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#1
Aug 4th, 2012, 04:47 AM
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The Cast
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Some characters are born posthumously. See my campaigns Blod Stormur: Flying Ships, Mithril Men, Blóð Stormur: Mysteries of the Lucitean Gulf and Blóð Stormur: Blood and Snow in Arkadia 
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#2
Aug 4th, 2012, 07:07 AM
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Name: Claudia von Greif
Race: Human Class: Cleric (Evangelist archetype) Age: 24 Alignment: LN Description: Claudia von Grief takes after her mother, Flavia. Her receding chin gives her a perpetual expression of foolishness, coupled by the fact that her lips don't quite meet properly and are often sagging open unappealingly. Her apple cheeks and jowls would suit a fishwife, not a noblewoman, and her eyes may be clear and bright with youth but they are also bulging. Her fat nose holds a pair of huge black nostrils, like gaping holes in her face. Her teeth are crooked, one so prominent it indents her lower lip; a black mole with bristles adorns one graceless cheek; and a moustache and stray chin hairs complete the picture. Her hair is the obligatory long length of a noblewoman, but is so frizzed that it takes three lady's maids to brush it. As a result, she rarely bothers. Her breasts already sag, her figure is shapeless. A yeasty, sweaty odour follows her about whenever she has made even the slightest exertion. Personality: Astute, intelligent, learned and intense. Claudia inherited her mother's looks, but when it comes to wits, she is her father's daughter. She is reserved and cautious politically, and obeys her father's authority. It would not be true to say that she never argues or disagrees with his decisions, but it is rare, and any arguments are always reserved for private discussion. In public, his dignity is maintained and his authority is absolute and unquestionable. Background: A Duke's daughter commands a certain respect even when she is as hideous as Claudia. Claudia knew from an early age that she was different from others; she was aware that others kept their distance from her, and that there was something odd in the way they acted towards her. Still, her mother, Flavia, doted on her; and she was rich enough that she wanted for nothing. She was ten years old when she finally understood that she was ugly. It was during a dinner in which various noble families were invited to sup. Not unusually, Claudia ended up playing with several of the other noble children in a corridor. It was then that she was told loftily by a pretty blonde girl two years her senior that she was so ugly that 'no one would marry her except because her father made them'. Claudia, in her innocence, had not known. The damage had been done. Claudia fled in tears from the scene, finally realising that the odd quiet and distance she had experienced from servants and courtly folk alike had masked the contempt they had for her. She was unmarriageable except by virtue of her birth and her father's money. No one would want her or love her; for there was no point to a woman that was not beautiful. She ended up sobbing in the arms of an elderly peasant woman, one of those whose purpose in life was merely to clean the keep. When the old woman asked her what troubled her, she had wailed, "I'm ugly!" In that cry she managed to impart far more of her plight than she had intended. The old woman had patted her on the back and stroked her hair, then set her down. "Now listen to me, little girl," she had soothed her, setting her hands on her shoulders to look her in the eye. "You hear me now. Take a look at me. I've had five children, I've creases in my face, my teats are sagging. I'm old. The Old Crone, now, you'll find Her in the hills. She's ugly. Just because She's ugly doesn't mean She doesn't have power. Men and women respect Her, they need Her as much as they fear Her. Womanhood isn't all beauty, my duckling, for beauty is the price of wisdom." It need not be said that in the months to come, Claudia took her first journey into the hills to seek out the old women who kept the Old Ways; that she was welcomed among them and began her exploration of the mysteries. Claudia emerged from her childhood years as a different person. Her voice had been honed into the whip-crack of a matron's command; though quiet and conducting herself appropriately, her bearing was that of a priestess, burning with a hidden power that others yet felt, and which inspired both fear and awe. RP sample:
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#3
Aug 4th, 2012, 08:27 AM
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 Shorter hair and dark brown, no headband, add stubble around face Name: Gilford Eiffel Race: Half Elf Class: Cavalier, Emissary, Order of the Shield Age: 19 Scar: Savagery burnt left arm, patches of white, dark skin, bruise colours, almost no hair and he constantly attempts to cover it up. Alignment: Lawful Good (To code purely) Description: Personality: Background: Role: Front line attacker for Calvary or first rank footmen, court champion for any lord wishing to pay or defense against marauders. Character sheet: Progressing Last edited by Jasontheswift; Aug 8th, 2012 at 08:11 PM.
