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Warlords of Prydain
Topic Started: Jan 3 2014, 11:56 AM (1,086 Views)
lamna
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The bitter January wind wormed its way though Osberga's thick silks and cottons. Winter was uncomfortable and hard for the peasantry, but it was a time of peace. Few lords wished to rebel while they had to march though freezing mud and snowstorms, and all but the most foolhardy Nords and Fryskes pulled their longships ashore during the dark months. Those that did had to deal with rough seas and unnavigable frozen rivers.

She retreated, shivering, inside her new square keep built in the continental style. The castle might be much safer than the great halls of her forefathers, but far less comfortable. It did give her a commanding view of the capital of Lune on the icy river Tam. And I've got the only one in the whole of Prydain.

Other castles were being built of course, and old burhs and hill forts were being reinforced with stone, but for now the Tower of the Moon was the strongest fortification in the realm.

Her valet Culhwch coughed as he seemed to materialize out of thin air. "Ma'am the foreigners will be getting impatient if you wait much longer."

"I'd rather let them stew a bit longer, but you're usually right about these things. Who's brought a begging bowl to my hall today?" Culhwch opened the door back into the keep and disappeared inside. Dagmar pushed inside, looking furtively inside, her red locks flailing as she scanned the corridor for assassins. Once satisfied the safest place in the realm was not compromised, the huge Nord nodded and allowed her in.

Culhwch reappeared "Today there is a rather large trade delegation who claim to be from the Caliphate, three Norte knights ready to swear their undying loyalty to you, if you give them lands and titles, and an assortment of other ruffians from here to the Sunrise Ocean."

"Claim to be from the Caliphate? What reason do you have to doubt their credentials?"

"Well, their signet rings are obviously fake, it looks like they have the correct mould but made these out of bronze rather than gold. Plus their bodyguards are obviously Norte knights. The Caliphate would never use heathen bodyguards for an official trade mission. These have the look of Ishbiliyya smugglers to me."

Dagmar grinned "Want me to smash then boss?" She gripped her great axe in anticipation.

"Not just yet, we may be able to use this to get a better deal from them." The huge woman looked dejected. "Don't worry, I'm sure those Nortes will find a way to offend me. Remember when I found Ser Hugh lounging in my throne as though he owned it?"

Dagmar grinned at the memory, then sobered. "Sorry for smashing chair boss."

"It's quite all right, I can afford many more." She nearly cried when she realised she's hacked off the wooden mare's head. No tears for Ser Hugh's though.

The party turned a corner and entered the great hall. The assembled crowd stood bolt upright as her huscarls thumped the butts of their spears on the cold flagsones. The herald boomed. "Her Highness Queen Osberga, Queen of the Fearnish, High Chieftain of the MacEircheard, Earle of Lune!"

Osberga sat down on her great oaken throne with Dagmar and Culhwch taking their places at her side. She cleared her throne . "Lords, Ladies and Layfolk. Let's begin"
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Vaanes examined the books carefully, suspicious of the smuggler, but unsure about the contents of the Aabic texts. Taking a gamble, and assessing the value of the text well enough that the fool actually gave up trying to prove its authenticity, he purchased one on the arcane, introducing a subject which he was not yet familiar. He filed away information on each of the Earls, shaking his head upon hearing the stories of Leodmar. Poor romantic fool. On the other hand, the mage calculated that the right payment to the right people could retrieve some information useful in politics regarding Ubbein the Maid, but for now, he had greater matters afoot- he had returned to Meredith's court.

Greeting the Prince, he offered up Osberga's letter with a flourish and a bow "The terms have been accepted, my lord. I am now your permanent envoy in Lune to the Fearnish Queen, and shall do all in my power to maintain peace between the Prython people and the Fearnish. All you must do, is pay the fines within the letter, as pertaining to your own laws."
Edited by Zinnorokkrah, Jan 7 2014, 09:50 AM.
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The Prince reads the letters, barely listening to you. "The whore agreed? Fuck! That stupid bitch. How am I supposed have a just war if the cunt won't accept an insult? What do I have to do to get her across the river?"

