God Save the Queen, Indeed: Let's Play Long Live the Queen!

[Deme]

For getting better bonuses for that, we can move to willfull and do intrigue and magic together -- or one, or the other, or whatever.

[banthesun]

Accounting and falcons sounds like our best option right now.

[Dublock]

Originally Posted by TengYt

Accounting and Foreign Intelligence.

I third this.

[Forum Explorer]

Accounting and Bats I mean Falcons

[Terraoblivion]

Originally Posted by TheEmerged

Has anyone here actually made the Keythong check? I'm tempted to try a playthrough just to get that one for once

I've done it with both Novan History and Lore. It's not really anything super special, just a line or two of Elodie remembering what is in those forests apart from monsters.

[Sanguine]

Accounting and Foreign Intelligence. We are after all about to meet a foreign noble.

[ZeroNumerous]

Accounting and Falconry. Because we're gonna need an animal motif if we're gonna become a tortured avenger of the night.

[smuchmuch]

(Aaaaaaww. I think she look adorable being all sad in her in her tux.)

We're going to meet a foreign noble who gave us a courting present wich we are wearing right now despite having no intention of honnoring any kind of engagement. (we don't, do we ?) Court manners to turn him down politely.
And Accounting, so we may strike fear int he hearts of tax frauders everywhere.

[SlyGuyMcFly]

Accounting and... Hmm. Honestly, I don't think we can get our Expression, History or Intel skills high enough to actually matter when we meet the Duke next week, so let's just go with Falcons and hope the Duke isn't too mad about how we got our province back.

[Deme]

Chapter 16, Part 1: Week 11: Mood: Depressed
or
I've heard worse pick-up lines

Spoiler

Well, this is certainly an enlightening place for 50 -- the level often of basic competency -- to bring us to.
Also, man, but we've sure picked up some accounting boni.


With the +1 from the depression, our Animal Handling is nice, too.
Anyway, I think as Princess, Elodie is authorized a young Gyr Falcon for the time being...Though her position as 'essentially a queen, just waiting a while' may allow her some different birds. But she'll probably work with something more common and easier to handle...When we get that far.

The end-of-week scene pretty much kicks in immediatly after...Is it time to meet the man who's calling his use in our bluff?


He's over 10 years our senior and, while deeply smug looking, maybe not as smug as Lord Smug of Smugly.


...One day, I will pass this check and see the correct response to his tom-foolery.
One day.


We gathered that, what with the failed check and all, sugar.


He's laying it on pretty thick.
"I hope that this is only the beginning of a mutually beneficial relationship. A union between us would bring stability to both our peoples."


(He really does want to marry me!)
No duh, Elodie.


Is it actually polite, the refusing we could do? I am skeptical...But I actually don't know, since I've never been in this situation and refused.
Well, anyway, we've got two choices.

What shall we do about Mr. Talarist here?

[Dublock]

If we are staying with our Batman idea, you gotta politely decline the offer.

[Mewtarthio]

Given that we haven't spend any time studying a single Court Manners skill, I imagine any attempt to decline will result in Elodie utterly ruining our chances of an alliance. I vote we accept his offer.

[Mobius Twist]

Prince uses "Nice shoes, wanna marry me?" It's kinda effective!

I'm going to metagame a little and say that if Deme had always accepted the offer when wearing the necklace it might be fun to see what happens if we politely decline.

We just like jewels because they're shiny, right? Keeping up the pretense of being a playboy while not actually letting people into our world is definitely the schtick of this playthrough.

[Forum Explorer]

BatPrincess works alone! We must politely decline. (We are all going to die aren't we?)

[Terraoblivion]

Yeah, probably. Horrible death is generally the expected outcome in this game.

Also, he doesn't look that smug. He just looks like a serious, glasses wearing bishounen, those tend to be more serious than smug. Now that other guy, he looked incredibly smug.

[Deme]

I think he's a little smug-looking, but yeah: it's in line with his type. He's nowhere near lord smuggy-mc-smugson.

And of course we're going to die. That's just how this game rolls.

[Sanguine]

Okay, we took the necklace to secure an alliance with Tallase; and now people want to decline the alliance.

I'm gonna swim against the tide here and say we should accept.

[TheEmerged]

Originally Posted by Deme

And of course we're going to die. That's just how this game rolls.

I have to second this statement. There is no sarcasm here

---------------------

As to the question at hand?

Made our bed we have. Lay in it we must.

Dirtier than intended, this sounds.

----------------------

Spoiler

So I've been playing around with the early scenarios to see what kind of scores some of the tests require and...

Spoiler

...our side was the bad guys in that peace negotiation?

[TengYt]

Accept. If we get called out on our bluff, we may need an ally...

[Lycan 01]

Accept. Do we really want to try our luck at turning him down politely? That's a disaster waiting to happen. Plus, he doesn't seem too bad. Even if we do somehow get locked in to marrying him, which I doubt, we could probably do worse...

[banthesun]

I'm not going to weigh in on this discussion, but if we do accept I will do a quick runthrough and screencap the "politely refuse" option, because it's one of the funniest lines in this game.

[Deme]

Part 2: Engaging

Spoiler

So, we've decided: rather than being forced into things, we're going to rush into them!

