C) Have you and N'thar switch places. Have him handle the adventurers while you manipulate the meeting from the shadows.

B.
Everyone must know their place, and you stand properly above them.

B

>>901034
B) best put up the whole "No Sence of Right or Wrong" thing that wizards have going for them

>>900652

Uh, first is there a mirror you can look at. There's something on your forehead that's quite rather attention grabbing.

>>901034

If not, proceed and wear your arcane robes. These adventurers show disrespect or question your choice of clothing, remind them whose castle. Through words or through a display of power.

You should definitely see about renewing those charms. It's pretty bad to not be on top of your game when you have enemies converging on you.

Duchess Kalez 2018/09/16(Sun)20:47 No. 902028 ID: 2755f5
File 153715602106.png - (515.17KB , 657x858 , Pentacle054.png )

Kalez dresses in her arcane robes, they are practical, comfortable and strike terror in the hearts of the mundane.

N'Thar is silent as Kalez emerges from her chambers, he continues to hold his silence as he joins her on the way to the throne room.
The duchess is in no mood to engage her adviser so she remains silent as well.

after a minute, N'Thar is the first to speak
'This Vivian Hearth woman, she is supposedly the leader of this hunter band, yet she seems . . . dim'
the vavver drifts off in thought.

seeing what he's getting at Kalez answers 'very observant, I've been following these monster hunters for a while, and this Hearth woman is indeed odd'

'What have you gathered?'N'Thar perks up keen to hear what his mistress has gathered.

Kalez continues 'The wizard Hatchley is simple enough, and extraordinary wielder of the arcane to be sure, but nothing we haven't dealt with. Hearth however now she's strange, there's no way she could be as successful as she is, she's not smart enough, not skilled enough, and everything the braggart attributes to her own triumphs is the non-nonsensical ramblings of a fool. By all accounts Vivian Hearth vanquishes demonic horrors and planar monstrosities with nothing more than material weapons, youthful enthusiasm and a mountain of pure luck.'

N'Thar puts the pieces together quickly 'you think the woman is a chosen hero? a god's champion?'

The Duchess muses further on the topic 'She fits the bill; wanderer from a far off land, vague connections to nobility, tight nit group of loyal followers, and stupid yet successful'

N'Thar now a little concerned addresses the main issue 'What do you intend to do? do you just plan to pay the Vagrant and send her on her way?'

What does Duchess Kalez tell her Adviser?

By ignoring this portent, we run the risk of becoming a footnote to her tale, and that would be folly.

Let's set Hero against Harbingers, and hopefully reduce our worries by half.

"A fool and her heroics are soon parted. Pay the ditz, then offer her another mission - a suicidal one, for a mere knight's pay. We'll milk her luck or her stupidity - whichever runs out first."

Unless you have more undead to kill, that seems wise. Their exploits are powered by the favor of their god, you would do well not to trifle with the gods. One day soon, however, that hero will exhaust her god's patience. You just want to live long enough to see that day.

>>902028
Chosen hero or not, whatever forces allow for the continued success of Vivian Hearth would go to waste if left to her own devices, or worse: put to use by someone else.

Keep her busy doing work that benefits you, if nothing else this adventuring party will be a useful tool to have handy.

I feel if we keep them employed in the way of fighting off the undead, we might be able to keep them on our side or at least distracted.

We need to keep her entertained. Fools are meant to be used. And we need to keep her from being a nuisance in the future. Her status of Chosen hero is problematic, so we need to maintain her unaware of that fact.

Note: Just because she's "chosen to be a hero" doesn't mean a god did the choosing. She could have mortal backer (or group thereof) doing the real work but hiding behind her to avoid attention.

Is always better to be on the good side of these hero types. Helps you out should they ever come after you. While you don't have to be really nice, i would say you should do your best to be polite and agreeable.

Remember, the only good counter to absurd luck is an equal amount of finesse and planning.

Can't start jumping on superstitious "chosen one" prophecies. However, any asset can help in our quest to keep the realm together. Even if that asset's success is attributed to the unseen, unpredictable, and possibly non-existent luck of the draw.

Tell N'thar that, you'll give some incentive for Vivian to continue working for you. Whatever forces are responsible for her success: favor of the gods, her allies, or some other hidden benefactor. You'll be nudging her in the right direction so those factors for her success are put to good use. At the same time, slowly gaining her loyalty till she willingly does what you ask for free and swears unwavering obedience.

>>902075
Yeah, honestly I like this better than my plan. The undead problem should be an easier sell, and the issue's no less pressing.

>>902028
Even if you hate their annoying guts, they're probably more useful paid and unbetrayed.

