islands, a small mercenary fleet had been founded and its leader would decades later found the House Qardu after settling in Alumahi. Unlike many other houses, your family is mostly renowned for their skill as warriors, not traders and though it brought renown and riches, it also brought many enemies. Yours is a legacy that, had your ancestors not taken coin for their deeds, would be fit for any conqueror. You can write the next pages in that history, or maybe it is time to start a different chapter.
Advantages:
[] House Senwet
South of Alumahi, beyond the mountains, lay the lands of the Demadi and there your family has made its meager fortunes. Trading solely by caravans is an oddity in a city ruled fleets and the riches they bring, even worse is that your family rarely trades in things more exiting then chick peas and lentils. However, a city the size of Alumahi needs to feed its people somehow and the barren coast leaves little room for farmland. So while you can only dream of the hauls of gold and spices other merchants expect, your ties to the fertile lands of Wat Xetyw meant that your house had always a steady income and even the Persum of Alumahi has a vested interested in keeping it that way, lest he face starving beggars dragging him from his palace. Humble your status may be now, but even the great houses once started thus and maybe you will find the power and respect you crave outside the walls of Alumahi.
Advantages:
[] House Lipern
When the Metuan Empire began to decline, the Deucallian people began to dream of the ancient times in which they were, at least in their own opinion, the sole beacon of civilization in a dark world of barbarism. So they rebelled and built the city of Panike as a symbol of their new empire. In these times though, it is only known as the Panike Protectorate, for its grip on its territory is ever weakening, corruption and civil war gnawing on the foundations of the once great nation. In these lands, your house was founded and for many generations, it ruled vast lands in the Deucallian heartland. Through treachery, your ancestors were exiled, their titles revoked, and they fled to Alumahi with only a tiny fraction of their once vast wealth. Today, this legacy is all but forgotten, the lands of your family having changed hands dozens of times and the name Lipern becoming just another house of traders in Alumahi. But it does not have to be this way. You still remember and you can make others remember it too.
Advantages:
To this day, the city sits on the periphery of many great realms, growing fat off the trade ships and caravans meeting in the one place where the quarrels and wars of great empires are a far away concern. Since the great Metuan Empire fell, no one managed to claim Alumahi as their own, leaving the city to be ruled by the whims of the great trade houses instead. But it is not by their blood that they rule and even the fortunes of the eldest dynasty can turn to ashes in an instant. Coin and treachery is what rules the city called the Whore of the Seas.
For you though, this city is home. Foreigners might see its strange customs and people and be bewildered, but you never knew differently then to hear five different tongues spoken on your way to the market, and five yet again different ones on the way back. Your family is one of many who had carved out their own place here. By far not one of the great houses, but large enough for its name to be known.
Your family is:
[] House Sarraqu
The Atawan Coast to the west has been infested with pirates since the days of the Metuan Empires fall, raiding both shipping and the coasts around them for plunder and slaves . Most traders would rather not travel these waters at all, preferring the longer, northern routes, but the city of Firaspur, trading in purple dye and gold brought from the far south, still beckons many to try. Your family has been braving these waters for a long time and made a fortune from it despite the risk. This could not have happened without finding some arrangements with the pirate fleets though, and while no one could ever prove that a galley flying the green eagle of the Sarraqu has engaged in piracy itself, the rumours are still persistent. But you know that it does not have to be this way. Respect can be earned, even if it will be hard. Or it can be compelled with the power bought with gold and purple.
Advantages:
- Pirate Connections – Your family had cordial relationships with various pirate groups of the Atawan Coast for centuries, making the western trade routes far safer for you as long as you keep to those agreements and pay a few bribes.
Trade routes to the Atawan Coast are more costly in upkeep, but also significantly safer. - Skilled Commanders – Through the long history of sailing the most dangerous trade routes, House Sarraqu had always need of skilled commanders that could keep a clear head and bring their galley out of a dangerous situation when needed. As a result, they have always made sure to train young officers on their ships to have a steady pool of talent to recruit from.
When spending an action to recruit commanders, you will have more skilled candidates and there will always be at least one commander available for recruitment .
- Known Pirate Associate – Being known to have relations with pirates means that more then a few people accuse your house of being pirates themselves. Sometimes they even claim you trade in slaves. While these rumors are usually not paid much attention to, they are as old as your house and can always be relied on to flare up whenever your house gains negative attention for some reason.
Lose additional reputation due to vicious rumours whenever losing reputation for any reason. - Distrust – The other problem brought by your reputation is that people tend to second-guess themselves before they trust you. After all, what if you truly are making common cause with pirates and slavers?
Diplomacy penalty when trying to gain peoples trust for military related actions (forming convoys, mercenary contracts, city defense, etc.).
[] House Qardu
Just as no one can recall when Alumahi has been founded, so can no one remember when the Apnagu Islands just north of it have not been fought over. Small and barren, they are of little value, but they offered shelter to many people from all over the White and Blue Seas. Cults and pirates had their hideouts here, always trailed by fleet of one state or another, who just as often fought each other. On one of those small islands, a small mercenary fleet had been founded and its leader would decades later found the House Qardu after settling in Alumahi. Unlike many other houses, your family is mostly renowned for their skill as warriors, not traders and though it brought renown and riches, it also brought many enemies. Yours is a legacy that, had your ancestors not taken coin for their deeds, would be fit for any conqueror. You can write the next pages in that history, or maybe it is time to start a different chapter.
Advantages:
- Military Tradition – Your family has a long history of warfare and is, sometimes grudgingly, respected for their skill at training men and leading them into battle. As such, your name carries a lot of weight in such matters.
Bonus to reputation for military actions and to diplomacy checks related to military related actions (forming convoys, mercenary contracts, city defense, etc.). - Nautical Maps – While traders can stick mostly to the same safe route as everyone else, a war fleet can hardly afford to be so predictable. As such, your house has maintained a large collection of nautical maps, especially of the treacherous waters of the Apnagu Islands in which many campaigns are fought.
Start with a high quality collection of nautical maps for the White and Blue Seas.
- No Trade – Your house is, as far as the gentry of Alumahi is concerned, an aberration. Besides a few abortive attempts to enter the pearl trade in the Apnagu Islands, the Qardu never were merchants and while in times of war, their coffers would swell, they could drain just as fast in times of peace.
Start only with war galleys and no stable source of income. - Grudges – There are more then a few cities on the coasts of the seas that remember the blue, winged lion of the Qardu on a sail. Not all of those memories are fond. Your family has fought many campaign and there are thus a lot of nobles and cities that carry a grudge for having been defeated by your ancestors.
Some foreign cities and noble houses start with a hostile opinion. You might not always be immediately aware of that fact.
[] House Senwet
South of Alumahi, beyond the mountains, lay the lands of the Demadi and there your family has made its meager fortunes. Trading solely by caravans is an oddity in a city ruled fleets and the riches they bring, even worse is that your family rarely trades in things more exiting then chick peas and lentils. However, a city the size of Alumahi needs to feed its people somehow and the barren coast leaves little room for farmland. So while you can only dream of the hauls of gold and spices other merchants expect, your ties to the fertile lands of Wat Xetyw meant that your house had always a steady income and even the Persum of Alumahi has a vested interested in keeping it that way, lest he face starving beggars dragging him from his palace. Humble your status may be now, but even the great houses once started thus and maybe you will find the power and respect you crave outside the walls of Alumahi.
Advantages:
- Too Important to Fall – Your house is one of many that use the caravan routes to the Demadi to import food into the city and whenever that line of supply had been cut in the past, it spelled grim tidings for the rulers of Alumahi. Thus, banditry, capricious tolls or high taxes are something your house never had to deal with.
