Myth: A New Age CYOA

[Fangshi]

If one cloak weight about 7kgs - didn't they too heavy for mice even after you make little version?

There are two different varieties of cloaks the dwarves were meant to weave for you.

The first are the steel/metal cloaks and they were woven purely for defense. They managed to produce eight of them before they decided to take a break and try to produce the second type of cloak that was requested.

The second type of cloak was meant to allow you to glide on the air. Like Batman or a wingsuit:

Spoiler

The only difference would be that it is a cape. It likely would have involved hooks of some sort to attach it to your legs and arms and allow you to control it but the dwarves never got that far. They managed to weave out about six cloaks from a material light and strong enough to do the job but then they got the idea to weave light and they forgot all about what they were supposed to be doing. The next thing you know, someone is throwing around lightning bolts and half the room is on fire...

So the gliding cloaks are much lighter than the armour/metal cloaks and should be able to transport mice/rats/etc provided they can work out how to pilot them.

Black arrows have any special powers? Or they are just normal, black painted arrows?

Not magic but they are quite well made and they have a bit of a reputation for being 'almost supernatural'. It is said that 'whenever a black arrow is loosed a life is taken'. This is probably more down to the Arrows skill with a bow than anything else though.

Who is that woman named Letta? (We have her portrait with us? Why?)

Nevill meant one of the King's other daughters who disappeared some time ago in an attack. Her name was Lilli.

Question to our team (better only when only Thaïs hear us. Maybe Lyssa too.)

Sure, you had plenty of time alone in your new carriage to talk.

What they think about Nanshe?

Well Lyssa still thinks it was a bad idea to work with Nanshe in the first place but she has no personal problem with the Empress. She is willing to follow your lead in this as always.

Thaïs thinks Nanshe has been a fair and reasonably honourable ally. She also thinks that you have all benefited from working together. She does not know if your relationship with the Empress can, should, or will continue into the future but for now she does not regret the deal you struck at Blackrock.

Should we do something with her after doing our dealings with her?

Neither of them are sure.

Lyssa merely states that she is no politician or strategist and she does not know what would be best but that she will follow you as long as you will have her.

Thaïs does not think you should betray Nanshe unless you have to but she is quick to note that you might have to.

How we should handle situation between ghôls and dwarfs?

Lyssa thinks that if it comes down a choice between the two that you should definately side with the dwarves. She says, 'At least they don't eat people." You guess that the witch has never been served ghôl brains...

Thaïs is less certain. She says that she is tired of wars and the suffering they bring, she would prefer to find some way to prevent either side from harming the other but she does not know how that can be accomplished.

Any thoughts about dealing with Weasels informations? Maybe tell them about our plan (Nevill plan ) and ask about their opinions.

You do and this is what they say:

Lyssa thinks the Weasels should be wiped out and she is in favour of any plan that achieves that goal.

Thaïs thinks it might be better to leave them in place and let Timo continue to mine the organization for data. She notes that the King's second son might not be thrilled to have you pull down his plots like this.

Ask them about mice cloaks. Maybe we should ask Lyssa about that. She know them best.

You ask her whether the mice would like to try out gliding.

She does not even get a chance to answer as Martin, curled up on Uttu's lap, springs to attention and immediately begin squeaking furiously.

She translates, "He say that they will take any opportunity to master flight and take the fight to the old enenmies! The hawks, the owls, the eagle- ah, no he says that he is sorry and he knows that eagles are not all degenerate savages now- he says that the rest of his statement stands though. He would be honoured to test your latest inventions and reap the glory from doing so."

And the torque. Ceannard is working for us now, he can tell us.

He is working for you but so is Lyssa and Berty and they have not told you about everything they can do either. Get him to 'green' status and I will tell you.

 

[Fangshi]

I think I will need a rough map again to understand what is happening.

Alright, one horribly primitive map coming up. If I was to orient it along a proper NSEW axis it would be a pain to draw so this is what it looks like from your position (looking through the spy glass):

ghôls

Nanshe's Mountain
​

ghôls

ghôls​

-------------------------------------Cliffs start about here----------------------------------

mages

mages​

The Slope leading to the Mountain

​

mages

mages

mages​

mages

​

??? Something is howling but you do not know where it is ???

Suitable Cliffs
for an ambush​

Suitable Cliffs for
an ambush


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxOxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <----- The valley the original battle took place in. (You are at the O)​

 

[Nevill]

Okay, got it.

