[X][REGARA DESIRE] "Our help when the inevitable civil war between you and your sister breaks out."
[X][LORAN QUESTION] "Are you always so... forward, to put it lightly, with unmarried women?"
[X][JANERA QUESTION] "Is there a project you ever wanted your father to give you control over that he didn't?"
Essinya is still definitely my favourite, but Janera and Regan are pretty cool as well. As for Laurent, I didn't have a good opinion of him before and that hasn't changed.
[X] [REGARA DESIRE] "Our help when the inevitable civil war between you and your sister breaks out."
[X] [LORAN QUESTION] "What does Illegorst have to offer that the other realms laying suit for my hand don't have, in your mind?" [X] [JANERA QUESTION] "By all accounts, you're very skilled with mathematics and architecture. Are those also passions for you?"
[X][REGARA DESIRE] "More than anything else, you want to be able to strip the border defenses on the Thorn River knowing we won't invade."
Hrm I think I like the wording on this more. Like direct assistance is kinda eh, a bit too much?
[X][LORAN QUESTION] "What does Illegorst have to offer that the other realms laying suit for my hand don't have, in your mind?"
[X][JANERA QUESTION] "Have you rejected anyone your father suggested before now?"
Gib dirt girl.
Eh this might drive him off, but let's see if he's willing to like exercise any political brainpower.
Also I think I'm starting to come around on pure economic marriage with Selissa. Preferably one focused on good mutual trade deals. See Selissa has a sweet spot on the coast and the major river network. I imagine they'd be particularly open to a 'merchants' alliance were we go "let's leave military stuff to each other and focus on financial shit."
The thing is, the main trade network between us would be that lovely giant river. It'd be an obvious thing to fuck with should Morvak start a war-supply lines yo. Then depending on how much this trade is worth, and how strong the voices of the various merchants are, there could be pressure for Selissa to intervene in some way to open the trade back up. It wouldn't be an obligation forced on them, but an action taken to keep their gold flowing.
Of course this is predicated on my read that Selissa isn't actually that interested in martial ties, and their offer is less "let's treat your whole country as mercenaries for hire," and more "hey if you hit us up for military money, we want a seat at the table."
Phew, ok, tall, pale and woodsy is doing a good job seducing me, not sure about Vanessa. That said, I have to admit I'm not sure we get that much from that marriage.
Therefore I would be direct and ask:
[X][LORAN QUESTION] "What does Illegorst have to offer that the other realms laying suit for my hand don't have, in your mind?"
I think Regara is more likely to be thinking of the big picture of their kingdom rather than her own civil war, but I'm not 100%, I'll still vote this:
[X][REGARA DESIRE] "More than anything else, you want to be able to strip the border defenses on the Thorn River knowing we won't invade."
That said, I think marrying Regara is a bit too much - I'd prefer we marry their aligned Zarsim king to have a bit of distance from the famous warmongering state while still patching things up with them.
I think this is the juiciest question:
[X][JANERA QUESTION] "Is there a project you ever wanted your father to give you control over that he didn't?"
Next weekend should see us with the resolution to the questions and the start of the Gala. I'm gonna try to be less long-winded, more to the point, but I honestly don't know how much I'll be able to do that. 😅 The Gala will have to be at least 2-3 updates long, I imagine, though I'll try to be faster than once every two weeks with them. Vanessa will need to dance with all four of her open suitors, and she could likely get away with dancing with Regara as well, albeit a different type of dance (not inviting a visiting princess to an event like this, even one that's officially not courting her, etc, would be seen as a diplomatic insult) - in Tamildan High society, there are certain dances one does with suitors, and others that you just do because it's a formal event and dancing with people is what you do, etc.
Turn 5: Suitor Q&A II - Janera, Regara and Loran; Suitors' Gala I
[X][JANERA QUESTION] "Is there a project you ever wanted your father to give you control over that he didn't?"
Janera considered the question for a moment. "I'm not a soldier, I never trained for war, and the lessons I disappointed my tutors in the most were always the ones about wars and battles. But I did study mathematics, engineering, architecture… I've always wished my father would let me have a hand in building a fort, or expanding the defensive works along the border, or near Longforth Swamp, or the Lizard's Teeth..." She trailed off, shaking her head.
"He never has. I understand not knowing war might mean I shouldn't be in charge of such efforts, not solely, but for most purposes, construction of a wall is construction of a wall. Digging foundations for a fortified outpost is broadly similar as foundations for new construction that isn't made for war." She bit her lower lip, exhaling.
"I wish my Father would have let me contribute more directly to defense of our people. And there's so much I could have learned from the Master Engineers he did assign to those projects," she added that second part a little quieter, voice moving faster.
Vanessa didn't miss the implication, and chuckled, "That second part's the bigger reason you wanted it?"
"Not – I want it for both reasons!" Janera insisted. "But yes, the prospect of learning about something like that… it does appeal."
Well, I suppose if I do decide to marry her, we could always look into giving her the chance to give it a try here. Something small to start, no need to risk the entire border defenses, but while Vanessa wasn't an expert on architecture or war, she had to agree that building a building had to have broad similarities no matter what the purpose of it.
Either way, Janera's interest in natural philosophy, or her skill at architecture could be a boon for Halrun, and a good way to make sure she had a happy wife, if the marriage happened. Janera seemed to enjoy challenges, new intellectual stimulation.
Cyril had never actually given her much advice on the romantic front – he'd never had much interest in romance himself, according to him, and Vanessa didn't want to think about her mentor having (or not having) sex, so apart from a few lectures on contraceptive spells and other ways to mitigate the risks of sex, Cyril had never discussed romance or sex with her.
But an associate of hers, one she'd known early on during her days of taking various patrons before the civil war, had once commented that 'the key to a successful marriage is your spouse having something to do that isn't you sometimes'.
She'd couldn't even remember what the conversation had been about that had led to that comment, but it had stuck with her. It had seemed so antithetical to young, romantic idealistic Vanessa's idea of what marriage was supposed to be.
Too much like her mother's marriage.
But older, wiser Vanessa, could understand the merits. Somewhat.
"Perhaps you'll get such a chance one day." She gestured further into the gardens, "would you like to see what else we have here?" She added.
Janera flushed, "I would, yes." She addmitted softly. "If you don't mind."
"I have to get to know you somehow, and you me." Vanessa pointed out. And you look rather cute when you're enthusiastic about plants. She kept that bit to herself, for now.
"True… well, then, why don't you tell me more about yourself, Your Majesty?" Janera asked, a little hestinantly, licking her lips nervously. "While we walk, I mean. As much – as much as you're comfortable with, of course."
[X][REGARA DESIRE] "Our help when the inevitable civil war between you and your sister breaks out."
Regara snorted, "A predictable, but not untrue answer… I suppose if your spies were good enough to know that I'd be receptive to your offer… that I was planning my own soon enough, they'd know how things stand between my sister and I."
"One doesn't need spies to know that a war of succession between you and Priscilla is quite likely, Princess Regara," Arandel noted. "With all due respect, one just needs to look at your father's unwillingness to declare an heir."
Regara clenched her jaw. "Oh, there is a will. Even declares the succession."
Vanessa blinked. "Then why did you say it was possible your sister would inherit? Either you do, or she does? A clear-cut will would cut the legs out from under her or your base of support, no?" Legitimacy did mean something to nobles and monarchs, right? Syrokis had had to burn a lot of good will for that rebellion against him to start, and her history lessons from Cyril had always emphasized the importance of legitimacy.
"Mostly, yes, though even if father named me heir, at this point, Priscilla wouldn't take it lying down. And if she became Queen through a will, my days would be numbered anyway, so rebellion would my only choice."
Regara crossed her arms in front of her, her armor clanking against itself. "I really shouldn't be elaborating like this, but I suppose I must engender trust: my father's will very specifically says that the throne will pass 'to the strongest'."
Vanessa stared.
Arandel stared.
"Is your father mad?" The elf finally said after a long moment, raising his voice just a little, his normally unflappable demeanor clearly… flapped. "Or did he read too many tales of the stupidest of the ancient Elven Kings?"
To the strongest? That- There was no world in which that wasn't a surefire recipie to invite civil war and worse. What was even the idea? Some sort of notion that the one best able to slaughter more of her countrymen in job lots was worthy of the throne?
I don't recall hearing anything about the House of Rezan being particularly inbred, but…
It was the sort of insane logic you expected a long dead highly inbred king from ancient tale. She didn't know anything about ancient Elven Kings doing that, but… it fit.
"I believe my father expects Priscilla and I to have a duel after he's laid to rest, or something like that. I'm not content to leave the future of the Kingdom to a single one to one fight like that… and I wouldn't trust Priscilla not to cheat." Regara she explained.
Regara uncrossed her arms and paced again for a moment, the prowling tigress at work again. Regara gave Vanessa a long, appraising look while pacing. "Your support, the support of Halrun, could tilt the balance firmly in my favor, come the inevitable civil war. I could win without you, but your assistance would save more lives in the long run, and end the war faster."
"You're asking Halrun to take up a rather significant burden in blood and treasure, all for the promise of a peaceful border that it sounds like you already want anyway." Vanessa pointed out.
"I could win without you. But do you really want to take the chance I'm being overconfident?" Regara asked, palms flat on the table, leaning forward, smirking.
Well, that's an unusual negotiating tactic. On the other hand, Regara did have a point. How much of one though, was the question.
[X] [LORAN QUESTION] "What does Illegorst have to offer that the other realms laying suit for my hand don't have, in your mind?"
Loran's expression was unreadable as he – presumably – considered her question.
"Well, at it's most basic, there's myself, but I don't think that's exactly what you had in mind," Loran said with a confident smirk. "Illegorst offers the second front against Morvak that Nerinthar does, but the way we offer it is far more useful than Nerinthar's. Nerinthar fights Morvak on their playing field, at their own game – they may not match the Morvakian Cataphracts, but they do marshal heavy cavalry all the same."
Loran shook his head, "It's a fools errand to try to match Morvak heavy cavalry for heavy cavalry. Henrgi's light cavalry and horse archers are the Duchy's edge, and our archers and skirmishers are ours."
"We have skirmishers of our own, including ones that use bows," Vanessa countered, more playing the role of opposition for it's own sake than failing to grasp his point.
"There's an old saying that goes back to the Tamilkirk Imperium, I'm sure you've heard of it, your Majesty – if you want an excellent bowman, start with his grandfather. With all do respect to your own Kingdom's archers, none of the generations of practice and skill ours do. Nerinthar can keep Morvakian armies pinned down, use, drag them out into a long, bloody war. Our armies destroy Morvakian armies."
"Not all at once you don't. Not unless you get very favorable conditions, and Illegorst hasn't destroyed an entire Morvakian army in fifty-six years, if I remember correct."
