All the Strange, Strange Kingdoms - IC Thread

[ArlEammon]

Tekea Island

Roguen has been busily hurrying about, administering to the port cities on the island. "Establish trade agreements with the Welans.. Trade Minister." Roguen insists. "Just do it." Efforts were made to warm up relations with their neighbors on the continent. Meanwhile the Academy was being funded well with the treasury to ensure that they would teach the finest wizards possible.

Training the Dragonborn, the military was researching finer metal alloys, and alchemical ways they could somehow make stronger and more durable armors. At the same time, better weapons and crossbow bolts could be discovered through this. Roguen had his hands full as the arguing in the High Council was growing increasingly agitant.

Just a typical day for Prime Minister.

[Greystone]

Goblins at the Ebon Hills!

At the sight of the dwarf, the warforged glanced at each other, then shrugged "We shall lead you to the Manufactorum city of Has'Grav"

The lead warforged stopped "What type of business do you require? All purpose or specified purpose?"

Ebon Hills

A Simalcrum popped his head out of the shadows "Ah yes, the customer" he bowed "Marshal Fiskes aid will see you now"

[pingcode20]

Agakaan
On the Threshold of Has'Grav

"Why, nothing less than your primary export, my good warforged. I'll be visiting Has'Grav after business is over."

The merchant prince in question clearly wasn't just a customer. He was a customer.

Spoiler

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Or, looking to speak about Mercenaries.

[Greystone]

On the Threshold of Has'Grav

The warforged nodded and began to move. The trip is relativly short, especially with the expert shortcuts made by the pathfinders.

The city of Has'Grav is very new, very productive, and very dark. Symmetrical buildings line the streets and factories full of workers and smoke filled the city. The warforged wound his way through the streets until the smoke cleared and a small government district was beheld. The warforged stopped "Here is the City Hall"

The building is black with a silver diamond motiff above the door "We will wait outside for you, to lead you back"

[Dorizzit]

Ebon Hills
- Karak Dulvorosh

Kozz'Haad follows the Simulacrum.

[pingcode20]

Agakaan
On the Threshold of Has'Grav

The dwarf nodded, and headed into the city hall with his personal bodyguard.

"No need to wait. My guards are perfectly capable of protecting my carriage, and there should be no problems getting back without an escort."

The guards moved to block any inquisitive looks into the contents of the carriage as the dwarf vanished into the City Hall.

Inside, the dwarf found his way to a mercenary handler, whereupon the character would actually get a name.

[Greystone]

On the Threshold of Has'Grav

"Very well" and the warforged quietly leave.

Inside a freindly Simalcrum receptionist points you to a hallway "Just that way sir"

Inside Governor Julius Vec waits. Julius is a elf, with silver hair pulled back in a ponytail "Ah, I am Govenor Vec, how may I help you?"

[Greystone]

Ebon Hills

The envoy is brought to a small chamber with a ebony table. Sitting at the far end is a young female half-elf "Hello, my name is Varya Jalosa, aide to Marshal Fiske"

she nodded "What can we do you for sir?"

[pingcode20]

Agakaan
Mercenary Business

"Pleased to meet you, Governor. I'm Barak Ironhold, second heir to Ironhold Trading." replied Barak, taking his seat at the table. Julius would probably have been able to tell almost immediately that Barak was here on House business - few didn't know the House of Merchants. Odds were, the Council was in some way in on this too, and even if he lacked official standing, any deal with him would more likely than not pass both the House and Council.

"I've been hearing things about this 'Alliance Package' that you've been offering. Care to elaborate more on what that entails?"

[LongVin]

Underground

The two mages took careful notes of the constructs that were sitting before them. It wasn't very often that one was able to get a close look to such a strange and foreign creature that was not already pummelled by explosive magic.


Surface Raids South & East

As the sun set beneath the horizon the raiders began to stir. It was the first night of the new raiding season, one of the holiest days of the calender and from the mountain outposts and from the caves in the ground emerged the raider groups.

