The Unification of Britain (CK2, Original) [Dead due to a RL event]

ChaosCircle · Jul 17, 2019

The year is 410 CE and barbarians have sacked Rome while the Emperor Honorius cowered in the boot of Italy. The Emperor has recalled the Legions of Britain to Italy to deal with the barbarian horde which in turn leaves Britain defenseless against the Orc tribes that lie beyond Hadrian's Wall. When asked for aid against the Orc menace, the Emperor Honorius replied that the cities of Britain must see to their own defense.

What was once a unified island shattered as neighbors left each other to fend for themselves. As the cities of England turned inward, Cataractonium fell to the Orcs and began the most violent period of British history. A period future scholars would call the Dark Age.

Historians agreed that the Unification began in the city of...

[X] Londinium: The beating heart of Roman Britain, Londinium is a metropolis with many trade routes throughout the Roman Empire. That river of silver is the backbone of your city's power and your greatest source of enemies. You begin play as Arthur Pendragon, Lord of Londinium. A powerful man, to be sure, but one on the defensive.

Arthur Pendragon
Dueling: +40 (Martial + Sorcery)
Diplomacy: +20
Martial: +40
Stewardship: +20
Intrigue: +20
Sorcery: +0

Advantages:

The River of Silver: You have double the income of a normal city-state (+1000 Silver Bars / Season).
Roman Traditions: You can raise proper Roman Legions from your populous city and Roman Legions are the best at what they do. If you could only afford a couple more Legions you would be a match for Skorcha's horde. This translates into a +10 to Martial rolls as long you are using a professional (rather than levied) army.
Populous: You have the largest population on the Isle and that translates into an extra action every turn and the ability to raise more Legions than any of your neighbors.

Disadvantages:

Deteriorating Trade: Your wealth flows from a dying Empire whose deterioration will slowly strangle Londinium's economy. Every year, your silver income will drop by 50 until you hit -500 Silver Bars / Season. (40 Turns)
Jealous Neighbors: Your wealth is a double edged sword and your neighbors wish to take it from you. Anyone more powerful than you immediately declares war on you. You might think this ends when your trade revenue vanishes but you would be wrong about that. People will still believe they can bring the trade back.
A Lack of Lore: You begin play without access to a Major Lore or an army of sorcerers to command. Your magical power is limited to the simple tricks of hedge wizards. Even if you recruit a legendary wizard, that will not translate into a Major Lore for a decade or more.

[ ] Cataractonium: The Orcs' conquest had merely begun with the lovely city of Cataractonium. Their numbers and tactical skill had kept the Legions at bay for centuries and now that the Legions were gone, none could oppose their might. You begin play as the Orc Warboss Skorcha and his horde.

Warboss Skorcha:
Dueling: +70 (Martial + Sorcery)
Diplomacy: +0
Martial: +35
Stewardship: +0
Intrigue: +30
Sorcery: +35

Advantages:

Warboss Skorcha: The single most powerful duelist in all of England and virtually impossible to assassinate except by poison.
The Horde: You have the largest, most powerful army in all of England and fresh recruits stream in daily now that you are the first Orc to conquer a Roman city.
Fire Mages: Your people have access to the unique and powerful Lore of Fire. This Lore is very effective at destroying one's enemies but has little constructive use outside of pitched battles or single combat.

Disadvantages:

Disorganized: Orcs have little interest in running the day-to-day operations of a city and it shows. Even their armies are little more than hordes of powerful individuals all pushing in the same direction and killing anything that is not an Orc. This translates into hefty logistical penalties for military and stewardship actions.
Surrounded By Enemies: Skorcha is not the only Warboss in the land north of Hadrian's Wall and now that he has drawn first blood, others will seek to steal the crown from his head. To make matters worse, there is no chance of peace with the Britons or the Elves.
Enemies United: The Britons or Elves will unite against any Orc horde so future conquests will grow more difficult by the day.

[ ] Moridunum: The home of the Elves and the heart of British sorcery. A lesser power in the eyes of some, with its few soldiers and little revenue but a power all the same. You begin play as the powerful Morrigan. While you may have once had a mortal name, your near-divine status has left you with only a title.

The Morrigan
Dueling: +60 (Martial + Sorcery)
Diplomacy: +20
Martial: +10
Stewardship: +20
Intrigue: +20
Sorcery: +50

Advantages:

The Morrigan: An immortal sorceress and the only character capable of wielding multiple Major Lores as well as being 20 points above the usual stat cap.
Necromancers: A powerful, flexible Lore that allows one to control the dead. It can be used to shore up your armies or your labor pool or to draw the very life from your enemies.
Geomancers: Most often used to rapidly construct new structures, this Lore still has the power to kill by entombing one's enemies. It is the magic of the Earth.

Disadvantages:

Few: Your individual mages might be the most powerful in the world but your population is lacking. You start with the smallest population and the fewest soldiers of three starting options.
A lack of Martial Prowess: The Morrigan relies on her magic, not her martial skill, to rule. The lack of competent generals is a serious problem when martial conflict is inevitable. It is a weakness you should remedy with all due haste.
The Great Divide: Elves and humans struggle to get along. The net result is you will always have domestic conflicts to manage. This translates into a negative domestic event of some kind at all times.

QM's Notes:
This is a 4X City-State Quest with action results based on 1d100+[CK2 Attribute]. However, good dice rolls will not save you from stupid decisions.

The two Iscas' are referred to as the Northern and Southern Isca respectively.

Victory:
The victory condition in this quest is the formation of the Kingdom of England which means you need to enter into a union with 18 other city-states with you as its ruler. This union can be forged through conquest and diplomacy, even a Republic with you as sole Consul would qualify.

Defeat:
You can lose if another city-state forges a coalition large enough to conquer you. So don't try to build a Utopia where everything is perfect but growth is glacial.

Point of view characters can die. Marriage and heirs is an important part of the game. If your noble house runs out of eligible males, you lose.

If, by some miracle, you have not won or lost by the time 400 turns have passed I'm going to end the game.

Game Structure:
Each turn represents one season of play and some projects will take multiple seasons, or even years, to complete.

A single turn may contain multiple updates, particularly turns with military actions. However, my goal is to complete a minimum of one turn a week regardless of the number of updates. So, for major conflicts, you may have to deal with two updates in a day sometimes. Or you may have to accept limited input in events so I can maintain that pace.

ChaosCircle · Jul 18, 2019

[X] Londinium: The beating heart of Roman Britain, Londinium is a metropolis with many trade routes throughout the Roman Empire. That river of silver is the backbone of your city's power and your greatest source of enemies. You begin play as Arthur Pendragon, Lord of Londinium. A powerful man, to be sure, but one on the defensive.

You are His Majesty Arthur Pendragon and you sat comfortably upon a wooden throne. The chamber itself was made of marble, the only marble structure in all Londinium and a suitable hall to impress those who would presume to petition you. A line of petitioners stretched out the door of the chamber.

The fact you already styled yourself as a King was a trace presumptuous but such was the nature of rulers. In the end, as long as you had the power to stand at the top of the pile there was no one to challenge your claim. A claim that was in many ways a declaration of independence from Rome and the Roman Empire. Although it was a bit early to do more than hope for such a status being recognized by others.

The first petition of the day was a grizzled old man who growled, "Those fucking bandits you are letting run amok stole all of my fucking sheep."

It was a worthy cause, the removal of bandits, but you had limited resources and there was so many important actions a King needed to perform. So you did what any King would do in this situation and replied, "Sir, I am sorry for your loss and I'm sure my Master of Coin can see that you are reimbursed for the loss. Banditry is a plague upon this land and one I intend to resolve as soon as I can."

The angry old man shouted a few profanities, clearly irritated you would not simply resolve the issue immediately. Oh well, such was the life of a King.

There were a few more complaints in the same vein, some about pirates and some about bandits. It was clear your people felt it was a problem you needed to resolve immediately.

The other petitions of the day were minor disputes over land or coin, things you genuinely wished people could resolve without people demanding your time.

Actions
You have 6 action dice per Season. You must use a minimum of 1 die per action and may use a maximum of 2 dice per action. Multiple dice are used to improve rolls and rush projects. (i.e. 2 dice = 2 seasons worth of work) When using multiple dice, you take the best roll of the two dice.

Multi-season projects lock the dice spent until they are completed.

The base DC is 50 for all unopposed actions. This translates into a 90% success rate with an advisor and a 70% success rate without an advisor for most actions. For Martial Actions, you operate at 90% without an advisor and 100% with an advisor. Opposed actions have variable DCs.

Please vote by Plan.

Diplomacy
Seek Advisor: The Lord of Londinium is far from perfect and it would be helpful to have an advisor to point out the flaws in your plans. A proper diplomat would limit the need for you to expose yourself to outsiders, outsiders that might very well be assassins with false papers. You are limited to 3 advisors, so choose wisely.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Diplomacy Advisor (minimum +20), Slight buff to resisting assassinations.

Open trade with the Orcs: North of Hadrian's Wall, food is scarce and the Orcs raid each other for cattle as much as they do ancient blood feuds. This state of constant conflict has limited the size of a Warboss's horde to something a single Legion could handle. Well, until Warboss Skorcha managed to unite several tribes under a single banner. If you provided a stable supply of food to a Warboss and his horde, you would find a grateful ally among the Orcs. That ally would be useful against Skorcha and would certainly sell his services to you at reasonable prices, if you wanted undisciplined Orc irregulars or Pyromancers among your numbers.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Access to Orc and Pyromancer Mercenaries, Access to Pyromancer Advisor Option, Improved Relations with a random Warboss. Cannot be taken with other trade route options.

Open a trade route to Moridunum: The Morrigan and her elf citizens possess an endless thirst for good booze. A thirst you can service from the vast fields of barley at your disposal and the breweries they feed. The Morrigan would repay your generosity with magical lore and alchemical concoctions. It would open up avenues of research that, frankly, are beyond your abilities without the Morrigan's aid. In time, and with careful nurturing, this relationship might blossom into a full blown alliance or even a patron/client relationship if the power disparity grew great enough.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: +50 Silver Bars / Season from Trade, Access to Geomancer and Necromancer Advisor options, Unlocks Geomancer & Necromancer mercenaries, Improved relations with Moridunum and Elves. Cannot be taken with other trade route options.

Open a trade route to Segontium: The elf citizens of Segontium are a thirsty lot and import all their booze. A need you can service with the vast fields of barley at your disposal and the breweries they feed. They would repay your generosity with their wide variety of magical lore, a variety unmatched in Britannia. It would open up virtually all avenues of research, even if such research would be slow. In time, and with careful nuturing, this relationship might blossom into a full blown alliance or even a patron/client relationship if the power disparity grew great enough.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: +50 Silver Bars / Season from Trade, Access to two additional Random Sorcery Advisor options, Unlocks Mage Mercenaries, Improved relations with Segontium and Elves. Cannot be taken with other trade route options.

Martial
Seek Advisor: The Lord of Londinium is far from perfect and it would be helpful to have an advisor to point out the flaws in your plans. A Martial adviser would increase your strategic flexibility as you would have two capable generals to lead your legions, instead of one. You are limited to 3 advisors, so choose wisely.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Martial Advisor (minimum +20), You can operate two armies independently in the field.

To War: You can effectively launch invasions on Calleva, Cameleodunum, Dubris, Noviomagus, and Verionis. With the two Legions you have available, you are even pretty confident you will win through superior martial skill. You may lack the intelligence to be certain of the outcome but you have the largest army of any of your neighbors by virtue of your city's size. Of course, their levies would likely be sufficient to match your numbers for a single pitched battle. It might be a little early to begin your conquest, but then again, you needed to rule all of Britain if you were to secure Britain's future. Why not start today?
Time: 5+ Seasons, Reward: Capture a city which would increase your Legion cap by 1. Bonus income/etc. from the City as well. Of course, subjugating the city will tie up resources for a year or more...

Construct Naval Cohort: While you possess two full Legions of well-trained soldiers, your merchants travel the coastlines of Europe entirely unprotected. While piracy is a minor problem, it is a problem. A navy won't pay for itself but it would certainly create military options that would otherwise be unavailable. With sufficient ships, you might even be able to transport entire Legions in a single voyage.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Naval Cohort, Piracy no longer limits trade route options. Cost: 50 Silver Bars / Season

Anti-Bandit Patrols: With Rome's withdrawal from Britain, the roads have grown more perilious as deserters ply the only trade they know. Merchants regularly report being attacked but the overland trade is small enough at present that this represents a minor problem for Londinium's economy. That said, you should clear them out eventually.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Increases the number of overland trade routes available by 1.

Construct Watchtowers: Your territory is vast, given the number of men you have at your disposal, and while regular patrols will clean up problems it is probably better to have the ability to react quickly to any problem while it is still small. A network of watchtowers with fiery beacons at the top would certainly go a long way to alerting you to potential problems. Of course, maintaining such a network isn't free.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Early warning system and an increase in the number of overland trade routes available by 1. Cannot be taken with Anti-Bandit Patrols. Cost: 50 Silver Bars / Season

Focusing on Training: While your Legions train in their weapons daily, they still have to make time for other military activities. If you were to refocus them solely on training, they would undoubtedly improve noticeably. The stronger your army, the easier the Unification will be. Of course, your neighbors also have relatively green armies so the status of your legions is not exactly a disadvantage you need to remedy, yet.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Improves Veterancy by 1.

Hire Mercenaries: You technically have the resources to form a third military force. It would not be enough against Warboss Skorcha, but it would certainly be enough to guarentee victory over any of your neighbors. Of course, mercenaries are expensive and their reliability is questionable. It is too bad you need so much of your population to grow food and operate Londinium's industry. Ideally, these mercenaries would be magical in nature but without a strong relationship with one of the major elven cities that is unlikely to be an option.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Three mercenary options with varying costs depending on their power.

Stewardship
Seek Advisor: The Lord of Londinium is far from perfect and it would be helpful to have an advisor to point out the flaws in your plans. A Steward would make life easier if you kept yourself in the field, conquering your neighbors. You are limited to 3 advisors, so choose wisely.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Stewardship Advisor (minimum +20), no penalties to Stewardship actions due to wartime complications.

Focus on Blacksmiths: Londinium is a large city and has main talented artisans. However, if one was to focus on a particularly industry it is quite possible for it to become the premier source for that particular good. It would be useful for trade, and in the case of Blacksmiths, the military as well. A powerful industrial base could serve as the platform from which you grew.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: +1 Trade Route unlocked due to an excess of metal products, +2 Equipment quality for Londinium's legions. Locks all Stewardship Focus options.

Focus on Grain: You possess vast fields of grain and while you can do little to expand their size, you can improve their quality. Your mages might be mere hedge wizards but with some regular practice they can double the number of growing seasons you experience every year. Of course, training so many of your best and brightest in this task would limit your alternatives industrially speaking. But more magic is certainly a benefit.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: +1 Trade Route unlocked due to an excess of grain, slight boost to the number of mages in Londinium. Locks all Stewardship Focus options.

Focus on Fish: Fishing in the North Sea is well within the reach of your ships, even if they cannot venture far from land. It would provide a relatively secure food supply for a port like Londinium and limit the effectiveness of beseiging your capital. Of course, fish is not exactly something easily stored so it would be difficult to trade it but it should free up enough of your domestic grain supply to enable other trading opportunities.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: +1 Trade routes unlocked due to an excess of food, 50% reduction in besieged penalties as you can supply Londinium without needing access to grain fields.

Tariffs on Trade: You could raise the tariffs on your merchants, it is not like they could effectively object with Londinium being the only major port in Britain. That said, you cannot squeeze blood from a stone so there are limits to your ability to raise revenue. However, it would certainly slow the effective rate at which trade with the rest of the Roman Empire deteoriates. If only because you collected more silver per shipment.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: +200 Silver Bars / Season but increases Deteoriating Trade's penalty cap to -700. So it would buy you another 4 years before the economic penalties brought Londinium down to "average".

Intrigue
Seek Advisor: The Lord of Londinium is far from perfect and it would be helpful to have an advisor to point out the flaws in your plans. The simple fact is, you need a spy network and right now the easiest way to get one is to have an advisor with one already in place. You are limited to 3 advisors, so choose wisely.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Intrigue Advisor (minimum +20), A Free Spy Network action is built into this activity.

Build Spy Network: You don't need an advisor to build a spy network of your own. You technically have the skills to do the job, you just need to make the time to do it. The passive intelligence alone would be worth the expense. Of course, without an advisor your ability to focus on espionage would be limited. Decisions, decisions.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Unlocks the majority of Intrigue Actions. Cost: -100 Silver Bars / Season

Gather Intelligence: Choose a city-state and hire spies to gather intelligence for you. It will provide a thorough accounting of their military and civilian situations. One might think a spy network would reduce the need for such focused intelligence gathering, but you'd be wrong. Invasions are too important to leave up to what random tidbits a network might acquire in the course of their regular operations.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Intelligence on a City-State.

Many Intrigue Actions are gated behind possession of a Spy Network.

Sorcery
Seek Advisor: You are severly lacking in magically power and you really need someone to shore you up in this area. While it might be useful to seek friends among the Elves before you seek a magical advisor, you know access to magic will be critical to your reign. It is highly recommended that you take this action. You will be limited to two random Lore options if you pick this option without the relevant Diplomacy options. You are limited to 3 advisors, so choose wisely.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Sorcery Advisor (minimum +20), Access to a Major Lore and the research options that makes available.

Establish University: While you currently lack a Major Lore, you can still gather potential adepts in a single place and train them to the best of your meager abilities. It would certainly improve the rate at which your hedge wizards gained access to a Major Lore once you gained access to one. Of course, gaining access was the problem...
Time: 4 Seasons, Reward: University (Passively improves the quality of mages, provides a free training action every Season to improve the knowledge/power of Londinium's mages. )

Sorcery actions are currently locked as you lack the magical skill necessary to perform magical acts.

Personal
You get one free Personal action per turn and you cannot spend Dice to engage in additional action(s). Like normal actions, multi-season actions will tie you up for some time.

Dueling Practice: A useful skill to have on the battlefield, the ability to outduel your opponent(s) will certainly increase your ability to survive the battlefield as well as allowing you to lead from the front (which provides bonuses to the battle). Of course, a wise ruler would make sure he was quite skilled before he hazard himself in battle.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: +3 Dueling

Train Attribute: Pick an attribute and gain +1 to that Attribute. Very straightforward and very cool. You can do this to improve your sorcery, although it will not allow you to gain access to a Major Lore and use of a Major Lore requires a minimum of +20 Sorcery (20 turns of training) combined with a few years studying the Major Lore itself.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: +1 to one Attribute.

Find a Local Wife: You need heirs as quickly as practical and a local wife will certainly provide that. Of course, the diplomatic benefits for picking an aristocrat's daughter in a stable city is relatively limited.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Three wife options to get the baby train moving along.

Find a "Foreign" Wife: You might need heirs as quickly as possible but taking a little time to find a wife with diplomatic advantages is likely the wiser course. An alliance with a powerful family in Gaul, for instance, would give you access to hiring proper Roman Legions as mercenaries. An elf wife might help shore up your city's weakness in magic by providing useful connections. Regardless of which you choose, the choice of wife would provide the same diplomatic access a trade route would.
Time: 2 Seasons, Reward: Three wife options with related diplomatic advantages.

Treasury: 400 Silver Bars (Londinium)

Seasonal Balance Sheet
+1000 Silver Bars (Londinium)
-300 Silver bars (Legio Pendragon)
-300 Silver bars (Legio Britannia)
Net: +400 Silver Bars / Season

Military Forces
Veterancy, Equipment, and Morale provide bonuses to Martial roles. Manpower advantages and disadvantages adjust the rolls accordingly.

The Legio Pendragon
Veterancy: Green (0)
Equipment: Average (5)
Morale: Strong (10)
Manpower: 5000 (10 Cohorts)
Mages: Hedge Wizards (Out of combat healing and minor non-combat boosts)
Commander: Arthur Pendragon

The Legio Britannia
Veterancy: Green (0)
Equipment: Average (5)
Morale: Strong (10)
Manpower: 5000 (10 Cohorts)
Mages: Hedge Wizards (Out of combat healing and minor non-combat boosts)
Commander: Albus Tiberius

Londinium
Revenue: +1000 Silver Bars / Season
Population: 100,000 (Max. 2 Legions) / Humans: 90%, Elves 8%, Orcs 2%
Stability: Very Stable (10)
Loyalty: Very Loyal (10)

Major Projects:

City Walls: Londinium is protected by substantial fortifications which doubles the effective combat power of up to one Legion stationed in Londinium.

Traits:

Deteriorating Trade: Your wealth flows from a dying Empire whose deterioration will slowly strangle Londinium's economy. Every year, your silver income will drop by 50 until you hit -500 Silver Bars / Season. (40 Turns)
Jealous Neighbors: Your wealth is a double edged sword and your neighbors wish to take it from you. Anyone more powerful than you immediately declares war on you. You might think this ends when your trade revenue vanishes but you would be wrong about that. People will still believe they can bring the trade back.

Arthur Pendragon (PoV Character)
Dueling: +40 (Martial + Sorcery)
Diplomacy: +20
Martial: +40
Stewardship: +20
Intrigue: +20
Sorcery: +0

Traits:

Roman Traditions: You can raise proper Roman Legions from your populous city and Roman Legions are the best at what they do. This translates into a +10 to Martial rolls as long you are using a professional (rather than levied) army.

ChaosCircle · Jul 24, 2019

[x] Plan Seeking Advice: Magical Edition, version Morrigan
-[x][Diplomacy] Open a trade route to Moridunium
-[x][Martial] Construct Watchtowers
-[x][Stewardship] Seek Advisor
-[x][Intrigue] Seek Advisor
-[x][Sorcery] Seek Advisor
-[x][Sorcery] Establish University
-[x][Personal][Free] Find a "Foreign" Wife

-[x][Diplomacy] Open a trade route to Moridunium
1D100+20 => 61 vs. 50 (Success)

You are Decurion Marcus Gracus and you are surrounded.

