I'm a High Fantasy Tax Collector, So What? A CKII Tax Collector Quest

[hYGP]

Random Event Roll: 10

The Beasts of Autumn

While Ophelia - Oskaria is able to cut apart the fell beasts that emerged just outside the capital, all across the country fiefs are retreating to their castles as these mighty beasts emerge all over the lands. They possess the savagery of boars, the cunning of wolves, and the speed of horses. Worse, some of them appear to be able to conjure fire from their maws, and rumor has it than some are even lead by giants of wood and stone.

Merchant trade grinds to a halt, as the beasts prey on any caravan unwise enough to brave the empty roads without escort. Mercenary and militia levies are hastily paid and armed in order to protect the all-important grain merchants, and those self-same merchants join in vast convoys to better protect themselves - albeit at the risk of slowing down the grain shipments massively.

Most important of them all, however, is the empowerment of adventurers. All across the land, the local compacts circle the wagons with as many adventurers as possible. Anybody who seems like they can swing a sword or fire a musket is empowered by the spirits, the levies and mercenaries blessed with power aplenty. If the beasts are nature making its own displeasure known, then the people and the spirits of Oskaria make their own intention to live clear. It is a new age of monsters, but it is also a new age of heroes.

And in the capital, none are more famous than the Maiden of Light.

Ophelia.

---

Diplomacy
The Presses
DC: 22. Roll: 20 + 2 + 0.4 = 22.4 - 5 (The Beasts of Autumn) + 10 (The Maiden of Light) = 27.4

Diplomacy
The Guildmasters
DC: 25. Roll: 20 + 2 + 1 + 4.1 = 27.1 - 5 (The Beasts of Autumn) + 10 (The Maiden of Light) = 32.1

Diplomacy
The High Clergy
DC: 24. Roll: 20 + 2 + 1 + 9.7 = 32.7 - 10 (The Beasts of Autumn) + 5 (The Maiden of Light) = 27.7

Diplomacy
The Streets
DC: 25. Roll: 18 + 2 + 1 + 3.8 = 24.8 - 8 (The Beasts of Autumn) + 15 (The Maiden of Light) = 31.8

Learning
Metal Stockpiles
ACTION MODIFIED BY THE MAIDEN OF LIGHT

PIety
The Local Spirits
DC: 27. Roll: 25 + 2 + 4.5 = 31.5 + 5 (The Beasts of Autumn) + 5 (The Maiden of Light) = 41.5

The Maiden of Light

Ophelia's radiance seemingly outshines the sun as her will reshapes the whole city. Every day when she emerges, mobs of people crowd around her, begging to touch her, to bless her, to see her. Before her the Regent of the King bows in reverent supplication just as the lowliest of the beggars, and the spirits are no different. The spirits of the houses, of the markets, and of the walls bless her with boundless fortitude and wisdom and swiftness, and she puts it to use - everywhere in the capital seems to have been visited by her, and no one can recall whether she ever sleeps. It should go without saying that none dare demand she pay for food or lodgings, and upon hearing that your group is with them, none dare slight her by slighting you in any way.

So when she asks where the armaments of the city are, the arsenals and the hidden arsenals and the last resorts of the houses, people overturn every floorboard to find them. Houses compete for her favor by revealing stockpiles of weaponry to resist these Beasts of Autumn, as the artisans of the streets turn from crafting chairs to crafting spears in endless endless toil. Even candle wax runs short in the city as everyone works longer and harder than anyone thought possible, guild masters going to their artisans to sheepishly follow through on their promises only to find that the artisans have put their wildly exaggerated claims to shame with their actual production. When she calls for heroes to join the militia, hordes of eager young men and women pour into the service, emboldened by her praise and driven forward by their comrades-in-arms.

---

Stewardship
Reply and Riposte
ACTION MODIFIED BY THE MAIDEN OF LIGHT

Intrigue
Screw the Conspiracy
ACTION MODIFIED BY THE MAIDEN OF LIGHT

Then she makes another announcement.

Publicly, she states that she knows of traitors to the state, of those who would have weakened the city and country for their own personal gain - but because she is bound by law and by custom, she will investigate them fully. The newly raised militia gets up in arms, followed by shortly by an angry mob grabbing torches and whatever else they can get their hands on to bring justice at Ophelia's behest.

She looks once at the growing mob and pays them no heed as she marches straight to Duke Lebeau's house and asks point-blank whether he has spoken with foreign nobles about betraying the country. Duke Lebeau, only half-dressed for the day, takes one look at the mob clamoring outside for his head and loudly proclaims that despite others tempting him to do so, he has always stayed loyal to the kingdom, swear on his honor. Ophelia merely raises an eyebrow and asks for names, and a proof of their loyalty. They hasten to name everyone and anyone they can plausibly finger as conspirators, and order their servants to give great sums to the treasury, in the name of the Maiden in White.

By the month's end, she has repeated this process nearly nightly, and ends up with the interrogated nobility all claiming to her face and the mob outside that they have always been loyal to the kingdom, and that the real traitors are outside towards the western provinces, or perhaps ringing the city of Vlona, or maybe even those perfidious City Guardsmen from Merridge.

By the end of the month, all of the Merridge City Guard held as prisoners has spontaneously committed "suicide", as their corpses are found more bruised mangled pieces of flesh rather than bodies.

The look on the mob's faces frightens you.

Almost as much as the cold red eyes of Ophelia.

+5 Cash Flow.

---

Martial
New Contracts
DC: 20. Roll: 19 + 3.2 + 2 + 0.5 = 24.7 - 10 (The Beasts of Autumn) = 14.7

The Beasts of Autumn understandably dry up the other sources of mercenaries - all of them hired out, some at Ophelia's insistence, to defend the grain shipments or guarding the walls. However, this is no great loss when, well, the Maiden of Light is right there.

---

Event Chain 2A [20/20] [2/30]
Event Chain 2B [4/10]
Event Chain 2C [5/5] [0/5] [3/5]

---

Remaining Budget: 350

As the end of the month nears, Ophelia sighs. The frown never seems to have left her face all throughout the month, as she readies her things and tells the people to take heart, for she will be investigating the traitors in more depth with your group - and although she appreciates their patriotic fervor, it would be best for them to move as swiftly as possible, and the heroes of the city are needed to defend the city from the Beasts of Autumn. Somehow this turns into the Merchant Guild promising you their best horses, with the Regent of the King eagerly agreeing to loan the royal messengers' horses for these exceptional circumstances.

Which leaves only the question of where your destination is.

[] West, to the port city of Cille.
If there is a city on the western provinces whose loyalty must be assured, the city of Cille is a good fit. At the mouth of the Bythnia, this is one of the great stops between Etrellan and Oskarian trade, and is as wealthy to boot.
[] West, to the principalities along the Bythnia.
On the other hand, the loyalties of the Bythnian river principalities are the ones most frequently fingered, and the ones most in doubt. Perhaps it would be wisest to go here.
[] Northeast, to Lake Vlona
On the other hand, you have heard rumors of the foreign nobles gathering in Lake Vlona - perhaps it would be best to go there and seek to investigate them there.

 

[hYGP]

Ah, well, West to the port city of Cille wins 11-3-1 and there hasn't been any voting for a few hours, so let's call for a few rolls!

Roll me 7d100s.

Event Chain 2A "The Siege of Castle Liyovyi"

Event Chain 2B "The Allied Advance"

Event Chain 2C "The Baron's Response"

Event Chain 2D "???"

Event Chain 3A "The Beasts of Autumn"

Event Chain 3B "Oskaria Strikes Back"

Event Chain 4 "The Return of Winter"

Random Event Roll

 

[hYGP]

Event Chain 3A [1/5]
Event Chain 3B [4/20]
Event Chain 4 [1/5]

The night is warmer than expected, the advent of winter still far away. The nighttime Aurora continued to shine in the night, the blood-red moon of that fateful night seemingly echoing every time a red shard of the Aurora shaded over the moon. You smell and hear the sounds of evening, at least reassuring you that the Beasts of Autumn aren't nearby. Crackling smoke rises from the fire at the heart of your group, everyone keeping their hands only one movement away from their weapons. Ophelia is the only exception, shivering under thick blankets and heavy clothing - but then again, none of you can gainsay it.

You specifically, however, are conjuring a wind to blow away the noxious smoke from the roasting meat over the fire, and the rotting remains of a Beast of Autumn. The smell attacks your nose with a vicious sharpness, as Tekla continues poking at the Beast of Autumn with a stick. The toxic scent and the dappled coat should tell you all you need to know about the animal's fitness for consumption, but nevertheless Tekla wants to poke at the damned things anyway.

"Well?" you ask, pinching your nose shut.

"Well, they're definitely toxic," Tekla nods. "Too toxic to be natural."

"No kidding," you drily remark.

"Yeah, yeah, Cormag. Their meat's also too stringy and tough to eat, even if you could get past the toxicity - it's almost like this thing was designed, which, uh, it probably was."

"Wonderful," you drily remark. "So you're telling me to figure out which spirit did it."

"That is your job," Kerrie commented.

You throw your hands up, Gnarled Rod dramatically raised in one hand. You're almost disappointed that no lightning comes down at your command, even if you didn't want to spend the energy to cast the lightning spell.

"All I've got is maybe something about the spirits of the river and the woods - at least, that's what the spirits of the deer were screaming," you vent.

"Ah, so it's just the very land itself rising up in rebellion. How wonderful," Tekla dramatically gestures. "I didn't want to grow old anyway."

