This is the story of a loyal retainer and the efforts they undertake to best serve their lord.
Until the Stars Burn Out: A Space Opera Retainer Quest
- Thread starter Artificial Girl
- Start date
- Original
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- Tags
- original
- Created
- Status
- Ongoing
- Watchers
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- Threadmarks
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Statistics (2 threadmarks, 4k words)
User Total Artificial Girl 2 -
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1. The Story Begins
- Location
- Somewhere in the stacks
- Pronouns
- She/Her
This is the story of a loyal retainer and the efforts they undertake to best serve their lord.
This is the story of ambition, dedication, honor, and deceit within a sprawling and ancient empire filled with nobility and their houses, all striving for personal position and benefit in a time of peace, where warriors are no longer needed and glory on the battlefield does not come as easily as it once did during the days of the fractured galaxy when whole planets were laid waste and cutthroat duels decided whole campaigns in the days of your great-grandparents.
You are that loyal and dedicated servant, a warrior honor-bound to aid your master in whatever endeavor they embark upon and your family has a long history of this service.
You are a long-time hereditary retainer to the Mirral family. You have served the family loyally and without fail for essentially your whole life. You were born into the service of the house and as expected took over a trusted position that your mother also held. For the last five years you have been entrusted with the keys and wardship of the familial estates and the managing of the day-to-day business of the household and the personal retinue of your master.
You are:
What is your name?
What helped elevate you to your current position:
What are your areas of expertise?
Your current master is Vallik Dect Mirral, Hereditary Count and Imperial Baron of the Celestial Mirror. Relatively young in his late twenties and having just inherited the fief from his father five years before. He is well-liked for the most part among his retainers, bannermen, and others who serve him. A bit hot-headed, and has a reputation for being more interested in chasing women (or men, or anyone who catches his fancy) than in things such as etiquette and proper bearing but you're certain he will grow out of it given enough time. He was married just before the death of his father and with his wife, Amelise Crotree Mirral nee Klin, they have already produced a healthy heir in the shape of Vallik's daughter,
What is the fief which your master rules over?
This fiefdom is held in sacred responsibility, having been gifted down to the Mirral family in days long past by the Warden of the Imperial Household. The Warden occupies the single most powerful and influential position in the empire. It is they who decide which fiefs are to be granted. It is they who dole out the political and honorific titles which can raise or lower a family's status. It is they who may place their seal upon an edict revoking or granting territory. It is they who control the purse strings of the Imperial budget and it is they who command the Imperial armies, ready at a moment's notice to crush any who would dare intrude against the divine authority of the duly appointed Imperator, blessed by all the gods and elevated into rulership.
The current Warden is Ilana Jaheel Yessisu, and she has ruled justly and well for as long as you have been alive. It was her grandfather who brought the warring nobles to heel by the order of the Imperator and helped to instill a new sense of propriety and duty to all those who dwelled within the bounds of the Empire. She is a harsh woman, but just and fair-minded, as one must be when dealing with such a sprawling empire with hundreds of fiefdoms and thousands of nobles all with their own plans and their own plots.
It is into this den of vipers that your young master will soon step. He will be relying upon you, most trusted of retainers, to aid his family.
Do not fail him.
This is the story of ambition, dedication, honor, and deceit within a sprawling and ancient empire filled with nobility and their houses, all striving for personal position and benefit in a time of peace, where warriors are no longer needed and glory on the battlefield does not come as easily as it once did during the days of the fractured galaxy when whole planets were laid waste and cutthroat duels decided whole campaigns in the days of your great-grandparents.
You are that loyal and dedicated servant, a warrior honor-bound to aid your master in whatever endeavor they embark upon and your family has a long history of this service.
You are a long-time hereditary retainer to the Mirral family. You have served the family loyally and without fail for essentially your whole life. You were born into the service of the house and as expected took over a trusted position that your mother also held. For the last five years you have been entrusted with the keys and wardship of the familial estates and the managing of the day-to-day business of the household and the personal retinue of your master.
You are:
[ ] A man
[ ] A woman
[ ] Neither
What is your name?
[ ] Write-in
What helped elevate you to your current position:
[ ] Your skill at arms
[ ] Your family's history as dutiful officials
[ ] Your personal connections and silver tongue
What are your areas of expertise?
Assign 21 points to the following skills on a 1-to-1 basis. All skills start at 1 and go up to a maximum of seven. Please vote by plan.
-Artisan (How good you are at the requisite noble skills of painting, poetry, arrangement of pretty gardens, etc.)
-Combat (Sword fighting, laser pistols, any personal combat)
-Etiquette (politeness, knowledge of intricate noble house rules, gift giving rituals, what to say and when)
-Guile (Subterfuge, lying, concealing things from others including your emotions.)
-Piloting (Your personal ability to fly/operate craft of all kinds, from tiny personal flyers to grand starships)
-Poise ( Your ability to be gracious, charming, and social around others, how well you do with interpersonal relationships, wining and dining, etc.)
- Strategy (Your ability to plan and think strategically and tactically about many things, whether military matters, money, or just the best way to seat everyone at dinner to get what you want out of a meeting)
-Technical ( Your knowledge of and ability with machines, computers, and other technological stuff. Think fixing an engine, hacking a computer, or knowing how an FTL drive works)
Skills are rated from 1 to 7, with the higher a number is being better.
Your skill number determines the target number to roll equal to or less than on a dice for a success.
The difficulty of a roll is measured in the number of successes needed,so essentially you need to roll equal or under to that relevant skill for a success.
The number of dice you roll is equal to the relevant resource.
For every miss on a roll on your resource dice, you lose 1 from the relevant resource. This can be counteracted by rolling excess successes.
For example, say you are fighting in a duel with some jumpstart nobody from the hinterlands. Your Combat skill is 5, which means you need to roll a 5 or less, using your Body resource. You currently have ten, but don't want to risk all of it, so you choose to roll only four dice, since you only need a single success.
You roll three successes and a miss on those four dice. Normally, you would remove one from your body resource, but since you have two excess successes, that's canceled out and you lose nothing.
Another example:
You are attempting to convince the retainer of another noble to whisper in his master's ear in favor of your own lord. Your Poise is 2 and in this case, the relevant resource is Respect (how much he cares about your opinion personally). You have 3 Respect available but don't want to risk losing all of that on this roll, so you can choose to roll only a single dice. Unfortunately, you roll a miss and lose one Respect.
