Kael next chats with Lady Muralt of Ustalav. What with needing to build a whole new country from nothing, and its distance from Ustalav, there's little chance of getting involved in Ustalav's peasant rebellions. But perhaps something else could be worked out. "Ustalav is well known for their mastery of arcane arts. Do your personal interests extend to this area as well? Sadly, I am but a neophyte in this regard."

And for once I roll well.
11:11, Today: Kael Valleni rolled 26 using 1d20+6 with rolls of 20.  Know: Arcana (Ustalav, Optional Objective).

Vyntis continued his conversation with Nhal Banbrook about Pharasma. "I can see your points about how the common folk would benefit from your churches presence and influence in Rivermarch. At the very least the and sermons would discourage them from the dark arts. I also agree that having some of your clergy to watch our boarder will help us all sleep better at night. However, a deal has already been stuck with the church of Abadar. That means we are unable to agree your deal as is because it would cause us to break our word. I am prepared to insist that your church is one of three official sanctioned religions. It would seem that we both win in that deal." 

18:36, Sat 18 Sept: Vyntis Overgrowth rolled 24 using 1d20+8 with rolls of 16.  Knowledge Local Secret,  Nhal Banbrook.

Gisvet and Dominique sit down and talk business about border security. It is clear that Lady Gisvet is very interested in coming to some kind of arrangement now to avoid border tensions later on and her recent victory over Kael in the dueling arena has put her in a very good mood. Dominique just has to put up with occasional comments about how Kael's cheek is doing and things proceed surprisingly smoothly.

Lady Gisvet agrees to do him a "favor" and pledge that so long as they agree to stay neutral their armies will be allowed limited passage through Mivon lands. This would allow them to enter either Drelev or Varn from the South and allow their forces an unusual amount of mobility. While the restrictions on building up forces still puts some pressure on their military, the additional mobility allows the commanders to come up with some unusual strategies that should offset some of the restrictions being imposed.

Success!
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:40, Tue 28 Sept 2021.

When Elena threatens Malchan he just laughs. He seems completely unfazed by her threat, if anything he seemed to be expecting it. He raises his glass to her and wishes her well before turning his attention back to the food.

Restricting the Hanspur to only criminals would be a good adjustment to their deal remember that isn't what you were rolling for, you were rolling to try and find leverage to force him to cut a deal favorable to you and that is what failed.

Also keep in mind that most nations outside of the River Kingdoms have the same reaction to Hanspur so it's not that Elena isn't threatening, its more likely Malchan has heard it before.

This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 22:34, Tue 28 Sept 2021.

Elena and the Nestrovs sit down and discuss their views on the Temple of the Elk. Elena is correct in that anything involving the temple is an easy way to draw them into conversation but the Nestrovs remain focused on their topic and Elena doesn't learn anything about them that she doesn't already know. They do talk about their theory and suggest that it wasn't Erastil's vengeance but instead grief that cursed the land. From what they knew about the ritual it was a tear into the very fabric of the land itself and the shadow bear was likely the result of some kind of blood sacrifice to bind it to the land.

When she mentions Jhod though they give each other looks. Finna starts to speak but Orin shakes his head and the two go back to speaking about the Temple.

Just barely missed it, sorry.

Lady Muralt and Kael discuss matters arcane and while Esme herself is not a practitioner herself, her young daughter is. Just recently past her 17th birthday and displaying powerful innate magical abilities she is a bit of a confoundment for the Muralt family. It seesm Esme's daughter, Clericia, is quite accomplished in Necromancy. Of course Necromancy and Ustalav have a long and troubled history and Esme has become concerned that the local peasantry are already spreading outrageous rumors like Clericia is a secret bride of the Whispering Tyrant or some such. Esme would be most appreciative if Kael could make room in Rivermarch's court for her daughter to study until she is needed by the Muralt family.

Pass!

The deal provides no resource/stat changes to the kingdom but would bring in Clericia Muralt as an NPC for your court.

