Dungeon Life Quest (DLQ) 82 - So Crazy It Might Work Edition

>> Offer a hand to shake
Also those perspective practices linked in the last thread are one of the sexiest pics I've seen.

>Bow
Respect, but kneeling seems... inappropriate, given our angelic patron

>>> Offer a hand to shake

>Bow
She may not be our ruling royalty but any royalty should be treated with some courtesy, and after her reaction to the situation with Ames earlier she sure as heck is in the positive standing right now.

> Offer a hand to shake
> Just introduce yourself. She's not /your/ princess.
Me thinks this is the kind of princess who thinks less of people who bow and prostrate before her.

>> Just introduce yourself. She's not /your/ princess.

It is, but I think the juxtaposition of the feminine jesture with the masculine garb would be amusing.

>> Offer a hand to shake
>> Just introduce yourself. She's not /your/ princess.
One of these, with a nod (i.e. basic courtesy between equals)

It does kind of suit Bri, true.

Real life interrupted me, still interrupting, my apologies.

Domo passes along his thanks for the kind words.

> Bow (curtsey?)

>Offer a hand to shake.
C'mon now, we talk with dead people all the time, and some of them might have been royalty. Let's not worry about little things.

Domo a bro.

Real Life is a fucking whore.

And before anyone says it, Vox is a /slut/. There's a difference.

>curtsey, because it's cuter.

I would like to point out that being injured to the point of needing a cane means a curtsey - which puts you on one leg only - is a really bad idea just for the sake of Bri's health.

>> Offer a hand to shake
> Just introduce yourself. She's not /your/ princess.
If she makes a fuss about lack of respect, we're injured, she can deal with it.

how long are you gonna think this joke is funny?

>Offer her a hand shake.
>"I'd curtsey, but I was recently reintroduced to this thing called 'pain', and I might fall over trying to be gracious."

I think you meant "graceful" not gracious. Chances the entire meaning of the sentence.

You seem to be misunderstanding; Vox is indeed a slut.

He spends an inordinate amount of his time 'entertaining' faggots like you and me.

Don't these things have their own board now?

You're going to have to try harder.

I'm not trying to troll, I'm just curious as to why this isn't over on /qst/, I've never really followed Quest threads

Because a lot of players don't like /qst/ and there is no reason not to run it here when players don't like /qst/.

Pretty simple really.

Called, writing.

Okay I lied, I stopped to make dinner.

Now I'm writing.

You offer your hand out to her Highness. "Brianna la Croix, Princess," you offer. "It's an honor to meet you."

Amalie raises an eyebrow, but she takes your hand and shakes it firmly. "The friends of Death," she notes, curiously. "I hadn't thought we had a la Croix family in Greenwall."

"You don't," you admit. "...Well, you /do/, in the Dungeon, but they're Roses. Not quite the same."

"Not at all," the royal agrees. "What is it /you/ do?"

"Think of me as a...spiritual advisor," you evade, with a little grin.

Princess Amalie snorts. "My father told me stories about the la Croix, back when Greenwall was still part of the Empire. He said you had difficulty bowing even then."

"We don't go in for titles," you agree modestly. "We do go in for responsibility. Thank you, for helping Amy back there."

"Think nothing of it. Miss Amy's been a delight," Amalie tells you. Amy /beams/. "I've asked her if I can't procure something like that dress for myself, if she's of a mind. I get the sneaking suspicion that I'll have to be near Glen for awhile."

"What about you?" you ask. "What's being the Mistress of Coin like?"

"Please don't," Amy begs. "It hurt my head enough the first time."

Amalie laughs and signals to one of her handmaidens; the girl goes to retrieve drinks. "The very, unhelpfully short version is that I ensure the Crown doesn't run out of money. The somewhat longer version is that I try to keep Greenwall's coinage moving. Money that sits still isn't doing our work for us. Picking up Wrackholm was quite a coup for that, actually, even if there's some...disagreements."

"You can't just leave that sitting on the table," you point out. The handmaiden comes back with glasses of watered wine; you take one, gratefully, and enjoy a sip.

"People will tell you that Wrackholm was a pirate city, and that's true to an extent," Amalie explains. "But soldiers need support, and pirates are, make no mistake, soldiers."