Your skill number determines the target number to roll equal to or less than on a dice for a success.
The difficulty of a roll is measured in the number of successes needed,so essentially you need to roll equal or under to that relevant skill for a success.
The number of dice you roll is equal to the relevant resource.
For every miss on a roll on your resource dice, you lose 1 from the relevant resource. This can be counteracted by rolling excess successes.
For example, say you are fighting in a duel with some jumpstart nobody from the hinterlands. Your Combat skill is 5, which means you need to roll a 5 or less, using your Body resource. You currently have ten, but don't want to risk all of it, so you choose to roll only four dice, since you only need a single success.
You roll three successes and a miss on those four dice. Normally, you would remove one from your body resource, but since you have two excess successes, that's canceled out and you lose nothing.
Another example:
You are attempting to convince the retainer of another noble to whisper in his master's ear in favor of your own lord. Your Poise is 2 and in this case, the relevant resource is Respect (how much he cares about your opinion personally). You have 3 Respect available but don't want to risk losing all of that on this roll, so you can choose to roll only a single dice. Unfortunately, you roll a miss and lose one Respect.
Your current master is Vallik Dect Mirral, Hereditary Count and Imperial Baron of the Celestial Mirror. Relatively young in his late twenties and having just inherited the fief from his father five years before. He is well-liked for the most part among his retainers, bannermen, and others who serve him. A bit hot-headed, and has a reputation for being more interested in chasing women (or men, or anyone who catches his fancy) than in things such as etiquette and proper bearing but you're certain he will grow out of it given enough time. He was married just before the death of his father and with his wife, Amelise Crotree Mirral nee Klin, they have already produced a healthy heir in the shape of Vallik's daughter,
What is the fief which your master rules over?
[ ] Stag's Rest: A planet orbiting a small star in a quadrant criss-crossed by trade routes, it has a single round moon, a planet often associated with its wide prairies and grasslands, famous for the quantity and quality of the food it often provides as well as its large population.
[ ] Benediction of the Three-Fold God: Towards the outwards edge of the empire, it is a well-known fief that serves as an important stopping point for great trade convoys and has many space stations meant to service merchant vessels and other travelers.
[ ] Jeweled Prism of the Heavens: A heavily tropical world which hosts massive mining complexes, both in the gravity well and in the many stellar bodies that orbit the system's star, remnants of some other planet or body which shattered eons before this place was settled by the Empire.
[ ] Exultant Voices: Not a planet, but a massive complex of space stations and orbital habitats in a system without a habitable world. This is an old fief, and has a long and storied history which grants its holder some degree of social cache and heft.
This fiefdom is held in sacred responsibility, having been gifted down to the Mirral family in days long past by the Warden of the Imperial Household. The Warden occupies the single most powerful and influential position in the empire. It is they who decide which fiefs are to be granted. It is they who dole out the political and honorific titles which can raise or lower a family's status. It is they who may place their seal upon an edict revoking or granting territory. It is they who control the purse strings of the Imperial budget and it is they who command the Imperial armies, ready at a moment's notice to crush any who would dare intrude against the divine authority of the duly appointed Imperator, blessed by all the gods and elevated into rulership.
The current Warden is Ilana Jaheel Yessisu, and she has ruled justly and well for as long as you have been alive. It was her grandfather who brought the warring nobles to heel by the order of the Imperator and helped to instill a new sense of propriety and duty to all those who dwelled within the bounds of the Empire. She is a harsh woman, but just and fair-minded, as one must be when dealing with such a sprawling empire with hundreds of fiefdoms and thousands of nobles all with their own plans and their own plots.
It is into this den of vipers that your young master will soon step. He will be relying upon you, most trusted of retainers, to aid his family.
Do not fail him.
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Character Sheet + Mechanics
- Location
- Somewhere in the stacks
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Character Sheet
Nox di Neominiae
Skills:
Artisan: 1
Combat: 6
Etiquette: 5
Guile: 3
Piloting: 2
Poise: 6
Strategy: 3
Technical: 3
Personal Resources:
Body: 5
Standing: 3
Respect: 3
Logistical Resources:
Money/Funding: 5 (Your fief is relatively wealthy, sitting as it does on populous and well-traveled trade routes)
Manpower: 2 (Your fief is relatively small, and the available manpower to take into His Lordship's service is not very high without further recruitment drives)
Social Credit: 2 (Your fief is considered a bit rural to those nearer the capital and therefore you have a reputation as 'hicks')
Intelligence: 5 (Positioned as you are on the trade routes and with contacts with many spacers and other travelers, you are well positioned to place agents and pay bribes to hear whispers of what happens in far away places)
Nox di Neominiae
Skills:
Artisan: 1
Combat: 6
Etiquette: 5
Guile: 3
Piloting: 2
Poise: 6
Strategy: 3
Technical: 3
Personal Resources:
Body: 5
Standing: 3
Respect: 3
Logistical Resources:
Money/Funding: 5 (Your fief is relatively wealthy, sitting as it does on populous and well-traveled trade routes)
Manpower: 2 (Your fief is relatively small, and the available manpower to take into His Lordship's service is not very high without further recruitment drives)
Social Credit: 2 (Your fief is considered a bit rural to those nearer the capital and therefore you have a reputation as 'hicks')
Intelligence: 5 (Positioned as you are on the trade routes and with contacts with many spacers and other travelers, you are well positioned to place agents and pay bribes to hear whispers of what happens in far away places)
Personal Resources:
-Body (How healthy you are/how able-bodied you are)
-Standing (Official station)
-Respect (Interpersonal regard from others)
Logistical (Family) Resources:-Money ( Dollar dollar bills)
-Manpower (How many dudes do you have willing to listen to you and do what you tell them?)
-Social Credit (How willing others are to listen to you, do you favors, overlook social gaffes, etc.)
-Intelligence (information about others, friend and enemy alike. Agents, spies, listening devices and other resources that help make gathering information easier)
More may be added during play! Resources are designed to go up and down during the course of the quest so do not despair at losing them as you will always have chances to gain more.
Skills
-Artisan (How good you are at the requisite noble skills of painting, poetry, arrangement of pretty gardens, etc.)
-Combat (Sword fighting, laser pistols, any personal combat)
-Etiquette (politeness, knowledge of intricate noble house rules, gift giving rituals, what to say and when)
-Guile (Subterfuge, lying, concealing things from others including your emotions.)