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#4
Aug 4th, 2012, 01:30 PM
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Reynna Solaris
Name: Reynna “Rey” Solaris
Race: Half-Elf Class: Cleric Description:  Alignment: Neutral Good (more Lawful than Chaotic) Height / Weight: 5’4” / 125 lbs Build: Slim / Slightly Athletic Eyes: Green/Hazel Hair: Shoulder-length, sandy blonde (let loose or tied in a ponytail or braided) Tattoo: Symbol of Sarenrae on her left arm (upper side/outer area) (shown as “The Dawnflower”) Reynna wears a metal holy symbol of Sarenrae (shaped as the Healing Flame) – a gift from Sister Nanette upon departing the town to begin her training as a cleric. She uses this symbol to channel energy and focus her divine spells. Engraved on the back is the following three line text (in Celestial): “Protect the Dawnflower’s Children, Serve the Healing Flame, Ascend as her Archon Herald.” Reynna prefers to dress in cleric’s vestments, traveler’s clothing or something just as comfortable rather than wearing her armor all the time. She will don her armor when entering or traveling through an area where there may be a threat. She does not sleep in her armor, unless absolutely necessary. Reynna casts all spells in Celestial (unless other communication type is specifically required). She prays in Celestial when meditating for spells each morning (at dawn, or as close to dawn as possible) and when channeling energy to heal allies or damage undead. Personality: Background: RP sample: Last edited by Macross; Aug 5th, 2012 at 11:26 PM. Reason: Added character sheet link
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#5
Aug 4th, 2012, 06:38 PM
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Aria De Lange Chancellor  Name: Aria De Lange Race: Elf Class: Inquisitor Age: 34 Alignment: Lawful good Description At thirty four years of age Aria looks exceedingly young for her age, she is the very picture of elven radiance and courtly elegance. She is a mere 5’7 in height but her slim figure and full curves more than make up for her lack of stature. She is almost always seen dressed in flowing robes when she travels and underneath is a slender dress with a corset made from silver with a matching choker which gives her an air of nobility. Light blonde hair falls to her waist, with two braids falling down beside her porcelain skinned face. Visibly she has not a single flaw, perfectly proportioned and splendidly symmetrical features adorn her face; Full lips and an elegant nose and her most stunning feature her eyes, both a bright electric purple. Personality: When Aria walks into a room there is immediate silence, respectful and fearful. She is an extremely strong and wise individual. In Public she is often silent, lost in thought, but in court or by the Dukes side she speaks confidently, competently and often talks over others forcing them into silence. She is honest and loyal and despises trickery often openly challenging people who practice secrecy. That said she is not averse to using stealthy means to gather information and “stifle” problems that may arise if it is in the interest of the nation She can be stubborn but she is not one to make a decision quickly due to provocation. As a woman in the court she is aware many people do not take her seriously and takes pride in using her sharp wit to hush her antagonists. She is kind underneath it and although she might not acknowledge a request with a visible response, her emotions run deeply and she always strives to find a way to fulfill it, even if it means doing it anonymously. RP sample: Last edited by TristineEndelwood; Aug 4th, 2012 at 06:50 PM.
