> …so it was another assassination attempt?
It could be, or it could be someone didn't know about the fungus and did want us to see the absent urn.

>>658550
Now is not the time for talking about elaborate conspiracy theories (even the bits that are fairly well evidenced). We are trying to get him to take us seriously.

>>658548
I bet that Sakkilian who was sitting next to you overheard the thing about your brother and drugged the guard.

Then don't say anything. Tear up, hug your father tight and sob a little until you regain enough composure to speak. Tell him you're sorry for all you've put him through. For every harebrained dangerous thing you've ever done that's made him fret for your safety. For all your catastrophic attempts at cooking. And, first and foremost, for going into that crypt and coming a hair's breadth from dying and dooming Risavia. You'll do better from now on. You have to do better. For him. For Keras and Kira. For Briannah. And for Risavia.

Suggest that you two take a seat and talk, father to son. You two can air your worries and then the both of you can figure out what to do next. ...Just stop him if he goes for a drink. Say you've seen him take to the bottle more and more these last three years and it worries you. Not only because you're his son, but because he's the king. With the fate of Risavia so precarious, its king needs to be clear headed. Can he promise you he'll keep his drinking down if you promise to work on getting your impulsiveness and temper in check?

>No, not exactly… but… it’s of no concern of yours, son. Let the army deal with this.
Look your father in the eye and tell him that keeping secrets is what led to you nearly dying down in that crypt. You want to know what it is. However, if it truly is a matter of national security who's secret is vital to be kept and need-to-know only, then you'll drop it.

>I should have told you this a long time ago… in fact, I should have told your oldest brother too…
And ask that he promise you that he'll tell Keras this as soon as he can. And you'll ask Keras later if he did so he can't get out of it. You'll even be here when he tells Keras for support, if he wants you to.

Lets put our heads together and try and figure out who could have tried to assassinate you with the toxic fungus in the crypt. It'd have to be somebody who knew you would be going there. So maybe somebody who overheard you and Briannah at the dinner, or maybe somebody Briannah mentioned it to in the short period after dinner before you went to the crypt. But it's unlikely anybody heard you two over the din at dinner, and there wouldn't have been enough time if Briannah mentioned it. So... Somebody that knew how Briannah would act, and knew that she'd tell you Krotos' remains were not in the crypt. And knew you'd impulsively go check it immediately. And had time to prepare. And had access to sleeping poison and the guard's rations. ...That's a lot of unknowns, dammit.

Ask who knows that Krotos' remains aren't in the crypt. It may narrow down who is part of this possible assassination plot or to who let it slip to somebody who'd want you dead.

Speculate that the toxic fungus itself was put in place by the would-be assassins weeks ago. It'd indicate a deep level of planning, but if the fungus could be transplanted down there then it's possible.

Say you think you've figured out why Krotos and Brianthor's treason was kept secret. It was so he and the Empress would not appear weak in the crucial immediate post-war period. So that they could take the slim window of opportunity to forge a desperately needed peace before it all flew apart into war again.

Ask if the pistol he gave you was actually Krotos' or if he had one made that looked like his to give to you to comfort you in your grief. You won't be mad if it's the latter, and if it's the former... You think you want a new pistol. One not tarnished by what Krotos did to Briannah with it. And you'll have his pistol put into storage, far away from you.

Ask where Sisah, your new bodyguard, is. You figure your father has her waiting right outside to assume her duty as soon as you step out. And ask if you are correct in thinking that she's the same Serpens mercenary that saved you from the same fate as mother.

So Krotos really was as rotten as Briannah said he was... But you still can't quite bring yourself to feel about him that way, even after what your father told you of him. So many of your own memories of him were good ones. Happy ones. You loved your brother, and it sounds like he truly loved you. It'll be awhile before you fully feel in your heart what you now know in your mind.

Ask your father how much of a manipulator Krotos was. Before he set his sights on the throne, who else did he twist around his finger, and to what ends? And did he have a core of folks he groomed to be his devout followers? Ones that may still be out there, trying to enact revenge for his death?

Considering how Krotos actually was, in a way it could be considered a blessing that Illasia maneuvered to have him killed before he fulfilled his fate as the Phoenix. A power hungry manipulator getting his claws into the Dragon does not sound like it would end well.

>Another was Briannah herself… he had… leaked information about the whereabouts of your sister and older brother and how to get to them… that would easily be used by the Sakkilians to end them… but… she never told anyone of it… that’s also why he died.
...This sounds like it's pointing towards Briannah being the Dragon, but it doesn't line up with the rest of the prophecy if she is. Maybe the Dragon did something that caused her to do what she did. You'll have to remember to ask her why she didn't pass on the info Krotos told her and if anybody influenced her in that decision.

>>658623
Oh, and also ask when the guard ate the poisoned ration. So if his food was poisoned before Briannah even told you what would lead you to the crypt then you can rule out somebody overhearing your conversation and acting on it. Also, how do we know it was in his ration if he ate said ration?

fuckin hug him!

>I… I don’t know what to say…
Hugs! And thank-yous! That he trusts you with these... It means a lot.

>Also, how do we know it was in his ration if he ate said ration?
I'm sure they have the means to induce vomiting and inspect what they ate. There could also have been leftover scraps, those two together would prove they ate the poison and where the poison came from.
>...This sounds like it's pointing towards Briannah being the Dragon, but it doesn't line up with the rest of the prophecy if she is.
If the dragon is free from fate, then it wouldn't be locked up. Perhaps it found its own wife, or disguised itself and became a woman to find its own spouse--now a Highborn Male instead of a Highborn Female. Briannah did, after all, seek the marriage out herself. Would a dragon have that power? It was suggested his power was almost as great as the Gods'.
It is alternatively possible that in addition to causing Kronos to be the new Phoenix, it affected Briannah's life so that she would be his bride and allow him to be the Phoenix rather than marrying the daughter of a Baron from the set of ten noble Varkians. She would have been off in the march herself if she had told everybody, but instead was convinced to keep quiet, saving the Emperess and stopping the treason.

>>658878
And also ask why he didn't pass them on to Kira or Keras. Was he holding onto them all this time with the intention of giving them to you?

Kaktus 2015/07/28(Tue)12:47 No. 658891 ID: 65a774
File 143811282264.png - (7.39KB , 684x524 , 89.png )

>You can start with realizing it matches quite well with Briannah's proposal to you.
Both of them are heirlooms after all… she’ll probably like it.
>When was the last time you and your father actually had a normal conversation as father and son, not king to prince?
…it’s been some time, that’s for sure. He’s been rather distant the last few years…

>Then don't say anything. Tear up, hug your father tight and sob a little until you regain enough composure to speak.
I… I’m… I-I’m sorry, Poppa… I didn’t... I didn’t mean to… terrify you…
It’s… i-it’s alright son… y-you’re safe… t-that’s what matters…
I’m sorry for… f-for everything… for all the stupid things I’ve done… for every time I’ve made you fret for my safety… for every time I’ve… f-for everything I’ve put you trough.
I… I… it’s a-a-alright… son… it’s alright…
>You have to do better. For him. For Keras and Kira. For Briannah. And for Risavia.
… …t-thank you…

>Look your father in the eye and tell him that keeping secrets is what led to you nearly dying down in that crypt.
…y-yes, you’re right… but… …*sigh* alright, I’ll tell you. The last three years, there have been… a lot of very well armed bandit raids coming from the south.
Bandits? That’s it?
If there were only robbing and pillaging, sure, but these groups doesn’t stop there. Several of our southern towns has already been completely wiped out, these bandits hunted down every man, woman and child before slaughtering them all and put their corpses on a macabre display. Then they simply burn and destroy everything they can, leaving just a scorched husk were once there was a place filled with people.
…that doesn’t sound like bandits at all!
Indeed, they are quite clearly sent by the Dynasty to the south, but we simply do not have the recourses to go on a full scale war with them. On our own, we barely have troops enough to protect the capital, which is why our alliance with the Sakkilians is so important. Hmm… if you want to know more about the details, talk to Briannah about it. She’s more involved with this then I am.
>And ask that he promise you that he'll tell Keras about his brother as soon as he can.
Of course, it’s high time I spoke with him sincerely.
>Don't forget to mention Briannah's request to retrieve something, just to ask your father what his thoughts on that is.
Ah, yes, don’t worry about that. I have already sent in a request about it. Just in a few months they’ll start looking for that… um… “item” she’s searching for.

>Tell him that briannah let it slip that he wasn't down in the crypt where he was supposed to be. The timing is a little to... convenient.
Hmm… I don’t believe Briannah herself would have a lot to gain by removing you… but maybe someone overheard you? Or someone got Briannah thinking about it beforehand?
>Let’s put our heads together and try and figure out who could have tried to assassinate you with the toxic fungus in the crypt.
There are still many “nationalist” on both side that would like to see you removed… not to mention both the Hiver Dynasty to the south and the Lorentia kingdom to the east. But this whole thing feels a bit too convoluted to really be an assassin plot.
>Speculate that the toxic fungus itself was put in place by the would-be assassins weeks ago.
That seems highly unlikely, as it isn’t the first time we’ve had this kind of fungal outbreak. Of course, last time was when I was a child, but still…
>Ask when the guard ate the poisoned ration.
He ate it while on guard. We found a half-eaten guard dinner discarded nearby which was laced with the sleeping poison. Considering it only take about an hour for the effects of the poison to start appearing, it’s not that hard to believe he ate it, discarded it and went back to guarding without knowing anything was wrong.
>Ask who knows that Krotos' remains aren't in the crypt.
Only the higher ups of both our Kingdom and the Empire, as well as the priests stationed near the palace.
>Ask if the pistol he gave you was actually Krotos' or if he had one made that looked like his to give to you to comfort you in your grief.
It’s… a bit complicated. It’s technically Krotos, but he never used it. He had an extra done, in case of the first one ever broke down… and… he mentioned he liked you to have it if he never returned from the war.
>Ask your father how much of a manipulator Krotos was.
He’s always been a sweet talker, but I don’t know how much an manipulator he actually was. I don’t think anyone knew how far he should have gone.

>Say you think you've figured out why Krotos and Brianthor's treason was kept secret. It was so he and the Empress would not appear weak in the crucial immediate post-war period.
That’s part of it, yes. We agreed that it would be better if the populace didn’t know about this treachery.
>why, out of everyone in your family, did he want you unharmed?
You two was always inseparable when you were young, weren’t you? That and you were the only one that didn’t stand between him and the throne…


>I'd say some heart-to-heart with your father would be best.
A heart to heart?
When were the last time we spoke as father and son, not as king and prince?
Hmm… I guess I do have some time to spare… let me get you a glass, and we’ll share this nice bottle of whisky I just retrieved from the wine cellar.
>Just stop him if he goes for a drink. Say you've seen him take to the bottle more and more these last three years and it worries you.
Really? You think so? I don’t know… but if you say so… I guess one small glass will suffocate?
One glass will be enough, yes.
Now… when we’ve have some time… Tell me a bit about you and Briannah? You said you were warming up a bit to her?
Well…

Kaktus 2015/07/28(Tue)12:47 No. 658892 ID: 65a774
File 143811283533.png - (39.87KB , 684x524 , 90.png )

~1 hour later…

-which was just a ploy for her to sneak into the bath with me.
Heh, clever girl… now, about that painting-
No, you’ll never get the “honor” of seeing it… in fact, I would appreciate it if you got someone to “misplace” it in a storage somewhere far away.
Was it really that bad?
Yes.

>Ask where Sisah, your new bodyguard, is.
Huh? Oh, she should be right outside by now, waiting for you. I guess I should call her in.
>Ask if you are correct in thinking that she's the same Serpens mercenary that saved you from the same fate as mother.
Indeed, she was the mercenary who saved you back then… though she was still a bit young to be called a mercenary back then. In fact, I think that was the start of her career as a high priced mercenary… but never mind that. Let’s go met her right away.

Here we are. Son, this is Sisah, your new bodyguard. Sisah, this is Prince Kronos.
Ah, so you’re the I’m hired to protect. It’s a pleasure to meet you, “sir”.

Nice to meet you.

Ask about her stance on religion (read:politics). You do NOT want your loyal bodyguards to be easily swayed by fanatic visions from a wrathful goddess.

Start chatting about when you first met and why you can't remember.

>>658892
Ask her if she was the one that saved you when your mother was killed.

I'm told I have you to thank for my safety back all those years ago when the caravan I was traveling in was attacked. I'm not sure if I said it back then so I'll say it now. Thank you.

