Noblesse Oblige [Znt/SI]
- Location
- 7 Treasure Hoards in 7 Sacred Hills
Wow I had just finished the last one and was about to go to sleep. When this showed up out of nowhere. Welp sleep is for the weak!
Huh hell of an apology
AnonymousRabbit
Rabbit Faced
One hour difference?! Just what sort of Stand does Shade have?!
- Location
- Germany
- Pronouns
- He/Him
And it won't matter where it really counts.
Shade must have Za Warudo... At this point, it's the only thing that makes sense
.
- Location
- Singapore
You'd better be ready to save Charlotte from her canon fate. It's starting, and while this Isabella is in a way better head-space than her canon self, she does have those tendencies; and I shudder to think what she'd do to Charlotte without any checks . Oh, and if you happen to see King Joseph in company with a male elf or a woman who doesn't look Halkagenian.....
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- Location
- Lynn, MA
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
That'll be the cue for either regicide or elf extermination.
She's gonna be fine. Charles moved his family out of the nest of vipers that is the capital. He's also lacking in ambition right now, with his other daughter's alleged death.
I'm pretty sure all elves aren't Halkagenian.
- Location
- Lynn, MA
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Pretty sure that last bit only applies to the woman at the end there. I think Andmeuths was referring to the void familiar that Joseph summons.
Ah. The lack of Oxford commas threw me off.
Dragonskyt
Ashen one, hearest thou my voice, still?
- Location
- Kiln of the First Flame
I was wondering when Sheffield is summoned into play.
And when Henry tries to play matchmaker between her and her master.
And when Henry tries to play matchmaker between her and her master.
Chapter Eighty-Four
- Location
- https://discord.gg/z9tBvbh
Chapter Eighty-Four
Give a man a soldier, and he'll immediately think he's a great leader, and that the soldier's achievements are his. Give a man an army, and he'll start thinking he can take over the world. Handling an army wasn't an easy task, and I honestly didn't min-max such a thing. It would be impossible. Just ordering the supplies to keep the training of the new recruits up and running, having to ensure no corners were cut during training, keeping an eye out for potential troublemakers to expel-a single man, alone, couldn't do that.
Dedication and merit, those I could promote.
"So, Agnes...is that right?" I asked to the young woman in front of me. Isabella had told me to wait one day, and so I had decided to spend that day by personally visiting the barracks. She was young, perhaps the same age as Mathilda or even one year younger still. Her face was stern, as if she had eaten a sour lemon. "Why did you decide to enlist?"
"Personal reasons, your highness," Agnes replied curtly. Her blond hair was cut short, and while her blue eyes remained firm, it was clear that they had the subtle hint of steel in them.
"Well," I sighed, "That's fine. We don't really dig deep into the reasons why someone wishes to enlist. The only thing of note is whether or not you are a criminal in another country-if that's the case, we'll need to issue you a new identity," I remarked quite frankly, fingers clasped.
Because this was the truth of my army.
At least, a piece of it.
The Foreign Legion's principle of camaraderie applied to all. Within the Legion, they were all equals. Even if they committed crimes, as long as the crimes weren't grievous like murder, they'd be allowed to enlist and be issued new identities. If someone hurt a noble's reputation, for example, they could end up never finding work -nor could they enlist in the normal army. This way, they had a chance to still make something of themselves rather than devolve into brigands.
"No, your grace," Agnes said.
I nodded. "You must be wondering why I am overseeing this?" I asked even as I scribbled down the official papers of admission. Normally, I would have left it to my officers, but they first hired the nobles, and then moved on to hire the commoners. Being a woman, if I hadn't stepped in and done this myself, they would have left her for last. Honestly, I was kind of pissed they had thought to enlist everyone else first, the name Agnes began with an A, and since it had to be alphabetical for the commoners-she should have gone first.
"Because I am a woman," Agnes replied. "I was told to come at the end of the month."
"Indeed," I exhaled. "I apologize for my officer's bigotry," I remarked. "He, and his fellow officers, have been already chastised for it. The order of enlistment should be alphabetic, and definitely not gender-divided."