Duchess Kalez 2018/10/19(Fri)09:37 No. 907486 ID: 2755f5
File 153996703834.png - (567.70KB , 657x858 , Pentacle055.png )

The Rachnid noble hears the vavving prattle echoing through the halls well before they reach the audience chamber.
Duchess Kalez and N'that enter the thrown room to find Lady Hearth sitting in the arch-dukes own thrown, partaking of (likely pilfered) food and drink from the castles pantry.
the advisor twitches with held furry

The mercenary is too engrossed with her own narrative to even notice theier entrance
'-And there I was, face to face with the faceless cyclops of the headland hills, bow drawn arrow aimed right between the eyes, I tell you my focus had never been sharper, but the bolt of my crossbow was sharper still . . . BLAM!!! I shoot him in one ear out the other and would you believe it? the gal has no brain! so I was in a real bad state there I'd only made the minotaur huffed, with my musket empty I was-'

the ichthyan having spotted the Duchess and her adviser interjects 'M'Lady, I hate to interrupt but-'

'If you hate it so much Ladis then just don't do it you addled adder, if I did everything I hate doing as much you I'd be in a ten foot hole in the ground and two hands short of a ladder! now where was I? oh right! I'd just kicked down the king's door, he being on the privy at the moment was in no position for a good fight, and me being a lady of honor would never take advantage of a vulnerable foe unless I had to to assure victory, so I did the only honorable thing a threw him a leg of lamb, and his response was priceless I tell you "what am I supposed to do? wipe my arse with this?" hee hee heehee cracks me up just thinking about it, anyways what did you want Ladis? you best not have interrupted me just to tell me how much you hate interrupting me, or else I'll interrupt my boot into your face!'
Lady Hearth punctuates the statement with a large bite from the trucken drumstick

the servant girl seizes this opportunity to speak her piece 'Lady Vivian, I believe the Duchess is here.'

Vivian gulps down the half chewed meat 'Is she? I don't hear any trumpets of announcement, any noble worth her salt would have a whole band declaring her presence, Ladis did I ever tell you about my trumpeter? Gorgary was a fine lad indeed, a former assassin they said he was, softest shoes this side of the county. Ol' Gorgary used to sneak up on people and blow the trumpet as loud as he could! Scared the ever loving shit out of them he did, it was glooorious! well that was until some fun hating orc cleaved his head clean off! must have flown twenty yards Gorgary's head, landed right in a pig's trough! I was right pissed and told the blaggard "OI! you can't go feeding my 'pans to your mum!" hee heehee, you better believe that brought the fire to his eyes! sooo I drew my wood ax ready to avenge poor Gorgary and . . .'

Kalez notices N'Thar's face continue to scowl at the vagrant's inappropriate behavior

how does Duches Kalez Proceed?

What Kind of crossbow goes BLAM?

Anyway, gesture to N'thar. Let him be bad cop. After he's given them a piece of your mind about propriety, you can intervene with a noble word about how all is forgiven*. Then maybe get down to business.

*It won't be. Ever.

>>907486
Well her story has given me an idea. Have any cantrips that could do very loud obnoxious trumpet music? And make it originate from right behind her.
With any luck she jumps out of your chair in honest surprise.

If she doesn't jump or it's fake surprise, well, then she's got a decent head on her shoulders and that story was told on purpose instead of idle bluster.

Weak nobles need trumpets. Feared and respected nobles do not, because everyone in their vicinity will keep them constantly in their thoughts, and watch and listen in dread for any opportunity to please them. Or avoid their displeasure.

This woman tells such naked lies that surely she's taking pleasure in daring people to comment on them; no-one could be that stupid. I'd say it's decent odds her opinion on the trumpeting could be a similar dare. Ignore it, and show her her proper place. Perhaps... yes. She's so intent on telling amusing stories. Why don't we give her another one for people to laugh at? Gods may protect their chosen mortals from harm, but gods also love to see a mortal humbled.

Let's play a... prank on her. Only a prank, sibling.

Drown her in concubines, feed her all your cheap beer, and write up a horrifyingly one-sided contract while she's still drunk and horny.

Throw her in the dungeon.

Alternatively, cast Polish on the throne to make her fall off.

We'll be able to send her into more fitting danger so stay calm. If she wins against it, one less problem. If she dies against it, one less problem. Stay calm, ask her for the jist of what you need to know from the last job and then give her the new one. (also start to look into a trumpet player...)

>>907496
I like this!

Polish the throne, and swipe that bottle before she spills it from the slip. I take it you fired all your heralds when they stopped being useful.

>>907493
I like this idea.
Also do you have any spells that would seal her mouth closed? No more eating, no more talking.

>>907499
I like this idea! Use her festiveness against her.

>>907499
Yeeeess. lever the failings of vice and avvarice. Hero or not, every being has it's limits.

More manpower doesn't hurt either.

Duchess Kalez 2018/10/27(Sat)11:10 No. 908472 ID: 2755f5
File 154066383226.png - (474.46KB , 657x858 , Pentacle056.png )

Kalez does not employ heralds nor concubines as they are a needless expense, the duchess has endeavored to downsize the castle staff as much as is practical.

still oblivious Lady Hearth continues
'... That's when the whole building went up in flames, now nooormally a few sparks aren't enough to scare me off but I had an ongoing wager with Hatchely at the time, she had said "you get covered in mud after ever bout" naturally I do that on purpose so I tell her "OI! I'm doing that on purpose!" now Hatchely she doesn't believe me and is all ...'

