Birdship: A Suggestion Game

[3man75]

Does anyone have a count of the votes?

 

[Nevill]

I usually do. It's a tie for now.

Tally

Cheesecake D
Baltika9 G>A>D
Kipeci B>G
Esquilax D>G
Angelo85 F>G
Grimgravy E>G>B
oscar B
Nevill D>B
asxetos B>G
TOME F>A
lightbane H>F>B
archaen b
Elfberserker A>D
3man75 G>E

A - 1 (p. 3)
B - 4 (p. 7) - (6)
D - 3 (p. 5) - (1) Nevill -> B, Esquilax -> G
E - 1 (p. 2) - (1) Grimgravy -> G
F - 2 (p. 3) - (1) Angelo85 -> G
H - 1 (p. 1) - (0) lightbane -> B
G - 2 (p. 7) - (5)

 

[archaen]

Flop B

 

[Bibbimbop]

❀═══════════❀═════════════❀══════════════❀════════════❀
Previously on Lordship...
❀══════════════════❀═════════════❀═══════════════════❀​

G. A small area of the Foleswald near a religious shrine called the Holy Rood, which attracts pilgrims who carry riches and relics to propitiate the Lord. Sometimes, the votary gifts are expensive books, beautifully illuminated, and there is a decent library on the holy grounds, not to be rivalled outside a few major cities. The clerk sniffs that this fief would be wasted on a lowly peasant such as you.
Cheesecake: And let's ask him his name too.

Tally

Cheesecake D
Baltika9 G>A>D
Kipeci B>G
Esquilax D>G
Angelo85 F>G
Grimgravy E>G>B
oscar B
Nevill D>B
asxetos B>G
TOME F>A
lightbane H>F>B
archaen E>H
Elfberserker A>D
3man75 G>E

A - 1 (p. 3)
B - 3 (p. 6) - (5)
D - 3 (p. 5) - (1) Nevill -> B, Esquilax -> G
E - 2 (p. 3) - (1) Grimgravy -> G, archaen -> H
F - 2 (p. 3) - (1) Angelo85 -> G
H - 1 (p. 2) - (0) lightbane -> B
G - 2 (p. 7) - (5)

GM Note: I quietly began work on the update on Friday, using Nevill's comments that he liked "Foleswald and Greenshroud' too as an emergency tie-breaker that is effectively D>B>G>F when examined. I figured the thread was dormant enough not to merit a new announcement that didn't also bring an update. Then archaen flopped yesterday, and I decided to continue with the subplots I had already outlined. Sorry about that. Erdrick's laziness rubs off on me.​

❀═══════════❀═════════════❀══════════════❀════════════❀
On the Threshold of Past and Future
❀═════════BACK═════❀═════════════❀═════NEXT══════════❀
​

You tap the paper for the fief in Foleswald.

"An excellent choice, my fine sirrah! Taileisin said it best, did he not? Gold are the leaves that drop in the fall. And gold are the coins from penitents all. But then, I am certain you are already familiar with his verse. Here you are then, and I wish you godspeed and good harvest!"

The clerk appears ready to dismiss you with a glance back toward his parapets of paper. You hesitate, wondering that there is so little to this exchange, not even a small reward from the crown to set you on the right path. No glittering ceremonies or wise counsel to mark such a large event in your life. Just a nameless peasant, just a nameless plot of land, just a nameless clerk...

"Might I inquire of his great Excellency's name before I go?"

The clerk responds with an appraising eye, somewhat undecided whether you merit his further acquaintance, especially now that you have convinced him so thoroughly of his rightful place as a great Excellency. Finally, he relents. "Very well. You are quite well-mannered for one who has jumped his station in life, Master Fordwyne. I am Theverin Dauphinois, a nephew to the Grand Mayor of Avenwall. You may call upon the Dauphinois estate in the Peregrine District, if you should need any guidance in spiritual or, ahem, in more material concerns before embarking on your way. Tell them..." He grimaces. "Tell them Theverin Delachievre sent you."