The broad strokes of the plan:

- Stealthily head for the cliffs closest to the mages (to our right).
- Sent an eagle to Nanshe with a dice, a letter, and a list of communication commands based on 1-0 signals, much like what we did with her necklace.
- An eagle should take the path different from that of our forces to confuse the enemy about the direction she came from. She will have to do a bit of extra traveling.
- Nanshe should dress one of her people (or better yet, human slaves, though we don't know she has those yet) in the TWM's robes and have the fastest of her escort make a dash to our position, drawing the enemy attention to the package and making them think it's their target they are transporting. Better still if the dummy has some of the TWM's enchantments/trinkets on them, the same trick we used to lure him in, really. That might allow us to successfully ambush the enemy from the highground, drawing their attention to us, and then back from us again after we reveal the ruse and make them choose between pointlessly engaging us while the real target is getting away (we should coordinate this with Nanshe), and turning their backs on us while we rain arrows on them. This ambush may reduce their numbers to a more manageable size.

Give it to Ceannard and Berty to consider. Any additions/corrections/clarifications?

Anything in our equipment we can use to set up a proper killzone near the cliffs? Or can we make it up by listing some of the items we borrowed back at the oasis?

I think I will come up with something more detailed by tomorrow.

Edit: would we see the hounds if we raise our eagles in the air from where we are standing?

Thaïs thinks it might be better to leave them in place and let Timo continue to mine the organization for data. She notes that the King's second son might not be thrilled to have you pull down his plots like this.

Well, good thing we are not working for him, then.

It has to be done. Wenzel's life is about the only concession I am willing to make.

 

[Grimgravy]

B
Civ
C
The D & T, lyssa, the girls, and Caenard. Save 2.
A

 

[Fangshi]

Give it to Ceannard and Berty to consider. Any additions/corrections/clarifications?

They express concerns that the defenders might hoot down the eagle instead of letting it land next to them/enter the caves.

The are also worried about whatever is howling out there. They do not know what it is or what it can do and that worries them in general.

Other than those two general concerns they have no real problem with the plan as it does not risk any of your people directly (they don't count Lyssa's eagles) and if it fails all you have sacrificed are a few of the defenders and time.

Anything in our equipment we can use to set up a proper killzone near the cliffs? Or can we make it up by listing some of the items we borrowed back at the oasis?

You brought two wagons. In those two wagons you had to transport half of the Arrows (so about thirty men). If you want you do have room in the wagons for a few things as long as they do not take up too much space. What exactly did you have in mind?

Edit: would we see the hounds if we raise our eagles in the air from where we are standing?

You don't know. The main cast have never encountered the hounds they do not know what they can do. Nanshe would know but you can not directly contact her at the moment.

 

[Nevill]

The are also worried about whatever is howling out there. They do not know what it is or what it can do and that worries them in general.

I am pretty sure we asked the mice about them.

1. You ask the Observers and Theives representatives what happened when the fort fell and this is what they tell you.

The sky grew terribly dark as the old foe (birds) filled the air. Once the fort was surrounded strange figures struck at the main gate. The dwarves tried to fend them off but a large creature (all tendrils, tusks and claws) tore the main gate apart with ease.

So at least they should not come as a surprise.

 

[archaen]

1. How do you want to try and reach the defenders in their caves?

B) Dismount and advance on foot: You will leave five of the Arrows behind to secure your transports while you move with the rest of your personnel toward the defender's position. It will take you longer to reach the target but you will minimize the risk to your transports as long as the enemy does not specifically target them. You also might be able to take advantages of other paths you might miss on the back of a wagon. (Estimated time to arrival: 30 minutes, barring any obstacles thrown up by the enemy.) - I will flop if someone comes up with a good plan.

2. The Spinner's Price: Well, they broke your artefact as the fellows are want to do. What do you want in return for their destruction of your property?


C) Enchanting Equipment. They have plenty of extra tools and enchanting supplies lying around. Many of these objects would cost a fortune to purchase or construct on your own of course they are of little practical use for someone that has limited understanding of dwarven magic and technology:

ii. One full set of engraving tools. The tools used by the Academy to work enchantments into metals, leathers and other materials. - For Melete and maybe the Seekers until she wakes up.


3. The Weasels' gathered intelligence: You know just about everything you could ever want to know about the Weasels' day to day operations and organization. You could simply disregard the information as irrelevant to your investigation or you could use it somehow.