The Pointless Drivil grates upon the Duchess' nerves . . .

the vulpine prattles on
'"prove it" Hatchely says, I'm quick on the draw as always and snap back "Oi bet you I can keep clean for two whole weeks strait" now Hatchely smart as she is didn't see this coming but figured the smooth of it quick enough she says "if it's a bet what's your wager?"'

Feeling a headache coming on Kalez, commits to putting a stop to this narrative.

Kalez casts Polish upon the vixen's seat . . .

'now I-' Vivian pauses mid sentence, and flicks her wrist.

... the spell is reflected!

Duchess Kalez 2018/10/27(Sat)11:14 No. 908474 ID: 2755f5
File 154066404256.png - (398.69KB , 657x858 , Pentacle057.png )

Kalez is left staggered, not by the polish spell splashing at her feet (her stable four footed stance is proof against that),
but by the sheer improbability of such a thing happening, mundane techniques of spell reflection are nearly unheard of.

'M'lady are you alright?' the hand maiden asks her mistress.

Vivian Hearth dons an expression of offence, and continues her story as if nothing had happened.
'of course I'm alright? why wouldn't I be? now where was I ... oh yeah! Hatchely and I had just gotten another high profile gig, take down some winged beasty making off with peoples cattle, you know, typical stuff. but Hatchely get's it in her head that we should bring a tag along healer, now normal I don't care how she wastes her money but last time we brought along a holy man the poor bloke couldn't dodge as well as my elderly grandmother, I've heard they're still finding chunks of that man scattered throughout the country side, so I couldn't in good conscience bring in another lamb to the slaughter so I ..."


What does Kalez do next?

The thoughts she might indeed be a Gods Champion is growing, she actually managed to react to the spell being cast outside of her peripheral, and deflected it with a Wine Bottle rather then some odd artifact.

It was worst that i thought. I see how can she be an useful tool, but a very dangerous one. Too dangerous.
Some day she will have to be disposed off.
I think you will have to get serious. Destroy her seat, make her fall in her ass.

>>908489
Don't smash your own throne!
Shove that uppity adventurer off it with old fashioned muscle and overdeveloped claw arms. She's eaten through most of her payment already, so she should be grateful to see even a cent of it!

Interesting. Being able to detect spell casting, predict where exactly it was being cast, and being able to move to precisely reflect it in time... this isn't a coincidence.

Is there any spell we can use to look at which items she's wearing, in case she's hiding some powerful artifacts? Is our crystal ball of any use here?
Do there exist any items or spells, which would allow the user to... see the future?

I'm not sure how to react here. If she indeed can predict the future, then this complicates things.
If there is a deity looking down on her... then perhaps we should cast Scry ward on this room to block them from looking heh.

Anyway, there's no need to overreact. If we want to get her off of our seat, then we simply need to use a spell which cannot be blocked or evaded. Casting Mage hand would accomplish that and we simply need to slowly move it towards her until we're able to grab her clothes.

This kind of nonsense if why one doesn't directly oppose "Heroes" if they don't have to. Fate conspires to ensure their ridiculous survival, up until the point where their death would make a satisfying story.

Swallow your annoyance and go out there to talk to the creature.

What an interesting display! You should test this Lady further - showing her her place is a side benefit now, what we need to see is how capable she is. If she demonstrates that she can keep on holding off power like this, we might have more jobs for her! (... And you'll be able to save face if she DOES manage to hold you off by saying you were testing her.)

You have a few spells that should be harder to reflect. A Mage Hand or King's Hand should be capable of being created and then moved in from outside her reach, to push or pull her off the throne. Or if you don't mind being a little repetitive in front of the vizier, you could use Grasping Field again, which should be castable on the ground beneath her rather than on her.

Well she is a hero alright. Do not try another spell. Wait for this one to wear off and go back to change into your more royal garb so when you announce yourself you don't look like you were just made a fool of.

This hero is a fool. A brilliant fool. The type lives by luck, happy accidents, and/or divine intervention. Why the gods would favor someone so full of themselves? Unknown.

Whatever, no need to lose our heads. Save face and either wait for the spell to wear off or just tug on N'thar's sleeve to slide yourself off that slippery surface. Then approach and interrupt this hero's little story.

Oh no. This shall not stand.

We now must resolve to destroy her. But not here, and not obviously. Let N'thar handle defusing things.

Maintain decorum, but don't forgive this slight.

Is this how you treat all your employers, you disrespectful mutt? Because I'm getting most of a mind to just toss you a penny and have every able bodied guard in earshot to throw you out.

>>908474
Don’t slip and fall on your ass!

Duchess Kalez 2018/11/06(Tue)12:47 No. 909830 ID: 2755f5
File 154153724835.png - (444.98KB , 657x858 , Pentacle058.png )

Duchess Kalez holds back her fury
against a Hero she'll need to bide her time and destroy them methodically.

