Things to do:

> Hold hearings in Palace, today or tomorrow, with shopkeepers and normal city folk
> Convocation meeting is in 2 days; Dad comes back from hunting in 4 days; Great Summer Festival begins in 5 days.
> Receive the girl whom Ula was going to bring you for bait, tomorrow morning.

File: 1337532033949.jpg-(130 KB, 800x600, Jigokudani_hotspring_in_Nagano(...).jpg)

Is there incest in this quest ?

Also, what Martha was reacting to was of course your brilliant mechanical bird. Mind you, she's only just seen it - she hasn't even tried moving it yet.

You look around the residence, dimly lit with lanterns. There are two other attendants with Martha now, since you've taken Orchid and Lilac. You've got Peony, ever inexhaustible, and Linden with you.

As you have your dinner, you can actually hear the cries and shouts of people practicing what are probably drills in the courtyard out to your south. That's the main Guards' courtyard; it's probably Imian, though why he would drill in the evening is beyond you. That kid is weird, man, your brother.

"You remember Orchid, yes?"

>>19173173

No, don't suggest it.

Also, girls we're interested in... ask about Saragites, I guess? Also that other easterner girl, merinites.

http://noblemanquest.wikia.com/wiki/Ladies_to_be_Presented_at_the_Great_Summer_Festival

>>19173173
>What is this I don't even.

>>19173095
Iema, noble born of House Tali is said to be most stunning. Prime concubine material, perhaps.

Other choices mostly depend on rank and, when we meet them, how intelligent and cunning they seem. We need a smart, cunning wife or concubine to entrust things with. Peony is awesome but, honestly, I don't think she's of the proper lineage to become a concubine to an Earl, is she? Just keeping her as head of staff is probably the best move.

>>19173136
hell yes Nobleman quest
So we should get around to holding the hearing today, as opposed to tomorrow.

>>19173199
I have serious reservations about taking a barbarian as wife. Kimasig, for instance, is looked upon as a lesser house because of the easterner blood in their veins.

I'm voting for Saragites because of the potential foreign girls she is the most suitable. Also a foreign might endear us to the foreign merchants despite us not exactly supporting them in our last meeting. Also foreign brides fits in with our character.

>>19173192

'Hmm? Of course I do, she went over to you like a week ago.' Actually, even less come think of it. 'What's wrong? I hope she hasn't been bad? Also, do you mean to say you're interested in her?'

>>19173199

'The foreign girls!' Martha looks at you. 'I always knew you had a thing for those, that's why you learned all your languages, isn't it brozzer?'

'Martha, I'll have to report your impudence and improper speech to Dad and let him deal with you!' Meanwhile you're dealing with her by ruffling her hair as she tries to swat you off. 'Seriously though... I'm just wondering about those two. Must be a tough journey coming all the way here, and they don't even cut their locks.'

'Apparently they're both really, really beautiful,' Martha nods. 'Mostly because I saw the sketches that they submitted to the Palace when Dad was looking them over. I think they're in the archive somewhere. But other than that I'm not sure of much. Theniron is a powerful city, right? Subaran... not so much, I guess?'

You haven't heard much about Subaran. That's either due to its stability... or more likely, because it's too weak for its troubles to merit attention. But still, it's lasted for a century or more as a city, and that's worth something politically...

> What do/say?

I wouldn't just go spouting about girls we've only heard about to our sister just yet.

Privately on the other hand, Akina, Saragites, and a few of the others are certainly of interest.

>>19173240
I see nothing wrong with playing on hard mode

>>19173240
People in our city call them barbarians, but in their cities they probably say the same about us.

If our eventual goals include extending our influence beyond that of our uncle the king or even our father, it would be wise to be on good terms with the Easterners.

>Also a foreign might endear us to the foreign merchants despite us not exactly supporting them in our last meeting.
What shit are you smoking, we pretty much pledged to take their side.

And they aren't foreign merchants, they are immigrant merchants, big difference. And not only that, but a foreign wife could hurt our popularity and status with literally EVERYONE ELSE at the same time as it throws a (questionable) bone to a faction that already supports us! That is insanity.

Tirena, lady Iatar. A Girl who fought our elder brother at least merit some interest.

>>19173268
"lololol play on hard mode" is not a valid reason for doing it.

>>19173220

Unfortunately it's already evening, but Peony's got things arranged for tomorrow morning. You need rest after talking to those merchants, after all.

Also, oh yes, there is the little matter of the bandits that have been roaming the villages north of Margade.

Finally, don't worry so much about talking to Martha. You know she's trustworthy, and everyone else trusts her. It's more her attendants you need to watch, though.

Peony is, in fact, possible concubine material. Actually, if you really want to make your attendants concubines, there's no law against that - even for commoners like Orchid or Rose. Concubines' children have relatively fewer inheritance and legal rights anyway, so the nobility is not threatened by being flooded with them...

>>19173288
Yes, so what? They might be more civilized and advanced than we are, for all we know. Doesn't matter, they are considered barbarians.

I, for one, think we should be open to those easterners. We have a powerful enemy on our west, and we need allies.

Besides, it's better to expand into empty space, than to try and fight other countries for it endlessly. Maybe we can dominate the river that goes out of the lake.

>>19173302
I know it's possible, I was just meaning more... "proper" or "traditional".

I imagine it would be frowned upon to make a whole bunch of low-born peasants concubines. One or two exceptionally beautiful or skilled ones? Sure. But we need to pay attention to propriety.

> Hmm... so what do/say to Martha? Would you like to mention the other girls as well, Iema and Tirena?

> Also, no need to get so tense now really - you're telling your sister about girls you maybe possibly fancy, not telling your dad who you intend to marry tomorrow. This is just to see if Martha might have information about the ladies, since it's easier for her to access that information.

>>19173334
Being open to them and marrying them are completely different.

That said, my personal opinion is that we should give Saragites a chance. We should give a lot of the other ladies a chance too, of course. Iema was mentioned, and I approve. Tali is a house with strong lineage, so taking her as a concubine would not only give us the prestige of a renowned beauty but some history as well. This helps even more if we eventually do decide on a foreign bride.

But I don't think we should focus on the foreigners, and I think Remila is out of the running period considering she's five or six years older than us and already had one husband.

Ask if Martha knows anything about the Oson girls.

Ask about Kona from house Oson. She has a "Mysterious Birth" apparently. What's the word on that?

>>19173219
>>19173372

'Iema?' Martha winks at you. 'You really like the famed beauties, eh.'

'So you've seen her before?'

'Yeah... she's a little...' Martha scratches her head. 'Nervous, I suppose? Or not really nervous. A bit more... like... strictly taught. Reserved, that's it! And she has this cute mole here, near her left nostril.'

'Huh. What about the Oson girls?'

'I'm not very sure about those. I've heard that the Baroness Lurena is good looking, and quite tall in stature. But they say that strange, adopted case, Kona - they say she has grown up to be incredibly beautiful. Which only makes things weirder. No one even knows who her father is, except she's been adopted by blood, not even by name, so she must be noble...'

That's interesting, that. 'Well, maybe if she's illegitimate?'

'Illegitimate? But then why not reveal the mother... or the father? Unless the mother is from House Oson?' The scandal that implies is so serious neither of you mentions it openly. This is the sort of stuff that inter-house feuds are made of.

As for Saragites, Martha really doesn't know much. 'People say she likes to ride horses, and to paint. Which is a bit of a weird combination.'

> What do/say?

>>19173464
Out of curiosity, ask if she knows anything about the royal princesses...

>>19173464
Show her the trick that the bird does. Also should we marry a foreign girl would we go live with her family or would she come to us? I'm sorry if this was a stupid question or has been stated.

Ask Martha about Orchid, she is very suspicious with all her secrets and archery skills. Better invistigate on her background in case she is someones agent or have her agenda.

Besides, of all our flower names, "Orchid" have the most femme fatal connotations. Better be careful.

Also marrying a "barbarian" might be not the best idea politically, despite our personality being ok with foreigners.

>>19173499
In chinese culture a daughter leaves the household while a son stays with their parents. This is one of the reasons sons are more valuable than daughters in their culture.

>>19173527
Eh, I don't really think Orchid is terribly suspicious. Some people are just very good archers naturally. And her background is not really mysterious at all.

>>19173490
>>19173499

You take the bird out of its box, and Martha leans over, only to squeal as you flap its arms and nod its head. You notice her own arms flapping as she stares at the thing.

'That's awesome! That's really awesome! You should make one of these for the girl you like, I think. If she doesn't like it, you can forget about her!'

As for Orchid, Martha says she used to be in the Prince's household, and that her childhood before that... well she rarely talks about it. 'There's nothing wrong, is there?'

'Quite the contrary,' you smile. 'She's really good. At archery. Which is a bit weird, don't you think?'

'Oh, that's strange, that is... you know, why aren't more people doing archery? The city hasn't got much space for new butts, is that it? They should do something about that.'

You guess the reason is more about people trying to forget the bad old days of the siege, when everyone had to shoot arrows and throw stones to repel the invaders. Oh well...

Also, yes, the woman comes over to you. But since it's a foreign marriage, well, it's a good excuse for you to go on visits east as well if you're interested.