By trees.

Trees that made you grateful for the black robed sorcerer who rode beside you. A wanderer named Merlin who asked to join your caravan to Moridinium for reasons of his own. Reasons you probably should have investigated further but you had been in a hurry to leave.

The thirty men of the 5th Turmae of the Legio Pendragon rode horses in twos behind you. They were followed by the merchants' wagons and a handful caravan guards the merchants kept on retainer. A large escort, to be sure, but with brazen banditry along the road to Moridunium such an escort was a necessary thing.

Your eyes scanned the trees for signs of an ambush as you said, "So, Merlin, why did you leave the safety of Londinium for the treacherous road to Moridunium? Do you prefer the company of elven women perhaps? I know we have few exotics in our own brothels. A shame really."

The wizard shrugged and said, "Marcus, my goals are of an educational nature. A treatise on magical theory called the Origins of Sorcery which was banned a century ago by the Romans for its heretical theories on the nature of magic. The copy I could find is in Moridunium. Now that the Rome's legions have withdrawn, a scribe is selling copies of writings that were banned under Roman rule."

You stared incredulously at the sorcerer and replied, "You would risk your life for some words on parchment?"

"I would hardly call travel with an escort of forty men risking my life, but yes. I have travelled all over Europe and collected every work on magic I could find regardless of the risk. Sorcery is an intellectual art and the more knowledge one acquires, the more powerful one becomes. Even words unworthy of the parchment upon which they rest provide value, if only to help separate the wheat from the chaff."

A cold wind rustled the leaves as your eyes dart from tree to tree. You hated forests. The perfect place for an ambush. The merchants' wagons would have to follow the road and a single fallen tree would force you to fight. Even without a barrier to your passage, the trees could hide a legion of archers that would slaughter you in a single volley.

The sorcerer ignored your unease as he continued, "It might be nice to settle down after this trip tho. I will have collected all that I seek by the end of this trip. Fresh research requires a stable base of operations from which to operate."

You remained focus on the noises of the forest, irritated that the wind would provide cover to those who might seek to do you harm. But you could not halt the column every time there was a gust of wind.

"I am sure the King would be happy for you to settle in Londinium. We have few enough human sorcerers as it is. Besides, the King wants to found a University for mages and that should attract mages from all over."

"True but the elves are more experienced and their Lore is without peer. I suppose with warm relations some of them would travel to Londinium and that might be enough to create an opportunity there. I fear I have gone as far as I can in my studies of Pyromancy and must branch out to other disciplines to grow."

"Pyromancy? Isn't that the Northern magic practiced by the orcs?"

"Indeed. I studied there for a time and found myself possessing a gift for the subject. One could almost say that such sorcery runs in my veins. However, the orcs are primitive and I have long since eclipsed their best. Although it is said that the Warboss Skorcha outstrips even the strongest of the orcs I knew."

"Skorcha is nothing but an uppity barbarian chieftain with delusions of grandeur. Once the King has properly trained his Legions we will march north and dispose of that scum."

"I think you underestimate him, Decurion. Skorcha leads the largest horde in a generation and is not a man to be trifled with. I fear, as things stand, all of England is in grave danger of being overrun by that horde. Every day that passes his army grows and with humans as thralls, he might master the logistical problems that have plagued his predecessors."

"Bah, orcs are all brawn and no brains."

"That is what the elves said of humans and they spent the last three centuries under Roman rule."

"That is because the elves have brains and no brawn. Sorcery does not win wars, swords do."

"Perhaps."

You were about to retort when you caught sight of a fallen tree. An obvious trick for an obvious ambush. It seemed the wind was harmless after all.

You turned on your horse and shouted back, "Beware! There is likely an ambush ahead!"

An ambush that would complicate the lives of mounted soldiers.

You slipped off your horse as you continued, "Dismount and watch the trees!"

The wind would cover any sound the ambushers might make but they had certainly heard your caravan by now. The question was, where were they? You would have expected them to be in a position to attack by now. Perhaps they had been scared off by the size of your escort?

"Tiberius, Brutus. Grab axes and start on the tree ahead. Watch the trees. We might have scared them off with our numbers. Everyone else, form up on me and be prepared to charge forward to support those two if they are attacked."

The two named soldiers wore grim expressions on their faces as they followed your orders. They knew they were sacrificial lambs to draw the ambushers out if it was to be a fight. They should have avoided being drunk on duty.

The rest of the 5th Turmae lined up besides you and formed a wall of soldiers between the fallen tree and the rest of the caravan. You debated calling upon the caravan guards but if the ambushers had a rear guard in place to prevent escape, they would be needed where they were.

Hsssst. A fireball flew above your head and set the tree alight.

"No need to send your men forward, Decurion. I can destroy the obstruction from here."

Bloody sorcerer. They were scouts with an excuse to play dumb. Oh well.

"Tiberius, Brutus. Put the axes away but you are still up. Scout ahead for an ambush."

Hssst. A second fireball slammed into the fallen tree and finished the job.

The named soldiers drew their swords and marched forward.

Luckily for them, the bandits had already vanished after they had counted the number of guards. The wind had provided ample cover for the bandits escape. A pity. It would have been one less group of bandits plying the road between Londinium and Moridunium if you had noticed them.

The forest eventually gave way to farmlands as you approached Moridunium and you found yourself breathing a sigh of relief at the change. The danger was past for this leg of the journey and would have a few days for you and your men to recover. A few days of wine, women, and song. Good times.

* * * * *

You are Aeneas Consus, Ambassador to Moridunium for this trade mission and wealthy brewer. Much of the caravan that had been safely escorted to Moridunium was barrels of your wares. It was only just that you had been sent to negotiate the price you would be paid for them.

The audience chamber of the Morrigan was a plain affair with wooden walls surrounding a wooden throne. The woman herself was in a shapely red dress of silk, an import from the East. Her close cropped red hair made her stand out from the dark haired elves that formed her court with the exception of a short young elf that stood to her left.

"Aeneas, I trust there was not too much trouble on the road? I am afraid our patrols are not quite as thorough as they should be these days. We find ourselves a wee bit stretched since the Romans withdrew their garrisons from the Isle."

"A fallen tree, my lady. Nothing a few fireballs couldn't handle."

"An orc was among you?"

"No, lady. The pyromancer was a human by the name of Merlin who travelled from the Eire to Britain some time ago in pursuit of writings on the nature of magic."

"Ah, that is unusual but acceptable. Perhaps I could meet with this Merlin?"

"I am afraid he has already departed our company as he merely used us as escorts."

"Too bad. Perhaps one of my court can find him. I had heard only orcs could wield such Lore."

A long haired brunette left the Morrigan's court in search of the sorcerer Merlin. The two would have a pleasant conversation in the days to follow and a job offer would be extended. A human pyromancer was a rare thing.

"If I had known of your interest I would have brought him with me, my lady. Alas."

"I am sure you would have leveraged access to him in our negotiations, Aeneas. Now, I believe thirty bars of silver should be sufficient for the beer you have brought us, yes?"

"I had been told a hundred, my lady. Perhaps you have forgotten the price we had agreed upon?"

"A hundred? Surely not. I would have remembered such an absurd price. Fifty might have been a number that slipped my mind. A reasonable sum."

"Fifty bars of silver it is, my lady. A reasonable sum indeed."

It was also the price you had agreed on originally but last minute renegotiations were to be expected. Elves jealously guarded their secrets and their wealth. It was the reason you had demanded this position in return for your wares.

"Indeed. I was wondering if you might do me a small favor, Aeneas? My niece has always longed to see more of the Isle and has expressed an interest in travelling to Londinium. It would be a comfort if you could provide her with an escort on your way back to Londinium."

"Of course, my lady. Of course."

The redhead to the Morrigan's left smiled. The woman in question, perhaps?

Rewards:
Trade Route:: Beer :: Moridunium :: +50 Silver Bars/Season
Relations with the Morrigan / Moridunium is now Friendly (2).
1/1 Trade Routes are currently being utilized.

Unlocks The Following Actions:
[Diplomacy] Establish Non-Aggression Pact with Moridunium: The first step to deepening one's friendship with one's neighbors is to guarantee that they will not be the target of your armies. While it is unlikely you would disrupt a valuable trade route with war, a signed treaty is the sort of assurance many rulers prefer. After all, if you are proven as a man of your word...the diplomatic value is incalculable. And if you prove untrustworthy, the promise costs Moridunium nothing. Moridunium has no designs on invading Londinium after all.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: NAP with Moridunium and the relationship is improved as long as you never break an agreement.

[Diplomacy] Trading Post in Moridunium: What is better than a single trade route? A permanent settlement on the outskirts of Moridunium and a deepening of the trade relationship to the profit of all involved. The elvish thirst for Londinium's beer is virtually bottomless and they would certainly appreciate even more beer delivered to their doorstep. And who goes to war with their bartender? Nobody!
Time: 1 Season, Reward: +100 Silver Bars / Season and an improved relationship with Moridunium. Cost: 1 Trade Route slot, you must take Focus on Grain to maintain an adequate supply of beer.

[Sorcery] Beer! Beer for Everyone!: Demand for beer is skyrocketing both at home due to the discovery that beer enhanced magical power. The hedge wizards of Londinium had no clue of the benefits until a wandering sorcerer let the information slip. If you earmark a supply of beer for your mages, they would become more effective allies. Of course, it would strain your supply of alcohol so you would probably need to focus your economy on production of the stuff.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Mages are properly supplied and no longer suffer penalties from their ignorance of the magical properties of Beer.

[Sorcery] Hire Necromancers: The Necromancers of Moridunium are a powerful class of mages whose fell magic is feared on the battlefield by all that oppose them. In fact, the Morrigan was granted a large degree of autonomy just because the Romans feared open battle with dozens of powerful Necromancers. For the right price, one might acquire this power as your own but the price is rather steep.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: One Legion is now supported by a Necromancer Hero and his students. Cost: 300 Silver Bars / Season.

[Sorcery] HIre Geomancers: The art of Geomancy is a useful talent in construction and in war. Proper Roman fortifications for a siege can be thrown up in a few hours. Fields can be tilled in minutes. It is this sort of flexibility that has made Geomancers a valuable commodity among those that can afford them. Unfortunately, demand for this power far outstrips its supply which means they can name their price.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: One Legion is now supported by a Geomancer Hero and his students. Cost: 300 Silver Bars / Season.

[Sorcery] Develop ???????: With access to a major magical community, you now have the resources to study Major Lores and potentially create your own. It would be a long process, but a unique Lore is the sort of advantage any would-be King desires. However, the process would be longer than simply educating your people in a Lore known to willing tutors.
Time: 60 Seasons, Reward: A Lore unique to Londinium and the formation of a new class of mages. Permanently unlocks ?????? as hireable units and ????? sorcery options.

[Sorcery] Develop Necromancy: With access to Moridunium's magical community, you have gained access to a wide variety of Necromancy texts and practioners of the art. This would be useful in advancing the breadth of Londinium's mages. Of course, it would take a decade of training the next generation of wizards to produce the quantity needed to engage in serious work.
Time: 40 Seasons, Reward: Necromancy is now part of the foundations of magery in Londinium, permanently unlocking Necromancers as hireable units as well as all Necromancy options.

[Sorcery] Develop Geomancy: With access to Moridunium's magical community, you have gained access to a wide variety of Geomancy texts and practitioners of the art. This knowledge would be useful in advancing the skill of Londinium's mages...of course it would take a decade of training the next generation to achieve anything close to the numbers you need for serious activities.
Time: 40 Seasons, Reward: Geomancy is now a part of the foundations of magery in Londinium, permanently unlocking Geomancers as hireable units as well as all Geomancy options.

-[x][Martial] Construct Watchtowers
1D100+40 => 87 (Success)

Rewards:
Watch Towers: Bandits are easily caught by regular patrols between towers and Londinium has plenty of time to prepare when faced with invasion.
+1 Trade Route

-[x][Stewardship] Seek Advisor
1D100+20 => 38 v. 50 (Failure)

Despite your best efforts, you found only one competent person to act as your Steward. Maybe you should look around a little more?

[ ] Continue the search and reject the advisor.

[ ] Morgan of Londinium
Stewardship: +24
Haste Makes Waste: You cannot accelerate Stewardship projects by assigning additional dice to the action. But why would you use that option anyway?

-[x][Intrigue] Seek Advisor
1D100+20 => 85 v. 50 (Success!)

[ ] Morcant of Londinium
Intrigue: +26
Silence is Golden: A man of few words, Morcant is skilled at maintaining proper opsec and is very effective at cleaning up "problems". Of course, his solution generally involves murdering anyone who might be a problem. (+20 to counter-intelligence rolls, expect dead bodies every Season ... up to and including named NPCs, Spy Network costs double due to the "risk premium" of working for a someone who views murder as the solution to problems.)

[ ] Drust of Londinium
Intrigue: +23
Lovely Little Birds: A master of the honeypot, Drust's spies are mostly servants of the female persuasion. The passive intelligence he provides is on a scale no other can match. (+20 to Intrigue rolls against targets with the Lecherous trait.)

[ ] Marcus Bricius
Intrigue: +22
Roman Wisdom: A far-reaching network of proper Roman spies is a serious advantage if one wishes to remain up to date on Continental affairs. (More passive intelligence per Season, passive intelligence contains detailed information on the state of the Roman Empire and the Roman politicians that might be cultivated as allies. The Empire won't return to Britain but you can still tap Imperial resources with the right bribes.)

Triggers the following action as a Free Action:

Build Spy Network: You don't need an advisor to build a spy network of your own. You technically have the skills to do the job, you just need to make the time to do it. The passive intelligence alone would be worth the expense. Of course, without an advisor your ability to focus on espionage would be limited. Decisions, decisions.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Unlocks the majority of Intrigue Actions. Cost: -100 Silver Bars / Season

Starting next turn, you will have large quantities of intelligence available for you to peruse. Some of it will be irrelevant minutiae but some of it will be important.

Unlocks The Following Actions:

[Intrigue] Establish Deep Cover Operatives: To deeply penetrate an enemies defenses, one needs long term operatives who are above suspicion. This is the sort of advantage any sane spymaster seeks out before he attempts a serious espionage operation. Of course, deep cover operatives are at constant risk of discovery so it is not without its drawbacks. You must choose a target City to establish your deep cover operatives in. (i.e. Moridunium)
Time: 1 Season. Reward: +20 to Intrigue rolls against the target as long as the agents aren't discovered, DC varies depending on target and it is a DC 50 roll to maintain these operatives each turn. Diplomatic penalties are negligible as everyone does this sort of thing.

[Intrigue] Steal Magical Secrets from Moridunium: It would risk your relationship with the Morrigan but the years it would save off of training your own mages might be worth it! The reason magical research is so slow is the elves are keeping the best stuff for themselves. They might sell you the same stuff their apprentices study, but the works of the masters are hidden behind closed doors. It is a risk, sure, but so is going a decade without powerful mages of your own.
Time: 2 Seasons, Reward: -20 Seasons for a random choice between the Develop Necromancy or Develop Geomancy actions., DC is 70=50+20(Morrigan Intrigue)+20(Morrigan's Intrigue Advisor)-20(Friendly relations). Massive diplomatic penalty with the Morrigan if caught as this borders on an act of war.

[Intrigue] Steal Magical Secrets from Segontium: It probably would lead to a cold war if you were caught, but the knowledge you would gain would be worth it. And honestly, Segontium is unimportant enough to you in the grand scheme of things that such a conflict would be a minor annoyance. Besides, you already have access to Necromancers and Geomancers through your friendship with Moridunium. Wouldn't it be nice to develop some unique Lore of your own or at least a Lore rare enough that it might as well be so?
Time: 2 Seasons, Reward: -30 Seasons for the Develop ??????? action. DC is 90=50+20(Segontium Intrigue)+20(Segontium's Intrigue Advisor). Massive diplomatic penalty with Segontium if caught as this borders on an act of war.

[Intrigue] Steal the Secrets of Pyromancy: You are practically at war with Warboss Skorcha and the other Warbosses already. Sure, you might have considered opening diplomatic relations with them in the form of trade but it would never go further than that. Why not steal their secrets, kidnap a few pyromancers, and give your people a headstart on the Lore of Fire. No one cares if you piss off the Orcs in the process.
Time: 2 Seasons, Reward: Unlocks Develop Pyromancy action with a Time of 20 Seasons. DC is 100=50+30(Skorcha Intrigue)+20(Hostile Race). Massive diplomatic penalty if caught, but honestly, who bothers making peace with a Warboss?

[Intrigue] Plan Operation: Write in the sort of Intrigue operation you want to perform and this action will determine its feasibility, risks, etc. Intrigue is the slow boat to victory but the cost of failure is always small enough to be worth the attempt against someone even if you avoid attempts on your friends.
Time: Instant, Reward: Unlocks Intrigue Action(s) for immediate use as a free action. DC is 50. No diplomatic penalty if caught although the unlocked action most likely will have such a thing.

QM's Note: There is such a wide variety of things you can do with intrigue, I'd prefer write-in actions to me coming up with 2390420342 options. So I've unlocked the most obvious options and the rest is up to y'all. Be creative, I won't mind. The more complex you go, the higher the DC tho.

-[x][Sorcery] Seek Advisor
1D100+20 => 112 vs. 50 (Critical Success!)

[ ] Merlin of Avalon
Sorcery: +25 (+10 if Pyromancy)
Mana: 2

Archmage of Pyromancy: Merlin has reached the pinnacle of the Pyromancer's Art and his skill with such magic is impressive (+5 to Pyromancy rolls). His specialty is the creation of fiery, enchanted weapons that literally melt metal armor and sets fire to those in leather. The value of such a power on the battlefield should not be underestimated.

Pyromancer (Dragonblooded): Merlin has a natural affinity to Fire Magic due to the fact that he is an eighth Dragon. This grants him access to the Lore of Pyromancy as well as a natural talent for its use. (+5 to Pyromancy)

[Sorcery] Develop Pyromancy: With access to Merlin's magical knowledge, it is only a question of effort for your magical community to acquire the knowledge needed to train its own pyromancers. Of course it would take a decade of training the next generation to achieve anything close to the numbers you need for serious activities.
Time: 40 Seasons, Reward: Pyromancy is now a part of the foundations of magery in Londinium, permanently unlocking Pyromancer as hireable units as well as all Pyromancy options.

[Sorcery] Train Apprentices: Merlin trains hedge wizards in the arts of Pyromancy to accelerate the speed at which your faction develops domestic pyromancers. This can be taken in conjunction with Develop Pyromancy and allows you to effectively deploy 4 dice a Season into a single objective. The fastest way to develop your own pyromancers? Sure, but a costly one.
Time: 40 Seasons, Reward: Pyromancy is now a part of the foundations of magery in Londinium, permanently unlocking Pyromancer as hireable units as well as all Pyromancy options.

[Sorcery] Enchanted Weapons: Merlin is talented at forging enchanted blades, arrowheads, and other tools of war. If he spends time improving the equipment of a given Legion, it would certainly improve their effectiveness. Of course, such activities require a substantial commitment in resources as Merlin will need blacksmiths to forge the weapons in bulk. If one was to focus all his efforts for years on a single Legion, well, they would be nigh invincible wouldn't they?
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Legion gains +5 Equipment quality which translates into +5 to Battle rolls with that Legion. Upkeep: 1 Mana/Season.

[Sorcery] Rain of Fire: Sometimes the best strategic weapon is the disruption of the enemy's logistical base. An army marches on its stomach and a lack of food can destroy an army as quickly as a victory in battle. The best part is, you can use this on anyone and they can't identify you as the source! Useful for weakening an ally, if one was so devious to do such a thing. May need to be taken multiple times in a Season due to the possibility of defensive magic.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Disruption of food supplies in the targeted region which causes a -10 penalty to Battle rolls, Upkeep: 1 Mana/Season. DC varies based on target's sorcery.

[Sorcery] Dragonfire: Stockpiles of Dragonfire are very, very good at laying waste to a fortified position. If one is willing to burn a city down to capture it, it might be worth stockpiling of some of this. Of course, it makes rebuilding that city afterwards a bitch and a half.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Stockpile of Dragonfire that can be consumed to negate the defensive value of fortifications.

[ ] Avernus of the Elves
Sorcery: +24 (+5 if Necromancy)
Mana: 2

Master of Necromancy: A powerful, talented Necromancer who is capable of great feats. (+5 Necromancy) This also grants him access to the Lore of Necromancy and the unnatural powers such a skill set provides.

[Sorcery] Train Apprentices: Avernus trains hedge wizards in the arts of Necromancy to accelerate the speed at which your faction develops domestic necromancers . This can be taken in conjunction with Develop Necromancy and allows you to effectively deploy 4 dice a Season into a single objective. The fastest way to develop your own necromancers? Sure, but a costly one.
Time: 40 Seasons, Reward: Pyromancy is now a part of the foundations of magery in Londinium, permanently unlocking Necromancers as hireable units as well as all Necromancy options.

