Good sirs and noble ladies, I know, I know, I should have been here in october but I am late like Charles de Valois when repaying his debts ! Such is life I would say, life is full of trials, more work, writer's block, a broken computer, heh, God puts trials on our way so we can overcome them in the most chivalric way. So ride on, let us go back on saddle and ride with Charles de Villeroi, our gallant hero, who has just left the capital to go to Tradnod, to give the duchess of these lands the locket that she has lost and that he has found after vanquishing awful men made of wood and other foul witchcraft.For those who are new in our crowd, worry not, for I have here all the links to the previous scrolls detailing the adventures of Lord Charles de Villeroi.>https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2022/5085315/ thread 1>https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2022/5134375/ thread 2>https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2022/5194246/ thread 3>https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2022/5314154/ thread 4>https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2022/5422744/ thread 5>https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2022/5422744/ thread 6>https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2023/5561322/ thread 7>https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2023/5561322/ thread 8>https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2023/5702984/ thread 9>https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2023/5785267/ thread 10>https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2024/5920163/ thread 11>https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2024/6011182/ thread 12>https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2024/6079405/ thread 13>https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2025/6157669/ thread 14>https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2025/6256761/ thread 15Of course, as tradition dictates, we shall begin with a small prologue from another place of the world.
>>6328662PROLOGUE :Somewhere in a very dark fortress in a remote part of the world, ancient entities were watching closely. They watched how events unfolded and how life was changing. Here lied B'beg the Terrible, tentacled master of Evil, or at least of the most part of it, plotter extraordinaire, dark lord incredible and terrific tyrant. We could say that almost everything shady in a good half of the known world was of his meddling. In the gothic and spiky (any self respectable dark lord must have spikes and skulls as part of his interior decorations, and even B'beg's opinion was unknown on their aesthetic interest he was one for the decorum) room whose roof was not seen in the darkness, even to those who like Abovyurlevel, could see in the dark because of their elven blood, because it was far too high. It was here that the Dark Lord had assembled his generals, cronies and the representants of all the nasty beings that swore fealty to him. And what he had just said had shaken the audience to the core.-It is time, sound the wardrums, release the trolls, send in the hordes ! We go to war ! The final war for the annihilation of this world has begun ! On march my minions ! On march !Even to someone has cynical as Abovyurlevel, who had already seen eight wars to end the world in his more than ten millenia of existence, such speech was glorious and emotionnal, it would be an exceptionnal occasion. As each time, and perhaps some evil spirits will mock him for his naivety, but he believed that this time was the good one. At each the preceding wars, the forces of Evil used surprise, skill and sheer numbers to beat the ineffective defense of the forces of Good, but at the last time, some hero from a forgotten prophecy saved the day. But now, now with the confirmed death of the Chosen One there was no chance for this now. All would depend in numbers, surprise, grit and agression and now victory was inevitable. The stupid stranger, had been central to it. But this time, strangely, the generals, plotters and planners of the forces of evil looked uneasy. One of the Duergar, with golden and bloodstone decorations whose name Abovyurlevel could not remember dared to say.-Omnipotent Gelatineous Master, I fear that the troops will not be ready for this endeavour. The tone of the Terrible Dark Lord was dangerous.-What do you mean by it ?-I mean that Wohnk has not enough forces for his campaign to the southlands, to have a base to then turn against the Im..-I know, I know, tell it to Steiner, he will reinforce the troops and put some order here.The people in charge of troop movement and logistics, and even some charged of spycraft in the southlands, like Mokhtar, a human who was barely tolerated here. Finally, one spoke.-My liege...-Your sliminess...-Steiner...-Steiner cannot deal with the task...-How ? How you imbeciles ? I gave you centuries of planning and you are not able to send my armies forward... Are you that incompetent ?
>>6328664It was Mokhtar, a southron who was barely tolerated here but who was specialised in spying in this direction, who answered.-It is more, Tentacled Master, that all have gone too well. The southern emirs and sultans have copied the empire's policy of tolerance to evil and we have managed to convince several nations to rally our cause, nations that traditionally have been against us.-And ? Isn't it good ?-Well we promised those that are for us lands from those who are against but there is not enough. And worse, the orcish armies of Steiner have been promised rape and plunder but it they have to march through the desert without killing anyone in the cities they find they can mutiny .-Surely Steiner can discipline some orcs... But are you saying that we are delayed because all have gone too well All of them nodded, and the tentacled face of Bb'eg contorted, his tentacles forming knots with eachother, a sign of great exhaustion. He sighed. -Can we not betray one of the parties involved. -It will be hard... Your Great Gelatinous Master, to ensure that the betrayal goes properly, we must...-We must cultivate loyalists of those betrayals in the ranks of the southern kingdoms. And I fear that could not be done tod...-You had years !-B...-Enough, execute that man and all those responsible...Guards already began to carry away those who carried bad news and the rest of those responsible for this direction would be eliminated soon, several people grumbled under the halls, an Arch demon dared to say, perk of being immortal.-But... Your sliminess... It will only make everything slower... And...-Enough ! How many years...Some generals looked at eachother, finally one of them told.-In three years we can possibly...-Three years, good, not one more, send the distraction today, I want our ennemies weakened before our final strike. And you...The master of darkness pointed his arm at the archdemon and sucked it's soul, destroying him before capturing it into a labyrinthic gem to torture the thing for eternity.-Do not contradict me...The master said, sighing once more. Abovyurlevel looked at the former lieutenants of those who will be executed, already jockeying for power, and smiled. These three years will prove to be interesting indeed.