> What do/say?

>>19173596
Thank Martha and play with her a little.

Then ask her two final questions:
1. Does she know of any girls who are very smart? Being such a bright one herself, she'll probably have picked them out long ago... she does run in their circles after all. This could be an inside line into who the non-airhead brides would be.

2. Is there anyone she thinks is a good choice? Let's hear her opinion.

>>19173565
If you are an Earl and not paranoid, you are doing it wrong. She is the closest one to our body(if not to our mind, that would be Peony) of all our attendants after all.

>>19173652
If you don't count the other two we've had sex with, sure.

>>19173652
I would actually say Linden is way closer on the body front.

But yes, perhaps it wouldn't be amiss to ask Peony to keep tabs on her comings and goings discreetly.

>>19173640

'Smart girls, eh... actually yeah, why haven't you mentioned Dunura? From House Ahun? She's their head's niece, or something like that. And she's both smart *and* beautiful. Sounds like your sort!'

House Ahun? Well... that's awkward. 'Anyone else?'

'I've heard it said that Sira, the viscountess, got all the brains her father drank away. Oh oh, there's also Milena from House Daudu, who's apparently really good at calculations. It's a pity she's got her huge birthmark and all that. Her cousins got the looks, and she got the quick mind - I guess that's only fair, eh?'

As for Orchid, after a bit more wondering, Martha says she knows that Orchid did mention a sister before, who also became an attendant. 'Oh? Where's that then?'

'Not the Palace... well not this Palace. I think she mentioned the Royal Court, actually. Also, sorry I'm not much help with the royal princesses - they sure don't come over to play in Raumar, which I think is silly. The capital city is booooring.'

She can't presume to be suggesting a choice for you, but after a bit of gentle nudging she thinks you'll do well with the foreigners. Or with Dunura of Ahun. 'Aren't foreigners a bit problematic, you reckon?'

'Yeah, well, times change don't they, brother? Margade's full of easterners now... maybe that's the way to go!'

Meanwhile, the sounds of shouting from outside are now joined by the sounds of drums. Okay, that's a bit we- BWOOOOOOOOO

'Are those assembly horns?' Martha blinks. You nod. Assembly horns? Who on earth is assembling troops to march after sundown?

> What do/say?

Oh, also, please roll d100.

>>19173737
Probably time to excuse ourselves and go find out exactly what the fuck is going on over there.

Also, daughter of house Ahun eh? Hmmm. We should keep her in mind. The Viscountess Sira too.

rolled 29 = 29

>>19173762

rolled 96 = 96

>>19173762

Most likely Imian, want to go investigate?

rolled 47 = 47

>>19173762

rolled 11 = 11

>>19173762
Rolling.

rolled 100 = 100

>>19173762

>>19173783

> Nice roll! Effects will come later.

You excuse yourself with another hug and a more formal salute before heading out. Man, if you could spend every dinner just chilling out with Martha, or your attendants... but it's not to be.

What is to be is what looks like a bloody campaign. Torches have been lit around the courtyard, and quite possibly the whole Guard contingent of about 100 men are standing at attention, waiting. They do not pay you any heed until Linden and Peony, together, hail your entry; then they kneel. Moments later the guard captain on duty comes up. 'Your lordship!'

'What on earth is happening here?'

'The Fourth Earl has ordered us to stand by for marching out, sir.' He seems rather breathless and frazzled himself. For one, he's got one strap on his helmet drooping down to his neck. 'He says it's to clear out the bandits...'

Bandits? Wait, how did Imian know about this... just then you hear a salute to you, and turn around to see Imian on a horse, with Sadereg in tow, supporting another man. Sadereg comes to you.

'Your lordship! I'm sorry for my tardiness. I couldn't find you, and I couldn't enter the Countess' residence, so I made a report to the Fourth Lordship...'

'He's been very thorough,' Imian says, smiling.

> What do/say?

>>19173799

> .... so it seems the psych hobo phenomenon carries over to this setting as well, eh.

I'll take this roll into account.

Hmmm. Reading up on Duruna, if we could woo and wed her it would be a massive coup. She is apparently intelligent too, according to Martha. The only iffy part would be negotiating around her father.

>>19173913

Maybe this, but then I'm still kind of for one of the foreigners.

Mainly because Ahun, no matter how powerful, are our underlings, but the duchys are equals.

>'He's been very thorough,' Imian says, smiling.

How thorough is it to go bandit hunting in the middle of the night? He got numbers or at least a porbable location?

>>19173962

'How precise is this information, that you're heading out in the night to hunt them, brother?' You try not to contain your surprise, but Imian seems to be very glad he's got the drop on you this time, where claiming credit is concerned.

'Sir, this is Kogero,' Sadereg says, pointing to the man he's supporting. Then you see the gash on his leg and can guess what's coming next. 'He's a friend of mine, from the northern villages, and his village just got attacked.'

'They're headed southwest, sir,' Kogero says. 'Also, they're not bandits, sir; they're Hillmen. There's about 30 of them, all moving the same way.'

Bloody hell. Come think of it, isn't there a Hillman embassy that's still here now? Or have they gone? Peony quickly confirms they're still in the Palace.

> What do/say?

>>19173875
Uh-huh. Bandits, is it. And they used a royal-looking carriage to ambush.

Mhmmm.

I am not entirely sure there is anything we can do here. They are about to ride out and we are not in armor or anything else. If we tag along it will look like we were just usurping glory at this point.

Then again... heh. I had a positively evil idea.

What if we sent Rose out to the town and had her tell everyone that the Fourth Earl will be arriving soon... and that he is in league with the bandits. He plans to make a show of cleaning them up and then take the profits they robbed from the hardworking townspeople. They shouldn't let him in. We will come and personally clean up the bandits for real and then return their possessions.

This will humiliate Iman and cause this whole plan of his to go down in flames. Then we can sortie and arrive ourselves and take a ton of glory.

The only downside is it will probably make an enemy of Iman, but honestly he is already trying to fuck us over constantly.

>>19173875
Well hey Sadereg want to do me another favor and pull this knife out of my back real quick?

Seriously though ask what he found out about the bandits and ask Imian if he is sure it is wise to go about this at night.

>>19174026
To you guys all agog at him chasing bandits at night, do remember he probably funded these "bandits". He likely knows exactly where they are because they are his men.

>>19174035
Yeah no don't do that.

>>19174035

I can think of another downside to sending a female attendant out to a village in the middle of the night into the path of bandits...

Yes, ask Sadereg - privately. Tell Imian to go ahead, congratulate him in advance. He has a huge ego, we should stoke it.

>>19174026
Go find the Hillmen embassy and try to seek a diplomatic resolution before Imian gets a bunch of people killed.

>>19174069
If that's the case then let's smile and let Iman go on his way. Then we should go get the ambassador Hillmen and ride out and follow Iman at a distance. After he "defeats" the bandits we arrive with the ambassador and he verifies that these were not, in fact, hillmen at all, thereby undercutting Iman and revealing the whole thing to be a farce.

>>19174035
Bad plan. Nn village is going to try to resist an Earl that is out in force. Even if they did they'd just get wiped out and Imian will learn of our intervention. This would make us both look really bad.

>>19174100
If they really are hillmen then after Iman slaughters them we can arrive with the hillman ambassadors and look like a reasonable fellow who tries to promote foreign relations whereas Iman will look like a bloodthirsty killer. We went and got these guys while our brother went out and killed your countrymen, who would you rather support? That kind of thing.

>>19174147
If we're lucky, we might get there before Imian. Small party are usually faster than large groups, especially if we have horses and they don't.

>>19174100
Sounds like a plan.

>>19174069

To be sure, you did wonder that. And even now you think it makes sense - it's either him, or another of the brothers.

But if it's Imian, and he's going out to meet them and share loot or whatever, why's he going out with the entire guard force? That's just providing witnesses to his crime, isn't it...?

Anyway. Hmm.

>>19174090
>>19174039
>>19174093
>>19174100

Well, it's that thing in the Art of Strategy, is it not? 'If an enemy is arrogant, flatter him'. Also, you just thought of your fourth brother as an enemy. Damn, son, you're really becoming a politician.

'Well...' you say, looking back at the guards. 'Well, if this man speaks the truth, and I'm not questioning that rather serious leg wound, then definitely you should go out and intercept them. I congratulate you in advance for your success, brother! Take care and be careful!'

He smiles as you excuse yourself, getting Kogero to the doctor to look at his gash and then turning to Sadereg. 'What is the meaning of this? You told my brother plans you should have told me!'

'Sir! Please... out of earshot.' You lead him somewhere quieter, and he whispers. 'Kogero is genuine, and he did tell me about the bandits, but they're at another village, and not going southwest but northwest. What he says about them being Hillmen appears to be true, though.' He produces something small and silver, which you soon recognise to be a typical Hillman sash-buckle. 'They do have a carriage going around, and it appears to be something that was gifted. It looks very authentic, I'm sure it's real.'

> More incoming.

I'd rather beat Imian to the 'bandits' with the Hillmen ambassadors if we can manage it.