[Sorcery] Lich Transformation: Undeath is the ultimate refuge for the necromancer and such beings are known as Lich. The process may be long, but immortality and the power that comes with it is worth the price. A Lich can reincarnate in any city controlled by their Faction as a Sorcery action. In other words, if your advisor dies...it is just a Sorcery action to bring them back to life. The boost to a Necromancer's power this ritual also provides is simply the cherry on top.
Time: 8 Seasons, Reward: Immortality, +10 to Necromancy rolls. Upkeep: 2 Mana/Season

[Sorcery] Raise Wights: While Necromancers raise zombies on the battlefield, it is quick slapdash work done in the heat of battle. The creatures are mindless automatons that charge without a care in the world. Useful for fodder, true, but far from the pinnacle of the Necromancer's art. Wights are powerful upgrades to this battlefield staple, capable of animating zombies from their victims. They are also better built and more capable in combat, wielding enchanted blades that suck the life from their victims from a single scratch. Of course, work like this takes time.
TIme: 4 Seasons, Reward: 1 Cohort of Wights, Upkeep: 2 Mana/Season

[Sorcery] Skeletal Necromancers: One trick possessed by Necromancers, and part of why they are feared by their colleagues, is the art of animating fallen mages to add to their numbers. A powerful Necromancer might only be able to support one Legion. But he can create an army of Necromancers to support everyone else...just by himself. Necromancers multiplying is the sort of thing nightmares are made of.
Time: 4 Seasons, Reward: 1 Military force is now supported by Necromancers, Upkeep: 2 Mana/Season

[Sorcery] Drain Life: One can slaughter an entire army from a distance, if one has the power and the skill. However, the process is a slow one and leaves the victims with plenty of time to respond...if they discover the source. It is also relatively easy to interrupt as a single, successful dispel restarts the process from scratch. A useful weapon but a fragile one.
Time: 2 Seasons, Reward: 1 Military force is destroyed and reanimated as zombies of equal number. Upkeep: 2 Mana/Season

Stat Blocks
Zombies
Veterancy: Green (0)
Equipment: None (0)
Morale: Fearless (30)

Wights
Veterancy: Green (0)
Equipment: Enchanted (20)
Morale: Fearless (30)
Manpower: 1 Cohort
Create Spawn: Any military victory adds 1 Cohort to the size of this force. You can also take tactical actions to slaughter villagers to grow the size of this force.

[ ] Lady Medea of Moridunum
Sorcery: +22 (+5 if Geomancy)
Mana: 2

Master of Geomancy: A powerful, talented Geomancer who is capable of great feats of Geomancy. (+5 Geomancy) This also grants her access to the Lore of Geomancy and the Earthen powers such a skill set provides.

[Sorcery] Train Apprentices: Medea trains hedge wizards in the arts of Geomancy to accelerate the speed at which your faction develops domestic geomancers. This can be taken in conjunction with Develop Geomancy and allows you to effectively deploy 4 dice a Season into a single objective. The fastest way to develop your own geomancers? Sure, but a costly one.
Time: 40 Seasons, Reward: Pyromancy is now a part of the foundations of magery in Londinium, permanently unlocking Geomancers as hireable units as well as all Geomancy options.

[Sorcery] Support Construction: Medea can support construction actions of any sort with her geomancy. This halves construction time and adds her Geomancy bonus to the action in question. This works with any type of action as long as it involves constructing builds. A very useful talent indeed.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: 50% faster construction, massive bonus to action results.

[Sorcery] Raise Fortifications: Medea can raise permanent fortifications by extending the bedrock beneath the ground. The best part is, these new fortifications require virtually no maintenance as stone lasts forever. A useful tool for repairing a city's walls after you take it...or enhancing Londinium's defenses.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: City gains City Walls. If City Walls exist, City Walls provide a +5 Martial bonus to the defenders' Battle Roll.

[Sorcery] Fertile Lands: This is the direct counter to Rain of Fire, so it effectively dispels that if used. Or is dispelled if Rain of Fire is employed against a region enchanted by this enchantment. It normally boosts crop yields substantially by providing the most fertile soil possible directly to one's fields. A useful trick if one lives in an agrarian society.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: +100 Silver Bars/Season from improved crop yields. Upkeep: 1 Mana/Season.

[Sorcery] Enchanted Weapons: Geomancers can find the best steel and augment the metals of the earth in ways mortal men cannot. It is a talent they use to support their armies in the field and a talent you would be wise to employ in peace. Of course, like all such tricks, it has a hefty upkeep and limits on the quantity of such equipment that may be enchanted. But still, a useful tool.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Legion gains +5 Equipment quality which translates into +5 to Battle rolls with that Legion. Upkeep: 1 Mana/Season.

Unlocks the Following Actions:
[Sorcery] Locate Mana Sources: There are limits to the number of strategic enchantments a Sorcerer can power at any given time. If you wish to expand their reach, you must expand their access to the fundamental power of Magic known as Mana.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: ???? (+1 Mana/Season)

[Sorcery] Dispel: Remove an ongoing, hostile enchantment from a region. Dispelling magic is one of the first tricks a mage is taught and it is one of the most important tools in their toolbox. What good is a mage that can only play offense? None.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Hostile enchantment dispelled and has to be re-cast.

[Sorcery] Sorcerer's Aegis: A powerful defensive spell that can counter one hostile Sorcery action being launched against your faction. An all out assault of magical actions will still penetrate such a defense but such a serious commitment to magical assault will exhaust any sorcerer. Outside of a War or the Elves, it is unlikely you will encounter an opponent with sorcerers to spare for such a focused assault.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Sorcerer's Aegis, Upkeep: 1 Mana/Season

[Sorcery] Support Legion: Maintaining the strategic enchantments of a major power is serious work and so is the work needed to support a military campaign. Normally, your advisor is available for one task or the other...but if you want to expend the resources to support him it is possible for him to do both. This allows a single sorcerer to maintain both your strategic enchantments and a single Legion in battle. Useful, if one does not want to pay for mercenaries.
Time: Instant, Reward: Legion supported, Strategic enchantments supported by a single mage.

[Sorcery] Research Spell: Write in a thematically appropriate spell for the Major Lore you know (or a generic spell like Detect Magic). This is how you expand your strategic magical options. Tactical magical options are basically anything reasonable within the domain of your Major Lore(s).
Time: ??? Seasons, Reward: One new Sorcery action appropriate to the spell.

[Sorcery] Lead to Silver: Have a cash shortage? Some basic alchemy can convert your stockpiles of lead to silver. Useful in a pinch but difficult to maintain as a long term funding source due to the attention required for the task.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: 100 Silver Bars

-[x][Sorcery] Establish University
1D100 => 27 vs. 50 (Failure)

You tried to establish a university, you really did. But alas, your best efforts were in vain. Perhaps once you have a proper sorcerer as an advisor you will have better luck...

-[x][Personal][Free] Find a "Foreign" Wife
1D100 => 75 vs. DC 50 (Success)

It should be noted that any of these women have a 10% chance of being Barren besides Antonia. And I won't tell you if they are, so you'll have to figure out when to give up and replace them if the dice don't favor you.

This is the first step in the "Foreign" Wife action. The second step will be entertaining your two choices in IC scenes next turn and then you'll pick one of the two to be your wife. The main reason for this is this was meant to be a two step process and it reduces the number of scenes I need to write since the wife thing is a big deal ICly.

PIck Two to Entertain in Londinium Next Season.
[ ] Morgana Grace, Exile of Cataractonium
Advantages:
A Fallen House: Your wife is loyal to you and you alone. There is no family relations pulling her strings to whisper things in your ear.
A Lustful Woman: Your wife has a high libido. (+40% chance of pregnancy instead of +20% per Season)
Sorceress: While she may not have the skill to practice a Major Lore, she is a sorceress in her own right and is as capable as any of your hedge wizards. ( Substantial assassination resistance due to your wife being able to cure poisons and other ailments. She is also more likely to notice the effects of such before a court physician would. )

Disadvantages:
A Previous Lover: Your wife is not a virgin and it is known that the family retainer that escorted her safely South is her lover. A lover she will set aside in marriage, but a complication all the same.
War with Skorcha: While it was likely inevitable, your wife will be pushing you towards war from your weddinig night onward.

[ ] Antonia Fabius, Daughter of Governor Fabius of Lugdunensis
Advantages:
A Proven Womb: Antonia's husband died in the fighting in Aquitania but she bore him a strong son who might make a suitable heir for the time being.
A Legendary Beauty: Antonia is a once-in-a-generation beauty that impresses any man who looks upon her. While it may lead to people coveting your wife, there are diplomatic advantages to using one's wife as an effective distraction. (+5 to Diplomacy rolls as foreign Diplomats are paying more attention to your wife than you)
The River of Silver: Fabius will facilitate trade with the rest of the Roman Empire and this will cut the decay rate of your trade with the Empire in half. (From -50 to -25)
Roman Legions: You can hire Roman Legions as mercenaries, for a reasonable fee of course.
Marriage Alliance: +5 to the Relationship with Lugdunensis.

Disadvantages:
Inevitable Fall: Honorius has surrendered Aquitania to the Visigoths and with the Sack of Rome it is only a matter of time before the rest of Roman Gaul falls as well. Lugdunensis will fall in 430 CE, or roughly 80 turns from now.

[ ] Vesuvius Milan, Lady of Segontium
Advantages:
Marriage Alliance: Marrying the daughter of the leader of Segonitum will certainly improve relations between your two factions. (+5 to the Relationship with Segontium)
Elven Blood: You currently lack any skill at sorcery but a combining of the bloodlines would likely result in a magical heir. An heir who will need every advantage in the wars to come. (80% chance of an Heir with a Major Lore development option.)
An Open Marriage: Vesuvius is a woman of varied tastes and would prefer to keep a woman as a lover. Of course, being a reasonable woman, she is willing to allow you your lovers as well. This increases the odds of you produce children since you can roll multiple times to impregnate multiple women each season. There is a 0% chance of you having trouble producing an heir in the long run.

Disadvantages:
An Open Marriage: Additional lovers can create complications. Bastards are not quite equal under the law to legitimate children, particularly with Christanity in the picture.
Interracial Marriage: Elves and humans do not get along as well as they should and the net result is it will strain your marriage. This will lead to domestic and diplomatic complications depending on how racist the people you are dealing with are. It is not as bad as it would be in Moridunum, but it will be noticeable.

[ ] Allannia Greentree, Niece of the Morrigan
Advantages:
Marriage Alliance: Marrying a blood relation of the Morrigan will certainly improve relations between your two factions. (+5 to the Relationship with Moridunum)
Elven Blood: You currently lack any skill at sorcery but a combining of the bloodlines would likely result in a magical heir. An heir who will need every advantage in the wars to come. (80% chance of an Heir with a Major Lore development option.)
Sorceress: While she may not have the skill to practice a Major Lore, she is a sorceress in her own right and is as capable as any of your hedge wizards. ( Substantial assassination resistance due to your wife being able to cure poisons and other ailments. She is also more likely to notice the effects of such before a court physician would. )

Disadvantages:
Interracial Marriage: Elves and humans do not get along as well as they should and the net result is it will strain your marriage. This will lead to domestic and diplomatic complications depending on how racist the people you are dealing with are. It is not as bad as it would be in Moridunum, but it will be noticeable.

Action Success Tiers
DC +50 = Critical Success
Above DC = Success
DC to -5 Below DC = Partial Failure
-5 or more Below DC = Failure
-50 or more Below DC = Critical Blunder

Relationship Tiers
Vassal (30)
Allies (20)
Friendly (10)
Neutral (0)
Unfriendly (-10)
Hostile (-20)
Feuding (-30)

Treasury: 400 Silver Bars (Londinium)

Seasonal Balance Sheet
+1000 Silver Bars (Londinium)
+50 Silver Bars :: Beer Trade Route :: Moridunium

-300 Silver Bars (Legio Pendragon)
-300 Silver Bars (Legio Britannia)
-100 Silver Bars (Spy Network)
-50 Silver Bars (Watchtowers)

Net: +300 Silver Bars / Season

Trade Routes: 1/2

Diplomatic Relations
Cataractonium: Hostile(-20)
Moridunium: Friendly (2)
Most Cities: Neutral (0)

Military Forces
Veterancy, Equipment, and Morale provide bonuses to Martial roles. Manpower advantages and disadvantages adjust the rolls accordingly.

The Legio Pendragon
Veterancy: Green (0)
Equipment: Average (5)
Morale: Strong (10)
Manpower: 5000 (10 Cohorts)
Mages: Hedge Wizards (Out of combat healing and minor non-combat boosts)
Commander: Arthur Pendragon

The Legio Britannia
Veterancy: Green (0)
Equipment: Average (5)
Morale: Strong (10)
Manpower: 5000 (10 Cohorts)
Mages: Hedge Wizards (Out of combat healing and minor non-combat boosts)
Commander: Albus Tiberius

Londinium
Revenue: +1000 Silver Bars / Season
Population: 100,000 (Max. 2 Legions) / Humans: 90%, Elves 8%, Orcs 2%
Stability: Very Stable (10)
Loyalty: Very Loyal (10)

Major Projects:

Watch Towers: Bandits are easily caught by regular patrols between towers and Londinium has plenty of time to prepare when faced with invasion.
City Walls: Londinium is protected by substantial fortifications which doubles the effective combat power of up to one Legion stationed in Londinium.

Traits:

Deteriorating Trade: Your wealth flows from a dying Empire whose deterioration will slowly strangle Londinium's economy. Every year, your silver income will drop by 50 until you hit -500 Silver Bars / Season. (40 Turns)
Jealous Neighbors: Your wealth is a double edged sword and your neighbors wish to take it from you. Anyone more powerful than you immediately declares war on you. You might think this ends when your trade revenue vanishes but you would be wrong about that. People will still believe they can bring the trade back.

Arthur Pendragon (PoV Character)
Dueling: +40 (Martial + Sorcery)
Diplomacy: +20
Martial: +40
Stewardship: +20
Intrigue: +20
Sorcery: +0

Traits:

Roman Traditions: You can raise proper Roman Legions from your populous city and Roman Legions are the best at what they do. This translates into a +10 to Martial rolls as long you are using a professional (rather than levied) army.

ChaosCircle · Jul 26, 2019

[X] Continue the search and reject the advisor.
[X] Drust of Londinium
[X] Merlin of Avalon

[X] Allannia Greentree, Niece of the Morrigan
[X] Antonia Fabius, Daughter of Governor Fabius of Lugdunensis

Voting is by Plan

Turn 2 - Summer 410 CE, Diplomacy, Rumors, and Intelligence

Diplomatic Overtures

Your Majesty Arthur Pendragon,

We are in desperate need of your aid against the Warboss Skorcha. His raiders have penetrated deep into our lands and stolen much of our livestock. We will likely starve by winter if this raiding continues. I doubt Eburacum will be a free city come Spring if the situation remains as it is. The Horde has not marched on us yet, but surely, these raids are a harbinger of invasion.

We beseech you to send us food and silver so that we might defend all of Britain against our mutual foe. Your Legions would be welcome aid as well but I doubt you would send them so far and leave yourself defenseless.

His Grace Marcellus Lindum, Lord of Eburacum

Check all that apply. If they have enough support, multiple choices will be used. You do not believe you can win with any of these options, the goal is simply to bleed Skorcha far from Londinium. You doubt any Legions you sent North would be a total loss although it might take a couple seasons to rebuild them to full strength.

[ ] [Eburacum] Send no aid. You need all of your resources to build a real coalition against the Warboss Skorcha. (-5 Relationship with all British cities)

[ ] [Eburacum] Send token aid. You send 500 men and a shipment of food. Resources that are easily replaced. (Lock one Diplomacy action to sending aid)

[ ] [Eburacum] Send 300 Silver Bars. It should be enough for Eburacum to hire mercenaries and bleeding Skorcha's Horde is cheap at that price. (+2 Relationship with all British cities)

[ ] [Eburacum] Send a proper Legion to support them. Skorcha will go this far and no further. Surely, the Segontium Pact will support Eburacum and with your aid it should be sufficient to turn the tide! (+2 Relationship with all British cities, Commits a Martial action to support the logistics needed to send a Legion off to war.)

[ ] [Eburacum] Send both Legions! It would leave you vulnerable and open to attack by literally anyone but Skorcha needed to be stopped immediately. Surely your fellow Britons would leave you be while you dealt with the greater threat. (+5 Relationship with all British cities, Commits a Martial action to support the logistics needed to send a Legion off to war.)

[ ] [Eburacum] Send food! No man, woman, or child will starve on your watch and Eburacum will likely be besieged before Winter. They will need your aid to bleed Skorcha white as the Orcs assault the city's walls. (-100 Silver Bars, +1 Relationship with all British cities)

Your Majesty Arthur Pendragon,

I wish our first communique could be a pleasant one but alas the rise of piracy along the Channel has left me in the awkward position of requesting your aid. I know you no longer see yourselves as Roman subjects but this piracy affects us both. I would normally appeal to the Emperor to send Roman ships to deal with this problem but alas he is occupied with the Visigoths in Italy at present. My own forces, in turn, are occupied with preventing raids by barbarians that have been allowed to settle too close to Roman territory.

If you could see to the creation of a navy and its employment in dealing with the piracy problem I would be forever indebted to you. My merchants are calling for my head over the matter even tho they know as well as I there is nothing I can do.

Governor Fabius Mercia of Lugdunensis

[ ] [Piracy] Agree to build a fleet and tackle the piracy problem. (+10 to relationships with Lugdunensis, Locks one die into Build Naval Cohort and locks future actions into Anti-Piracy Patrols until the piracy situation is resolved.)

[ ] [Piracy] Refuse. You have a better use of resources at this time.

Your Majesty Arthur Pendragon,

The Invasion by Warboss Skorcha must be met blow for blow and driven back to the tribal lands of the orcs from which he came. We have sent this agreement in the hopes you will join our growing alliance against the Orcs and other foreign aggressors.

It is our hope our missive finds you healthy and happy.

His Grace Harold Medved, Lord of Segontium and the Elves.

The attached Pact itself was a standard mutual defense agreement but there were a few key details that struck you as unusual:

The liberation of all territory conquered by non-British powers and the addition of such territories to the signatories of the Pact.
This Pact is a mutual defense agreement that protects all members against non-British aggression.
Command of the combined forces were to rest in the hands of a general appointed by Lord Harold Medved.
Aggression against Human or Elven controlled territory is prohibited without a casus belli approved by Lord Harold Medved.
All parties acknowledge Segontium as first among equals.

[ ] [PACT] Join the Pact. You can always turn against them later. ( +10 to your relationship with Segontium.) (Note: A large global diplomatic penalty would be applied if you break with the Pact without just cause. )

[ ] [PACT] Decline. Segontium's conditions for a unified front against the Orcs is far too much.

The Western Empire
Honorius the Coward - As the Visigoth King Alaric ravishes the cities of Italy, Honorius cowers in Sicily as he marshals the Western Empire's fighting men to form new legions. It is said the Roman Army intends to cleanse Italy of the Visigoth scourge in the fall. But with a coward for an Emperor, who knows if they will actually march. Or if Honorius's reign will last another month.

Constantine the Warrior - The people of the Western Roman Empire have begun to turn to the rebel-turned-co-emperor Constantine III for leadership. His armies hold all of Gaul in their grip and some are calling for him to march on Rome to save it from the filthy barbarian horde. Many are claiming if he cleanses Italy of the Visigoth scourge, he should crown himself sole Emperor and move the capital back to Rome where it belongs. It is said Constantine is weakening the defenses along the Rhine to gather a force large enough to succeed at the task.

Piracy Problems - Saxon barbarians have used their ill gotten gains to expand their pirate fleet. Their attacks now stretch from the northern ports of Gaul to the southernmost ports of Hispania. With the Empire engaged on land, there is no one to check their power and it will only get worse from here. Merchants from Londinium to Rome are clamoring for the local leaders to do something about this problem. Petitions that have gone unheeded. It is feared if this problem is allowed to fester, seaborne trade might slow as losses mount.

Raiders along the Rhine - Barbarian raids into the Rhineland have become a fact of life along the northern border of Gaul. The Goths, Franks, Saxons, and other undesirables have been carrying off women and silver every summer for years now. When will someone do something to secure the Empire's borders? With Constantine drawing upon the Rhine's defenses for his own army, it looks like the answer is "not soon".

Vandals in the Mediterranean - Vandal pirates are plying their trade along the coasts of the Mediteranean, a plague upon the Empire's trade with North Africa. While they hold no lands, one fears what they might do if they are allowed to grow in power. However, please for intervention by the merchants of Rome fall on deaf ears as the Emperor Honorius finds himself focused on the war with the Goths. Between this and the Saxons, the Empire's seaborne trade is in serious danger of being crippled.

Britain

The Horde Grows - Warboss Skorcha's numbers swell by the day. His rivals to the North have squabbled among themselves, unable to provide a real counterweight to plundering the South. Your spies report that his horde numbers nearly 30,000 Orcs and at this rate it will be 40,000 by Winter. It is an ungodly sum and Eburacum's 6,000 men are completely outmatched. Eburacum is expected to fall within a couple seasons even with the massive fortifications that surround the northern city. Of course, your spies caution you, that the raids on Eburacum might be a feint and the real target might be Mamucium.

Skirmishes in Eburacum - Warboss Skorcha's horde has begun to raid the farms of Eburacum for supplies for his army. This assault on British sovereignty must be answered but none have yet come to Eburacum's aid. Without aid, Eburacum will undoubtedly fall to the Orc Warboss and so far even the Segontium Pact is unable to effectively challenge the Horde. An unfortunate state of affairs.

Eburacum demands to know why it is excluded from the Segontium Pact - The most vulnerable city, the one that will undoubtedly be attacked first ... received no invite to the "Anti-Orc" Pact founded by Segontium. They have sent emissaries to Segontium to seek an audience but so far, those messengers have been denied one. Is Segontium just leaving Eburacum to the wolves to buy time to grow their numbers? A rational, if cold-blooded, move. Even with Eburacum in the Pact, Segontium would still be outnumbered. Eburacum's livestock being depleted complicates matters as it is begging the entire Isle for foodstuffs. What game is Segontium playing at?