>>6328666MEANWHILE ON THE ROAD BETWEEN BRIBEROPOLIS AND TRADNOD : You enjoyed the roads during the early spring, the first flowers bloomed and you had to smile at the sight of many Indian strange birds flying in the region. Your brave Bohémond was in a good mood and you saw Ancel running after you, eager to serve. Elana sometimes had ran with him, telling that it was a good way of bettering her "cardio" or something like that. You wondered what it meant and if it was so important, and insisted for her to be on a horse, even if she was a servant girl, a woman should sit instead of running, it was French gallantry after all. So she obeyed. As for the witch Pennycilyn, she was very strange... Motherly, grandmotherly even. She severely looked for everyone to have eaten in the morning and to have warm clothes even if the period was rather warm. She insisted for your servants to prepare food with care and add some herbes, and for giving generous portions (lest you will starve). Of course having a witch around food made you uneasy but you saw that she ate everything, and did not drink some counterpoison after it. And the cooking was good. It was still strange to see a being who looked like a woman in her mid twenties behave like a grandmother. Of course a woman in her mid twenties was already quite old, but it was more "old like a mother" than a grandmother.Still, you found her strangely kind, even if you knew that some witches masqueraded as kind old women before boiling children alive and eating them. You should always be prudent. The road was quite pleasant, without madmen trying to kill you and clearly secured, you crossed prosperous inns in a region that seemed to be better than the one of Local, who seemed to be already very rich with peasant houses with big windows in your French eyes. Heh, and France was very rich for the Christendom. No this land was blessed and perhaps not so ban even if full of uppity commoners and pagans after all. You crossed villages and rivers, and even a bourg called "Flyover". It was a bucolic vision and a sympathetic travel, you were justly eating at one of the last boroughs before Tradnon when something disturbed this quiet. Yes indeed, all of this was cut short when one of your guards bursted into the main room of the Inn where you were eating lunch and began to tell you.-My lord, my lord, there is a heretic preaching heresies on the village square !-A heretic ? But you are pagan too, what do you know about heresies Dummy ?Dummy was the name of the guard, they had strange names here, but yet, he told.-No, no, like really heretic, you must see, the people are listening to him.
>>6328667Pennicyillynn, who was a pious pagan, decided to see and you followed too, with your knight and a curious Ancel. Elana followed and you were now surrounded by your men at arms, knights and even an experienced scout and tracker. All that the Lord of Local needed to intimidate some heretic. You saw the man, in red robes, effectively in the main square of the village, under the oak in the middle and wondered if he would be hanged there, the man had a booming voice, a beard and the light of fanaticism in his eyes. Commoners and peasants moved away, even if you were not on your lands and so did not have right of high and low justice here, as we say in France, but they understood that being in the way of a nobleman with a retinue was a bad idea. The so called heretic preached.-WOE TO US ! WOE to all our Empire for it has lost it's soul ! Woe to us for we embraced modernity and rejected tradition ! Be it everywhere, everything is slop ! All our art, all the representations of the gods and men, they are slop ! Vile corporate slop ! Evil is now explained and tolerated ! In the good old days all was better ! All was simpler and clear with a clear direction from the gods ! I tell you, all this slop will bring us to times of grim darkness ! All our souls shall be crushed !You understood more or less the spiritual message, or not... What was slop ? You turned towards Bohémond, your knight and the brother Templar Louis.-What is he talking about ?Bohémond raised his shoulders and told.-I don't know but he is as passionate about it as the Bishop of Reims when he calls to fast on Lent.He indeed looked as tortured, your own priest, Father François, was too, the fat man was full of suffering and lent was for him as terrible as if he was himself in the desert with the lord. He still respected it piously, a proof of his faith. Still, you asked your dear Templar, who was educated.-What does this man means ?-I suppose, monseigneur, that he is criticizing the guilds and corporations of artists working for the heathen temples. Perhaps he is a kind of Iconoclasts.-What is an iconoclast, you know I do not speak latin.-It is greek monseigneur, several centuries ago, the schismatic greeks, who worship icons as idols, it is why they are in schism with the church, decided to burn their icons under another heretical movement who wanted to destroy all images and effigies of our Lord. I suppose this man must be the local version...You saw that Pennicillynn frowned at the words of the preacher and he continued.-I tell you, today we form a refuge of civilization for all the free peoples where people grow fat and kind and nobles are all bright and good but it is a facade, everything will disappear and our expectations will be subverted, tomorrow it will be beset and destroyed, our rulers will prove to be cowards and our people will lose everything. All the races that coexist peacefully will be at eachothers throats ! I tell you !