Vyntis and Banbrook discuss the Abadar deal and what it means and while Banbrook is officially opposed to the deal as the church is unwilling to invest resources in supporting the noble court without reciprocal investment, as the conversation goes on Vyntis begins to get a read on the man. Using his own knowledge of the area Vyntis understands that while Pharasma is popular in the region, it is popular with the peasantry mainly as a holdover from the Whispering Tyrant reign of terror across the whole region but those times are long gone. With flashier churches like Abadar, Erastil, and Gorum in the area the nobility have all but abandoned Pharasma and while the church is surely happy with the support of the common man that likely limits their ability to influence politics. Case in point, Necromancy is not really banned in the River Kingdoms as they are more concerned about their River freedoms than the will of Pharasma.

Vyntis wagers that while Banbrook is presenting a hardline front, with the right lure of finally getting formal recognition in a nation it would be possible for the church to bend a bit, like allowing them to co-exist with Abadar and another non-evil church.

Success! I imagine you're going to use this to waive the exclusive religion demand but you don't have to. The secret is yours to use as you wish.

Night has truly fallen and most of the party has shifted to drinking wine and liqours as empty plates of food are bring brought away. While a few nobles are starting to depart it seems for most the party is still going strong although there is a sense that it will be drawing to a close somewhat soon...

Diplomacy Tracker



This message was last edited by the GM at 23:07, Tue 28 Sept 2021.

11PM:

Seeing the Nesterov's hesitance at the mention of Father Jhod Kravkin, Elena turned the subject towards his position in Rivermarch's new nation.  She wasn't sure where Jhod stood in the hierarchy of Erastil's faithful, but as far as Elena was concerned, he was the rightful steward of the Temple of the Elk.  He had been the one chesen to find it by the stag god, after all, and he had helped the party cleanse the temple at great personal risk.  Not only that, but he had put the his position to good use already by keeping watch over the former bandits as they fulfilled their sentence by restoring the temple's ruin.

If they had some sort of problem with Jhod being given a position of authority, Elena made if very clear that they were better off bringing it up now.

13:17, Today: Elena Sazikova rolled 25 using 1d20+6 with rolls of 19.  Religion to learn Nesterov's secret.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:23, Tue 05 Oct 2021.

Dominique nods silently along as Lady Gisvet seems to completely miss the aim of his bargaining, but politely reiterates that there could be no deal which would preclude them from fulfilling their obligations to their benefactors. After excusing himself from his talk with the lady and looking about to see both Banbrook and the Nesterovs already engaged, Dominique heads to meet with Vaylen Goldfield of Galt, who's offering interested him. He wastes no time on pleasantries and comes quickly to the point, "Well met, Master Goldfield, I am Dominique Telvari. My associates have told me very interesting things regarding your offer and the danger you are under. If they can tell so quickly that you are not here representing Galt imagine what the council and the Grey Gardeners might already know--we've already had to drive away one assassin tonight!" He pauses for a moment, letting the dangerous possibilities stew for a moment before continuing, "But, of course, we would be glad to welcome a man of your standing, abilities, and connections to Rivermarch. Someone of your experience could be of great use in exploring and cataloging the ruins within our lands. The site and relics would remain under the state's control, of course, but there could be a great deal of profit, and safety, left for yourself."

Use Secret to change "In exchange for exclusive access they promise to share their findings." to "In exchange for exclusive access they promise to hand over their findings." Logically this would remove the resource penalty, but here's a Diplomacy Check to remove that penalty as well?
20:37, Today: Dominique Telvari rolled 20 using 1d20+10 with rolls of 10.  Diplomacy Galt.

12 PM:

After some further negotiation with the Nesterovs, Elena moved to seal the deal.  "Either way, we want to give the church of Erastil a place in our new country, but we've also made other commitments.  If you want a place in our government, your representative will have to sit on a council with the high priests of Abadar and Pharasma."

Elena tried to push a bit more, to maybe squeeze out some funding from the main church of Erastil to restore the Temple and any other Erastilite holy sites, but her heart wasn't in it.  After some haggling, she was willing to settle for simply getting Erastil's priesthood to share their position with the others.

OOC: Using the secret to eliminate the exclusivity clause.  I tried to use Diplomacy to increase resources, but I doubt I have enough. If possible, I sign the side deal with Erastil.  Unless that's impossible due to me rolling diplo on the other deal.

12:36, Today: Elena Sazikova rolled 13 using 1d20+11 with rolls of 2.  Diplo Nesterov.

