"Still on about that, eh?" the old woman chuckles to herself. "You're very observant to notice that I like my privacy, what with living alone in a swamp, ha! And I already know plenty about magic to satisfy myself... what more would I need to know? Advice, well, that I give to anyone with an ear. Have you got an ear?"
She looks up from her stew to check. "Hm, two apparently. I hadn't noticed." After a pause, she jabs a wooden spoon in the Baron's direction, spattering drops of vegetable broth over his front. "I wouldn't have to leave my hut, would I? There are messenger ravens for this sort of thing, you know. Advice-seekers visit me here in the swamp often enough already anyway, and most of 'em are smart enough to ring the bell."
"Believe me, animal messengers are part of my process too. No, you wouldn't have to leave."
She puts the spoon back in and gives the broth a few stirs. "Mmm." She does not say anything further for a long while. At length, she offers her terms, punctuating each point with another jab of the spoon. "Not a good look for a leader to seek advice outside the realm, nor for another to live outside it. You'll extend your nominal domain from here to the Tuskwater . You won't build any wretched towns or silly farms or noisy mines or stinking fisheries or any other nonsense nearby , so things stay nice and quiet for me to work. Then I'll agree to give you advice about magic. When I feel like it. As long as you ask nicely. And not after my bedtime."
"How about this, allow us a fishery, and we will make sure no new settlements within a march from you."
The Old Beldame squints, considering. "Lake fishing only. Don't want any boats coming into the marsh."
Income Phase
Withdraw resources from the treasury for personal use, if desired.
Deposit personal resources into the barony's treasury.
Roll an Economy check for tax collection.
Event Phase
EVENT
Kingdom
A group of herders, farmers, and trappers arrive in Solasgaard, along with their families. These folk had the misfortune to live in the path the mighty owlbear took back to its lair, but were formally outside your barony. Now they seek to rebuild within your borders. Though they lost much, the household possessions and livestock they sell to finance their new starts stimulate the barony's economy, bringing in BP in unexpected tax revenue this month.
Taranis makes sure that the newly arrived are given every opportunity to settle themselves into the realm!
Taranis will travel to Redleaf Grove with the cub and let him roam free there.
About a week after your return to the city, your agents bring back the head of the slain owlbear and display it on the wall of Castle Redleaf. The sight greatly boosts morale through the city and, indeed, throughout the barony. The grumbles of the previous week are gone, and the citizens redouble their efforts to rebuild.
Restoring order takes long days and hard work, leaving little if any downtime. Before you know it, Arodus is upon you.
Upkeep Phase
Declare Baron's modifier (Economy, Loyalty, or Stability).
Roll Stability Check.
Consumption has been deducted from the treasury.
Unrest modification to be determined.
Edict Phase
Declare Spymaster's modifier (Economy, Loyalty, or Stability).
Assign new leadership or fill vacancies, if desired.
Claim up to one new hex of territory, if desired. This hex must be fully explored to be claimed.
Abandon any number of hexes of existing territory, if desired.
Pay for up to two terrain improvements to existing territory, if desired.
Pay for construction of up to one new building in your existing settlements. The construction of a single house, tenement, noble villa, or mansion does not count against this limit, but must still be paid for.
Raise new military units, or upgrade existing ones, if desired. Pay any recruitment costs.
Issue any new edicts as desired.
"Augrym. The Barony is calm and eager for growth. Would you mind taking the troll blood and Shambling Mound samples to their seekers?"
Taranis continues to help rear the young owlbear, Khrabryy, in order to become guardian of the grove.
"Augrym. The Barony is calm and eager for growth. Would you mind taking the troll blood and Shambling Mound samples to their seekers?"
The herbalist gladly hands over a leather bag with 60 platinum coins as well as 3 potions of cure moderate wounds. The alchemist is also ready to take your potions order, and notes that it will be ready in about a week.
Income Phase
Withdraw resources from the treasury for personal use, if desired.
Deposit personal resources into the barony's treasury.
Roll an Economy check for tax collection.
Event Phase
NO EVENT, however...