>>6328668This, this sounded like sedition, you wondered what to do.>"Guards, arrest this man and give him to the Local Lord ! He must judge about this agitator.">Ask Pennicillynn what this man is talking about and why it is so heretical. She may be a witch, she at least is learned in matters of local religion. >Ask the preacher to speak in good French, instead of speaking in riddles. >Leave the place, it is not your problem>Other (write in)
>>6328669>Ask Pennicillynn what this man is talking about and why it is so heretical. She may be a witch, she at least is learned in matters of local religion.
>>6328669>Ask Pennicillynn what this man is talking about and why it is so heretical. She may be a witch, she at least is learned in matters of local religion. It takes a pagan to understand a pagan; good minds baptized in Christendom and made bright by the Lord's own light cannot comprehend such slop!Welcome back, LL.
>>6328669>>Ask Pennicillynn what this man is talking about and why it is so heretical. She may be a witch, she at least is learned in matters of local religion.
>>6328669>>"Guards, arrest this man and give him to the Local Lord ! He must judge about this agitator."
>>6328789>>6328875Glad to see you back good sir, and you are right our attempts at comprehending this may be rather... Sloppy...>>6328967>>6329009You decided to ask Pennicillynn about what this man was saying. Not that you trusted the witch but having at least an understanding about what is heretical in these lands could help a lord such like you. So you told her.-What is he talking about ? I can barely understand it.Looking at you like at a child, your new "court mage" answered.-He is talking about fate, he says that fate preordains us all and not our decisions....-Well we all act according to God's plan, lords ruling, peasants working in the fields, clergymen praying, and burghers doing their burgher things. -Yes yes, I agree... But...Before she could tell why, the man continued.-All has been desecrated to pander to some unknown denominator and to win market shares ! That is the only reason of the madness that we live ! They tell that it leaves more freedom for the people, but what pleasure is there inf freedom without struggle, without truly different experiences ?You told Pennicillynn.-He sounds like some philosopher, spouting nonsense.She smiled at you and explained.-People of his cults tell that the plans of the gods for the world have been corrupted, and that they pander to the interest of some mercantile corporation.-A mercantile corporation ? Are the pagan gods shopkeepers ? That makes no sense at all...-Of course it is nonsense but nevertheless it is what they believe, that there have been a degradation of the plans.-A degradation ? But how can God's plan be degraded, it never changed in the first place, God is outside of time.She looked at you and gracefully raised her shoulders, these Guelphs were annoying, anything they did was graceful, even shrugging, who was not ladylike at all, was done with such poise by your court witch that you stopped for a short amount of time. Still, the fact that the pagan gods were compared to shopkeepers was incredibly funny but you would be insulted if you learned that you prayed some burgher. You were not an expert in pagan idols, they were all the work of the devil, you knew that before praying to Jesus Christ your Frankish ancestors prayed to some terryfying idols. You remembered when Brother Louis explained that Clodion the Hairy-one, king of the Franks, has been said by pagans (he was a pagan himself) to be bathing with his wife when a sea monster sent by Neptune who looked like a Quinotaur attacked him and we were not sure if the kings descended of the king or of the beast since the monster had taken his wife before he could kill it.
>>6329206Well, at least a demon who sent sea monsters to rape your wife was something respectable, you did not know what a Quinotaur looked like and never met one but it seemed formidable, and if you hated heathens you respected strength. Even Sequana, that some gauls worshipped as godess of the river was seen as a fairmaiden. Imagine worshiping some shopkeeper or merchant with fingers like sausages. Hah ! Humiliating. You still listened to this heretic.-Yes, I tell you, all the universe is connected with an invisible stockmarket and new men, called the Deihires, replaced the old gods and...What was a stockmarket ? A market where they sold stocks ? With a pillory, you could theoretically arrange that for this spouter of nonsense. So you asked :>"Guards, arrest this man and give him to the Local Lord ! He must judge about this agitator.">"Guards, put the stock-market man in stocks on the market square ! Hai hai !">Ask the preacher if, since his pagan idols are apparently some fat merchants, he can bribe them if we give him money, let us see if he is some swindler.>Try to ask this preacher about his arguments, why does he thinks so ? Because he does not like the most modern art ?>Tell this man to worship God, not Mammon !>Leave the place, it is not your problem>Other (write in)
>>6329207>Tell this man to worship God, not Mammon !This is a good opportunity to counter-proselytize! The Queen said we're allowed, after all. Our God cannot be bought like these false ones! No, indulgences don't count!
>>6329207>Ask the preacher if, since his pagan idols are apparently some fat merchants, he can bribe them if we give him money, let us see if he is some swindler.Perhaps we can get something out of this...>Tell this man to worship God, not Mammon !...And we do this spitefully if we can't.
>Tell this man to worship God, not Mammon !
>>6329207>>"Guards, arrest this man and give him to the Local Lord ! He must judge about this agitator."
>>6329207>>Tell this man to worship God, not Mammon !>Ask the preacher if, since his pagan idols are apparently some fat merchants, he can bribe them if we give him money, let us see if he is some swindler.