-Piloting (Your personal ability to fly/operate craft of all kinds, from tiny personal flyers to grand starships)
-Poise ( Your ability to be gracious, charming, and social around others, how well you do with interpersonal relationships, wining and dining, etc.)
- Strategy (Your ability to plan and think strategically and tactically about many things, whether military matters, money, or just the best way to seat everyone at dinner to get what you want out of a meeting)
-Technical ( Your knowledge of and ability with machines, computers, and other technological stuff. Think fixing an engine, hacking a computer, or knowing how an FTL drive works)
The Mirral Family
Vallik Dect Mirral, Hereditary Count and Imperial Baron of the Celestial Mirror.
Amelise Crotree Mirral nee Klin, his spouse.
Their Daughter, not yet named.
The Imperial Warden
Ilana Jaheel Yessisu
Skills are rated from 1 to 7, with the higher a number is being better.
Resources essentially have no top end and you will be assigned starting values after the first vote
Your skill number determines the target number to roll equal to or less than on a dice for a success.
The difficulty of a roll is measured in the number of successes needed,so essentially you need to roll equal or under to that relevant skill for a success.
The number of dice you roll is equal to the relevant resource.
For every miss on a roll on your resource dice, you lose 1 from the relevant resource. This can be counteracted by rolling excess successes.
For example, say you are fighting in a duel with some jumpstart nobody from the hinterlands. Your Combat skill is 5, which means you need to roll a 5 or less, using your Body resource. You currently have ten, but don't want to risk all of it, so you choose to roll only four dice, since you only need a single success.
You roll three successes and a miss on those four dice. Normally, you would remove one from your body resource, but since you have two excess successes, that's canceled out and you lose nothing.
Another example:
You are attempting to convince the retainer of another noble to whisper in his master's ear in favor of your own lord. Your Poise is 2 and in this case, the relevant resource is Respect (how much he cares about your opinion personally). You have 3 Respect available but don't want to risk losing all of that on this roll, so you can choose to roll only a single dice. Unfortunately, you roll a miss and lose one Respect.
With thanks to @open_sketch for helping with the mechanics side of this story.
Resources essentially have no top end and you will be assigned starting values after the first vote
Your skill number determines the target number to roll equal to or less than on a dice for a success.
The difficulty of a roll is measured in the number of successes needed,so essentially you need to roll equal or under to that relevant skill for a success.
The number of dice you roll is equal to the relevant resource.
For every miss on a roll on your resource dice, you lose 1 from the relevant resource. This can be counteracted by rolling excess successes.
For example, say you are fighting in a duel with some jumpstart nobody from the hinterlands. Your Combat skill is 5, which means you need to roll a 5 or less, using your Body resource. You currently have ten, but don't want to risk all of it, so you choose to roll only four dice, since you only need a single success.
You roll three successes and a miss on those four dice. Normally, you would remove one from your body resource, but since you have two excess successes, that's canceled out and you lose nothing.
Another example:
You are attempting to convince the retainer of another noble to whisper in his master's ear in favor of your own lord. Your Poise is 2 and in this case, the relevant resource is Respect (how much he cares about your opinion personally). You have 3 Respect available but don't want to risk losing all of that on this roll, so you can choose to roll only a single dice. Unfortunately, you roll a miss and lose one Respect.
With thanks to @open_sketch for helping with the mechanics side of this story.
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- Location
- Somewhere!
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Plan Dignified Sword Lady
-[X] A woman
-[X] Valerie Hart
-[X] Your skill at arms
-[X] Combat 6
-[X] Etiquette 1
-[X] Guile 3
-[X] Piloting 1
-[X] Poise 6
-[X] Strategy 3
-[X] Technical 1
-[X] Stag's Rest: A planet orbiting a small star in a quadrant criss-crossed by trade routes, it has a single round moon, a planet often associated with its wide prairies and grasslands, famous for the quantity and quality of the food it often provides as well as its large population.
-[X] A woman
-[X] Valerie Hart
-[X] Your skill at arms
-[X] Combat 6
-[X] Etiquette 1
-[X] Guile 3
-[X] Piloting 1
-[X] Poise 6
-[X] Strategy 3
-[X] Technical 1
-[X] Stag's Rest: A planet orbiting a small star in a quadrant criss-crossed by trade routes, it has a single round moon, a planet often associated with its wide prairies and grasslands, famous for the quantity and quality of the food it often provides as well as its large population.
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[X] Plan: The Whisper
-[X] A Woman
-[X] Arissa Koh
-[X] Your personal connections and silver tongue
-[X] Combat 1
-[X] Etiquette 5
-[X] Guile 5
-[X] Piloting 0
-[X] Poise 5
-[X] Strategy 5
-[X] Technical 0
-[X] Exultant Voices: Not a planet, but a massive complex of space stations and orbital habitats in a system without a habitable world. This is an old fief, and has a long and storied history which grants its holder some degree of social cache and heft.
-[X] A Woman
-[X] Arissa Koh
-[X] Your personal connections and silver tongue
-[X] Combat 1
-[X] Etiquette 5
-[X] Guile 5
-[X] Piloting 0
-[X] Poise 5
-[X] Strategy 5
-[X] Technical 0
-[X] Exultant Voices: Not a planet, but a massive complex of space stations and orbital habitats in a system without a habitable world. This is an old fief, and has a long and storied history which grants its holder some degree of social cache and heft.