C) You give the information to rival gangs and allow them to carve up Wenzel's little kingdom. The Weasels will be buried within weeks. - I will also vote for tipping off Timo so he can roll people up when it all goes down.


4. You received eight steel cloth cloaks from the Academy. Who will use them? (Simply list who gets one, you can of course give more than one to a single person or even keep them all for yourself. The most popular set of choices will win.

Thais, Derryth, Lyssa, Biliku, Uttu - We may be confused as Eberhardt cohorts briefly as I think they are running around in metal cloaks too?


5. Your 'gliding scarf', what do you want to do with it?

C) Use half to make mouse gliders and save the rest.

 

[archaen]

Did our energon cube ploy not come into effect or do we have to wait for Albrecht to send them to us?

 

[Fangshi]

Did our energon cube ploy not come into effect or do we have to wait for Albrecht to send them to us?

It will take at least a week to get any results so Albrecht/Mayer will have to send them to you.

Also forgot these:

Give out the info through proxies so that it cant be traced back to us. Also inform Albrecht about this, so that he can be ready to protect his son if/when he gets in trouble

Added as D

Derryth, Thais, Lyssa, Biliku, Uttu (keep 3 for backup)

Added as A

D - Freeform. You will alert Timo about your intentions to wipe the Weasels out. Let him use his agents to lure Wenzel out, kidnap him, or otherwise keep him away from his people. Then you will give the information to the gangs and throw the Weasels to the actual wolves. Wenzel will live, which should allow you to maintain good relationships with the rest of the family, but hopefully, he will be powerless to harm you.

Added as E

D) Freeform: C ii. One full set of engraving tools. The tools used by the Academy to work enchantments into metals, leathers and other materials. + some punishment to those nerds who destroy our artefact. Maybe one week without beer will teach them something.

Added as D

Derryth, Thais, Lyssa, Biliku, Uttu, Berty (keep 2 for backup)

Added as B

The D & T, lyssa, the girls, and Caenard. Save 2.

Added as C

C) Freeform - Give half of material to mice, keep rest for creating more in future. It may be best way. Wolf will be full and sheep will be safe. (Some Polish proverb )

And finally added as C.



Oh, also I forgot to add this to the list of questions but if you wanted to redistribute any of the items you (or your group) are carrying (rings, cubes and so on) then you might want to do so before you engage the enemy.

 

[Nevill]

Alright. So, about the Kunning Plan.

Instead of venturing forth without a care in the world and engaging 30 mages and unknown number of hounds with no coordination with the defenders whatsoever, why don't we consider a bit of Speshul Taktics?