Deva joined the Segontium Pact - With the Warboss Skorcha on the move, Deva has accepted Segontium's mutual defense agreement to provide a counterweight to the marauders. This adds 8,000 men to Segontium's 6,000. A powerful force, particularly given the large number of Segontium battle mages that will support the force. Most are not alarmed by this as it is a purely defensive alliance intended to combat Saxon raiders and Orc hordes. Two threats that have given much of Britain pause over the past year with Rome's confirmation that the Empire is leaving Britain to her own devices.

Mamucium joined the Segontium Pact - The northern city is in a vulnerable position with no real obstacles to Skorcha's advance. They have sought allies in less vulnerable positions, allies that will hopefully support them when the Warboss advances on their city. While the leaders of Mamucium are convinced Eburacum will fall first, they are not complacent and are actively recruiting soldiers for their army. Their 6,000 man force when combined with Segontium's other allies provides nearly 20,000 men. They would be badly outnumbered if Skorcha was to march on Mamucium first, but they would have a chance.

Saxons raid Dubris - Saxon raiders penetrated the port's defenses in the dead of night and raided the farming villages that surround the city. Villages that store the city's food supplies. Livestock, alcohol, and grain were all taken in large quantities before the raiders were driven back by Dubris's army. This raid has left Dubris short on food and they have plead poverty to Eburacum's requests for aid. Your spies report they are vulnerable to attack and would be unable to resist a siege. It is doubtful their 6,000 man army would also be unable to stop you from bringing them to heel. A good place to start, if you plan to conqueror your neighbors.

A Marriage between Calleva and Noviomagus - The leading Houses in Calleva and Noviomagus have forged a marriage alliance. This alliance will serve as a counterweight to your ambitions and likely the first major obstacle to your reign. They have 15,000 men in their combined army and they effectively block military expansion to the West as they would be able to cut your supply lines with ease. Any sign of vulnerability risks them moving against you, much as Dubris's vulnerability has provided you with an opportunity to conquer them relatively painlessly. Noviomagus's port and Calleva's iron also provides an economic powerhouse that can supply its military with ease. A truly dangerous combination.

Lindum commits aid to Eburacum - Lindum has sent 500 men and a substantial shipment of food to Eburacum as a token of support. It is token support but ever bit helps. They are undoubtedly saving their resources for when Eburacum falls...much like Mamucium. However, they seem uninterested in the Segontium Pact but that is probably due to the terms. They also seem to be conserving cash to hire mercenaries for when their turn comes, their economy is virtually inactive outside of military endeavors.

Moridunum commits aid to Eburacum - Moridunum has sent sorcerers who are out of favor with the Morrigan and a substantial shipment of food to Eburacum as a token of support. They expect Eburacum to fall in the end but they want to bleed Warboss Skorcha in the process.

Venta commits aid to Eburacum - Venta has sent 500 men and a substantial shipment of food to Eburacum as a token of support. They clearly expect Eburacum to fall but they don't want it to fall too easily.

Noviomagus commits substantial aid to Eburacum - Eburacum is sending 2,000 of its 8,000 men to the vulnerable city along with a substantial supply of food. It is rumored the famous general Marcus Aurelius is accompanying the force although your spies were unable to confirm his presence among the caravan headed north.

Red Rock Fall from the Sky and Vanish? - A great shower of red stones lit up the night sky in June 6th 410 CE. These objects, described as jewels by Segontium farmers, landed in the fields outside of Segontium during the witching hour. An ominous sign. They said the jewels were in fact clear stone which pulsated with an inner red light. They were quite disturbed by the sight and reported it to the local authorities. However, by the time your spies investigated all the jewels had vanished. Just farmers telling tales? Perhaps, but it was odd enough they thought it merited a mention.

Dragons spotted? - Farmers have made rumblings about the great beasts flying from West to East. Drunken farmers have ranted about livestock going missing in the dead of night. It was an unfortunate turn of events, particularly if the beasts start to nest in Britain. Their voracious appetites can strip the countryside bare and their presence in Eire is a large part of the reason the human population is so sparse on the isle. Perhaps you should commission some dragon hunters to deal with this problem before it starts? Or perhaps you should just write it off as drunken farmers losing animals and coming up with excuses?

Witches in the Woods? - Rumors of dark, satanic rituals in the woods of Britain have begun to circulate among the taverns of Londinium. Animals dismembered, their bits and blood used to form pentagrams in the soft forest floor. A dark omen of fell sorcery. It is said that the witches who have drawn such pentagrams likely engage in carnal acts with Hell's demons during the witching hour and give birth to shape-shifting half-demon infants. A few god-fearing farmers demand swift action but against whom and where? Perhaps you should hire Witch Hunters to investigate these tall tales. Of course, Witch Hunters always claim to have found witches and try to run up the price!

Irishmen raid Southern Isca - The infamous Irish launched multiple small scale raids against Southern Isca while the common people were at Mass. A truly heinous attack against the faithful. However, the raids were relatively small in scale and the true tally of the damages were a rounding error on Southern Isca's accounts. However, there is always the risk the Irish might see an opportunity to do more than a little light raiding.

The Order of Saint Narcissus - A new religious order has built a church in Londinium and is proselytizing to all who come near. They appear to be a proper Christian order but it is clear they seek to convert other Christians to their interpretations of the gospels. You might want to write to Pope Innocent I to determine if these men are legitimate Catholics or if they are such rogue religious order. Then again, if they are not bothering anyone is it really a problem worth serious investigation?

An Order of Warriors - An organization that calls themselves the "Order of the Shining Eagle" have established themselves in Londinium and as mercenaries-for-hire. They are providing guards for merchant caravans as their sole source of income but there are rumors they do "other jobs" for cash as well. Assassinations, intimidation, robbery, and other such crimes. Muscle for hire, really. However, your spies have not spent enough time to verify or refute the muscle-for-hire rumor. They just know someone is engaged in that sort of racket and these people seem like likely suspects given the rumors about them and the fact they are basically mercenaries.

Britain City List:
Cataractonium
Eburacum
Mamucium
Lindum
Deva
Segontium
Viroconium
Venonis
Venta
Moridunum
Northern Isca
Corinium
Cameleodunum
Calleva
Southern Isca
Durnovaria
Noviomagus
Dubris

Action Success Tiers
DC +50 = Critical Success
Above DC = Success
DC to -5 Below DC = Partial Failure
-5 or more Below DC = Failure
-50 or more Below DC = Critical Blunder

Relationship Tiers
Vassal (30)
Allies (20)
Friendly (10)
Neutral (0)
Unfriendly (-10)
Hostile (-20)
Feuding (-30)

Treasury: 700 Silver Bars (Londinium)

Seasonal Balance Sheet
+1000 Silver Bars (Londinium)
+50 Silver Bars :: Beer Trade Route :: Moridunium

-300 Silver Bars (Legio Pendragon)
-300 Silver Bars (Legio Britannia)
-100 Silver Bars (Spy Network)
-50 Silver Bars (Watchtowers)

Net: +300 Silver Bars / Season

Trade Routes: 1/2

Diplomatic Relations
Cataractonium: Hostile(-20)
Moridunium: Friendly (2)
Most Cities: Neutral (0)

Military Forces
Veterancy, Equipment, and Morale provide bonuses to Martial roles. Manpower advantages and disadvantages adjust the rolls accordingly.

The Legio Pendragon
Veterancy: Green (0)
Equipment: Average (5)
Morale: Strong (10)
Manpower: 5000 (10 Cohorts)
Mages: Hedge Wizards (Out of combat healing and minor non-combat boosts)
Commander: Arthur Pendragon

The Legio Britannia
Veterancy: Green (0)
Equipment: Average (5)
Morale: Strong (10)
Manpower: 5000 (10 Cohorts)
Mages: Hedge Wizards (Out of combat healing and minor non-combat boosts)
Commander: Albus Tiberius

Londinium
Revenue: +1000 Silver Bars / Season
Population: 100,000 (Max. 2 Legions) / Humans: 90%, Elves 8%, Orcs 2%
Stability: Very Stable (10)
Loyalty: Very Loyal (10)

Major Projects:

Watch Towers: Bandits are easily caught by regular patrols between towers and Londinium has plenty of time to prepare when faced with invasion.
City Walls: Londinium is protected by substantial fortifications which doubles the effective combat power of up to one Legion stationed in Londinium.

Traits:

Deteriorating Trade: Your wealth flows from a dying Empire whose deterioration will slowly strangle Londinium's economy. Every year, your silver income will drop by 50 until you hit -500 Silver Bars / Season. (40 Turns)
Jealous Neighbors: Your wealth is a double edged sword and your neighbors wish to take it from you. Anyone more powerful than you immediately declares war on you. You might think this ends when your trade revenue vanishes but you would be wrong about that. People will still believe they can bring the trade back.

Arthur Pendragon (PoV Character)
Dueling: +40 (Martial + Sorcery)
Diplomacy: +20
Martial: +40
Stewardship: +20
Intrigue: +20
Sorcery: +0

Traits:

Roman Traditions: You can raise proper Roman Legions from your populous city and Roman Legions are the best at what they do. This translates into a +10 to Martial rolls as long you are using a professional (rather than levied) army.

Council
Merlin of Avalon
Sorcery: +25 (+10 if Pyromancy)
Mana: 2

Archmage of Pyromancy: Merlin has reached the pinnacle of the Pyromancer's Art and his skill with such magic is impressive (+5 to Pyromancy rolls). His specialty is the creation of fiery, enchanted weapons that literally melt metal armor and sets fire to those in leather. The value of such a power on the battlefield should not be underestimated.

Pyromancer (Dragonblooded): Merlin has a natural affinity to Fire Magic due to the fact that he is an eighth Dragon. This grants him access to the Lore of Pyromancy as well as a natural talent for its use. (+5 to Pyromancy)

Drust of Londinium
Intrigue: +23

Lovely Little Birds: A master of the honeypot, Drust's spies are mostly servants of the female persuasion. The passive intelligence he provides is on a scale no other can match. (+20 to Intrigue rolls against targets with the Lecherous trait.)

ChaosCircle · Jul 29, 2019

[X] Antonia Fabius, Daughter of Governor Fabius of Lugdunensis

You are his Majesty Arthur Pendragon and you are surrounded by flowers. There was lavender and primrose. Daisies and echinacea. Chrysanthemum and Violets. It was a lovely garden that once belonged to the Roman Governor of Britannia and now it was yours to use as you chose. And to your left was the most beautiful flower of all, Antonia Fabius.

Antonia's long, flowing blonde hair cascaded halfway down her lovely back. Her white stola clung to her curves as she wandered the grassy path through the garden at your side. A blue limbus added depth to her dress, even if it was little more than an illusion created by some colored cloth sewn into the hem of her stola. She was a beautiful woman dressed in the height of Roman fashion and you appreciated the effort, even if you preferred women in more revealing garments.

She said, "So, your Majesty, my father was curious why you sought a Roman bride given Brittania is now free of Roman politics. Care to comment?"

The smile that followed her comment was as beautiful as the stars. Her eyes were windows to a beautiful soul. Her every move was as graceful as a swan. Her words were music to your ears. If there was ever a perfect specimen of the feminine persuasion, it was her.

You returned her smile and replied, "Rome, for all its faults, has given us much and Roman culture is something I seek to perpetuate even if we are cut off from its source. A proper Roman as my wife would be helpful in that endeavor."

"Oh? Am I just a means to an end then?"

"Hardly, madam. You are a beauty without compare and I would enjoy your company for that alone."

"Ah, so I am just a beautiful face to you? You seem to be digging your grave deeper, Sir."

You chuckle ruefully and reply, "Your wit is beautiful too, if a bit sharp for my taste."

"At least you recognize I am more than a piece of ass, I suppose. And if I was ugly, would you have still considered me due to the value of my father's ports I wonder?"

"I would have madam. The value of free trade with your father's domain is a notable one. However, I would not choose a bride on silver or beauty alone. She needs to have a mind behind those eyes if she is to be of value to me."

"So I am a valuable piece of property to be exploited then?"

"Did you always enjoy being so contrary?"

"I find it forces men to be honest and I do enjoy that. It would be boring to have the same stale conversation a thousand times with a thousand suitors. Every one of them complimenting my beauty, my form, my words. None of them saying more than pleasantries. If, however, I poke them I find their reactions telling."

"Oh, and what do my reactions tell you, lady?"

"That you are a patient man who does not know how to tease a lady back. I could have a worse man for a husband."

"Fair enough, shall we proceed to our luncheon?"

"Certainly."

* * * * *

The spread before you two was common for wealthy Romans. Bread, olives, raisins, almonds, apples, various cheeses, and some hard salami. There was also a salad of lettuce and tomato with a vinaigrette to flavor it. And of course, wine. Plenty of wine.

You partook of Moscato, salami, cheddar cheese, and bread. They were your favorite parts of any meal and were always present at your table. Perhaps not the healthiest of repasts but ancient Romans did not know such things.

She preferred the Moscato and the fruit.

You said, "I see you prefer the sweet things. Perhaps I should have some pastries made for you?"

She flashed you that beautiful smile and replied, "I can wait for dinner."

You shrug and replied, "I see I am not the only one with patience. What do you seek in a husband?"

She frowned slightly and said, "Power. Equality. Love. In that order more or less. My father's position is not as secure as any of us would like and he needs a safe place to retire to. Britain would be beyond the reach of Rome, if my father fell from grace. It would also be secure enough, if you are capable, to be a safe place in which to raise children.

Equality is a rare thing among marriages these days but I would prefer to be treated as an equal partner to chattel. So even if it prevents some options, it is better to be upfront about my expectations.

And Love, would be nice. I can live without it but like any woman I do desire a bit of romance and love."

[X] Allannia Greentree, Niece of the Morrigan

You are his Majesty Arthur Pendragon and you are standing in your library with an attractive woman.

Allannia Greentee's red silk dress clung revealingly to ever curve of her lithe body. Her blue eyes contained the sparkle of intelligence.

It was not your first choice of a date with a pretty lady but she had asked and you could hardly refuse as her host.

She skimmed through the titles of your parchment books as she spoke, "So this is the library I would have access to if I married you. Not a single treatise on magic? Just Roman propaganda and historical accounts of the Governors of Britain."

You shrug and replied, "If I were you take you as my wife, I am sure we could have copies of such works imported from Moridunum. Surely that would suffice?"

"Rehashes of my mother's teachings with the occasional bit of Roman Lore mixed in. I have read all that there is of interest in Moridunum but it would not hurt to re-read some of them, I suppose. Perhaps you could import works from Rome? The Empire may disdain magic but they have quite the collection."

"Certainly. I am a reasonable man and importing texts to keep my wife happy certainly falls under the purview of reasonable requests.

Perhaps I could interest you in something other than books? The grounds have lovely gardens..."

"No, no. I prefer to remain indoors thank you very much. Flowers are of no interest to me. Perhaps an early lunch instead? This library bores me."

"Certainly, this way."

You lead Miss Greentree, a surname that marks her as a bastard despite her relation to the Morrigan, to the covered patio where you take your meals. The place overlooked your beautiful garden.

A view, it seemed, only you would appreciate today. It was unfortunate she was such a direct woman. A little diplomacy would have made your inadequacies as a suitor more pleasant. Even if those inadequacies were resolved by a simple order of books.

The spread before you two was common for wealthy Romans. Bread, olives, raisins, almonds, apples, various cheeses, and some hard salami. There was also a salad of lettuce and tomato with a vinaigrette to flavor it. And of course, wine. Plenty of wine.

You partook of Moscato, salami, cheddar cheese, and bread as was your custom for the midday meal. Why eat things you did not enjoy? The science of health was a foreign thing to Romans and many of the wealthy were a trace on the heavy side.

She selected a sampling of everything, clearly preferring the variety to any specific food. It was nice to have someone eat the things you avoided, even if their presence was virtually mandatory with a guest. Such a waste if the guest skipped them, well, not entirely since the servants took what you and your guest did not.

She said, "At least your kitchens have a proper variety. Do you eat like this every meal I wonder?"

You shrug and reply, "No, madam. This is the standard Roman fare that we deploy in the event of guests. I normally only have the Moscato, salmi, cheddar, and proper Roman bread.

I need little else and a more complex meal is meant for dinner."

She smiles, "I suspect as much. Much like your library, you prefer a limited variety of things to the greater variety that is available."

You are not sure if she just called you simple or if she was just really, really bad at getting her point across. Her behavior grated on you a bit but through her came powerful magic.

Sure, you could rely on others to provide you with magic or take a concubine and legitimize the bastards. But the ideal situation was a wife who could work magic was it not?

So you tolerated her and she tolerated you. Worse political alliances could be made.

Note: Half of your consort's stats are added to your own for Strategic/Turn actions.

Heirs will have 3 inherited traits. If you fail the rolls for the mother's trait, you get a random trait. These traits can be anything from a massive penalty to a massive boon. Random traits have a 60% chance of being positive, 20% chance of being neutral (cosmetic), 20% of being negative. I'll probably need to make a table for them at some point although if someone wants to make a large "CK2 trait table" for me I'd appreciate it. If not, I'll spend time on it once you have an heir to roll traits for. The trait table will be 100 traits. So 60/20/20 basically on a d100. So, if you are holding out hope for something like Magical Genius it is a 1% chance.

Example Random Traits:
Imbecile: -6 to all Stats
Weak: -3 to Martial
Brunette: Cosmetic, no bonus/penalty.
Strong: +3 to Martial
Magical Genius: +6 to Sorcery, can learn two Major Lores.

[ ] Antonia Fabius, Daughter of Governor Fabius of Lugdunensis

Dueling: +0
Diplomacy: +28
Martial: +2
Intrigue: +22
Stewardship: +22
Sorcery: +2

Traits:
Legendary Beauty (50% Inheritable): +5 to Diplomacy, +5 to dominant partner's Diplomacy rolls.
Patient (50% Inheritable): +3 to all Stats
Easily Bored (50% Inheritable): -1 to all Stats.
Tall (100% Inheritable): No stat modification
Blonde (100% Inheritable): No stat modification.
Slim (100% Inheritable): No stat modification.
Blue Eyes (100% Inheritable): No stat modification

Advantages:
A Proven Womb: Antonia's husband died in the fighting in Aquitania but she bore him a strong son who might make a suitable heir for the time being.
A Legendary Beauty: Antonia is a once-in-a-generation beauty that impresses any man who looks upon her. While it may lead to people coveting your wife, there are diplomatic advantages to using one's wife as an effective distraction. (+5 to Diplomacy rolls as foreign Diplomats are paying more attention to your wife than you)
The River of Silver: Fabius will facilitate trade with the rest of the Roman Empire and this will cut the decay rate of your trade with the Empire in half. (From -50 to -25)
Roman Legions: You can hire Roman Legions as mercenaries, for a reasonable fee of course.
Marriage Alliance: +5 to the Relationship with Lugdunensis.

Disadvantages:
Inevitable Fall: Honorius has surrendered Aquitania to the Visigoths and with the Sack of Rome it is only a matter of time before the rest of Roman Gaul falls as well. Lugdunensis will fall in 430 CE, or roughly 80 turns from now.

[X] Allannia Greentree, Niece of the Morrigan

Dueling: +0
Diplomacy: +2
Martial: +2
Intrigue: +22
Stewardship: +22
Sorcery: +22

Genetic Traits:
Elven Bloodline (80% Inheritable): Guarantees Major Lore / Sorcerer development options for heirs when inherited.
Bookworm (50% Inheritable): +5 Sorcery and -5 Diplomacy.
Gifted (50% Inheritable): +1 to all Stats
Redhead (100% Inheritable): No stat modification
Short (100% Inheritable): No stat modification
Lithe (100% Inheritable): No stat modification
Blue Eyes (100% Inheritable): No stat modification

Advantages:
Marriage Alliance: Marrying a blood relation of the Morrigan will certainly improve relations between your two factions. (+5 to the Relationship with Moridunum)
Elven Blood: You currently lack any skill at sorcery but a combining of the bloodlines would likely result in a magical heir. An heir who will need every advantage in the wars to come. (80% chance of an Heir with a Major Lore development option.)
Sorceress: While she may not have the skill to practice a Major Lore, she is a sorceress in her own right and is as capable as any of your hedge wizards. ( Substantial assassination resistance due to your wife being able to cure poisons and other ailments. She is also more likely to notice the effects of such before a court physician would. )

Disadvantages:
Interracial Marriage: Elves and humans do not get along as well as they should and the net result is it will strain your marriage. This will lead to domestic and diplomatic complications depending on how racist the people you are dealing with are. It is not as bad as it would be in Moridunum, but it will be noticeable.

ChaosCircle · Jul 30, 2019

[X] Plan Training mission
-[X][Eburacum] Send a proper Legion to support them. Skorcha will go this far and no further. Surely, the Segontium Pact will support Eburacum and with your aid it should be sufficient to turn the tide! (+2 Relationship with all British cities, Commits a Martial action to support the logistics needed to send a Legion off to war.)
-[X][Eburacum] Send food! No man, woman, or child will starve on your watch and Eburacum will likely be besieged before Winter. They will need your aid to bleed Skorcha white as the Orcs assault the city's walls. (-100 Silver Bars, +1 Relationship with all British cities)
-[X][Piracy] Agree to build a fleet and tackle the piracy problem. (+10 to relationships with Lugdunensis, Locks one die into Build Naval Cohort and locks future actions into Anti-Piracy Patrols until the piracy situation is resolved.)
-[X][PACT] Decline. Segontium's conditions for a unified front against the Orcs is far too much.
[X] Allannia Greentree, Niece of the Morrigan

You are His Majesty Arthur Pendragon and you sat at a round marble table. Later historians would call it "The Round Table" where all the Knights of Camelot sat and everyone was equal in their right to a voice. Like many things the historians claimed, it was not quite the truth. There would be no proper "Knights" for years yet and Arthur Pendragon had no Knights at his round table, merely talented advisors and perhaps, one day, his spouse.