You bow and take your leave.

①​

A. You commit the name of the clerk and his directions to memory. Such a connection could be beneficial.

B. What an unpleasant fellow. You would rather not be beholden to him, or to his family, whoever they might be. ​

Stepping outside the dim confines of the waiting hall for the first time since the ruddy hues of early morning, the sky now opens up before you with a frighteningly blue expanse, a promise of unbounded possibilities, but also a horribly great emptiness. It startles you into an overwhelmed stilness on the threshold of past and future. Just hours before, you entered the stone edifice as a young commoner, plodding down a well-beaten path in life, to a meek but respectable future as a ...

②​

A. Lumberman. The work was hard, but the victuals were nourishing. You gained a wiry strength on your lanky physique and a good hard swing.

B. Shepherd. A quiet reflective vocation amid the green stretches of solitude on the grassy moors with your flock of white sheep. You spent your time reciting the sermons of your parish priest from memory and contemplating the divine.

C. Serving boy in your father's alehouse. For the sake of an extra copper bit or two, you learned how to joke and deal with folk from many different walks of life. Including the local monks who would deliver beer to the tavern and teach you religious hymns and drinking songs. Their frequent toast still brings a grin to your face, "To sin is to repent! To repent is to gain salvation! Toward salvation, brothers!"

D. Stablehand at the village post, grooming horses and ponies while aspiring to be a postman or a carter yourself one day. You often tried riding those animals put under your charge, and discovered a remarkable knack for staying in the saddle.

E. Herb-gatherer apprenticed to an ancient apothecary. You trod many a deer-trail deep into the woods in search of mosses, mushrooms, droppings and mouldy barks.

F. Peasant farmer in all its drab mundanity. Your back was strong, your belly was full, and if common folk warm easily to your persona, then it is only because you are one of them without pretense or adornment. ​

And yet now you emerge as a member of the minor landed gentry.

You still haven't quite comprehended all the implications to your future, but you suspect that, in the near term, preparations could be made here in the capital city that will greatly speed you along toward a good start in your new life. But your wherewithal is still quite paltry, the needs that you will encounter as a lord are quite unknown to you, and your shabby appearance quite adverse to any strutting about the city with the airs of an newly-minted lordling.

While pondering the many options before you, a flock of doves fly in from the east and land amid the bird fodder set out in front of the nearby Royal Aviary. The royal crows emerge from their roosts to caw raucously at the interlopers.

With an annoyed glance at the noisy avians, you scan for a tranquil place more conducive to mulling over weighty decisions. There's a well-manicured garden to one side of the courtyard, and a young woman in expensive finery appears to be sitting quietly by herself within it, her face hidden in a kerchief and her shoulders heaving softly. The other alternative is to simply leave via the gatehouse, which also appears to be the subject of heroic exertions from the corpulent slum-lord that you met on the waiting benches.

③​

A. You walk over to the Aviary and are surprised to understand the conversation taking place among the birds.

B. You think that a lovely stroll in the gardens of the Palace District would be just the thing to meditate on your next steps.

C. You walk quickly toward the gates of the Palace District and overtake the slow waddling away of your former bench-mate. Profitable uses for your new real estate might occur to an enterprising business man such as him.

D. You would rather slip quietly and quickly out of this elegant part of town to a more humble section. ​

As you stand there, the heaviness of the satchel on your shoulder reminds you of the holy ornament that Lemkin gave you, a heavy silver star called an Estoile, and you also must decide how to deal with it.

④​

A. Lemkin gave it to you, and just as quickly, it altered your destiny. It is a holy favour that you dare not ever lose, so long as you may prosper.

B. Lemkin gave it to you, but you are certain that he would have asked for it to be returned to his family. You plan to set out to northward to Norringham before going to establish your new fief.

C. It's worth quite a bit of money. The Lord provides for his flock in subtle ways. This will go a long way in funding your preparations.

