War for the Crown Gameplay Part 2

Corey looks dumbfounded. "Uh... Lady Martella, Ah, uh, Ah ain't so sure Ah can pretend Ah got noble family like that."

”Why not? It’s very possible you do,” Martella points out. ”Plenty of commoners have a little noble heritage if you trace the family tree back far enough, most just never bother to.”

"It's just, uh..." Corey rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "Y'all might find it odd but Ah'm tryin' ta earn a higher place in the world, one that Ah get because Ah deserve it, not because someone faked some papers sayin' Ah could have it. It don't sit right with me."

Martella looks pensive, as though the idea hadn’t even occurred to her, but Eutropia speaks up. ”Corey, would it help to consider this a temporary situation with the goal of helping me create a country where you and people like you be recognized for your talents and character?” she offers. ”I don’t expect any of you to keep up this facade beyond the time it takes to reclaim the Palace of Birdsong.”

Corey thinks about it for a few moments. "Ah... s'pose not, yer majesty. Ah can't say Ah'll be comfortable with it, but Ah'll go along with it if it's really what ya need."

”I don’t want to force you to do anything you feel is morally wrong,” Eutropia insists. ”But for some clarity, allow me to be clear what the stakes are here. I sold this townhouse yesterday, it was the last financial asset I had. If I cannot secure another source of funds, Pythareus will be the next emperor. He will ensure that all the social reforms made in the last decades are reversed and will send us to war with Qadira. We cannot use any legitimate means to reclaim the Palace of Birdsong because Martella’s half-brother does not recognize my legitimate authority.”

Corey nods. "Ah understand. It ain't about the morals, mostly, ta be honest, it's also about mah pride, but Ah'll swallow it if it means savin' Taldor from that kinda fate."

”Thank you. And to be clear, should this go right, all of you will be recognized for your service to the country,” Eutropia adds with a smile.

With that settled, Martella continues. "It's a five day ride to the Palace of Birdsong, you'll arrive there for the Tanager Jubilee right on time. I'll be joining you in the carriage most of the way - but I intend to take a horse and ride to Cassomir myself from there to secure some internim funds with the merchants there. Princess Eutropia will go to Golsifar - given the city's military leanings, it will likely side with Pythareus, but drawing our enemies' eyes there will keep any attention off our true prize. We do have a few other agents performing services for us, but I'm sure you can respect a desire to keep that information contained, just as you will be unaware of their identities and tasks. In the county of Meratt, you may also wish to make allies of the other nobility in the area, their support would certainly be valuable. In fact, I believe you are, or at least Adelaide is, already acquainted with one of them: Baron Nicolaus Okerra."

"Are there any other nobles in the area we should take special note of?" Sarina asks.

Martella pauses, considering, then nods. "Besides Baron Okerra - whose popularity among both nobility and the common folk would make him a valuable ally to have, there are a few others. My half-brother, Count Bartelby, obviously. Dame Parthena Crabbe is an... interesting case. She lacks much for hard power, but she is a notorious gossip and busybody. If anyone knows about secret goings-on in the county, it's her, but likewise if any hint of your true intentions reaches her, my half-brother will know in short order. Baroness Voinum... is a tough old bitch, to put it in the most casual of terms. She commands a great deal of influence though - her family lands have remained in Voinum hands for over a thousand years, and she knows more about Taldor's history than anyone else I've ever met. If you can make a friend of her she'll be helpful in providing some more institutional legitimacy, and if you really impress her she might want to help you improve the state of your lands in the interest of bringing Meratt back to its former glory. Besides them, the only person you need really concern yourself with that I know of is Sir Gul Guisarne, he's Bartelby's seneschal. He's fanatically loyal to my family, something you can thank my father for, and extremely good at his job. Be careful around him, he'll already be suspicious about a group of unknown newcomers moving in nearby."

Adelaide smiles at mention of Baron Okerra. "It will be good to see Baron Okerra again," she comments. She listens carefully to the description of the other nobility, weighing them accordingly and nodding.

With that settled, and no further questions, Princess Eutropia rises to her feet. ”Excellent. In that case, I wish you all luck, even if I’m not much of a believer in it. I have faith that you’ll be able to succeed, and I plan to see you all in the Palace of Birdsong ere long.” After goodbyes are said, Martella leads the way back out of the villa and to the carriage, which ferries everyone back to the Morilla residence to pack before setting out once more. The carriage itself is luxurious, pulled by a small team of horses with several sectioned off rooms for resting in private as well as a cozy collective sitting room. It comes stocked with cold meals and fine wines, with plans to occasionally stop at tea houses along the way for proper meals.