>>6329252It is wise indeed, and no, indulgences are participating to good work, they are virtuous, and given to the Church, not to God directly. Only a heretic would say the contrary.>>6329253Of course, spite is a key ingredient here.>>6329326>>6329422>>6329438Looking at the man you told him severely.-Your words are pompous, but you cannot worship God and Mammon at the same time ! God almighty is not a shopkeeper and he has a plan.You had your strong booming voice and everyone turned towards you. The heretic seemed unphased, and, lacking proper respect, he began to talk to you like... Like you were a mere nuisance in his speech and not a gentleman who had chivalry in his blood for four hundred years ! What a scoundrel he was ! Worse still, he even said in a bored tone.-And here comes the redditard objecting ! You should have begun by saying "aktchually" you pompous peacock ! Hah ! You are not from the Tigie River, you have to go back ! You think to deceive us with your ridiculous accent "Ioue cannotte worchippe gode ande Mammon atte ze same tayme". Who do you work for in truth ! Show your flag ! Tourist !To be sincere you were rather taken aback by such verbose violence. You were accustomed to talk boldly and carry a big sword, that and the armed men at your back generally shut the mouth of the lowborn. You could go into some verbal sparring with a lord but that, from a common knave taken out of the gutter ! Tonnerre ! It will not take. In truth the effectiveness of the insults was a bit dulled by the fact that you did not understand them. It was clearly something disturbing. No, a courteous man had to make his insults understood by his opponent so he could answer. It was the chivalric way indeed. You tried to understand the strange patois of the man, remembering your reading lessons with Rose and Oldfossil you were proud of yourself when you supposed that a redditard was a a man who has something to "redire" or to say back as we said in French. And the suffix "tard" like in "bastard" or "soiffard" or even the siege engine "couillard" meant a pejorative. Yes indeed, it must mean something like a vile naysayer, the smug imbecile frail of body but proud of mind who retorts to a wise decision about raising taxes or going to a crusade. You actually had no idea what aktchually meant, and showing your flag and insulting you as a foreigner must have been a way to tell that you could not hold high and low justice here and judge the people. Even if this man deserved a hanging. As for a tourist, it perhaps meant an inhabitant of Tours, or someone who built towers. Yes probably. They seemed to dislike the tourangeaux here. Sad, they were quite nice lads it was said. Perhaps it was because of the rumour that they had the purest french tongue, and this primitive Indian seemed to mock the proper pronunciation of the French language before. Hah ! What a fool !
>>6329684You still had to choose what to do with this knave. >Defy him with facts, reason and the truth of God (rulership roll, hard roll but with bonuses if good arguments are given)>Cut off his head, he is a commoner who insulted a nobleman (no need to roll, a sharp sword has more arguments than a sharp tongue in this kind of discussions)>Do not touch this learned gentleman, he is perhaps wiser than he seems (very tolerant of you, and tolerance for evil is always a bad thing)>Order your men to arrest this heretic for having insulted you (Not very sportsmanlike I would say).>Other (write in)
Rolled 29 (1d100)>>6329684>Show your flag ! Tourist !I think this man may be from Poltard.>>6329685>Defy him with facts, reason and the truth of God (rulership roll, hard roll but with bonuses if good arguments are given)We shall win converts this day, or this man will die for trying our patience!He himself has said that the gods have had their plans thrown into disarray by merchants, which goes to show that they are false and feeble. If they do not wish for their faith to be compromised, why have they not put a stop to it? What kind of divinity is so weak that a spice-seller may overturn its decrees?Our Lord Jesus Christ faced the self-same profanation when coin-changers clogged the Temple. What did He do? He cast them out with whips and overturned their tables. Behold true power: not the whimpering of compromised idols, but the righteous wrath of the Incarnate Word!And then he made it clear, in no uncertain terms that nobody will ever misconstrue or take advantage of cough that usury is unlawful. This is a universal story all can apply, whereas he has so incomprehensible and niche a theology that "tourists" cannot parse it. Can ANYONE here udnerstand this man, besides he himself? Where is his continuity? Where his prophets or martyrs? He offers only jargon none here can grasp. A faith unintelligible to simple folk is no faith but gnosticism.Therefore I bid you, good people, turn from these mute idols to the living God; and as for this agitator, let him either repent and receive baptism, or be delivered to the local lord for his obstinacy!
