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>>6079405

PROLOGUE :

Ava ignored why she had chosen to do what she was doing. Disobeying her guild superiors ? Maybe because they were cruel and vile, or she found the noseless warlock who was with her. Of course a part of her brain told that she should not trust warlocks like this "Deathstealer" but still, what he said was plausible. Apparently despite the sayings of this Charles de Villeroi who had killed so many people in her guild and seemed to be impervious to magic it was not this rogue foreign sorcerer "Geasus Krist" that was responsible for his anti magic, it was his blood. She has seen Deathstealer summoning demons of knowledge, that was terrifying, but she was now certain that no, it was not this entity (that the demons of knowledge ignored about so it seemed that it did not exist) that protected Villeroi but his blood. They had found someone with antimagic in it's blood.

Look, she was normally against murder, as any young girl who just had finished her magical studies was, well, as any person would be. But antimagic was dangerous, it could prevent spells from being casted, even some prophecies from being realised and... And this Villeroi was a killer, a villain and a tyrant who must have tyrannised her home village of Local. So she needed to do what was to be done, eliminate him. But what to do when the Guild was focused on this "Geasus Krist" and even sent an elite task force against it like it was some cosmic threat. She had to act with great care, to help Deathstealer and to plot behind the back of the Guild. He said that he would contact some friends, and now they were in the corner of a forgotten tavern of the Imperial Capital with some other cowled people that she did not knew.

Deathstealer was finishing his tale about the battle at the guild of pleasantville and his acquintances nodded. All used code names, illusions or masks and she had the disagreeable impression that noone was to be trusted. Damned warlocks...

The man spoke in a hushed tone, fearful of bringing unwanted attention. He then told.

-Good sirs and ladies, I will be brief : I think that we have spotted a new antimagical bloodline.

There was disbelief, there were whispers. One of the men, who looked well built behind his mask told.

-It... It is impossible my lord.. They were all destroyed a long time ago !

What ? He was called "my lord" what did that mean ? Was she in a sort of cult ? No... Not everyone who met secretly and wore cowls and masks were cultists. Deathstealer continued.

-It is possible ! I tell you ! They were exterminated on the continent but he comes from a faraway land ! The man is a lord in a remote corner of Bifuria, with a strange name, Charles de Villeroi.

>>6079407

A man told.

-We must exterminate his bloodline !

A woman added.

-If he is invulnerable to magic we need to pay assassins...

Deathstealer made them a sign to calm down and explained.

-My friends, I understand your opinion but we need information first, what if he had stirred some bastard with a farm girl and we will have a new bloodline il 80 or 100 years. We need to see who he knows, all the women he slept with, and eliminate them and their progeny in plus of killing this man. We will need to pay assassins, but first we need a spy.

Someone told.

-We can tell the Mage's Guild perhaps, they could drop fire on all the region, pretend it is an accident. The problem would be solved, the prophecies preserved.

Deathstealer disagreed.

-I know, but they would not believe us, besides they say that eliminating entire counties of the Empire tend to be poorly seen by non magical authorities and anti-magical resentment could grow if we explain this by a magical phenomenon. You know their usual bull crap, we will need more subtle methods to act.

There were discussions and Ava felt forced to intervene. She explained.

-The presence of such an individual, who can smother magic simply by existing is a threat, it is a threat not only to us, but to the prophecies that bind the world about our victory against the forces of evil, I... I must now say some very...

She was interrupted by a loud masked mage.

-Who is she ? She looks young like she still drank milk from the breast of her mother yesterday !

An old woman added.

-Prophecies are stronger than such nonsense as antimagical bloodlines. Their extermination was needed to free the expansion of magic, not of prophecies.

Other people stood clueless and Deathstealer looked at her, she hadn't revealed anything at all about it but she felt that, betrayed by the Mage's Guild she would have to use these... Unsavoury types to finish the mission given to her and poor Zoomer, killed by this Villeroi brute, by the High Council of mages.

-It is... I... I had to arrest this Villeroi because we had all reasons to believe that he had destroyed a very important prophecy.

They looked at her.

-The Chosen One, the one who should have defeated B'beg the Terrible and assured the victory of the Free Peoples, of the Forces of Good, has last been seen in Local, his lordship, several months ago, right when this Villeroi became ruler. We have testimonies and proofs that the man is truly invulnerable to magic, having slaughtered the tower where we kept him prisoner. He is... Very dangerous for the world. We were... Sure of victory, but now..

-How do you know about the chosen one prophecy, no such things exist !

>>6079408

Most of the Warlocks agreed but one of them, with a very old and wise voice told.

-She is right, I worked in the divination department of the Guild, there are several secret prophecies and this Chosen One has been already prepared several millennia ago, it had to be a girl from the village of Plotarmort, born on a full moon of pure hearth and with pearly white teeth and a look to serve as a muse for a painter from the capital.

They all whispered and the old man continued.

-She was a paladin of Edos if I remember well.

-Yes, and she disappeared with two high ranked paladins... We hadn't the time to go to Local ourselves... But we sent adventurers, some quite powerful and they were all killed.

There were whispers, some thought about a plot, others of rasing Local with magic, Ava felt bad about it, she was born here. But finally Deathstealer spoke.

-What you tell us... Is very interesting, if prophecies and people fated to win can... Be killed by this man, we understand it's danger. It is why... Why we should thread carefully. We need to plant a spy here, understand what children could the man have had and then eliminate him and all of them in a churgical blow.

The small assembly of maybe eight people agreed and cheered, that was going to be interesting. But the same woman as the last time told behind her mask.

-We need money for this, spies are cheap but good assassins...

Deathstealer told.

-I think that I exactly know who could be interested.

He looked at Ava.

-Ava you will come with me. For the rest of you, Bella you will try to learn more about the travels of the man, see how many times he left Local and if he could have stirred children. Astarnar, you will try to find if he has brothers or cousins here or other relatives, try to see the genealogy of the Local family in the Bifurian archives, when was his foreign branch related to his predecessor, and finally Yax you will be charged of spying in the Mage's Guild, they think that he has his powers because of a mage called Geasus Krist, who lives in his land, France or something like that, and have prepared an expedition, I want to see how much anti magical bloodlines there is there. You are dismissed.

And with these words a new adventure was beginning.

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>>6079409

MEANWHILE IN LOCAL :

Seeing all these people work you thought about what to do. One part of you wanted to give the men a raise but you stopped yourself immediately, first the work had not been finished and secondly it was showing that India, with it's most barbaric characteristics was beginning to influence you. Dreadful... You should be an exemple of good Christian morals to your subjects, or at least an embodiment of the right and proper feudal order that these lands has forgotten and desperately needed. You had not only to behave virtuously but to encourage virtue.
You sighed, of course you would not pay them a rise because it would be properly amoral. In general, working for money was a bad thing in your opinion, it was why serfdom was to be preferred. Of course some royal administrator would tell "free peasants work more and are more taxable" but you were against this, it was a matter of principle. A man paid for his work will work for his pay, not for the chance of working hard by doing his duty. Not even to do it to get one day to paradise, being before Saint Peter who would say "I see Jean, you have been a good peasant it seems, you always obeyed your lord, only occasionally had been drunk and beaten your wife and children, and never tried to fuck your donkey, you tried hard to be a loyal subject, a stern but good father for your household and not to act out of pettiness, greed or selfishness, you can enter.". No, this was not the motivator for the paid worker : his motivation was his pay and his selfishness.
Yes, paid peasants expected to be paid, and where unhappy if not. It was disgusting ! As a nobleman you did not rule them for your personal greed or selfishness, you ruled and protected them because it was your duty, if you ruled them out of greed you would have doubled their taxes ! But no, you were a good nobleman, and so you had to set an example for them to follow, doing it's duty for it's own sake.

It was why serfdom, where no money but trust between a lord and his serf was far more preferable. A society without it like India seemed to be a society on the first step of moral corruption. Imagine a society where money would decide all ! Of course fat merchants would dominate it, and rule to extort the masses for anything to get always richer and not to try to bring the world closer to the Kingdom of God. People would not help eachother out of charity but expect to be paid for their services, hell even the right of glanage, of the outermost wheats on the fields will probably be suppressed, considered "theft of property" and poor people will starve for the marginal gains of some vile men. Everything would be dependent on money, every interaction a calculus : the realm of Mammon. The populace would follow it's most selfish and vile instincts instead of behaving itself and remembering it's place.

>>6079410

No, money was not an absolute value, it was why the most destitute nobleman or the most isolated monk living as a hermit were infinitely above the richest merchant of the realm. They acted for something more noble and pure.

So, to discourage the spread of greed you decided not to give more pay to your workers. You would wait for the end of their work to pay them. You thanked Oldfossil of course and rode back to your keep. When you were riding back your brave Oldfossil asked you.

-My lord, should I tell the peasants to come tomorrow, they ask for justice in many private matters and it would be profitable to listen to them.

You hesitated, of course you were travelling some days and peasants always needed your guidance on judicial matters. But you wanted to have Rose for you for a day...

>Call them tomorrow, duty first.
>Tell them that I shall judge them after-tomorrow, they need some time to come and I want to have a day alone with Rose.
>No, tomorrow I shall do something else... (write in)

>>6079411
>>Call them tomorrow, duty first.
Welcome back

>>6079411
>Call them tomorrow, duty first.
More legal hijinks? Count me in, as ever! Welcome back, LL.

>>6079411
>>Call them tomorrow, duty first
Noblesse oblige and whatnot.

>>6079411
>>Call them tomorrow, duty first.

>>6079411
>>Call them tomorrow, duty first.

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>>6079567
Thank you good sir.

>>6079578
Hahaha, I am glad that it pleases someone. Thank you very much, I am glad that everyone is back.

>>6079674
Of course messire. Of course.

>>6079796
>>6079811

You decided that you had to first take care of the pressing matters before indulging into your hobbies. Were you not thinking about being an exemple just some minutes ago ? Yes. You told.

-Call them tomorrow, duty first.

-It shall be done my lord.

The afternoon and dinner was a pleasant affair. You ate well, Bob Denarius sung a song on his lute just like Bohémond and you had to admit that the mercenary did not lie about being a bard. He was a true master of his art while Bohémond was a good amateur. But there was no jealousy and they exchanged pleasantries, at least when your knight was not rejoicing in the company of his beloved. You mostly spoke with Father François about spiritual matters and asked Rose what she had done today. She told that she was sewing a small bit and asked you if you could help her to replenish her household after the monstruous killings done by Baron Crook. You agreed eagerly, not yet sure of how to do it, you hesitated between giving members of your household, looking on her lands or going elsewhere. Whatever. You decided to raise early the next day so you could answer to the cases of Local in the morning and those of the other villages of your demesne in the afternoon.

And so, somewhat at the early morning you were in your throne room, surrounded by a small number of peasants. They were early raisers fortunately and they began to give their cases. You decided to judge their petty quarrels before more important cases like theft or murder.

The first case opposed two groups of peasants living in farms near local, near a stream called the Cleanex. A very small stream indeed and it seemed that their quarrel was about it. They had been touched by the "explosion of light" that came with you and the family father of one of the groups, the Tryhard family was a big man with a small hunchback and one eye bigger than the other. Their opponents, the Bitcher family had been touched too, one of their sons was a dwarf apparently.

>>6080033

Their father had smallpox marks all on his cheeks and a bulbous face. It was good to see that peasants, finally, looked like proper peasants. Oldfossil announced them.

-The families of Tryhard and Bitcher want to bring their quarrel about the Cleanex stream to your lordship. Bow before it's lordship.

They all bowed, it was a lot of people, 25 people at least with the two families if you counted for women and children. They all came here. And Oldfossil explained to you in your ear that they hated eachother even before the rule of lord Random. A family feud... Well... When you told.

-Explain me why are you quarelling about this stream ?

They began to all speak at the same time and you took your head in your hand. You ordered your guards to beat their spears on the stone floor, not wanting to scream since Rose, not the early riser, was still sleeping. You then explaining.

-The plaintiff first.

It was the Bitcher family father who began to explain. The man bowed before you and told.

-My lore, I want to complain, I am the victim of an awful conspiracy of the Tryhards, who always hated us and live upstream of the Cleanex stream that courses on our lands. A small stream but very useful.

That was it, you guessed what happened, they tried to dig to turn around the stream to make it's land worthless. Or perhaps like with Cresus and Pauperus the stream changed course and one tried to annex more lands from the others. Streams were always the cause of many judicial headaches. You reflected about it while Bitcher was perorating about why he was a very good and loyal subject. Then the end of his tirade surprised you the most.

-He is.. Forgive me for saying it before such a noble person as you. He is shitting my lord ! Shitting right in the stream when my wife and my daughters try to wash something in it.

It made some other peasants laugh, you smiled a bit too.

-My lord, and you too good people, do not mock me, how do you want to clean your clothes on your lands when fifteen people take a shit right when you try. They even have a lookout, one of the children spies when my wife is coming with my daughter's and our clothing and he raises them all. Sometimes we had to fake sorties so they shat everything and had no more... Ammunition so to speak and our women could wash our clothes in peace but after several months of shitting, and even inviting their cousins from the village to do it the stream has become unclean.

By the heavens, what kind of sick men these Indians were. A lookout to see when they wanted to clean it was almost comical.

You told.

-Could you not go wash your clothes in the river ? Or your wife could not do it ?

The man told.

-It takes one hour to get there my lord, we have to go around the other lands of Tryhard, who are downstream and almost surround ours, and other lands then, and with the clothing for ten people especially when soaked it could be heavy for a woman.

>>6080034

Effectively his wife was frail, and quite beautiful to be sincere, she looked at you silently and reddened because of the shame of the story, she had big blue eyes and it's two daughters were small girls less than ten years old. You answered.

-Have you thought about travelling through the lands of Tryhard, a man can pass by another man's property if it is needed for his work, I am sure that a woman could travel to the river to wash her clothing in peace.

There was protestation in the Tryhard ranks, they were outraged. These basic french rights were still seen as foreign by the Local peasantry. Their family father explained.

-My lord ! It is outrageous ! Your predecessor, lord Random, blessed be his name, forbid the Bitchers from travelling through our lands, they already asked for it to access some of their own lands more downstream than those that we have downstream of them...

Ah, the joy of dispersed parcels of lands, a glorious creator of judicial conflicts since the dawn of time. Oldfossil quietly nodded and added.

-Indeed, thirty two years ago if I remember well there has been such a decision in favour of your father against the current plaintiff's father.

What precious man he was ! You rejoiced every time when you heard the brave Oldfossil, he truly remembered every case. But whatever, you asked Tryhard.

-But explain me, why defecating when Bitcher is around ?

The man answered.

-He is lying my lord, it would be absurd to soil my own stream. And a lookout, this man is mad. I can tell you that we simply used the stream one or two times for shitting, nothing else. It is our lands after all.

You answered mischievously.

-Good, then if the water is so clean you could take a bath in it with all your family. It will be good for your health.

The man paled and began to explain.

-M... My lord it is cold and...

-Or you are taking me for an imbecile ! Why have you polluted this stream ?

-I... I have the right to do it ! It is on my own lands my lord ! You cannot forbid someone to shit on his own lands !


>Yes I can, I forbid you to soil your river from now on and I authorise Bitcher's family to clean clothes on your own lands upstream as compensation.
>Yes I can and I shall give you a fine for soiling the waters of the Local lands.
>You are right, it is within your rights to shit where you want. Case dismissed.
>You are right, Bitcher's wife could walk, and I shall order the guards to beat him ten times with a stick for wasting my time about insignificant matters.
>I shall thereby declare that it will be forbidden to defecate in rivers and streams in the lordship, people should collect their dejection and use it as manure. Since our good Tryhard is an enterprising man with much imagination he is now named manure collector on all the lands belonging directly to the Local Lord.
>We shall see the stream ourselves before taking a decision it seems.
>Other (write in)

>>6080035
>>I shall thereby declare that it will be forbidden to defecate in rivers and streams in the lordship, people should collect their dejection and use it as manure. Since our good Tryhard is an enterprising man with much imagination he is now named manure collector on all the lands belonging directly to the Local Lord.

Let the punishment fit the crime. Also this benefits the common weal and increases the value of the waterways, and thus our holdings.

>>6080035
>I shall thereby declare that it will be forbidden to defecate in rivers and streams in the lordship, people should collect their dejection and use it as manure. Since our good Tryhard is an enterprising man with much imagination he is now named manure collector on all the lands belonging directly to the Local Lord.

Don’t want people shitting in the water never want to drink some peasant shit.
These Indians so uncivilized not like us French no we are just the epitome of cleanliness.

>>6080035
>Yes I can, I forbid you to soil your river from now on and I authorise Bitcher's family to clean clothes on your own lands upstream as compensation.
and
>I shall thereby declare that it will be forbidden to defecate in rivers and streams in the lordship, people should collect their dejection and use it as manure. Since our good Tryhard is an enterprising man with much imagination he is now named manure collector on all the lands belonging directly to the Local Lord.

>>6080254
Hon hon hon, I 'seine' what did zere.

>>6080035
>>Yes I can, I forbid you to soil your river from now on and I authorise Bitcher's family to clean clothes on your own lands upstream as compensation.
>I shall thereby declare that it will be forbidden to defecate in rivers and streams in the lordship, people should collect their dejection and use it as manure. Since our good Tryhard is an enterprising man with much imagination he is now named manure collector on all the lands belonging directly to the Local Lord.
What a shitty case.

>>6080464
+1

>>6080035
>>I shall thereby declare that it will be forbidden to defecate in rivers and streams in the lordship, people should collect their dejection and use it as manure. Since our good Tryhard is an enterprising man with much imagination he is now named manure collector on all the lands belonging directly to the Local Lord.

