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The Tinpot Princess and Her Many Travels
- Thread starter Chandagnac
- Start date
- Original
Flashkannon
Aqua Iconographer
- Location
- TM 91
[x] By being reasonable: "This isn't about me and my former petty kingdom. This is about the Aspiti Empire starting a new war of conquest. Sooner or later, you'll have to fight them: they want to steal your lands and turn your people into slaves. You can fight them alone, or you can accept my offer of alliance. I may have been dispossessed, but I still have powerful allies among the gods: Mishrak, with his horde of sea monsters; and Teryn, with his legions of the undead. An alliance would make this war easier for you and your people."
Oh jeez, Theoden? That could be problematic. I'm not sure we know the saruman at work here, though there likely is one. This is too erratic behavior to be taken at face value.
141. Peace in Our Time
Chandagnac
Broken Robot
- Location
- Nowhere
It should be obvious by now that something is rotten in the Kingdom of Rivayne...
Here's the next update:
*
Peace in Our Time
'This isn't about me and my petty kingdom. This is about the Aspiti Empire starting a new war of conquest,' said Yslena. 'Sooner or later, you'll have to fight them: they want to steal your lands and turn your people into slaves. You can fight them alone, or you can accept my offer of alliance. I may have been dispossessed, but I still have powerful allies among the gods: Mishrak, with his horde of sea monsters; and Teryn, with his legions of the undead. An alliance would make this war easier for you and your people.'
Briefly, King Marc looked thoughtful, as if he were seriously considering what she'd just said. Then, he spoke: 'We… have nothing to fear from the Aspiti Empire. There will be no war. No…' He blinked, gazing into the distance as if straining his eyes to see something very far away. 'I have received assurances. We will have peace. Peace in our time.'
'For years, you've been sending privateers to raid Aspiti slave ships,' said Yslena, staring at him, unable to believe what she was hearing. 'That's war in all but name. And now you want peace?'
Rivulets of sweat dripped down the king's face. He seemed momentarily paralysed. Then, as if rising out of his stupor with great effort, he said, 'We have… we paid reparations to Aspitolm for our earlier acts of piracy. Such acts were… unworthy of us. The Aspitis are our trusted neighbours.'
'For hundreds of years, the Aspitis have been our implacable enemies, the scourge of the Queli coastline from the north of Grendayne to the east of Taronia,' Yslena corrected him. 'If you know anything about our nation's history, you'll know they cannot be trusted. They've always been raiders, slavers, and conquerors, and it's not like they've changed their ways recently. Extend the hand of friendship to them, they'll fit it with manacles.'
The king's face twisted into a bestial snarl. 'How dare you…? Who are you to tell me…? Why should I… s-send my people to fight in your war? Why…?' His hands shook violently, his eyes nearly bulged out of his head, and it seemed like he was having some kind of seizure. For a moment, Yslena was afraid that he was going to collapse and die right in front of her. If that happened, she'd be lucky to get out of here at all.
Somehow, the king regained control of himself. His shaking ceased. He reached out, grabbed a goblet of wine that was proffered to him by one of his servants, put it to his lips and took an enormous gulp. 'Perhaps we could join your war against Aspitolm. Under certain circumstances,' he said. A look of diabolic cunning crossed his face. 'I mean… right now, if I went to war, I would be seen as the aggressor. Going to war against a friendly power. But if you were my subjects – if you swore allegiance to me – I'd be defending your lands against a foreign aggressor. Fighting to win them back. Perfectly acceptable.'
'Uh, I don't think any of the other countries around here would think you were being unreasonable if you went to war with Aspitolm for any reason whatsoever,' said Yslena with a raised eyebrow. 'They're pretty much universally hated.'
Ignoring her, the king continued his speech: 'You and your husband can't be king and queen, I'm afraid. Instead, as my subjects, you could be… Lord and Lady of Ismar, maybe? The Count and Countess of the Near Isles? You'd pay taxes to me, swear loyalty to me, and I'd defend you. Or, if not me, then my descendants.' He indicated the young prince who was standing next to him, looking very discomfited. 'From now until the end of the world.'