- Start off by sending an eagle via a route different from what your actual forces will take. We don't want to make our position known in advance.
- The eagle should have two items with her - a letter to Nanshe, and one of the dice we bought from Dietfrieds.
- The letter should have a stone or some other weight attached to it so that the eagle could literally drop it on top of the ghols without actually landing. We don't want them to eat our messenger.
- Since most of the ghols can't read Dwarven, Bruig, or at all, really, draw a scribble of the ghol in a regal clothing (as we've seen the Empress in a dream) to make it clear who the letter is addressed to.
- In the letter we should describe a signal to make the eagle come down and hand Nanshe the die. We should also mention that we would like to have the eagle and the die back once this is over.
- The letter should mention that she should keep the die at hand. Once she receives it, she should cast it once to let us know. Once we cast it two times in response, she should enter meditation and meet us in the Dreaming to discuss strategy.
- Once in the Dreaming, try and learn everything there is to learn about enemy numbers, positions, force composition, tactics, and generally everything that should factor in our decision making process. Ask her about the howling beasts and if they have any weaknesses we might exploit, to prepare our men for this encounter.
- Establish a simple communication system via the dice to give each other simple signals during the battle itself. One throw - attack, two throws - retreat, three throws - distract, etc. Hey, it works in multiplayer RTSes! It largely depends on what our Dreaming war counsil would decide, so I am not giving the list of commands in advance.
- Unless Nanshe has better ideas, our go-to plan would be to leave the transports with a few guards, sneak to a vantage point on a high ground via some obscure path, and lay low. We will signal her after we are in position.
- On her part, Nanshe should prepare a bait to lure the enemy into a trap and under our fire. She should dress one of her human slaves in the TWM's robes, maybe give them a simple trinket or two from TWM's stock to make it look legit, and send them past our positions (not towards!) with her best runners carrying them. It was mentioned that ghols can run at a speed of a horse if pressed, and though their package would slow them a little, they should still be faster than the mages (don't know about the hounds, though). Hopefully, the enemies will buy it and move to intercept.
- When the enemy moves into range, we should commence a crippling alpha-strike from above, hopefully catching them off-guard and severely lessening their numbers. Simultaneously, the ghols should descend from the mountain at the top speed and strike them in the back. Caught between two forces, I expect the enemy to fall quickly, especially if the bulk of their forces is comprised of 'squishies'. Either they will tackle us and get slaughtered by the ghols, or they will turn to ghols and leave themselves wide open to our fire.
- We should stress the importance of a simultaneous attack. We will not engage in combat with a superior enemy force alone. Should the ghols fail to assist, this whole operation will have to be cancelled. Besides, a double strike at an encircled enemy is our best chance at victory. Any Nightmares or Lighting shows like the one we've seen Nanshe do before would be a welcome sight, too.
- The rest of the plan is a general advice to make use of the terrain. Take cover behind the rocks, don't bunch up, set the enemies themselves on fire (mage robes are a fabric and thus flammable, no?) if there is no grass for us to burn with our arrows, try to prevent them from scaling the cliffs by bringing a part of the cliff on top of them, or flinging oil casks at them and setting them on fire, or blowing them off with a strong wind. These are all situational, so our captains should know what to do. If we can set up a killzone near the cliffs by utilizing unlit dwarven cocktails we borrowed at the oasis (the dwarves lit them up and throw them, but we can throw them or carefully place them in advance and then lit them up), we should do that. If we can use our aphids to blow up the mages, we should do that, too.
- We should keep the spell plates on hand in case a hound sneaks up on us. I see no reason to go for an Avian Assault plan, which serves to take out a single target, when the enemy force has no clear leadership and is probably controlled by the Watcher himself. But if it turns out that there is a leader, or a particularly inconvenient target that threatens the plan's execution, use your assets to take him out ASAP.

Mad Paint Skillz to illustrate my point.

Spoiler

Blue arrow - an eagle.
Purple arrow - our forces sneaking to the ambush site
Green arrow - Nanshe's distraction.

I will call it Operation: Bait and Switch, and list it under 1. F - Freeform.

Any comments, additions? Fangshi, is my assessment of the battlefield even correct? Any glaring difficulties that will need to be overcome?

So, my votes for now:

1. How do you want to try and reach the defenders in their caves?
F - Freeform. Operation: Bait and Switch

2. The Spinner's Price:
Undecided

3. The Weasels' gathered intelligence:
E) You will alert Timo about your intentions to wipe the Weasels out. Let him use his agents to lure Wenzel out, kidnap him, or otherwise keep him away from his people. Then you will give the information to the gangs and throw the Weasels to the actual wolves. Wenzel will live, which should allow you to maintain good relationships with the rest of the family, but hopefully, he will be powerless to harm you.

4. You received eight steel cloth cloaks from the Academy. Who will use them?
B) Derryth, Thaïs, Lyssa, Biliku, Uttu, Berty (keep 2 for backup)

5. Your 'gliding scarf', what do you want to do with it?
C) Give half of material to the mice and keep the rest for creating more in the future.

 

[Karwelas]

I change my vote in the 1.

1. How do you want to try and reach the defenders in their caves?
F - Freeform. Operation: Bait and Switch

Rest is preety much Nevill voting. (2 is D now).

 

[asxetos]

Nevill delivers again
Floping to 1F Operation: Bait and Switch

 

[Nevill]

C) You give the information to rival gangs and allow them to carve up Wenzel's little kingdom. The Weasels will be buried within weeks. - I will also vote for tipping off Timo so he can roll people up when it all goes down.

So, if you are alerting Timo, is that C or E?

They will find him, if he is not quick, if he is not quiet, they will find him and he has heard the stories.

The horrors they are capable of.

What exactly do the dwarves hear about us? As much as it is lulzy to have such rumors circulate among the populace, I am not sure I like being used as a scarecrow to frighten naughty kids when they refuse to go to bed.

You open the sack and are met by a half melted lump of gold and iron, one of the legs twitches slightly as you turn it over in your hands.

That's it. You are going to murder each and every one of these idiots...

You are sure that there is not a court in the entire Kingdom that would fault you for it either.

