Book 2, Act I: Songbird
- ManWithDoor
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Book 2, Act I: Songbird
After a week to rest and attend to your own matters, Martella sends word to meet her at the Porthmos Club - an exclusive teahouse in Oppara's Aroden's View district. She gives instructions to pack for a long trip through the country, and to bring at least one fine outfit, a suitable hunting outfit, and at least one respectable mask or costume. In her communique she lets you know that after a light lunch and small talk, a coach will take you and all of you north. Only after you are all safely out of the City will she unseal a scroll case containing the Princess' orders. No one can trick you into speaking your mission, or have it pulled from your thoughts via magic, if you don't know anything in the first place.
Rule Number 12: "A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head."
- ManWithDoor
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Book 2, Act I: Songbird
After the events of Crownfall, you have found yourselves to now be resourcing agents supporting Princess Eutropia in the War for the Crown. Despite the chaos and violence that rocked the Senate and the monarchy, the nation as a whole has seen minimal violence, almost as if holding its breath. Over a dozen nobles - mostly Eutropia's distant relations - have declared themselves the true inheritors, but for now the empire runs on momentum. Taxes are still collected, militias are still paid, people transport and trade goods. There are some small pockets of violence, mainly between a few minor Dukes probing the defenses of their neighbors for a land grab, while in the south Maxillar Pythareus has declared martial law with his Taldan Phalanx legion, crushing any stirrings of competition from his neighbors.
But onwards to your part in this situation, you departing Oppara for lands unknown. Only once the sight of the Capital has been completely lost over the horizon does Martella pull out a scroll case and hand it over to you. In Princess Eutropia's hand it reads:
"I appreciate you agreeing to this trip on such short notice. Please, have an Estate.
"I wish I could say this little gift didn't come with strings attached, but these are tangled times. As you may have heard, the Ulfen Guard - the emperor's personal bodyguards - have locked down the imperial palace, and they won't allow access to anyone until Taldor has an official Grand Prince once again. Keeps unreasonable sorts from looting the palace, I suppose, but it has also sealed away any personal wealth I might have been able to leverage.
"The Stavian family has another estate, though - the Palace of Birdsong - but the Stavians entrusted its care and maintenance to stewards two centuries ago. These stewards now refuse to leave and, I'm told, are courting Maxillar Pythareus's favor. It doesn't help matters that these squatters are my extended family, or that my half brother Bartelby has been squandering the estate's fortunes.
"While we technically have the authority to demand the estate's return, we lack the power to back up that demand. If we could weaken Bartelby's power base and woo some of his subordinates to support us, we could reclaim the Palace of Birdsong. That's where you and your lovely new homes come in.
"The Lady Allis Betony died nearly a decade ago, leaving no heirs. We purchased her estate at auction last week, and I have taken the liberty of drawing up a few documents listing you as Betony family scions. You'll be arriving just in time to make your debut at the annual Tanager Jubilee. The carriage and horses are yours to keep, as you can't very well be seen walking to the Jubilee. I unfortunately have need of Martella's services in Cassomir, so she will depart once you reach the county border.
"Make friends, learn the lay of the land, and afterward do what you can to win the nobles' and citizens' loyalty. Undermine Bartelby, and wherever you can, try to improve peoples' lives and engender loyalty. The value and legitimacy of a government rises from the support of the people, and nobles who abuse that trust are not worthy of their family names. However, for prudence, for any overt actions you take, you'll likely want to hide your identity to keep Bartelby from cracking down on you.
"I feel I must stress the importance of your task. I sold my townhouse in Oppara to fund just this one plan, and at this point I am ashamed to admit my resources are now perilously thin. If we are to stand any chance in this bid for the Throne, we need a suitable base operations, and a steady income."
After you digest all that, Martella sits patiently for any questions you may have.
But onwards to your part in this situation, you departing Oppara for lands unknown. Only once the sight of the Capital has been completely lost over the horizon does Martella pull out a scroll case and hand it over to you. In Princess Eutropia's hand it reads:
"I appreciate you agreeing to this trip on such short notice. Please, have an Estate.
