The year is GC 780, or 2304 by the Imperial Calendar. The month is Nachexen, and a chill wind...
Warhammer Fantasy: The Shield of the South
- Thread starter Nervos Belli
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Intro Post
Nervos Belli
Don't think this means you've won!
- Location
- Murica
The year is GC 780, or 2304 by the Imperial Calendar. The month is Nachexen, and a chill wind freezes the breath in front of you as you stare at what remains of your city. For it is your city now, with your father and so many others slain in the great war. For while Magnus the Pious rallied the Old World to stand against Asavar Kul, he arrived too late to save many of your countrymen, your own family among them. But you and yours are no strangers to hardship, for none who live in Kislev are safe from the many threats that surround them. Norscans strike from Sea of Claws, burning villages and seizing ships. Kyazak riders descend from the wastes, tearing through the countryside and bringing the foul taint of Chaos with them. And who could forget the Greenskins of the World's Edge Mountains, who pillage and burn their way through the land when the mood strikes them. To be a Kislevite, Gospodar or Ungol, is to live on the brink of death, for in your harsh unforgiving land, it may come at any time. The task before you would quell the spirits of any soft Southerner, but you are a child of Ursun, of Dazh and Tor, and you shall prevail.
Hello again, SV. I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that Warhammer Ogre Quest is going on hiatus, likely permanently. The good news is that I have a new idea, and I'm feeling more confident in both my writing skills and the setting of this one. As you've likely gathered, you will be taking on the role of a Kislevite noble in the immediate aftermath of the Great War on Chaos, which basically means you get to run a broken down city full of homeless starving peasants who may or may not have been tainted with Chaos. The first step though, is to choose which city you will rule.
[] Erengrad, the great port of Kislev. According to some, it is second only to Marienburg as a trading hub of the Old World, and the quantity and variety of ships in your harbor attest to that. From Araby to Bretonnia, ships from across the Old World come to buy and sell. Your lands were spared the worst of the depredations of Asavar Kul, although many of your men who went to Praag or Kislev City never returned. Still, this puts you in a better position than most of Kislev. (Easy Mode)
Advantages
-Trade: You are a large and bus y port, and money flows into your coffers like a river of gold. +Tariff Income
-Unravaged: Asavar Kul's main army swept through Praag and onto Kislev City. While your fields still suffered, things could be far worse. +Population, limited damage.
-Fertile Soil: A rarity in Kislev, you are far enough South and near enough to water that much of the land around your city is suitable for agriculture. +Farming Income
Disadvantages:
-Black Sails: As the closest port to Norsca on the Sea of Claws, your shipping lanes are a popular destination for Norscan Pirates. Also, Kislev doesn't have a proper navy, so you're limited to what help you can get from the Empire and what ships you can scrape up yourself. +Norscan Raiders, -Navy
-Forests: The Grovod forest is to your Northeast, and to the South lies the vast Forest of Shadows. While the lumber can be useful, the herds of beastmen lurking tend to outweight the benefits. +Beastmen Raids
-The Price of Freedom: Rebuilding Kislev will be an expensive and timeconsuming process, and much of the land is simply too depopulated and ravaged to produce much of value. As one of the few profitable areas of Kislev remaining, your obligation to your brothers and sisters will be heavy +Tax Burden
[] Praag, Fortress of the North. You never expected to be in charge of Praag. According to the one time you bothered to check, you were somewhere around the twentieth in line to inherit the title of Boyar, and that you are now in charge speaks to the losses your city has suffered. Rebuilding will be a long and arduous task, but you have the full support of the Tsar, and can count on aid from many sources should you be attacked again, which you undoubtedly will. (Hard Mode)
Advantages:
-Tsar's Backing: Tsar Alexi has thrown his full support behind the rebuilding of Praag, and is willing to offer nearly anything to see it done. +Reconstruction Funds, Can Request Favors from Tsar
-No one left to Scheme: The politics of Kislev are as cutthroat as anywhere else in the Old World, but with so many noble families dead, the allocation of titles is basically yours to do with as you see fit. +Land, Internal Harmony
-Guaranteed: Especially after the siege of Praag bought time for Magnus the Pious to assemble his grand army, your role as the bastion against Chaos has never been stronger. When you are attacked, you can count on aid from far and wide.+Alliances, Guaranteed Military Aid
Disadvantages
-Tainted: During the sack of Praag, strange energies were set loose in the city, turning stone to flesh and streets to thorny thickets, and far worse. Even after the land was cleansed with fire, the ground retains the stench of Chaos. +Chaos, Bad things
-Scorched Earth: Even before the burning, the land surrounding Praag was never the most fertile. With the purges that took place, you and your people are left homeless with almost no arable soil. Simply surviving will be a struggle. +Hunger, Cold
-Giant Target: Remember those military alliances? Yeah, you're going to need those. Pretty much anyone who doesn't have a boat and hates the Old World has to pass by you to reach them. And that's a lot of people.+Enemies
Hello again, SV. I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that Warhammer Ogre Quest is going on hiatus, likely permanently. The good news is that I have a new idea, and I'm feeling more confident in both my writing skills and the setting of this one. As you've likely gathered, you will be taking on the role of a Kislevite noble in the immediate aftermath of the Great War on Chaos, which basically means you get to run a broken down city full of homeless starving peasants who may or may not have been tainted with Chaos. The first step though, is to choose which city you will rule.
[] Erengrad, the great port of Kislev. According to some, it is second only to Marienburg as a trading hub of the Old World, and the quantity and variety of ships in your harbor attest to that. From Araby to Bretonnia, ships from across the Old World come to buy and sell. Your lands were spared the worst of the depredations of Asavar Kul, although many of your men who went to Praag or Kislev City never returned. Still, this puts you in a better position than most of Kislev. (Easy Mode)
Advantages
-Trade: You are a large and bus y port, and money flows into your coffers like a river of gold. +Tariff Income
-Unravaged: Asavar Kul's main army swept through Praag and onto Kislev City. While your fields still suffered, things could be far worse. +Population, limited damage.
-Fertile Soil: A rarity in Kislev, you are far enough South and near enough to water that much of the land around your city is suitable for agriculture. +Farming Income
Disadvantages:
-Black Sails: As the closest port to Norsca on the Sea of Claws, your shipping lanes are a popular destination for Norscan Pirates. Also, Kislev doesn't have a proper navy, so you're limited to what help you can get from the Empire and what ships you can scrape up yourself. +Norscan Raiders, -Navy
-Forests: The Grovod forest is to your Northeast, and to the South lies the vast Forest of Shadows. While the lumber can be useful, the herds of beastmen lurking tend to outweight the benefits. +Beastmen Raids
-The Price of Freedom: Rebuilding Kislev will be an expensive and timeconsuming process, and much of the land is simply too depopulated and ravaged to produce much of value. As one of the few profitable areas of Kislev remaining, your obligation to your brothers and sisters will be heavy +Tax Burden
[] Praag, Fortress of the North. You never expected to be in charge of Praag. According to the one time you bothered to check, you were somewhere around the twentieth in line to inherit the title of Boyar, and that you are now in charge speaks to the losses your city has suffered. Rebuilding will be a long and arduous task, but you have the full support of the Tsar, and can count on aid from many sources should you be attacked again, which you undoubtedly will. (Hard Mode)
Advantages:
-Tsar's Backing: Tsar Alexi has thrown his full support behind the rebuilding of Praag, and is willing to offer nearly anything to see it done. +Reconstruction Funds, Can Request Favors from Tsar
-No one left to Scheme: The politics of Kislev are as cutthroat as anywhere else in the Old World, but with so many noble families dead, the allocation of titles is basically yours to do with as you see fit. +Land, Internal Harmony
-Guaranteed: Especially after the siege of Praag bought time for Magnus the Pious to assemble his grand army, your role as the bastion against Chaos has never been stronger. When you are attacked, you can count on aid from far and wide.+Alliances, Guaranteed Military Aid
Disadvantages
-Tainted: During the sack of Praag, strange energies were set loose in the city, turning stone to flesh and streets to thorny thickets, and far worse. Even after the land was cleansed with fire, the ground retains the stench of Chaos. +Chaos, Bad things
-Scorched Earth: Even before the burning, the land surrounding Praag was never the most fertile. With the purges that took place, you and your people are left homeless with almost no arable soil. Simply surviving will be a struggle. +Hunger, Cold
-Giant Target: Remember those military alliances? Yeah, you're going to need those. Pretty much anyone who doesn't have a boat and hates the Old World has to pass by you to reach them. And that's a lot of people.+Enemies
Character Sheet
Nervos Belli
Don't think this means you've won!
- Location
- Murica
Vladimir Rukov
D: 10+1=11
M:11+1+1=13
S:12+1+6=19
I:9+1=10
P:10+1-1=10
L:13+1+1=15
Fortune Builder: +6 Stewardship, +1 Martial, +1 Learning, -1 Piety You recieved an economic focused education, and could easily turn a small business into a flourishing enterprise with a little capital and a few months.
Intelligent: +1 All, Genetic You have always been just a little bit smarter than all your peers, and can outperform the average person at just about anything
Hatred of Chaos: +2 Martial when facing Chaos Aligned Enemies Like all Kislevites, you harbor a burning hatred of Chaos for the crimes they committed during their invasion of your country.
Depressed: -1 All Stats You are still grieving the loss of your father and brothers.
D: 10+1=11
M:11+1+1=13
S:12+1+6=19
I:9+1=10
P:10+1-1=10
L:13+1+1=15
Fortune Builder: +6 Stewardship, +1 Martial, +1 Learning, -1 Piety You recieved an economic focused education, and could easily turn a small business into a flourishing enterprise with a little capital and a few months.
Intelligent: +1 All, Genetic You have always been just a little bit smarter than all your peers, and can outperform the average person at just about anything
Hatred of Chaos: +2 Martial when facing Chaos Aligned Enemies Like all Kislevites, you harbor a burning hatred of Chaos for the crimes they committed during their invasion of your country.
Depressed: -1 All Stats You are still grieving the loss of your father and brothers.
Last edited:
Other Characters
Nervos Belli
Don't think this means you've won!
- Location
- Murica
Reserved
State of the Realm
Nervos Belli
Don't think this means you've won!
- Location
- Murica
Military:
Pulk of Erengrad:
3500 Kossars(axes, bows)
Good Attack, Good Defense, Average Mobility
500 Rangers(bows, daggers)
Good+ Attack, Good Defense, Good Mobility
500 Druzhina(swords, mounted)
Good+ Attack, Average Defense, Excellent Mobility
300 Winged Lancers(lances, mounted)
Excellent Attack, Good Defense, Good Mobility
200 Ungol Horse Archers(bows, mounted)
Good+ Attack, Average Defense, Excellent Mobility
Militia:
10,000 Militiamen(spears, improvised weapons)
Very Poor Attack, Poor Defense, Average Mobility
Upkeep:
50 per 10000 Kossars
50 per 2000 Rangers
50 per 2000 Druzinha
50 per 1000 Winged Lancers
50 per 2000 Ungol Horse Archers
Economy:
Treasury: 290 Gold
Income:
Total Income: 1300
Trade Income: 800
Tax Income(Nobles): 100
Tax Income(Burghers): 200
Tax Income(Peasants): 150
Logging Income: 50
Expenditures:
Total Expenditures: 1060
Reconstruction Taxes: 1000
Military Upkeep: 60
Food Situation:
Huge Surplus
Large Surplus
Small Surplus
Stable
Small Deficit
Large Deficit
Huge Deficit
Notable Settlements:
Erengrad: Large City, Major Port
Maja Uvemny: Large Town
Czorne: Large Hamlet
Krone: Large Hamlet, Small Logging Camp
Opinions:
Noble: 6/10 Seems to have things in decent order
Peasant: 4/10 Well at least we're not starving any more.