He takes a moment and composes himself. "I shouldn't have exploded at you like that. I suppose I should have explained the plan to you better. So what do you make of the Earls right across the river? I'm sure I'll find an excuse to raid again soon. Can we get any of them to change sides or let us stand aside? Are any of them weak?"
Edited by lamna, Jan 7 2014, 11:34 AM.
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Vaanes remained impassive, sitting back and waiting while the Prince finished his outburst. "Do not forget, my lord, that I can do more in Lune at peace, than stuck here in Rhostir while we are at war. You seem to forget that we are one small Principality against the might of Fearnland; and potentially Prince Dilwyn, and Clan Chief Drest of Clan MacEircheard. You cannot drive out the Fearnish, you can't return Prydain to a purely Prython and nation, you can only assure that the Prython will rule Prydain if you spend time working with other rulers among your own people."

He paused while the Prince scoffed, and undeterred continued "You wish to be the next King Arktos? You want to be the High King of Prydain? Then make alliances with Prince Eurig and Clan O'Bran. Build your lands, expand your armies, unite your people, and once the Prython nations are united, then turn your mind towards war against Fearnland."

Meredith fixed him with a harsh stare "The Earls, Vaanes."

The elven mage shook his head, sighing, and then began to speak "All of them are loyal. Beornwulf is a powerful warrior, domineering- he keeps the rest in line. Ubbein is said to be an effeminate, but his lands are prosperous, so it obviously doesn't affect his ability to rule. Leodmar is a young idealist, totally infatuated with the Princess. In spite of his youth, he's fool enough to die for his lady. If you really want to know my opinion regarding the Earls, if you're so intent on disregarding my advice, then you should invest in spies against Ubbein, and leverage him into allying himself to you. Now, if you'd excuse me and if you have nothing else to say, I must tend to my lands and return to Lune." And he stood back, passively, waiting for the Prince to respond.
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"Listen witch, I gave you your fief and I can take it back if I like. The Prythons are poor as shit. Only Prince Euirg has any money, and as soon as he digs up any gold he hides it back underground. I can't impose my will on the Princes without money, and I can't get money from people who heat their homes by burning sheep shit. But I do have another plan. Make sure your men are ready to go to war."

He wanders over to a table and picks up a letter and throws it to you. It was sealed with wax with your private seal but it has already been opened.

"Apparently you have troubles of your own."

The letter is a frantic cry for help from your hill fort. Apparently great and terrible wolves are wandering your lands. Three people have go missing, along with dozens of cows and sheep. Howling has been heard just outside the fort itself and huge pawprints have been found.

"You can sort out spying on this Maid. I shall be far to busy prepering" The prince throws you a small pouch of gold. "For bribes." He shouts and goes to change for a hunt.
Edited by lamna, Jan 7 2014, 05:07 PM.
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Vaanes simply reads the letter calmly, face passive, and waited for Meredith to leave the room, not letting his contempt show through his expression and not trusting his words to be entirely free from his true emotions. The Prince was an utter fool; there were more ways than raids and gold to build alliances, especially to desperate men. The mere promise of wealth, or a coveted fief, would have been enough to stir some of the more desperate princes. But Meredith was not a man of diplomacy, or patience- he was a man who took what he wanted the moment he wanted it.

In any case, Vaanes returned to his lands, and to his estate, and after calming the people called to himself two trusted men- loyal to him, and not to Meredith. One was a man whose description bordered on beautiful, named Peredur. He was given orders to present himself as a wandering warrior to Earl Ubbein, and work his way into the court. He was to send word to him, personally, under the story that Vaanes was his foster father, and they remain in touch. Peredur nods along to the orders, and then bowed, setting out immediately to follow them.

Regarding the wolves, Vaanes calls together the most accomplished herdsmen and hunters of the fief- men who've seen them from a distance, men who knew how to hunt, and he began to speak

"I understand that this pack has been a great danger to you, the people of this land. My land. And so, it is my duty to offer you my aid, and drive away these beasts. We must make use of every tool and technique at our disposal in order to make an end of them. Here is what we shall do.