---

1 AM:

Elena felt exhausted and frazzled when she finally approached Caleb Aldori, the representative for the Aldori Swordlords.  "Don't worry, we didn't forget about you!" She exclaimed, moving to shake his hand.  "We just wanted to make sure everything else was in order before we signed the most important deal.  Now, the deal is fine as it is, but I have a bit of a proposition for you.  You see, Lady Gisvet of Mivon has made us an offer to set up an Aldori-style dueling school in Rivermarch.  And obviously this is tempting, everyone knows how deadly an Aldori swordfighter can be.  But we don't want to disrespect your people by bringing in your rivals as a combat instructor.  And so, as a gesture of our respect, I would like to formally extend an offer to the Brevoy Aldori to spread the Aldori dueling style to our nation.  We would handle all of the expenses involved, naturally.  Lady Gisvet is offering to set up her school for free, but...well, we both know the real Aldori are worth more."

OOC: I'm trying to alter the deal to effectively duplicate the side deal with Lady Gisvet and unlock the special Aldori units.  I'd be willing to give up 1 resources in exchange.  Maybe 2, since we're going to be rolling in cash anyways.  I only rolled a 13, but I'm hoping to squeeze out a few points by appealing to Caleb's pride and the rivalry between the Aldori styles.  If the roll fails, I'll take the deal as-is.

17:57, Today: Elena Sazikova rolled 13 using 1d20+11 with rolls of 2.  Diplomacy w/ Swordlords.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:15, Thu 07 Oct 2021.

11 PM

Vyntis circled back around to speak with House Medvyed which he found more similarities then any of the other guests. "I understand that your push to keep the wild beauty of this forests and lands untouched. If it were truly just up to me I am sure we could make that deal. We wood elementalists are no so different then druids and I will be the voice of reason when major changes are presented. However, I am just one one member of the high council. Please do not leave this evening without putting another offer on the table. Let us search for more common ground."

Using Motivation 22:10, Today: Vyntis Overgrowth rolled 22 using 1d20+14 with rolls of 8.  Knowledge Nature - Medvyed Side Deal.

11 PM

Kael approaches the representative of the church of Pharasma to finalize the deal that was negotiated before. He's not a great fan of Pharasma, but others have apparently negotiated a deal beneficial to the new state.

Just wrapping this up and taking the deal that was negotiated by Vyntis. I assume that's to use the secret to remove the exclusive religion demand?

12 PM

Kael next approaches Grulwa Hartstone to discuss the lumber deal with Gronzi Lumber. Securing such a deal would a great boost to the economy of the new state. "A most lucrative opportunity indeed. But looking over the provisions offered, I can't help but be worried of what effect chopping down trees all over the Narlmarches would have on the local fey. And let me tell you, there's a lot of them there, and many of them are already dangerous as they are. If we start pocking that hornet's nest, there's no telling what we might unleash on us."

"For that reason, I would like to suggest that lumber rights be granted for the outskirts of the Narlmarches, and perhaps the areas along some of the larger riverways. Those areas would be by far the most accessible anyway, and we can leave the deep forest to the fey. Surely even this reduced area holds more than enough lumber for Gronzi Lumber, even if our glorious leaders start a civil war, as it looks more and more likely, and something happens to your logging operation in Brevoy."

Trying to use the secret to limit the damage to the forest. Narlmarches are big after all, so this looks somewhat reasonable to me, I'd like to use this to remove the penalty to diplomacy, or lore, or both if possible.

In any case, I'm signing this deal. If the secret can get us something - anything - great, but even if not, I'm signing it as it is.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:38, Thu 07 Oct 2021.

Elena and the Nesterovs continue to discuss the Elk Temple. Elena brings up Jhod and the pair exchange dark looks and with a bit of maneuvering she finds that the Nesterovs consider him to be excommunicated from the Church of Erastil. That isn't really a thing within the Erastil church however the Nesterovs are clearly operating under the assumption that a new high priest of the region would be oppointed, likely one of the Nesterovs themselves. Thanks to some wine and a few leading questions she gets them to explain their real feelings about Jhod and they share their opinions of the priest in quite harsh terms.

At that moment the trap is set and Elena weaves the conversation back towards the matter of prophecy. As she discusses Jhod's vision (without specifying who actually had the vision) she had the Nesterovs agreeing whole heartedly that anyone given the vision of the Elk Temple would be a chosen of the Stag God and should be considered strongly for the title of high priest of the Temple.