Today, the wizard of Legend, Merlin of Avalon sat across from you along with Drust of Londinium. Two men that would feature heavily in your legends as written by Geoffrey of Monmouth, the man who defined your legend for later generations. Of course, you knew nothing of the details of such things and only believed that you were destined for greatness.

You were the first to speak, as was your right as first among equals at the Round Table, "Gentleman, we have a situation to the North and a situation to the South. We've dispatched some forces to resolve the former but the latter is open to question. Dubris is vulnerable and there are those that might take advantage of it. Should we be the one to do it? Or should we play the valiant protector of the city's virtue?"

Merlin replied, "Virtue. We do not wish to be seen as conquerors when all of our neighbors have deployed clever diplomatic stratagems to gain support without overt violence. A direct assault would jeopardize our own virtue. We should maintain a mantle of that virtue for as long as practical. Besides, we are the only ones with direct road access. To assault them would require crossing our borders or through miles of forest. Both should give us ample time to respond to such an invasion as long as Drust has competent spies on the area."

Drust added, "Your majesty, we should invade. Frankly, all this talk of virtue overestimates its value. We have a legion, we have the resources to hire mercenaries. We should use both to conquer Dubris before a competitor can arrive. This is the nature of our business. War is inevitable when four parties seek the crown. Segontium will not bow to us. The Novio-Calleva Alliance will not bow to us. Our only option with those two will be war. Why not establish ourselves as a conqueror now? Diplomacy will not get us far."

You nod and replied, "But virtue might buy us Moridunum's allegiance and with one of the two capitals of the Elves loyal to us, we might win others without a single act of violence until the great conflagration at the end. Besides, the only ones with the power to easily take Dubris besides us is the Novio-Calleva alliance. We might trigger a war by defending Dubris but we would have a strong ally in that war. And if nothing happens, it costs us nothing but words."

Drust shrugged and said, "True but if nothing happens, we gain little as well. We must risk all to gain the prize of a united Britain."

You said, "Indeed. Now on to other topics, the rumors of magic on the rise across Londinium and Britannia worries me. Witches, Dragons, and strange jewels from the sky. Trouble comes in threes. However, if I follow either of your advice combined with our existing commitments we will be stretched thin to deal with such threats. So what should I do, gentlemen? Should I seek a new steward, found a university, and only investigate one of these threats? Or should I focus my efforts on all three and leave other areas unexplored?"

Drust growled, "We should kill the witches, kill the dragons, and figure out what those jewels are. These are three dangerous omens in a troubled time. We cannot allow them to lie fallow when the trail is fresh. Death to heretics! Long live the King!"

Merlin chuckled and said, "Strong words but overzealous I think. The witches magic might be dark in origin but so is necromancy, yet we align ourselves willingly with a city of necromancers. Dark magic has its uses. I think we should negotiate with the witches and eliminate them only as a last resort. I do not fear dragons, due to my nature, but others would so I think that must be dealt with as well. Although I would prefer the olive branch to the sword, dragons do not die easily my King. Besides, if we send agents into this newly formed Pact's territory it might create...complications for us. They are three powerful city-states aligned against a common foe, I would hate to become that foe before we were ready."

You nod, they both have points. Elimination ends future complications but negotiation might create advantages that are worth the complications.

You continue, "And on the matter of going North with our Legion?"

Drust shrugs and replied, "I would prefer if you and Merlin stayed closer to home, my King. If we go to war with Dubris or we choose to support them, I'd prefer to have the extra support where it counts rather than on a lost cause in the North."

Merlin nodded his assent at that.

It seems, at least in this, the Hawk and the Dove are in concert. It was also clear that the Hawk and Dove factions likely had their champions.

Actions
You have 6 action dice per Season. You must use a minimum of 1 die per action and may use a maximum of 2 dice per action. Multiple dice are used to improve rolls and rush projects. (i.e. 2 dice = 2 seasons worth of work) When using multiple dice, you take the best roll of the two dice.

Multi-season projects lock the dice spent until they are completed.

The base DC is 50 for all unopposed actions. This translates into a 90% success rate with an advisor and a 70% success rate without an advisor for most actions. For Martial Actions, you operate at 90% without an advisor and 100% with an advisor. Opposed actions have variable DCs.

Locked Actions (2 Dice + Personal Action):

Find a "Foreign" Wife
[Martial] Construct Naval Cohort
[Martial] Send a Legion off to War (Eburacum)

Please vote by Plan.

Diplomacy: +21
Martial: +41
Stewardship: +31
Intrigue: +54
Sorcery: +36 (+46 if related to Pyromancy)

Special Free Action
Please note, if you choose to attack Dubris that whoever you pick here won't be available for that action.

Skorcha's Horde Combat Roll is +70 (Sorcery+Martial) due to him support his horde with his sorcery. Merlin+Arthur is +75 and gives you the best chance of victory...but if you lose the roll, there is a 1d100 roll for them to die. It should be noted that it is highly unlikely the Legion vs. Horde combat roll will be enough to win the fight due to the 2:1 numerical advantage Skorcha enjoys. (30k vs. 14k)

Numerical advantages are a roll multiplier. (i.e. He rolls 100, you roll 150. His effective roll is 200 vs. 150, so he wins. However, as you outmaneuvered him there is no risk of your Named Heroes dying. Of course, there is always the chance he rolls like 75 and you roll 175. In that case, its 150 vs. 175 and you wreck him.)

[ ] Send Arthur with the Legion to Eburacum: Arthur is one of the best generals in all of Britannia. It would be a shame for him to stay at home when his martial talents were needed on the battlefield. (+40 Martial, if you win the Martial roll you will gain +1 Martial. If you lose the Martial roll, you have a 5% chance of dying)
vs.
[ ] Leave your legions under the command of Eburacum's generals: Eburacum's generals are competent people and their martial acumen is on part with Warboss Skorcha's skill. (+35 Martial for combat rolls)

Optional:
[ ] Send Merlin with the Legion to Eburacum: Merlin provides Pyromancy Battle Magic to support to One Legion. Requires you to take the Support Legion action. Provides +35 to Legion Rolls. There is a 5% chance of dying if you lose the Martial roll against Warboss Skorcha. However, without Merlin, you will be no match for Skorcha.

Diplomacy
[Diplomacy] Seek Advisor: The Lord of Londinium is far from perfect and it would be helpful to have an advisor to point out the flaws in your plans. A proper diplomat would limit the need for you to expose yourself to outsiders, outsiders that might very well be assassins with false papers. You are limited to 3 advisors, so choose wisely.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Diplomacy Advisor (minimum +20), Slight buff to resisting assassinations.

[Diplomacy] Establish Non-Aggression Pact with Moridunium: The first step to deepening one's friendship with one's neighbors is to guarantee that they will not be the target of your armies. While it is unlikely you would disrupt a valuable trade route with war, a signed treaty is the sort of assurance many rulers prefer. After all, if you are proven as a man of your word...the diplomatic value is incalculable. And if you prove untrustworthy, the promise costs Moridunium nothing. Moridunium has no designs on invading Londinium after all.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: NAP with Moridunium and the relationship is improved as long as you never break an agreement.

[Diplomacy] Trading Post in Moridunium: What is better than a single trade route? A permanent settlement on the outskirts of Moridunium and a deepening of the trade relationship to the profit of all involved. The elvish thirst for Londinium's beer is virtually bottomless and they would certainly appreciate even more beer delivered to their doorstep. And who goes to war with their bartender? Nobody!
Time: 1 Season, Reward: +100 Silver Bars / Season and an improved relationship with Moridunium. Cost: 1 Trade Route slot, you must take Focus on Grain to maintain an adequate supply of beer.

[Diplomacy] Trade with Dubris: They are in a vulnerable position and need all the friends they can get. In fact, they are willing to pay a little more to be certain of who their friends are. Why not take advantage of them? Obviously, this cannot be taken with invading Dubris and you probably should Pledge to Support them to guarantee your new trading partners sovereignty. No point in wasting an action on trade only to find that management has changed, eh?
Time: 1 Season, Reward: +2 to Dubris relationship, +60 Silver Bars / Season, Cannot be taken with other trade route options.

[Diplomacy] Trade with the Novio-Calleva Bloc: They are your nearest, and largest, rivals. A bit of trade might go far to soften relations between you two. Of course, you will probably have to subsume them through conquest or diplomancy at some point. So you had better choose the later if you are wasting actions on trade. The simple fact is everyone loves beer and you have plenty of beer to go around.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: +2 to Novio-Calleva Relationship, +50 Silver Bars / Season. Cannot be taken with other trade route options.

[Diplomacy] Trade with ???: There are other options to trade with even if they lack the advantages of the ones listed. You can create a trade route with anyone you like (even the Eastern Roman Empire). Of course the benefits are the basic +2 to Relationship and 50 Silver Bars / Season. But hey, at least you did something the QM didn't anticipate eh?
Time: 1 Season, Reward: +2 to Relationship with ????, +50 Silver Bars / Season. Cannot be taken with other trade route options.

[Diplomacy] Pledge to support Dubris: Dubris's position is vulnerable after the Saxons raided them and a couple of its neighbors can easily conquer them because of it. With the support of your farmland and one of your Legions, you should be able to turn the tables on any attacker.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: +2 to Dubris relationship, +1 to relationship with all British cities, +20 if they are attacked and you support them. Meaningless if they fall.

[Diplomacy] Negotiate with Dragons: Dragons are an out of context problem. Dragonslayers exist but who can vet them effectively when there have been no dragons to hunt for generations? Share some of your treasure and ally yourself with a Dragon is the rational course of action.
Time: 1 Season Cost: -50 Silver Bars/Season Reward: Gain a Dragon ally who calls Londinium his home. In theory, this dragon keeps the other dragons at bay. In practice, your dragon might die.

[Diplomacy] Open trade with the Orcs: North of Hadrian's Wall, food is scarce and the Orcs raid each other for cattle as much as they do ancient blood feuds. This state of constant conflict has limited the size of a Warboss's horde to something a single Legion could handle. Well, until Warboss Skorcha managed to unite several tribes under a single banner. If you provided a stable supply of food to a Warboss and his horde, you would find a grateful ally among the Orcs. That ally would be useful against Skorcha and would certainly sell his services to you at reasonable prices, if you wanted undisciplined Orc irregulars or Pyromancers among your numbers.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Access to Orc and Pyromancer Mercenaries, Improved Relations with a random Warboss. Cannot be taken with other trade route options.

[Diplomacy] Open a trade route to Segontium: The elf citizens of Segontium are a thirsty lot and import all their booze. A need you can service with the vast fields of barley at your disposal and the breweries they feed. They would repay your generosity with their wide variety of magical lore, a variety unmatched in Britannia. It would open up virtually all avenues of research, even if such research would be slow. In time, and with careful nuturing, this relationship might blossom into a full blown alliance or even a patron/client relationship if the power disparity grew great enough.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: +50 Silver Bars / Season from Trade, Access to two additional Random Sorcery Advisor options, Unlocks Mage Mercenaries, Improved relations with Segontium and Elves. Cannot be taken with other trade route options.

Martial

[Martial] Seek Advisor: The Lord of Londinium is far from perfect and it would be helpful to have an advisor to point out the flaws in your plans. A Martial adviser would increase your strategic flexibility as you would have two capable generals to lead your legions, instead of one. You are limited to 3 advisors, so choose wisely.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Martial Advisor (minimum +20), You can operate two armies independently in the field.

[Martial] Invade Dubris: Dubris is vulnerable and you should take advantage of that vulnerability before someone else does. It will be a tough battle with only one Legion but that is what hiring mercenaries is for. Time: 2 Seasons, Cost: 300 Silver Bars to hire Mercs and launch the invasion of Dubris, Reward: Conquer Dubris. Risk: Unknown.

[Martial] Construct Naval Cohort: While you possess two full Legions of well-trained soldiers, your merchants travel the coastlines of Europe entirely unprotected. While piracy is a minor problem, it is a problem. A navy won't pay for itself but it would certainly create military options that would otherwise be unavailable. With sufficient ships, you might even be able to transport entire Legions in a single voyage.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Naval Cohort, Piracy no longer limits trade route options. Cost: 50 Silver Bars / Season

[Martial] Focusing on Training: While your Legions train in their weapons daily, they still have to make time for other military activities. If you were to refocus them solely on training, they would undoubtedly improve noticeably. The stronger your army, the easier the Unification will be. Of course, your neighbors also have relatively green armies so the status of your legions is not exactly a disadvantage you need to remedy, yet.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Improves Veterancy by 1 for both Legions.

[Martial] Hire Mercenaries: You technically have the resources to form a third military force. It would not be enough against Warboss Skorcha, but it would certainly be enough to guarentee victory over any of your neighbors. Of course, mercenaries are expensive and their reliability is questionable. It is too bad you need so much of your population to grow food and operate Londinium's industry. Ideally, these mercenaries would be magical in nature but without a strong relationship with one of the major elven cities that is unlikely to be an option.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Three mercenary options with varying costs depending on their power.

Stewardship

[Stewardship] Fortifications! Fortifications!: Your potential enemies outnumber you and expanding the City's defenses should be a priority. With this expansion, your defenses now apply their bonus to Two Legions or increase a single Legion's power by another 50%. In other words, 2 Legions = 20,000 men equivalent. 1 Legion = 12,500 men equivalent.

[Stewardship] Seek Advisor: The Lord of Londinium is far from perfect and it would be helpful to have an advisor to point out the flaws in your plans. A Steward would make life easier if you kept yourself in the field, conquering your neighbors. You are limited to 3 advisors, so choose wisely.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Stewardship Advisor (minimum +20), no penalties to Stewardship actions due to wartime complications.

[Stewardship] Focus on Blacksmiths: Londinium is a large city and has main talented artisans. However, if one was to focus on a particularly industry it is quite possible for it to become the premier source for that particular good. It would be useful for trade, and in the case of Blacksmiths, the military as well. A powerful industrial base could serve as the platform from which you grew.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: +1 Trade Route unlocked due to an excess of metal products, +2 Equipment quality for Londinium's legions. Locks all Stewardship Focus options.

[Stewardship] Focus on Grain: You possess vast fields of grain and while you can do little to expand their size, you can improve their quality. Your mages might be mere hedge wizards but with some regular practice they can double the number of growing seasons you experience every year. Of course, training so many of your best and brightest in this task would limit your alternatives industrially speaking. But more magic is certainly a benefit.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: +1 Trade Route unlocked due to an excess of grain, slight boost to the number of mages in Londinium. Locks all Stewardship Focus options.

[Stewardship] Focus on Fish: Fishing in the North Sea is well within the reach of your ships, even if they cannot venture far from land. It would provide a relatively secure food supply for a port like Londinium and limit the effectiveness of beseiging your capital. Of course, fish is not exactly something easily stored so it would be difficult to trade it but it should free up enough of your domestic grain supply to enable other trading opportunities.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: +1 Trade routes unlocked due to an excess of food, 50% reduction in besieged penalties as you can supply Londinium without needing access to grain fields.

[Stewardship] Tariffs on Trade: You could raise the tariffs on your merchants, it is not like they could effectively object with Londinium being the only major port in Britain. That said, you cannot squeeze blood from a stone so there are limits to your ability to raise revenue. However, it would certainly slow the effective rate at which trade with the rest of the Roman Empire deteoriates. If only because you collected more silver per shipment.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: +200 Silver Bars / Season but increases Deteoriating Trade's penalty cap to -700. So it would buy you another 4 years before the economic penalties brought Londinium down to "average".

Intrigue

[Intrigue] Gather Intelligence: Choose a city-state and hire spies to gather intelligence for you. It will provide a thorough accounting of their military and civilian situations. One might think a spy network would reduce the need for such focused intelligence gathering, but you'd be wrong. Invasions are too important to leave up to what random tidbits a network might acquire in the course of their regular operations.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Intelligence on a City-State.

[Intrigue] Investigate the Red Jewels That Fell: The red jewels might just be farmers' tales. But then again, for so many farmers to agree on the same story seems unlikely. We should send agents to investigate what happened to these jewels.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: You know what happened to the jewels, Risk: Unknown (Contested action)

[Intrigue] Negotiate with the Witches: They want to be able to practice without fear of retribution, you want access to all the magical power you can get your hands on. It is a match made in Heaven...or Hell. One of those.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Witch Infestation Harnessed, One legion is supported by ???? magic. Access to ??? Lore. Consequences ???? and ????.

[Intrigue] Hire Witch Hunters: You know there are witches doing dark magic in the woods. You know there are experienced men who solve these problems for a price. Let us put two and two together and solve this problem.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Witch Infestation Eliminated, Unlocks Witch Hunter Quest Path.

[Intrigue] Investigate the Order of Saint Narcissus: You know they are odd for a Christian order. The question is, are they the good kind of odd? Or the kind of odd you burn at the stake? Investigate to find out.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Order of Saint Narcissus resolved. Potentially unlocks Religious Schism Quest Path.

[Intrigue] Investigate the Order of the Shining Eagle: Are they criminals? Or common mercenaries? You need to know these things and, frankly, if they are the former you need to eliminate the problem or use it for your own ends.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Order of the Shining Eagle resolved. Potentially unlocks Assassin Guild Quest Path.

[Intrigue] Hire Dragonslayers: The only practical solution to a Dragon is to kill it. Sure, they have not been seen in generations but there are still men who have been trained by their fathers to do this dangerous job.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Kill all dragons that threaten your territory. Risk: Unknown.

[Intrigue] Establish Deep Cover Operatives: To deeply penetrate an enemies defenses, one needs long term operatives who are above suspicion. This is the sort of advantage any sane spymaster seeks out before he attempts a serious espionage operation. Of course, deep cover operatives are at constant risk of discovery so it is not without its drawbacks. You must choose a target City to establish your deep cover operatives in. (i.e. Moridunium)
Time: 1 Season. Reward: +20 to Intrigue rolls against the target as long as the agents aren't discovered, DC varies depending on target and it is a DC 50 roll to maintain these operatives each turn. Diplomatic penalties are negligible as everyone does this sort of thing.

[Intrigue] Steal Magical Secrets from Moridunium: It would risk your relationship with the Morrigan but the years it would save off of training your own mages might be worth it! The reason magical research is so slow is the elves are keeping the best stuff for themselves. They might sell you the same stuff their apprentices study, but the works of the masters are hidden behind closed doors. It is a risk, sure, but so is going a decade without powerful mages of your own.
Time: 2 Seasons, Reward: -20 Seasons for a random choice between the Develop Necromancy or Develop Geomancy actions., DC is 70=50+20(Morrigan Intrigue)+20(Morrigan's Intrigue Advisor)-20(Friendly relations). Massive diplomatic penalty with the Morrigan if caught as this borders on an act of war.

[Intrigue] Steal Magical Secrets from Segontium: It probably would lead to a cold war if you were caught, but the knowledge you would gain would be worth it. And honestly, Segontium is unimportant enough to you in the grand scheme of things that such a conflict would be a minor annoyance. Besides, you already have access to Necromancers and Geomancers through your friendship with Moridunium. Wouldn't it be nice to develop some unique Lore of your own or at least a Lore rare enough that it might as well be so?
Time: 2 Seasons, Reward: -30 Seasons for the Develop ??????? action. DC is 90=50+20(Segontium Intrigue)+20(Segontium's Intrigue Advisor). Massive diplomatic penalty with Segontium if caught as this borders on an act of war.

[Intrigue] Steal the Secrets of Pyromancy: You are practically at war with Warboss Skorcha and the other Warbosses already. Sure, you might have considered opening diplomatic relations with them in the form of trade but it would never go further than that. Why not steal their secrets, kidnap a few pyromancers, and give your people a headstart on the Lore of Fire. No one cares if you piss off the Orcs in the process.
Time: 2 Seasons, Reward: Unlocks Develop Pyromancy action with a Time of 20 Seasons. DC is 100=50+30(Skorcha Intrigue)+20(Hostile Race). Massive diplomatic penalty if caught, but honestly, who bothers making peace with a Warboss?

[Intrigue] Plan Operation: Write in the sort of Intrigue operation you want to perform and this action will determine its feasibility, risks, etc. Intrigue is the slow boat to victory but the cost of failure is always small enough to be worth the attempt against someone even if you avoid attempts on your friends.
Time: Instant, Reward: Unlocks Intrigue Action(s) for immediate use as a free action. DC is 50. No diplomatic penalty if caught although the unlocked action most likely will have such a thing.

Sorcery

[Sorcery] Teach Spell: Merlin can teach the magic he knows to the mages of Londinium without worrying about teaching them an entire Major Lore. However, there is a penalty to teaching people incapable of using a Major Lore. Can teach Enchanted Weapons, Rain of Fire, Dragonfire, Pyromancy Battle Magic.
Time: 12 Seasons, Reward: The Londinium Magical community has access to that Spell. Right now, if Merlin dies, you lose access to all pyromancy magic.

[Sorcery] Convert Spell: Merlin is a legendary mage capable of studying spells from other Major Lore and making them his own. Access to these spells and the ability to add them to Londinium's foundation of magic are two separate things however. That said, if Merlin can cast it Merlin can teach it. So it is possible to create a unique Lore for Londinium that crosses boundaries. Spells available for conversion are: Lich Transformation, Raise Wights, Skeletal Necromancers, Drain Life, Support Construction, Raise Fortifications, Fertile Lands.
Time: 4 Seasons, Reward: Merlin is able to cast a specific spell.

[Sorcery] Establish University: While you currently lack a Major Lore, you can still gather potential adepts in a single place and train them to the best of your meager abilities. It would certainly improve the rate at which your hedge wizards gained access to a Major Lore once you gained access to one. Of course, gaining access was the problem...
Time: 4 Seasons, Reward: University (Passively improves the quality of mages, provides a free training action every Season to improve the knowledge/power of Londinium's mages. )

[Sorcery] Beer! Beer for Everyone!: Demand for beer is skyrocketing both at home due to the discovery that beer enhanced magical power. The hedge wizards of Londinium had no clue of the benefits until a wandering sorcerer let the information slip. If you earmark a supply of beer for your mages, they would become more effective allies. Of course, it would strain your supply of alcohol so you would probably need to focus your economy on production of the stuff.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Mages are properly supplied and no longer suffer penalties from their ignorance of the magical properties of Beer. Requires Econ to be focused on Grain production.

