The Tyrant King Syrokis is dead. After three years of civil war, beginning with the revolt in Eaglecrest and cascading across the kingdom of Halrun, Syrokis Halrun, grandson of the founder of the Kingdom, is dead. With no clear heir, and no ability to agree on a conventional candidate, the reassembled Estates-General, dominated by nobles and wealthy commoners who sided with the rebellion, has picked an unconventional candidate - a woman of no real noble blood, but who, during the civil war, rose to prominence and popularity among the military and leadership of the rebellion, and even the common people.
A compromise candidate, who no one really wanted, but everyone wants to be the real power behind the throne of, who must now navigate a kingdom ravaged by civil war, bankrupt beyond belief and riven by distrust and fresh hatreds - and the treacherous waters of international diplomacy. For, wounded as Halrun is, it is still a mighty Kingdom, and the new Queen represents a chance for other kingdoms and nations to get that might in their corner. One way, or another.
"So, they finally have a pick then?" Cyril asked, looking up from his book - Rykall couldn't read the title, the lettering and the language were nothing like Tamildan. Knowing the archmage, it could be an old book from some ancient time before modernity, or it could be some tome from a distant land. It was said mages all over the world, even ones who had never heard of the Kingdom of Halrun, had heard of Cyril.
Then again, a lot of things were said about Cyril.
"Not quite, but nearly so. They've finally managed to agree that trying to find an acceptable candidate from the extended Halrun family is pointless. If only they could make that extra step and accept we don't need a monarch at all..." Rykall added that last part as a sullen mutter, his complete failure to convince the Estates - even close ideological allies of his - that it was time to abandon the monarchy smarting at him.
"That was never going to happen," Cyril snorted. "Even Zedarsh keeps their King around, for all that they only trot him out for formal ceremonies and leave him to drink, eat and whore himself into an early grave like his forebears." Cyril closed the book with a heavy thud, the table actually shaking a little under the weight of the impact.
"So they tried Syrokis's cousin Menchere, but he's a sterile loon since the accident with that horse," Cyril ticked off. "There was that distant cousin of Teran's father, but she's seventy years old, has no children, and nobody actually likes her. Syrokis's other uncle had a bastard daughter, but she ran off to Gods know where." Cyril raised an eyebrow. "Who else did they go through?"
"About a half dozen other nobles with claims to the throne, most of which connect back to the Halrun family before they were anything more than dukes with a jumped-up sense of primacy," Rykall answered. "Count Valefour tried to float himself, but even most of the nobility couldn't stand the insufferable git, and none of the others would even consider it. Lady Balmain got her name floated by one of her relatives, but she's far too progressive-minded for most of the nobles and the churches don't like her because she's an open Alatrist."
"So what's the direction they're moving in then? I can't imagine any of the nobles that enough of the other nobles could accept. I've watched these people and their fathers and grandfathers. There's more petty rivalries and hatreds between them than there are between wizards," Cyril noted, "so who could they actually agree on?"
"They're looking further afield. During the war, a number of skilled individuals from many places came to Halrun to fight, either for glory or money, or because they agreed that a man like Syrokis needed to die." And almost none of the ones the Estates were seriously considering had noble blood, really, beyond the loosest of senses, in the case of a few of them.
"You can't mean... adventurers?" Cyril laughed, incredulously, then stopped as Rykall's expression didn't change. "You're serious."
"Lady Balmain called it the Talcraft Solution. Find someone who proved their merits on the battlefield in the war, and just make them King. Keeps absolutely everyone and no one happy."
"And of course, by picking an adventurer, everyone's hoping to be the one who gets to guide the novice ruler." Cyril snorted a laugh. "The nobility remains about as predictable as gravity acting on a falling stone, then." He leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers. "You said they're nearly there, so who have they narrowed it down to?"
"Last I heard, six names had floated to the top. You even know one of them quite well..." Welcome to "You're the Queen. Now What?" A CK2-ish quest character-focused-ish quest that raises the question:
Okay, so you've overthrown the evil tyrant monarch with your grand coalition of commoners and knights and nobles, but now what? The Kingdom is bankrupt, the roads are ruined, the army is split between surviving supporters of the last king that surrendered in time to accept the new order and former rebels who often have legitimate reasons to not like them. The new monarch is a compromise candidate no one really likes, she's unmarried without a kid so if she dies prematurely, we're doing this all over again, and three years of civil war has ravaged the fields and mines and wrecked internal trade.
In other words - sure, you're the Queen. But now what?
Now, this sort of 'now what' story isn't exactly innovative, but I still don't see enough of it out there, and I've toyed with this concept several times, as pbp roleplays, a novel idea, a Pathfinder campaign, et cetera. For a while, I've been wanting to run it as a Quest, but just didn't really seem to find the time to set it all up, so I've been working on it piecemeal for a year and change.
The Main Character of the quest here is an adventurer, a freelance troubleshooter, possibly from outside the borders of Halrun, who, for reasons of greed, personal interest or sympathetic agreement with the rebels, joined the rebellion at some point, made a name for herself, and found herself elected Queen by the Four Estates of the Realm, meeting in the aftermath of the overthrow of the tyrant King Syrokis Halrun, third king of Halrun, and third and last king of the Halrun Dynasty, which gave the Kingdom its name.
But, the Kingdom faces problems, and there's no guarantee that the new Queen can navigate all of them safely. That, of course, is where you come in.
I say this is CK2-ish, because I'm not copying the entire system of CK2-style quests, though I've seen enough variation in how they get run that there is perhaps more breach than observance. I say also character-focused because one, I like character-centric writing, and two, one of the big things the new Queen is going to have to concern herself with fairly early on in the Quest is getting married. With no clear heir, banks are hesitant to lend the Kingdom money, since loaning money to Kings is a long-term game, and there's just no way the Kingdom can manage itself right now without loans, at least not for long.
Fortunately, for all that it is weak now, Halrun is a large nation with a lot of potential - so the hand of the new Queen in marriage is a hot commodity, with many neighboring powers looking for a marriage alliance. You'll want to consider the advantages and disadvantages of the candidates on a political level, but personal level is not without its merits. If you hate your new spouse, it can be harder to get the kids.
Of course, the marriage isn't all you'll have to deal with, as the Kingdom itself still needs to be run, and while the new Queen has advisors and a Royal Council, she has to balance the interests of the coalition that overthrew Syrokis and the needs of the Kingdom.
I don't intend for this to be a quest that is easy to lose, but equally, a series of bad decisions and very bad rolls could end up leading to rebellions, coups or even invasions, and they could be successful.
Mechanically, my intention is to run this with percentile dice - every task or thing you try to do will have a base % chance to succeed, and whoever actually does/oversees the task will add their relevant CK2-ish stat to the roll, as well as any other situational factors they bring to the table. Sometimes, multiple stats will be applied, or half of one stat and half of another, in the case of more complex edge-cases. The stats are mostly derived from CK2, but for the sake of completeness, I'll list how they'll be used here.
Diplomacy: How good a character is at convincing people to see things their way, how charming they are, how they can manage the tasks of swaying crowds, winning arguments, et cetera. Martial: Represents only the ability to organize, command and lead large groups of soldiers, rather than personal combat skill. Strategy, logistics and the ability to inspire and keep loyalty among troops is baked into this. Stewardship: Not just one's ability to handle money, but just in general - paperwork related stuff. The ability to understand old legal precedents, dig up old exceptions, and so forth. But it also covers things like the ability to manage infrastructure projects, hold court and make judgements, et cetera. Intrigue: Manipulation, lying, scheming. Diplomacy is about convincing people through reason, logic and open appeals to emotion. Intrigue is about hitting subtle sensitive spots, lying, blackmail, sneaking around and making a more covert appeal to emotion. Learning: How educated a character is, both in depth and breadth. Unlike in Ck2, where it's mostly focused on religious matters in day-to-day use, here, Learning applies to all sorts of things where a more formal education might be relevant - which obviously means it may apply in addition to other stats at times, where appropriate. Magic: A measure of how potent a character's skill with magic is, if they have it. Characters who can't use magic have a lack of a value here, rather than a 0. Combat Skill: How good a character is in physical - mainly hand to hand- combat. Not likely to come up most of the time, but certainly could in some situations. Squishier characters may have a low number, but they'll have a number here.
Characters may also have traits, some loosely inspired by CK2 in concept, some not at all, that will create specific bonuses or maluses to specific types of rolls. Not all rolls involving a specific stat, but rather, depending on the situation of the roll (i.e. maybe a +5 to rolls involving say, legal rulings, but not a blanket +5 to all rolls involving stewardship, etc). Trait bonuses are higher, if they are more situational, and thus would apply to less circumstances.
Addendum for Clarity 10/2/23: What this means is that every task has a base chance succeed. The relevant stat (or stats) and any trait modifiers or other applicable modifiers will be applied, and then we'll have a final % chance for the task. The idea is to roll under that number, which will count as a success. So you want the chance to be as high as possible. Unless for some reason you want to fail the task (I'm sure there's one scenario where failing a task could be the preferred outcome)
The way things will go, you'll be able to assign the Queen and various members of her Council/Advisors to various tasks, and then we'll roll to see if the tasks succeed, or progress is made (in the case of tasks that may take multiple moves), et cetera. In those cases, of course, voting will have to be by plan, so that we don't have the same advisor assigned to three different tasks, etc. In some cases, it will be blindingly obvious only one advisor is a good fit for a given task, in others, it will be more complex, and oftentimes, each advisor will have several tasks their suited for available at any time.
There will also be parts where we zoom in on the Queen and her advisors more as people, and there will be votes focusing as much on just... what she does in various circumstances (such as when it comes to dealing with potential spouses, or certain court events, et cetera). There will be some rolling involved there as needed, but less. The Queen's stats will matter most in these cases, rather than those of her advisors.
As a final note: We'll be using a mechanic borrowed from Ironsworn, an RPG I quite like, where when I roll the percentile dice to determine if a task succeeds or not, I'll actually roll twice. If the roll is under whatever the percent is (say, 65 after all modifiers) on both, the task succeeds with zero complications. If the roll is over on both, the task just completely fails. If the roll is over on one and under on the other, it succeeds but there is some kind of complication - a new problem arises, a new matter must be dealt with, the cost is higher than intended, et cetera.
To start things off, the first vote will be for picking which of the six adventurers whose names have floated to the top end up getting picked by the Estates. Who Does the Estates-General End Up Selecting?
[ ] Zelirna Sorlkaeus
[ ] Vanessa Kolmain
[ ] Girra Bladewit
[ ] Rienne Novash
[ ] Maria Durnova
[ ] Sasha of the Surovyza The Details of these six candidates are below. (As a note, all these characters are bisexual, and this setting has sufficient, albeit somewhat expensive - for a commoner anyway - magic to allow two women to conceive. Or two men, but that's not relevant. The various suitors available for the new Queen include men and women)
Name: Zelirna Sorlkaeus Age: 31 Nation/Region of Origin: League of Sorcastrai, Hollow Bay Stats: Diplomacy - 8 Martial - 4 Stewardship - 6 Intrigue - 8 Learning - 5 Magic - 13 Combat Skill - 4 Background: Zelirna is, to the eyes of the people of Halrun, quite exotic. A sorceress from the distant lands of the Hollow Bay, a vast windswept bay full of islands home to cyclopean cities built by nonhuman hands, the Hollow Bay is the focus of stories of strange and mysterious magics, impossible creatures and bizarre cultures. Much of this is nonsense, but some stories hold true. Zelirna is a private woman, who has shared little of her past, save to say that her magical talent was identified early, but she was give little formal education in it's use, and that she was born to common parents. At the age of 24, she left the Hollow Bay, and traveled across the Eltaric Empire, selling her services as a mage, destroying wild animals, monsters or small groups of bandits, as well as seeking out magical lore, with no real goal other than putting distance between herself and Hollow Bay - she has said nothing, even to those friendly with her, as to why she left, merely that she has no intention of returning home. She made a name for herself as a mysterious, powerful, and somewhat aloof and distant woman, but one who showed a surprising charitable streak, as she rarely held onto much money beyond her basic needs.
She had somehow managed to wrangle herself access to the Black Librarium, the foremost collection of necromantic tomes, located in, predictably, the Kingdom of the Necromancers, when the rebellion against Syrokis broke out, but she did not join until several months later, when a close friend from Eaglecrest, the skilled tomb and ruin-delver Feydris, was killed by Syrokis's forces during their brief capture of the city, despite them not being involved in the conflict at all. Zelirna, upon receiving word of Freydis's death, immediately traveled to where the surviving soldiers of the Eaglecrest militia and other regional rebel forces were gathering in the Tarkos Hills, and offered her services. She was critical in ending the six-week occupation of Eaglecrest, and the city would remain free for the rest of the civil war, and she would serve the rebellion as a magic, proving to be especially useful in sieges. During the final battle of the war, she was able to hold off Countess Gramaire, Syrokis's mistress and a skilled fire mage, preventing her from escaping with the Crown Jewels, though she did escape with Syrokis's illegitimate child, Brunn. Her plans after the rebellion include traveling east, to visit and plunder ruins associated with either the Iredan Empire or the Tamilkirk Imperium. Traits: Aloof: -5 to all rolls involving personal one-to-one interactions. Zelirna holds herself distant and can be stand-offish, and that does have a tendency to bother people. She becomes friends with people despite this tendency, rather than by not being aloof. Raw Power: +7 to all rolls where pure magical power, rather than finesse or skill come into play, either in using it, or pointing to its existence (or demonstrating it) to impress others, etc. Zelirna is hardly the most powerful sorceress, but she is of a rare caliber, and definitely capable of wielding more power than she usually throws about, due to concerns about losing control of it. Exoticized: Whether she likes it or not, Zelirna's foreign appearance and culture are quite striking, and do much to make people take her seriously on matters of magic, as Hollow Bay is said to have all kinds of strange and powerful magics. It makes her seem interesting, rare and exciting. She's also from a very difficult culture, with slightly different facial expressions and turns of phrase, which can make it harder to gauge what she's thinking. In situations where that can be turned to her benefit, she receives +5 to the roll.
Name: Vanessa Kolmain Age: 27 Nation/Region of Origin: Veldros, the Riverlands Stats: Diplomacy - 9 Martial - 3 Stewardship - 8 Intrigue - 5 Learning - 8 Magic - 11 Combat Skill - 5 Backstory: The bastard daughter of a Veldran noble family, she was handed off to the Academ Arcanum, Veldros's school of wizardry at a very young age once her talent was identified. At the age of 13, she impressed the Archmage Cyril, who was visiting a friend at the Academ, and since he was currently without an apprentice (he's had many) he took her on. Not only does being an apprentice to the most powerful and well-known Archmage in the region come with getting an excellent education in magic, but it also comes with connections, and by the time she was finished with her education at the age of 20, she was sought by numerous nobles in and out of Halrun to be their court wizard. She chose to remain a free agent instead, but did work for numerous nobles in that capacity. Her talents lent themselves more to divinations and illusions and other subtler magics, but she was capable of defending herself with magic too.
When the civil war broke out, Vanessa was in the employ of Lord Hargave, a wealthy but minor noble with lands near the Duchy of Raida. Lord Hargrave was a conservative-minded noble with little regard for the rabble-rousers who started the war, but he had little patience for Syrokis's overreach either, and quickly joined the rebellion, paying Vanessa to continue to serve under his leadership. But even after Lord Hargrave's death (and the death of his family and the confiscation of his lands), Vanessa continued to serve with the rebellion, both because if Syrokis won he'd want her head, and because the tyrant's cruelties had crossed beyond any level of tolerability. The prospect of reward at the end was hardly minor either.
Vanessa played a critical role in the capture of the capital, as her skill with illusions provided cover to a small, elite team scaling the walls at night and capturing one of the gatehouses - the street fighting would continue for several more days, during which she saved the life of many soldiers, predicting ambushes and providing more illusions. Her plans for after the war, such as she had any, were to leave Halrun (given the state of the economy) and seek patrons in points east. Traits: Greedy: Vanessa wouldn't call it greedy, so much as frugal and money-conscious, but regardless, Vanessa likes money, perhaps in part from being cast out with little support to the Academ at a young age. She likes having money, and she likes hoarding money. Apart from her fondness for finely tailored clothes, Vanessa will skimp and save and haggle to reduce how much she pays for anything, and it's hard to turn down a chance to get more money, though she does have moral lines. Regardless, on any task that involves large expenditures of money, Vanessa's habit of trying to find savings where none exist leads to -5 on those tasks. Farsight: Vanessa's skill with divination is significant, and she has used it to great extent to see things far away, make minor predictions of the future, look into the recent past and find people and objects. During the civil war she was able to use it to spy on troop movements, command tents and predict ambushes. Any task where she can put this to use gets +5 to the roll. Illusionist: Vanessa put her skill with illusions to work helping prevent attempts on the lives of the nobles she worked for (creating illusions of the noble sleeping in their bed, projecting illusions of them standing out in the open, et cetera), as well as a few times to pacify unruly peasants or the like, by creating the illusion of much larger forces arrayed against them. She also used this to great effect on the battlefield. On tasks when an illusion can protect, overawe or provide some form of cover for a person or a group, she gets +5 to the task.
Name: Girra Bladewit Age: 29 Nation/Region of Origin: Port Lest, Halrun Stats: Diplomacy - 7 Martial - 6 Stewardship - 8 Intrigue - 10 Learning - 4 Combat Skill - 9 Background: Girra doesn't know who her parents were, though she suspects her mother was a whore. She grew up picking pockets, begging for scraps, and serving as a lookout for older street rats and criminals. A scrappy kid that grew into a scrappy teen, Girra became very skilled with knives, but after a robbery that went wrong, resulting in the death of a prominent merchant, 17-year old Girra fled the city to avoid being blamed for the murder (she has maintained her innocence ever since). She eventually wound up in Varyos, the capital of Selissa, where she joined the local thieves guild and made a name for herself in the underground fight pits for her skill with a knife and her sharp tongue - earning the nickname-turned-surname "Bladewit" - not particularly creative, but so it goes. She eventually graduated from freelance theft to 'retrieval' and contract jobs - either helping rich people recover stolen property, or just stealing stuff they wanted.
She returned to Port Lest 8 years later, and remained there, doing much the same thing, though eventually serving solely as a retrieval specialist (she never recovered the stolen goods from the thieves, but rather whoever bought them from a fence, avoiding making enemies of the local thieves guild in Port Lest), and was there when the civil war broke out. Her life on the streets and as a criminal had given her a fiercely anti-authority streak, so the idea of overthrowing a King just appealed to her on a very visceral level. She convinced the Thieves Guild that helping the rebel-minded merchants of the city overthrow the Loyalist merchants who presently dominated the city's government would be better for business, and after several months of preparation, they pulled it off - Girra personally killing two of the merchants in question as part of the little coup. She served in the rebellion thereafter as a scout, assassin and thief, stealing supplies, killing enemy commanders and the like. She has developed quite the following among the urban poor of the Kingdom with her backstory, and the "Legend of Bladewit" has grown quite a bit in the telling over the years. It's likely she intends to go back to Port Lest and make a play for dominance of the local thieves guild, though she remained in the capital in the immediate aftermath of the war - she was one of those who scaled the wall and seized the critical gatehouse that allowed entry into the capital. Traits: Guttersnipe: Celebrated by the urban poor, with a lot of friends and allies among the rebels or not, Girra is still an orphan who grew up on the streets of Port Lest. Nobles and other well-to-do types, even ones who might see the value in making her Queen, are going to look down on that. When it comes to convincing nobles and other wealthy elites - individual persons or groups - to do things, she suffers -5 to the roll, unless they are already close friends/allies, or very progressive-minded. Second-Story Woman: Years of sneaking into and out of places means that she knows all the best tricks for getting into and out of a place - and thus, how to protect one. Anyone who might want to assassinate her, or trap her, quickly finds she has covered most of the secret ways in, and is a slippery eel when it comes to escape. +6 to any task involving protecting/securing a person or place (including herself) or escaping a bad situation. Or even just ducking out of a gala unseen. Beloved by the Rabble: She wouldn't put it like this, but the popularity of her legend, and her background as a poor orphan, means that she has great rapport with the common people - especially the urban poor, though even some from beyond the cities love her. Convincing them to work harder, or to calm down when rioting (or wanting to) or the like receives a +5 to the task.
Name: Rienne Novash Age: 32 Stats: Diplomacy - 7 Martial - 10 Stewardship - 5 Intrigue - 3 Learning - 6 Combat Skill - 13 Nation/Region of Origin: The Pocket Kingdoms Background: Born to officers who had served in the army of one of the latest warlords to form a pocket kingdom, Rienne was trained to be a soldier basically from birth, and a professional one at that, including the rough honor of a soldier of the pocket kingdoms. Unfortunately for her career prospects, the warlord her parents served was overthrown when she was eleven, and her family ended up serving in a smaller statlet's kingdom, but at a lower status and lower chance of rising to high rank. On reaching adulthood, Rienne joined a mercenary company, moving from company to company, but making a name for herself as a skilled fighter, an inspiring commander, and a loyal mercenary, honoring the contract to the letter, even in the face of circumstances that other mercenaries might defect. Good natured, charming, attractive and highly skilled, Rienne eventually took command of a small band of highly skilled mercenaries, and took them out of the Pocket Kingdoms, serving in border skirmishes in Zarsim, between Nerithar and Morvak and taking contracts to deal with bandits and beasts.