Trade routes to the region of Wat Xetyw are extremely safe and cheap to maintain. - Noble Ties – The region of Wat Xetyw has been split into small, quarrelling states for centuries the trade routes to the north are one of the most important things to secure for a ruler there. Thus, your family has married local nobility multiple times and has good relations to a few houses of importance.
Good relations to a few noble houses in Wat Xetyw.
- Poor – While your income is steady, it is also rather small. It is very unlikely that you will face economic hardships, neither will you be able to easily save up enough money to expand.
Start with small income and minimal cash reserves. - Shunned – The name Senwet is old enough to be well known, despite your houses low station, but that also means that said low station has become a fixed part of your reputation. Foreign nobility sees you as barely more then a peasant and the great houses of Alumahi are not much better.
Diplomacy penalty when interacting with the rich of Alumahi and foreign nobility, except for Demadi nobility.
[] House Lipern
When the Metuan Empire began to decline, the Deucallian people began to dream of the ancient times in which they were, at least in their own opinion, the sole beacon of civilization in a dark world of barbarism. So they rebelled and built the city of Panike as a symbol of their new empire. In these times though, it is only known as the Panike Protectorate, for its grip on its territory is ever weakening, corruption and civil war gnawing on the foundations of the once great nation. In these lands, your house was founded and for many generations, it ruled vast lands in the Deucallian heartland. Through treachery, your ancestors were exiled, their titles revoked, and they fled to Alumahi with only a tiny fraction of their once vast wealth. Today, this legacy is all but forgotten, the lands of your family having changed hands dozens of times and the name Lipern becoming just another house of traders in Alumahi. But it does not have to be this way. You still remember and you can make others remember it too.
Advantages:
- Old Nobility – Your ancestors were nothing if not skilled at the games of courtly intrigue and they made sure to make connections in their new home. As your houses fortunes dwindled and the weight of old claims lessened, so did these connections, but you still maintain decent ties to many people of some import.
Start with good relationships to other trade houses. - Classical Education – Most members of your house had a good education in all branches of philosophy, as it was custom in Panike, and attended the Kassarium in Alumahi for their studies. Some even went so far as to learn sorcery there. Thus, the Kassarium, normally trying to keep its distance from the trade houses and their politics, has some fondness for the members of your house and the wider public has accepted that some Liperns learn the arcana arts.
Start with a good relationship to the Kassarium. No reputation penalty for family members learning non-divine magic.
- Reviled – The slander of your family's name in Panike has been of epic proportions and had ample time to seep in. By now, the name Lipern is basically synonymous with traitor for people of the Deucallian world and it would take some truly massive effort to ever change that.
All people of Panike and its protectorates have a extremely negative opinion of your house. People of Deucallian culture living elsewhere have a negative opinion of your house. - Suspected Bankruptcy – Your family has been living above its means for decades, but lately, it has become so bad that others haven taken notice. Rumour is that House Lipern owes multiple small moneylenders quite appreciable sums that, when put together, make some suspect that the family should be bankrupt.
Start in debt and with a reputation malus for suspected bankruptcy.
Last edited:
Character and Spreadsheets
- Location
- Germany
Patriarch Oreipolos Lipern
Born: 439 Enos Epei Eleuqeria
Traits:
Classical Education – You have been brought up with the teachings and insights of the ancient thinkers, which has left a mark on how you speak and act. Gain +1 Persuasion and Leadership against scholars and people sharing this trait.
Engineer – You received a full and practical education in natural philosophy, giving you the skills needed to plan buildings, ships and machines. Discount to the cost of buildings, ships and certain actions.
Diligent – You take joy from your work and will gladly put in extra effort to make sure it is perfect. Gain +1 AP per turn.
Vices:
Vainglory – You like to live in the glorious past of your house and act in accordance with that legacy. Some think you are overdoing it a bit.
Martial
Combat - 2
Command - 2
DiplomaticPersuasion - 4
Leadership - 3
MercantileNegotiation - 3
Administration - 4
IntrigueSubterfuge - 2
Espionage - 3
LearningMoral Philosophy - 4
Natural Philosophy - 5
Metaphysical Philosophy - 4
Menodora bint Ghaliya Lipern
Born: 438 Enos Epei Eleuqeria
Traits:
Street Rat - You have lived in the streets for a while and learned a lot in that time. Mostly how to acquire your next meal and how to stay out of trouble. Gain +1 to Persuasion, Negotiation and Subterfuge when dealing with commoners.
Seafarer - You have, either trough study or experience, learned much about navigation, naval combat and how to run a ship. Once per naval journey, you can roll a Command check twice and take the better result.
Vices:
Wanderlust – Staying at the same place for too long can quickly bore you and whenever life gets too much, you like nothing more than to travel for a while.
Martial
Combat - 4
Command - 5
DiplomaticPersuasion - 2
Leadership - 4
MercantileNegotiation - 3
Administration - 4
IntrigueSubterfuge - 3
Espionage - 2
LearningMoral Philosophy - 1
Natural Philosophy - 2
Metaphysical Philosophy - 1
Mathaqaf Philosophy - 3
Outstanding Loans
- 5 Wealth owed to a mix of various small-time lenders – 1 Wealth interest per turn
- 6 Wealth owed to a group of lenders from small houses – 1 Wealth interest per turn
Properties
Seat of House Lipern / Large Mansion (Azure District)
Base Upkeep – 1 Wealth
Accommodations III – 1 Wealth
Wine Cellar – 1 Wealth
Library IV – 1 Wealth
Total Upkeep – 4 Wealth
Dilapidated Tenements (Small Harbour)Estimated Value: 2 Wealth
No Upkeep / Profit
Ledgers-
Expected Actual Current Wealth 0 0 Income Trade Route - Iotian Republics 5 5 Trade Route - Dameriso (Spices) 7 8 Loan Taken 6 Recovered from Sarruk 1 Expenses Trade Routes -3 -3 Household -4 -4 Court Fines Payment -2 -2 Loan Paid (Qaypanu) -8 Interest -4 -2 Total -1 1
-
Expected Actual Current Wealth 0 0 Income Trade Route - Iotian Republics 5 5 Trade Route - Dameriso (Spices) 7 8 Loan Taken 6 Recovered from Sarruk 1 Expenses Trade Routes -3 -3 Household -4 -4 Court Fines Payment -2 -2 Loan Paid (Qaypanu) -8 Interest -4 -2 Total -1 1
-
Type Name Cargo Space Military Score Upkeep Small Trade Galley Dararu 1 0 1 Small Trade Galley Ashar 1 0 1 Small Trade Galley Issur Tanty 1 0 1 Small Trade Galley Khiar Albahr 1 0 1 Medium Trade Galley Hinsu 2 0 2 -
Destination Goods Maximum Cargo Upkeep
per ShipUpkeep
per CargoBound Funds
per CargoExpected Income
per CargoRisk Iotian Republics Mixed 7 0 1 7 3 Low Dameriso Spices 1 0 2 22 7 Low -
Route Ships Assigned Total
Cargo MovedTotal
Military ScoreTotal
UpkeepTotal
Bound FundsExpected
Total IncomeIotian Republics 3x Small Trade Galley (Dararu, Ashar, Issur Tanty)
1x Medium Trade Galley (Hinsu)5 0 10 35 15 Dameriso (Spices) Small Trade Galley 'Khiar Albahr' 1 0 3 22 7
-
Current Wealth 1 Income Trade Route - Iotian Republics 15 Trade Route - Dameriso (Spices) 7 Expenses Trade Route - Iotian Republics -10 Trade Route - Dameriso (Spices) -3 Household -4 Interest -2 Total 4
Last edited:
World and Diplomacy
- Location
- Germany
Diplomacy
Relationships
None of note.