D. Lemkin never had two pennies to his name. He pilfered this somewhere during the raids through Luche and only the Church can dispose of it in any semblance of justice. ​

GM NOTE: Here's a little more character background and generation for you. Diversify or focus, however you may please, but skills will not increase very fast after you leave your formative stage in the Prologue! Don't expect to ever reach mastery in things you don't choose now.

You can also suggest other actions that seem practical at this point. For example, Cheesecake suggesting Oswald get the name of the clerk. Be the first kid on your block to get billed at the top of an update!

 

[Esquilax]

I don't trust this guy. He sees us as a mark, someone to take advantage of, and we are a peasant who is unfamiliar with his world. I'd rather avoid entangling ourselves with him, he'll fuck us over badly down the road.

B

As for our background, given that we have a big library here, I prefer a somewhat more scholarly, philosophical bent to our zealot.

B

While I'm drawn to the pretty lady in the courtyard, I'm not sure a wealthy, beautiful woman crying about something is looking to be cheered up by a large, disfigured commoner. Something tells me we're not her type. Ah well, fuck it!

Failing that, let's talk to our bird friends. Bird friends don't judge us.

B > A

I think of this character as more of a true believer than the sort who would do stuff like in C (though of course, others may disagree). While I don't see old Oswald having any qualms about slaying unbelievers, I also don't see him giving away a Church relic for coins. I'm going with A simply because I find it more interesting.

A

 

[Baltika9]

A, I agree with Esquilax in this point. There are better friends to make out there.
A>C Holy Axeman has a nice ring to it, plus I expect us to do combat one way or another, seeing as the Duc won the last battle. Failing that, I'll take a talker.
B>C The lady sounds like a random encounter, let's see what we can make of it. The merchant is a good second, seeing as how we have absolutely zero sense of what to do next.
D We most definitely need some connections in the Church, since we'll be administering a holy site. This is as good an introduction as any.

 

[lightbane]

1: B. I would suggest searching info about him whenever possible, in case we can get something to use against him.
2: C>B. These two sound good.
3: A. By the way, let's ask the birds to give us some advice, if only to be prepared for the future.
4. D>A. Giving it back to the church sounds good, but a good adventurer never throws away anything.

 

[oscar]

A - Can't hurt
B - A spiritual nature seems fitting for our land
B - Perhaps we could console her with some eternal wisdom
A - Under this sign we will conquer

Coluld we get a minor info dump on the basic history and tenets (that our character could be expected to know) of religion in this setting? Additionally how powerful and socially active is the church? Analogous to our Catholic Church?

This will be quite important to our future approach. A weak Church will let us get away with a lot more mysticism while a strong one might land us in chains if we show too much deviancy.

 

[Baltika9]

What's with all the 2Bs? You faggots want to be Naram? Better to chop down fools and heretics for the Swans.

 

[Grimgravy]

A
C>A
A
A

 

[oscar]

What's with all the 2Bs? You faggots want to be Naram? Better to chop down fools and heretics for the Swans.

I have a sneaking suspicion that our interpretation of the faith is perhaps less than orthodox.

 

[Baltika9]

Chop down all the fools who call us a heretic, then.

 

[3man75]

B. I don't trust this guy...We are now the proud owner of a very important relic site and he would have his reasons for helping us out already.
A. Because we need a way to defend ourselves and because we could later create our own Knightly Order of Faithful followers.
B. Find out what the women is crying about. It could lead into interesting news about whats going on in the Royal Court now that the King has been beaten. An it could provide us with a bargaining chip if we can successfully move the remnants of the royal family in with us. Failing this third one C. We'll need ways of making money to expand our holdings that don't rely completely on tourism.
A. This treasure was given unto us in friendship and it may be lucky. Even a sign of God('s) pleasings towards us.