Kaktus 2015/07/28(Tue)15:58 No. 658948 ID: 65a774
File 143812433547.png - (24.90KB , 684x524 , 91.png )

>Nice to meet you.
Indeed.
>Ask her if she was the one that saved you when your mother was killed.
In a sense.
…in a sense?
Yes.
…what does that even mean?
I saved you, in a sense.
…right…
>I'm not sure if I said it back then so I'll say it now. Thank you.
Just doing my job.

>Ask about her stance on religion.
You’re not from the Risavia kingdom, correct?
Correct.
So you don’t worship in the five gods?
Correct.
:KornosSB: …so, what do you believe in?
In mortals.
No, I mean, which god do you worship?
None.
…ah, so you’re an atheist? I should have figured, most of you Serpens seems to be that.
It seems so, yes.

…so… um…
A human came by a few minutes ago, left a note for you.
Cain?
That was his name.
Ah, he’s my manservant. Give me that note please.

It seems that Cain has gone with Briannah to the Regicide meeting which… um… began five minutes ago. It seems you forgot the time chatting with your father. It also says that he’s brought the books you asked for back to your room, as well as the sword you had reforged… which must be Briannahs sword. The note also says that the tools you requested from him, the tools to open the locked book, has also been delivered to your room. There seems like you have a lot of things to get done…

…something else also got you thinking… This Sisah… she doesn’t seem to be older than 30 at most… for some reason it seems rather unlikely she would have saved you at an age of 10…

>>658948
Ask for her story of what happened.

Also, show up to the Regicide meeting, even though you'll be late.

Bring some coins and trinkets for game pieces.

She says "She saved you in a sense" Maybe the same sort of sense that you saved your father because you stayed in due to the rain one day. Might be prudent to ask more about it if nothing more for curiosity.

Ask her about her qualifications, what can she do, what she enjoys, since your going to need to get to know her anyways as she'll be close by.

Is Sisah a name or a title? Maybe she's just carrying someone's legacy?

Anyways how long does meeting last? I'm tempted to head back to your room, have Sisah stand guard and let you know when you have visitors, unlock the book, and maybe try and set things up for when Briannah returns.

Unless you think that'd take to long, then just head to the meeting and see how it's going.

Invite Sisah to participate in the Regicide meeting if she wants. I mean she'll be around doing... body-guard things anyways, right?

We'll want to check on the sword first though, make sure it's reforged properly. Then we can head to the club meeting.

You sure she doesn't look older than thirty? Have you seen enough older Serpens women to be reasonably certain of that? And it might be that she's one of those lucky people that age gracefully and look younger than they really are.

Assuming she isn't old enough, you have to consider that she might be an impostor... Except that with how important your life is to Risavia's future now and that you're his son, your father will have had her vetted and investigated in every conceivable way before she even stepped (slithered?) onto the palace grounds. The chances she's an impostor are next to nil. Still, try to stay behind her as you walk and make sure you have a clear reach to quick draw your pistol.

Think back to that horrible day twenty years ago. What can you remember of the Serpens mercenary? Can you remember if it had barb on its tail tip like a male or ovale Serpens? 'Cause if it did then Sisah couldn't have been that mercenary. That would mean she was probably a child traveling in one of the other carriages or carts. Were there any other Serpens along on the trip? Maybe a Serpens family. Or she might be the child of the Serpens mercenary you did see.

As for how Sisah could have saved you "in a sense," perhaps she casted some kind of wide area magic to protect herself that inadvertently saved you as well. Serpens are known for being excellent at magic... But could she have learned anything like that by that age? Seems unlikely. Maybe... What do you remember reading about Serpens telepathic or psychic abilities? There was something about them being able to telepathically "scream" to stun or knock out those nearby. Maybe she did that.

While en route just straight up ask Sisah what her age is. May as well be direct about it and not beat about the bush. Then ask her to recount from her perspective what happened the day your mother was killed. And none of that "in a sense" means itself malarkey. And then ask what she's been doing since then and what events brought her back here and into the employ of your father.

Ask what her skills and abilities are. And also ask what her eyepiece and her gauntlets are capable of; They're obviously magical in some way. And you notice that she appears to be unarmored, which strikes you as odd. You'd think she'd be wearing at least some armor. She doesn't have some kind of arcane shielding or anything like that, does she? And not only does she appear unarmored, but she looks to be unarmed too. Ask what weapon she wields.

There's something about the book the Garden gave you that strikes you as odd. It was exposed to enough moisture long enough to rust its lock mechanism solid, yet the book itself hasn't rotted away from the moisture like you'd expect. That says the book is imbued with magic in some way to protect it. But it also means that it could cast something when opened. Just be careful and open it from a distance when you do open it. Maybe put it in your bathroom's bathtub, tie a long string to the front cover, anchor down the back cover, then run the string under the bathroom door, close it, then go to the far side of your bedroom and pull the string.

While you know Briannah won't be there, hurry back to your room. Sisah will most likely insist on checking your quarters before you enter, so let her and then order her to stand guard outside. Check that Briannah's proposal sword was adequately reforged and that the hilt and guard weren't damaged, then hide it, preferably in your chest if it'll fit. You planned to present your proposal bracelet to her when you returned the sword, and the bracelet isn't ready so you don't want her seeing the sword before then. Check what books Cain was able to get from what you asked for. You don't have time to mess about with the Garden's book right now, so stash the tools in your chest so Briannah won't possibly see them and ask questions. Then rush to the Regicide club meeting. You can fib when Briannah asks where you were and say you were talking with your pa and time got away from you, not mentioning you went back to your room first. Oh, and remember to ask Whispers of Growth at the meeting just how many warning signs were on the crypt entrance, both yesterday and today.

>There seems like you have a lot of things to get done…
Don't forget to add "send proposal bracelet to jeweler to let out the chain" to the list. You'll ask Cain to arrange that next you see him. Now you just need a measurement of Briannah's wrist size. ...Dang that bracelet is going to look tiny next to her huge hand, isn't it?

>Ah, so you’re the I’m hired to protect. It’s a pleasure to meet you, “sir”.
You're the what? Did she drop a word there or misuse one? You know you couldn't have misheard her 'cause she's speaking telepathically. And that "sir" had some strange emphasis on it as well. It sounded kinda disrespectful, did it? Why would she be even a little disrespectful to you? And she's being very terse in the tone and content of her replies too. Have you done something to piss her off? How could you when you've only just met her? ...Well, excluding that terrible day twenty years ago.

>A human came by a few minutes ago, left a note for you.
Wait... How did Cain know that Sisha is your bodyguard? 'Cause he wouldn't have given her the note unless he knew she's your bodyguard. Was he told earlier today?

>No, you’ll never get the “honor” of seeing it… in fact, I would appreciate it if you got someone to “misplace” it in a storage somewhere far away.
You may want to rethink that. Briannah is smart enough to figure that if it's been "misplaced" that you had a hand in it going missing, no matter how much you say otherwise. And then she'll prod you into sitting in the same pose and state of undress for her to paint a replacement. Better just lock it up in the studio. Preferably in a cabinet with two locks that each of you get the key to only one of. And look on the bright side: At least you'll have a record for posterity of just how good your butt looks.

Dangit, I mistyped "Sisha" as "Sisah" and Kaktus then used that as her name. And it's in the icon name so it's locked in. Thankfully her name was mentioned only once before, so it's no biggie. And I think this is the second time my typo led to a character getting the wrong name in one of Kaktus' quests.

Kaktus 2015/07/29(Wed)08:52 No. 659150 ID: 65a774
File 143818512883.png - (52.38KB , 684x524 , 92.png )

>Ask for her story of what happened.
There was a nice price on Sakkilian raider heads at the time, so I was on my way north when I saw a caravan being attacked. I killed a few Sakkilians before finding what looked like a rich nobles body with a child crying next to it. Thought he was probably worth a lot if I saved him and I was right. Just by chance that happened to be the prince of the kingdom, that is to say you.
…that’s it?
Yes.
>Just straight up ask Sisah what her age is.
That’s just rude, asking something like that.
So… you’re not going to tell me?
No.
>And then ask what she's been doing since then and what events brought her back here and into the employ of your father.
I’ve been doing jobs, mostly in my home country. Then I came back here for some new opportunities now that the war is over and the kingdom has more coin to pay. Of course, been here two years before the king offered a lot of gold for an easy job, that is to say, protect you.

>Ask her about her qualifications.
I’m a technomancer… or in your tongue, a battle mage focusing on tools. I’ve mastered the arcane arts and I’m willing to use them.
>also ask what her eyepiece and her gauntlets are capable of; They're obviously magical in some way.
Indeed, they are enchanted. My gauntlets are my weapons and the eye piece enchants my sight and reflexes, among other things.
>And you notice that she appears to be unarmored, which strikes you as odd.
See this thing on my chest? That’s my shield. It will protect me.

>Ask what she enjoys doing.
Killing things.
… … …right…
>She's being very terse in the tone and content of her replies too. Have you done something to piss her off?
It’s more of a culture clash. Some things normal for you would be alien and weird for me, and vice versa. Just be happy that I’m not completely ignorant about the taboos of your culture, as otherwise it would be rather awkward.
>Invite Sisah to participate in the Regicide meeting if she wants. I mean she'll be around doing... body-guard things anyways, right?
I’m not really a Regicide player, sorry… I rather play cards.

>Anyways how long does meeting last?
It usually last an hour or two, depending how long the games draws out.
>You sure she doesn't look older than thirty? Have you seen enough older Serpens women to be reasonably certain of that?
…you have to admit, you might be wrong about her age.
>Think back to that horrible day twenty years ago. What can you remember of the Serpens mercenary?
You can barely remember anything after your mother… err…
>Can you remember if it had barb on its tail tip.
You’re pretty sure only their close combat soldiers arm themselves with those weapons… she said she was a mage, so she probably never equipped one.
>We'll want to check on the sword first though, make sure it's reforged properly.
Before heading to the meeting, you decided to make a quick stop in your room. It seems to sword is whole again, but as you’ve very little knowledge about swords, you have no idea if it’s well-made or not.
>You have to hide the sword before she sees it 'cause you were planning on offering her the proposal bracelet when you returned the sword and the bracelet isn't ready yet.
The bracelet is ready. It’s tradition that the bracelets should be fitted at the same time, so they don’t need to be able to fit when you first give them to each other. But you better put the sword away anyway so she doesn’t see it before you propose.
>You also need to hide the tools in your chest so she doesn't ask questions about them.
You also make sure all the tools are safely hidden away in your chest.
>Bring some coins and trinkets for game pieces.
Why? You’re pretty sure they already have enough pieces as it is. It’s not like you only have one game board to play with.
>There's something about the book the Garden gave you that strikes you as off. It was exposed to enough moisture long enough to rust its lock mechanism solid, yet the book itself hasn't rotted away from the moisture like you'd expect.
That is odd… does it mean it’s magical? That it contains some dangerous spell? You better be careful when you open it.
>Check what books Cain was able to get from what you asked for.
…there seems to be a few books about Sakkilian mythology and legends, but that’s it.


>show up to the Regicide meeting, even though you'll be late.
Sorry I’m late, guys…
We’re sorry, sir, but we’ve already begun without you.
Indeed, and what with our new guest member, there’s no other players available for you at the moment.
Wait, there isn’t? I know a lot of people aren’t in the palace at the moment, but we shouldn’t it be even with Briannah? Where’s the librarian?
This one was told by the book master would be busy sorting books today and that the book master shouldn’t attend.
Sorry, ‘usband, but it seems yah’ll be without a partner today. Oh, and who is that cute gal yah ‘ave with yah?
Oh, that’s Sisah, my new bodyguard.
A Serpens bodyguard? Heh, interesting…
>ask Whispers of Growth at the meeting just how many warning signs were on the crypt entrance, both yesterday and today.
This one believes there were two signs at the decent to the ashes… as well as two sings at the main path through the garden. Today, the king said to this one to double the signs until this one is finished down there.

>>659150
Watch and learn? Particularly Cain and Briannah's game, since she's looking annoyed. He must be doing something clever.

>you’ve very little knowledge about swords, you have no idea if it’s well-made or not.
That intelligence stat is serving you well.

Well then, make up tournament brackets while you teach Sisah the ropes. If she refuses, try cards instead.

>Well then, make up tournament brackets while you teach Sisah the ropes. If she refuses, try cards instead.
We should probably try and figure out about Serpens customs, too, while we're at it. Gotta avoid pissing off two additional cultures, now; Sakkilian and Serpens. Especially since she's making an effort to not to anything taboo for Varkian culture.

Briannah doesn't have that smug smirk she's usually sporting. Is So either she's focused or Cain might be kicking her ass.

...know any card games? if we don't have anything to play might as well play a hand or two with Sisha.