One of the recent arrivals to the barony, a man by the name of Loy Rezbin, seeks an audience with Baron Redleaf. He proves to be a ruddy, friendly, and energetic man, and has an intriguing proposition:
"Thankee, thankee, my lord, for granting me an audience. You see, me and me wife, Latricia, we were some of us whose farmsteads got wrecked by that big awful beast. And some of us, my lord, we've decided we're done with farmin' and we'd like to take up loggin' instead. Now, see, me wife and me got a plan with a few others to start a village in the Narlmarches, see. Got a place picked out an' everything. And a name, too! It's at a ford in the Skunk River, a perfect place for river traffic an' foot traffic. I think people call it Wyrm's Crossing. We'd like to honor that an' call our village Tatzylford. Whattaya think o' that? Grand, ain't it?"
"And, see, my lord, I've come to ask your help gettin' our new village started. We'd like to be under your jurisdiction, if you understand me. And the wife and me, we'll do everything we can to make it a success. You've never seen harder workers than us, no sirree! Erm, that is, my lord... So, will you help us make our dreams come true?"
------------
"This is an interesting proposition, and one I am inclined to grant if you'll give me more of your plan here sir." Taranis is genuinely interested, but given some of the.... activity here, he wants to spend enough time to get a feel for the man.
------------
Taranis continues to work with Khrabryy
"Oh, gosh, your lordship! Such plans, such plans indeed. We've already visited the site and got some ideas about arranging it. There's a nice flat grove near the river itself where we'd like the town's main building to go -- maybe an inn or a tavern, or a temple, or even a castle! Or perhaps a market? Latricia have a site for our house picked out, too, as do some of the others. We think river barges will make for easy transport of logging goods, plus we expect there might be some road traffic too, 'tween Pitax and Solasgaard an' the like. A guaranteed success, I'd say!"
Detect Alignment until I find the right one.
”Good leader friend Taranis, this is a good man, with good intentions.”
Unrak, while no longer officially "Councilor," offers his council anyway. He rumbles seems to me this is EXACTLY the kind of thing we're trying to do out here--take a bad situation that folk get handed, then turn it into something good & worthwhile. He gives Loy a long hard look, and a slow, sincere nod of approval.
Then he eyes his brother, and gives a much quicker nod of acceptance, dropping back to silence.
With Taranis's vote that's at least a simple majority, "Loy. So it shall be written, and so it shall be done." With smile he adds, "I'll get you up and running as soon as possible. "
Loy practically jumps for joy. "Alright!!! Our deepest thanks, my lords, our deepest thanks. We'll let you what we're thinkin' and what we need, and won't do anything drastic without your say-so."
Armed with the baron's blessing, the Rezbins and their followers press ahead with preparing the site of the future village of Tatzylford.
Upkeep Phase
Step 0 - Ruler: Declare Baron's modifier (Economy, Loyalty, or Stability).
Step 1 - Stability: Roll Stability Check.
Step 2 - Consumption: Consumption has been deducted from the treasury.
Step 3 - Magic Items: unchanged.
Step 4 - Modify Unrest: Roll Loyalty Check to reduce Unrest, if desired (cannot be reduced below 0). Failure incurs permanent -1 penalty to Loyalty.
Edict Phase
Step 0 - Spymaster: Declare Spymaster's modifier (Economy, Loyalty, or Stability).
Step 1 - Assign Leadership: Assign new leadership or fill vacancies, if desired.
Step 2 - Claim Hex: Claim up to 2 new hexes of territory, if desired. All hexes must be fully explored to be claimed.
Step 3 - Abandon Hex: Abandon any number of hexes of existing territory, if desired.
Step 4 - Build Terrain: Pay for up to 3 terrain improvements in existing territory, if desired.
Step 5 - Settlements: Found up to 1 new settlement in existing territory. The site must first be prepared for settlement. Additionally, pay for construction of up to 2 new buildings in your existing settlements. The construction of a single house, tenement, noble villa, or mansion does not count against this limit, but must still be paid for.
Step 6 - Army: Raise new military units, or upgrade or repair existing ones, as desired. Pay any recruitment costs.
Step 7 - Edicts: Issue any new edicts as desired.
He continues to work with Khrabryy .
He works incognito for 5 days to earn some Labor. T10 = 2 Labor/Day. Net 10 Labor and 100 GP spent. [ooc] He then rests and enjoys his time in the grove.