"This isn't actually the first time this kind of thing has happened," Ophelia weakly contributes, dragging out the Eye Approaching Divinity. "I checked the books - this kind of rebellion has happened fairly recently, I think."

"Ophelia! Are you in any state to move?!" you exclaim, watching her fingers twitch just trying to operate the Eye Approaching Divinity. "We told you to rest!"

She gingerly takes one hand off the Eye and hides it under the cover as she winces in pain - every magical exertion must hurt, but she clenches her hand into a fist and continues anyway. "It's fine, Cormag. I can do this. Besides, just hit me with the numbing spell and I'll be okay. Trust me, you'll want to hear this," she says through gritted teeth.

Reluctantly, you turn the Wintercore Wand in her direction and cast the numbing spell - modified by the Wintercore Wand's natural chill.

"Ah, much better," Ophelia sighs.

"Anyways, as I was saying, this has happened before. A wave of disasters and monsters emerging from the wilderness all in quick succession hit Vykkaltaria about sixty to seventy years ago - though they were still the Western Kataltin Empire at that time. Supposedly, a few travelers recorded that the Western Kataltin Empire was starting to develop into a center of civilization with its own Gathering, when the land itself rebelled against them and hit them with waves of vicious monsters and unseasonably bad weather. Shortly afterwards, the Divine Gathering called for a Crusade against the Kataltin Empire, and, well, that's how Vykkaltaria became Vykkaltaria."

"..."

"I checked the records for other cases. A lot of them share a similar pattern of a series of steadily more cataclysmic disasters followed by devastating war, either internal or external. Cormag, you probably know what the church has to say in each of those cases, don't you?"

"In Vykkaltaria, at least, it was supposed to be about bringing them into accordance with the Compact of the Precursors - and the disasters were supposed to show that they were approaching something like a Calamity," you hesitantly say.

Ophelia nods. "Similar patterns, every time. In the footnotes, one of the scholars mentioned the concept of a Roche limit - every single time a society approaches a certain fraction of its people in cities, the same pattern happens inevitably occurs within thirty to fifty years. It happened to the Maryn, the Huizopotal, the Myuret, the Zhou, and dozens of others besides. Supposedly to the Far East, this happens so frequently there's almost a schedule. I looked up some of the letters attached in the appendices - scholars were discussing whether the Wyvern Wars should be counted as part of this pattern, since by all indications Oskaria prior to the Wyvern Wars was approaching the limit.

"There's only been a handful of exceptions the University of Cille's found," she whispered, and you could've sworn the entire world went dead silent. "One of them is Oskaria today."

"We passed the Roche limit about forty years ago."

---

Event Chain 2A [20/20] [6/30]
Event Chain 2B [9/10]
Event Chain 2C [5/5] [0/5] [5/5]
Event Chain 2D [3/10]

The glistening, unfathomably high spires of the Calamity-era ruins lingers off in the distance, a stark image to your discussion about the inevitable course of all civilizations. The high walls and the streets leading to the city are brightly lit with torches and seemingly devoid of movement, blasted craters and mounds of the beast corpses speaking to the ceaseless siege that Cille is subject to. The gates are barred, and when you arrive three ranks of musketeers stand up to the wall before they open the gate, fearful that the Beasts of Autumn might take the opening to burst through the gate and enter the city.

When you arrive in the city, you're greeted with relief and desperation. Finally, someone from a ways away! All anyone wants to hear about is the latest gossip from anywhere and everywhere - were the other cities holding out, or were they all besieged and slowly dying out?

You could at least assure them of the Capital's survival, and that the towns you passed on the route here were alive and well - after the furious defense of the capital on that night, the Beasts of Autumn haven't destroyed any settlements you came across. In return, they told you what they had heard from the ships along the way:

The King couldn't come back - the Gathering had demanded that he stay on the siege, apparently, but he was sending the majority of the Royal Army back to try and tame the Beasts of Autumn. His erstwhile allies in the Etrellans and Rusmysians were only starving the Oskarians and achieving nothing, stuck on the wrong side of the Smok River and unable to make headway against the vampiric baron's forces. At least the siege of Castle Liyovyi was finally on track, they said - no more risk of being completely driven off the field in one afternoon.

That should give you some breathing room to do your real job:

Investigating the potential traitors to the Crown.

Remaining Budget: 345

You have 3 [Free] Actions that may be spent in any category.

You have 3 Minor Boons and 1 Major Boon that you may attach to any Action.

You can cooperate with your teammates to add +3 base stat to an action that you are cooperating on. It is represented by using your [Free] Action on one of your already-selected Actions.

Martial (Choose 1) {Kerrie Action}
[] [Martial] Manning the Gates
Every soldier and mercenary not dispatched to help escort merchants and refugee caravans is currently on the walls - which means that you can help defend the walls while also finding out more about their position. DC: 12. Gain: 1 Budget.
[] [Martial] Escort Mission
All of the merchants needed escorts, and many villages have to be outright evacuated under heavy guard. The City Authority will pay well for this kind of work. DC: 17. Gain: 2 Budget.
[] [Martial] Beast Hunt
For any adventurers brave and/or strong enough, the port authority was putting out substantial bounties for the heads of the Beasts of Autumn. DC: Scaling. Gains: Scaling.

Diplomacy (Choose 1) {Tekla Action}
[] [Diplomacy] The Academy
Formally, you're here to help investigate the loyalties of the city. Unofficially, you want to know more about this...Roche limit. DC: 20. Cost: 2 Budget.
[] [Diplomacy] The Merchant Houses
Cille lives and dies by the port it is founded by, and that means you need to assure yourself of the Merchant Houses' nobility - or at least, get an in with them. DC: 25. Cost: 4 Budget.
[] [Diplomacy] The Westerlies
The nobles, apparently, have a split between them in the Sejm, split between westerlies and easterlies. Here in Cille, the vast majority of the nobility are westerlies - which means you should check their loyalties. DC: 27. Cost: 4 Budget.
[] [Diplomacy] The Easterlies
On the other hand, the easterlies are at a major disadvantage against the westerlies in the power struggle for this court - this makes them extremely tempting marks for foreign adversaries. DC: 23. Cost: 4 Budget.
[] [Diplomacy] The Church
The presence of the Academy puts the church here on edge, especially with the Academy choosing, no matter how reluctantly, to shield Roche from the consequences of slandering the church. They'd appreciate someone to lend an ear to their problems. DC: 15. Cost: 0 Budget.

Intrigue (Choose 1) {Kerrie Action}
[] [Intrigue] Setting Down Roots
You were well seen as you came into the city, which means that you should probably take the time to chase off some of the obvious tails. DC: 22. Cost: 0 Budget.
[] [Intrigue] The Dockyards
Since the Dockyards are so vital, it'd be best to check out whether unsavory elements have taken up residence in there - and if they have, whether they're with or against the Crown. DC: 17. Cost: 0 Budget.
[] [Intrigue] The Port Quarter
Strangely enough, the Port Quarter is actually a little ways inland from the Dockyards themselves - but then again, you suspect that that distance suits the upper class just fine. DC: 24. Cost: 0 Budget.

Learning (Choose 1) {Tekla Action}
[] [Learning] Magical Marketplace
While Cille does not have quite the same regulatory environment that promotes so much sale of magical equipment there, Cille is a busy port city, so of course it has some sales. DC: Scaling. Cost: Scaling.
[] [Learning] Magical Mapping
You might want to check out the magical layout of this city, just as you've mapped all the other sites. DC: 25. Cost: 2 Budget.
[] [Learning] Alchemical Setup
Setting up the distilleries for Tekla to be able to fully commit to potion-making takes a while, but if given the space he can start manufacturing potions - for both personal use and sales. DC: 10. Cost: 2 Budget.

Stewardship (Choose 1) {Ophelia Action}
[] [Stewardship] Overview of Cille
With the Encylopeadia de Cille at hand, perhaps you can read it and get a general overview of the city. DC: 10. Cost: 0 Budget.
[] [Stewardship] Reviewing the Maps
On the other hand, with the everpresent threat of the Beasts of Autumn, you will most likely need to check the maps of the city and the surrounding areas - and then revise them. DC: 24. Cost: 0 Budget.
[] [Stewardship] Expansive Lodgings
You need to secure some room to stash all of your various pieces of equipment, as well as generally having a space to yourself that you can work with - even if that's otherwise known as a warehouse. DC: 20. Cost: 1 Budget.

Piety (Choose 1) {Cormag Action}
[] [Piety] Ophelia Training
Ophelia's spent nearly the entire month and then some suffering the effects of channeling Oskaria for a month straight. She clearly needs more training, as well as some simple recovery if she wants to be able to repeat a performance like that. DC: 25. Cost: 0 Budget.
[] [Piety] Local Spirit Alliances
With the city besieged on all sides, the spirits are more willing to grant blessings to help defend the city - at a price, to maintain their own power. DC: 15. Cost: 3 Budget.
[] [Piety] Wandering Spirit Negotiations
With the constant flow of ships in and out of Cille's harbor, plenty of spirits come along with those ships - spirits that you may be able to strike deals with. DC: 25. Cost: 0 Budget.

---

If I've missed anything or made a mistake, please let me know.

 

[hYGP]

Plan Setup and Prepare - for the long-term wins 9-3*-1

*Tally isn't counting it properly, but I'm seeing three votes for the plan setup and prepare.

Roll me - shit, 17d100s.

Martial
Escort Mission.
DC: 17. Roll: 19 + 3.2 + 2.
Gain: 2 Budget.

Diplomacy
The Academy
DC: 20. Roll: 20 + 2.
Cost: 2 Budget.