Seeing the moment of potential violence passing N'Thar grips Kalez' claw and glides her across the Polish effect
using his honed diplomatic skills he passes this off as a courtesy gesture

the chatty fox continues to pay no attention
'... The church had just collapsed on us, normally we'd have been crushed dead right then and there, but due to my quick thinking we were safe and secured in a well sheltered nook, it all came down to my education as a young girl were I studied architecture and-'

'ahem!' Abin N'Thar interrupts 'May I introduce her grace, the Duchess Kalez Multero'

'Well I'll be!' Vivian gets up with a start, feigning surprise 'The Duchess IS here, Ladis I owe you a biscuit.'

Duchess Kalez 2018/11/06(Tue)12:51 No. 909831 ID: 2755f5
File 154153749796.png - (474.45KB , 657x858 , Pentacle059.png )

'I have to say miss short and pointy you're not nearly as imposing as local tales would suggest, and I've heard quite a few.'the foreign woman gives an arrogant smirk.

'the drunken fantasies of vagabonds and tramps I'm sure' N'Thar answers.

'does pretty boy always speak for you then?' the mercenary says ignoring the adviser
'Vivian Hearth by the way' she adds, introduces herself 'chief partner in the "Hatchely & Hearth" adventuring company and expert monster hunter at your service!'

how does Kalez respond?

Speak directly to the Wizard Hatchley, refuse to acknowledge the presence of this annoyance.

Well, if we are going to approach the diplomatic way...
"Apeareances are missguiding, Miss Hearth, you should know that, given your... carrier. Don't mind N'Thar, he is not acostum to such boldness display. Anyway, time is short, so lets get into business."
What did we needed of her again?

Just write up the contract and totally screw her over, but accept reasonable negotiations. You do not need to aggregate a hero, especially since you're the ones trying to save the kingdom.

Since she tried to insult N'Thar, we should try insulting her party member. But not just insult, perhaps we can make a small wager to gain an upper hand in the payment negotiations. Given Vivian's personality, I doubt she would reject it.

"Since he was but a small cub, N'Thar's been wiser and more powerful than even your partner Hatchley so you need not worry about his capabilities. In fact, I dare bet my garments that he would win a duel against him any day."

>>909839
We needed to see the heads of some monsters we sent her and her party to kill. So we have proof that the job was done.

Lets not stoke her ego. Simple greeting, then straight to business. "If there was more time I'd stand here and have a scribe write down your exploits, however I came here for proof of slain monsters. Not stories of slain monsters. Show me the heads and" make some hand gesture that most would recognize as money, "You can tell stories about wealth."

Ask the bounty hunter if her work has been done and if she has the proof to back it up.

Duchess Kalez 2018/11/10(Sat)10:46 No. 910197 ID: 2755f5
File 154187557604.png - (372.54KB , 657x858 , Pentacle060.png )

The Duchess attempts flattery, not her best talent but this woman seems an easy mark 'If there was more time I'd stand here and have a scribe write down your exploits, however I came here for proof of slain monsters. Not stories of slain monsters. Show me the heads and . . .' Kalez makes hand gesture that most would recognize as money, 'You can tell stories about wealth.'

'my favorite kind!' the fox laughs back, she takes a bundle from her standard bearer and tosses it at the duchess' feet

dry voices emanate from the mass
'please help us . . .',
'HELP US',
'feed us',
'help . . .'
'feed!'

N'Thar gasps in shock 'They're still animate!?'

'of course!' Vivian Hearth replies casually 'didn't want it to look like I'd just dug up some graves . . . oh and watch yourself, they bite.'

a quick glance frustrates Duchess Kalez, Z'theno's head is not among those collected

Point out the lack of the main goal's head and ask if she thinks she will be getting half pay for half a job done. If she did, she was sadly mistaken.

Time to lose it onto them.

"What buffoonery is this? You dare enter this castle and dirty my throne room without even completing your mission? And then showing off how you've been wasting time to bring back these worthless peons alive all while being too dim to ask them who their leader was? Are you an adventuring company or a band of jesters?! Or perhaps you already know this and you've simply been trying to trick me? Is this what this show is for?"

I feel that casting some spell would be in place here, before or after this speech, to assert our dominance :P

>>910197
Question: Was Z'theno living or undead? Because if he was living, then all these undead heads could’ve just eaten Z’theno’s head.

But if he was undead and you don’t see his head, then you could ask her what happened to him. After all, if she really is chosen by the gods, then she did indeed kill him, but he was killed in a way that prevented her from recovering his head or his head was destroyed in a way that it is unrecognizable as Z'theno.

>>910207
>I feel that casting some spell would be in place here, before or after this speech, to assert our dominance :P
Let’s not do that. We don’t want it to be reflected back at us again.

An impressive feat, but not the one i agreed to pay you for.

>>910209
>reflected back
Unless... we aim at her companions.