[Sorcery] Hire Necromancers: The Necromancers of Moridunium are a powerful class of mages whose fell magic is feared on the battlefield by all that oppose them. In fact, the Morrigan was granted a large degree of autonomy just because the Romans feared open battle with dozens of powerful Necromancers. For the right price, one might acquire this power as your own but the price is rather steep.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: One Legion is now supported by a Necromancer Hero and his students. Cost: 300 Silver Bars / Season.

[Sorcery] HIre Geomancers: The art of Geomancy is a useful talent in construction and in war. Proper Roman fortifications for a siege can be thrown up in a few hours. Fields can be tilled in minutes. It is this sort of flexibility that has made Geomancers a valuable commodity among those that can afford them. Unfortunately, demand for this power far outstrips its supply which means they can name their price.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: One Legion is now supported by a Geomancer Hero and his students. Cost: 300 Silver Bars / Season.

[Sorcery] Develop ???????: With access to a major magical community, you now have the resources to study Major Lores and potentially create your own. It would be a long process, but a unique Lore is the sort of advantage any would-be King desires. However, the process would be longer than simply educating your people in a Lore known to willing tutors.
Time: 60 Seasons, Reward: A Lore unique to Londinium and the formation of a new class of mages. Permanently unlocks ?????? as hireable units and ????? sorcery options.

[Sorcery] Develop Necromancy: With access to Moridunium's magical community, you have gained access to a wide variety of Necromancy texts and practioners of the art. This would be useful in advancing the breadth of Londinium's mages. Of course, it would take a decade of training the next generation of wizards to produce the quantity needed to engage in serious work.
Time: 40 Seasons, Reward: Necromancy is now part of the foundations of magery in Londinium, permanently unlocking Necromancers as hireable units as well as all Necromancy options.

[Sorcery] Develop Geomancy: With access to Moridunium's magical community, you have gained access to a wide variety of Geomancy texts and practitioners of the art. This knowledge would be useful in advancing the skill of Londinium's mages...of course it would take a decade of training the next generation to achieve anything close to the numbers you need for serious activities.
Time: 40 Seasons, Reward: Geomancy is now a part of the foundations of magery in Londinium, permanently unlocking Geomancers as hireable units as well as all Geomancy options.

[Sorcery] Develop Pyromancy: With access to Merlin's magical knowledge, it is only a question of effort for your magical community to acquire the knowledge needed to train its own pyromancers. Of course it would take a decade of training the next generation to achieve anything close to the numbers you need for serious activities.
Time: 40 Seasons, Reward: Pyromancy is now a part of the foundations of magery in Londinium, permanently unlocking Pyromancer as hireable units as well as all Pyromancy options.

[Sorcery] Train Apprentices: Merlin trains hedge wizards in the arts of Pyromancy to accelerate the speed at which your faction develops domestic pyromancers. This can be taken in conjunction with Develop Pyromancy and allows you to effectively deploy 4 dice a Season into a single objective. The fastest way to develop your own pyromancers? Sure, but a costly one.
Time: 40 Seasons, Reward: Pyromancy is now a part of the foundations of magery in Londinium, permanently unlocking Pyromancer as hireable units as well as all Pyromancy options.

[Sorcery] Enchanted Weapons: Merlin is talented at forging enchanted blades, arrowheads, and other tools of war. If he spends time improving the equipment of a given Legion, it would certainly improve their effectiveness. Of course, such activities require a substantial commitment in resources as Merlin will need blacksmiths to forge the weapons in bulk. If one was to focus all his efforts for years on a single Legion, well, they would be nigh invincible wouldn't they?
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Legion gains +5 Equipment quality which translates into +5 to Battle rolls with that Legion. Upkeep: 1 Mana/Season.

[Sorcery] Rain of Fire: Sometimes the best strategic weapon is the disruption of the enemy's logistical base. An army marches on its stomach and a lack of food can destroy an army as quickly as a victory in battle. The best part is, you can use this on anyone and they can't identify you as the source! Useful for weakening an ally, if one was so devious to do such a thing. May need to be taken multiple times in a Season due to the possibility of defensive magic.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Disruption of food supplies in the targeted region which causes a -10 penalty to Battle rolls, Upkeep: 1 Mana/Season. DC varies based on target's sorcery.

[Sorcery] Dragonfire: Stockpiles of Dragonfire are very, very good at laying waste to a fortified position. If one is willing to burn a city down to capture it, it might be worth stockpiling of some of this. Of course, it makes rebuilding that city afterwards a bitch and a half.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Stockpile of Dragonfire that can be consumed to negate the defensive value of fortifications.

[Sorcery] Locate Mana Sources: There are limits to the number of strategic enchantments a Sorcerer can power at any given time. If you wish to expand their reach, you must expand their access to the fundamental power of Magic known as Mana.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: ???? (+1 Mana/Season)

[Sorcery] Dispel: Remove an ongoing, hostile enchantment from a region. Dispelling magic is one of the first tricks a mage is taught and it is one of the most important tools in their toolbox. What good is a mage that can only play offense? None.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Hostile enchantment dispelled and has to be re-cast.

[Sorcery] Sorcerer's Aegis: A powerful defensive spell that can counter one hostile Sorcery action being launched against your faction. An all out assault of magical actions will still penetrate such a defense but such a serious commitment to magical assault will exhaust any sorcerer. Outside of a War or the Elves, it is unlikely you will encounter an opponent with sorcerers to spare for such a focused assault.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Sorcerer's Aegis, Upkeep: 1 Mana/Season

[Sorcery] Support Legion: Maintaining the strategic enchantments of a major power is serious work and so is the work needed to support a military campaign. Normally, your advisor is available for one task or the other...but if you want to expend the resources to support him it is possible for him to do both. This allows a single sorcerer to maintain both your strategic enchantments and a single Legion in battle. Useful, if one does not want to pay for mercenaries.
Time: Instant, Reward: Legion supported, Strategic enchantments supported by a single mage.

[Sorcery] Research Spell: Write in a thematically appropriate spell for the Major Lore you know (or a generic spell like Detect Magic). This is how you expand your strategic magical options. Tactical magical options are basically anything reasonable within the domain of your Major Lore(s).
Time: ??? Seasons, Reward: One new Sorcery action appropriate to the spell.

[Sorcery] Lead to Silver: Have a cash shortage? Some basic alchemy can convert your stockpiles of lead to silver. Useful in a pinch but difficult to maintain as a long term funding source due to the attention required for the task.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: 100 Silver Bars

Personal
You get one free Personal action per turn and you cannot spend Dice to engage in additional action(s). Like normal actions, multi-season actions will tie you up for some time.

Locked: Find a "Foreign" Wife: You might need heirs as quickly as possible but taking a little time to find a wife with diplomatic advantages is likely the wiser course. An alliance with a powerful family in Gaul, for instance, would give you access to hiring proper Roman Legions as mercenaries. An elf wife might help shore up your city's weakness in magic by providing useful connections. Regardless of which you choose, the choice of wife would provide the same diplomatic access a trade route would.
Time: 2 Seasons, Reward: A wife

Britain City List:
Cataractonium
Eburacum
Mamucium
Lindum
Deva
Segontium
Viroconium
Venonis
Venta
Moridunum
Northern Isca
Corinium
Cameleodunum
Calleva
Southern Isca
Durnovaria
Noviomagus
Dubris

Action Success Tiers
DC +50 = Critical Success
Above DC = Success
DC to -5 Below DC = Partial Failure
-5 or more Below DC = Failure
-50 or more Below DC = Critical Blunder

Relationship Tiers
Vassal (30)
Allies (20)
Friendly (10)
Neutral (0)
Unfriendly (-10)
Hostile (-20)
Feuding (-30)

Treasury: 600 Silver Bars (Londinium)

Seasonal Balance Sheet
+1000 Silver Bars (Londinium)
+50 Silver Bars :: Beer Trade Route :: Moridunium

-300 Silver Bars (Legio Pendragon)
-300 Silver Bars (Legio Britannia)
-100 Silver Bars (Spy Network)
-50 Silver Bars (Watchtowers)

Net: +300 Silver Bars / Season

Trade Routes: 1/2

Diplomatic Relations
Cataractonium: Hostile(-20)
Lugdunensis: Friendly (10)
Moridunium: Friendly (10)
Most British Cities: Friendly (3)

Military Forces
Veterancy, Equipment, and Morale provide bonuses to Martial roles. Manpower advantages and disadvantages adjust the rolls accordingly.

The Legio Pendragon
Veterancy: Green (0)
Equipment: Average (5)
Morale: Strong (10)
Manpower: 5000 (10 Cohorts)
Mages: Hedge Wizards (Out of combat healing and minor non-combat boosts)
Commander: Arthur Pendragon

The Legio Britannia
Veterancy: Green (0)
Equipment: Average (5)
Morale: Strong (10)
Manpower: 5000 (10 Cohorts)
Mages: Hedge Wizards (Out of combat healing and minor non-combat boosts)
Commander: Albus Tiberius

Londinium
Revenue: +1000 Silver Bars / Season
Population: 100,000 (Max. 2 Legions) / Humans: 90%, Elves 8%, Orcs 2%
Stability: Very Stable (10)
Loyalty: Very Loyal (10)

Major Projects:

Watch Towers: Bandits are easily caught by regular patrols between towers and Londinium has plenty of time to prepare when faced with invasion.
City Walls: Londinium is protected by substantial fortifications which doubles the effective combat power of up to one Legion stationed in Londinium.

Traits:

Deteriorating Trade: Your wealth flows from a dying Empire whose deterioration will slowly strangle Londinium's economy. Every year, your silver income will drop by 50 until you hit -500 Silver Bars / Season. (40 Turns)
Jealous Neighbors: Your wealth is a double edged sword and your neighbors wish to take it from you. Anyone more powerful than you immediately declares war on you. You might think this ends when your trade revenue vanishes but you would be wrong about that. People will still believe they can bring the trade back.

Arthur Pendragon (PoV Character)
0/3 Wounds
Dueling: +40 (Martial + Sorcery)
Diplomacy: +20
Martial: +40
Stewardship: +20
Intrigue: +20
Sorcery: +0

Traits:

Roman Traditions: You can raise proper Roman Legions from your populous city and Roman Legions are the best at what they do. This translates into a +10 to Martial rolls as long you are using a professional (rather than levied) army.

Allannia Greentree, Niece of the Morrigan (Wife)
0/3 Wounds
Dueling: +0
Diplomacy: +2
Martial: +2
Intrigue: +22
Stewardship: +22
Sorcery: +22

Genetic Traits:
Elven Bloodline (80% Inheritable): Guarantees Major Lore / Sorcerer development options for heirs when inherited.
Bookworm (50% Inheritable): +5 Sorcery and -5 Diplomacy.
Gifted (50% Inheritable): +1 to all Stats
Redhead (100% Inheritable): No stat modification
Short (100% Inheritable): No stat modification
Lithe (100% Inheritable): No stat modification
Blue Eyes (100% Inheritable): No stat modification

Traits:
Sorceress: While she may not have the skill to practice a Major Lore, she is a sorceress in her own right and is as capable as any of your hedge wizards. ( Substantial assassination resistance due to your wife being able to cure poisons and other ailments. She is also more likely to notice the effects of such before a court physician would. )
Interracial Marriage: Elves and humans do not get along as well as they should and the net result is it will strain your marriage. This will lead to domestic and diplomatic complications depending on how racist the people you are dealing with are. It is not as bad as it would be in Moridunum, but it will be noticeable.

Council
Merlin of Avalon
0/3 Wounds
Sorcery: +25 (+10 if Pyromancy)
Mana: 2

Archmage of Pyromancy: Merlin has reached the pinnacle of the Pyromancer's Art and his skill with such magic is impressive (+5 to Pyromancy rolls). His specialty is the creation of fiery, enchanted weapons that literally melt metal armor and sets fire to those in leather. The value of such a power on the battlefield should not be underestimated.

Pyromancer (Dragonblooded): Merlin has a natural affinity to Fire Magic due to the fact that he is an eighth Dragon. This grants him access to the Lore of Pyromancy as well as a natural talent for its use. (+5 to Pyromancy)

Drust of Londinium
0/3 Wounds
Intrigue: +23

Lovely Little Birds: A master of the honeypot, Drust's spies are mostly servants of the female persuasion. The passive intelligence he provides is on a scale no other can match. (+20 to Intrigue rolls against targets with the Lecherous trait.)

ChaosCircle · Jul 30, 2019

Random Genetic Trait Table
1d100 = #'d trait.

Lunatic: Unusable character.
Imbecile: -6 All Stats
Inbred: -6 All Stats
Idiot: -3 All Stats
Slow: -3 All Stats
Slothful: -1 All Stats
Easily Bored: -1 All Stats
Weak: -3 Martial
Lisp: -3 Diplomacy
Stutter: -3 Diplomacy
Proud: -3 Diplomacy
Frail: -1 Wounds
Infirm: -1 All Stats, -1 Wounds
Dull: -3 Sorcery
Gluttonous: -3 Stewardship
Clubfooted: -1 to Martial
Dwarf: -1 Martial
Greedy: -1 Diplomacy, hordes wealth (has trouble spending silver bars)
Wroth: +3 Martial, -3 Diplomacy, -3 Intrigue
Lecherous: +20% Fertility, vulnerable to honey pots, unstable romantic relationships.
Weak-minded: -1 Piety per Season
Pessimist: -1 Piety per Season
Dirty Blonde
Brunette
Blonde
Black hair
Redhead
Tall
Short
Slim
Lithe
Burly
Wisp
Gangly
Big-boned
Blue Eyes
Brown Eyes
Green Eyes
Hazel Eyes
Honest: -5 Intrigue, +5 Diplomacy
Bookworm: -5 Diplomacy, +5 Sorcery
Envious: -5 Diplomacy, +5 Stewardship
Meathead: -5 Sorcery, +5 Martial
Dishonest: -5 Diplomacy, +5 Intrigue
Corrupted: -100 Starting Piety, Access to Witchcraft Development option
Changeling: -100 Starting Piety, Access to 4 random magical spells. Re-roll all traits, ignoring the traits of the parents.
Magic Immune: Immune to Magic, cannot learn Magic regardless of other traits.
Lustful: +20% Fertility
Faithful: +1 Piety per Season
Auspicious Birth: +1 Piety per Season
Optimist: +1 Piety per Season
Chaste: +3 Sorcery
Temperate: +3 Stewardship
Charitable: +3 Diplomacy
Kind: +3 Diplomacy
Humble: +3 Intrigue
Cunning: +3 Intrigue
Clever: +3 Sorcery
Strong: +3 Martial
Agile: +3 Martial
Attractive: +3 Diplomacy
Diligent: +3 Stewardship
Talented: +1 All Stats
Gifted: +1 All Stats
Shrewd: +2 All Stats
Patient: +3 All Stats
Quick: +3 All Stats
Genius: +6 All Stats
Rare Talent: +6 All Stats
Blessed: 60 Starting Piety, +2 Piety per Season
Hardy: +1 Wounds
Sturdy: +1 Wounds
Durable: +1 Wounds
Silver Tongue: +6 Diplomacy
Beautiful: +6 Diplomacy
Very Clever: +6 Sorcery
Very Strong: +6 Martial
Very Diligent: +6 to Stewardship
Very Cunning: +6 to Intrigue
Legendary Beauty: +5 to Diplomacy, +5 to dominant partner's Diplomacy
Legendary Strength: +8 to Martial
Legendary Cunning: +8 to Intrigue
Legendary Silver Tongue: +8 to Diplomacy
Legendary Diligence: +8 to Stewardship
Legendary Cleverness: +8 to Sorcery, Major Lore development option.
Unseelie Bloodline: +3 to Sorcery, gain 4 random destructive/dark magical spells (i.e. Pyromancy Battle Magic, Raise Wight, Drain Life, Lich Transformation)
Seelie Bloodline: +3 to Sorcery, gain 4 random constructive/light magical spells (i.e. Battle Geomancy, Enchant Weapon, Fertile Lands, Support Construction)
Demon Bloodline: +5 to Witchcraft, Witchcraft Development option
Angelic Bloodline: +5 to Divine Magic, Divine Magic Development option
Dragon Bloodline: +5 to Pyromancy, Pyromancy Development option
Mermaid Bloodline: +5 to Hydromancy, Hydromancy Development option
Avian Bloodline: +5 to Aeromancy, Aeromancy Development option
Dwarven Bloodline: +5 to Geomancy, Geomancy Development option
Vampire Bloodline: +5 to Necromancy, Necromancy Development option
Elven Bloodline: Major Lore development option.
Magically Gifted: +3 to Sorcery. Major Lore development option.
Magical Genius: +6 to Sorcery, can learn 2 Major Lores.
Nephilim: +8 to Sorcery, can wield Witchcraft and Divine Magic
Prophet: +8 to Sorcery, 60 Starting Piety, +2 Piety Per Season, Divine Magic Lore Option.
Chosen One: +8 All Stats

ChaosCircle · Aug 2, 2019

QM's Note: I will be closing votes very fast for the next week. I have also added piety to stat blocks.

-[X][Martial] Construct Naval Cohort: While you possess two full Legions of well-trained soldiers, your merchants travel the coastlines of Europe entirely unprotected. While piracy is a minor problem, it is a problem. A navy won't pay for itself but it would certainly create military options that would otherwise be unavailable. With sufficient ships, you might even be able to transport entire Legions in a single voyage.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Naval Cohort, Piracy no longer limits trade route options. Cost: 50 Silver Bars / Season

Londinium's industry gears for War as it finds itself surrounded by potential threats. The workers of Londinium, full of patriotic spirit and faith in His Majesty Arthur Pendragon, pushed themselves longer and harder than anyone expected of them. Trade was the lifeblood of Londinium's economy and its workers wanted to protect it as best as they were able. Able-bodied men were drafted by the hundreds, massive warships were built to a quality beyond reasonable expectation. It was a good day to be Admiral Marcus Valeria.

The Admiral is already drawing up plans to support the war effort in the North with sea-borne raids on Orc supply lines and anti-piracy patrols to deal with the Saxon menance. Arthur had placed his new fleet in eager and capable hands.

1D100+41 => 131 (Critical Success, +5 Equipment Quality)

-[X][Intrigue] Gather Intelligence: Choose a city-state and hire spies to gather intelligence for you. It will provide a thorough accounting of their military and civilian situations. One might think a spy network would reduce the need for such focused intelligence gathering, but you'd be wrong. Invasions are too important to leave up to what random tidbits a network might acquire in the course of their regular operations.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: Intelligence on a City-State. (Novio-Calleva)

An aide to one of Calleva's generals was a lecherous soul who easily fell into the honeyed web of Drust's spies. From there, it was relatively easy to charm the man into bragging about his very important job and how impressive it was he was trusted with such important work. Prideful men who think with their dicks were easy to exploit.

The plan that was revealed was fragmentary, and some of the details were undoubtedly exaggerated to impress the woman about the aide's importance, but the overall gist was clear. Novio-Calleva had committed only a small force to the North because it intended to strong arm Dubris with a force of 12,000 men. An impressive army, to be certain, but with so much advanced warning your friends in Dubris could hold out against a siege indefinitely.

It was also an army you could realistically beat in the field, although the task would have been substantially easier if Arthur and Merlin had been on hand to support the Legio Britannia at the task. Of course, you could simply give Dubris silver to hire enough mercenaries and keep your army at home in case the plan was a trap. Or in case of the Novio-Calleva intelligence network discovering your activities.

The final consideration is Dubris cannot stay behind her walls for long. Her food supplies are depleted and any siege will be short, so a decisive victory must be found and quickly.

Novio-Calleva Invasion of Dubris. What do?
[ ] Send the Legio Britannia to support Dubris. Your soldiers needed the experience and a roughly even battle was the place to get it. Spend 300 silver bars to hire mercenaries to defend Londinium in case of a target switch.

[ ] Send 300 Silver Bars to support Dubris. Dubris will hire enough mercenaries, last minute as the purchase might be, to deal with the Novio-Calleva threat. Rely on the Legio Britannia to defend Londinium in case of a target switch.

[ ] Overwhelming force was the way to go. You lack your best commanders and it is better to throw the largest army you can at the problem, even if it creates the greatest risk of discovery in time for Novio-Calleva to call off their attack. You send 300 Silver Bars to support Dubris for the purposes of hiring mercenaries and send the Legio Britannia. Of course, this plan also leaves your capital vulnerable to attack should anyone seek to take advantage of your defenselessness. Defenselessness that might be discovered by Novio-Calleva spies who notice your preparations.

[ ] Use this as an opportunity to stage a counter attack on Calleva. Dubris can hold off the enemy, 300 silver bars can buy enough mercenaries for your defense. Novio-Calleva will have only token garrisons in both of their cities. Calleva will be the furthest from their army and Novio-Calleva will have to maintain a force large enough to contain Dubris even if they move against the Legio Britannia immediately. This is a high risk, high reward option. You might capture Calleva or you might find yourself trapped between Calleva's walls and a larger army.

Dubris Order of Battle
Lord Remus of Dubris (+25 Martial)
Valen of Dubris (+20 Sorcery, Necromancer)
Force Bonus: +12 Martial
Force Multiplier (x2): Safely behind the walls of Dubris.