Led by experienced surfacers, many of the lizardriders took their first tentative steps into the Night Above and the canopy of stars. Weeks before spies tracked out tiny settlements, farms and caravan routes. This land was considered ripe for the raids, they have been ignored for many years by the Veiians and now they would take the brunt of the raids.

Their mission was simple, kill the sleeping surface dwellers by any means necessary, burn their buildings and fields to the ground and if possible raise the corpses of the dead into a false mockery of life to harrass anyone who comes in search of the dead.


OOC: This is directed towards anyone who have tinysettlements close to the southern and eastern borders of the mountains. They aren't going after anything big or defended. Just small towns, farms and caravans.

I think Raz's travelling groups will be out there and I'm not sure who else just yet.

[Greystone]

Underground

"What are your designations?" one warforged asks curiously.

Mercenary Business

Julius smiled, he liked a straightforward customer "Well, to put things simply, we get the ability to travel unhindered through your territory, and you pay us, and we send you a designated number of mercenaries, depending on how much you pay us"

he shrugs "Payment can be rare material, weapons, gold, jewels, just ratify it with us"

[LongVin]

Underground

The mage to the left of the warforged gives it a curious look "I am Master Barius."

"And I am Master Fimus." Adds the second.

"And your names are?" asks Barius

[Greystone]

Underground
"I am Shield" intoned the first.

"And I am Sword" replied the other.

[LongVin]

Underground

"It is a pleasure. You most certainly are fascinating creatures. Would you be able to tell us anything about your kind? Such as where you come from? What you are capable of?" Asks Fimus, the more inquisitive of the two.

[pingcode20]

Agakaan
Mercenary Business

"Interesting. Now, and this is just a hypothetical, of course," There was that line. Hypotheticals always meant some form of underhanded and potentially lucrative work. "Suppose someone decided to take out a contract on a country that you had a current alliance package with. Say, a contract to conduct raids on their territory. How would that work out?"

[Greystone]

Mercenary Business

"Thats why Alliance package is a misnomer" mused Julius " It simply means we send them mercenaries. If someone wants to attack someone else, well then we='ll do it, and if necessary my men will fight each other"

Underground

Sheild is far more talkative "We do not know where we came from, though we are told that Doctor Kessel thought us up. We do not need the same...things that you organics do."

Sword reached out and picked up a stone that had skipped into the carriage. With a quick movement he crushed it with ease "That is what we can do"

[Raz_Fox]

Raiding Ti- Oh crud...

When the little goblins started shooting fire, the five Jaela scattered. Ducking out of the way, Lethan and Nevan made it to the wagons - Lethan's grey fur smoldering, Nevan shaking slightly. "Lord of Light, they're nasty." Lethan started ducking around, using the wagon as cover. "We need to get out - food isn't worth being killed."

A scream rent the air, and the two Jaela looked at each other. "Karz!" Nevan leaped on top of a wagon, while Lethan circled around to the back of the goblins.

Meanwhile, Karz was lying on the ground trying to breathe with a burnt chest, and Woryl was clearly dead. Sharea looked up from where she had dived to avoid the fire - up at several of the goblins and their fire sticks. "Uh... hi?" Chuckling nervously, she dropped her spear.


Surface Raids

Spoiler

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Jaela move about constantly, and pretty randomly. If one of the raids hit the Jaela, it'd be by sheer luck...

The Reynard Twins

"Hey sis, I can see an outlander. Can I kill him?" Rhysanon shook her head at her brother. "Dojan! Don't hurt strangers, remember?" Dojan simply laughed. "C'mon sis, it'd be fun..." Rhysanon rose from where she'd been cooking their dinner. "We'd better see what he's doing in our lands." She walked out of the small grove they'd camped in and yelled out, "Outlander! This way!"

"And then I kill him?" "Dojan!"

[Greystone]

The Reynard Twins

The Shadow messenger's horse reared back, but he kept his calm "Who goes there? Who are thee?"

[Raz_Fox]

The Reynard Twins

"I am Rhysanon Jaelareynard, and you are traveling in the wrong direction if you wish to meet Jaela. Come, share our fire, tell us of your errand in this land and we may be able to give you directions."