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[X] Plan: A Gentleman's Gentleman
-[x] A man
-[x] Reginald Jeeves
-[x] Your personal connections and silver tongue
-[x] Artisan 1
-[x] Combat 1
-[x] Etiquette 6 (+5)
-[x] Guile 6 (+5)
-[x] Piloting 1
-[x] Poise 6 (+5)
-[x] Strategy 7 (+6)
-[x] Technical 1
-[x] Stag's Rest: A planet orbiting a small star in a quadrant criss-crossed by trade routes, it has a single round moon, a planet often associated with its wide prairies and grasslands, famous for the quantity and quality of the food it often provides as well as its large population
-[x] A man
-[x] Reginald Jeeves
-[x] Your personal connections and silver tongue
-[x] Artisan 1
-[x] Combat 1
-[x] Etiquette 6 (+5)
-[x] Guile 6 (+5)
-[x] Piloting 1
-[x] Poise 6 (+5)
-[x] Strategy 7 (+6)
-[x] Technical 1
-[x] Stag's Rest: A planet orbiting a small star in a quadrant criss-crossed by trade routes, it has a single round moon, a planet often associated with its wide prairies and grasslands, famous for the quantity and quality of the food it often provides as well as its large population
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DocMatoi
Theoretical Lover of Girls
- Location
- within 2 hours of the White House
- Pronouns
- They/Them
[X] Plan Maid Of The Mansion
-[X] A woman
-[x] Nox diNeominiae
-[X] Your skill at arms
-[X] Combat 6
-[X] Etiquette 5
-[X] Guile 3
-[X] Piloting 2
-[X] Poise 6
-[X] Strategy 3
-[X] Technical 3
-[X] Benediction of the Three-Fold God: Towards the outwards edge of the empire, it is a well-known fief that serves as an important stopping point for great trade convoys and has many space stations meant to service merchant vessels and other travelers.
-[X] A woman
-[x] Nox diNeominiae
-[X] Your skill at arms
-[X] Combat 6
-[X] Etiquette 5
-[X] Guile 3
-[X] Piloting 2
-[X] Poise 6
-[X] Strategy 3
-[X] Technical 3
-[X] Benediction of the Three-Fold God: Towards the outwards edge of the empire, it is a well-known fief that serves as an important stopping point for great trade convoys and has many space stations meant to service merchant vessels and other travelers.
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Let me ask since it seems there's a split in understanding.
Does that mean that there will be 21 points total across the 7 skills?
Or is the 1st skill level "free" by starting at 1 and that it will all add up to 28 points?
- Location
- Somewhere in the stacks
- Pronouns
- She/Her
The first skill level is 'free,' you shouldn't have lower than a 1 in any skill.
[X] Plan: The Getaway Driver
-[x] A man
-[x] William Boseley
-[x] Your skill at arms
-[x] Artisan 1
-[x] Combat 7 (+6)
-[x] Etiquette 3 (+2)
-[x] Guile 3 (+2)
-[x] Piloting 7 (+6)
-[x] Poise 1
-[x] Strategy 3 (+2)
-[x] Technical 4 (+3)
-[x] Benediction of the Three-Fold God: Towards the outwards edge of the empire, it is a well-known fief that serves as an important stopping point for great trade convoys and has many space stations meant to service merchant vessels and other travelers.
Your master is hot-blooded and lascivious, your duty is to protect the master and aid in his many escapades.
[X] Plan: A Gentleman's Gentleman
[X] Plan: A Loyal Man
-[x] A man
-[x] William Boseley
-[x] Your skill at arms
-[x] Artisan 1
-[x] Combat 7 (+6)
-[x] Etiquette 3 (+2)
-[x] Guile 3 (+2)
-[x] Piloting 7 (+6)
-[x] Poise 1
-[x] Strategy 3 (+2)
-[x] Technical 4 (+3)
-[x] Benediction of the Three-Fold God: Towards the outwards edge of the empire, it is a well-known fief that serves as an important stopping point for great trade convoys and has many space stations meant to service merchant vessels and other travelers.
Your master is hot-blooded and lascivious, your duty is to protect the master and aid in his many escapades.
[X] Plan: A Gentleman's Gentleman
[X] Plan: A Loyal Man
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- Location
- Ottawa
- Pronouns
- She/Her/Whatever
[X] Plan Maid Of The Mansion
- Location
- New York
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Plan Maid Of The Mansion
TimEd
Meteor maker
[X] Plan: The Butler
-[X] A Man
-[X] Alfred Pennyworth
-[X] Your family's history as dutiful officials
-[X] Artisan 3 (+2)
-[X] Combat 4 (+3)
-[X] Etiquette 5 (+4)
-[X] Guile 4 (+3)
-[X] Piloting 1
-[X] Poise 5 (+4)
-[X] Strategy 4 (+3)
-[X] Technical 3 (+2)
-[X] Exultant Voices: Not a planet, but a massive complex of space stations and orbital habitats in a system without a habitable world. This is an old fief, and has a long and storied history which grants its holder some degree of social cache and heft.
A batman, or Butlerman. Not quite happy with the stat spread though, so if someone has a better idea (or even name) I'll take it into consideration.
-[X] A Man
-[X] Alfred Pennyworth
-[X] Your family's history as dutiful officials
-[X] Artisan 3 (+2)
-[X] Combat 4 (+3)
-[X] Etiquette 5 (+4)
-[X] Guile 4 (+3)
-[X] Piloting 1
-[X] Poise 5 (+4)
-[X] Strategy 4 (+3)
-[X] Technical 3 (+2)
-[X] Exultant Voices: Not a planet, but a massive complex of space stations and orbital habitats in a system without a habitable world. This is an old fief, and has a long and storied history which grants its holder some degree of social cache and heft.
A batman, or Butlerman. Not quite happy with the stat spread though, so if someone has a better idea (or even name) I'll take it into consideration.
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Solarstream
It's all in the cards
- Location
- Zombie World
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Plan Maid Of The Mansion
- Location
- Salt Lake Ciy, UT
[X] Plan Maid Of The Mansion
2. Morning in the Tower of Song
- Location
- Somewhere in the stacks
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Final stat spread:
Skills:
Artisan: 1
Combat: 6
Etiquette: 5
Guile: 3
Piloting: 2
Poise: 6
Strategy: 3
Technical: 3
Personal Resources:
Body: 5
Standing: 3
Respect: 3
Logistical Resources:
Money/Funding: 5 (Your fief is relatively wealthy, sitting as it does on populous and well-traveled trade routes)
Manpower: 2 (Your fief is relatively small, and the available manpower to take into His Lordship's service is not very high without further recruitment drives)
Social Credit: 2 (Your fief is considered a bit rural to those nearer the capital and therefore you have a reputation as 'hicks')
Intelligence: 5 (Positioned as you are on the trade routes and with contacts with many spacers and other travelers, you are well positioned to place agents and pay bribes to hear whispers of what happens in far away places)
Your name is Nox di Neominiae nyr Mirral, and the Mirral family is your life. So far, you have spent twenty-five of your adult years in service to the Mirrals, though it would be hard to tell that looking at you. The regenerative treatments and medical science that you are able to afford as a personal retainer of a hereditary count mean that you certainly look no older than thirty or thirty-five, despite being almost fifty. You were first brought to the attention of the previous count, Vallik's father, when you showed particular skill with your blade during a tourney. Although retainers such as yourself are more bureaucrat now than warrior, exhibiting martial prowess and sound judgment will go a long way to making someone stand out. Now you are reckoned one of the deadliest swordswomen in this sector of the empire, perhaps even the whole of it.