She was on her way to Halrun to take a job working for Syrokis, since at the time he was rumored to be gearing up to invade the goblin lands to the north, but by the time they reached the Kingdom, the civil war had broken out. She ended up taking a contract from Lady Balmain, one of the wealthiest rebel nobles to join the rebellion early to fight for them. She was able to use her force as a solid core, gathering nobles' men at arms, defecting members of the royal army and other mercenaries to form one of the most effective fighting units in the rebellion, serving with distinction in battles all over the easter half of the Kingdom. She made friends with many other rebel commanders and was even able to convince one royalist general to defect rather than fight her when she outnumbered him 3 to 2. During the final battle, she personally took down the Captain of Syrokis's personal guard, a brute of a man named Dorgast. A born soldier and mercenary, it was likely she would have gone to seek employment in the Zarsim Civil War, as the call for mercenaries there was growing louder, again. Traits: Soldier's Honor: It's not that Rienne is above an ambush on the battlefield, or underhanded tactics, but off the battlefield, Rienne is not good with anything underhanded or manipulative. She can't lie that well, she can't really manipulate people in anything but direct ways (but she is pretty good at those direct appeals to emotion) and subtlety is usually lost on her. She suffers a -5 to anything involving lying, underhanded tactics or understanding or using subtlety. Inspiring Commander: Numerous times during her career as a mercenary, even before taking a major command role, Rienne has been able to convince soldiers to stand and fight, hold their ground against intense odds, or to at least hold together to retreat in good order. She was especially able to put this to use in the civil war, appealing to her sometimes ramshackle forces to fight for the cause they believed in, for their own honor, for their brothers and sisters in arms. In any situation where she can appeal to people's higher instincts and get them to rally together, she gets +5 to the roll. Professionals Study Logistics: You can't be a successful leader of masses of soldiers, or even smaller bands of elite mercenaries, without being good at managing logistics. When it comes to organizing the means to feed and organize large groups of people, or gather materials for a project, Rienne gets +5 to the task. Whether it's feeding armies or gathering materials for a construction project, Rienne knows what she's doing. She may not be good at getting money or handling lawbooks, but there are administrative tasks she excels at.
Name: Maria Durnova Age: 27 Stats: Diplomacy - 9 Martial - 5 Stewardship - 5 Intrigue - 8 Learning - 6 Combat Skill - 9 Nation/Region of Origin: Varyos, Selissa Background: Born as the seventh daughter in a family of wealthy bankers and merchants, Maria wasn't nobility, but in Selissa, that was no real problem. Classically trained in music and poetry, dance and art, Maria Durnova was expected to marry a poor, but well-connected noble of some sort, to help burnish the family's business empire. Instead, Maria was a problem child, as interested in dueling as she was music, and far more interested in gambling, drinking and flirting than she was in being appealing to a potential future spouse. Even as young as 16, she started carving a swath through the young men and women of her age range and social circle (and those well below), breaking hearts, seducing virgins and the married or betrothed alike, and dueling upset spouses and suitors. In an effort to get rid of her before she created more headaches for her, her family forced her to join the service of the temple of Zepheron shortly before she turned 19, since the family did have financial interest in a number of gambling houses, and merchants who rely on ships to carry their goods can always use a bit of luck. Maria remained irrepressible, but was able to rise high in the ranks of the lay agents of Zepheron quickly - she was lucky, but also knew when not to press her luck (a vital skill for those in service to a deity as fickle as the Two-Faced Gambler. Along the way, she was taught the arts of bardic magic. When she was 23, she did end up having a falling out with the local high priest of Zepheron, something about sleeping with his husband, and departed the service of Zepheron, leaving Selissa along with it.
To support herself in her drinking, gambling and dueling, Maria sold her blade and her skill with fast-talk to help people resolve problems, deal with criminal enterprises and duel in their stead. She also had a fondness for helping young nobility and other wealthy elites escape arranged marriages or - more socially acceptably - dissuade unwanted, persistent suitors.
She was in Westcrown when the civil war broke out, and while no fan of Syrokis's behavior, she had little interest in signing up to fight until one of her friends and latest paramours, a cousin of Count Vallefor, was put to death by royal agents (without trial) for supplying funds and resources to the rebellion. This event, which also brought Count Vallefor into the war a year into it, brought Maria as well. She didn't serve on the front lines, but instead proved to be an excellent saboteur of the enemy, between her bardic magic, her ability to fast-talk and a deft hand with disguise. She seduced officers into spilling details, tricked guards away from their posts before infiltrations or night attacks, or shortened sieges by dealing with defenders through... irregular means. During the final battle in and around the capital, Maria was able to pretend to be a member of the royal army and trick several hundred hundred soldiers into retreating from a fortified position along a key street leading deeper into the city, making the final attack on the palace possible with far fewer casualties than forcing the issue had been. Her plans for after the war were likely to go back to her previous pattern - flirting with anything attractive that moves, drinking, gambling and selling her services as a problem-solver. Traits: Irrepressible Gambler: Maria loves to push her luck, and to be fair, she is usually pretty good at it, and even when luck turns against her, she's historically been able to bounce back, but this habit of hers can cost her dearly, regardless. When she's doing well, she tends to push her luck even harder. When performing a task that (before this trait applies) has a 75% chance of success or higher, she suffers -5 to the roll. Fast Talk: Maria rarely finds herself in awkward or dangerous situations that she can't bluff, jabber or otherwise con her way out of. She gains +10 on tasks involving trying to convince a group or person to do a thing that is at least somewhat against their interests, but the next time she tries to convince that person or group of anything, even something that should benefit them, she suffers -6 to the roll. Hit the Weak Spot: Whether it's with blades, or words, Maria is very good at finding people's weaknesses and exploiting them. She's quite good at picking up people's secrets, or at least guessing in that direction. And she knows just what to say to obliquely make it clear she knows those secrets and will use them. She receives +4 to any task that involves finding out someone's secrets, and +4 to any task that involves using said secrets to her advantage in a personal interaction.
Name: Sasha of the Surovyza Age: 30 Nation/Region of Birth: The Bleak Lands Stats: Diplomacy - 5 Martial - 10 Stewardship - 4 Intrigue - 7 Learning - 4 Combat Skill - 15 Background: The term "The Bleak Lands'' is a term applied by southerners to the region Sasha calls home. In Sasha's native tongue, Gorgese, her homeland is called Vorasko Niphos, which translates roughly to "The Land of the Many Goats", as herding hardy goats is the primary source of food and wealth in the rough, hilly country. Some small farming communities exist, but most are in semi-nomadic tribes that move seasonally across the region. Though known for their hardy warriors, the Gorgese people spend most of their time trying to survive, either in the harsh environment or the regular raids of goblins coming up from the south, and populations are low. Still, the Gorgese do tend to look down on 'soft' and 'civilized' people... but when luxury goods do make it up from the south, they do often end up in the tents and huts of the chieftains and their inner circles. Sasha was just another warrior in the Surovyza tribe when she committed a grave sin - she killed her tribe's shaman. Only the fact that the shaman was indeed trafficking with the tribe's enemies spared her death, but she was still exiled, at the age of 16. Cast out of her tribe, and with her crime branded on her lower back, she traveled south, the Bleak Lands now closed to her. In the 13 years since she reached the lands south of the goblin lands, further south than almost any of her people have ever been, she has come to see that her people were wrong about them being 'soft' or 'weak', though she still thinks southerners still make things too complicated when they don't have to. With fighting all she really knows, and possessed of a rough sense of justice, she made her living selling her axe and sword to solve problems for small villages and towns, even individual farmers - from bandits, to beasts, to oppressive taxmen, to knights who take a fancy to a farmer's child or spouse and refuse to take no for an answer.
When the civil war in Halrun broke out, Sasha was in the Riverlands hunting bandits for the bounty, but when reports of Syrokis's increased brutalities reached her, as did the stories of the rebellion's slowly building skill on the battlefield. This drew her interest, and about a year into the civil war, she joined up with the rebels operating in the Southmarch, based out of the Korrid Hills. Even years out from her homeland, there was little Sasha didn't know about fighting in hill country, and she quickly rose to leadership in the local rebel circles, eventually driving the royal forces from the Southmarch - for the rest of the war, she led and organized bands of skirmishers that cut supply lines, raided camps at night and harried troops on the march, as well as serving in pitched battles to charge weak points in the line. As skilled in personal combat as she was at leading skirmishers, Sasha put that to use especially during the street fighting in the last days of the war at the capital, single handedly killing two of Syrokis's top remaining generals along the way. A wanderer by nature, Sasha was considering traveling to the lands on the far end of the Andelerian Sea that border the Hyena Kingdoms, as gnolls are poor neighbors and fierce combatants. Traits: Impatient: While Sasha has been in 'civilized' lands for over a decade now, and has learned her way around many of the strange rules and complexities of the people of the south, she still finds so many of the (to her) pointlessly abstruse ways southerners make things like justice and diplomacy, among others, overlong, complicated and at a minimum, silly. She is impatient with these things, and as a result, when in situations that deal with such 'needless' complexity for prolonged periods of time, administering justice, dealing with complicated legal codes or flowery, obtuse and prolonged diplomacy, her desire to just cut through the knot and be done with it can make her agitated, frustrated or even lead to the occasional outburst. As a result, -5 to all such rolls. Fearsome Berzerker: In truth, Sasha and her people were not and are not prone to berzerk rages in battle, but the myth of such is a powerful one, and Sasha used it to great skill in her career as a warrior for hire, which only enhanced her own reputation as fearsome and deadly. If the other side knows she's leading from the front, then the reputation she has built for her will result in a +6 to the roll, both from the moral advantage to her side, and the morale disadvantage that brings to the other side. Unfortunately, this can lead to a higher risk of being injured in a mass battle. Unsophisticated, Not Unintelligent: Sasha is used to people thinking she's an idiot, and she has used that to her advantage. As a result of her background and her origin, she is not exactly the most educated or sophisticated woman, but she is far, far from an idiot - and so in arguments debates or contests where she can play to people's stereotypes and seem far less aware of the complexity of a situation, or pretend she knows less than she does about law, or finance or art or magic or whatever, she receives +5 to the task - playing to their stereotypes and making people underestimate her just long enough to make a mistake.
The Tamildan Pantheon
The Tamildan-speaking peoples of Central Pangar share a common pantheon of 22 gods, but the exact nature of and details of those gods vary from nation to nation, and even within those nations, and even more so the way they're supposed to be worshipped and honored. But, there are some commonalities in terms of appellations, portfolios and basic understandings.
The gods grant power to their clerics, who pray to them, intercede between them and mortals, and advance whatever principles and portfolio the gods represent. The gods embody their portfolios and areas of concern - which cannot easily be put into simple terms, but mortals try regardless - and as such, exist beyond such things as good and evil. Adun, The God of Justice represents Justice in an abstract sense, the principle of Justice being a thing, rather than any specific prescription as to what that Justice is. Ser-Tornath, the Goddess of Death is perhaps to be avoided by many, as long as possible, but she does not create death, merely oversees it as it happens, and so forth.
The clergy of the gods usually hold meaningful positions in the governments of the nations of the world, but generally do not run the show, as the temples and churches of various deities are, to varrying degrees, in competition with one another. Churches and temples collectively can be major landowners, but rarely do they hold enough land to rival major nobility, in most realms, at most times.
Selras: "The Knight of Shadows". Goddess of Necromancy, Immortality and Darkness Ordedus: "The Greedfather" "The Lord of Gold". God of Trade, Wealth and Cities Maedon: "The Hungry Wolf". God of the Hunt, Hunting and Nature's Destructive Power Tallend: "The Great Reaver" "The Bloody Warmonger". God of War, Aggression and Battle Alior: "The Warden of Innocence." God of Protection, Defense and Walls Serissa: "The Silent Death." Goddess of Murder, Lies and Betrayal Luciana: "The First Whore" "The Mother of Thieves." Goddess of Music, Thieves and Lust Valkaris: "The Nightfather" "The Pastkeeper". God of Winter, Ice and Tradition/Stasis Helias: "The Fires of Creation". Goddess of Summer, Fire and Creativity/Creation Victriana: "The Rotmother." "Mistress of Transformation." Goddess of Autumn, Acid and Decay/Transition/Transformation Traven: "The Rejuvenating Lord." God of Spring, Lightning and Rebirth/Renewal Tyria: "The Great Mother" "The Vowkeeper". Goddess of Fertility, Agriculture, Love, Family and Marriage Undana: "The Stormcaster" "The Wavemistress." Goddess of Oceans/Seas, Sailing and Storms Zepheron: "The Two-Faced Gambler." God and Goddess of Luck, Chance and Gambling Adun: "The Golden Light". God of the Sun, Justice and Purification Ser-Tornath: "The Unmoved". Goddess of Death, Fate and Endings Celiesta: "The Archmagister". Goddess of Magic, Knowledge and Wisdom Drendar: "The Worldcrafter". God of Industry, Crafting, Labor Rontaris: "The Treeminder." "The Endless Wood." God of Forests, Nature and Cycles. Askiran: "The Crowned Scepter". God of Rulership, Law and Order Hendari: "Lifegiver, Lifetaker". Goddess of Pestilence, Medicine and Alchemy Khirhea: "The Stonemother." "The Immovable" Goddess of Mountains, Resilience and Refusal
The World Beyond Halrun
The continent of Pangar is the primary one in the known world, ranging from the Soverian Ocean to the Tellior Ocean. It ranges from the frigid northlands, to the Balfour Desert, to the windswept islands of Hollow Bay. It holds mountains and forests, inland seas and rivers, great and small. It was once home to ancient and mighty empires with magical might beyond that of mortal ken today, before the Dawning Wars, before such magics were largely lost to the world, and the legendary archmagi who could destroy cities with a finger, the warriors who could slaughter dozens or hundreds with a single swing of their swords, the thieves who could steal the very moon from the sky, vanished into legend and tale - many a Kingdom, many a noble family, tries to trace themselves back in some way, to one of these great figures. The centuries after the final end to the Dawning Wars to the Age of the Three Empires - the Tamilkirk Imperium, the Iredan Empire and the Necrotic Empire, all tracing themselves to one of the great hero-figures of the Dawning Wars. And as these Empires expanded and warred, they rebuilt the shattered civilization left behind.
In time, of course, those three empires too fell - and the resulting waves of refugees and migrations amidst that latest generation of chaos several hundred years ago led finally to the modern Tamildan-speaking peoples, who range from the Soverian Ocean to the midpoint of the continent - the Kragg Plains, on the far side of the Andelerian Sea. They sit between the Balfour Desert, and the Goblin Lands, and they now are a series of many squabbling kingdoms and states. It is a new world -
And yet, the Dwaning Wars and the Three Empires left wreckage and ruin behind, and even today, centuries later, there can sometimes be great value found in ruins yet untouched - artifacts of magic, or merely of history. And always, the world's past continues to loom large - for without our history, who are we? What does it mean to exist with no past? Click through for the chance to see full sized image by right clicking and opening in a new tab
The Queendom of Aigosa: On the surface, Aigosa is not particularly remarkable - a highly decentralized monarchy with powerful regional nobles who spend most of their time waging small-scale wars with each other or maybe raiding the Pocket Kingdoms. The weak Monarchy is at best a first among equals. Aigosa is notable, however, as being one of the few realms in the known world to have the monarchy and the ruling nobility be gender exclusive - specifically exclusively female. The Aigosans, since well before they were conquered by Iredos, traced themselves back to the legendary Warrior-Queen Aigana, who may have fought in the Dawning Wars. Aigana is herself notable for most legends of her agreeing she hated pretty much all men. While the Aigosans are less extreme than the stories say Aigana was, men are not allowed to rule in Aigosa, in any sense, with inheritance laws bypassing them entirely. Aigosa's greatest concern is the increase in ogre and troll populations in the Torobid Mountains over the last few decades, and the increased raids from the highlands.
The Duchy of Balpes: Balpes is a duchy much concerned with mining and logging. The hardwoods of Veshtar Forest, in the hands of the carpenters of Balpes, make products in demand all over the region, and the Trison and Zati Hills are home to reserves of iron, tin and zinc in demand all over as well. Power in Balpes rests in the Carpenter's Guild and the major mine-owning nobles. Balpes has a higher than usual dwarven population, as a percentage of the population, and they are unique in having many dwarves in the nobility - the current Duke's second wife is a dwarf born to a local noble family, something of a first in the ruling families of this part of the world. Balpes has an increasing problem with refugees fleeing the Zar Civil War.
The Dominion of Dreshdan: The first conquest by the Iredan Empire, and the first province to overthrow the Iredan governors when the Empire collapsed. The cabal that led the effort claimed to be rebuilding the original ancient heritage and culture of Dreshdan, from the language (which remains the language of government today) to the culture, patterns of worship and the complicated semi-republican form of government. Non-Dreshdan historians don't always agree that the current Dominion is a faithful recreation of the original rival to Iredos. Regardless, the Dominion today is a mildly elective state dominated by about five hundred wealthy and aristocratic families who trade power amongst themselves come elections, with periodic new men and women entering the system (and usually assimilating by marrying into one of the leading families). Their armies of pikemen and shieldbearers are rooted in the original 'Turtle Formation' legions of Dreshdan of old, updated for modern needs. They are implacable on the defensive in war, and use this to their advantage on the offensive, staking out positions and forcing the enemy to come to them. Directly or indirectly dominates the northern shores of the Andelerian Sea.
The Eltaric Empire: A rising, expansionist empire that has spread like Kudzu over the southern reaches of Pangar. Its administration is somewhat ramshackle as the military outpaces the ability of the government to establish new regimes, creating a series of patchwork 'provinces', client states, subject regions and poorly integrated territories. The Empire's size has begun to work against it, as logistics begins to break down. Dominated by a class of nobles descended from semi-barbaric warriors who took over a settled kingdom a century and a half ago and then expanded readily ever since, the Eltaric Empire's armies are organized around seasonal campaigns and using regular raids to seek out weaknesses in their neighbors. Most forms of magic are severely restricted in the Empire, outside of the temples.
The League of Free Towns: A loose association of independent towns and villages that essentially free-ride on Syleria and Iltea for their independence. Hardy and resilient, the Free Towners grow a variety of crops and export them, but their fruit and fruit-based spirits are their most famous, with some kinds prized in royal courts all over the world. Teran Halrun was known to swear by their pear brandy, and it remains popular among the Halrunian nobility. The League is organized for common patrolling of the roads against banditry and for the maintenance of roads and bridges and the like. They have little need for the common defense in most cases, as Syleria and Iltea have made it known to would be conquers - such Morvak a century and a half ago, and even Hengri 30 years ago - that they would look quite dimly on any attacks on the League. The league doesn't pay a formal tribute for this, but by long standing custom, any elf is entitled to three days and nights of free hospitality from any Free Towner if they but request it, and many (though far from all) elves in both nations swear by the spirits the Free Towners make, finding them second only to the finest of elven wines.
Gyrphan Alliance: Once part of Selissa, the nobility of the uplands of the Kingdom broke away in the aftermath of Selissa's independence from Morvak. While Selissa proper was dominated by merchants and mercantile interests, the uplands were dominated by landowning nobles who still kept their peasants bound to the land to varying degrees. The nobles of this region actually benefited mightily from the Morvakian puppet regime, and while remaining subject to Morvak was impractical, they refused to serve the Monarchy based out of Varyos. The Alliance is now dominated by a council of nobles who elect leaders from among themselves for 8 year terms, and the Kingdom has suffered a number of large-scale peasant revolts in the last few decades, put down with increasingly bloody force. There are rumors that the nobles may even be seeking to buy labor (slaves, or indentures, or both) from markets on the far end of the Andelerian Sea, or from Licdeor, to make up for their increasingly restive peasantry.
The Hakemite League: A collection of city-states that dominate the carrying trade in the southern Soverian Ocean, from the windswept, cyclopean cities of Hollow Bay to the pepper and nutmeg producing islands off the coast of Vortigar. The Hakemites, especially those in the League, while prizing wealth, also prize charity - the leading elites of a city give lavishly to the common people. The most charitable families in a given decade will be elevated to rulership over the city in the next years. Selfish families will not only lose out on political power, but find themselves pushed to the edges of economic life as well. The Hakemite League also is a ready market for mercenaries as the Eltaric Empire presses against their borders in regular raids to test their defenses.
The Duchy of Hengri: As famous for their light cavalry as Morvak is for their heavy cavalry, Hengri has had a long and troubled relationship with Morvak, having been ruled by them more than once, and continuously invaded by them when independent. The border between Morvak and Hengri is more an advisory opinion than anything else, and the two nations haven't actually had anything more than a truce for the last ninety-two years. Hengri is very similar to Morvak in the power of the central government, but the reigning Dukes, while not subject to their Estates-General in any way, do at least prefer to be more consultative about their autocracy.