Dangit, you're the odd man out here. And you can't even talk to Briannah right now about what she did at the end of the war or about what your father thought you did at the crypt 'cause it's all supposed to be hush-hush. She's not going to want to talk anyway, since she's concentrating on the game. You'd just annoy her if you tried to keep a conversation going.

Pull up a seat to Briannah and Cain's game and watch. Tell Briannah that Sisah is the person who rescued you twenty years ago. Also tell her that you had a good long talk with your father and you'll talk with her about what you talked about later, in private. But what you can say now is you worked things out about your boneheaded actions last night, he won't have somebody minding you 24/7 to keep you safe from yourself, and things are actually better between you two than they've been in years. It was an hour well spent.

Tim is one of the court mages, isn't he... It? What pronoun does it use? Male, 'cause it uses a male name? Anyway, ask Tim how they go about checking gifts for the higher ups here for possible hidden magical traps, and to make sure any magical gifts do what they're supposed to do and don't have hidden magics under the obvious magics. Maybe Sisah can offer her input here as well.

Also ask who and what is needed to go about identifying whether an object is mundane or magical, and if it's magical what kind of magic is on it and if it's dangerous. You think the kingdom has a few special teams of mages that go out to ID any ancient Old Empire artifacts that are found or dug up for whether it's just junk or if it's something with touchy, unstable magic in it that has to be disposed of safely.

Unfortunately, you're likely going to need someone with magical ability and knowledge to identify whether the Garden's mysterious book is trapped with magic or not or otherwise dangerous if you opened it. And since even the cover itself would be considered forbidden knowledge, you can't trust any of the palace mages to keep their yaps shut about it. ...But maybe you could get Sisah's help since she's mastered the arcane arts, and she doesn't have the taboos against forbidden magics like a Risavian mage would have. You'll have to find out if she'll report it to your father, though.

Even watching Briannah's game for her strategies this is going to get boring soon without actually playing. See if you can come up with an excuse to leave in a bit so you either pop the lock on that book or head to the library to find out more about detecting dangerous magics on items.

>This one believes there were two signs at the decent to the ashes… as well as two sings at the main path through the garden.
Ah, this may explain why you only saw one of them. You didn't take the main path, instead sneaking around, so you missed those two signs. You didn't have your lantern on, so as to not draw attention, so in the dim light you possibly didn't see one of the two signs down there. You'll have to check the crypt entrance and have what two signs where there originally pointed out to be sure, but this theory sounds plausible. And if true it means nobody took the signs down before you arrived and put them back up after. Still doesn't explain the poisoned guard and broken lock, though.

Hm... Perhaps there was another person who was planning to investigate the crypts, either to confirm your brother's ashes weren't down there or for other reasons, and you just happened to come along in the middle of their plan. They drugged the guard and dragged him off and were about to go break the lock when you came along and picked it open. Then they waited for you to come out so they'd be free to look for whatever, but you didn't and then some guards came along, saw the guard stationed on the crypt was missing, investigated and found the gate unlocked, wend down, hauled you out and locked the gate behind them. And then whoever it was broke the lock after the poisoned guard was hauled off and went down to do their investigating. You'll have to remember to ask if the guards locked the gate after carrying you out and if there were guards around the crypt entrance the entire time after they hauled you away, since this theory hinges on those two points.

>>659156
>That intelligence stat is serving you well.
It means that Kronos can think fast and read and learn things quicker, not that he has some kind of broad knowledge of all things.

>Well then, make up tournament brackets while you teach Sisah the ropes. If she refuses, try cards instead.
Sisah already said she doesn't care for Regicide too. She's also on duty, so she'd almost certainly turn down playing cards since that would distract her from her duty.

Kaktus 2015/07/29(Wed)14:49 No. 659183 ID: 65a774
File 143820655034.png - (37.10KB , 684x524 , 93.png )

>Dangit, you're the odd man out here. And you can't even talk to Briannah right now as you'd just annoy her if you tried to keep a conversation going.
Seems like you simply have to sit this one out.
>We should probably try and figure out about Serpens customs, too, while we're at it.
Great, even more reading!
>Well then, make up tournament brackets while you teach Sisah the ropes.
These meetings usually only have time for a game or two. Chances are, that tournament wouldn’t even have time to properly start.
>Tim is one of the court mages, isn't he... It? What pronoun does it use?
His name is Tears in Twilight, but some call him Tim… and yes, he’s a court mage and generally refers to himself as male.
>See if you can come up with an excuse to leave in a bit.
Considering it’s your turn to be left out, there’s no real need for an excuse. It’s not the first time you’re an uneven group.
>Watch and learn? Particularly Cain and Briannah's game, since she's looking annoyed. He must be doing something clever.
It seems like Cain has gotten her into a Morton fork… he’s good at doing those. Cain is a real good player, as he seems to be able to predict how most people will play before the game even starts.

>Tell Briannah that Sisah is the person who rescued you twenty years ago.
Really? Then yah ‘ave my thanks for saving my ‘usband, eh? Though… yah seem a bit young, don’t yah?
Aged gracefully.
Of course yah did…
>Also tell her that you had a good long talk with your father and you'll talk with her about what you talked about later, in private.
-so, don’t let me disturb the game any longer.
Yeah, we can talk later. Now, excuse me, as I got a ‘uman bum to kick.

>...know any card games? If we don't have anything to play might as well play a hand or two with Sisha.
I rather not.
Why not?
Because I’m not in the mood… also, because all the games I like would not be appropriate in the current company.
>She's also on duty, so she'd almost certainly turn down playing cards since that would distract her from her duty.
I can focus on a card game and my surrounding at the same time… in fact, I can technically focus on four things at once if I really put my mind to it.

>Ask Tim how they go about checking gifts for the higher ups here for possible hidden magical traps.
Huh? Why, you send it over to one of the court mages and we’ll sense for any foreign magic. Why do you ask? Did you get a strange item in the mail today?
Just curios.
>Maybe Sisah can offer her input here as well.
Going by that Arcane eye of hers, I’m going to guess that yes, she can detect magic.
Indeed. This eye does let me see and analyze arcane residue with a lot more accuracy then normal mages of my power.
Neat… so why don’t all mages walk around with those eye things?
Because gauging your own eye out and then showing a piece of enchanted metal into your brain isn’t something most people want to do. I mean, I only got one eye! She at least has the excuse of having eight of them!
>Also ask who and what is needed to go about identifying whether an object is mundane or magical, and if it's magical what kind of magic is on it and if it's dangerous.
You need to know how to see magic, which means you need to be trained in magic. Then it’s just about knowing what you’re looking for. Now, if you have something you think is magical, just let me have a look at it and I’ll tell you what it does.
I might also be of help, though I’m not well versed in magical theory as I mostly just blow stuff up, but I do know if something is dangerous or not… and aren’t you supposed to play Regicide?
I can talk and play at the same time.
And lose…
Shush…

Ask about what daily life is like at the palace. When did Briannah find out she was the empress' daughter?

Ask Sisah about the latest technological advancements. Maybe you can purchase something via courier.

Grab some of those books on myths and read while you wait for a game to open up.

>>659184
>>659218
The meetings usually only have time for about one game. Better to just head off to do the reading of books.

>also, because all the games I like would not be appropriate in the current company.
Not app--don't tell me she plays strip poker. Please let it just be a misunderstanding.

Put your back to Cain and lean close to Briannah's ear. Whisper to her to start slowly grinning in a few seconds like you're telling her the secret way to counter Cain to mess with his head. Then whisper you'll see her at dinner and afterwards we'll head to the storehouse to retrieve whatever war trophy her father was made into; Yep, you figured out what she's looking for. Bid goodbye to the club and head to the library.

Once you're at the library, out of curiosity find S’bk’ta and ask him what mess of books kept him from attending the meeting today. Also thank him for picking the book on Sakkilian courting rituals to send to you; It was just what you needed. Then find a book on Serpens and their culture. You specifically want one that outlines their physical development, since for all you know they mature much earlier than other species and Sisah actually was that young back then. You also want one that describes their appearance as they age. Next you want a book on the rules governing the court mages. You want to know what they're required by law to report to the authorities when they see it so you know if you can show the Garden's book to Tim. Then head on back to your room with your newly borrowed books to relax and read for a bit. Make sure to set an alarm so you don't miss dinner if you get engrossed in them.

As well as you can remember, what's the origin story of the Vark species? You're going to read the one for the Sakkilians, but your own may give a clue to what came before.

Wouldn't it be just the kind of cosmic joke you're half expecting by now if the Sakkilian hide that hung on your bedroom wall for so many years turns out to have come from Briannah's father?

>His name is Tears in Twilight, but some call him Tim…
Better than some calling him "TiT," eh?

Go see what the head librarian is up to. Bring a book or two. Out of the non-magical ones.

Also, find out if your new bodyguard will follow an order to stay quiet about certain things she witnesses.

Those pieces are quit racist.

>Tears In Twilight
HAHAHAHAHAHA SO THAT'S WHY THEY CALL HIM TIM!

>>659235
She's a mercenary, all her games involve booze violence and nudity.

Anyway if watching bria and cain play will help you defeat bria in the future then sit and watch, if not go show you new bodyguard the magic book and maybe catch up on some reading. Actually how loyal do you think Sisah is? I mean she's probably more loyal to your father as he's the one paying her and she's not going to let her pay check (you) die, but to what extent will she follow our orders. Will she keep secrets for us or from us? Would she steal from us? I doubt she would take money to kill us or "look the other way" but does her contract state that we are to be kept happy, healthy and in one piece or just "alive".
And how loyal is the librarian.

How much do you trust Tim? Because if you think he can keep his trap shut tell him you have something you'd like him to look at before you start to tinker with it when he's free. Just ask him not to tell anyone about it because you're thinking of turning it into a gift but want to know what exactly it is before you do so. Not sure if Sisah is trustworthy yet but as long as we have her stand guard outside your room while you retrieve the book and again when you go to meet Tim shouldn't have to worry about it to much. If you want to show her the book you could just throw a cloth or something over it when you show her as I'm sure magical tomes aren't illegal just rare.

Oh and if any ask where you got it, say a family friend gave it to you because they couldn't open it and knew you liked to read. If you actually show them that is.

Kaktus 2015/07/30(Thu)09:20 No. 659333 ID: 65a774
File 143827320336.png - (66.12KB , 684x524 , 94.png )

>Not app--don't tell me she plays strip poker. Please let it just be a misunderstanding.
She's a mercenary; all her games probably involve booze, violence, nudity and / or some illegal activities.
>Wouldn't it be just the kind of cosmic joke you're half expecting by now if the Sakkilian hide that hung on your bedroom wall for so many years turns out to have come from Briannah's father?
…thinking about it, that hide was definitely made from a male Sakkilian… and it does fit the time frame… and you are quite certain that the gods hate you too, which means that the probability of it being her father is suddenly quite high.

>Better than some calling him "TiT," eh?
And that’s the reason why he insists being called Tim.
>How much do you trust Tim?
He’s a friend… He wouldn’t stab you in the back… probably.
>Actually how loyal do you think Sisah is?
You’ve heard she’s supposedly loyal to her country… and as our country and theirs are good friend, it seems to be in her best interest to be loyal to us too.
>And how loyal is the librarian?
He, too, is a friend and wouldn’t betray you just like that.
>Those pieces are quite racist.
Why? They depict Varkian soldiers and all kind of monsters, like hydras, direwolfs and liches.

>Put your back to Cain and lean close to Briannah's ear. Whisper to her to start slowly grinning in a few seconds like you're telling her the secret way to counter Cain to mess with his head.
Really?
Really, sir? Cheating with your wife? And here I thought you would have cheated with someone else…
>Then whisper you'll see her at dinner and afterwards we'll head to the storehouse to retrieve whatever war trophy her father was made into.
Ah, so yah figured it out, eh? I guess I’ll ‘ave some time for that, yes…
>When did Briannah find out she was the empress' daughter?
When I came to age and joined the army. Though, I’ve always suspected I was born from noble blood… just not that noble. Now, can you please let me play in peace, ‘ubby?

>Ask Sisah about the latest technological advancements.
Meh… how should I know? I think I heard someone inventing a machine that fries bread without fire but… meh…
>to what extent will she follow our orders?
My job is to keep your father happy… which means that I need to make sure you’re safe and happy. So I’ll follow whatever order you give that doesn’t put you or anyone else in danger… or doesn’t sound really boring.
>Find out if your new bodyguard will follow an order to stay quiet about certain things she witnesses.
See, as long as it’s nothing dangerous, I don’t care. For example, if you were to say cheat on your wife… or love other men… or cheat on your wife on another man I won’t really care… at all… err… wait, those two things are taboo, right? I think I read about those…
Kind of, yes?
It’s just… that whole marriage thing confuses me… but, yes, I have no reason to start blabbering about you unless you’re in danger.