Pulk of Erengrad:
3500 Kossars(axes, bows)
Good Attack, Good Defense, Average Mobility
500 Rangers(bows, daggers)
Good+ Attack, Good Defense, Good Mobility
500 Druzhina(swords, mounted)
Good+ Attack, Average Defense, Excellent Mobility
300 Winged Lancers(lances, mounted)
Excellent Attack, Good Defense, Good Mobility
200 Ungol Horse Archers(bows, mounted)
Good+ Attack, Average Defense, Excellent Mobility
Militia:
10,000 Militiamen(spears, improvised weapons)
Very Poor Attack, Poor Defense, Average Mobility
Upkeep:
50 per 10000 Kossars
50 per 2000 Rangers
50 per 2000 Druzinha
50 per 1000 Winged Lancers
50 per 2000 Ungol Horse Archers
Economy:
Treasury: 290 Gold
Income:
Total Income: 1300
Trade Income: 800
Tax Income(Nobles): 100
Tax Income(Burghers): 200
Tax Income(Peasants): 150
Logging Income: 50
Expenditures:
Total Expenditures: 1060
Reconstruction Taxes: 1000
Military Upkeep: 60
Food Situation:
Huge Surplus
Large Surplus
Small Surplus
Stable
Small Deficit
Large Deficit
Huge Deficit
Notable Settlements:
Erengrad: Large City, Major Port
Maja Uvemny: Large Town
Czorne: Large Hamlet
Krone: Large Hamlet, Small Logging Camp
Opinions:
Noble: 6/10 Seems to have things in decent order
Peasant: 4/10 Well at least we're not starving any more.
Last edited:
Character Generation
Nervos Belli
Don't think this means you've won!
- Location
- Murica
Vote is called, Erengrad is the winner. "Easy" Mode it is. Don't worry those of you who wanted Praag, it'll still be plenty challenging. Now for character generation.
Gender:
[] Male
[] Female
Name:
[] Write-in (Must have the title of Kniaz)
Education:
[] Intricate Webweaver: +6 Intrigue, +1 Martial, +1 Diplomacy, -1 Stewardship
[] Charismatic Negotiator: +6 Diplomacy, +1 Piety, +1 Learning, -1 Martial
[] Fortune Builder: +6 Stewardship, +1 Martial, +1 Learning, -1 Piety
[] Skilled Tactician: +6 Martial, +1 Stewardship, +1 Intrigue, -1 Learning
[] Learned Theologian: +6 Piety, +1 Diplomacy, + 1 Stewardship, -1 Intrigue
[] Clever Inventor: +6 Learning, +1 Piety, +1 Intrigue, -1 Diplomacy
Trait Selection:
You have two points to spend on traits. You will notice that some traits have no point value and are entirely negative, you can pick one of those and in return gain a third point.
Gender:
[] Male
[] Female
Name:
[] Write-in (Must have the title of Kniaz)
Education:
[] Intricate Webweaver: +6 Intrigue, +1 Martial, +1 Diplomacy, -1 Stewardship
[] Charismatic Negotiator: +6 Diplomacy, +1 Piety, +1 Learning, -1 Martial
[] Fortune Builder: +6 Stewardship, +1 Martial, +1 Learning, -1 Piety
[] Skilled Tactician: +6 Martial, +1 Stewardship, +1 Intrigue, -1 Learning
[] Learned Theologian: +6 Piety, +1 Diplomacy, + 1 Stewardship, -1 Intrigue
[] Clever Inventor: +6 Learning, +1 Piety, +1 Intrigue, -1 Diplomacy
Trait Selection:
You have two points to spend on traits. You will notice that some traits have no point value and are entirely negative, you can pick one of those and in return gain a third point.
- Temperate +2 Stewardship (1pt)
- Charitable +2 Diplomacy (1pt)
- Diligent +1 all (2pts)
- Patient +2 Learning (1pt)
- Kind +3 Diplomacy - 1 Intrigue (1pt)
- Gluttonous -2 Stewardship (1pt)
- Greedy +2 Stewardship (1pt)
- Slothful -1 all
- Deceitful +3 intrigue -1 Diplomacy (1pt)
- Trusting -2 Intrigue
- Intelligent +1 All, genetic (2pts)
- Honest +3 Diplomacy - 1 Intrigue(1pt)
- Envious +3 Intrigue -1 Diplomacy(1pt)
- Shy -2 Diplomacy
- Gregarious +2 Diplomacy (1pt)
- Craven -4 Martial
- Attractive +2 Diplomacy, genetic (1pt)
- Stubborn -2 Diplomacy
- Brave +1 Martial +1 Diplomacy (1pt)
- Humble +2 Piety(1pt)
- Lustful -1 Piety, +15% Fertility (1pt)
- Arbitrary -2 Stewardship, -2 Diplomacy
- Paranoid +4 Intrigue -2 Diplomacy (1pt)
- Wrothful +2 Martial (1pt)
- Proud +2 Martial (1pt)
- Cruel +2 Intrigue -1 Diplomacy (1pt)
- Scholar +4 Learning -2 Martial (1pt)
- Craven -2 Martial
- Chaste +3 Piety -15% Fertility(1pt)
- Just +1 Stewardship +1 Piety(1pt)
- Arbitrary -2 Stewardship
- Adventurer +2 Martial(1pt)
- Maimed -4 Martial
- Cynical +3 Intrigue -1 Piety (1pt)
- Blacksmith +1 Martial, +1 Learning (1pt)
- Trusting -3 Intrigue
- Lunatic -2 Everything
- Poet +2 Diplomacy (1pt)
- Drunkard -2 Stewardship, -2 Diplomacy
- Arrogant -2 Diplomacy
- Zealous +2 Piety (1pt)
Last edited:
Three Horses
Nervos Belli
Don't think this means you've won!
- Location
- Murica
GC 777/ IC 2301
There are only three horses left in the stable at your palace, the rest having been drafted to haul supplies or troops north. Miska, Shoika, and Subotan. One for your father, and two for your elder brothers, who will be riding at the head of the Erengrad pulk as they march to relieve the siege of Praag. You spot Antony first, checking the buckles on Shoika as a servant adjusts his armor.
"I wish you were coming with us, little brother," he says, lifting you up in a great bear hug.
"I wish I was too," you respond, wincing as your ribs creak. "I want to fight, not cower behind the walls with the women and children."
"Patience, little one" he chuckles. You frown. You've always hated it when he calls you that. "Father has a plan, and you have your part to play in it. The rest is up to Ursun."
"Must you always swear by your bear god? Bad enough the heir to Erengrad belongs to some fringe cult, but do you have to remind people of it every hour?" you snap. Father was displeased when he learned your older brother would not be praying to Dazh every sunrise as he did, but he'd eventually grown accustomed to his son's tastes. Not that it had stopped the rest of the city from talking about it.
"Must you two always argue?" a third voice interjects. Your other older brother, Domovoi. Always playing the peacekeeper. "I am thinking there are enough enemies between us and Praag to not make more."
"And I am thinking that you would have fewer enemies if you learned to stop sticking your nose in others business." you retort.
"Enough!" comes a shout from behind you, and you turn to see your father, Kniaz Josef Rukov himself, mounted on his horse Miska and at the head of a double file of lancers. "I am tired of your squabbling! Antony, one of the rota of lancers is stuck at the bridge in the Low City. Go find out what's delaying them. Domovoi, one of the Kossar captains claims his food stocks were eaten by rats. Go see if he's telling the truth."
With a quickly murmured goodbye your brothers mount their own horses and depart. Your father turns to you, and with a mailed hand beckons you closer. "Vladimir. I know you wish to be joining us, but I need you here. You have a better head for numbers than either of your brothers, and you'll need to keep the supplies coming. I made a good decision hiring Yelisey to teach you." He sighs. "I am sorry you cannot ride with us. Look after your brother's wife, keep the city safe, and keep the countryside clear. I will return as soon as the siege is lifted." Drawing away from you, he lifts his head and calls out, "Men, move out!" He rides through the gate at the head of his company of lancers, his head high and a savage grin on his face.
It will be two years before you see him again.
GC 779/IC 2303
Two years pass, and Praag falls. What remains of the pulk of Erengrad retreats to Kislev city, and besieged, no messages get in or out. Soon the fate of the capital becomes the last thing on your mind, as you struggle to survive against even the ragged edges of Asavar Kul's host. Some Imperial noble named Magnus the Holy or something sends you a letter detailing his plan to lead an army to strike the besieging host, but all your ablebodied men are either dead, guarding their homes, or inside the capital. You send him what supplies you can spare anyways, but truthfully, you expect him to fail like the others before him have. If your father could not hold, how can some soft southerner prevail?
Antony's wife, Natalya, gives birth to their first child, a son. Your nephew Josef, named for the grandfather he has never met.
A miracle happens. Magnus the Pious is victorious. The siege is broken. Soon, your father will return. Antony will meet his son. Domovoi will put down his sword and go back to his books, and your father will look at you and the city you have preserved and praise you. You and Natalya wait at the gate to the city as the bedraggled host pours in.
At its head are three coffins.
AN: Here's a little backstory to tide you over until turn 1 is finished. Vote isn't closed, but consensus seems pretty clear. Not completely happy with this but, eh.
There are only three horses left in the stable at your palace, the rest having been drafted to haul supplies or troops north. Miska, Shoika, and Subotan. One for your father, and two for your elder brothers, who will be riding at the head of the Erengrad pulk as they march to relieve the siege of Praag. You spot Antony first, checking the buckles on Shoika as a servant adjusts his armor.
"I wish you were coming with us, little brother," he says, lifting you up in a great bear hug.
"I wish I was too," you respond, wincing as your ribs creak. "I want to fight, not cower behind the walls with the women and children."
"Patience, little one" he chuckles. You frown. You've always hated it when he calls you that. "Father has a plan, and you have your part to play in it. The rest is up to Ursun."
"Must you always swear by your bear god? Bad enough the heir to Erengrad belongs to some fringe cult, but do you have to remind people of it every hour?" you snap. Father was displeased when he learned your older brother would not be praying to Dazh every sunrise as he did, but he'd eventually grown accustomed to his son's tastes. Not that it had stopped the rest of the city from talking about it.
"Must you two always argue?" a third voice interjects. Your other older brother, Domovoi. Always playing the peacekeeper. "I am thinking there are enough enemies between us and Praag to not make more."
"And I am thinking that you would have fewer enemies if you learned to stop sticking your nose in others business." you retort.
"Enough!" comes a shout from behind you, and you turn to see your father, Kniaz Josef Rukov himself, mounted on his horse Miska and at the head of a double file of lancers. "I am tired of your squabbling! Antony, one of the rota of lancers is stuck at the bridge in the Low City. Go find out what's delaying them. Domovoi, one of the Kossar captains claims his food stocks were eaten by rats. Go see if he's telling the truth."