"Fifty-four, actually, but yes, that's true. Not entire army. But if I think if you compare casualties in all our conflicts with Morvak's, and Nerinthar's, you'll find that we've had a better rate of enemies killed to soldiers lost."
"Maybe, but I'm not sure how that benefits us that much more than Nerinthar." Vanessa pressed. She wanted to know if the prospects of access to Elven magic, or Elven seers.
"I wasn't finished yet." Loran growled. "There are two other significant advantages – my Elven blood means that any children we have would live longer than those you'd have with any fullblood human. It wouldn't necessarily stay that way forever, but for a few generations? Royal transitions are always deadly, and longer-lived monarchs help avoid those."
A fair point, I suppose.
"And, more usefully, my family is considered nobility within Syleria, even if we aren't 'proper elves'. It gives us the right to petition the Avesiyan Seers for advice, and access to most of Syleria's libraries. Personally, I've never had much interest in either for my sake. But I'd be more than happy to take advantage of both to your advantage."
"So it is true."
"Indeed. The rumors about how close my family, or my whole realm is to Syleria or even Iltea are many and sundry, but there is truth to some. Both my sister and I would appreciate if you kept what was true to your closest advisors only, however."
"I think that's doable." Though she'd have more questions about the Seers, and how much petitioning them for advice was worth. Their gifts of prophecy and foresight were far better than even the mightiest of divinations by conventional magics, but how much would it actually help her Kingdom in the day to day? By all accounts, their visions were on the scale of – for humans anyway – generations.
Something to discuss with Arandel, perhaps. He had once been directed by the Seers, so he might be able to tell her more.
On a personal level, access to the Elven libraries of magic…
Vanessa had to admit that she almost felt like she was salivating at the prospect.
But she did have a Kingdom to consider.
"You paint an enticing picture, I'll give you that."
"If nothing else, there's no war-hawk faction among our nobility that might seek to drag Halrun into an offensive war against Morvak," Loran added. "That's certainly something we lack that Nerinthar possesses."
No expense had been spared for the Gala. It was, perhaps, a touch frivolous, but though the money spent on the Gala could have fed… well, Vanessa wasn't sure how many peasant families it could have fed, but it could have fed a great many of them.
The Griffin banners of the Kingdom were of course laid prominently out across the Grand Hall, but smaller banners for each of the four realms publicly courting her were also present. The Kingdom of the Necromancers banner had a golden skull on black, Selissa had it's Rampant Dragon, green on gray. Nerinthar's Horse Head in white, on blue banners trimmed in copper, and Illegorst's Eagle, wings spread, in silver on gold.
The food was set to be course after course of exquisite dishes, expensive and much sought after wines, beer and ale by the barrel. Sculptures of ice – including several griffins - had been procured and were preserved with the aid of small magics, though they would not last forever.
Music played in the background as Vanessa entered the Grand Hall, the last important to arrive, as was apparently customary at these sorts of things.
Everything began to still and quiet as one of her heralds announced her, though it wasn't as if people didn't know who she was.
"Presenting Her Royal Majesty Queen Vanessa Kolmain, First of Her Name, Grand Duchess of Lake Raida, Queen of the Marches, Protector of Order and Justice, Mistress of the Griffin Throne and Queen of Halrun!"
Vanessa had, for the first time since becoming Queen, had a dress made for this occasion. It was a gorgeous silk dress, made from silver colored thread. It was a long, flowing and partially backless dress, the front clinging just enough to her upper half to be enticing, but not too immodest, or leave nothing to the imagination. The dress had long, gloved sleeves.
Vanessa had gotten almost nothing done today at all, with the whole morning occupied in the final reminders of how the ritual of all this was supposed to go, and… one last round of practicing for the dances she'd be expected to do with her suitors. Vanessa was not ignorant of noble and courtly dances, but she hadn't exactly grown up on them the way her suitors would have.
"Don't worry," Balmain had said, "since you're the one being courted, you won't have to take the lead in the dancing." But Vanessa at least had to know how to let them lead.
And then there'd been getting her hair done, an elegant and deceptively simple
"Welcome, all of you," Vanessa said, running rehearsed lines through her head, wishing she didn't feel nervous – though at least she wasn't letting it show. "Welcome most of all to those who have come to lay suit for my hand. Princess Essinya, Prince Lothar, Princess Janera, Prince Loran." And Princess Regara. "Welcome to those from lands near and far who are here to take part in this joyous occasion." This joyous auctioning off of me and likely my womb. Granted, if she chose one of the Princesses, she might not end up being the one carrying the child, but there were practical advantages to being the one to carry the child.
Harder to challenge the legitimacy that way, for one.
"Welcome to those of my own people who are here. Halrun has been through much in the last years, but we have made great strides in rebuilding and repairing. There is, as they say, a break in the clouds, a light on the horizon. This Kingdom will recover, under my leadership yes, but not without the sacrifice and labors of all who call our realm home. We will return to normality. And what can be more normal, more… familiar, than the prospect of marriage? Of the forging of pacts between realms, of bonds between persons? Please, enjoy the feast to come, enjoy the festivities of this evening."
There were a restrained chorus of 'hear hear' and other cheers as she finished, and bows from most of those in attendance, as Vanessa made a few courtesy rounds with some attending Ambassadors – pretty much every Ambassador present in the capital was here, with the exception of the Morvakian Ambassador, Vanessa quickly realized.
She and the Kingdom got praise for the opulence of the gala, some expressing surprise that the Kingdom was in sound enough financial state to spare the money. Some hinted that perhaps she might be being too much of a spendthrift, but Vanessa assuaged their concerns, with the same careful wordplay, double-meaning and schooled expressions as theirs.
In truth, it was a lot of money to be spending on a gala, though when set against all the other expenses of rule…
On the other hand, they could afford it.
"Quite an impressive event, your Majesty," Another man, dapper, maybe fifty something, greying hair mostly dyed red, save for just a hint of silver at his temples. He wore a style of tunic and pants she was quite familiar with, and had a glass of very dark red wine in one hand.
"I see the old fashions are still all the rage back home," Vanessa observed. "You must be the new Veldran Ambassador, Mark Corovel, I believe?" She'd been there when he'd presented his credentials, but she hadn't had any occasion to meet with him since his arrival a few days before Arandel had begun his trade talks with them.
"Indeed." Corovel gave her a bow. "Can I just say: House Corovel has never been all that fond of House Kolmain in the past… so perhaps you won't tar me with the same brush you do the rest of your family?" He didn't sound afraid, more… amused.
"I hold no ill will to Veldros itself, I can assure you, Ambassador Corovel… though I can see why the Old Bloods[1] would want to send an enemy of my mother's to represent them."
"Old Bloods?" Corovel looked faux-aghast, hand on his chest "Your Majesty, please, don't tell me you believe those old stories. I serve here at the pleasure of the Exterior Assembly and the Grand Committee, not some nebulous and shadowy conspiracy."
"Of course you do," Vanessa allowed. "My mistake."
"But yes, the Exterior Assembly did think sending someone with no fondness for her would behoove us. I am gratified to hear that you hold no ill will for my city."
"None whatsoever, I assure you. And while I will not deny that I have no fondness for my mother, I have not spared her much thought, beyond some recent correspondence I do not expect to be returned." Vanessa had thought better of her letter and written something a little more… polite, though still quietly scathing, and making it clear nothing was forgiven.
It would be obvious to anyone with a brain who read it, but officially, it seemed all the right notes. What one would expect from a woman in her position, but at least seeming conciliatory. Just enough, anyway.
"Regardless, your speech was quite a bold one. Were it not for this gala, I would think it hollow grandstanding, but between your Keeper of Envoys negotiating such a quality deal, and this," he gestured around the grand Hall, "I think there is actually some truth to what you say." He raised up his glass, "Good luck in your courtship." He moved off, and Vanessa looked at her various suitors.
There was a little more time before the feast itself, and Vanessa would be able to have a course with each one of her public suitors, and then the dancing. She probably had just enough time to have a talk with Regara – there was only so much they could do publicly, but still might allow her to get to know the other woman a little better.
That was the point here, no?
[ ][REGARA] Talk to Regara in her capacity as a 'visiting princess/dignitary'
-[ ]Be very oblique in their discussions
-[ ]Move off to the outer edges of the festivities to have a slightly more frank discussion where they can have less eyes on them
[ ][REGARA] Don't talk to Regara
[ ][LOTHAR] <Write in proposed topics of discussion for their course>
[ ][ESSINYA] <Write in proposed topics of discussion for their course>
[ ][JANERA] <Write in proposed topics of discussion for their course>
[ ][LORAN] <Write in proposed topics of discussion for their course>
QM Note: I do have plans for what discussions can be had with Lothar, Essinya, Janera and Loran, but I would like to k now what you guys are interested in. The write-ins will be more of an idea mine, rather than a 'the winner will absolutely get their idea written' in this case. Feel free to propose whatever you like – previous questions from the various suitor arrivals, general topics, more specific issues, etc. The idea here is more Vanessa getting to know her suitors as people, rather than what they bring to the table for Halrun.
But you can suggest questions on that front as well.
If you have nothing in particular you'd like to see from any suitor, you don't need to propose one. As I said, I have ideas/plans, but I do want to know what interests you about the suitors. I'm sure not all of you are as into the dating sim-esque side of things here, but I hope you can bear with us. After the gala, there shouldn't be a single stretch focused on this so much for a while, at least, more peppered into things.
[1] Veldros's government is officially an interlocking series of committees, councils and quasi-independent assemblies representing the Noble Houses, the Guilds, the major Churches and several quasi-secret societies, with a franchise extended to the wealthy and upper middle class of the city.
In practice, the real power is in the hands of a small interconnected group of the most ancient and wealthy noble families (and a handful of others, including certain priests and the like), mostly selected by others inside the group as needed and ruling from behind the scenes. These individuals are collectively called the 'Old Bloods', though having 'old blood' is not the only way to become a member.
Hum…
So Janissa's field of interest makes me think of our religious choice, and wonder if that played a part-
Likely no, but….
Elveish Seers, hrrrm?
…I have a feeling they are better but also…Different?
Like a human might, before a battle, ask: Do I win this battle or should I retreat.
An Elf would ask before the war even begins, but they might ask 'would it be worth the death and suffering it will bring?'
So different timings and notions- with both sides having their own neat tricks.
I'm beginning to swing around on Elf-boy's offer, but I think Ideally we sneak a discussion with him about military matters near where Regara can overhear, and other such 'plausible deniability' methods to arrange for preparation for this civil war.
Everyone's thinking about the Mordak issue after all…
…As for my actual pick?
Money man I like the least on a Kingdom Level but as a suitor…
Janissa's decent I suppose? Not sure about how to factor in the religious angle I'm shoehorning her into…
Necromancer's still are a pass.
Just…
Too much too defining a choice to make.
