Fantasy Roleplaying

Noname · **Reply #6680 on:** November 15, 2009, 03:41:52 AM

"I... well... I have faced down two of his cohorts. The Archmages Arcantas and Asthia. I have also seen Dememoras himself in what I am told is an avatar. I never actually saw him face to face for real. Still, I have faced down his forces before. I have felt the power he commands... and he took from me... someone I can never replace." Adykon told the audience.

The Great Valley Guardian · **Reply #6681 on:** November 15, 2009, 01:12:30 PM

Annette then looked over at Adykon as she replied, "Then I will be honored to fight by your side when the time comes, legend or not, you are a brave and honorable warrior and that is all I need to see."

Nick22 · **Reply #6682 on:** November 15, 2009, 01:23:58 PM

you do not know him Margas, as we do' Minna said, breaking her silence. 'if you would join us us, you will see for yourself what we alreay know. I do not know if Adykon is the hero of legend, but he has been a good leader. perhaps that is enough to ask of the gods at this time..'

Noname · **Reply #6683 on:** November 15, 2009, 02:17:14 PM

The king had given the party leave to speak, but the rest of the hall was silent. When the adventurers had spoken their piece, the king resumed his speech:

"The royal court of Minbenthac supports you in this, Adykon. You and your associates have but to tell me what you need to fight Dememoras, and whatever it is, it shall be yours. Anything within reason, of course. We are prepared to give you the best weapons and armor in the city, full access to the palace's library, and the court mages will teach you all they know about magic. Anything else you need, just ask for it."

JitteryDragon · **Reply #6684 on:** November 15, 2009, 08:21:18 PM

Eternion sat there in silence, as he was always prone to. This was all quite the change of pace, given that not long ago he was sweeping floors. Now he was to face an evil beyond anything he had ever faced in his entire life.

Finally he spoke to himself. 'So this is it, never in my life could I imagine finding myself in such a position like this. From all I have seen so far... from all that I shall see with this tired old eye of mine, this is the moment.'

When the king had made speech, Eternion faced Adykon. 'I have had little chance to speak to you, given what you have gone through since we first met. But I want you to know, I am ready for this, and whether you feel yourself ready to face the task that lay before you... I want you to know that I am ready to fight by your side, whether you are in-fact some "Warrior of Legend" or not.'

He grinned slightly. 'I am a man of little words, as you may have figured... but with the support of the court of Minbethac, I may just be able to get myself in better order, both equipment and figure wise, it's not everyday you get an old Dracon fighting the forces of evil.'

Chiletrek · **Reply #6685 on:** November 15, 2009, 08:46:24 PM

The Gaean Panthers went closer to Adykon as well. - "Adykon, it is not everyday I find someone like you, someone that makes me proud to fight side by side with. And I agree with Eternion, it is also not everyday we must fight an evil of this magnitude, you have been and you'll keep having my support on this." - Eriol told the Dracon with a proud voice.

Arianne also had something to say - "I know I am not a warrior, and I am waiting now for my second child, but I will never forgive myself if I stay a side on this. I will help too, for as long as I can, and with all of my strenght."

Noname · **Reply #6686 on:** November 15, 2009, 09:08:22 PM

"It is good to see such loyalty from someone so new to the party" Adykon replied. "A veteran like yourself has much to teach us, I believe. I don't know if I am this "Destiny" figure, but rest assured...

As he said this, Adykon turned to face the rest of the audience.

"...We fight as a group. I cannot take on the perils to come alone. My entire party must go with me."

"Such was my intent, warrior" The king replied. "I am also consulting with my generals, to determine the best course of action overall. The army of Minbenthac stands with you, even with the present war against the tribes winding down..."

That's right... Adykon remembered that... Jake had told him that his adopted father was in the military, but was on his way home now that the fighting was largely over...

Nick22 · **Reply #6687 on:** November 16, 2009, 01:11:29 AM

We will gladly take you up on the masgical supplies " Ilsa said to the king. The King had sealed off a great deal of magical spells, many rare and powerful.. and it was rare that anyone outside the royal mages was allowed acess.

Noname · **Reply #6688 on:** November 16, 2009, 01:26:59 AM

The nobles in the audience began to stir. At first, there were just a few lone voices, then some more, and whole rows began to mill about, and withing a few minutes, the whole hall was in a commotion. Some nobles were planning on throwing their support behind king and city, and would support the party no matter what.

Other nobles were making plans to evacuate the city and hide in their ever-so-popular mountain strongholds. Still others were thinking how they could profit off of this.

The king sighed. He knew this was going to happen. Slumping into a fine chair, he looked around at the nobles and their shifting alliances, fears for their profits, frequent side-changing, and shameless political opportunism. It happened every time there was a crisis; nobles were known to look out for their houses first, and the city next. Doubtlessly there would be several nobles who would betray the city... the king even had an idea of which ones might do it. He also knew that there would be some who would stay loyal to him. Those who did would be rewarded richly with the lands of the traitors...