Beyond that your years of experience amongst the court politics have left you with a genial manner and careful manners that disarm many of those who meet you, though the wise do not relax in your presence if they're wise.
It is morning in the great castle known as the Tower of Song, your master's home, mansion, and fortress against all those who would be his enemy. It is an impressive edifice, moving slowly and imperceptibly above the surface of the Benediction of the Three-Fold God, the constant, gentle hum of the massive anti-gravity generators and turbines used to keep it aloft in the pleasant skies of the jewel-like world on which you reside. You perform your morning ablutions and pray before the statue of the Three-Fold God, the patron god/dess of your home. As is typical and proper, you light a stick of incense and leave it smoldering before the small golden statue, their multiple arms arrayed just so. Today your prayers are mostly to their aspect of nurturing and order, the aspect of healer-lifegiver and swordbearer-destroyer not at the forefront of your mind.
After that, you do some exercises, bathe, and emerge to prepare for the rest of the day.
You dress yourself in your normal clothing, as there is no call for ceremony today. Simple loose trousers in a neutral gray, made of a light fabric which is easy to move in, simple, flat shoes. A tunic in the same neutral gray, trimmed in silver at the collar and cuffs.
You carefully put on your sword belt which bears your blade, energy shield, and a simple pistol. It is the symbol of your office and with the sword, represents the privilege granted to you (in theory) to kill any who offend your lord. Warriors fight with the energy shields that grant protection high velocity ranged weapons and lasers--therefore a sword is necessary to kill the enemy warrior. Those who are not warriors carry no shield and therefore the pistol is thought sufficient to deal with them.
Finally the loose, sleeveless robe in maroon and edged in a white sawtooth pattern, the main color of the house. On the left breast and emblazoned on the back is the crest of the house, an argent lynx rampant, clasping a six pointed star in it's paws. You examine yourself in the mirror--dark hair pulled back into simple bun to keep it out of the way (you keep thinking of cutting it short, but vanity stops you), dusk-kissed skin, high cheekbones, amber eyes. One would be hard-pressed to think your family anything but bred nobility, though in truth your great-great-grandparents had once been of the common castes.
You step out of your room and a waiting attendant offers you a steaming cup of tea, just as he does every morning. You accept it and smile warmly.
"Thank you, Ozan," you say and take a sip as you begin to walk down the corridor. Ozan Vydii nyr Mirral is an older gentleman, lower ranked in the hierarchy of the house and sort of your… aide-de-camp? He brings you tea, helps with your schedule and works to make sure that your functions as majordomo of the Tower of Song run without interruption.
"Of course, Lady di Neominiae," he says as he does every morning and offers out a dataslate with his other hand while he keeps pace with you.
"Here's today's itinerary. His Lordship is receiving a delegation from the spacer's union in an hour, after that he'll be performing some court duties and he plans to go hunting this afternoon once the business is dealt with."
"Is he now?" You raised an eyebrow. A single meeting late in the mid-morning, a few cases to administer and then he planned to spend the rest of the day hunting? What was the young lord thinking? He had many responsibilities to contemplate--especially since he had a departure window to hit in the next couple of weeks. You sighed and shook your head.
"I'll see what his thoughts are. I was hoping that we could use this afternoon to address the irrigation project for the southern prefecture." But if he wanted to go hunting, that was his prerogative. You could always handle some more of the work, though it was frustrating that he seemed to want to spend more time enjoying himself than making sure the province was in order before his trip to the capital. That was always how it was with those who inherited young, though, wasn't it? You sipped your tea again.
"Where is His Lordship now?" You asked, more to the dataslate than to Ozan. The dataslate's VI chirped in response.
"His Lordship is in the south-western dining room," the rote, mechanical voice said. Of course, it wouldn't reveal that information to just anyone--it knew that your voice belonged to one of the most loyal and trusted members of the household staff. You nodded, looked back at Ozan.
"I'll go and see him. Go ahead and prepare the reception room for the meeting," you said, though you really didn't need to. It was doubtless already being handled but there was formality in making the request.
"Of course, Lady di Neominiae, I'll see it's ready right away," he said and bowed slightly.
"Make sure the delegation from the agricultural engineering guild is still on the slate for this afternoon. If nothing else, I'll meet with them since I'll be the one they'll be dealing with once His Lordship departs," you added after a moment of thought.
"If anything else comes up, I'll be sure to inform you immediately," Ozan said and turned to head back the way you'd come. With that farewell said, you continued onwards, moving down finely appointed corridors and a grand staircase into a great, open hall. Crossing it, you passed by a pair of servants cleaning one of the wall frescoes and gave an approving nod.
"Well done," you said in passing and moved past them into one of the narrower, semi-concealed passageways that crisscrossed the great castle. Always useful when you don't want to be seen. Taking another flight of stairs down, you emerged into yet another finely appointed hallway and from there, entered the south-western dining room. This was a quiet, personal space (comparatively), meant for the lord and his family and a few private guests at most. You entered, bowed before the doors had even begun to close behind you. Waited for three seconds until you heard a familiar voice.
"Good morning, Nox!" You straightened.
"Good morning, My Lord," you said and smiled. The young man sitting cross-legged at the low table in the middle of the room had a slender face and a languid, long-limbed build to match. His hair was neatly coifed, a warm color that reminded you of the red volcanic sand that was common on the world below you. You had known him his entire life, had taught him to wield a blade.
You would die for him.
His wife, Amelise sits at his right hand, still not quite dressed and posed for the day, but well on her way. SHimmering silver hair and brilliant lilac eyes mark her out as being from the distinctive Klin family. Their daughter is still in the nursery, still not old enough to be allowed out of her nurse's watchful gaze.
Across from him sits another advisor, one who has served the family even longer than you and was here in your father's time as well. Andret Trucios nyr Mirral. Even with regenerative treatments his age shows in the wrinkles around his eyes and mouth and he smiles at you while the lord speaks.