'Thank you for your kind offer. I will have to discuss it with my husband, of course,' said Yslena. She thought this offer seemed very suspicious. It seemed clear that the king wanted to bind her with some kind of oath, but she couldn't think why. Did he think that having the ruler of a tiny island swear allegiance to him was really so important? If so, why? Even if the islands hadn't been taken over by the Aspitis, the people of Ismar and Windskil could only pay a minuscule amount in taxes. Not even pocket change for the king of a large and prosperous nation such as Rivayne. Besides, war with Aspitolm would be very expensive. No matter how much he hoped to gain by adding their lands to his kingdom, it would never be enough to pay for the war. Or was she thinking about this the wrong way? Maybe it wasn't about money. Maybe… ugh, she had no idea what he wanted, or why. 'If I may have your permission to go?'
'Fine. Do what you want.'
'Elward, may I speak to you for a moment?' she asked, turning to him.
'I… uh, unless the king has further need of me,' her brother said, looking guiltily towards the monarch sprawled on his throne.
'Go! If I need you, I'll summon you!' Gesticulating wildly, the king dropped his goblet. It clattered to the floor with an expensive splash.
Yslena and Elward fled as quickly as they decently could. At first, Jesric seemed unsure of whether to follow them, but after a few moments he did.
Outside the throne room, after she'd glanced around to make sure they weren't obviously being overheard, Yslena said, 'Why did the king invite you here, Elward? There must have been a reason, other than to see me humiliated.'
Looking very uncomfortable, her brother wrung his hands together and said, 'Well… it all began shortly after my wife and I visited your former home, some months ago. I received word that elements close to the king – I didn't realise it was the king himself, not until later – were very unhappy that my prospective heir was someone who wasn't even living in Rivayne. I was… uh, persuaded that Jesric was a better option. Not that he isn't a fine, hardworking lad, but…' He frowned. 'There's been a dispute over the inheritance of Istalot and Greygor Keep. Several possible claimants, as I'm sure you can imagine. The king backed one of his favourites, a bastard son of the old Lord Villiars. Many of Rivayne's high nobles objected to this. Including myself. Even a king must obey the laws of his kingdom. But, in order to get what we wanted… we were forced to make certain concessions.'
'And breaking your promise to Elys was one of those.'
Elward gave a feeble nod.
'Why did you suggest that Elys and Jesric get betrothed?'
'Well… he's a good lad. I'm very fond of him.'
Yslena stared hard at her brother for a moment. She saw him wilting under the heat of her gaze.
'T-to start with, it wasn't my idea. It was suggested to me. Because…' Elward looked befuddled, for a moment. 'Um… Elys has the best claim to Norrange. If she wanted to be the next countess, I couldn't stop her. Under Rivayni law, my preferences wouldn't matter. So long as she was willing to live in Norrange and be its next ruler. But… there are certain people who don't want Elys as the next ruler.'
'The king, you mean.'
He gave a barely perceptible nod. 'Among others. They think she's dangerous to them. I'm not sure why.'
'So, why was it important to them that Elys should marry Jesric?'
'Marriages are based on vows. I'm sure you've noticed how keen the king is on vows. That's a new thing,' Elward said sourly.
'Did he summon you here just to trick me into agreeing to an arranged marriage between Elys and Jesric?'
'No, he summoned me here to swear an oath of loyalty to him. Of course, I'd be expected to do that when I eventually become the next Count of Norrange, but…' He heaved a sigh. 'The King is very worried about the possibility of a rebellion against his rule. For that reason, he's been summoning the heirs to the largest and most powerful territories within Rivayne and forcing them to swear loyalty to him in advance of the time when the law and tradition says they must.'
'He's been what?!'
'Not so loud. You don't know who might be listening.' said Elward. He glanced at Jesric. 'Uh, don't repeat anything you hear today, all right, Jes?'
'Foolishness,' said Yslena, taking a deep breath, steadying herself. 'The high nobility of this kingdom won't stand for being insulted like that. If they weren't plotting rebellion before, I've no doubt they are now.'
A thought occurred to her. 'Did you do a deliberately bad job of trying to convince me to agree to a betrothal between Elys and Jesric?'