With a quickly murmured goodbye your brothers mount their own horses and depart. Your father turns to you, and with a mailed hand beckons you closer. "Vladimir. I know you wish to be joining us, but I need you here. You have a better head for numbers than either of your brothers, and you'll need to keep the supplies coming. I made a good decision hiring Yelisey to teach you." He sighs. "I am sorry you cannot ride with us. Look after your brother's wife, keep the city safe, and keep the countryside clear. I will return as soon as the siege is lifted." Drawing away from you, he lifts his head and calls out, "Men, move out!" He rides through the gate at the head of his company of lancers, his head high and a savage grin on his face.
It will be two years before you see him again.
GC 779/IC 2303
Two years pass, and Praag falls. What remains of the pulk of Erengrad retreats to Kislev city, and besieged, no messages get in or out. Soon the fate of the capital becomes the last thing on your mind, as you struggle to survive against even the ragged edges of Asavar Kul's host. Some Imperial noble named Magnus the Holy or something sends you a letter detailing his plan to lead an army to strike the besieging host, but all your ablebodied men are either dead, guarding their homes, or inside the capital. You send him what supplies you can spare anyways, but truthfully, you expect him to fail like the others before him have. If your father could not hold, how can some soft southerner prevail?
Antony's wife, Natalya, gives birth to their first child, a son. Your nephew Josef, named for the grandfather he has never met.
A miracle happens. Magnus the Pious is victorious. The siege is broken. Soon, your father will return. Antony will meet his son. Domovoi will put down his sword and go back to his books, and your father will look at you and the city you have preserved and praise you. You and Natalya wait at the gate to the city as the bedraggled host pours in.
At its head are three coffins.
AN: Here's a little backstory to tide you over until turn 1 is finished. Vote isn't closed, but consensus seems pretty clear. Not completely happy with this but, eh.
Turn 1
Nervos Belli
Don't think this means you've won!
- Location
- Murica
Turn 1: GC 780
Dawn finds you awake at your desk, still balancing the same sheets you were working on the night before. If the reports you have are accurate, Erengrad is basically the only region in Kislev still capable of turning a profit. You had heard the devastation at the capitol was bad, but apparently things were even worse than previously reported. Despite the best efforts of the priests of Dazh and foreign mages from the Empire, the land around where Asavar Kul died has rotted and stinks of Chaos, unable to bear any crops. To make matters worse, the Tsar is still going ahead with his hairbrained scheme to rebuild Praag!
Groaning as the pale light of the rising sun hits your weary eyes, you summon your servants to attend to you. Even in these darkest of times, Erengrad demands you keep up appearances. Fine cloth from the Empire dyed red and gold, boots lined with a wolf's pelt, and a thick cloak made from the pelt of a great bear your father's huntsman, Ivan, had killed some four years ago. Ivan rode off with your father and older brothers to Praag when the horde descended. You miss them all.
Your father had been a hard man, slow to laugh and quick to raise his hand in anger. He'd always favored your older siblings, the ones who were always out in the yard training with the Kossars. You're competent enough in a fight as well, but it's never been what truly excited you. Your older brother Antony liked to joke that you would die with a quill in hand while he had two swords.
Time for breakfast. Making way down the grand staircase that cost Dazh knows how much to install you're unsurprised to find Yelisey there before you. Your tutor and oldest friend has a plate loaded with fish and grains in front of him, with several more off to the side.
"Is it really appropriate to eat that much, given how many are starving?" you call out, only half in jest.
"It's stress, my friend, stress I tell you!" he replies through a mouthful of herring. "When the peasants learn to pay their taxes on time and with the proper coins then they can string me up for eating too much. I'd die happy."
"You'd snap the rope if they tried", you say. "And it's my Kniaz now, Yelisey."
He sighs. "Must you be so stuffy? The only ones here are us and the servants, and your father had them vetted strictly. A little informality can hardly hurt."
He's right about one thing at least. With father, Antony, and Domovoi gone and Natalya refusing to leave her room, the long table that was usually full of cheer and merriment is empty. If only it were so simple. "Many of my father's safeguards died with him at Praag. I've already caught the Gorbachev's trying to plant a spy in the kitchen, with a vial of some southern poison in hand. They hated him, and now that all the proper heirs are gone-"
"Don't talk like that!" Yelisey interrupts. "Your father trusted you with the city while he was gone, he had faith in you, Vladimir."
"More he didn't trust me to be by his side when battle came." You sigh. You've had this conversation a dozen times over. Either way, your breakfast is getting cold, and your business as Kniaz will be starting soon. Time to get to work.
Gained Trait Hatred of Chaos: Like all Kislevites, you lost many loved ones and friends in the Great War against Chaos. You harbor a burning hatred for Chaos and its servants. +2 Martial when fighting Chaos aligned enemies.
Gained Trait Depressed: The death of your father and elder brothers at Praag has left you grieving. -1 All Stats.
Diplomacy: Konstantin Yelchukov is one of the most powerful Boyars in the land surrounding Erengrad, and served as your father's right hand for many years. You were perhaps fortunate he was too old to ride to Praag with the rest of the nobles, as his mind is still sharp. Right now he is most concerned about the famine almost certain to strike the realm, but he acknowledges that you are perhaps the most protected from that danger. (Pick 1)
[] Feeding the Poor: Erengrad is the largest port in Kislev, and traders from far and wide are known to stop here. Boyar Yelchukov suggests you commission a few merchants to haul grain from abroad nonstop in order to feed the peasants. They'll be operating at a loss, so you'll have to compensate them for their time. Cost: 50 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success: 85% Reward: Food Situation in Erengrad improved one step(Any improvement beyond stable will go to feeding the rest of the country)
[] Extending a Clawed Hand: You, Nordland, and Ostland, are the three regions of the Old World that face attack in the Sea of Claws. Of the two, Nordland has both the larger port and the First Imperial Fleet. Contact the Count of Nordland, and see about arranging some trade between your two provinces. Cost: 0 Time: 1 Year: Chance of Success: 100% Reward: Diplomatic contact with Count of Nordland, +50 Trade Income
Martial: With the overwhelming majority of your father's commanders dead at Praag, you're having to make do with what you can get. What you can get turns out to be a heavily scarred woman who had disguised herself as a man to fight and apparently was a captain in one of your Kossar detachments when the war began. By the end she was commanding what was left of the pulk of Erengrad as the most senior officer left. The more you talk to Daria, the more convinced you are that she took more than physical damage in the war. She breaks off conversations midway, and sometimes gives orders to soldiers that aren't there. Still, she shows a natural aptitude for war, and you don't have anyone better to replace her with. (Pick 1)
[] Reorganization: The Pulk of Erengrad took a severe mauling in the Great War, though they fared significantly better than many other pulks. They will need to be tallied and reorganized into a fighting force that suits their reduced numbers before they can be used in any significant way. Cost: 0 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success: 100% Reward: Composition of Army known, can be deployed.
[] Surpluses: With the shortage of bodies, one thing you have in abundance for the first time is spare weapons. Distributing these to the local militias would make them able to hold out longer against any enemy that attacked them. Of course, that could include your own troops if the militia start feeling rebellious. Cost 0: Time: 1 Year Chance of Success: 100% Reward: Spare weapons distributed to militia. Militia attack increases from Very Poor to Poor.
Stewardship: Your father hired Yelisey to tutor you in the management of money almost a decade ago, and he proved himself to have an appetite for learning equal to his appetite for food. There's no one you would rather have managing your accounts, save for yourself. (Pick 2)
[] Settling Claims: The war drove many from their lands, and there are refugees from across Kislev huddled in Erengrad, unable or unwilling to return home. There are also huge tracts of land that are going unplowed with their owners and heirs killed. The land will need to be divided up and redistributed in order to be worked. Get the refugees out doing something productive and feeding themselves. Cost: 50 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success 100% Reward: Food Situation Improved by one step, fewer refugees on the streets.
[] Plumbing the Depths: Fish is a staple throughout Erengrad, and the Sea of Claws is rich with them. Converting a few merchant ships into fishers will hurt your income a bit, but the extra food may be worth it. Cost: 100 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success 100% Reward: Food Situation Improved by one step
[] Wood for Ships: If you want to protect yourself from the Norscans, you're going to need ships. Warships, not the converted merchantmen you rely on now. In order to build warships, the first thing you'll need is lumber. Fortunately, the Grovod Forest is just to your north. Cost: 50 Chance of Success: 85% Reward: Lumber camp established in Krovas +50 Logging Income
Intrigue: Your father was excellent at determining a man's character, and had many loyal informants and spies. Unfortunately, most of them are now dead, and you have no way of contacting those who remain. (Pick 1)
[] Find a Spymaster: Put out the word you're looking for someone skilled in the subtle arts, and see what you get. Or even better, don't put out the word and see who responds! You'll have to think about it.
Piety: Your father's chaplain Father Zhukov is a man of over sixty, yet he carries himself as if several decades younger. Specifically, he carries himself in the pursuit of young ladies. Despite his eccentricities, his mind remains as sharp as ever, and his faith in Dazh is absolute. (Pick 1)
[] Purging the Taint: Though not as bad as around Praag, the taint of Chaos spread to your lands during the invasion. The Priests of Dazh are willing to go around the countryside and ensure the lands are clean. This will require quite a bit of fire though. Cost: 0 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success 85% Reward: Food Situation Decreases by one step. Land is clear of chaos taint.
[] NIce to meet you: You have a tower of Ice Mages in your city. You've never really spoken to them much, and they mostly keep to themselves. During the recent war they proved their power, but since they've retreated inwards. Father Zhukov suggests going to speak with them and getting them more engaged with the city. Cost: 0 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success: 85% Reward: Ice Mages leave their tower more often, start helping in non-emergency situations.
Learning: Your father was a somewhat conservative man, and had little use for innovation or experimentation. After his death you were approached by dozens of individuals looking for patronage, but only one caught your eye. Lev Gronov is a foul-mouthed dwarf (of the short kind, not the race) who claims to have worked for an armorer in Nuln during his youth. Whether he's telling the truth is unclear, but he certainly knows his way around a forge, and is competent enough in other areas besides. (Pick 1)
[] Proper Furnishings: Lev is currently working in the basement of your castle, which is fine for some things, but limits the experiments he can conduct to the non-explosive kind. While you appreciate his concern for your home's structural integrity, you agree that he could use a proper workshop to conduct his research. Cost: 100 Time: 2 Years Chance of Success: 100% Reward: More Learning Actions available, +1 Learning Action
[] A Better Beer?: Alcohol is a way of life in Kislev, between the climate and the company your country keeps. Lev, an avid drinker himself, wishes to experiment with brewing different beers. Dazh knows your people could use some cheer in desperate times. Cost: 50 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success: 85% Reward: New alcohol, happier, drunker populace.
Personal: Being the Kniaz is exhausting, but you try to make time for yourself whenever you can. It isn't easy, but even a few hours swinging your sword in the practice yard makes it easier to not kill the next idiot with a title who comes up complaining to you about Dazh knows what. (Pick 2)
[] Praise the Sun: You feel lost. Father was supposed to live for another decade at least, and then this would be Antony's job, with you supporting him as you'd been learning to do. Now you are alone, and thrust into a job that would be difficult in the best of times. You need guidance. Perhaps Dazh can help you? Cost: 0 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success: ?? Reward: Center oneself through prayer. Chance of losing trait Depressed.