And at that moment Elena springs the trap. She reveals that it was Jhod's vision that revealed the temple ruins, Jhod's magic that broke the curse and purified the temple, and Jhod's leadership that has turned bandits into disciples.

Now faced with having just bad mouthed someone who is on track to be their superior, Elena feels she has considerable leverage over the twins in their upcoming negotiations.

Secret passed!

Goldfield and Dominique discuss their deal and the mirth and merriment quickly drains from Goldfield's eyes as he realizes the danger he is in. He quickly explains while he isn't here on any official capacity he still does represent a strong ruling faction within the Galt revolution. It is lies to backpedal and save face but everyone in the conversation knows where they stand.

In the end Goldfield has to be able to make money on the deal, he is not about to invest his time and resources digging up artifacts juts to hand them over. Instead he proposes an arrangement so while Goldfield will still put forward the funding for these expeditions, anything recovered will be brought before the court of Rivermarch who will have the first opportunity to purchase anything at a fair price before he shunts the rest back to Galt.

This will allow Rivermarch to have some control over what stays and goes while allowing Goldfield his money making opportunities. In addition any information (books, tomes etc.) that can be easily transcribed will be provided free to Rivermarch.

Secret can be used to give Rivermarch first look and buy on anything looted. The end  result is extra rolls will be available for magic items available at any point in time.

Because he is still getting gold for his work ultimately this will still be a -1 in Resources but it will remove some unpleasant events from the RNG tables.

So final tally: +2 Lore, +1 Diplomacy, -1 Resoureces, Rivermarch gets first bid on items recovered and free access to knowledge and writings recovered.

This message was last edited by the GM at 19:04, Thu 07 Oct 2021.

Kaleb Aldori and Elena discuss dueling styles and Kaleb finds it abhorrent that Rivermarch might be infested with Mivonese duelists. After listening to him rage into the night about the inferiority of Mivoenese style Kale agrees that if Rivermarch can provide the facilities, Kaleb will send experts to teach proper dueling in Rivermarch.

Side Deal: -1 Resources to unlock a new tier II unit. Details are still being worked on but something like this:

Naritha Medvyed and Vyntis talk about the similarities between Vyntis' elementalism and her Green Faith and the two come to form a special report. While her father is away, overindulging himself on food and wine, Naritha leans closely and in a hushed voice offers up a proposal most definitely not sanctioned by the Medvyed family. She wishes to come join the Rivermarch court to be both closer to nature and to help the budding kingdom develop in a way that would respect the natural beauty and ecosystem of the area.

By all accounts Naritha was a strong druid in her own right but having her in court would provide powerful ties to the Medvyed family. The downside could be that if such a move was not handled carefully her father might not take kindly to the new kingdom hiding his daughter away from him. Still she was an adult and she seemed very eager to get out of Brevoy and as far away from the social functions and noble intrigues therein.

Side Deal: Naritha Medyved joins the court as a usable NPC.

Nhal Banbrook and Kael finalize their agreement. Knowing that Erastil and Abadar are the two other religions that they will be leading seems to put the priest at ease. He explains that he appreciates being allowed into the inner circle and that Pharasma will "make do" with their partners to ensure peace and prosperity for the new land.

Deal is signed. Pharsma, Erastil, and Abadar are the three state "religions" with enclaves of Sarenrae and (illegal) Hanspur circles.

Gorum was another major religion in the area but was mainly a focus for Brevoy nobles and surrounding barbarians so while they will feel the snub overall the religions chosen are very much in alignment with the area so no unexpected penalties or difficulties here.

Hartstone and Kael discuss allowing Gronzi into select areas within the Narlmarch. The thing about compromises is that nobody is truly happy with giving up ground but it is probably better to have a large number of slightly annoyed people than a few powerful figures that are greatly annoyed.

Limiting the Gronzi to designated areas is going to be disruptive for their business and will still result in clashes with the fey however overall risk on both sides has been minimized as much as possible. The Gronzi will still leave the vast majority of the forest untouched so once the fey are moved things can settle back to normal and while it isn't the most ideal, it isn't like the Gronzi were expecting to do deep forest cutting on day one either.