>Bid goodbye to the club and head to the library.
I’ll see yah at dinner, Kronos.
This one bid farewell to the Prince.
See ya.
>Out of curiosity find S’bk’ta and ask him what mess of books kept him from attending the meeting today.
Hmm? What is it? I’m a bit busy.
What’s so important that you missed the meeting today?
Important? Not really… just time consuming. Got to sort all these new books that arrived recently.
>Also thank him for picking the book on Sakkilian courting rituals to send to you; It was just what you needed.
I do hope it comes in handy… especially the chapter about the actual “dancing”, hehe…
…eh, yeah… sure…

>Then find a book on Serpens and their culture. You specifically want one that outlines their physical development.
Let’s see… they don’t have families, they don’t have marriage, the kids don’t know who their parents are and they seem to have a lot of… “dancing”, as Sebby said. They are weird, if you have to say it yourself. It seems that their physical development is also odd, as they are generally fully grown adults at the age of 16 and their bodies generally age rather slowly. Their minds, on the other hand, degenerate a lot quicker the other species, meaning they have a lot more mental illnesses among them, especially at an old age.
>Grab some of those books on Sakkilan myths and read it.
…there seems to be a lot about Dragons and mighty champions in this thing. Apparently, they believe they are descendant from dragons who came to the ground and lost their wings… and that the world was created by the first, ancient dragons that came from the skies.
>As well as you can remember, what's the origin story of the Vark species?
Why, the five gods created the world. The one of earth created the lands and the mountains, the one of water created the seas and lakes, the one of fire created the sun and heat, the one of wind created weather and sky, and then the one of light gave us life and light. Oh, and Varkians are created in the image of Illasia herself.
>Next you want a book on the rules governing the court mages.
…you can’t find a book on that subject anywhere.

>Show Tim the magic book.
>Show Sisah the magic book.
Both those options should work… but both have great risks tied to them. You have a feeling choosing the right person for the job is vital.

I want to say Tim because you've known him longer and I feel like if you managed to get him to agree not to tell anyone you should be fine. Sisha is a bit more of an unknown but I feel she wouldn't really care as long as the book itself isn't dangerous. if it is I get the feeling that papa is going to learn about it real quick and he doesn't seem to be the kind of Vark to take any chances.

So in short I'm leaning towards Tim unless you feel like that's a bad idea. Plus being a court mage he might actually know how to read the damn thing.

If it is dangerous, Sisha will tell your father. Tim is more likely to keep quiet. Show Tim. Err, once the Regicide meeting is over, anyway. Until then, I suppose we have a bit of research to do with the other books.

Show the book to Sisah. You can order her to keep quiet about it, unlike Tim who'll take one look at the cover, think "forbidden magic," and consider it his duty as both a friend and a court mage to get it away from you for your own safety, and will call for help to remove it if you don't give it up. And it's the same either way if there is dangerous magic on the book or magic that can't be identified. Sisah will take it away so you can't harm yourself with it, most likely giving it to a court mage to deal with, and Tim will do the same.

See if you can find anything on why such an overwhelming number of Serpens are atheists. Have they always been atheists? And what philosophy do they generally follow?

>I think I heard someone inventing a machine that fries bread without fire but… meh…
Odd invention for a Serpens to come up with considering, if you remember correctly, they can only eat liquids via pores in their skin.

>I do hope it comes in handy… especially the chapter about the actual “dancing”, hehe…
As much as you don't want to, you best read that chapter. Briannah will eventually use one of her favors to "initiate the first intercourse," as the book said, and you ought to know what to expect and do when that happens. You especially want to know anything she may try to do with her tail that'd be objectionable if you're surprised by it.

Also consider how you two are going to dance in the non-euphemistic way. 'Cause there's gonna be a dance or ball or whatever at some point and you two'll probably have to dance together at least once. Perhaps you should practice with her in private at some point.

>>659361
>If it is dangerous, Sisha will tell your father.
She won't automatically tell Kronos' father. As long as Kronos doesn't open or use the book she'll keep it secret from the king if we have a court mage deal with it.

Tim is guaranteed to be more curious than Sisha and has no obligation to show it to anybody. Just be careful that he doesn't claim it for himself.

Sisah seems more of the knowledgeable sort. Let her poke the book, she might know some people who have experience in this.

>>659403
Oh, and also apologize to Sisah for rudely asking for her age earlier. Until now you weren't aware of how Serpens matured and initially thought she was too young to have been your rescuer.

Kaktus 2015/07/31(Fri)05:46 No. 659525 ID: 65a774
File 143834678882.png - (51.92KB , 684x524 , 95.png )

>See if you can find anything on why such an overwhelming number of Serpens are atheists. Have they always been atheists?
Apparently, there are several theories why Serpens are usually atheists. Everything from them annoying all potential gods with their endless questioning to them simply not being creative enough to come up with imagery people doing impossible deeds… that last one was apparently coined by a Serpen, apparently.
>And what philosophy do they generally follow?
It seems that they believe it’s how good you are in your given field that defines you. They have some weird caste system, where all of them are born casteless and equal, before joining a cast that they have shown promise in. So they don’t have any royal blood or nobles… no wonder their leadership is a complete mess.
>Odd invention for a Serpens to come up with considering, if you remember correctly, they can only eat liquids via pores in their skin.
You’re pretty sure they have already invented a pot that boils water without fire. You have to guess that this invention was built on the same principle as the pot… and was made to be sold to non-Serpens.

>As much as you don't want to, you best read that chapter. Briannah will eventually use one of her favors to "initiate the first intercourse," as the book said, and you ought to know what to expect and do when that happens.
Flipping through that chapter rather… quickly, the only thing you notice that’s different from the norm is that the genders are reversed. Sakkilians generally prefers it when the female is dominant and the male is submissive. In fact, it seems that the norm for them is that the female is on top… so you’re pretty much destined to die by a broken pelvis… great…
>You especially want to know anything she may try to do with her tail that'd be objectionable if you're surprised by it.
You’re pretty sure most things she can do with that thing would be objectionable, even if you knew about them beforehand. The book doesn’t seem to go into any details of what, exactly, they do with the tails, just that they are used a lot under the act.
>Also consider how you two are going to dance in the non-euphemistic way. Perhaps you should practice with her in private at some point.
…hmm… you have to ponder how that would even work. It’s not like you can get your arm above her head to spin her around...

>Apologize to Sisah for rudely asking for her age earlier.
You’ve never heard that you’re not supposed to ask a lady her age before?
>Tim is more likely to keep quiet. Show Tim. Err, once the Regicide meeting is over, anyway.
You’ve been reading for nearly an hour. The games should be drawing to a close by now…

Ah, so this is the magical artifact you wanted looked over. Let’s see… a book written in the old language… the lock is completely corroded while the book is in good shape… and there are six runes of magic on it… pyromancy, hydromancy, aeromancy, geomancy, biomancy, necromancy… hmm… now, let me search for magic… ah, here we go… there is some… raw magic? Interesting…
So, is it something dangerous?
Oh, no, it’s just a simple spell. One that protects the book from wear and tear.
…but the lock?
It looks like it was added after the book was enchanted… in fact, it seems like someone forced it onto the book… hmm… where did you get this? Considering it’s enchanted with raw magic, it probably has something to do with an elemental, right? Did the garden spit this up? I’ve had some success at getting that thing to spit up old things from time to time, but never something as valuable as this…

>>659525
"Tim, is there a way to tell, after the fact, the difference between fever-dreams and having someone mess around inside one's head?"

"Well, it's just a matter of saying the correct keywords while she's in the right state of mind. Also, I think she's pregnant.

So, you notice that there are six schools of thaumaturgy in the book, even though there are only five worshipped gods? What if there was a sixth god, or more likely a devil, who represents the necromancy part?"

So, Sakkilians like when the Female is dominant. Right there is where we can use our favor for us, We could ask Briannah if she wants to be submissive instead of dominant this time, and if she doesn't want to, we can use one of our favors for that though I don't think she will like that.

So, How old do you think it is?

Kronos 2015/07/31(Fri)08:52 No. 659536 ID: 65a774
File 143835797874.png - (21.41KB , 684x524 , 96.png )

>So, Sakkilians like when the Female is dominant. Right there is where we can use our favor for us.
Just because it’s the norm doesn’t mean it’s what Briannah actually likes. For all you know she might like being tied up herself… or she likes tying people up… really, you’ll just have to hope whatever fetish she got it’s a tame one, as you get the feeling she’ll make you at least try it out once…
…
…
…and now you can’t get the image of Briannah tied up in a sexy pose out of your head… great…

>Well, it's just a matter of saying the correct keywords while she's in the right state of mind.
Ah, so you did get it from the garden. I’ve tried to talk to that thing many times, but mostly it just ignores you. I guess you were lucky in finding it in one of its more lucid moments.
>Also, I think she's pregnant.
…err… what? I’m pretty sure elementals can’t get pregnant. Of course, they are supposed to be able to create new elementals of their own element, but no one has seen one do that.
>So, How old do you think it is?
Hmm… going by the text, it was written in the old empire time. A closer estimate then that I can only speculate about.
>So, you notice that there are six schools of magic runes on the book, even though there are only five worshipped gods?
Geez, you religious types. Just because the gods use the magic symbols doesn’t mean there’s only five of them. In fact, I know that there are supposedly 22 different magical runes. I remember having to memories all of them when I was still studying, but that was years ago. Either way, this book is quite clearly about opposite magic, and not the gods. After all, there’s only five gods here, isn’t there?

>Tim, is there a way to tell, after the fact, the difference between fever-dreams and having someone mess around inside one's head?
Err… that’s a bit… messing around in someone’s head is illegal… and… err… I can’t really say with just that information, really. Why are you asking this? Did you have an odd dream last night? Oh, did you have a vision of the future? I always wanted to try and decipher one of those future dreams. But, I have to ask, what have you been up lately? I mean, first this old book, now fevered dreams? …and you seem rather stressed out too… what is going on, Kronos?
Well… um…
Oh! And we should pop this baby open! I’m sure there’s some magic theory in it I can actually read!

>Oh! And we should pop this baby open! I’m sure there’s some magic theory in it I can actually read!
Let's focus on that. Distract the guy from the other things.

>…and you seem rather stressed out too… what is going on, Kronos?
I got engaged so someone who thinks my blood is delicious, there has been at least one, possibly two, attempts on my life today, and I just learned my brother committed high treason, and the nations to the south of us have basically already declared war on us. I should be fleeing the fucking country before either the country or I cease to exist.

>>659542
We've already seen the damage that ignorance can cause. Don't withhold information.

>>659550
That damage was mostly because we were told some, but not all of it, and because we were more personally involved in it than most people. Krotos also ended up doing enough to end the war right there, so there's a good chance he's considered a hero for that, and telling people that the hero that ended the war was really a backstabbing traitor who wanted the kingdom for himself isn't the kind of thing we should just drop on people in what's essentially casual conversation. If this was a situation where not telling him could cause problems, then yes, we should go ahead and tell him. But there really isn't even a reason to be talking about Krotos right now, let alone a reason to talk about him being a traitor.

>and you seem rather stressed out too… what is going on, Kronos?
I'm being forced into a marriage that if it should fail for any reason could respark the war between our kingdom and Briannah's empire, at least one confirmed attempt on my life has been made, and I have recently discovered that while the war may finally be over the kingdom is still a long ways off form being the peaceful place it once was. Right now I'm just looking for ways to distract myself and possible protect myself. That and being paranoid that people are out to get me.

>Oh! And we should pop this baby open! I’m sure there’s some magic theory in it I can actually read!
well you got those tools Cain got for you right? Let's do this. Also thank him for lending a hand.

>>>>659538
I don't think we can tell him about our brother or the crap happening in the south since most of that is still being covered up. I mean Briannah said that it was close to treason to let that slip and I feel it probably isn't that smart for us to go around telling everyone we know. I mean they told Everyone in the kingdom that our brother died a hero and that the only problem we have down south or just some bandit pest.

Suggest that you two head to your room. You have tools there that can break the lock on the book. It'll also give him some privacy to read it.

Tell Tim that you're stressed 'cause your life has been upended these last two days. First you find out an hour before she arrived that you're betrothed to Briannah. Then there's an assassination attempt on you at the firing range yesterday, which made you more paranoid. And then... Well, there's family and state secret stuff you can't talk about, but it put you more on edge. You're just not used to being at the center of things. You were always the unimportant one in the family, y'know?