The Haunted Lands: The original heartland of the Iredan Empire, where the 12 apprentices of Iredan founded the city in his name, and the Empire that later arose from it. When the last 12 Wizard-Dukes and their chosen heirs all died in the mysterious conflagration that destroyed the city, magic in the entire region of Old Iredos began to run wild. Today, from the trees that weep literal blood to the forest that screams in incoherent terror and fear, to the animals that age backwards and have more eyes than limbs and the rain that turns brackish before it hits the ground, the Haunted Lands are a place where reality is, essentially, broken. Adventurers or especially brave scholars will still sometimes explore the region and come back with reports of the impossibilities, or with lost treasures and artifacts from Iredos. Usually, though, they never come back.
Iltea: Before the flooding of Hycantos's follow by the Iredan Wizard-Duke Hycantos, Iltea and Syleria were part of the unified elven realm of Ahlenna, which arose after the Dawning Wars to unify most of the elven peoples, scattered across Pangar. The destruction of the capital and the death of Ahlenna's old ruling family saw the kingdom separate into two, relatively peacefully. The aristocracy of Ahlenna largely gathered in Ina Thressina and chose not to elect a new monarch, instead governing through a Convocation of the Noble Houses. Iltea is a conservative, stodgy and inward looking realm, preferring to focus on art, culture and refining the very essence of what it is to be an elf to higher and higher levels. The nation loves elaborate rituals that seem to take longer and be more involved with every generation. Poets and artists compete to develop ever more arcane and inaccessible (to outsiders) creations. Iltea barely sends out embassies to other lands, and restricts the access non-elven traders and ambassadors have to the Kingdom outside certain parts of the capital. Even elves that have been born in or live in primarily human lands may find themselves not free to move around Iltea, though they do serve as an essential bridge between Iltea and the outside world.
The Principality of Illegorst: Like its neighbor Hengri, Illegorst has a long and fraught history with Morvak. Butting up against Syleria as it does, Illegorst was once subject to that elven nation long ago, and the entire nobility is elf-blooded to one extent or another. Illegorst is, perhaps predictably, known for their archers and skirmisher-based military. This is, however, as much an adaptation to Morvak as a borrowing from their elven neighbors. As with Hengri, Illegorst's border with Morvak is more an advisory opinion, though the two nations have actually managed to work out formal peace treaties between themselves far more often. Rumors of late persist that Illegorst's reigning Princess is a vampire, which are not improved by the fact she has not appeared outside in public in over a year.
Licdeor: Licdeor was once just another successor state rising up after the fall of the Tamilkirk Imperium, the furthest extent east of the Tamilkirk's territory proper (Nerinthar and Selissa were only ever client kingdoms). Two hundred-odd years ago, Magnus Galerius and his followers lost a civil war to establish magocratic rule in the Dreshdan Dominion, and were expelled. They traveled to Licdeor, across the Andelerian Sea, and took over, creating a class of mages ruling over commoner serfs. Any serf that shows a slight magical talent (children are tested at a young age) is taken from their family and either forced into a second-class citizen status between serf and elite, or adopted into one of the ruling families. The serfs are almost entirely rural and Licdeor's once thriving middle class has atrophied into nothing, with all the cities of the nation now empty shells of themselves outside of the capital of Jurex. Licdeor is an advocate for magocratic rule all over the world, producing a great deal of philosophical and political works on the subject, but they have shown little inclination to introduce it by force outside their borders.
The Kingdom of Marnicia: Populated by Hakemite and Balfour peoples, Marnicia has long been culturally torn in two directions. Marnicia is most known for their fondness for duels, ritual combat and the splendid gardens, growing hardy but beautiful flowers that do well despite the near-desert climate. Marnicia is currently hard pressed by subversion from cults following the White Torrent.
The Kingdom of Menthura: After the fall of Iredos, Menthura was ruled by loyalist Spell-Generals who were dedicated to holding on to the legacy of the Wizard-Dukes and rebuilding the old Empire at all costs. They managed to hold Menthura in an increasingly iron grip for about a century until the Tamilkirk Imperium, in one of its last major military successes before its collapse, led a naval assault joined by forces coming overland from their client states in Nerinthar and Selissa. Menthura today has a longstanding hatred of wizardry dating back to this, and while mages that aren't wizards exist just fine, Wizardry is illegal, and the common peasants are even more illiterate than is common in other kingdoms, as the hatred of Wizardry has extended to suspicion around books, to an extent. Menthura's monarchy is extremely decentralized, with power largely remaining in the hands of regional nobles.
The Kingdom of Morvak: A militant, densely populated nation with a massive chip on it's shoulder, Morvak once ruled, directly or through client rulers, modern Hengri, most of Illegorst, Nerinthar, Selissa, North and South Zarsim, Balpes and the Gryphan Alliance, as well as parts of southeastern Halrun. Though they lost most of the Empire over a century ago, and Syrokis took their land in Halrun during the first years of his reign, Morvak has never given up on taking it all back. They are almost always at war with one of their neighbors, and their borders shift quite regularly as a result. Had Morvak not been at war with Nerinthar when the rebellion against Syrokis broke out, they would almost certainly have taken the opportunity to invade. Domestically, Morvak proper is a land where the nobility have been broadly broken to the royal will, and their soldiers - especially their nearly legendary Cataphracts - are among the most capable and disciplined in the region. Morvak's great weakness is their general unwillingness to use diplomacy for much more than saber-rattling and their tendency towards strategic rigidity, despite regular efforts to correct for it.
The Kingdom of the Necromancers: The last remnant of the ancient Necrotic Empire. Despite repeated attempts by the Knights of the Golden Throne and others, the dark magic permeating Darkmoon Forest is too strong, and the necromancers' armies of the undead, far easier to command within the confines of the forest itself, too numerous to defeat on the offense. The living population of the Kingdom is broadly loyal to the traditions of High Necromancy and the scheming, backstabbing necromancer-nobility of the Kingdom spare their evil for eachother or periodic attempts at conquest, at least historically. 76 years ago, the current Archnecromancer, Lyrus Serriados came to power and issued the Sunset Proclamation, formally ceding any claims to the lands once ruled by the Necrotic Empire, and Lyrus has opened the Kingdom up to trade and travel, doing much to reduce their pariah status in the world. This is not a popular decision with some of the nobles, and the risk of a more militant Archnecromancer overthrowing him keeps the Kingdom's neighbors wary. Lyrus is also now known to have (quietly) provided money and intelligence to the rebellion against Syrokis during the first year of the war.
The Kingdom of Nerinthar: Nerithar overthrew its Morvak-backed puppet-king 134 years ago, ushering in the rule of Olden the Great, first ruler of the reigning Talcraft Dynasty. Olden the Great was of commoner stock, but elevated to the monarchy for his leadership of the anti-Morvak rebellion, at least at the point when it was successful. Nerinthar is a prosperous kingdom, but the threat of Morvak looms constantly, and the two kingdoms have fought a number of wars since Nerinthar's independence, including one that ended four months ago. The border between the two nations has shifted, but rarely more than a few dozen miles at a time. Nerinthar does have an increasingly vocal militant segment of the nobility that wants to push harder against Morvak and start carving vassal states out of its territory. The Talcraft Dynasty has preferred to hold or regain Nerinthar's 'traditional territory' and improve the prosperity of the realm and the common people instead.
The Nourvois Bandit Clans: Before the Necrotic Empire conquered the region, the western half of what is now Halrun was dominated by a culture of nomadic, ancestor-worshiping horse-riders known as the Nourvois. During the Golden Age of the Necrotic Empire, they were driven into Ashdan Forest and resisted the Empire to varying degrees of success, until the Empire's fall. When Teran Halrun established Halrun he claimed authority over Ashdan Forest. The Nourvois do not hold to this at all, and raids, already common, increased. While derided as mere bandits and brigands, the Nourvois Clans are a people with a rich history and culture, holdovers of the distant past of Halrun. The Crown's authority within Ashdan Forest does not exist, despite the efforts of the Knights of Ashdan Keep. The clans are a loose coalition that use ritualized warfare with minimal casualties to hack out a pecking order and resist Halrun via guerilla war.
The Confederacy of Osorien: Until recently, Osorien was ruled by an ancient dynasty that ebbed and flowed in how much power the cities had over the desert tribes around them, but the extinction of that dynasty saw the Kingdom devolve into a loose confederacy, with the tribes of humans (Balfour) and elves (Talaria) nominally co-equal to the cities. Osorien has a storied history of making use of djinni and their wishes, for good and ill, and legend says that the original kingdom was created as the result of maliciously interpreted wish granted by a djinn.
The Phocan Coast: Known for their expert alchemy, the Phocan peoples of the Phocan Coast export medicines, poisons, makeup, perfumes and all manner of other concoctions. The names of the dominant cities of the region can change quite regularly, but at present seven are wealthiest and most powerful. The Phocan city-states almost never wage conventional warfare, saving their resources on that front for aiding T'arg. Instead, they prefer assassination, theft and sabotage - more than one city on the Phocan Coast has experienced conflagration after a poorly managed fire set in a warehouse district has gone too far.
The Pocket Kingdoms: Historically, the term 'pocket kingdom' has been used to describe a small, ephemeral state that doesn't last more than two generations before falling apart or being conquered. They were especially common during the days when the Necrotic, Iredan and Tamilkirk Empires were establishing themselves and conquering their way to their greatest extents. They also arose after the fall of all three states as the world started to stabilize. The region known now as The Pocket Kingdoms has never managed to get past that stage since the fall of Iredos. Frequent invasions by goblin hordes has made this worse, as have periodic efforts by would-be warlords, megalomaniacal mages and ambitious ex-Adventurers to build kingdoms for themselves - even if they succeed, they rarely prove to be effective rulers and their heirs rarely hold onto power. The people of the Pocket Kingdoms are resilient and tend to keep their heads down, ignoring their ruler of the month (whatever grandiose title he or she uses) as much as possible.
The Kingdom of the Red Spear: One of a handful of large, established Goblin realms. Extending further north than is marked on the map, the Kingdom of the Red Spear, ruled by King Baragad Rak-Tilgak, has ambitions to bring all goblins in the north under their rule. To keep more rivals to this from establishing, they regularly play smaller tribes and towns against each other. Until recently, the Red Spear were regarded as poorly as most goblins, but of late they have found their ambassadors and merchants accepted in the capitals of other nations.
The Riverlands: A region that, as the name suggests, is full of rivers. The Riverlands are dominated by 5 city states that play games of economic warfare, political influence and occasional military clashes to control trade and the allegiance of smaller towns and settlements, resulting in often shifting borders. The 5 city states are Blerren and Gyptar (fairly conventional merchant oligarchies), Rokrin (a city of gnomish inventors and construct makers. They export golems all over the world), Restid (a city ruled by a dynasty descended from a succubus that served as the concubine of the warlord who founded it. Restid worships demons openly and embraces most vices gladly) and Veldros, a city founded by the Necrotic Empire that, despite no longer practicing necromancy, retains many cultural traditions from said empire, ruled by a complex quilt of noble houses, institutional temples and fraternal orders. Orcguard is a joint effort financed by all five-city states (and sometimes even Halrun has been known to provide men and money) to protect the region from the orcs of the Ruined Lands.
The Kingdom of Selissa: Like Nerinthar, Selissa was once a Morvakian puppet-kingdom. Selissa has not been directly attacked by Morvak since Morvak's empire fell apart, but in the interests keeping it that way, they regularly provide military and financial aid to Nerinthar and Velermarch during conflicts with Morvak, and are essentially carrying the entire North Zarsim side of the Zar Civil War since Zedarsh withdrew from the conflict. Selissa has a powerful merchant class and a parliament akin to Zedarsh's, though the Selissan Monarchy retains real power. Selissan-flagged ships make a common sight in ports all over the Andelerian Sea, as the Kingdom has invested heavily in its navy.
Syleria: After the death of Ahlenna's royal family in the flooding of Hycantos's Folly, the surviving members of the Avesiyan Seers, who had long guided and advised the royal family, gathered in Ina Hirandel and after much deliberation, rejected the creation of the Convocation in Ina Thressina. Instead, they let their visions guide them into naming a prominent elven General into the Lord Regent Protector, of a throne that would remain empty until such time as the seers were granted visions of a new monarch. Syleria remains ruled by Lord Regent Protectors selected by the Avesiyan Seers - each such Protector serves for fifty years, before being replaced. Syleria is much more involved in the world than Iltea, and they have been known to dispatch warriors, mages and others at the direction of the Seers, often with a junior member of the seers in tow, to act on their visions. Syleria trades extensively with the outside world, and often serves, de facto, as Iltea's ambassador to the rest of the world as well, due to Iltea's detachment. Sylerian elves are (broadly) known to find Iltea's increasingly obsessive 'pursuit of the essence of elvenkind' to be laughable at best, insane at worst. While outsiders aren't always well received in all parts of Syleria, as long as they are respectful, they are allowed almost everywhere save for certain sacred spaces, or of course, other secure areas.
Unorganized Balfour Territory: "Balfour" is a somewhat sloppily applied term that describes a group of ethnicities and tribes that live in and near the Sunscorch Sea, with sometimes similar and sometimes wildly divergent practices. This region is without central authority and parts have been part of Osorien or Marnicia at times, as well as sometimes having other central authorities. The great trading center of Halalakos is the economic heart of the region.
Unorganized Goblin Territory: Regions of small goblin tribes, towns and villages, with no lasting central authority. This state of affairs exists in large part due to the meddling of the Kingdom of the Red Spear and also because adventurers regularly go north to kill Goblins and loot the ruins they often live in or near, with chieftains, leaders and warriors dying and breaking down central order. Periodically a warlord manages to get a large force together to avenge themselves on the southerners and take their stuff, but few such Hordes last for more than a few years.
Unorganized Orc Territory: Unlike with the goblins, calling orcs unorganized is something of a redundancy. The product of magical breeding experiments during the Dawning Wars (or so the legends say) orcs are barely sentient, ravenously hungry monsters (despite not actually needing much food to survive) that attack and eat anyone they can, whenever they can. The Ruined Lands are one of the largest concentrations of orcs, and they have proven resistant to even the Necrotic Empire driving them out root and branch. Today, Orcguard and T'arg hold the line against their regular attacks and periodic massed boiling forths.
Velermarch: For reasons either never known by mortals, or long since lost to history, the lands that make up Velermarch have held much interest to the Spring Court of the Sidhe that rule in the deep Velerwood. They sparked the rebellions that brought down Morvak's empire by making a deal with anti-Morvak groups in Velermarch 150 years ago, giving them aid and resources, which led to Morvak putting more resources in Velermarch... which opened space in the rest of Morvak's holdings and one thing led to another. Today. Velermarch remains heavily influenced by the Spring Court, and the Spring Court nobles of the Velerwood dictate which of a sitting Margrave/Marchioness's children rise to the rule in Veler Keep. Velermarch deals with regular attacks by Morvak to reassert their control over the region, but Sidhe magic has prevented their footholds from lasting longer than a year at most.
The Domain of the White Torrent: Since at least the end of the Dawning Wars and possibly before, the Grave of the Unknown God has been there. A vast, fifty-two mile long skeleton that vaguely resembles a dragon crossed with a horse, but not really. Cults dedicated to this supposed dead god have cropped up many times, but none more successfully than the Order of the White Torrent, which rose twenty years ago, first taking the city of Baghan and quickly expanding. Led by a charismatic apparent Prophet, Vren Hular, the White Torrent has spread far promising enlightenment, and paradise, blaming the imperfections of this world on the living gods that killed the god the White Torrent worships. When all the followers of those gods have been purged from this world... paradise will come. The White Torrent's rule when they take power is brutal, restricting and exploitative, and they are rumored to use torture and hallucinogenic drugs to convince the unconverted, breaking their will to the Order's. They have made extensive use of subversive cults to pave the way for their military actions in territories they hope to invade.
Lands of the Wolf Lords: The Wolf Lords are semi-nomadic wolf-riding tribes that live on the Yuarones Plains, raiding and trading with their neighbors as they herd sheep, goats, shaggy cows and other animals. Wolf Lords have mystical bonds with their mounts, and the leaders of their tribes are werewolves. The Wolf Lords look down on city-building peoples, but have strong principles about protecting innocents or the weak, as well as a fondness for worthy opponents - they raid regularly, but they only kill those who can put up something resembling a fair fight, and even if they win, those communities who put up a challenge will often find themselves stolen from less than those brushed aside easily, or who flee. The Wolf Lords also have a long history of being hired as mercenaries by the elves of Syleria and Iltea (and the unified kingdom of Ahlenna before them). Legend says that it was the elves who taught the Wolf Lords how to bond with the oversized, more intelligent wolves of the Yuarones Plains in the days after the Dawning Wars.
Zarsim: Once, before the rise of Morvak, the Kingdom of Great Zar was a major power in the region. Morvak conquered Zar, annexing what is now Velermarch, and the southern half of Zarsim proper, as well as putting puppets on the throne in the rest of Zarsim, and Balpes (not to mention Selissa and Nerinthar). The century and more that southern Zarsim was under Morvakian direct control changed the region, culturally and economically, and while many were happy to be independent of Morvak due to the latter's exploitative and oppressive rule... they found that northern Zarsim's attempts to roll back the clock culturally increasingly intolerable. Generation after generation, the north would erode the agreements they originally made to bring the people of the south back into the fold, and seven years ago, it broke out into open civil war. Morvak quickly provided men and money to the south, and they picked Morvak as the lesser evil. Selissa and Zedarsh provided aid to the North, but as the war dragged on into a seeming stalemate, Zedarsh withdrew. South Zarsim and North Zarsim have engaged in a back and forth conflict that is little more than a Morvak-Selissa proxy war at this point.
The Kingdom of Zedarsh: A large, mostly peaceful Kingdom that is more concerned with making money than anything else. After a series of profligate kings drove the country deep into debt over a century ago, a palace coup and a series of agreements saw most power get handed over to a Parliament elected by major guilds, wealthy merchants and the nobility. The Crown exists as a purely symbolic rubber stamp for the Parliament at this point. Generally friendly to Halrun, and several prominent figures in Zedarsh provided aid to the rebellion once it proved it had staying power.
The Kingdom of Halrun Click through and then right-click to see full sized image in a new tab.
The Kingdom of Halrun is the largest kingdom of the Tamildan speaking peoples, and indeed, one of the largest kingdoms in the known world. Within it's borders are fertile soil, forests with quality timber and rich deposits of useful metals. But even before it's recent civil war, Halrun was a kingdom that lacked population - sparesely populated, save for a handful of areas, especially around Lake Raida, Halrun's greatest weakness was getting manpower to the places the resources were, and then getting the resources spread throughout the Kingdom and beyond. The civil war has only made that worse, destroying the Kingdom's once proud network of roads and trader-towns and villages along those roads, and of course, killing many, and dislocating even more.
In the aftermath of the fall of the Necrotic Empire to internal civil war and the Crusade of the Golden Throne 351 years ago, the region became a target for refugees fleeing the lands of the recently collapsed Iredan Empire, and when the Tamilkirk Imperium soon fell after that, the wave of refugees became a flood. Conflict among them was common for a few decades, before things started to calm down and shake out. Eventually population started to center around areas of dense settlement - the cities of Lake Raida, the great Port Lest, Westcrown, Eaglecrest and so forth. In between you had a myriad of small holdfasts, petty fiefdoms, semi-independent towns and villages and plenty of nominally claimed but unexploited wilderness. There were many would be kings, all nobles with pretensions and warlords in this era, but by the time Teran Halrun was born some hundred years ago, the latest in a line of so-called "Grand Dukes of Raida", things had largely settled down.
70 years ago, after years of preparation, and building on the foundation left by his forefathers, Teran set out to claim for himself a Kingdom, from the borders of Darkmoon Forest to the Soverian Ocean, from the Lortan Mountains to the Goblin Lands. It was a process that saw as much negotiation, bribery and threats as conquest, but after five years, the Kingdom of Halrun was born. Ruling from the city of Eridia, Teran presided over a Kingdom with a crazy quilt of treaties, laws, contracts, exemptions, special privileges and unique statuses. Some attempt to rationalize this was made, cutting through a sea of nobles with whatever title they or their forefathers had slapped themselves with with the nobles with the largest consolidated holdings being given the title of Count, and all others merely Lords. Counties were given additional privileges, and while Teran handed conquered land out to his loyal supporters and allies, and to those who could pay for it, he held much back for the Crown, which today make up the Crown Lands of the Kingdom.
In addition to the Crownlands and the Counties, the two Free Cities - Port Lest and Eaglecrest - too possess great local autonomy, ruled by mercantile interests and wealthy commoners, and then below that, nobles with estates big and small, diffuse and concentrated. Some towns and villages lacked any noble at all, and even today are ruled diectly by the Crown, while still not technically being part of the Crown Lands. And especially after the civil war, many estates, farms, and villages lie empty or mostly so, and certainly fallow and in ruins.