Oh, Elodie...He'd be honored. But at least we've got a friend.

Sorry, dad, but your daughter who is still a minor is making her own social-political decisions!
And also getting engaged.

"Your Grace, are you not aware that my daughter has only fourteen summers?"
He has a point. Princess or no, we are sort of a minor...

I could have typed this, but I wanted to show off how adorable she looked there. I just want to pinch her cheeks and apparently marry her off to the first politically sound union.


Yeah, let's go for a long engagement here.
"If I might be of service in any way, please, send for me. I will be happy to offer my protection or advice."

As a whole, he's never been a huge amount of help to me...But he's never hurt me, either. One less person hurting you is nice.
Of course, we'll have to see how this choice turns out in *this* playthrough...

"..."
Joslyn's a lot more skeptical. Or maybe he's just sad his little girl is growing up and forming partnerships of political necessity.

Anyway, we have a weekend screen!

And there's new stuff on it! We can't talk to Dad or Julianna this week, but we can go Visit the Treasury, where Julianna thinks our crystal is!

Our current and Willfull mood.

Aaaand...Our activity list!
Visit Treasury: ???

Attend Court: +2 Yielding, +1 Depressed, +1 Pressured

Attend Service*: -1 Afraid

Explore Castle: +1 Lonely, +1 Afraid

Play with Toys: +1 Yielding, +1 Lonely, +1 Cheeful.

Visit Dungeons* +1 Willful, +1 Angry

Visit Tomb: +1 Depressed, +1 Afraid

Walk in the Gardens: +1 Lonely, +1 Cheerful.

Sneak Out: +1 Lonely, +2 Willfull

Play Sports*: +1 angry

So what will we do and what will we study?

[Sanguine]

Let's go get our crystal baby! As for classes Foreign Intelligence and Sense Magic seem like sensible choices. Or, if I'm misremembering, and we don't immediately get access to Lumen replace Sense Magic with Internal Affairs.

[Pie Guy]

Visit the treasury.

[Dublock]

Originally Posted by Sanguine

Let's go get our crystal baby! As for classes Foreign Intelligence and Sense Magic seem like sensible choices. Or, if I'm misremembering, and we don't immediately get access to Lumen replace Sense Magic with Internal Affairs.

I second this.

[Mobius Twist]

Treasury.

Since I feel the brooding Bat concept getting away from me, let's go with the most survival-prudent choices, as those above me suggest.

Foreign Intelligence
Sense magic.

If sense magic is unavailable, hit up falconry.

[banthesun]

As promised:

Spoiler

I don't actually know what happens if you pass that test, though.

[TengYt]

We don't have access to Lumen skills yet, even with the crystal this turn.

Hit the treasury, Foreign Intelligence and Falcons

[Lycan 01]

Treasury sounds enticing.

Foreign Intelligence & Falcons.

[Deme]

Chapter 17: Week 13: Mood: Willfull
or
FOR GREAT JUSTICE!

Spoiler

That's right! Don't stand in our way; we've got numbers to do!
And giant stacks of riches to roll around in, maybe diving about like Scrooge McDuck.
Oh, and a crystal to get. That, too.


Eeeexxxxcccelllent.
Oh, and also: The treasury is a reliable source of +1 willful should we visit again, as it is now a normal weekend activity.


You tuck the box in your pocket. You can show it to your mentor later and get instructions on what to do next.
I wonder: is there really any sense in, like, voting for what we're doing next weekend? It sounds to me like, having come this far, we can't *not* go see Julianna.


Our skills. The number on that accounting check is 60, by the way.


Been there, done that, will be getting the wedding dress.


Wow, man. Look at those numbers go up.

Anyway, on to the end-of-week scene!

This happens from time to time: someone's being made to stand before the queen's justice.


This relates to something someone pointed out about the Ixion thing...
And that's that the bulk of our noblemen appear to be bad people. This guy looks like a pretty nasty person.
So we've got Lucille, we've got Duke Supersmug, and now we've got the Earl of Jerk.
I mean, Julianna's OK. And that's about it. Dad's alright, one presumes.

But I'm thinking maybe it's OK that Elodie's marrying outside the country, is all I'm saying.

"Which sister?"
I'm going to assume that Elodie knows about the 'his dad sure must have gotten around' thing.

His profile says she's still alive, so it must not have worked.


I bet she was a huge jerk. That's my guess as to what was hidden in this check -- I've seen what was in it, but I can't actually recall. Background info, and I'm guessing it relates to jerkishness, because it involves Novan nobility.


"She is unharmed. We caught the culprit in the kitchens before anyone could eat her foul spew."

"Well, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Yeah, I'd believe that of his family.
"Lied to her, they did, when she went to see why he'd not come back. Said he'd gone for a soldier, when he never would! He weren't the only one neither. I waited ten years for my chance to get my own back. That's justice!"

"You see? She's completely unrepentant! Hang her and be done with it."

But she didn't succeed. We can't check her reasoning because we're not good enough at intrigue, and we're a pink adorable princess.

Lots of options here...

Can I ask something...Do we really need to vote on what we're doing or if we'll agree to become a magical girl? After coming this far?