Anyway, the stress is causing your mind to fly off on tangents more than usual. That plus a terrible nightmare last night and your elevated paranoia is why you asked about possible dream manipulation.

Ask Tim how he knows the old language when you couldn't find anything in the library on it. Or on the history of Risavia. Or on a lot of ancient things. There's basically a cliff in the records two centuries ago when there was a mass burning of books by the Illasian church. You're guessing Tim learned it outside of Risavia.

>…err… what? I’m pretty sure elementals can’t get pregnant. Of course, they are supposed to be able to create new elementals of their own element, but no one has seen one do that.
Well, the Garden was talking about everything being near the end of a cycle and beginning of a new one, and that soon it would be gone and a new one would take its place, and right before you parted it mentioned that a new one was already growing. Though, the Garden being the Garden we don't know how much we.

>…hmm… you have to ponder how that would even work. It’s not like you can get your arm above her head to spin her around...
There's probably techniques already worked out for dance partners that have a large height difference. However, Briannah would probably take the traditionally male position in the dance and would be the one to be spinning you around.

>>659538
>...and I just learned my brother committed high treason...
Whoa, whoa, whoa! Did you forget that that is a state secret? No spilling the beans on that. Otherwise Kronos' dad is going to be pissed at him.

>...and the nations to the south of us have basically already declared war on us.
And this might be a state secret as well, so no spilling this!

>I should be fleeing the fucking country before either the country or I cease to exist.
And if Kronos flees the country the country WILL cease to exist in short order, and he doesn't know how to survive out there so he would too. He's in this 'till the end, one way or another. And no hinting that the nation is in such dire straits. That creates morale damaging rumors.

>>659536
Tell him you'll only let him read it if he swears to secrecy about it.

Kronos 2015/07/31(Fri)16:49 No. 659581 ID: 65a774
File 143838655696.png - (91.00KB , 686x526 , 97.png )

>There's probably techniques already worked out for dance partners that have a large height difference.
Hopefully…
>However, Briannah would probably take the traditionally male position in the dance and would be the one to be spinning you around.
Great… another blow to your masculinity.

>Tell him you'll only let him read it if he swears to secrecy about it.
Yes, yes, don’t tell anyone… just as long as you promise to give me that book when you’re done with it.
Deal.
>Suggest that you two head to your room. You have tools there that can break the lock on the book. It'll also give him some privacy to read it.
Good idea! Let’s go!

>Ask Tim how he knows the old language when you couldn't find anything in the library on it.
I said I know the language of magic, not the old language. So if there are any magical formulas in that thing I can read it, otherwise… let’s see… who was it who should read the old language again? I remember I talked to someone who studied it a bit when he was in the academy… hmm… oh, right! Cain!
…wait, what? Cain? I knew he’s learned but… really, Cain?
Apparently, he quite interested in the old days… he took a pair of extra classes on it when he had the time.
Really?
>Also thank him for lending a hand.
Yeah, no prob… if I can help, that is.

>Tell Tim that you're stressed 'cause your life has been upended these last two days.
I figured.
You don’t know the half of it. First, I didn’t find out I was to marry Briannah until an hour before she got here.
Wow, that’s harsh…
And it has been beaten into my skull that if this marriage would fail, we might go into war again.
And I know you don’t partially like Sakkilians… so, how’s it going between you?
It’s… a bit rough, at times. I guess I’ve found a side of her I… tolerate and I’m warming up to her but… she’s still a giant lizard cannibal that likes to eat Varkians.
I’ve heard about their rituals, but it can’t be that bad?
…when she saved me from an assassination attempt, she licked the blood from one of the Varkians she’d beaten unconscious and said it was delicious… she didn’t mean to say it, but still…
Geez… oh, right, I’ve heard someone attacked you but… assassination attempt?
Indeed… I’m not used being center of things, you know… I always were the unimportant one, after all.
…wow… no wonder you’re so tense. You know what, if you ever need magical assistance, don’t hesitate to ask, alright? I’ll help you the best I can, bro.
Thank you.

>because you had terrible nightmare last night and your elevated paranoia is why you asked about possible dream manipulation.
It’s probably just the stress that’s getting to you, but if it continue… I guess I can try to check it out?
>Well, the Garden was talking about everything being near the end of a cycle and beginning of a new one and that soon it would be gone and a new one would take its place, and right before you parted it mentioned that a new one was already growing.
Hmm… odd…
>Though, the Garden being the Garden we don't know how much we.
That thing is kind of crazy, after all.


Now, crack it open already.
There, now we-
Here, let me see!
He-
Aw… there aren’t any formulas in this book… just a bunch of text and pictures…
…hmm… what are those things?
…some kind of bestiary, maybe? Let’s see… flaming bird… phoenix, maybe? …a squid thingy? …some kind of wisp? A giant spider mantis? …a djinn? …and is that a wyvern? Either way, we were both wrong. It’s not a book full of magic and it’s definitely not about the gods.
Yeah, those things doesn’t look anything like the five…
…hey, what is this? I think this is a magical formula here… one for each of the beings… oh, it looks like some kind of summoning incantation! I need to try to summon that flaming bird, being a fire mage and all… but aw, there seem to be a verbal component… and I can’t read this…

>>659581
The one on the bottom right looks like Xuv except with wings instead of four arms. Alternate form, perhaps? Or is this a book meant to be read by Varkians, which means the artist put birdlike attributes in? Or maybe it's just a servant of Xuv. Being able to summon them does rather imply that they are servants, and not the actual gods.

Anyway get Cain in here. Have him swear to secrecy as well. Hopefully we can keep this secret between the three of you. Mage, translator, and uh... ringleader.

so nothing religious and not magic except the end... Is this think telling you how to summon elementals? I mean the Phoenix is fire, I'm welling to bet the 2nd thing is water, next up is light, then the crab near the bottom is earth, the thing next to it looks like air, and then I guess the last one would be darkness since that is the only thing else I could figure... Ok we might need to find Cain and have Tim set a safe area for us to try to summon one of these. Safe as in, people wouldn't be to likely to stumble across us when we try to do this shit, and somewhere that if whatever we summon goes crazy it won't be able to cause to much damage.

Guess we just have to find Cain, see when he's free, when Tim is free, and give this book a proper once over before we give it a spin. Also seeing how much we're relaying on Cain lately I'm starting to think we should give him a bonus... or at the very least follow through with that promise about getting him some of that booze he likes so much.

i say try the last one. invoke xuv if it appears hostile.

I'm fairly sure summoning the fire element one would be safest since Tim is a fire mage, and thus could have more control over it depending on how the summoning works. Plus if we summoned the death/darkness elemental one it might be detectable by others which would totally blow our cover.

>another blow to your masculinity.
Like a mallet to a grain of sand.
>You know what, if you ever need magical assistance, don’t hesitate to ask, alright?
How about chemical assistance, got any of that? I have yet to get properly drunk over this mess.

That purple one looks familiar, doesn't it? Call for Cain, and keep flipping through the book. make sure you really know what you're getting into. and keep watch for birds.

>>659584
We're the financier. The book was a gift to us, after all.

Looks like you need to bring Cain in on this. Where did Tim last see him? Still at the Regicide club meeting? It's been a bit since then. ...Isn't it dinnertime? He's probably gone to the servants' dining hall. Go find him and bring him back here so he can start translating the book. Man, for this you're going to owe him a case of top shelf liquor.

Tell Tim that you want to be around to watch when he attempts the summon, but it'll have to be later today. That exercise this afternoon actually gave you an appetite, so you don't want to skip dinner. And you promised Briannah that afterwards you'd help her get something personal of hers from the storehouse. Also, you'd like Cain to finish the translation on at least the parts on the phoenix before Tim tries to summon it, just in case there's some special instructions on controlling it.

Ask Tim what're the odds on him losing control of the summoned phoenix and it breaking free, setting fire to everyone and everything nearby. And what can we do if it does break free to take it down? Fire ice magic at it? 'Cause you have plenty of ice pistols you could bring in that case. And where can he attempt the summon that's sufficiently contained, non-flammable, and secret enough? Is there a proving ground for spell testing we could use discreetly?

Supposedly you're the Phoenix, and Tim is going to try to summon a phoenix, so how much you wanna bet he'll either summon you, reveal your true form, or both? Well, when he does do the summon remember to wear stuff you don't care whether or not it's incinerated, just in case you do transform into a phoenix.

>oh, it looks like some kind of summoning incantation!
Just to be clear, is Tim sure it's a summoning incantation or is he only sure that it looks close to a summoning incantation. Are there incantations that look similar to summoning ones but actually do something else? And in summoning incantations, what is the verbal component usually for? You're guessing the name of the summon. In that case, is the name for the species or for a individual?

>It’s not a book full of magic and it’s definitely not about the gods.
>Yeah, those things doesn’t look anything like the five…
Eh, don't be so certain. Depictions of the gods almost certainly have changed over the centuries. For all we know this is how they were depicted in the time of the Old Empire. Or it might be that they aren't the gods but the gods' servants or maybe avatars or elementals. See, four of them match with the four elemental gods. Phoenix for the fire god, "djinn" for the god of air, going by the wavy lines on its faceplate, and you'd guess the spidery thing is earth and squid-y is water. That leaves the glowing wisp for the light and life of Illasia... But - tap the wyvern for emphasis - what god would this one be for? The opposite to Illasia? Was there a sixth god? One for death. ...Wait. You read something once about the Five imprisoning a demon of death deep in the earth. Could this be that demon or one of its servants? ...Yeah, lets leave that summon alone for now.

>I remember I talked to someone who studied it a bit when he was in the academy… hmm… oh, right! Cain!
>Apparently, he quite interested in the old days… he took a pair of extra classes on it when he had the time.
...Okay, your manservant knowing the old language almost nobody knows that you need translated right now is just a little too convenient for you to ignore. Almost like it was... Fate. Hm... A orphan of the same age as you, taken in by the palace, who became your closest friend and confidant. One who's very well learned and interested in the ancient world. He seems to be able to predict how people will play Regicide against him before the game even starts. ...And did you ever tell him that you needed these tools before he got them? Or to restock the painting studio? ...You're getting the feeling that there's more to Cain than meets the eye, but whether he knows it or not you cannot say.

You think you can take a guess at what "gift" to your future wife Xuv gave you: Considering that Xuv appeared to be a divine-level sex fiend and the Garden said "she needed them to last long, so she helped them" she probably imbued any mortal she took with supernatural stamina in bed so they'd be able to satisfy her. You guess she did the same to you. Of course, you'd have to lay with someone to find out. You'd call in one of the "courtesans" you've had before to test, but you don't know whether Briannah would get pissed off at you or would want to join in if you did.

>Great… another blow to your masculinity.
Well, unless you learn how to dance on stilts it's the only way dancing with Briannah is going to work. At least, with Vark dances. Maybe you could find dances that are equal between the partners and don't have male or female parts.

>some kind of summoning incantation
Uh, are we sure this is not related to the whole "old empire summoned gods and got melted" thing? (About that story, which gods are they thought to have summoned?)

Kronos 2015/08/01(Sat)10:06 No. 659682 ID: 65a774
File 143844879634.png - (64.64KB , 686x526 , 98.png )

>Like a mallet to a grain of sand.
It still hurts, alright?
>Depictions of the gods almost certainly have changed over the centuries. For all we know this is how they were depicted in the time of the Old Empire.
As a giant, ugly spider and some kind of slug / fly hybrid? Geez, they didn’t have a lot of faith in the gods back then…
>Are we sure this is not related to the whole "old empire summoned gods and got melted" thing?
Those are just stories… and if it was true, a spell for summoning the gods wouldn’t be printed in a random book just like that. Though, you should be careful…
>About that story, which gods are they thought to have summoned?
You have no idea, it usually just mention a god or gods… those stories aren’t really more than stories, you know.

>The one on the bottom right looks like Xuv except with wings instead of four arms.
…it does kind of look like Xuv… and that thing is also in the same chapter that depicts the rune of death too… hmm… can’t be coincidence, can it?
>You think you can take a guess at what "gift" to your future wife Xuv gave you: Considering that Xuv appeared to be a divine-level sex fiend and the Garden said "she needed them to last long, so she helped them" she probably imbued any mortal she took with supernatural stamina in bed so they'd be able to satisfy her.
…you don’t know if that’s good news or bad…
>You'd call in one of the "courtesans" you've had before to test, but you don't know whether Briannah would get pissed off at you or would want to join in if you did.
Either way, you probably should talk to her before starting cheating on her.
>Supposedly you're the Phoenix, and Tim is going to try to summon a phoenix, so how much you wanna bet he'll either summon you, reveal your true form, or both?
You’re pretty sure you’re just figuratively a phoenix, and not actually a large bird made out of fire that can revive itself.