 

[Cheesecake]

A
B
A>C
B>A

While the clerk is a jerk, his whole family isn't. Plus he's only the nephew; once we use him to get to the actual Mayor, we're good to go, and hopefully as we progress, more powerful than a simple clerk. We should take his help.

A shepherd is just the background for a zealot character.

A, because birds. C, because the fat man from earlier is another stepping stone to bringing others to salvation.

Lastly, I believe that we should return it to his family. It brought us good fortune, its only fitting we should give it to them. Then A because I don't think this option would win easily.

 

[TOME]

ABAB

 

[asxetos]

1A
2B
3A>B
4D>A

 

[Nevill]

B. To hell with 'His Excellency'. Filthy leeches, all of their kind!
D>A. Muh little ponies! Ahem. Failing that, I imagine us a big and scary dude with an axe, the kind you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley. Besides, there is no other place like the forest to get you talking to the birds when you are alone.
A. The birds will know what to do. Are we a holy man or not?
D. Lemkin was a fine lad, if Godless. Now that he is gone, we must atone for his sins so that his soul could have peace.

Spoiler

Esquilax B B B>A A
Baltika9 A A>C B>C D
lightbane B C>B A D>A
oscar A B B A
Grimgravy A C>A A A
3man75 B A B A
Cheesecake A B A>C B>A
TOME A B A B
asxetos A B A>B D>A
Nevill B D>A A D
Elfberserker A B B A
archaen B B A A

A - 7
B - 5

A - 2 (p. 4)
B - 7 (p. 8)
C - 2 (p. 3)
D - 1

A - 7 (p. 8)
B - 5 (p. 6)

A - 6 (p. 9)
B - 2
D - 4

 

[Baltika9]

We need more people for the Holy Lumberjack. Axes for the Dove God, Timber for His Throne!

 

[Elfberserker]

ABBA

I am little confused about this name thing. Do we go straight to his family household or do we keep his name in memory, if we happen to be in mood to visit them later?
Nobles might be arrogant backstapping sons of bitches towards commoners, but also helpful in making connections. I am partially interested about this spiritual help option, but material help isn't too shappy IF there is not too many strings attached.
Besides I am sure that declining offer isn't considered offensive here or does it?

While holy axeman looks or local rasputin does look tempting, I am going with religious sermons with this man.
We shall uphold avian religion as priest, not as crusader!!!!!!!

:ehue:

 

[archaen]

BBAA

 

[Baltika9]

Buncha fucking Narams.

 

[oscar]

Mystic to me sounds a lot more interesting than some flat Deus Vult crusader shtick. If we wanted to be a tough guy ironclad warrior there were many more fitting backgrounds. I also wouldn't mind the farmer background if we ever had in mind leading a mass religious/peasant uprising.

I imagine regarding the cleric this is of some importance:

I am Theverin Dauphinois, a nephew to the Grand Mayor of Avenwall. You may call upon the Dauphinois estate in the Peregrine District, if you should need any guidance in spiritual or, ahem, in more material concerns before embarking on your way. Tell them..." He grimaces. "Tell them Theverin Delachievre sent you."

Some sort of last name disparity going on. Perhaps he is a bastard?

 

[Baltika9]

I thought the exact same thing, a bastard child of an important dynasty, pissed off at the 'glass ceiling' or some such shit.

Mystic to me sounds a lot more interesting than some flat Deus Vult crusader shtick. If we wanted to be a tough guy ironclad warrior there were many more fitting backgrounds. I also wouldn't mind the farmer background if we ever had in mind leading a mass religious/peasant uprising.

Haha, I'm joking, of course. Like any character creation vote, this is about personal preferences and there's really no wrong choice, any one of these can be interesting characters to play as.
That doesn't mean I can't engage in some good, old Codexian shit-slinging. A vote for B is a vote for Eothas Naram!

 

[TOME]

A vote for B is a vote for Eothas Naram!

Exactly the reason I'm voting it for!