In the end Kael is left with the impression that so long as everyone upholds their end of the bargain that Rivermarch can prosper with hopefully minimal conflicts between loggers and fey.

Ultimately using the secret as you specified would mean no change to any of the raw numbers however this will favor Rivermarch heavily during the almost inevitable fey vs. settler conflicts that will arise during the first few years of growth and expansion.

Diplomacy Tracker



|!4 Net Modifiers: |2 Diplomacy: +0 |2 Espionage: +0 |2 Lore: +1 |2 Operations: +2 |3 Communication: +0 |2 Resolve: +3 |2 Resources: +8 |
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:20, Thu 07 Oct 2021.

12 PM

Vyntis approaches Sellemius making sure the intrusive servant is nowhere in site. "It is clear that you are a man of power at least for the moment. I am sure like most nobles you have a side enterprise that you also dabble in. The night grows late and the evening is almost over. Let us speak of what the future could have to offer both of us."   

20:16, Today: Vyntis Overgrowth rolled 22 using 1d20+8 with rolls of 14.  Knowledge Nobility -Sellemius Side Deal.

1 AM

Vyntis overhears Kaleb and Elena speaking about the possibility of fielding some swordsman harriers and it reminds him of some elven tactics that are very effective in the forest. "You seem to be a man of action. The deals you offer seem fair. We would be proud to call you a friend and ally. Shall we shake to make things official?"

20:35, Today: Vyntis Overgrowth rolled 5 using 1d20+1 with rolls of 4.  Diplomacy w/ Swordlords.
No luck with the roll, so I will sign the main deal and side deal with the Swordlords as is with my final action.

1 AM

Getting really tired of all the politics, Kael decides to end the evening talking to the lovely Lady Orlovsky. "May I speak openly? We both know who House Orlovsky will favor if - hell, when - the two sides in Brevoy go from words to actions. And I assume you know our new state will be on the same side. And while I do not like the idea of being dragged along in a civil war, should that happen I do plan on being on the winning side of it. As does your House, I am sure. And as such it would be prudent for both of us to share whatever information could help us with that. I think there's a saying about that, something about hanging together or separately." He finishes a glass of wine in his hand as he waits for Lady Orlovsky to respond.

Signing the deal, and using the secret to get whatever I can before that. Ideally I'd like to upgrade those "information and powerful connections" to also include espionage benefits, through some kind of intelligence sharing treaty or something. With Restov deal our espionage would go negative, and I'm hoping to at least keep it at zero.

9 PM

Cara attempts to strike a deal with Sellemius, in exchange for adding our support to his reelection he will ensure that we receive up-to-date notices of the going-ons in Brevoy. (Use secret to reduce Espionage penalty to 0, Diplomacy to increase Resolve from +1 to +2)
10:41, Today: Dominique Telvari rolled 31 using 1d20+11 with rolls of 20.  Cara Diplomacy Sellemius.

10 PM

Cara works with the Nesterovs to put a plan in place to mobilize the farmers and Erastil's faithful to assist in building and maintaining the irrigation project. (Reduce Operations penalty from -1 to 0)
10:45, Today: Dominique Telvari rolled 25 using 1d20+11 with rolls of 14.  Cara Diplomacy Nesterov Side Deal.

Borric showers praise on Drelev as they attempt to draw out favorable borders--surely the noble has no need for the swamps and fey-infested woods of the Narlmarches. (Lore +1 for swamp Ruins?)
10:50, Today: Dominique Telvari rolled 13 using 1d20+8 with rolls of 5.  Borric Diplomacy Drelev.

11 PM

Cara attempts to strike up a bargain with Lady Gisvet ... surely the Mivonese can staff their academy with the best Aldori swordsmanship has to offer. (Remove -1 Diplomacy Penalty
10:52, Today: Dominique Telvari rolled 3331 using 1d20+1311 with rolls of 20.  Cara Diplomacy Mivon Side Deal.

Borric continues to work with Drelev, showering praise and imploring him to share wisdom with his lessers. (Maybe +1 Diplomacy?)
10:54, Today: Dominique Telvari rolled 10 using 1d20+8 with rolls of 2.  Borric Diplomacy Drelev.