Reputation
Alumahi – Public - -3
Between the Deucallians whispering about your house being traitors and the natives of Alumahi agreeing on account of your marriage, your reputation was already rather tarnished. Now though, the commoners have even begun laughing at your misfortune. Some even say Sarrut did the right thing by stealing from you.
Alumahi – Trade Houses - 0
The scandal of Sarruts betrayal has done heavy damage to your reputation among the other trade houses, wiping away all the progress you had made to restore your houses good standing in Alumahi.
Alumahi – Great Houses / Sibu – -4
While the Great Houses have largely shown indifference to House Lipern in years past, they now are actively cutting your out of their social circles. What they think of you, you can only guess from second hand accounts, but apparently the Sibu of Deucallian descend have begun whispering about potential treason from your house, if not by design, then by incompetence.
Alumahi – Ealim – +3
You still remain popular among the cities Ealim, even though recent events have slightly tarnished your name among them.
Deucallian Region / Panike –Everyone - -10
The scholars all agree: It is your family's fault that the Imperium Panikes golden age ended and that it was plunged into centuries of slow rot and decay. That is bad and you should feel bad.
Alumahi – Kassarium - +4
While the Kassarium tries to stay out of the politics of Alumahi, your family has brought forth so many scholars and philosophers that some ties have developed over the years and your own years of studying in its halls cotinued this.
World
TBD
Relationships
None of note.
Reputation
Alumahi – Public - -3
Between the Deucallians whispering about your house being traitors and the natives of Alumahi agreeing on account of your marriage, your reputation was already rather tarnished. Now though, the commoners have even begun laughing at your misfortune. Some even say Sarrut did the right thing by stealing from you.
-1 from Lipern Legacy
-1 from Ealim Marriage
-1 from the Sarrut Scandal
Alumahi – Trade Houses - 0
The scandal of Sarruts betrayal has done heavy damage to your reputation among the other trade houses, wiping away all the progress you had made to restore your houses good standing in Alumahi.
+4 from Lipern Legacy
-1 from Ealim Marriage
-3 from the Sarrut Scandal
Alumahi – Great Houses / Sibu – -4
While the Great Houses have largely shown indifference to House Lipern in years past, they now are actively cutting your out of their social circles. What they think of you, you can only guess from second hand accounts, but apparently the Sibu of Deucallian descend have begun whispering about potential treason from your house, if not by design, then by incompetence.
+2 from Lipern Legacy
-2 from Ealim Marriage
-4 from the Sarrut Scandal
Alumahi – Ealim – +3
You still remain popular among the cities Ealim, even though recent events have slightly tarnished your name among them.
+2 known at the Madrasa
+2 allied with House Hasna
-1 from the Sarrut Scandal
Deucallian Region / Panike –Everyone - -10
The scholars all agree: It is your family's fault that the Imperium Panikes golden age ended and that it was plunged into centuries of slow rot and decay. That is bad and you should feel bad.
-20 from Lipern Legacy
Alumahi – Kassarium - +4
While the Kassarium tries to stay out of the politics of Alumahi, your family has brought forth so many scholars and philosophers that some ties have developed over the years and your own years of studying in its halls cotinued this.
+2 from Lipern Legacy
+2 from having studied there in your youth
World
TBD
Last edited:
Background Information and Mechanics
- Location
- Germany
Background Information
None yet.
Mechanics
Skills
Each character possesses skills, ranked from 0 to 10. Most skills start with a rank 1 with the exception of skills in the Learning group, which start at 0 and can't be used until at least one rank in it has been gained. When a skill check is made, roll four six-sided dice or a number equal to the ranks you have in the skill, whichever is higher. To the rank in your skill, subtract one for each 1 or 2 rolled, and add one for each 5 or 6 rolled. If the final result is equal or greater then the difficulty (DC) of a task, it is a success. Rolling significantly above or below the target number may have additional effects beside basic success and failure, depending on the task in question. If two characters act in opposition to each other, such as when negotiating with each other, both roll the applicable skill and compare the result, with the character with the higher result emerging victories. Should both characters be tied, neither side has gained any advantage and usually the characters will simply try again.
An average amount of capability in a given skill equals the rank of 3, with 5 representing an expert. Higher values are rare and usually the result of much hard work and dedication of a character. Skills can also be modified by traits, which raise or lower their values, usually under specific circumstances.
Martial
Turns and Actions
During a turn, you gain a number of Action Points (AP) that can be spent on actions. There are two types of actions, regular actions and prolonged actions.
Regular actions require a fixed number of AP and Resources (see below) to be taken and have one or more skills and DCs associated with it. When taken, the associated checks are made and the actions succeeds or fails depending on the rolls. So, for example, a regular action might cost 1 AP and 1 Wealth to take and require a DC 4 Negotiation check. Some actions might be repeatable and can be taken again in later turns. Some actions can also have the chance to over-invest. In that case, a second price of AP and Resources is given and if spent, checks of the action will be rolled twice and the better result is taken.
Prolonged actions have no fixed AP cost and instead specify a cost of Resources per AP spent. Every time an AP is spent on a prolonged action, you roll the associated skills and add the result of that check to the progress of the action. Once the progress is equal or grater to the DC, the action concludes successfully. A prolonged action can not fail, but each turn in which it is actively worked on or has at least one progress, a random event might occur that can help or hinder the action. So, for example, a prolonged action might specify a cost of 1 Wealth per AP spent and a Administration DC of 20. If you decide to spend 2 AP on it, you have to expend 2 Wealth and can roll your Administration skill twice, adding the results together. If the total result is less then twenty, then a random event can occur for this action and you can spend further AP on it next turn to complete it then.
Resources
There are three kinds of Resources: Wealth, Goodwill and Secrets
Of the three, Wealth is the easiest to acquire and most universal. Wealth simply represents money, gold, trade goods or other forms of stored value and is used to pay for everything from the upkeep of your mansion to the bribes sent to an Emperor. More Wealth tends to be easy to acquire when you already have a lot of it and fairly difficult when you don't, so it is always advisable to keep a healthy reserve of it to weather unexpected problems. Bankruptcy is one way of losing the quest and occurs when you end a turn without any Wealth or assets that can be forcefully liquidated to generate the Wealth needed to pay for your expenses.
Goodwill and Secrets are tied to a specific person, group or institution, representing that they are willing to do you favors or that you can compel them to do so by extortion. You can gain Goodwill by dealing fairly with other people or doing them favors, while Secrets can be gained through espionage. Goodwill, once spent, tends to be gone for good, though having good relations to a group or person means that you might be passively generating Goodwill with them over time. Secrets on the other hand can be used as often as you like, but obviously the other party will greatly resent you for continuously extorting them. You can use Secrets instead of Goodwill for any action that requires it, but you should always be aware that doing so means that whatever you compelled the other party to do is done under duress, which means they will likely try to sabotage or hurt you in some fashion.
Relationships and Reputation
Every time you interact with other people or groups, it will be impacted by and impact in turn the relationship between you. This is tracked on a scale from -10 to +10, with positive values giving you bonuses when interacting with that party, while negative values giving penalties. Reputation is working in the same way, but tracks the opinion of large groups, such as the upper class of an entire city, or that of the population of a realm. When interacting with a person for the first time, your reputation in groups to which that person belongs influences their starting relationship to you.
None yet.