"Your grace should not apologize to a commoner," Agnes replied curtly.
"When in here, I am not a grace, but a marshal, and a Marshal that treats his men poorly must apologize, no matter the situation," I pointed out. "You have steel in your eyes, Miss Agnes," I continued as I kept scribbling on the parchment, "have you already seen death?"
"Yes," Agnes acquiesced.
"Taken a life?" I asked.
"No," Agnes added, shaking her head a tiny bit.
"Your future dream?" I asked next.
"Does it matter?" Agnes asked, puzzled.
I smiled. "You might not have heard of this, but...lodgings, food, they'll be provided alongside a small stipend. At the same time, though, I wish for my men to not be constrained in their choices. Some of them wish to be bakers, or farmers-they are putting aside money to open their shops, buy plots of land. So I help them along. After three years of service, if they retire with their record spotless and they've committed no crimes or broke discipline-they receive my help in achieving their dreams. Be it money or contacts, since I took years of their lives by having them in my service, it's only right I help them achieve something in exchange."
"I don't have any dreams," Agnes said, but her voice had lost a bit of the edge she had acquired.
"Very well, you are young, and you have time to think about it," I said with a small smile. "Now, for the next questions-your village of origin, and any next of kin that should be notified in case of your death-"
Agnes tensed, "Angleterre," she said, "And no kin to notify."
I blinked. "Ah," I said softly. "Angleterre, is it?" I shook my head softly, "It was a sad affair," I muttered. "But the common impression is that there weren't any survivors."
"No," Agnes clenched her fists, "There was a survivor," she hissed out through gritted teeth. "Me."
"Then...revenge?" I said in a murmur, "Is that your dream?"
"It's not a dream," Agnes said, fire in her eyes. "It's my reason for living."
I scribbled down on my parchment even more, and when I was done, I looked up at her. "We can give you the skills to grant you a chance at revenge," I said as I rolled the parchment up and sealed it with my wax symbol. "But this place-this army, is a family onto itself. This is something all of my officers must tell the new recruits, and I hope they've kept it up because otherwise I'll be stringing them for hours later," I smiled gently, "once in the Petite Armée, even when you leave, the Petite Armée won't leave you behind." I extended the parchment to Agnes, "Take this and report to officer Castlebury, musketeer regiment number two. He is a harsh taskmaster, but fair."
Agnes grabbed the parchment, and bowed.
"Also," I said gently as she stood back up, ready to leave, "I expect great things from someone as driven as you. Castlebury plans on putting up a textile shop when he's done his years-surprise me, and you might get his post. If your plan is to find the culprits behind that accident and make them pay-you'll need influence, and the ranks in the military are the easiest way to achieve it."
Agnes clenched the parchment in her hand a bit tighter, and then nodded brusquely. "With your permission, your grace."
"You may leave," I said gently. And as soon as she left, the officers that had made a mess of the enlistment procedure filtered in with their heads low and shameful looks on their faces.
I clasped my fingers together and glared at them.
"Recite the oath."
And as one man, they did so.
"The Legion is our family. We shall honor and respect it. To the last man we will defend it. We shall be faithful to it, and its men. The place of our birth or the conditions of it do not matter, only our ability-"
"Then, what did you do wrong?" I hissed out, eyes narrow.
One of the officers swallowed, the chosen escape goat, or perhaps the chosen representative.
"We...We thought to wait for your presence, your grace-"
I raised a hand, and the man clamped up.
"This won't happen again," I said dryly. "Once, it's a warning. Twice, it's a strike," I drummed my fingers on the tabletop and sighed, my eyes softening up. "You have all been chosen because of your skills, not because of your place, or your nobility," I continued gently. "The kindness I have extended you, you must extend in turn...are we understood?"
"Y-Yes your grace!" the officers shouted nearly at the same time, "We won't make this mistake again!" one yelled, a chorus of approval following the first yell.
"Very well," I said with a sigh. "Now..." I looked at the pile of papers by my side. "One at the time-how are things going?"
That's how I spent the rest of my morning.
Listening to officers remark on the training of my troops, on their care, on how they were happy or unsatisfied about this or that...