Adelaide immediately takes a seat in the collective room. ”So, I wanted to discuss strategies and anything else we might’ve heard about Bartelby or the situation in general,” she comments to the others. ”I didn’t want to waste the princess’s time with that, but thought now might be a good time?”

"I certainly wouldn't mind something of substance to talk about while we're on the road," Sarina comments, also lounging in the collective room. "What do you know about Bartelby, Adelaide? I must confess I've not heard much about the nobles in this area, asides from what Martella told us."

"Let's see..." Adelaide spins her finger and looks upward while she thinks. "Bartelby Lotheed is the eldest son of Count Mercater Lotheed and runs the county of Meratt like a personal kingdom, with little regard for broader politics beyond his borders. Like most Lotheeds, he commands considerable arcane gifts as well as considerable contempt for anyone who does not. Lady Martella referenced this including her as well, you'll recall." Adelaide crosses her legs as she continues thinking. "He's considered both clever and strong, a combination that makes him arrogant. He is sure of his imperviousness, and his family’s long association with arcane power has been bred into his bones along with overconfident self-importance. This is not to say Bartelby is cold; he is witty, incredibly well educated, and charming when he wants to be. These all skills he studied as carefully as his spellcasting.

"Rumor has it this is because below it all lies an insecure boy trying to live up to an impossible legacy left by his overachieving father and an uncle with a savant-level mastery of wizardry." Adelaide's voice takes on a slightly more mocking tone as she speaks to the rumors, perhaps reflecting the tone in which she heard them. "After all, no matter what Bartelby accomplishes, his star will always be eclipsed by his ancestors, and so a part of him has given up before even trying, and he focuses on self-indulgence and ignores any task he is not confident he can excel at from the outset. If those rumors hold true, there's probably a lot to work with there in manipulation," Adelaide notes, very matter-of-fact. "I also know that the county of Meratt, for which Bartelby is responsible, has been much less well-maintained under this care than under the care of his father. Some combination of Count Lotheed was a more competent governor and steward, and Bartelby simply not caring one bit about the commoners."

"Very useful to know," Sarina says with a nod. "As Martella said, we need to both undermine Bartelby and win the support of the commoners. It seems to me we should decide who does which before we arrive."

"It sounds a little like running the parts under our command will be undermining Bartelby, in a way, so it may be possible to handle both simultaneously," Adelaide notes. "That said, Corey, I think you'll naturally be more relatable in direct interactions with the common folk. Would you prefer to work there?"

Corey lets out a small sigh of relief. "Ah think Ah'd be best there. Nothin' against y'all, but politickin' with nobles is stressful and exhaustin'."

Adelaide grins. "We're more accustomed to it, so that's understandable. Meanwhile, Sarina, I can't imagine anyone better than you to get in with Bartelby. You're an arcane mage and clever. I know about magic, but I'm not a mage myself."

”To be clear,” Martella clarifies. ”At the Jubilee itself it’ll be full of nobles, but we expect this whole project to take weeks, if not months after the event. The Jubilee is just a chance to establish yourselves amongst your neighbours all at once.”

Sarina nods. "I do agree with your assessment, Adelaide," she says. "I'll focus more on ingratiating myself with Bartelby than winning over the common folk,"

"The more we're able to do both, the better, really, but I see these focuses as playing to your respective strengths," Adelaide concludes. "We'll also have to consider carefully going forward when the right time is to bring out costumes. But really, none of this matters if we can't make a good impression at the jubilee. Well, I suppose I shouldn't say none. Matters less, at least."

"Speaking of making a good impression, I believe I could use a gift to better win over Bartelby at the jubilee," Sarina mentions. "Martella, you mentioned picking up a spellbook or research book as a gift? Where might one acquire something like that before the jubilee?"

"Old Sehir's along the way, it's relatively small, but it's popular among aging retired wizards and the like to retire and open bookstores and magical item shops," Martella offers. "We could likely find something there."

With agreement there, the rest of the trip passes easily enough. Travel by carriage is comfortable, and the trip included stops at plenty of nicer inns and teahouses along the way for hot meals when possible. Upon beginning to enter the county of Meratt, at what Martella identifies as the beginning of Baron Okerra's lands, the carriage finds itself beset by a group of commoners in dirty, ragged clothes, begging for coin or offering goods to trade, marked up 10% higher than found in most markets.