"What brings you to my breakfast table, then?" he asked with his typical good cheer, and gestured for you to sit. You did so opposite him next to Andret, still nursing the tea you had gotten earlier.
"Business, I'm afraid, My Lord," you said a touch ruefully. "The agricultural engineer's guild is supposed to visit this afternoon so we can discuss additional funding for irrigation projects," you said, flicking your report from your dataslate over to his, which chimed insistently.
"Ah, yes, yes. I did read that," Vallik said with a laugh. "I'm leaving it in your capable hands. I…" He sighs.
"I want to make sure I spend some time on the surface before I have to leave. Hopefully it will prevent some homesickness while I'm away attending the Warden."
Ah. That made sense, though you still weren't sure how you felt about him skiving off important work for the provincial management on that sort of excuse. He was the lord, not a child any longer. By the same token, of course, it was not your place to give him a sisterly reprimand as you might have when he was younger and got distracted during swordplay lessons or slacked off during drills, as much as you might like to.
"Your hands are very capable," Andret said in his gravelly voice, his head bowed towards you. "I'm sure you will manage well in our absence. I plan to use our time on the hunt this afternoon to make sure His Lordship learns more of the etiquette that will be required when we make our journey to the capital."
"I can't get away from either of you, can I?" Vallik said with a laugh.
"It's important, love," Amelise says in a chiding tone. "This is your first visit since you took up the title and you need to make a good impression. If you do, they may add another system to your Imperial title."
"I will defer to Her Ladyship on this matter," you said diplomatically and Vallik laughed again.
"Of course you will, Nox. I understand your concerns, both of you," he said to you and Andret. "Both of you have been excellent teachers in the past and I am sure you'll make excellent wardens in the future--or at least you will, Nox. Amelise will be relying on you to be her support while I have Andret with me." He sets his fork aside and moves to get to his feet as servants move to start clearing his dishes away.
"Now, I need to finish dressing for the Spacers, if you'll all excuse me--" He chuckled, then moved to exit the room.
"Will Your Ladyship be joining His Lordship for the Spacer's Union visit?" you asked, your gaze settling on Ameliance. You liked her. She was sensible, a good choice for a spouse even though she tended towards political scheming a bit more than you were comfortable with.
"No," she said with a shake of her head.
"I have other business, I'm afraid. I need to superintend the provisioning of the transit vessel. And then looking after our daughter--she'll be old enough to start lessons soon."
"Of course, Your Ladyship," you said. As she made to get to her feet, both you and Andret clambered to your feet, respectfully waiting for her to depart before you both moved to exit through the door that you had originally entered through. You looked over at Andret--you were of a height, a little under two meters.
"Are you certain he'll be ready for his visit to the Noble Pillar of the Universe?" You asked, letting some of your nerves eke out into your voice. Deliberately, of course.
"I'm certain he'll manage. His father was the same when he was young and he turned out just fine. I think you worry too much, Nox," he said with a smile. "Don't worry, I'll make sure he gets an earful on the hunt this afternoon. It's the usual business--we provincials are usually looked down on to some degree by the more urbane, so we have to make sure we're on our best behavior."
Reading between the lines, you could tell he was a little nervous about the firecracker young lord going on a spree when exposed to the many delightful fleshpots and luxuries of the capital's metroplex. You had been there and done that as a much younger woman, and the hangover had lasted a week.
"Well, that's why we rely on you, Sir Trucios," you said in an attempt to be reassuring. "You can rest easily knowing that the castle and the province are in capable hands, if you'll allow me to be a little self-assured."
"A little? Ha! You've never been just a little self-assured in your whole life, Sir di Neominiae!" he said with a great belly laugh, his stout frame shaking with amusement. He reached up to stroke his beard, eyes crinkled with the pleasure of an old joke shared between comrades.
"We are all fretting. Even the young lord," he finally admits. "It will all turn out for the best as long as we do our duty, yes?" As the two of you come to a split in the corridor, he nods.
"Well, I have to dress for the Spacers. Then prepare a hunting party. I'll perhaps see you at dinner. Or if not, we'll have a drink after."
"Of course!" You reply. "I'll see you later."
Well. You had your work cut out for you, but that was why you were the one trusted to be warden of the castle in His Lordship's absence, wasn't it?
What will Nox focus on in the immediate future:
How will Nox deal with the Agricultural Engineers Guild and make sure that the new irrigation project goes smoothly?
Skills:
Artisan: 1
Combat: 6
Etiquette: 5
Guile: 3
Piloting: 2
Poise: 6
Strategy: 3
Technical: 3
Personal Resources:
Body: 5
Standing: 3
Respect: 3
Logistical Resources:
Money/Funding: 5 (Your fief is relatively wealthy, sitting as it does on populous and well-traveled trade routes)
Manpower: 2 (Your fief is relatively small, and the available manpower to take into His Lordship's service is not very high without further recruitment drives)
Social Credit: 2 (Your fief is considered a bit rural to those nearer the capital and therefore you have a reputation as 'hicks')
Intelligence: 5 (Positioned as you are on the trade routes and with contacts with many spacers and other travelers, you are well positioned to place agents and pay bribes to hear whispers of what happens in far away places)
Your name is Nox di Neominiae nyr Mirral, and the Mirral family is your life. So far, you have spent twenty-five of your adult years in service to the Mirrals, though it would be hard to tell that looking at you. The regenerative treatments and medical science that you are able to afford as a personal retainer of a hereditary count mean that you certainly look no older than thirty or thirty-five, despite being almost fifty. You were first brought to the attention of the previous count, Vallik's father, when you showed particular skill with your blade during a tourney. Although retainers such as yourself are more bureaucrat now than warrior, exhibiting martial prowess and sound judgment will go a long way to making someone stand out. Now you are reckoned one of the deadliest swordswomen in this sector of the empire, perhaps even the whole of it.
Beyond that your years of experience amongst the court politics have left you with a genial manner and careful manners that disarm many of those who meet you, though the wise do not relax in your presence if they're wise.
It is morning in the great castle known as the Tower of Song, your master's home, mansion, and fortress against all those who would be his enemy. It is an impressive edifice, moving slowly and imperceptibly above the surface of the Benediction of the Three-Fold God, the constant, gentle hum of the massive anti-gravity generators and turbines used to keep it aloft in the pleasant skies of the jewel-like world on which you reside. You perform your morning ablutions and pray before the statue of the Three-Fold God, the patron god/dess of your home. As is typical and proper, you light a stick of incense and leave it smoldering before the small golden statue, their multiple arms arrayed just so. Today your prayers are mostly to their aspect of nurturing and order, the aspect of healer-lifegiver and swordbearer-destroyer not at the forefront of your mind.