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#6
Aug 5th, 2012, 12:28 AM
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Name: Stijn Huisbewaarder
Race: Half Human (Fey Creature Template: 1) Class: Menhir Savant 4 Age: Unknown Alignment: True Neutral Role: Marshall Description: Most anything anyone can say about Stijn is that he is tall. Beyond that most folk have trouble describing just what quality it is that sets him apart from his fellows; something that he has tried long and hard to maintain. When standing still, or at least allowing someone to view him, Stijn is a youthful faced man, with wild and extremely curly dark brown hair of some indeterminate age. Some would say that he is no older than thirty, while others would swear that they have known of him for more than sixty years. His eyes have often proven to be an almost violent point of contention, some claiming that his eyes are the deepest of lilacs while others vehemently point out that no person has such coloured eyes. Wild hair hanging down to his shoulders, curly and as brown as the freshest loam and the trail of his almost uniform like grey robe; often this is the last the one sees of Stijn before he appears again. When found to be unmoving for more than several seconds, his robe is in fact an elegantly arranged combination of loose fitting jerkin, volumous tunic belted at the waist and slightly heavier over robe left open at the front. A closer inspection, should one be privileged enough to receive it, reveals that beneath around his wrists and neck are ornaments of some kind. None has of yet been able to explain a faint glassy sheen that can be observed around his ankles from behind… Personality: In reality, three different worlds claw at the mind of Stijn for attention and it is only through practice that he is able to maintain his balance between them. Born of a human and a creature of the old spirits, Stijn’s human and non-human drives have fought for many, many years to achieve dominance. However through careful contemplations on his nature and the focusing upon a path that accommodated both sets of drives has brought him a modicum of inner peace – indulging the stronger desires of both halves has also brought order to his otherwise unfocused mind. By living amongst humans but practicing the ancient arts of the land; channeling the powers of the ancient fixtures of Grysevlakte and playing his part in the Duchy, Stijn has become that his mother intended. The third of the worlds clawing for control is that of his position as a member of the Huisberwaader family. The strong sense of duty and commitment to the family moniker of ‘The Caretakers’ that had been instilled in him since his youth has shaped his personality to an unusual extent. Coming from a family known whose claim to fame is their ability to function almost as Ducal curators – whenever there is an absence or failing or empty seat within the court, the Caretakers have stepped in to ensure that relative peace emanates from the Duke’s court – there has been great pressure on Stijn to be prepared for anything, especially in light of recent events. Some have even gone as far as to hint that should it be necessary, a Caretaker may once again need to rise to the Ducal Throne. While this is not a prospect that Stijn is completely comfortable with yet, he is sworn to ensure that the Duchy survives. At any cost. Background: The Huisbewaarder family, irregardless of Imperial titles or not, has been a part of the land of Gryzevlakte for as long as many records can show and even further. Though few of the recent generations of Eisenbluter nobility would care to admit it, the Huisberwaard name often carries more weight than any imperial mandate. It is not for nothing that the family has the moniker of ‘Caretakers’. Over the course of their long and relatively undocumented history, the Huisberwaarders have stepped up and taken control of virtually every role in the Ducal court and it’s predecessors to ensure the safety of Gryzevlakte. For the Caretakers, the land and it’s people are what matters and what they strive to protect, not the meaningless leaders and nations that come and go like the tides. Stijn’s life began many, many years past when his mother still lived. A powerful and fervent practitioner of the native powers of Gryzevlakte, Inga Huibewaarder was the eldest child of the Huisberwaarder family (at the time). While her practices were hardly kept secret from the rest of the Gryzevlakte upper echelons, the extent to which those practices carried her were kept strictly within the family. Though her more involved practices were not forbidden, the true implications of what Inga achieved would not be realized for years to come. In a time when the survival of Gryzevlakte and the Huisbewaarder’s was uncertain the first of a new generation of Caretakers took measures to ensure that her line and the land of Gryzevlakte would survive. Obviously, Sitjn has a father – even Inga’s gifts could not have broken the natural laws of the world, however it is from his father that he receives his fey blood. In a ritual of her own devising Stijn’s mother called forth a might spirit of the land and lay with him in the moonlit shadow of an ancient cairn of a mighty Grysevlakte hero. From their coupling a child was conceived, Stijn. Over the natural course of a human pregnancy, little changed in Inga’s appearance and mood; a cause of much concern for the Huisberwaarder midwives. Many thought that she would miscarry the child. However, they were wrong and Stijn was born a healthy, albeit obviously only partly human, baby boy. The true extent of Stijn’s heritage became truly evident when his mother died during his youth. At first he had seemed like a normal child, happy to suckle upon his mother when hungry, eager to cry when troubled or discomforted. However, no long after his birthday he began to simply vanish from sight. Inga or his wet-nurse would fall asleep and wake to find that the child had gone missing, or sometime in the process of searching for the