>Seeing how much we're relying on Cain lately I'm starting to think we should give him a bonus... or at the very least follow through with that promise about getting him some of that booze he likes so much.
He has been kept rather busy lately… when you have the time, you should probably give him a day off or two…
>...Okay, your manservant knowing the old language almost nobody knows that you need translated right now is just a little too convenient for you to ignore. Almost like it was... Fate.
…geez, you’re starting to sound like Xuv. She would probably blabber on like it was weaved into that fate web thing she kept talking about…
>Hm... An orphan of the same age as you, taken in by the palace, who became your closest friend and confidant. One who's very well learned and interested in the ancient world.
…okay, when you put it that way…
>Did you ever tell him that you needed these tools before he got them? Or to restock the painting studio?
Of course you did. How else would he know?
>Keep watch for birds.
No birds in sight, so far.


>How about chemical assistance, got any of that? I have yet to get properly drunk over this mess.
Why, I do have some fire water back in my study if you want to lift your spirit a bit.
>Tell Tim that you want to be around to watch when he attempts the summon, but it'll have to be later today.
Later today? Kronos, we have no idea what this thing actually says. Even if it was a straight forward summoning, it’s going to require more than just a day to properly execute. We need to think about safety and all that, you know.
>Ask Tim what're the odds on him losing control of the summoned phoenix and it breaking free, setting fire to everyone and everything nearby.
I dunno.
…you don’t know?
I’ve no idea what this actually do, as of yet.
>And what can we do if it does break free to take it down? Fire ice magic at it?
Probably? I mean, water generally works great against fire, sure…?
>Just to be clear, is Tim sure it's a summoning incantation or is he only sure that it looks close to a summoning incantation.
It might be some kind of summoning incantation… it might be something else, like a transfusion spell, a conjuring spell or even just something as simple as a message spell, I don’t know. All I know is that it’s in the same school of magic as a summoning spell… and it looks kind of like a generic summoning spell too, with summoning circle and all that.
>What is the verbal component usually for? You're guessing the name of the summon.
Once again, I have no idea! For all I know, it might be some mumbo jumbo prayer that isn’t even needed.


>Get Cain.
Yeah, we need someone who can read this before we c-
*Knock*Knock*
Huh?
>...Isn't it dinnertime?
Are yah decent, Krony?
Briannah? Oh, right… its dinner time, isn’t it? Err… just let me finish with this and I’ll come right on down.
Actually, we’re going to dine just the two of us up ‘ere.
…since when?
Since I noticed that ye balcony was the size of a large room. I’ve already arranged for us to ‘ave the food from your personal chef delivered straight ‘ere in about ‘alf an ‘our.
Oh…
I’ve also made sure that there’s a nice, big table out on ye balcony, ready for use. Now, are yah decent or not? I need to clean up a bit and change my clothes before the food gets here.

>Cain is probably gone to the servants' dining hall.
It shouldn’t be too hard to find him there, as you’ve made sure that the servants that works under you have their own, private dining hall and kitchen.
>Man, for this you're going to owe him a case of top shelf liquor.
You’re pretty sure you already owe him more than just that…

>Bestiary
Wait, what if you were right, and the lore has been changed?
-The Phoenix, Fire, made the Varkians
-Xuv, the Wyvern (Death), made the Sakkilians
-The Orb Weaver, Earth, made the Hivers
-The Squid, Water, made Humans
-The Djinn, Air, made Serpens

...If that's right, though, did Illasia not actually make anybody? This Wasp does not look like the Uredo or the Cibic. I mean, I guess there are bees that look like wasps, and maybe created Uredo through polination, but that's not too direct a source of creation, so I could see her wanting credit for another species.

>Balcony Dinner
Actually, that sounds delightful.
>Decent
Yes, you're decent. Let Tim take the book to study over it, just tell him to make sure nobody sees it. If it is dangerous, we don't need somebody who doesn't know the proper precautions to take to go getting themselves killed.

>>659687
... excepting Cain, for obvious reasons.

>I’ve already arranged for us to ‘ave the food from your personal chef delivered straight ‘ere in about ‘alf an ‘our.
So THAT was the surprise you mentioned earlier.

>Since I noticed that ye balcony was the size of a large room.
Holy crap dude why is everything in your room so damn big?

Give Tim the book for now and figure out a place you 2 to meet up at tomorrow. You'll see if you can't bring Cain around then. Just ask him not to let anyone else see the book but you 2 and Cain when you bring him in tomorrow.

Also, how ready is you say that sword she gave you? I mean I know it's fixed but does it have a sheath? Also your mother's bracelet, is that ready? It would be a good time to give her Briannah both either before or after diner.

(I spotted hidden text in the page scribbles. Lower left page contains the text "SHE WILL EAT YOUR SOUL," which is ominous as fuck. Right page, fourth item on the list contains the text "LOBELMAN." I have no idea what that means. In the ring around the rune of death I can only make out the words "PEN" and "VOLE" in the upper left quadrant, but there might be more that I'm missing. Anybody else spot anything more?)

Oh, dammit, you left out the tools you used to open the book, didn't you? And they'll make noise if you try to hide them now and Briannah will hear and get suspicious what's taking so long. It'd be too obvious if you covered them with your jacket, wouldn't it? ...Okay, if you play it cool you can do this. Just leave the tools out, press the book to Tim's chest with the cover facing him so she won't see it, quickly whisper to him he can find Cain in your servants' private dining hall. Then step back and tell Briannah that you're decent, but you have a visitor who's just leaving.

If the tools are in the way and obvious, start to casually put them away. Otherwise leave them alone. Hopefully Briannah won't ask about them, but if she does tell her that you had an old book Tim wanted to borrow, but the lock on it was jammed shut so you had to break it open.

Tell Briannah that you're actually pleasantly surprised that she arranged for this private dinner, though you kinda wish you'd thought of it first. It does offer you two the opportunity to talk about private things you couldn't down in the grand dining hall. ...And you have this unfounded feeling that she arranged this dinner so you'd have the opportunity to present her with the proposal bracelet afterwards.

Ask her how she fared in her match against Cain. In the almost certain case she lost, tell her that, as far as you know, everybody loses to him. When it comes to Regicide, Cain has a seemingly psychic knack for figuring out his opponent's strategy. The man is one of the best, if not the best, Regicide player in the palace.

Before you go farther, ask Briannah if Doxan is shadowing her right now. If he's here you don't know if he's cleared to hear what you're going to talk about next.

Tell her in a low voice that your father told you of the high treason Krotos and Brianthor committed, and what her withholding the info Krotos told her from the Empire meant for your family and all of Risavia. She has your utmost thanks for what she did. Though, you are wondering why she chose in the end to withhold the info, if she's willing to share.

Oh, also tell her that the pistol you wield is technically Krotos', but it was a spare he had made and left behind. It isn't the one he used to... Y'know. So you hope it won't spark those terrible memories if you draw it in her presence. But if it does, you'll get a replacement made that doesn't look like his did.

Also tell Brinnah that your father told you of the "bandits" coming in from the Dynasty to the south, and that if you wanted to know more to ask her. So, you want to know more. You're guessing the Empire is getting "bandits" too, on their eastern border from Lorentia, right?

And tell her what your father thought you did to get into the crypt last evening and what you actually did to get in. You have a suspicion that it was somehow an assassination plot on you to clear the way, but that'd mean they'd know you'd go down there. Could someone have overheard you two at the feast? Or someone knew Briannah well enough to predict she'd tell you? You just don't know.

You noticed that each line of text on the page opposite the rune of death in the book appears to begin with a single character followed by a period. That's likely a numbered list, which means you and find out the characters for one through eight from it.

>I need to clean up a bit and change my clothes before the food gets here.
You should freshen up a bit and change into something a bit fancier for dinner as well. Ask her what she's going to change into. Don't say this out loud, but you hope it's a slinky, curve hugging dress... Actually, take a look at what clothes she brought. If she does have a dress like that, maybe you could use a favor to get her to wear it if she's not going to already.

>…it does kind of look like Xuv… and that thing is also in the same chapter that depicts the rune of death too… hmm… can’t be coincidence, can it?
And you also saw bones sticking out of Xuv's back that you thought were probably once wings. So it's likely Xuv's base form before adding all the other limbs and stuff looked like this "wyvern."

>No birds in sight, so far.
But there might be doves lingering around when you're out on the balcony, so watch what you say out there.

>>659683
I agree with the first three you list, but I think the squid more fits the Cibic than humans, and the djinn maybe made humans. The flying glowworm... I dunno which species might have been created by that one. Maybe the Uredo, since they need the light of the sun and all to live. And I think the Serpens aren't connected with any of them 'cause the Serpens came from across the sea, so if they were made by a god-like being it was one not connected to this region and thus not connected to this book.

Kronos 2015/08/02(Sun)10:51 No. 659856 ID: 65a774
File 143853785871.png - (30.54KB , 686x526 , 99.png )

>Holy crap dude why is everything in your room so damn big?
You are the prince of a whole kingdom… it’s just normal that your room would be on the larger side.
>Wait, what if you were right and the lore has been changed? The Phoenix, Fire, made the Varkians. Xuv, the Wyvern (Death), made the Sakkilians. The Orb Weaver, Earth, made the Hivers. The Squid, Water, made humans and / or cibics. The Djinn, Air, made Serpens and / or humans and Illasia, light, made the Uredo.
While that does sound plausible, you can’t really see these things as actual gods. They all look so… ungodly.
>Oh, dammit, you left out the tools you used to open the book, didn't you?
Those tools don’t look that suspicions… and they do kind of disappear in the pile of other crap you have littered over your desk at the moment. Briannah won’t probably even notice them.
>How ready is you say that sword she gave you? I mean I know it's fixed but does it have a sheath?
It has a sheath, though not a really nice one. Of course, it’s the blade that is important, so it should be ready to be given back to her.
>Your mother's bracelet, is that ready? It would be a good time to give her Briannah both either before or after dinner.
You can’t really do anything more with it until you’ve given it to her, so it’s ready as well.


>Let Tim take the book to study over it, just tell him to make sure nobody sees it.
Except for Cain?
Yes, of course. You can probably find him in my private servant dining hall in this wing.
I’ll see if I can find him right away.
>Tell Briannah that you're decent, but you have a visitor who's just leaving.
I do believe we haven’t been properly introduced. Most people call me Tim and I’m the palace head fire mage.
Briannah, soon to be wife of the Prince.
It’s a pleasure to meet you, but I see that you two are currently busy, so I’ll take my leave now. Goodbye and I do hope you two will have a pleasant evening together.
So do I. Goodbye, mage.

>Actually, that sounds delightful.
It does, doesn’t it? As soon as I saw that balcony, I knew I ‘ad to do something like this.
>So THAT was the surprise you mentioned earlier.
Actually, no, it wasn’t. It was… something else I was thinking about. Don’t worry, I got several surprises for yah in store. Now, yah’ve met my other guard, Agissa, correct?
…I’ve walked past her, yes… and you did mention her too… but what’s up with that chest?
Oh, it’s just some private stuff I ‘ave, so no peeking in it just yet.
…um… you know that I got a lot of room in my wardrobe if you want somewhere to put your… unmentionables. No need for a big chest for just that.
It’s not clothes… well, some of it might be considered clothes on some level but… I’ve already started to put my stuff in ye wardrobe and considering that thing is like a whole room on its own…
Stop saying my room is big.
This “room” of ye is a freaking five room apartment!
Five rooms? There’s a room for the bed and a room to mingle in. it’s not a whole house!
And the wardrobe is the size of a large room, the bathroom is bigger than my first apartment and the balcony is even worse!
Geez… it’s not that big…
Big or not, where can I put this chest? Is this corner over here okay?
Err… yeah, sure…

>Before you go farther, ask Briannah if Doxan is shadowing her right now.
No, ‘e’s currently scouting out ye servant quarters at the moment… probably gotten stuck in the kitchen, if I ‘new ‘im…
>Ask her how she fared in her match against Cain.
Apparently, I owe ‘im a favor now.
Yeah, he’s one good player…
>Tell her in a low voice that your father told you of the high treason Krotos and Brianthor committed.
Ah, so the cat is out of the bag, eh?
>and what her withholding the info Krotos told her from the Empire meant for your family and all of Risavia. She has your utmost thanks for what she did.
Ye thanks?
Might I ask, why didn’t you fall for his ruse?
…because I was stupid, that’s why.
…wait, what?
Apparently, the only thing that schemer shouldn’t predict was genuine love. I was naïve and in love, so I didn’t tell anyone because I thought it would ‘urt ‘im.
…oh… that’s… oh… um…
>Oh, also tell her that the pistol you wield is technically Krotos', but it was a spare he had made and left behind. So you hope it won't spark those terrible memories if you draw it in her presence. But if it does, you'll get a replacement made that doesn't look like his did.
…don’t worry about that. I’m sure yah’ll… um… I’m sure it will resolve itself.