Teran was succeeded by his son Brunn, who ruled wisely and well, but without much innovation or creativity, stewarding the Kingdom ably. His son, Syrokis, who came to power at the age of 21 twenty-two years ago, however, was much more creative.
Unfortunately for Halrun, that creativity was paired with an ambitious and paranoid mind. Picking a fight with the Kingdom of Morvak, Syrokis pushed Morvak over the Thorn River, claiming the 'natural' southeastern border for Halrun. With this glory and with a now blooded and loyal army, Syrokis began to slowly - oh so slowly at first - eat away at the edges of the rights and privileges that Teran had granted so many, especially the least of the nobles, and the least of the free villages. Penalties for crimes were increased, but at first, it seemed to be effective, and many were willing to let Syrokis push at the limits - he was a dynamic, likeable, and initially persuasive man. But in time, as he pushed at the limits harder and harder, he started to elicit backlash, and from higher and higher quarters. Sometimes he might even seem to back down, but more and more, those who spoke out would find themselves in violation of laws new and old, and old conventions about appeal and redress were ignored or cast aside. People began to see Syrokis for what he was - a tyrant. Taxes were raised, to grow the army and to finance that army's use as enforcers against any who would say no, to bribe allies and reward able servants.
For a some years, things stood at this point. No one wanted to move alone - whispers were had, but Syrokis did have many agents and spies and farseeing mages on his payroll, and so those whispers were all there were. But three years ago, Eaglcrest took advantage of their unique rights to force a redress of grievances on Syrokis - under the terms of their submission to Teran, they had the right to demand certain changes to Syrokis's latest regime of taxes and trade regulations, and technically, if Syrokis refused, Eaglecrest could legally leave the Kingdom.
Syrokis killed the emissaries and dispatched his armies to the city. Eaglecrest revolted and the civil war began. Eaglecrest was soon joined by progressive-minded nobles across the kingdom, who opposed the King for his cruelties and were less attached to their noble titles for their own sake, looking to nations like Zedarsh and Selissa, where merit and wealthy mattered as much as your blood. But soon, even more conservative nobles, whose belief in the importance of blood and heritage, of the rights and privileges of the Nobility was paramount, were increasingly unhappy with Syrokis, especially as the war began to make him more paranoid and controlling - by the end, some three quarters of the nobility and other elites of the Kingdom had sworn to the banner of the rebellion, though it wasn't until after the second year that such a swell happened - many saw the way things seemed to be moving, and jumped to the seemingly winning ship. But even in the final battle in the streets of Eridia, there was a risk loyalist soldiers from elsewhere on the warfronts reaching the capital in time to change the course of the war - the rebels had gambled everything on that final attack.
It worked, the Palace fell, and Syrokis was captured and executed for his crimes... and the loyalists were left with no one to stand for. Syrokis was childless, save for a bastard child born a few months before the fall of the palace, but even if the bastard could be found, and he had vanished along with his mother, Syrokis's mistress, not every loyalist to Syrokis was willing to fight on for that son, bastard as he was, and the war now seemingly lost for sure. And so, peace was made, all but the worst of Syrokis's loyalists were accepted back into the fold and the rebels called the first Estates-General in seventeen years, gathering the nobility, the urban elite, the rural gentry and the greatest spellcasters of the realm into one place to debate the future of the Kingdom, and select a new monarch.
(For the sake of simplicity, all values will be listed in "Dureks", a gold coin minted by the dwarves of the Lortan Mountains, and made popular by dwarven banks. A Durek is a Half-oz solid gold coin. In practice, most transactions, even by states are done by smaller gold coins, less pure coins, silver coins, etc, but in many cases, coins are still valued in terms of how many Dureks they're worth).
Treasury: 54.75 Dureks
Income Per Month: 289.25 Dureks From the Crown's Personal Holdings: 141.5 Dureks
Grand Duchy of Raida Direct Revenues: 34 Dureks Grand Duchy of Raida Docking & Trade Fees: 50 Dureks (Affected by Kingdom-Wide Modifiers: Economic Dislocation) Thornmarch Direct Revenues: 12 Dureks Thornmarch Tariff Fees: 16.5 Dureks (Affected by Kingdom-Wide Modifiers: Economic Dislocation, Ruined Roads) (Modifier: Morvakian Saber-Rattling) Coastal March Direct Revenues: 11 Dureks (Modifiers: Sacked Villages & Towns) Coastal March Tariff, Docking & Trade Fees: 6 Dureks (Affected by Kingdom-Wide Modifiers: Economic Dislocation, Ruined Roads) Ashdan March Direct Revenue: 1 Durek (Modifiers: Nourvois Raids, Undeveloped, Underpopulated) Southmarch Direct Revenue: 2 Dureks (Modifiers: Undeveloped, Underpopulated, War Ravaged) (Affected by Kingdom-Wide Modifiers: Ruined Roads) Southmarch Mining Tax: 5 Dureks (Modifiers: Underpopulated, War Ravaged) (Affected by Kingdom-Wide Modifiers: Ruined Roads) Southeastern Crown Reserve Direct Revenue: 1.5 Durek (Modifiers: Undeveloped, Underpopulated) (Affected by Kingdom-Wide Modifiers: Ruined Roads) Northeastern Crown Reserve Direct Revenue: 1.5 Durek (Modifiers: Undeveloped, Underpopulated) (Affected by Kingdom-Wide Modifiers: Ruined Roads) Standardized Farming Techniques and Practices: 1 Durek
Halrun is not in a good place, with everything in some form of damaged or affected by the civil war and associated events. As such, even existing sources of revenue are not as high as they should be. The Entire Kingdom is affected by certain modifiers, and individual revenue sources may have additional modifiers). Removing those modifiers will be a way to help increase revenues, though some will of course be easier to deal with than others, and of course, everything costs money these days.
From the Free Cities: 55.75 Dureks
Eaglecrest 3% Wealth Tax: 9 Dureks (Affected by Kingdom-Wide Modifiers: Economic Dislocation, Ruined Roads) Eaglecrest Land Tax: 6 Dureks Eaglecrest Trade Fees: 11.5 Dureks (Affected by Kingdom-Wide Modifiers: Economic Dislocation, Ruined Roads) Port Lest 4% Wealth Tax: 9.25 Dureks (Affected by Kingdom-Wide Modifiers: Economic Dislocation) Port Lest Land Tax: 7 Dureks Port Lest Trade Fees: 13 Dureks (Affected by Kingdom-Wide Modifiers: Economic Dislocation, Ruined Roads)
Technically all taxes in Halrun are actually collected yearly, but for the sake of the game, this is the 'monthly' income.
The Wealth taxes on Eaglecrest/Port Lest are an assessment on the overall wealth of the free city. The Taxes aren't called by percent in-universe - Eaglecrest's is called the One Thirty-Third tax (1/33) and Port Lest's is called the One Twenty-Fifth Tax (1/25). It's up to the local city government to turn up the money required. The Land Tax is a tax on the hinterland of the free cities assessed based on the agricultural value of said land, assessed on the owners of said land by royal officials. The hinterlands of both free cities tend to be owned by small farmers or by gentry (usually related to the urban merchants) with large estates and tenants. The Trade Fees are an assortment of tariffs, dues, fees, charges and the like on trade. I'm making taxes complicated enough as it is, I think I can afford to not get nittier-grittier 😅.
From the Counties: 46 Dureks
Vannecht County Land Tax & Feudal Dues: 6 Dureks (Modifiers: Extensive Exemptions) County of Vaspiri Land Tax & Feudal Dues: 4 Dureks (Modifiers: War Ravaged) Befost County Land Tax & Feudal Dues: 3 Dureks (Modifiers: War Ravaged) Kadeck County Land Tax & Feudal Dues: 6 Dureks (Modifier: War Ravaged) South Eyrist County Land Tax & Feudal Dues: 7 Dureks (Modifiers: War Ravaged) Saphet County Land Tax & Feudal Dues: 3.5 Dureks County of Aloce Land Tax & Feudal Dues: 3.5 Dureks (Modifiers: War Ravaged) South Tarkos Thanedom Land Tax, Mining Tax & Feudal Dues: 13 Dureks (Modifiers: War Ravaged) (Affected by Kingdom-Wide Modifiers: Ruined Roads)
From the Lordships & Independent Towns: 41 Dureks
Lordships Land Tax and Feudal Dues: 22 Dureks (Modifiers: War Ravaged, Assorted Exemptions Town Trade Fee Revenue: 19 Dureks (Affected by Kingdom-Wide Modifiers: Economic Dislocation, Currency Contraction, Ruined Roads)
Other Revenue Sources: 5
Trade Deal With Veldros [Expires after Turn 17] +2 Dureks
Trade Agreement With Zedarsh: +3 Dureks/Turn Until turn 30
Expenses Per Month: 135.75 Dureks Royal Administration: 46 Dureks
Tax Assessors, Collectors and Customs Agents: 12 Dureks Sheriffs and Reeves of the Crown Reserves: 6 Dureks Sheriffs and Reeves of the Thornmarch: 5 Dureks Sheriffs and Reeves of the Coastal March: 4 Dureks Sheriffs and Reeves of the Grand Duchy of Raida: 12 Dureks Assorted Other Legal and Court Functionaries and Officials: 5 Dureks Road Maintenance: 2 Dureks
Wages & Supply of Royal Army: 70.25 Dureks
715 Heavy Cavalry: 14.5 Dureks (1 Durek/50 Units) (Rounded up to the nearest quarter) 1985 Light Cavalry: 20 Dureks (1 Durek/100 Units) (Rounded up to the nearest quarter) 2473 Men-At-Arms: 12.5 Dureks (1 Durek/200 Units) (Rounded up to the nearest quarter) 1912 Crossbowmen: 9.75 Dureks (1 Durek/200 Units) (Rounded up to the nearest quarter) 1155 Skirmishers: 4 Dureks (1 Durek/300 Units) (Rounded up to the nearest quarter) 1390 Pikemen: 9.5 Dureks (1 Durek/150 Units) (Rounded up to the nearest quarter)
Basic Maintinence of the Crown & Palace: 12 Dureks
This is stuff like the servants in the palace, maintenance of said palace, the Royal Guard, feeding the monarch, clothing them, and other stuff like that. Right now, it is expected - and priced accordingly - that the Queen will be living relatively frugally, so there's less servants than normal, the feasts and meals in general will be smaller and less extravagant, etc. There is a certain amount of opulence expected of a monarch, and while emissaries and such will understand a lack of it now, there could be a loss of prestige if you never increase this number or never hold a more typical-sized feast, etc)
Additional Expenses: 7.5 Dureks Subsidy to South Zarsim: 7.5 Dureks
Standing Royal Army: 9,629 Soldiers Based Out of Ashdan Keep: 170 Heavy Cavalry, 450 Light Cavalry, 402 Men-At-Arms, 291 Crossbowmen Based in the Thornmarch: 1000 Crossbowmen, 200 Heavy Cavalry, 500 Light Cavalry, 1000 Pikemen, 1000 Men-At-Arms Based in the Coastal March: 116 Light Cavalry, 225 Skirmishers Based in The Southmarch: 200 Light Cavalry, 300 Skirmishers Based in the Northeastern Crown Reserve: 70 Light Cavalry Based in the Southeastern Crown Reserve: 50 Light Cavalry Based in the Grand Duchy of Raida (Mobile Reserve): 245 Heavy Cavalry, 599 Light Cavalry, 771 Men-At-Arms, 421 Crossbowmen, 89 Pikemen, 630 Skirmishers Operating in the Zar Civil War (South Zarsim Side): 100 Heavy Cavalry, 300 Men-At-Arms, 200 Crossbowmen, 300 Pikemen
Is this a lot of soldiers in a standing army for a Quasi-Late Middle Ages State? Probably. This isn't medieval Europe, it's a fictional world with it's own history and a version of quasi-feudalism that only somewhat resembles reality and Halrun is quite large, but especially the forces based in the Grand Duchy are arguably overlarge - but you did just have a civil war, so even with many people going home or disbanding or whatever, you've got a lot of guys eager to stay soldiers. Approximately 2/3s of the army are people who served in the rebellion at some point - personal soldiers of various nobles transferred to the Royal Army now that the war is over, professionals staying on, defecting former soldiers of the army, etc, etc. The other approximately 1/3 are soldiers who fought for Syrokis to the end and accepted the offer given at the end of the war to stand down to spare their lives/property/etc and then also chose to stay on in the Royal Army. Their loyalty - and the loyalty of any ex-rebels, frankly - is certainly potentially tbd. Overall, there are more ex-rebels in the forces stationed in the Grand Duchy, with the loyalists as much as possible put to the frontiers, to keep them busy fighting the Nourvois Clans and keeping an eye on Morvak,etc.
During times of war, additional levies can be called on, and levy soldiers cost significantly less, at least at first (keeping them on for months and months on end can cause issues otherwise). If you feel you have too many soldiers, you can reduce the number, but you certainly do need to be careful about that. Unhappy soldiers are not a good thing.
Crown Debts Total: 705.5 Dureks (67.5 Dureks Interest)
Debts Incurred by Rebels Assumed By The Crown: 515.75 Dureks (Assorted Interest) (49.5 Dureks)
The Estates-General agreed, in addition to voting on a New Queen, dropping taxes to the levels before Syrokis took the throne and a number of other tidying-things up (like pardoning some people, executing some of Syrokis's most diehard loyalists, confiscating the property of others etc) that the Crown would assume much of the debt the rebels incurred in the fighting. Because why not fob your debt off on someone else? Owed to the Axecavern Bank (Lortan Dwarves): 354 Dureks (10% Interest) (35.5 Dureks)* Owed to the Redhammer Bank (Lortan Dwarves): 33.75 Dureks (11% Interest) (3.75 Dureks) Owed to Assorted Individual Wealthy Merchants/Etc based in Eaglecrest, Port Lest and Westcrown: 128 Dureks (8% Interest) (10.25 Dureks)
*Rucdorn Relcred Axecavern may be a distant relative of the people who run the Axecavern Bank, and he used that to his - and the rebellion's - advantage, but he's not actually involved in the running of it or making money off of it. The Axecavern Clan is probably the most spread out of the major Noble Dwarven Clans, but the bank the clan is most famous for remains based in the Lortan Mountains)
Debts Incurred By the Crown: 157.75 Dureks (9.5% Interest) (15 Dureks) Owed To The Goldaxe Bank: 157.75 Dureks (9.5% Interest) (15 Dureks)
Ongoing Projects:
Repairs to the Roads Between the Grand Duchy and the Free Cities. Begun Turn 7. Will Complete at the end of Turn 13
The minting of new coins has ensured the 'Currency Contraction' Modifiers will begin to have a reduced impact after the end of Turn 8, and will fully removed by the end of Turn 12.
Repairs to Roads between the Grand Duchy and Westcrown. Begun Turn 9. Will Complete at the end of Turn 15.
Wedding Fund: 25 Dureks
Building Sanctum Beneath Palace: Begun Turn Nine. Will Complete at end of Turn 12.
Repairs to Roads Between the Thornmarch and the Grand Duchy: Begun turn 10. Will complete at the End of Turn 20.
Name: Vanessa Kolmain Race: Human Age: 27 Nation/Region of Origin: Veldros, the Riverlands Stats: Diplomacy - 9 Martial - 3 Stewardship - 8 Intrigue - 5 Learning - 8 Magic - 11 Combat Skill - 5 Backstory: The bastard daughter of a Veldran noble family, she was handed off to the Academ Arcanum, Veldros's school of wizardry at a very young age once her talent was identified. At the age of 13, she impressed the Archmage Cyril, who was visiting a friend at the Academ, and since he was currently without an apprentice (he's had many) he took her on. Not only does being an apprentice to the most powerful and well-known Archmage in the region come with getting an excellent education in magic, but it also comes with connections, and by the time she was finished with her education at the age of 20, she was sought by numerous nobles in and out of Halrun to be their court wizard. She chose to remain a free agent instead, but did work for numerous nobles in that capacity. Her talents lent themselves more to divinations and illusions and other subtler magics, but she was capable of defending herself with magic too.
When the civil war broke out, Vanessa was in the employ of Lord Hargave, a wealthy but minor noble with lands near the Duchy of Raida. Lord Hargrave was a conservative-minded noble with little regard for the rabble-rousers who started the war, but he had little patience for Syrokis's overreach either, and quickly joined the rebellion, paying Vanessa to continue to serve under his leadership. But even after Lord Hargrave's death (and the death of his family and the confiscation of his lands), Vanessa continued to serve with the rebellion, both because if Syrokis won he'd want her head, and because the tyrant's cruelties had crossed beyond any level of tolerability. The prospect of reward at the end was hardly minor either.
Vanessa played a critical role in the capture of the capital, as her skill with illusions provided cover to a small, elite team scaling the walls at night and capturing one of the gatehouses - the street fighting would continue for several more days, during which she saved the life of many soldiers, predicting ambushes and providing more illusions. Her plans for after the war, before the Estates voted her Queen, were to leave Halrun (given the state of the economy) and seek patrons in points east. Traits:Greedy: Vanessa wouldn't call it greedy, so much as frugal and money-conscious, but regardless, Vanessa likes money, perhaps in part from being cast out with little support to the Academ at a young age. She likes having money, and she likes hoarding money. Apart from her fondness for finely tailored clothes, Vanessa will skimp and save and haggle to reduce how much she pays for anything, and it's hard to turn down a chance to get more money, though she does have moral lines. Regardless, on any task that involves large expenditures of money, Vanessa's habit of trying to find savings where none exist leads to -5 on those tasks. Farsight: Vanessa's skill with divination is significant, and she has used it to great extent to see things far away, make minor predictions of the future, look into the recent past and find people and objects. During the civil war she was able to use it to spy on troop movements, command tents and predict ambushes. Any task where she can put this to use gets +5 to the roll. Illusionist: Vanessa put her skill with illusions to work helping prevent attempts on the lives of the nobles she worked for (creating illusions of the noble sleeping in their bed, projecting illusions of them standing out in the open, et cetera), as well as a few times to pacify unruly peasants or the like, by creating the illusion of much larger forces arrayed against them. She also used this to great effect on the battlefield. On tasks when an illusion can protect, overawe or provide some form of cover for a person or a group, she gets +5 to the task.
Members of the Inner Council of Royal Advisors
Name: Rykall Morn Race/Age/Birthplace: Human, 27, Eridia Stats: Diplomacy - 4 Martial - 2 Stewardship - 6 Intrigue - 5 Learning - 8 Combat Skill - 2 Trait:Master of the Paperwork - A true virtuoso of parchment and Ink, Rykall knows where all the bodies are buried, metaphorically, in the paperwork and archives of the Kingdom and even many of the local merchant concerns, and he also knows how pointless a lot of it is, and who to talk to to bypass a lot of it, in and out of the government. When it comes anything related to paperwork - hiding stuff within it, finding stuff out from it, bypassing it, etc, Rykall is your man, and he gets +4 to the Task. Brief Background: Born to a moderately prosperous family of merchants in Eridia, Rykall was a third son, and so was 'destined' for either a temple or government work. Lacking the mentality for a priestly life, Rykall became an apprentice accounts clerk to a family friend at 12, and then joined the Kingdom's bureaucracy as a minor interoffice clerk at the age of 17. Young and idealistic, Rykall reads the latest in philosophical thought and has correspondents in many cities in the region. When the rebellion broke out, Rykall spent the first year fudging paperwork to try and sabotage the war effort - preventing supplies from getting where they were supposed to, hiding old tax assessments, misplacing decrees and reports, etc. He was eventually caught, but managed to get out of his basement office bare minutes before the King's men came to arrest him. During the rest of the rebellion, he made himself indispensable as secretary and aide-de-camp to General Kaptel, leader of the Eaglecrest Militia, coordinating supplies, reports, messages and more. With the civil war over, and many of the upper ranks of the bureaucracy purged by Syrokis, quitting to save their lives/freedom or getting kicked out by the successful rebels, Rykall was selected (at the urging of General Kaptel and other figures in or aligned with Eaglecrest) to serve as the Keeper of Correspondence (Chief of Staff/Chief Secretary) to whoever the next monarch would be.
Name: Rucdorn Relcred Axecavern Race/Age/Birthplace: Dwarf/68/Eaglecrest Stats: Diplomacy - 5 Martial - 4 Stewardship - 10 Intrigue - 5 Learning - 5 Combat Skill - 6 Trait:Friends in Rich Places: Before settling down in Port Lest, Rucdorn did business from Halrun to the Varaday Republic and back for 35 years, representing the interests of his family business. He's made friends and contacts with merchants and bankers and middlemen and more across the Tamildan-speaking world and beyond. As a result, raising capital, either as investment or loans, is usually a matter of talking to the right person. +5 to any task involving loan negotiation. Brief Background: The Relcred branch of the Axecavern Clan has been in Halrun since before there was a Halrun, since the fall of the Necrotic Empire. Merchants and middlemen professionally, their primary deal is in selling dwarven-made goods sourced from dwarven expat communities, or from the Lortan Mountains, and shipping goods and resources the Lortan Dwarves can't easily source at home back. Born in Eaglecrest, Rucdorn quickly got involved in the family business at a young age, spend 35 years representing their interests region-wide. Six years ago he settled down in Port Lest and got married. He has one son - Vardek - and another child on the way. When Port Lest joined the rebellion, the city asked him to take charge of financing their war effort, and by the end of the war, he'd somewhat accidentally found himself de-facto treasury minister for the entire rebellion, or most of it. Thus, the move into serving as Keeper of the Royal Vaults (Treasury Minister) was a natural one.