You summon the Hillman ambassador, who on hearing this goes rather pale. 'Could it be...?'

'Could it be what, ambassador? Speak.' You're getting quite impatient with this now. Two days until your first meeting, and this kind of shit has to happen. Then again, it is true that summer is when all the worms emerge from the woodwork...

'Well... the Left Wing of the Red Pines Tribe had a succession dispute recently, and there has been word that it was gradually escalating... perhaps one party or another has been evicted, and is seeking asylum, sir?'

'Seeking asylum from our Appanage, by burning our villages? Bloody brilliant plan, isn't it!' You raise your voice, and the ambassador looks embarrassed. Well... time for counterplan.

> What do/say?

>>19174100
>>19174147
These get my support. Seriously, we need to put Imian back in his place.

>>19174195
Oh man. If we get there first and resolve (either with blades or diplomacy) then just imagine Iman's face.

"My, my brother. You seem to have a habit of arriving just in time to witness me solving the problems of the realm."

I can just picture his face, he would be livid.

>>19174243
Thank you based Sadereg

>>19174264
Take the ambassador, Sadereg, the rest of the Hillman embassy, and whatever personal guards and gate-guests that we can find horses for and get diplomatic on these clowns.

>>19174273
If Imian gets any more aggresive he's going to just wake up dead one day. Not saying it will be us, but throwing yourself in the fray like that can have hazardous consequences for your health.

>>19174264
"How on earth would they think that raiding would endear them to us? Where would they come across such an authentic carriage?" We should also ask our gate-guest about how Imian is going to go about this problem

Gather guards and the ambassador's retinue. The ambassador, being a hillman, will know their tactics, strengths, weaknesses, and what they are likely to do. We will commandeer a sufficient number of men and ensure they are all mounted, unlike our brother's force. Not only will that let us travel faster, but mounted soldiers will ride down hillmen on foot like a scythe through wheat. This is not the hills now, it's grassland.

We then ride out to meet them. We will solve this, one way or another. Make sure to bring our good blade, there could be some reddish work tonight if things go badly... but either way, it will go in our favor once it is over. We will have solved the bandit threat and Iman will look a fool.

>>19174283
>>19174298
these, we'll need to have a talk with Imian when this is over

>>19174298

Looks like we've got a plan. Personally I'd prefer it if we enter the battle while both the Fourth's troops and the bandits fight so we look like Big Damn Heroes.

>>19174352
We have talked to Iman enough. The time for words is over, he's our enemy now. We didn't want it to go that way, but he has made it CLEAR he has no intention of being our friend.

The time for words is over between us. He has taken our favors and not returned them. He has ignored our words and told us to step down in his favor or else.

>>19174298
>>19174351
These. Let's deal with these bandits ourselves and then bring them in chains to the walled village they raided... or diplomacy them into returning all the stuff they stole to that village. We will be a hero.

While we are there we can covertly recruit the child spy while festivities distract people.

>>19174385
Well yeah, but we gotta keep up appearances.

Dad likes Imian more than he likes us.

>>19174351
>>19174298
>>19174283

'No time to waste. Ambassador, do you have guards and horses?'

'We do, sir.'

You gather them up, take Sadereg and your own guards along - man, it's sad but true that your armed forces are pathetic - and, grabbing horses from the Palace stables, ride out into the night.

Given Kogero's accurate information, and Sadereg's excellent navigation skills, it doesn't take a lot of riding before you spot a village with all its torches burning - certainly not the sign of a normal rural night. Another group of torches is moving rapidly from the south towards them.

You look back; there's no sign of Imian's men yet. You could probably intercept the raiders before they reach the village; or, since the village appears to be walled, you could reach the village before them and meet them head on, or even let them move first and trap them against the village wall.

'If they're hillmen, ambassador, what do you reckon they'd do if we trapped them against the wall?'

The ambassador frowns. 'If they're indeed the group from the Red Pines, sir, they're unlikely to surrender peacefully if threatened... after all they have little to return to. It might be best to talk first before drawing any blades.'

You stroke the hilt of your Sumaskete, cool in the cool night. Well, well...

> What do, what plan? They're moving, but you have the initiative by way of being all-mounted. Kogero says there's about 30 of them; you have 5 men, and the ambassador has 6 guards, so that's 13 men in all.

>>19174420
I think Dad also respects competence, which we'll show Imian is lacking in

>>19174465
Intercept before they reach the village.

Tell them that they have succeeded in drawing the attention (and the ire) of some of the powers that be in Margarde, and ask what they are seeking to accomplish.

Does the stirrup exist in this setting?

>>19174465
Five men is all we've got left of our treck in the south? Man that's sad.

Battle sounds right out really, though letting them go for Iman to find would suck. Getting to the village sounds the safest, but discussing face to face without would be the most effective I suppose.

Do they have archers? If not, we could always retreat to the village if necessary.

>>19174465
I like the idea of trapping them against the wall. Perhaps we can ride up behind them and trap them, but go with words before drawing blades. It will add more... impetus to our commentary. After all, 13 men is not much of a threat. 13 men backed up by an entire village ready to rain arrows on you and reinforce those 13 men... much more dangerous.

Not only that, but we will look more heroic if we save the village rather than just preventing them from being attacked.

>>19174570
>>19174571

These; let's wait and trap them against the wall. Are the villagers armed? I'm guessing they have stones and bows, at least?

We talk, find out who they are. Also keep an eye out for that authentic royal carriage.

Guys, remember: It's 13 men against 30, but we are mounted and they are not. That is a HUGE advantage for us. I think we would probably win a straight out fight, though we would probably take losses.

>>19174465
might as well try some diplomacy first

Put them against the wall. It will let the villagers help us and we will look better that way. A superhero saving the day sort of.

Man, only 5 of the men are ours. Aren't we on good terms with the palace guard? We should probably work on winning their support if Imian tries more aggressive actions against us

I really did expect us to at least like, commandeer some of the town watch to come with us or something.

>>19174570
>>19174571
>>19174593

Since you reckon you have too few men to prevail if they start fighting first, you decide to wait, torches unlit, until the Hillmen pass you on the way out. As they run by, some ways down the road, you can hear them yelling to each other.

Yeah, that's Hillmanese all right, and it's even got the authentic accent. At least some of these guys are real.

You ride up, hard, and then light the torches and hail your presence just as the raiders arrive at the village. They turn around, clearly surprised, and the villagers, seeing your entourage, yell and cheer.

'I'm the Third Earl of Mar! I have received reports of your band raiding the Appanage's villages, and have come to intercept you! State your exact purpose!' As you yell this, you catch a glimpse of that royal carriage. Bloody hell, it *is* a real one, though not one of your rank - it's meant for royal barons, judging by the roof ornaments and size. Where they hell did they get that?

The Hillmen, meanwhile, have arrayed themselves into a hedge of spears, around the carriage and several mounted figures. They look nervous. The carriage opens, and a man stands and salutes you. 'We are from the Red Pines, and we have come to exact our due tribute from your people! Three years you have failed to deliver your subsidies as promised, and we have fallen into factionalism. I am here to take what's ours rightfully, and take it back to my people!'

Tribute? The Red Pines and Mar do have mutual gifting relationships, but you don't recall missing them out...

> What do/say?

If we put them against the wall, odds are they won't wait to hear what we have to say before the stabbing starts.

Intercept them asap

>>19174698
May want to find out from our pal the ambassador if he knows what the deal is with the tribute situation.

Also may want to ask this guy if this is really the best plan he could come up with to get what he wanted.

>>19174698
Turn to the Hillman ambassador and ask if he knows what the guy is talking about.

>>19174698
Fortunately we have an ambassador of his people here! Have the ambassador explain.

>>19174762
>>19174771
>>19174774

'So, you intend to ask for gifts from us, by attacking our people? Is this truly the wisest of your plans?'

You then order the ambassador to ride up. He's not of the Red Pines, but surely he knows the truth. The two of them speak in Hillmanese, but of course you can listen in with no issue.

As they talk and yell at each other, you hear several surprising points. Apparently it is true that the Palace has been giving subsidies out haphazardly at best. 'We sent 4 gerfalcons to the Palace, and asked in return for the right to herd our animals to the foothill meadows and also for grain to feed our populace. We waited till the grazing season was almost over, and no response came!'

To your surprise, the ambassador starts sympathising with the Red PInes person a little. Wait, wait a bloody second. You know for sure on the Palace side that these things are written down, and then all the records are kept in the Archives. Surely they couldn't have missed out on so many Hillmen affairs? Unless... unless someone in the Palace was messing with the administration?

Just then, Sadereg comes up to you and points behind. You look back and see a much larger trail of torches bearing down. The Red Pines leader spots it too, and draws his sword, whereupon the ambassador yells at him. 'What are you doing?!'

'Who are those people!?'

Well, so much for putting out a fire by pouring oil on it...'

> What do/say? It appears that the Red Pines do have some legitimate concerns. There has been no mention of the succession dispute thing though... this guy might just be concealing that, perhaps, to mask robbery as grievance?

Ambassador, talk to the man!

Maybe if we arrested this man and turned him over, we'll gain an ally with the Red pines? Anyone considered that?