>>910211
Does she have any? Because from what we’ve heard of the stories she’s been telling, her companions always end up killed and she’s the only person that survives whatever killed her companions.

.....which now that I think about it, that’s pretty weird. Shouldn’t a hero like her be able to keep her companions alive? She must not be a very good hero if she can’t keep her companions alive.

>>910212
>Does she have any?
I'm pretty sure that the two on the left of her >>909831 are her companions.

>her companions always end up killed
I can't find any hints where this would be implied.

"... These had better have started out as undead before you turned them into your giant screaming paperweight. I'm paying you to vanquish the tides of death, not add to them! And put them out of their misery before they infest this place with passive hexes, you daft ditz!"

A truly spectacular act of charity you have done this day.
And here I thought adventurers were only in it for the money.

Surely, if you wanted money, you'd have actually done the job ...

>>910197
Well at least she shows some train of thought. Unfortunate that the one we are looking for isn't here. Before we jump to conclusions lets try to ask if she encountered an undead by the name of Z'theno.

Make it rather clear that we're not obligated to pay unless this particular undead is slain. Do show/or fake being impressed that she brought these undead back alive, keep her feeling like she's got a deal so long as she gets what we really need done.

Tell her if the leader isn't dead she hasn't solved your problem. If she needs extra funding to kill the leader you can give her SOME of the reward ahead of time.

Duchess Kalez 2018/11/20(Tue)10:19 No. 911306 ID: 2755f5
File 154273796581.png - (557.36KB , 657x858 , Pentacle061.png )

Kalez clenches her chelicerae in frustration, as much as she would like to chastise the vulpine for failing to nab Z'Theno she knows better.
The Duchess never asked for specific heads as it would raise too many questions, questions that look unfortunately upon the scorpion's plans.
it would be worse now, for there'd be questions regarding her initial reluctance.

'Are you sure this is all of them?'Duchess Kalez cautiously questions.

'Nope!' Vivian's smile stretches wider as her quick answer catches both the scorpion and the jackal off guard.'actually I'm pretty sure I missed a lot'

What!? how dare- before he can finish N'Thar is interrupted

'What I've shown you is just proof that I can do the job' the mercenary's words ooze with overblown self importance'buuuuut if you want this job done, you're gonna have to pay more than a measly thirty silver . . . a LOT more . . . I think "60" in gold should be enough' the vixen's hands shape the numbers.

'sixty gold? you're mad!' N'Thar exclaims in fury 'I could two dozen trained guards a years wages to hunt those monsters down for that price '
a young laborer makes about 1 gold a year, 100 silver or 10,000 copper

Kalez understand why the vagrant returned so quickly . . .

'you mean those kobolds you have prancing about? HAH! you'd just come crawling back to me, and have to pay my price as well . . . plus an added fee for the two dozen mini-zombies' Vivian pauses as if to think 'oh! and I'll need it all in advance'

'Outrageous!' the Jackal snarls

Lady Hearth Shrugs 'it's not that I don't trust you, it's that you lot have a real bad reputation . . . and that I don't trust you'

Does Duchess Kalez Accept Lady Vivian's demand? reject it? something else?

I think she's more than willing to walk away, unfortunately. Better pay it. Maybe make some grudging speech about how you're only willing to give up money from the kingdom's coffers to protect the people from the undead threat or something, just to make sure she doesn't leap to asking for more.

However, tell her that though you're willing to pay up front, you will insist on some other way to ensure she comes back when the job is done. If she's not willing to trust you, then purely on principle, you will not act as if you trust her.

I don't know what exactly you'd do, though. I don't suppose there's some sort of magical method, is there? A tracker you could place on her, or something that would allow you to scry on her, and/or some latent curse you can cast on her and activate when you will it so? Some application of the Trap Maker spell, perhaps? Something that can be done with the Magic Circle's ritual magic? Probably any magical method is vulnerable to being removed by other magic. Perhaps you'll need to take one of her companions as a "guest", as well. She was saying how easy it was for her to accomplish this, right? Surely such a might hero doesn't need ALL her helpers, then.

Sixty gold seems a little bit too much. Is the head of that Z'theno worth that much?
I doubt that she would run with the money without finishing the job, i don't mind paying upfront, but the amount of gold she is requesting is just plain ridiculous.
For that much mony we can put more resourses insted of using her. Ask her to be more reasonable.

>>911306
Tell her that she’s broken your trust in her. You sent her out, only for her to return, having barely done anything, and demanding more money. The only thing she’s proven is that she’ll attempt to do this a second time, asking for even more money. And if you did give her 60 gold right now, there’s no guarantee that she won’t run off with it.

The only money she’ll be getting up front is the silver you agreed to pay her earlier (if she hasn’t already been paid). However, you’ll be willing to give her the 60 gold, but only if she actually completes the job you hired her for. If she returns without fully completing the job again, then she’ll receive no payment at all.

If that doesn’t work, then either increase the money to 80 gold for completing her job or give her 15 gold now and tell her she can have the remaining 45 gold upon completing her job.