Name: Jarras Darach Race/Age/Birthplace: Human/41/The Citadel of the Golden Throne Stats: Diplomacy - 5 Martial - 10 Stewardship - 4 Intrigue - 4 Learning - 5 Magic - 6 Combat Skill - 13 Trait:Shield of Adun: The Knights of the Golden Throne, being warrior-priests, have a number of unique ways to use their Adun-granted magic on the battlefield. Jarras can call upon Adun to help protect soldiers from harm, strengthening their armor, their shield arms. If she is commanding in a battle, she will (before the battle) attempt a +Magic Task (base difficulty, 70%, can be forced lower under unusual circumstances, can also be raised under certain circumstances). If the test succeeds, regardless of win or loss of the battle, forces under her command suffer 10% (one success) or 20% (two successes) less casualties than normal. Brief Background: Like many of the Knights of the Golden Throne, Jarras was born into it, both of her parents were Knights, and she traces herself back to the original Crusaders of the Golden Throne that pushed the Necrotic Empire into Darkmoon Forest. Of course, born after the Sunset Proclamation as she was, she's only fought undead but rarely, when rogues from the Kingdom of the Necromancers try their luck, or when lesser necromancers elsewhere come to the attention of the Citadel. Instead, she's served with distinction in dozens of lesser fights, protecting communities from bandits, from beasts, orcs, goblins, et cetera, as the Knights have expanded their remit (while still watching the border with Darkmoon Forest, just in case). The Knights of the Golden Throne stayed out of the civil war in Halrun, considering it a purely political matter, and many were divided on who they supported. During the War, one of the 5 commanding Knight-Generals retired due to age and she was selected by the other four to join them. With the civil war over, Jarras has come to the capital to represent the interests of the Knights at court. As someone who didn't fight in the war (though her sympathies die lie towards the rebellion) some in the Estates thought she might be an excellent choice - for now anyway - to serve as the High Marshall of the Armies (to bridge the gap between ex-rebels and ex-loyalists), but as of now, she's just an advisor, emissary and general available for use as needed. Probably the least virulently anti-Kingdom of the Necromancers Knight-General in the Citadel's history, but that doesn't say much.
Name: Count Vallefor Grentir Filonde Trovus, Count of Vannecht Race/Age/Birthplace: Human/37/Trovus Estate, Halrun Stats: Diplomacy - 5 Martial - 6 Stewardship - 5 Intrigue - 7 Learning - 6 Combat Skill - 7 Trait:Blue Blood, Black Secrets The Trovus Family predates Halrun, it even pre-dates the fall of the Necrotic Empire. And while they abandoned Necromancy when they defected to the Crusaders of the Golden Throne (keeping their domain and even expanding it a good bit,) they keep to certain old habits, including amassing secrets. The Trovus family knows a little something about nearly every other noble in Halrun and surrounding lands, or so they are rumored, anyway. If Vallefor can be convinced to dig into this trove of secrets, either to use it, or to trade it with others for information, any task he undertakes about discovering information about another noble, or blackmail another noble receives +5 to the roll. Brief Background: A very, very, very well-heeled noble, from a family that can claim descent from the nobility of all three great empires of the recent past - the Necrotic Empire, the Iredan Empire, and the Tamilkirk Imperium. Vallefor has some of the bluest blood of anyone, or at least he claims, and most would agree. And he acts like it - snobby, arrogant, entitled, demanding and rich, Vallefor thinks the vast majority of the world needs to just bow down to him and obey. With Vannecht County given numerous legal rights and tax exemptions, his family has long been influential in Halrun as well. Conservative and not remotely interested in reforms that could hurt his wealth and power, Vallefor only joined the rebellion against Syrokis when Syrokis's overreach saw a member of his own family killed without trial. And unfortunately, his wealth and the resources of his county allowed him to field a capable and potent force that meant the rest of the rebellion had to take him quite seriously. Already an influential (if disliked by many) noble, Vallefor quickly rose to dominate the conservative faction of the nobility in the Estates once they reconvened. He leveraged this position to force the new Queen to accept him onto the Inner Council as part of the requirement for her to formally approved as Queen by the Estates. Syrokis locked him out of the halls of power from the moment Vallefor ascended to lead his county 12 years ago, and Vallefor is not letting that happen again. Vallefor is married and has two young children - his wife, Jenassa, and his two children (5 and 6) have come to the capital with him. He has been appointed as Keeper of Secrets (Spymaster).
Name: Lady Balmain Honoria Clessara Rescon Race/Age/Birthplace: Human/35/Tairos Stats: Diplomacy - 6 Martial - 4 Stewardship - 6 Intrigue - 4 Learning - 8 Combat Skill - 8 Trait:Aris Means Best: Lady Balmain is a very well educated woman, indeed, possibly one of the best educated in Halrun, especially in matters related to the traditional duties of nobles to their subjects - administering justice, protecting their domains, maintaining the infrastructure, that sort of thing. Balmain's tutors were believers in the idea that Aristocrats were not better by their blood, but by their personal excellence and the education their wealth and status afforded. If the task is one that falls under the rubric of the 'traditional functions of nobility' Balmain receives a +3 to the task. (QM Note: The bonus may seem small, but it can be applied to virtually anything she's likely to be assigned to do) Background: Lady Balmain is the personification of noblesse oblige, and the result of what happens when you have a bunch of families tie each other by marriage and then die without direct heirs over the course of a decade. Born to a family of very minor, but well connected and wealthy nobles in the city of Tairos, Balmain was given a first rate education, and was sent to University in Varyos from the ages of 18-22. While there, her great-aunt died, and her lands passed through Balmain's mother to Balmain, and that was the first of several inheritances from distant relatives - she would end up inheriting lands all over the Kingdom, in smaller chunks, a rather disparate set of holdings, but take together, making her quite rich, and with real power behind her. At the age of 31, on the eve of the rebellion, Balmain certainly knew how to keep quiet under Syrokis's regime, she still hosted intellectural salons discussing safe topics of culture, art, history, and philosophy... and in secret sessions, hosted more treasonous talk. Balmain thinks the nobles should provide for the health, education and moral guidance of the common people, and even the meanest commoner that shows true merit should be assimilated into the nobility. Her social circle were among the forerunners of the rebellion, and when Eaglecrest raised the standard of revolt, Balmain retreated with her allies to her estates near the Eyrist Woods, and did the same, freely using her wealth to hire more soldiers and mercenaries than her own lands and resources could muster. While no general herself, she knew how to pick a good one, and she was a deft hand with a rapier - a few times in the early rebellion she did have to help fight off Royal forces while forces were gathered. Charming, cultured, educated and connected, Balmain was able to command leadership of the more progressive nobles at the Estates, and when her name was rejected for the throne (though she maintains she didn't put her cousin up to putting her name forward), she was an early and enthusiastic supporter of the 'Talcraft Solution' once it was proposed. Balmain is an outspoken Alatrist, meaning she accepts the existence of the gods (who couldn't) but actively does not worship them, considering them more trouble than they're worth. She has been appointed Keeper of the Sheriffs and Reeves (Interior Minister)
Name: Rienne Novash Age: 32 Stats: Diplomacy - 7 Martial - 10 Stewardship - 5 Intrigue - 3 Learning - 6 Combat Skill - 13 Nation/Region of Origin: The Pocket Kingdoms Background: Born to officers who had served in the army of one of the latest warlords to form a pocket kingdom, Rienne was trained to be a soldier basically from birth, and a professional one at that, including the rough honor of a soldier of the pocket kingdoms. Unfortunately for her career prospects, the warlord her parents served was overthrown when she was eleven, and her family ended up serving in a smaller statlet's kingdom, but at a lower status and lower chance of rising to high rank. On reaching adulthood, Rienne joined a mercenary company, moving from company to company, but making a name for herself as a skilled fighter, an inspiring commander, and a loyal mercenary, honoring the contract to the letter, even in the face of circumstances that other mercenaries might defect. Good natured, charming, attractive and highly skilled, Rienne eventually took command of a small band of highly skilled mercenaries, and took them out of the Pocket Kingdoms, serving in border skirmishes in Zarsim, between Nerithar and Morvak and taking contracts to deal with bandits and beasts.
She was on her way to Halrun to take a job working for Syrokis, since at the time he was rumored to be gearing up to invade the goblin lands to the north, but by the time they reached the Kingdom, the civil war had broken out. She ended up taking a contract from Lady Balmain, one of the wealthiest rebel nobles to join the rebellion early to fight for them. She was able to use her force as a solid core, gathering nobles' men at arms, defecting members of the royal army and other mercenaries to form one of the most effective fighting units in the rebellion, serving with distinction in battles all over the easter half of the Kingdom. She made friends with many other rebel commanders and was even able to convince one royalist general to defect rather than fight her when she outnumbered him 3 to 2. During the final battle, she personally took down the Captain of Syrokis's personal guard, a brute of a man named Dorgast. A born soldier and mercenary, it was likely she would have gone to seek employment in the Zarsim Civil War, as the call for mercenaries there was growing louder, again. However, she was held back from this by being asked by Queen Vanessa to serve as High Marshall of the Armies, after being offered a noble title and the estates to go with it, something she'd long secretly hoped for. Traits: Soldier's Honor: It's not that Rienne is above an ambush on the battlefield, or underhanded tactics, but off the battlefield, Rienne is not good with anything underhanded or manipulative. She can't lie that well, she can't really manipulate people in anything but direct ways (but she is pretty good at those direct appeals to emotion) and subtlety is usually lost on her. She suffers a -5 to anything involving lying, underhanded tactics or understanding or using subtlety. Inspiring Commander: Numerous times during her career as a mercenary, even before taking a major command role, Rienne has been able to convince soldiers to stand and fight, hold their ground against intense odds, or to at least hold together to retreat in good order. She was especially able to put this to use in the civil war, appealing to her sometimes ramshackle forces to fight for the cause they believed in, for their own honor, for their brothers and sisters in arms. In any situation where she can appeal to people's higher instincts and get them to rally together, she gets +5 to the roll. Professionals Study Logistics: You can't be a successful leader of masses of soldiers, or even smaller bands of elite mercenaries, without being good at managing logistics. When it comes to organizing the means to feed and organize large groups of people, or gather materials for a project, Rienne gets +5 to the task. Whether it's feeding armies or gathering materials for a construction project, Rienne knows what she's doing. She may not be good at getting money or handling lawbooks, but there are administrative tasks she excels at.
Name: Lord Lucas Trelbir Blyth Trins Race/Age/Birthplace: Human/61/Trins Estate, Halrun Stats: Diplomacy - 4 Martial - 9 Stewardship - 6 Intrigue - 3 Learning - 5 Combat Skill - 10 Trait:Dispersed Command Years of experience fighting the Nourvois, goblin raiders and suppressing banditry has given General Trins a great deal of experience at commanding decentralized operations where large numbers of soldiers are dispersed across a large area to protect against decentralized raids and guerilla attacks. When fighting bandits, raiders or other types of many groups of small forces over large areas, General Trins gets +5 to the Task. Brief Background: The Trins are a relatively new blood noble family - Lucas's grandfather was ennobled by Teran Halrun for services rendered during the creation of the Kingdom - and they've always been military men. Lucas distinguished himself during the war with Morvak and as a reward, was risen to be the Commandant of Ashdan Keep, and effectively general of all northern frontiers in the Kingdom. He served in this capacity well - with one of the best track records against the Nourvois (though that doesn't say much). A gruff, but dedicated soldier, Trins firmly believed in the role of soldiers as protectors, especially when set against those who would loot them. When the civil war broke out, Lucas tried to stay loyal, and was critical in the capture of Eaglecrest (and thus forcing the rebels to retreat to the Tarkos hills), but as Syrokis began ordering increased reprisals against the civilian population, and his most 'elite' soldiers started enriching themselves at the populace's expense, he couldn't stay loyal, and defected to the rebels, playing a key role in the recapture of Eaglecrest. Though old, he is a veteran commander and with banditry facing the Kingdom in many corners, is likely to have much to do.
Name: Arandel Synvara Race/Age/Birthplace Elf/397/Ina Hirandel, Syleria Stats: Diplomacy - 7 Martial - 2 Stewardship - 5 Intrigue - 3 Learning - 8 Magic - 10 Combat Skill - 4 Trait:Forwarned is Forearmed: Divination in all its forms has long held a great interest for Arandel, and for most of his life, he's used it as a way to figure out the best course of action, as an adventurer, as a mediator, as a researcher, and just... in general. He's wise enough to see the limits of divination and foresight, but equally, he's scryed and seen his way to many successes. As a mediator, he used his abilities to dig deeper into people's motivations and find out what they really want. Before a negotiation, Arandel will make a +Magic roll with a Base Chance that will (usually) be 55%. On A Weak Success he gets +3 to the roll of the negotiation, on a Strong Success he gets +6 to the roll. Brief Background: Born in Syleria, Arandel first left the 'kingdom' at the age of 125 as part of the guard/company of one of the Avesiyan Seers, on a mission he speaks little of today, even to his friends. It's known that he traveled to several Deserethian sites (Desereth, a quasi-legendary city, featured significantly in the last days of the Dawning Wars, and some sources suggest it's destruction was ultimately the cause of the end of those wars, though as with all sources from that period, much is lost or confused) in what is now the Kingdom of the Red Spear, and after that, he settled in small village of Eaglecrest, already starting to become a hub for adventurers seeking to loost abandoned Necrotic sites not purged by the Knights, and explore Deserethian ruins that the Necrotic Empire had for a very long time forbidden exploitation of. He continued to be an adventurer and ruin delver on and off for a century, before retiring to a quiet life of research and enchantment-for-hire (more than one noble house in what would become Halrun has a sword, armor or other weapon that was enchanted by Arandel for a princely sum of money). Over the last fifty years, the high regard mages all over the Tamildan-speaking world had for him saw him called upon to be a mediator, which he was only reluctant to do at first, not wanting to be withdrawn from his studies, though he has come around at this point. He sat out the rebellion, spending most of the war in other countries mediating there. He was no fan of Syrokis, but he saw it as a human affair that would pass soon enough either way.
Name: Itrick Grosdan Race/Age/Birthplace: Human/76/Rural Halrun Stats: Diplomacy - 5 Martial - 4 Stewardship - 5 Intrigue 6 Learning - 8 Magic - 9 Trait:Justice Requires Truth Grosdan's services as a freelance prosecutor across Halrun were fueled in part by his command of truth-binding magic, which forces all who testify before him to speak truth, even if they don't want to. Resisting his magic is possible, and people can only report truth as they know it, but still. Before he tries a case, he will make a + Magic roll with a Base Chance of 65% (can be raised or lowered in some cases). Weak Success means no one can lie by anything but omission while under the effect of his truth-binding, a Strong Success means people will be compelled to speak the truth no matter what, when asked. Depending on the case and the nature thereof, this can render any rolls related to judgement entirely unnecessary, or provide a bonus to the roll of 3, 4 or 5. Brief Background: Born to a family of hunters and woodsmen in Eyrist Woods, born before Halrun even existed, Itrick proved to be a smart, studious and gifted young man. His extended family pooled their resources to send him to the nearest town to get an education at the age of 10. While there, he caught the eye of the clergy of Askiran, and at the age of 12, he entered the service of the Crowned Scepter as an acolyte - at the time, a pecking order within the church in Halrun was still being sorted out, as each temple in each nation tends to have one High Priest. Young Itrick proved to have little interest in temple politics, but proved to be an expert study of both laws and magic. By the time he was 25, he'd become a full-fledged priest, and could have been appointed to lead a local shrine, or even serve as a judge within the Kingdom, but he decided he'd rather be more itinerant, seeking out places in need of law and order, and offering his services. He traveled around Halrun and beyond, serving as prosecutor or judge or even defense advocate, in a few cases, in places where order had broken down, or law was being ignored flagrantly, or in particularly difficult and prolonged cases. He cared more about seeing cases resolved in a manner that allowed victims and communities to heal and resolve to return to order, rather than according to an abstract notion of Justice and Punishment. During the rebellion, he lent his magic to the rebellion, interrogating prisoners and suspected spies.
Other Prominent Characters
Name: Cyril Race/Age/Birthplace: Human/133/??? Stats: Diplomacy - 7 Martial - 3 Stewardship - 4 Intrigue - 4 Learning - 13 Magic - 17 Combat Skill - 3 Trait:Dawning Heir: Cyril, through his mentor (and her mentor, etc) can trace a line of learning back to the legendary hero-wizard Narper Venn, who is said to have used his magic to shield entire cities from attackers during the Dawning Wars, defeat Dragons in single combat and so forth. This gives him a great deal of prestige among fellow mages especially. +6 to any task involving negotiating with other mages unless that make specifically dislikes Cyril. Brief Background: Cyril's exact origins before his mentor, the Archmage Eliris Zoll, made him her apprentice and ultimately successor as Master of Narper's Tower (Cyril's home in the Exarchel Mountains, said to be built by Narper Venn himself and also said to be housing lore lost since the Dawning Wars) are unknown. Cyril has had a habit of visiting people in power, offering sage advice (that is ignored at people's peril) and otherwise keeping to himself, besides his various apprentices. Which one, of the twelve he's had that remain alive today, will be given his tower remains unknown, and he could always get another apprentice. When not hiding in his tower or offering sage advice to rulers, Cyril put his efforts to defense of the region from common threats - he destroyed a large chunk of the greatest Goblin Horde to threaten the south in a millennia some 61 years ago, and 43 years ago he defeated a powerful cult of fringe worshippers of Ser-Tornath trying to conduct rituals via mass sacrifice to achieve some nefarious end. He is most famous, however, for his rivalry with Irino, a powerful fire mage and fellow former apprentice to Eliris Zoll, and for his duel 27 years ago with the wife of the Archnecromancer, Katrya Serriados, which resulted in her death. There's nothing but rumor as to why he did that, but the most accepted theory (since the Archnecromancer seems to have not tried to intervene in the duel) is that Katrya wanted to reverse the Sunset Proclamation and thought killing Cyril would make future conquests easier. Cyril tried to caution Syrokis against his tyranny several times in the years leading up to the revolt, but to no avail. Cyril spent the war in his tower, only returning to the capital to lend his advice to the Estates-General in the aftermath, and aid with the recovery.
Roster of Minor Characters of Note: King Basil VIII: King of Morvak. Married. King Olden III: King of Nerinthar. Married. Crown Prince Jarok: Crown Prince & Heir of Nerinthar. Married. Princess Janera: Second Child of Olden III. Unmarried. Lady Yarelle Varto: Bastard-child of House Varto, awarded the family's estates. Likely a Vanessa loyalist as a result. Lord Reyndar Froywell: Progressive noble, cousin of the main Blosk line. Awarded Orgus Blosk's Estate King Teran: Founder and First King of Halrun. Dead. King Brunn: Son and Heir of Teran. Dead. Syrokis: Former Deposed King of Halrun. Dead. Countess Gramaire: Syrokis's former mistress, a skilled fire mage, and mother of his bastard son. At-large, but attainted. Former Countess of Aloce Brunn Jr: Syrokis's bastard son. Any coup coming from ex-loyalists would ultimately be in his name. At large, less than 1 year old. Presumably with his mother. Couris Maskt: Port Lest's main representative at Court. Sir Marteen Salces Rescon: Lady Balmain's second cousin and (among other things) her headsman. Accused of murder during the rebellion. Found innocent. Count Xandar Fredero: Count of Vaspiri. Widely respected expert on inheritance law. Lady Aster Corex: Lesser judge serving under Keeper of Justice Itrick Grosdan. Conservative noble, but famously incorruptible and dedicated to the letter of the law. Lady Carissa Floren: Well connected and charming noblewoman, with family in several neighboring realms. Hates Morvak. Lady Lyra Bandasi: Minor (and progressive) noblewoman within the Grand Duchy of Raida. Heavily invested in trade. Shrewd bargainer. Archnecromancer Lyrus Serriados: Archnecromancer of the Kingdom of The Necromancers, King of Darkmoon Forest, King In the Deathwood. Issued the Sunset Proclamation 76 years ago that formally renounced conquest and all claims to lands beyond Darkmoon Forest & The Deathwood. Countess Verenna Relund: A cousin of Count Vallefor. A conservative, but one that takes much more seriously than most the idea of noblesse oblige and the needs of a noble to care for and protect the peasants and commoners in their charge. Recently named Countess of Aloce. King Gaius Rodela: King of South Zarsim. Unmarried. Essinya Serriados: Daughter of Lyrus Serriados. A powerful necromancer in her own right. Unmarried. Technically Princess/Heir to Darkmoon Forest, but KoTN succession is a mite more complicated than that. Unmarried. Princess Regara Rezan: Princess of Morvak. Twin to Priscilla. Appears to be a supporter of peaceful relations with at least some of Morvak's neighbors. Unmarried. Princess Priscilla Rezan: Princess of Morvak. Twin to Regara. Apparently has had a long string of lovers and partners. No interest in women. Unmarried. Revanchist and bloodthirsty even by Morvakian standards. Princess Allara Taygraf: Ruling Princess of Illegorst. Like all the nobility of that realm, elf-blooded. Rumored to be a vampire, and has not been seen out in the sunlight for over a year. Was married, now widowed, has a six year old son and a three year old daughter. Prince Loran Taygraf: Princess Allara's younger brother. Unmarried. Spends more time in the forests than at court. King Elaric II Aldogun: King of Selissa. Widower. Crown Princess Brunhilde Aldogun: Heir to the Selissan Throne. Married. Prince Lothar Aldogun: Eldest son and 2nd child of King Elaric II. Very skilled with a rapier, said to be a bit of a dandy.