'I didn't think I'd need to,' said her brother with a faint smirk. 'You've never been much inclined to agree with anything I say. I knew that whatever I said, whichever way I said it, you wouldn't agree. So, I did my best to convince you. No one can say I didn't. And that's what's important.' Again, he glanced at his squire. 'Sorry, Jes.'
'No, I understand,' said Jesric in a low voice.
At this point, the conversation halted as someone else entered the room: a little old man wearing a jester's cap and a thin shirt made of strung-together seashells. As he passed, singing softly to himself under his breath, Yslena felt as if struck by a physical blow.
'Flip flop, drip drop, caught in a web, caught in a web,' he sang, shuffling from side-to-side. 'Bib bob, attercob, caught in a web, caught in a web.'
'I know him. How do I know him?' asked Yslena. She shivered, feeling very disturbed.
'We came here once before, don't you remember?' said Elward. 'I suppose you don't. You were only a little girl.' He gave a fond smile. 'A little spitfire, same as you ever were.'
'Who was that man?'
'That's Shelleycotes, the jester. He was here back then, as well. Or maybe…' Her brother looked momentarily unsure of himself. 'I remember he was very old back then. Maybe that was a different man. A different Shelleycotes.'
'There's always a Shelleycotes,' said Jesric. 'Or so I've heard.'
What did Yslena do next?
[] Go home.
[] Press Elward for more information: who does he think is responsible for the king's recent changes?
[] Run after Shelleycotes and ask him if there's a deeper meaning to his nonsense poem.
[] Ask Jesric what he meant when he said, "There's always a Shelleycotes."
[] Try to speak to Prince Kristan privately.
[] Do something else (write in).
Elys and Jana are much too young to be fighting in a war, so for the next few in-game years you'll be dealing with political intrigue as Gareth and Yslena gather together a coalition of allies while the Aspitis try to soften up the countries they're planning to invade next.
That's the plan, anyway. Maybe it'll work out. Maybe it won't.
That's the plan, anyway. Maybe it'll work out. Maybe it won't.
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Lealope
Not yet invincible
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Vow magic, huh? Are there any arcane libraries we could turn to if we wanted to research this stuff? Because the King is pretty clearly all fucked up in the head and probably doing some internal struggling against whatever has got him acting like such a shitbird.
[X] Run after Shelleycotes and ask him if there's a deeper meaning to his nonsense poem.
The proper start to this kind of mystery is getting some kind of nonsense hint that has little value in actually figuring things out but really helps in framing the whole issue in hindsight.
Afterwards, we should probably figure out if Elward is acting sketch because he can't say anything or is just reluctant to shit talk his lord. If it's the latter, we should work on convincing him that things are thoroughly fucked and his king is compromised by hostile mental influence.
[X] Run after Shelleycotes and ask him if there's a deeper meaning to his nonsense poem.
The proper start to this kind of mystery is getting some kind of nonsense hint that has little value in actually figuring things out but really helps in framing the whole issue in hindsight.
Afterwards, we should probably figure out if Elward is acting sketch because he can't say anything or is just reluctant to shit talk his lord. If it's the latter, we should work on convincing him that things are thoroughly fucked and his king is compromised by hostile mental influence.
- Location
- Earth
Very interesting update. Yslena should have brought Gareth, this sort of thing sounds like rogue's work.
I'm not sure how to vote yet. I'm leaning towards shellycoates. Whether or not he's actually important, that seems like a source of information that'll likely be overlooked by our foes. That or he's the endboss.
Also:
jk
More seriously, are their other options than these for the king?
I'm not sure how to vote yet. I'm leaning towards shellycoates. Whether or not he's actually important, that seems like a source of information that'll likely be overlooked by our foes. That or he's the endboss.
Also:
They're clearly engaged in demon summoning, and learned that Elys blasts demons with dragon breath. We must kill them to preserve that secret
jk
More seriously, are their other options than these for the king?
- Subverted magically
- All the talk of vows
- Subverted by blackmail
- I didn't note evidence of this, but I might have missed something
- Subverted by drugs
- Mood swings
- Difficulty holding onto objects
- Foolish
Hye
Reader of The Long Words
- Location
- In the middle of a story
Alright... anyone else get a distinct feeling that the King is under mind-control of some sort? Because that almost stuttering start and stop of sentences and sudden nervousness followed by steeling up after a logic argument, just screams "MIND CONTROL!" to me.