Imply that this proves she can't do the job at all, and that she ought to be ashamed to face you with such a pitiful display. Some hero. Get her pride to work for you. If she leaves, let her.

"Do you realize how thoroughly I have tarnished my reputation by gathering resources for the upcoming wars? If I just GIVE away the training money to ONE arrogant hero... well, all I'd have to do is tell everyone, and at the very least your living costs would go up.

Here's how this is going to work. You go away. You come back, with an adventuring party of people who are marginally as talented as yourself, and with a leader who is actually competent enough not to get their whole party killed. I pay you 30 gold. Each. As half up front. You save the world from the dead. Everyone is happy again.

Also, there's a group of upstart rebels killing my tax collectors. The ones stealing YOUR pay. For each one you bring in, ALIVE, as in, NOT RIPE FOR ZOMBIFICATION, I'll pay you three gold."

Fine. We need this done. Tell her she gets 30 now though and 30 when the job is done. If she resists give a second offer of 40 20 and do not budge. A half finished job shows that she too isn't as trustworthy as she claims.

Reject her.

Wave her off and say that because she has failed in this simple task she is not worth any more time or effort.

Get out of my castle and go back to cheating peasants out of there silvers. I will find a proper "hero" to save my subjects from the undead horde.

Then turn your back on her and walk away. See how she responds but be prepared to keep walking.

She is asking for more because there are supposedly a lot more of these. So pay her by the head. No possible negotiation of a flat fee guarantees the job gets done properly before she comes to collect. Incentivizing every head is the only way to encourage her to find them all, and therefor the one you are actually concerned about.

Maybe 60 silver for each bag of this size. There's like 10 there right?

She comes into your house, shows you and your servants nothing but disrespect, returns having not doing her job properly only to demand a ludicrous sum of money UP FRONT while again disrespecting us and mocking our guards.
It's clear she's not the person for the job (she's as subtle as an army of exploding orangutans), you need an unmatched warrior not a showboating con-artist.

If you can play to her pride then do it but if not don't bother with her.

Now she's being amusing. Not sure what she plans to accomplish by doing this though. Cheating the cheater? Giving you your own medicine? What if the rumors she heard are all false?

Treating any employer like that is deplorable, even if she thinks she's the "hero" dealing with a "villain". Reject her and remove her for what in anyone's eyes would be an purposefully offending move.

The nerve to leave a job unfinished, to come back and demand an absurd amount more. How do we know she's not conning us?

Look to N'Thar and remark about the vagrant something like: "And just when I thought we truly found someone who might be able to save my subjects." Request some servants to fetch a 100 silver coins, and get one single gold coin. Cast the tracker coin spell on the gold coin in secret so Vivian doesn't know. Then give it all in a pouch. "This is the only payment in advance you will receive, Vivian. Trust goes both ways. As you can see, this is a fraction of the payment up front you asked, which also represents the amount of trust I now have in you as of right now to get the job done. You've proven your skill but you haven't proven your reliability." Turn away, "Take that as payment for your little demonstration here. Do the job I asked you to do and you will be rewarded the remaining 58 gold coins you asked for. Kill every undead, none must escape. If you can't do that. I will find someone else who can save my subjects, not some adventurer who extorts an entire kingdom for salvation." Walk away, but listen for her response. Perhaps start considering alternatives now.

As written here >>911313, explain to her that your bad reputation is the cost you had to pay to keep the lands safe.

She's clearly just trying to bargain. Then tell her that, since she only has money in mind, and doesn't care about anyone but her own hide, she may leave. You're rejecting her offer.

And as written here >>911420, talk about trust and reliability. Don't give her more than a little bit of gold up front. And let her know that the kingdom would be safer if your money would be spent on training guards and hiring someone else. She's no one special. Besides, the 60 gold is clearly a number that reflects her ego, rather than the job's difficulty. I'd offer 10-20 max.

Reject this outrageous demand.

To simply outright reject the offer would be foolish. Vivian does know what she is doing and is playing us like a fiddle at the moment.
She is currently aiming very high at the moment. For something so high you would demand a bit more from her.
Perhaps bring it down to 30 or maybe a half now half when the job is done.

Let's not just throw her out the door right away.

Duchess Kalez 2018/12/02(Sun)13:10 No. 912759 ID: 2755f5
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Kalez feels her ire grow, she'll not cave to this arrogance. but restraint has always been a strength of hers, she'll practice it now
I have tarnished my reputation preparing for the hardships of the future, the people of the new generation, your generation, cannot understand the perils we face from the enemy across the sea.'it is a speech Kalez has used many times one the pious, she adjusts it to fit her needs here.'You'd be robbing in the name of protection, as an adventurer and a monster hunter you have a duty to protect the people, not exploit their desperation.'