>Also tell Brinnah that your father told you of the "bandits" coming in from the Dynasty to the south, and that if you wanted to know more to ask her.
Oh, right, I promised to talk to yah about that. I’m guessing ye father exaggerated as usual. While it was bad with the bandits the first year, it’s mostly become a staring contest the last two years. But if yah want to ‘now the details, I got a meeting about it yah can come to at nine today. It’s just me and some other officers who’ll discuss some things concerning this.
>You're guessing the Empire is getting "bandits" too, on their eastern border from Lorentia, right?
Actually, we’ve had more problem with internal strife. A lot of our leaders died and left a lot of the foot soldiers without leadership and pay. Yah can guess ‘ow that turned out, eh? Of course, we’re not sure if the Lorentians ‘ad anything to do with it. They are a sneaky sort, after all.

>Tell her what your father thought you did to get into the crypt last evening and what you actually did to get in. You have a suspicion that it was somehow an assassination plot on you.
…that sounds rather convoluted for an assassination attempt. Why not just stick a dagger in ye back when yah went to the crypt?
>Could someone have overheard you two at the feast? Or someone knew Briannah well enough to predict she'd tell you?
Hmm… well, there was a lot of servants running around.
There was?
Yeah, typical that someone like yah wouldn’t even notice them.

>Ask her what she's going to change into.
Now, why would I go and spoil that surprise? Yah’ll just ‘ave to wait and see.
>Actually, take a look at what clothes she brought.
You have a feeling going through her stuff while she’s standing right in front of you might not end well.
>You should freshen up a bit and change into something a bit fancier for dinner as well.
You should probably change your clothes…

Now, I’ll be in the shower for a moment. If you want anything, just speak to me through the door, alright?

Right… now the big question is how you should approach this whole sword / bracelet thing. Should you just give them to her before the dinner? After? Under it? Should you say something as you hand them over? You’ve heard about a tradition where you put the bracelet in a glass of champagne, but that might not work thanks to its size… hmm… no matter what you do, you need to make it romantic… wait… why does it need to be romantic? Why do you yearn for her approval all the sudden? Just yesterday, you should barely look at her without fearing for your life yet now, after that meeting with Xuv, you’ve… wait, Xuv… did… oh gods, did she mess with your mind? Did she make you attracted to freaking lizards!?

>Did she make you attracted to freaking lizards!?
No, Briannah did that. Your whole life was spent avoiding them, so when she shows up and shows you how romantic they can be, your mind does a flip 180 on itself.

>>659856
You were attracted to her before Xuv. You've been staring at her ass since shortly after you met. Remember when you saw her without her armor on for the first time? If anything, Xuv just made you stop being afraid of her.

Why not give both items to her just after dinner? Before dessert, if there is one. Sword first, then tell her you have an heirloom of your own to give her, and present her with the bracelet.

>…don’t worry about that. I’m sure yah’ll… um… I’m sure it will resolve itself.
What's that supposed to mean?
>Why not just stick a dagger in ye back when yah went to the crypt?
Plausible deniability. Make it look like an accident. Maybe they didn't want to literally walk directly into the trap that they were trying to get me to walk into.
> Did she make you attracted to freaking lizards!?
Maybe that appendage she shoved through your chest broke off and is now reforming into a backbone. Maybe that 'genuine love' she's talking about is a magical or alchemical trick she picked up from your dear departed brother. Maybe you got an attraction to perpetual needle-toothed grimaces and asymmetrical blood red eyes somewhere. Maybe you're still spineless and are a huge masochist to boot. Does it really matter? you're getting married anyway. Worry less about romance and more about standing still out in the open for an extended period of time like a shooting gallery.

>that sounds rather convoluted for an assassination attempt. Why not just stick a dagger in ye back when yah went to the crypt?
well you have to admit the time of the whole thing was a little to convenient. I mean you tell me something about my brother and where to go for me to find out answers for myself and someone just manages to drug the guard the same night. I mean the only other reason I can really think of is someone was sneaking something or someone into or out of the castle grounds and the guard happened to be in a spot that could threaten the route and I just had the misfortune of showing up around that time.

>now the big question is how you should approach this whole sword / bracelet thing.
Honestly not sure when we should hand it off to her. Probably before dinner just incase something comes up during the meal that would ruin the mood. As for how to present it, I say put on something nice first and then wrap the bracelet around the hilt of the blade and before she comes out tell her you wish to give her something. When she walks out of the bathroom may as well present her with both.

Yeah you were warming up to her long before Xuv, if only because you're a bit more of a pervert.

Though at least your getting better around her.. Wonder whats being served if she's planning it all.

Is no one commenting that the chest may be filled with s&m stuff? "...clothes on some level..." That screams leather and bondage.

Concentrate on who you want to be. The voices in your head can give you all the suggestions, orders, and trauma in the world but that still doesn't mean they define who you ARE. Ignore Briannah for a moment and decide what really matters to you.

You're still fearful of other Sakkilians, right? And you haven't been glancing at Sakkilian gals besides Briannah and having passing lewd thoughts, have you? It's true on both, isn't it? So no, Xuv didn't make you attracted to Sakkilians 'cause you aren't attracted to Sakkilians; You're attracted to Briannah. You're attracted to her despite her being a Sakkilian. That there's so much else you about her you like it outweighs your fear. It's somewhat similar to how Briannah isn't a Varkophile and yet fell for your brother. People can fall for others for who they are, despite their forms.

And don't deny you've had feelings towards her brewing since before you met Xuv. Remember how at dinner yesterday you had to convince yourself that your heart was hammering away and your mind was clouded 'cause you were afraid of Briannah and not for other reasons? And also how when you found out she was a painter you immediately thought of giving her the old painting studio to make her happy. And how willingly you poured your heart and secrets out to her at dinner. Oh, and don't forget how at the end of your Regicide game verses her your thoughts wandered in lewd ways about her, and that when you saw her out of her armor from behind for the first time you stared fixated at her rear. So you had some physical attraction to her even back then.

Now, what to do about the sword and bracelet... Actually, on second thought, it's too soon to present the bracelet. You've known Briannah for two days. You haven't even had a proper date with her yet. There isn't anything you can say or do at this point that's sufficiently romantic when you present the bracelet that won't sound or seem like you're faking it; That you're lying to try and please her 'cause you have a duty to make this marriage work. And as she said before, she doesn't like lairs and manipulators. Either that or it'll seem like you're doing it now to get it out of the way, which you rather are. Or it'll come off like you're rushing into this and you're a even bigger romantic fool than she was with your brother. So lock the bracelet up in your chest for now. You'll present it when you either really feel a love towards her or more time has passed so it won't sound disingenuous when you do; Six months before the wedding at the latist so it won't seem like you're procrastinating. Then you can arrange a properly fancy romantic dinner. And you'll know her better so you can actually say and do things you know she'll find romantic instead of half-flailing in the dark.

As for the sword, wait until the dessert course. That way you'll both be in a good mood from the excellent meal, a little wine and hopefully good conversation and company. Say that you have something for her, ask her to stand up and wait there and head inside. Get the sword and present it to her, plain scabbard and all, saying you hope it is to her satisfaction.

>Oh, it’s just some private stuff I ‘ave, so no peeking in it just yet.
>It’s not clothes… well, some of it might be considered clothes on some level but…
...Yep, it sounds like that's probably her chest of sex toys and such, which likely also contains bondage gear. However, don't freak out. You don't know for sure if it's that. For all you know it could be something else that's completely innocuous. And if it is what you think, then you'll eventually find out first hand and can object then. And there's also the possibility that she worded what she said that way so as to get your imagination running away with you, as a test to see if you would peek in the chest. So have some restraint, respect her privacy and don't peek.

>Apparently, the only thing that schemer shouldn’t predict was genuine love. I was naïve and in love, so I didn’t tell anyone because I thought it would ‘urt ‘im.
...So that's it. That's why she's been so forward with you. Why she gets so happy when you give her compliments. Why she gave you her proposal sword on the very first day. She's still in love with who she thought Krotos was, and you're her stand-in for him. You look like him, move like him, and even act like him on the surface. You're the possibility of the man she wishes he really was. She's placed her love for him onto you, and she hopes and wants you to be the man she fell for back then and not the backstabbing manipulative cad he turned out to be.

>Hmm… well, there was a lot of servants running around.
So find any servants that worked the dinner who came down to where the guard's rations were after you spoke with Briannah but before the guard went out and you may find the would-be assassin. Better write a note explaining this and have it sent to your father so he can look into it.

Kronos 2015/08/03(Mon)09:38 No. 660081 ID: 65a774
File 143861987758.png - (44.16KB , 686x526 , 100.png )

>Concentrate on who you want to be. Ignore Briannah for a moment and decide what really matters to you.
…you don’t actually know what you want. You’ve always been someone who lived in the moment and haven’t had any real plans for the future. Of course, this might not have been the future you ever imagined, but it’s the future you’re stuck with.
>You're still fearful of other Sakkilians, right?
Yes… at least, you think so? You haven’t run into any Sakkilians in a while…
>And you haven't been glancing at Sakkilian gals besides Briannah and having passing lewd thoughts, have you?
…the only female Sakkilians you’ve seen so far has been in full armor… actually, you’re not even sure some of them were female to begin with!
>So no, Xuv didn't make you attracted to Sakkilians 'cause you aren't attracted to Sakkilians; You're attracted to Briannah.
…she is… something, alright…

>No, Briannah did that. Your whole life was spent avoiding them, so when she shows up and shows you how romantic they can be, your mind does a flip 180 on itself.
Ignoring the first impression, you have been enjoying your time with her…
>If anything, Xuv just made you stop being afraid of her.
…if anything, she did make it clear it should be much worse.
>if only because you're a bit more of a pervert.
…hey, you’re not-
>You've been staring at her ass since shortly after you met.
…okay, you might be a little bit perverted…
>...So that's it. That's why she's been so forward with you. Why she gets so happy when you give her compliments. Why she gave you her proposal sword on the very first day. She's still in love with who she thought Krotos was, and you're her stand-in for him.
…great, even in death your brother managed to outshine you…

>Is no one commenting that the chest may be filled with s&m stuff? "...clothes on some level..." That screams leather and bondage.
…suddenly, that chest became both terrifying and oddly intriguing…
>if it is what you think, then you'll eventually find out first hand and can object then.
…and now it’s even more horrifying! You have a feeling Briannah is a person who usually get things her way… and if that thing is filled with… that… um…
>And there's also the possibility that she worded what she said that way so as to get your imagination running away with you, as a test to see if you would peek in the chest. So have some restraint, respect her privacy and don't peek.
But it beckons to you… calling for you to witness the horrors it contains… it’s like a cart crash… horrible to witness… yet so compelling to watch… you need to know what’s in that damn chest or you’ll… you’ll… you need to be strong! You can’t just go through her stuff on a whim! You’re better than that… I mean, you should at least wait until you have ample time to get that thing open without her presence.

>Actually, on second thought, it's too soon to present the bracelet. You've known Briannah for two days.
You have to agree… it’s a bit too soon… but she’s already proposed in the Sakkilian way too you, haven’t she? Isn’t that why you’re doing this in the first place? To show that you too accept this marriage? Hmm… this is getting complicated…
>I say put on something nice first.
Yes, you need to look your best for this… hmm… but, what should you wear? You have some really formal regal wear, made for those really special occasions, but they might come off a bit strong… otherwise, you only have your more comfy suits, though while they look nice, they are the suits you usually wear…
>As for the sword, wait until the dessert course.
That would work… but should I present the bracelet then too? Or should I wait with that? You have no idea if she’s expecting you to even give her a bracelet or not… maybe she’s just waiting for you to present it or does she believe her own proposal is enough?

Hmm? It seems that Briannah is finished in the shower already…

>Wonder what’s being served if she's planning it all.
That’s a surprise, Krony. Just wait and see, hon.
>Plausible deniability. Make it look like an accident.
Still, they should ‘ave just wacked yah over the ‘ead and ‘eaved yah down there stairs, making it look like yah slipped or something. It’s not that ‘ard…
>Well you have to admit the time of the whole thing was a little too convenient.
Oh, something is strange about it, no doubt, but something tells me it’s more complex than just an assassination attempt. Now, can we talk about a bit more cheerful?
You’re right… we shouldn’t talk about that now… we’re supposed to have a fun, roman- err… nice evening together…
Hmm… Kronos, might I ask yah for ye opinion on something?
On what?
I want yah ‘onest opinion. Does this dress make my arse look big, Kroty?
…

>>660081
I like big butts and I cannot lie.