 

[Bibbimbop]

Tally

Esquilax B B B>A A
Baltika9 A A>C B>C D
lightbane B C>B A D>A
oscar A B B A
Grimgravy A C>A A A
3man75 B A B A
Cheesecake A B A>C B>A
TOME A B A B
asxetos A B A>B D>A
Nevill B D>A A D
Elfberserker A B B A
archaen B B A A

A - 7
B - 5

A - 2 (p. 4)
B - 7 (p. 8)
C - 2 (p. 3)
D - 1

A - 7 (p. 8)
B - 5 (p. 6)

A - 6 (p. 9)
B - 2
D - 4

❀═══════════❀═════════════❀══════════════❀════════════❀
Harvests and Rumours of Harvests
❀═════════BACK═════❀═════════════❀═════NEXT══════════❀
​

You retrieve your well-worn shepherd's crook from the door-guard outside the Chancery and stride toward the Aviary with the gait of a shepherd from the vast moors. Out on the lonesome moors, the sheep around you and the birds flying overhead had often been your only companions for months, and you learned to find insight in their actions. Perhaps watching this birdish bickering over territority will provide you more wisdom, while you contemplate your own newfound territorial aspirations.

Pecking angrily and screeching in defence of their home, the crows have charged into the invading flock of doves. The largest of the crows squawks loudly, and to your surprise, you understand his complaints.

"How now, William Whitewing! What means this thievery? Taking an honest guardsman's hard-earned meal?"

A dove warbles indignantly in reply. "Well, we haven't eaten for days, have we now, Benkin Blackcoat? Not a kernel of wheat to be pecked at, from Fortenoy all the way to the base of the Merrowmount Wash!"

"Nonsense! Harvest season approaches on the Whitewall! There is bounty everywhere! Betake yourselves to wing, scroungers, and get back eastward!"

"And so we will, too, after a little peck here, but then we go far to west of this doomed place. I tell you truly, the harvest to be gleaned here in a few weeks will be a banquet for birds of your feather, Blackcoat, and not our own; and the bounties will lie more pungent in the fields than ricks of wheat! Burnt stubble and the corpses of the ploughmen are all's to be picked at soon. A long train of men and engines of war are coming down from the heights!"

You wonder at your sanity as you listen to the feathery confrontation, and yet the details that the birds have discussed seem to jibe squarely with recent memories of your own.

The shortest route from your hospital bed to the capital, the Wash is much too subject to flash floods and washed away trails to be a major route of travel. Not knowing that geographical fact had cost you a great deal of exertion as you scrambled down the steep ravines and gullies of the Wash. You rarely saw other travellers on the way to the capital, but an image returns to you of riders galloping on the edge of the distant horizon, silhouetted against the morning sky. If these were honest travellers, they surely must have passed you eventually. However, if they were scouts surveying a route for building a road, then an army could surprise everyone by engineering a path down the Wash for itself.

A cacophony of squawks erupt as the crows lose patience with the parley and assault the invaders with the full fury of their beaks. In the aftermath, white feathers float down amid the strutting crows.

As you turn to leave, you spot a little white speck bobbing up and down in the grass some dozen yards away from the scene of the defeat. One wounded dove remains behind, hopping away on its feet, too hurt to take wing.

①​

A. You ignore the dove, allowing nature to decide its fate.

B. You pick up the dove and put it in your pocket. You shall name it Beau Blanc, for such it is.

C. You pick up the dove and put it in your pocket. You shall name it Boo, an odd name which just seems right somehow.

D. You pick up the dove and put it in your pocket. You shall name it later as the inspiration hits you. ​

Afterward, you leave the Palace District and, having no better idea how to begin your undertaking, find yourself navigating toward the Peregrine District, first by walking through the diverse crowds of strange and foreign folk who hawk their wares in Crowncheap, an upscale market district under the shadow of the Palace. Here, all manners of dress and accent challenge your provincial notions of how people ought to look and sound, and all manner of luxuries and oddities mock your empty purse. One shopsign does catch your eye in the current distress of your finances.

