Sails and Duty Internal! Turn 956, Part 3
Turn 956 part 3 of 'Sails and duty internal!'
You sign in relief as you retire to your chambers aboard the Exelceron, removing your magnificent but very heavy outerwear and regalia for a sinfully comfortable spider slink robe after finally returning mostly intact from another of Whitesurf's, to quote, 'totally awesome adventures my dudes and dudettes', end quote, and a painfully awkward dinner with Admiral Jahuthryn Seagleam where every minute made you wish you were instead pulling out your own eyelids, having found that the new Lord of Dusk and cousin to the phoenix king was as bullishly punctilious about the Everqeens Decree as you both heard and feared. The most unwanted spice on top of a horrid evening. Still, what is done is done; you will just have to move even more carefully around the innate rules as you continue your unending battle with the traitors.
Taking out a bottle of fine wine (a human style from Cathey made from rice, an acquired taste that most Asur would never even try, but you enjoy it.), you sink into the seat by your desk, bolted to the wood floor in case of storms or battle, to read over the reports your various agents, spies and sergeant among your Trident Bearers have gathered over the last year.
The first set of reports are from your Trident Bearers, once more conveying the simultaneously good and worrying news that raids from Dark Elf reavers and Beastmasters have been at a low this year, just like the last, all along the Lustria coast and islands. Not to say that your Tridents haven't been busy attacking Revers wherever they are spotted and performing daring raids against any Black Arks in the area to kill as many fiends as possible and free any slaves they can get to. It's a good thing that 'Swamp Town' is now in the hands of a more reasonable human faction and is happy to take both human and dwarf captives off your hands to fill out their population… you're not confident it will last any better than their other attempts. Still, at least for now, your conscience can escape another year of having to dump innocents on the docks of Skeggi that Ithisar'naynazythai Yn Daroth can't, or won't, absorb.
Sadly your agents have far worst news compared to your tridents. Without Druchii competition, the Ne'er-do-wells among your own have taken up the burden of embarrassing your people. Your spies on The Island of Comity have gotten you a report showing a marked increase in the poaching of exotic animals and the smuggling of Lustrian narcotics through sea guard checkpoints. Meaning even more of such has yet to be noticed. You have your suspicions on who might be involved. Still, ultimately such transgressions are in the remit of the Governor of Spear Reef Island and the Jailer of Comity, not yourself. (even if you are sure that at least one of them is complicit in the crimes or at least bribed to silence)
Especially with how often you must sweep violations of the Decree under the rug yourself. For much better reasons, true. But pointing fingers is how you get said fingers burned off by the phoenix flames for your own sins.
Returning to the humans, Skeggi has been quiet and loud in equal measure. Raids and such have been down since the latest 'King' murdered the last 'King' without first making sure that the other killers would follow, the civil war spilling blood in the streets distracting them from spilling it elsewhere. Strangely, most of the veteran savages have kept out of things, instead preparing to head north back to the northern lands, something drawing them back to the heart of their dark patrons' power. You would be worried if this was not a pattern you have seen repeatedly during your nearly 1000-year watch.
Annoyingly, Swamptown is still without a real leader and will be of little use outside its own little corner for now. Most Asur would not see why it should matter, but you have learned that in the fight against evil, all hands are welcome, and man can and has proven to be at least more helpful than not when given a chance… mostly.
The servants of the Old Ones have been… themselves. They are consistent, if nothing else, perplexing, aggravating and onerous, but consistent. Unless riled up, they will do the same things this year they did last year and a 100 years back. Nothing happened, so nothing has changed.
On the other side of the spectrum, that blasted pirate is at it again, raiding up and down his coast for gold and new 'crew members' to fill out his rotting ships, your men and woman near the area have had to divert every ship they see around or away, but the pressure is already mounting from the trade lords to just let the merchants take their risks. Was it really too much to hope that they could have done a better job keeping him when the Lizards of Chokablox finally captured the abomination?
Reports done with. It was finally time to stop ignoring the letter still resting on the table, the wax seal of the foreign affairs tower almost burning a hole into the polished wood, with reluctance, as you very much doubt it was a positive reply to your request to be put in charge of the Citadel of Dusk when a relative of the King has only just been given the post, you open it with a tar to see what new indignities you will have to endure.
Your frown quickly changes nature as you read through the letter, from annoyance to curiosity, when you realise that this was a plea for your wisdom rather than orders most stifling...
It seems that one of the rouge colonies in the old world, the ones that live in a woodland instead of the ones being half possessed by the forest they live in, are finally ending their long isolation and have been talking to the Empire of Sigmar. (yes, it's ridiculous to call that half-ass alliance of tribes an empire, but a little bit of tact goes a long way with calming released slaves.)