Mechanics
Skills
Each character possesses skills, ranked from 0 to 10. Most skills start with a rank 1 with the exception of skills in the Learning group, which start at 0 and can't be used until at least one rank in it has been gained. When a skill check is made, roll four six-sided dice or a number equal to the ranks you have in the skill, whichever is higher. To the rank in your skill, subtract one for each 1 or 2 rolled, and add one for each 5 or 6 rolled. If the final result is equal or greater then the difficulty (DC) of a task, it is a success. Rolling significantly above or below the target number may have additional effects beside basic success and failure, depending on the task in question. If two characters act in opposition to each other, such as when negotiating with each other, both roll the applicable skill and compare the result, with the character with the higher result emerging victories. Should both characters be tied, neither side has gained any advantage and usually the characters will simply try again.
An average amount of capability in a given skill equals the rank of 3, with 5 representing an expert. Higher values are rare and usually the result of much hard work and dedication of a character. Skills can also be modified by traits, which raise or lower their values, usually under specific circumstances.
Martial
Combat - The skill for personal combat, covering armed and unarmed fighting, archery, hunting and similar tasks.
Command - Needed for commanding ships and soldiers on a tactical and strategic scale.
DiplomaticPersuasion - Used whenever characters try to convince each other of something.
Leadership - Leading and organizing large groups of people, be it a religious group, the workers in a business or a military unit.
MercantileNegotiation - Making deals and haggling about things, usually in an opposed check with another character.
Administration - Performing the clerical tasks, accounting and organizing of a business, a government or similar institutions.
IntrigueSubterfuge - The art of lying through your teeth.
Espionage - Gathering information on your enemies and hiding your own secrets.
LearningMoral Philosophy - The study of morality, ethics and how man should behave.
Natural Philosophy - The study of nature and it's phenomena.
Metaphysical Philosophy - The study of logic, causality, reason and the nature of the divine.
Religion - The religious lore of a specific faith.
Turns and Actions
During a turn, you gain a number of Action Points (AP) that can be spent on actions. There are two types of actions, regular actions and prolonged actions.
Regular actions require a fixed number of AP and Resources (see below) to be taken and have one or more skills and DCs associated with it. When taken, the associated checks are made and the actions succeeds or fails depending on the rolls. So, for example, a regular action might cost 1 AP and 1 Wealth to take and require a DC 4 Negotiation check. Some actions might be repeatable and can be taken again in later turns. Some actions can also have the chance to over-invest. In that case, a second price of AP and Resources is given and if spent, checks of the action will be rolled twice and the better result is taken.
Prolonged actions have no fixed AP cost and instead specify a cost of Resources per AP spent. Every time an AP is spent on a prolonged action, you roll the associated skills and add the result of that check to the progress of the action. Once the progress is equal or grater to the DC, the action concludes successfully. A prolonged action can not fail, but each turn in which it is actively worked on or has at least one progress, a random event might occur that can help or hinder the action. So, for example, a prolonged action might specify a cost of 1 Wealth per AP spent and a Administration DC of 20. If you decide to spend 2 AP on it, you have to expend 2 Wealth and can roll your Administration skill twice, adding the results together. If the total result is less then twenty, then a random event can occur for this action and you can spend further AP on it next turn to complete it then.
Resources
There are three kinds of Resources: Wealth, Goodwill and Secrets
Of the three, Wealth is the easiest to acquire and most universal. Wealth simply represents money, gold, trade goods or other forms of stored value and is used to pay for everything from the upkeep of your mansion to the bribes sent to an Emperor. More Wealth tends to be easy to acquire when you already have a lot of it and fairly difficult when you don't, so it is always advisable to keep a healthy reserve of it to weather unexpected problems. Bankruptcy is one way of losing the quest and occurs when you end a turn without any Wealth or assets that can be forcefully liquidated to generate the Wealth needed to pay for your expenses.
Goodwill and Secrets are tied to a specific person, group or institution, representing that they are willing to do you favors or that you can compel them to do so by extortion. You can gain Goodwill by dealing fairly with other people or doing them favors, while Secrets can be gained through espionage. Goodwill, once spent, tends to be gone for good, though having good relations to a group or person means that you might be passively generating Goodwill with them over time. Secrets on the other hand can be used as often as you like, but obviously the other party will greatly resent you for continuously extorting them. You can use Secrets instead of Goodwill for any action that requires it, but you should always be aware that doing so means that whatever you compelled the other party to do is done under duress, which means they will likely try to sabotage or hurt you in some fashion.
Relationships and Reputation
Every time you interact with other people or groups, it will be impacted by and impact in turn the relationship between you. This is tracked on a scale from -10 to +10, with positive values giving you bonuses when interacting with that party, while negative values giving penalties. Reputation is working in the same way, but tracks the opinion of large groups, such as the upper class of an entire city, or that of the population of a realm. When interacting with a person for the first time, your reputation in groups to which that person belongs influences their starting relationship to you.
Last edited:
Vote closed
Prologue - Character Generation
- Location
- Germany
Few of the common men who made up Alumahi could trace their lineage more then a generation or two. Most of the trade houses managed a century or two, maybe three or four for a house of particular importance or repute. House Lipern though? That was a name that had reverberated through the ages, all manners of titles adorning it and adding to its glory. Praetor might have been the oldest, bestowed upon your distanct ancestor by the king of Metua when it was still one of many such. Praeses was one that the Liperns bore often, administrating lands on the shores of the Blue Sea for what had become an empire, always serving faithfully and with distinction.
When you were young, you soaked up these stories like a sponge. The deeds of the great men who shaped the world into what it was were far more entertaining than the yarns spun by mere storytellers. They had a weight to them that fascinated you. What, you idly pondered after each lesson, was it like to live among these people that seemed so much larger then your own life? What was is like to sail with Irenaus Lipern against Augustus Tullus to avenge your slain father? What must Panike have been like in those early days, filled by heroes and scholars seeking to forge a new empire that was worthy of its name?
But the last was a question leading to painful answers. Answers that your Deucallian tutors preferred not to give you, instead leaving your father to fill in the gaps. The name of your family was a curse with few equals in Panike, ever since the Doux Auxeis 'proved' that Doux Lipern has been behind the plot to see Basileus Linus the Golden murdered. Today, the charge sounds almost comical. Barely a new Basileus rises in Panike today that is not rumoured to have done so over the dead body of his predecessor and that is if they not openly killed them on the field of battle.
Then though, it meant something. The Imperium Panike was young back then, still filled with the ideals and dreams it had been founded on. The alleged betrayal of the Liperns thus caused scorn of a magnitude that few ever had to bear. It was your families name that they cited as the first sign of the decay. Your ancestors role in building the great city and the realm had all but been forgotten, eclipsed wholly by the made up tales of how it was them who sowed the seeds of its long and slow fall. As a child, you had dreamed of one day visiting Panike to trace the steps of your kin. As you grew older, that dream faded, until only bitterness remained. For better or for worse, Alumahi was your home, not Panike.
Your path was solely your own and unlikely to ever intersect with the ones treaded by those long dead lords and heroes. You were only the son of a third son after all, not even standing to inherit anything more then a modest stipend to set you on a decent path in life. The Liperns took care of their own, doubly so after your parents passed from slow fewer and Andros, the old patriarch of the house, had all but adopted you.
Your childhood you had spent learning about…
[] [Childhood] The Arts of War
Your tutors were often exasperated by your insistence on covering topics such as Irenaus Liperns famous campaign through the White Sea or the decades that Cifos Lipern spent carefully bleeding out the steppe hordes to secure Panikes northern borders, but Andros was supportive of your interests and even arranged for a tutor in sword-fighting.