After that, you do some exercises, bathe, and emerge to prepare for the rest of the day.
You dress yourself in your normal clothing, as there is no call for ceremony today. Simple loose trousers in a neutral gray, made of a light fabric which is easy to move in, simple, flat shoes. A tunic in the same neutral gray, trimmed in silver at the collar and cuffs.
You carefully put on your sword belt which bears your blade, energy shield, and a simple pistol. It is the symbol of your office and with the sword, represents the privilege granted to you (in theory) to kill any who offend your lord. Warriors fight with the energy shields that grant protection high velocity ranged weapons and lasers--therefore a sword is necessary to kill the enemy warrior. Those who are not warriors carry no shield and therefore the pistol is thought sufficient to deal with them.
Finally the loose, sleeveless robe in maroon and edged in a white sawtooth pattern, the main color of the house. On the left breast and emblazoned on the back is the crest of the house, an argent lynx rampant, clasping a six pointed star in it's paws. You examine yourself in the mirror--dark hair pulled back into simple bun to keep it out of the way (you keep thinking of cutting it short, but vanity stops you), dusk-kissed skin, high cheekbones, amber eyes. One would be hard-pressed to think your family anything but bred nobility, though in truth your great-great-grandparents had once been of the common castes.
You step out of your room and a waiting attendant offers you a steaming cup of tea, just as he does every morning. You accept it and smile warmly.
"Thank you, Ozan," you say and take a sip as you begin to walk down the corridor. Ozan Vydii nyr Mirral is an older gentleman, lower ranked in the hierarchy of the house and sort of your… aide-de-camp? He brings you tea, helps with your schedule and works to make sure that your functions as majordomo of the Tower of Song run without interruption.
"Of course, Lady di Neominiae," he says as he does every morning and offers out a dataslate with his other hand while he keeps pace with you.
"Here's today's itinerary. His Lordship is receiving a delegation from the spacer's union in an hour, after that he'll be performing some court duties and he plans to go hunting this afternoon once the business is dealt with."
"Is he now?" You raised an eyebrow. A single meeting late in the mid-morning, a few cases to administer and then he planned to spend the rest of the day hunting? What was the young lord thinking? He had many responsibilities to contemplate--especially since he had a departure window to hit in the next couple of weeks. You sighed and shook your head.
"I'll see what his thoughts are. I was hoping that we could use this afternoon to address the irrigation project for the southern prefecture." But if he wanted to go hunting, that was his prerogative. You could always handle some more of the work, though it was frustrating that he seemed to want to spend more time enjoying himself than making sure the province was in order before his trip to the capital. That was always how it was with those who inherited young, though, wasn't it? You sipped your tea again.
"Where is His Lordship now?" You asked, more to the dataslate than to Ozan. The dataslate's VI chirped in response.
"His Lordship is in the south-western dining room," the rote, mechanical voice said. Of course, it wouldn't reveal that information to just anyone--it knew that your voice belonged to one of the most loyal and trusted members of the household staff. You nodded, looked back at Ozan.
"I'll go and see him. Go ahead and prepare the reception room for the meeting," you said, though you really didn't need to. It was doubtless already being handled but there was formality in making the request.
"Of course, Lady di Neominiae, I'll see it's ready right away," he said and bowed slightly.
"Make sure the delegation from the agricultural engineering guild is still on the slate for this afternoon. If nothing else, I'll meet with them since I'll be the one they'll be dealing with once His Lordship departs," you added after a moment of thought.
"If anything else comes up, I'll be sure to inform you immediately," Ozan said and turned to head back the way you'd come. With that farewell said, you continued onwards, moving down finely appointed corridors and a grand staircase into a great, open hall. Crossing it, you passed by a pair of servants cleaning one of the wall frescoes and gave an approving nod.
"Well done," you said in passing and moved past them into one of the narrower, semi-concealed passageways that crisscrossed the great castle. Always useful when you don't want to be seen. Taking another flight of stairs down, you emerged into yet another finely appointed hallway and from there, entered the south-western dining room. This was a quiet, personal space (comparatively), meant for the lord and his family and a few private guests at most. You entered, bowed before the doors had even begun to close behind you. Waited for three seconds until you heard a familiar voice.
"Good morning, Nox!" You straightened.
"Good morning, My Lord," you said and smiled. The young man sitting cross-legged at the low table in the middle of the room had a slender face and a languid, long-limbed build to match. His hair was neatly coifed, a warm color that reminded you of the red volcanic sand that was common on the world below you. You had known him his entire life, had taught him to wield a blade.
You would die for him.
His wife, Amelise sits at his right hand, still not quite dressed and posed for the day, but well on her way. SHimmering silver hair and brilliant lilac eyes mark her out as being from the distinctive Klin family. Their daughter is still in the nursery, still not old enough to be allowed out of her nurse's watchful gaze.
Across from him sits another advisor, one who has served the family even longer than you and was here in your father's time as well. Andret Trucios nyr Mirral. Even with regenerative treatments his age shows in the wrinkles around his eyes and mouth and he smiles at you while the lord speaks.
"What brings you to my breakfast table, then?" he asked with his typical good cheer, and gestured for you to sit. You did so opposite him next to Andret, still nursing the tea you had gotten earlier.
"Business, I'm afraid, My Lord," you said a touch ruefully. "The agricultural engineer's guild is supposed to visit this afternoon so we can discuss additional funding for irrigation projects," you said, flicking your report from your dataslate over to his, which chimed insistently.
"Ah, yes, yes. I did read that," Vallik said with a laugh. "I'm leaving it in your capable hands. I…" He sighs.
"I want to make sure I spend some time on the surface before I have to leave. Hopefully it will prevent some homesickness while I'm away attending the Warden."
Ah. That made sense, though you still weren't sure how you felt about him skiving off important work for the provincial management on that sort of excuse. He was the lord, not a child any longer. By the same token, of course, it was not your place to give him a sisterly reprimand as you might have when he was younger and got distracted during swordplay lessons or slacked off during drills, as much as you might like to.