Elf boyo is working, but my military alliance idea if that gamble works might undercut his rallying attempt. Unless Elf magic sways me which it kiiind of does…
And Regara feels like she's a little too dominated by the Mordak issue but I should probably do her a favor and re-read without that hanging over everything to make sense of how she and Vanessa get along.
Also there is King Man who in the abstract sounds like he'd be a decent pick in terms of what he offers but…Hrrrm.
*Looks at QM*
Call it a hunch but uhh, I have a feeling he is ALOT of MAN for Vanessa to try and handle, which could promise long-term issues…
I think I'd like to arrange for him and Regara to meet, and talk diplomacy somehow but how…
Who is Janissa? Janera? And what religious angle? I'm having trouble following the train of thought in your post. I'm glad that I've got you thinking, but I'm having understanding what you'r saying. Or what you seem to be asking? I apologize, I'm not trying to be rude, but I'm genuinely not understanding anything you're saying here.
Who is Janissa? Janera? And what religious angle? I'm having trouble following the train of thought in your post. I'm glad that I've got you thinking, but I'm having understanding what you'r saying. Or what you seem to be asking? I apologize, I'm not trying to be rude, but I'm genuinely not understanding anything you're saying here.
Janera-That's who I mean and Dagnamit I'm officially having problems with this woman's name and everything now.
The religious angle being that with her wanting to do architecture stuff, it struck me as hinting at her being a follower of Alior, the God we chose at our Coronation. Aided perhaps by the idea that she was sheltered from seeing the 'truth' of the world thus preserving her innocence on top of thinking that she could learn to build walls with which she could defend her people.
And I apparently need that angle because I keep forgetting her name and then there's so little else that got my attention about her as a character.
Please don't take this as critique-this is entirely me being dumb, in various ways.
[X][REGARA] Talk to Regara in her capacity as a 'visiting princess/dignitary'
-[X]Move off to the outer edges of the festivities to have a slightly more frank discussion where they can have less eyes on them
I like strong redhead lady.
While Laurent's offer may seem tempting, I actually have a rather low opinion of him as a person. I don't think the magic tomes are worth it.
Regara is cool, but we don't really need a marriage contract to help her in the civil war, just an excuse to call it fair,
Lothar... just seems uninteresting to me, I don't even know what to ask him.
Janera is definitely an interesting character, even if without interesting options in terms of alliance. Which is not necessarily a bad thing in itself. A worthy candidate.
Essinha is definitely still my favorite though. The Necromancer Kingdom is an extremely interesting ally and I like her personality. There are difficulties in choosing her, but given Vanessa's abilities and reputation, I don't think it will be insurmountable.
[X][ESSINYA] Ask her to tell you more about her homeland. There are many different rumors about her country, and you would like to know more. What was her life like there? Would she like to change anything?
[X][REGARA] Talk to Regara in her capacity as a 'visiting princess/dignitary'
-[X]Move off to the outer edges of the festivities to have a slightly more frank discussion where they can have less eyes on them.
--[X] Ask about her sister and what kind of ruler she thinks she would be. Perhaps, even without marriage, your intervention in the civil war may be justified.
[X][LORAN] Try to get a better understanding of his personality, ask about his hobbies and responsibilities.
[X][REGARA] Talk to Regara in her capacity as a 'visiting princess/dignitary'
-[X]Move off to the outer edges of the festivities to have a slightly more frank discussion where they can have less eyes on them
I don't really have any particular ideas for discussion topics. I agree that as people, Essinya and Janera are the strongest candidates, and Loran very much the the weakest (politically too). We'll have to see what Gaius brings to the table, and what the prospective terms with each country will look like.
"Indeed. The rumors about how close my family, or my whole realm is to Syleria or even Iltea are many and sundry, but there is truth to some. Both my sister and I would appreciate if you kept what was true to your closest advisors only, however."
I think that's naieve of him, and her too. Absolutely, Vanessa keeps it to only her closest advisors. But well, they might need to pass it onto their subordinates in the course of their duties and/or to a protege they're training as their replacement for example. And that's already way too many people who know. But then conversations can be overheard, lips can be read. In a setting with magic it could even possibly be scryed or so on.
It's an understandable mistake from both mind. But well. Something to perhaps bear in mind for us the players.
She might be surprised actually. Depending on the size of the realm and the accuracy or conversely flattery of royal portraits and minted coins, it wasn't uncommon for people not to know the faces of their rulers, thus part of the reason why throughout history many monarchs have commissioned and published paintings of themselves and public statues and monuments.
Even absent the lower classes. Just among the nobles alone. Their might be those who live weeks of travel from the capitol or longer, who've not seen the queen for months or years or never met her at all, especially with a young monarch early into her reign.
Again, it's an understandable mistake, especially from a young monarch who was never expected or raised to be the reigning ruler.
But just, well, holding social events and balls are ways for monarchs to introduce themselves to their vassals and nobility.
[X][REGARA] Talk to Regara in her capacity as a 'visiting princess/dignitary'
-[X]Move off to the outer edges of the festivities to have a slightly more frank discussion where they can have less eyes on them
Talk about the sister, I think, and whether potential intervention would be acceptable in the absence of a marriage alliance. It seems as if intervention might be worthwhile, from what we know.
[X][ESSINYA] Is there any bad blood over Vanessa's mentor killing Essinya's mother?
I think we need to know that before marriage rather than after.
[X][LOTHAR] What have you duelled over, and did any of them lead to death?
It would be worth knowing if he's a hothead or the duels are for reasonable purposes, and if marrying him might lead to any grudges.
[X][LORAN] Talk about his sister.
While I don't think it would be reasonable to just ask if she is a vampire, she's the ruler who we would be allied with, as well as a potential sister-in-law. While it's not as important as getting on with him, it's useful to know more about her.
[X][JANERA] Get her talking on something she's passionate about again.
Nothing as concrete as the others, I just found her passion so adorable, I want to see more of it.
Adhoc vote count started by Kylia Quilor on May 9, 2024 at 7:15 PM, finished with 9 posts and 4 votes.
[X][REGARA] Talk to Regara in her capacity as a 'visiting princess/dignitary' -[X]Move off to the outer edges of the festivities to have a slightly more frank discussion where they can have less eyes on them
[X][ESSINYA] Ask her to tell you more about her homeland. There are many different rumors about her country, and you would like to know more. What was her life like there? Would she like to change anything?
[X][REGARA] Talk to Regara in her capacity as a 'visiting princess/dignitary' -[X]Move off to the outer edges of the festivities to have a slightly more frank discussion where they can have less eyes on them
--[X] Ask about her sister and what kind of ruler she thinks she would be. Perhaps, even without marriage, your intervention in the civil war may be justified.
So yeah, the plan of getting you something in just one week didn't work, apologies. But hopefully I'll be able to give you something worth the wait this weekend.
(I've tallied the votes, but if anyone else wants to make more conversation suggestions in the interval, please feel free)
Given the nature of the gala, feasting and the dancing were a bit interspersed, people getting up after some small amounts of food to dance, or speak in little clusters on the walls and the corners of the room. Vanessa had eaten a little, but was soon back out on the floor, a few perfunctory and diplomatic dances with visiting dignitaries – the Zedarshan Ambassador, who took the chance to bend her ear about something regarding trade that she promised to consider (she didn't manage to remember much about what he said by the end of the night, but she did pass the information on to one of her attendants and asked them to write it down for later).
She danced with the Blerren Ambassador as well, the Riverlands city-state apparently curious if she was going to act on those rumors swirling about her intentions towards Veldros. Vanessa wasn't sure if the elderly, maternal-acting woman (who Vanessa knew, from what Vallefor had said, was anything but, having ruthlessly clawed her way to the upper tiers of Blerren's economy) was disappointed or relieved when Vanessa said she had no interest in doing anything to Veldros, holding no ill will for the city, and Halrun had no desires on the city beyond mutual trade.
She did – diplomatically – refuse a dance request from the Ambassador of Restid, the demon-worshipping city-state always a bit of a pariah, and easier to treat as such than the Kingdom of the Necromancers. They had less to offer, and frankly, Vanessa held the Necromancers in higher regard. Restid was a city of self-destructive and disgusting hedonism and trading of souls to demons. They were not to be trusted. Besides, their Ambassador was a man with demon blood, his horns and tail visible and on display – he made no efforts to hide them.
They delight in flaunting their awfulness. And yet, they'd never been worth the cost of getting rid of, and their farms had been valuable for a long time. Halrun's unity making trade easier had done much to make Restid's farmland far less essential for feeding the rest of the Riverlands…
A few polite conversations here and there – some nobles from the south of the Kingdom who rarely got to the capital spoke to her, one boasting of his vineyards, and letting her know that he'd brought several casks as a gift to the Queen, hoping to present them to her next time she held court, which would be in a few days, now that the Gala and planning for it was resolved.
Vanessa assured the Lord that she would look forward to it, and made a note to talk to Vallefor about the Lord. He likely wasn't stupid enough to poison her so blatantly, but still. Better to be safe.
But having made all the appearances of doing diplomatic diligence at first, she had the cover to have a similarly diplomatic dance with Princess Regara. She sought the Morvakian out, finding her in an animated discussion with… Rienne, of all people. Both women were gesticulating while they spoke.
"...there is absolutely no chance of that! Forgive me High Marshall, but if that is actually your judgment, then I really must question why your Queen has trusted you with your office." Regara said, insistently.
"Of course a Morvakian would take that position. Can you be anymore predictable?!" Rienne's response was just as insistent and heated, the two women glaring at eachother.
"...Princess, I didn't realize arguing with my High Marshall was part of your diplomatic duties." Vanessa said softly. "Lady Rienne has my full confidence, her efforts during the recent overthrow of Syrokis speak for themselves."
Regara shook her head, "I have no significant complaints about her command record, your Majesty. But she is simply wrong in her insistent belief that General Trothagar could have defeated General Vargardis had the two lived at the same time. Vargardis was the superior leader by every measurable means."
Vanessa knew the names – Trothagar being the most successful general in the Iredan Empire's history, having been responsible for the conquests of what are now Selissa and Nerinthar in a single year-long lightning campaign. Vargardis was the Tamilkirk Imperium's own greatest general, having won all but single-handedly saved the Tamilkirk from defeat in one of the regular wars between Iredos and the Tamilkirk
"...that was what had you both so heated?"
"It's a longstanding debate within military circles," Rienne said, rubbing the back of her neck with one hand. "Partisanship for one general or the other tends to be… intense."
"It's a hazard of things – I have been at these sorts of events before, as part of peace negotiations. When you have to speak with foreign officers to be polite, the acceptable range of topics is limited," Regara explained with a light chuckle. "Things almost always come back to Trothagar and Vargardis, and the various topics under that heading, when you can't talk about things more recent and relevant."