Combat Roll: 1d100+57 (12,000 soldier equivalent)

The First Dubris Infantry Division
Veterancy: Green (0)
Equipment: Average (2)
Morale: Strong (10)
Manpower: 5000 (10 Cohorts)
Commander: Valen of Dubris
Mage Support: Valen of Dubris (+20 Sorcery, Necromancer)

The Second Dubris Archer Division
Veterancy: Green (0)
Equipment: Average (2)
Morale: Strong (10)
Manpower: 1000 (2 Cohorts)
Commander: Lord Remus of Dubris

Novio-Calleva Order of Battle
General Alexander Calleva (+25 Martial)
Revan of Noviomagus (Hydomancer) (+20 Sorcery)
Felix Africanus (Aeromancer) (+20 Sorcery)
Force Bonus: +15 Martial

Combat Roll: 1d100+80 (12,000 man equivalent)

The First Noviomagus Infantry Division
Veterancy: Green (0)
Equipment: Average (5)
Morale: Strong (10)
Manpower: 5000 (10 Cohorts)
Commander: Revan of Noviomagus
Supported by: Revan of Noviomagus

The First Calleva Infantry Division
Veterancy: Green (0)
Equipment: Average (5)
Morale: Strong (10)
Manpower: 5000 (10 Cohorts)
Commander: Felix Africanus
Supported By: Felix Africanus

The Novio-Calleva Archer Division
Veterancy: Green (0)
Equipment: Average (5)
Morale: Strong (10)
Manpower: 2000 (4 Cohorts)
Commander: General Alexander Calleva

Standard Intelligence:
Reserves may be used to hire mercenaries if seriously threatened. If you plan to engage them, it is suggested you recall the Legio Pendragon as soon as practical.

Noviomagus
Garrison: 500 Infantry
Revenue: +550 Silver Bars/Season
Expenses: -350 Silver Bars/Season
Reserves: 200 Silver Bars

Leader: Lady Amelia Novus (Intrigue Focus)
Sorcery Advisor: Revan of Noviomagus (Aeromancer, +20 Sorcery)
Martial Advisor: Marcus Aurelius (+40 Martial, Deployed to Eburacum)

Economy: Fishing Fleet, Fishing Focused (Resistant to sieges)
Trade Route: Fish to Calleva
Civilian Morale: Good (10)

Calleva
Garrison: 500 Infantry
Revenue: +550 Silver Bars/Season
Expenses: -350 Silver Bars/Season
Reserves: 200 Silver Bars

Leader: Alexander Calleva (Stewardship Focus)
Sorcery Advisor: Felix Africanus (+20, Hydromancer)
Stewardship Advisor: Marcellus Quinn (+20)

Economy: Iron Mines, Armorer Focused (Better equipment for troops)
Trade Route: Arms & Armor to Noviomagus
Civilian Morale: Good (10)

1D100+54 => 153 (Critical Success, Novio-Calleva War Plans captured?)

-[X][Diplomacy] Trade with Dubris: They are in a vulnerable position and need all the friends they can get. In fact, they are willing to pay a little more to be certain of who their friends are. Why not take advantage of them? Obviously, this cannot be taken with invading Dubris and you probably should Pledge to Support them to guarantee your new trading partners sovereignty. No point in wasting an action on trade only to find that management has changed, eh?
Time: 1 Season, Reward: +2 to Dubris relationship, +60 Silver Bars / Season, Cannot be taken with other trade route options.
-[X][Diplomacy] Pledge to support Dubris: Dubris's position is vulnerable after the Saxons raided them and a couple of its neighbors can easily conquer them because of it. With the support of your farmland and one of your Legions, you should be able to turn the tables on any attacker.
Time: 1 Season, Reward: +2 to Dubris relationship, +1 to relationship with all British cities, +20 if they are attacked and you support them. Meaningless if they fall.

Your merchants and diplomats arranged a combined caravan to travel to Dubris for the sake of efficiency. The journey itself was relatively uneventful now that the filthy bandit problem that had infested the region was dealt with. It should have been a simple milk run for Ambassador Alric from there.

You are Ambassador Alric of Londinium charged with the establishment of friendly relations, trade, and the careful cultivation of the flower of future alliances with Lord Remus of Dubris.

The Lord of Dubris's audience chamber was lined with nude marble statues of nymphs and other mythical creatures. A display of art that was both impressive and a public display of Lord Remus's private fetishes. However, the professionals that visited Lord Remus knew better than to comment negatively on the display.

"Lord Remus, your collection of artworks is most impressive. I do not believe I've seen its like anywhere in Britain. Wherever did you get so many beautiful works of art?"

Remus did not rise from his wooden throne upon a wooden dias as he replied, "Well, Ambassador Alric, I have had the best artisans in Dubris craft each piece to my exact specifications and rejected any that fell short. It has been a life's work to develop such a collection. I appreciate the compliment on its quality. I, too, have found that the halls of the Lord of Britain lack such fine pieces. An unfortunate state of affairs I intend to convince my fellows to rectify. Perhaps 'King' Arthur would be interested in commissioning some pieces?"

You paused to give the appearance of serious consideration and glanced at the men who formed Lord Remus's court, cataloging their Roman togas and the fact one of them kept his hand beneath his toga at all times. A curious behavior but not something that alarmed you. You were in a friendly nation, surrounded by friendly courtiers after all. It was unlikely the man had foreign sympathies sufficient to take violent action.

You replied, "Lord Remus, I fear my King's wife prefers the written word to statues. Given the newness of their marriage, I believe it is unlikely my King will be purchasing anything other than what his wife's heart desires for some time. However, should that change, I will certainly remind him of the quality of the art of the artisans of Dubris so that he might have the best statutes in Britain made for..."

You stopped as the man you had been watching ever since you noted his curious behavior moved. The man withdrew a throwing dagger from his toga and hurled it in your direction. An attack you casually sidestepped, it seemed sending a man trained by Drust as an "ambassador" had been a wise choice after all.

Lord Remus's guards rushed into action to grab the assassin before he could escape. A short struggle later, the man was captured but unfortunately he died under interrogation and failed to yield the name of his employer. An unfortunate turn of events.

The rest of your visit with Lord Remus went according to plan. Pledges of support and protection were exchanged in the face of the Novio-Calle and Saxon threats. A permanent trade relationship of Londinium's famous beer was agreed to with eagerness, particularly given that remaining grain supply of Dubris had to be converted into bread. A supply of alcohol would keep the masses happier than if they had to go without due to the Saxon raids.

Unlike the Segontium Pact, there was no unusual conditions or other oddities in the agreements. Your side of the table had a hidden agenda, true, but one best served by playing an honest hand since Drust had anticipated all the players' actions perfectly.

The fact you delivered the intelligence on Novio-Calle's war plans in a private audience later that evening was the start of a beautiful friendship.

1D100+35 => 102 vs. 1D100+54 => 146 (Success, assassination attempt by ???? foiled.)
1D100+21 => 68 (Success, Trade with Dubris)
1D100+21 => 97 (Success, Pledge to Support Dubris)

-[X] Send Arthur with the Legion to Eburacum: Arthur is one of the best generals in all of Britannia. It would be a shame for him to stay at home when his martial talents were needed on the battlefield. (+40 Martial, if you win the Martial roll you will gain +1 Martial. If you lose the Martial roll, you have a 5% chance of dying)
-[X] Send Merlin with the Legion to Eburacum: Merlin provides Pyromancy Battle Magic to support to One Legion. Requires you to take the Support Legion action. Provides +35 to Legion Rolls. There is a 5% chance of dying if you lose the Martial roll against Warboss Skorcha. However, without Merlin, you will be no match for Skorcha.
-[X][Martial] Send a Legion off to War (Eburacum): You have pledged to aid Eburacum against the onslaught of Warboss Skorcha and his horde. So, you have sent a well-supplied Legion to the North to defend them.
-[X][Sorcery] Support Legion: Maintaining the strategic enchantments of a major power is serious work and so is the work needed to support a military campaign. Normally, your advisor is available for one task or the other...but if you want to expend the resources to support him it is possible for him to do both. This allows a single sorcerer to maintain both your strategic enchantments and a single Legion in battle. Useful, if one does not want to pay for mercenaries.
Time: Instant, Reward: Legion supported, Strategic enchantments supported by a single mage.

You are His Majesty Arthur Pendragon and you find yourself faced with the first real test of your mettle. The journey north had been swift enough to catch Warboss Skorcha off guard. However, that had not stopped the Warboss from proceeding with his invasion plans. Orcs were notoriously eager for violence and the rapine that followed victory.

The scouts had confirmed your fears of the size of Skorcha's army, a force they believed to be twenty thousand strong with a substantial number of Big'Uns and Gobbo mages in support of the main body. The only place to retreat to was the city of Eburacum itself and with the past raids, Eburacum's food supply would not feed your fourteen thousand man army for long. It was this situation that forced you to give battle in the open and hope that your untested tactical skill was up to the task.

The deep well of respect for the Roman Legions had led to the other commanders yielding command of the overall engagement to you. You commanded what appeared to be the most impressive force of your combined armies, even if your Legion was mostly fresh recruits from Londinium. The allied commanders settled on Eburacum's general Nathaniel of Eburacum as your second in command as he commanded the largest force in your combined army. It was also their homes they were defending.

Marcus Aurelius seemed disappointed by this turn of events as the only seasoned commander among you. However, he accepted the reality that his couple of thousand men was too small to compete with the larger forces of Londinium and Eburacum. He had also brought no mages of any real ability to support the allied forces. The net result was he was given command of the smaller detachments and became the third commander in the chain of command.

The choice of battlefield was a simple one, north of Eburacum was almost entirely farmland that had been emptied by Orc raids. One field was much like another and so it was simply a question of finding a good spot to effectively block the road between Cataractonium and Eburacum. The spot you ultimately chose was the outskirts of a small village called Heron whose fields bordered the metalled road to Eburacum.

You considered the allied infantry under Aurelius to be the weakest force and you wished to duplicate Hannibal's encircling of a larger force by placing your weakest force in the center and your strongest forces on your flanks. The Legio Pendragon was assigned the right flank and the First Eburacum was assigned the left. It was a good formation that would hopefully allow the cavalry auxiliaries to complete the encirclement and panic the Orc forces into retreating.

It almost worked.

Warboss Skorcha's horde charged the center of your lines with reckless abandon. Thousands of green skinned Orcs slammed into your lines with a chant of WAAAGH on their lips. The wings of your formation slowly encircled the horde and bled the enemy badly. For every man that fell, two Orcs fell in return.

Quantity, unfortunately, had a quality all its own and your center could not hold against wave after wave of enraged Orc warriors. Inch by inch, the center gave way faster than your flanks could squeeze the Horde. Your cavalry contained the Orcs but the Orcs seemed not to care that they had been trapped. They were willing to die in droves if that was what it took to carry the day.

You ultimately called the retreat before the situation became untenable and the allied forces retreated from the Orc Horde in good order.

The battle itself would go down in history as a stalemate. The allied forces had lost ten percent of their army, roughly 1400 men, while the Orcs had lost 2000. It was a good first showing for an untested commander against a substantially larger force.

Ultimately, the fact your forces were forced to retreat to the walls of Eburacum meant that a draw was simply not good enough. The food that had been provided to Eburacum was barely enough to cover what it had lost and adding another eight thousand mouths to feed was the sort of inconvenience that would strain those supplies.

So the question became...what to do next?

[ ] Hold Eburacum and bring in as much food from the countryside as you can. The orcs will besiege you but the defenses of Eburacum combined with some hastily erected earthworks should help even the odds. (Arthur, Merlin, and Legio Pendragon remains in Eburacum for Turn 3 / The Fall. Fortifications will increase your effective manpower to 25000. However, that advantage will be slowly whittled away by Orc siege equipment and the Orc Horde will have to send for reinforcements to even the odds. There will be multiple skirmish/battle updates in Turn 3 as fighting occurs. This will result in a relatively even fight with the Orcs but a decisive victory might hurt the Orcs badly. However, without that Eburacum will be slowly bled to death due to dwindling food supplies and military losses.)

[ ] Hold Eburacum but send Merlin and Arthur to relative safety in the South to support the coming conflict with Dubris. (Legio Pendragon will be holed up in Eburacum for Turn 3. Arthur, Merlin will be available to be assigned for Turn 3. There will be multiple skirmish/battle updates in Turn 3 as fighting occurs. This will result in a relatively even fight with the Orcs but a decisive victory might hurt the Orcs badly. However, without that Eburacum will be slowly bled to death due to dwindling food supplies and military losses.)

[ ] Withdraw your support from Eburacum. The city is a lost cause and with the Dubris situation, you need all your forces in the South. (Legio Pendragon, Merlin, and Arthur are available to assigned for Turn 3 to the Dubris situation. However, the Orcs will crush Eburacum relatively quickly compared to the other options.)

Warboss Skorcha Order of Battle
Big'Un Choppa (+30 Martial)
Warboss Skorcha (+35 Pyromancy)
Black Gobbo Grell (+20 Pyromancy)
Force Bonus: +10 Martial

Combat Roll: 1d100+95 (20,000 Men)
Force Advantage: 1.429 * Combat Roll

The Horde
Veterancy: Blooded (5)
Equipment: Poor (0)
Morale: Average (5)
Manpower: 20000
Commander: Big'Un Choppa
Supported By: Black Gobbo Grell, Warboss Skorcha

Eburacum Order of Battle
King Arthur Pendragon (+40 Martial)
Merlin of Avalon (+35 Pyromancy)
Arcturus Kemmler (Lich, +35 Necromancy)
Force Bonus: +15 Martial

Combat Roll: 1d100+125 (14,000 Men)

The First Eburacum
Veterancy: Green (0)
Equipment: Average (5)
Morale: Strong (10)
Manpower: 6000 (12 Cohorts)
Supported By: Arcturus Kemmler (Lich, +35 Necromancy)
Commander: Marcellus Lindum

Mixed Allied Infantry
Veterancy: Green (0)
Equipment: Average (3)
Morale: Strong (10)
Manpower: 3,000
Commander: Marcus Aurelius

The Legio Pendragon
Veterancy: Green (0)
Equipment: Average (5)
Morale: Strong (10)
Manpower: 5000 (10 Cohorts)
Supported By: Merlin (+35 Pyromancy)
Commander: Arthur Pendragon

1D100+41 => 110 (Send a Legion off to War, Critical Success, Arrive earlier than Warboss Skorcha's spies expected.)
1D100+36 => 79 (Support Legion, Success)

1D100+95 => 101 vs. 1D100+125 => 138 (Arthur outmaneuvers Skorcha)
144 vs. 138 (Arthur is beaten by superior numbers anyway.)

1D100+125 => 142 vs. 1D100+95 => 172 (Skorcha outmaneuvers Arthur)
246 vs. 142 (Skorcha comes dangerously close to curb stomping Arthur)

1D100+95 => 142 vs. 1D100+125 => 152 (Arthur outmaneuvers Skorcha)
201 vs. 152 (Skorcha sends the Eburacum forces running)

Arthur gains +1 Martial from combat experience. Legio Pendragon has gained Blooded (1).

Eburacum Losses:
The First Eburacum: -600 men
Mixed Allied Infantry: -300 men
The Legio Pendragon: -500 men

The Horde Losses:
2,000 Orcs and Gobboz

Britain City List:
Cataractonium
Eburacum
Mamucium
Lindum
Deva
Segontium
Viroconium
Venonis
Venta
Moridunum
Northern Isca
Corinium
Cameleodunum
Calleva
Southern Isca
Durnovaria
Noviomagus
Dubris

Action Success Tiers
DC +50 = Critical Success
Above DC = Success
DC to -5 Below DC = Partial Failure
-5 or more Below DC = Failure
-50 or more Below DC = Critical Blunder

Relationship Tiers
Vassal (30)
Allies (20)
Friendly (10)
Neutral (0)
Unfriendly (-10)
Hostile (-20)
Feuding (-30)

Treasury: 900 Silver Bars (Londinium)

Seasonal Balance Sheet
+1000 Silver Bars (Londinium)
+50 Silver Bars :: Beer Trade Route :: Moridunium
+60 Silver Bars :: Beer Trade Route :: Dubris

-300 Silver Bars (Legio Pendragon)
-300 Silver Bars (Legio Britannia)
-100 Silver Bars (Spy Network)
-50 Silver Bars (Watchtowers)
-50 Silver Bars (Naval Cohort)

Net: +310 Silver Bars / Season

Trade Routes: 2/2

Diplomatic Relations
Cataractonium: Hostile(-20)
Dubris: Friendly (27)
Lugdunensis: Friendly (10)
Moridunium: Friendly (10)
Most British Cities: Friendly (4)

Military Forces
Veterancy, Equipment, and Morale provide bonuses to Martial roles. Manpower advantages and disadvantages adjust the rolls accordingly.

The First Fleet
Veterancy: Green (0)
Equipment: Good (10)
Morale: Strong (10)
Manpower: 600 (1 Cohort, 3 Triremes)
Commander: Marcus Valeria

The Legio Pendragon
Veterancy: Blooded (1)
Equipment: Average (5)
Morale: Strong (10)
Manpower: 5000 (10 Cohorts)
Mages: Hedge Wizards (Out of combat healing and minor non-combat boosts)
Commander: Arthur Pendragon

The Legio Britannia
Veterancy: Green (0)
Equipment: Average (5)
Morale: Strong (10)
Manpower: 5000 (10 Cohorts)
Mages: Hedge Wizards (Out of combat healing and minor non-combat boosts)
Commander: Albus Tiberius

Londinium
Revenue: +1000 Silver Bars / Season
Population: 100,000 (Max. 2 Legions) / Humans: 90%, Elves 8%, Orcs 2%
Stability: Very Stable (10)
Loyalty: Very Loyal (10)

Major Projects:

Watch Towers: Bandits are easily caught by regular patrols between towers and Londinium has plenty of time to prepare when faced with invasion.
City Walls: Londinium is protected by substantial fortifications which doubles the effective combat power of up to one Legion stationed in Londinium.

Traits:

Deteriorating Trade: Your wealth flows from a dying Empire whose deterioration will slowly strangle Londinium's economy. Every year, your silver income will drop by 50 until you hit -500 Silver Bars / Season. (40 Turns)
Jealous Neighbors: Your wealth is a double edged sword and your neighbors wish to take it from you. Anyone more powerful than you immediately declares war on you. You might think this ends when your trade revenue vanishes but you would be wrong about that. People will still believe they can bring the trade back.

Strategic Mods:
Diplomacy: +21
Martial: +42
Stewardship: +31
Intrigue: +54
Sorcery: +36 (+46 if related to Pyromancy)

Arthur Pendragon (PoV Character)
0/3 Wounds
Piety: 30
Dueling: +41 (Martial + Sorcery)
Diplomacy: +20
Martial: +41
Stewardship: +20
Intrigue: +20
Sorcery: +0

Traits:

Roman Traditions: You can raise proper Roman Legions from your populous city and Roman Legions are the best at what they do. This translates into a +10 to Martial rolls as long you are using a professional (rather than levied) army.

Allannia Greentree, Niece of the Morrigan (Wife)
0/3 Wounds
Piety: 30
Dueling: +0
Diplomacy: +2
Martial: +2
Intrigue: +22
Stewardship: +22
Sorcery: +22

Genetic Traits:
Elven Bloodline (80% Inheritable): Guarantees Major Lore / Sorcerer development options for heirs when inherited.
Bookworm (50% Inheritable): +5 Sorcery and -5 Diplomacy.
Gifted (50% Inheritable): +1 to all Stats
Redhead (100% Inheritable): No stat modification
Short (100% Inheritable): No stat modification
Lithe (100% Inheritable): No stat modification
Blue Eyes (100% Inheritable): No stat modification

Traits:
Sorceress: While she may not have the skill to practice a Major Lore, she is a sorceress in her own right and is as capable as any of your hedge wizards. ( Substantial assassination resistance due to your wife being able to cure poisons and other ailments. She is also more likely to notice the effects of such before a court physician would. )
Interracial Marriage: Elves and humans do not get along as well as they should and the net result is it will strain your marriage. This will lead to domestic and diplomatic complications depending on how racist the people you are dealing with are. It is not as bad as it would be in Moridunum, but it will be noticeable.

Council
Merlin of Avalon
0/3 Wounds
Piety: 30
Sorcery: +25 (+10 if Pyromancy)
Mana: 2

Archmage of Pyromancy: Merlin has reached the pinnacle of the Pyromancer's Art and his skill with such magic is impressive (+5 to Pyromancy rolls). His specialty is the creation of fiery, enchanted weapons that literally melt metal armor and sets fire to those in leather. The value of such a power on the battlefield should not be underestimated.

Pyromancer (Dragonblooded): Merlin has a natural affinity to Fire Magic due to the fact that he is an eighth Dragon. This grants him access to the Lore of Pyromancy as well as a natural talent for its use. (+5 to Pyromancy)

Drust of Londinium
0/3 Wounds
Piety: 30
Intrigue: +23

Lovely Little Birds: A master of the honeypot, Drust's spies are mostly servants of the female persuasion. The passive intelligence he provides is on a scale no other can match. (+20 to Intrigue rolls against targets with the Lecherous trait.)

ChaosCircle · Aug 6, 2019

[X] Withdraw your support from Eburacum. The city is a lost cause and with the Dubris situation, you need all your forces in the South. (Legio Pendragon, Merlin, and Arthur are available to assigned for Turn 3 to the Dubris situation. However, the Orcs will crush Eburacum relatively quickly compared to the other options.)
[X] Use this as an opportunity to stage a counter attack on Calleva. Dubris can hold off the enemy, 300 silver bars can buy enough mercenaries for your defense. Novio-Calleva will have only token garrisons in both of their cities. Calleva will be the furthest from their army and Novio-Calleva will have to maintain a force large enough to contain Dubris even if they move against the Legio Britannia immediately. This is a high risk, high reward option. You might capture Calleva or you might find yourself trapped between Calleva's walls and a larger army.