"Sir... could you run that by me again?" Vanessa had excellent hearing. She'd heard exactly what the Archmage had told her, but... that couldn't be it.
Cyril chuckled, raising a bushy white eyebrow, "You were never this inattentive when you were my apprentice, Vanessa, what happened in the last seven years?" Vanessa bit her lip, her mentor's sense of humor never his best feature, and let him go on. "The Estates-General couldn't agree on a more conventional candidate for the throne, and since only a handful of radicals in Eaglecrest actually liked the idea of having no monarch, they decided to look further afield. Someone suggested picking a non-noble who had distinguished themselves. They started calling it the Talcraft Solution, named for-"
"Olden the Great, from the village of Talcraft, and a commoner named to be king of Nerinthar after the overthrow of the Morvakian puppet-dynasty 134 years ago," Vanessa finished. She smiled, "I did pay attention in your lessons, as you said."
"Indeed." Cyril ran a hand through his beard, then took a puff from his pipe. "This rebellion didn't really have so clear a single leader, of course, and so there was a great deal of wrangling and debate. Count Vallefor and his lot were very resistant to the idea until your name was floated."
I suppose I can see why he'd be so resistant in general. Count Vallefor Trovus, of Vannecht County, was probably the most blueblooded nobleman in Halrun, and he made sure everyone knew it. In his ancestry he could claim connection to the nobility of the Necrotic Empire - his forebears were one of the few that were able to successfully defect to the Crusaders side when the Empire was pushed into Darkmoon forest - and refugee nobles from Iredan and the Tamilkirk married into his line early on in it's independent history.
Snobbish, arrogant and wealthy, the man thought that if you didn't have a title, and especially if that title didn't go back to before Halrun, at least, you were barely above gutter trash, no matter your wealth. She'd shied away from his offers of employment more than once for that reason, before the civil war.
"...What, because my mother was a noble in Veldros?" The Veldrosian nobility were about as venerable as the Count's, given their own ties to the Necrotic Empire, but... "I'm a bastard, sir. My father was blacksmith that my bored and unsatisfied mother fucked to spite her husband."
"That does still make you the most noble of the options that people were discussing. You know how it is, Vanessa," Cyril gesture a circle with his pipe, "All these nobles hate each other, or at least, enough do. No one could agree on more pedigreed candidate. And... frankly, though no one said it to my face, and I only attended some of the sessions of the Estates, the fact that you were my apprentice raises your standing with the more conservative minded nobles too. Mages are in a class of their own, and Archmagi..."
"Might as well be kings," Vanessa nodded, finishing the old saying.
So this was happening.
Vanessa dropped down into her chair, her half-packed travel chest and bags sitting, ignored on the bed.
Me? Queen? I don't even know the first thing about... ruling. Which was probably the point. Vanessa wasn't really a noble, whatever Vallefor thought. But she had been raised around nobility - the Academ Arcanum was mostly noble-blooded students, thanks to centuries of careful assimilation of any mages who were born into or moved to Veldros. A mage wasn't guaranteed to have a mage child, but it was more common.
And she knew true nobles were taught how to rule. How to assert their power. How to administer their domains, oversee justice... nothing Vanessa knew. Granted, sometimes they were still terrible at their jobs...
I couldn't possibly be worse than Syrokis, or the Kings of Zedarsh before they lost all their power...
But her lack of experience was probably a draw for many.
"How many of the people who voted for me in the Estates think they can lead me by the nose since I have no idea what I'm doing?" Vanessa asked, after a moment.
Cyril smiled, "There's the smart girl I taught. The answer is less than you'd think, but more than there should be. Vallefor is definitely among them, and despite her good intentions, I think Lady Balmain is too, which has to be the first time the two of them have agreed on anything."
"They should just fuck and get it over with," Vanessa quipped, quoting her friend Sasha. In the last parts of the rebellion, Vallefor and Balmain had both risen to prominence in rebel councils, and their fights were loud and frequent. The rough woman from the north seemed convinced that meant both were secretly attracted to the other.
Vanessa doubted it, but it was an amusing notion regardless.
Cyril, mid inhale, laughed hard enough to be reduced to a brief coughing fit, but before Vanessa could get to him and offer help, he recovered, and Vanessa returned to her chair. "If you do take the crown, I suggest you don't make that suggestion to either of their faces."
"...a fair suggestion, but..." Vanessa blinked, something else occurring to her. "And why are you the one delivering this message? You don't take orders from the Estates."
"I volunteered." Cyril replied with a mischievous note to his voice.
Vanessa snorted, "Of course you did. I should have guessed." She exhaled, pondering the offer. She - she'd never even imagined a crown, or even a noble title in her future. Insofar as she'd ever thought about her long-term future before the war, it had been about eventually retiring with her accumulated wealth from her various patrons, in one of the more mage friendly cities - Eaglecrest, Varyos, Gateway - when she was old and gray. But at 24, it had seemed silly to think that far ahead. It still seemed silly. She didn't think she'd live as long as Cyril, but she had at least a century of total life, barring violence.
Being Queen isn't exactly something I can just... quit. And Halrun was... in a state. She'd only paid loose attention to the Estates-General as they'd debated, but she knew they'd assumed rebel debts, or most of them, and she knew firsthand how damaged parts of the capital alone were. Couron and Tairos hadn't been fought over as badly, but still.
There were reports of bandits active in several parts of the kingdom - ex-soldiers (rebel or loyalist), or just people taking advantage of the chaos to get rich quick.
And the roads. The Roads. She'd already been planning to just buy a second horse to carry her things, rather than find a spot on a caravan, given the state of what had once been Halrun's pride and joy, the greatest thing Teran Halrun accomplished in his lifetime, in her mind.
If she accepted this offer, she'd have nobles trying to manipulate her, a massive pile of debts, unreconstructed Syrokis loyalists probably wanting her dead, someday Syrokis's own bastard might surface and cause problems, especially since his mother was no pushover, magically. And there were all sorts of other problems she didn't even know about, Vanessa was sure. Cyril's lessons about history, and especially the aftermath of wars, were quite thorough.
But if she accepted it... she'd have a crown. Power. She couldn't exactly say she hated the idea of having power. It wasn't like she didn't have her own opinions on how things should work, nebulous as they could be. And... she'd never have to worry about money, ever again. She couldn't do what Syrokis did and plunder the kingdom for her own enjoyment, and she couldn't do what the Kings of Zedarsh did and drive the Kingdom so deep into debt she lost all power.
Well, you could, but do you really think that will work out as well for you as it did for them? Vanessa didn't.
But she'd never have to worry about money. Never worrying she'd have a patron try to cheat her (hadn't happened to her, but you heard stories), or being between patrons too long. She'd have the surety that as long as she didn't go completely overboard - and she wasn't the sort anyway - she'd be set for life.
And the look on my mother's face...
Vanessa hadn't seen her mother since she was eleven, but she'd never been close to the snobbish bitch, raised by a nanny for a few years while they decided what to do with her, then sent off to the Academ Arcanum... a few visits, just to make sure Vanessa was representing her mother suitably.
Call me a mistake and a greedy little child just for asking for the slightest recognition of my birthday, will you? Veldros existed in Halrun's shadow, and knowing that a Queen took precedence over any of Veldros's nobles...
"So, are they attaching any prerequisites, before I can accept?" Never agree to something without knowing the full details.
"You have to provide a seal to all the decrees the Estates passed - the reversion to pre-Syrokis taxes, the lifting of Syrokis's expanded punishments and crimes, the confiscation of property of some of his biggest supporters, that sort of thing," Cyril ticked off. "But you'll also have to accept their demands for who goes on your Inner Council."
"Rucdorn Relcred for Keeper of the Royal Vaults, I'm sure," Vanessa considered, and Cyril nodded.
"Your Keeper of Correspondence will have to be Rykall Morn,"
"That excitable clerk with the Eaglecrest Militia?" Vanessa had only interacted with him a few times, since she'd mostly not been involved with the Eaglecrest forces.
"Technically he used to be a clerk for the King, and with so many above him dead, fired or quitting, General Kaptel and the rest of Eaglecrest pretty much insisted. Count Vallefor and Lady Balmain will both be on your Inner Council, though you at least get to pick what positions they'll be assigned."
"Really?" Vanessa let out a sigh, almost - almost - rethinking the prospect of accepting the throne. Having to deal with a man like Count Vallefor every day? And even Lady Balmain, for all that she was forward thinking and believed in merit more than blood, could be an insufferable, meddling and paternalistic woman.
"Really." Cyril nodded, chuckling at the way Vanessa dropped her head into her hand, fingers splayed across her forehead. "They are some of the most influential ones of their respective factions, after all," Cyril pointed out. "And neither liked being iced out by Syrokis before the war."
"And that means they have to be my headache for five years, until they get bored and quit or I have a secure enough position I can probably remove them safely?" Vanessa knew she was whining, something she hadn't done since she was a teenager, but really?
"No one ever said being Queen would be nothing but sunshine and roses." Cyril teased.
"I hate roses," Vanessa grumbled. "Who else am I being forced to accept?"
"More a short list of candidates you'll have to pick from, for the rest," Cyril said. "I think they're still drawing that part up."
Vanessa did her best not to grumble when she heard that, knowing all Cyril would do would be to laugh at her annoyance. And it was petty. She was quibbling about the price of a crown. The Estates would have a list of candidates foisted on her for the Inner Council, and that didn't sound fun, but it wasn't as if she couldn't work with that. And Vallefor and Balmain...
She knew how to handle people like them.
She sat there, thinking for a long moment, until something occurred.
If they're still drawing up the lists...
"Who else were the options that they were discussing, that I was the boat pedigreed of?" Vanessa asked, raising an eyebrow. If they were selecting prominent leaders of the rebellion, and people that presumably not enough people disliked for them to be able to agree on...
There could only be so many, and she was at least on positive terms herself with many of them. Capable people. People she might be able to get along with.
Especially Sasha, since they were even friends. She'd love to bring Sasha into her Inner Council as well, just to watch Vallefor squirm, but there were others - people she would work with, people who could help the Kingdom and people who could probably be acceptable for the short lists.
On the other hand, I don't know if I want to surround myself with people who were considered for the throne too. Vanessa had mostly skimmed over the writings of the philosopher Vatrelli, but she remembered a passage about being careful about keeping rival claimants to the throne too close, where people could rally around them and use them, even if they themselves weren't treacherous.
So maybe only pick one. Keep the others in mind for later, if they were ever looking for work. And did she really want to subject Sasha to Vallefor?
Cyril listed the names off. Vanessa was stunned to hear that Sasha's name was actually on the list of candidates for the throne too, which was... I mean, I suppose she could bring a no-nonsense approach to it all, but I think she'd go mad as Queen.
Rienne Novash's name was unsurprising - she cut the very perfect image of a warrior queen of the children's stories. Maria Durnova was another unsurprising choice, given her high, if common, birth, and the easy way she made friends. Zelirna Sorlkaeus...
Well, she was powerful. And she had that exotic cast to her. Vanessa hadn't really gotten on with her, finding it hard to really connect, but she respected the other woman.
Then she got to the last name Cyril listed - Girra Bladewit.
Wait, really? An orphan from the streets of Port Lest?
Well, I can see why Vallefor would rather me than her. Which did make the idea of bringing her into her council also appealing as well. And she got on with Girra well enough, though she wouldn't call her a friend...
"You're up to something." Cyril noted, eyes narrowing.
"Oh, just thinking about how I might be able to share the fun." Vanessa grinned.
The question was, which of the other five would she ask to join her Inner Council, and would they accept? She couldn't imagine they'd all be so thrilled about working for her, but Vanessa could be pretty persuasive if she wanted, and she could always use a little farsight to see what they wanted...
QM Note: The following tasks will all be +Diplomacy (Vanessa's). If you also choose to offer the additional incentive that Vanessa discovers via Farsight to figure out what they want, you'll get +5 to the task as well, as per her trait. Though obviously it does mean you'll need to uphold or make every good faith effort to uphold, your end of the bargain later, or that may cause problems.
Vote for up to two (2) choices below. The top choice will have their task rolled, and if Vanessa fails her task on the first one, then the second one will be asked. If she fails on both, well, she doesn't bring in one of the other candidates onto her Inner Council.
[ ][OTHER CANDIDATE] Ask Girra Bladewit (Base Chance: 55%)
-[ ]Promise to grant Some Form Of Formal Recognition To or Protection Of The Port Lest Thieves' Guild (Optional)
[ ][OTHER CANDIDATE] Ask Rienne Novash (Base Chance: 60%)
-[ ]Promise Rienne a noble title and lands to go with it. (Optional)
[ ][OTHER CANDIDATE] Maria Durnova (Base Chance: 52%)
-[ ]Offer to Help Maria Spite Her Wealthy and Influential Family (Optional)
[ ][OTHER CANDIDATE] Zerlina Sorlkaeus (Base Chance: 48%)
-[ ]Promise to get Cyril to let her see a few of his rare tomes. (Optional)
[ ][OTHER CANDIDATE] Sasha of the Surovyza (Base Chance: 65%)
-[ ]Promise Better Working Conditions and Wages for the Miners in the Korrid Hills (Optional)
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The High Marshall in Waiting & The Coronation to Come
It took the better part of a day for Vanessa to be ready to approach Rienne, once she'd settled on her. First, she had to scry on her various candidates - well, not on them, but on the world around them, their friends, their past, the future... it was a little more nuanced than simply spying in this case, more of an augury and divination of what they sought, and what they craved.
She was surprised by some - Rienne's desire for a noble title and the associated estates had taken Vanessa by surprise, though on further consideration, she could see it. She was a soldier and one without a home, but she would eventually want to settle down. What she saw of the woman's past suggested her parents were - as far as these things existed in the Pocket Kingdoms - fairly high status, and she would like that again.
Others she was less surprised by - Zerlina had made little secret that hidden magical lore was her greatest interest. Vanessa was still baffled at the woman's claim she'd actually been inside the Black Librarium, which according to Cyril, was a thing only granted by express permission of the Archnecromancer or a small handful of very specific people in Darkmoon Forest. But Zerlina appeared to have been telling the truth.
In the end, as much as Vanessa would have preferred to have her friend Sasha - and loved to watch Vallefor have to deal with her - by her side, Vanessa decided that the obvious choice was Rienne. Sasha was a skilled leader of warriors, but she was... impatient, and honestly, Vanessa didn't want to subject her to Vallefor and his ilk if she had any choice. Sasha would probably venture off in search of worthy battles, but that was what suited her. If Vanessa truly needed her help, in a dire circumstance, she could always ask her then.
Rienne, on the other hand, was a respected commander, and, frankly, sounded easy to buy off, as crude as that sounded.
And that was the other thing that had occupied the rest of Vanessa's first day. She'd only paid half-attention to the various decrees handed down by the Estates while they debated a new monarch, but now she needed to go over them carefully. While most of the nobles who had stuck to Syrokis until the end had kept most of their wealth and lands and titles (though in several cases, long-standing property disputes were summarily ruled against them), a few had been attainted. And a few other estates and titles had been left without heirs, and so escheated back to the crown.
Familiarizing herself with the options at hand for offering Rienne what she craved in exchange for her service left Vanessa with a range, depending on how hard a sell Rienne proved to be. The Kingdom is deep in debt. Best to sell off these other estates and titles where we can. If nothing else, she could even carve land out of one of the Crown Reserves, for Rienne. The land would be empty, and it would be up to Rienne to attract people to settle there, but it would be even cheaper for the Crown, in the short term.
But of course, there were long-term considerations as well.
Either way, it was bright and early the next day that Vanessa found herself heading towards the manor house that had, until very recently, been occupied by Dorgast, Syrokis's brute of a Captain of the Guard. Lacking any other place to stay with her soldiers while things were sorted out, Rienne had settled in there for the moment, though from what she'd gathered, Rienne was planning on going to Zarsim.
I have a better use for you than that grave pit of a war.
A walk down busy streets later - Vanessa attracted stares and whispers from those who recognized her, rumors of the Estates' decision spreading across the city - and a knock on a door later, and Vanessa was escorted into what was presumably once a master bedroom, where Rienne was packing.
"Rienne," Vanessa nodded. "Might we have a moment in private?" she gestured to the man who'd escorted her, one of Rienne's mercenaries.
"Of course." Rienne gestured for the man to leave, "And close the door behind you."
"Yes ma'am," The mercenary nodded and left quickly.
"What can I do for you Vanessa?" Rienne asked politely, "Or should I say, Your Majesty?"
"You've heard then?" Vanessa asked, and Rienne nodded. "Well, I'm not crowned yet, so 'Vanessa' is fine. I hear you're planning on going to Zarsim?"
"It's likely, yes. The civil war is heating up, and with Selissa throwing all the money into it that they can, North Zarsim is flush with cash to hire mercenaries." Rienne shrugged. "A woman must eat."
"Surely you've made enough over the years you could settle down somewhere." Vanessa considered.
"Running a mercenary company is more expensive than you'd think, even a small one like mine," Rienne shrugged. She gestured to two chairs in the corner of the room. "Please, my manners - Queen or not, you're my guest. Shall we sit? Wine?"
"I'm not thirsty, but thank you." Once they were seated, Vanessa crossed her legs, one knee over the other, while Rienne sat, a small goblet of what Vanessa was sure was well-watered wine in her hand. "The Estates may have voted to make me Queen - and I did accept the offer - but they are attaching a great deal of conditions to the offer. Including filling several spots on the Inner Council with people they've picked." Vanessa explained. "One spot they haven't filled however, is High Marshall of the Armies. While they didn't put your name on the short list of candidates for the position, I don't think the Estates would dispute it if I asked them to approve your name."
Rienne stared at her, goblet pausing halfway up to her lips. She cleared her throat, setting the goblet down on a small side table. " When you came in, I assumed you were going to offer my company a contract, or..." Rienne cleared her throat again. "Why me?"
"I'll skip the obvious - that you're one of the most capable commanders who fought in the civil war - and go to the more fundamental." Vanessa leaned forward, pitching her voice a little, the same tone she'd used to convince potential patrons to hire her on, or sway merchants into lowering their prices for her. She'd gotten quite good at persuasion over her life, from getting her governess to cut her slack, to swaying teachers at the Academ to give her additional tutoring..
"Halrun is poised on the brink at this moment. The former loyalists, especially in the army, won't exactly be happy with me once I'm Queen, the Kingdom's half in ruins, deep in debt, and the Estates only picked me because they couldn't agree on a better option. As soon as my coronation ceremony is complete," soon, ideally, "I'll be entering into a serpent's nest. Having someone I can trust on the Inner Council, especially the person in charge of the armies of the Kingdom, would make things far easier."
Rienne licked her lips, then took a sip of the wine, "I'm honored by your trust, and your praise, Vanessa, but while I have always respected you, and gotten on with you, we're not friends. Why not Sasha?"
" Do you really think Sasha would do well in the Inner Council? She's one of my dearest friends, but she's not exactly suited for administration - and while I'm no commander of soldiers, I'm sure there's a great deal of paperwork associated with managing the army."
"Based on my own experiences, there'd have to be," Rienne nodded. She sipped the wine again, swallowed, and continued, "I can certainly see your point about Sasha. But you're asking me to abandon my soldiers, my friends, who I've fought with for years - the Kingdom can hardly afford to take them on indefinitely - and take on what could end up being a thankless job... and one that could get me killed - and in a time and place I'm not prepared for such." Rienne stressed the 'abandon' part - she took her responsibilities to those she led seriously. It was one of her many admirable traits, if sometimes one that had annoyed more cold-blooded commanders, during the war, from what Vanessa had heard.