Diplomacy
The Church
DC: 15. Roll: 18 + 2.
Cost: 0 Budget.

Intrigue
Setting Down Roots
DC: 22. Roll: 19 + 2.
Cost: 0 Budget.

Learning
Magical Mapping
DC: 25. Roll: 23
Cost: 2 Budget.

Stewardship
Expansive Lodgings
DC: 20. Roll: 20 + 4.3.
Cost: 1 Budget.

Stewardship
Reviewing the Maps
DC: 24. Roll: 20 + 4.3.
Cost: 0 Budget.

Piety
Local Spirit Alliances
DC: 15. Roll: 22 + 2.
Cost: 3 Budget.

Piety
Ophelia Training
DC: 25. Roll: 20.
Cost: 0 Budget.

Event Chain 2A "The Siege of Castle Liyovyi"

Event Chain 2B "The Allied Advance"

Event Chain 2C "The Baron's Response"

Event Chain 2D "The Royal Army's Return"

Event Chain 3A "The Beasts of Autumn"

Event Chain 3B "Oskaria Strikes Back"

Event Chain 4 "The Return of Winter"

Random Event Roll

 

[hYGP]

Event Chain 3A "The Beasts of Autumn" [1/5]

Event Chain 3B "Oskaria Strikes Back" [10/20]

Event Chain 4 "The Advent of Winter" [3/5]

Random Event Roll: 79

The Torch of Civilization

The night is long and dark, the forests filled with monsters and the plains with hidden beasts. People are weak, and so, so fragile.

So why, then, has civilization survived?

The answer is fire.

The fires that illuminate the dark, that put the animals to flight, and that fuel the growth of civilization. This has been true for as long as anyone can remember, and so far as everyone believes, it will continue going forward.

So when the dark night comes and the Beasts of Autumn come, red in claw and wielding a black fire, they are met with fire of their own.

They are met with the fires of a hundred thousand hearths that keeps the fighters warm and fed. They are met with the fires of a thousand watchtowers, illuminating the pitch darkness of the night. At last, they are met with the fire spewed from the end of a cannon.

The Beasts of Autumn come to darken the night and shorten the days as winter approaches.

The flames of civilization flares to bring dawn to each and every night.

---

Martial
Escort Mission.
DC: 17. Roll: 19 + 3.2 + 2 + 6.8 + 3 (The Torch of Civilization) = 34.

Stewardship
Reviewing the Maps
DC: 24. Roll: 20 + 4.3 + 4.3 + 2.8 = 31.4.

Kerrie heads out all throughout the month to escort merchants and civilian caravans - except, as everyone finds out, the spirits and the people have dug deep. The thousands that the city authorities expected to need to evacuate is cut literally in half by the valiant defenses of local adventurers organizing themselves with town militias to drive the Beasts of Autumn into the woods - and then heading into the woods to bring their severed heads back. Forests are steadily cleared of the Beasts of Autumn, the main trade arteries no longer forced to take escorts in order to survive.

If you take a little longer in the area to map out the area better and see which fields are actually under cultivation by which village and the actual size of the villages as opposed to the last updated count, well, no one notices too overtly.

It also means that you suspect the province's governor has been either systematically undercounting or simply allowing his subordinates to commit massive amounts of graft.

Perhaps that might be worth looking into - once you've secured Cille's loyalty, of course.

---

Diplomacy
The Academy
DC: 20. Roll: 20 + 2 + 6.6 = 28.6.

Tekla comes back from the meeting at the Academy with a moody slouch. He takes off the Enchanted Vestments and angrily throws it onto the bales of hay you're pretending will suffice to store your clothes as you get together actual tables or places to store things in the meanwhile. As though he felt it necessary, he dramatically sat down in the chair and put on his best sulking face.

"I take it that your meeting with Roche did not go according to plan," you idly say, polishing the Gnarled Rod.

"You can say that again," Tekla said. "You ever meet someone famous after a while and get completely disappointed by the real thing?"

"Can't say that I have," you oh-so-casually say.

Tekla rolls his eyes. "You know what I mean."

"Of course," you drily reply.

"Ugh. No sense of humor, I swear." Tekla shakes his head. "Anyways, back at disappointment. Turns out that while I went off and spent my middle age productively the dear esteemed scholar Roche went completely off the deep end. Oh, he still does good work in his field of history occasionally, but, well. The moment I asked him to chat with him about his work on the Roche Limit, he just went on and on about the cult he joined - or probably started, if I'm being totally honest - about the great Earth Mother that has been neglected by all the past civilizations leading to their inevitable demise, and that the Beasts of Autumn were just proving him right or some bullshit like that. Besides, it's not like there could be any way his 'Earth Mother' could exist, right?"

You simply keep your eyebrow raised.

"Come on, tell me he's joking."

You shake your head. "Honestly, it's been a bad habit of your field to dismiss the church out of hand because we don't have the same higher education system. The Church of the Compact has actually had multiple discussions about this exact topic, and we came to the conclusion that while the Earth Mother might exist, prayers directed at the Earth Mother were most likely to be completely out of reach for everyone seeking to better themselves - it was simply not a productive line of thought. If the Earth Mother does not exist, than offered prayers are useless - and if the Earth Mother does exist, she would be so unfathomably vast that nothing could get her attention, and thus all prayers would be useless."

"Huh. A surprisingly practical argument. From the way you were going, I thought you were going to defend the existence of the Earth Mother through some sort of complicated spiritual proof, or whatever."

"Well, we also did have those," you chuckle. "One of the most prominent arguments that the Earth Mother could not exist was, ironically enough, the existence of the spirits of the rivers and the lands. I'd argue that since you can call upon these spirits directly, that rather proves they are separate identities from the hypothesized Earth Mother, and thus this 'Earth Mother' cannot have those local spirits as aspects of itself. If it cannot call upon the local spirits as an aspect of the whole, then this 'Earth Mother' would lack a body, a source from which it derives its power as the so-called 'ultimate embodied spirit'. You cannot pray to an aspect of a larger as its own spirit either - otherwise you imply that you can offer prayers to your liver and have it be answered, to use the famous example," you lecture.

"I'm not going to lie, praying for my liver's well-being definitely sounds like the right move," Tekla snarkily replies.

You roll your eyes. "Of course you would say that. But like I was saying, this means that the church has established that since you can offer prayers to the distinct lower spirits of the lands and the rivers, that such a spirit of the Earth Mother could not draw upon them for strength. Without the strength that the Earth Mother supposedly achieves by being the greater spirit of all these lesser spirits, the Earth Mother must at minimum be extremely weak and most likely could not exist at all - to draw any further conclusions predicated upon the Earth Mother's existence is to commit the sort of spiritual folly that strongly suggests that someone did not receive proper religious education," you say, shaking your head.

"That said, the strongest argument for a greater spirit's existence is precisely the disasters he's been confounded with - our consultation and recordkeeping suggests that local spirits are often just as, if not more, devastated by these natural disasters as the people, so then the question of who actually controls such things is an ever present and pertinent question. Previous clergy have attempted to reconcile the existence of natural disasters by suggesting a vengeful god or spirit, but in modern times we've broken away from that for much the same reason that we reject the Earth Mother theory - such a greater spirit must draw from the strength of other spirits, spirits which already have a domain. While it's true that wind spirits are the largest potential source for any such 'spirit of disaster', wind would obviously fail to explain earthquakes, as the most obvious example." you continue.

"Today, we hold that the theory of the tipped vase holds true - "

"Wait, tipped vase theory?" Tekla rudely interrupts. "There's has to be a fantastic story behind that, and I don't know it anyway, so tell me," he says with a huge grin on his face.

You roll your eyes. "Tipped vase theory comes about because of a story about a Bishop Iosif about a hundred-odd years ago. See, Bishop Iosif was angrily pacing his room, stewing over the stinging verbal defeat he had been delivered the previous day about the existence of spirits of disasters. Supposedly, Bishop Iosif was an extremely expressive person, so when he walked around orating to himself, he'd make these huge hand gestures. Unfortunately for him, one of his vases rudely interrupted his monologue with its existence and was smacked to the ground. Bishop Iosif looked at this and nearly cried in frustration, before suddenly breaking out into laughter - for Iosif had hit upon a revelation: he had not wanted to destroy the vase, the vase could not have wanted to destroy itself, and yet by sheer accident or happenstance the vase ended up sailing off the ledge before inevitably smashing itself against the floor - in this view, natural disasters were no more than a series of unlucky coincidences that were nevertheless predictable by sheer chance. Another name this goes by is 'avalanche theory', leaning into the idea that natural disasters are simply a consequence of excess tension somewhere in the system that eventually gives all at once - a natural law, rather than the action of a spirit."

"I see," Tekla nodded. "I didn't know this was such a well-discussed topic."

"Blame the failing religious education system, then. This wasn't just a social call for you to check up on the old disappointments you call friends, though." you gently chide him. "What did you find?"

"Right, general loyalties of the Academy and all that. Honestly, they just seemed kind of depressed in general - they released their monumental work of a lifetime, the one thing that would make their names be studied in universities across the world, and then the Beasts of Autumn went in and tore all of that right up. I doubt they'd be in any mood to start anything, unless you directly insult their line of work or something. They're probably clear of suspicion."

You shrug. "Alright, then. Good enough, I suppose."

---

Intrigue
Setting Down Roots
DC: 22. Roll: 19 + 2 + 9.2 = 30.2.

Stewardship
Expansive Lodgings
DC: 20. Roll: 20 + 4.3 + 4.3 + 7.7 = 36.3.