"I wish I could say this little gift didn't come with strings attached, but these are tangled times. As you may have heard, the Ulfen Guard - the emperor's personal bodyguards - have locked down the imperial palace, and they won't allow access to anyone until Taldor has an official Grand Prince once again. Keeps unreasonable sorts from looting the palace, I suppose, but it has also sealed away any personal wealth I might have been able to leverage.
"The Stavian family has another estate, though - the Palace of Birdsong - but the Stavians entrusted its care and maintenance to stewards two centuries ago. These stewards now refuse to leave and, I'm told, are courting Maxillar Pythareus's favor. It doesn't help matters that these squatters are my extended family, or that my half brother Bartelby has been squandering the estate's fortunes.
"While we technically have the authority to demand the estate's return, we lack the power to back up that demand. If we could weaken Bartelby's power base and woo some of his subordinates to support us, we could reclaim the Palace of Birdsong. That's where you and your lovely new homes come in.
"The Lady Allis Betony died nearly a decade ago, leaving no heirs. We purchased her estate at auction last week, and I have taken the liberty of drawing up a few documents listing you as Betony family scions. You'll be arriving just in time to make your debut at the annual Tanager Jubilee. The carriage and horses are yours to keep, as you can't very well be seen walking to the Jubilee. I unfortunately have need of Martella's services in Cassomir, so she will depart once you reach the county border.
"Make friends, learn the lay of the land, and afterward do what you can to win the nobles' and citizens' loyalty. Undermine Bartelby, and wherever you can, try to improve peoples' lives and engender loyalty. The value and legitimacy of a government rises from the support of the people, and nobles who abuse that trust are not worthy of their family names. However, for prudence, for any overt actions you take, you'll likely want to hide your identity to keep Bartelby from cracking down on you.
"I feel I must stress the importance of your task. I sold my townhouse in Oppara to fund just this one plan, and at this point I am ashamed to admit my resources are now perilously thin. If we are to stand any chance in this bid for the Throne, we need a suitable base operations, and a steady income."
After you digest all that, Martella sits patiently for any questions you may have.
Rule Number 12: "A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head."
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Re: Book 2, Act I: Songbird
"So I don't get to play the good for nothing Vernisant?" Mercutio muses. "A dashing Betony scion I could be, but a Vernisant that just so happens to take an interest in a Betony lady with huge tracts of land, I could play that role, and none who happens to recognize me would be surprised by it".
- Grimbold
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Re: Book 2, Act I: Songbird
"Sounds good. I will try to find out anything at the local pubs. The locals will have some rumors about those in the palace, and with some ales I should be able to get them to talk to me." Brother Betram says.
- ManWithDoor
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Re: Book 2, Act I: Songbird
Lady Martella is a trove of information that can be mined about the county, the Palace of Birdsong, even the local movers and shakers.
To Mercutio's comment, she pulls out the paperwork and goes through it with the group. The paperwork Martella provides establishes any (or all if desired) as the second cousin, once removed, of the late Lady Allis Betony, implying their great-grandfather was grandfather to Allis. These are excellent reproductions, and even those trained in such things can't identify them as obvious forgeries. Martella says that none need to assume false names, given the distant relationship to "dear departed cousin Allis", nor will they be expected to know many details of the family, and therefore they can slip readily into local society. If Mercutio wants to stay a Vernisant, no worries since the link was just one ancestor three generations back. The point isn't having the official family name, but legal claim on the Betony Estate since there isn't anyone else around claiming it through the forged documentation.
The new "title" also makes you Tribunes of the neighboring town of Stachys - essentially investing you with the power and responsibility to act as the community's mayor and judge. Martella briefly details the Betony family history dating back to the Shining Crusades, and reminds you that they have rights as stewards to the Lotheeds, most notably the right to request audiences with Bartelby, but that rule extends solely to your lands; openly taking any action outside your demesne is dangerous and foolish unless done covertly.
Timing is short so you won't have time to stop by the Estate, it's right to the Palace of Birdsong to make the Tanager Jubilee. "It's an annual sort of founders' day celebration. Local tradition claims that when Count Markolian Stavian broke ground for the palace some eight centuries ago, a scarlet tanager landed on his shovel and sang his praises. It's a day off for the lower classes, but the aristocracy celebrates with two days of feasting, games, dancing, tournaments, and a hunt. Making a good showing at the Jubilee is an excellent way to win influence."