That would usually not be something Urthran would even find interesting, let alone the Phoenix court problem. (the old world colonies made their choice when they refused the call.) if it wasn't for the fact that the bumkens are actually talking to the traitors as well! And while the note is vague on what exactly it is that is being discussed, the humans being surprisingly tight-lipped about what is happening there despite the usual bribes of gold to the courters. It seems enough that even the dwarfs are getting involved, and not for once, with axes raised.
It became a situation that the king's court could no longer ignore, but as expected, what must be done has so far had only lead to shouting matches rather than decisions as one prince tries to leverage old claims while another princess decries the misuse of funds while others scream and shout just to be heard. Oh, politics, how you miss it.
And that leads to this letter in your hand; it seems that someone in the court believes that as the guardian of Lustua and of the elven holds still active in it, you are an 'expert' on colony politics and someone to ask advice on who would be the best agent to send to make diplomatic overturns... and someone that might spend their own political influence on such a project. (you expect that fostering off the political costs was the main draw to sending the letter than for your 'expert' advice)
Still, do you care to spend such influence? The Sea of Claws and those actors in and around it are not your responsibility and never have been; if anything, their increased activity in that sea might just explain the easing of raids within your own, not something you can complain about... But at the same time, them being over there means you cant gut them yourself and leaving it up to someone not under your influence to combat the traitors' actions and whispers leaves you ill at ease.
[ ] It is not your problem.
'You reply to the letter with a page of polite nothingness; this is not a project you are interested in getting involved with. Someone else will come along to deal with it.
[ ] Recommend Lord Finrian Stardrake (yourself) (+10 influence, +5 glory, - a post even further from home.)
If there is a better way to scare off Druchii diplomatic ships from sailing to a land than to anchor the Exelceron just off its coast, you have yet to hear of it. Plus, while you are far from famous in the human lands, you and your Tridents actions mean that anyone that would look into you from those lands will have a reasonably positive view of you; even the dwarfs would be hard-pressed to ignore that you have saved many of their race from forced bondage. But do you really want to leave your work here half-done for a post that will leave you even further away from home?
[ ] Recommend Captain Ravalushorn Silinaen(-20 influence, + Your man will be in charge.)
The captain of the patrol ship Galadar for the last 50 years, younger brother to a prince of Chrace and one of your former Tridnets, he is a youthful and energetic go-getter, and that would jump at the chance to spread his wings in a way that being the youngest of your fleet captains has denied him. You can also trust that he will keep you up to date on what happening in the colony and follow your instructions…. Though a young military man might not be ideal for something so sensitive.
[ ] Recommend Belodar Whitesurf, high priestess of the Storm Weaver order (- 50 influence, + finally get her out of your hair, - people will not be happy with you for this.)
Fuck the geopolitical consequences; this might be your last chance to be free of the mad priestess and make her someone else's problem.
[ ] Recommend Princess Issidha of Yvresse ( -10 influence, - bother an old friend, + ensure someone competent is in charge of the diplomatic mission)
An old friend from your younger days, better days, Princess Issidha has always been a cool head no matter the situation, whether it was hiding from teachers to go fishing in the estates' lake to leading a desperate last stand in a fort in Id with a handful of locals and 10 spearmen levies. She always knew how to pull through. You can trust her to make the right moves… it's just that she has made it clear that she would rather stay home and run her princedom than go on more adventures. But your sure a bit of pushing can get her to move again.
[ ] Recommend Prince Bel-Deredrel of Cothique (+10 influence, + 5 relations with the revisionists, - throwing an light into a haystack)
From what you understand from the list of names provided and your own memory, Prince Bel-Deredrel is the individual most interested in the role of leader of the diplomatic mission. That his family has some of the most substantial claims of once owning land in the area, explaining why. Luckily it's not any of the land currently controlled by the colonists, being instead around a place now called 'Heiligdorf', but while you're not an expert on current Asur-Empire relations, you are pretty sure that the humans, and Phoenix King for that matter, are a lot less interested in a repeat of Sith Rionnasc'namishathir then he is planning for. Still, his family controls more than a few docks in Cothique, docks that might option up their shipyards for free and their shipbuilders for cheap if you throw your support into their bid.
[ ] Recommended Loremaster Sullasara Wendel of Tor Yvresse (-5 influence, + 15 reputation with the white tower. -???)
A bit of an odd choice as you do not know the woman, But it seems that the tower is very much pushing for her to be sent, which, again, is a bit odd as she appears to be the only member of the tower that they want to send all the way to the old world. But it's always good to have the loremasters owning you. And she does claim to be an expert on human magical culture and development. You may not know how that would help in this case, but it shouldn't hurt either.
and ya, I know, but by this point, Sullasara is my go-to funny character.