Some of the herdsmen and hunters will lay in wait in a clearing which is where we'll lay our trap. These brave men will howl, to attract the wolves to the region, and a few live pigs will be bound up as an extra incentive. Some meat will be laid out alongside the pigs, laced with poison. To ensure that the wolves will truly be killed by this, the remaining hunters and herdsmen will remain downwind but within sight, and they will be provided with Gailic wolfhounds from my own kennels. I shall also provide the poison for this mighty hunt. Now go, we have much to prepare."

And Vaanes went off to his laboratory to make a poultice of aconitum to the hunt, ordering his kennel master to prepare the hounds. He'd made a small fortune in breeding and selling his Gailic wolfhounds, and some swore that Vaanes may have been richer than the Prince himself; of course, that was nonsense, since his studies bled wealth like a man with a slit throat lost blood. After completing the poultice, and having set up all the other preparations for the hunt, Vaanes calls up the captain of his warriors- a man named Aelhaeran -with orders to raise the militia and ensure that the warriors were up to snuff.

"In spite of my best efforts, I fear Meredith will go to war with Osberga. In the event of such a call to war, we must be prepared."

Aelhaeran swore mightily "We're the one closest to the Fearnish border, and will take the brunt of the assault, is Meredith mad? Are you? You cannot seriously be preparing us to march on Osberga."

Vaanes paused quietly, and with a totally passive face and voice said mildly "I never said that." And rode off to deal with the wolves.
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You and your men spend several nights waiting for the wolves to come to them, it's cold and miserable and only one wolf appears. One of the hunters shoots it and finds skinny young male wolf. You are about to slaughter one of the bait pigs to replace the now rotten bait when a messenger arrives to tell you that an isolated farm house has been attacked. A family of five have been torn apart, their roundhouse torn apart and all their livestock is gone.

The countryside is a fearful place. Nobody dares go out alone anymore, and not at all after dark. When you return to your hill fort you find that is is crowded with farmers who have come to stay with relatives.

Peredur leaves to try and infiltrate Ubbein's court, while Aelhaeran reports to you state of your forces. You have 120 personal retainers including thirty Marchogs with a horse and mail. You have a further 10 landed Marchogs each with around 20 retainers. You can levy around 2,000 spearmen and 1,000 longbowmen and have one longship, The Black Hart, old but still seaworthy. There are also several cargo ships that can be seized, but captains have heard rumours and a starting to move away.

You revive a message from Lune, informing you that Tanner's Lane has been cleared of burned timber and refuse. Work can begin immediately, but they don't know what you want built. They can knock you up a longhouse with or without a moat. Anything more complicated will require you to be on-hand.
Edited by lamna, Jan 7 2014, 07:28 PM.
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Frustrated, but refusing to show it, Vaanes turns to other avenues to find these wolves. Obviously, he should have seen from the first that they were more than simple, ordinary beasts- their taste for the flesh of men, the unusual size; they were something very different. Retreating into his laboratory, he sacrifices a chicken, and chants over it as he examines the innards, casting a spell to divine the location of the wolves. Fuelling it with the suffering of the bird, and directing it with his frustration, he seeks them out, and upon finding them, discerns their true nature. Seeing them to be beasts of reason, infuriated by recent logging which drove away their prey and directing their rage upon his people, Vaanes calls to the leader of the pack with the spell, offering him a deal in return for the safety of his people. If the Alpha is so inclined, Vaanes provides him with a location and a time such as he can understand, and ends the magically-fueled connection. [Rendered invalid]

Sending a message to Lune, he requests for a longhouse with a moat to be built, and for a cellar to be put into the house. He indicates that it is to be simple, and sturdy, but any more complex construction should wait for his return. He orders Aelhaeran to train the militia, and ensure that the men are prepared, and that supplies are to be stockpiled in preparation for war. A message is sent to Peredur that if he has any messages for him, they are now to be sent to Tanner's Lane in Lune, for that will be where he will be spending most of his time in the coming days.