Amalie gestures to a hook-handed woman in a decidedly naval outfit; her 'uniform' is decorated with patches depicting various events, and she talks shrewdly with a small knot of finely-dressed individuals. "Wrackholm sent us a Duchess because my father asked for one, but they don't have nobility as we'd recognize it. And they're insisting on not having any."

"So what do they want?" you ask.

"Democracy," Amalie answers, her tone all interest. "You're familiar with the idea of electing a village council? They applied it to their entire city. I'm given to understand that it began as a defensive compromise when the city was founded, but every six years every man and woman in Wrackholm, be they prince or pauper, is invited to cast ballots for who will rule their home. Anyone who lives, works, or owns business there."

"...Huh," you say slowly. "And it works out for them?"

"Seems to. City's been there for a hundred and eighty years or so and they haven't descended into murderous chaos." Amalie swirls her glass and takes a small sip. "I'll admit, the idea fascinates me. Father apprenticed me as an aide to one of their Councilors for the duration of his rule so that I could train for this role."

"Wait," Amy interjects. "For the coin thing?"

"Well, yes, you have to do /something/ with the kids that won't inherit," Amalie points out. "My older brother got into war already and in any event I'm not big on commanding armies. Funding armies, yes, supplying armies, certainly, but combat?" She shakes her head. "And the other traditional route, murdering your whole family and stealing the throne, leaves a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. Something about loving and cherishing them, the bastards."

You snort. "Family is inconvenient like that, yes."

I like Amalie already.

"The point is, I lived there for a good chunk of time, and now they've very quietly submitted their desire to the Crown, that they not be treated as land to be given away to this vassal or that. And the trouble is, it wasn't a request. It was a demand." Amalie turns her head back to you. "Father wants to know what's to be done about them. And in a lot of ways, they're like Starfall here. Sure, we can pick a fight, but we're never going to win it. Not without years of getting to know their shores and defenses."

"Okay, so what's the worry?" you ask.

"You and I were both young or possibly not born when the Empire fell," Amalie explains. "Depending on how old you are. It doesn't really matter; the point is, we grew up with its ghost. Greenwall came out of that really well. Elves to the west to buffer us, easy access to the sea, fertile lands. But there was a lot of anti-Imperial sentiment, and there still is. And the thing about kings if they tend to become Emperors if they win the game hard enough - and not playing has never been an option."

"Until now?" Amy asks.

"Nah. Democrats still play the game, but they rewrite the rules for it. And what Father worries of is that if we acknowledge and legitimize Wrackholm's demand, others may do the same."

> What do you say?

>Good, seen to many corrupt "vassals" in my time. Although I am curious as to how they can manage their system in more detail. Might try it in the Dungeon to smooth things over between floors without becoming a ruler.

>Your father, he listens to the counsel and advice of his vassal lords right? What's to say the same thing can't continue, but with elected officials? You're still playing the game.
See, I had an idea, and then I lost it. But I'm shit at politics anyway. Also, are we building a constitutional monarchy here (if that's how it works).

So, basically, a House of Representatives with members drawn from each inhabited floor? Doesn't sound like a bad idea. Course, we can't count the Broken Jaw since...

Fuck, now I'm depressed.

> I'm afraid I'm probably more interested in the experiment than the political ramifications. The idea sounds fascinating.

>People aren't gonna copy /pirates/, princess. Even if they have a good idea, they're still pirates, with all the... reputation that implies.

Seconding (thirding?) this.

>Supporting

This. Leave their democratic experiment as a city wide oddity. The democratic unit, rather than a particular lord would owe fealty.

supporting a combination of these two options.

more support to the fine anons

Called, writing.

Huh, surprised my brain-leakage is getting support.

I just think that Brianna would support anything that helps bring people together peacefully. Once everything in the Dungeon is settled, she could call on the spirits of past rulers (who actually knew what the fuck they were doing) to share their wisdom with the leaders of the present.

Plus, that's a golden opportunity for laughs at the expense of nobles getting embarrassed and chewed out by their dead grandparents.

>Oh gods, did my daughter actually marry that bastard shepherd from the plains or have you just sat in the sun for so long your brain boiled and made you think that outfit looks good?
>Hello, Matthew, I've been hearing some interesting stories from your uncles about how you had them burned at the stake...
>WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE STILL COLLECTING PROPERTY TAXES?! THOSE WERE SUPPOSED TO ONLY LAST AS LONG AS THE WAR DID!
>Ah, so nice to finally meet you, granddaughter. I'm glad to see that my death meant something in the end.
>Wait, you've been trying to break into my vault for HOW long? The code is your mother's birthday!