"True." Vanessa agreed, voice soft. "But while, as you say, we aren't friends, I do know you. I know you're an honest and honorable woman who - if you'll forgive me saying so - cannot lie to save her life. So I would always know where I stood with you. You're inspiring, attractive, a skilled combatant and commander, and you cut the perfect image of a warrior-noble out of the romantic tales." Vanessa saw a light spark in Rienne's eyes, as she started to guess where Vanessa might be going. "Save, of course, for the title and estates to go with such a bearing."
Rienne set her goblet down, leaning forward as well, elbows resting on the arms of her chair, fingers interlaced. "You say it as if it is so simple."
"Once I'm Queen, it will be, largely. A number of estates and titles have been attainted or escheated back to the crown, with the end of the civil war, and there's always the Crown Reserves." Vanessa noted. "As I said, I do know you. I've asked around," well, mostly scried, but, "and I've put the clues together. You want more than a place to retire and live comfortably. You want a title. Prestige. Land. The security that such would offer you, and your children, eventually."
"And you're offering me all that, in exchange for serving as High Marshall?" Rienne asked slowly.
"I am. As you say, it could end up being a thankless job, but once with a title and estate, you could keep on any number of personal armsmen, so you wouldn't have to abandon all of your soldiers, at least those that were content to leave the mercenary life." Vanessa added, "And if may not be a thankless job. Call me arrogant, if you will, but I would not have accepted the Estates' offer if I thought there was no chance I could lead Halrun out of the state it finds itself in. If I succeed - and it would be easier with your help - then you'd find yourself with many thanks indeed."
Vanessa leaned back, and let all affectation leave her voice, speaking plainly and directly. "I won't pretend I'm not asking a lot from you, but I am offering you a lot. As a member of the Inner Council, you'll have my ear, and you know me well enough to know I don't ignore good advice from smart people. You'll have a title and lands of your own, even if you later depart the position of High Marshall. And you'll have a chance to work for something greater than yourself." That had always been a common theme of Rienne's speeches to her soldiers, during the war, from all that Vanessa had heard, and seen. "Halrun is home to a great many people, and they will suffer if the kingdom collapses into another world, or breaks into constituent parts. It will be difficult work, to say the least, to weld everyone back together, but I believe it can be done."
Rienne laughed, looking at the ground for a moment, "I think it might be cheating to use my own words against me like that, Vanessa... Your Majesty." She corrected herself after a moment.
"Is that a yes?"
"Very tentatively," Rienne answered. "I would like some time to think, but... you make a very promising offer." Rienne sat back as well, setting her wine glass down. "What did you have in mind?"
"A few possibilities, but it depends on what you want."
"I've never thought much beyond the specifics, you know," Rienne considered. "Just land, a title, a legacy. Something that comes with some security and surety."
"And you'll get that, and more," Vanessa promised. From the sound of it, Rienne might not even need that much - there were some smaller estates she could make use of, that would still give Rienne all she asked for. On the other hand, stiffing the woman commanding your armies was not a good idea.
Maybe I don't have to give her Countess Gramaire's lands, at least, but perhaps not a backwoods estate in the middle of nowhere either. It was unwise, and frankly, unfair. And probably a waste of Rienne's talents. As a noble, she'd also have to administer her own lands, which would lead to them recovering, being rebuilt and getting more prosperous. Giving her cheap, useless land would be a waste of her talents on that front.
Something to consider, regardless.
Of course, while Rienne debated her choice (and the inevitable yes, Vanessa was convinced), there were still other matters that needed to be attended to. Departing the manor Rienne had set up in, Vanessa traveled to the Palace, where the Estates-General was meeting in their traditional home in the East Wing.
Vanessa stood by the doors, nodding at the guards standing out front. "I'd like to speak to the Estates."
The guards - former rebel soldiers trusted by most of the men and women on the other side of those doors - knew full well who she was, and why she was here, but there were formalities to observe. The double doors gilded in gold were opened, and one of the guards stepped out onto the floor of the circular, high-ceilinged chamber that served as the home of the Estates. Teran Halrun had built it in a grandiose style, with two tiers of seats, the room also useable to put on plays for the entertainment of the Royal Family and their guests when the Estates weren't meeting. A central aisle led from the doorway to the main speaking platform divided the lower tier of seats, where the rural gentry and the urban merchant elite sat.
All of the seats on each side were filled. The upper level, which she couldn't see from this angle, would have the nobles and the spellcasters - mages of note and influence, and the High Priests of each God in the kingdom. Teran Halrun had granted more seats to the more important temples - Askiran, Adun and Tyria had many more than Serissa, who had to content herself with the one.
And of course, with them on the upper level, would the nobles. Those among the rebel nobles who were important enough, connected enough or rich enough to get into the Estates. They were the single largest group in the Estates, but as likely to disagree with each other as anything else.
"Vanessa Kolmain requests the right to speak to the Estates," the guard said. "Is permission granted?"
There was a long pause, and then most of the Estates granted assent with a chorus of approval - no cheers, Vanessa noted, no one gloriously greeting their new Queen, but at least it wasn't unenthusiastic either. Cautious, tentative and about all she could expect.
With a nod from the guards, Vanessa stepped into the chamber, walking towards the central dais. It had long agp been enchanted to allow the speaker to be heard all over the room without raising their voice. Which was good, as Vanessa didn't think shouting would do much for her budding royal dignity.
She wore her finest dress for this - nothing compared to what a Queen should be expected to wear, but at least it showed she took this seriously. It wasn't made from silk, but very finely woven cotton, which had to be imported from points further south. It was dyed scarlet, trimmed with indigo around the collar, sleeves and hem. She wore her jewelry as well - again, far less than a Queen might be expected, but she had to make a showing of it. A silver brooch with a bloodstone inset, gold and amber earrings and silver bracelets, expertly carved on her wrists. Those doubled as something of a defense for her - enchanted, and treated with magically reactive materials. Should someone try to attack her, they would make it easier for her to call up a magical shield and buy herself time to respond.
Just in case.
She reached the dias and turned, facing the assembled nobles, mages, clergy, gentry and merchant princes of the realm and their representatives and allies and cronies.
"It is with great honor and humility I come before you today," Vanessa said, "having considered your offer and your terms - the Crown of Halrun, with the approval of the Estates, and in turn approval of the edicts the Estates have passed to address the many woes this Kingdom has faced in the days since Syrokis violated all laws and customs that had once held the peace. I came to Halrun a young woman, a mage looking to make her mark on the world, and rise above her baseborn status. I joined the cause of rebellion against Syrokis, and stayed with that cause all the way to the end, without desire beyond justice for the Kingdom, and punishment for Syrokis's many crimes."
That's fudging the truth, and you know it.
"I know I'm a compromise candidate, one picked because you couldn't agree on a more conventional choice, one of legitimate noble birth, or claim to the Griffin Throne by blood. But ancient noble blood does run through my veins, and as a student of the Archmage Cyril, I trace my tutelage back to a great hero of the Dawning Wars. If it is still the will of the assembled Estates of the Realm, I accept the offer of the throne, and all the duties and burdens associated with it, and all the conditions and terms you have attached to the offer."
There was a pregnant pause as the Estates considered her words, and then another - louder this time - chorus of 'Ayes' and 'Yeses' as the Estates confirmed their offer.
For all intents and purposes, Vanessa was Queen.
Of course, 'for all intents and purposes' was hardly the same thing as actually being Queen.
"It's in the interests of the realm to have the coronation sooner, rather than later. We can hardly afford a grandiose one that would take more time anyway," an aged Lord Mentin noted. "But there are still a few formalities to consider."
Vanessa was seated in the Royal Study, the elaborate chair reserved for the King at the head of the table, meeting not with her inner council, but a grab bag chosen by the Estates to help her plan her coronation. It had been two days since her acceptance of the Estates offer, and from what Cyril told her, things were moving at a breakneck pace, when it came to these sorts of affairs.
In normal times, the principle of 'the King is Dead, Long Live the King' ruled, and even without a formal coronation, she would be Queen.
As it stood, though legally she might be Queen... symbolically, and practically, until that moment that the crown settled on her head, she wasn't really Queen.
And so, she couldn't just demand they get this over with.
"Lord Mentin, what else is there to discuss? We've already arranged for the order of precedence in the processions, a dress suitable for me has been obtained from the Royal Wardrobes," probably worn by Syrokis's mother in her younger years, but carefully maintained as it was, the purple and gold silk dress would suit the occasion, and barely needed to be altered to fit her.
And I looked quite beautiful in it. Vanessa considered. That wasn't the most important thing, but she would take her small pleasures where she could.
"We've arranged for the feast," Vanessa ticked off.
"Such as it is," Lady Castea grumbled. "Who ever heard of a coronation feast with only five courses."
"A kingdom facing bankruptcy did," Vanessa shot back. "Ten or twelve might be traditional, but we're in no position to do that." Five seemed mildly absurdly excessive to Vanessa as it was, but there was a certain degree of pomp she knew to be necessary. Especially with diplomats and envoys of foreign realms in attendance. They had to show that Halrun, while frugal, was neither poor nor desperate. Still, even allowing for that, Vanessa had argued, but no matter how many times she'd tried to argue it down to three, or even four, even Rucdorn Axecavern had agreed that they could afford five, given the circumstances.
"We've settled on the order of events, the formal announcement of the agreement of the Estates, the summary of the decree to be sealed once I am crowned-"
"Yes, but the order of events still leaves a few things remaining." Lord Mentin interrupted. "We will begin with a benediction from one of the High Priests, but we still have to consider which one."
Vanessa blinked. "Askiran would be the obvious choice, would he not?"
"As Patron of Rulership and Law, he is a conventional choice, but not every monarch has chosen such. It is a matter of setting the tone for your rule - Morvak usually calls on Tallend's priesthood for their Coronations, and Selissa is as likely to use Ordedus. But more generally, while Askiran is common, others just as common include Adun, Tyria and Alior. Why, Queen Vendra III of Aigosa involved Victriana, to represent the transition of her dynasty replacing the previous one, and the new order of things it represented."
"And didn't that turn out to be a foresightful choice, given how her reign ended in corruption, decline and sloth. Invoking the Rotmother at a coronation was a foolish choice." Another noble cut in
"Aigosa doesn't quite see her that way," a third suggested. "For them she -"
"Irrelevant!" Vanessa cut in, making her voice louder with a momentary spell. "Whatever the people of Aigosa thing about Victriana, I think we can all agree she's an unlikely choice for my coronation here and now. And likewise, I don't think we'll be asking the High Priestess of Selras or the High Priest of Serissa to be providing the benediction either."
"...likely not," Lord Mentin agreed. "As I said, the traditional choices are Askiran, Adun, Tyria and Alior. While I am no priest, and I cannot speak to the will and desires of the gods, it will be widely understood that the choice of which deity you place at the center of your coronation will have implications for how you intend to govern, and what you want your coronation to represent."
"And so picking Tallend would represent that I intend to start, or fight wars, and Ordedus that I intend to favor trade and mercantile interests." Vanessa nodded. That did make a great deal of sense.
"Precisely. It is a bit more complicated than that, but that is the basic principle. Teran and Syrokis both used Askiran's clergy for this task, and Brunn used Alior, though it is rumored he considered Valkaris, in his capacity as the patron of-"
"Keeping things exactly the same, no matter what?" Vanessa cut in, dryly.
"... more or less, though I think Brunn, being the man he was reported to have been, would not have seen it that way. You could use Adun, if you intend to promise justice, but... given the Knights of the Golden Throne..."
"It would imply that I intend to favor them, or set some closeness to them. I follow your meaning." Vanessa nodded.
[ ][BENEDICTION] The High Priest of Askiran, to represent a return to the Law and Order of things, with a Queen providing right and proper Rulership. Runs a risk of being associated with Syrokis, but is highly conventional.
[ ][BENEDICTION] The High Priest of Adun, to represent your intent to rule justly and with fairness and possibly imply closeness or favor for the Knights of the Golden Throne
[ ][BENEDICTION] The High Priestess of Tyria, to represent a desire for the people of Halrun to once more be fruitful and multiply, marrying and having children to build the next generation of Halrun, as well as favoring agriculture (and thus implied, more traditional nobility and gentry). Also plays strongly to the notion of the Monarch as a parent to their subjects.
[ ][BENEDICTION] The High Priestess of Traven, as your reign is a rebirth of Halrun under a new dynasty, and a renewal of the previous laws and customs that Syrokis cast aside. Unconventional, but could be a clear signal to progressive nobles and popular with many ex-rebels.
[ ][BENEDICTION] The High Cleric of Celiesta, as you are a mage of great power, and a student of Archmage Cyril. Magic was how you earned your claim to the throne, and magic will be the basis of your rule.
[ ][BENEDICTION] The High Priest of Alior, for as Queen, you are the Protector and Guardian of your people, and you intend to let nothing harm or threaten them.
[ ][BENEDICTION] Write In (Pick one of the other gods and what message you believe it would send. Subject to careful editing by QM, but I won't veto any choice)
"And then, of course, there is the matter of your speech," Lord Mentin noted, once that matter was resolved.
"I won't be running that by you for your approval, Lord Mentin. Or the rest of you." Vanessa looked around the table.
"...it is important that everything be designed to hang together around the core precepts," Lady Castea cautioned.
"Perhaps, but if I am to be Queen, then my words must be my own," Vanessa countered. "I have given it great thought, and I will until such time as the coronation begins. But I will not be asking for your approval or sanction."
Vanessa had thought about it, but it was a complicated question. Once she was crowned, and the decrees of the Estates sealed, she was to give a speech, which according to those assembled here, and to Cyril, was - as with the choice of which deity to call on for the benediction - about setting the tone for her reign, and establishing her place in the chain of monarchs before and after her. Usually there was stuff about one's late, previously ruling parent or other relative, and things of that nature, but Vanessa didn't really have any of that to draw upon.
She could speak of her priorities for her reign, but she still wasn't sure about those. Tread water, pay off the debts and keep herself alive while she oversaw rebuilding the Kingdom wasn't quite the sort of speech she wanted to give.
Pick Two
[ ][CORONATION SPEECH] Focus on Yourself, Your Past, Your Fitness and Worthiness to Rule, and why the Estates Picked You (Without bringing up the 'Compromise candidate' aspect)
[ ][CORONATION SPEECH] Focus on the need for reconciliation and healing as the Kingdom recovers and rebuilds.
[ ][CORONATION SPEECH] Focus on the need for unity, for gathering together as one greater whole to rebuild.
[ ][CORONATION SPEECH] Focus on the need for Halrun to be strong in the face of her neighbors and in the face of potential threats, internal and external.
[ ][CORONATION SPEECH] Focus on your desires and intentions for future prosperity for all of Halrun
[ ][CORONATION SPEECH] Focus on your intention to rule jointly with the Estates as needed, to respect the laws and customs of Halrun and the balance of power between the Crown and the rest of Halrun
[ ][CORONATION SPEECH] Focus on your desire to bring justice to those who violated the property and persons of the people of Halrun during Syrokis's reign, and the civil war.
[ ][CORONATION SPEECH] Focus on your intent to use all the powers (legally) available to you to guide Halrun to a bright future, signaling a more personalist regime.
[ ][CORONATION SPEECH] Focus on your desire to get Halrun right with the Gods, for clearly Syrokis lost all divine favor.
[ ][CORONATION SPEECH] Focus on your intention to bring justice going forward, to see none abuse their powers or fail to live up to their duties, regardless of station.
[ ][CORONATION SPEECH] Focus on the fact that though you are a non-traditional monarch, you respect and will honor and preserve the traditions of Halrun and its peoples and nobility.
[ ][CORONATION SPEECH] Write-in (Subject to QM Veto)
QM Note: Voting will be BY PLAN, and voting will open in approximately 24 hours. You can propose plans before then, but please do not vote before the voting is opened. You can also ask questions during (and after) this time, of course. If you want more details on the gods, please consult This post.
Scheduled vote count started by Kylia Quilor on Oct 8, 2023 at 4:26 PM, finished with 46 posts and 22 votes.
[X] Plan: Food, Security, and then Ideals
-[X][BENEDICTION] The High Priest of Alior, for as Queen, you are the Protector and Guardian of your people, and you intend to let nothing harm or threaten them.
-[X][CORONATION SPEECH] Focus on the need for reconciliation and healing as the Kingdom recovers and rebuilds.
-[X][CORONATION SPEECH] Focus on your intention to rule jointly with the Estates as needed, to respect the laws and customs of Halrun and the balance of power between the Crown and the rest of Halrun.
[X] Plan: Money is the first priority
-[X][BENEDICTION] Ordedus, represent the reconstruction of the roads, resumption of trade and good relations with all domestic and foreign factions towards the goal of common prosperity
-[X][CORONATION SPEECH] Focus on the need for unity, for gathering together as one greater whole to rebuild.
-[X][CORONATION SPEECH] Focus on your desires and intentions for future prosperity for all of Halrun
[X] Plan: Queen and Country.
-[X][BENEDICTION] The High Priest of Alior, for as Queen, you are the Protector and Guardian of your people, and you intend to let nothing harm or threaten them.
-[x][CORONATION SPEECH] Focus on your intention to bring justice going forward, to see none abuse their powers or fail to live up to their duties, regardless of station.
-[X][CORONATION SPEECH] Focus on the need for unity, for gathering together as one greater whole to rebuild.
[X] plan: Magic and development (v2?)
-[X][BENEDICTION] The High Cleric of Celiesta, as you are a mage of great power, and a student of Archmage Cyril. Magic was how you earned your claim to the throne, and magic will be the basis of your rule. - [x][CORONATION SPEECH] Focus on Yourself, Your Past, Your Fitness and Worthiness to Rule, and why the Estates Picked You (Without bringing up the 'Compromise candidate' aspect) - [x][CORONATION SPEECH] Focus on your desires and intentions for future prosperity for all of Halrun, put emphasis on road development and economic development.
[X] Plan Conventional Bene Reconciliation Speech -[X][BENEDICTION] The High Priest of Askiran, to represent a return to the Law and Order of things, with a Queen providing right and proper Rulership. Runs a risk of being associated with Syrokis, but is highly conventional.
-[X][CORONATION SPEECH] Focus on the need for reconciliation and healing as the Kingdom recovers and rebuilds.
-[X][CORONATION SPEECH] Focus on your intention to rule jointly with the Estates as needed, to respect the laws and customs of Halrun and the balance of power between the Crown and the rest of Halrun.
[X]Working towards more magic.
-[X][BENEDICTION] The High Cleric of Celiesta, as you are a mage of great power, and a student of Archmage Cyril. Magic was how you earned your claim to the throne, and magic will be the basis of your rule.
-[X][CORONATION SPEECH] Focus on the need for Halrun to be strong in the face of her neighbors and in the face of potential threats, internal and external.
-[X][CORONATION SPEECH] Focus on your desires and intentions for future prosperity for all of Halrun
[x] Plan New Gods
-[x][BENEDICTION] The High Priestess of Traven, as your reign is a rebirth of Halrun under a new dynasty, and a renewal of the previous laws and customs that Syrokis cast aside. Unconventional, but could be a clear signal to progressive nobles and popular with many ex-rebels.
-[x][CORONATION SPEECH] Focus on your desire to get Halrun right with the Gods, for clearly Syrokis lost all divine favor.
-[x][CORONATION SPEECH] Focus on your intention to bring justice going forward, to see none abuse their powers or fail to live up to their duties, regardless of station.
It was exactly two months since the capital had been taken. 53 days since Syrokis was executed by the unanimous vote of the assembled Estates, and the question of sorting through the mess he left behind, including a lack of an heir, was taken up. 13 days since the Talcraft Solution had been raised to break the logjam around the selection of a new Monarch and seven days since the Estates finally agreed on Vanessa Kolmain.
Five days since Vanessa had accepted their offer, and now, here she was, the woman herself.
The Throne Room of Halrun was a vast, imposing chamber, built by Teran Halrun to hold the assembled nobility of the realm, envoys of foreign powers, courtiers, representatives from the Free Cities, from Eridia itself, and whoever else was invited.
Today, it looked half-empty.
But that wasn't to say there were not many there, in attendance. Virtually the entire Estates, as well as several hundred of the new Royal Army, ex-rebels all, their loyalty to the new regime as certain as it could be. A few scattered envoys from foreign realms - a man in black robes with a sharp, pointed beard representing the Kingdom of the Necromancers, a fat merchant in red from Zedarsh, an old, frail-looking man who was - according to rumor - Queen Vanessa's Second Cousin Once Removed - representing Veldros, and a few others from more distant lands. But other nations seemed to be - for now - keeping a careful distance, if they even had envoys to hand in the Kingdom at all (for many realms withdrew their envoys and ambassadors when the civil war began to engulf the whole realm).
The Throne Room had been cleaned of all signs of fighting, but those who had been there could recall where the bodies of Syrokis's elite guard had fallen, where blood had stained tapestries now taken down, where Syrokis had finally taken up a sword in defense of his throne, taking down several attackers before the sheer weight of the rebel forces overwhelmed him, his guard dead, his armies shattered, his reign over.
The Griffin Throne itself still sat, cleaned of blood and bodies, made of marble, the top/back carved into the shape of a griffin with its wing's furled close.