Bartelby, and the Lotheed family in general, are an old-blood noble family, with genealogies tracing back to Azlanti settlers, and her siblings will rarely let you forget it. Bartelby is described as charming, graceful, intelligent, but arrogant and casually cruel. He excelled in his arcane studies as a child. Martella recommends against ever referencing her, or admitting to know her, as she is unwelcome among the family. She was sired as a result of her Father's indiscretions with a Qadiran woman, and lacks the family affinity for magic. After her Father's death, her exile was made very clear by Bartelby, her fate made clear in no uncertain terms if she shows up.
Besides her brother Bartelby, she says that her sister Cateline is quite shrewd, if she still lives there, and cousin Titus is little more than a bully. Beyond the family, Sir Gul Guisairne is a suspicious sort - he was Father's seneschal, and she imagines Bartelby kept him on in some fashion or another. She has little love lost between herself and her brother ... but Bartelby is still Martella's brother. She would much prefer he be talked into sense, or at worst captured if it came down to it. She won't question if it comes between a choice between his life and your own, but she is not bloodthirsty and has no desire to be sending you as assassins after him.
On the bright side, you should have a ready-made ally going in to the Jubilee. Baron Nicolaus Okerra's lands stand at the edge of the county, and almost certainly would attend the event. When he was younger he was a famous tournament winner, primarily with the lance and bow, and even now past his prime he is a serious contender. Aurelia joined in a debate with him in the Senate on the value of tradition versus change, and was able to push him over the edge to vote for Eutropia's Succession. He survived the killers sent after them all, wounded, alive still. You remember him as a tall, handsome man, hitting middle-age with flecks of white in his black hair and beard, but with a youthful smile and gentle eyes. Widely respected as fair and unbiased, he has been called in to provide mediation in noble disputes, or act as the marshal in contentious duels. Whether or not he politically would be of much use in a direct fashion, being respected by him would naturally improve your first impression.
To Mercutio's comment, she pulls out the paperwork and goes through it with the group. The paperwork Martella provides establishes any (or all if desired) as the second cousin, once removed, of the late Lady Allis Betony, implying their great-grandfather was grandfather to Allis. These are excellent reproductions, and even those trained in such things can't identify them as obvious forgeries. Martella says that none need to assume false names, given the distant relationship to "dear departed cousin Allis", nor will they be expected to know many details of the family, and therefore they can slip readily into local society. If Mercutio wants to stay a Vernisant, no worries since the link was just one ancestor three generations back. The point isn't having the official family name, but legal claim on the Betony Estate since there isn't anyone else around claiming it through the forged documentation.
The new "title" also makes you Tribunes of the neighboring town of Stachys - essentially investing you with the power and responsibility to act as the community's mayor and judge. Martella briefly details the Betony family history dating back to the Shining Crusades, and reminds you that they have rights as stewards to the Lotheeds, most notably the right to request audiences with Bartelby, but that rule extends solely to your lands; openly taking any action outside your demesne is dangerous and foolish unless done covertly.
Timing is short so you won't have time to stop by the Estate, it's right to the Palace of Birdsong to make the Tanager Jubilee. "It's an annual sort of founders' day celebration. Local tradition claims that when Count Markolian Stavian broke ground for the palace some eight centuries ago, a scarlet tanager landed on his shovel and sang his praises. It's a day off for the lower classes, but the aristocracy celebrates with two days of feasting, games, dancing, tournaments, and a hunt. Making a good showing at the Jubilee is an excellent way to win influence."
Bartelby, and the Lotheed family in general, are an old-blood noble family, with genealogies tracing back to Azlanti settlers, and her siblings will rarely let you forget it. Bartelby is described as charming, graceful, intelligent, but arrogant and casually cruel. He excelled in his arcane studies as a child. Martella recommends against ever referencing her, or admitting to know her, as she is unwelcome among the family. She was sired as a result of her Father's indiscretions with a Qadiran woman, and lacks the family affinity for magic. After her Father's death, her exile was made very clear by Bartelby, her fate made clear in no uncertain terms if she shows up.