[] My Brother's Keeper: Your sister-in law Natalya hasn't been seen for weeks. If it were not for the trays of food left outside her door disappearing and empty ones appearing you wouldn't know if she was alive or not. Your nephew Josef is attended to by his wetnurse and a veritable army of maids, but he needs his mother. And you could use a friend in these times. Cost: 0 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success: ?? Reward: Natalya starts interacting with world again, accepts the loss of her husband.
[] Marriage: As the new prince of Kislev's second largest city, you are quite possibly the most eligible bachelor in the entire country. You need to secure alliances before your father's enemies descend like wolves, and there is no better way to do that than a marriage. Send letters to all the local lords and some beyond that you are looking for a wife, and see who responds. Cost: 0 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success: 100% Reward: Marriage Options
Dawn finds you awake at your desk, still balancing the same sheets you were working on the night before. If the reports you have are accurate, Erengrad is basically the only region in Kislev still capable of turning a profit. You had heard the devastation at the capitol was bad, but apparently things were even worse than previously reported. Despite the best efforts of the priests of Dazh and foreign mages from the Empire, the land around where Asavar Kul died has rotted and stinks of Chaos, unable to bear any crops. To make matters worse, the Tsar is still going ahead with his hairbrained scheme to rebuild Praag!
Groaning as the pale light of the rising sun hits your weary eyes, you summon your servants to attend to you. Even in these darkest of times, Erengrad demands you keep up appearances. Fine cloth from the Empire dyed red and gold, boots lined with a wolf's pelt, and a thick cloak made from the pelt of a great bear your father's huntsman, Ivan, had killed some four years ago. Ivan rode off with your father and older brothers to Praag when the horde descended. You miss them all.
Your father had been a hard man, slow to laugh and quick to raise his hand in anger. He'd always favored your older siblings, the ones who were always out in the yard training with the Kossars. You're competent enough in a fight as well, but it's never been what truly excited you. Your older brother Antony liked to joke that you would die with a quill in hand while he had two swords.
Time for breakfast. Making way down the grand staircase that cost Dazh knows how much to install you're unsurprised to find Yelisey there before you. Your tutor and oldest friend has a plate loaded with fish and grains in front of him, with several more off to the side.
"Is it really appropriate to eat that much, given how many are starving?" you call out, only half in jest.
"It's stress, my friend, stress I tell you!" he replies through a mouthful of herring. "When the peasants learn to pay their taxes on time and with the proper coins then they can string me up for eating too much. I'd die happy."
"You'd snap the rope if they tried", you say. "And it's my Kniaz now, Yelisey."
He sighs. "Must you be so stuffy? The only ones here are us and the servants, and your father had them vetted strictly. A little informality can hardly hurt."
He's right about one thing at least. With father, Antony, and Domovoi gone and Natalya refusing to leave her room, the long table that was usually full of cheer and merriment is empty. If only it were so simple. "Many of my father's safeguards died with him at Praag. I've already caught the Gorbachev's trying to plant a spy in the kitchen, with a vial of some southern poison in hand. They hated him, and now that all the proper heirs are gone-"
"Don't talk like that!" Yelisey interrupts. "Your father trusted you with the city while he was gone, he had faith in you, Vladimir."
"More he didn't trust me to be by his side when battle came." You sigh. You've had this conversation a dozen times over. Either way, your breakfast is getting cold, and your business as Kniaz will be starting soon. Time to get to work.
Gained Trait Hatred of Chaos: Like all Kislevites, you lost many loved ones and friends in the Great War against Chaos. You harbor a burning hatred for Chaos and its servants. +2 Martial when fighting Chaos aligned enemies.
Gained Trait Depressed: The death of your father and elder brothers at Praag has left you grieving. -1 All Stats.
Diplomacy: Konstantin Yelchukov is one of the most powerful Boyars in the land surrounding Erengrad, and served as your father's right hand for many years. You were perhaps fortunate he was too old to ride to Praag with the rest of the nobles, as his mind is still sharp. Right now he is most concerned about the famine almost certain to strike the realm, but he acknowledges that you are perhaps the most protected from that danger. (Pick 1)
[] Feeding the Poor: Erengrad is the largest port in Kislev, and traders from far and wide are known to stop here. Boyar Yelchukov suggests you commission a few merchants to haul grain from abroad nonstop in order to feed the peasants. They'll be operating at a loss, so you'll have to compensate them for their time. Cost: 50 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success: 85% Reward: Food Situation in Erengrad improved one step(Any improvement beyond stable will go to feeding the rest of the country)
[] Extending a Clawed Hand: You, Nordland, and Ostland, are the three regions of the Old World that face attack in the Sea of Claws. Of the two, Nordland has both the larger port and the First Imperial Fleet. Contact the Count of Nordland, and see about arranging some trade between your two provinces. Cost: 0 Time: 1 Year: Chance of Success: 100% Reward: Diplomatic contact with Count of Nordland, +50 Trade Income
Martial: With the overwhelming majority of your father's commanders dead at Praag, you're having to make do with what you can get. What you can get turns out to be a heavily scarred woman who had disguised herself as a man to fight and apparently was a captain in one of your Kossar detachments when the war began. By the end she was commanding what was left of the pulk of Erengrad as the most senior officer left. The more you talk to Daria, the more convinced you are that she took more than physical damage in the war. She breaks off conversations midway, and sometimes gives orders to soldiers that aren't there. Still, she shows a natural aptitude for war, and you don't have anyone better to replace her with. (Pick 1)
[] Reorganization: The Pulk of Erengrad took a severe mauling in the Great War, though they fared significantly better than many other pulks. They will need to be tallied and reorganized into a fighting force that suits their reduced numbers before they can be used in any significant way. Cost: 0 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success: 100% Reward: Composition of Army known, can be deployed.
[] Surpluses: With the shortage of bodies, one thing you have in abundance for the first time is spare weapons. Distributing these to the local militias would make them able to hold out longer against any enemy that attacked them. Of course, that could include your own troops if the militia start feeling rebellious. Cost 0: Time: 1 Year Chance of Success: 100% Reward: Spare weapons distributed to militia. Militia attack increases from Very Poor to Poor.
Stewardship: Your father hired Yelisey to tutor you in the management of money almost a decade ago, and he proved himself to have an appetite for learning equal to his appetite for food. There's no one you would rather have managing your accounts, save for yourself. (Pick 2)
[] Settling Claims: The war drove many from their lands, and there are refugees from across Kislev huddled in Erengrad, unable or unwilling to return home. There are also huge tracts of land that are going unplowed with their owners and heirs killed. The land will need to be divided up and redistributed in order to be worked. Get the refugees out doing something productive and feeding themselves. Cost: 50 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success 100% Reward: Food Situation Improved by one step, fewer refugees on the streets.
[] Plumbing the Depths: Fish is a staple throughout Erengrad, and the Sea of Claws is rich with them. Converting a few merchant ships into fishers will hurt your income a bit, but the extra food may be worth it. Cost: 100 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success 100% Reward: Food Situation Improved by one step
[] Wood for Ships: If you want to protect yourself from the Norscans, you're going to need ships. Warships, not the converted merchantmen you rely on now. In order to build warships, the first thing you'll need is lumber. Fortunately, the Grovod Forest is just to your north. Cost: 50 Chance of Success: 85% Reward: Lumber camp established in Krovas +50 Logging Income
Intrigue: Your father was excellent at determining a man's character, and had many loyal informants and spies. Unfortunately, most of them are now dead, and you have no way of contacting those who remain. (Pick 1)
[] Find a Spymaster: Put out the word you're looking for someone skilled in the subtle arts, and see what you get. Or even better, don't put out the word and see who responds! You'll have to think about it.
Piety: Your father's chaplain Father Zhukov is a man of over sixty, yet he carries himself as if several decades younger. Specifically, he carries himself in the pursuit of young ladies. Despite his eccentricities, his mind remains as sharp as ever, and his faith in Dazh is absolute. (Pick 1)
[] Purging the Taint: Though not as bad as around Praag, the taint of Chaos spread to your lands during the invasion. The Priests of Dazh are willing to go around the countryside and ensure the lands are clean. This will require quite a bit of fire though. Cost: 0 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success 85% Reward: Food Situation Decreases by one step. Land is clear of chaos taint.
[] NIce to meet you: You have a tower of Ice Mages in your city. You've never really spoken to them much, and they mostly keep to themselves. During the recent war they proved their power, but since they've retreated inwards. Father Zhukov suggests going to speak with them and getting them more engaged with the city. Cost: 0 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success: 85% Reward: Ice Mages leave their tower more often, start helping in non-emergency situations.
Learning: Your father was a somewhat conservative man, and had little use for innovation or experimentation. After his death you were approached by dozens of individuals looking for patronage, but only one caught your eye. Lev Gronov is a foul-mouthed dwarf (of the short kind, not the race) who claims to have worked for an armorer in Nuln during his youth. Whether he's telling the truth is unclear, but he certainly knows his way around a forge, and is competent enough in other areas besides. (Pick 1)
[] Proper Furnishings: Lev is currently working in the basement of your castle, which is fine for some things, but limits the experiments he can conduct to the non-explosive kind. While you appreciate his concern for your home's structural integrity, you agree that he could use a proper workshop to conduct his research. Cost: 100 Time: 2 Years Chance of Success: 100% Reward: More Learning Actions available, +1 Learning Action
[] A Better Beer?: Alcohol is a way of life in Kislev, between the climate and the company your country keeps. Lev, an avid drinker himself, wishes to experiment with brewing different beers. Dazh knows your people could use some cheer in desperate times. Cost: 50 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success: 85% Reward: New alcohol, happier, drunker populace.
Personal: Being the Kniaz is exhausting, but you try to make time for yourself whenever you can. It isn't easy, but even a few hours swinging your sword in the practice yard makes it easier to not kill the next idiot with a title who comes up complaining to you about Dazh knows what. (Pick 2)
[] Praise the Sun: You feel lost. Father was supposed to live for another decade at least, and then this would be Antony's job, with you supporting him as you'd been learning to do. Now you are alone, and thrust into a job that would be difficult in the best of times. You need guidance. Perhaps Dazh can help you? Cost: 0 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success: ?? Reward: Center oneself through prayer. Chance of losing trait Depressed.
[] My Brother's Keeper: Your sister-in law Natalya hasn't been seen for weeks. If it were not for the trays of food left outside her door disappearing and empty ones appearing you wouldn't know if she was alive or not. Your nephew Josef is attended to by his wetnurse and a veritable army of maids, but he needs his mother. And you could use a friend in these times. Cost: 0 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success: ?? Reward: Natalya starts interacting with world again, accepts the loss of her husband.
[] Marriage: As the new prince of Kislev's second largest city, you are quite possibly the most eligible bachelor in the entire country. You need to secure alliances before your father's enemies descend like wolves, and there is no better way to do that than a marriage. Send letters to all the local lords and some beyond that you are looking for a wife, and see who responds. Cost: 0 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success: 100% Reward: Marriage Options
Turn 1 Results
Nervos Belli
Don't think this means you've won!