Housebreaking was always an interesting affair. Sometimes it was a cramped affair, squeezed between all the doodads you had picked up along the way.

Other times you could really stretch your legs and not smell whatever it is that Tekla's scent remover had inevitably failed to remove from his lab.

In the best possible circumstances, you might even be able to set up your own medical ward to look over your crew and Ophelia in particular, the bullheaded fool.

Though frankly, you could've done with your housebreaking involving less screaming tails, if that's what the sound was from outside.

Honestly, the poor bastards never had a chance against Kerrie.

---

Learning
Magical Mapping
DC: 25. Roll: 23 + 3.4 = 26.4.

Tekla comes across a significant amount of difficulty mapping the spiritual landscape - though you suppose it can't be helped, what with all the refugees and adventurers and the Beasts of Autumn hopelessly confusing things. He says no, that's not the problem here - the problem is the weird gradient to the city. Something's making the migrating spirits and shifting alliances not respond right to the incoming refugee spirits.

So when he slams through the door of your hastily erected medical ward, you're understandably quite annoyed, especially since he just disrupted a fairly delicate diagnostic.

"I figured it out. It's a huge magical power source, coming off the ocean and getting closer," Tekla pants. "I thought that maybe it was a trick, or maybe that one of the crime syndicates in the city were doing something unwise, or - "

"Go back to the part where you mentioned 'huge magical power source getting closer'?" you sharply interrupt. "How soon should we expect it to arrive?"

"Yeah, that's what was so weird about it - for such a huge power source, it's slow. We have maybe two to five months, I don't know."

"Do we have any idea what it is?" you ask. "And for that matter, how can you sense it all the way out here?"

"Oh, little trick I borrowed off one of the Alanyiva's proscribed cults of the sea god that I improved - " he starts.

You pointedly raise an eyebrow.

" - ahem, right. Well, whatever it is, it's huge and constantly pushing out that power behind it, almost like it's one of the self-sailing ships that my mentor claimed was possible, if just out of reach. Of course, this could also just be a massive sea monster, in which case we had best start praying and loudly."

"Good to know," you sigh.

---

Diplomacy
The Church
DC: 15. Roll: 18 + 2 + 6.4 + 3 (The Torch of Civilization) = 29.4.

Piety
Local Spirit Alliances
DC: 15. Roll: 22 + 2 + 7.6 + 3 (The Torch of Civilization) = 34.6.

The churches remind you of nothing so much as a war camp, priests and adventurers shuttling in and out to take orders from blessings from the spirits and to better coordinate and reassure the lost and confused. The moment you come in, you ask for what needs to be done - when they ask for palliative, you flick out the Wintercore Wand and hit everyone with a numbing spell, to the audible sigh of the crowd of wounded. With your credentials clearly established, your negotiations with the spirits goes well enough, for a bunch of spirits clearly running less on natural resources and more on faith and faith alone.

The talks with the church officials goes pretty much exactly as you'd hoped - they constantly referred back to how they believed in the King, how they believed in the Kingdom, and what they really needed right now was some more support, since, well, that. You reassure them that you will be providing them some support - and quietly breathe a sigh of relief, because it doesn't seem like they're openly suggesting that they're looking for a way out of Oskaria. You may need to conduct a more in-depth investigation later, but they are probably going to remain on Oskaria's side.

The one thing they did tell you above all else, however, was to not trust the Easterlies because they aligned themselves with inherently untrustworthy people. You mildly ask them whether they think you're one of the good ones, and your counterpart starts to stammer out a denial before realizing what he's actually saying and then just rushing out with "they're just not trustworthy, trust me on this."

Hmph.

+1 Martial party-wide for this turn.

---

Piety
Ophelia Training
DC: 25 - 2 (The Torch of Civilization) = 23. Roll: 20 + 3.4 = 23.4.

For some reason, the red gem begins to glow all month - but it is not with the glow of empowerment, as Ophelia describes it. It's almost like the red gem is attuning itself to Ophelia, trying to figure out how to better reintegrate itself with Ophelia - and while she's in pain all month from both the exertion the month prior and the rough ride into the city, the red gem helps soothe the worst of the pains and help her through your next set of trainings. She might still need some recuperation, but for now you were tentatively seeing some positive signs.

---

Event Chain 2A "The Siege of Castle Liyovyi" [20/20] [5/30]
Event Chain 2B "The Allied Advance" [5/10]
Event Chain 2C "The Baron's Response" [5/5] [0/5] [5/5] [4/5]

Glorious news comes in from the siege of the Castle Liyovyi, as Oskaria's army successfully secured their foothold and seized the cannon they needed to answer the Baron's own artillery firing upon their earthworks. With the outer ring of fortifications complete, now it was only a matter of time before King Julius would be able to take down the fort. This rapid set of maneuvers has also apparently routed the Baron's nearby forces, and thus has left Oskaria's Army ready to bring their full might upon the defenders.

Meanwhile, the allied Crusader armies are in desperate straits. Locked in a stalemate, rumor has it that some of them have looked towards invading Oskaria, and some of the parties sent back to requisition supplies were unusually cruel and vicious - could this be a sign of danger to come?

---

Event Chain 2D "The Royal Army's Return" [4/10]

The King, however, has sent the majority of the Army home under the command of one of his generals. The reason he cannot personally lead the defense of Oskaria against the Beasts of Autumn is the Compact's mandate that he stay and finish off Castle Liyovyi, but he can feel free to send the army home to help defend against the Beasts of Autumn. Last you heard, they were well on their way home.

---

Remaining Budget: 330.

You have 3 [Free] Actions that may be spent in any category.

You have 3 Minor Boons and 1 Major Boon that you may attach to any Action.

You can cooperate with your teammates to add +3 base stat to an action that you are cooperating on. It is represented by using your [Free] Action on one of your already-selected Actions.

Martial (Choose 1) {Kerrie Action}
[] [Martial] Manning the Gates
Every soldier and mercenary not dispatched to help escort merchants and refugee caravans is currently on the walls - which means that you can help defend the walls while also finding out more about their position. DC: 11. Gain: 1 Budget.
[] [Martial] Escort Mission
All of the merchants needed escorts, and many villages have to be outright evacuated under heavy guard. The City Authority will pay well for this kind of work. DC: 15. Gain: 2 Budget.
[] [Martial] Beast Hunt
For any adventurers brave and/or strong enough, the port authority was putting out substantial bounties for the heads of the Beasts of Autumn. DC: Scaling. Gains: Scaling.
[] [Martial] Recon in Force
Whatever's coming in from the ocean, you don't want to be poking at that thing with anything less than your full party - and some extra bodies there, just to be safe. DC: 25??? Cost: 4 Budget.

Diplomacy (Choose 1) {Cormag Action}
[] [Diplomacy] The Merchant Houses
Cille lives and dies by the port it is founded by, and that means you need to assure yourself of the Merchant Houses' nobility - or at least, get an in with them. DC: 25. Cost: 4 Budget.
[] [Diplomacy] The Westerlies
The Church seems broadly approving of the Westerlies and their loyalties, but it still never hurts to get a direct confirmation. DC: 27. Cost: 4 Budget.
[] [Diplomacy] The Easterlies
The Church, however, did warn against trusting the Easterlies - but you strongly suspect that this distrust is rooted antipathy for Colonists, which, well. DC: 23. Cost: 4 Budget.

Intrigue (Choose 1) {Kerrie Action}
[] [Intrigue] The Dockyards
Since the Dockyards are so vital, it'd be best to check out whether unsavory elements have taken up residence in there - and if they have, whether they're with or against the Crown. DC: 17. Cost: 0 Budget.
[] [Intrigue] The Port Quarter
Strangely enough, the Port Quarter is actually a little ways inland from the Dockyards themselves - but then again, you suspect that that distance suits the upper class just fine. DC: 24. Cost: 0 Budget.
[] [Intrigue] An Invitation
After Kerrie summarily dumped your tails off at the gates of a local establishment, someone else came back later with an invitation to talk - to correct the initial bad impression, of course. DC: 20. Gain: 4 Budget.

Learning (Choose 1) {Tekla Action}
[] [Learning] Magical Marketplace
While Cille does not have quite the same regulatory environment that promotes so much sale of magical equipment there, Cille is a busy port city, so of course it has some sales. DC: Scaling. Cost: Scaling.
[] [Learning] Alchemical Setup
Setting up the distilleries for Tekla to be able to fully commit to potion-making takes a while, but if given the space he can start manufacturing potions - for both personal use and sales. DC: 10. Cost: 2 Budget.
[] [Learning] Searching For Metal
That large magical signature might have a significant amount of metal, which might help you find it - and if it lacks metal, that too will tell you something. Nothing good, but something. DC: 15. Cost: 1 Budget.

Stewardship (Choose 1) {Ophelia Action}
[] [Stewardship] Searching through the Records
Whatever's coming in from the ocean could just be a local phenomenon, and you don't want to overreact by jumping at shadows here. DC: 25. Cost: 0 Budget.
[] [Stewardship] Direct Vision From the Coast
On the other hand, you have the Eye Approaching Divinity. If you can get close enough, you might be able to take a look at whatever it is from a safe-enough distance. DC: 28. Cost: 0 Budget.
[] [Stewardship] Polite Questions
You have some questions you'd like to ask the local tax collectors, just to get their official story on the record. DC: 15. Cost: 0 Budget.