>>6329684Welcome back my lord! >>6329707SupportJesus Christ is the natural enemy of merchants
Rolled 36 (1d100)>>6329685>>Defy him with facts, reason and the truth of God (rulership roll, hard roll but with bonuses if good arguments are given)
Rolled 65 (1d100)>>6329707This man is a man of learning. +1
>>6329707Good sir, such an eloquent speech, I shall suppress the malus, unfortunately if you would have passed if it was simply a speech here you are in a debate so I will not give you the bonus of choosing the best of the three rolls and so it will not be won, even if it is not lost. I agree with everything and with your wisdom, even if I doubt that Charles would be an expert in gnostics, after all he is a man of the sword, not of knowledge about heresies. Brother Louis would have known of course.>>6329969I have heard that recently some strange men began to worship God in a kind of reading clubs, outside of our mother Church, they call themselves "protestants" or something. I am sure two or three of them had a stroke when the read your wise and just words messire.>>6330158>>6330310Indeed he is, may God bless him.====You decided to preach passionately for your parish, beginning to defy the vision of such a heretic, if his so called "gods" have been bought off by merchant they must be weak and false, unlike our Lord who chased the merchants from the Temple of Jerusalem. So you began to tell this.-Insolent man, you should be whipped for insulting a gentleman. But I shall answer for the good people of these lands, so they are not laid astray for false teachings. I tell you that if your so called gods are so weak and feeble to be chased from the sky by merchants, my God, our Lord Jesus Christ who died for our sins and arose on the third day, has triumphed. Now he rules all fate according to His plan ! Yes indeed, our Lord Jesus Christ faced the self-same profanation when coin-changers clogged the Temple. What did He do? He cast them out with whips and overturned their tables. Behold true power: not the whimpering of compromised idols, but the righteous wrath of the Incarnate Word!The man looked at you and the people too, they seemed to be shocked that there was only one God, one thing was sure, the heretic seemed unhappy.-Your necromancer god of pain is powerless ! Merchants are reigning ! Soon his birth too will be ruled by them, for they are not simple merchants, no, they are the invisible hand of the Market ! A big invisible hand in the sky that moves everything ! This is the truth that the newfags do not understand ! They think that the gods rule but we are doomed to slop by the merchants and their hand !You recoiled at this blasphemy to answer.-I do not know about invisible hands, but my hand is very visible and it will end in your nose if you continue with your blasphemy ! For the Lord told that usury was unlawful. So he won. It is as simple as that, without absurd invisible hands and merchants who buy the gods.The man answered, furious.-Hah, and why is there usury then if your God is so powerful !-Because you are heathen, so I call you all to accept baptism, enter the church, and be spared prison for your heresies !
>>6330386The heretic seemed to boil internally, and in your opinion heretics should not boil internally but burn externally.-Me ? To bow before monotheism ? You cannot explain why everything is going to slop !-But what is even this slop that you always bring us ? You talk like a... How they are called Brother Louis ?The stoic templar told.-A gnostic monseigneur.-Yes, a gnostic ! Guards, arrest that madman !-Repression ! Help ! Help ! I'm being repressed !A punch from Fed calmed him, justice at last.He told while two of your men took this man by the arms. To be sincere, the people were not moved by your words, nor by his, the mass of peasants watched like cows at your verbal jousting. Since you were in this small village called Downton, who was at less than one day of Tradnod. It was lead from a manor, not even a castle since the region was very secure, by a petty lordling. You ordered your knight Bohémond to introduce you and the guards at the gate, who had shields painted with a kind of helmet, who was probably the symbol of the small lordling ruling here, told you that "Lord Realisd Withai" was ready to see you. He was indeed small with blond hair and a round face, and a very beautiful wife. He seemed to be very jovial and when you came he immediately offered you beer and wine and told.-Lord de Villeroi... I beg your pardon but my men haven't explained my where you were from... I was proceeding to lunch, be welcome.-The Barony of Local in the County of Pleasantville...-Oh ! The County of Pleasantville, in the north of our Duchy. Wilder lands than those around Tradnod, but I am always glad to receive noblemen, enter please, I have Bifurian wine and figs from the Imperial Corelands, they have been brought to me by a halfling merchant.-It will be a pleasure monseigneur, and you too, gente dame.His beautiful wife nodded and after some pleasantries he told.-I suppose that you are here for the tournament.-The ? The tournament ? I was here to arrest a heretic who was preaching on your lands.The man asked.-An heretic ! This is most shocking ! By the heavens ! Bring him here !You ordered your guards to bring the man and while seeing his lord he became hysterical screaming.-SLOP ! HE IS FAKE AND SLOP ! DON'T YOU SEE ! BETRAYAL ! INVISIBLE HAND ! ALL SOUL WILL BE SUCKED FROM THE WORLD !
>>6330387He was screaming "Reeeee" when finally lord Realisd ordered to put him in the pillory on the main square of his village, he ordered it to his steward who was a small and rotund cagot. What a shame, having a cagot as a councillor. But this lord was a heathen and knew no better. You wanted to say that the pillory was a very light punishment but you were too preoccupied with this story of tournament and asked once you and your knights were sitting in the pleasant main hall of the manor with wine in hand. Not as good as some Burgundian wine but pleasant nevertheless. His wife Mayed, had an adorable voice.-You talked about a tournament monseigneur, what do you mean ?-A tournament, yes, the nameday of the little sister of the Duchess of Tradnod, her twelfth nameday, the duchess has decided to hold a banquet, a ball and of course a tournament. It shall be a magnificent feast. I am not a great fighter myself but seeing you all in mail I supposed that you came here for it.-Oh... To be sincere I wanted to give the duchess her locket back, I found it back in an accursed forest and...The wife of lord Realisd who had a beautiful smile and long blonde hair like you liked them, asked you, fixing you with nice green eyes.-An accursed forest, it is so interesting tell me more.Of course you recounted the story in your most charming way and the local lord and his wife proved to be more than amusing conversationnalists, sometimes Brother Louis or Bohémond added details. You even threw some food from the table to your Ancel so he could eat on the ground while his betters ate normally. It seemed to amuse the local couple. But enough pleasant moments, you wanted to know more.>Ask the lord Realisd and his wife if the tournament will be only Indian jousting or if there will be a melee.>Ask the lord Realisd and his wife about the nameday of the Duchess's sister and if you should bring a gift, and about the duchess's family.>Ask the lord Realisd about the punishments reserved to the heretics here.>Ask the lord Realisd about heretics, are there a lot of these madmen in these lands.>Ask the lord Realisd and his wife a bit more about the Duchy of Tradnod and life in the core of the Duchy.>Ask the lord Realisd about the Guelph regent of the Duchess.>Ask the lord Realisd and his wife about the duchess Naiv of Tradnod.>Ask the lord Realisd about the other counties in the duchy of Tradnod.>Other (write in)Choose maximum 3 choices please good sirs.