- Location
- Murica
Turn 1 Results:
[X] Feeding the Poor: Erengrad is the largest port in Kislev, and traders from far and wide are known to stop here. Boyar Yelchukov suggests you commission a few merchants to haul grain from abroad nonstop in order to feed the peasants. They'll be operating at a loss, so you'll have to compensate them for their time. Cost: 50 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success: 85% Reward: Food Situation in Erengrad improved one step(Any improvement beyond stable will go to feeding the rest of the country)
Needed: 15 Rolled: 59 Success
The captains are hired, the ships are sent, and within a few weeks wagonloads of grain are being distributed to the poor of the city. The dole proves unsurprisingly popular, although you do have problems ensuring that people don't cheat the system by lining up multiple times. A system of tickets is established, with one ticket providing food for the day for a household. The process slows the distribution down somewhat, but no one is getting more than their fair share, and almost everyone is fed.
Reward: Food Situation improved one step, no waste of food being brought in.
[X] Reorganization: The Pulk of Erengrad took a severe mauling in the Great War, though they fared significantly better than many other pulks. They will need to be tallied and reorganized into a fighting force that suits their reduced numbers before they can be used in any significant way. Cost: 0 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success: 100% Reward: Composition of Army known, can be deployed.
Needed 1: Rolled: 69 Success
The news is… less grim than it could have been. Out of an army of some twenty thousand men that marched to Praag, about five thousand men remain. Mostly Kossars, solid men armed with axes and bows. A few rangers, some Druzhina light cavalry, and a handful of Ungol horse archers. The worst losses are among the lancers. Out of twenty rota, two thousand men, only three hundred remain. Erengrad will not be launching any major campaigns soon, unless you wish to leave the city defended solely by the militia.
Reward: Military added to State of the Realm post
[X] Settling Claims: The war drove many from their lands, and there are refugees from across Kislev huddled in Erengrad, unable or unwilling to return home. There are also huge tracts of land that are going unplowed with their owners and heirs killed. The land will need to be divided up and redistributed in order to be worked. Get the refugees out doing something productive and feeding themselves. Cost: 50 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success 100% Reward: Food Situation Improved by one step, fewer refugees on the streets.
Needed: 1 Rolled: 63
This takes up much of your time over the course of the year. Untangling several hundred years of land deeds and shifting borders is a frustrating process, and in the end you take advantage of the depopulation to redraw the maps significantly. Grids are drawn up and noble estates of now dead families are combined and smoothed out. Families are given a plot of land roughly five acres in size and a bag of seeds, and ordered to produce a crop by the next winter. In most of the Old World this would be unreasonable, but Kislevites are nothing if not adaptable, and by the end of summer the plants are growing nicely. Unfortunately, much of it turns out to be Chaos-tainted and has to be burned, but what remains is enough to feed more of your citizenry.
Reward: Food Situation improved by one step, less overcrowding in city. +50 Peasant Tax
[X] Wood for Ships: If you want to protect yourself from the Norscans, you're going to need ships. Warships, not the converted merchantmen you rely on now. In order to build warships, the first thing you'll need is lumber. Fortunately, the Grovod Forest is just to your north. Cost: 50 Chance of Success: 85% Reward: Lumber camp established in Krovas +50 Logging Income
Needed: 15 Rolled: 30
This very nearly goes wrong. A horde of beastmen erupt from the forest, and come close to overrunning Krovas entirely. Fortunately a patrol of Kossars were nearby, and they managed to rally the militia and hold against the tide long enough for reinforcements to come. Other than that, work continues apace. A proper lumbermill is established in Krovas, and wagons of planks and logs are sent around the forest to Erengrad from the south. The path is long and dangerous, but after their initial attack, the beastmen raids have mostly subsided.
Reward: Logging Camp established in Krovas, +50 Lumber Income
[X] Find a Spymaster: Put out the word you're looking for someone skilled in the subtle arts, and see what you get. Or even better, don't put out the word and see who responds! You'll have to think about it.
Needed: 1 Rolled 54 Secret Stat Roll: ??
You begin your search by looking for any contacts among your father's old spy ring. Unfortunately, if any survived the war, they have gone to ground and have proven impossible to find. Next, you begin looking for someone trustworthy among your court with the necessary skills. This too proves fruitless. Either they are of unfriendly or uncertain loyalty, or simply too incompetent to serve you in such capacity. You've almost begun to give up when… (Continued Below)
[X] Purging the Taint: Though not as bad as around Praag, the taint of Chaos spread to your lands during the invasion. The Priests of Dazh are willing to go around the countryside and ensure the lands are clean. This will require quite a bit of fire though. Cost: 0 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success 85% Reward: Food Situation Decreases by one step. Land is clear of chaos taint.
Needed: 15 Rolled: 73
It's a good thing you let the priests do their job, you decide. A plague nearly starts in the crops you had planted, and most of them are found to be poisonous and must be destroyed. The priests of Dazh take note of where the corrupted plants came from, and go to each farmstead and conduct their rituals. At sunrise, the ground is covered in holy oil and set alight, while the priests offer prayers to their god. According to Father Zhukov the ground should be fit to produce a fine crop by next spring.
[X] A Better Beer?: Alcohol is a way of life in Kislev, between the climate and the company your country keeps. Lev, an avid drinker himself, wishes to experiment with brewing different beers. Dazh knows your people could use some cheer in desperate times. Cost: 50 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success: 85% Reward: New alcohol, happier, drunker populace.
Needed: 15 Rolled: 2
This started off so well. Due to the shortages of barley and other grains, Lev was experimenting with other sources of alcohol. He discovered that a potent beer could be made from wood of all things, and excitedly, you ordered the brewers of the city to begin produce it at once. Saving your precious grain and producing alcohol, you thought it couldn't get any better. Dozens of cases of blindness and other horrifying injuries persuade you rapidly that this was a poor idea, and now the peasants are accusing you of trying to poison them! You could wring Lev's neck for this.
Failure: -1 Peasant Opinion
[X] Praise the Sun: You feel lost. Father was supposed to live for another decade at least, and then this would be Antony's job, with you supporting him as you'd been learning to do. Now you are alone, and thrust into a job that would be difficult in the best of times. You need guidance. Perhaps Dazh can help you? Cost: 0 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success: ?? Reward: Center oneself through prayer. Chance of losing trait Depressed.
Needed:1 Rolled: 74
After the fiasco with the wood alcohol, you spend much of your time in silent contemplation, casting your prayers to Dazh every sunrise and sunset. Am I worthy? Can I serve as my father did? Questions with no answers, perhaps. But even though you receive no response, the knowledge that Dazh is there and listening sustains you. You may be only half the man your father was, so you'll simply have to work twice as hard. You cannot fail.
Success?: Faith in Dazh reconfirmed, no further negative trait gain.
[X] My Brother's Keeper: Your sister-in law Natalya hasn't been seen for weeks. If it were not for the trays of food left outside her door disappearing and empty ones appearing you wouldn't know if she was alive or not. Your nephew Josef is attended to by his wetnurse and a veritable army of maids, but he needs his mother. And you could use a friend in these times. Cost: 0 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success: ?? Reward: Natalya starts interacting with world again, accepts the loss of her husband.
Needed: 1 Rolled: 93
You knock on the door for the fourth time this week. No response. You call out "Natalya, please open the damn door." No response. "Your son needs you. Antony is dead, but Josef needs you." Again, no response. Enough of this. You have been patient, accommodating, and tactful but now, you have reached your limit. Seizing a bench in the hall, you lift it bodily and smash your improvised ram into the door. It buckles, and you force your way into the bedroom.
The first word you would use to describe the room is filthy. The remains of half eaten meals are scattered across the floor, and furniture has been torn up and smashed to pieces against the walls. Your sister-in-law lies on the grand bed, far too large for just her alone. The fire is out, and the room is bitterly cold.
"Leave me alone," she says, idly flinging an empty bottle of some Tilean wine at you. It goes far wide, and shatters against the wall. Her face is lined and tearstained, and there are large bags under her eyes.
"How much longer are you going to stay like this? Antony is dead. Domovoi is dead. My father is dead. But your son is alive, and he needs you. Are you going to abandon him?"
At that, she starts upright. "How am I supposed to care for my son when all I see when I look at him is Antony? When all I think about is the mangled corpse of my husband? He's better off without me."
At this the rage in your heart dies, and you look upon Natalya with new understanding. Like you, she is lost. Like you, she is afraid. You have been sustained by your faith and your duty. "You're wrong," you say. "You are needed, Your son needs you. And I..I need your help as well. I know you were training to manage the spies for Antony when my father died. Will you help me?"
She stands, and you see a cautious hope in her weary eyes. "Do you truly mean what you say?"
"Yes," you answer.
"Then I will do what I can."
Reward: Natalya Rukov loses trait Depressed. Natalya Rukov begins to raise her son and your current heir. Natalya Rukov becomes your spymaster.
AN: Whew. That took longer than I expected, especially the last bit. You needed a 75 on prayer to lose Depressed, btw. Economy will be updated soon. Rumor mill over the weekend, then Turn 2 will be up by Monday hopefully.
[X] Feeding the Poor: Erengrad is the largest port in Kislev, and traders from far and wide are known to stop here. Boyar Yelchukov suggests you commission a few merchants to haul grain from abroad nonstop in order to feed the peasants. They'll be operating at a loss, so you'll have to compensate them for their time. Cost: 50 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success: 85% Reward: Food Situation in Erengrad improved one step(Any improvement beyond stable will go to feeding the rest of the country)
Needed: 15 Rolled: 59 Success
The captains are hired, the ships are sent, and within a few weeks wagonloads of grain are being distributed to the poor of the city. The dole proves unsurprisingly popular, although you do have problems ensuring that people don't cheat the system by lining up multiple times. A system of tickets is established, with one ticket providing food for the day for a household. The process slows the distribution down somewhat, but no one is getting more than their fair share, and almost everyone is fed.
Reward: Food Situation improved one step, no waste of food being brought in.
[X] Reorganization: The Pulk of Erengrad took a severe mauling in the Great War, though they fared significantly better than many other pulks. They will need to be tallied and reorganized into a fighting force that suits their reduced numbers before they can be used in any significant way. Cost: 0 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success: 100% Reward: Composition of Army known, can be deployed.
Needed 1: Rolled: 69 Success
The news is… less grim than it could have been. Out of an army of some twenty thousand men that marched to Praag, about five thousand men remain. Mostly Kossars, solid men armed with axes and bows. A few rangers, some Druzhina light cavalry, and a handful of Ungol horse archers. The worst losses are among the lancers. Out of twenty rota, two thousand men, only three hundred remain. Erengrad will not be launching any major campaigns soon, unless you wish to leave the city defended solely by the militia.
Reward: Military added to State of the Realm post
[X] Settling Claims: The war drove many from their lands, and there are refugees from across Kislev huddled in Erengrad, unable or unwilling to return home. There are also huge tracts of land that are going unplowed with their owners and heirs killed. The land will need to be divided up and redistributed in order to be worked. Get the refugees out doing something productive and feeding themselves. Cost: 50 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success 100% Reward: Food Situation Improved by one step, fewer refugees on the streets.