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You sign in relief as you retire to your chambers aboard the Exelceron, removing your magnificent but very heavy outerwear and regalia for a sinfully comfortable spider slink robe after finally returning mostly intact from another of Whitesurf's, to quote, 'totally awesome adventures my dudes and dudettes', end quote, and a painfully awkward dinner with Admiral Jahuthryn Seagleam where every minute made you wish you were instead pulling out your own eyelids, having found that the new Lord of Dusk and cousin to the phoenix king was as bullishly punctilious about the Everqeens Decree as you both heard and feared. The most unwanted spice on top of a horrid evening. Still, what is done is done; you will just have to move even more carefully around the innate rules as you continue your unending battle with the traitors.
Taking out a bottle of fine wine (a human style from Cathey made from rice, an acquired taste that most Asur would never even try, but you enjoy it.), you sink into the seat by your desk, bolted to the wood floor in case of storms or battle, to read over the reports your various agents, spies and sergeant among your Trident Bearers have gathered over the last year.
The first set of reports are from your Trident Bearers, once more conveying the simultaneously good and worrying news that raids from Dark Elf reavers and Beastmasters have been at a low this year, just like the last, all along the Lustria coast and islands. Not to say that your Tridents haven't been busy attacking Revers wherever they are spotted and performing daring raids against any Black Arks in the area to kill as many fiends as possible and free any slaves they can get to. It's a good thing that 'Swamp Town' is now in the hands of a more reasonable human faction and is happy to take both human and dwarf captives off your hands to fill out their population… you're not confident it will last any better than their other attempts. Still, at least for now, your conscience can escape another year of having to dump innocents on the docks of Skeggi that Ithisar'naynazythai Yn Daroth can't, or won't, absorb.
Sadly your agents have far worst news compared to your tridents. Without Druchii competition, the Ne'er-do-wells among your own have taken up the burden of embarrassing your people. Your spies on The Island of Comity have gotten you a report showing a marked increase in the poaching of exotic animals and the smuggling of Lustrian narcotics through sea guard checkpoints. Meaning even more of such has yet to be noticed. You have your suspicions on who might be involved. Still, ultimately such transgressions are in the remit of the Governor of Spear Reef Island and the Jailer of Comity, not yourself. (even if you are sure that at least one of them is complicit in the crimes or at least bribed to silence)
Especially with how often you must sweep violations of the Decree under the rug yourself. For much better reasons, true. But pointing fingers is how you get said fingers burned off by the phoenix flames for your own sins.
Returning to the humans, Skeggi has been quiet and loud in equal measure. Raids and such have been down since the latest 'King' murdered the last 'King' without first making sure that the other killers would follow, the civil war spilling blood in the streets distracting them from spilling it elsewhere. Strangely, most of the veteran savages have kept out of things, instead preparing to head north back to the northern lands, something drawing them back to the heart of their dark patrons' power. You would be worried if this was not a pattern you have seen repeatedly during your nearly 1000-year watch.
Annoyingly, Swamptown is still without a real leader and will be of little use outside its own little corner for now. Most Asur would not see why it should matter, but you have learned that in the fight against evil, all hands are welcome, and man can and has proven to be at least more helpful than not when given a chance… mostly.
The servants of the Old Ones have been… themselves. They are consistent, if nothing else, perplexing, aggravating and onerous, but consistent. Unless riled up, they will do the same things this year they did last year and a 100 years back. Nothing happened, so nothing has changed.
On the other side of the spectrum, that blasted pirate is at it again, raiding up and down his coast for gold and new 'crew members' to fill out his rotting ships, your men and woman near the area have had to divert every ship they see around or away, but the pressure is already mounting from the trade lords to just let the merchants take their risks. Was it really too much to hope that they could have done a better job keeping him when the Lizards of Chokablox finally captured the abomination?
Reports done with. It was finally time to stop ignoring the letter still resting on the table, the wax seal of the foreign affairs tower almost burning a hole into the polished wood, with reluctance, as you very much doubt it was a positive reply to your request to be put in charge of the Citadel of Dusk when a relative of the King has only just been given the post, you open it with a tar to see what new indignities you will have to endure.
Your frown quickly changes nature as you read through the letter, from annoyance to curiosity, when you realise that this was a plea for your wisdom rather than orders most stifling...
It seems that one of the rouge colonies in the old world, the ones that live in a woodland instead of the ones being half possessed by the forest they live in, are finally ending their long isolation and have been talking to the Empire of Sigmar. (yes, it's ridiculous to call that half-ass alliance of tribes an empire, but a little bit of tact goes a long way with calming released slaves.)