[Greystone]

The Reynard Twins

The man heisitates than steps off, and into full view of the firelight. He wears a black chainshirt and pants, with a red and black crest of the Ebon Hills. He wears a deep red cloak "I am Jason Hus of the Ebon Hills" he says "Envoy and messenger. I am tasked with finding customers for our exploits"

[LongVin]

Underground

Both watch in awe as the construct crushes the stone. "Obviously you do not need to eat, drink or sleep. This is all very fascinating. Would you mind if we studied you?"



Surface Raids

OOC: They'll target known travelling routes, not sure how the Jaelas travel around though. Up to you if you want to get hit.

[Greystone]

Underground

"I apologize, that is not within our jurisdiction" apologized Shield.

[LongVin]

Underground

"Unfortunate. But, we understand."


OOC: Want to accelerate this to the arrival at Veii or do you want to bring anything up during the trip first?

[Greystone]

(OOC Accelerate the trip, I just wanted to show that warforged care too)

Underground

Korell awoke as they neared the Veii Capital.

[Raz_Fox]

The Reynard Twins

"Customers?" Rhysanon looks taken aback. "I'm afraid that the Jaela have very little of value to pay anyone with - what kind of things do you sell?"

Next to the red-furred Rhysanon lounges a black-furred Jaela in a overlarge brown coat, yellow eyes fixed on Jason. "If it's valor you sell, you'll find no lack of it here."

[Greystone]

The Reynard Twins

"We sell swords" the envoy said "Men and machines to defend and attack in the name of your nation and people"

He smiled "They are quite valourous"

[LongVin]

Veii

As the wagon entered into the shadow veil visibility drops to nearly zero even for creatures normally capable of seeing in the most adverse conditions, the inky shadows are have no physical form and can not be batted away even momentarily. With precision from years of practice, the driver twists the wagon through one of the many routes leading to the city, being that they are with foreigners a more confusing set of tunnels is chosen.

After many minutes, the veil ends just abruptly as it begins as they cross over the stone bridge leading into the city. Thousands of magical fires flicker across the landscape projecting light in various colors. Towards the center of the city several towers reach towards and occassionaly reach the ceiling of the immense cavern. The streets are filled with hundreds of Veiians going about their daily business and numerous slaves of lesser races, mainly kobolds and goblins are seen attending to cleaning the streets and running small errands.

Barius leans forward and points towards the largest, most central and most opulent tower "That is the seat of the Council and where you will be residing."

[Greystone]

Veii

The ambassadors look around in interest. "Take us there"

(I think they can see, since they are constructs perhaps?)

[pingcode20]

Agakaan
Mercenary Business

Barak smiled. "Ah. Guard duty."

"I don't believe we will have much use for an Alliance Package, in that case. But," Barak leaned forwards. "I think we can do some business."

"Ironhold Trading would like to take out a contract for the Ebon Hills Mercenary Company to raid Veii holdings. Their underground holdings, if possible, but surface outposts are acceptable. We are prepared to pay twenty gold pieces for the head of every Veiian brought in, and a hundred for the head of every Veiian Mage brought in."

Spoiler

Show

Barak is deliberately offering low - he is perfectly prepared to pay more, but he expects Julius to negotiate for higher fees, and possibly a sweeter.

Raiding Time

Nevan and Lethan's antics seemed to work, somewhat, as a couple of guards turned at the jumping Jaelan and began trying to climb up to catch him.

They gibbered in goblin, no doubt shouting something about Nevan. Lethan had managed to escape their notice for the time being, however. Though it was difficult for him to avoid their notice by simply dodging around the wagons, thanks to the distribution of the guards, but it was not too difficult to dive under a wagon with Nevan and Sharea providing distractions for the guards, who were somewhat divided by either not looking in the right direction, trying to catch Nevan, and covering Sharea.

One goblin stepped out of the lead wagon, and looked around, shouting at the guards. Chances were, he was the leader - not hard to tell, with his noticeably fancier clothing.

[Greystone]

Mercenary Business

Julius chuckled "I don't think so, 75 for each Veiin abd 450 for each mage"