12 AM

Cara attempts to plan with Naritha Medvyed regarding her position in Rivermarch's government. Perhaps her connections among the druids and fey could serve to protect the nation by watching the more difficult to patrol borders? (+1 Espionage?)
10:57, Today: Dominique Telvari rolled 3331 using 1d20+1311 with rolls of 20.  Cara Diplomacy Medvyed Side Deal.

Dominique accepts Goldfield's proposal and returns to Lady Gisvet in an attempt to showcase the strong coalition they are building with their neighbors and in hopes that Mivon will put aside their demands of neutrality. (Remove Neutrality condition.)
10:59, Today: Dominique Telvari rolled 24 using 1d20+10 with rolls of 14.  Dominique Diplomacy Mivon.

Still buttering up Drelev, Borric appeals to the threat of Pitax--if Drelev can share reports on his western border, perhaps even lowly Rivermarch could aid in their defense. (+1 Espionage?)
11:01, Today: Dominique Telvari rolled 16 using 1d20+8 with rolls of 8.  Borric Diplomacy Drelev.

1 AM
Borric continues nearly prostrating himself to win over Drelev. At the very least the approval of the noble could lend legitimacy to Borric's claim. (+1 Resolve?)
11:05, Today: Dominique Telvari rolled 20 using 1d20+8 with rolls of 12.  Borric Diplomacy Drelev.

If we like Restov's Side Deal, Cara negotiates to improve it.
11:06, Today: Dominique Telvari rolled 14 using 1d20+11 with rolls of 3.  Cara Diplomacy Sellemius Side Deal?

If Dominique failed with Mivon previously, he continues his negotiation.
11:07, Today: Dominique Telvari rolled 26 using 1d20+10 with rolls of 16.  Dominique Diplomacy Mivon.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:23, Fri 08 Oct 2021.

There is never any official announcement that the ceremony is over but as the guests either stagger out or pass out and are relocated to their rooms it is clear that the end has come.

The party leave to their guest rooms in the Aldori estate with an armload of contracts signed. In one day they set up a triumvirate of religions: Pharasma, Abadar and Erastil. They have secured considerable finances through securing support by the Bank of Abadar, the Gronzi lumber merchants and by associating themselves closely with the Swordlords. They had successfully negotiated agreements with their two neighbors: Drelev and Varnhold, to establish clear borders and at least with Varnhold, the prospect of trade and mutual support. Rivermarch had even drawn some support from Issian noble houses which put them in very solid support for their region.

The only real concerns the new nation would have would be:

The Brevoy Civil War - looking at how tense things were between the Aldori and the Surtova's it was clear that this whole exercise of taming the Stolen Lands did nothing toward cooling off the rising tensions between Rostland and Issia.

Mivon - Mivon was very adamant that they wanted a buffer between Brevoy and the River Kingdoms and with Rivermarch aligning itself to the Aldori's it was clear that a perfectly neutral buffer state was not in the cards. Both Drelev and Varnhold also aligned with the Aldori so from the Mivonese perspective they viewed the whole area as just another extension of Brevoy, puppet states that the Brevoy elite could fight proxy wars through. Whether that was the case or not had yet to be seen but soon after the ceremony the Miovnese delegations adopted a cool and distant tone which was quite different than the warm friendliness their ambassador had expressed towards the group at the end of the party.

Pitax - another River Kingdom that had thrown down a daring insult at the feet of Brevoy. Somehow managing to insult both the Aldori and the Surtovas, Pitax's challenge briefly looked like it might unite the two parts of Brevoy against a common enemy but almost immediately division in how to respond caused yet another rift in Brevoy politics. Pitax continued to send out challenges and thinly veiled insults, growing bold knowing that Brevoy was too paralyzed by internal division to actually mount an effective response. At Rivermarch the new kingdom was able to sit on the sidelines while the major powers challenged one another but it seemed that Pitax was growing bolder month over month and it might eventually turn its attention to the fledgling territory on its border, namely Drelev.

Numeria - the Technic League were most disappointed that they would not be allowed to continue slaving from the lawless region of the Stolen Lands. Nobody was surprised by that considering that their slaving practices were expressly forbidden by the River Freedoms and by Brevoy. Whether or not this would have long term consequences would remain to be seen but Numeria completely withdrew their diplomat to Rivermarch effectively severing communication with the fledling nation.
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 13:35, Fri 15 Oct 2021.