Besides her brother Bartelby, she says that her sister Cateline is quite shrewd, if she still lives there, and cousin Titus is little more than a bully. Beyond the family, Sir Gul Guisairne is a suspicious sort - he was Father's seneschal, and she imagines Bartelby kept him on in some fashion or another. She has little love lost between herself and her brother ... but Bartelby is still Martella's brother. She would much prefer he be talked into sense, or at worst captured if it came down to it. She won't question if it comes between a choice between his life and your own, but she is not bloodthirsty and has no desire to be sending you as assassins after him.
On the bright side, you should have a ready-made ally going in to the Jubilee. Baron Nicolaus Okerra's lands stand at the edge of the county, and almost certainly would attend the event. When he was younger he was a famous tournament winner, primarily with the lance and bow, and even now past his prime he is a serious contender. Aurelia joined in a debate with him in the Senate on the value of tradition versus change, and was able to push him over the edge to vote for Eutropia's Succession. He survived the killers sent after them all, wounded, alive still. You remember him as a tall, handsome man, hitting middle-age with flecks of white in his black hair and beard, but with a youthful smile and gentle eyes. Widely respected as fair and unbiased, he has been called in to provide mediation in noble disputes, or act as the marshal in contentious duels. Whether or not he politically would be of much use in a direct fashion, being respected by him would naturally improve your first impression.
Rule Number 12: "A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head."
- Othniel
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Re: Book 2, Act I: Songbird
"A tournament, you say?" Astraea perked up at that. "What kind of tournament?"
- ManWithDoor
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Re: Book 2, Act I: Songbird
Lady Martella explains that the Count's servants will erect a list, a tilt, and stands for a joust. She conjectures that there will be plenty of colorful flags and banners. They will definitely supply heavy horse mounts, jousting armor, and a small metal shield for guests who wish to participate but neglected to bring 'appropriate equipment'. They also provide the blunted jousting lances fitted with metal shields to all competitors, not chancing any 'mistakes' in equipment from home that actually contact the opponent. It tends to be a round-robin tournament until two competitors accumulate a set number of points, then face off in a final pass. Finally, the use of magical augmentation in a joust - except to compensate for a disability - is considered a gauche violation of the rules. Duke Okerra is sure to compete, and unless something miraculous happens, is likely to place first. He is a gracious winner, his stories around drinks focusing more on the skill and tricks of his opponents rather than his own prowess.
For those of a more genteel persuasion, a field will be set aside for Trucco a short distance from the jousting list (complete with sandwiches and tea). The game - essentially a combination of billiards and golf - involves skill and control, using long-handled spoons to knock hardwood balls around a field, through various rings, and into opponents' balls. Dame Crabbe is a particularly skilled Trucco player. She is known to respect others skilled in the game, but also conversely is known as a poor loser.
For those of a more genteel persuasion, a field will be set aside for Trucco a short distance from the jousting list (complete with sandwiches and tea). The game - essentially a combination of billiards and golf - involves skill and control, using long-handled spoons to knock hardwood balls around a field, through various rings, and into opponents' balls. Dame Crabbe is a particularly skilled Trucco player. She is known to respect others skilled in the game, but also conversely is known as a poor loser.
Rule Number 12: "A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head."
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Re: Book 2, Act I: Songbird
"So if we could give Dame Crabb a very tough and close match, but one where she emerges as the winner in the end, we may enter into her good graces?" Mercutio muses, trying to remember if he were any good at Trucco without cheating. The jousting did not sound much like his thing to excel in, but all the things surrounding it did sound enticing.
- ManWithDoor
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Re: Book 2, Act I: Songbird
Martella bobs her head in thought, and agrees. "As long as it isn't a blowout, that would definitely have her hating you. At least for this season. Whether you want to still get a win or try to aim for second is up to you. She has real skill, so don't go thinking she is just some doddering fool that the others let win by courtesy."
Rule Number 12: "A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head."
- Grimbold
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Re: Book 2, Act I: Songbird
"Sounds interesting!" Brother Betram says. "I think I will just walk around and observe the guests. Maybe I could be convinced to play this Trucco thing."