"...I'd say that sounds absurd, but I do recall getting quite drunk when I was 23 and having a shouting match with another mage about a similarly impossible duel between historical mages of note." Vanessa admitted. Vanessa gestured lightly to Rienne with one hand, keeping it low, near her waist.
"And did you win that argument, your Majesty?" Regara asked, as Rienne took the hint and made an exit, allowing Vanessa to speak with Regara one to one. "You seem like you would have had a hard time admitting defeat, in such a battle."
"Things were ultimately left undecided, by the end." Or, more accurately, Vanessa had gotten so drunk she blacked out and they never finished the debate. She had, of course, still been right. Vanessa took another chance to look over Regara. The woman's hair remained tied back in her single braid, though the braid was a bit more elaborate and was held together by a gold and ruby hairpiece. She also wasn't wearing her armor or her sword, which…
Looked a little strange, really. The woman still carried herself with the poise of a woman used to being armed and armored. Nor did she wear a dress, instead wearing an outfit Vanessa couldn't grasp the origins of, as well as a long white coat over it, though she did not put her arms through the sleeves.
This, but without the fur, and the black parts are red. Red and White are the Colors of the House of Rezan.
It did look fancy, expensive and she wore it well – she didn't look out of place at all. It vaguely reminded Vanessa of some of Vallefor's outfits, but only really in the gold bits.
"It is the curse of those, like you and I, who are always right to never quite convince everyone," Regara chuckled. "Please, your Majesty, in the interests of diplomacy, might I have this next dance?" She held out a hand, and Vanessa took it after a moment.
"Of course." A new song had begun, and the dance they began, some idle chatter at first about how Regara had found Eridia during her time here. They only had the one hand holding each other, not getting closer or touching more as they took the opportunity to migrate over to the outer edges of the room, away from most of the crowd.
"You look quite lovely, your Majesty," Regara said quietly, leaning forward a bit as they continued the steps of the dance. "You always do, but this dress..." she trailed off a moment, then shook her head. "Lovely, as I said."
"Your garb flatters you as well, Princess." Vanessa replied in a similarly quiet tone. They didn't exactly show off her muscles, or body hardened by extensive training and military command from the front, but they hinted at them. A younger Vanessa might have imagined just what the other woman looked like without her clothes. Even without that, Vanessa allowed herself just a few moments to wonder around that topic.
And judging from Regara's expression when she saw me up close, I think she might have allowed herself the same sort of luxury. Always nice to see that moment of attraction in someone's eyes, especially when they saw you in a dress they'd never seen you in before.
"What is life like, back at home, Princess? The Halrunian stereotype is likely far from true, I imagine."
"I suppose it would depend on what the stereotype is today, Your Majesty." Regara murmured, "I assure you that Rezanople is not perpetually covered in the ash put out by all our forges, for one, and yes, I can see sky out the window of the Royal Palace." She smiled as she said that.
"I had wondered, just a little," Vanessa teased lightly. "But I meant more… what is it like, to be a Morvakian Princess? I rather doubt every waking moment is spent plotting and scheming for war."
"Of course not," Regara agreed, a light, teasing note in her voice. "First of all, one never plots a war before breakfast, if they can avoid it. It's bad for the digestion." Vanessa raised an eyebrow, and Regara went on, "After that, of course, it's two hours of plotting, then another two of scheming, then lunch, four hours of dreaming up ways to crush the hopes and dreams of small children in distant lands, and then more plotting and scheming before dinner."
"Must be a busy day," Vanessa laughed. "And what is the truth?"
"Well, there is a great deal of work that must be done. I am no idle Princess, and there are matters of government to attend to."
"Matters of your military, you mean?"
"The two are one and the same, in Morvak. I have many duties as Princess, but when I'm not leading armies in the field or on maneuver, I have paperwork. They say an Army marches on it's stomach. It would be more accurate to say an army marches on paper." She gave an exaggerated roll of her eyes as she said that.
"You seem like you prefer to be leading the armies than managing the paperwork, then?"
"It is simpler. Cleaner. But one can hardly leave such matters to be neglected, anymore than you can avoid the paperwork of your own position, your Majesty," Regara noted. "I spend time every day I'm in the capital keeping my skills sharp, though the training one does in the sallies does not always match up with what someone has to do in the field."
Regara shook her head, "War is not individual fights between skilled warriors for honor and bragging rights, Your Majesty. It is a bloody, dirty affair. Blood and mud, fire and fear – that is war."
"And yet you fight."
"And yet I must, Your Majesty. I may believe in the merits of peace, but I also believe in the merits of war, when circumstances require it. I am here to seek a peaceful resolution over the Thornmarch, but I am still a Morvakian. I disagree with my sister on much, but there are some things we share – the challenge of battle, of war, the exhilaration of victory, of fighting for your life – it is quite an experience. We both love that, in our own, different ways. For Priscilla, there is no feeling better than to kill your enemy, to put their armies to flight and to stamp your power into their minds."
"And for you?" Regara's choice of words was telling.
"It is a rare feeling, a rush, to win a battle, your Majesty. But is is a terrible one, that often comes at a price. I do hold some things better than slaughtering my enemies – a shared drink with comrades, after hard fighting. Helping to recover the wounded after a battle, to save what lives can be saved. I do not love war itself."
"And Priscilla does?"
"She's never quite said as much, but..." Regara paused, inhaling "My sister is a poet. Did you know that?"
Vanessa blinked. That was… not something she'd have expected to hear, based on what little she'd been told about the woman. "I did not."
"Her poems are almost all about warfare, bloodshed, and watching the life leave from the eyes of her enemies."
"You make your sister sound like the crazed murderess in a bad Veldran Opera." Not that Vanessa had encountered a good Veldran Opera. Their characters were routinely exaggerated in every facet of their personalities.
Regara considered, "A fair point." She inclined her head towards Vanessa as the song started to end, letting go of her hand. "My sister is more than just a bloodthirsty crazed murderess, one must admit, or at least she was. We avoid each other so much these days, it's hard to say for sure these days."
"For all that you seem to be more inclined to peaceful, if… irregular resolutions to the dispute between our realms, it seems as though the difference between your sister and you is one of degree, rather than kind." Vanessa wasn't being entirely honest in her impression of the woman, but there was some truth to it, in her mind. But she wanted to see what Regara would say to it.
Regara pursed her lips for a moment, "There is a fragment of text that survives from an Iredan philosopher - 'War is never an end unto itself, except for some catastrophic slide in damnation. War is always fought with peace in mind, a better peace than what you started with'." The quote found purchase in Vanessa's memory, but she couldn't recall where she'd read it, or heard it.
"My sister would not agree. War is the end, for her. Because it separates the strong from the weak. She wants victory, yes, but even if I could convince her that there was no real endgame in fighting a war with Halrun, she wouldn't support peaceful coexistence. She would support war if she believed that in the end, more of the enemy was killed than her own soldiers. If she proved that she, that Morvak, was the stronger, the mightier. My Kingdom is more than just an armed camp, but generations of war and inflexibility have brought certain mindsets to the fore."
Vanessa couldn't tell how accurate Regara was being – the picture she painted of Priscilla was still an utterly insane one, that seemed to belie being a functioning human. How could someone lead armies or hope to be a Queen with that mindset? Even Basil X didn't seem to be quite that touched in the head.
But there was no suggestion Regara was lying, so she believed it. And either way, Priscilla was worse than Regara, even if it really was just degree, over kind. Even if Regara was only so accurate – Vallefor and Arandel's reports both made it clear Priscilla was the greater warmonger of the sisters.
"Perhaps, even if a more… irregular solution cannot be reached between our Kingdoms, peace on the basis of your sister being a poor fit for rule could be reached," Vanessa said very quietly.
Regara raised an eyebrow, "My people are very proud, Your Majesty. Interference in family affairs by outsiders may not always be well received." Regara's warning hint was clear. Then the Princess started to walk away, "On the other hand, needs must..." She added quietly, giving Vanessa a polite incline of her head in place of a bow before moving on away.
Vanessa pondered Regara's words as she made her way over to the feast tables to take her seat, sipping at wine and eating a few small items.
However one sliced it, Regara was a better Queen of Morvak than Priscilla would be, at least from Vanessa's standpoint as Queen of Halrun. But from what Regara was suggesting, the people of Morvak might not appreciate outside intervention.
Understandable. I can't imagine the rebel cause would have benefited from Morvak backing them. Getting financial support from Archnecromancer Lyrus created a small scandal when it came out… Only the fact that by then Syrokis was on the ropes had stopped that scandal from causing the rebellion more problems.
Regara's argument seemed to be, if Vanessa was understanding her right, that the marriage alliance existing before the death of her father would make Halrun's intervention more palatable to the kinds of people Regara would need on her side to win without seeming a Halrunian puppet.
On the other hand, Regara did suggest she wouldn't just reject all aid. But if Vanessa didn't want the aid to backfire, she'd have to be more indirect about it, at that point.
Of course, there is just something to be said for letting them fight and wear each other out. A prolonged civil war in Morvak could be even more damaging than the one Halrun had just had. If she married Lothar, Janera or Loran, the best she could hope her new allies would want is stay back and watch Morvak burn.
Selissa would probably try to finance both sides equally, if they can manage it. Nerinthar… attack the winner? Illegorst… if Loran is honest about Illegorst's lack of territorial claims on Morvak, then there's not much they're likely to do…
Probably.
Of course, that rather depended on the character of Loran's sister, Allara.
Though, Vanessa wasn't sure she wanted to spend too much time talking about matters of state tonight. She really did want to know more about the people she was contemplating marrying.
She could kill two birds and one stone, she supposed. She gestured for one of her attendants to tell the musicians she was ready to start dancing with her suitors – called for a different dance, slower, more… intimate. Which meant a different tempo to the music, a different tune entirely. Vanessa set down her wineglass after taking another sip, and stood, seeking out Prince Loran first.
Loran wore a dark purple shirt, and a black leather longcoat over it , though it only had one sleeve, and a series of straps over the shirt holding the coat together. It was an odd look, definitely formal and expensive, but nothing like what any other nobleman wore, that she'd seen. Not quite rustic, but definitely moreso than anything else. Rough and ready, keeping with his menacing man of mystery vibe that he had going for him.
"Good evening, your Majesty," Loran held one arm to his midsection and gave her a deep bow.
"Likewise, Prince Loran." She held out a hand. "Shall we dance?" Loran took her hand, and then stepped close, placing his other hand on her waist, Vanessa putting her other hand on his shoulder as they started to move in time with the notes of the song, moving slowly, as other 'couples' (not all of them actually couples, of course, though Vanessa wouldn't be surprised if a few unattached nobles or heirs ended up getting marriage negotiations of their own started after tonight) joined them on the central part of the chamber.