These made me laugh perhaps more than the should have. Particularly the vault

>WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE STILL COLLECTING PROPERTY TAXES?! THOSE WERE SUPPOSED TO ONLY LAST AS LONG AS THE WAR DID!
The correct answer to this is to stare at him and say 'moneeeeeeeeey' while doing that finger-rubbing gesture.

You consider it for a moment. "Is there a reason you're asking me?"

"Ask?" Amalie replies, with an arched eyebrow.

"I swear, if you make me torture my grammar for the political version -"

The princess interrupts with a sweet laugh and shakes her head. "You really aren't scared of me, are you?" she asks, her eyes bright with interest. "Some might consider you terribly rude."

"Some might not discuss matters of state politics with a stranger, on the basis of a family name and historical records," you answer, raising an eyebrow. "We can do this all night, your Highness. My oaths of fealty drowned with my people. I respect you, and I'm grateful to you, but I don't serve you."

"There you are," Amalie murmurs. "Nice to meet you at last, Ms. la Croix. And you're right, I am asking. Do you have an opinion?"

"Did you two just have a standoff?" Amy asks.

"I'll tell you later, love," you murmur. "I'm a little rusty on my monarchies, but your father listens to the counsel and advice of his vassals, yes? He'll have a privy council or a small council of some kind, to help him attend to the needs of the realm?"

"Certainly," Amalie agrees. "I'm on it. So is my brother, for that matter, and a scattering of others. Even a few commoners," she adds, thoughtfully. "Which was Prince Wayland's idea, incidentally."

"Why not do the same thing with elected officials? Get ahead of the game. Go down in history as a bold, progressive monarch. Or a harmless idiot who tried something that ultimately failed. Either way, you don't go down as the one who got a stool kicked out from under them at the end of a rebellion."

"You really think it'd be as bad as all that?" the princess asks. "My father's not a hated man."

"Never said he was, but I've seen a lot of corrupt vassals in my time, and a king is accountable for his banners. Isn't he? Maybe it's time to have them accountable to the people."

youtube.com/watch?v=zMNUcNokvkU
1:13

You gesture out onto the dance floor. "Captain Miller, he's accountable to his neighbors, to the village elders, and to his oaths. And presumably various lords and knights are accountable to their vassals but in practice that doesn't happen as often as you'd think, does it? It's easy to be powerful and distant." You shrug, and take a sip of your wine. "...We took our hats off for our Baron, at home, and he greeted us by name, and asked after our families. He was one of us, and I think we were happier for it."

"I am sorry for what happened," Amalie murmurs.

"Did you blow that dam?"

"Of course not."

"Then don't insult me with your apologies, your Highness. Sometimes...sometimes, the scythe just falls."

Amy clears her throat. "The Roost does something sorta like what you're talking about," she adds, helpfully. "The various murders get together to handle justice or deal with stuff that affects the whole Roost. The Roost is...was.../was/, a shithole where dreams went to die, but the Parliament was how we made peace."

"Honestly, I'd love to know more about how Wrackholm handles it," you tell Amalie. "No one rules the Dungeon, but it'd be nice if people didn't act like their neighbors meant nothing. Maybe no /one/ can rule the place, but /everyone/ could."

"What makes the Dungeon your concern?" Amalie asks curiously.

"A dear friend of mine asked me to look after it," you answer. "And that's all you're going to get from me tonight, Highness."

"Let me rephrase the question, then," the princess presses. "What gives you the right to plot and scheme to change their society? Me, here, I know what gives /me/ the right. And I transferred that to you when I asked for your opinion. What about the Dungeon?"

> I have the power. No one's been able to stop me so far.
> Someone has to. It's time the Dungeon took its rightful place in the world.
> I'm just doing things, okay? Everything seems like it needs doing at the time and they all add up into this massive labor of shit that I've /done/.
> Write-in?

> Write-in?
"My dear friend had the power, and she transferred it to me when she asked for my help"

> I'm just doing things, okay? Everything seems like it needs doing at the time and they all add up into this massive labor of shit that I've /done/.