Piety (Choose 1) {Cormag Action}
[] [Piety] Ophelia Training
While the gem around her neck appears to have attuned to her better, it never hurts to train more. DC: 24. Cost: 0 Budget.
[] [Piety] Local Spirit Alliances
The pressure on the city has started to slacken, which means that the local spirits are starting to cut back on some of their profligate empowerments. DC: 25. Cost: 2 Budget.
[] [Piety] Wandering Spirit Negotiations
With the constant flow of ships in and out of Cille's harbor, plenty of spirits come along with those ships - spirits that you may be able to strike deals with. Some may even be able to tell you what's with that large mass coming from the ocean. DC: 25. Cost: 0 Budget.

---

That should be the majority of it sans recap, but whatever, that never really added much anyway.

 

[hYGP]

@huhYeahGoodPoint I see that you corrected Expansive Lodgings from last turn to account for Encyclopaedia de Cille's bonus but not Reviewing the Maps. This seems to be a small oversight as I think the Encyclopaedia de Cille should apply here.

Click to shrink...

Fucked up, fixed it again.

Plan Oshha wins unanimously with 7 votes.

Roll me 17d100s.

Martial
Beast Hunt
DC: Scaling. Roll: 19 + 2 + 3.2 + 1.

Gains: Scaling.

Diplomacy
The Easterlies
DC: 23. Roll: 20 + 2.

Cost: 4 Budget.

Intrigue
An Invitation
DC: 20. Roll: 19 + 2.

Cost: 4 Budget.

Intrigue
The Dockyards
DC: 17. Roll: 19 + 2.

Cost: 0 Budget.

Learning
Alchemical Setup
DC: 10. Roll: 23.

Cost: 2 Budget.

Learning
Magical Marketplace
DC: Scaling. Roll: 23.

Cost: Scaling.

Stewardship
Direct Vision from the Coast
DC: 28. Roll: 20 + 4.3 + 4.3.

Cost: 0 Budget.

Piety
Ophelia Training
DC: 24. Roll: 20.

Cost: 0 Budget.

Piety
Local Spirit Alliances
DC: 25. Roll: 22 + 2.

Cost: 2 Budget.

Event Chain 2A "The Siege of Castle Liyovyi"

Event Chain 2B "The Allied Advance"

Event Chain 2C "The Baron's Response"

Event Chain 2D "The Royal Army's Return"

Event Chain 3A "The Beasts of Autumn"

Event Chain 3B "Oskaria Strikes Back"

Event Chain 5 "The Approaching Mass"

Random Event Roll

 

[hYGP]

Stewardship
Direct Vision from the Coast
DC: 28. Roll: 20 + 4.3 + 4.3 + 4.9 = 33.5.

Event Chain 5 "The Approaching Mass" [5/10]

The night was dark and cold and clear as a winter night could be, which is exactly why your party used the opportunity to set up camp beneath a alcove and wait for the storm that you could all feel in the air. When the day came, with dark and heavy clouds thundering over the ocean as rays of sun poked through the edge, Ophelia began scrying whatever the hell that giant mass was.

You were not expecting Ophelia's first words to be "Huh? That can't be right..."

You were really not expecting her to leap back from the Eye Approaching Divinity screaming in fright.

"Ophelia?" you ask, raising your hands carefully. "What's wrong?"

"Holy shit," she hyperventilates. "We need to get out of here," she says, tucking the Wintercore Wand into her holster.

You nod and immediately start packing up. "Can you explain why?"

"I-I didn't think it through. I took the Eye Approaching Divinity in for a closer look - it's too complicated to properly explain now - but whoever was standing on the deck of that ship noticed me and waved back."

"Ship?" you ask, hoisting the last of your camp gear on.

"Yeah, an unbelievably huge one - and those cannons did not look friendly," she hurriedly explains, looking over the alcove one last time to check for anything missing.

"So you're saying that magical signature is a huge ship with cannons, and that's why it's important?" you ask, confused. "That's...certainly something, but that doesn't explain - "

"That's not all. It's a trading ship from Syasin, way to the east! You know, the land of the silk and porcelain! It's the size of a whole town, and has cannons the size of horses all over the deck!" she exclaimed. "And whoever's on top of that boat noticed the Eye Approaching Divinity!"

You suddenly feel the need to be very far away. "And this thing is coming towards Cille?"

Ophelia jerkily nods.

You both start running.

---

Martial
Beast Hunt
DC: Scaling. Roll: 22 + 5 + 1 + 0.7 = 28.7

Piety
Ophelia Training
DC: 24. Roll: 20 + 0.1 = 20.1.

Event Chain 3A "The Beasts of Autumn" [5/5]
Event Chain 3B "Oskaria Strikes Back" [10/10]

You had a plan on the return trip for hunting down one of the bigger Beasts of Autumn that you had seen and avoided - but unfortunately, the animal cunning of the Beasts of Autumn catches you by surprise. Unfortunately for them, Ophelia was there, with Oskaria's gaze upon her. With a burning golden sword and blazing red eyes, she tore apart the Beastforms with the ease of a farmer scything through wheat or your mentor ripping apart your stupidity. It wasn't just her raw strength, however - their corpses spoke to emaciation and hunger, less the mighty beasts that had so terrorized the capital and more thin skin pulled over hard bone. Even the stone golem that had led the attack was falling to pieces, crumbling before your very eyes.

And then your brain caught up, and realized that Ophelia had been in the middle of negotiating a boundary before she had evidently abruptly tore straight through her protective channels to obtain that power in an instant.

The light faded, and she collapsed to a heap.

Gain: 8 Budget.
Ophelia unavailable for next month.

---

Diplomacy
The Easterlies
DC: 23. Roll: 20 + 2 + 9.6 = 31.6.

Tekla sighs, and slumps back in the chair.

"Man, can I just kick all this stuff over to you, Cormag? I forgot how exhausting all the noble bullshit was," he whines.

"I'm just a humble wandering priest," you say, spreading your arms. "I would never dream of approaching your station, Ser Tekla."

"Oh, do me a favor and please stop pretending you don't call the shots," he exhaustedly says. "I'm tired enough of their bullshit, I don't want yours too."

"Heh," you chuckle. "So, what's got you so exhausted?"

"The worst news possible: the Easterlies are absolutely loyal to the crown, and are in an undeclared war for survival against the Westerlies," he huffs. "That's bad because it implies that the Westerlies might be aligning against the Crown, and worse, by going to them first we've accidentally maneuvered ourselves and the Crown into being pro-Easterlies - which naturally means that the Westerlies have to find some way to square the circle of being 'loyal citizens of Oskaria' and 'aligned against the Easterlies', and the danger is that they'll decide it's easier to drop the former than the latter. And oh, have we mentioned that the Westerlies currently dominate the city? Because I feel like that's an extremely important fact!" he says, voice rising to match his exasperation.

"I think our position is better than you think, especially with those Beasts of Autumn we just killed," you dryly remark. "That should count for something, right?"

"Yeah, probably," he sighs. "Dunno if that's going to be enough, since the Westerlies are probably not going to be anti-king so much as pro-Cille, which could mean anything, to be honest -"

"I see. Any idea on how we should resolve this?"

"I dunno. This shit is why I tried to get away from it all, you know?"

"Hmph."

---

Intrigue
An Invitation
DC: 20. Roll: 19 + 2 + 2.8 = 23.8.

Intrigue
The Dockyards
DC: 17. Roll: 19 + 2 + 3.4 = 24.4.

"So how did your trip go, Kerrie?" you ask, airing out another set of blankets.

"The same old," she laughs with a shaded smile. "Jockeyed for power for a bit, tried to intimidate me with two people in the room who both towered over me, making subtle threats, the usual. Should go without saying that it really didn't go well for them, and they backed down when they realized who they were messing with," she laughs, curling into a ball. "Sounds like Ophelia's not doing too hot," she redirects.

"That's one way to put a low fever," you drily respond, pinning the blanket up to the clothesline. "Don't think I don't see what you're doing though, young lady - I see right through your deflections."

"Yeah, yeah, you old fart," she says, looking down. "I guess the dockyards just felt...nostalgic."

"Hmph. I suppose that finally answers where you came from," you remark. "I suppose we have Agueda to thank for that, huh?"

She shrugs, closing her eyes. "Maybe. It's just weird, knowing that when I was a kid I was terrified of ever meeting this huge boss, and now that I've come back here he's so, so small. This town used to be bigger to me, you know? I ran my old route, and I realized how much faster I could be taking it, how exposed I must have always been. Dockyard's pretty much the same as its always been, the same gangs, the same noble stashes, the same houses where the docks dump all their sailors and children of the seas, even if the houses have changed places.

"I wonder if I'm the only thing that's really changed about this place," she says, ruefully smiling.

"For what it's worth, your changes have been for the better," you say.

"Thanks, Cormag. But, well, like I said - the boss is small. He doesn't care about expansion - as far as he's concerned, he's ruling over his own little undeclared fief, and so long as it stays that way he's not going to do anything to rock the boat. He's not got the ambition to consider betraying Oskaria proactively, but he and his is not going to stand by Oskaria should the rest of the city decide to switch sides," she shrugs. "That's kind of how it's always been here - a thousand little minnows nipping at trout, none of them considering ever trying to reach for anything bigger."

She wryly smiles. "That's Cille for you - a stopover between the places you actually want to go."

---

Learning
Alchemical Setup
DC: 10. Roll: 23 + 5.8 + 8.8 = 37.6.

Learning
Magical Marketplace
DC: Scaling. Roll: 23 + 0.7 = 23.7.

For the second time in two months, Tekla storms into the warehouse, carrying crates of reagents behind him.