"I'm sure you've heard this repeatedly tonight, your Majesty, but your dress brings out your beauty even more than usual, tonight." Loran said, in that low, sort of rough voice he'd used in the gardens.
"I have heard it," Vanessa admitted. "But it's always nice to be desired," Vanessa smirked slightly as she said that. "I'm curious about what life back home is for you. From what I gather, for instance, you don't have a lot of duties?"
"None whatsoever." Loran agreed blithely, sounding not remotely upset about it. "Except during wartime, I suppose. I do technically have the authority – and duty - to command scouts and our best skirmishers. Allara signed a decree about it and everything." He chuckled, taking his hand off her waist – Vanessa took her hand off his shoulder – and he raised her other hand up, spinning her a bit, Vanessa facing him again a moment later, hand on his waist now, his hand on her shoulder.
"You know the steps of the dance well," Vanessa noted. Better than me, really. "And yet you don't like to spend time at court."
"Where do you think I learned to hate spending so much time at court? Our parents made sure we knew all these dances and more," Loran told her. "And Allara has insisted on my presence for certain major functions. One must maintain appearances, always." The sour note there in his voice, the crack in his perpetually 'cool' and 'distant' mask told her more than anything else he'd said had.
Yes, poor Loran, rich and powerful and free to do whatever he wants, has to attend some parties from time to time. Vanessa pushed that sarcastic voice to the back of her mind, though it wasn't like it was wrong, even if unfair. The pressures of expectation and what that could do to people we re things she'd seen, at the Academ, older students there crumbling under the weight of it.
"And you'd attend none of them if you had your choice?"
"Well, back home, certainly," Loran agreed. "Avoiding spending more time than is necessary around my sister has been my favorite pass time for a decade now."
"She's that unpleasant?" Now it was Vanessa's turn to 'spin' Loran around as she lifted his hand up, and after, once more, his hand was on her waist, and they were even closer together than before, bare inches separating their bodies, their faces. "Should I really seek to tie my realm to such a woman?"
"As a Princess, she's nothing but a conscientious and capable ruler." Loran assured her. "She dedicates herself to two things – her children, and the betterment of the lot of our people. Anything else, she has little to no time for, and with things she has no time for-"
"Like you?"
"Like me," Loran agreed, "She is overbearing, to understate things greatly," the Prince added. "I certainly wouldn't propose you make a social visit to Illegorst the City anytime soon, for one."
"I'll bear that in mind, if I ever find the time for something like that," Vanessa told him. They made several silent steps in time with the music, circling around, Vanessa looking at his eyes. Loran's affect of brooding mystery seemed to be really just an affect – there was little complexity to him, from what she could tell.
Handsome, in a very different sort of way than Lothar, or many other men. But beyond that… he was just a loner who liked to be out in the woods, it seemed. Though his problems with his sister seemed to run deep.
Overbearing is an understatement, he says. And the struggle with the weight of expectations was one she could now relate to. Being Queen was…
"You're not out in the wilderness all the time, even if you'd prefer to be. What else then, brings you some measure of joy? What would King-Consort Loran be doing when he's here at the capital?"
Loran raised an eyebrow. "Assuming you didn't have need of me, or our hypothetical heirs had no need of me?" Vanessa nodded, and Loran continued, "Keeping my skills sharp, with a bow and blade, perhaps. Or teaching the skills of a woodsman to those of your guard or army with the right aptitude. Though that is more a necessity than an enjoyment. I suppose if there really were nothing else occupying my time, there's always your late, unlamented predessor's art collection. By all accounts, he was quite the collector."
"So I gather." Vanessa agreed. "Art interests you?"
"I often finding myself wondering what the artist was seeking to say, about themselves, the world. What influences played into their work. Elven art is always the rage back in Illegorst, but it remains… creatively sterile. Or at least creatively incestuous."
Vanessa blinked, the phrasing very strange, and yet, she could at least grasp what he meant. The same influences all drawing on each other, influencing each other, in a closed loop.
"But I imagine, at least once they came along, if I'm not exploring the extensive wilderness of your Kingdom, I would be with our hypothetical heirs." Loran added. "I quite enjoy the company of my niece and nephew – children are… simpler."
"A nobleman who would seek to be an involved father." Vanessa raised an eyebrow, "You're a rarity."
"I always aim to be different," Loran confirmed, smirking. "I was raised far more by servants and attendants, than by my parents. Allara was as well. It's not an experience I would want my children to repeat, as much as would be practical."
"How old would your children before before you dragged them into the woods with you to try and instill the same appreciation you have?"
"Not before they were at least eight, I'd imagine. And only if they expressed an interest in experiencing the wilderness the way I do." Loran stepped back as the song started to wind down. "There are certain expectations placed on people in our positions, but as much as possible, children should be able to make their own choices."
"I see." Vanessa considered the earnest expression on his face. Loran was perhaps more complicated than she'd just given him credit for, which made sense – people were almost always more than first impressions.
But he was still simpler than some. Which wasn't a bad thing, she supposed. She had little doubt she'd know where she stood with Loran. Janera had a very different openness to her. Lothar affected a man who was unconcerned about things, but he was reputedly quite the skilled gambler, which came with a good face for bluffing, to say the least.
Essinya…
Well, treachery was a bywood in Necrotic culture.
And Regara…
It was hard to say. Regara made a great deal of being different than her sister, of being the 'good Morvakian', but she was still, by her own words, a Morvakian. War was fought for a better peace, but what was a better peace to her? What was worth it?
She couldn't really see the point in endlessly warring to reclaim lands that had long since cast off your yolk. But it seemed Regara could.
And of course – how much is that better peace worth?
On the other hand, Regara did have her fine points. She would be a far more involved and active consort… but she'd also have her own responsibilities as Queen of Morvak.
Choices choices. Weights and balances. And yet, she had three other choices just here.
Loran stepped away as the song ended.
"An enlightening conversation, Prince Loran," Vanessa told him.
"I'm certainly happy to continue it at a later date, should you prefer a more private discussion." Loran told her quietly, stepping close again, looking down, meeting her eyes. "There are many reasons I prefer a bit more solitude, after all." He added, then stepped away, letting go of her hand and moving off.
Does he really think that will work? Though, Vanessa admitted, she was curious if the… confidence in how forward he could be was actually borne out.
It had been a while, and even if Vanessa was not some silly teenager controlled by her libido anymore, it did exist.
Then again, more than one man or woman has talked a big game and amounted to very little.
QM's Note: So, while I figured I wouldn't get all five suitors into here, because apparently I really am constitutionally incapable of being brief when I write, I was hoping to get three.
I do appreciate the lingering (and the lack of voting options) is perhaps annoying, but this is the way the muse goes. Both characters fought me on trying to be more succinct. But hopefully I gave a good hint at the personalities of both characters, in both dialogue and in what they didn't say.
I have very good reason to believe that I will be able to have the next update next weekend, rather than making you wait two weeks. But I'm also dealing with some major dislocation in my RL that could lead to delays across the board for a while. It's up in the air.
…
"It is the curse of those, like you and I, who are always right to never quite convince everyone,"
…
I hate hate HATE this line.
Cross that with how her love of battle is in the victory, as she puts it?
Grraaah.
That line makes me think she's playing the heartstrings to get what she wants. Why? Because she wants to WIN against her sister.
But what of what comes after that victory? Or in general?
I hate how consumed she sounds about the sister fight. There's so little of Regara we get to see because of it, and it makes what we DO see appear all the worse!
She reminds me of some rather unpleasant family drama in the tropes of it.
She feels to me like a woman who only has eyes on what she's dealing with, very much like Allara.
Graaah.
Loran? Loran is climbing the ladder. Loran is very nearly won this whole debate for me. He offered to be a family man, and that's something that could do so much to deal with the problem of monarchs being volition from one reign to another….
Though of course that might not fix it if drama comes but hey.
The Reinne Regara arguement about the generals quite frankly made me want to poke at the history of the two camps of debate-because it sounds like one guy kicked booty and the other was about not letting his nation's booty get kicked once and for all.
As for things to look critically at Loran about…Boy's got expensive tastes, given the talk of art, and how it kept him involved in courtly affairs when he otherwise despised them…
Hrrrm.
The Reinne Regara arguement about the generals quite frankly made me want to poke at the history of the two camps of debate-because it sounds like one guy kicked booty and the other was about not letting his nation's booty get kicked once and for all.
Honestly. My thoughts are that neither of those two interest me. I'd say more. And, I'm sure there's more underneath the surface. But just from what I've seen so far... One is a military officer who is likely to need support to win her throne. The other is a noble who enjoys the solitude of the wilderness and who might make an attentive father.
In theory both have some strong selling points.
But honestly? The benefits of a necromancer alliance interest me more and I'm interested in seeing more of her.
Does anyone know if SV's voting calculator allows for Ranked voting? I.e. letting people put [1] for their first choice [2] for their second choice, [3] for their third, etc?
Does anyone know if SV's voting calculator allows for Ranked voting? I.e. letting people put [1] for their first choice [2] for their second choice, [3] for their third, etc?
I'm pretty sure I saw a tutorial for this somewhere, but unfortunately I can't find the page. In principle, given the not so large number of voters, manual counting may be for the best. Even ordinary counting does not always work correctly.
Vanessa took a few moments between the songs to organize her thoughts about Regara and Loran – Regara had played her cards hard on trying to convince Vanessa that her sister was an entirely unsuitable Queen of Morvak from Halrun's perspective, and while the argument she presented seemed sound…
Well, it was impossible to know how accurate Regara was really being.
Loran had both shown some depths, and reinforced some previous thoughts about him. He had his merits – annoyingly, all the marriage candidates did – and so far, she saw nothing that made the idea of being married to him unappealing, beyond the general fact that she still rather wish she'd had more time to get used to the idea of a political marriage.
Having taken her breather, she made a careful gesture to one of her attendants, and they passed the word onto the musicians, another song suitable for a dance with her open suitors picking up. She looked for Essinya and found the woman making quiet conversation with a noblewoman Vanessa vaguely recognized, but was having trouble placing the name of. She was a cousin of a Lord, Vanessa was pretty sure, not titled herself, but…
Catching sight of her approach, Essinya made her polite exit from the discussion, and approached. Vanessa reached out a hand towards the necromancer, "Shall we dance?"
"I would love to, Your Majesty," Essinya said with a soft smirk on her lips, and once more, Vanessa took the familiar pose of the dance and started to move in time with the music – the steps were not identical to the last, but very close. From what she understood, they all were. Which seemed either very clever, or very maddening.
She wasn't sure which, yet.
"Dare I ask what you were talking to one of my nobles about?" Vanessa raised an eyebrow, allowing a small smirk of her own. "Should I be worried about a fifth column?"