[] [Childhood] Oration
Your tutors had you study the art of oration, tricking you more then once into studying harder by assigning you to work on famous speeches of Emperors and Basileis of the past. It was in no small part your skilled and deliberate tongue that impressed Andros and had him often remark that he expected you to make it far in life.
[] [Childhood] The Classics
The house of Lipern always expected excellence from its children and you were no exception, being raised on the ideas and arguments of the greatest thinkers of the past millennia. Even as a small boy, you could already debate in all branches of philosophy, impressing many with the breadth of knowledge you already possessed.
As the years passed, so did many of your kin. Sickness, age and even plain accidents thinned the ranks of your aunts and uncles and their children. A few others left Alumahi to chase their own dreams. One of your cousins even renouncing your name entirely as he embraced the philosophy of Mathaqaf and went to the east, seeking to join a Madrasa. A minor scandal at the time, since the Ealim are still viewed with distrust in the city, even though it has been many years since they tried to take it with force.
When the time had come for you to learn a trade, you…
[] [Youth] Attended a Scribes School
Having learned your letters and numbers at a young age and with the wealth of the Liperns behind you, there was nothing barring your way from attending one of the best schools for scribes in Alumahi. Learning accounting and how to manage a household might not be prestigious, but it was one of the most sought after skills in the city and so you studied diligently.
[] [Youth] Worked for the Sibu
While nominally the Persum rules over Alumahi, everyone knows that the Council of the Sibu, the leaders of the great houses, is the true power in the city. Thanks to Andros pulling a few strings, you had the chance to see this for yourself in the years that you worked as a minor filing clerk in the Sibus offices. You have seen the difference between the grand speeches held for the people and the laws drafted in closed rooms and had more then a few brushes with the backroom dealings that Alumahi is famous for.
[] [Youth] Travelled the Seas
With no inheritance to keep you in the city and some of your kin having done the same, you managed to talk Andros into letting you see a bit of the world yourself, travelling both on the trade ships of house Lipern and others to the harbours of the White and Blue seas. When you came back, you can not rightfully claim that you learned any one particular skill, but you were much richer in life experience then any other man your age.
[] [Youth] Learned Natural Philosophy
Not many had access to the same tutors as you did and even fewer had kin that could trade favours with the Praeceptors of the Kassarium. Your were admitted much earlier to its halls then others and made sure that Andros did not regret having you enrolled, studying hard under the best engineers, shipwrights and natural philosophers that Alumahi had.
Not all was well though. Having grown up with few close friends and a dwindling number of kin, you picked up the habit of…
[] [Vice] Gambling
Having a stipend all your life left you with more coin than you strictly needed and one day, a pouch of silver on your belt, you decided to see a gambling den for yourself after hearing so much about these places. You instantly became enamoured with the clinking of dice and the deep strategies found in the card games that the Ealim were bringing from the east. Winning or loosing did not matter much to you, just the thrill of the game.
[] [Vice] Drinking
Many goods come and go through Alumahi, among them many kinds of alocohol. Demadi beer and Deucallian wine make for good provisions on long sea voyages and most sailors and rowers prefer it to water even when they are not at sea. Your family hardly kept such things away from you, but as you grow older, you began to notice that drinking a cup or two more then was strictly polite could help to unwind after a stressful day. Maybe it did not always stop at one or two cups more, but you were always up bright and early the next day anyway, so where was the harm?
[] [Vice] Whoring
With your parents a distant memory and your adoptive father Andros having to act distant for the sake of decorum, you have long been starved for affection. As you later found out though, you can buy even some companionship and closeness. It might not have been real, but for that moment, it was real enough for you to forget your worries.
[] [Vice] Vainglory
Having been brought up on stories of your families glory left an impression on you. The name Lipern was one of the greatest in Panike and while you know that this lays in the past, you still always had a hard time to accept that. Even as you had grown into a man, you still sometimes retreated to your rooms when the world became too much to bear, living a day or two in the great past of your house, and you are always quick to regale others with those tales that are so dear to your heart.
[] [Vice] Feasting
You always had a fondness for good food, be it the honeyed sweets of the north or the hearty and spicy meats from the east. Bead might nourish the body, but a lavish meal could also nourish the soul, so the Metuans had believed and you could not agree more. Sure, you have put on a few pounds from it and your taste has not always been easy on your purse, but there were so much worse things you could have done against your sorrows then eating a third helping of glazed beef.
Authors Note: Vices are not debilitating, but represent a way for your characters to cope with stress and personal hardship. There are some repercussions in specific situations, such as a gambler being more likely to accept an ill advised bet or a vainglorious characters having trouble to back down when his station is challenged, but picking drinking as your vice won't mean you spend half you days black-out drunk.
The years passed and finally, it was time for you to leave the household to strike out on your own and though you had somewhat dreaded that day for many years, when it actually came, it was a welcome change. Not long before, Andros had passed away in his sleep, leaving the name and fortune of house to his grandson and your cousin Minuwrios. With him, the last living kin you had in the city, you had never gotten along all that way.
Lazy and wasteful were the terms that the servants called him behind his back, and he was aware of those whispers. He was also aware of how much the old patriarch had doted on you and what that might have meant for the inheritance he had expected for his whole life. As the years went on, he became distrustful of you and outright hostile after Andros' death, even though the seal of the house passed on to him. So when your studies were completed, you left the mansion of your family, expecting never to return.
That was three years ago and now you had to return. Minuwrios was dead and there was plenty of gossip about how and why he passed. Some said he drank himself to death out of financial worries. Others claimed poison, but to be fair, they claimed poison when a Deucallian noble was found with a blade still sticking from his chest. A few even whispered that a cousin had slain him for the inheritance, blissfully unaware to whom they were retelling that particular theory. You could not rightfully claim that you mourned the man that your cousin had become, but you did still feel a twinge of sadness at having lost the boy you knew in your youth and maybe the last kin in the world at that.
You were now house Lipern. A history of fifteen centuries and it was you alone who could carry it on.
Last edited:
Vote closed
Turn 1 – 461 Enos Epei Eleuqeria
- Location
- Germany
Turn 1 – 461 Enos Epei Eleuqeria
As you sat there and weighed the seal in your hands, you could not help but remember the story of how it came to be. After the massacre of the Metuan Senate, your ancestor Irenaus Lipern swore that he would not rest until he had brought Augustus Tullus severed head before the senate. Tullus died before he could make good on that promise, his body sinking to the bottom of the sea together with his personal galley. So instead, Irenaus beheaded a statue from the hated emperors own palace and brought that before the empty senate in Metua itself.
When the first Senate of Panike came together a few years later, they unanimously voted to carve their seals from this symbol of their victory over their oppressors. You had marvelled at it when you were still a boy, the seal bound by blood to Andros, and now it was yours. The Abbuti that your cousin had hired to discharge his will was visibly annoyed that you took your time, but this was something that deserved to be done deliberately. With the offered knife, you pricked your finger, then carefully traced the olive wreath and the lyre that were your houses symbols with your blood, which immediately disappeared into the flawless white stone without a trace. It was almost disappointing that all the artifact in your hand did was to become slightly warm.
The voice of your houses Sakellarius took you from your revery, the old man bowing deeply to you. "It is a great honour to be the first to address you as Patriarch Lipern, my lord."
"Thank you, Sarrut.", was the only thing you could answer to this. He had been working for Andros longer then you had been alive, always taking care of the household and the houses finances, but while you had fond memories of the affable scribe, this was not the moment to treat him like an old friend.
With a slight cough, the Abbuti drew your attention back to him, offering yet another legal document. "With this, the city of Alumahi, represented by the honoured Persum Vibius Aulus, recognizes you, Oreipolos Lipern, as the legal heir to all estates, rights and obligations of the honoured house of Lipern. If you would be so kind?"