You look to Thaïs, she is clenching her jaw.

You look to Lyssa, she is balling her fists.

Caolainn, always one to advise restraint, is howling in your ears. She wants blood, you don't blame her.

Come on, really, now? Take a chill pill, girl, will ya!

The Spinner was not bought with our own money, it was Albrecht who had paid for it! Why the hell are we screaming bloody murder when it were the dwarves that gifted it to us in the first place. That's just unseemly behavior.

Oh, and what is Caoilainn angry about? She wasn't even there when we got it, and it's not like she can profit from it in any way. They probably saved her from an air diving session, something that I am afraid she would not appreciate, gven her record.

"Ceannard, how was that professional?" you begin to lay into him.

"Had to be done," he shrugs though you think even he regrets it a little.

I hope we aren't pushing him too hard. There are only so much ways to turn someone down subtly, and none of them seemed to work.

We have given our advice to Lady Grey, it is now up to her to win him over.

It is unmarked and looks to be of human design, Berty Levy, and what looks to be a rather large goose, sit at the reins.

Gained Items:
- Brantalis the Goose

I am almost afraid to ask. But I will anyway. "What."

The Royal Academy: warm (+65)
Mayer's Estate: warm (+25)
Unaligned Mercenaries: neutral (+15)
The Goddess' Realm: enemies (-90)

What do we owe to such a big increase in our relationship meter with the Academy?
What did we do to earn Mayer's respect? Is it just the money we are making together?
Are the mercs just happy being paid, or are there other factors to our relationship?
Also, just -90 with the Spider Realm? We have space to fall further?

Edit:

You brought two wagons. In those two wagons you had to transport half of the Arrows (so about thirty men). If you want you do have room in the wagons for a few things as long as they do not take up too much space. What exactly did you have in mind?

Cocktails, mostly. We have about 40 grenadiers with us.

I would like to test an unorthodox application of explosives by a team that is not exactly proficient with them, and make it work. See, the explosive grenades the dwarves use are generally very stable by themselves, they are only dangerous when the fuse is lit, or if they are triggered by another explosion or fire nearby. They never explode on their own - well, not in the games, at least. The dwarves usually use them by lighting the fuse and lobbing the grenades at their enemies. My idea is to lob the grenade and then lit the fuse. It should make the explosives safe to drop and prevent casualties due to inaccurate throws, since the grenades won't go off unless we (or the enemy) specifically target them afterwards. And what makes the whole idea plausible is that we have a very specialized force equipped with AoE fire arrows, and very precise with a bow.

This allows to use the grenades as a sort of mini satchel charges without the necessary training in explosives handling. It also makes the Arrows more deadly and more universal. The mercs would gain a lot in terms of mid-range power, and a team of two mercs acting in unison (one throws the grenade, the other lits it on fire as soon as it hits the ground) would be able to handle enemies that otherwise could overpower them.

Of course, there is always a possibility of being hit with a fireball and exploding, but that is why you should not bunch up, and generally if you are hit with something of this magnitude, you are dead anyway, regardless of whether you have a grenade on your belt or not.

I guess I'd like to ask Ceannard what he thinks about it, as I definitely see some possibilities here.

 

[archaen]

There was no options updated so it is 3.F and I'll flop to 1.F.

 

[Nevill]

Are there any differences, though? Is it that you are making a statement that you are not concerned with Wenzel's fate/your reputation with the family, but with the Watcher's agents instead? Their consequenses look identical to me, though our motives may differ.

I may consider setting it as a backup vote if I understand what it is about.

 

[archaen]

Like you said, they are functionally equivalent. He will both save his brother and snap up any suspected watcher agents if we tip him off. I am not especially concerned for Wenzel but it will score points with his family to give them some forewarning then why not.

 

[Nevill]

Then I don't see a point of having two options, as I seek the exact same result.

But if you prefer it that way, sure, 3. F>E. As long as we have enough votes.

Edit: ok, 3E.

 

[Fangshi]

What exactly do the dwarves hear about us? As much as it is lulzy to have such rumors circulate among the populace, I am not sure I like being used as a scarecrow to frighten naughty kids when they refuse to go to bed.