After dealing with matters of state, Vaanes girds himself in armour, puts on his warmest cloak, and armed with a spear and sword journeys out to meet the Alpha, and potentially his pack as well. Aelhaeran attempts to dissuade him from the meeting, but Vaanes simply smiles ferally, a cunning glint in his eye, and rolls up a sleeve to show reopened scars upon his arm, runes- carved and enchanted; the blood remembering layer upon layer of small spells, and fuelled by the pain of having them opened once again. "A trick I learned from a Nord seidkonur. I am well protected, Commander. You have no reason to fear." [Rendered invalid]
Edited by Zinnorokkrah, Jan 8 2014, 09:44 AM.
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Frustrated, but refusing to show it, Vaanes turns to other avenues to find these wolves. Obviously, he should have seen from the first that they were more than simple, ordinary beasts- their taste for the flesh of men, the unusual size; they were something very different. Retreating into his laboratory, he sacrifices a chicken, and chants over it as he examines the innards, casting a spell to divine the location of the wolves. Fuelling it with the suffering of the bird, and directing it with his frustration, he seeks them out, and upon finding them, discerns their true nature. Seeing them to be beasts of reason, infuriated by recent logging which drove away their prey and directing their rage upon his people, Vaanes calls to the leader of the pack with the spell, offering him a deal in return for the safety of his people. If the Alpha is so inclined, Vaanes provides him with a location and a time such as he can understand, and ends the magically-fueled connection.
Your spell reveals no such thing. You find that there are very few wolves in your lands indeed, and they are all perfectly normal, no larger or more intelligent than other wolves and all the packs shun humanity with only a few desperate loners driven to the edges of settled areas.

One of your hunters went to check out the farmhouse and find that rains have ruined most of the tracks. He tells you that the road was very badly churned up, as if most of the cows fled along it. He wasn't able to follow the trail very far because he wanted to return and tell you about his findings. The hunter has a reputation for being light fingered but he doesn't seem to have stolen anything from the farmhouse, he's not buying more ale or getting better weapons.

Tanner's Lane sends to a message informing you that the moat has been finished but that a cellar is going to be very expensive and they will need more money upfront. They also tell you that lining the moat with clay so it holds water properly will also cost more.
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Irritated and confused by the divination, Vaanes quickly comes to the conclusion that something else must be going on and that he's been looking at the problem with a narrow mind. He immerses himself in study, and at the end of a day of research, orchestrates a new, more complex spell. Using a piece of the roundhouse as a focus for the first spell, he sacrifices two chickens. One to fuel the spell to search the psychometry of the piece in order to find out what the attackers truly are, and another that will trigger a divination to seek them out once they have been identified. He patiently awaits the answers he seeks.

Over the course of that same day, Vaanes sends a letter to Peredur, asking for information about his progress, and another to the builders in Lune, saying that he will be there within two weeks to pay for the new developments and that in the meantime they can finish whatever has already been paid for, and then take some time off until he arrives to oversee the completion of the property.

He also calls up Aelhaeran and orders him to send a few men with the hunter who'd begun tracking the attackers, and return to the roundhouse in an effort to find out more. "Once you have found something of importance, return to the caer and inform me. By then, I should have enough information so that we can end this, and I can return to my proper business- acting as Rhostir's envoy to Fearnland."
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Nothing unusual is revealed about the roundhouse, humans and dogs were there, along with occasional other livestock. Eventually you discern that dogs and people different to the family were in the house and that what little treasures they had have disappeared.

There is no information from Peredur directly, but Tanner's Lane send you a letter from him, along with assurances that they will do the best they can. The letter from Peredur doesn't reveal much. He's arrived and is trying to integrate himself but there is very little progress. He asks for more money so that he can buy a horse and some armour to try and join up with Ubbein. He does report that Ubbein seems as effeminate as the rumours but that he has seen nothing related to his private activities.

The company sent with the hunter follow the road as far as they can, recapturing a cow along the way. Eventually the tracks get too muddled up and all you know is that the herd was heading north west.
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Vaanes calls to him his men, and Aelhaeran with them. And there he speaks to them "It seems, friends, that our enemy is that most feared and foul of animals- men. Come, we shall gather together a small warband, and we shall follow the trail to the North-West. Aelhaeran, to you I entrust the leading of this company, to find our property and missing people, and extract a blood price from the guilty. It seems to me that the experiments of Clan O'Failbhe are bearing fruit. But whether this is a raid by the Clan Chief or by Prince Dilwyn, I know not. Act with discretion, and diplomacy. Rhostir cannot afford a war such as this at such a time."