Eshaum and Eshmal
Moneylenders for all Endeavours
No ambition too small, nor any too grand
Our coffers lie open for a helping hand​

The outlandish aspects of the Crowncheap District slowly intensify and push out all traces of the commonplace and the familiar, as shops and stalls intended for commerce with the local populace give way to lanes of rich townhouses built purposefully for the comfort and homesickness of foreign dignitaries and wealthy travellers. These tend to cluster by style into blocks with an inner courtyard, each designed according to the particular architectural traditions of the homesick. Some blocks consist of yellow sandstone with red shingles, others a dark limestone topped in pale green, or else a red brick in white; and one block is merely insubstantial frames for edifices composed more of stained-glass windows than of walls and ceilings.

You come to a section of the Peregrine that eschews the usual block of townhouses for a circular enciente of white marble, from which grows a quintet of towers, with decorative battlements on all the buildings carved to resemble waves and faced with a brilliantly blue facade of lapis lazuli. Turquoise dolphins sport upon these waves amid depictions of other aquatic life to add variety and interest, including a tentacled sea monster sculpted in red jasper, a magnificient piece of freemasonry hugging the top of the main tower.

The portman gives you a fearsome scowl as your absurd contrast of rural poverty nears the gate of this opulent estate, but when you mention Theverin Delachievre, he gives you a queer look and mutters, "One of the goat's kids, eh? Not as pretty as most of them. Get you inside then."

You hardly make any inroad into the inner courtyard before your shabby figure is accosted by well-dressed servants, and your magic password shunts you into a chamber with a bath-tub and neatly arranged clothes more suited to the expensive tastes of the denizens. Hours pass, which you use to good effect in bathing and studying the courtyard from your small window. You notice how busy the craftsmen inside the bailey seem to be, creating rows of shields and swords, crossbows and bolts.

The sun sets, and you are finally escorted to another candle-lit chamber, where a grey-haired man with a shrewd wolfish face tosses you a casual gaze that pierces your own formidable stare without much effort. He apparently doesn't like what he sees before him, and he begins arguing in a nasally language with the clerk from earlier, Theverin, who seems to soothe his misgivings.

Finally, Theverin smiles and says, "Excellent. Chievre thinks that the new house of Fordwyne and our ancient and noble family of Dauphinois can be staunch allies in the future, master Fordwyne! We should always take the opportunity to help each other; and in fact, the Dauphinois are willing to dispense 100 golden besants to fund the settlement of your manor, and we will provide a battle-tested company of men to guide your journey there and keep the notorious bandit gangs around Holy Rood from harassing you!"

The wolfish man opens his desk and holds out a heavy purse filled with coins, about fifty years of toil as a shepherd in one bag, and Theverin continues. "And, of course, we may call upon you for a favour or two. Perhaps delivering correspondence to Aunt Matilda in Curbiston on your way westward or suchlike."

You take a second to consider the offer.

②​

A. You take the bag of coins. "Thank you for all your help, great Excellency, and I hope to have a long partnership with the Dauphinois family."

B. You take the bag of coins. "Thank you, good sir, but I beg of you to consider this a temporary loan which I will repay in like coin at a future date."


C. You refuse the money politely. "I'm afraid that I cannot accept so much money from someone with whom I am so little acquainted. Perhaps later we will have a firmer basis of mutual understanding to speak more of ways to assist each other."

D. You refuse the money with an excuse. "I'm afraid there's been a misunderstanding, I merely came to ask for your prayers and spiritual aid in this confusing time."

E. You refuse the money firmly and in no uncertain terms. "I'm sorry to have put you to this trouble, but I have changed my mind about needing any help in settling my manor. I don't want any connection at all to the Dauphinois family right now, including these fine clothes."

As you begin to answer, you remember your premonition of an impending siege on Coronvallis. Do you warn your new partners of the danger you sense?​