Needed: 1 Rolled: 63
This takes up much of your time over the course of the year. Untangling several hundred years of land deeds and shifting borders is a frustrating process, and in the end you take advantage of the depopulation to redraw the maps significantly. Grids are drawn up and noble estates of now dead families are combined and smoothed out. Families are given a plot of land roughly five acres in size and a bag of seeds, and ordered to produce a crop by the next winter. In most of the Old World this would be unreasonable, but Kislevites are nothing if not adaptable, and by the end of summer the plants are growing nicely. Unfortunately, much of it turns out to be Chaos-tainted and has to be burned, but what remains is enough to feed more of your citizenry.
Reward: Food Situation improved by one step, less overcrowding in city. +50 Peasant Tax
[X] Wood for Ships: If you want to protect yourself from the Norscans, you're going to need ships. Warships, not the converted merchantmen you rely on now. In order to build warships, the first thing you'll need is lumber. Fortunately, the Grovod Forest is just to your north. Cost: 50 Chance of Success: 85% Reward: Lumber camp established in Krovas +50 Logging Income
Needed: 15 Rolled: 30
This very nearly goes wrong. A horde of beastmen erupt from the forest, and come close to overrunning Krovas entirely. Fortunately a patrol of Kossars were nearby, and they managed to rally the militia and hold against the tide long enough for reinforcements to come. Other than that, work continues apace. A proper lumbermill is established in Krovas, and wagons of planks and logs are sent around the forest to Erengrad from the south. The path is long and dangerous, but after their initial attack, the beastmen raids have mostly subsided.
Reward: Logging Camp established in Krovas, +50 Lumber Income
[X] Find a Spymaster: Put out the word you're looking for someone skilled in the subtle arts, and see what you get. Or even better, don't put out the word and see who responds! You'll have to think about it.
Needed: 1 Rolled 54 Secret Stat Roll: ??
You begin your search by looking for any contacts among your father's old spy ring. Unfortunately, if any survived the war, they have gone to ground and have proven impossible to find. Next, you begin looking for someone trustworthy among your court with the necessary skills. This too proves fruitless. Either they are of unfriendly or uncertain loyalty, or simply too incompetent to serve you in such capacity. You've almost begun to give up when… (Continued Below)
[X] Purging the Taint: Though not as bad as around Praag, the taint of Chaos spread to your lands during the invasion. The Priests of Dazh are willing to go around the countryside and ensure the lands are clean. This will require quite a bit of fire though. Cost: 0 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success 85% Reward: Food Situation Decreases by one step. Land is clear of chaos taint.
Needed: 15 Rolled: 73
It's a good thing you let the priests do their job, you decide. A plague nearly starts in the crops you had planted, and most of them are found to be poisonous and must be destroyed. The priests of Dazh take note of where the corrupted plants came from, and go to each farmstead and conduct their rituals. At sunrise, the ground is covered in holy oil and set alight, while the priests offer prayers to their god. According to Father Zhukov the ground should be fit to produce a fine crop by next spring.
[X] A Better Beer?: Alcohol is a way of life in Kislev, between the climate and the company your country keeps. Lev, an avid drinker himself, wishes to experiment with brewing different beers. Dazh knows your people could use some cheer in desperate times. Cost: 50 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success: 85% Reward: New alcohol, happier, drunker populace.
Needed: 15 Rolled: 2
This started off so well. Due to the shortages of barley and other grains, Lev was experimenting with other sources of alcohol. He discovered that a potent beer could be made from wood of all things, and excitedly, you ordered the brewers of the city to begin produce it at once. Saving your precious grain and producing alcohol, you thought it couldn't get any better. Dozens of cases of blindness and other horrifying injuries persuade you rapidly that this was a poor idea, and now the peasants are accusing you of trying to poison them! You could wring Lev's neck for this.
Failure: -1 Peasant Opinion
[X] Praise the Sun: You feel lost. Father was supposed to live for another decade at least, and then this would be Antony's job, with you supporting him as you'd been learning to do. Now you are alone, and thrust into a job that would be difficult in the best of times. You need guidance. Perhaps Dazh can help you? Cost: 0 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success: ?? Reward: Center oneself through prayer. Chance of losing trait Depressed.
Needed:1 Rolled: 74
After the fiasco with the wood alcohol, you spend much of your time in silent contemplation, casting your prayers to Dazh every sunrise and sunset. Am I worthy? Can I serve as my father did? Questions with no answers, perhaps. But even though you receive no response, the knowledge that Dazh is there and listening sustains you. You may be only half the man your father was, so you'll simply have to work twice as hard. You cannot fail.
Success?: Faith in Dazh reconfirmed, no further negative trait gain.
[X] My Brother's Keeper: Your sister-in law Natalya hasn't been seen for weeks. If it were not for the trays of food left outside her door disappearing and empty ones appearing you wouldn't know if she was alive or not. Your nephew Josef is attended to by his wetnurse and a veritable army of maids, but he needs his mother. And you could use a friend in these times. Cost: 0 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success: ?? Reward: Natalya starts interacting with world again, accepts the loss of her husband.
Needed: 1 Rolled: 93
You knock on the door for the fourth time this week. No response. You call out "Natalya, please open the damn door." No response. "Your son needs you. Antony is dead, but Josef needs you." Again, no response. Enough of this. You have been patient, accommodating, and tactful but now, you have reached your limit. Seizing a bench in the hall, you lift it bodily and smash your improvised ram into the door. It buckles, and you force your way into the bedroom.
The first word you would use to describe the room is filthy. The remains of half eaten meals are scattered across the floor, and furniture has been torn up and smashed to pieces against the walls. Your sister-in-law lies on the grand bed, far too large for just her alone. The fire is out, and the room is bitterly cold.
"Leave me alone," she says, idly flinging an empty bottle of some Tilean wine at you. It goes far wide, and shatters against the wall. Her face is lined and tearstained, and there are large bags under her eyes.
"How much longer are you going to stay like this? Antony is dead. Domovoi is dead. My father is dead. But your son is alive, and he needs you. Are you going to abandon him?"
At that, she starts upright. "How am I supposed to care for my son when all I see when I look at him is Antony? When all I think about is the mangled corpse of my husband? He's better off without me."
At this the rage in your heart dies, and you look upon Natalya with new understanding. Like you, she is lost. Like you, she is afraid. You have been sustained by your faith and your duty. "You're wrong," you say. "You are needed, Your son needs you. And I..I need your help as well. I know you were training to manage the spies for Antony when my father died. Will you help me?"
She stands, and you see a cautious hope in her weary eyes. "Do you truly mean what you say?"
"Yes," you answer.
"Then I will do what I can."
Reward: Natalya Rukov loses trait Depressed. Natalya Rukov begins to raise her son and your current heir. Natalya Rukov becomes your spymaster.
AN: Whew. That took longer than I expected, especially the last bit. You needed a 75 on prayer to lose Depressed, btw. Economy will be updated soon. Rumor mill over the weekend, then Turn 2 will be up by Monday hopefully.
Turn 1 Rumor Mill
Nervos Belli
Don't think this means you've won!
- Location
- Murica
Turn 1 Rumor Mill:
Spring 778/IC 2304
Reconstruction Begins!:
Food and supplies pour into Praag, as with the Tsar's support, an unprecedented amount of resources are sent north to rebuild the great bastion. Aid comes from the Empire as well, with the generous Magnus the Pious offering what help he can spare to his northern ally. Already the first crop has been sown, and the foundations of a new city, far more defensible and sturdy are under construction.
Magi of the South?:
In a move that surprised many, Magnus the Pious has called for the acceptance of magic users in the often backwards and superstitious Empire. Of course, here in Kislev we are proud of our Ice Magi, and they served us ably in the Great War. The idea of accepting male magi on the other hand is of course absurd, and unsurprisingly there has been great resistance in the Empire. What is surprising is the source of the resistance. The Witch Hunters, long the scourge of magic users, have remained silent on the issue, apparently still focused on hunting the remnants of chaos and other monsters. The Elector Counts have nearly universally opposed the idea, clinging to their traditions and their fears. The common folk, however, are far more receptive to the idea than anyone expected. Especially in the North, where outriders of Asavar Kul's horde reached and raided, there exists a sudden well of goodwill for the hedge magi that rallied against the invaders, often saving entire villages. Only time will tell what will become of this radical proposal.
New Prince of Erengrad:
Following the death of Prince Josef of Erengrad as well as his son and heir at the siege of Praag, his third son, Vladimir Rukov, has ascended to the head of the second largest city in Kislev. Already he has begun reconstruction efforts, reopening the port, and distributing grain to a starving populace. Neither the brave general his oldest brother was nor the skilled diplomat his other brother was, the new Prince seems focused on the economic development of Erengrad. This is a good thing perhaps, as the taxes levied on him are perhaps the only thing paying for the reconstruction of the rest of Kislev. The boyars remain divided on their opinion of him, while after a series of unfortunate deaths peasant opinion is at an all time low. But who cares what the other half thinks, right?
Fall 778/IC 2304
Famine in the Capital!:
Tsar Alexi's dedication to the reconstruction of Praag, while well intended, may have been in error. For while the steady stream of supplies have ensure the health of the workers on the northern bastion, it would seem that he has neglected his own city, and now large portions of the populace are dying of hunger. The Tsar has avoided commenting directly on the plight of the people, only saying that sacrifices must be made for the security of the capital. But what use, or so goes the thought of the peasant, is a fortress in the north when all behind it are dead of hunger? Murmers of discontent have been heard among the militia, and as terrible as the thought is, fair Kislev may yet again be plunged into war so soon after the defeat of our great enemy.
Disaster at Praag!:
Tragic events in the northern city as work crews clearing rubble from the leveled city stumbled upon what seems to have been a trap planted by the foul forces of Chaos, missed in the initial purges of the land. A host of daemons and other foul things were unleashed upon the unsuspecting workers, slaughtering hundreds, and undoing a year's worth of progress. To make matters worse, wherever the beasts died the ground was tainted even more severely, and some of the priests believe it will be nigh impossible to remove the corruption. The new boyar of Praag rallied the armies of Kislev against this foe and was successful, but will have much work ahead of him to rebuild the shattered city.
News From Abroad:
War in Estalia:
Merchants from Estalia bring word that another war has broken out between the nations of Magritta and Bibali, over what none can say. The southern nations, ignorant of the dangers of chaos, are all to eager to fight among themselves.
Quiet in the Sea of Claws:
The Norscan raiders were quiet this year, with many of their number having perished in the Great War. Merchant vessels from Araby that do business with the foul folk reported that some small skirmishes had broken out between the tribes, but most were content to lick their wounds and rebuild their ships. One should not expect the tenuous peace to continue.
Movement in the World's Edge Mountains:
Dwarven Scouts and Kislevite Rangers both reported large movement of greenskins in the World's Edge Mountains, with ancient dwarf holds spewing forth large numbers of both orks and goblins. There does not appear to be much pattern to the movement yet, and those experienced with the ways of the greenskin speculate they are still fighting over leadership before moving to fight another race. A close eye must be kept on the situation.
AN: Some odd rolls this turn. Will try to have Turn 2 up by Monday.
Spring 778/IC 2304
Reconstruction Begins!:
Food and supplies pour into Praag, as with the Tsar's support, an unprecedented amount of resources are sent north to rebuild the great bastion. Aid comes from the Empire as well, with the generous Magnus the Pious offering what help he can spare to his northern ally. Already the first crop has been sown, and the foundations of a new city, far more defensible and sturdy are under construction.