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>>6080041
A wise decision, let him be punished by where he sinned (it is why we impale sodomites).

>>6080254
>>6080464
Hahahahahaha very true, I shall tell your joke to all the good frenchmen who live today in Paris (all ten of them).

>>6080480
As we say "Issou" hahaha.

>>6080550
>>6080579

You felt playful and ordered.

-I shall thereby declare that it will be forbidden to defecate in rivers and streams in the lordship, people should collect their déjection and use it as manure. Since our good Tryhard is an enterprising man with much imagination he is now named manure collecting on all the local lands.

You hesitated give any compensation to Bitcher since you understood that he would use it to hurt Tryhard and their quarrel will continue. And the face of Tryhard in his humiliation was enough. But on the other side you saw Bitchers wife and the frail creature deserved something. You told.

-I authorise Bitcher's family to clean clothes on your own lands upstream as a compensation.

And the judgment was done. Well, these cases did not make you want to jump into the river it was sure. You understood Ancel who never bathed. Whatever you continued and a new case had to be judged, between two Local inhabitants.

This case was no less exotic, but definitely cleaner, than the other. It was between two old peasants, Perrin and Dandin. They disliked each other and the border of their gardens was marked by a fence. Near this fence Perrin had a pear tree. But some branches of the pear tree had grown over Dandins territory. Quails had nested on the branches over Dandins territory but Perrin told that they were his and he had the right to eat their eggs since it is his tree while Dandin told that it was over it's territory. You put your palm on your face, were you in Normandy for everyone to ask their lord to judge on such trivial matters. It seemed to be, like in Normandy, a case of prestige, to see who would win before the courts, more than something about the eggs in themselves. You had to ask Oldfossil.

-Do they have the cry of "haro" here too ?

-My lord ? What do you mean ?

-In provinces mad about law, like Normandy, any commoner can cry "Haro" when he thinks that he is wronged by something and judicial servants of the Local Lord have to hear him.

Oldfossil seemed bewildered and answered.

-We have nothing of the sort my lord, commoners can come here instead of screaming on the street.

-Good, you are normal people then.

You then looked towards the two bitter old men and told.

>Perrin should get the eggs, whatevers grows on your tree is yours.
>Dandin should get the eggs, whatever is over your territory is yours.
>The local lord should get the eggs, it will teach you to disturb me about nonsense. Plus I like it very much.
>The Church should get the eggs, it is fair and just.
>Other (write in)

>>6080736
>The local lord should get the eggs, it will teach you to disturb me about nonsense. Plus I like it very much.

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What does the Lords' Guild think about the rumours of little green mans?

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>>6080736
>>The local lord should get the eggs, it will teach you to disturb me about nonsense. Plus I like it very much.

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>>6080736
>The local lord should get the eggs, it will teach you to disturb me about nonsense. Plus I like it very much.

>>6080844
You mean the Ghibellines? Those funny little German fellows?

>>6079405
Welcome back QM
>>6079410
I always knew my orchard plan was a good idea
>>6080736
>The local lord should get the eggs, it will teach you to disturb me about nonsense. Plus I like it very much.
Free eggs
Either this or we make them split 50/50

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>>6080812

>>6080844
It is said that they have pushed the Genoese out of Crimea several years ago.

>>6080852
AH ! Nostre bon comte Robert ! Il est venu tout exprès de France pour nous dire que nos belles sœurs sont des putains !

>>6080920
Thanks for the art, and yes, if you ment the Ghibellines with Konradin we will have news some day.

>>6080925
Thank you good sir. It was a really good idea indeed. It will make Local considerably richer in several years.

====

Tired of this idiocy and wanting to eat some good quail eggs.

-The local lord should get the eggs, it will teach you to disturb me about nonsense. Plus I like it very much.

It made the other villagers mock Perrin et Dandin even if Oldfossil was a bit sad, he told that it would have been interesting to establish a rule in case law. Whatever, he was too much enamored by the procedures. And he had it's fill of case law when you passed the next three hours trying to determine the delimitations of the fields of different peasants. This was easy, you knew that it was worse when your lord father had to order the peasants in the lordship to pour grain in the bags designed to be taxed from the shoulder and not the hip since it made the grain pack more densely in these bags (using weights was worthless since they were always rigged or they could not agree on a unit of measurement).
Finally it was time to take a lunch in the delightful company of your lady Rose and after this you had to listen to the complaints of the peasantry of your faraway villages. And finally something interesting happened : the northernmost community of your lands, in the hamlet of Disputed that Lord Hostil claimed told that they were harassed by wolves who ate some pigs and sheep. One of the landowners of the hamlet, Jevo Dan, explained you.

-My lord, since the death of Lord Hostil his troops have been added to the baronial retinue, but now that the baron himself is dead, and they learned it, some have begun to take bribes or returned home, there is nobody to hunt the wolves down, we tried to put traps to protect the hamlet but for the herds that are on the plain...

You then asked.

-When have the attacks begun ?

-A week ago, you were travelling, so we waited for your return, my lord, to ask you to hunt the wolves. They are in the plains, but on Hostil lands.... Or today Baronial lands.

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>>6081282

This was an interesting dilemma, normally you needed the authorization of the baron to hunt on his lands, but since the baron had to put order on his own lands first you could technically cross the border, not be seen, hunt down the wolves and give a beautiful wolf pelt to your sweet lady Rose for the collar of her winter dress. But still, what if you came here, especially on a disputed border, after all Baron Crook never told that this hamlet was not yours, but he encouraged lord Hostil to claim it. You had a deal with the Neutral Lord to confirm your ownership of this land and put an end to this dispute but now maybe the new baron who had inherited from lord Hostil will press the claim. Or use your misbehavior to confiscate it. What will be your decision ?

>I shall protect all my lands, I am going on a hunt after-tomorrow, we will put these wolves down.
>I shall send my knights and some men at arms to help you deal with these wolves, they could help securing your herds of sheep before my coming even if not crossing the borders.
>Messire Godefroi ! You always liked wolf hunting, take Bohémond and twelve men tomorrow, and put these wolves down.
>I will send a messenger to the baron, I need his agreement to hunt on his lands after all, once I have an answer I shall come to your help.
>I shall send a messenger to the baron, clearly the absence of authority in these lands need a firm hand, I can take care of securing not only the lands but the keep of the Hostil lord.
>Other (write in)

>>6081287
>>I shall send a messenger to the baron, clearly the absence of authority in these lands need a firm hand, I can take care of securing not only the lands but the keep of the Hostil lord.

Solves the problem and adds to both our demesne and reputation. Seems a no-brainer.

>>6081287
>>I shall send a messenger to the baron, clearly the absence of authority in these lands need a firm hand, I can take care of securing not only the lands but the keep of the Hostil lord.

In the meantime we should dispatch a few guardsmen to help defend against any further wolf attacks.

>>6081287
>I shall send a messenger to the baron, clearly the absence of authority in these lands need a firm hand, I can take care of securing not only the lands but the keep of the Hostil lord.
But before we do that however we should preface the letter with the wolf attacks in order to make it seem like we have to do this while also ensuring that if no one takes over bandits may start to pop up. We are fearmongering so we get a new keep.

>>6081287
>>I shall send a messenger to the baron, clearly the absence of authority in these lands need a firm hand, I can take care of securing not only the lands but the keep of the Hostil lord.

>>6081282
>the art
It's by Olympus QM, from the King & Quest of /QST/ tournament.

>>6081337
+1

>>6081287
But also:
>I shall send my knights and some men at arms to help you deal with these wolves, they could help securing your herds of sheep before my coming even if not crossing the borders.
In the meantime, this seems wise.

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>>6081287
>Messire Godefroi ! You always liked wolf hunting, take Bohémond and twelve men tomorrow, and put these wolves down.

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>>6081292
>>6081302
A risky move good sirs, a risky move...

>>6081337
Yes, it is clearly better. The wolf attacks will be included as the reason of your move in your letter.

>>6081696

>>6081735
A talented young fellow it seems.

>>6082036
OH ! Mahaut la truie ! Mahaut la femelle ! Que la lèpre lui mange la face ! It is an interesting art of Mahaut d'Artois because she was a quite old woman, for the time, here she seems younger, or perhaps I have been too much influenced by the portrayal of Hélène Duc in the 1972 series (pic related).

====

You thought about the question, it was clearly interesting. You had an occasion to secure not only your demesne but the Hostil lands. They were between your lands and those of Rose's father, before they were confiscated. So you hatched a plan, if you could obtain the new baron's authorization to take care of the keep it would be hard to push you out of it. So you proposed.

-I shall send a messenger to the baron, clearly the absence of authority in these lands need a firm hand, I can take care of securing not only the lands but the keep of the Hostil lord.

But since you were a good lord you did not forget your peasants and told.

-Messire Godefroi, you always liked wolf hunting. Take ten good men with you and protect the village and the herds.

-It will be done Monseigneur !

You wanted to send Bohémond too, or Brother Louis but Louis had sworn to only hunt lions, as a templar, while Bohémond was just travelling with his love. Heh, you will perhaps send him to escort lady Takable to her castle in several days, even if you must come to your baron's castle in more than a week Rose needed to have access to all her old dresses and be ready for the feast, you would have to leave her for a moment. But, whatever, what was done was done. You happily let the next problem to be brought before you and of course it was an affair of inheritance. Apparently the father of the family of Nowded, a family of rich peasants from Nearby, was dead, and you had to tell who would have the inheritance. No will was left, be it orally before neutral witnesses or on a parchment since the poor man died sudenly after drinking too much and falling into a river, things like this happened. You saw that there were four children in their early twenties or late teens, the eldest, a rather bland blonde, Firista, was the first to talk.

-My lord, I would want to ask your judgement on our inheritance.

-So be it, I am listening.

File: Inheritance headache.jpg (437 KB, 601x737)

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>>6082057

She cleared her throat and stood first.

-My lord, I am the eldest child of my father, I always cared for him, I know how to work on a farm, I am still unmarried but I can take care of the fields and the beasts, especially once I will have a husband. I think that I can have the inheritance, according to the new Bifurian Law, I consulted a lawyer, but women can inherit in equality to men.

You shook your head, what nonsense was this. A woman, inheriting. By the heavens. She was of course healthy but still not strong enough to rule a farm alone. You did not listen what she wanted to say next. Then came a young man, a bit shy, with blond hair too, clearly her younger brother, he was healthy too, tall and thin. He explained while stumbling a bit, after bowing he told.

-M... My lord, I... I am Secundus, first living son of Nowded, I always help... helped my father on the farm. Aye. According to all laws I should inherit.. Boys come before girls, that is known.

Fortunately this guelph nonsense had not taken root since most of the peasantry nodded to his words. He was not a bad man, but he should have bullied his sister and younger brothers more often, or marry the woman to someone, the fact that they wanted his inheritance was scandalous. You did not listen to the rest of the stumblings of the young man who were not important and then you saw a stronger lad advancing, he was well built even if in his late teens and told.

-My lord, i am Tertius, second son of Nowded, I demand that the inheritance be split between my brother and me, I have worked hard on the farm, I deserve a part of this, I am sure that my father would have agreed. And it is the custom here...

The fact that some people here were agreeing was strange, yes, you were a third son yourself but you were wise enough to know that second and third sons should not inherit. You asked.

-What is the size of the farm.

-It could feed us both my lord.

Tertius's answer did not reassure you.

Yes, feed them both, but then what about the next generation, could two small farms feed more peasants ? You doubted it, it was why indian families were so small even if deaths in childhood were rare, a healthy family of twelve children assured, if as of average one third of them survived, five kids, one of them inherited the farm, to have then as many kids. The others cut down some trees in forests and formed a new village with many kids, civilization progressed, the demesne of the local lord grew and, as everybody knew, more people meant more taxes and more taxes meant more soldiers. A solid demography was the basis of a solid society. And small families, with probably only one kid to save the land would be the doom of the nation, even if the populace and even Oldfossil seemed to agree with Tertius you were unimpressed. All these inheritance problems seemed even more interesting if you took the widows into accounts and her douaire, unfortunately here it seemed that Nowded had outlived his wife.

>>6082059

You then turned towards the last person a brown haired teen, not having heard the nonsensical rest of Tertius's argument.

-And who are you ? The third son ?

The man was in his teens, and told.

-Yes my lord, I am Bypass, brother of all the three others but not from the same mother, Nowded... My father, never married my mother even if they lived together but he recognized me and I think that I should get a share of the inheritance.

WHAT ? A BASTARD ? Inheriting something ? Even amongst peasants ? You hit the armrest of your throne hard with your fist and Rose, who was witnessing looked at you with concern, it was cute on her part. But even her cuteness wasn't enough to not make you want to strangle the man. The simple fact that Nowded lived with a woman and was not married and the legitimized bastard wanted a part of the inheritance like some danish scum was throwing you into a rage.

>Roll a rulership roll please to not go into a rant (1d100)
>Rolling to keep your cool against such blasphemy ? Such parody of laws ? Let us go on a rant against bastards and their ilk.
>Rolling to keep your cool against such blasphemy ? Such parody of laws ? And this conjuration of women, second sons, bastards and other degenerates using queer indian customs ? No ! Not on our watch ! Let us remind the good people what are proper inheritance laws, it is time to change the bad customs and put in place a true, Christian order.

Rolled 97 (1d100)

>>6082062
>>Roll a rulership roll please to not go into a rant (1d100)
Explain CALMLY the Christian inheretance laws.

Rolled 60 (1d100)

>>6082062
>Roll a rulership roll please to not go into a rant (1d100)

>>6082062
>>Rolling to keep your cool against such blasphemy ? Such parody of laws ? And this conjuration of women, second sons, bastards and other degenerates using queer indian customs ? No ! Not on our watch ! Let us remind the good people what are proper inheritance laws, it is time to change the bad customs and put in place a true, Christian order.

>>6082062
>Rolling to keep your cool against such blasphemy ? Such parody of laws ? And this conjuration of women, second sons, bastards and other degenerates using queer indian customs ? No ! Not on our watch ! Let us remind the good people what are proper inheritance laws, it is time to change the bad customs and put in place a true, Christian order.

>>6082166
>Rolling to keep your cool against such blasphemy ? Such parody of laws ? And this conjuration of women, second sons, bastards and other degenerates using queer indian customs ? No ! Not on our watch ! Let us remind the good people what are proper inheritance laws, it is time to change the bad customs and put in place a true, Christian order.

We have been too generous waiting for them on their own to convert to Christian law and thought. WE SHALL SPEED IT UP FOR BASTARDS SHALL NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY!

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>>6082166
Ouch ! What a roll !

>>6082248
>>6082250
>>6082352

>>6082525
Excellent ! Excellent !

====

Enough, you rose from your seat and instinctively the bastard shivered, knowing what would happen. You rose your right hand and began.

-When, O bastard, do you mean to cease abusing our patience? How long is that madness of yours still to mock us ? When is there to be an end of that unbridled audacity of yours, swaggering about as it does now ? Do not the weight of tradition of the noblemen—do not the good defense of the guards—does not the alarm of the people, and the union of all good men—do not the lessons of our brave Father François about our Lord Jesus Christ, not the looks and countenances of your lord and master here present, have any effect upon you ? Do you not feel that you are a shameless thieving little criminal born out of wedlock who thinks only of himself.

Before someone could say "but the law" you continued to speak.

-But the law tells the woman, and tells the second son ! What are these laws ? Some nonsense allegedly found in Justinian's institutes that some legist has found to impose to favour King Philippe ? NO ! There is no law but the good feudal custom, the custom of the Franks who were free and just men who conquered these lands. Well, not these lands in India per se but unchristian customs do not count ! Why do you think they exist ? Mhhh ?

You looked at the masses with a mad eye and they seemed to fear you too much to speak. Good. Bob Denarius who was in the public tried.

-Perhaps to advantage the first son and concentrate...

-Silence ! Fools ! All of you ! It is done for a simple, good reason, good customs do not exist if they are not just. How much can your farm sustain people ?

The first son answered, stuttering.

-T... Ten people m.. My lord...

-Ten people, so a family, while if you cut it in two it would be two couples, with three children each, and then if you share even more there would be less kids, people will make less kids ! It is all a plot of heathens to make you raise less children !

You continued to rant, seeing clearly in the fog of ignorance that corrupted these pagans. Truely, faith in our Lord and His holy Church and your newfound experience as a lord made you better at politics.

-So what will happen ? Less births, and less births means less lands colonised ! By the heavens I have more lands than I could dream of in France but they are infertile or full of a forest populated by spirits and Ghibellines ! Why in hundreds of generations have you not managed to push this back ? Because a family, even if deaths in childbirth are low here, has very few people. Only those like the Rabits who populate a hamlet with their descendents know.

-B... But we are a family of four kids and...

>>6082639

-SILENCE ! Four is few, eight, nine, or even twelve kids are good. I want to found villages, not to see this... This stagnation ! And having such different rules of succession for nobles and peasants is pure nonsense. So, Secundus, you will have the farm and Oldfossil, take your plume and parchment, and write... I, Charles de Villeroi, Lord of Local, declare that from now on the inheritance laws will give everything to the first male child. He will be the leader of the family after the death of his father.

You did not have the courage to write everything about dowries or anything else. But of course, the not so bullied woman and the second son began to complain. She began by saying, opening her large mouth.

-But the queen and...

You imitated her whiny voice during her first sentence

-"But the queen says". SILENCE ! What do you know of the queen ? Nothing ! Be silent ! Horrible woman ! Sorceress ! Black mud ! "But the queen says" what do you know about our queen ? Nothing ! You never saw her ! This is because of idiotic people like you that that this realm is in crisis. "But the queen says", I will tell you something every king, queen, or regent will always say that he will rule justly, and equally and it's intendants will rob you blind ! Regulate the people !

You even added, too zealous for your own good.

-I am sure that these law have been made so the guelphs could not be too outnumbered. This is the truth ! Here, see, look at her, good people ! It is because of such people cradled too close to a wall that everything goes wrong ! They see the end of feudal wars and cheer "but the king says" and then the chivalry is not ready for the next war ! They see some upjumped burghers made minister and "but the king say" a lot to make him approved and let him ruin the realm ! They will cheer at everything ! The queen is far away ! I am the lord here and I have right of life and death on these lands ! Damn it !

Of course the girl cried, and the second son, Tertius, began to tell.

-B... But the council of many...

-What council ? The council of many ? The one with the burghers sitting besides noblemen and priests ? This nonsense ? Were you there ? No, because they will not take you on this council, even if they take commoners they must take only sane commoners, not madmen who ask for inheritances that do not belong to them ! Disappear from my sight ! Scum ! Cop ! COOOOP ! Take this bastard out, and the true bastard, yes, these two, and cut them down in the corridor if they do not leave quickly enough ! Council of Many... Tsss... You are all dismissed ! Go out !

>>6082640

The terrified assembly left, Godefroi looked at you with pity, understanding the burden of government, the rest left quickly, Oldfossil wanted to tell something but judged against it when you sat on your throne and breathed heavily, your face was probably red from anger and only the sight of the one person who stayed, Rose, appeased you a bit. Looking at her you reddened, but for another reason.

-Rose.. I... Sorry, I forgot my manners it...

She put her finger on your mouth kindly and said "shhh" then.

-Do not worry Charles, you were... Passionate, active, and even quite funny... It is impressive to see you try like this... I do not bother to judge too often myself..

She then kissed you, by the heavens, you did not deserve a woman who supported you even when you lost yourself. You kissed her back and rose from the seat. You were alone on the great hall now. She said.

-You are very attractive when you are all passionate like this Charles...

-And you are always very attractive my sweet lady. All your moods completing your wonderful figure.

She laughed at this and you stroked her hair, telling her.

-I want to pass the next day with you... What do you think about :

>Riding with me in the forest.
>Playing the harp and singing together
>Reading poetry together
>Visiting some curiosity of the lordship like one of the old barrows
>Taking a small boat near Forgotten and being on the lake all day
>Other (write in)

>>6082641
>Visiting some curiosity of the lordship like one of the old barrows

>>6082640
Charles is truly onto something here! If these womenfolk and second sons and bastards had apparently worked so hard on these farms that they can now demand for an inheritance then why did they not start their own and create large families? Our land is large and there is more than enough room, these peasants are just lazy, get them to work!
>>6082641
>Visiting some curiosity of the lordship like one of the old barrows
Sounds fun

>>6082641
>>Visiting some curiosity of the lordship like one of the old barrows

>>6082641
>Visiting some curiosity of the lordship like one of the old barrows

>>6082641
>>Riding with me in the forest.

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>>6082682

>>6082754
Charles is always wise, he tells the truth not because it is written somewhere in books but by his innate wisdom as a nobleman. Of course we need to colonise these lands.

>>6082754
>>6082800
>>6083055
>>6083445

You proposed her.

-What do you think about visiting some curiosity of the lordship like one of the old barrows.

She looked at you, her blue eyes playful.

-Old barrows... It might be scary... Is it an excuse to hold me tight to protect me when we hear something strange ?

You answered her smile by yours, and told.

-Do I need a reason to hold you tight ?

You then took her by the waist and rose, kissing her passionately. Her rosy lips were soon matched by the colour of her cheeks. What an adorable woman.

And it was the next morning after these sweet words that you began to visit the barrows of your region. You were dressed as for hunting while Rose had a kind of red dress with riding pants under it that suited her blonde complexion very much. Since it was cold you did not ask Oldfossil to come with you but you still asked him what were the most interesting places. He named a few.

>We should be returning to the tomb of the brother of Leman.
>There was the tomb of an ancient queen to the east of the lordship.
>There was a very big unnamed barrow to the north of the cairns.
>If you rode practically all morning at a fast pace there was a kind of megalith.
>There was some ruins in the forest but nobody was sure where they were.

All of them had already been robbed and it was not risky at all to visit them. But you remembered what happened in Leman's brothers tomb you were still prudent.

>>6083571
>There was the tomb of an ancient queen to the east of the lordship.
The tombs of monarchs are always splendid

>>6083571
>There was the tomb of an ancient queen to the east of the lordship.

>>6083571
>>There was the tomb of an ancient queen to the east of the lordship.

>>6083571
>There was the tomb of an ancient queen to the east of the lordship.

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>>6083736
>>6083848
>>6083944
>>6083981

You decided to visit the tomb of an ancient unnamed queen, Captain Crumbling, Brother Louis and some soldiers coming with you while Becky and Bohémond remained behind for God knows what. But hey, they loved eachother. It was cold outside and you mounted your brown palfrey while Rose was on her white horse. You rode swiftly, not wanting to take several hours in the cold and the light rain of the morning. Fortunately once the afternoon came you were able to enjoy some conversation. You asked captain Crumbling.

-Dear Captain, tell us more about this tomb, I ignored that we had monarchs here...

-Oh, it is the tomb of the wife of a petty king, a most unusual one. Primitives that lived there, barbarians, were buried with their wives and servants who were killed when they died.

Rose murmured "charming" while you told "such barbarity". Brother Louis added.

-Typical Indian custom, I have heard of it.

Captain Crumbling continued.

-You know, my lord. Here it is unusual because the king seemed to like his queen very much and she died before him, so he buried her with some servants in a small barrow, and her cats too.

You were astonished.

-Cats ? Was she a witch ?

Rose found it funny.

-Buried with cats.. At least she was married... Not an old cat lady... I always feared to become this, I love cats too much.

You turned towards her, a bit surprised by the news.

-You use cats as pets ?

-Yes of course ? Why else would we keep them Charles ? Cats are adorable, absolutely cute, gracious, clean and they eat mice.

You liked her enthusiasm, but to tease them you explained.

-They are a strange choice of pet...

-You do not have cats in France ?

-Not often... Well we have hunting dogs or dogs, they are loyal companions.

-But they smell ! And they are not as.. Cuddly.

She tried to explain, well, of course, she used her hunting dogs to eat people so it must not be the same, you thought about more domestic animals, you hadn't much.

>>6084319

-I am not a great lover of small animals Rose... But my brother had a ferret, he taught it to hunt mice, there are weasels to, and genets they make good companions.

Rose was not impressed.

-They smell ! Cats are far more beautiful and gracious.

She cutely pointed her nose up as if her argument could not be countered and Brother Louis told.

-With all due respect Monseigneur, and Gente Dame, I think that it comes to you by the saracens, they are fond of cats. According to their legends their holy man who they worship liked his cat so much that he cut his own cloak, where the cat was sleeping, not to disturb the beast when he rose. I heard this tale from a saracen merchant and it amused me. And the love of Lady Rose is understandable, alchemists all tell that cats are mysterious and close to the feminine nature.

Heathens, sorcerers, cats were strange. But you had to admit that if they were rare and curious they could be beautiful.

Rose told you.

-Charles, tell me, when we will be married could we have a cat ? A beautiful one, all white with blue eyes and long fur, it would climb on our knees when we sit and purr during the long nights of winter. And... If it puts hair on my dresses I shall order a servant to clean them.

-Of course my sweet lady, anything to make you happy, we can have four or five if you want.

She smiled kindly and answered.

-Thank you my lord, you are too kind, but one or two would be enough.

She told this while you continued to ride and saw a barrow on the background, it seemed to be the same as the others, a middle sized barrow on the plain of the Cairns. It seemed like an artificial hill like any other. Once you dismounted and helped Rose dismount putting her tight against you and gave the horses to a guard you began to advance. You used torches to enter into the small entry where the temperature was chill. There were some primitive engravings on the walls showing banquet scenes and a small room.

In this small room decorated with engravings there were three doors Captain Crumbling explained.

-I shall not tell you in advance, my lord, if your permit me, but what gate should we take first.

>The front gate, it is the biggest one, let us begin by what I suppose would be the most interesting room.
>The left gate, it is decorated with scenes of hunting animals.
>The right gate, what are these representations it seems creatures walking on two legs but not like normal people.

>>6084321
>The front gate, it is the biggest one, let us begin by what I suppose would be the most interesting room.
The royal chamer I presume

>>6084321
>>The left gate, it is decorated with scenes of hunting animals.

>>6084321
>The front gate, it is the biggest one, let us begin by what I suppose would be the most interesting room.

>>6084321
>The front gate, it is the biggest one, let us begin by what I suppose would be the most interesting room.

>>6084321
>The left gate, it is decorated with scenes of hunting animals.

>>6084321
>The front gate, it is the biggest one, let us begin by what I suppose would be the most interesting room.

>>6084321
>The right gate, what are these representations it seems creatures walking on two legs but not like normal people.
Oh no, the queen was a Saracen! And worse yet: a furry!

File: Different stone carvings.jpg (499 KB, 1080x810)

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>>6084336
Of course

>>6084350
>>6084357
>>6084401
>>6084424
>>6084437

>>6084458
Hahahahaha.

====

You decided, in your infinite wisdom, to visit the biggest door, after all, why not.

-Let us take the big one that it at the front, I suppose it is where the queen is buried.

-It is correct my lord, let us go...

Captain Crumbling told this and you entered into a medium sized room with old encarvings on the walls and a rectangular tomb here. There was no "gisant" or representation of the dead on it, simply some writings. Lady Rose, who seemed to know a lot about history quickly told.

-It is a woman's tomb, yes, look at the moon drawn here. Generally in the Old tribes that were the ancestors of Bifurians men were buried looking to the west, to the setting sun since they believed that the sun guided their lives, while women were always buried towards a representation of the full moon since the moon represented feminity.

You were quite impressed, and smiled at her. Crumbling added.

-Exactly my lady, your knowledge is great, to be sincere I never knew it before Oldfossil explained me... Look at the encarvings, it recounts her life story.

You were accustomed of this, for people who never learned how to read like you histories were known by statues, encarvings and bas reliefs. Every church and cathedral explained the scriptures by representations on the top of it's columns, on it's walls and on it's stained glass windows. So you looked, from the right to the left as the old guard's captain explained that it was the good way to read it. It was very interesting, you saw how the queen was born, apparently from a couple of small chieftains of the region, then how she learned to take car of the home but to sow and to hunt too. Interesting. She seemed to be presented by her father to a man in a crown, probably the king but you did not see a part of the story, the encarvings were too old. There was some natural damage in different places. You looked towards her marriage and saw her entering in a kind of building and then. Then the next part was impossible to see.

>>6085716

You looked after this missing part and saw the half of what happens to be a feast, there was the king and the main character, the heroine, with a crown too now, oh, it must be their marriage.

Then there were some more half missing and damages panels, worn out by time, but you saw that their mariage seemed to be happy. They hunted with falcons together, feasted and had some children. At the end she died and her husband ordered a tomb to be made. Brother Louis asked.

-Why and how did someone erase this panel.

-What panel ?

Asked Captain Crumbling but Brother Louis pointed on the one that you had remarked to be completely erased, the guards captain told.

-It seems to be the ravages of time, sir knight.

But the Templar was not impressed.

-No, look, there is some damage here and here, sometimes we miss two thirds of a panel but here all the panel was cleanly destroyed. But I do not see any trace of chisel strikes or something to sabotage it, all look smooth. Even smother than if it was sawn off by stonemasons.

Rose offered.

-Perhaps it was magic.

You did the sign of the cross. It seemed to be logical. Captain Crumbling looked at the place and raised his shoulders.

-I would not know... I have visited this place several times during my long life, heh, it was considered romantical in my youth, it was a gift of love after all. And it had been pillaged far before I was born. I never remarked how everything was erased. But nor I remember some mage visiting it. Perhaps... Rollarion... Yes... He visited the place twice. But I was with him each time, Lord Random insisted, and the man never cast any magic. The court mage before him did not even visit the place... It is very strange...

Brother Louis told.

-Do not worry, it must have been done far before your time, look at this smoothness on the panel, it is remarkable but the corners are being eroded. It would take centuries to damage it, so someone did this a long time ago.

Why would someone do this ? You asked out loud. You heard that the kings of the day had many wives... Was one of them jealous ? It was the theory of Rose.

-A jealous second spouse perhaps ?

You shook your head.

-She would have broken everything, here we see the king living with her "rival" and being happy... And what was on this panel anyway, she seemed to travel with her father and be presented to the king, then there is a marriage feast and she has a crown. And one scene is missing...

The mystery was intriguing you and you decided to tell.

>Perhaps it is the first night ? Someone found it scandalous.
>Perhaps there was a figure that had been erased and was not visible here.
>Perhaps it is the mariage ceremony in itself, in a church, or the equivalent.
>Gifts ? Perhaps there would be representations of gifts that she received at her mariage.
>Try to look for clues (intrigue rolls)
>We need to see the other rooms.
>Other (write in)

Rolled 14 (1d100)

>>6085717
>Try to look for clues (intrigue rolls)
When in doubt the mages did it

>>6085717
>Perhaps it is the first night ? Someone found it scandalous.
>Other
Perhaps... She was a cat transformed, herself, and this was the evening in which he discovered this? There are old pagan tales and fairy stories of forest brides, non?

Rolled 16 (1d100)

>>6085717
>Try to look for clues (intrigue rolls)

Rolled 72 (1d100)

>>6085717
>Try to look for clues (intrigue rolls)

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>>6085746
Wise words, very wise words good sir.

>>6085922
It is probable good sir, you should enter the Dominican order and become an Inquisitor.

>>6085964
Two good rolls, maybe not enough for a good average but I will give you a clue.

>>6086250

You began to look for clues and looked at all the room, you saw a kind of tablet near her tomb. After a short inspection it appeared that it was written in some kind of runes or pagan symbols that you were unable to decipher, you showed it to your companions but none of them knew how to read them. Captain Crumbling simply said.

-My lord... I suppose that Oldfossil knows how to read and write in ancient runes, he is a very learned man.

You answered.

-He is indeed. No doubt that with him we could one day try to see the tomb again. It's mystery is interesting.

Captain Crumbling suggested.

-Perhaps it is the bedding night that was erased, it would be improper.

You smiled at it, you thought about it too, but after reflecting a bit you were sure that it was not.

-No, they would not get to bed before the marriage feast, it is somewhere between the marriage feast and her first meeting with the king. It is... Probably something with a figure... Or the mariage ceremony.

Brother Louis, always wise, corrected you.

-It is possible, my lord... Very possible, but I would not have all the place be erased only for a figure, it is probably something big, something on all the pannel that was bad. Perhaps someone found this marriage ceremony heretical or improper, or someone found the building that was in it improper. Or maybe some treasure or marriage gift, or some of them who were disliked by the next generations, if it would have been a figure only their faces would be erased.

It made sense, Brother Louis was a wise man. Rose looked cute when she was reflecting, seeing that you gazed at her biting her lower lip she smiled at you, a playful expression in her eyes and told.

-I like mysteries. But perhaps we should look for clues in the other rooms.

Yes, but where to begin.

>Let us go to the room on the right from the entrance.
>Let us go to the room on the left from the entrance.

And please roll an INTRIGUE roll gentlemen.

Rolled 39 (1d100)

>>6086413
>Let us go to the room on the left from the entrance.

Rolled 78 (1d100)

>>6086413
>Let us go to the room on the right from the entrance

Rolled 9 (1d100)

>>6086413
>Let us go to the room on the left from the entrance

Rolled 48 (1d100)

>>6086413
>>Let us go to the room on the left from the entrance.

Rolled 51 (1d100)

>>6086413
>Let us go to the room on the right from the entrance.

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>>6086461
>>6086478
>>6086806
>>6086827
>>6086867

You took the decision to go to the room on the left next and saw that it was not as well decorated as the others, it was an empty room with some encarvings representing different things like a chariot, some dresses, a crown, a horse, jewellery and other things that were given during scenes to the queen, sometimes by the king itself. You quickly told.

-It was a kind of treasure room ?µ

Captain Crumbling answered.

-Yes indeed my lord, entirely furbished by gifts to the queen that she could use in the next world. It was entirely pillaged by adventurers several centuries ago.

-Damned armed vagrants, they do not even respect the dead. Burghers and guilds are a plague on our world.

This made Rose smile while she watched.

-Nothing seems scandalous at all, I mean, a chariot, horses, even a hunting bow apparently, some dresses...

Brother Louis added.

-It must have been a representation of the treasure that was here.

And captain Crumbling agreed.

-Yes, there was a treasure, see, here, golden cups, plates and many other rich ornaments for her... We even see the gifts given after death, the king is putting a model of a longhouse looking like his own on the tomb on this encarving to represent her home in the afterworld.

You had to admit that the room was beautiful and there were no clues besides the fact that the king seemed to love his wife very much and they seemed to enjoy doing many activities together. Rose seemed to find it adorable and she approached you, you put your hand around her hip while nobody was looking and she put her head against your shoulder. You thought about it, and rejoiced in the fact that even before you there was true love. But whatever, you tried to look at the other characters around. Some of the people giving gifts must have been vassals of the king, others were his other wives, or perhaps his mother since they were women with crowns. You decided to walk towards the last room.

The fact that only two walls of the four were engraved here showed probably that there was not so much gifts in these times, probably because the kingdoms were poor. You asked.

-How big was the kingdom of these unnamed king and queen ?

Captain Crumbling raised his shoulders.

-Nobody knows my lord, but in these times it was rarely bigger than a barony, perhaps half a barony, a part of the cairns in the unclaimed border between us and Someplace to the East, and one or two lordshiops, maybe a part of the baronial lands. I only tell this because since many generation buried their petty kings or lords in barrows in the cairns they must have been related but perhaps they were different old Bifurian tribes. You should ask an historian, I doubt that even our good Oldfossil knows the size of these realms.

Brother Louis told.

-Yes, their histories must have lied in forgotten oral legends.

>>6087504

This caused some mirth in your mind and you were forced to comment.

-Fortunately they were not bretons, they would have invented that they had the greatest kingdom in the world without any traces of it.

That made Brother Louis laugh, mocking your celtic neighbours and their extravagance was proper and just Frankish behaviour. Sincerely, having to invent king Arthur and Lancelot because they had not Charlemagne and Roland among their ancestors. But the stories were beautiful and inspiring, you had to admit.

>Roll intrigue rolls please.

Your last rolls were unsuccessful unfortunately

Rolled 79 (1d100)

>>6087506

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>>6087611
Anon, please, you're better than this.

Rolled 79 (1d100)

>>6087506
Here we go

Rolled 68 (1d100)

>>6087506

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>>6087556
>>6087615
Thank you for your honesty good sir. I have suspected that some rolls disappeared some threads ago but you are the first to bring me proof. Thank you for your chivalric spirit, I shall award you 5xp for your fair play. As for the gentleman who tries to hide it's rolls let us not do this and be like Bayard, knights without fear nor reproach ! Who are we ? Flemish tailors or Lombard usurers trying to play with numbers like that ? No, we should accept the results as true knights.
Of course Lady Fortuna is as fickle as the weather, someday it will rain, there will be mud, your destrier will get stuck and you will end up beaten to death with mallets and sharp sticks by smelly Engl*sh archers or Flemish militiamen growling in their barely human dialect but the next day there will be clear weather and you will ride down hordes of them. Each Azincourt has it's Patay, each Courtrai has it's Mons-en-Pévèle, victories and defeats are part of the fun. C'est la vie !

>>6087648
>>6087714

Finally you came to the last room, it was a beautiful with four sarcophaguses of small size and two of middle size, apparently it was those of the queen's cats and her two handmaidens who were killed when she died to serve her in the afterlife. Rose got tighter to you when seeing this.

-It is out of the question that we kill poor Becky like this. What a barbaric custom.

Unfortunately if you remembered the words of that Abovyurlevel sorcerer and her pains it was apparent that she was sick and would die far before Rose. You promised to search for a cure but you were not more advanced than today. Perhaps you will find a doctor in the capital when you will have to go there ? Who knows. She should probably convert too and pray to healers saints and other saints that intercede to the Lord in case of illnesses, it worked more than letting a doctor gut you and pour your blood generally. But whatever you decided to look at the engravings of the room. They were ornate and interesting to look at, it seemed that it represented some battles of her husband but scenes of hunting too and processions. Some of the engravings were too old to be here and only half of the walls were occupied by them, the other half stood "naked" so to say.

You asked captain crumbling.

-What are these walking creatures ?

-Orcs my lord, they are orcs and humans who fight them.

Ah these orcadians, you did not manage to understand it. You asked.

-They were the enemies of this realm ?

-Yes my lord, Bifuria in these old times was full of orcs, fortunately we managed to exterminate them with the help of the dwarves and the elves.

So they were their old enemies, here it seemed that effectively the king fought them and that he saved one of the handmaiden from it. As for the rest you thought that it did not follow a story like in the middle room, there were probably some other evil characters that were warded off, perhaps as a symbol of hope for the souls of the departed.

>>6087883

-Who are these.

You asked, pointing to strange creatures.

-Some gnolls, and these are goblins, the king is riding them down on his chariot and the queen waiting for him in the longhouse. Ah, it seems that here the court has fun firing on attached goblins with bows.

You shook your head. A cruel passtime, you asked.

-These ghibellines are far more primitive than those that we saw in the south, they have no helmets, shields, only crude knives and spears and some slings.

-They are generally like this my lord, what we saw was, I would say, very strange.

You nodded. Well, it was truely a beautiful place. Rose asked.

-Is there a secret room ? Sometimes there is something like that ?

-Unfortunately not my lady, the tomb is too small, some people searched for it but even with the help of magic nothing was seen. Some people thought that these blank "columns" in the walls without any engravings were kind of.. How to say it, doors or hid hidden doors or hidden engravings to lead to a hidden door but nothing, the surface is simply smooth like this.

You touched it and even hit on it, yes, it sounded that it was simply plain walls. Well, there comes the end of your exploration. But still, the erasure of a pannel remained a mystery. You looked at the cats tombs and unfortunately there were not engravings on them that told about their life story, it would have been amusing indeed. You told.

-It was very interesting, I still think that we missed something but I do not know what.

Rose agreed, and even told.

-We should try to hire adventurers, they are very good at this job.

When you looked at her with an astonished face (you were sure that you opened your mouth in the process) she burst out with a cristal clear laugh. And then all the assistance smiled joyfully. But still, you regained all your composure, it remained a tomb.

Once outside you began to tell.

>Ask Rose if she enjoyed the trip.
>We should try to bring Oldfossil here on spring, we need to learn what is written on these runes.
>No, truely, hiring armed vagrants could be interesting to investigate this history
>Where can we find historians ? Perhaps someone could explain us what happened.
>I guess that we can leave mysteries to History, nobody will never know the enigma of the missing pannel in the queen's tomb.
>Other (write in)

>>6087884

Your new stats :

Charles de Villeroi

Class : Local Lord
Level : 5
XP : 780+5 = 785 xp (next level at 1000)

Stats

Combat : 51%
Intrigue : 30%
Rulership: 36%

Piety : 77
Mudcore : 65

With 65 Mudcore you have a strong field of gritty realism around you (150 meters), in this field heavy magic will not work and supernatural abilities will not work, oh, and women will lose 4 pounds of strength of course, plus in the field the people that obey you will act more like they would be in a dark fantasy setting. You have chosen Blood of Mud and so your mudcore field will become a bit bigger and stronger but could be transmitted to your children. Magic, even restorative, will become considerably weaker near you. Weak practitionners of magic (less than rank 5) are unable to cast in your mudcore field.
Next level at 70, your field will become 200 meters wide, magical objects will lose their properties in your mudcore field just like potions, crops who came from the columbian exchange will lose their taste and a medieval disease will enter your world.

Talents
-Cavalry Commander : +20 to martial when you have to lead a cavalry charge or a cavalry attack. Works only when commanding shock or melee cavalry mounted on horses.
-Foreign Etiquette : You focus on learning Indian etiquette with Oldfossil, you gain a +10 bonus in intrigue in your interactions with the nobility of your duchy.
->Basic Literacy : Your lessons with Oldfossil and Lady Takable finally paid off and you can read and write, even if you write with errors and move your lips still when you read it is a great leap forward.

Traits :
Leader : Your magnetism on the masses is glorious and your learning of speech could encourage many men to follow you. You may choose the best of 3 rolls when you try to speak in public to convince an audience, be it the Council of Many or angry peasants.

>>6087884
>Ask Rose if she enjoyed the trip.
most important then:
>We should try to bring Oldfossil here on spring, we need to learn what is written on these runes.

>>6087884
>>We should try to bring Oldfossil here on spring, we need to learn what is written on these runes.

>>6087884
>We should try to bring Oldfossil here on spring, we need to learn what is written on these runes.
>Where can we find historians ? Perhaps someone could explain us what happened.

>>6087884
>I guess that we can leave mysteries to History, nobody will never know the enigma of the missing panel in the queen's tomb.
>Ask Rose if she enjoyed the trip.
All this archaeology is for nerds and women. Rose can investigate if she would like, but knights and other men of valor live in the present, not in the pas. Our great romance is here before us, not in a dusty, well-looted heathen tomb.

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>>6088054
Of course.

>>6088085
>>6088713

>>6088890
Hahahaha, well said, the only famous person who we know doing this was a female, lady Croft, and she was English. But every lady should have hobbies after all. But you are in the minority, Charles seems to begin to become more scholarly, terrible consequences of learning to read.

====

First you asked Rose if she enjoyed the trip, and seeing her bright smile was enough to make her understand that she did.

-Yes, I loved it, I hope to find out the mysteries of the tomb, it is like playing with history, and maybe... Maybe we will find some clue, about an old building or some treasure on our lands. Or even discover an old love story that we could play in a ballad.

You enjoyed the idea, and agreed entirely, at least if it made her happy. You would have lordly duties to focus on but when it will be cold too cold to train in the courtyard, why not.

You decided to tell.

-Maybe we should come here again in spring, with Oldfossil, to learn what it is written with these runes.

There was some agreement and Rose even answered you.

-I hope to come too, it will be after our marriage, and I love solving mysteries ! It is so exciting.

She beemed of enthusiasm like a little girl and you could not be unmoved by this. You retorted happily.

-Then we will lead an inquiry together. It will be a good passtime.

You then returned towards your castle, since you were cold Rose tried to push her horse and to race with you, she was in a playful mood. You let her win of course, being a gentleman, and wanting to see her smile, and laugh with her cristalline laugh that you liked so much. You had fun during the dinner, Bohémond and Denarius played the lute and the halls of Local were filled with mirth, joy and the smell of roasted pork.
And it was good, because the next day was a great day, while you joyfully solved mysteries with the lady of your hearth your peasants worked, well, it was what they did in general, and Oldofossil was happy to announce that the trees of your orchard would be planted in the afternoon after the canal was flooded. So you decided to take all your household and ride to the south with them. Some peasants even got along the way, they wanted to see how the canal would be soon full of water once the dam will be broken.

You still hoped that Oldfossil's calculus was good, it would be sad if you lost your canal when it was flooded and a kind of swamp formed. But you trusted the old man. Then the trees would be planted, it would be a short affair and fortunately you would be able to see the orchard grow soon.

When the dam was broken it was an impressive spectacle, the triumph of the elements was there. One of the workers almost fell into the water but was helped by a companion.

>>6089144

It was something beautiful to see, something enchanting, the power of a flood submerging everything, the movement of water. The forces of nature like fire or water or even storms and tempests on sea had something so powerful, so above the humble men that we were. It was the majesty of God's Creation and you understood why so many holy men rejoiced at it. Not on the level of heathens who prayed to "gods of nature" but in a true, Catholic way.

The fact that soon this nature will be tamed, and that you will now have an orchard that will produce excellent cider for the years to come filled you with pride. You had debts, of course, but you never intended to repay them to begin with. People applauded the spectacle.

>Thank the workers with a few short words.
>Congratulate Oldfossil on his plans.
>Ask how much time exactly it will take to plant all the trees.
>Ask Oldfossil if it would be appropriate to give a raise to the workers, or at least some beer from our cellars.
>Other (write in)

>>6089146
>Thank the workers with a few short words.
>Congratulate Oldfossil on his plans.
Good work all around, this investment shall pay off I am sure

No beer though, they will get that when the first harvest from the Orchard comes, it can be during the peasants harvest festival

>>6089146
>Thank the workers with a few short words.
>Congratulate Oldfossil on his plans.

+1 to >>6089150's sentiments.

>>6089146
>>Thank the workers with a few short words.
>>Congratulate Oldfossil on his plans.
>>6089150
I believe we promised them the first batch of cider to taste.

>>6089150
+1

>>6089150
Supporting

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>>6089150
Of course, if nobody burns it before it begins to yield benefits it shall pay off.

>>6089159
>>6089327
Yes indeed, you promised this if I remember well.

>>6089349
>>6089572

You said a few short words to the workers, thanking them for their service. You then congratulated Oldfossil.

-Your skills in architecture amaze me dear Oldfossil, and your planning. In truth I wonder if there is something that you can not do !

The old man chuckled and simply stated that.

-I try to serve. What a lord wants a good steward does.

You smiled kindly to the old man. He was really precious. You patted him in the back and decided to thank the brave man with a feast. It was a merry affair between everyone and you even tried to listen to the intellectual conversations between Becky, Brother Louis and Oldfossil about mathematics, without understanding anything. And it was pleasant since Rose, naughty as she was was caressing your ankle with her foot under the table and looked at you innocently like the very proper lady that she was, it was terryfying, she probably had too much wine. If it made her so happy you did not want to be alone in this lack of drink. You ordered more wine and remembered that you had to ask about the tomb. So you asked him.

-Dear Oldfossil, we were at the tomb of the forgotten queen yesterday, Rose and I, and we saw a most strange thing, one of the pannels had disappeared by magic, one of the scenes with the engravings...

Oldfossil seemed surprised and Rose added.

-Yes, and there were tablets written on ancient runes, on the tomb and at other places and we could not traduce them, could you, perhaps come in spring to see it.

Oldfossil nodded, then his eyes opened, as if he was struck with an illumination. His mouth became agape and he told.

-Missing pannels ! Rollarion ! Rollarion wrote about it in his notes !

The notes of the old Court Mage that he had been studying. You looked at Oldfossil and he explained.

-I need to... Remember exactly what it was, it was rather short, and in the middle of a paragraph...

Mmmmh interesting, since it was late and you wanted the old man to keep his eyes you reassured him. You remembered that the court mage had visited the tomb twice, everything made sense.

-Do not worry, we will talk about it tomorrow.

And it was done, after training in the courtyard you came to your steward's quarters and Oldfossil had the document, a paper written in the same runes. He told.

-Unfortunately, as always with the writings of Rollarion McFumbles there is some genius idea, and then many nonsense. Here look, he tells that those missing pannels were erased by magic, there was a pannel, a wall and columns on another wall, he says that it was to erase traces of previous religions during the "shattering of gods" ordered by powerful archmages.

>>6089612

You told him.

-But, but it is a very important proof, why have you forgotten it ?

-My lord, it was in the middle of ramblings telling that the wife of the Emperor Macron II was a man and that a civilisation of ratmen burrowed deep under our cities and was ready to destroy us. If he was apparently right about the archmages he had many other, let's say, rather strange beliefs.

You nodded, of course, ratmen, what a nonsense. You could imagine people lying with cats after seeing a queen interred with them and earing your sweet Rose, women here were silly. And you saw cat men. You knew that the mare was at the hearth of the erotic universe of the man of the Carolingian era back in France having heard the penitentials and the number of punishments for horse fuckers of these less enlightened times. You saw lizard men, and bird men, and it was very disturbing but yes, of course. Goat men too, they were satanical. But no, you could not imagine people lying with rats, it made no sense. It was unclean. Unfathomable.

-What did he wrote exactly ?

You told, after all there could have been many other reasons than this nefarious heretical plot by magical burghers for defiling tombs. It had been done since the dawn of history after all. But you were inclined to believe him, who needed proofs against such nefarious individuals ? Saying that mages acted against God was like saying Auvergnats were clingy with their money or Venetians fond of scheming. It was known.

-He was saying that probably the parts of the scenes showed a location where the old gods or the old lone god had been powerful. And they erased it, probably it was a temple were the mariage was celebrated. And that this lone god was commemorated in hunts and military victories. He tried to search for the temple but thought that it had been destroyed.

This theory pleased you, it was like trying to find the tomb of Christ or the old temple of Jerusalem and bring it under christian management after the saracen misrule. Still, you had to ask some questions about it.

>Tell me, Oldfossil, have you seen other "proofs" of these conspiracies in these writings ?
>So there is maybe a lost temple, full of treasure, somewhere... What were the borders of the realm of the husband of this unnamed queen ?
>I wonder if we could find some clues in other old barrows... It is interesting that Rollarion found out what we were unable to see, the wall and part of the other wall in the secondary room were erased too.
>Thank you very much Oldfossil, I shall tell Rose so that she will be able to continue this inquiry in the future.
>We should call an historian to be sure of it. Rollarion maybe denounced a mage's plot but he was a mage himself.
>Your indian Guelphs live for a long time... Our baron is young by their standarts but since I will have to see the queen soon I will maybe try to see one who was alive at this time.
>Thank you Oldfossil, we know know the enigma of that tomb.
>Other (write in)

>>6089613
>I wonder if we could find some clues in other old barrows... It is interesting that Rollarion found out what we were unable to see, the wall and part of the other wall in the secondary room were erased too.
>Thank you very much Oldfossil, I shall tell Rose so that she will be able to continue this inquiry in the future.
The Queen is invested in this strange Indian model of society, and if she was alive when there was one god (maybe THE God?) worshiped here, she will not want us to know.

>>6089613
>I wonder if we could find some clues in other old barrows... It is interesting that Rollarion found out what we were unable to see, the wall and part of the other wall in the secondary room were erased too.
>Thank you very much Oldfossil, I shall tell Rose so that she will be able to continue this inquiry in the future.
The mystery thickens. I also think we should send Denarius out soon, mostly to fuck with mages since I fear his stay here may garner attention, especially with the Guelph baron now here.

>>6089613
>>So there is maybe a lost temple, full of treasure, somewhere... What were the borders of the realm of the husband of this unnamed queen ?
>>I wonder if we could find some clues in other old barrows... It is interesting that Rollarion found out what we were unable to see, the wall and part of the other wall in the secondary room were erased too.

>>6089613
>I wonder if we could find some clues in other old barrows... It is interesting that Rollarion found out what we were unable to see, the wall and part of the other wall in the secondary room were erased too.
>Thank you very much Oldfossil, I shall tell Rose so that she will be able to continue this inquiry in the future.
>We should call an historian to be sure of it. Rollarion maybe denounced a mage's plot but he was a mage himself.

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>>6089640
It is a wise idea. But there are other people who may know and live in the capital.

>>6089782
It is a good idea, I will had, once you have made your choice an option about "household management" if you want to take care of this. Before seeing the end of the plantations and going to visit the new baron.

>>6090118
>>6090441

Hearing his answer you thought aloud.

-I wonder if we could find some clues in other old barrows... It is interesting that Rollarion found out what we were unable to see, the wall and part of the other wall in the secondary room were erased too.

Oldfossil quickly answered.

-I shall try to reread my notes, well, winter will be a long period, I think that I shall be able to traduce most of Rollarion's writings by then.

You thanked him longly.

-Thank you very much Oldfossil, I shall tell Rose so that she will be able to continue this inquiry in the future.

-She is a lady of shrewd mind and of great knowledge. I shall be glad to help her.

-Yes, and if she likes mysteries she will have one to solve. Winter can be a long season, especially before her marriage.

The old man smiled, time had not the same meaning for old people. One year when you were sixteen looked like an eternity, while one year at your age of twenty-seven, soon to be twenty eight was far less important. A long time, but manageable.

So you wondered when to discuss your findings with Rose, she was still ignorant of this vast conspiracy and of the papers of Rollarion MacFumbles, on one side you knew that you were unfortunately unable to keep many things from her, her pleading face (and her suspicious face too) were too adorable. Every man has it's weaknesses after all, for you it was beautiful women. But still, speaking to her before your marriage and your common life was perhaps not very prudent. It could be dangerous to embark her on this quest, especially before you would live at the same place.

>Tell Rose about Rollarion's theories
>Do not tell Rose about Rollarion's theories for now

===

Sorry for the rather short update but it is an important choice that could begin a discussion. If not chosen I shall make the next few days pass quickly.

>>6090516
>Do not tell Rose about Rollarion's theories for now
Do it for after the marriage

>>6090516
>>Tell Rose about Rollarion's theories

>>6090516
>Tell Rose about Rollarion's theories
She is better at intrigue than we are, as is right and proper since we are a man of action.

>>6090516
>Tell Rose about Rollarion's theories

>>6090516
>Do not tell Rose about Rollarion's theories for now

>>6090516
>>Tell Rose about Rollarion's theories

>>6090516
>>Tell Rose about Rollarion's theories

>>6090516
>Tell Rose about Rollarion's theories

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>>6090575
A most prudent choice dear bannerman.

>>6090593

>>6090695
That is true, hiding in the dark and scheming is not in our nature.

>>6090783
>>6090798
>>6091046
>>6091058
>>6091263

You took the decision to talk to Rose about all of this, after all she was clever, had the genius of intrigue and was a local, knowing about their laws and traditions. Better tell her sooner than later. So you waited a little moment when you were alone, in her chambers, and you explained her.

-You remember the tomb my lady ? I have had more informations about it from Oldfossil.

She turned towards you, visibly intrigued.

-Oh, he had informations ? Tell me everything !

She very excitedly sat on her bed and you sat besides her. And you began to tell.

-We had, here, a court mage called Rollarion McFumbles.

-Yes, I know him he was very wise. What happened to him.

-He died in an accident shortly before I came. And he left some notes, notes about the nature of your lands and what he believed was an important conspiracy.

She frowned visibly but you continued.

-Yes, you see, you Indians have many many id.. gods, well, one for doors, another for tables, a third one for a small concept like taking a breath of fresh air.

-For breathing in general and smells, and perfumes.

-Yes, yes. But apparently that was not always the case.

-Mmmh ?

-Several thousand years ago, according to his research, you all worshiped one god, and little by little it was "shattered" he calls it the shattering of the gods.

-But why ?

Here was the difficult part, you decided to try to explain what you have understood for now.

-Some say that it was that the gods will be as strong as simple mages or archmages but I do not believe in this, there is only one god. Others think that if all clergy is divided then mages will take their places as advisors to rulers.

-What do you mean ?

-In France we have one church, the Catholic Church, led by the pope present in all the Christendom, but every lord has a priest as confessor or as councillor, here every lord has a court mage isn't it. And your magical burghers guild is very numerous, present in all the Indias.

She began to understand and answered after biting her lip cutely.

-So you are suggesting that the lack of an unique church does create smaller organisations unable to compete with the influence of the Mage's Guild and so the mages take more power into their own hands by becoming advisors to lords or... Yes even full members of the Council of Many. It... It would make sense, but tell me, how could the people not be aware of this conspiracy, I mean, when you tell me to worship another god I am aware of it.

-I have no idea my sweet lady... But the extent of their machinations is visible in the tomb that we visited, the missing pannel might be a ceremony, and a structure, and the wall and columns on the other wall were erased too according to Rollarion, to mask some traces...

>>6092110

She frowned...

-It is very strange, and hard to believe because, it there was truely an ancient God, he would not be passive and let himself be erased like this, especially if he was so strong, there must have been a war, or something. Against the cult, and there must be traces.

You tried to tell.

-Apparently, according to the daughter of a Guelph merchant...

She raised an eyebrow.

-I met her before knowing you my lady, but she told me that there were some kind of angels in a gate in the lands of the eastern barbarians, they live in the far north. I did not understood it but she said that they were long lived and servants of this Old God, but the place where they lived has been recently destroyed by B'beg the terrible and they have been on the run since.

She frowned about it, but noted the information, so far she was very calm about all of this.

-It is interesting, but there must be ruins, or something, or they have sabotaged ruins, I have trouble understanding how they would have managed to hide such a conspiracy.

-Perhaps Rollarion wrote about this, Oldfossil is currently translating his notes.

She nodded.

-Then I shall look about it. Thank you Charles.

And while you were smiling to her she beamed with joy and jumped on you, kissing you lightly on the cheek.

-Thank you Charles ! I mean it ! I always loved mysteries when I was a kid, reading books about this, we had only a few of them but here it is far more than a simple mystery. I will have sooo much to do, in plus of carrying our child of course.

You turned towards her, thinking that she was pregnant, how ? You never.. She was not the holy virgin. Before you could open your mouth she told.

-Not now my silly knight ! But do not expect us to be chaste once married.

-I never expected it anytime, honhonhon...

You then kissed her, and you passed the rest of the afternoon in peace and told her that she could speak with Oldfossil about this mystery. Unfortunately you did not have the occasion to speak much, because she had to come back to her fief to take some things and put it in order. You sent her Bohémond who was now fond of her handmaiden, they were always together, with two riders to protect her and bring order to her lands.

You continued to wait until your trees were planted and just one day before the end of the plantations you were training in the courtyard. Since Bohémond was with Rose and Becky and Godefroi was hunting wolves you had only your guardsmen and Brother Louis to train against to have some challenge. You had invited Bob Denarius too, and he was not bad, but still, you and your knight dominated the encounters. At least the others learned, and you could, in plus of single combat, have them learn manoeuvers like forming a half decent shieldwall, but still. It was when you heard a soft cough behind you.

>>6092112

Turning around you saw the small girl who tried to murder you, Elana, now totally healed after her ordeal. She was again dressed in her black leathers instead of robes and asked you, trying to look innocent and put an emphasis on her green eyes, you recognised that her frequentation of Rose had transmitted some mannerisms.

-My lord... May I... Join ?

A woman ? Joining training ? Scandalous. You were against, of course, but you had asked her to use her abilities to free Becky and Bohémond, and she had to train somehow... But you hoped that she would not have to use them. You remembered that she was very quick indeed, and not bad with a short blade. But still.. You thought about your household and how you needed every person in it. Godefroi and Bohémond provided defense and advice, being knights, Godefroi was a good tactician with a wealth of knowledge and experience and Bohémond was brash but played the luthe well, they were all good companions. Brother Louis was an advisor in military and spiritual matters and a formidable warrior as a templar knight. Father Louis, as a priest, led the populace and gave you the sacraments during mass like yesterday. Oldfossil was your best advisor and wise in the Indian ways, he was precious with numbers and you could count on him to make any project grow. Captain Crumbling was a good commander of your guardsmen and knew the land better than anyone, just like he knew it's laws. Each one of them had uses.

Then you had men that you would trust with matters that were better left out of honorable eyes, if you needed someone killed you had Bob Denarius, if you needed someone to be killed and his wife raped you had your brave Ancel, he could smell tracks very well too, oh and Denarius was a good bard.
Then there were all your soldiers and guards, Cop probably the best qualified of them who could be a sergeant. You had your servants and maids, to take care of the keep, your guests, your horses and your dogs, the sweet Stacy being a bonus.

But where to put Elana in all of this, what should she do ? You decided to discuss it now, since she was before you. She clearly disliked the idea of being an hired killer, and as a gentleman you did not want to use young girls to fight your battles anyway. But what should she do, you had several ideas. But first should she join the training ?

>>6092113

>Yes, of course... It is, most unusual that a lady takes part, but let us see what you are worth, grab a shortsword.
>No, it would be improper. And you do not have the build young lady.

>Tell me Elana.. You have been baptised isn't it ? What do you think about joining the orders ? I think that you loved to read the scriptures a lot.
>I think that you have been temporarly allowed to be a servant in the household, is it pleasing you ? Do you want to continue ? Or shall I find some other position for you ?
>Elana, you have grown close to lady Rose isn't it ? Would you want to become one of her maids one she comes here after our marriage ?
>It is a very unusual request that I shall make but... Elana, you have grown close to lady Rose isn't it ? Once we are married with her, I would probably need someone to take care of her, and serve, perhaps, as a bodyguard. For a lady... There could be advantages of having another lady performing the deed.
>Elana, I wanted to ask you, in plus of murdering people, what have you learned in this school of yours ?
>Other (write in)

>>6092114
>>Yes, of course... It is, most unusual that a lady takes part, but let us see what you are worth, grab a shortsword.

Scandalous or not, she has proven to be useful, if nothing else we should indulge her.

>>Elana, I wanted to ask you, in plus of murdering people, what have you learned in this school of yours

I think perhaps she might make for a good spy master, ostensibly with a place in our household as a bodyguard/maid for lady Rose.

As cliche as it is, the battle butler/maid is a damn fine trope.

>>6092150
support
She is basically the only person we have that fills the niche

>>6092114
>Yes, of course... It is, most unusual that a lady takes part, but let us see what you are worth, grab a shortsword.
>Elana, you have grown close to lady Rose isn't it ? Would you want to become one of her maids one she comes here after our marriage ?
As fun as it would be to send her to a nunnery, Rose having a bodyguard would be very handy. it would take pressure of of us, and this has an poetic amusing synergy: when we're around to protect Rose, she has -4 STR. When we can't be there, she regains the strength necessary to defend our beloved.

In addition, she is already an ardent Christian. She can be a good influence on our (sadly pagan) bride.

>>6092114
>>Yes, of course... It is, most unusual that a lady takes part, but let us see what you are worth, grab a shortsword.

>It is a very unusual request that I shall make but... Elana, you have grown close to lady Rose isn't it ? Once we are married with her, I would probably need someone to take care of her, and serve, perhaps, as a bodyguard. For a lady... There could be advantages of having another lady performing the deed.

>>6092114
>Yes, of course... It is, most unusual that a lady takes part, but let us see what you are worth, grab a shortsword.
>Elana, I wanted to ask you, in plus of murdering people, what have you learned in this school of yours ?

>>6092114
>Yes, of course... It is, most unusual that a lady takes part, but let us see what you are worth, grab a shortsword.
>It is a very unusual request that I shall make but... Elana, you have grown close to lady Rose isn't it ? Once we are married with her, I would probably need someone to take care of her, and serve, perhaps, as a bodyguard. For a lady... There could be advantages of having another lady performing the deed

File: Elana.png (1.08 MB, 1024x1024)

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>>6092150
>>6092159
Yes, I agree, she has been useful and is competent. And it can be a pleasant trope indeed.

>>6092497
I haven't thought about the synergy but it is really excellent. And the fact that she is not cruel, kind and a Christian can be a mitigating factor for Rose's worst tendencies. While Rose with her mastery of intrigue could use her to a better extent than Charles.

>>6092533
>>6092565
>>6092997

You thought about the young lady and, after all, she had been always loyal and helpful, and when she looked at you with these eyes you could have given her a horse if you wanted. So you told.

-Yes, of course... It is, most unusual that a lady takes part, but let us see what you are worth, grab a shortsword.

The look of joy on her face was pleasant, but you fond it very strange when she took two training shortswords, what would she do with that ? It would only be detrimental to the use of one. But she seemed to insist on it and when you looked how she fared against a guardsman it was quite amusing, she defeated him quickly, you had to admit that she completely lacked power but was very fast and soon he had been hit in two exposed parts of his defense. She then told, quite cockily.

-Perhaps someone more experienced would be at my level.

You frowned while she had such a smile, sincerely, you trained those guards, yes they were peasants but still. You ordered to send a second one, more talented. Marcus was a recent recruit but he knew swordplay. He was more prudent, tried to hit her, protected himself with his shield and parried both of her swords when she attacked recklessly from two sides at once. But then he was exposed and she kicked him between the legs. The poor lad held his aching balls and writhed in agony, you winced a bit in sympathy for him. Brother Louis admonished her.

-Young lady, that is not very fair...

-I am sorry brother... I ignored that people played fair on battlefields.

This made Denarius chuckle, but still, the look that Brother Louis gave her, even if she had a point, made her help her opponent get to his feet and say that she was sorry. To be honest on a battlefield she would not survive, not having the space to dodge as she did. You then resumed training with Brother Louis and after your bout saw that she was against Cop. She tried to kick away his shield but seemed to weak to do that.

>>6093026

It surprised her and when she got hit by his spear she seemed astonished to have lost. Hey she might be trained but he was too, and she was just a girl even smaller in size than Rose. Still, while she nursed her wound, and tried to regain her pride back you approached her. Seeing you she told.

-It is not right, I shouldn't be this weak, I had unbalanced him... And my adventurers abilities do not work.. That..

-I do not know what you are talking about Elana, I wanted only to ask you, in plus of murdering people, what have you learned in this school of yours ?

She looked at you, quite surprised by the question you explained.

-I want to give you perhaps a place at my household that is more suited to your skills, you are a pious young woman, and hardworking, but I do not know, everything.

She reddened a bit and knelt.

-My lord, it is too much, you... You already gave me my soul back. You are a blessed person you...

-Hey hey hey, do not do it too much we are not in Italy...

-S... Sorry my lord but such kindness was rare where I grew up... I mean... I know how to fight as you saw, how to climb walls, disguise myself, but I know poisons too, and antidotes, and if I can hurt someone by knowing anatomy I can certainly know what is good for his health. I guess I am also good at doing acrobatics and throwing knives so if a travelling circus needs me I can be useful.

She laughed at that and you did too. But she could be useful, qualified healers were rare so half qualified healers like her could be precious. So you answered her.

-Thank you for the informations... Well, then I shall reflect on it and give you an answer during the afternoon.

She raised an eyebrow, and had half a smile.

-Of course my lord, shall a bout at the training yard help you decide. I... Am very glad that I did not manage to kill you the last time, and you knocked me out, I shall always thank the Lord for this day... But a part of me.. Perhaps too prideful, wants a revenge.

She looked at you sheepishly, probably thinking that she was too bold but you could only indulge her, it was fair. And you still failed to understand how could someone fight with two short swords so it should be interesting. Taking your training sword and shield you decided to see for yourself.

-I am very against hitting women but if you ask for it.

-I fear, your lordship, that you will receive more than you give.

The boldness ! Or was she trying to provoke you in being reckless ? She had a strange guard and you knew that you had advantages in reach and defense. And strength of course, but she was fast, and had this tendency to be "jumpy" and dodge some blows out of nowhere.

>>6093027

>Try to overpower her with strong blows and a charge (combat roll)
>Keep your distance, use your reach to force her to come at you and take risks. (combat roll)
>Try to strike quickly to surprise her (combat roll)
>Other (write in) (combat roll)

During the afternoon, or even during lunch, you had thought about your decision and told her.

>You have been baptised isn't it ? What do you think about joining the orders ? I think that you loved to read the scriptures a lot.
>I think that you have been temporarily allowed to be a servant in the household, is it pleasing you ? Do you want to continue ? Or shall I find some other position for you ?
>Elana, you have grown close to lady Rose isn't it ? Would you want to become one of her maids one she comes here after our marriage ?
>It is a very unusual request that I shall make but... Elana, you have grown close to lady Rose isn't it ? Once we are married with her, I would probably need someone to take care of her, and serve, perhaps, as a bodyguard. For a lady... There could be advantages of having another lady performing the deed.
>We always need healers, you shall be the healer at my court Elana.
>I need someone who would be able to plan some.. Discreet operations involving spying, I am far from an expert on it, but if you had some experience I shall be glad to put it to good use.
>Other (write in)

Rolled 10 (1d100)

>>6093028
>Keep your distance, use your reach to force her to come at you and take risks. (combat roll)
>It is a very unusual request that I shall make but... Elana, you have grown close to lady Rose isn't it ? Once we are married with her, I would probably need someone to take care of her, and serve, perhaps, as a bodyguard. For a lady... There could be advantages of having another lady performing the deed.

Rolled 17 (1d100)

>>6093028
>>Keep your distance, use your reach to force her to come at you and take risks. (combat roll)

>>It is a very unusual request that I shall make but... Elana, you have grown close to lady Rose isn't it ? Once we are married with her, I would probably need someone to take care of her, and serve, perhaps, as a bodyguard. For a lady... There could be advantages of having another lady performing the deed.

Rolled 64 (1d100)

>>6093028
>Keep your distance, use your reach to force her to come at you and take risks. (combat roll)
We are a knight trained in war and cannot possibly lose this

>We always need healers, you shall be the healer at my court Elana.
Offical purpose
>It is a very unusual request that I shall make but... Elana, you have grown close to lady Rose isn't it ? Once we are married with her, I would probably need someone to take care of her, and serve, perhaps, as a bodyguard. For a lady... There could be advantages of having another lady performing the deed.
Real purpose

Rolled 93 (1d100)

>>6093028
>Try to overpower her with strong blows and a charge (combat roll)

>I need someone who would be able to plan some.. Discreet operations involving spying, I am far from an expert on it, but if you had some experience I shall be glad to put it to good use.

Rolled 66 (1d100)

>>6093026
>when she looked at you with these eyes you could have given her a horse if you wanted
Kek, I didn't know Lord Charles was of the House of Musk

>>6093028
>Keep your distance, use your reach to force her to come at you and take risks. (combat roll)
>It is a very unusual request that I shall make but... Elana, you have grown close to lady Rose isn't it ? Once we are married with her, I would probably need someone to take care of her, and serve, perhaps, as a bodyguard. For a lady... There could be advantages of having another lady performing the deed.

>>6093028
>Try to overpower her with strong blows and a charge (combat roll)
>It is a very unusual request that I shall make but... Elana, you have grown close to lady Rose isn't it ? Once we are married with her, I would probably need someone to take care of her, and serve, perhaps, as a bodyguard. For a lady... There could be advantages of having another lady performing the deed.

>>6093028
>>Keep your distance, use your reach to force her to come at you and take risks. (combat roll)
>>It is a very unusual request that I shall make but... Elana, you have grown close to lady Rose isn't it ? Once we are married with her, I would probably need someone to take care of her, and serve, perhaps, as a bodyguard. For a lady... There could be advantages of having another lady performing the deed.

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>>6093036
>>6093170

>>6093247
Of course, it will be easy. And you were the wisest one with an official and a real purpose, you are as crafty as Charles de Valois or Robert d'Artois. A master of intrigue.

>>6093299

>>6093310
KEK, we shall name his next horse "Tesla".

>>6093443
>>6093672

As you had predicted with your tactical genius you managed to keep your opponent at distance. She tried to advance to dodge each time at the last moment, you tried to cut her all opportunities of escape. Finally when she was against the corner of wall, since you were far taller and Elana did not even have the occasion to get you you told.

-It's over Elana, I have the high ground.

Her answer worried you.

-You underestimate my power...

And she tried to flip over you, yes, really like an acrobat, probably to stab you while flying, you only saw indian guelphs trying to do it so it surprised you, but as a reflex you tried to hit her here with your training sword while she flew. She emitted a cry of pain and fell harshly on the courtyard. And you immediately felt bad, feeling guilty that you hurt a woman. It was definitely unchivalric. You tried to see if she was well and she nodded.

-I will... Probably only have some bruises my lord... You.. You are very good with a sword and a shield, I didn't think...

-Elana, I am a knight, I am trained from birth.

She looked at you and answered in an annoyed tone.

-And what do you think my lord ? That I practised gardening and embroidery when I was a little girl ?

Ah, yes, reflecting on it she was trained too from a very young age. But still, she was a little girl, you were a man and of noble birth so she was at a disadvantage. But whatever. You laughed.

-I weight twice as much as you if you were all wet young lass, there is no shame in losing.

She nodded, explaining.

-Yes, I... I am sorry my lord. It was the frustration of defeat, I should not have talked in this tone to your lordship I..

-I do not blame you, try to not do it again simply.

You then let her recover and proceded to try to teach some good passes to Bob Denarius, you sometimes still wondered if keeping him was useful but the man was truely a talented bard, and bandit and fanatically devoted to you as a kind of "master of warfare", he could be useful.

>>6093853

Whatever, you decided to call Elana after your decision was made and to tell her in private.

-It is a very unusual request that I shall make but... Elana, you have grown close to lady Rose isn't it ? Once we are married with her, I would probably need someone to take care of her, and serve, perhaps, as a bodyguard. For a lady... There could be advantages of having another lady performing the deed.

When she heard you she seemed a bit taken aback, before nodding and laughed. Before asking worriedly.

-Of course my lord, I shall do as you wish... But... With all due respect, you make it sound like it is not usual... Is it forbidden by the Holy Scriptures ?

-N... No not that I know, it is not.

-Then why is it not ?

-Generally ladies do not have this, kind of role in France, or even in the neighbouring lands.

She frowned and then asked.

-So... Ladies have male bodyguards ?

-Generally knights yes.

She then told.

-And the lords are not afraid that, well, they can begin to have romantic feelings for eachother... And how do they..

She reddened and added.

-Do they go together even in the public baths ?

You reddened too, yes, of course not.

-No, no, it is why amongst other reasons I was asking you. And yes, of course young knights can be in love with the wife of their lord, it happens often. It is sad indeed. In the legends Lancelot was in love with the wife of his king. But know that a True Knight should never stoop so low as to rapt the honor of his suzerain's wife. There is no worse crime. Sometimes, even often, there is courteous love, but it stays.. How did Oldfossil say, platonic... Yes. I wonder where he had heard of this Plato man that Brother Louis spoke me about once. So generally a wise lords gives his wife an old and ugly, but loyal and competent knight to protect her in his absence.

She nodded and understood.

-It is wise my lord.

-Yes, and what do you do in India ? Do you use eunuchs like the saracens ?

She seemed terrified.

-Eunuchs ?

-Yes castrated males, to guard the wives of their lords, they all live in an enclosed space..

-No my lord ! It's awful ! There is no mutilations like this amongst us. Generally, for the reasons that we mentioned above it is a woman's job... Or.. Some lords, generally unmarried, or ladies unmarried, have a young and beautiful bodyguard of the opposite sex. When I studied they told to kill them at night because they were... Rarely preoccupied with guarding the body.

Yes, more by exploring it, you had a smile and told.

-By Saint Denis... Well, I think that this solution is the best.

-I am glad to have been of use my lord and to have soothed your consciousness.

>>6093854

You thanked her, she was a very kind soul. She obediently bowed her head and left. It was the day tommorrow, when you wanted to go on a hunt that you heard a soldier tell that you heard that two knights, your messenger and a man from the baron were riding in the horizon towards your castle. They were probably answering to your demand of securing the keep of lord Hostil and killing the wolves on the border. You ordered to prepare the great hall and received them. The baron's messenger bowed, he was a male guelph with long brown hair. He knelt and told, after being introduced.

-My lord, I am Email, messenger of the baron, it is customary to give the answer back to the man who came with it but, since we, servants of his lordship Endoftutoriel, are new to these lands he sent me to give you his respects and learn the road from Local to Someplace for future travels.

-A most wise decision Email, I suppose that you have an answer to our wolves problem?

-Of course your lordship.

He then gave you a parchment, and you began to try to read it, making sign to Oldfossil to come closer, he could read it far faster than you do and understand all the little nuances on this. Oldfossil took a sorry expression. Of course, since you read.

"Lord de Villeroi,

It is with pleasure that I learned of your noble efforts of securing your border. Fortunately they will not be needed, after all a good baron cares for his subjects, it is why I decided to give the old "Hostil" castle to my noble councillor and court witch Cristmasel. I am sure that you will be happy to see some new blood in the region to regenerate the nobility.
She will arrive in a day with sixty brave souls of the Royal Guard to ensure that order is reestablished and the wolves are dealt with. I am sure that she, or lieutenant Daniel, in her absence, will he able to dissuade any would be bandits to establish themselves in the place or lordship.

Thank you, once more, my loyal vassal, for giving me such a detailed account of the situation. I await you with tremendous impatience in five days for a huge banquet in my new seat."

Then came his titles and all the courtesies that are expected in this kind of letter. But you could not not be worried. "Some new blood" ! COMMONERS ! Burghers ! Scum ! Magical scum ! Gaining lands ! And now with twice as much soldiers to block you from annexing the land ! The man was clever. And who needs to be regenerated ? You ? You were excellent.. He gave the place to a sorcerer after you had killed the first one. And plus this one was a woman so no duelling with her. Damn it. Worse, you understood that he saw you as a land grabber and some disloyal vassal, he did not even invite you to help deal with the wolves, no, it was "go back home and shut up". You breathed heavily and ordered.

>>6093855

>Oldfossil, please, redact me a polite answer to this message. Something like that we thank him for his sollicitude.
>Oldfossil, what to think of this. He insults us and we can do nothing.
>Ask the messenger what his lord meant by "regenerating the nobility" are you not "generated" enough (you ignored if this word existed but decided to use your lordly powers to invent it and make it mandatory).
>Thank the messenger and do not answer. Order to call Godefroi Back.
>Lock up your messengers, it is very unfortunate, they never came ! It is why you killed the wolves and marched towards the Hostil castle. Let us saddle up lads, one day will just be enough.
>Other (write in)

>>6093857
>Ask the messenger what his lord meant by "regenerating the nobility" are you not "generated" enough (you ignored if this word existed but decided to use your lordly powers to invent it and make it mandatory).

>>6093853
Kind words my lord
>>6093857
>Ask the messenger what his lord meant by "regenerating the nobility" are you not "generated" enough (you ignored if this word existed but decided to use your lordly powers to invent it and make it mandatory).
>Thank the messenger and do not answer. Order to call Godefroi Back.
He made his position clear and so there is no need for us to do anything more then secure our own borders, he can handle the rest with his elevated commoners and then we can start to push even more responsibilities onto him since he has clearly decided we are some type of untrustworthy vassal!

>>6093857
>>Ask the messenger what his lord meant by "regenerating the nobility" are you not "generated" enough (you ignored if this word existed but decided to use your lordly powers to invent it and make it mandatory).

>>6093857
>>Oldfossil, what to think of this. He insults us and we can do nothing.
Another witch! After we have killed so many! We must find a way to charge her for heresy

>>6093857
>>Ask the messenger what his lord meant by "regenerating the nobility" are you not "generated" enough (you ignored if this word existed but decided to use your lordly powers to invent it and make it mandatory).

>>6093857
>Oldfossil, what to think of this. He insults us and we can do nothing.

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>>6093965

>>6093977
Kind but honest dear bannerman. And I am curious how you will do that, we will see.

>>6094227

>>6094320
It seems that as much as you burn them they "regenerate" has fast as we do it. It is an endless task but with the help of God Almighty we shall prevail.

>>6094666
>>6094682

Looking at the messenger you made him sign to raise, you had finished to read. Then you asked him.

-Young man, or not so young, we never know with you Guelphs. Tell me... Am I not... Generated enough ?

The man seemed taken aback, just like much of the audience, one of his ears moved higher than the other, questioning you.

-I beg your pardon my lord.

-I was asking you if I was not generated enough.

The man seemed lost... Scrambling to find an answer, he then told.

-I am.. No mage nor savant my lord, but.. Perhaps you meant "generated".. Sorry... "Born".. Generally we say born in our land instead of "generated"...

-I meant what I meant..

-Y... Yes my lord... I.. I think that you were born obviously well formed, without deformities, but I fail to see the..

-Perhaps I am not born well enough ? Mmmmh ? Perhaps his excellency thinks that I am of common blood ?

-My lord... My liege would never...

-Then why is he calling to "regenerate" us ? And naming commoners left and right, is this the process of "regeneration", to make the birth of a new nobility ?

Oldfossil, who, it seemed, was lost in your words began to catch up. He nodded. You liked this feeling, the wisdom of a man of the countryside like you was to always be able to bounce back into well known subjects. For a peasant it would be the harvest or his pigs, for a nobleman it was the degeneracy of burghers and the neighbouring fief that was ruled by an imbecile. Such wisdom was so ancient that the guelph messenger understood and quickly tried to tell.

-My lord, lady Cristmasel is of an old line of elven nobility descended from the guardians of the New Year Tree.

You were not sure if he was trying to engarland you as some would say, covering you of praises to appease you, but you nodded. Noble or not, she was still a witch. You told.

-Then the baron is most wise. You can leave, but before that my men shall feed you and let your horse rest.

-Thank you my lord.

>>6095603

The next days were sinister and you thought about all of this. Your liege lord must have disliked you on first sight, and you had managed to take care of a vile baron to have another one that was as vile as the other, or perhaps less since he was not a sorcerer who consorted with demons and evil spirits. Whatever, you had no time to plot, because you had to celebrate the fact that your orchard, finally had been entirely planted.

Oh you would remember that day when Oldfossil was coming happily to you and told in a beaming tone.

-My lord, it is done ! We have planted the trees ! The orchard only awaits your presence to be completed, shall you plant the last tree yourself my lord ? It is a local custom ?

You found it silly, peasants were here to plant things. But if it was a custom.

>If it is a local custom than so be it.
>I am a knight, I use a sword, not a shovel. Let someone else do it.
>You deserve to plant it Oldfossil, you have never failed me and managed to keep this project afloat. I insist.
>Other (write in)

>>6095605
>You deserve to plant it Oldfossil, you have never failed me and managed to keep this project afloat. I insist.

>>6095605
>>If it is a local custom than so be it.

The peasantry will be most pleased by us indulging their custom, and a happy peasant is a productive peasant.

>>6095605
>If it is a local custom than so be it.
May aswell

>>6095605
>>If it is a local custom than so be it.

>>6095605
>>If it is a local custom than so be it.

>>6095605
>If it is a local custom than so be it.

File: Cider !.png (2.14 MB, 1397x1069)

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>>6095619

>>6095620
Of course, we take care of our subjects after all.

>>6095628
>>6095883
>>6095966
>>6096111

You took the decision to respect the customs of your subjects after all. What was nobility if not respect for the old customs and traditions that made our right and proper feudal society. Even those of a pagan society like India who was only half civilised. You ordered your household to ride with you, since Godefroi was back he was at your left when Oldfossil was at your left. The old knight was still unhappy that he was not allowed to hunt wolves and he expressed himself strongly against the fact that a witch had been chosen to rule the Hostil lands.
But whatever, today was a glorious day where you shall think about apples and cider you decided, not burghers, magical "nobles" and pagans. It will be a positive day, of course with your luck it had to be absolutely raining and you could not give a proper speech over the coughs of some people. But still, you were not made of sugar, you wanted to thank the workers. And see the place.

The installation was impressive, and the canal clearly designed to resist even in case of great rain, small apple trees were growing by the hundreds, one thousand of them, neatly arranged, in one or two years they shall begin to yield and you will be able to drink, all the men who worked here, even one saracen amongst them, were assembled, they seemed proud. Some of them had even crosses on their necks and had become christians, excellent news. Their pride was justified even if the cold rain was unpleasant for them as much as for you, a common man should always be proud of his work, of his liege lord and his family, these great acts and people who are far above his simple life are glorious and shine upon him, basking him in his glory and giving him a part of it. It was the same for minor noblemen like you, you could sometimes disagree with King Philippe but he was a powerful ruler and a great warrior. Being ruled by his strong hand meant that you were respected when you said that you were a Frenchman.

>>6096322

On the other side the fact that this realm was ruled by a Guelph witch could only mean shame for it's inhabitants. It is why rulers had to be exemplary. You dismounted your horse and received a shoveld from Manfore, one of the peasants, a tall brown haired peasant in his fourties with hairy arms and a huge mustache who had been chosen by Oldfossil to lead the working teams when he was not there. He told you.

-It will be beautiful my lord... here, the last tree, we bought it in Podunk.

You thanked him.

-Thank you my good man. Are all these apple trees of the same kind.

-Yes Mylord, Oldfossil took care of this, of course, the best apples for cider.

It was fortunate, you had not thought about this before now, it would have been stupid to plant everything again because of it. Haha, you had invested 2000 gold coins on this project if you remembered well. You shoveled the earth softened by the rain and your boots were absolutely filthy before you put the small tree in the hole and put ground around. You then poured it some water, in plus of the rain and looked with satisfaction on it. The people cheered, they did not need much. With humour you told.

-Thanks, thanks of course but I suppose that you cheered less when you planted the 999 other trees.

After some laughs you addressed your courtiers and peasants.

-What is important, is all the work that had been done and that will change our lordship, far from everything, to a center of cider production in all the barony and beyond. Everyone will know about the cider produced here and you could tell your sons and grandsons that you worked to build it. With the help of God Almighty it will bring fame and prosperity to us. As promised, I shall give you the first tankards of cider once it will be finished.

But then a question remained. Should you give them a raise for their work on time ?

>Yes they worked hard on a tight schedule.
>No, no need to pay them more they did their duty.

Then after your words you were accosted by Oldfossil. He asked you.

-My lord, a question remains, how shall we name the orchard, everything should have a name once it is planted... We still have time, since we will build the structures during winter and spring but still.

-Name an orchard ? It... Is strange custom, for wine I can understand... We normally name it after the village.

-Here we give it a name my lord, for the future cider. If we intend to sell it.

You nodded and decided to answer.

>Villeroi's Orchard, family first
>We shall name it after Saint Clément, patron saint of Cider sellers
>We shall name if after Saint Fiacre, patron saint of gardeners
>We shall name it in honor of Rose, I am sure that she will appreciate once we will be married
>Other (write in)

>>6096323
>Yes they worked hard on a tight schedule.

>We shall name it after Saint Clément, patron saint of Cider sellers

>>6096323
>Yes they worked hard on a tight schedule.
Just a bit, we can't spoil them

>We shall name it after Saint Clément, patron saint of Cider sellers
It is best to start spreading the name of good saints and such as much as we can

>>6096323
>>Yes they worked hard on a tight schedule.

>>We shall name it after Saint Clément, patron saint of Cider sellers

>>6096323
>No, no need to pay them more they did their duty.
If we teach the commoners to value money more than duty, it will be the beginning of the end of our barely-born Proper Feudal Society.

>We shall name it after Saint Clément, patron saint of Cider sellers

>>6096323
>No, no need to pay them more they did their duty.
>We shall name it after Saint Clément, patron saint of Cider sellers

File: Orchard.jpg (334 KB, 1024x1024)

334 KB JPG

>>6096364

>>6096389
Of course, it shall be reasonable

>>6096392

>>6096429
It is true, yes, you speak wisely. But the kindness of the noble heart of the other bannermen voted against you. Know if one day Charles lacks in cash you will have the priviledge to remind them of this moment.

>>6096864

You decided to order Oldfossil to give a raise to the men, a small one but they deserved it, 100 gold coins sufficed and the men cheered, it would have been a gigantic sum back in the Christendom but here it was cheap. The workers deserved it in your opinion they worked on a tight schedule after all. You then answered him.

-It will be Saint Clément's Orchard, he is the patron saint of the cider sellers.

-The patron saint ? My lord, I fear to not understand, you told me that you had only one God, but when I hear Father François, or yourself, you always talk about patron saints and other beings.

-Patron saints are holy men, that have been, after their death and canonisation, chosen to be the protectors of an activity, or a city, or a place. For exemple Saint Georges is the patron saint of chivalry, because he vainquished a dragon and behaved like a knight, so we knights revere him. Sometimes it is because of it's occupation, or sometimes because the saint was from a city. Or that the king decreed that such saint will be the patron saint of the realm. There is traditions. Just like we keep their relics too, I saw a relic of our Holy King Saint Louis in the Hostel de Valois at paris, a part of his left heel enchased in gold.

-So this Saint Clément was a cider seller ?

You shook your head, amused.

-No, sometimes the connection is not because of their activity, in Champagne we have wineyards and the patron saint of winemakers is Saint Vincent, some say because he invented how to cut the grapes in a better way, or was tortured in a wine press by pagans, others that simply Vincent sounds like "Vin Sang" wine and blood. And that we drink wine as the blood of Christ during the mass. Sometimes the analogies are a bit of a bad taste, in my opinion, Saint Laurent is the patron saint of sellers of roasted meats, rôtisseurs, roasters, because he was tortured by pagans who put him on a grill and roasted him alive.

-And for Saint Clément ?

You raised your shoulders, not knowing what to answer exactly, your knowledge was not infinite unfortunately.

>>6097331

-I know that Saint Clement of Metz vainquished the Graoully, the dragon that lived in this region, he tamed him with the power of the Lord and made him docile, he vainquished some serpents too. But Clement of Rome travelled a lot, maybe it is this Saint Clément, I am not an expert of cider sellers, if he travelled maybe some travelling merchants who sell cider far and wide decided to make him their patron saint. You should ask Father François, he will know it better than me.

The old man nodded, no doubtedly impressed by the power of sainthood. You then ordered your men to return to the castle, you had a voyage to prepare. The day when you shall come to your liege lord was coming closer and closer.

You knew that Bohémond shall return with Lady Takable, but who else to take with you ? You excluded Denarius or Elana, better not to provoke diplomatic incidents with the lord of Darkplace or any other noble. The time was unkind to Oldfossil and he was a very good regent but on the other side you needed him to see the new liege lord so he could judge him. Godefroi and Captain Crumbling could rule in your absence. Brother Louis could be sent too, but he already provoked some diplomatic incidents with adventurers and other scum that in any normal real would have simply be beaten with batons but were heard here and considered of good counsel in the Indias. Father François could be a useful councilor but he needed to tend to the needs of his parishioners. Who shall be taken with you, besides Ancel of course, he must be researched there but you were not ready to travel without your loyal scout.

>Godefroi
>Brother Louis
>Oldfossil
>Captain Crumbling
>Father François
>Other (write in)

You gain 40 xp for planting the orchard, 10 xp more will be given when you will finish the buildings.

>>6097332

Your new stats :

Charles de Villeroi

Class : Local Lord
Level : 5
XP : 785+40 = 825 xp (next level at 1000)

Stats

Combat : 51%
Intrigue : 30%
Rulership: 36%

Piety : 77
Mudcore : 65

With 65 Mudcore you have a strong field of gritty realism around you (150 meters), in this field heavy magic will not work and supernatural abilities will not work, oh, and women will lose 4 pounds of strength of course, plus in the field the people that obey you will act more like they would be in a dark fantasy setting. You have chosen Blood of Mud and so your mudcore field will become a bit bigger and stronger but could be transmitted to your children. Magic, even restorative, will become considerably weaker near you. Weak practitionners of magic (less than rank 5) are unable to cast in your mudcore field.
Next level at 70, your field will become 200 meters wide, magical objects will lose their properties in your mudcore field just like potions, crops who came from the columbian exchange will lose their taste and a medieval disease will enter your world.

Talents
-Cavalry Commander : +20 to martial when you have to lead a cavalry charge or a cavalry attack. Works only when commanding shock or melee cavalry mounted on horses.
-Foreign Etiquette : You focus on learning Indian etiquette with Oldfossil, you gain a +10 bonus in intrigue in your interactions with the nobility of your duchy.
->Basic Literacy : Your lessons with Oldfossil and Lady Takable finally paid off and you can read and write, even if you write with errors and move your lips still when you read it is a great leap forward.

Traits :
Leader : Your magnetism on the masses is glorious and your learning of speech could encourage many men to follow you. You may choose the best of 3 rolls when you try to speak in public to convince an audience, be it the Council of Many or angry peasants.

>>6097332
>Brother Louis
Someone holy should be brought to introduce the great faith

>>6097332
>Brother Louis

>>6097332
>>Brother Louis

>>6097332
>Father François

>>6097332
>>Brother Louis

>>6097332
>Brother Louis

File: Negociations.jpg (174 KB, 567x687)

174 KB JPG

>>6097341
It is true, he can be useful in many situations, but I should have told that you could choose multiple choices. My bad. Whatever, it is not so important.

>>6097423
>>6097704
>>6097714
>>6097978
>>6098047

Deciding to take Brother Louis, Ancel and an important complement of guardsmen with you you rode to the west, to the barony of Someplace. It was a huge place and you had several days of travelling.

You rode fast while Ancel ran nearby, it was good for his health and yours. The first thing that you noticed on place was that the watchtower on your borders was occupied by five Guelph, three males and two females, armed with bows and arrows. One of them was in a royal guard armor, the others looked like a fresh recruit. The women were very beautiful and when Cop joked that they must be living happily in the tower from now on you smiled at it. You asked the new commander of the watchtower where were Justdoing, Myjob and the other guards of the place and he told that they have been sent to Someplace to see who was fit to serve again. Looking at the raw recruits you understood that the Lord wanted Guelphs (or as some of your men called them, half-guelphs) in his guard, primarily at least.

When you stopped at the High Mandol Inn it seemed that the people were happy that there was a new baron instead of Crook, taxes got lower apparently. On the other side there was no Spotifia so you were a bit sad, but glad that this time no assassin awaited you to kill you in the courtyard.

You finally arrived at Someplace during a rainy day. You could not see the keep well but couls swear that someone had painted it in white instead of black, how could someone do it in only two weeks ? The streets had been cleaned and the houses with their Indian big windows looked like they were beautiful. People seemed to be joyful, there were no more spikes on the walls and people impaled in it, some armed Guelphs were even patrolling the streets and assuring order. All seemed joyful and good, perhaps what happened was a bringing of civilisation like when the Normans invaded the Anglo-Saxons.

>>6098314

Yes, of course, the end result could be clearly evil, any sane person had only to look at England and be certain of it, but nobody would deny that the Norman Conquest brought tremendous positive change to England, making it the second most powerful realm in the Christendom after France (the Holy Roman Empire was too divided like the realms and city states in the Iberian Peninsula and Italy).

Despite the rain you were greeted at the gates by several guardsmen who quickly called their liege lord who was in the great hall. While you waited the baron's councilor, Demisel, a "half-guelph" as some people called himself with short dirty blond hair and a green tunic greeted you, he was with the woman Lyddien, their new guard's captain. You exchanged politenesses and when you had sent your horses in the stables he quickly he told you.

-My lord, I am glad to be able to speak to you before our Baron, we have read your letter about the wolves in the Hostil lordship, be assured that we will deal with it. We shall try to give you compensations too, for the damage done. We understand that you will have taken care of them yourself but, you know, we needed to show the strength of the Barony after some anarchy. I do not wish to see bad blood between my master and yourself about this.

>I understand this, councilor, I had hoped too that we shall be able to avoid misunderstandings in the future. I shall always remain a loyal vassal of our glorious baron.
>I understand this, councilor, but the letter that you sent worried me about the possibility of being taken as an ungrateful vassal. Believe me good sir, I would never have annexed lands without your permission, it is why I waited the baron's permission if only to cross the border.
>I think that I shall speak with the baron in person about it. Even if I am glad for the help that you offered me.
>My good councilor, I understand your words and am happy for your compensations offer, but then why sending us a letter with veiled insults ? Why such blasphemy about "generating me" again ? Am I not generated enough ?
>My good councilor, your words are good but my people suffered and I had to station troops unable to take the fight to their enemies. Know that the next time I shall not wait for permission to hunt some wolves or other malevolent vermin.
>Councilor, am I not generated enough ? (Simply stare at him with a deep stare as if asking a powerful philosophical question)
>Other (write in)

Roll an intrigue roll please

Rolled 57 (1d100)

>>6098315
>I understand this, councilor
I don't want to lean too far in anyway so keep short but follow up with:
>Councilor, am I not generated enough ? (Simply stare at him with a deep stare as if asking a powerful philosophical question)
Because we have to know

>>6098315
>I understand this, councilor
>Still, I think that I shall speak with the baron in person about it.

Rolled 95 (1d100)

>>6098315
>>Councilor, am I not generated enough ? (Simply stare at him with a deep stare as if asking a powerful philosophical question)

Kek

Rolled 35 (1d100)

>>6098315
>>My good councilor, your words are good but my people suffered and I had to station troops unable to take the fight to their enemies. Know that the next time I shall not wait for permission to hunt some wolves or other malevolent vermin.

File: Baron_Endoftutoriel_your_(...).jpg (63 KB, 828x1093)

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>>6098339
Sometimes it is better to be a man of few words who ask wise questions.

>>6098353
>>6098699
>>6098699
>>6098722

You looked at the man and talked quickly.

-I understand this.

Your laconic answer made him question himself, probably, because he remained silent a moment before trying to talk.

-Very good my lord, by the way...

You interrupted him and looked at him with your deepest look.

-Councilor, am I not generated enough ?

You fixed him and stared for a long time while he opened and closed his eyes, in panic. He was probably not ready to answer such philosophical question. Even Lyddien, the female Guelph guard's captain with her scar on the cheek stopped and looked at you. Finally Demisel answered you, in an hesitant tone.

-I... I beg your pardon my lord, what have you said ?

-I asked you if I was not generated enough. I want your answer. Or perhaps the one of the lady here.

They looked at each other, taken aback. Finally Demisel began to smile, and laugh a little. A forced laugh to kill the deafening silence.

-My... My lord you are full of surprise and of spirit. Such a funny jest I...

-I was not joking. I am asking you this completely seriously. Am I not generated enough ?

The man looked at you, visibly not knowing what to answer, he was far behind your philosophical knowledge and this metaphysical question had no answer in his minuscule mind. It is what you would have thought, at least, if you knew the existence of the word metaphysical. Still, your question seemed to create an awkward unease upon these guelphs, and it was justice. They were terrifyed of their own implications. Of course, they tried to stall for time, the councilor explaining.

-I am terribly sorry my lord, I must not have caught the deep meaning of your words but what do you mean by "generated" ?

Of course it was a tricky question. The vile man tried to imply that there was a hidden meaning behind this word. A meaning that only a litterate man like him would know. He took you for a simpleton. Hah ! Such arrogance ! Such hubris ! How can he take the local lord for a fool.

>>6098916

Your answer took him completely aback.

-I mean what it says, I go by the usual definition of the word.

Hah ! How could he answer that without passing for a fool ? He paled for a moment, and tried to scramble a retort.

-I.... I suppose that you are, well generated...

-Are you sure ?

He tried to look at Lyddien for support, she simply looked at you, then at him, one of her ears raising more than the other.

-Y... Yes...

-Why ?

-You seem well proportioned and healthy, at least you seem in good health.

You nodded, ready to send your comeback.

-Then, good sir, tell me why should I be regenerated ?

He seemed to fail to answer an instant, and it was at this moment that you saw the gates of the next room open. To reveal the baron, and someone that you knew well, Lady Rose. She smiled happily when she saw you and you too had your hearth warmed by her presence. So she had come early. But etiquette forced you to see the baron. He explained with a very smug face.

-Ah, lord Charles de Villeroi, be welcome, we have redecorated the interiors of the first floor, I was just showing it to your delightful bride. Everyone is here, we only wait for the Lord of Darkplace and the Neutral Lord, they should come today. Have your travels gone well ? You must be wet... Demisel, have you ordered to have some drinks served to our guests ?

The chancelor answered.

-I was going to do it my liege, but we were caught up in a... Philosophical conversation.

The baron seemed taken aback.

-Philosophy ? I never knew your kind were able to understand it. You are very well educated for a human lord Charles.

You decided to answer, perhaps with a bit of humor to this man who seemed to consider himself not a part of mankind.

-Yes, I am certain that our horses read philosophy more than us, I am sure you had conversations with them and learned much.

Rose looked at you with big eyes, like you told something that could be insulting but the baron only laughed at it.

-Hahaha, very amusing, I am not, unfortunately, able to speak with animals, not being a druid but I understand.

He then made you sign to come, he was still in his Bathrobe. While you climbed the stairs Rose took your hand and you kissed her on the cheek when nobody was watching. It was at this moment that when you looked at a very beautiful tapestry, woven with such art that you had to stop before looking, the colors, the skill of the craftsman, it was a chef d'oeuvre, it detailed some scene of love between a guelph with a harp and a female guelph princess. The expressions on their faces, the unicorn that she rode, the forest behind, it was enchanting. Seeing your fascination the baron told you.

-Ah, I see that you appreciate art, it is a piece from Unreal-Kost, a very renowned artist, he had not produced anything in the last two centuries, it is said that he is working on a tryptich about the arrival of the first elves in Bifuria.

>>6098917

Two centuries, two centuries for a work of art, it was why it was so beautiful, you had to give it to the guelphs they knew their stuff about art, being Italians. Perhaps they could forge good armor too like the tuscans. Yes, they were not all bad, and perhaps the baron did not hate you. Still.. Should you talk to him about the letter.

>Do not talk to the baron about the letter that he sent yet
>Talk to the baron about your letter
>Ask the baron if you are generated enough in his opinion.
>Other (write in)

>>6098920
>Do not talk to the baron about the letter that he sent yet
I honestly don't think we need to talk to him again about the letter, we pretty much figured out what he means by that and this 'regeneration' nonsense.
As funny as it would be I think we shouldn't bring up if we are generated enough for him

>>6098926
+1, fair.

>>6098920

>>6098920
>>Do not talk to the baron about the letter that he sent yet

>>6098920
>Do not talk to the baron about the letter that he sent yet

>>6098920
>>Ask the baron if you are generated enough in his opinion.

The thought occurred to me, of those guards that the Baron cuts loose, Rose could probably employ some of them as well.

>>6098920
>Ask the baron if you are generated enough in his opinion

>>6098926
The wise idea of a most prudent lord.

>>6099094
>>6099145
>>6099155
>>6099297

>>6099301
Very good idea indeed, you deserve +5xp good sur for it.

>>6099426

You decided not to press the question of your generation and even leave it to the next generations. Nor press the matter of his letter. The man seemed in a good mood. You looked at the great all, painted now in white and decorated with exquisite potteries, tapestries and furniture.

Since Rose was walking with you and the lords of Darkplace and of Neutral were not here you deduced that the Rival lord and Lady Sue were already here. It was true, the big man with pig like eyes and his mustache was looking at this new decor and trying to smile even if he was clearly uneasy while lady Sue seemed enchanted but quickly frowned when she saw you coming. Rose moved closer to you while she looked and quickly you began to exchange greetings and other polite salutations with these two people that you disliked.

But still, while you waited for the others some Guelph servants gave you wine and one of them began to play something with a harp, it was lovely. The new lady of Hostil, the witch, was here too and you saluted her but she told that she was first and foremost her baron's councilor. Brother Louis seemed fascinated by the potteries and the Guelphs explained him that it was all porcelain. It seemed to be very precious. They explained that it came from the east but as of now the Guelphs make it better than everyone else. You asked what was east of India and they say that there was Eastern Barbarians, then mountains, then there was an Empire and nomadic tribes. Brother Louis seemed to be very interested by this.

Whatever, you were now with the representatives of practically all the landed nobility of the baront around you, and you had to discuss of something. Since the servants served something that was not meat nor sausage, and it was sad, you had to look around you to see who spoke to whom. The councilors were in their own conversation between themselves and the lords... It depended.
The baron was speaking with Lady Sue, and making her laugh, he was retelling her some of his adventures at the service of the queen in the royal guard. The Rival Lord brooded with his wine and your Rose was near you.

>Ask Rose if she likes these Guelph potteries.
>Ask Rose her opinion on the new decorations.
>Ask the Rival Lord what he thinks of the changes in the castle.
>Try to intervene in the conversation between the baron and lady Sue.
>Other (write in)

====

By the way, sorry for the delay in the update, I had new problems with my VPN and I have to continue sadly to use phone posting as a method to bypass this. Such treachery makes me want to send an expedition to pillage the Rhineland for no other apparent reason.

>>6100617
>Ask the Rival Lord what he thinks of the changes in the castle.
The Neutralssons were going to handle Sue, we can handle rival

>>6100617
>Ask the Rival Lord what he thinks of the changes in the castle.

>>6100617
>Ask the Rival Lord what he thinks of the changes in the castle.

>>6100617
>>Ask the Rival Lord what he thinks of the changes in the castle.

>>6100617
>>Ask the Rival Lord what he thinks of the changes in the castle.

>>6100617
>Other (write in)
Talk to the witch

File: wine_and_intrigue.jpg (71 KB, 365x358)

71 KB JPG

>>6100648
Habile !

>>6100716
>>6100733
>>6100744
>>6100949

You took the decision to speak to the Rival Lord. You did a half smile towards Rose first, so she would understand and, as a polite man, seeing that your rival brooded a bit you wanted to tell him something but Rose stopped you, whispering into your ear.

-What are you doing Charles ? He is a swine.

You answered her kindly.

-As much as he looks like he had some porcine creatures amongst his ancestors this man is a powerful landowner. And now that the baron has changed I would want to smooth out relationship.

She looked at you and answered.

-He mocked me when my father was dead, he hated your father, hated lord Random and was generally his first lackey. He deserves a sword in the gut not a smoothing of relations.

You told her kindly.

-Perhaps, perhaps but we had to, remember...

Yes, the Neutralssons... We had to deal with lady Sue or him and Rose hated lady Sue even more so she sighed and nodded. Telling.

-Well, do your diplomacy then but do not trust him.

-I shall trust him as far as I can throw him my lady.

This made her smile, the man was huge effectively, shorter than you but strong and fat just like the boar on his coat of arms. You approached him with distinction.

-A huge change in decorations my lord, I wonder how they managed to do it in only two weeks.

The man scoffed a bit, but then looked at you with his small eyes.

-Magic, it is how they did it. Painting everything white. More elvish. I'm sure they will make the windows bigger then. But how do you enjoy it yourself ? It is the result of your own work after all ? Mmmh ?

Ah, yes, he had against you the fact that you had given the proofs to put an end to the reign of the vile baron Crook, that he found probably not vile. You had the impression that the first step towards this negociation shall be delicate.

>>6101389

>Yes, of course, it reminds me of my victory but a good victor should give it's hand to the vanquished, like after an honourable tournament.
>I sense some bitterness in your tone, lord Rival, and while I understand that family feuds are a holy thing, we had some back in France. But unfortunately I have never really understood what began ours, you see I only came here after the death of the previous lord and if my councillor told about land problems I have to admit that we do not even share a border. So enlighten me good sir, about the reason why we should kill each other with boundless enthusiasm.
>To be sincere not so much, it is too soft, the ancient decorations were awful tough, the decorations of a heretic and a sorcerer. But now it is beautiful but looks like something from an Italian merchant prince. I am a warrior, you seem to be too. I want tapestries representing hunts and battles, weapons on walls and hunting trophies.
>Yes, yes, it is the result of my work. I did what I did because baron Wickedson tried to murder me with the help of this Darkplace commoner, and they mocked a beautiful lady. I restored justice, but I do not wish to pursue hatred. We are from old families together and when new unchivalric men come those that have nobility in their blood for centuries must stick together.
>Hah ! Perhaps... And the wine, what do you think about the wine, personally I think that our new baron has a great taste in it. You appreciate good wine don't you ?
>Other (write in)

Roll an intrigue roll please.

====

>>6101367
And sorry I forgot to mention you good sir, even if your idea is in the minority it is wise but dangerous for your soul, even if you are a man of faith she can probably change people into frogs. (some would say you already are one but their place is at the gallows)

Rolled 2 (1d100)

>>6101390
>I sense some bitterness in your tone, lord Rival, and while I understand that family feuds are a holy thing, we had some back in France. But unfortunately I have never really understood what began ours, you see I only came here after the death of the previous lord and if my councillor told about land problems I have to admit that we do not even share a border. So enlighten me good sir, about the reason why we should kill each other with boundless enthusiasm.
I call this strategy the frontal assault

Rolled 76 (1d100)

>>6101390
>I sense some bitterness in your tone, lord Rival, and while I understand that family feuds are a holy thing, we had some back in France. But unfortunately I have never really understood what began ours, you see I only came here after the death of the previous lord and if my councillor told about land problems I have to admit that we do not even share a border. So enlighten me good sir, about the reason why we should kill each other with boundless enthusiasm.

>>6101390
>>I sense some bitterness in your tone, lord Rival, and while I understand that family feuds are a holy thing, we had some back in France. But unfortunately I have never really understood what began ours, you see I only came here after the death of the previous lord and if my councillor told about land problems I have to admit that we do not even share a border. So enlighten me good sir, about the reason why we should kill each other with boundless enthusiasm.

Let's see where being reasonable lands us...

>>6101701

Rolled 80 (1d100)

>>6101390
>>To be sincere not so much, it is too soft, the ancient decorations were awful tough, the decorations of a heretic and a sorcerer. But now it is beautiful but looks like something from an Italian merchant prince. I am a warrior, you seem to be too. I want tapestries representing hunts and battles, weapons on walls and hunting trophies.

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>>6101427
It is a very good name.

>>6101615
>>6101864

>>6101701
To bad rolls unfortunately.

>>6101702

You decided to be direct, you were always the man for a direct assault, a true knight. So even in intrigue you talked clearly.

-I sense some bitterness in your tone, lord Rival, and while I understand that family feuds are a holy thing, we had some back in France. But unfortunately I have never really understood what began ours, you see I only came here after the death of the previous lord and if my councillor told about land problems I have to admit that we do not even share a border. So enlighten me good sir, about the reason why we should kill each other with boundless enthusiasm.

You had to admit your demonstration took him aback, he opened his eyes then his mouth. You then looked at him, waiting for an answer. And he told.

-You don't know.

-Would I be asking if I knew.

-And you want to hear my point of view ?

-It seems to be by general intention according to my two last sentences.

The man frowned, he was more than unhappy with your remarks and began to list his griefs.

-So you pretend not to know how the Neutralsson despised me, just like the Takable father... Helped by the other coward, Lord Random, older than them both, was a knight when they were squires and mocked me. Fat ass they said, they called me fat pig ! Every time in my youth, mocked me when I wanted to marry a girl ! Fuck it the bastard Takable slept with my fiancée... Well I had not yet proposed her but still, then it was the Neutralsson ! When I learned to use a mace and a lance to avenge myself and awaited patiently to beat them at the tournament of the county these bastards were to drunk to ride, I began to mock them for it but apparently they... They managed to save the life of the count's future wife in the process, vainquishing bandits with your lord Random ! And these three bastards were now the count's favourite ! Them ! Not me ! They never took me in their group ! Fortunately the baron understood... And I am not talking about all the insults that my family endured...

And then you heard all his litany of griefs and you were a bit blinded by it's radiance. Yes, you knew people who could remember a feud for the last hundred years or two hundred years but to say "I shall only begin with the last three hundred years" and then explaining for half an hour how a cow was stolen and how a distant ancestor was unhorsed, not wounded no, no, unhorsed at this turnament. No, it was art, some form of art at least. Yes, this lord Salty Rival was a performer, or a buffoon. About his sad childhood in your opinion it was typical of children who were mocked but not beaten up in their childhood. Your two brothers mocked you when you were little, and so you tried to hit them, but they were bigger and had you beaten each time.

>>6102102

What was the result ? You became a better fighter, and you liked them because hitting each other is fun. And it teaches people to behave. It is why you hit Ancel or order criminals to be administered beatings by your sergeants. Words without deeds, they were always poisonous, because when someone insults you you want to hate him, to answer, to create violence, while if someone insults you and then beats you you understand that he is stronger and cannot hate him like you hate an equal. They should have beaten him then mocked him more. And sincerely, they were clearly superior since not one of them even told you about that, what he called a "life of misery" they called a "funny tuesday".
Still, you understood that you will have trouble apologizing for all of it in a lifetime. So this tirade was delicate to answer to, diplomatically, since you knew that he would not appreciate your wise insights. Still another part of you wanted to insult him for wasting your time.
>I understand the griefs, but still, insulting a young lady, it is not very chivalric, I would have thought that a rivalry between noblemen will not concern women and children.
>To be sincere, I never knew about all that you said, but.. You can have my sincere apologies. Words can sometimes hurt young children, especially when not accompanied with deeds.
>Lord Rival, I wish to end all of this feud, I was not here when all of this happened, and I think that we must be judged more by the deeds than by the misdeeds of our ancestors. Let us make peace, finally.
>You know what my lord, I do not care very much about all these long litanies worthy of a penitent. But all can I give you is a good counsel if you do not want to be treated as a pig anymore : stop eating like a pig and having such a piglike face, it is very difficult to distinguish you from this animal.
>Other (write in)

>>6102103
This man appears to believe himself deeply wronged so lets play to that by incorporating parts of the first 3 options
>Write in
>I understand the griefs, but still, insulting a young lady, it is not very chivalric, and siding with the Baron did not help change how you were seen by those who already viewed you lowly but To be sincere, I never knew about all that you said, but.. You can have my sincere apologies. Lord Rival, I wish to end all of this feud, I was not here when all of this happened, and I think that we must be judged more by the deeds than by the misdeeds of our ancestors. Let us make peace, finally.
In other words we are pretending like we care to get him to calm the fuck down. Make sure to put our most remorseful Christian face we can.

>>6102103
>>Lord Rival, I wish to end all of this feud, I was not here when all of this happened, and I think that we must be judged more by the deeds than by the misdeeds of our ancestors. Let us make peace, finally.

Perhaps offer to go on a hunt together?

Around elves, we must watch ourselves. These old rivalries must be put to pasture, lest we risk them keeping us divided and weak, look to the 100 years war for proof.

>>6102112
+1

>>6102114
+1 t the hunting idea, too.

>>6102103

>>6102112
>>6102114
Supporting

>>6102112
Habile, very good, honestly I liked the write so even if the rolls were against you on this one I decided to give it a chance.

>>6102114
And this, very good offer, everyone likes to hunt, there is no better way to bond than killing animals together and eating them after all. Seriously your predecessor and yourself should get +10 xp together.

>>6102179

>>6102362

A hard tirade to answer, you finally decided to explain yourself with the best of your ability and your humblest face.

-I understand the griefs, but still, insulting a young lady, it is not very chivalric, and siding with the Baron did not help change how you were seen by those who already viewed you lowly but To be sincere, I never knew about all that you said, but.. You can have my sincere apologies. Lord Rival, I wish to end all of this feud, I was not here when all of this happened, and I think that we must be judged more by the deeds than by the misdeeds of our ancestors. Let us make peace, finally.

The man looked at you suspiciously, like you would look at a snake ready to bite. His small pig like eyes looked at you and he scowled. He then answered.

-Heh, like I would believe you.

You then shot your best arrow at him. You had trouble imagining this peace offer without military metaphors because of his hostile face.

-I am not talking about being good friends at once, but we could perhaps go on a hunt together this winter. Do you hunt well ?

-Yes. I know how to hunt yes... Mmmh. Why not.

He was suspicious of course and thought that you wanted to poison him but he did not want to show fear by refusing. Still, it would take a considerable amount of time to have something like a working relationship with this vindictive scum. Fortunately you did not have to speak more with him than necessary because an ever viler person appeared, the vile lord of Darkplace. This... This knave had tried to kill you not once but twice and was a commoner. You could dislike a man like the Rival Lord, but aknowledge him as an equal, this, this vermin who had served the old baron was really lower than the dirt under your boot. Saluting humbly the new baron the bald man was given a seat on the table and the Guelph began to even praise him and tell that we all awaited him. Politely you nodded to him when he was here. You had trouble trying to insult him because you remarked that while you spoke to the Rival Lord baron Endoftutoriel was entertaining your bride and lady Sue and they were laughing happily.

>>6102748

It was not jealousy, not, but the fact that the Guelph was a bit taller than you and fair of face, and the joy of the two ladies was a little bit annoying. So you came back again near Rose she took you by the arm, to reassure you, but a part of you thought that she mischievously tried to talk to the baron because you talked to the Rival Lord, on the other side there was no one else to talk to. So you took the hand of Rose and she reddened a bit, perhaps ashamed and kissed you on the cheek while nobody was watching.

Then the baron turned towards the assembly and told everyone.

-It seems that the Neutral Lord is late I suggest that we begin to dine without him. We enjoyed some wine and music but festivities should unfortunately fill bellies after filling hearts and minds. Let us go.

He then began to put everyone around him. Being next to the lord was a privilege and everyone awaited to know who would be. The dining table was strange, there was only one rectangular table and instead of all sitting to the face of the room looking at the secondary tables you were all surrounding the tables. Those at both ends must have some kind of places of honour. Surely a strange Italian novelty like the small forks next to the plates, it was probably a satanic devilry or veiled insults, who used pitchforks ? Peasants and devils and you were none of them. You were not so surprised when he put Lady Sue at his right, the place of honor. Then next to lady Sue, to your astonishment, came his witch and even worse, next to Rose came the lord of Darkplace. This upjumped scum was higher than you on the hierarchy ? How ?!? Even the Rival Lord was astonished to be below him. You were already hardly tolerating how his witch would be next but since she was noble born and loyal you could understand it but this. Then the next were yourself, and lord Rival.

You wondered where the councillors and the other folk would be eating but the baron explained that "he wanted to eat in a small group" and they were dismissed to another room. He kept some minstrels to play music but you were still very angry to be separated like this, put in the lowest place ! What a scandal ! You were right next the lord of Darkplace and across the Rival Lord. And you were about to speak when some servant with a pompous air announced that "Lord Neutralsson has come with his son". The baron told.

-Good, excellent, make them enter, give them wine. Let us feast together.

>>6102749

When they finally came, tired from the travels he was very courteous and polite but explained that since they were late everyone was already seated, and you ended up near Swede Neutralsson, a nice lad and the heir to the Neutral Lordship. The baron explained that he would have put lord Swiss at his right hand if he could. The Neutral lord answered, in his usual neutral tone.

-It is an honor my liege, and I understand your concerns, unfortunately it seems that strange rogue earth elementals caused our path to be muddy near your lordship. Such an incident caused my delay.

-Oh... Really ? Cristmasel would you take care of this after the festivities, I would not want to delay your return.

The witch nodded, approving and saying.

-I will your highness. I will.

-Excellent, then let us rejoice while seeing what our chefs have prepared us.

They prepared something strange, it looked like meat but was not meat, they said it was meat made of vegetables, elvish cuisine you said it was sorcery but not out loud. To begin the conversation the baron adressed you.

-Lord Charles de Villeroi, I have heard much about your exploits. They said that you have been at war, is it true ?

-It is, your lordship. I fought the perfidious English and the Flemish of the communes who had rebelled and the Barrois too.

The man looked like he understood all of that and smiling smugly he told you.

-That makes us two, I was there when the barbarian hordes attacked our lands more than sixty years ago and we drove them back with magic and steel. It is good to know that I can count on good men who know how to wield a sword, and who have very charming brides. I am glad for it, truly, and am sure that your marriage will procure us joy and merriment and give you many heirs.

You thanked him for these usual compliments.

-Thank you very much my liege, you are too good. I am glad myself to be able to put my sword into the service of wise and just ruler.

He nodded and everyone was watching your exchange, while he raised his cup.

-Yes, I know, by the way, let us drink to lord Charles and lady Rose, may they find happiness in their marriage and serve loyally.

The guests raised their cups with more or less enthusiasm and you drank gladly, perhaps the man wanted to say sorry in this way for having placed you where you were. He then continued to adress you.

-Tell me Lord Charles, I have heard from my messenger that you are a great lover of the good old feudal customs of our lands isn't it ?

You nodded.

-Customs are the best that was given to us by our ancestors, they provide guidance to know how to live our lives.

He nodded joyfully.

-I can only agree. What do you think about the custom of the first night lord Charles ?

>>6102751

He looked at you with a kind of smug smile that you had trouble to read. To be sincere you had no idea about this first night custom, surely something Indian and pagan. But seeing how everyone paled when he said this, and how Rose dropped her fork at this mention (you had not even thought of using yours) you understood that this was something important. Still, you did not want to appear clueless, everyone was looking at you. Awaiting your answer in an unsettling and deathly silence.

>It is an important custom my liege, it should be respected.
>The first night in a new place is always a night where the host must show hospitality, that is my opinion. And I think that all the table will agree.
>And what is your opinion about this my liege ?
>I do not know about all the Indian customs, explain me what is it about please, it seems that it is important since everyone looks at me with such intense stares.
>Other (write in)

>>6102753
>I do not know about all the Indian customs, explain me what is it about please, it seems that it is important since everyone looks at me with such intense stares.
Throw it back at him, then if he asks if we had something like that in France lie to him since lying to heathens is always our right.

>>6102753
>I do not know about all the Indian customs, explain me what is it about please, it seems that it is important since everyone looks at me with such intense stares.
This knife-eared Italian son of a bitch it trying to make a cuck out of Chuck! Or to publicly humiliate us, at least.

>>6102753
>>6102780
Also make sure to point out and question as many things as possible if he tries to explain while acting completely oblivious and if he tries to smugly hand wave the explanation push him on it. This will either a) make him back off completely or b) make everyone at the table pissed and disgusted at him (I.e Sue and Rival) and thus lower his already precarious popularity with his vassals.
>>6102781
The Indians removed Serfdom so I am pretty sure they have done the same with this and he is trying to humiliate as you say but unfortunately this can easily be thrown back into his face. If somehow it has not, then we can just get Denarius to handle him

>>6102753
>>I do not know about all the Indian customs, explain me what is it about please, it seems that it is important since everyone looks at me with such intense stares