"Of course, that's exactly what I've been up to, Your Majesty, seeding Necromantic corruption throughout your kingdom," Essinya teased back with a grin. Then she shook her head, "Nothing so salacious I'm afraid. She has an interest in a logging business and wanted to know if it was worth her time reaching out to my father about the prospects of leasing out part of Darkmoon Forest for exploitation."
Vanessa nearly choked on nothing as the absolute breathtaking stupidity of the question took root in her mind. "I do hope you told her not to waste her time." The idea that any Archnecromancer would allow outsiders to cut down trees in Darkmoon Forest was at best, laughable, at worst grounds for a diplomatic incident.
"Quite the contrary, I suggested she send a formal petition to him." Essinya stepped to the left, Vanessa moving with her. "My father could use the laugh."
Vanessa resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "I suppose that's fair, given how stupid anyone would have to be to take your suggestion seriously." Really, it wasn't as if Vanessa didn't know stupid nobles existed, but there was a level of idiocy one just didn't expect someone as well educated as any noble would have to be could possibly reach.
And yet.
"My father's refusal will be unfailingly polite in every necessary respect," Essinya assured her. Vanessa raised an eyebrow.
"In other words, nothing she can formally object to but will be nonetheless withering in its contempt for her and her lack of intelligence?" Vanessa had firsthand experience with writing something akin to that.
"It's like you know my father." Essinya teased. She blinked, "You haven't secretly met behind my back, have you?" She adopted a look of faux-concern, brow furrowed, "Don't believe anything he's told you about me."
"Is there something you're afraid of me learning about you?"
"Merely embarrassing stories from my childhood." Essinya assured her. Vanessa wouldn't have imagined Lyrus Serriados to be that sort of father, but… well, she didn't really know what sort of father he was. Hadn't really been a thing she'd wondered about the man, even when she had wondered about him, once in a while.
"Well, I'll bear that in mind if I ever do have a chance to speak with him," Vanessa promised. They moved in silence for a moment, switching who had a hand on the waist and who had a hand on the shoulder, stepping further apart for a second, and then closer, "What was life like for you, in Darkmoon Forest?"
"Dangerous, and exciting." Essinya grinned. "When I wasn't fending off the occasional attempt on my life, or undermining some scheme by this or that noble or courtier, there were always matters to attend to. My father has seen fit to trust me with various responsibilities over the years – I'm afraid I can't share many of the details, but for several years, I spent quite a bit of time pretending to be quite at odds with my father."
"Luring out potential opposition, baiting them with the chance you'd turn on him?"
"Quite. It really only worked perfectly the first few times, quietly snapping up all the guilty parties before they could spread the word, but after that, people started putting two and two together." Essinya laughed, "Eventually, it stopped working, and I moved on to other projects and tasks." She let out a long breath.
"And when you weren't working? Or is your life merely always duty and responsibility?"
"Not just that, though it has consumed much of my life in recent years. My father may derive endless enjoyment from his various projects, and I admit to satisfaction in a job well done, but I prefer other ways to spend my time, when not busy with matters of state."
Projects. What exactly are those? Those mysterious things that her father hired mercenaries for, sending them to far flung places? Vanessa could hardly ask Essinya about them, not at this point – maybe if they did go so far as marriage and a formal alliance, but before then, she couldn't expect Essinya to reveal such information.
But it did leave her suspicious and wondering.
"I must admit to agreement with you. Not that I've had as much time to myself as I'd have hoped, these last few months. But the study of magic and my calligraphic work does provide me a small outlet." Vanessa left the obvious question hanging – what exactly were Essinya's ways of passing the time?
"Well, we share the study of magic in common. I am often practicing, experimenting, furthering my knowledge of necromancy and the associated arts."
Vanessa raised up her arm and spun Essinya in a half-circle, and then her arm went around Essinya's waist, standing close behind the other woman. "And how hands on was this experimenting?"
How often were you experimenting with corpses?
"Not as much these days as it was in my younger years. The Necrotic Empire put most of their research into newer, better and more efficient ways to turn a corpse into a soldier or laborer or something else useful. There's only so much you can do experimenting with that, and I don't need to practice that part anymore." Essinya explained. "And we have more than enough necromancers that my services for animation are not needed, unless it was someone close to me."
"Someone close to you?" Vanessa swallowed. "As in-"
"None of the former lovers who tried to kill me, if that's what you're thinking. Their corpses are destroyed, in most cases, for their attempted treason." Essinya chided, and Vanessa nodded, recalling that detail. "No, the few dead that I've animated personally are those who have been personal attendants, servants, family of the same. They were all under my protection and authority, and the honoring of them through animation was my duty, and my honor."
For a moment, Vanessa was confused – the idea of your corpse being animated, enslaved to the will of a necromancer for all time as an honor, a privilege – even intellectually knowing it was the core of Necrotic Culture – was repugnant to her, to say the least. Even if she wasn't in her body anymore, as was the case with such dead…
It was still her body. It being forced to dance to some necromancer's tune, metaphorically or literally after she died still felt like it would be a violation.
But –
That wasn't an opinion that any of Essinya's own servants and attendants and the like would have held.
"Understandable, given the context for you and for them," Vanessa nodded.
"You don't need to pretend you don't find my culture disturbing, at the very least." Essinya said, her tone suddenly cool, rather than playful.
"I certainly don't share it, and the idea of its practices being visited upon me after my death is indeed a disturbing thought to me, but there are cultures where failing to eat one's dead loved ones is considered a great sin against the deceased. It is not my place to say what your people can have done with their bodies." Vanessa assured her. She decided to push the conversation onto safer ground: "If not matters related to animation, what fields of necromancy do you experiment in?"
"Enervation and Shadow, largely." Essinya answered. "I have been exploring some… promising prospects in the application of mana for both."
In Necromantic terms, Enervation was the draining of vital energy, of life, from living beings. And 'Shadow', at least in necromantic terms, was about using darkness itself as a weapon or a protection. The latter was not unique to necromancy, but from what little Vanessa understood, it was done differently when necromancers did it, then when a more conventional shadow mage did.
With her own talents lent towards illusions and divination, and even her more flashy magic being thunder, lightning and fire, Vanessa's direct familiarity with shadow magic – let alone enervation or animation – was extremely limited.
"I admit my understanding of necromantic magic is largely in the opposition, but perhaps we could discuss your explorations in a more suitable environment later?" Vanessa offered. "I do so rarely get to discuss magical theory with anyone these days."
"I am certainly willing to consider the notion, your Majesty." Essinya agreed. She turned, the two facing each other again as the dance started to speed up in tempo, a quick few verses that had Vanessa focused on keeping time.
"Beyond magic, what other ways do you while away your limited free time?"
"There's always the theater, or a good book." Essinya answered, spinning Vanessa around. "Though I share none of my father's patience for Black Operas. I prefer an Enigma Story, on the stage, or written, myself."
"I've heard of them as plays – aren't those the ones with a murder, and everyone is guilty?"
"Not quite. That's… well, that's the way people outside Darkmoon Forest tend to write them, but a true Enigma Story has one, or at least a select number of murders. But every character is indeed guilty of something, and has their own motivations and schemes. The great mystery is determining what those are, and which of the many guilty parties is guilty of what." Essinya said. "I'm not sure how the form has degenerated the way it has in Halrun and the Riverlands. Even Veldros can't get it right anymore." She made a face, grimacing.
"Perhaps you could sponsor a proper Enigma Story here at one of the theaters in the capital, show the people of Eridia what they're missing." Vanessa offered, chuckling. She'd never quite understood the appeal of an Enigma Story – though plays and mystery books had never been the greatest of draws for her, she could enjoy the former, from time to time – but the version that Essinya explained sounded somewhat more stimulating, at least.
"...I suppose I could at that." She spun Vanessa again as the slow slowed down for it's last few bits. Vanessa decided there was no more beating around the bush – there was one last question she needed to ask.
"It is an indelicate question, but I must know," Vanessa swallowed, "My mentor killed your mother, and though I think it unlikely that you hold his actions against me – there are simpler ways to get your revenge if that were the case… I can't help but worry about -"
"Whether or not I resent Archmage Cyril for killing my mother in their duel?" Essinya interrupted. Vanessa nodded, and Essinya inhaled slowly. "You do not ask simple questions, Your Majesty, and if I am to answer this, I believe you will have to owe me an answer to something in the future. It is a rather personal matter."
Vanessa clenched her jaw, but then nodded slowly.
This was too important to leave hanging at this point.
Essinya inhaled again, biting her lower lip as they stepped silently together, then, "My mother was a complicated woman. Even as a child, I knew that. Do I miss her? Yes. If Cyril were drowning, would I sooner throw him a rock than a rope? Certainly. Do I resent him from taking her from me? Yes. Do I hate him for it?"
The necromancer shook her head, "My father has told me the whys and wherefores of the duel between my mother and your mentor, and Cyril's reasons for the fight, and for not settling for her mere death, were… I cannot hate him for them." Essinya said, without clarifying what those reasons were.
Are the rumors about Kasya wanting to undo the Sunset Proclamation true? She certainly seems to be an avid supporter of her father's desire for peace.
Then again, if it were that simple, would she be so cagey about it?
"I have no desire, even if I thought it possible for me to attempt it and survive, to kill Cyril, but I will admit, I have no interest in being in the same room as him, and I suspect he would agree with me." Essinya concluded. "But you are correct – I do not hold his actions against you, in any form. You weren't even his apprentice by the time of the duel."
I suppose I cannot blame her for being unhappy about losing her mother, or that Cyril was the one to take her from her…
"I appreciate your candor," Vanessa said after a moment, as the song finally ended. "Archmage Cyril is the closest I have to family in any way that maters, but I do understand why your own feelings about him would be largely negative."
If I do marry her, then I'll have to do her the courtesy of keeping her and Cyril separated. Would her mentor be willing to clarify more, about the reasons for his duel with Katrya Serriados.
"I apologize for pressing about it." She added.
"It is understandable that you would seek to know, under the circumstances." Essinya said, letting go of Vanessa's hand. She gave Vanessa a slight bow, which Vanessa acknowledged with a nod. "I hope we shall have the chance to speak again soon, Your Majesty."
"Likewise, Princess," Vanessa agreed, as Essinya stepped away, making a direct line for an empty section near a corner of the Grand Hall.
Vanessa could only linger her her thoughts for so long, before she sought out the next suitor she would dance with: Lothar Aldogun.
The would be charming prince (who actually was reasonably charming, but still) had gathered a small group around him, regaling them with tales of one of his duels from the sound of it, but as she approached Lothar begged their forgiveness.
"But it wouldn't do to rob Her Majesty of a dance," Lothar said, giving them all a winning smile and stepping forward to take her hand when she extended it. Not entirely surprisingly, he gave the back of her hand a light kiss before the dance began.
"Does that really work for you?" Vanessa asked, as she took his other hand – this dance started with both hands held, again, different and yet so similar, as they moved together onto the central part of the room. "Kissing women's hands, I mean."