missing child he would be found amidst a crowd of people in the courtyard or in the kitchens with no explanation of how he had gotten there or for how long. Such behavior continued and only seemed to become progressively worse as the young Stijn grew – that in itself following an unusual schedule for his mother had grey hair before his children’s teeth had even begun to fall out. How old exactly he was when his mother died of age few can attest to. Between the boy’s unnatural growth rate and his predilection for simply disappearing for at times weeks on end made it difficult for even his mother to keep track of his age, though it was suggested that she always knew how long it had been since his previous birth celebration. However, at the time of his mother’s passing Stijn had been gone for coming on a month, not quite the longest he had ever been gone for but well into the farthest reaches. In truth, he did not return to the family’s holdings until the day of Igna’s funeral. Thoughout the entire proceedings he said nothing and did little, not even approaching his mother’s body to say one last farewell. However, the following day he spoke for some time with the head of the family, a terse man who did not suffer foolishness lightly. What was said between them has ever been kept secret, however that very same day Stijn began his education amongst the other Caretaker children, assuming the role and duties his mother had long hoped he would. In the decades to come Stijn’s air of mystery would continue to mark his time amongst the Caretakers; his mother’s reputation and respect for her works affording him some measure of protection from the less tolerant members of the family. Between his mother’s passing and his appearing to be a young man, ready to enter the world at large, the Huisbewaarders underwent three heads of the family. It was during the time of the fourth, Haupt Huisberwaarder, that the Caretakers felt a need to fill one of the positions of the now Duke von Grief’s court; a position into which Stijn would be placed. Role Play Sample The world seemed to move so slowly around Stijn. It was as though time passed at a different rate for the rest of his family compared to what he felt and experienced. While other children grew and matured, lived long and full lives, then died Stijn was only just coming to resemble a man. Though the family had long, generations ago, stopped treating him as a child, it still held some minor sway over him that he was only just now coming to resemble those he was encouraged to think of as his peers. The time he spent keeping his own counsel and amongst the ancient sites of the land, communing with the spirits and powers his mother had long ago taught him had kept a moderate balance between the life he owed his mother and the life he longed to be enveloped by. That however, would soon be coming to an end. Haupt had summoned him to his private study, a sign that whatever was to be required of Stijn was of grave importance. Even as he stood atop the highest parapet of the Huisbewaarder keep and the hour of his meet grew close, there was no sense of panic or urgency running through him. The trick of willing himself from one place to another was one he had learned… to his perceptions, as a child, but for the others in the family scores upon scores of years past. None still lived, even the grandchildren of such, who had seen him in his earliest moments. The passage was in the blinking of an eye: in the space between one thought and the next he was no longer atop the parapets and stood before Haupt’s door. Knocking twice upon the door, wood that Stijn had watched become aged, he waiting for a sign from within that he had permission to enter. "Stijn. You need not knock when I am expecting you..." The voice was male, a shadow of it's once strong baritone. Haupt had held off against the effects of age for some time, but now the years were fast catching up with him. It would not be long now before another stood in his stead. Pushing the door inwards with a slight twist of the door knob, Stijn stepped into the study. From behind Haupt seemed to have barely changed at all, the firelight casting a silhouette across one wall. For a long moment neither Haupt nor Stijn spoke. It was Haupt who broke the silence. "Stijn... You are as none of us are. You have lived through three heads of this family and soon a fourth... It is no secret that your mother's actions have wrought a powerful member of this family..." His voice broke and spasmodic coughs wracked his body. Surging forth Stijn was at the elbow of the family's head in an instant, guiding him to a nearby chair. "You have been amongst us for so many generations of this family and you have watched the world around us tremble and convulse. As is our calling, we have ensured the survival of Gryzevlakte since we were but tribesmen living on the great fields. Now the time once again approaches when a Caretaker must take a great seat of power... You are to travel to the court of our new Duke, von Grief. There you shall become Marhsall..." "Marshall? But I am no soldier... Surely the army would have an elect of their own. Someone more qualified than - Stijn's protestations are cut off by Haupt, a surprising amount of strength flooding his voice as he speaks up, across Stijns words. "They will have you. It has been long since a Caretaker held such a position in Court, but our family's name carries with it all the weight it has ever had. Dark times are coming... The Duke. He is of Eisenblut stock but does not seem to be as attached to his homeland as others have. There is a potential for great security to be had in his rule. Elsewhere in Gryzevlakte there is unrest... The Empire has disturbed the Land's people. Perhaps not now, but within a full score years there will be blood upon the moors. Only a Caretaker can be trusted to ensure that the best course is taken... As Marshall you will carry great sway both in court and with the army. For you, twenty years is plenty time enough to learn how to be a Marshall..."