"Your hands are very capable," Andret said in his gravelly voice, his head bowed towards you. "I'm sure you will manage well in our absence. I plan to use our time on the hunt this afternoon to make sure His Lordship learns more of the etiquette that will be required when we make our journey to the capital."
"I can't get away from either of you, can I?" Vallik said with a laugh.
"It's important, love," Amelise says in a chiding tone. "This is your first visit since you took up the title and you need to make a good impression. If you do, they may add another system to your Imperial title."
"I will defer to Her Ladyship on this matter," you said diplomatically and Vallik laughed again.
"Of course you will, Nox. I understand your concerns, both of you," he said to you and Andret. "Both of you have been excellent teachers in the past and I am sure you'll make excellent wardens in the future--or at least you will, Nox. Amelise will be relying on you to be her support while I have Andret with me." He sets his fork aside and moves to get to his feet as servants move to start clearing his dishes away.
"Now, I need to finish dressing for the Spacers, if you'll all excuse me--" He chuckled, then moved to exit the room.
"Will Your Ladyship be joining His Lordship for the Spacer's Union visit?" you asked, your gaze settling on Ameliance. You liked her. She was sensible, a good choice for a spouse even though she tended towards political scheming a bit more than you were comfortable with.
"No," she said with a shake of her head.
"I have other business, I'm afraid. I need to superintend the provisioning of the transit vessel. And then looking after our daughter--she'll be old enough to start lessons soon."
"Of course, Your Ladyship," you said. As she made to get to her feet, both you and Andret clambered to your feet, respectfully waiting for her to depart before you both moved to exit through the door that you had originally entered through. You looked over at Andret--you were of a height, a little under two meters.
"Are you certain he'll be ready for his visit to the Noble Pillar of the Universe?" You asked, letting some of your nerves eke out into your voice. Deliberately, of course.
"I'm certain he'll manage. His father was the same when he was young and he turned out just fine. I think you worry too much, Nox," he said with a smile. "Don't worry, I'll make sure he gets an earful on the hunt this afternoon. It's the usual business--we provincials are usually looked down on to some degree by the more urbane, so we have to make sure we're on our best behavior."
Reading between the lines, you could tell he was a little nervous about the firecracker young lord going on a spree when exposed to the many delightful fleshpots and luxuries of the capital's metroplex. You had been there and done that as a much younger woman, and the hangover had lasted a week.
"Well, that's why we rely on you, Sir Trucios," you said in an attempt to be reassuring. "You can rest easily knowing that the castle and the province are in capable hands, if you'll allow me to be a little self-assured."
"A little? Ha! You've never been just a little self-assured in your whole life, Sir di Neominiae!" he said with a great belly laugh, his stout frame shaking with amusement. He reached up to stroke his beard, eyes crinkled with the pleasure of an old joke shared between comrades.
"We are all fretting. Even the young lord," he finally admits. "It will all turn out for the best as long as we do our duty, yes?" As the two of you come to a split in the corridor, he nods.
"Well, I have to dress for the Spacers. Then prepare a hunting party. I'll perhaps see you at dinner. Or if not, we'll have a drink after."
"Of course!" You reply. "I'll see you later."
Well. You had your work cut out for you, but that was why you were the one trusted to be warden of the castle in His Lordship's absence, wasn't it?
What will Nox focus on in the immediate future:
[ ] The Demesne, with an eye to…
[ ] …focus on finances: The trip to the capital is out of your hands. You have to trust Andret and His Lordship on this one. Focus on the work entrusted to you and make sure that the books are all correct and that the revenue flow isn't going to be a concern. (+1 to Money)
[ ] …improve security: The agricultural stuff doesn't matter if his lordship isn't safe. Maybe you can do some extra recruiting to bring on a few new hands in order to free other, older warriors for the trip…? (+1 Manpower)
[ ] …rekindle old connections: Reach out to old friends, teachers, and contacts, call in favors and remind people of the things you (or your Lord, or his father) have done for them (+1 Social Credit)
[ ]...learn more about what might be waiting for Your Lord at the Noble Pillar of the Universe through your agents, disburse funds to hire more ears and to follow up on new rumors (+1 intelligence)
[ ] Yourself, since you need to work on…
[ ] …your strength and agility. You need to be prepared for the worst and you are still a warrior (+1 Body)
[ ] …cementing your position. You hold an esteemed position within the household, but there are always little games of politics and rumor to play to ensure that your position is secure and that no one will try to gun for your job (+1 standing)
[ ] ...making friends and assuaging enemies. It's not that you have serious enemies, really. You just want to make sure minor grudges don't become major ones. People see you as a reliable and friendly face (+1 Respect)
How will Nox deal with the Agricultural Engineers Guild and make sure that the new irrigation project goes smoothly?
[ ] Using her authority and position as her lord's trusted majordomo to get the optimal result (Roll Difficulty 1 Poise using Standing)
[ ] How many dice?
[ ] Using her charm and connections. These people are all old friends or at least familiar faces. You can gently cajole them or talk them into making sure things are done the right way (Roll Difficulty 1 Poise using Respect)
[ ] Using how many dice?
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- Location
- New York
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Calling it now, dudes gonna die and we'll have to take care of the young heiress as she grows up. This is my prediction.
Other than that… maybe we should get more standing or respect.
Other than that… maybe we should get more standing or respect.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Plan: Politeness and Secrets!
-[X] The Demesne, with an eye to…
-[X]...learn more about what might be waiting for Your Lord at the Noble Pillar of the Universe through your agents, disburse funds to hire more ears and to follow up on new rumors (+1 intelligence)
-[X] Using her charm and connections. These people are all old friends or at least familiar faces. You can gently cajole them or talk them into making sure things are done the right way
-[X] 3 dice - good chance of negating the loss due to excellent successes!
-[X] The Demesne, with an eye to…
-[X]...learn more about what might be waiting for Your Lord at the Noble Pillar of the Universe through your agents, disburse funds to hire more ears and to follow up on new rumors (+1 intelligence)
-[X] Using her charm and connections. These people are all old friends or at least familiar faces. You can gently cajole them or talk them into making sure things are done the right way
-[X] 3 dice - good chance of negating the loss due to excellent successes!
- Location
- Somewhere!
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Plan: Politeness and Secrets!
Charm and Intel makes sense.
Charm and Intel makes sense.