And "Shelleycotes"'s part just screams of a "Don't mind me, everything is normal, you know me, I am your friend, I've always been here" effect.
Does Yslena have any Mind Enhancing spells? Anything she can quickly cast or do to fortify her mind against mind-magic, @Chandagnac ?
And "Shelleycotes"'s part just screams of a "Don't mind me, everything is normal, you know me, I am your friend, I've always been here" effect.
Does Yslena have any Mind Enhancing spells? Anything she can quickly cast or do to fortify her mind against mind-magic, @Chandagnac ?
Kinruush
Who?
- Location
- USA
It's magic. Pay attention to the parts that describe his actions:
He's trying to reconcile what he has to believe with Yslena's direct, factual statements, but he can't. Any time he has to actually think about the arguments she's making, he has trouble both holding them in his head and sticking to his script. It gets worse as she doesn't back down:
He's sweating and "rising out of his stupor with great effort" because he is legitimately exerting himself just by trying to think about the things she's saying and not being able to. And it keeps getting worse until:
He's straining so hard he appears to having a seizure. Now, something like this, I guess, could happen with drugs and subversion or something? It's a fantasy world, so a mix of fantasy drugs and Level 20 Persuasion might be able to pull off something this ridiculous between drugs that fog his mind and make him malleable and words that give him a script to stick to.
But. It doesn't quite match up. He's not just having trouble thinking clearly, he's described in a way that says he's fighting something, and as soon as he stops fighting it, he stops struggling to form words clearly:
He's speaking clearly even if the words he's saying are obviously dumb, and he snapped from seizing to giving his offer without visible confusion or getting worse instead. He's even emoting "diabolic cunning". But he's only doing this when he stops listening to Yslena's arguments:
So, when Yslena's spoke words that he knew to be true but couldn't reconcile with his magical mind-whammy, he struggled and strained to the point of near-seizure to force it to make sense, because there's enough of him still in there that he does that considers when talking to people rather than just behaving as an automaton spouting a script. The spell wins out over whatever is left of his will, but it means he no longer listens to what she says.
You're right that the obsession with vows that you noted is likely how the magic works, and it seems to affect people who have made vows to him. We don't know how strongly it works on people other than the king himself, though. We might be able to break through it on Elward if we force him to confront facts that he knows to be true but can't reconcile with the ideas the magic is forcing on him like we nearly did with the king, or maybe it just won't be enough on its own and it could cause more problems.
- Location
- Somewhere!
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Ask Jesric what he meant when he said, "There's always a Shelleycotes."
Hye
Reader of The Long Words
- Location
- In the middle of a story
[X] Press Elward for more information: who does he think is responsible for the king's recent changes?
[X] Ask Jesric what he meant when he said, "There's always a Shelleycotes."
[X] Try to speak to Prince Kristan privately.
Maybe wait and see if Kristian comes out of the door as well, for a short while. If not, see if you can find a maid, manservant or someone else to pass a message to the prince.
[X] Ask Jesric what he meant when he said, "There's always a Shelleycotes."
[X] Try to speak to Prince Kristan privately.
Maybe wait and see if Kristian comes out of the door as well, for a short while. If not, see if you can find a maid, manservant or someone else to pass a message to the prince.
Flashkannon
Aqua Iconographer
- Location
- TM 91
[x] Press Elward for more information: who does he think is responsible for the king's recent changes?
[x] Ask Jesric what he meant when he said, "There's always a Shelleycotes."
[x] Try to speak to Prince Kristan privately.
I'm big on number three, here. What we need right now is More Information. When it comes to mage intrigue, the most well-informed party is usually the victor.
[x] Ask Jesric what he meant when he said, "There's always a Shelleycotes."
[x] Try to speak to Prince Kristan privately.
I'm big on number three, here. What we need right now is More Information. When it comes to mage intrigue, the most well-informed party is usually the victor.
So you too suspect a mind controlling jester? I've heard of too many of those in fiction to just dismiss him...
[X] Press Elward for more information: who does he think is responsible for the king's recent changes?
[X] Ask Jesric what he meant when he said, "There's always a Shelleycotes."
[X] Try to speak to Prince Kristan privately.