Also, the care packages had been received and had lifted morale to the point where, at my order, they'd gladly proceed to follow me into the pits of hell itself. They didn't actually word it like that, but...
...their joy made it clear just how much they had enjoyed those books.
Give a man a soldier, and he'll immediately think he's a great leader, and that the soldier's achievements are his. Give a man an army, and he'll start thinking he can take over the world. Handling an army wasn't an easy task, and I honestly didn't min-max such a thing. It would be impossible. Just ordering the supplies to keep the training of the new recruits up and running, having to ensure no corners were cut during training, keeping an eye out for potential troublemakers to expel-a single man, alone, couldn't do that.
Dedication and merit, those I could promote.
"So, Agnes...is that right?" I asked to the young woman in front of me. Isabella had told me to wait one day, and so I had decided to spend that day by personally visiting the barracks. She was young, perhaps the same age as Mathilda or even one year younger still. Her face was stern, as if she had eaten a sour lemon. "Why did you decide to enlist?"
"Personal reasons, your highness," Agnes replied curtly. Her blond hair was cut short, and while her blue eyes remained firm, it was clear that they had the subtle hint of steel in them.
"Well," I sighed, "That's fine. We don't really dig deep into the reasons why someone wishes to enlist. The only thing of note is whether or not you are a criminal in another country-if that's the case, we'll need to issue you a new identity," I remarked quite frankly, fingers clasped.
Because this was the truth of my army.
At least, a piece of it.
The Foreign Legion's principle of camaraderie applied to all. Within the Legion, they were all equals. Even if they committed crimes, as long as the crimes weren't grievous like murder, they'd be allowed to enlist and be issued new identities. If someone hurt a noble's reputation, for example, they could end up never finding work -nor could they enlist in the normal army. This way, they had a chance to still make something of themselves rather than devolve into brigands.
"No, your grace," Agnes said.
I nodded. "You must be wondering why I am overseeing this?" I asked even as I scribbled down the official papers of admission. Normally, I would have left it to my officers, but they first hired the nobles, and then moved on to hire the commoners. Being a woman, if I hadn't stepped in and done this myself, they would have left her for last. Honestly, I was kind of pissed they had thought to enlist everyone else first, the name Agnes began with an A, and since it had to be alphabetical for the commoners-she should have gone first.
"Because I am a woman," Agnes replied. "I was told to come at the end of the month."
"Indeed," I exhaled. "I apologize for my officer's bigotry," I remarked. "He, and his fellow officers, have been already chastised for it. The order of enlistment should be alphabetic, and definitely not gender-divided."
"Your grace should not apologize to a commoner," Agnes replied curtly.
"When in here, I am not a grace, but a marshal, and a Marshal that treats his men poorly must apologize, no matter the situation," I pointed out. "You have steel in your eyes, Miss Agnes," I continued as I kept scribbling on the parchment, "have you already seen death?"
"Yes," Agnes acquiesced.
"Taken a life?" I asked.
"No," Agnes added, shaking her head a tiny bit.
"Your future dream?" I asked next.
"Does it matter?" Agnes asked, puzzled.
I smiled. "You might not have heard of this, but...lodgings, food, they'll be provided alongside a small stipend. At the same time, though, I wish for my men to not be constrained in their choices. Some of them wish to be bakers, or farmers-they are putting aside money to open their shops, buy plots of land. So I help them along. After three years of service, if they retire with their record spotless and they've committed no crimes or broke discipline-they receive my help in achieving their dreams. Be it money or contacts, since I took years of their lives by having them in my service, it's only right I help them achieve something in exchange."
"I don't have any dreams," Agnes said, but her voice had lost a bit of the edge she had acquired.
"Very well, you are young, and you have time to think about it," I said with a small smile. "Now, for the next questions-your village of origin, and any next of kin that should be notified in case of your death-"
Agnes tensed, "Angleterre," she said, "And no kin to notify."
I blinked. "Ah," I said softly. "Angleterre, is it?" I shook my head softly, "It was a sad affair," I muttered. "But the common impression is that there weren't any survivors."