>>19174863
Ride up, and in our fluent Hillmanese. "Sir, I understand your grievance, I understand the plight of your people, and I understand you're upset. However, the Palace is a complex, unorganized, and rather annoying place. I'm sure the records have been doctored, or destroyed, for my father would never ignore the noble Hillmen or their gifts. If you simply calm down, let your people return to their homes, and come with me and the Ambassador to the palace...we can avoid a slaughter here. My brother has brought the entire contingent of guards to wipe you out."

"Let it be known my brother, Iman, has also heard of your doings. He means to put you all to the sword. I understand that there has been a mistake, and you have cause to be angry. I will see this addressed, but you must surrender to me immediately and prepare to return all that you took by force. If you do not, I will not be able to prevent my brother's force from wiping you out to a man."

Say this in Hillmanese. We don't want the peasants thinking that we are going soft on bandits. All they will see is the hillmen surrendering to the glorious Third Earl.

Let's get them all "captured" before our brother arrives. Then, as he rides up, we'll be surrounded by cheering townsfolk with a force twice our size captured... and a shit eating grin on our face.

>>19174896
maybe we should be too quick to arrest the ambassador, but an investigation must be done at least before our father comes back and his sycophants undo our work and turn him against us. Send out our gate guest to Imian and tell him to stand down.

>>19174863
Tell them that's it's our another member of our palace who is much less interested in disccussing. Offer him to go with us to the palace to investigate his grievances, but for that he'll have to come with us with a small party while most of his men scatter. We understand that he might not like the idea, but he has no chance if he decides to fight and we promise on our honour that nothing will happen to him if he is proven to be in the right. Offer also four our group to keep Imian busy long enough for his men to disappear without being hunted down.

>>19174954
shouldn't

>>19174952
>>19174947
This this this. Have these guys surrender and tell them we will investigate these things. We have to make sure this is handled before our brother gets here so we can take all the credit and make him look a fool. I don't want him trying to steal some glory like last time.

>>19174947
>>19174952
>>19174966

You turn around and look. Ah, hell. But then... you could also turn this to your advantage. There wouldn't be any use in announcing your presence, or getting Imian to stand down - Imian probably doesn't have that phrase in his vocabulary.

Instead you simply ride up and place a hand on the ambassador's shoulder to stop him. The Red Pines leader's face is one of surprise as you address him in perfect Hillmanese. 'You are a leader of the Red Pines, are you not? You are of noble stock and ancestry among your people, so why do you condescend to banditry on such pretexts?'

'The pretexts are the very life and death of my wing and tribe, sir!' He yells at you. He does, however, sheath his sword. 'Also, who are those? Are they your reinforcements?'

'Not mine. They're my younger brother Imian's men, and he has given them orders to slaughter without reprieve any person suspected of banditry. Do you wish to die like a dog in a foreign land, for your spirit to wander far from the hills while your bones are scattered?'

Your understanding of Hillmen culture, bound to those hills as it is, allows you to find his weaknesses. The leader glances nervously. 'What... what will you have us do, then?'

'Stand down! Follow me to the Palace. I will be obliged to take you prisoner before my brother, but I will treat you as a guest in private. We can look into those grievances you mention.' You pat your horse as it starts snorting, hearing the horses approaching behind. 'Quick! I haven't got all night to parley with you!'

There is a moment of hesitation among them, but soon the leader takes the sword from his sash and puts it on the floor of the carriage. The soldiers quickly throw down their spears, and you hear cheering from the villagers. 'They've surrendered! There's no fighting! The Third Earl's talked them into surrender!'

Meanwhile Imian's men are still on the way... and then they arrive, only to see your men tying up the 'prisoners'. 'What the hell's this? We were told...' Imian looks at you, then Sadereg, and points his sword at him. 'You! You told me they were going northwest!'

> What do/say?

Be careful not to gloat. Let's just be matter of fact.

'It's good you've arrived, brother. We encountered them by luck as we rode out. I thought to seek negotiation before fighting, and it's worked.'

>>19175088
"Do not worry, brother. I understand that the Hillmen are masters of deception and quick movement. Fortunately I was able to call upon some friends and predict when they turned from their northwest course."

or maybe

"Knowledge can cut deeper than any blade, brother. Be careful where you draw it from. A friend hands it to you hilt first, but those you scorn will let you grip the tang."

>>19175172

Fourth brother simply glares at him, then at you, before sheathing his sword.

'Shall we escort them for you, or will you do it yourself, brother?'

> What do/say? Also, what do you do with the man once you're back in the Palace? You did give your word... but then this guy did burn your villages.

We step up to our brother and offer and shake our hand in apology. Oor gate guests made a foolish mistake and it is our entire responsibility, we will chastise properly for it.

Explain that we were approached by the Hillmen ambassador and he asked us to see if they could intervene in this matter to smooth out the situation. Since we were already involved through Sadereg's actions and mistakes, we had a responsibility to act.

>>19175238
Keep our word. We can discuss righting that particular wrong later, for now let's just see if he has a real grievance.

>>19175238

Let's hand them over to Imian, I guess.

We have to prepare for the hearings and the meetings and so many other things. Go back, make sure the man is alive, then go... read up or something.

>>19175238
There's nothing saying we can't both keep our word AND then execute them as bandits once investigations have been conducted.

But I think we should escort them ourselves now. Make sure to stop by the other village that got raided and give the people back what was stolen. We will look awesome with captured bandits and stuff. And recruit that spy girl while we are passing through.

>>19175238
No, we've got it handled Fourth Brother, We've got their ambassador with us to ensure they behave while we move, and that we don't mistreat our prisoners.

>>19175286
No you fool! We will escort them ourselves!

Handing them over to Imian is asking for disaster. He will either take the credit himself, execute them, or find out about the problem and try to resolve it before we get a crack at it!

Escort ourselves. Give him a smile and say we're perfectly capable of handling this ourselves.

>>19175306
This give to the tribes their due and then judge the bandits would be as fair as we could get.

Also for returning the stolen goods to the villages.

"Thank you Brother, I will gladly accept your offer to escort me!"

>>19175371
Stop that. Don't even have Imian associated with this. Even him being with us shares the glory with him, you know.

>>19175371
that would be make him our subordinate rather than a rival.

>>19175412
No, it would be exactly the same as the grain thing. He would take a share of the glory because he is our social equal. He might even take more, since he has more men here.

>>19175286
>>19175306
>>19175262
>>19175335
>>19175345
>>19175231

'It's fine, brother, we've got enough men. Besides, the ambassador is here to assist me.' You make sure to point out the ambassador has followed you, and he doesn't seem too unhappy to be associated with you either. Imian still looks miffed. 'Please don't take it to heart, sir. You know how Hillmen are like in warfare. Their terrain and tactics give themselves excellently to deception. It is but fortunate that we caught them before you did.'

'That might be so, brother. Congratulations.' And with that, Imian rides off, barking his orders. 'Call the thing off! March back to barracks for rest! Tomorrow morning, same time, for drills!'

'That's going to cause grumbling,' Sadereg mutters, watching them go back.

Meanwhile, you look for and find quite a bit of the stolen stuff from the nearby village, and head there. There is again apprehension, but when they see who you've brought along there is much cheering and they welcome you in. Your men are plied with food and drinks even as they attempt to give back the stolen stuff, which is mostly food and drinks. 'Where's that beggar girl?' you ask.

'Beggar... oh! Oh!' They bring up the girl, who looks at you and then at the bandits.

'Who're you?'

'His lordship is the earl of Mar! Be polite!' a man smacks her upside the head, and she turns and sticks her tongue out at him before turning to you. You tell her you want to recruit her into your service, and the village appears stunned.

'But... but she's crazy, your lordship.' At that, the girl stares at you.

> What do/say?

>>19175474
Christ. We were supposed to do it when they were DISTRACTED. As in, not looking! Sending a servant or something to recruit her while we basked in adulation! Fuck damn.

Just say that we think she has potential as a servant when properly trained and leave it at that. They don't need to know why we are recruiting her. Then present the returned valuables, that will take their minds off it quickly.

>>19175474

'Crazy? I don't think so. It is the nature of the highly intelligent to seem foolish.'

>>19175474
"Are you objecting to me removing a drain on your supplies to a place where she will be well taken care of? I will see she's well taken care of, which her father cannot do, and which you all are too busy doing your duty as loyal subjects to do."

Then explain to her that we're on to her act later when we're in private.

>>19175474
I'm sort of stumped on this one, why did we go and do this publicly and in person again?

I guess smile, shrug, wave hand dismissively. We noble, we do what we what for no reason because we can.

>>19175555
Second. I don't know why we did it like this, but just shrug it off. We don't have to explain ourselves to some grubby peasants.

>>19175474
Oh, here is some Imian-style recruiting, let everyone know that we hired a spy! Yohoo!

>>19175545
>Explaining this sort of thing to people who would be more than willing to talk about our actions

Why do you think this is a good idea? explaining it as charity means we look soft hearted, any other explanation means we'll actually be using her in some capacity and then the advantage of having her is lost.