"Women, men – it's the little details that win someone over," Lothar explained. "No one trick makes anyone fall into your bed, though being a Prince has historically helped quite a bit, I must admit." Vanessa wasn't sure if that sincere self-awareness was a surprise or not. On the one hand, Prince Lothar had struck her as not a very thoughtful man, certainly not very deep. But he also had struck her as a man who knew who and what he was and had been entirely comfortable with it.
Cheerful about it, even.
"I suppose that does make sense. Were they hoping to have a little Lothar Jr?" As far as Vanessa knew, thanks to Vallefor and Arandel, Lothar hadn't sired any children, but that didn't change what might have been the intention of some.
"I imagine some had their ambitions set on something like that, but if that's your subtle way of asking if I sired any children, the answer is no." Lothar assured her. "But, and perhaps it's mere ego speaking, I think most of my success after a certain point was the fact that, once I knew what I was doing, no one ever had an unsatisfying night with me." His eyes sparkled as he smirked.
"That's quite an assertion, Prince Lothar," Essinya noted, raising an eyebrow.
"That is true," he agreed. "But I've had a great deal of practice over the years." All the dances she'd done so far, her partner had taken the lead, showing a greater familiarity with the steps than her, but that seemed to be particularly true here – Lothar moved the steps as if they were second nature to him, not even the slightest hint of hesitation, not even a moment of needing to remember or know which way to move, when to change where his hands were, nor any difficulty in guiding her to the same smoothly and quickly.
"I've never made false promises to any man or woman I've enjoyed the company of." He added. "Despite what some of them might say the next day to those they're pledged to or courting."
"Oh? Just the pledged and courting?"
"I make it a point to not knowing sleep with the married." Lothar said. "It's quite messy, and the few times it happened, it's really turned out to be less about me and more about their spouse." He shook his head, "Leaves me feeling a bit used."
"Wouldn't sleeping with the pledged be nearly as much?"
"There is some truth to that, but I find the difference enough for my own needs." Lothar shrugged. "As I said, I have never misled anyone."
"And yet, some will claim you have. I imagine that's the source of many of your duels?"
"Or just being bitter I 'lured' the one they were pledged to away." Lothar confirmed. He dropped his hand to her waist, pulling her in close as the song demanded, her own hand on his opposite shoulder as they twirled quickly together. "Just as many, if not more, of my duels come from the thin-skinned, or those without much sense of humor."
"I had heard as much," Vanessa raised an eyebrow. "An insult or a poorly placed joked seems a poor reason to fight a duel to the death."
"I would agree, but none of my duels have been to the death," Lothar tilted his head to the side a little. "Leaving aside what you say, it would hardly be fair – duel or not, anyone who killed me would face the wrath of my father and elder sister. I've only ever dueled to first blood."
"Not a single death? Not even a month afterwards from complications?"
"No one I've dueled has been unable to afford magical healing if they really needed it," Lothar seemed a little nonplussed by her pressing on the subject. "As I believe I told you once, I'm always on duty, in one way or another. It would hardly serve that to go around killing my father's subjects and nobles for no reason."
"Or my subjects?"
"Or yours." Lothar agreed quickly. "Concerned I would kill offending nobles?"
Vanessa chuckled, "Perhaps hoping you might be a good way to get rid of the truly troublesome ones?"
"Well, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to help with that, but in my experience, if you really want to push someone out of public life, humiliating them is a far more practical measure." Lothar smirked. "You get all the pleasure of defeating them, everyone admires your wit, and no one can really blame you, because your target deserved every word."
He guided her into a tricky set of steps, preventing her from tripping up, and doing so so quickly and easily Vanessa was quite sure no one noticed even anything.
"Appearance is everything for a noble, Your Majesty."
"I do seem to have noticed that, yes," Vanessa replied dryly.
"But you haven't internalized it. I won't pretend to know how attending to matters of state really works, beyond what I've seen and picked up as gossip and rumor over the years, but court is not just about governance. It's about the show, the performance of power. And it's quite hard to do that performance when everyone's strongest memory of you is your verbal evisceration."
"Don't many Kings and Queens have Royal Jesters with the soul job of mocking them?" Vanessa didn't, the custom having never really been a thing in Halrun (Syrokis would have gone through a lot of Jesters, if it had, she imagined)
"True, but then, a King or Queen doesn't really need to show off their power as much, in some ways do they? They already have it." Lothar observed. "Consider that compared to many of your nobles, I would seem a bit under-dressed. Or consider Count Trovus." Lothar gestured behind her, and Vanessa turned her head just a little, seeing Vallefor dancing with his wife not that far away.
He did wear one of his usual outfits, and Vanessa did have to admit that compared to many of the other noblemen at the ball, his garb was not as fancily cut or expensively dyed as others. He wore far less in the way of gold and jewels as well.
Much like Lothar. She had noted as much during his arrive, the understated way he dressed when set against the Selissan Ambassador.
"I suppose Vallefor hardly has anything to prove." Vanessa admitted. It was something that hadn't quite occurred to her, but then, the lessons of court were still the sort of thing she was getting used to.
Which, she supposed, was something Lothar brought to the table.
Loran understands some things of court, but only so much. Essinya's own court experiences aren't really translatable to Halrun. Janera… from what I gather, she was no social butterfly…
Lothar did clearly understand the world of power and wealth she was now living in, on a fairly instinctual level.
"And is that your life? Making enemies, seducing the willing, gambling, dueling and repeating?"
Lothar laughed, "Well, when you put it like that, it sounds far more empty than it is, Your Majesty. I suppose you only do magic, calligraphy and rule, then?"
"...Well, that is true, in all honesty." Vanessa admitted. "Though your suggestion to make sure I made time for my calligraphy was a good one, I admit."
"The strain of rule takes less of a toll, no?"
"Just a little," Vanessa agreed. She let go of Lothar entirely, and they circled around each other, then took hands again. "But while I can imagine many uses for that silver tongue of yours, were you to become my King Consort, I do worry about you making me enemies I can't afford to have."
"Well, if people would merely accept that I'm the wittiest and most handsome man in the room, no one would ever have cause to have issue with me, Your Majesty," Lothar grinned. "I am capable of moderating myself, when the circumstances demand it. And, if you'll continue to forgive my ego, my 'silver tongue', as you put it, is as capable of making friends as it is of making enemies."
"So you say."
"Your Majesty, If I may be so bold to say it, I am quite charming." he gave her a winning smile – not a smirk, not a grin, just a smile, one clearly born from much practice and use, but it looked disarming all the same, and Vanessa could almost feel it almost working on her, putting her at ease.
Surely a man with such a smile was just a pleasant young man looking to enjoy himself?
And yet, I'm not quite so easily sold.
"This is true, though it is a card you play quite repeatedly."
"It is a hand I find myself holding often," Lothar agreed. "I am little more than just a pretty face, I will admit. But oh what a face it is!"
Vanessa giggled, the absurdity of what he was saying being delivered with such aplomb that it came off as amusing rather than insufferable. "You might not have much interest in being more than a pretty face, Prince Lothar, but just this dance has made it quite clear to me you're more than that."
"Take that back, Your Majesty!" Lothar stepped away, the song ending. He placed a hand to his chest, mouth open in mock offense. "I can't have people thinking there's any substance to me!" He chuckled, then leaned forward, "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at how observant you are, Your Majesty. But I speak truly when I am a simple enough man – it's merely fortunate that my simple talents and interests can be put to great use in the performance that is our lives."
"So you say," Vanessa said, the words being less skepticism about his capacities in the 'Performance' of Court, and more on the notion that it was 'merely' fortunate.
Then again, Lothar really did seem to have no artifice. Though he would be quite good at faking it.
All a show because that's what people expect? All a show because he loves the show itself?
"So I say," Lothar agreed. He took her hand again and gave it another light kiss. "Next time we speak, Your Majesty." He stepped away.
Vanessa took a few minutes to drink a bit of chilled water, reflect, consider. And then it was time to seek out Janera. She found the Princess off to the side, standing alone, looking like she felt out of place.
"May I have this dance, Princess?" Vanessa asked, and Janera startled a moment, obviously pulled out of her thoughts.
"What? Oh yes, of course Your Majesty," Janera flushed, embarrassed by being caught out, and handed her unfinished glass of wine to a servant to take away, taking Janera's hand as the musicians struck up another song for dancing with her suitors one last time for the night.
Which is good, because my feet are starting to hurt, and I'm getting a touch tired of dancing.
"What were you thinking about, Princess?" Vanessa asked. "You seemed pretty lost in thought."
Janera blinked, "Oh – yes – I -" She cleared her throat, flushing again. "I was thinking about a letter I received today, forwarded from home."
"Something to be concerned about?" Had something happened in Nerinthar?
"No, no, nothing. One of my correspondents, a natural philosopher who lives near the Kragg Plains, sent a letter updating me on some of her research into the Castle Ants of the Plains." The Kragg Plains were, as far as the Tamildan speaking world was concerned, a bit on the ass end of nowhere, the far end of the region, beyond the Andelerian Sea, home to horse nomads, gnolls (the gnolls of the Hyena Kingdoms had come from there), sheep and goats.
And that was about it, from what Vanessa knew.
"Castle Ants?" That certainly was an interesting choice of name. "And where do they get that name?"
Janera laughed softly, "Your Majesty, I – I'm sure you don't want to hear about ants."
"I don't share your fascination with insects, true, but I did find your discussion of the Sunrise Ember, and some of the other rare plants in the Royal Gardens to be quite engaging. Your passion for the subject makes it worth listening." Vanessa explained.
In other words, you get cute when you're excited about something,
Janera flushed again, the flush again that cute look she got, self-conscious and - "You flatter me, Your Majesty."
"I think that's my prerogative," Vanessa replied, stepping to the side. Janera knew what she was doing, but she didn't have quite the same smoothness of step that Lothar had, but then, Lothar had stood out. "Please, tell me about this latter you received and about these… Castle Ants."
Janera cleared her throat, "Of course, Your Majesty." She stepped with the music, and began: "Castle Ants are called such because unlike many species of Ant, they don't just build mounts with extensive tunnels underneath, as most types of Ant do, but they build massive structures above the ground as well, tall spires of various shapes, some centuries or more old, and growing dozens of feet in height. My correspondent, Gorea Flagere, believes, as some others do, that the purpose of these spires is twofold – some appear to be designed to cool the interiors of the mound, letting air pass through in various ways of use for that purpose."
Janera paused a moment as Vanessa spun her, and then went on, starting to speak faster, getting caught up in her enthusiasm, smiling, "It's quite fascinating on it's own, as some of the settled inhabitants of the Kragg Plains – contrary to popular belief here in Tamildan Lands, they do exist – seem to actually copy from the Castle Ants themselves, to help cool their own homes. It is true that the Kragglor peoples themselves don't claim to have copied the ants, but regardless, they certainly came to similar conclusions."