[X] Press Elward for more information: who does he think is responsible for the king's recent changes?
[X] Ask Jesric what he meant when he said, "There's always a Shelleycotes."
[X] Try to speak to Prince Kristan privately.
142. Along Came a Spider
Chandagnac
Broken Robot
- Location
- Nowhere
Not that you know of. You might need to ask around.
She doesn't have anything like that prepared. Given time, she could use Ritual Magic to create a spell that would shield her from unwanted mental influences: she might even be able to adapt her Invisible Shield to do it.
Here's the next update:
*
Along Came a Spider
'Why do you think the king has… ah, undergone some recent changes,' said Yslena, trying to phrase the question in as delicate a manner as possible. 'Who do you think has been influencing him?'
'There are several nobles the king counts among his dearest friends, who are always gathered around him, encouraging him in his worst excesses,' said Elward in a tone of disapproval. 'Alfonse Raynott, the Baron of Loignon, is the worst of them.'
'Who else?'
'Well, there's that new mistress of his. Ayana. A lowborn woman, little better than a common prostitute. He seems very infatuated with her. I know his sons don't approve.'
'Just his sons? What about his wife?'
'Ah. The king and queen have been estranged for the past eight years. I suppose you wouldn't know about that since… after all, you've been out of touch for such a long time.' Elward paused, frowning. 'Queen Amalia has withdrawn from public life and gone to live with relatives in Shallod. I doubt that the king could care less about whether she approves of anything he does.'
'Is there any particular reason that you think this… "Ayana" might be responsible for the king's recent behavioural changes?'
'His public displays of affection for her are… unseemly. Slobbering all over her like that. A king should comport himself with more dignity.'
'So, you don't like him kissing his girlfriend in public. Is that all?'
'Not just kissing! Last time I saw them together, they–'
'I don't need a detailed description,' said Yslena with a sigh. 'Was there anything else?'
Elward hesitated, licked his fleshy lips, and said, 'Well… Gerrod Burntree, who styles himself Lord Villiars, is very highly favoured. As an unacknowledged bastard of the Villiars line, he shouldn't have been entitled to anything, but after the plague swept through Greygor Keep, the king wanted to give all their lands and possessions to him. We stopped him, of course, but we were made to pay for our interference. It's almost as if… um, Lord Burntree has an undue influence over him.' He glanced fearfully around as if afraid that someone might overhear him badmouthing one of his rivals.
Three suspects, Yslena thought to herself. At least. Any or all of them could be responsible for the king's strange behaviour. Or none of them. It seemed likely that someone was using magic to beguile him: magic of a kind that she was unfamiliar with. In all her years of adventuring, she'd never encountered anything much like it. She didn't even know where to begin dealing with something like this. Maybe I should go home and discuss it with Gareth? I'm sure he'd have some ideas.
However, she thought it would be prudent to gather as much information as she could before leaving the castle: she didn't know for how many hours she'd have to sit in a waiting room before they let her back in. With that in mind, she looked down at young Jesric and said, 'What did you mean when you said, "There's always a Shelleycotes"?'
'That's what I heard,' he said, turning red with embarrassment. Under normal circumstances, he was a pale youth who looked like he didn't get out in the sun often enough; when he blushed, he turned as red as a rosy apple. 'For hundreds of years, the jester here in Castle Standfast has always been called Shelleycotes. I s'pose it's an inherited position, passed down from father to son through countless generations. It must be, right?'
'Perhaps,' said Yslena with a nod. She glanced at her brother. 'Farewell, Elward. If you're staying here for a while, I've no doubt I'll see you again.'
'Yes, farewell, dear sister,' he replied. 'Good luck with your… um, enquiries.'
As soon as she'd finished speaking, Yslena hurried off in the direction she'd seen Shelleycotes gambolling towards. Luckily, he hadn't gone far. In the corridor ahead, before she could see him, she heard him sing, 'Rings, strings, kings and things, caught in a web, caught in a web.'
She ran after him. 'You're Shelleycotes, right?' she asked, seizing hold of his upper arm. 'What does those doggerel verses mean? What are you trying to tell us?'