The seal, your seal, was pressed onto the rough parchment, leaving a red imprint on it, and with that it was done. Now you were the patriarch of the house and there was plenty of work to do.
Traits:
Classical Education – You have been brought up with the teachings and insights of the ancient thinkers, which has left a mark on how you speak and act. Gain +1 Persuasion and Leadership against scholars and people sharing this trait.
Engineer – You received a full and practical education in natural philosophy, giving you the skills needed to plan buildings, ships and machines. Discount to the cost of buildings, ships and certain actions.
Diligent – You take joy from your work and will gladly put in extra effort to make sure it is perfect. Gain +1 AP per turn.
Vices:
Vainglory – You like to live in the glorious past of your house and act in accordance with that legacy. Some think you are overdoing it a bit.
Martial
Classical Education – You have been brought up with the teachings and insights of the ancient thinkers, which has left a mark on how you speak and act. Gain +1 Persuasion and Leadership against scholars and people sharing this trait.
Engineer – You received a full and practical education in natural philosophy, giving you the skills needed to plan buildings, ships and machines. Discount to the cost of buildings, ships and certain actions.
Diligent – You take joy from your work and will gladly put in extra effort to make sure it is perfect. Gain +1 AP per turn.
Vices:
Vainglory – You like to live in the glorious past of your house and act in accordance with that legacy. Some think you are overdoing it a bit.
Martial
Combat - 2
Command - 2
DiplomaticPersuasion - 4
Leadership - 3
MercantileNegotiation - 3
Administration - 4
IntrigueSubterfuge - 2
Espionage - 3
LearningMoral Philosophy - 4
Natural Philosophy - 5
Metaphysical Philosophy - 4
You have 6 AP to spend.
Financial
When you were given the first accounting of House Liperns finances, you were shocked to the bone. You always had assumed that your family had been rich. Money had never been a matter of worry after all. But the short statement put together by Sarrut, was dire indeed. There was barely any money left in the mansions vault, not even enough to cover the interest for the outstanding loans, some of which were taken at truly preposterous rates. At the same time, the trade fleet barely made more coin then it took to keep the family mansion staffed and maintained.
Last Turns Income: 1
Current Wealth: 3
Outstanding Loans:
- 5 Wealth owed to a mix of various small-time lenders – 1 Wealth interest per turn
- 2 Wealth owed to the city for outstanding court fines – no interest, but must be paid back within 2 turns
- 8 Wealth owed to Sillaniu Qaypanu, a well-known usurer – 3 Wealth interest per turn
Sarrut reassured you that he would do his utmost to cut costs in the household and to make the trade fleet more profitable, suggesting you instead should have seen about acquiring more loans to keep the vault filled for now, but you had your doubts. He was rather tight-lipped about the details of expenses and income. Some of it was probably habit. Since Andros never paid that close attention to your families mercantile interests and Minuwrios hated ledgers with a passion, Sarrut had been running the businesses side of things alone for decades. Still though, it seemed as if your Sakellarius could not fix this on his own and feared to be blamed for the situation.
[] Get another loan. (1 AP, DC 4 Persuasion check, DC 2 Negotiation check)
With your coffers almost entirely empty, you lack the funds to invest into anything, and it might help your situation if you could pay off some of the loans with prosperously high interest rates. However, with House Lipern being suspected of bankruptcy, it might not be easy to get a loan.
[] Look at the books yourself. (2 AP, DC ??? Administration)
Whatever Sarruts reasoning for keeping details of your businesses to himself, you can ill afford his secrecy. Look at the books yourself and see where the pains of your house stem from.
[] Try to strike a deal with Sillaniu Qaypanu. (1 AP, DC 3 Negotiation check)
The loan to this one moneylender represents most of your houses debt and it was taken at a quiet ludicrous interest rate at that. If you could somehow find a way to renegotiate the terms, there would be much less pressure on your coffers. However, Qaypanu is not known to have much compassion for his debtors and it is hard to guess what he might demand in return.
Diplomatic
Sillaniu Qaypanu – Moneylender / Usurer - +2
A man known widely for being a discrete and reliable lender, but also for charging exorbitant interest rates and is ruthless means of getting his money back. Owns a bathhouse near the Red Bazaar, from which he runs his business.
A man known widely for being a discrete and reliable lender, but also for charging exorbitant interest rates and is ruthless means of getting his money back. Owns a bathhouse near the Red Bazaar, from which he runs his business.
+1 from Reputation (Trade Houses)
+1 from punctual interest payment
Alumahi – Public - -1
The wider population of Alumahi has been given little reason to care about your house one way or another, but the influence of the Deucallian people in the city still dampens your reputation somewhat.
Alumahi – Trade Houses - +2
Even though the station and prestige of House Lipern has dwindled, your name has still weight and meaning among the other trade houses and many wish to sun themselves in some reflected glory by associating with you. Lately though, rumours have put a dampener on that.
Alumahi – Great Houses / Sibu - 0
To the Sibu, your houses name has lost most of it's lustre. The time where they were proud to house your family in defiance of Panikes will are long gone and recent rumours are eroding what little goodwill you had left.
Deucallian Region / Panike –Everyone - -10
The scholars all agree: It is your family's fault that the Imperium Panikes golden age ended and that it was plunged into centuries of slow rot and decay. That is bad and you should feel bad.
Alumahi – Kassarium - +4
While the Kassarium tries to stay out of the politics of Alumahi, your family has brought forth so many scholars and philosophers that some ties have developed over the years and your own years of studying in its halls cotinued this.
The wider population of Alumahi has been given little reason to care about your house one way or another, but the influence of the Deucallian people in the city still dampens your reputation somewhat.
-1 from Lipern Legacy
Alumahi – Trade Houses - +2
Even though the station and prestige of House Lipern has dwindled, your name has still weight and meaning among the other trade houses and many wish to sun themselves in some reflected glory by associating with you. Lately though, rumours have put a dampener on that.
+4 from Lipern Legacy
-2 from suspected bankruptcy
Alumahi – Great Houses / Sibu - 0
To the Sibu, your houses name has lost most of it's lustre. The time where they were proud to house your family in defiance of Panikes will are long gone and recent rumours are eroding what little goodwill you had left.
+2 from Lipern Legacy
-2 from suspected bankruptcy
Deucallian Region / Panike –Everyone - -10
The scholars all agree: It is your family's fault that the Imperium Panikes golden age ended and that it was plunged into centuries of slow rot and decay. That is bad and you should feel bad.
-20 from Lipern Legacy
Alumahi – Kassarium - +4
While the Kassarium tries to stay out of the politics of Alumahi, your family has brought forth so many scholars and philosophers that some ties have developed over the years and your own years of studying in its halls cotinued this.
+2 from Lipern Legacy
+2 from having studied there in your youth
You never had considered the possibility that it would fall on your shoulders to represent the name Lipern and with your sudden ascension, there was no change to make the connections that would be vital to your houses prosperity. Certainly, you had a reputation that you could leverage and you did make some contacts in the Masurium, but that alone would not cut it. This could be remedied though and with the ascension of a new Patriarch of a house usually being celebrated with a banquet, you even had the perfect opportunity to do so.
Invite your peers to a simple feast and some socializing.
[VAINGLORY] Such a meagre display would be unworthy of the name Lipern.
[] Organize a simple banquet. (1 AP, 3 Wealth)
Invite your peers to a feast and a traditional symposium with music and poetry.
[] Organize a banquet. (2 AP, 8 Wealth)
Invite the trade houses and scholars of Alumahi to a feast with dancers and singers to entertain them, followed by a traditional symposium to debate philosophy.