I suppose no one would want to claim to have copied insects. That there were actually settled Kragglor was as much new information to Vanessa as the details of these 'Castle Ants'. But she had to imagine the settled people could only be so sophisticated or civilized if they still shared so much space with gnolls and horse nomads without having driven either or to extinction. So it didn't seem unlikely to her that they really had gotten the idea from the Ants, rather than developing it on their own.[1]
"And what else are the spires for?" Vanessa asked, a little curious, almost despite herself.
"Collecting water. The Castle Ants have developed what could almost be termed a system of internal plumbing, or at least that's Gorea's interpretation. She can't really get a loot inside still inhabited spires, of course, but from examining spires that have been abandoned or partially destroyed, it appears that the water from the infrequent rains on the Plains is gathered in reservoirs underneath the spires. It appears to be used to in farming."
"Farming? Ants?"
"Many species of Ant engage in some form of farming – some have herds of aphids – a much, much smaller insect that can extrude a nectar-like substance, some will raise various kinds of fungi, bringing in vast quantities of leaves and other plant matter to be broken up and used by the fungi. Castle Ants appear to grow various kinds of moss primarily, though among natural philosophers there is still debate about that, and Castle Ants do appear to not be entirely plant-eating, nor entirely dependent on this mass for the plant portions of their diets."[2] Janera said, taking her hand off of Vanessa's shoulder and gesticulating excitedly as she went on, seemingly half-forgetting that she was here at this gala, and had to do the dance right.
Vanessa didn't stop her, somewhat engrossed by the other woman's animation. Janera went on to discuss Castle Ants and their relationship to the environment around them – many other animals relied on Castle Ants as a primary source of food, especially at certain times of the year, and many groups of Kragglor peoples apparently ate ants – a concept that disgusted Vanessa, and Janera found both fascinating and repulsive in equal measure.
Her correspondent, Gorea, said that some Castle Ants had an almost sour taste to them, and others had a nutty flavor to them. Janera had admitted she didn't believe Gorea the first time the woman had told her she'd eaten Ants, but had since come to believe the natural philosopher was quite sincere.
"What's really fascinating is the apparent inventiveness of Castle Ants, and the sheer scale on which they operate – their spires take generations to build, representing a massive amount of work relative to the size of of a single ant. They dig massive tunnel networks, linking to other spires – and spires even sometimes seem to have alliances or wars. There's much we don't know about them, but at times ants from different spires will seem to cooperate, but other times they will fight, waging rather prolonged and brutal wars for access to food. That's what Gorea's letter spoke of, actually, a recent such conflict."
Janera explained, as the dance slowed considerably, that Gorea had been watching the ants of a particular spire, the way the scouts would find sources of food, or possibly material to fertilize their moss farms with, and seemingly 'send' for additional workers to come and collect it, creating a whole, very visible train of ants moving back and forth with food to bring back to the spires. And apparently, in this case, ants from a different spire found this same source of material, a particular species of hardy bush that produced a berrylike seed – or seedlike berry - inedible to humans, but of interest to the ants.
As were the leads, the steps and roots of the bush.
"The two groups of workers started to compete for access to this bush, and apparently each set sent for soldiers – a larger breed of ant, with quite powerful jaws – and they waged a rather prolonged battle. It was hard for Gorea to really get a true feel for the ebb and flow of it, which spire seemed to be winning – they all looked the same, but the battle started small, and grew larger, each side bringing in reinforcements, swarming over each other, biting each other. But what really fascinated Gorea was the fact that the workers didn't leave. Or perhaps new workers arrived – they seemed to be dragging the bodies of fallen soldier ants away from parts of the battlefield."
"To take them home to eat them?"
"That's what she thought at first, but no, they actually seemed to actually use them to build… structures? Walls? Barriers, at least, out of the pieces of the corpses of the fallen, sort of restricting the field of battle in various ways. Or at least, that's what it appeared to Gorea. If she's right about what she saw, and her interpretation, then Castle Ants don't just build their spires, but seem to have a concept of real territory beyond that, and build at least temporary structures to secure it."
Janera shook her head, smiling, "If that's true, then it's possible other breeds of ant do the same thing, and the implications – it's fascinating."
"...I can't even say I disagree with that," Vanessa admitted. "I begin to at least grasp an idea why you find natural philosophy so engaging."
Vanessa could tell quite easily that her path to Janera's heart, as it were, would be through giving her an outlet to speak of her fascinations. And that didn't seem too onerous a burden – she communicated what she knew well, complete without being boring, exciting without seeming to sacrifice accuracy. A large part of that was just how much she enjoyed the information.
What really caught Vanessa's mind was the way everything fit together – how the ants were part of an interconnected network of life – animals ate the ants, other animals ate them. Ants go away, everything that survived on them went away.
Vanessa wasn't unfamiliar with the concept, but something about the way Janera had discussed it, almost as a sideline to her main discussion of the ants, had been more enlightening than most understanding she'd had of the idea, the interconnected webs of life.
"There's always more to learn. And – admittedly, the lessons from Castle Ants that are applicable to our lives are smaller, but – there are the structures used to cool the settled Kragglor's homes. And there are more directly utilizable things you can learn, about plants, animals, insects -" Janera sounded like she was trying to defend her field of interest.
She didn't need to. Certainly if Janera ended up being her choice, Vanessa would certainly ask her for anything useful she knew regarding animal husbandry, farming, medicine, and so forth, learned from her studies, but she didn't need to justify her interest.
"You don't need to justify finding all this interesting, Princess," Vanessa assured her. "You simply can. You do."
"Well – but – but -" Janera cut herself off, taking a breath, slowly. "I suppose I'm a bit used to having to justify myself, and my interest." She smiled at Vanessa as the song ended, "But I could get used to not having to. Thank you, Your Majesty, for letting me ramble on so much."
"Thank you for enlightening me about many things I didn't know, and more about yourself, in the process."
Janera hadn't spoken much of herself during the dance – things had rather gotten away from them in that respect, as Janera had gushed about Castle Ants, but in a way, that had been telling enough.
Janera's life seemed to be largely two things: her sense of duty, and her love of natural philosophy. Certainly her two chief interests, in other words putting her intelligence to work on various tasks for Nerinthar, and Halrun, if Vanessa was to marry her, and learning more about plants and animals and insects.
It was perhaps a bit monomaniacal, but there we re enough variety of animals and plants to fill a lifetime. And Vanessa's own fascination with magic could easily be called monomaniacal too.
And I suspect I could probably engage her with a discussion of magic as easily as she engages me with one about Ants. Or at least, nearly so. Vanessa wouldn't use the terms 'cute' or 'adorable' to describe herself when she got going about magic.
Or, ever, really. She was beautiful, not 'cute'.
Not that Janera couldn't also be beautiful, but it was the way she got cute and adorable when she became engrossed in her interests that she came most to life, and thus proved to be so enjoyable to be around.
Janera didn't sound particularly ambitious – she didn't seem to have plans for Halrun, for Vanessa, beyond her own basic interest in a marriage alliance. That was true about Lothar and Loran too, but she was also possessed of certain knowledge and skills that made her a potentially valueable Queen Consort -
And Vanessa could see herself enjoying the other woman's company, all its own.
Though I can at least imagine the prospect of some enjoyment of the company of all my suitors, unfortunately. They all seemed to insist on not making this choice simple for her.
But which ones could she see herself being happiest with? Her own happiness was not the most important factor, but it was a factor. Or, if not happiness, then at least least unpleasantness, for the gain they brought to the table.
If only one of them would just… make themselves suitably intolerable, it would be simpler.
But, at least this gala had given her the chance to learn more about each one.
[1] For the record, this is just Vanessa being culturally Chauvinist. While making a 'Tamildan = European' comparison is somewhat out of place, Tamildan-speaking peoples do tend to think of themselves as the center of the civilized world, to one extent or another. Not that other cultural groupings in this world don't have similar mentalities, to be fair. But anyway, the point is, Vanessa is wrong that the settled Kragglor peoples (Kragglor being a collective name for multiple distinct human cultures inhabiting the Kragg plains) are 'less civilized' or 'less sophisticated'.
[2] There are many different species of "Castle Ant", but at this time, natural philosophers are still not to the point of understanding this to the degree modern biologists do. There are also other species of ant on the Kragg Plains that don't build spires that get mixed up.
I may have watched multiple documentaries (and read multiple wikipedia articles) about ants, termites and other hive insects while writing this. 😅
QM Note: Thus ends the Gala, and Turn 5. Next post will be the Turn 6 Council meeting/actions/etc. But at some point in Turn 6, alongside the arrival of King Gaius, I would like to give at least one POV scene from a suitor, and their perception of Vanessa now having met her.
I doubt I will have the time to write all five, given how wordy I'm likely to get, so I'd like to see a bit of a vote on who you guys would like to see more.
Please rank each of the suitors that have met Vanessa – Princess Regara Rezan (Morvak), 'Princess' Essinya Serriados (Kingdom of the Necromancers), Prince Loran Taygraf (Illegorst), Princess Janera Talcraft (Nerinthar) and Prince Lothar Aldogun (Selissa), with a 1 to a 5.
Give a 1 to the suitor you most want a scene from, and a 5 to the suitor you least want a scene from. Please don't double up numbers. You can, if you really only want scenes from just one or two or w/e, not give all five a number, but it would make my life a little easier if you did.
Here is an example of what I would like from you, formatwise.
Oof…
…A part of me almost feels like Vanessa is only but so suited to be Queen…
But that's what happens when you back to back someone from Intrigue-land and 'I rolled a nat 18 for CHA on creation'.
…
Necro-lady feels like even MORE of a bad pick, painfully, for her complaints that the 'who dun it' genre is not a thing in Halrun.
I'd be willing to back her efforts in sponsoring it properly but…
God of Walls, of Innocence…
And more importantly it sounds like the Darkmoon have a kind of cynical take- that everyone is expected to have a little blood on their hands, but then again, if death is but a mid-way point in their lives typically…?
But it makes me feel dumb like I can't keep up and as we have to be Vanessa's brains…That makes me worried when dealing with someone with a high Intrigue score.
Lothar just makes Vanessa feel sluggish in conparison, and that's the annoying thing. She's not BAD, but she doesn't have the highest Charisma score in the room like he does. It almost feels like we might end up being handled by him, like if we want to not be constantly taking social hits Vanessa has to be a step ahead of him but doing that? Feels kind of crummy and a bad sign innate of itself, much less how Lothar might take it.
Janera's made a solid case for going with a 'bog standard' route in being easier to handl-just don't go full Mushroom with her. She wants to help, so let her help!
..
Maybe I seriously do want that King option after all, to just hand off the crown to him and be his sidekick….