"What is it this time, Tekla?" you say, somewhere between between resigned acceptance, bemusement, and exasperation.

"Losers can't even do potions right," Tekla said, stomping over to his alchemical lab. "I guess if you want anything done right you have to do it yourself."

"I'll help with the crates," you say, dusting yourself off.

"No, don't, I want an excuse to simmer in my anger," he shot back.

"Suit yourself," you say, thumbing back to your page in Diocletian's Commentary. "I take it then that there wasn't any equipment worth buying?" you idly comment.

"Cormag, old buddy, we have so many tools we need to live out of a warehouse to stash them and we have buyers literally trying to buy the clothes off of our backs - we are not going to be able to get much more from this town, especially since if we want any of the good stuff we'll need to lift it off the back of a wagon," Tekla ranted.

"I suppose this is where you expect me to vehemently object," you say, skimming through the pages to see where you last left off. "Consider this my strenuous objection, then."

"Ha ha," Tekla sarcastically laughs. "No, with that off the table the only thing worth even considering is potions, and, well," he says, hauling in another crate, "after seeing the shit they're peddling I might as well put this baby to good work."

"Duly noted," you reply. "Is that the sound of you volunteering to make potions?"

"H-hey now, volunteering is a little bit hasty..."

---

Piety
Local Spirit Alliances
DC: 25. Roll: 22 + 2 + 6.1 = 30.1.

You request a bargain from the local spirits - in exchange for the bounties of the Beasts of Autumn, for them to lend you their aid in resolving the issue of the giant Syasin trading ship, and to tell you about the state of the Beasts of Autumn. They gladly accept your offer of trophies and information to repay you with trophies and information - by both blessing your Enchanted Vestments and by informing you that yes, the Beasts of Autumn seem to have disappeared with the first snows.

+1 Diplomacy for all Cille-aligned individuals for three months.

---

Event Chain 2A "The Siege of Castle Liyovyi" [20/20] [9/30]
Event Chain 2B "The Allied Advance" [6/10]
Event Chain 2C "The Baron's Response" [5/5] [0/5] [5/5] [5/5] [3/5]

The Royal Army continues the siege of the Baron's castle, briskly properly securing the area around the castle and preventing all means of escape, as the Royal Army's cannons continue to speak out against the evils of the Vampire Baron's heinous ways. With the iron grip of the Royal Army choking the life out of the Baron, he can do nothing but hopelessly struggle, expending more and more of his oh-so-valuable reserves.

Meanwhile, it sounded like the allies had at least managed to break out of the ruinous situation they had found themselves in - even if that really meant diverting the main group of their forces to try and go the same way that the Oskarian army had blazed through almost six months prior.

---

Event Chain 2D "The Royal Army's Return" [8/10]

Meanwhile, the Royal Army continues their steady trek back, although the path back is not quite as smooth and the rivers not quite as narrow as many had hoped. Nonetheless, they were returning.

---

Random Event Roll: 59

You hear rumors about a nearby spiritual healer passing through the villages nearby, and a mysterious shaman from across the sea was also supposedly kicking around the docks. Perhaps you could work something out?

---

In the cold of January, as the snow begins to fall, you find yourself in Cille, investigating for signs of disloyalty to the Crown. You know that the Church here loudly proclaims their loyalty; the Academy, likewise. You know that the Easterly faction of the nobles full-throatedly supports the Crown's authority - leaving the Westerly faction to oppose it.

You have also found a massive red trading ship, a great barge that makes the massive grain barges heading up and down the Bythnia to look like mere child's rafts, heading for Cille. You have maybe a month or two before it arrives, and Ophelia is out cold.

Agueda is still nowhere to be seen.

Remaining Budget: 325

You have 2 [Free] Actions that may be spent in any category.

You have 3 Minor Boons and 1 Major Boon that you may attach to any Action.

You can cooperate with your teammates to add +3 base stat to an action that you are cooperating on. It is represented by using your [Free] Action on one of your already-selected Actions.

Martial (Choose 1) {Kerrie Action}
[] [Martial] New Contractors
With the Beasts of Autumn fading into the winter snow, all those adventurers that the spirits had empowered lack their old employment opportunities - and you'll certainly benefit from hiring their muscle onto your outfit. DC: 15. Cost: 4 Budget.
[] [Martial] Patrolling the Wilderness
You know that the spirits told you that the Beasts of Autumn aren't visible anymore, and your one run-in with them this month showed that they were starving - but you don't trust that. DC: 20. Cost: 0 Budget.

Diplomacy (Choose 1) {Tekla Action}
[] [Diplomacy] The Westerlies
The Westerlies have seen what you're doing with the Easterlies, and are starting to grow slightly skittish - but on the other hand, you do have some degree of pull yourself...DC: 28. Cost: 4 Budget.
[] [Diplomacy] The Merchant Houses
You suspect, however, that the Merchant Houses here are their own force - one that might find the raw benefits Oskaria grants Cille worth supporting. Of course, you'll want to look into that first, but...DC: 23. Cost: 4 Budget.
[] [Diplomacy] The Wanderers
The rumors of the wandering shaman and healers seems to be worth investigating - and if you can convince them to help, you may be able to help Ophelia recover. DC: 20. Cost: 2 Budget.
[] [Diplomacy] Announcing the Approaching Ship
You have a huge announcement to make: There is a merchant ship the size of a town coming directly from the Syasin, and the city desperately needs to prepare for hosting guests of such magnitude. DC: 10. Cost: 4 Budget.
[] [Diplomacy] Syasin Inquiries
Holy shit, you need to get every bit of information on the Syasin you can, including who might be your representative to them - and maybe if you provide some money the Academy can help. DC: 15. Cost: 10 Budget.

Intrigue (Choose 1) {Kerrie Action}
[] [Intrigue] Searching For Evidence
Well, now that you have some suspicions about the Westerlies, perhaps now would be a good time to start looking in on whether you have proof of their disloyalty. DC: 25. Cost: 0 Budget.
[] [Intrigue] Delivering a Message
You want to talk with the mob boss, and encourage him to take your line - after all, in the worst case scenario the Royal Army might have to come by to clean out the rebellious elements, and that would be massively disruptive, wouldn't it? DC: 28. Cost: 0 Budget.

Learning (Choose 1) {Tekla Action}
[] [Learning] Potions For Sale
Tekla says he can do way better than the potions for sale at the marketplace, and you're inclined to believe him. See if you can't make some money that way. DC: Scaling. Gain: Scaling.
[] [Learning] Healing Potions
Tekla might be able to make some healing potions for Ophelia, but...he really doesn't understand what went wrong, so he can't exactly make a potion to fix it. Still, he can try, though! DC: 32. Cost: 2 Budget.
[] [Learning] Potion Assistance
On the other hand, Tekla does know how to make enhancement potions for, uh, reasons, as he puts it, so he's much more confident in that. DC: 20. Cost: 2 Budget.

Stewardship (Choose 1) {Tekla Action}
[] [Stewardship] Polite Questions
You have some questions you'd like to ask the local tax collectors, just to get their official story on the record. Since you know the truth in the fields. DC: 15. Cost: 0 Budget.
[] [Stewardship] Finding the Authorities
With the ship from Syasin coming in, you really want to know who has the official authority to negotiate with foreign nations in this city - or if there are multiple, who talks to these people? DC: 30. Cost: 0 Budget.
[] [Stewardship] Comparative Political Freedoms
The port city of Cille doesn't feel welcomed by the greater land of Oskaria? Fine, let's show the powerful what they'd be losing out on if they chose to side against Oskaria, especially compared to the other examples of port cities in Etrella and possibly Brumyiva. DC: 28. Cost: 0 Budget.

Piety (Choose 1) {Cormag Action}
[] [Piety] Spiritual Aid
You need the spirits to help you heal Ophelia - she is by far your heaviest hitter, and you fear that you may need that should the negotiations with the Syasin go sour. DC: 30. Cost: 0 Budget.
[] [Piety] Magical Healing
On the other hand, you have the Wintercore Wand and some familiarity with healing spells - perhaps you could help her more directly. DC: 27. Cost: 0 Budget.
[] [Piety] Spiritual Alliances
Lastly, you are going to desperately want some spiritual alliances to help you both keep the city loyal and ready to receive the Syasin delegation. DC: 28. Cost: 0 Budget.
[] [Piety] Calling for Oskaria
It's a definite risk with Ophelia as burned out as she is, but could really use the spirit of Oskaria's help when the Syasin's ship arrives. DC: 27. Cost: 0 Budget.

---

Remember that 98 Random Event Roll aaaallll the way back in Brewing Suspicion Month 1?

Yeah, it's taken a while, but the full effects are finally coming to Oskaria.

 

[hYGP]

Plan Oshha wins 5-4-2-2-2. A split vote, to be sure.

Roll me 14d100s

Martial
New Contractors
DC: 15. Roll: 19 + 2 + 3.2.

Cost: 4 Budget.

Diplomacy
The Wanderers
DC: 20. Roll: 18 + 2 + 1.

Cost: 2 Budget.

Diplomacy
The Merchant Houses
DC: 23. Roll: 20 + 2 + 1.

Cost: 4 Budget.

Diplomacy
Syasin Inquiries
DC: 15. Roll: 20 + 2 + 1.

Cost: 10 Budget.

Intrigue
Searching For Evidence
DC: 25. Roll: 19 + 2.

Cost: 0 Budget.

Learning
Potion Assistance
DC: 20. Roll: 23

Stewardship
Polite Questions
DC: 15. Roll: 16 + 3.6 + 3.6.