>>19175534
>>19175545

> I beg your pardon if I've missed anything, but I don't recall being asked to be subtle, and I'm not a mindreader. Do specify, in future, if you wish for something to be done in secret, if it's something that could just as well be done in public.

>>19175589
>>19175555
>>19175552

You simply give the village chief a look, and he nods. 'I intend to hire her. That's all.'

'Me? M... me, sir?'

'Yes.' Soon the redistribution is complete, and in the general relaxation - also because you've had three shots of strong farmhouse liquor - you decide to walk. The beggar girl walks beside you, and after a long time you ask her if something's up. To your surprise, she clears her throat and speaks with a much deeper, natural voice.

'Sir. How did you figure I was acting crazy, sir? Or do you know most villages have people like that?'

> What do/say?

>>19175606
>>19175589
>>19175555

Um, so you'd rather we disappear her overnight after we visited the village? So we become suspected kidnappers?

Now everyone's going to think we've hired her as a servant and ask no more of it. It's called a cover, guys, that's what espionage is all about! No spy ever has 'spy' on his name card!

>>19175627
"Crazy people don't sneak up on food, they don't have mental fortitude to think that far ahead."

"Also, knowing your father is the village idiot tells me that you probably never got enough food, and what better way to get more than to act like your father and steal it?"

>>19175627
>she clears her throat and speaks with a much deeper, natural voice

So I'm probably overthinking this, seeing as she young and all, but this is a -girl-, right?

>>19175627
I, for one, assumed we wouldn't just announce in the town square "YO, I AM RECRUITING THIS PERSON WHO I INTEND TO BE A SPY."

I mean, that's why we are recruiting her. That has been stated before multiple times. I just assumed that the default when recruiting a spy was to be, you know, subtle about it.

>>19175627
>>19174414 asaked to do it covertly

>>19175627
"You seemed to have talent and cunning. I merely thought I could find something to do with you."

>>19175627
see
>>19174414
>While we are there we can covertly recruit the child spy while festivities distract people.

>>19175683
>>19175680

'You are mad enough to distract me and attempt to steal my meat bun, when you might have snatched it. That's not madness, that's a plan. I like people who plan.'

She smiles, and you move the torchlight and see that she's actually... quite a bit older than her stature would suggest. Her small size, high voice and the dirt smeared on her face concealed her age, but now you reckon she's in her twenties, probably. She glances at you and bows.

'I like people who hire spies openly, in front of an entire village, sir.'

'You're not a spy, you're an attendant.'

'Then they'll think you're crazy, sir, to hire a crazy woman.'

'Then I am crazy! And no one can guess what I do next.' You laugh at that, and the laugh spreads to Sadereg and the girl. 'When you said there are other people like that in the villages, you gave me an idea.'

'I would gladly aid you in recruiting, sir,' she bows, already anticipating your order. Soon you're back in the Palace, where Peony notices the girl and understands your intention. 'I'll enter the new attendant in the register, then?'

'Let's not go that far, Peony.' You arrange for the prisoners to be unbound, and they stand there looking at you. Man, you don't need this. You already have several hundred things on your plate...

> What do/say?

>>in her twenties
the fuck. she is older than us? or you meant she is 10-20yo?

> Also, to clarify: No, you did not say 'I AM HIRING YOU AS A SPY' to the girl. Please give Adrian, and me, a bit more credit than that. You didn't 'hire a spy', you made a hiring decision without giving anything away. And why should you give anything away, indeed?

> So no, no one knows you just got a spy. And since they 'know' she's nuts, and since spies tend not to be nuts, that's probably not what they think you hired her to be.

>>19175824
Holy shit wat?

I don't mind that she's older, but how could we have mistaken a twenty year old (that's like 4 years older than us) for a child?

Whatever, even more useful this way. I can't complain.

As for the hillmen... uh, put them in the guest quarters under guard. Tell them they are to stay there until the investigation has been conducted, and tell our attendants that they should probably avoid the guest wing.

After that, well. Hmm. Let's have Rose wander down to that scribe who informed for us, discretely, and ask him if he knows anything about this. He's the only real contact we know in the administration right now.... we need more.

>>19175952

> Her small size, high voice and the dirt smeared on her face concealed her age

She's probably malnourished, so quite small.

>>19175983
Hmmm. Good point.

>>19175952

Do you mean 'this' as in the Hillman tributes affair? Because that's outside his jurisdiction as a magistracy officer.

Come think of it, there isn't really an office that takes care of the tributary trade. It's always just kind of happened; you always thought it was just the Prince, then Gesadag and probably your second brother, doing most of the legwork.

... and given all three of them have very legitimate reasons to make those tributes and gifts disappear... oh joy. Let's just hope you haven't stepped on too many toes this time.

Meanwhile the men are housed in the guest wing, and Peony informs you that the 5,000 taels you've been promised this morning has arrived. That was quick. Oh, look at those chests of silver, what a wonderful sight!

'There's also a letter, sir,' Peony says, passing it to you. 'Doesn't look like it was written by the merchants, though.'

'Hmm?' You open the letter, and it's from Katesas! Wait, how did he have contact with the immigrant merchants like that?

It's a short letter, just saying that the deal for two of the brothels has been finalised - and that he will be coming to the hearing tomorrow, posing as a merchant, to give more information on things. Clever guy.

> Well. What do? It's night now, you've got quite a long day ahead probably...

>>19176122
Is it possible to investigate this while the palace is asleep? If so, maybe we should have an attendant look into it? Rose or Linden.

Either way, we should probably got to sleep ourselves.

>>19176122

Continuing on the administration point, maybe we should get Peony to draw up a list of some admin officers who could be... influenced.

Get the spy girl to go and recruit our network, and then go and get some rest.

>>19176122
Get people started on investigating the tribute affair, find where the papers were supposed to be and if they're actually there. We need to get this started quick.

Get this giant pile of money stored.

Talk to the leader of the Hill folk, get a more complete story, we were in a bit of a rush earlier.

We should get a list of the complaints these Hillmen have.

Stuff like the grazing... well, you know, we could just let them graze on our land in the north. And if we don't have enough we could just go up there and commandeer some more.

What this will do is cultivate allies... allies that hold no love for the current power structure in Mar but are loyal to us. That means allies that would support us against them, should we require it. In other words, a secret support base that does not reside in Mar and therefore is much harder for our foes to find out about.

>>19176232
>>19176253
>>19176258

You can give the spy girl a flower name, actually, if you wish. Now, in better light and after a quick wipe down, she's... actually quite pretty! You wonder if rubbing dirt on the face has anything to do with keeping a fair complexion, because she's surprisingly fair.

> Choose flower name? Or no flower name, just let her be? A flower name provides pretty legit cover, it must be said.

Anyway, enough of that... while she waits for orders, you ask Peony about investigation. 'Hmm. Well, sir, I know the section of the archives those records are kept, so with authorisation I could retrieve them for you.'

You give her your sash ornament again, and then go up to the Hillman leader, who looks at you as you enter. 'Sir.'

'I need to know more about what you said, those grievances.'

> More incoming.

>>19176374
Flower names are good, they give a bit of cover and it fits the theme, it'd be kinda weird for everyone to have a flower name except one.

Maybe Lily or Primrose. But I don't really know flower names that well.

>>19176374
How about Lily? Short for Lily of the Valley, a poisonous flower.

That's what you call irony.

>>19176374
Name her "Blackberry" it brings to mind the sweet delicious fruit, but is also quite prickly.

As much as I'd like "Nightshade" for spy girl's name, I think the connotation's a bit too strong. Perhaps "Chrysanthemum" would be nicer...?

>>19176298
>>19176258

The money is taken to the vault.

> Money: 6,170 taels. Ah, it's nice to be rich.

Meanwhile. 'So... what are these grievances?'

'The ambassador says he's told you about the split in the Left Wing, sir?' You nod, and he continues. 'That split was... at least partly because of what I mentioned. We have a treaty with your father the prince, where we send tribute in exchange for subsidised necessities - linen, silk, grain and money. We have always held up our end of the treaty, but for the last three or four years the subsidies were at best minimal - or they wouldn't come at all.'

Just then, Linden enters the room, cradling a large bundle of scrolls. You dismiss her after she's put them down. 'Go on.'

'Normally we wouldn't be so worried about the subsidies - for most years we use them as reserves, rather than actual necessities. But the last three years have all had poor harvests of millet and oats, and so we ran down our stores and sent two delegations to beg for aid. The first was promised it, but nothing came. The second was simply turned away.'

'When was this?'

'The second delegation was earlier this year, during the deep winter chill. Half our herds died because of the lack of prior grazing...' at this point he wipes a tear from his cheek. 'So many of our cattle... so we were in fact split between the entire tribe raiding your land, sir, or sending another delegation. I volunteered to lead that delegation, but I figured that if nothing drastic was done, no attention would be given to us.'

'That is foolish, and you know it.'

'But I knew no other recourse!'

> What do/say?

Let's go with Blackberry! Or Bramble.

>>19176442
I like this name

>>19176485
Well while there may be punishment doled out to you and your men, I may not be able to prevent that despite your sad tale.