Magi of the South?:
In a move that surprised many, Magnus the Pious has called for the acceptance of magic users in the often backwards and superstitious Empire. Of course, here in Kislev we are proud of our Ice Magi, and they served us ably in the Great War. The idea of accepting male magi on the other hand is of course absurd, and unsurprisingly there has been great resistance in the Empire. What is surprising is the source of the resistance. The Witch Hunters, long the scourge of magic users, have remained silent on the issue, apparently still focused on hunting the remnants of chaos and other monsters. The Elector Counts have nearly universally opposed the idea, clinging to their traditions and their fears. The common folk, however, are far more receptive to the idea than anyone expected. Especially in the North, where outriders of Asavar Kul's horde reached and raided, there exists a sudden well of goodwill for the hedge magi that rallied against the invaders, often saving entire villages. Only time will tell what will become of this radical proposal.
New Prince of Erengrad:
Following the death of Prince Josef of Erengrad as well as his son and heir at the siege of Praag, his third son, Vladimir Rukov, has ascended to the head of the second largest city in Kislev. Already he has begun reconstruction efforts, reopening the port, and distributing grain to a starving populace. Neither the brave general his oldest brother was nor the skilled diplomat his other brother was, the new Prince seems focused on the economic development of Erengrad. This is a good thing perhaps, as the taxes levied on him are perhaps the only thing paying for the reconstruction of the rest of Kislev. The boyars remain divided on their opinion of him, while after a series of unfortunate deaths peasant opinion is at an all time low. But who cares what the other half thinks, right?
Fall 778/IC 2304
Famine in the Capital!:
Tsar Alexi's dedication to the reconstruction of Praag, while well intended, may have been in error. For while the steady stream of supplies have ensure the health of the workers on the northern bastion, it would seem that he has neglected his own city, and now large portions of the populace are dying of hunger. The Tsar has avoided commenting directly on the plight of the people, only saying that sacrifices must be made for the security of the capital. But what use, or so goes the thought of the peasant, is a fortress in the north when all behind it are dead of hunger? Murmers of discontent have been heard among the militia, and as terrible as the thought is, fair Kislev may yet again be plunged into war so soon after the defeat of our great enemy.
Disaster at Praag!:
Tragic events in the northern city as work crews clearing rubble from the leveled city stumbled upon what seems to have been a trap planted by the foul forces of Chaos, missed in the initial purges of the land. A host of daemons and other foul things were unleashed upon the unsuspecting workers, slaughtering hundreds, and undoing a year's worth of progress. To make matters worse, wherever the beasts died the ground was tainted even more severely, and some of the priests believe it will be nigh impossible to remove the corruption. The new boyar of Praag rallied the armies of Kislev against this foe and was successful, but will have much work ahead of him to rebuild the shattered city.
News From Abroad:
War in Estalia:
Merchants from Estalia bring word that another war has broken out between the nations of Magritta and Bibali, over what none can say. The southern nations, ignorant of the dangers of chaos, are all to eager to fight among themselves.
Quiet in the Sea of Claws:
The Norscan raiders were quiet this year, with many of their number having perished in the Great War. Merchant vessels from Araby that do business with the foul folk reported that some small skirmishes had broken out between the tribes, but most were content to lick their wounds and rebuild their ships. One should not expect the tenuous peace to continue.
Movement in the World's Edge Mountains:
Dwarven Scouts and Kislevite Rangers both reported large movement of greenskins in the World's Edge Mountains, with ancient dwarf holds spewing forth large numbers of both orks and goblins. There does not appear to be much pattern to the movement yet, and those experienced with the ways of the greenskin speculate they are still fighting over leadership before moving to fight another race. A close eye must be kept on the situation.
AN: Some odd rolls this turn. Will try to have Turn 2 up by Monday.
Turn 2
Nervos Belli
Don't think this means you've won!
- Location
- Murica
Turn 2:
Your dinner table has become less lonely of late. Natalya now joins you and Yelisey for meals, bringing with her the screaming ball of energy that is your nephew Josef. Already, he stumbles around the room on unsteady feet, and seems to eat as much as a grown man. It's odd to think that he will have no memories of the Great War, that all the destruction and death visited upon your land will be a part of the history his tutor will teach him. You wonder what history will make of your father. He was a strong man, if not necessarily a good one, but Kislev has far more need for strong men than good ones. So you think it will remember him kindly. You can only hope the same for yourself, when you are gone to Morr's embrace.
Still, you hope that day is long in the future, for you have enough problems to deal with in the present. The reconstruction of Praag has met serious setbacks, and they could doubtless need some aid beyond which you already supply them. But at the same time, you have your own lands to look to, and your people are greatly discontent. The lingering famine and the failure of your alcohol investment have been an inauspicious start to your reign, and Natalya reports that many people think that you are cursed by some fell power, perhaps for your cowardice at staying behind rather than going to Praag.
All in all, you have a great deal of work ahead of you. Best get started.
Diplomacy: Konstantin Yelchukov is one of the most powerful Boyars in the land surrounding Erengrad, and served as your father's right hand for many years. You were perhaps fortunate he was too old to ride to Praag with the rest of the nobles, as his mind is still sharp. Right now he is most concerned about the famine almost certain to strike the realm, but he acknowledges that you are perhaps the most protected from that danger. (Pick 1)
[] Need Some Help?: So the rebuilding of Praag isn't off to a great start. You're already paying for most of the work through your taxes, but any additional help you can offer them would certainly be appreciated. Lumber, food, kvas, all the little things it takes to keep a city running. Cost: 50 Chance of Success: 100% Reward: Improved relations with Boyar of Praag. Reconstruction gains bonus.
[] Extending a Clawed Hand: You, Nordland, and Ostland, are the three regions of the Old World that face attack in the Sea of Claws. Of the two, Nordland has both the larger port and the First Imperial Fleet. Contact the Count of Nordland, and see about arranging some trade between your two provinces. Cost: 0 Time: 1 Year: Chance of Success: 100% Reward: Diplomatic contact with Count of Nordland, +50 Trade Income
Martial: With the overwhelming majority of your father's commanders dead at Praag, you're having to make do with what you can get. What you can get turns out to be a heavily scarred woman who had disguised herself as a man to fight and apparently was a captain in one of your Kossar detachments when the war began. By the end she was commanding what was left of the pulk of Erengrad as the most senior officer left. The more you talk to Daria, the more convinced you are that she took more than physical damage in the war. She breaks off conversations midway, and sometimes gives orders to soldiers that aren't there. Still, she shows a natural aptitude for war, and you don't have anyone better to replace her with. (Pick 1)
[] The Long Patrol: The city of Erengrad itself is secure for the moment, but you cannot say the same for the surrounding countryside. Daria suggests you send out your Kossars to patrol the land and give you advance warning of any threats. This would leave your already small army even more decentralized, however. Cost:0 Chance of Success: 100/55% Reward: More Advance Warning of attacks, chance to raise Peasant Opinion
[] Surpluses: With the shortage of bodies, one thing you have in abundance for the first time is spare weapons. Distributing these to the local militias would make them able to hold out longer against any enemy that attacked them. Of course, that could include your own troops if the militia start feeling rebellious. Cost 0: Time: 1 Year Chance of Success: 100% Reward: Spare weapons distributed to militia. Militia attack increases from Very Poor to Poor.
Stewardship: Your father hired Yelisey to tutor you in the management of money almost a decade ago, and he proved himself to have an appetite for learning equal to his appetite for food. There's no one you would rather have managing your accounts, save for yourself. (Pick 2)
[] Drydocks: The docks of Erengrad are massive, and can fit ships of varied build from countries around the world. One thing they do not do however, is produce ships themselves. That has always been a task of Kislev City, where the ships were constructed in the Lynsk and then sailed down to the sea. With the capital in disarray, perhaps it is time to construct more on your own? Cost: 100 Time 2 Years: Chance of Success: 100% Reward: Drydocks, can construct warships
[] Plumbing the Depths: Fish is a staple throughout Erengrad, and the Sea of Claws is rich with them. Converting a few merchant ships into fishers will hurt your income a bit, but the extra food may be worth it. Cost: 100 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success 100% Reward: Food Situation Improved by one step
[] Winter Harvest: Even the most arable soil in Kislev is lucky to bear one harvest a year; the climate is simply too cold for growth much of the year. At least, that is the conventional wisdom. You've heard of other, hardier crops, that might be able to be grown in the fallow months. Planting these would go a long way towards helping your population recover. Cost: 50 Chance of Success: 70% Reward: Food Situation Improved by one step +50 Peasant Tax
Intrigue: Natalya has taken up this duty, and is already being run ragged between her new responsibilities and her son. However, she has confided in you that being busy is a good thing, as it allows her to avoid dwelling on the past. You're inclined to agree. (Pick 1)
[] The Old: Your father's spy network is entirely inaccessible to you, the old man's paranoia and the sheer number of deaths at Praag have severed any connections between you and what spies remain. Natalya could try to seek them out, however there is no guarantee she would be successful. Cost: 0 Chance of Success: 40% Reward: Spy network reestablished in Erengrad
[] The New: Instead of trying to find an order of agents who may or may not still be alive, Natalya could simply recruit new spies to give you information on the goings-on in town. This would take significantly longer, though. Cost:0 Chance of Success: 100% Time: 2 Years Reward: Spy network reestablished in Erengrad
Piety: Your father's chaplain Father Zhukov is a man of over sixty, yet he carries himself as if several decades younger. Specifically, he carries himself in the pursuit of young ladies. Despite his eccentricities, his mind remains as sharp as ever, and his faith in Dazh is absolute. (Pick 1)
[] A Test of Purity: Rumors are circling that you are a murderer of peasants, that you are a coward, that you are corrupted by the Ruinous Powers. Father Zhukov has offered to help you dispel at least one of them. He has offered to publicly conduct a ceremony to "prove" in the eyes of superstitious peasants that you are uncorrupted. Smoke and mirrors, but it should ease the fears of the common rabble. However, in private, Father Zhukov tells you that there is a real ritual of Dazh to test one's purity. It is dangerous, but the reward could be great. If you live, that is.
-[] Proceed with the false ritual. Cost:0 Chance of Success: 85% Reward: +1 Peasant Opinion
-[] Conduct the proper ritual. Cost: 0 Chance of Success: ?? Reward: +1 Peasant Opinion, ???
[] NIce to meet you: You have a tower of Ice Mages in your city. You've never really spoken to them much, and they mostly keep to themselves. During the recent war they proved their power, but since they've retreated inwards. Father Zhukov suggests going to speak with them and getting them more engaged with the city. Cost: 0 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success: 85% Reward: Ice Mages leave their tower more often, start helping in non-emergency situations.