"No," Agnes clenched her fists, "There was a survivor," she hissed out through gritted teeth. "Me."
"Then...revenge?" I said in a murmur, "Is that your dream?"
"It's not a dream," Agnes said, fire in her eyes. "It's my reason for living."
I scribbled down on my parchment even more, and when I was done, I looked up at her. "We can give you the skills to grant you a chance at revenge," I said as I rolled the parchment up and sealed it with my wax symbol. "But this place-this army, is a family onto itself. This is something all of my officers must tell the new recruits, and I hope they've kept it up because otherwise I'll be stringing them for hours later," I smiled gently, "once in the Petite Armée, even when you leave, the Petite Armée won't leave you behind." I extended the parchment to Agnes, "Take this and report to officer Castlebury, musketeer regiment number two. He is a harsh taskmaster, but fair."
Agnes grabbed the parchment, and bowed.
"Also," I said gently as she stood back up, ready to leave, "I expect great things from someone as driven as you. Castlebury plans on putting up a textile shop when he's done his years-surprise me, and you might get his post. If your plan is to find the culprits behind that accident and make them pay-you'll need influence, and the ranks in the military are the easiest way to achieve it."
Agnes clenched the parchment in her hand a bit tighter, and then nodded brusquely. "With your permission, your grace."
"You may leave," I said gently. And as soon as she left, the officers that had made a mess of the enlistment procedure filtered in with their heads low and shameful looks on their faces.
I clasped my fingers together and glared at them.
"Recite the oath."
And as one man, they did so.
"The Legion is our family. We shall honor and respect it. To the last man we will defend it. We shall be faithful to it, and its men. The place of our birth or the conditions of it do not matter, only our ability-"
"Then, what did you do wrong?" I hissed out, eyes narrow.
One of the officers swallowed, the chosen escape goat, or perhaps the chosen representative.
"We...We thought to wait for your presence, your grace-"
I raised a hand, and the man clamped up.
"This won't happen again," I said dryly. "Once, it's a warning. Twice, it's a strike," I drummed my fingers on the tabletop and sighed, my eyes softening up. "You have all been chosen because of your skills, not because of your place, or your nobility," I continued gently. "The kindness I have extended you, you must extend in turn...are we understood?"
"Y-Yes your grace!" the officers shouted nearly at the same time, "We won't make this mistake again!" one yelled, a chorus of approval following the first yell.
"Very well," I said with a sigh. "Now..." I looked at the pile of papers by my side. "One at the time-how are things going?"
That's how I spent the rest of my morning.
Listening to officers remark on the training of my troops, on their care, on how they were happy or unsatisfied about this or that...
Also, the care packages had been received and had lifted morale to the point where, at my order, they'd gladly proceed to follow me into the pits of hell itself. They didn't actually word it like that, but...
...their joy made it clear just how much they had enjoyed those books.
EmpirePlayer
Anyone need some chaos?
- Location
- Penang
...did Henry seriously use well-written porn to buy their loyalty? Then what about the other female soldiers, if any that are present? Is Henry an equal-opportunity writer?
- Location
- https://discord.gg/z9tBvbh
Well, it's...well written porn, lodgings, food, a family, retirement plans-healthcare also because we ain't stingy about money and aren't capitalistic pigs...
You know, all the good stuff!
Did I already mention porn?
Holy shitballs. 3 updates in 3 hours.
.... huh, just thought of something....the necklace around Tiffania's neck. the one to hide her ears 'n' shit.
... did the arch duke not think to have one for his Mistress? or if he did how did anyone find out about the elf?
Edit: huh, i just found my first plot hole..... YAY!!!
... did the arch duke not think to have one for his Mistress? or if he did how did anyone find out about the elf?
Edit: huh, i just found my first plot hole..... YAY!!!
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- Location
- Germany
- Pronouns
- He/Him
...
You know, if you fire up the imagination you might provide facilities for controlled release ...
For a nome de guerre I'd suggest 'Littlefinger' ...
AnonymousRabbit
Rabbit Faced
I keep telling you guys' it's a goddamned Stand.