'this isn't MY kingdom, these aren't MY people, they aren't MY responsibility, I'M just a foreign exterminator that hasn't been paid'Vivian's smug smiles remains ever plastered on her face.'and if YOU don't pay me and YOUR people suffer from vermin infesting YOUR land it's YOUR fault not mine'
it is the grin of an idiot, one who has given up on any pursuit of higher truths. this is not someone the golden scorpion can tolerate let alone respect.

Kalez finally understands the wretched person standing before her, no more practiced words, the Duchess speaks from the heart.
'my guidance has protected this kingdom longer than you've been alive you insolent whelp!'Kalez' voice cracks and squeals as she raises it far above her comfortable mutterings 'I'm done humoring you, I'll not suffer to be criticized and insulted in my own castle by some bloated self-important dilettante who couldn't manage anything as large as a farm house, GET OUT!'

Lady Vivian is stunned to silence

Duchess Kalez 2018/12/02(Sun)13:11 No. 912760 ID: 2755f5
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The effect does not last, the vulpine turns on her heels and laughs 'fine, I'll simply find someone else to foot the bill'

Kalez seethes with hate, this Vivian Hearth character . . . few have gotten so far under her chitin.the duchess vows to one day destroy her.

The Vixen seems completely untroubled as she walks towards the main gates.
'the king I suppose has more money to spend, and I'm sure he'd love to hear about how his brother's estate is letting the undead run rampant'

the goad is obvious, but the threat isn't idle.The duchess however refuses to be manipulated in such a way and remains silent.

The adventurer strides out of the room. her companions in tow
'Ladis, have I ever told you about king flagrion? a strange fellow for a king, not one for speeches or public shows of prestige, lets all his courtiers handle that sort of thing . . .'

The Vizier N'Thar looks ill, he seems itching to speak his mind but chooses to hold his tongue.

Duchess Kalez 2018/12/02(Sun)13:15 No. 912761 ID: 2755f5
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when he is certain the outsiders are out of earshot, N'Thar blurts out 'this is a disaster!, The White Wolf was bad enough, if the king hears word of undead we'll have dozens of harbingers knocking on our door.'

'the king would expect us to welcome their presence' Kalez' words are leveled and belie a calm she doesn't feel it will be a small matter to keep their attention elsewhere

'you under estimate the harbingers at all of our peril'the jackal exhales and regains a measure of his composure 'There is no doubt those healers will insist on seeing our "sickly" Arch-Duke'

Unfortunately the jackal has a good point, but it serves no purpose to encourage his panic let's not speculate on the action of people not even dispatched, we'll deal with whatever comes our way when we need to, the king will likely refuse audience with this vagrant.'

Abin N'Thar ponders this for a moment and the pales upon a realization.
If Hearth wants to reach the king quickly she'll have to take the coast road north, that will have her cross paths with the white wolf. The adventurer will boast no doubt and Inquisitor Sabria will see this as proof to her mad delusions.

'Herocea will have dealt with the inquisitor and her aids by now, we need not worry about the "white wolf" any further I think' Privately Kalez wonders if that will be enough. if even a broken wagon wheel remains, it may be enough to spark an adventurer's curiosity. Hearth might likely be able to find and defeat the stone giant.

Vizier Abin N'thar seems to have doubts of his own, but he chooses not to voice them.

Is there more to be done regarding this issue?

Yes.

Check up on your minions and make sure they DID their job.

If the giant fail to deal with the Withe Wolf, and somehow manages to meet this arrogant fool, we'll have troble. Just to be sure that that doesn't happen and win some more time, we need to make her take another route. Can that be done?

Oh look, a bridge. it would be such a shame if something were to happen to it.

Oh, and could you imagine if either of these idiots were on it at the time?

Travesty.

Check on your minions to see if the job is done. Right now.

Maybe check on that bridge, what is it made of/how easily can it be destroyed with magic or something else.

That bridge has got to go, with that bitch right on top of it.

Something tells me the destruction of that bridge would not only bring more attention and workers of the king to the area but it might also hurt our area in commerce. Leave it be and see if the giant did their job right.

We should inform Garrin that he may be crossing paths with Vivian soon.

We'll burn that bridge when we come to it.
Will Herocea recover in time to be of use again? This job may fall to our spy first.

Duchess Kalez 2018/12/07(Fri)11:43 No. 913352 ID: 2755f5
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The Golden Scorpion reaches out to her second acolyte, Tapping into the link provided by the tracking coin he carries.
Duchess Kalez pulls out her crystal it fogs, and clears moments later to reveal the face of her servant.

'Garrin, report the status of your mission' Kalez quickly clips

the magpie seems stunned by the sudden contact 'your grace, I was not expecting word so soon'

I don't like to repeat myself Garrin, tell me of the mission Kalez responds annoyance creeping into her tone.

Garrin's silence is telling, after a few moments of silence he gives his report 'your giant has failed you, she was no match for the Inquisitor and her harbingers, I however was able to use the distraction to escape with the Princess and all of the steeds, they'll not have an easy time proceeding on foot.'