>>6330388>Ask the lord Realisd and his wife about the nameday of the Duchess's sister and if you should bring a gift, and about the duchess's family.Practical concerns first...>Ask the lord Realisd about heretics, are there a lot of these madmen in these lands.>Write-in: What IS this "slop"?But this man's ranting is troubling
>>6330388>Ask the lord Realisd and his wife about the nameday of the Duchess's sister and if you should bring a gift, and about the duchess's family.>Ask the lord Realisd and his wife a bit more about the Duchy of Tradnod and life in the core of the Duchy.>Ask the lord Realisd and his wife if the tournament will be only Indian jousting or if there will be a melee.
>>6330388>Ask the lord Realisd and his wife about the nameday of the Duchess's sister and if you should bring a gift, and about the duchess's family.>Ask the lord Realisd and his wife a bit more about the Duchy of Tradnod and life in the core of the Duchy.>Ask the lord Realisd about the other counties in the duchy of Tradnod.
>>6330388>Ask the lord Realisd and his wife about the nameday of the Duchess's sister and if you should bring a gift, and about the duchess's family.>Ask the lord Realisd and his wife if the tournament will be only Indian jousting or if there will be a melee.>Ask the lord Realisd and his wife a bit more about the Duchy of Tradnod and life in the core of the Duchy.
>>6330425Unfortunately the rest of the bannermen here are not as learned in theology or interested by it as you, but they followed your wise advice of practicality.>>6330453>>6330504>>6330620You took upon yourself to ask several questions, first trying to move the conversation towards the young Duchess's family.-I am new to these lands, gente dame et monseigneur, so I am not as well informed as those who live one day from Tradnod. Please enlighten me, the Duchess Naiv has a sister ? Or perhaps more ?It was the lordling who answered, explaining simply.-Yes, yes she has two little sisters, Sapphira, who is twelve and Ametyst who is only ten, the poor duke Gemmer had a male heir but he died more than ten years ago, the duke died of illness and his wife of sadness soon after losing her husband and son. Lord Behindthetron is the regent now, after the local nobility, with the help of her Majesty, preferred him over Count Hapyon Careless, your liege lord and Count Schemer Plottingson. He has not been bad at all, I supported him and he does best to take care of the girls. The great question remains that duchess Naiv needs a suitable husband.His wife nodded, explaining even more.-Yes, but the young ladies are kind and adorable. Loving embroidery, feasts and sweets. Like many girls their age, even if it is said that the third one might have magical gifts.You raised an eyebrow at this witchcraft. Then of course you asked.-Should I bring a gift ? I mean...The fat lordling talked to you reassuringly ;-Do not worry, there would be an incalculable amount of simple lords here so there is no need of something grand. You nodded, trying to then ask. -And the tournament, will it be jousting like you do here in India, or a melee.The lady scolded you.-A melee ? You mean bashing yourselves with swords and axes before a kid ? No, no, no, it is far too violent.Seeing her tone you did not insist. Hah, you knew that even little girls liked when men were going to fight in their name, even more when they fought to the death. Yes, you supposed that your Rose would enjoy it too much, back home, but even a lady who did not struggle with bloodthirst would like to see her gallant knight take risks while wearing her favor. So you told.-I am terribly sorry, simply... My lands are more... Rugged than here, your lands seem to be more peaceful.They both nodded. Lady Mayed answering.-Yes it is plains on this side, and gentle hills with halfling communities. The East of the core of the ducal lands is more forested, we will enter towards the duchy of Tricked, and old elven lands, we are closer to the border, or at least to Elfmarch there.