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#7
Aug 5th, 2012, 11:37 PM
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Consider this WIP
Name: The Mad Jester Race: Human Class: Rogue Age: Unknown Alignment: CG Background: The Mad Jester arrived in Greifburg no more than three months ago. At first he sat as a street performer, using his acrobatics and humor to convince people to drop a few coins into his hat. Soon enough, an innkeeper offered to give him shelter and food if he would do his performances in the common room. He performed there, much to the delight of the patrons, and took the food but not the room. The sudden rise in popularity for the Hopping Hare soon had the other inns asking for him to come to their place, and that they would pay him to do so. The Mad Jester rarely asked for coinage, perhaps a certain trinket, maybe for them to make a certain gesture. Each day the innkeepers woed him to see if he would fill their house, and those that made the lucky offer to catch his fancy pulled him in. He never stayed the night, but every night he would perform. Soon a few minor nobles asked him to their manors, but he treated them as no different from the common innkeeps. The perceived slight made many nobles angry and accuse him of treason, but his madness prevented the trial from even being considered. Today, he walked up the gates and asked if the Duke would grant him admittance.
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Each man is the bard of his own existence ~ Cormac McCarthy I've returned, slightly
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#8
Aug 7th, 2012, 08:30 AM
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Character application:
Name: Antonius von Greif Race: Human Class: Aristocrat Age: 53 Alignment: Lawful Neutral Description: See image Personality: Antonius is a careful politician who prefers peaceful resolutions. He lives for his children and would give everything for them. Loyalty has little meaning to the duke, he will easily turn on his allies should it help him. He tries to be friends with both sides in a conflict and will only choose when one side obviously is stronger. He attempts to be friendly with everyone, not wanting to risk losing potential allies. He carefully maintains a friendly image with both the people and the nobility. Antonius is not a frivolous man, he never partakes in large feasts and keeps his distance from large amounts of alcohol, afraid to embarrass himself. Background: Antonius was born as the fourth son of an Eisenblut nobleman who served in the Imperial army, and the only son born of his second wife. As a child he lost all his older brothers on the battlefields of the revolt against the Empire. After the war his father was made duke in the place of his treacherous predecessor and as the only surviving son Antonius became his heir. As a child however he had never excelled in martial affairs and his poor health also did not help. He was expected to die young. He however did not die. When he was only twenty-four Antonius lost his father and became the new duke. Initially he faced many problems, tax revenues decreased and barons disobeyed his commands. Parts of his army became bandits and he faced anarchy. Antonius decided to not rely on outside forces, knowing that his duchy would never become powerful again if he did that. Instead he did something completely unexpected. He travelled to the keep of the most powerful baron, Thorsten von Gaben who was one of the most rebellious nobles. He came with only a small honour guard. Everyone expected him to be taken prisoner or to come out dead, but instead he came out with the Baron, both with a smile on their faces. Antonius would marry the baron’s daughter, Flavia, who was renowned for her troll-like features and had not yet found a husband. Using the baron’s troops Antonius soon re-established order, a few nobles were dragged out of their keeps and executed, but most quickly understood that it was time to obey. With his reign firmly established he started working on reinforcing his position amongst the other dukes. He reorganized the tax collection greatly increasing revenues. He built a new capitol which he called Greifburg, a modern star fortress designed to keep out most invaders. He started building a powerful state and in these years had four children, one daughter and three sons, losing his wife in the birth of his last child. But this happened only after her father’s death In her honour he erected a large tomb topped by a massive statue of the woman, many of the people call it the Stone Troll of Greifburg, and not without reason. Losing his wife did not overly affect Antonius, by now he was firmly established in his position and the freedom to marry again would be a great political boon. Antonius kept off marriage for a while, trying to see what new possibilities would come, and who he would sorely need. In Greifburg he opened a university, knowing that it would bring much prestige. He also set about reorganizing the rather chaotic state army into a more modern form. He also remarried, this time to the sister of one of his neighbours. With Klarissa he had another two sons. She hates him and he hates her, nowadays they only are seen together when demanded by protocol. This additional part is for the duke to fill out (you have been Duke for 10-30 years): Family background: The von Greif family is an old distinguished line from Eisenblut where members of the family have held important positions for centuries. The present line of dukes is a minor offshoot of the main family which gained the title after the infamous rebellion, in recognition of the services of the family, and especially Karl Friedrich von Greif, who was an important Imperial general in the war. Method of rule: Antonius keeps relying on his barons to rule the province, after the end of the von Gaben line he inherited their lands through his wife and together with some other lands they are his main source of income, without other nobles taking part of the revenue. His other barons are obliged to pay part of their taxes to him. His rule depends mostly on soft power, he makes deals with many powerful groups in his lands, trying to prevent war, which after all is horribly expensive. To most nobles he is a good duke, he allows them to rule their own lands with little direct involvement. To the peasants he is a foreign occupier, he is seen as just but the people don’t trust him yet. Abroad he is seen as a bit weak, he has never been a great military man but his enormous wealth is a source of envy. Province Improvements: Antonius has done many things for his province in his lifetime, he has greatly increased tax revenues, he has assured peace. He has also built several powerful fortresses and even funded a university in his capitol. Army structure: 5 regiments of 2500 pikemen supported by 500 arquebussiers. The pikemen wear steel breastplates, upper leg armour and helmets, the aruebussiers wear leather armour with helmets. 2 regiments of 1000 heavy cavalry lancers, divided in two squadrons each, wearing full plate armour and riding barded heavy warhorses. 2 regiments of 1000 heavy cavalry pistoliers, divided in two squadrons each, wearing half plate armour, two pistols, a long sword and riding heavy warhorses. 30 light field guns(six pounders), each with four crew and attendants, drawn by ten horses 10 heavy siege guns(forty punders), twelve crew and attendants each, drawn by twenty horses. The peasant conscripts that can be called up in an emergency wear leather armour. 75% use pikes, 25% are archers. RP sample: Antonius was in his study, looking at the letters that had been delivered today. He sighed. This was a complete disaster. War was the last thing they could use now. He had hoped for more time to see the respective strengths of the two sides, he could not take this risk. He looked at Marius, his eldest. The young man would have to learn from him, so he asked: “Marius, what do you make of this?” “I think that we should fight for the Empire, we are an Eisenblut family and the Empire is much stronger than these rebels can ever be.” Claudia, his only daughter spoke immediately after her brother, she said: “I don’t know, during the last rebellion the rebels did win their independence and those loyal to Eisenblut suffered greatly.” Antonius replied: “You both raised valid points. But there doesn’t have to be a black and white decision. Brecht will certainly have something that makes him confident, but the Empire is powerful as well. Neutrality will be hard to preserve, but during the first phases of this new war it could be possible. We have to be careful with the peasants and many of the barons. They may decide to join this revolt out of their own volition, and even turn against us. But there also are opportunities, if we immediately join one side there won’t be many rewards, they must be convinced that they need us, so they will offer us great boons in the aftermath of victory. That is what you must always keep an eye on when you come to the throne, I spent many years learning it but that is the essence, people must think that you are important, your actual importance is irrelevant.” Marius interrupted: “But they killed my uncles, these rebels, they are against the Empire, we should crush them, they will bring anarchy to these lands!” “Yes, rebels did kill my brothers, but you should never let emotions caused by such events, of course it made me happy to see them avenged and the rebels defeated, of course I would want their houses destroyed, but that simply was not possible. We should look at our own gain, now at how much we can make the others lose. It is not just about our feelings, we bear a great responsibility, a responsibility for those placed under us, and even more importantly, a responsibility to our family. My brothers died in battle fighting for this family, to see it lost to sate a lust for revenge would not have brought them joy, only tears.” Claudia, who looked a lot like her mother, only more overweight, said: “So we will try to play for time, how can we do this?” “Excellent thinking, we will try to win time, to see how strong the sides are. I will send letters to both sides, informing them that I am dreadfully sorry but it will take a lot of time to rally my forces, I will claim that I am incapable of openly joining a side while my forces lack the strength to defeat invaders but that I assure them that I shall join their forces as soon as my own lands are secured. They will not attack us yet, that will lose them a potential ally, and we get the time to strengthen our position.”
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My homebrew
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