The Duchess hisses her displeasure, she had expected more the from the giant and despite his tailored words Garrin too is to be blamed and punished . . . at a more convenient time. Abin N'Thar makes some panicked muttering in response to the avians words this adds to the Duchess' irritation but she remains focused 'both of your failures are well noted ' Garrin does not object so she continues 'your next objective is clear, I want you to make sure Inquisitor Sabria does not cross the Bellegates Bridge in Herron town, destroy the bridge if you have to . . . preferable with the women on it'

'It will be done' Garrin nods, his mind already working quickly to figure the best way to achieve this task.

'There's more' Kalez continues 'a mercenary and scoundrel by the name of Vivian Hearth will also be travelling through Herron.'

'the famed monster hunter, I'm familiar with the woman.' the spy confirms.

'Good.' Kalez is pleased to be spared having to provide a lengthy description 'she is not to cross Bellegates Bridge either'

'It will be done' Garrin Reaffirms ' is there anything else I should know?'

Hmmm, if the princess is with him, it might make things dificult, specially if she ask questions about the havoc with the bridge. We have to either make an excuse for its destruction or hide her somewhere safe to keep her and out of trouble. Use what ever means you have to your disposal to make sure she stays put and quiet, she is a fool, but that doesn't make her less dangerous.
If posible, make it look like an accident, or it will make things more complicated later. Do it quicly or the hunter will catch on that something is off.

I'm pretty sure most of these people will be able to swim, they just might have to take off their armor and leave some of their stuff behind.

>>913352
>>913353

Perhaps making it look like rebels blew the bridge. Certainly would hurt support for their cause.

Ask if he has a means to blow the bridge. Also check what kind of bridge it is, stone or wood. Where are the supports, etc.

Lastly, if it won't blow his cover he should check the remains of the bridge to make sure Vivian and the Inquisitors are dead. 'Heroes' have a nasty habit of coming back from the dead, usually more powerful than before. Ensure this isn't the case.

Princess Reefa should be fine with Garcio so there's no need for Garrin to worry about her.

As great as our ego is, we need to realize that Garrin cannot directly face Sabria, nor Vivian, so this mission, preventing them from passing the bridge, may be impossible for him no matter his resources. We need to give him some sort of support. What are our options?
The bridge is definitely a strategic point, so first knowing how robust it is, and how easy it is to bypass it, is important. But even if he had the means to blow it up, which is unlikely, it would only stop one of the two parties. Getting them both on the bridge at the same time seems like a good idea, but that would mean we need to find a way to delay one of them until they're both on it. How would we be able to delay them?

>>913352
How exactly did Garrin fail you? You told him to make sure the princess didn’t get killed in the ambush and he did exactly as you told him. That doesn’t sound like failure.

There’s also no guarantee that both Inquisitor Sabria and Vivian Hearth will be on the bridge at the same time, so you may have to settle on only one of them being on the bridge when it’s destroyed, depending on who gets there first.

Also you may need to provide some sort of assistance to Garrin because it’s doubtful that he can sneak away from the princess to destroy the bridge without her noticing he’s missing. And it’s doubtful that Garrin has anything with him that actually can destroy the bridge. You may need to call in someone else to destroy it.

.....wait, how is Garrin talking to you without whoever he’s with noticing that he’s talking to you and blowing his cover?

He should know that if he fails you again, he will have much to fear. Few fail you once and live to talk about it so he should take this momentary pass with much gratitude.

Make sure They're on the right side of the bridge when it goes.
Ideally, the side without the inquisitors on it, too.

"If you fail me one last time... your mission will be to frame the flippant fox. Her arrogance and aggression is to be noted. Find a way to aggravate the gabby mercenary into attacking / insulting you, the inquisitor, or even the princess without drawing attention to yourself."

Duchess Kalez 2018/12/17(Mon)18:46 No. 914356 ID: 2755f5
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only that if you fail me again there will be grave consequenceswith her final threat she dismisses the power of her spell

N'Thar seems less than satisfied. 'this is a lot of responsibility to be placed on Garrin, tasking him with guarding the sacrifice is dangerous enough as it is with out pitting him against an inquisitor and a wayward chosen.'

Kalez is used to her advisers dislike of Sir Garrin, he is jealous of the man, and perhaps rightly so. If the knight turned spy becomes too valuable the jackals position as first acolyte could be threatened, 'Garrin can handle the princess' Kalez likes to encourage this rivalry, it keeps both of them at their best.

N'Thar simply sneers, 'him "handling" her is what I am worried about, we're not ready for her part'

This irritates the Duchess, the vizier is too presumptuous 'if we need the girl at all. is her curt reply. The golden scorpion has so much in play already, the status of one girl no matter how royal cannot stop the momentum.

the jackal attempts to speak further but his mistress raises a hand ordering silence. Instead N'Thar follows the duchess as she leaves the room to handle other pressing issues.

Duchess Kalez mind drifts to the future, one of glory and power, one of recognition for her dark master, one where the King of Pentacles finally rewards her for a life time of sacrifice.

Chapter 2 End