What you needed above all else though were new trade contacts. Even without knowing the details of your houses agreements with the Inotian republics in the north-west, you knew what these cities craved the most. Spices. And for better or for worse, the spice trade was entirely in the hand of the Ealim traders from the east, who were still viewed with great suspicion after their repeated attempts to conquer Alumahi. Few of the minor houses were associating with them for fear of the social costs and the Sibu saw it as a matter of pride to shun them. Maybe you could have struck a deal or two to increase your profits?
On the other hand, there was the caravan trade with the Demadi to the south. Ever since the Ealim conquered the lands of Qabwet and with that the Demadis ports, the spice trade had ground to a halt there, leaving only far less profitable bulk goods such as lentils, chick peas and beer for the caravans. That trade was not very profitable and the houses conducting it not very prestigious, but the capital needed to join in was also comparatively small. Though there was the chance of others seeking to besmirch House Liperns honour for trade routes looked down upon by many, there was equal chance to find good deals among those houses craving greater recognition by associating with you.
[] Seek Opportunities: Visit the Madrasa (1 AP, DC 5 checks in all Philosophy skills)
The most common place for the wealthy Ealim traders to gather is the small Madrasa of Alumahi. If you can prove yourself worthy of attending their discussions and seminars, you should be able to make some useful contacts there.
[] Seek Opportunities: Visit the Red Bazaar (1 AP)
This bazaar in the centre of the less affluent southern districts of Alumahi is the most important exchange for the food trade. Around it are also found the homes of the more affluent Demadi and those houses who trade primarily with the south. See if you can meet some people here with whom you can do some business.
Intrigue
Though it never was something you had spent much thought on, you still knew enough about courtly intrigue to try your hand at it.
[] Gather Rumours (1 AP, DC 0 Espionage check)
Gossip and rumours are as much the lifeblood of this city as gold is. Spend some time listening to the rumour mill and see if you can pick up something useful. (Increases quality of this turns rumour mill.)
[] Investigate Minuwrios Death (2 AP, DC ??? Espionage check)
The death of your cousin leaves many open questions. He was young and reasonably healthy, and his body was buried surprisingly quickly. Then there are those fines that you have never heard about before and for which you have no explanation, just the written order of the court that your house has to pay them. You need to find out what happened in the last three years.
[] Look for Secrets (1 AP, Espionage check, overspending: 1 AP, 1 Wealth)
See if you can find something with which you can extort someone.
-[] Sillaniu Qaypanu (DC 6)
-[] Write-In (DC ???)
Personal
Even though you were now the Patriarch of House Lipern, you still existed as a person outside of that title.
[] Sell Posessions (1 AP)
Your house has accumulated many books, art and trinkets over its long history. It is not uncommon for a new patriarch to sell a few things that he has no interest in keeping and the money might not hurt right now.
[] Spend time at the Kassarium (1 AP)
It has been a while since you went to the Kassarium. Spend some time there to catch up with old acquaintances and see if you can maybe make a few new ones.
[] Learn at the Kassarium (2 AP)
Try to improve one of your skills. (Note: Sorcery requires you to have a sponsor who has taught you the basics of a magical tradition. It is currently unavailable.)
-[] Write-In which skill
[] Learn at Home (1 AP)
While learning on you own without at tutor will likely yield not as good results, studying on your own means that you can easily do so on your own schedule. Thankfully, the mansion has a good library covering many topics.
-[] Write-In which skill (maximum rank 3)
[] Look for a Wife (1 AP)
As the last known Lipern, it is up to you to make sure that your houses legacy does not end with you. Look for a prospective bride.
[] Practice Philosophy (1 AP)
You have spend much of your young life learning what others have discovered or though up. It is time to see if you too can make some additions to the worlds shared knowledge.
Pick one:
-[] Moral Philosophy
-[] Natural Philosophy
-[] Metaphysical Philosophy
[] Turn to Religion (1 AP)
You have never paid more then lip-service to the gods, as many in your family did. Now though, with the enormity of the tasks before you sinking in, you wonder if that is worth changing. After all, beyond the miracles performed by the priests, there are plenty of tales about people whom the gods helped in their time of need. See what the faiths of Alumahi have to say for themselves.
Pick one:
-[] Metuan / Deucallian Gods
-[] Demadi Gods
-[] Philosophy of Mathaqaf
-[] Minor Cults
Authors Note: Plan voting only please.
Last edited:
Vote closed
Turn 1 – Results Part 1
- Location
- Germany
Turn 1 – Results Part 1
[] Look at the books yourself. (2 AP, DC ??? Administration)
Whatever Sarruts reasoning for keeping details of your businesses to himself, you can ill afford his secrecy. Look at the books yourself and see where the pains of your house stem from.
With your financial woes by far the most pressing concern, you threw yourself at the books, trying your best to find the reason for your ships bad performance. However, after the first few weeks of checking the details of Sarruts work, your enthusiasm dimmed markedly. Maybe the reason that your Sakellarius was rather hesitant to comply with your order was that he was worried you would deem him incompetent after what you saw. It is a mess, pure and simple and while the old man has decades of experience that help him work with the chaos of barely legible notes, scrawled by semi-literate sailors in a pidgin of three different languages, you are used to the neat and tidy work of scholars. If anything, your opinion of the man rose after seeing just what his work entailed.
A few months in and you had largely given up, other matters taking up more and more of your time while the details of the trade fleets workings were as impenetrable as before. At least the ledgers for the mansions and your other properties were in a better state, leaving you both with a better insight into what it was costing to keep the estate afloat and the knowledge that you indeed owned some other properties.
Apparently, your great-grandfather, who was Patriarch before Andros, had bought some tenements near the Small Harbour. What his plans for the plots of land had been was likely lost to history, as no one in your family ever seemed to have done something with them. Sarrut had made sure that the buildings had been maintained, barely, and that the rent had been collected, but there was never a chance for the dilapidated houses to bring in much more coin than what it took to prevent them from collapsing.
The plots of land they stood on had some value though. Building a new tenement on the site would have been expensive, but also bring some reliable income. Setting up a small business would also have been a possibility, though the kind of places that thrived in a harbour tended to be of the less reputable sort. Or you could just sell the land for some direly needed money.
DC ??? Administration Check: 4 + (-1 +0 -1 +0) = 2
Gained partial insight into the state of your finances.
Current Fleet: 3 Small Trade Galleys, 1 Medium Trade Galley
Turn 1 Trade Fleet Profit: 4
Properties
Seat of House Lipern / Large Mansion (Azure District)
Base Upkeep – 1 Wealth
Accommodations III – 1 Wealth
Wine Cellar – 1 Wealth
Library IV – 1 Wealth
Total Upkeep – 4 Wealth
Dilapidated Tenements (Small Harbour)
Estimated Value: 2 Wealth
No Upkeep / Profit
What do you want to do with the tenements?
[] [Tenements] Keep them for now.
[] [Tenements] Sell them. (Gain 2 Wealth, modified by Bargaining check)
[] [Tenements] Demolish and rebuild the tenements. (Costs 3 Wealth and 1 AP next turn, new tenements will bring 1 Wealth per turn, takes 1 turn to complete)
[] [Tenements] Repair the tenements and add a business. (Always takes 1 AP and 1 turn to complete, income varies by type of business and random roll) Pick one:
-[] [Tenements] Tavern (Costs 2 Wealth)
-[] [Tenements] Brothel (Costs 3 Wealth)
-[] [Tenements] Gambling Den (Costs 2 Wealth)
[] Try to strike a deal with Sillaniu Qaypanu. (1 AP, DC 3 Negotiation check)
The loan to this one moneylender represents most of your houses debt and it was taken at a quiet ludicrous interest rate at that. If you could somehow find a way to renegotiate the terms, there would be much less pressure on your coffers. However, Qaypanu is not known to have much compassion for his debtors and it is hard to guess what he might demand in return.