Income Phase
Step 1 - Withdraw from Treasury: Withdraw resources from the treasury for personal use, if desired.
Step 2 - Deposit to Treasury: Deposit personal resources into the barony's treasury.
Step 3 - Sell Items: Sell up to 2 personal magical items to benefit the treasury.
Step 4 - Roll an Economy check for tax collection.
Event Phase
NO EVENT
Unrak's downtime is taken up by training intently, learning to focus his inner strength and sheer personal power against his enemies.
he's also keeping a keen eye out for his mithral breasplate, which he's hoping is delivered soon!!
The hum of a functioning kingdom is by now quite familiar to your ears. Unrak is mildly irked that his ordered breastplate has not yet arrived, but he shrugs and chalks it up to a busy season for an over-burdened shipping industry.
As Taranis secures a new Wand of Cure Light Wounds for the party, he looks over the map, "As you can see, we're expanding, and fast. I have every intention of meeting the challenge set forth for our Barony. To do so, we're going to need to be ready to lay foundations in the coming months. Is everyone ready for an excursion?"
The first week proceeds placidly enough, with the Huntsmen fully exploring and mapping the areas around Nettles' Crossing and the Sootscales' stronghold, then moving southeast to explore an area you had seen marked on Narthropple's maps.
Towards the end of your exploration of this area, on [color=teal]23rd Rova[/color] you spy a wide crack in the side of an otherwise unremarkable grassy knoll. You note that this is near the place Narthropple had marked "Lonely Barrow."
"Inviting. Well, hopefully everyone learned their lesson and we're prepared for some kind of swarming insect. Either way, we should explore this and clear it if we're to soon annex this land."
Taranis casts Barkskin upon himself, and Acid Maw upon the large Tothfangen.
The Huntsmen proceed through the gap into a dimly-lit octagonal chamber. The walls of the room are decorated with crude mosaics of simple village life: hunting, fishing, and farming. A thick carpet of guano covers the floor—it’s crawling with insects, and the sharp tang of ammonia hangs in the air. A cobweb-filled tunnel to the east leads deeper underground.
Out of the corner of your eye, the ceiling seems to... rustle.
"great." taranis takes out some alchemists fire. Hope we've learned our lesson."
With one out, Taranis waits about 12 seconds before dancing some lights up.
Taranis has just enough time to retrieve the vial and make a quip before hundreds and hundreds of bats burst from the ceiling, swirling into two chaotic swarms!
+2 if Surprise
Round I
1. Augrym, Marc, Zed, Taranis
2. Swarms
3. Unrak
Prior to entering, Zed cast Mage Armor on himself.
"Spread out! Get clear and open fire!"
With a whistle he retreats out of the entrance, bringing Toth with him. He hurls his flask once clear.
for
Augrym moves out of the way of the swarms and heads back, unable to do anything against swarms...
Augrym, Taranis, and Toth beat a quick retreat out into the sunlight.
Round I
1. Augrym, Marc, Zed, Taranis [to be resolved]
2. Swarms
3. Unrak
Augrym moves out of the way of the swarms and heads back, unable to do anything against swarms...
[Don't stand there! Get out you fool! You'll get us killed! Move!!!!!![/b]
Amidst his weaving of magical forces, Zed manages to shout a stern rebuke at Marc for remaining in what he likes to call, the "Area of Effect" for his spells: "MARC! MOVE!"
- Round the First
- Current HPs: 45/45
Zed casts a gorgeous Wall of Fire just northwest of the 2 swarms, positioning the hot side towards them. An immobile, blazing curtain of shimmering violet fire springs into existence.
fire damage
fire damage
Marc waves his weapon to utter uselessness against the bats. Fortunately, Zed is there to save him, if with a little singing. The wall of fire utterly destroys both swarms.
The violet fire does not vanish instantly, leaving Marc with a difficult choice.
Marc must:
1. Run through the fire to rejoin his friends.
2. Run away from the flames, deeper into the barrow.
3. Stay and burn for the duration.
Marc braves the flaming, taking only a few burns in the process ( fire damage). The flames wink out a half-minute later.
Status
Marc: 29/54 hp