However you have my assurance that I will look into the subsidies and make sure that we keep up our half of the bargain. Whether this be caused my malice or incompetence I will get to the bottom of this.

For now I ought to be able to provide temporary reprieve for your cattle on my own lands, it may not be enough but it's what I can offer for myself.

If we play our cards right we'll have a fucking Hillman tribe completely loyal to us.

> Lily it is, then!

Lily likes the name, and smiles when you explain the whole flower name thing.

'I shall bring you whole bouquets then, sir,' she says, and takes her leave. Well, well, that's nice to know...

>>19176485
Let him know that some of his men are going to have to be tried and executed as bandits. Let him work out among said men who that will be. These men probably came into this knowing their lives would likely be forfeit, so it shouldn't come as a shock.

But then tell him that there is corruption in the palace... but we are not among the corrupt. We will allow them to graze and farm on our land... in return for the tribute that was normally sent to the palace. However, we might not ask for just coin. We might also take payment in other things... such as warriors willing to stand with us against our foes. They are to keep this secret. Ask them how much land they will need and when.

Gentlemen, I think if we take this route we will have the beginnings of our own private army. These could be the footmen, then we could back them up with Stone Folk archers and saboteurs.

>>19176597
Father will cap our ass for a private army, no one wants another civil war here.

>>19176580
>>19176597

'It is difficult for a man such as you, I wager,' you stand up and go to him. 'Something has probably happened in the Palace - corruption, venality - to prevent your people from being relieved. If it is any comfort to you, I will have this investigated. I will seek the truth behind it.'

'That is not something I even deserve, sir!' He gets on his knees, but you help him up.

'It is a favour I gladly give. I will have to execute some of your men as bandits, to uphold the law of the land. As for your herds...' you wonder if you should offer your land, given it's already being farmed. Farmers aren't going to appreciate it, that's for sure. 'Where are the areas you asked to graze?'

He gives three locations, two of which make you want to heave a deep sigh - they're land belonging to Tinaga's retainers. But then the last one belongs to a businessman and minor noble in Margade - a distant cousin of the royal house. And you bet Tinaga's men also have city interests - you could perhaps leverage that if you want to provide the Hillmen with land.

> What do/say? This is new information to elaborate previous plans with, mainly.

>>19176720
He doesn't need to fucking know. Besides, they are just a personal guard. A large personal guard.

>>19176597

You do know that a Wing of a Hillman tribe can normally muster about 200 to 300 fighting men.

... That's quite a lot of men, considering that the total number of guards across the Appanage of Mar is about 3,000 or so. So, yes, it's not a very small thing.

Nonetheless, you'll be damned if it turns out your father or brothers, or your uncle the King, hasn't already got several such tribes in their personal pockets...

>>19176763
All our lands can't possible be completely covered in doods. Otherwise we would be making a lot more. But the reality is, we're going to have to go up there and claim more land.

I don't want our new hillman pawns to be grazing on someone else's turf. They need to owe ultimate loyalty to us. Their families need to be in our lands, where they know that if they betray us... well, it's just better not to betray the person who shelters your family.

>>19176848
Sounds like exactly what we need. The lands we put them up in will be far, far away. Out of sight out of mind for the people in Mar, at least that's what it has seemed so far.

But considering the sheer might that our brothers are amassing, it would be good to have an ace in the hole. The only problem is getting enough land to support their grazing.

>>19176763
We don't really use our lands that much, get what we can on our lands without causing severe disruption to the farmers. Make sure they understand not to interfere with the farmers, be cordial and if there is a complaint between the two of them to come to us rather than trying to deal with it themselves.

We can talk to the businessman and see what we can get out of him and if that isn't enough we'll check with Tinaga's retainers.

Put future plans into giving them good land that won't get anyone's knickers in a twist.

>>19176865
>>19176922

Your land is kind of crammed with farmers now. Mind you, it really isn't that much land. It's no one's fault, really, it's just that you haven't had that much time to accumulate an estate.

But if you'd like to make land purchases right now, that'd be grand too. You can finally lay the foundation for an estate... if you had an estate near the Hillmen loyal to you, and another house in Margade to control the city, that does sound like a good situation...

Meanwhile, while you're considering that, the leader says he will get some men to volunteer for execution. He'll choose them.

One more thing to consider before getting too enthusiastic about granting land to the Hillmen, though - if it's good meadows for grazing cows, it probably also is good land for growing crops. And sure, the Hillmen might be grateful and martial, but they don't pay you taxes - peasants growing crops do. Might want to consider that...

> What do? Leave presence and look at scrolls, perhaps? Or prepare for hearings tomorrow, identify any specific areas of concern?

You know, with the amount of money we have from merchant dealings... we could buy up an awful lot of land out in the nether regions of the appanage to host these guys on.

We could explain it off as setting up a dwelling for ourselves out there. Like Second Brother.

The hillmen would pay in one way or another. Either they would pay enough silver in tribute to justify them being on the land rather than farmers... or they will pay in steel and strong men. Warriors who would follow us rather than anyone else. That is something you can't get from peasants.

It's not as if we will be hosting them for free. We would be exacting appropriate tribute for letting them use the land. Make sure you get that right. We aren't doing this out of the goodness of our heart here.

>>19177005

In keeping with the theme of building up the city, we probably need to identify what people urgently need.
Ask if infrastructure, roads and the like are fine. Then we can get our priorities right, and gain good credit with the city people.

>>19177005
>if it's good meadows for grazing cows, it probably also is good land for growing crops.

That's why you'd use land too rugged to be easily farmed... at least if you're not a South American farmer with land so steep that you've got three or four climatic zones to grow different crops in within walking distance.

>>19177005
Something to consider, having the cows graze on the chaff after harvest would help prepare the soil for the next years crops. Farms may be a more direct source of income, but cattle would help improve existing production as well.

>>19177005
They pay some amount of tribute, while not cash it's still useful. That and I like having a loyal group of fighting men should we need them.

We need to look into good land purchases and get that for them, look for the hillier and rugged portions that cows don't care about but are hard to grow crops on without serious work.

Thank him for his willingness to deal with us. Look at the scrolls.

As for the hearings have our people get us what they can about whoever is coming, we'll want to cement good relationships with the shopkeepers and normal folk and get what we can out of them while keeping them happy.

Also if we practice crop rotation the cows can graze on the fields that either are let fallow or grow something like clover to reintroduce nitrogen. Also they provide manure, if we don't practice crop rotation it's a bit out of character for us to know about it so it's a shame we can't introduce it.

>>19177005
>And sure, the Hillmen might be grateful and martial, but they don't pay you taxes - peasants growing crops do.

Would it be possible to hook them up with some merchants willing to purchase whatever good the Hillmen produce, and simply to tax those merchants?

Besides, what do we know of Hillmen culture? Would they have any obligations to us for letting them use our land?

>>19177079
This is a good point. Cows can graze on land that is not as easily farmed. And land not easily farmed will sell even cheaper, and most likely be closer to them as well.

That means we can buy up a lot of grazing land on the cheap which won't have many farmers on it, but it will be completely suitable for grazing hillmen cows on it.

>>19177022
>>19177065
>>19177079

Right now there's some major ways you can get land:

> Buy it
> Ask for it from daddy - you have a right to some more land, as your own estate
> Grab it

So it's up to you. Your current land is rated at about 70 families, which really isn't that much. (70 famliies means it can feed 70 families for a year; this changes with each assessment, depending on size but also fertility and improvements.)

You make it clear to the leader that the idea of letting them graze on your land is dependent on tribute. He nods, and gives a strange smile. 'So, sir... are you usurping the prince's prerogative then?'

Oh yeah. Well, that's true, technically. You haven't a right to ask for tribute, especially not from foreigners.

> What say?

Meanwhile, you think over some of the things to ask about the city.

Canals and roads probably seem like an important thing to ask about, as well as the network of guard posts in town. They used to function mainly as fire houses, but in recent years fires have been breaking out quite frequently...

> Anything else to ask about for the hearings?

>>19177005
Could we buy some land near the border and use these hillmen to ensure safe passage and maintained roads for merchant caravans?
The hillmen will then work as guards in peacetime and soldiers when needed in exchange for grazing rights.
It would also give us an excuse for having a bunch of armed foreigners loyal to us.

>>19177184

The other upside is that we're pretty free to build irrigation works over it too then.

Everybody needs water, after all, and seeing how water runs from the hills to the lowland...

....jesus christ, if we're really serious about this, we're going to end up in a water conflict sooner or later.

>>19177210
"Not at all. I am simply helping friends of mine. If you would prefer, I could have you bring your case before my father... and before his second and most favored son, who happens to own the areas you asked to graze on."

>>19177210
For now buy it, with a focus on hills and other areas that don't work well for farming. We'll think about asking for it from Dad after we get an idea of his mood after what we've been doing.

Tribute perhaps wasn't the right word, loyalty and gifts that have "absolutely nothing" to do with tribute is the proper way to put it.

>>19177294
Errr, what I was trying to
>imply
with this is pretty much saying, "Yes, but we won't call it that and if you make a fuss about it then I could just hand you over to the people who let your tribe starve and die."