>>6330768Her husband nodded., sipping from his goblet.-Yes, and the north of the ducal lands is more hilly and rugged, with dwarves and a kobold problem. But most of the lands are peaceful, where horses can dominate the battlefields, humans have been historically dominant, at least since the Empire managed to support it's infantry and cavalry with battlemages. So we have no more problems. Well, last time I had to hire adventurers was when we had a swindler's ring on the lettuce market but nothing more. Yes, we can say that we are blessed here. I have only one village and see how it is prosperous.You had to admit that it was bigger than local, and if his keep was small it was richly decorated, he seemed to live in a rich province, like some pampered lordling of Île de France or even a Burgundian. Champagne was rich too, but India was, and it pained you to say it, richer than France. Even if that did not count because these riches were probably the product of magic. Whatever, it was interesting and you continued to discuss about the upcoming tournament, the two locals proved to be sympathetic and they had been so polite that you wished to invite them at your marriage, but Rose was dealing with the list of guests. You hesitated a small moment before leaving.>Invite them to your marriage>Do not invite them to your marriageThen, about Tradnod you have a choice :>Decide to enlist in the tournament>Permit your knights to enlist in the tournament>Do not enlist in the tournament>Do not permit your knights to enlist in the tournament
>>6330769>Invite them to your marriageThe more the merrier, though I do shudder at the cost with how many we have invited>Decide to enlist in the tournament>Permit your knights to enlist in the tournamentSounds like good fun
>>6330769>Invite them to your marriageWe ought to build a network to spread our faith and our other good feudal values.>Decide to enlist in the tournament>Permit your knights to enlist in the tournament
>>6330769>Invite them to your marriageLet nobody say we skimp on grand occasions!>Decide to enlist in the tournament>Permit your knights to enlist in the tournamentWhy not? We prefer bashing heads in to anything else.
>>6330769>>Invite them to your marriage>Decide to enlist in the tournament>Permit your knights to enlist in the tournament
>>6330786>>6330827>>6330828>>6330937I am glad to see these answers, you truly live in Chivalry and songs are sung about men like you messires. ====You ended the lunch and decided to continue towards Tradnod, of course you invited the lord and his wife to your marriage, this Withai seemed to be a family of minor nobility but they had an interesting conversation and were very joyful. When you got out of his manor and rode with your knights Bohémond told you.-Lucky man, he is fat and ugly but has managed to have a more beautiful wife than many lads.You smiled at this and answered.-He has a nice demesne, it helps. And besides it is not like she choose who she had to marry, and she seems happy, he must be a good man. Even if he is a bit young to be this fat... Eating only venison comes with a duty to exercise a bit.Brother Louis agreed, while you looked at the beautiful sun and continued to ride. You then told.-I shall participate in the joust. It will be good fun, even if a melee is better.Bohémond, always young and eager, asked you quite kindly.-I shall fight too ! It will be great fun. A merry feast demands a joust !Brother Louis frowned, you knew that as a Templar he was seeing these kind of exercises as futility, he was a knight but a monk too, and he raised his weapon only against the enemies of God. Of course he trained, but tournaments were dangerous, and could even kill good christian knights in a waste of blood. In your opinion it was a part of the risks but the clergymen were always merciful. He told you.-I would advise against it monseigneur.-And why is it Brother Louis ?-Because it is risky, you are a fearsome fighter lord Charles, and I would argue, a better knight than many of these green boys that are here and never knew war. But jousting is rare back in France, and here they mainly train for it, it is their favourite sport, plus, you only have chainmail, while they are covered in plates. If you are unhorsed there will be risks of injury, I would not want your bride to see you with a broken leg again, or God forbid with something more grave.You waved away such concerns.-Hah, it is not important, by the way I will win some horses and equipment, since the winner always gains the armor and the horse of the loser. Our lands need finances and I am sure that those steel harnesses aren't cheap. They shall pay me back for my equipment. Like in good old days. When the Templar looked at you, a bit scandalized, he did not know you so well when you were a simple knight and when you lived in France, you corrected.-It is not like I lived of it, but sometimes gaining money in tournament could help me...Bohémond told.-Get completely drunk and pass such a night in the brothels of Paris, do you remember when...
>>6331120You looked at him and reddened, Elena raised an eyebrow, while Ancel smiled at it like your guardsmen, Pennicylynn seemed to be as scandalized as Brother Louis. You corrected your friend.-No, no, it was one time, I was young and drunk on wine and victory, if I gain something I shall use it to make our marriage with Rose more agreeable, and perhaps to make some repairs in our church.It was the moment that Pennicillynn choose to intervene.-Tournaments are barbaric, they are wounding people and glorifying war. Why don't people glorify peace.You answered as any nobleman would.-Peace is boring, it is wasted energy for all the young lads of the realm. -Wasted ?!? B... But war causes destruction ! Death, slaughter and many horrror ! How can you say this my lord ! War is wasteful ! As Aeliryn says, we should make love, not war.Seeing that she invoked her pagan goddess you had to answer, with some humour.-I do not know, I always made both ! That made Bohémond laugh and he even told.-War is fair, it keeps the chivalry strong and is an honest way to gain glory and renown. Plus women all love warriors, that is known. And they all love watching tournaments when brave knights fight in their name and to defend their honor.You remembered lady Rose who fell in love when you protected her, and saw that Elana reddened when Bohémond told this. Only the witch seemed to shake her head and tell. -That is awful. Humans are barbarians.