Well, you know how rumours can be, they say that you can wipe out armies single-handedly, that you are consorts to 'the devil himself', that you have mastered ancient and horrible spells of destruction, that you have the King's ear (depends on who is telling the story). If the person telling the story disapproves of you they also tend to say that you share the King's bed. They also say you can steal a dwarf's mind/soul/what-have-you just by sneezing at him/her. They say that you are agents/wives of the human Emperor come to save the Kingdom or ruin it or prepare it for annexation by the Empire. They say that you have the power to heal a person's every wound (of body or mind) and they say that you can raise the dead and return them to true life. They call you opportunists, saviors, witches, and more. Some even say that you do not exist, that everything you have done is just an elaborate PR stunt by the Crown meant to distract the people from Albrecht's true plan to undermine the bodies and minds of the people through the introduction of human wheat. Others maintain that you do exist but that you are not human, instead they say that you are each six talking cats stuffed into a couple suits of armour... Not all of the dwarves are well...

Essentially, they take everything you have ever done and then double the numbers, expand the effects, misinterpret the motives and praise or condemn you as they so choose.

The most popular rumours are those that the King's spies support. They form the narrative he is interested in seeing out there and they paint you as protectors of the realm, dangerous only to enemies of the Crown but utterly merciless in your drive to bring the enemies of the Kingdom to justice. They focus on your competency, your magical prowess, your loyalty to the cause and the like. They use your involvement in bringing Eberhardt to justice and your ritual to restore Trakk's family as key selling points but his agents could do with some new ammo to use out on the streets. As it is they have had to make a few tales up to keep you relevant with all the stories of Eberhardt resurrected being told.

Come on, really, now? Take a chill pill, girl, will ya!

The Spinner was not bought with our own money, it was Albrecht who had paid for it! Why the hell are we screaming bloody murder when it were the dwarves that gifted it to us in the first place. That's just unseemly behavior.

What can I say, the characters still have certain leaning which will be hard to shake in less than a year...

You are mages, the Spinner was yours, they broke it... Mazzarin would have transformed half the room into cattle, Nine probably would have flayed their skins from their bones, and so on.

As it was, your group got a little mad but you did not actually lash out at them as you only failed your first round of will checks and Biliku deftly took over. As far as they know you were hardly angry with them at all but that is the way it goes sometimes, the ladies do still have that vengeful side to them even if you have mostly played them as heroes since the middle of Chapter 1.

Just consider it a momentary look into the sorts of people they might have become if not for your constant drive toward heroism. They could have been perfectly mean, vindictive, and wrathful.

Oh, and what is Caoilainn angry about? She wasn't even there when we got it, and it's not like she can profit from it in any way. They probably saved her from an air diving session, something that I am afraid she would not appreciate, gven her record.

Over time she has tended to move toward a position where she treats your bodies/property as her body/property (it often manifests as an acute concern for what you are doing and how 'dangerous' it is, she spends a lot of time simply worrying about the two of you as a result). It is likely a result of not having a body and not having the sort of temperament Faceless does. So when they broke your spinner, they broke her spinner, and normally she would break a guy's arm for that so her anger is understandable. Keep in mind she was a mercenary that had no real problem serving a cult that built their fort out of people. You might be a generally 'good' influence on her but she is still largely the same person she was before she met you (if anything she is a bit less sane).

It is also likely the idea of her/you having to go skydiving has not occurred to her yet.

I hope we aren't pushing him too hard. There are only so much ways to turn someone down subtly, and none of them seemed to work.

We have given our advice to Lady Grey, it is now up to her to win him over.

Well, making Ceannard and Áine work together was always going to be a bit uncomfortable for at least one of them and now that you are out of the city they will have to manage without your guidance anyway. In fact if anyone will be giving Áine advice in the near future it will be Mayer. Oh to be a fly on that wall...

I am almost afraid to ask. But I will anyway. "What."

Berty bought a goose.

A professionally trained guard goose.

What more is there to say?

What do we owe to such a big increase in our relationship meter with the Academy?

You gave them something to play with (the spinner).

They broke it as they tend to do.

You did not murder half of them as you had every right to.

So they think you are a very fun and laid back employer and they like you as a result.

Simple right?

Also they are quite happy to be working on your prototype armour as well.

What did we do to earn Mayer's respect? Is it just the money we are making together?

Money and opportunities, yes.

As long as you continue to help him prosper his relationship meter will continue to tick upward. Baring sudden changes.

Are the mercs just happy being paid, or are there other factors to our relationship?

For the moment they are just happy to be paid. A good employer that pays promptly and generously is likely to win over all sorts of mercenaries.