Learning: Your father was a somewhat conservative man, and had little use for innovation or experimentation. After his death you were approached by dozens of individuals looking for patronage, but only one caught your eye. Lev Gronov is a foul-mouthed dwarf (of the short kind, not the race) who claims to have worked for an armorer in Nuln during his youth. Whether he's telling the truth is unclear, but he certainly knows his way around a forge, and is competent enough in other areas besides. (Pick 1)
[] Proper Furnishings: Lev is currently working in the basement of your castle, which is fine for some things, but limits the experiments he can conduct to the non-explosive kind. While you appreciate his concern for your home's structural integrity, you agree that he could use a proper workshop to conduct his research. Cost: 100 Time: 2 Years Chance of Success: 100% Reward: More Learning Actions available, +1 Learning Action
[] Signal Mirrors: The flash of light caused by a spyglass or shaving mirror at the proper angle is a well known phenomenon, but Lev has had the idea to turn it into something more useful. He proposes giving small glasses to your officers, and developing a code that would allow them to signal across long distances. The military benefits of such a thing are obvious. Cost: 50 Chance of Success: 85% Reward: Signal Mirrors
Personal: Being the Kniaz is exhausting, but you try to make time for yourself whenever you can. It isn't easy, but even a few hours swinging your sword in the practice yard makes it easier to not kill the next idiot with a title who comes up complaining to you about Dazh knows what. (Pick 2)
[] Family Heirloom: Your father's sword was recovered along with his body, and as the surviving son, by rights it belongs to you now. Made by the dwarves hundreds of years ago, it has been passed down the Rukov family line for generations. You held it once as a child, and your knees buckled under the weight of the forged steel greatsword. Train with it now, and learn to wield it as he did. Cost: 0 Chance of Success 85% Reward: Competent with Dwarven-forged greatsword, chance of +1 Martial
[] Speak to the People: The peasants look upon you with fear and distrust. You cannot blame them for this, as your reign has not begun in the best light. But the situation as it is cannot stand, and while you are not your brother, you are a fair hand at speaking. Go among them and try to ease their worries. Cost: 0 Chance of Success: 70% Reward: +1 Peasant, Noble Opinion
[] Marriage: As the new prince of Kislev's second largest city, you are quite possibly the most eligible bachelor in the entire country. You need to secure alliances before your father's enemies descend like wolves, and there is no better way to do that than a marriage. Send letters to all the local lords and some beyond that you are looking for a wife, and see who responds. Cost: 0 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success: 100% Reward: Marriage Options
AN: So it turns out I'm more motivated to work on this than I thought. Voting is open for twenty-four hours.
Your dinner table has become less lonely of late. Natalya now joins you and Yelisey for meals, bringing with her the screaming ball of energy that is your nephew Josef. Already, he stumbles around the room on unsteady feet, and seems to eat as much as a grown man. It's odd to think that he will have no memories of the Great War, that all the destruction and death visited upon your land will be a part of the history his tutor will teach him. You wonder what history will make of your father. He was a strong man, if not necessarily a good one, but Kislev has far more need for strong men than good ones. So you think it will remember him kindly. You can only hope the same for yourself, when you are gone to Morr's embrace.
Still, you hope that day is long in the future, for you have enough problems to deal with in the present. The reconstruction of Praag has met serious setbacks, and they could doubtless need some aid beyond which you already supply them. But at the same time, you have your own lands to look to, and your people are greatly discontent. The lingering famine and the failure of your alcohol investment have been an inauspicious start to your reign, and Natalya reports that many people think that you are cursed by some fell power, perhaps for your cowardice at staying behind rather than going to Praag.
All in all, you have a great deal of work ahead of you. Best get started.
Diplomacy: Konstantin Yelchukov is one of the most powerful Boyars in the land surrounding Erengrad, and served as your father's right hand for many years. You were perhaps fortunate he was too old to ride to Praag with the rest of the nobles, as his mind is still sharp. Right now he is most concerned about the famine almost certain to strike the realm, but he acknowledges that you are perhaps the most protected from that danger. (Pick 1)
[] Need Some Help?: So the rebuilding of Praag isn't off to a great start. You're already paying for most of the work through your taxes, but any additional help you can offer them would certainly be appreciated. Lumber, food, kvas, all the little things it takes to keep a city running. Cost: 50 Chance of Success: 100% Reward: Improved relations with Boyar of Praag. Reconstruction gains bonus.
[] Extending a Clawed Hand: You, Nordland, and Ostland, are the three regions of the Old World that face attack in the Sea of Claws. Of the two, Nordland has both the larger port and the First Imperial Fleet. Contact the Count of Nordland, and see about arranging some trade between your two provinces. Cost: 0 Time: 1 Year: Chance of Success: 100% Reward: Diplomatic contact with Count of Nordland, +50 Trade Income
Martial: With the overwhelming majority of your father's commanders dead at Praag, you're having to make do with what you can get. What you can get turns out to be a heavily scarred woman who had disguised herself as a man to fight and apparently was a captain in one of your Kossar detachments when the war began. By the end she was commanding what was left of the pulk of Erengrad as the most senior officer left. The more you talk to Daria, the more convinced you are that she took more than physical damage in the war. She breaks off conversations midway, and sometimes gives orders to soldiers that aren't there. Still, she shows a natural aptitude for war, and you don't have anyone better to replace her with. (Pick 1)
[] The Long Patrol: The city of Erengrad itself is secure for the moment, but you cannot say the same for the surrounding countryside. Daria suggests you send out your Kossars to patrol the land and give you advance warning of any threats. This would leave your already small army even more decentralized, however. Cost:0 Chance of Success: 100/55% Reward: More Advance Warning of attacks, chance to raise Peasant Opinion
[] Surpluses: With the shortage of bodies, one thing you have in abundance for the first time is spare weapons. Distributing these to the local militias would make them able to hold out longer against any enemy that attacked them. Of course, that could include your own troops if the militia start feeling rebellious. Cost 0: Time: 1 Year Chance of Success: 100% Reward: Spare weapons distributed to militia. Militia attack increases from Very Poor to Poor.
Stewardship: Your father hired Yelisey to tutor you in the management of money almost a decade ago, and he proved himself to have an appetite for learning equal to his appetite for food. There's no one you would rather have managing your accounts, save for yourself. (Pick 2)
[] Drydocks: The docks of Erengrad are massive, and can fit ships of varied build from countries around the world. One thing they do not do however, is produce ships themselves. That has always been a task of Kislev City, where the ships were constructed in the Lynsk and then sailed down to the sea. With the capital in disarray, perhaps it is time to construct more on your own? Cost: 100 Time 2 Years: Chance of Success: 100% Reward: Drydocks, can construct warships
[] Plumbing the Depths: Fish is a staple throughout Erengrad, and the Sea of Claws is rich with them. Converting a few merchant ships into fishers will hurt your income a bit, but the extra food may be worth it. Cost: 100 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success 100% Reward: Food Situation Improved by one step
[] Winter Harvest: Even the most arable soil in Kislev is lucky to bear one harvest a year; the climate is simply too cold for growth much of the year. At least, that is the conventional wisdom. You've heard of other, hardier crops, that might be able to be grown in the fallow months. Planting these would go a long way towards helping your population recover. Cost: 50 Chance of Success: 70% Reward: Food Situation Improved by one step +50 Peasant Tax
Intrigue: Natalya has taken up this duty, and is already being run ragged between her new responsibilities and her son. However, she has confided in you that being busy is a good thing, as it allows her to avoid dwelling on the past. You're inclined to agree. (Pick 1)
[] The Old: Your father's spy network is entirely inaccessible to you, the old man's paranoia and the sheer number of deaths at Praag have severed any connections between you and what spies remain. Natalya could try to seek them out, however there is no guarantee she would be successful. Cost: 0 Chance of Success: 40% Reward: Spy network reestablished in Erengrad
[] The New: Instead of trying to find an order of agents who may or may not still be alive, Natalya could simply recruit new spies to give you information on the goings-on in town. This would take significantly longer, though. Cost:0 Chance of Success: 100% Time: 2 Years Reward: Spy network reestablished in Erengrad
Piety: Your father's chaplain Father Zhukov is a man of over sixty, yet he carries himself as if several decades younger. Specifically, he carries himself in the pursuit of young ladies. Despite his eccentricities, his mind remains as sharp as ever, and his faith in Dazh is absolute. (Pick 1)
[] A Test of Purity: Rumors are circling that you are a murderer of peasants, that you are a coward, that you are corrupted by the Ruinous Powers. Father Zhukov has offered to help you dispel at least one of them. He has offered to publicly conduct a ceremony to "prove" in the eyes of superstitious peasants that you are uncorrupted. Smoke and mirrors, but it should ease the fears of the common rabble. However, in private, Father Zhukov tells you that there is a real ritual of Dazh to test one's purity. It is dangerous, but the reward could be great. If you live, that is.
-[] Proceed with the false ritual. Cost:0 Chance of Success: 85% Reward: +1 Peasant Opinion
-[] Conduct the proper ritual. Cost: 0 Chance of Success: ?? Reward: +1 Peasant Opinion, ???
[] NIce to meet you: You have a tower of Ice Mages in your city. You've never really spoken to them much, and they mostly keep to themselves. During the recent war they proved their power, but since they've retreated inwards. Father Zhukov suggests going to speak with them and getting them more engaged with the city. Cost: 0 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success: 85% Reward: Ice Mages leave their tower more often, start helping in non-emergency situations.
Learning: Your father was a somewhat conservative man, and had little use for innovation or experimentation. After his death you were approached by dozens of individuals looking for patronage, but only one caught your eye. Lev Gronov is a foul-mouthed dwarf (of the short kind, not the race) who claims to have worked for an armorer in Nuln during his youth. Whether he's telling the truth is unclear, but he certainly knows his way around a forge, and is competent enough in other areas besides. (Pick 1)
[] Proper Furnishings: Lev is currently working in the basement of your castle, which is fine for some things, but limits the experiments he can conduct to the non-explosive kind. While you appreciate his concern for your home's structural integrity, you agree that he could use a proper workshop to conduct his research. Cost: 100 Time: 2 Years Chance of Success: 100% Reward: More Learning Actions available, +1 Learning Action
[] Signal Mirrors: The flash of light caused by a spyglass or shaving mirror at the proper angle is a well known phenomenon, but Lev has had the idea to turn it into something more useful. He proposes giving small glasses to your officers, and developing a code that would allow them to signal across long distances. The military benefits of such a thing are obvious. Cost: 50 Chance of Success: 85% Reward: Signal Mirrors
Personal: Being the Kniaz is exhausting, but you try to make time for yourself whenever you can. It isn't easy, but even a few hours swinging your sword in the practice yard makes it easier to not kill the next idiot with a title who comes up complaining to you about Dazh knows what. (Pick 2)
[] Family Heirloom: Your father's sword was recovered along with his body, and as the surviving son, by rights it belongs to you now. Made by the dwarves hundreds of years ago, it has been passed down the Rukov family line for generations. You held it once as a child, and your knees buckled under the weight of the forged steel greatsword. Train with it now, and learn to wield it as he did. Cost: 0 Chance of Success 85% Reward: Competent with Dwarven-forged greatsword, chance of +1 Martial
[] Speak to the People: The peasants look upon you with fear and distrust. You cannot blame them for this, as your reign has not begun in the best light. But the situation as it is cannot stand, and while you are not your brother, you are a fair hand at speaking. Go among them and try to ease their worries. Cost: 0 Chance of Success: 70% Reward: +1 Peasant, Noble Opinion
[] Marriage: As the new prince of Kislev's second largest city, you are quite possibly the most eligible bachelor in the entire country. You need to secure alliances before your father's enemies descend like wolves, and there is no better way to do that than a marriage. Send letters to all the local lords and some beyond that you are looking for a wife, and see who responds. Cost: 0 Time: 1 Year Chance of Success: 100% Reward: Marriage Options
AN: So it turns out I'm more motivated to work on this than I thought. Voting is open for twenty-four hours.
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