>>6331121You smiled, it was amusing, you were sure that if a Guelph gentleman like Servmiabarel defended her in a duel she would be blushing instead of preaching. But you knew better than to argue with a woman, even if she was a witch who was perhaps several millenia old. Women were creatures of emotion and they never tell what they mean, such is their nature and they are only more adorable for it. Brother Louis had to temper your happiness meanwhile.-God love those who keep peace monseigneur. The witch looked to the Templar and they seemed to agree. It made you laugh, so you told.-Between Christians. It is why there is rules, like no battles on Sunday, but do not tell me that the Crusades were not righteous !-They were, monseigneur, the scriptures say that nothing is better than to give your life for those that are close to us and brothers in faith called udms. Blessed are those who fell to protect the Holy Land.The witch seemed to be even more terrified.-Holy war ?!? B... But it's...You added.-It is even better than private wars.This made them smile, the fact that private wars were forbidden here was a great injustice. The witch almost choked herself.-W... What ? You mean wars... For private matters ! But it is illegal and...-This is great injustice, without the ability to defend their honor on the battlefield, the lords of these lands have become soft and let armed vagrants take care of the land. Private war is the best way to regulate local quarrels and shows the freedom of the landowners. Those who cannot mint their own coins or wage their own wars are not truly free. By the way, let us talk of something less martial, what kind of present could we give to the young sister of the duchess... Here they seem to be giving presents on birthdays instead of the namedays of the saints. They all looked at eachother. Bohémond telling.-I composed a new song but it is about the Crusades.Brother Louis told you.-Perhaps a book, I do not know a lot about young girls but before I joined the orders I remember that my mother loved to read...Elana suggested.-Perhaps a doll, or something like this... Or it is too simple.Penicyllynn told you.-You must bring her something unique. Perhaps an enchanted toy. Something that moves....Ancel suggested.-Buy her a little dress messire, like for a larger noblewoman. Well not large in this sense, but older I mean. You wondered about all of this. A toy with magic would be heretical. Other things might be seen as too cheap or too costly. Bohémond talked about music, perhaps a small harp. You thought about it while listening to Bohémond's new song, about the Call of Clermont who launched the crusades, and thought about what to buy, seeing the white stone walls of Tradnod at the horizon.>Buy a book>Buy a doll>Buy some enchanted toy>Buy a not enchanted toy>Buy a small dress>Buy a small harp>Other (write in)
>>6331122>Buy a dollElana would know the ways of young girls best, and we were told that it didn't have to be grand. But make it a nice fancy doll, not a cheap one.
>>6331122>>Buy a doll
>>6331152+1 to the gift, the caveat, and the rationale.>>6331122
>>6331122>>Buy a small dress
>>6331152Wise words, to trust the youth in these matters.>>6331177>>6331196>>6331567You finally decided to buy a doll and announced it to your good people, Elana seemed happy that her idea had been taken. When you rode near Tradnod you remarked that it was a pleasant city. Oh it was far smaller than Briberopolis of course, and less official in it's architecture, half timbered houses were hidden behind white walls here, and strange blue tiles covered the roofs. On the other side Tradnod was bigger than Pleasantville and it's buildings more grand. In your estimations, and with the rumors that you had heard you could estimate the population of the Capital, Briberopolis, to 100 000 inhabitants, roughly half of Paris, it was a huge city, Pleasantville was a decently sized town of 3000 people and here you thought that Tradnod had perhaps a bit more than 10 000, 12 000 maximum. You remarked the numerous and brightly coloured tents that were being installed around the city and the jousting lists that were being built. Several knights were already here, with their squires and their servants. It almost filled your eyes with tears of nostalgia for your time in Paris, or in Provins and Reims and all the tournaments that you had participated in, or even seen. Since you were a little kid you loved tournaments, furious melees where knights fought in mock battles and where men were paraded in their most beautiful armors and tabards before being unhorsed by a mace blow. The sounds of the horses, the cheers of the public, the beautiful ladies on the stands. Aaaah, it was marvelous. You wanted to take part in it.Still, you were at the end of the afternoon and had to decide where to go first in this new and very sympathetic city. With a tournament you feared that all inns would be full and the castle, with it's white towers, too. Curiously the smell of the spring flowers covered the most unpleasant smell that many cities had. It was very agreeable, especially when the southern wind brushed your face. Still, you had something to do so you choose first to...>Go to an inn, to have somewhere to sleep>Go to the castle, demand an audience for tomorrow to give the Duchess her locket back>Visit the jousting lists and enlist for the tournament>Seek a craftsman who can make dolls>Other (write in)PS : Sorry for my late update, I am in the middle of moving to a new house so I cannot update as much as I would want to.
>>6331864>Go to the castle, demand an audience for tomorrow to give the Duchess her locket backThank you for making the time to update anyway, QM! We should t this out of the way, I think, before anything else.
>>6331864>>Visit the jousting lists and enlist for the tournamentPerhaps we can get a preferential spot if we do it early...?
>>6331864>Visit the jousting lists and enlist for the tournamentShouldn’t take too long so we would still have time to request an audience.
>>6331864>>Visit the jousting lists and enlist for the tournament
>>6331864>>Go to the castle, demand an audience for tomorrow to give the Duchess her locket back