Okay, just to keep things neat and make sure I don't miss stuff out, here's the outline of the negotiation:

On your side, you will:

> Investigate the corruption
> Possibly get the subsidies moving again
> Allow the Hillmen to graze on the foothill meadows, once you go round to getting those meadows by whichever means

On their side, the Red Pines' left wing (do you want to include the other wings?) will:

> Pay tribute to you, instead of the Palace (this is politically dangerous)
> Possibly play a part in protecting or enhancing Hillmen-Mar trade
> Provide an armed reserve force for your command in case shit hits the feather fan

> Anything else? Keep in mind that overbalancing the negotiation in either direction would decrease the chances of an agreement. Right now it's looking quite balanced.

>>19177210
No, of course not. I would never usurp authority that's not mine to take. I would just be... 'charging rent' for use of my land.

No-one could object to me charging a small sum to use my land now could they?

would be best to buy the land now that we've got the cash, taking it would cause anger and dissention, and asking for it from daddy would lead him to wonder why we suddenly wanted more land, and that land specifically.

Better yet would be to ask for land from dad in the area we already control for an estate, and buy other land discreetly for other uses.

>>19177279
Sounds like an excellent start on a power base. We will be a water broker. Earn our displeasure and you will find yourself and all your lands ridden with drought.

This goes hand in hand with our sneaky spymaster/assassin role. Manipulating the flow of water to change the course of politics or influence things one way or another.

>>19177337
Making it actual tribute is dangerous as all hell, we'll not call it such, call it rent or gifts, if necessary keep a small flow of actual tribute going to avoid stepping on toes and cut our portion down to match. The big deal is having 300 armed men loyal to us and the diplomatic relations we can use to enhance and protect trade.

>>19177388
>>19177370
>>19177279

> Best befriend the Whites and get to know more hydraulic engineers then! It's an awesome plan, by the way.

>>19177370
>>19177422

'Prerogatives? Oh, heavens no! That will be my land you're using, so it's rent. Surely a man may take rent off his land.'

And with that, the deal is sealed. Tomorrow the men who will be executed are to be given over, and the rest... will probably be released, perhaps?

> Agreement reached. You now leave the room, and Linden takes the scrolls out after you.

'Oh, Linden, nice of you to carry this stuff.' You give her a peck on the cheek, and then look at the whole messy array of things.

> Roll d100 for insight and reading. There's like 60 scrolls, large and small, in here; you're too tired to go through the lot.

rolled 40 = 40

>>19177490
Rolling.

rolled 43 = 43

>>19177490

Also, regarding land acquisition, so what would be your means and plan? Any preferences for whether to buy, ask, grab?

The general sort of land to be acquired, as I understand, is hilly, relatively rough, hopefully with streams for a good water supply. That sort of land's all over the place.

Send someone out to buy the land directly, or maybe go yourself, or engage an agent?

>>19177337
Make it known that while their people are on our land they will be subject to our authority... but also make clear that if they are under our authority we extend the traditional protections of a lord to those who pay him homage. That would keep it balanced... and perhaps, if the hillmen decided to move in on a more permanent basis, we would gain more subjects.

I think we should tell him that we would be glad to extend this to the other wings as well, once we have the land to support them. How many hillmen are we talking?

Oh, also we require absolute secrecy in the tribute thing. Only him and his most trusted Lt.s should know.

Likewise, the only two on our staff who should know about this currently are Baseg and Peony.

rolled 48 = 48

>>19177490
Rolling for our reading skills, we're a good reader I hope.

rolled 12 = 12

>>19177490
Seems like we're terribly tired.

rolled 72 = 72

>>19177540
Fairly mediocre it seems.

>>19177531
We want this to be our land under our name. But by the same token, we don't have the time to get away and buy it personally.

We need a trusted man to go and purchase this stuff. Is Baseg up for it? We would send him with an escort of guards. Can Peony run the entire household by herself while he is off buying our land?

Also, for the land: We will buy it, but we will buy it cheap. Don't force anyone off it, but let it be known that we are the Earl of Mar and we want the land. We could seize it, but being the good man we are we are paying them for it. That kind of thing. We won't gouge them horribly or anything, but using our status to keep negotiations in our favor is something I support.

rolled 83 = 83

>>19177490
Rolling

>>19177537
>>19177564

> 72: success!

Yes, you are tired. You rode out in the morning, rode back in the afternoon, then rode out and back in the evening.

Yawning, you scan through the scrolls until you find the Red Pines. There's four scrolls of those, and you figure you'll start with the subsidies - they are all recorded as having been delivered on time, to the encampment, where the Chief of the Right Wing resides.

As for the gifts section... blimey. It's a small scroll, and there aren't many records. It's almost as if the Palace archives show that it's the Hillmen not holding up their end of the bargain. Even what is written down sounds like a list of disappointments. 'Gerfalcons demanded - 4; 1 delivered. Jade stones not delivered. Shipment of Five-finger herb - half of demand.'

You squint at the empty bits of the scroll, then ask Linden to help you see. As she leans close you can smell her; she's put on a bit more scent for the evening. 'Sir, there's been scraping,' she points out. 'There's definitely been scraping.'

Someone's erasing the records. Damnit.

> What do/say? It's pretty late at night now. Arrrgh busy man!

>>19177609

Seconding this, basically. Get the price as low as possible...

>>19177681
We'll look into who was in charge of writing these, keeping these and who accessed them tomorrow.

We know there's been alterations, maybe we can find someone who's an expert on restoring damaged scrolls, there may be indents or small traces of ink left that chemicals and a artisan could restore.

But that can wait for morning, for now take a quick bath with Linden and have her as our night time attendant, we haven't been giving her as much attention lately due to our business and the new hires.

>>19177752
Seconding this. Bath and bed with Linden, and make a mental note about this for later.

Then we have those audiences tomorrow. And the convocation. Then the next day is the day the ladies are presented, isn't it? Or am I wrong?

Either way, let's relax with Linden. We need to go into tomorrow without all this stress.

>>19177609
>>19177733

Would you like to roll a die, or use the 100 roll from >>19173799 ?

>>19177752

You know who writes and keeps this stuff - it's the Palatial Office, that staff that follows the Prince around, and which is led by Hunaga and another two or three staff members.

It would stand to reason that they'd be the ones actually doing it; but unless they are truly far more daring and audacious than you even thought, they would be doing it on someone's orders. One of the Earls? The Prince, perhaps? You figure someone's basically embezzling the tribute.

... or, since all the subsidies were given to the Right Wing, this might well be a case of Hillmen screwing over Hillmen. Conflicts between wings in the same tribe aren't rare, and you reckon you'd use subsidies as a powerful economic weapon...

... much like you're using the land deal now, really.

You ask Linden to draw you the bath, and she stands by and massages you, exfoliating your arms and neck. 'Poor sir, your skin's peeling.'

'Really? Must be the sun.' You then start as Linden starts licking the flaked skin off you. 'That's gross!'

'It's yours, sir, it's not gross.' She smiles. Man, you'd like to enjoy her tonight, but tomorrow looks to be a long day - hearings, Katesas, and then preparing for Convocation.

> Tomorrow is hearings. Day after is Convocation. Dad comes back in 4 days, Great Summer Festival in 5. The ladies are presented in 8 days, but you figure that the first three days of the Festival are going to whiz by in a blur of drinks and competitions...
> What do? Go with Linden? Hold off and save some energy?

>>19177930
Go with Linden, don't be overly energetic about it but we deserve it after all the work we've put in today. Aim for slow and gentle rather then dislocate your pelvis hard.

>>19177930
Tonight I think our womanizing ways will get the better of us. It might be wiser to hold off and save energy, but sadly we're long overdue for a resurgent case of 16 year old horniness, especially considering we refrained from dancing girls earlier today.

I would rather use that 100 uncovering evidence about who is behind all this, personally.

rolled 54 = 54

Going with roll dice as well.

Also, go with Linden, but let's do it relaxedly. I'm sure she'll understand.

rolled 96 = 96

>>19177930
I'd like to save the 100 for tracking down whoever altered stuff.

rolled 37 = 37

Rollan!

>>19177930
Rollin for land deal and suggesting goin eay with Linden

>>19177930
Use the 100 on the land acquisition, should get plenty of land for quite the low price like that.

Also, we should get geological surveyors out into the hills after we buy it looking for signs of mineral deposits.

rolled 92 = 92

>>19178040
whoops

Pfft. I think we should tear dat ass up, personally. Going easy won't leave us with any particularly more energy for tomorrow, it will just deprive of us a great relaxing night.

If we can save the nat 100 for later, I'd guess the 96 and 92 some anons rolled would suffice.

>>19178034

> I guess this means we can save the 100 roll for when you NEED IT then. It's almost like a fate point now, isn't it?
> ... don't fall off your horse unnecessarily.

>>19178040
>>19178019
>>19177995
>>19177970

'I thought you are going to have a long miserable day tomorrow, sir,' Linden says between gasps as you carry her to bed, not really bothering to dress. Someone will deal with it in the morning. Namely Linden.