Turn around, let me get a gooood look so I can tell.

Did she just call you Kroty?

I'm not entirely sure it's the dress truth be told.

Sword and bracelet at the same time, after dinner. Wear something nice and comfortable. Booty? Say yes in the nicest way you can. Also, "Kroty"? Ouch. Uh, should he correct her?

Seems all that talk about your brother had a bit of spill-over. 'Kroty' was probably her pet-name for him.

Kroty?

Well from here I can say it Reeaally brings out your smile. A lot. so many teeth.

>I want yah ‘onest opinion. Does this dress make my arse look big, Kroty?
>Kroty
"Not as big as the foot in your mouth, Briannah."
Then start praying.

>Does this dress make my arse look big, Kroty?
>>660082
"That's not a fair thing to ask. Personally, I like the idea, and will immediately see it that way if you ask. Or... Was that what you were going for?"

Kronos 2015/08/03(Mon)12:53 No. 660113 ID: 65a774
File 143863163818.png - (28.45KB , 686x526 , 101.png )

>Wear something nice and comfortable.
You guess you’ll just go with what you usually wear, then.
>Sword and bracelet at the same time, after dinner.
That’s the plan, unless you come up with something better.

…did y-you just call me Kroty!?
… … …errr… of c-c-course not. Yah must ‘ave misheard…
…
It just… err…
…
We were talking about ‘im and… um…
…
I’m s-sorry?
…
…
…
Alright, fine! I did a mistake! Yah look so much damn like ‘im and… and I still think I got feelings for the one I believe ‘e was…
… *sigh* so once again he outshines me…
…a-actually… I think yah’re a far better person then ‘e ever was.
Says the lady who just called me his name…

No, see, it’s… well… do yah ‘now the names of ye personal chefs?
...you mean Herod and Vivian? What do they have to do with anything?
And ‘ow many servants work directly under yah?
Well, fourteen… but one of them are home with new child. See, I gave her a paid vacation for a while to make sure they can settle in with the family properly. Why do you ask?
Did yah ‘now that ye servants are the best paid ones in the whole city?
…I don’t really have a lot of other things to buy with all the money I get, you know… better give them away instead of letting it rot in some vault.
And they got the nicest locales of all the servants of the palace…
That wing had been empty for ages. It was better filling it with some people then letting it be filled with cobwebs.
as well as free food at a high standard.
We usually throw away a lot of spoiled food anyway… and my chefs need something to do most days, you know…
And why did yah do all that?
Um… I don’t know? Because happy workers work better… I think?
So, who is a better person, yah or ye brother?
Considering most people forget who I am and most people consider him an hero…
…yah’re a better person then yah think yah are. I fact, I ‘ave to say that yah are far more attractive than what ye real brother ever was. Oh, and yah ‘aven’t answered my question yet.

…it gives you some nice curves… but I don’t think that’s the dress, really. Dress does bring out your… winning smile, though. A lot… so many teeth.
What? Yah don’t like it when I smile? …and… ah… I’m truly sorry for calling yah, Kroty… Kronos.

she almost as good at putting her foot in her mouth as you are. Just stumbles a bit more with the recovery.

But yeah 2 questions.
1) would it be asking to much to ask what she saw in him? I mean we heard from our father how he planned to use her but he must have done something right for her to still have feelings for the guy even after all of that.

and 2) what did she prepare for dinner?

That's not being nice, that's just being cost-effective. You give a man enough resources and a social goal instead of an economic one, and it's EASY to be the "nice guy". See what happens when he's fighting for his life and broke as @#$%.

Anyways, ask more about Krotos. What were his motives during the assassination attempt? Maybe you can glean more about his "sponsors". Also, ask about Belseth; you need information on this guy.

>>660113
also how does she know so much about your servants? We don't even know how many people she brought with her to the castle.

>What? Yah don’t like it when I smile?
It is a little more intimidating than you feel comfortable with at times, especially when paired with the kind of question that'd make any man fear for his life.
But seeing her happy more than outweighs that.

>I’m truly sorry
You are both prone to eating your own foot every so often. Apology accepted, of course.

>yah’re a better person then yah think yah are.
Thank her for saying that. It must mean something to you to be recognized as something more than the fourth child of a King nobody ever notices, right?

>I fact, I ‘ave to say that yah are far more attractive than what ye real brother ever was.
As nice as it might be to be reassured of that, I think it is high time the subject of your brother was dropped entirely. Perhaps you reacted a little too strongly to feeling like you were still in his shadow, but this is not his time.
This is your and Briannah's time. Make the most out of this time together, the rest of the world and it's mysteries can go on without you two for a while longer.

Though it is a bit curious how she knows so much about your servants.

>Yah don’t like it when I smile?
Your smile could cause the most jaded man's heart to skip a beat, Briannah.

Thank her for her apology, and for telling you that you're a better person than you think you are. You never realized it before and you appreciated that she told you. As she can probably tell, you have self-esteem issues and a rather large blind spot when it comes to seeing what good you've done.

Say that you've had enough of the ghost of Krotos invading our evening. You'll neither ask nor hear any more of him. This time is for us and us alone. Let us enjoy it free of the past.

Make sure to tell her that she looks amazing right now. Say that you'd imagined she would have a dress like that, and you're quite happy that she chose to wear it to our first private dinner together.

Idly wonder to yourself if Sakkilian gals have kinds of support undergarments for their backsides the way Vark and human gals have them for their fronts... And what Briannah's posterior would look like with a bit of extra lift and support.

...Y'know, if she ever screams your brother's name while in the throws of passion with you, she's going to owe you all the favors forever. Or at least a big pile of them.

>What? Yah don’t like it when I smile?
Oh, no, you quite like it when she smiles. It's when it goes beyond a smile into a toothy grin that it reminds you of... Of the recurring nightmare you have of that horrible day twenty years ago. Of the part when the carriage door is wrenched open and a grinning female Sakkilian leans in, p-pointing a h-halberd at your m-mother's chest for an eternal agonizing moment before... B-before driving it in... ...You know eventually you'll get used to Briannah's grin and it'll remind you of her and not the nightmare, but here and now it does.

>You guess you’ll just go with what you usually wear, then.
Well, that is unless you can easily remove elements of the really regal wear to get it down to the point of being acceptably fancy. Otherwise just go with a fresh outfit. And make a note to have a few new suits tailored for occasions such as this that are fancier than your normal attire.

Freshen up a bit after you change. Wash your face, brush your feathers and apply a bit of that nice cologne you got as a gift a few years ago but never really had need of before. You hope Briannah likes it.

>That’s the plan, unless you come up with something better.
Then how 'bout presenting the bracelet after the sword. At the desert course say you have a surprise for her and head inside. Pocket the bracelet, get the sword and bring it out to preset it to her. After she accepts it and sits back down, pour her a glass of champaign and say that the sword wasn't the surprise. Hand her the glass and ask her to close her eyes. Say that it'll sound sudden, but after all that's happened these last two days you've come to realize that rather than merely having to be your wife, you would like her as your wife. Drape the bracelet over her right wrist and ask her to open her eyes. She's done her homework, so she'll know what it means.

>…and now it’s even more horrifying! You have a feeling Briannah is a person who usually get things her way… and if that thing is filled with… that… um…
She respects courage and strong will, so if you show some spine and put your foot down she'll pull back. It doesn't mean she'll give up, but it does mean you can negotiate and lay out what you're willing to do, what you're willing to try, and what you won't do. Then you can try what she wants at your pace and see if you actually enjoy it.

>>660121
>and 2) what did she prepare for dinner?
She already said (in the previous update) that the meal is a surprise. And while she'd probably say what it is now if pressed, it'd be a little rude to. Better not to and let her have her surprise.

>>660183
Krotos didn't inquire about Briannah's people 'cause he's been distracted with all the other stuff that's been happening these last two days and hasn't thought of it yet. But considering they'll be here for the long haul and working alongside his servants, he ought to get to know them as well.

There's the simple matter that we haven't really been exposed to any Sakkilians for most of our life, and nobody else around here has a mouth full of so many sharp pointy bits.

In short, we're used to beaks.

>>660171
It'll sound odd if Kronos just starts asking general things about Belseth. Keep it short and specific for now and just ask if she knows how Belseth knew to warn the Empress of the assassination threat, 'cause Helios didn't say how he did.

>What? Yah don’t like it when I smile?
That's... Something I've got to get used to. I'm not going to ask you not to smile, after all.

Maybe you could get some sharp-toothed animal skulls, spend some time poking at them to get you over your fears. As long as you're willing to be seen playing with skulls.

Kronos 2015/08/04(Tue)14:13 No. 660291 ID: 65a774
File 143872281267.png - (23.79KB , 686x526 , 102.png )

> It must mean something to you to be recognized as something more than the fourth child of a King nobody ever notices, right?
You have to admit, it did give you a warm, nice feeling inside you…
>...Y'know, if she ever screams your brother's name while in the throes of passion with you, she's going to owe you all the favors forever.
…why do you get the feeling she’s a loud one?
>How 'bout presenting the bracelet after the sword?
That’s should work… that way you can connected them to each other, making it a proper proposal.

>You are both prone to eating your own foot every so often. Apology accepted, of course.
We’re both flawed, aren’t we? Fitting, really…
>Your smile could cause the most jaded man's heart to skip a beat, Briannah.
Oh? In excitement or fear?
>We haven't really been exposed to any Sakkilians for most of our life, and nobody else around here has a mouth full of so many sharp pointy bits.
But the sharp bits are the best thing about a smile!
> It is a little more intimidating than you feel comfortable with at times.
Heh…
>especially when paired with the kind of question that'd make any man fear for his life.
But we both ‘now what ye answer would be, didn’t we?
>But seeing her happy more than outweighs that.
Why, that’s nice of yah to say…
>Though, it does reminds you of... Of the recurring nightmare you have of that horrible day twenty years ago.
…oh… I’ll ‘ave to remember to never smile to yah like that in the dark, then…

>That's not being nice, that's just being cost-effective.
If that’s the way yah want to put it…
>You give a man enough resources and a social goal instead of an economic one, and it's EASY to be the "nice guy".
Yet nearly every rich businessman or noble, especially those with few responsibilities, doesn’t even understand that the common people are people too, eh? Yah’re willing to work a bit extra for them, while most would simply ignore them, or even enjoy their suffering.

>How does she know so much about your servants?
I needed to talk to ye chef to fix this little date of ours… and I noticed ye servant quarters where a bit nicer than most I’ve seen. So I simply talked to a few of them. They apparently ‘ave a rather strong opinion about yah.
>Would it be asking too much to ask what she saw in him?
Yes.
>What were his motives during the assassination attempt?
To take power, as I’ve ‘eard it.
>just ask if she knows how Belseth knew to warn the Empress of the assassination threat?
‘e got a vision… at least that’s what ‘e says. That’s why ‘e joined ye church, because ‘e thinks it was that god of light that gave it to ‘im.

>I think it is high time the subject of your brother was dropped entirely.
I agree. Enough about the past. Time for the present.
>This is your and Briannah's time. The rest of the world and it's mysteries can go on without you two for a while longer.
Let’s focus on the mysteries of us, instead… like, am I wearing any underwear or not~?
Err…
>Make sure to tell her that she looks amazing right now.
I do, don’t I? Yah aren’t looking to shabby yeself, ‘eart butt.
I’ve still need to change and freshen up a bit… and I do love how that dress looks on you.
I’m sure yah’ll love ‘ow it looks on ye bedroom floor even more, eh?
Eh heh… err… I… I need to go freshen up… um…
I’ll be waiting, ‘eart butt…

Kronos 2015/08/04(Tue)14:14 No. 660292 ID: 65a774
File 143872283978.gif - (347.87KB , 686x526 , 666.gif )

>Freshen up a bit after you change. Wash your face, brush your feathers and apply a bit of that nice cologne you got as a gift a few years ago but never really had need of before.
Right… this is… different. You never thought you would be looking forward to something like this… with a Sakkilian… and… if things continue going smooth, maybe you two will… tonight… heh… *sigh* maybe things will turn out alright in the end…

[End of thread]

>>660292
...I have a feeling this is going to be how we get back to talking with Xuv from now on... whelp looking forward to the next thread

>>660292
UM. Xuv pls.