This time, the sheer magnitude of the crisis was going to cause the king a real headache; even after the Dark Master was beaten, there would be upheaval for months as the noble houses were brought back into line, and a new order would be created among them. The power play was complex in the best of times... now... it would be a real mess...

But now was not the time to thin of the Byzantine politics of Minbenthac... in order to suffer such a mess, there would have to BE a Minbenthac in the near future... and this was by no means guaranteed...

Nick22 · **Reply #6689 on:** November 16, 2009, 01:36:23 AM

as the room began to empty, marcus guided Rhiga towareds the exit.' How are you feeling my dear?' He asked gently.
_ Margas looked around at the rapidly emptying room. He walked up to the King. " My lord, I pledge my full allegiasnce. I will give whatever aid the party requires. "

StarfallRaptor · **Reply #6690 on:** November 16, 2009, 01:52:32 AM

Akio walked over to Adykon.
"Though I began this war as your enemy, I will stand by your side as an ally, until we defeat Demoras."
He said, bowing, then drawing his double swords and saluting. Kuja hovered beside him.

"I, too, offer you my aid, in this moment. And in our unity, we shall be victorious."
He said bravely, eyes gleaming with magic energy. Akio nodded and stood.

"I'm with you, Adykon. Heh. Who'dve thought that we'd end up here when I met you, eh?" He joked.

Touga smiled.
"We all stand with you. And in this unity, let the darkness tremble in fear. For even the greatest of darkness can be dispelled by the light of many hearts working in tandem."
He said, as Utena, Juri, Ruka, and Miki all nodded.

Noname · **Reply #6691 on:** November 16, 2009, 02:04:08 AM

"Hold! The king didn't grant you all permission to leave!" An official shouted. The crowds began turning around.

The king stood up, and wearily addressed the crowds:

"Nobles, you will all have your chance to run away when my speech is done. Some of you will go to your estates and continue on as normal, most of you will either stay in the city resolutely, but I suspect many of you will flee for your keeps at the first chance you get. Priest and mages, I want you to stay. Same thing with you, adventurers. We have much to discuss from a tactical standpoint that the nobles are clearly not interested in hearing. If any of you nobles WANT to stay and listen, you are free to... but I suspect only a handful will even care..."

Nick22 · **Reply #6692 on:** November 16, 2009, 02:26:43 AM

thats par for the course" Minna said dismissively. " Few are willing to put any "skin" into this battle, well then so be it. Reward those who try, and scorn those who stood by and refused to help!
_
Hold your tongue! replied a noble coming up to her. 'I am Lord Sturna, and my loyalty to the king should never be questioned! who are you to say such things?
-
She was speaking generally" Ilsa replied. " and what she said is true Sturna, you know it.. We have risked much and braved many dangers, and will brave still more in the time to come..now is the time to cast your lot, as there will be only two choices, either support us, and by extension the king, or don't.

Noname · **Reply #6693 on:** November 16, 2009, 02:34:22 AM

"Those who want to leave the hall can go, even if you are planning on staying loyal to king and cit-"

No sooner than he had said this did the nobles begin filing out to head back to their manors and estates. Within minutes, a chamber that had taken hours to fill now had a handful of mages and priests left in it, along with the adventurers, the king, some guards, a handful of officials, and a few nobles, including one who was sleeping in his seat...

JitteryDragon · **Reply #6694 on:** November 16, 2009, 08:30:29 PM

Eternion could only laugh at what was left in the hall. 'Heh, you would be hard pressed to convince yourself this room was just moments ago discussing the very fate of the world.'

He looked over to the sleeping noble. 'It's even sadder when the old Dracon can stay awake longer than some stinking rich grubber,' but he simply rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders.

'Speaking of which, I think I need to take a break, long speeches do make me weary.' He rubbed his eyes and yawned slightly, more an excuse to get some rest than anything else. He loved being old, sometimes.

Noname · **Reply #6695 on:** November 16, 2009, 09:00:13 PM

The generals were in attendance as well. They had never left the room to begin with. One of them, the quartermaster, approached Adykon. He waved his arms, casting a cone of silence spell around them, to deaden all sound. This was a private conversation indeed.

"Whatever you need will be granted to you. We have all sorts of armor, weapons, provisions, potions, and other items you might require."

Pausing for a moment, the quartermaster looked around the hall, where he saw Rhiga and Eternion...

"We can give that female some potions to help her lay the egg with less pain and difficultly, and if he wants, that elder there can be give some... hmm... I would not tell you about this if you weren't given the highest clearance..."

Nick22 · **Reply #6696 on:** November 17, 2009, 12:41:58 AM

Thank you" Marcus said, grateful for any aid that they were able to obtain to make Rhiga's egg-laying easier. ilsa for her part was glad that the hall was emptying.. she needed to get herself ready for the challenge ahead..

Noname · **Reply #6697 on:** November 17, 2009, 01:48:47 AM

Outside the palace, it was as if a town had been let out... a very rich town of nobles. The audience quickly dispersed, mostly by traveling with an armed entourage or in a litter. They had been given the information, now they would act on it. Some would flee, others would stay. Most of them headed home, but some of them went to Minbenthac's bank to withdraw their money from it. It would do them no good sitting around in the vaults of a city that was going to be destroyed...