Dubris Conflict Update
Diplomacy, Rumors and Intelligence
Dubris and Eburacum Conflict Update
Turn 3
Dubris and Eburacum Conflict Update
Turn 3 Results
Dubris and Eburacum Conflict Update

You are His Majesty Arthur Pendragon and for the first time in your life you are running from a fight. The news from Londinium has forced your hand, you cannot let your home fall to defend Eburacum. That was just the cold reality of the situation.

Anger flowed through you at Novio-Calleva's opportunism, their cowardice to choose the moment when your forces were divided to strike. It was a cold-blooded, rational act. If they managed to defeat you in detail, they might be able to realistically win a war against you. You prayed that Albus Tiberius and Lord Remus were up to the task before them.

You and your men said your goodbyes to the Lord of Eburacum and your counterparts in their court. The stubborn fools would fight to defend their doomed city, optimistic that all of Britain would come to their aid against the orcs. After all, had Segontium not formed a Pact for this very purpose? Had you not come to their aid? There were reasons for their optimism, even if you disagreed with the odds of their hopes coming to fruition.

The truth was Eburacum's only hope was that you finished the war in the South quickly and returned before Eburacum was taken by the Warboss Skorcha. One could only hope that the Warboss would grow greedy and seek new conquests, satisfied with starving Eburacum into submission. Such an outcome would maximize the time you had to return and liberate the city from its would-be oppressor.

The news from the South was not encouraging, Albus had decided to march on Calleva in an attempt sever the head of the snake but Novio-Calleva spies had identified his plans before he could implement them. The First Calleva would reach Calleva in time to prevent his conquest, a conquest that would have ended the war decisively.

Thankfully, Albus had managed to hire the Order of the Shining Eagle to act as mercenaries to secure the city while he was gone. It was a compromise choice, given their tarnished reputation, but they knew better than to bring the ire of their sovereign down upon them. Suspect criminals given free reign was an unfortunate side effect of a war with few good options.

You are Legate Albus Tiberius, commander of the Legio Brittania, and your careful plans were for naught. The damnable Novio-Calleva and their spy network had discovered your plans in time to intercept you in the fields outside of Calleva although their time was poor. The Calleva Garrison remained behind the city walls, unable to reach the battlefield in time to make a difference. Small favors.

The Legio Brittania was arranged five men deep with the front of the force facing a similarly organized force in an open field. It was clear both commanders intended the simplest of tactics possible, to grind two armies into each other until one army lost hope and broke. It would be a bloody struggle but you would be damned if you were to allow the Novio-Calleva faction to simply waltz back into the safety of their city's walls. The bastards had started this war and you intended to finish it.

Carnage.

It was the only word that adequately described the brutal scene that unfolded before you. Wave after wave of men crashed against each other. They left bodies broken and bloody in their wake. In the end, the Legio Brittania's superior training prevailed. Inch by inch they pushed the infantry of Calleva back towards their city walls until the enemy broke and ran for the safety of the city's walls.

It was not a battle that poets would write about but it was a necessary one.

Afterwards, the Legio Brittania began to setup siegeworks to invest the city of Calleva and cut it off from supply. You hated that part of the job, the starving of a city's people, but it needed to be done. Calleva could not be allowed to stand after it launched its cowardly attack against fellow Britons while the Orcs marched! This bloody conflict would cut support to Eburacum when it needed it most!

Drust's spies reported that it would take about a year to truly strangle the city of Calleva. A year of conflict as the First Calleva would sally forth again and again in attempts to break the siege.

1D100+35 => 86 vs. 1D100+54 => 69 (Novio-Calleva is aware of your plans in time to react.)
1D100+35 => 39 vs. 1D100+35 => 94 (Albus Tiberius engages the First Calleva before they can reach the city.)
1D100+35 => 85 vs. 1D100+35 => 90 (Albus Tiberius hammers the First Calleva.)
1D100+35 => 87 vs. 1D100+35 => 128 (Albus Tiberius manages a decisive victory over the First Calleva and has cut Calleva's food supply lines.)

Legio Brittania gains +1 Veterancy from combat experience.

Londinium Losses:
Negligible losses; easily resupplied by reinforcements from Londinium.

Novio-Calleva Losses:
-500 Infantry

Novio-Calleva Order of Battle
Felix Africanus (Aeromancer) (+20 Sorcery)
Force Bonus: +15 Martial

Combat Roll: 1d100+35 (5000 man equivalent)

The First Calleva Infantry Division
Veterancy: Green (0)
Equipment: Average (5)
Morale: Strong (10)
Manpower: 5000 (10 Cohorts)
Commander: Felix Africanus
Supported By: Felix Africanus

Londinium Order of Battle
Albus Tiberius (+20 Martial)
Force Bonus: +15 Martial

Combat Roll: 1d100+35 (5000 man equivalent)

The Legio Britannia
Veterancy: Green (0)
Equipment: Average (5)
Morale: Strong (10)
Manpower: 5000 (10 Cohorts)
Mages: Hedge Wizards (Out of combat healing and minor non-combat boosts)
Commander: Albus Tiberius

No military man of Londinium was present at the battle but Drust's spies were present, as they would be at any major conflagration.

They reported it was more of a one-sided slaughter than a proper battle. The Dubris forces tried to sally forth from the city gates to break the siegeworks being erected around Dubris only to be crushed in minutes. If it wasn't for the fact that Londinium could supply Dubris by sea, she would be doomed.

The Dubris commanders intend to hold their forces within the city walls until relief arrives.

1D100+60 => 145 vs. 1D100+57 => 74 (Novio-Calleva successfully contains Dubris)
1D100+60 => 95 vs. 1D100+57 => 90 (Novio-Calleva successfully cuts supply lines to Dubris)
1D100+60 => 127 vs. 1D100+57 => 77 (Novio-Calleva is slowly starving the city of Dubris and her defenders)

Dubris Losses:
-600 Infantry from sallies.

Novio-Magus Losses:
Negligible losses; easily replaced by resupply from home.

Dubris Order of Battle
Lord Remus of Dubris (+25 Martial)
Valen of Dubris (+20 Sorcery, Necromancer)
Force Bonus: +12 Martial
Force Multiplier (x2): Safely behind the walls of Dubris.

Combat Roll: 1d100+57 (6,000 soldier equivalent)

The First Dubris Infantry Division
Veterancy: Green (0)
Equipment: Average (2)
Morale: Strong (10)
Manpower: 5000 (10 Cohorts)
Commander: Valen of Dubris
Mage Support: Valen of Dubris (+20 Sorcery, Necromancer)

The Second Dubris Archer Division
Veterancy: Green (0)
Equipment: Average (2)
Morale: Strong (10)
Manpower: 1000 (2 Cohorts)
Commander: Lord Remus of Dubris

Novio-Calleva Order of Battle
General Alexander Calleva (+25 Martial)
Revan of Noviomagus (Hydomancer) (+20 Sorcery)
Force Bonus: +15 Martial

Combat Roll: 1d100+60 (7,000 man equivalent)

The First Noviomagus Infantry Division
Veterancy: Green (0)
Equipment: Average (5)
Morale: Strong (10)
Manpower: 5000 (10 Cohorts)
Commander: Revan of Noviomagus
Supported by: Revan of Noviomagus

The Novio-Calleva Archer Division
Veterancy: Green (0)
Equipment: Average (5)
Morale: Strong (10)
Manpower: 2000 (4 Cohorts)
Commander: General Alexander Calleva

Britain City List:
Cataractonium
Eburacum
Mamucium
Lindum
Deva
Segontium
Viroconium
Venonis
Venta
Moridunum
Northern Isca
Corinium
Cameleodunum
Calleva
Southern Isca
Durnovaria
Noviomagus
Dubris

Action Success Tiers
DC +50 = Critical Success
Above DC = Success
DC to -5 Below DC = Partial Failure
-5 or more Below DC = Failure
-50 or more Below DC = Critical Blunder

Relationship Tiers
Vassal (30)
Allies (20)
Friendly (10)
Neutral (0)
Unfriendly (-10)
Hostile (-20)
Feuding (-30)

Treasury: 600 Silver Bars (Londinium)

Seasonal Balance Sheet
+1000 Silver Bars (Londinium)
+50 Silver Bars :: Beer Trade Route :: Moridunium
+60 Silver Bars :: Beer Trade Route :: Dubris

-300 Silver Bars (Legio Pendragon)
-300 Silver Bars (Legio Britannia)
-100 Silver Bars (Spy Network)
-50 Silver Bars (Watchtowers)
-50 Silver Bars (Naval Cohort)

Net: +310 Silver Bars / Season

Trade Routes: 2/2

Diplomatic Relations
Cataractonium: Hostile(-20)
Dubris: Friendly (27)
Lugdunensis: Friendly (10)
Moridunium: Friendly (10)
Most British Cities: Friendly (4)

Military Forces
Veterancy, Equipment, and Morale provide bonuses to Martial roles. Manpower advantages and disadvantages adjust the rolls accordingly.

The First Fleet
Veterancy: Green (0)
Equipment: Good (10)
Morale: Strong (10)
Manpower: 600 (1 Cohort, 3 Triremes)
Commander: Marcus Valeria

The Legio Pendragon
Veterancy: Blooded (1)
Equipment: Average (5)
Morale: Strong (10)
Manpower: 5000 (10 Cohorts)
Mages: Hedge Wizards (Out of combat healing and minor non-combat boosts)
Commander: Arthur Pendragon

The Legio Britannia
Veterancy: Blooded (1)
Equipment: Average (5)
Morale: Strong (10)
Manpower: 5000 (10 Cohorts)
Mages: Hedge Wizards (Out of combat healing and minor non-combat boosts)
Commander: Albus Tiberius

Londinium
Revenue: +1000 Silver Bars / Season
Population: 100,000 (Max. 2 Legions) / Humans: 90%, Elves 8%, Orcs 2%
Stability: Very Stable (10)
Loyalty: Very Loyal (10)

Major Projects:

Watch Towers: Bandits are easily caught by regular patrols between towers and Londinium has plenty of time to prepare when faced with invasion.
City Walls: Londinium is protected by substantial fortifications which doubles the effective combat power of up to one Legion stationed in Londinium.

Traits:

Deteriorating Trade: Your wealth flows from a dying Empire whose deterioration will slowly strangle Londinium's economy. Every year, your silver income will drop by 50 until you hit -500 Silver Bars / Season. (40 Turns)
Jealous Neighbors: Your wealth is a double edged sword and your neighbors wish to take it from you. Anyone more powerful than you immediately declares war on you. You might think this ends when your trade revenue vanishes but you would be wrong about that. People will still believe they can bring the trade back.

Strategic Mods:
Diplomacy: +21
Martial: +42
Stewardship: +31
Intrigue: +54
Sorcery: +36 (+46 if related to Pyromancy)

Arthur Pendragon (PoV Character)
0/3 Wounds
Piety: 30
Dueling: +41 (Martial + Sorcery)
Diplomacy: +20
Martial: +41
Stewardship: +20
Intrigue: +20
Sorcery: +0

Traits:

Roman Traditions: You can raise proper Roman Legions from your populous city and Roman Legions are the best at what they do. This translates into a +10 to Martial rolls as long you are using a professional (rather than levied) army.

Allannia Greentree, Niece of the Morrigan (Wife)
0/3 Wounds
Piety: 30
Dueling: +0
Diplomacy: +2
Martial: +2
Intrigue: +22
Stewardship: +22
Sorcery: +22

Genetic Traits:
Elven Bloodline (80% Inheritable): Guarantees Major Lore / Sorcerer development options for heirs when inherited.
Bookworm (50% Inheritable): +5 Sorcery and -5 Diplomacy.
Gifted (50% Inheritable): +1 to all Stats
Redhead (100% Inheritable): No stat modification
Short (100% Inheritable): No stat modification
Lithe (100% Inheritable): No stat modification
Blue Eyes (100% Inheritable): No stat modification

Traits:
Sorceress: While she may not have the skill to practice a Major Lore, she is a sorceress in her own right and is as capable as any of your hedge wizards. ( Substantial assassination resistance due to your wife being able to cure poisons and other ailments. She is also more likely to notice the effects of such before a court physician would. )
Interracial Marriage: Elves and humans do not get along as well as they should and the net result is it will strain your marriage. This will lead to domestic and diplomatic complications depending on how racist the people you are dealing with are. It is not as bad as it would be in Moridunum, but it will be noticeable.

Council
Merlin of Avalon
0/3 Wounds
Piety: 30
Sorcery: +25 (+10 if Pyromancy)
Mana: 2

Archmage of Pyromancy: Merlin has reached the pinnacle of the Pyromancer's Art and his skill with such magic is impressive (+5 to Pyromancy rolls). His specialty is the creation of fiery, enchanted weapons that literally melt metal armor and sets fire to those in leather. The value of such a power on the battlefield should not be underestimated.

Pyromancer (Dragonblooded): Merlin has a natural affinity to Fire Magic due to the fact that he is an eighth Dragon. This grants him access to the Lore of Pyromancy as well as a natural talent for its use. (+5 to Pyromancy)

Drust of Londinium
0/3 Wounds
Piety: 30
Intrigue: +23

Lovely Little Birds: A master of the honeypot, Drust's spies are mostly servants of the female persuasion. The passive intelligence he provides is on a scale no other can match. (+20 to Intrigue rolls against targets with the Lecherous trait.)

ChaosCircle · Aug 6, 2019

3.0 - Fall 410 CE, Diplomacy, Rumors, and Intelligence

Diplomacy
Your Majesty Arthur Pendragon,

I am pleased to hear that you have honored my request and built powerful warships to help resolve the piracy problem that plagues the sea. Those damn Saxons are a menace to civilized society.

I have managed to scrape together a few ships of my own to assist with the anti-piracy patrols. Hopefully our combined efforts will be enough to put an end to the Saxon scum.

Governor Fabius Mercia of Lugdunensis

Action Locked: [Martial] Antipiracy Patrols: Now that you have a fleet, it is time to kill some pirates. This action will send your ships out along the coast of Gaul and Germania to hunt Saxon reavers.

Time: ?? Seasons, Reward: +1 Trade Route, Saxon raids on Brittania stop, +1 Reputation with all British cities.

Your Majesty Arthur Pendragon,

We are besieged by our mutual enemies from the Novio-Calleva alliance. We request that you dispatch one of your Legions to relieve us immediately. While your lieutenants have been able to supply us by sea in your absence, there is always the risk of Saxon intervention creating complications for us.

Lord Remus of Eburacum

[ ] Attack the Novio-Calleva's forces at Eburacum (Locks Legio Pendragon and Arthur to fighting in Dubris.)

[ ] Refuse. (No commitment. Some risk of supply lines being cut due to Saxon piracy/raids as your fleet is committed to anti-piracy activity and isn't convoying the supply ships.)

Rumors & Intelligence
Western Empire
Honorious moves against the Visigoths: The Emperor has finally gathered an army large enough for him to feel comfortable in attacking the marauding Goths. After a month of skirmishes, the Goths foolishly gave the Emperor the decisive battle he was looking for and were soundly defeated. The Goths are retreating to northern Italy with Honorious in pursuit.
1D100 => 95

Constantine marches into Italy: The Co-Emperor Constantine has martialed the army he needed to crush the Goths. He has entered Northern Italy and is moving to trap the Goths between his army and Honorious's forces. The foreign king Alaric is trapped and is expected to be dead or captured by Winter. Of course, there is the question of whether Constantine and Honorious fight it out after that.
1D100 => 57

Vandals in the Mediteranean: The Vandal Reavers are marauding unopposed from Hispania to Egypt. They have disrupted the grain shipments to Italy and the major cities of Italy have been forced to rely on an ever shrinking supply of stored grain. It is feared that starvation will be a problem by Winter for the war ravaged heart of the Western Empire. Merchants are demanding Honorious take immediate action against the Vandals.
1D100 => 49

Saxon Reavers prowl the Sea: Seaborne trade in the Atlantic has begun to slow as Saxon pirates capture more ships with every passing day. Governor Fabius Mercia has launched three new ships to combat the threat but alone, he will fail. The Governors in Hispania have begun ship construction projects but delays in shipments of timber have slowed progress to a crawl. The Provinces of Gaul are also reporting villages are vanishing overnight, likely due to Saxon raids. Someone must do something and soon!
1D100 => 25

Raiders along the Rhine: Saxon reavers are raiding with impunity and hauling off women and silver in great quantities. Constatine's weakening of these defenses have left the local Governors scrambling to deploy their personal forces to fill the gaps. The situation is as bad but the raids seem on par with last season's assaults.
1D100 => 58

Tiberius Jovus the Usurper: A new contender for the throne of the Western Empire has risen in Hispania backed by unhappy merchants. His goal? To rebuild the naval power of the Empire to defend her seaborne trade. However, first the forces he has raised must defeat Constantine and Honorius. So, to that end, he marches on Italy.
1D100 => 22

Britain
Skorcha has met his match in Arthur Pendragon: The two fought to a stalemate in the lands north of Eburacum, despite the savages' advantage in numbers. The young king has shown himself an able commander even if he lacks the numbers to turn back the savage tide. This compares favorably to the "anti-foreign" Segontium Pact which stood by and did nothing while Eburacum tried valiantly to defend its lands.

Skorcha has committed to Eburacum: The Warboss Skorcha has his sights set on the northern city of Eburacum and its fall seems inevitable. Will the fractious southern cities band together to fight this menace? Or will he pick us off one by one? Only time will tell!

Viroconium has joined the Segontium Pact: The alliance has swelled to 25,000 fighting men with its newest addition. Will its magic be enough to counter the Horde's advantage in numbers? Will it continue to leave those outside its umbrella to their fates?

War in the South: The Novio-Calleva alliance has launched an attack on Dubris which has dragged the valiant Arthur's focus to the South. His pledge to protect Dubris has turned certain victory for Novio-Calleva to a roughly equal struggle. Much of Britain condemns Novio-Calleva's aggression, particularly as it has weakened Eburacum's defense!

Saxon raids Noviomagus: With Novio-Calleva's forces committed to war, the Saxons have found Noviomagus easy pickings. Their raid penetrated deep into the port city and they have ravished her. Warehouses emptied. Grain stores depleted. Men slaughtered. Women and children abducted as slaves! The Saxon menace must be stopped but it has certainly helped King Arthur Pendragon's side in the Southern war!
1D100 => 90

Segontium's Strange Stones: The mages of Segontium seem fascinated by the red jewels that fell from the sky. They have sequestered themselves in their homes and towers in some sort of project. It is unclear exactly what is happening but people report strange lights and unnatural sounds in the dead of night.

Whatever Segontium's mages have done, it seems to have progressed quickly as within a month strange ritual circles have been spotted near the major centers of magic. Each circle has had a red jewel at its center. The exact purpose of these circles is very much unknown.

Concerned priests have been seen visiting the Segontium's mages. However, when asked what the visits were about by Drust's agents, the priests just smile and reply, "Oh, just a new festival we are planning. I hope you will be there! The beer will be free!"
1D100 => 1

Dragons spotted!: The rumors of dragons have turned into a real problem. Drust's spies and reliable merchants have seen them dive down from the clouds to grab livestock in the fields that border the roads of Londinium. The damage so far seems minor enough but the farmers are clamoring for Arthur to hire some dragon hunters to deal with the problem. It is their livelihood at stake!
1D100 => 61

Something stalks our forests: Evidence of dark, satanic rituals have been confirmed by multiple reliable sources. These people have stumbled onto dismembered animals and other signs of witchcraft during the daytime. They also managed to report back before the sun had set. When asked for more details the next day, they seemed to have forgotten everything.

Drust sent his spies to watch for witches but they all returned empty handed. They were certain there were no witches in the woods, although they could not pinpoint a reason for that belief. Drust believes they have been bewitched and that the witches magic only works at night.

Farmers near the forests of Londinium have reported animals being torn apart in their fields by something unnatural. Cow limbs could be found hundreds of feet apart. Sheep were found torn to bloody shreds. There is no rational explanation except some unnatural beats now haunt the woods at night.

So far, at least, the problem seems relegated to farms within a few hundred feet of the forests' edge. Perhaps it will remain a minor annoyance?
1D100 => 37

Irish Raids: Minor raids by Irishmen have happened all along the western coast of Britain. Thankfully, the damage is spread over such a wide area that the impact on any individual village or city is negligible.
1D100 => 64

The Order of Saint Narcissus: The newest religious order in Londinium has been remarkably well behaved. There have been no real conflicts beyond other priests giving sermons against heresy with the obvious implications. The following of the Order has slowly grown and it is rumored that they can heal the sick. Perhaps they practice hedge sorcery? Regardless of the source, they seem harmless enough and will likely fade into the background of your bustling city.
1D100 => 79

The Order of the Shining Eagle: Drust's spies have confirmed that the Shining Eagle engages in criminal activity quite regularly. They have been demanding protection money from local merchants and burglarizing those that do not pay. This has led to people complaining to Drust about their losses and demanding that something is done.

However, it also seems confirmed that the Order of Shining Eagle is as skilled as Drust's people which means any act against them may lead to a long, shadowy war without a clear victory. You cannot simply march in the army and round them all up because you simply do not know who they all are.

Drust suggests recruiting them and funding them, he seems to think a bunch of criminals might be salvageable particularly given the extent of their counter-intelligence skills. The man may have a point but ultimately, they are going to keep stealing from your merchants. Can you really just tolerate such a problem long term?
1D100 => 7

Eburacum's Refugees: All of the Southern Cities find themselves housing refugees from the besieged city of Eburacum. Anyone with the will and the funds to escape the doomed city has fled South to start new lives. There are rumors that magical artifacts were looted and transported south as well, although no one knows what.

The Unification of Britain (CK2, Original) [Dead due to a RL event]

The Unification of Britain

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