Also, just -90 with the Spider Realm? We have space to fall further?

Sure, kill the real Rand.

I guess I'd like to ask Ceannard what he thinks about it, as I definitely see some possibilities here.

He finds the idea interesting and is willing to try it. He will have his veteran archers throw while his full Arrows shoot provided you have no objections.

 

[Nevill]

Can we ask Ceannard what exactly happened on the day he met Lady Grey? Who were these people - or was it monsters? - attacking her caravan?

What made him save her? Was it a side job? I have a hard time imagining him entering a fight and risking his people just out of kindness. While it may be admirable, it is also not exactly professional.

Or was it really a genuine desire to help a damsel in distress?

Also, did he ever hear of someone named Cuulagh, or fitting his description?

 

[Fangshi]

Can we ask Ceannard what exactly happened on the day he met Lady Grey? Who were these people - or was it monsters? - attacking her caravan?

He was working the roads for Mazzarin and taking care of a little surveillance.

Humans, they dressed like bandits but fought like mercenaries.

What made him save her? Was it a side job? I have a hard time imagining him entering a fight and risking his people just out of kindness. While it may be admirable, it may also be not exactly professional.

Spite, he knew the company that had been hired to kill her and he was in the area. He made a slight detour on his way back to deal with them.

It was a matter of honour. He told the man leading the 'bandits' that he would kill him before the year was out and he does try to keep his word. He was fairly certain he could get enough money from the embassy in exchange for saving an Imperial noble to make it worth his time to protect Lady Grey.

Or was it really a genuine desire to help a damsel in distress?

It wasn't but he also did nothing to stop those rumours from spreading. It can be an advantage to have the nobility of the city think of you as a 'gentlemen adventurer' instead of just another scoundrel. He will admit though that it helped that she is easy on the eyes (though not as beautiful as D&T he is quick to add) but she was so horribly naive and in the end it really was just business.

Also, did he ever hear of someone named Cuulagh, or fitting his description?

Maybe? He shrugs, the name and description do sound familiar. If the person you describe is the same as he is thinking of then he is a mercenary from the North. He came to the Kingdom maybe five or six months ago and has kept a very low profile since then. Ceannard only knows about the man because he is an archer and Ceannard likes to keep up with potential competition. As far as he knows this Cuulagh has not taken on more than a handful of simple contracts so he must not be all that good.

He can try to find the man when he gets back to the city if you would like? It would require a vote though as I would need to know exactly what you want Ceannard to do.

 

[Nevill]

Spite, he knew the company that had been hired to kill her and he was in the area. He made a slight detour on his way back to deal with them.

What company was that? Does he know who hired them? Who would seek to do harm to Lady Grey and why?

Why did they stop? Wait, did they stop? Is there something threatening her even now?

 

[Fangshi]

What company was that?

They called themselves something horribly and unsuitably long, something like the Serene Brothers of the Endless Night or some such crap. They were new to the city so he does not really know much about them except that their leader liked to drink, called himself the 'Peerless Blade', said they were going to string up this 'pretty little birdie' for a decent payday from some lord or another up north. None of it was Ceannard's business but the drunk crashed into his private table and ruined one of his favourite tunics. Now Ceannard would have settled for a few sovereigns (to cover the bill) and an honest apology but the guy would have none of that. Called Ceannard a great many unprofessional things so Ceannard made him a promise.

Does he know who hired them?

Someone from the Empire probably given her past and what the 'Peerless Drunk' said.

Who would seek to do harm to Lady Grey and why?

He does not know.

Why did they stop? Wait, did they stop? Is there something threatening her even now?

He supposes it is a possibility. He did not talk to Lady Grey about it. Those particular mercenaries won't bother her though, he made sure to wipe out their entire company. Killed their leader himself, put an Arrow through his big mouth and another three in his chest to be sure.

 

[Grimgravy]

Ceannard is the just the best. I hope our partnership pulls us up rather than drags him down.

 

[Nevill]

Ceannard is the just the best. I hope our partnership pulls us up rather than drags him down.

Why is he the best?

I admit, I quite like the man myself, but we aren't that bad, either.

He is a bit too greedy for his own good. This is the man who was ready to cross Mazzarin provided that the pay is good. No amount of money is worth that, IMO.

 

[Grimgravy]

He's got style and class. In spades. More so than anyone else we've come across. That's my opinion at least.