Turning, he looked over her with vacant, depthless eyes, and said in a sing-song voice, 'The lady spider eats her suitor. For love, his flesh tastes all the sweeter. This meal, she knows, is one to savour: a meat suffused with delicious flavour. She knows that soon – a short while later – she must work hard to fill her larder. Yes, she's thrifty, but who can blame her? She's only doing what her parents taught her. Oh, how they spoiled their fav'rite daughter! With titbits fattened for the slaughter. They lacked for nothing in the summer. But, over time, as the year grew older – as days grew cold and the nights got longer – their hunger grew, love turned to anger. And mother dined after killing father.'
'You're… not talking about spiders, are you? Not really,' said Yslena, feeling acute discomfort. 'Who are you talking about?'
'Freedom is a prison, the sweetest of chains. Right is wrong, love is hate, the world is upside down and inside out. Everything… paradox. That's what he says, that's what she says, that's what they all say. Who knows which is which, or who is who? Caught in a web, caught in a web…' The elderly jester gazed around the room with wide, terrified eyes. 'How… how will I ever find my way out of this labyrinth?'
Seemingly without effort, he wormed his way out of her grip and continued on his meandering journey along the corridor. Left behind, Yslena felt lost and confused, more troubled than ever.
With an effort, she stirred herself to action. There was one last thing she wanted to do before leaving Castle Standfast: she wanted to talk to the king's son, Kristan, the one she'd seen him humiliate. But how to go about setting up a meeting with him? She could ask one of the maids to pass on a letter. If anyone saw it, they'd probably assume it was a billet-doux sent to him by an admirer. That could help to keep their meeting secret or it could cause a new set of problems. Alternatively, she could wait until he left the throne room and then approach him, either surreptitiously or directly. That would save some time, but it would increase the risk that their meeting would attract attention. How should she go about this?
What should Yslena do?
[] Ask one of the maids to pass on a letter to Prince Kristan.
[] Surreptitiously approach Prince Kristan after he leaves the throne room.
[] Boldly walk up to Prince Kristan after he leaves the throne room.
[] Go home and talk with her family before deciding what to do next. (If you choose this option, we'll time-skip to Yslena telling this story to Elys and asking what she thinks.)
[] Do something else (write in).
I'm going away for a week's holiday, during which time I won't have internet access. I'll be back after that. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter. Have a nice life, everyone. Goodbye for now.
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- Location
- Earth
I find that reasonable.
For comparison, I thought the jester might be a brain damaged elf. Using enough magic reflexively to retain his position at court.
I thought the mumbling suggested that the king's mistress was using the king for her own purposes, and that she didn't have external motivation.
Lealope
Not yet invincible
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Go home and talk with her family before deciding what to do next. (If you choose this option, we'll time-skip to Yslena telling this story to Elys and asking what she thinks.)
-[X] Work on creating a mind control resistance spell while at home.
Really don't want to go poking around without something protect us from whatever skulduggery is going on here.
-[X] Work on creating a mind control resistance spell while at home.
Really don't want to go poking around without something protect us from whatever skulduggery is going on here.
- Location
- St. Petersburg
Let's see...
This reminds me of something:
I suppose we could guess the instigator behind the events, but does this help us any?
I don't know how the suspects tie into everything - my first instinct was to investigate the bastard, since he stood to profit so much from the King's madness, but it looks like he was used as a stepping stone to subjugate the nobles and shift power around. The entire thing is bizzarre... what does the King get out of others swearing loyalty to him? Is there some kind of clause or loophole that makes their vows go not to the King, but to the one controlling him?
[x] Ask one of the maids to pass on a letter to Prince Kristan.
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Hye
Reader of The Long Words
- Location
- In the middle of a story
Man, this was almost scary to read. I am not entirely sure, but Shelleycote kinda scares me :O
Also, I am getting flashbacks to Sheogorath.
[JK] Barge into the throne room yelling "HEYO, KRISTAN! I'mmana have some Words wif ya!"
[X] Surreptitiously approach Prince Kristan after he leaves the throne room.
Also, I am getting flashbacks to Sheogorath.
[JK] Barge into the throne room yelling "HEYO, KRISTAN! I'mmana have some Words wif ya!"
[X] Surreptitiously approach Prince Kristan after he leaves the throne room.