After the men have been prepared, Vaanes sends Peredur some of the funds he requested, saying that he cannot afford to hand out all of them at this time as some funds must be spared for other projects. In response to the letter from Tanner's Field, Vaanes as resolved to return to Lune as soon as Aelhaeran and his men return.
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Galien had decided to introduce himself to queen Osberga, because after the death of his father he had become the new Earl of Sumorsaete. He wore an apple-green mantle over a brown tunic, his sword hanging at his side. He stood in the throne room of Osberga, patiently awaiting her attention.
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Zinnorokkrah - Vaanes Kabasilas

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olympianmaster - Galien Dalyngridge

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Edited by lamna, Jan 8 2014, 06:08 PM.
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Aelhaeran and the injured soldier are both given a reasonable amount of compensation pay, and Vaanes names his loyal Commander his steward while he is away from the caer. Drafting up a letter, he sends it to Peredur requesting an update on his mission. He then calls upon his actual steward, Rhun, and hands him a set of plans for Tanner's Lane along with all the funds necessary to pay for the construction along with a letter.

"I shall not be able to oversee the construction myself, but this letter says that you have been granted authority by me to stand in my stead and represent my wishes in the construction of my townhouse at Tanner's Lane. I would go myself, but Prince Meredith has called upon the feifs to gather their troops, and so I intend to lead my men to Caerwysg."

He calls upon the levy, placing seven hundred spearmen and three hundred bowmen under the command of one of his landed Marchogs and his retainers, and puts out an order to commandeer all available ships. Vaanes himself will be taking the Black Hart to Caerwysg ahead of the troops to be briefed by Prince Meredith and leave orders for the Marchog commander before returning home and preparing to visit Tanner's Lane.

Before leaving the caer to take the longship, Vaanes goes to where the girl is being held and enters carrying a wicker cage in one hand. Within the cage is a relatively large hare, and Vaanes sets it down on the ground, standing tall and composed, a ghost of a smile on his face at her silent and stubborn defiance. He clasps his hands behind his back and begins to speak in Gailic.

"You must understand how difficult this situation is, cailin beag. After attempting to defend my people from fearsome wolves, I find out that the beasts responsible for the carnage are actually Gailish raiders. Now, this is actually better in my point of view, because it means that I will be able to retrieve or receive compensation for the majority of the things taken from me. Unfortunately, you won't talk. And without knowing where you came from, I cannot demand sarhad from those who stole from me. So, this leaves me at an impasse- and with a choice."

He lets those words hang in the air for a bit, and the girl gives him a suspicious and wary look. "I can always enslave you. It won't be suitable compensation, but it will be some small revenge. I don't imagine your master will be overly kind if I explain that you were found with the men who raided our farmlands. I could kill you, which would be even less of a bother for me, and on the off chance someone comes looking for you it is likely that you are already a slave girl, so the sarhad will be so small I won't even need to bat an eye. However, both of those options leave me without the information necessary to get my just vengeance, so I'm left with a third option. I can make you talk."

His voice never changed, always remaining level and cordial; a matter-of-fact tone to it, his face and eyes perfectly impartial. The girl began to tremble, trying to get as far away from him as the small room would allow. Vaanes stalked up to her, and quite calmly took a dagger and cut a lock of hair off her head while she sat frozen in fear. Pricking his finger, he dabbed the hair in his blood, and then tied it to the neck of the rabbit.

"Do you know what this is, cailin beag? This is called thaumaturgy- sympathetic magic. Using your hair, and my blood, I've bound you to this hare. Should anything happen to it, you shall feel the effects. As above, so below. I could torture you for days and days on end like this- replacing the hare every time the wounds finally killed it -but you would be left completely untouched apart from the pain. So, tell me, cailin beag, will you talk now?"
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"Thank you very much, your Highness, I will bring justice and peace in your name", Galien says before travelling towards the regions of conflict, but not before he goes home to take the half of his army with him. When he arrives at his destination, he searches for Devnen and Kern, and takes them with him, leaving the huscarls and half of his army to keep peace in the regions of conflict. When he arrives back at his own halls, he clears the Throne room and takes a seat, listening to the stories of both men.
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