'I will, so I'll take my reward early.' You throw her on the bed, and she laughs as you fall on her. You have a gentle and nice time, topped off by lovely pillow whispers, until you lean over to kiss her and promptly fall asleep before getting to her.

When you wake up, it's already past dawn, and Linden's in the bathroom cleaning stuff. Peony knocks and you let her in; you can see the rings around her eyes now. 'Sir, the merchants are gathered and ready for the hearing soon.'

'How about that merchant of paper?' You're referring to Katesas, since that's what he's posing as. Paper, seriously. So literati.

'He's been sent to await a private audience, as per your wishes. Oh, good morning, Linden. I see you've got lovely breasts today, but cover them please.'

You turn; she's got her robe peeled off and tied at the sash, and now she sighs and undoes that. Oh well. You get dressed, wiped down, and head to the hall, seeing the merchants assembled from a distance. They seem very happy to be given this opportunity, and even happier for the tea and cakes you provide.

> What say/ask? You're allowed to ask questions; they'll answer. Then some general points will be given.

>>19178142

How is the city looking forward to the summer festival? Excited? Tense?

>>19178142
I suggest that after the next day or two is over we order Peony to attend us one evening.

And then order her to skip all the chores and retire to bed. Seriously. We will take care of bathing and putting ourselves to bed for one night (oh, the sacrifice!) in order for her to get a long night's sleep. She needs to learn the meaning of day off, for real.

>>19178142
"Gentlemen, I've asked you here today to tell me about the city, up here all I hear about is what's urgent enough to have been brought to the palaces attention, and what those rich enough to come here regularly have told me. Now it's your turn, tell me what you need, tell me how life can be made better for you and your employees.

>>19178217

Maybe we can do that tonight, so she has a good sleep for the convocation meeting.

Oh yes, ask about the tolls! Remember those merchants who got whipped for the tolls, we need to learn more about that.

>>19178142
Ok ask about roads, city conditions, things like that. General mood of the city and how everything is going with them. Tolls, export and import fees. Canals, roads, and the guard posts/fire stations.

Ask if there is anything of note they think ought to be talked about.

>>19178196

They reply that they're excited about the business prospects, naturally. There are the usual rumours going around about people trying to take advantage and make trouble, but they've all heard this before.

Nonetheless, many of them report hiring more guards, or just getting out the heavy wooden sticks, in case bad things do happen.

>>19178239

Oh, that's... a pretty general question. From the hubbub you seem to pick up two general things:

> Firstly, the city is getting seriously crowded. There's wooden shacks being built on front yards, then courtyards, and these days there's wooden shacks being built on wooden shacks. Just the other day one of those shack stacks collapsed, and a family was buried alive.

> Secondly, the city's regulations and buildings are badly in need of rebuilding. The roads are sometimes too narrow even for one carriage when they're designed for two carriages. The market zoning regulations haven't been updated for a decade, and people are just setting up stalls wherever. Even within the official markets, you're getting butchers setting up in the goldsmith's street, stinking up the whole place, and other things like that.

Blimey.

> What do? Welcome to feudal regulation tangleland!

>>19178291
Hmmm. That's a good idea.

Another thing it could do is help gauge what Peony thinks of us. She's pretty hard to read. Doing a bait and switch will do three things:

One, it will accomplish getting her to actually take a break. Two, we will see how she reacts to being ordered to attend us in the evening. To date that specific order has meant "I will be sleeping with you tonight." It won't this time, but it will let us see how she reacts. Three, It will make her directly consider how she feels about said situation, and more importantly about us. And then when we trollface and say "Nope, just making sure you get a good night's rest!" It will, hopefully, make her think of us in a very positive light.

>>19178417
So basically everyones major complaint seems to be overcrowding, and lack of repairs.

next up ask more specific questions, crime and sanitary conditions being good places to start.

>>19178291

They seem a bit hesitant to answer, but you coax them. They say that basically the proliferation of tolls is becoming insane now. The Convocation may levy tolls with the approval of the Palace, but these days no one even knows what's approved and what's not anymore.

When you ask them about that case, they seem indignant. 'Your lordship, those two men entered the gate after dawn, before the second change of guards, and were carrying sesame seeds and wooden boards. And all those things affect the sort of tolls being charged. They were also on a two wheeled cart, driven by a single donkey, and so in the end the tolls came up to nearly the same price as all those sesames and wooden boards..'

>>19178322

The guard appears to be one of the few institutions they say aren't bad. 'The Magistrate is a good man and does his best,' they generally agree. How do people like Radase so much? He's damned ineffectual!

Nonetheless, even with the guard and the cooperative guards, crime is becoming rife. Some blame it on the immigrants, others on the cooperatives and big merchants. There's smuggling going on, trying to get past all those tolls. There's also plenty of illegal prostitution, gambling, and the sale of intoxicating substances, and extortion. Some report having to pay protection money to one cooperative, then paying money to another cooperative to protect them from the first cooperative, and then the guards come along, confiscate that money, and take half of it as their own protection fee! Bloody ridiculous!

>>19178417
I think that a strenuous review of regulations could be in order. And anyone who is reviewing regulations on merchants, well, they are in a position to make a lot of friends...

But for now I think we shouldn't overcommit. Some of these things will be solved when we expand the city, after all. And that's already on our plate.

>>19178491

Friends or enemies, it seems. It's like we're dealing both with a bloated government *and* merchants screwing over the customers.

It's going to be fun attempting reform, seriously.

>>19178482
This kind of thing can only be fixed with sweeping change. We're going to have to dive in and blow away a bunch of the outdated tolls, but that's also going to make enemies of the people who benefit from those tolls.

We are going to need scholars to sift through that. Amaryllis's father could be of help there... and she's quite cute and refined herself. She might be able to help with that too, being a scholar's daughter. Peony is already so busy, and I don't know if any of our other maids would be appropriate for this sort of high-work.

I think we should give her (and her father when he gets here) the assignment of reviewing it and see what she comes up with.

>>19178417

From the looks of things, it seems like infrastructure is the way to go. First thing to do is buy some land, as stated before. In addition to getting tracts for our new Hillmen allies, we should also see about buying up some new property and putting subsidized housing on it, sort of like modern government housing projects.

Second, handle the regulations. Get copies of zoning regulations and make sure that EVERY MERCHANT IN THE CITY HAS A COPY. If we see anyone where they shouldn't be, they get fined. Tough, I know, but it'll keep everyone organized and in line. Maybe expand with a bit of that extra land.

Third, we start improving. Repair roads, start irrigation projects to dry farmland, a sewer project to eliminate waste from the city, get those docks back online. We want to be seen as an emissary of the people, someone they can voice their concerns to. At the same time, however, we need to be firm with our dealings and cautious with everyone except our closest allies.

>>19178552
That's insane. How are you going to get the authority to do all that, and more importantly the MONEY to do all that? If you remember, the palace is broke.

>>19178482
So, things we'll need to think about for fixing things

Get to work on a new quarter for the city, perhaps more.
Increase dock space somehow, (negotiations will be needed)
Untangle to tolls for incoming merchants (incoming headache for us too)
Get the streets cleared of people building on them (the new quarter(s) should help)
Prevent the Blues from eliminating the Greens and seizing their territory.

> Taking note of your plans - they will be consulted and talked about by your people, as you let (some of) them know.

Meanwhile, any more questions you'd like to ask?

Sanitation's pretty bad. There are currently some drainage sewers in the south side, which flow into the Lake directly. In the north, though, they have several cesspits and pools which even you can smell from the Palace on a hot day. There's also a night-soil collection system to cart manure out to the fields, but again - crowds, overwork, overburden...

> If there are no more immediate questions, we'll move to Katesas. Also, would you like to entertain the merchants at all? Lunch, perhaps?

The first thing we need to do at the Convocation is expand the border of the city. It will cost us absolutely nothing to do, it's just a line on paper. We need to zone out these areas and create a new quarter. Then draw up a contract for the Whites -- they get to build the new wall around that quarter.

>>19178604
Give them lunch, it's important that we treat them respectfully since we invited them.

Plus it's more good PR.

>>19178542

If there's one thing this city is damned short of, it's educated people. Seriously, ever since the Case of the Seventeen Scholars and the associated purges, this place has been the scholarly dumps. There are probably more learned Easterners here, than there are learned Imperials.

Also, speaking of Amaryllis' father, she's delivered the letter, and the father says there will be meetings during the Summer Festival and it would be a great honour if you could attend. And why not, right?

>>19178604
Eh, sure. Serve them lunch, get those slaves earning their manumission pay for once.

Then meet in private with our boy and tell him of our plans. Mention that we've had his foe excluded from the Convocation and our plans to get him to marry a whore.

>>19178632
Well the why not is because we're damn busy.

Get Amaryllis on reviewing that toll documentation, see how she handles herself there. She's an educated and refined lady, let's see if that's real or just show. If she can handle herself I think we should absolutely keep her on the staff.

Perhaps put Lavender on the task too? She is a tinkerer, so she's clearly not stupid. Maybe she will prove herself apt at the higher arts of government too?

But we need to review these two to see if they merit a place on our staff.

>>19178671
You mean a place among our permanent attendants.

I think we already are considering them for a place on our staff. Heh heh.