Although that was not quite how a bank worked. Instead of being a huge treasure chest, a bank was a place where money was stored and lent out to... for a price. Interest was charged on loans, which in turn made the bank more money than it had lent out. In the Dracon cities, banking was only available to the upper-middle and upper classes, and was almost exclusively used for providing projects the capital they needed to get started, and almost only a project that was expected to make more than enough money to pay off the loan, including the interest.

During times of war or when a large construction project was to be done, existing taxation was frequently insufficient to meet the financial demands, so a combination of new taxes and borrowing from the bank was used instead. Frequently, the latter was employed as a way to avoid raising taxes, as a too-high tax rate could damage the economy and make people very upset in the process.

In Minbenthac, the bank was not owned by the king; it was run by a group of noble shareholders and the king himself. His stake in the bank was 33.3%, or 1/3 and by law, he had the final word on all decisions made, such as the interest rates set, or the authorization of major loans. The next largest shareholder in the bank of Minbenthac was Minna's father, Tallon, he owned 20%, or 1/5 of it. All of the shareholders in the bank were entitled to a share of the profits, with the profits not going to the shareholders to be reinvested into the bank itself or else placed in the bank's own reserves.

Every major crisis made some nobles pull their money out of the bank. Since there was no deposit insurance, this could be quite damaging. Only a small percentage of the bank's assets were on hand at any one given time; the rest were all trapped up in loans and other less liquid investments. Tallon had floated the idea of deposit insurance, but it failed to take root. If there was fear that the city would be destroyed, the loans made by the would almost certainly be non-performing, and any collateral promised would be lost. This would lead to the bank becoming insolvent, and all of the depositors would lose their money, since there was no deposit insurance. To one who had money in the bank and honestly believed that the city would be destroyed, taking one's money out was the logical thing to do.

To prevent a run on the bank, the king had a few options. He could, by law, invoke emergency power over the bank and restrict the number of withdrawals per day, or the total amount that could be taken out overall. More drastically, he could order the bank to go on a "holiday" until the crisis had abated. For now, he would limit the amount of money that could be taken out... and would have a list compiled of all the nobles who tried to take their money out. He would keep an eye on them...

The Great Valley Guardian · **Reply #6698 on:** November 17, 2009, 04:09:49 AM

Annette looked around with an amused sigh.
"Leave it to the rich to run when their support could mean the most to us." She then stepped towards Marcus as she spoke up again. "I can also lend a spell or two to help with the egg laying. It is something I specialized in during my travels."
She then gave a short wave to Akio.

Noname · **Reply #6699 on:** November 17, 2009, 04:28:55 AM

Rhiga approached Annette.

"Thank you for that. I suppose I am more of a hindrance than a help. Look at me; I'm already showing signs, and my back is already starting to hurt from carrying this egg. I'm afraid I won't be of much use to you for now... not for a long time, probably."

The visual contrast between Rhiga and Adykon could not have been greater. The former was soft, weak, and had nothing on but her loincloth; her mammaries were clearly visible and swollen even larger than they normally were, and the agility so vital for her survival in combat was severely reduced. Were her features slightly more exaggerated in the shape of pregnancy, Rhiga could have been mistaken for a statue of a fertility goddess.

Adykon, by contrast, was heavily armored, strong, and fit. His path was decidedly away from the warmth of house and home, while it was Rhiga's path, at least for the time being. Adykon was now one of the greater movers and shakers in this realm, while Rhiga was ever more dependent on outside events and forces acting on her, not the least of which was Marcus's seed acting on her egg. For the mercenary's part, his life had led him to not only be independent, but his actions would shape the lives of others in ways he could only begin to imagine. He was more than independent, others were dependent on him, and not just Kos, whose immediate future lay in the hands of some caretakers in Minna's palace. His entire species would be forever changed by his actions, hopefully for the better.

Both adventurers had started out on a more even keel. It seemed so long ago that Adykon and Rhiga marched into that meeting with Arcantas to be assigned a quest to find some artifact in a lost city. Both of them were armed combatants, both of them could hold their own in battle, both were tough. Now Rhiga had grown soft and emotional, and not just because of the hormonal changes in her pregnancy. She had found a husband in Marcus... whereas Adykon had lost the love of his life in Vaeri when Dememoras slew her.

Rhiga's role in this adventure was by no means over, but for now, she had to turn her attention towards matters of an internal nature, specifically, she had yet to marry Marcus... and she had yet to squeeze an egg the size of a watermelon out between her legs through a hole the size of a lemon. This would be her fourth time doing that... her loins were up to the task, but it was a good thing she had enough on to cover THAT part of her.

She would miss the harrowing adventure and the independence... but then, she realized that Marcus was not some abusive male, nor someone who would smother her freedom. Her living with him could finally give her security in life and a chance to actually raise a child, and finally stop being on the run. She was tired of running... so very tired...

For Adykon, there would be no rest anytime soon, save that of the grave in the event he perish in the challenges to come. If he failed, many would join him...