Cost: 0 Budget.

Piety
Spiritual Alliances
DC: 28. Roll: 22 + 2.

Cost: 0 Budget.

Event Chain 2A "The Siege of Castle Liyovyi"

Event Chain 2B "The Allied Advance"

Event Chain 2C "The Baron's Response"

Event Chain 2D "The Royal Army's Return"

Event Chain 5 "The Advent of the Syasin"

Random Event Roll

 

[hYGP]

Martial
New Contractors
DC: 15. Roll: 19 + 2 + 3.2 + 9.0 = 33.2.

Some days, you despaired for your country, and prayed for blessings.

Today was one of those days.

These adventurers were, frankly speaking, either young enough to be your child or old enough to be your fathers. Their armor was nothing more than a particularly heavy quilt bound around their forms, and their weapons nothing more than muskets which appeared might only misfire one time in ten instead of one time in three and knives that might be able to fit over the ends of the barrels for close range work. What they possessed was an unnatural eagerness and a courage borne of those who had stared at the Beasts of Autumn and had found them wanting.

But that left them still as peasants wearing the rags of whatever they had been able to muster after a brutal year, given only a bravery bordering on suicidal, and desperately needing to leave their families to reduce the numbers of mouths to feed - and you noted that more than half of them were women or formerly invalids, left only to seek a glorious death.

You would at least make sure that they were well-paid in the interim.

+2 Martial while contract lasts.

---

Diplomacy
The Wanderers
DC: 20. Roll: 18 + 2 + 1 + 1.3 = 22.3.

Your case to the wandering priests and shamans is simple - you have money and a maiden in need of esoteric spiritual aid. They gladly agree to come see what they can do for her. The priest comes with hands of light and lays them upon her brow, sighs, and says the rest is up to her. The shaman comes, studies her, does a dance to appeal to the spirits, and then gravely nods towards you. It is a serious affliction, and she will have to recover with her own strength.

Neither are able to help her recover immediately, but perhaps they have helped her along.

---

Diplomacy
The Merchant Houses
DC: 23. Roll: 20 + 2 + 1 + 8.1 = 31.1.

You decide to send Tekla in to speak with the leaders of the merchant houses, to sound out their position. Universally they proclaimed their loyalty to Oskaria, for Oskaria had given them much and brought them the goods of empire at low rates - or at least, should Cille break off the tariffs levied upon the Merchant Houses would certainly be far worse than the internal tax controls in Oskaria, they laugh.

But if you do have an audience with the King, or at least his Finance Minister, they say, they would very much like it if she could somehow arrange to lower the internal tariff barriers - heaven forbid any of them be accused of disloyalty to Oskaria, but as of right now with the tariff barriers so high they're barely able to make any significant profit - lift these artificial barriers, and the Merchant Houses will be able to contribute more to the Crown's coffers, they claim.

As a light aside, however, they do caution you that this snubbing of the Westerlies is going to lead nowhere fast, intentional or not - it would not do to continue ignoring the Westerlies while visiting every other major power in the city first.

---

Learning
Potion Assistance
DC: 20. Roll: 23 + 7.1 = 30.1.

Tekla proposes three possible potions to consider for the upcoming month - or at least, three things that he can brew up.

[] [Potion] Fortitude
This potion of fortitude does only one thing, but it does that one thing extremely well - it suppresses fear without inhibiting pain or instinct, which is apparently quite the feat. +4 Martial, one-time use. Cost: 2 Budget.
[] [Potion] Clarity
This potion of clarity should help make any person able to recall anything in their memory, so long as they're humanoid-enough; Tekla's not really confident enough to say that it'll work on Agueda, but it'll probably work with you. +3 Stewardship, two uses. Cost: 2 Budget.
[] [Potion] Candles
Tekla can also make some candles whose smoke should be very pleasing to the spirits - and also may help ritually contain them better. Provides +2 Piety for spiritual actions, three uses. Cost: 2 Budget.

---

Stewardship
Polite Questions
DC: 15. Roll: 16 + 3.6 + 3.6 + 0.7 = 23.9.

You decide to have Tekla meet with the local tax collectors, because you're a good patriot and you just want to confirm some loose receipts. You notice that many of the tax collectors are the Westerly nobles' subordinates - but then again, that is technically how it's supposed to go.

They assert that they have always paid their taxes diligently in accordance with tradition, stretching beyond their grandfather's grandfather - they're proud of their tradition, and they will continue to act in accordance with the way they've always had.

Tekla nods along, and simply asks for how much they paid up the chain individually - he wants to make sure everything's alright.

What starts raising some eyebrows is how defensive they become - are they besmirching the tax collector's honor, and the honor of their lords? This is an offense, and should he continue to pursue -

Tekla demands, one more time, the official amount paid up the chain.

They hem, and they haw, but there isn't much they want to push their luck against the royal seal of investigation, so they eventually acquiesce and give him a number.

Once Tekla's starts tallying up the numbers compared to the maps you have of the area, you have proof of a systematic undercounting of the farmland under cultivation around Cille, and thus the tax burdens - tax burdens that you had found evidence suggesting that both the low-level and high-level tax collectors were busy committing graft.

The problem is the sheer number of people on the take. You're not quite sure about how the different judicial system works in Cille, but...you suspect bringing this assortment of tax collectors and minor Westerly nobles will be significantly harder than the effort in Gorlin. At least there the conspirators weren't well-liked.

---

Intrigue
Searching For Evidence
DC: 25. Roll: 19 + 2 + 0.1 = 21.1.

Whatever Kerrie does, she returns in a panic, and hides as quickly as possible. Armed guards roam the streets, searching for the thief who had so boldly broken into one of the noble houses of the Westerlies - as some complained that this must have been a dastardly Easterly or Colonist plot, because none of them were trustworthy.

Naturally, your group, made up of Easterly allies and Colonists is immediately suspected. Fortunately for you, the priests and the scholars at the Academy, despite glaring daggers at each other, have come out in defense of your group's honor - you were a group of honorable scholars and priests on behalf of the King, and you could never commit such a crime, because to do so would be to besmirch the honor of the King and the church and the Academy, no?

Still...the rumor lingers. Long enough to become nasty.

---

Piety
Spiritual Alliances
DC: 28. Roll: 22 + 2 + 5.2 = 29.2.

Before the Syasin come, you decide to firm up some of the spiritual loyalties of the city - affirming that they will stay loyal to the city and its people, and will not be swayed by the temptations of others, and will do their best to discourage such foolishness in their relations.

Exhaustedly, the spirits agree - though you notice many are weary, slightly resentful, and barely more than wisps at this point.

---

Diplomacy
Syasin Inquiries
DC: 15. Roll: 20 + 2 + 1 + 3.5 = 26.5.

Event Chain 5 "The Advent of the Syasin" [10/10]

Random Event Roll: 68

You begin your desperate search for experts on the Syasin not a moment too soon. The Academy quickly puts out word among its own staff that it needs experts in speaking Rusmysian, Kataltin, and the other experts on whatever goes on east of the Steppes, and the professors and other academics respond just as quickly.

You're inundated with facts about how the Syasin are theorized to be the size of several of the Compact nations, as well as how their primary exports appear to be fine porcelain and silk, once they consulted the records - some even suggested that Kataltin jade may actually originate from the Syasin. Admittedly, all of the Oskarian information on the Syasin has to travel literal thousands of miles, so many of the details could be misleading, but what everyone is certain of is that the Syasin are no minor power to be easily trifled with. The history of Oskarian-Syasin relations, meanwhile, appears to have been some degree of occasional acknowledgement but no real contact - and in any case the Wyvern Wars literally torched the connection for hundreds of years, so nobody in Oskaria's living memory truly knows what's going on with the Syasin. In fact, Roche even suggests that the Syasin are the successor to the prior regime in that region - but no one knows for certain.

In exchange for answering your questions, the Academy first commands a high salary, and secondly persistently asks why you're asking so many questions about the Syasin.

The Syasin answer for you.

Their great ship emerges out of the mists, the stylized head of a dragon mounted on the prow. It is unfathomably large - a red mountain of wood, dwarfing the lighthouse on the horizon. You understand now what Ophelia meant when she said it was a cargo ship that made the great grain barges look like mere children's rafts - the masts alone appear to be the made of the tallest trees you could possibly comprehend, as the unfurled sails appear to be the size of a building. They come not from the southern coasts like you had expected, but rather from the east - and that likely meant the draft was so deep that this grand ship could not afford to sail in the treacherous shallows of the Calamity Ruins.

Upon those high masts flap banners that you cannot recognize, that has no comparison anywhere you know of, an eight-sided octagon centered on a circle of two colors - and you suddenly realize that if you can clearly see it from your place on the docks that that banner must be the size of several lengths of horses on all sides. If you strain your eyes, you can almost see the little circles and shapes in the mists - the cannons the size of horses Ophelia had mentioned.

And somehow, you know that whoever is standing upon the decks is doing the same as you.

The city behind you lights into pandemonium, for they had absolutely no idea something like this was coming. As you see the ship come to a halt and drop anchor, a riotous crowd gathers, afraid of this beast that seemed like all the world like a calamitous seaborne Beast of Autumn - or worse, a Calamity Armor. Your crew of adventurers helps keep the crowd under control by assuring them that you had a plan, which you nodded along to - when the noble delegations came forward, you presented your Royal Seal, pointed out that this was a matter of international trade, and asked the crowd whether they would like to gainsay the King's authority in this matter. Some clearly intended to, but without knowing who actually was responsible, many simply chose to continue to allow you to present one of the faces of the city - so long as you were joined by a delegation of notables, so that this...ship didn't get the wrong impression.