Bri's always been spurred along at every turn to keep being /that person,/ and while others have helped her along the way no one has ever offered to take up her mantle and finish the charge. She's been appointed the leader by the simple fact that she is doing the things that need to be done in the Dungeon, and is willing to keep on going (at least from the outside perspective). To say that that stress might be wearing on her, well..

> If you saw the Roost as I saw it, when I saw it, you wouldn't be asking that question.

Absolutely this

>No rights at all. I make deals with the reasonable authorities, I bought those rights. For others, those who very recently came into power through force, I used force in kind. And the rest...
> If you saw the Roost as I saw it, when I saw it, you wouldn't be asking that question.

Seconding >No rights at all. I make deals with the reasonable authorities, I bought those rights. For others, those who very recently came into power through force, I used force in kind. And the rest...
> If you saw the Roost as I saw it, when I saw it, you wouldn't be asking that question.

thirding

So, Vox,
About your Professional Writing, is it for Dreamscarred Press?

I think he mentioned that Mourners was coming out soon. Looking forward to it

Read that on the site

It is.

So, will it be going up in the same place as all the other stuff?
Also, is it Mourners: Ashes to Ashes?

>"Not a damn thing. I have no 'right' to do this but its the right thing to do so I'm doing it."

whoops forgot to greentext.

I did, want a print copy.

This.

I do as well, but I have no money and it may cost a lot to get it shipped to here

's not currently fiction. Or, at least, not that kind of fiction. RPG stuff.

Later fiction will indeed be on the site. Did a short recently just to keep my hand in.

Don't like this one. It gives too much away. Amalie is clearly a fairly sharp player and doesn't need us making things too easy.

I would go for something more subtle.

>> Write-in?
"Plot and scheme to change their society? You vastly overestimate what I am capable of. At best I have been there to facilitate change that was inevitable in any event and make it go more smoothly with an eye towards minimizing bloodshed."

>you will find out in due time tonight, I don't want to spoil the surprise.

Alright folks, I'm crawling into bed. This staying up until 5 AM shit has got to go. Votes remain open.

Questions, comments, discussion, feedback, and criticisms remain welcome and appreciated.

Thank you all for reading and participating!

Bedtime bump.

This is fucking great.

I'd wanted to ask earlier, are there other gods of note besides the big five? Or, at least gods that are relevant to what we've been doing.

Bump for lunch

Aussie? It's "Oh Dear God Why?" in the morning where Vox is.

>Backing.

France, at the moment, probably for the last time now that brexit's come through

Going with this one.

Eh, you still have a couple of years before it's all final. Enough about that, though.

*returns to waiting on the dread Coffe Lich*

>Supporting

>> Someone has to. It's time the Dungeon took its rightful place in the world.
... can we stop calling it the Dungeon, though? It's so much more than that; thats just what the abovelanders call it.

>thats just what the abovelanders call it.
No? It's what everybody calls it.

With the concerted efforts to bring the various floors together as a cohesive and unified nation rather than a spooky murder-pit, the name isn't likely to change.

Well, if we're talking larger PR; 'the dungeon' as the name of a entire sub-country really sends the wrong message.
The folks here are used to treating it as a dangerous place to dump criminals; but that has to change on a lot of levels, including it's Title.

So, the various groupings of angels are called Choirs. Is this purely metaphorical, or can/do they sing?

Are you certain you could survive hearing them sing?

What a way to go, though

I'm up. Must prevent homelessness.

Yes and no. The name is a reference to the Divine Tongue, the language mortals have seen and heard angels speak (but never understood the nature of) before. In the ancient past when angels were much more visible and handling shit as new species were created and environments actively shaped, the Firstborn saw them as singers, and they took that name for themselves. Now the name remains, well beyond any awareness of where it came from.

Prevented, called, writing.

So, Wrackholm was viciously attacked by a Dragon, right? And most dragons are paired with an Angel of the Fangs Choir, yes? So, why would this one's angel (if it even had one) allow it to rampage like that? Or is that more like trying to control a volcano; if its gonna blow, its gonna blow. All you can do is get people out of the way.

Also, are dragons intelligent and cunning, or are they motivated by simple, primal needs? So, for example, the dragon that attacked Wrackholm wasn't after wealth, just attempting to expand its territory by destroying a perceived rival.