That would usually not be something Urthran would even find interesting, let alone the Phoenix court problem. (the old world colonies made their choice when they refused the call.) if it wasn't for the fact that the bumkens are actually talking to the traitors as well! And while the note is vague on what exactly it is that is being discussed, the humans being surprisingly tight-lipped about what is happening there despite the usual bribes of gold to the courters. It seems enough that even the dwarfs are getting involved, and not for once, with axes raised.
It became a situation that the king's court could no longer ignore, but as expected, what must be done has so far had only lead to shouting matches rather than decisions as one prince tries to leverage old claims while another princess decries the misuse of funds while others scream and shout just to be heard. Oh, politics, how you miss it.
And that leads to this letter in your hand; it seems that someone in the court believes that as the guardian of Lustua and of the elven holds still active in it, you are an 'expert' on colony politics and someone to ask advice on who would be the best agent to send to make diplomatic overturns... and someone that might spend their own political influence on such a project. (you expect that fostering off the political costs was the main draw to sending the letter than for your 'expert' advice)
Still, do you care to spend such influence? The Sea of Claws and those actors in and around it are not your responsibility and never have been; if anything, their increased activity in that sea might just explain the easing of raids within your own, not something you can complain about... But at the same time, them being over there means you cant gut them yourself and leaving it up to someone not under your influence to combat the traitors' actions and whispers leaves you ill at ease.
[ ] It is not your problem.
'You reply to the letter with a page of polite nothingness; this is not a project you are interested in getting involved with. Someone else will come along to deal with it.
[ ] Recommend Lord Finrian Stardrake (yourself) (+10 influence, +5 glory, - a post even further from home.)
If there is a better way to scare off Druchii diplomatic ships from sailing to a land than to anchor the Exelceron just off its coast, you have yet to hear of it. Plus, while you are far from famous in the human lands, you and your Tridents actions mean that anyone that would look into you from those lands will have a reasonably positive view of you; even the dwarfs would be hard-pressed to ignore that you have saved many of their race from forced bondage. But do you really want to leave your work here half-done for a post that will leave you even further away from home?
[ ] Recommend Captain Ravalushorn Silinaen(-20 influence, + Your man will be in charge.)
The captain of the patrol ship Galadar for the last 50 years, younger brother to a prince of Chrace and one of your former Tridnets, he is a youthful and energetic go-getter, and that would jump at the chance to spread his wings in a way that being the youngest of your fleet captains has denied him. You can also trust that he will keep you up to date on what happening in the colony and follow your instructions…. Though a young military man might not be ideal for something so sensitive.
[ ] Recommend Belodar Whitesurf, high priestess of the Storm Weaver order (- 50 influence, + finally get her out of your hair, - people will not be happy with you for this.)
Fuck the geopolitical consequences; this might be your last chance to be free of the mad priestess and make her someone else's problem.
[ ] Recommend Princess Issidha of Yvresse ( -10 influence, - bother an old friend, + ensure someone competent is in charge of the diplomatic mission)
An old friend from your younger days, better days, Princess Issidha has always been a cool head no matter the situation, whether it was hiding from teachers to go fishing in the estates' lake to leading a desperate last stand in a fort in Id with a handful of locals and 10 spearmen levies. She always knew how to pull through. You can trust her to make the right moves… it's just that she has made it clear that she would rather stay home and run her princedom than go on more adventures. But your sure a bit of pushing can get her to move again.
[ ] Recommend Prince Bel-Deredrel of Cothique (+10 influence, + 5 relations with the revisionists, - throwing an light into a haystack)
From what you understand from the list of names provided and your own memory, Prince Bel-Deredrel is the individual most interested in the role of leader of the diplomatic mission. That his family has some of the most substantial claims of once owning land in the area, explaining why. Luckily it's not any of the land currently controlled by the colonists, being instead around a place now called 'Heiligdorf', but while you're not an expert on current Asur-Empire relations, you are pretty sure that the humans, and Phoenix King for that matter, are a lot less interested in a repeat of Sith Rionnasc'namishathir then he is planning for. Still, his family controls more than a few docks in Cothique, docks that might option up their shipyards for free and their shipbuilders for cheap if you throw your support into their bid.
[ ] Recommended Loremaster Sullasara Wendel of Tor Yvresse (-5 influence, + 15 reputation with the white tower. -???)
A bit of an odd choice as you do not know the woman, But it seems that the tower is very much pushing for her to be sent, which, again, is a bit odd as she appears to be the only member of the tower that they want to send all the way to the old world. But it's always good to have the loremasters owning you. And she does claim to be an expert on human magical culture and development. You may not know how that would help in this case, but it shouldn't hurt either.
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I like Lord Finrian, one of the few WFRP High elves that are overall a pretty decent guy full stop. (barring a little elve pride and dwarf dislike)
and ya, I know, but by this point, Sullasara is my go-to funny character.
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