Meanwhile, the great ship of the Syasin sets its own launches down, carrying chests so heavy that the launch itself sinks deep into the waterline. The crowd waits with bated breath. You control your breathing, as the Academy, noble, merchant, and church delegations all negotiate their own positions upon the dock. From a distance you spy three people on the dock - one blond man and black-haired woman wearing a foreign style of shimmering silk clothing, and one browned man wearing an Etrellan-style garments. The former were likely the two from Syasin, while the merchant had likely been paid to be a translator for them.

Except...the Etrellan is not the first one to step off the boat. No, he is assigned to carry one crate, one so heavy he visibly staggers.

The blond man in the silk clothes is the first to step off, somehow completely spotless from the ride. His eyes light up when he sees you, and somehow you get the heavy feeling that this was the person Ophelia had seen waving back.

Clasping his hands together, he bowed deeply, and exclaimed with only the slightest hint of an Etrellan accent:

"Greetings, people of Cille! Greetings, people of Oskaria! My name is Xin Jin, and it's a wonderful honor to meet you as a representative of the Shi Anh Empire!"

---

Event Chain 2A "The Siege of Castle Liyovyi" [20/20] [8/30]
Event Chain 2B "The Allied Advance" [0/10]
Event Chain 2C "The Baron's Response" [5/5] [0/5] [5/5] [5/5] [5/5] [3/5]
Event Chain 2D "The Royal Army's Return" [6/10]

It seems like such small news by comparison, but many of the same stories in the siege continues - progress, slow, but steady.

---

The Shi Anh Empire's delegations are as generous as they are quick-witted; the first thing they do is present a gift to the dockyards, for allowing to host them. Next they offer prayers to the local spirits, and an immense offering to cement their ability. Before they go much further, they start gifting jade earrings and fine porcelain with aged Shi Anh wine to the nobles - and somehow, the hawk-like blue eyes of Xin Jin had discerned the factional split between the Easterlies and Westerlies, and had appeased them in turn. Upon his visit to the Academy, he offered a trade - a scroll of Shi Anh philosophy and writings for every book of the Encyclopaedia de Cille they were willing to hand over, as well as a generous price for them - and in turn they praised his boundless generosity and bestowed upon him all the writings and works they could possibly spare him.

Then Xin Jin turned his attention to you.

He first presented you with a complete set of Jade jewelry, to be given to the emperor or king of this land. Next, he offered payment for the delivery, and also some more, just to get on the good side of the King's most trusted tax collectors. You have no idea how he knows that all so quickly, but he gives you no time to think - he has an issue he'd like to present to the court as a whole, and would appreciate your assistance in sorting something out.

Specifically, while the treasuries of the Shi Anh Empire are so vast that even the foreign currency they hold alone would be enough to bankroll minor countries, the Shi Anh Empire would really like to be able to exchange their own currency - especially if they can make this journey a regular passage, which, hint hint, they just might. This sort of journey would imply an incredibly amount of treasure and fortune, so it would greatly help them if Oskaria could find some agreeable exchange rate between Oskarian currency and the Shi Anh Empire's currency.

He figures that since you're the King's best tax collectors, if anyone would be able to help him with this sort of thing it'd be you, right?

You agree hesitantly. His profuse thanks seems to lighten your heart just long enough for him to leave and to leave you with the crushing realization that you need to somehow figure out exactly how his currency works in order to exchange it for Oskarian currency, especially because of these..."mandates of heaven" having their own unique properties.

It makes you want to hold your head for a good long while.

Meanwhile, Ophelia has begun to move fitfully - perhaps she might recover on her own this month. You can only hope, especially since Agueda is still nowhere to be seen.

Remaining Budget: 310

You have 2 [Free] Actions that may be spent in any category.

You have 3 Minor Boons and 1 Major Boon that you may attach to any Action.

You can cooperate with your teammates to add +3 base stat to an action that you are cooperating on. It is represented by using your [Free] Action on one of your already-selected Actions.

Martial (Choose 1) {Kerrie Action}
[] [Martial] Escort Mission
You need to get this treasure to the King, and you also need to call for backup and let him know that the Shi Anh Empire has made direct contact. Plus it'll probably get Kerrie out of the city long enough to take the heat off. DC: 15. Cost: 6 Budget (Kerrie will temporarily leave the party at the end of the month, no other consequences)
[] [Martial] Shi Anh Scouting
The Shi Anh Empire has brought a massive ship nearby and has offered a tour to show off the Shi Anh Empire's might. Tag along. DC: 15. Cost: 0 Budget.

Diplomacy (Choose 1) {Tekla Action}
[] [Diplomacy] The Westerlies
Make no mistake about it - the Westerlies are livid at the insult, and will only consider forgiving you after several attempts to appease them. DC: 32. Cost: 8 Budget.
[] [Diplomacy] Jockeying for Position
Meanwhile, that's bled over into the fight over who the Shi Anh delegation regularly sees - the Westerlies are attempting to cut you out of the picture entirely, and you really don't want that to happen. DC: 27. Cost: 4 Budget.
[] [Diplomacy] Fishing for Information
Xin Jin seems supremely confident about how he can regularly ensure trade between the Shi Anh and Oskaria. See if you can't find out why. DC: 15. Cost: 0 Budget.
[] [Diplomacy] Rewarding the Faithful
You remember how the Church and the Academy defended you, and you should repay them, so as to not be ungrateful. DC: 10. Cost: 4 Budget.

Intrigue (Choose 1) {Kerrie Action}
[] [Intrigue] Poking around the Shi Anh
With such a massive ship, poking around the ship unnoticed should be simple - but also so very, very difficult on account of its size. DC: Scaling. Cost: 1 Budget.
[] [Intrigue] Searching for Evidence Again
The last time you did it things went badly, and now the Westerlies have upgraded security - but you still need that cold hard proof, dammit. DC: 28. Cost: 0 Budget.
[] [Intrigue] Counter-Intrigue
Okay, now that you've really pissed off the Westerlies you're probably going to need to defend against their attempts to make your life very miserable. DC: Scaling. Cost: 0 Budget.

Learning (Choose 1) {Tekla Action}
[] [Learning] Potions For Sale
Tekla says he can do way better than the potions for sale at the marketplace, and you're inclined to believe him. The presence of the ludicrously rich Shi Anh promises incredibly lucrative rewards if you impress them enough. DC: Scaling. Gain: Scaling.
[] [Learning] Healing Potions
Tekla might be able to make some healing potions for Ophelia, but...he really doesn't understand what went wrong, so he can't exactly make a potion to fix it. Still, he can try, though! DC: 32. Cost: 2 Budget.
[] [Learning] Potion Assistance
On the other hand, Tekla does know how to make enhancement potions for, uh, reasons, as he puts it, so he's much more confident in that. DC: 20. Cost: 2 Budget.

Stewardship (Choose 1) {Tekla Action}
[] [Stewardship] The Mandates of Responsibilities
Okay, you really need to ask Xin Jin how precisely these Mandates of Heaven work as a currency, since few of these have similar denomin - wait did he just make a note from thin air AAAAAAA DC: 35. Cost: 0 Budget.
[] [Stewardship] The Specifics of Shi Anh
Clearly you need to start somewhere more fundamental if you want to get anywhere on the currency project - somewhere like the major facts about Shi Anh, for example. DC: Scaling. Cost: 0 Budget.
[] [Stewardship] Cille's Own Legal System
Oh, by the way, you do still need to look into how Cille's legal system works - you've gone through one trial that suspected you of something, but you were cleared, and you need to know how exactly that all works out. DC: 30. Cost: 0 Budget.

Piety (Choose 1) {Cormag Action}
[] [Piety] Magical Healing
You think Ophelia's just about healed, so with the right spells and the help of the Wintercore Wand, you could probably wake her up right now. DC: 25. Cost: 0 Budget.
[] [Piety] The Spirits Aboard the Ship
You were actually mistaken about the ship before - you now clearly understand that it was carrying a payload of spirits, and was strategically leaving some of them behind. Perhaps you might be able to get some information from them. DC: 28. Cost: 4 Budget.

 

[hYGP]

Plan Best We Can Do wins 6-2-1.

Roll me 15d100s.

Martial
Escort Mission
DC: 15. Roll: 19 + 3.2 + 2 + 2.

Cost: 6 Budget.

Martial
Shi Anh Scouting
DC: 15. Roll: 19 + 3.2 + 2. + 2.

Cost: 0 Budget.

Diplomacy
The Westerlies
DC: 32. Roll: 20 + 3 + 1 + 1 + 1.

Cost: 8 Budget.

Intrigue
Counter-Intrigue
DC: Scaling. Roll: 19 + 2*

Cost: 0 Budget.

Learning
Potions for Sale
DC: Scaling. Roll: 23 + 5.8.

Stewardship
The Specifics of Shi Anh
DC: Scaling. Roll: 16 + 3.6 + 3.6 + 3.

Cost: 0 Budget.

PIety
Magical Healing
DC: 25. Roll: 22 + 3.

Cost: 0 Budget.

Event Chain 2A
Event Chain 2B
Event Chain 2C
Event Chain 2D

Event Chain 5A "The Agenda of the Syasin"
Event Chain 5B "???"

Event Chain 6 "???"

Random Event Roll

*I removed the Free Action from Counter Intrigue because you only have two free actions and spent three. This is less of a concern than it sounds, so long as you roll well enough on Event Chain 6.