Moving to stand before the assembled crowd came a man, bald and aged, but still standing firm and vigorous, wearing elaborate blue and silver robes, a symbol of Alior - a shield patterned with crenelations as if it were a wall - around his neck made from gold, a scepter in one hand, a holy book in the other.
The High Priest of Alior raised his scepter, causing it to glow a brilliant blue-silver light for a moment.
"In the name of the Warden of Innocence, the Great God Alior, Patron of Protection, Guardian of All, I ask you all to silence," he said, voice amplified by magic to carry across the vast chamber with ease. The low murmurs and quiet conversations stilled to nothing, and the High Priest nodded.
"It is ordained by the gods that men must be ruled, and it is ordained by Alior that rulers must protect those they rule, as closely as they protect themselves. When a Ruler fails to provide such, then a ruler loses all right to their power - a King loses their Throne, as happened here, in Halrun. But here I stand before you, Alior, Great Lord, and beseech you to look into the heart of Vanessa Kolmain, and see that she is a woman who will fulfill her duties set by you, set to her people - she will protect her people, and protect her realm."
"I beg of you, Alior, Protector of The Weak as you are, to grant your blessing to Vanessa Kolmain so that she may serve your will, guard the people of Halrun, and protect the boundary lines set by the laws of mortals. I pray to you, Alior, Defender of the Defenseless, that Vanessa Kolmain continue to experience your grace, and she never once be allowed to falter in her service and dedication to you, and through you, to her people."
"May it be your will, Alior, Warden of Innocence, and your will guide me." He bowed his head, bringing the scepter and book together. Many of the assembled crowd looked down as well, bowing their heads, clasping hands together. "In the eyes of all before me, in the eyes of the Gods, let this coronation be blessed and sanctified." He closed his eyes, and the scepter glowed with a blue-silver light again for a moment, and he bowed again, stepping aside.
The double-doors at the entrance of the Throne Room, tall and grand, swung open, and a procession entered as the crowd parted, moving to either side of the black rug that ran from near the door to the raised platform on which the throne sat, the rug trimmed on the edges with silver-colored fabric.
At the front of the procession were several representatives of the Estates - not the major faction leaders, but prominent men and women, noble and non-noble. Behind them, the rest of the High Priests and Priestesses of the Kingdom, behind them Generals Darach and Trins, with some of the newly reconstituted Royal Guard. Behind them came Vanessa Kolmain, soon to be Queen, soon to be First of Her Name, herself.
She wore a purple silk dress, trimmed with gold, long, flowing sleeves, the base of the dress nearly - but not quite - to the floor, almost creating the illusion she was floating, an illusion that seemed to be serviced by the light breeze that seemed to gather around the base of her dress, very light, and the ethereal glow that seemed to come from her as she proceeded towards the throne.
Behind her came the rest of the Royal Guard, and then her new Inner Council, as currently existing - Rykall Morn, the young man trying his best to look grave and fitting to the surroundings in borrowed finery, elaborate clothes more common a merchant of means twice his age, though at least these were fitted to him.
Rucdorn Relcred came next, jewels and gold rings woven into his beard, gold rings on his fingers, his own finery far more fitting to him. Following him was Rienne, her armor shined and cleaned to a level that it probably hadn't been since it was brand new, a tabard with the Heraldry of Halrun, the Griffon Rampant on silver and with black edging, over her armor, her sword at her side.
Then Count Vallefor - looking grave and proper, and not (as he usually did) like something foul-smelling was lingering just under his nose. As was his wont, he wore a coat of white - bone white - trimmed with gold and a light blue, the three colors of his House, over yet more white clothes. Lady Balmain had a small smile on her face, wearing a daring dress, likely the latest Selissan fashion, that bared her shoulders and upper arms, dark blue.
And finally behind them, a smattering of other representatives of the Estates, as well as some of the leading lights of the city of Eridia itself.
The representatives of the estates at the front took position in front of the throne, while Vanessa, flanked by the Generals and with High Marshal Rienne standing a small distance behind her, the rest of her Inner Council behind her, and other representatives of the Estates flanking them.
An older woman, Lady Varchas, opened a scroll, speaking to the assembled crowd. Certain words she said with an emphasis and dignity that they could only be represented with capital letters.
"The Estates of the Realm, representing the Nobility and Commons, the Cities and the Towns, the Clergy and the Magery of Halrun, invested with responsibility to represent the Interests of Halrun, and Invested with Stewardship of the Throne following the Death Without Issue of Syrokis Halrun, late First of his Name, late Third King of Halrun, have with all Due Consideration the Needs of Halrun, have come to a decision with regards to the Throne, the Crown and the Kingship." Varchas said.
"With no clear issue of the House of Halrun, the Estates had to look further afield. Nobility of Blood is only one form of Nobility, and Nobility of Deed and Character are, in terms of crisis, that which Halrun finds itself turning to."
"During the Rightful War to Unseat the Tyrant Syrokis, there were many who distinguished themselves as skilled, as leaders among men, as brave and wise. People who have the respect of the realm, who have true Nobility in Character and who have achieved Nobility of Deed."
"And of them, it is the collective view of the Estates of the Realm, represented in the Estates-General that has of late taken up the task of Governance, that there is one such person who rises above all others, whose merits and abilities, mark her out as the perfect and fitting choice for Queen. Vanessa Kolmain, apprentice to the Archmage Cyril, who served the War with distinction, where her magic enabled victory at Castle Nodal, the Vieras Fields and the Battle of Castor-on-the-River. Her magic proved critical in the battle to claim this very city, the final fight of the War. Respected by all who fought for the standard of our rightful war, Vanessa Kolmain is the best, most fitting choice for Queen. By the Edict of the Estates-General, we declare Vanessa Kolmain to be Queen Vanessa of the House of Kolmain, First of Her Name, Fourth Monarch of Halrun. Long May She Reign!"
Lady Varchas rolled up the scroll, tucking it under her arm, and bowed at the waist to Vanesa, followed suit by all the other members of the Estates assembled before and behind her, rippling out to everyone in attendance, save for guards and soldiers on duty, and even they inclined their heads downwards. Even the envoys of foreign realms gave a similar, though slightly different bow - Vanessa, while not their Queen, was still a Queen, after all.
The Estates representatives parted once they rose from their bow, clearing Vanessa's path to the throne. She walked, that slight breeze and ethereal glow continuing to add that otherworldly, floating effect to her movements that drew the eye and drew wonder, and Vanessa reached the raised platform on which the throne stood. She did not seat herself on it yet, but instead turned, looking at the assembled crowd before her.
"People of Halrun. It is a grave responsibility, to be entrusted with a Crown, even more so when one is not raised from birth to understand it as due them. But I have never been one to shirk from responsibilities when offered, and if Halrun has need of me, than I shall give of myself. This burden has been offered, and I have accepted." She spoke in a surprisingly calm, even voice, but with authority and command, magic carrying her words as well as the High Priest's had earlier. There was no shouting, no raised voices.
"Halrun has had many years of Greatness before it, and it will have many years of Greatness to come," she continued, "Not by the efforts of my Queenship alone, but by the efforts of the people of this kingdom, of the Nobility and Commons, of the Cities and Towns, of the Clergy and Magery. Syrokis ruled not through the laws and customs of Halrun, with respect for the rights and duties of the Crown, the rights of the nobility, or the rights of the people. He respected no balance, no will save for his own, ruling through force, and through fear." Vanessa shook her head.
"That is not the role of a monarch, and it is not the role I shall play. The Duty to Protect those who are under my Stewardship is the greatest of all responsibilities of a monarch, and I must protect all under my Stewardship. For though the Tyrant Syrokis was a Tyrant, who ran against all the laws and customs of the Realm, those who fought under him with honor and dignity are not enemies of Halrun. They are our sisters, our brothers. Our family and friends, neighbors and companions. To move forward and recover after the recent conflict, we must not linger on past hatreds, on the divisions that were created not by our own hands, but by the mind and malice of Syrokis, squandering the legacy of the unity forged by his grandfather."
"It is not revenge that shall guide me, but reconciliation. The Estates-General, in their wisdom, have seen the same truth - only those who worked closely with Syrokis in creating division, who shared in his crimes, who shared in his sins, have been punished, or will be punished."
"If I am to be Queen of all the Realm, those who fought for the banner of justice and the rightful laws and customs of the realm, and those who fought on the wrong side with honor and dignity, with justice in their hearts, then I must rule in conjunction with those who see things the same way. The Estates of the Realm represent the balance of interests, the Balance between Crown and Kingdom at Large. Many a monarch has pushed and bent the limits of the law, ruling with only the lightest of concern for the Estates. It is my pledge that I shall do no such thing - Syrokis was a man with no regard for Law, for Justice, for Right, for his Duties. I have regard for all of those things - the Laws of the Realm make clear what is the duty of the Crown, what is the remit of the Estates, and what is the remit of both, and I shall govern Jointly with them in all things that is right to do so."
"For as long as I shall live, I shall reign in accordance with the laws and customs of the Realm, with reconciliation and recovery my guiding star. I shall protect the people, for only if I can do so, will be truly worthy of the honor bestowed upon me by you. If you will have me as your Queen under those terms, then I shall indeed, be your Queen."
There was a quiet pause for a moment, as the crowd digested her speech, and then, a quiet roar, slowly going louder, of cheers. Restrained ones, rather than wild whooping, but cheers, nonetheless, the assembled soldiers, many leaders among the former rebellion, even some nobles joined in the cheering.
Vanessa gestured off to her side, and a minor cleric of Askiran - not the high priest, just a lowly acolyte - approached, the crown of Halrun on a cushion in her hands. This was not a simple gold band, that Vanessa might likely wear day to day, for most functions. This was more elaborate, taller, bejeweled and intricately carved.
Vanessa took the crown - at this point, she was Queen, and it was symbolic, putting the crown on, but as was custom in Halrun, since Teran had Crowned himself King, Vanessa placed the crown on her head and then turned, walking to the throne and sitting down.
There was more to the ceremony - speeches from more representatives of the Estates, the formal announcement and investment of Rykall Morn as Keeper of Correspondence, and of Rucdorn Axecavern as Keeper of the Royal Vaults. Rienne Novash was named High Marshal of the Armies, and Count Vallefor and Lady Balmain were given their places on the Inner Council as well.
[ ][LADY BALMAIN] Make Lady Balmain Keeper of Envoys (Foreign Minister)
[ ][LADY BALMAIN] Make Lady Balmain Keeper of the Sheriffs and Reeves (Interior Minister)
[ ][LADY BALMAIN] Make Lady Balmain Keeper of Secrets (Spymaster)
[ ][LADY BALMAIN] Make Lady Balmain Keeper of Justice (Chief Judge)
[ ][COUNT VALLEFOR] Make Count Vallefor Keeper of Envoys (Foreign Minister)
[ ][COUNT VALLEFOR] Make Count Vallefor Keeper of the Sheriffs and Reeves (Interior Minister)
[ ][COUNT VALLEFOR] Make Count Vallefor Keeper of Secrets (Spymaster)
[ ][COUNT VALLEFOR] Make Count Vallefor Keeper of Justice (Chief Judge)
There were still lesser appointments to announce, and other matters that would need to be resolved in the days to come, but finally, the coronation ceremony ended, and the feast began.
Not all in attendance to the coronation would be at the feast that followed, of course, but the whole city would be celebrating, and additional food (and most especially, drink) was being made available from the palace stores, and several nobles - including, oddly enough, Count Vallefor himself - had made some of their own personal stores of wine and ale made available to the public. It would of course, not be enough for the whole city, but it would share what could be shared.
Despite her announce at how much money this coronation feast was wasting, Vanessa had to admit that the spread was magnificent. Hippocras - spiced wine - was flowing freely, and a white from Nerinthar flavored with pepper, rosewater, nutmeg and cardamom proved to be her preferred type. She was far more careful with her drinking than some, though thankfully none near her.
The High Table of the feast, where she sat, was of course the smallest, while several other tables held the rest of the attendees - nobles, the highest tier of merchants, and the top commanders of the army, or at least most of them. General Darach, typical of a Knight of the Golden Throne, from what Vanessa gathered, was not in attendance of the feast, such events against the oaths she swore as a member of that military order. Which probably worked for the best, as the Kingdom would have one of it's best generals not distracted in case she was needed.
Though, sitting next to Vanessa as she was, Rienne seemed to be taking a similar care as she sipped at her own wine.
The first course were an assortment of pottages, rich stews made with vegetables and bacon, some thickened with bread, some with eggs. Bread - made from fine white flower, with melted butter in the dough - was available.
The Subsequent courses were far richer, more than Vanessa had seen at any meal she'd had. Meats - fish, boar, venison, chicken, pork, and even beef. Served with rich, sweet-savory sauces, usually made with wine. Custard tarts - some sweeter and more spiced than others, others blander - and some made with fruits mixed in.
A bustle of conversation continued around, though Vanessa's conversation consisted of people coming up to pay direct respects to her, bowing, and speaking of concerns they hoped to raise with her in days to come, or hinting at what they might be able to offer her, or the crown, in exchange for favors of wealth or whatever else.
Thankfully, it was at least oblique, rather than directly talking about it, merely mentioning their own assets - wealth, soldiers should they be needed, connections in other realms, and so forth - or the problems they were having - inheritance disputes, introductions for their children at court so they might find suitable matches, a few that sounded like they might want cushy positions themselves, at court, or in the Sheriffs and Reeves for themselves or their family, one that had been an Envoy to Blerren years ago and 'thought fondly of the city still', and so forth.
Rienne sat at Vanessa's right, looking awkward - Vanessa felt awkward, the sheer volume of foods and the choices of foods available - pheasant, and fish eggs and saffron rice and foods spiced far more heavily with nutmeg and mace and cinnamon than she was remotely used to. The finery worn by everyone - her own dress was perhaps understated by comparison, though strategic use of jewelry made that less noticeable, and of course, that godsforsaken crown.
It was heavy, and she constantly worried it was going to topple off of her head if she moved her head too quickly - it wasn't, she was reasonably certain, but still. She could see why smaller circlets and day crowns existed for less ceremonial occasions, but she had to keep wearing this one for now, so...
But Vanessa was doing her best to school her expression, and not show the awkwardness she felt, channeling every bit of proper etiquette she could remember from her youth, or as she'd picked up later. She quickly found that she enjoyed pairing a heavily spiced meat - the venison or pork proved to be her favorite - with one of the custards. The creaminess of the custard paired surprisingly well with the meat. She'd never had custard that often, especially not one sweetened or spiced like these.
Finally though, the endless line of people coming up to her had stilled, and Vanessa was able to eat in peace for a little bit.
Rienne poked at the cut of roast swan on her plate, raising an eyebrow.
"In Nerinthar and Morvak, killing swans is considered an affront to the gods," Rienne noted. "And yet here in Halrun, we eat them, apparently."
"At feasts, it would seem, yes," Vanessa agreed. "And more beside." She knew the excess food would be eaten by the servants of the palace, or given to the poor, or sold - for the more expensive dishes. "And we're still only on the fourth course." They'd just started it, actually. "I suppose you'll have to get more used to this, in the future."
"As will you, your majesty," Rienne noted. "But for my own private meals, I think I may continue with what I know... mostly." Rienne flushed, looking around the table, "apart from perhaps more sugar rather than honey, to sweeten things."
"Well, you'll be able to afford sugar, and a great many other spices," Vanessa noted. "Though perhaps less than we're wasting now." Granted, many of these spices had already been long bought, taken from the extensive stores of the expensive imports that Syrokis already had, but still.
Rienne tilted her head. "I hadn't expected you to bring that up quite so soon, certainly not here."
"Cyril once gave me a rather helpful piece of advice - if you ever hire mercenaries, always pay in full, on time. You're not a mercenary, but you agreed to take up the task of High Marshall with an offer of payment to come. Alienating the woman who is to be in command of my armies - who many in that army are already pretty loyal to - seems like a poor idea." Vanessa explained. "Besides, it was something to think about other than the endless planning for the ceremony and this," she gestured to the feast.
"So you have settled on what..." Rienne laughed softly, "My new estate will be?" She rubbed the back of her neck. "Seems odd to say."
"Try being Queen. Even odder," Vanessa noted.
[ ][RIENNE] You're giving Rienne the County of Aloce, as Countess Gramnen, the former possessor of the seat was attainted after fleeing with Syrokis's bastard child. (Runs the risk of alienating some nobles for jumping a commoner to so high a rank all at once.)
[ ][RIENNE] You're giving her the estate and lands of Lord Rogaris Varto, Syrokis's former spymaster, in charge of silencing dissent for years before the war broke out. Well-developed and extensive (for a lordship) lands in the southeast of the Kingdom.
[ ][RIENNE] You're giving her the estate and lands of Lady Tyrona Lashi, one of Syrokis's closest allies, and guilty of ordering the execution of prisoners of war during the civil war, including noble ones. Extensive (even moreso than Varto's lands), but sparsely populated lands near the Northeastern Crown reserve.
[ ][RIENNE] You're giving her the estate and lands of Lord Orgus Blosk, Syrokis's former Keeper of Justice, who ensured that what trials Syrokis did bother with always went the way he wanted. A fairly small amount of lands, but wealthy, well-developed and densely populated, not far from Port Lest.
[ ][RIENNE] You're going to carve an extensive - really, truly extensive - tract of land out of one of the Crown Reserves for her.
-[ ]Out of the Northeastern Crown Reserve
-[ ]Out of the Southeastern Crown Reserve
-[ ]Out of the Southwestern Crown Reserve
[ ][RIENNE] You're going to give her a modest track of land carved out of the Crown Reserves for her.
-[ ]Out of the Northeastern Crown Reserve
-[ ]Out of the Southeastern Crown Reserve
-[ ]Out of the Southwestern Crown Reserve
[ ][RIENNE] You're giving her the land and estates of Lady Wenda Corvol, who died without clear issue during the war, and her lands escheated back to the crown. A fairly small estate, modest in size and wealth, just beyond the borders of Ashdan March.
[ ][RIENNE] Tell her that you haven't quite decided yet, assure her it will be soon. (Must make a decision before the end of Turn 2) (Could open other options for which to give her)
Obviously, there are downsides to giving any of these to Rienne - selling the estates and lands of attainted lords is likely to be a way to help get money quick for paying down the loans, for instance, and each one does have a claimant or two - no direct claimants, or at least none that are allowed to be given it (Lord Rogaris Varto's children, for instance, are alive and free, but his whole family was attainted) - and those claimants have friends or allies, and also have money or other assets they could offer in exchange for a ruling in their favor.
Cutting lands out of the Crown Reserve cuts down on potential revenue in the future, and is arguably a bit insulting, since you're giving Rienne land that has virtually nothing on it, save for maybe a couple of farms, maybe an outpost or two, and that's it. On the other hand, she'll have maximum freedom with which to develop it, and she'll be able to focus on it, making it profitable faster than you can, probably.
Crown reserves also have the benefit of not annoying any potential claimants or their friends, allies and associates.
Eventually, even the feast had to end, and Vanessa, several servants in tow, and of course, members of the Royal Guard, made her way to the Royal Chambers. She felt a little odd, sleeping in the same bed that Syrokis had slept in, but then, it was her place as Queen. The elaborate Crown she'd worn the entire feast was, thankfully, handed off to be returned to safekeeping in the Vaults, and she could wear a much lighter and more comfortable crown on the morrow.
"Shall we assist you with your undressing, your Majesty?" One of the maids offered, and Vanessa nodded. It was a fairly elaborate dress, and she supposed it was their job. The bed was smaller than Vanessa would have expected, but still quite well appointed, and hardly small or modest. She supposed that perhaps even Syrokis didn't want to waste money on a bed big enough to sleep a dozen. The Royal Bedchambers in general were smaller than she'd expected, but the maids explained that the room with the bed was small because it would keep warmer during the winter. With the weather far from cold right now, there was less of a concern there, and many of the heavier furs that would be brought out for such occasion were not on the bed yet.
Vanessa's dress was removed, and she went to bed in a 'simple' shift, though one made of finely woven, light cotton.
Her first night as Queen.
Vanessa's sleep did not prove to come easily - there were too many matters to come, and while Vanessa didn't think an assassin was coming, the prospect did exist, and she found herself worrying about that, alongside questions of the Kingdom's debts, the state of the roads, a few other positions on the Inner Council she would need to fill sooner rather than later...
They say a crown lies heavy on the head of those that wear one...
And they were right. In multiple ways.
QM Note: Voting will open in ~approximately 36 hours. It does not need to be by plan in this case. The two unfilled positions on the Inner Council will be filled later, from the Short Lists presented by the Estates mentioned back in the 2nd threadmark.
Next post will be the First Meeting of the Inner Council (as currently constituted) and will involve a lot of moving plan parts - multiple options of what to do with each Councilor, strategies for paying down the debt, et cetera. That may take longer to turn out than the last few updates have, and will likely require some carful thought on your part for voting on the plans. Hopefully it won't be presented too obtusely by me. We'll see.