It took quiet a while for you to receive an audience with Qaypanu, which rankled you more than a bit. After all, he was the son of a goatherder, something he himself liked to mention when bragging about what he had achieved in his lifetime, while you were the scion of a house older than entire empires. Consequently, you were in a rather foul mood on the day when you finally met. That he wanted to talk business in his bathhouses Caldarium as if you were Metuan Senators of old just added to it. Maybe he meant it as a sign of respect to your station to greet you in such a way, but your gut said that it was a subtle mockery of it.
The meeting itself was thus rather clipped and while you noticed in time that your annoyance war bleeding into your words, you could not clamp down on it entirely. Your negotiations went not badly, but neither did they go well. In the end, you were left with a deal about as lopsided as imagined. Qaypanus reputation as a cutthroat and usurer was richly deserved after all and the rumours of your financial troubles meant that he likely knew how urgently you needed this deal.
He was willing to slash the interest by two thirds, which would have taken care of half the interest you had to pay in a year, but in return, he demanded to be repaid twice the sum of the original loan within three years. The sum was simply preposterous and you wanted nothing more than to throw his 'generous' offer into his face. But could you really afford to not take it?
DC 3 Negotiation Check – 1 (feeling mocked): 2 + (0 +1 -1 +1) = 3
What do you reply to Sillaniu Qaypanus offer?
[] [Loan] Take the deal. (now 16 Wealth owed to Sillaniu Qaypanu with 1 Wealth interest per turn, the loan must be repaid within 3 turns)
[] [Loan] Do not take the deal. (loan remains 8 Wealth owed to Sillaniu Qaypanu with 3 Wealth interest per turn
[] Seek Opportunities: Visit the Madrasa (1 AP, DC 5 checks in all Philosophy skills)
The most common place for the wealthy Ealim traders to gather is the small Madrasa of Alumahi. If you can prove yourself worthy of attending their discussions and seminars, you should be able to make some useful contacts there.
When you had first thought about going to the Madrasa, you were not quiet sure what to expect. Would it be like the Kassarium, where there was a firm structure and hierarchy in all things? Or would it be more like the rumours, which claimed the Ealim were huddling in tight-knit groups and plotting with each other? From what you knew of the Philosophy of Mathaqaf, it was to the Ealim what their gods were to other people and the Madrasa was their temple, so even the image of a priest-like figure standing before a congregation and preaching wisdoms briefly crossed your mind.
Thus, your first visit was in many ways almost underwhelming. The Madrasa itself was a small, squat building, only the bright murals in Ealim style giving away that it was anything different then the houses around it. While the entrance was guarded, nobody barred your way, merely asking you to leave your sandals and to wash your hands before entering. Inside, the place seemed no different then many taverns. People sat with each other, played dice or cards, chatted or drank chai. Even the topics talked about seemed utterly mundane.
It took a few weeks for you to learn the rhythms of this strange place and then a few months to join them in truth. Not that people had been rejecting you at first, quiet the contrary. Most welcomed you with open arms, inviting you to games and chai as if you were an old friend and even those who seemed more sceptical at first were quickly losing their wariness. Though there were always people coming and going that did not spare you a second glance, talking quietly only with a few selected others and then disappearing into the many private rooms of the building. You had tried following one such group once, yet you were only politely asked to leave, as these people wished to debate something in private.
Before you could hope to be invited to such groups, you had to spend some time and effort to get to know the right people. Whenever you had gotten to know someone a bit better and maybe even impressed them with your knowledge, they would introduce you to some of their friends. Soon you were no longer chatting about common gossip with people in the courtyard, instead getting invited to private seminars where the topics tended to be politics, art or the Deucallian classics. Without a shame you could admit to having learned something in those discussions. Even your slight interest in sorcery was taken in stride by the Ealim, rather then the wary glances you sometimes received in other company.
As the months passed, you slowly began to understand the Ealim better. Their ways were strange to many in Alumahi since they rejected the notion that gods existed, calling them delusions and the priests performing miracles in their name mere charlatans. That much you knew before, though their reasoning behind it sounded much sounder than the slander heaped on them by other people. To them, all acts of magic were the same, the schools and the powers of the priests just an artifact of the way people learned to wield this power. They reasoned that a skilled sorcerer, called Sahir in their tongue, could learn all forms of magic as long as he studied diligently and did not pollute his mind with the baseless superstitions that other traditions preached.
It was strange how much kinship you felt with these people after such short a while, their love for reason and philosophy something you could easily identify with. Yet, you also saw with your own eyes why they were feared to such a degree. While they did not say such in the open, behind closed doors, there was little stopping the Ealim from openly talking about 'the spreading of enlightenment' as they called it, which could mean teaching as well as conquest. They saw it as their duty to share their ways, which they deemed superior to all others, arguing that people had to be freed from the backwards ways of other cultures, even if they did not wish it, since they lacked the knowledge to make an informed choice about their fate.
Unsurprisingly, your activities went not unnoticed. With so many eyes watching the Madrasa for any signs of sinister plots springing from it, it was not a question of if, but when your visits would become a matter of public record. Sadly, the outcome of said attention was also just as expected. While nobody could say in words what you had done wrong, they all acted as if your mere presence in the vicinity of the Ealim people was vaguely treasonous. Worse yet, some Deucallian traders had taken your actions as a sign that House Lipern would soon ruin the next city, wondering whatever other place you would blight with your presence after fleeing again.
The other hitch in your plan was that while you had made some contacts among the Ealim traders, you simply lacked the funds to capitalize on any opportunities. Offers to buy twenty load of pepper cheaply were all well and good, but you were there precisely because you lacked the coin to make such deals on a whim. A few careful mentions of your search for a bride got you some more useful offers though. It seemed the Ealim were not shy about offering a decent bride price and at least if you were to believe the tales of their fathers, some of these women sounded like they even would be pleasant company.
As the time of your banquet drew closer, you began to notice quiet a few of the Ealim to ask questions about it, though surprisingly it was not the wealthiest among them. It took you a bit of careful back and forth, but after a while, you learned that a woman called Ghaliya bint Nur bint Hasna had recently arrived in the city. She was the matriarch of a prestigious family in the eastern port city of Damerisu, serving as and advisor to the cities Sultan even. While no one had said such outright, it was pretty clear that she was angling to be invited to your banquet and would likely show her appreciation for such a favour, though it would also mean even more rumours about your sympathies to the Ealim if you did so.
DC 5 Moral Philosophy Check: 4 + (-1 +1 +1 +0) = 5
DC 5 Natural Philosophy Check: 5 + (-1 +0 +0 -1 +1) = 4
DC 5 Metaphysical Philosophy Check: 4 + (0 +1 +0 +0) = 5
Persuasion + 1 (passed two checks): 5 + (-1 +0 +0 +0 +1) = 5
Negotiation + 1 (passed two checks): 4 + (0 +1 +0 -1) ) = 4
Public Reaction: (0 -1 -1 +1) = -1
1 Reputation Lost with in Alumahi
Do you invite Ghaliya bint Nur bint Hasna to your banquet?
[] [Invitation] Yes
[] [Invitation] No
Authors Note: Normally I would have done all results at once, but the background rolls immediately went for an interesting direction, so I need to put the first half up to vote.
Last edited: