As Ilya makes his comeback, Casimir grabs the waterskin of troll blood and makes his way towards the stage. Slipping behind the stage for a moment, he casts vanish, and then quickly climbs the stairs, so he appears just as spectacular as Ilya.
Well spoken, my fellow Statkari!
As you see, Grigori, the Guardians are not those who let such slander as you spill here today go unanswered. Oh, don't worry for your precious hide, for we honor the River Freedoms as much as anyone in the River Kingdoms, and you are free to say what you will - just as we are free to answer!
Let me first assure you that the boy Tig is NOT a captive of the swamp witch Beldame. Our noble Baron Malthir has gazed upon her with the holy sight of Iomedae and found no evil in her. We have been to her hut on several occasions, and seen no trace of him. But rest assured, we continue to search for him throughout our explorations of these lands.
As for Scorchbark and blood on our hands. Yes, blood was spilt and will likely be spilt again. As Ilya said, we make you no false promises. But know this. The tracks left at Scorchbark suggested that trolls were behind the slaying. And by the swords and spells of the Guardians, raiding trolls have learned, that if they enter these lands, THEY PAY WITH THEIR BLOOD!
Casimir holds the waterskin high, shaking it to let drops of troll blood rain over Grigori and the spectators in the front row.
This skin contains the blood of a band of marauding trolls, come from the south to do evil. Their foul remains lie smoldering in the wild, a somber warning to any who come here to burn and maim!
Now, Grigori, have you any more of your so-called charges, or can our ears have a break from your tireless braying?
It is not long before Malthir is drawn to the front walls of the Castle, overlooking the statue of Edric and the field around it. His heart aches for his fallen friend, and for the fact that someone would use that place to speak ill about what they are trying to accomplish with the Kindgom of Kardas.
Still weak from the ritual conducted by Jhod, he can only stand by, barely, and try to listen to his fellow Guardians defend their good name and all they have tried to do.
Malthir admits to himself that some of what this man says has enough truth in it to make him even question what they have done in the last 2 months. Should they drop what they are doing to find the boy? Should they rush off to try and get revenge for Scorchback...it hurts...inaction, but after a little soul searching, he realises they are still doing the best they can for the people of Kardas and that they are only one small group of people.
He is not sure what is going on when he hears a few shrieks from the group as Casimir is talking...lol's
As the foul smelling blood falls down upon her and those surrounding her in the crowd, Fenna closes her eyes for a moment, focusing on her innate connection to the First World. Once properly attuned, the gnome utilises the Fae magic to wash clean away the offensive substance from herself and those surrounding her.
Stepping forwards out of the crowd, she pulls back her hood and walks with a serene silence up onto the stage, before turning to face the people of Kardas, pointedly ignoring Grigori as she addresses them directly.
"Citizens of Swordhaven, Citizens of Kardas, we have heard the complaints of this man, this man who claims the right to speak for you all, and we have answered them. Whether this man's words are the words of all of you, or merely his own, spoken loudly and with force, I will not speculate. But know this, we shall always value your individual voices, we shall always take the time to listen to your individual concerns... you all have citizen representatives with whom to raise issues you wish to be passed on to us, and we will not ignore any of you."
"Demagogues such as this one are unnecessary; we want to know what you think, not what a single man says you should think."
Although Grigori attempts to win the crowd back over, the combination of Ilya's early success with them, his follow-up speech, Fenna's assurances as Councilor and Casimir's somewhat unorthodox shock tactic of splashing troll blood all over the front few dozen citizens end up winning the crowd over. Fenna's final words are met with a roar of approval, and between you it appears you have successfully destroyed Grigori's credibility. Grigori, perhaps fearing the worst, takes the opportunity to suddenly leap out into the crowd, swigging a potion mid-air and disappearing from sight. The crowd ripples with his impact, but then he is swiftly lost in the teeming masses of Swordhaven.
Kalev throws aside his hood, now that the other Guardians have unmasked themselves and make his way through the crowd to the platform.
You speak as one who knows our every move, Grigori. What kind of arcane arts have you practiced to scry upon us and for what purposes? You sully the name of Kardas' first hero by speaking of him like you knew him. He, who gave his life so the dream of Kardas could live. As we speak, our beloved Baron bears the wounds of the touch of the undead, which he fearlessly faced to protect the realm. Would Iomadei or Erastil heal his wounds if he was not worth, if he was not just? What dangers have you faced? What evils have you vanquished? And you say the friends of the Statkari grow fat, while your own likeness show no sign of hunger, no sign of poverty in your fancy silken clothes and with your girth to match. What sacrifices have you made for the realm?
Kalev turns to the crowd, raising his voice slightly. To those of you who already now plan on going to the home of the Beldame, consider this. If she was a witch of unspeakable evil as this, here he pauses briefly, man would have you believe, what chances would you have of defeating her? She is not evil, but she is not without power either!
Turning towards Grigori again, Kalev points a finger at him, saying I think it is more likely that you kidnapped Tig as part of your sinister plans to disrupt the order of Kardas.
Hearing of the death of the famous Howls-Of-The-North-Wind through Kesten Garess, the Swordlords of Brevoy send a stipend of 1,800 gold pieces as a reward.
A few days after you have returned to the capital and you have sent the remaining waterskins of troll's blood to Bokken, you receive a grandiose looking letter, on fine parchment. The letter came with a small sack of 1,500 gold pieces. It reads-
The esteemed gentleman and scholar Bokken, founder of Bokken's Bottles, thanks his friends the Guardians of the Greenbelt for their valuable donation to his research. Enclosed is a monetary reward for their services; and an invitation to dine at Bokken's mansion at one of his famous parties at the end of the month.
Strategy: Expand the Kingdom 2 hexes, Build a library at SwordHaven, Complete Site Prep for the City of Vierkirche!
Upkeep:
Start with 3 Unrest
Stability roll needed at +32-3 to beat Control DC 32
0 Consumption
Fill Magic Item Slots:
3 Minor & 1 Medium for SwordHaven
1 Minor for Northgreen
- 2 unrest for making stability roll and royal assassin. We are at 1 unrest after this phase.
Improvement:
No Leadership changes
Claim Hex A48, Claim Hex A10 *-2 BP*
Build a library in SwordHaven: +1 Econ, +1 Loyalty *-6 BP*
Road Hex A48, Bridge the road in SwordHaven *-2BP*
Farm Hill Hex A48 *-4BP*
Income:
No deposits
No withdrawals
Sell Items:
2 Economy rolls needed at +35 to sell items
Economy roll needed to generate Income at +35
Events:
Event that occurred this month
Northgreen-
Minor 1- Potion of Cats Grace (300GP)
Swordhaven-
Minor 1- Arcane Scroll of Magic Missile (25GP)
Minor 2- Divine Scroll of Cure Light Wounds (25GP)
Minor 3- Feather Token (Tree) (400GP)
Medium 1- +1 Heavy Wooden Shield (1,157GP)
Econ rolls:
Northpoint minor
Swordhaven Medium
Econ Roll for BP creation
A deadly contagion strikes your kingdom! Choose a hex containing a city in your kingdom— this is where the plague strikes. If you control no cities, treat this as if no event had been rolled. Otherwise, make a Stability check to curtail the plague’s spread. If you fail, increase Unrest by 1d6 and reduce your treasury by 1d6 BP. A plague-stricken city cannot build new structures.
1d100
A deadly contagion strikes your kingdom! Choose a hex containing a city in your kingdom— this is where the plague strikes. If you control no cities, treat this as if no event had been rolled. Otherwise, make a Stability check to curtail the plague’s spread. If you fail, increase Unrest by 1d6 and reduce your treasury by 1d6 BP. A plague-stricken city cannot build new structures.
There are rumors from the north, rumors of plague in Brevoy. When Ilya hears of a plague victim in NorthGreen he quickly moves to quaranteen the small town, trying to isolate the spread of the disease.
Casimir has Ilya pick up the potion of Cat's grace while he is in Northgreen. In the mean time, he goes shopping in Swordhaven and buys the scroll of Magic missile.
When Ilya returns, he asks him to craft him a +2 dexterity enhancing belt.
If so the ruling week should be pretty much over now.
Fenna, do we want to use the library to research the Lycanthropy cure?
After this are we heading to the Lizard Folk village?
Fenna purchases the scroll of cure light wounds, and also confers with Ilya regarding the possibility of a collaborative effort, when next time is available, to enchant her holy symbol in a method popular when the Church of Aroden was at the height of its power.
During the week of kingdom ruling, Fenna receives a letter, sent by an emissary of House Medvyed.
Dear Fenna,
It is I, Galen Medvyed. I miss you, but I felt heartened when I received your note- does this mean Aroden is returning? I apologise for not writing previously; as you are no doubt aware things in Brevoy are... difficult to say the least. Its still very much a game of politics rather than warfare at the moment, but assassinations are becoming more and more frequent. I've been adventuring for a year now, gathering funds and gaining the service of loyal cohorts for the coming war. I have been having strange dreams Fenna- dreams of soaring through the skies on wings of fire over Brevoy, watching the land destroyed beneath me. Sometimes I go into a daze, and finding myself looking at my friends as tools to be used to gain power... It is unpleasant. I wish I had your counsel right now, friend. I hope this message reaches you- its passage is not guaranteed in these tumultous times...
Galen
Fenna is clearly pleased to receive the letter, an while the contents do seem to dampen her cheer slightly, she is still unusually happy when she approaches Ilya with a reply addressed to a Galen Medvyed.
"Do you think your contacts in Brevoy might be able to arrange for this to safely reach an old friend of mine?" she asks the elven Grand Diplomat, "I don't know exactly where to find him, but if the letter reaches his family in Stoneclimb I am sure that he will receive it in good time."
The memory is still clear in my mind of that day I first came upon you in the forest, swinging your wooden practice sword, dreaming of slaying dragons and rescuing princesses. I remembered how to smile when you asked if I was a faerie, and I am smiling now, knowing that you are once again living that dream instead of being locked away with your ledgers.
The circumstances which allow your liberation are unpleasant though, and clearly stressful. It may be this stress which is troubling your dreams, the knowledge that the war to come might ravage your beloved homeland, and the knowledge that you may well be called upon to make difficult sacrifices during such a campaign. But comfort yourself with this thought, outright war may yet be averted if those who are forcing it are left with no option but to abandon their ambitions.
As to Aroden’s return, I do not dare hope for such a thing, all I know is that the prophecies which lost their power with his departure have begun to show fresh insight into the events unfolding around us. I am at a loss as to the true significance of this.
It would please me greatly to see you again, but I fear that the duties involved with establishing a new realm leave me with little time to travel, a notion with which you are of course familiar, but perhaps if you turned your ventures southward you could pay a visit to Kardas and we could discuss all of these matters in more detail.
I hope this letter finds you safely.
Fenna.
.
Strategy: Expand the Kingdom 2 hexes, Build a library at SwordHaven, Complete Site Prep for the City of Vierkirche!
.
.
Upkeep:
Start with 3 Unrest
Stability roll needed at +32-3 to beat Control DC 32
0 Consumption
Fill Magic Item Slots:
3 Minor & 1 Medium for SwordHaven: Arcane Scroll of Magic Missile (25GP) *Bought*, Divine Scroll of Cure Light Wounds (25GP) *bought*, Feather Token (Tree) (400GP), +1 Heavy Wooden Shield (1,157GP)
1 Minor for Northgreen: Potion of Cats Grace (300GP)
Improvement:
No Leadership changes
Claim Hex A48, Claim Hex A10 *-2 BP*
Build a library at swordhaven: +1 Econ, +1 Loyalty *-6 BP*
Road Hex A48, Bridge the road in SwordHaven *-2BP*
Farm Hill Hex A48 *-4BP*
Income:
Starting Income: 37 BP
No deposits
No withdrawals
Sell Items:
2 Economy rolls needed at +35 to sell items:
Heavy Wooden Shield (1,157GP) *Sold!*
1 Minor for Northgreen: Potion of Cats Grace (300GP) *Not sold, bought by Casimir*
Economy roll needed to generate Income at +35 Total was 44 +8BP
Events:
Event that occurred this month: Plague, was contained by Ilya in NorthGreen. No negative impacts.
Ending Income: 31 BP for the month.
Retcon the night before they leave to look into the Lizard Folk issue.
Ilya, Fenna, I must put a task before you. Soon Vaysh will be my wife and queen. She shall soon take up the mantle of helping to rule the kingdom. We must find a suitable replacement for her as Magister of the Kingdom. Ilya, I would have normally asked you to take up this mantle, but you have done a superb job as our face to the kingdoms around us as well as encouraging people to come to Kardas. We need you there. The task is much harder due to the fact that we know of a powerful candidate, but one that really doesn't want the job.
This will not be an easy task but you two must figure out how to convince her to leave her solitary life and join us. She is the most powerful sorceress that we know, as she would make a powerful Magister. Do whatever you must, short of threats, to convince her that this is good for her and us. By the time the Cathedral at Vierkirche is finished we will have claimed the area around her abode and she will be a citizen of Kardas. Perhaps she will realize she can no longer hide from people but maybe not. We have much to offer now at our disposal, once she sees people moving in around her, we should approach her with some type of offer, something convincing.
This is important Ilya, Lady Beldame can be an asset to the kingdom. If she is possibly going to become a Statkari of Kardas, it is important enough that you and Fenna should go to see her in person, as a sign of respect, and try to convince her.