User:Swordmage/Melrose/Tursh Diplomacy

From Vanguard WikiSpheres

My Initial Training

I went to see Marcus Remniol in the Tursh Academy Dormitories and began my diplomacy training. He showed me the ropes <<Diplomacy Training>>, <<The Finer Points of Negotiation>> and sent me off to Tursh to learn what I can about House Thistle by working for Abulard Thistle <<Meet the Thistles>>.

I have learned that, as a ranger, I can best express my points through the application of reason. Marcus taught me several reason based tactics that I can apply when parleying with someone.

Notes on Noble Houses

There seem to be four noble houses sticking their noses into whatever happened at Tursh Academy recently. The houses Rimniol, Thistle, Godfrey, and Heartsworn are all vying for position in New Targonor and are using our little village as the excuse for more backstabbing and oneupmanship.

• Rimniol seems to take the high road hopes to control the situation.
• Thistle is our local house and has the responsibility for maintaining order in Tursh; they are bureaucrats at heart.
• Godfrey seems to have a loose moral compass and is out to undermine the other houses through financial power.
• Heartsworn seem to be royalists and want to protect the people, even from themselves.

• Hiltorn seem to have fallen into dark magics.
• Tavenger owns the Tursh Academy

A Spy for House Thistle

Abulard Thistle is the local Reeve for House Thistle and is a bureaucrat of the worst stripe (everything in triplicate, every 'i' dotted and every 't' crossed). I convinced him to sign me up as a spy for House Thistle and he assigned me to go to work for Pedric Godfrey and report back everything I observe <<Go Greet Godfrey>> (wheels within wheels within wheels, oh boy).

Spy on House Godfrey

Pedric Godfrey is staying at Baron Waltman's Manor and after I spoke to him a bit, he assigned me the task of interfering with Drusilla Hilthorn of House Heartsworn who is lost outside of town and who he wants to stay lost <<Asking for Directions>>. After I got back, Lord Pedric assigned me a number of other jobs:

• Convince High Inquisitor Rolak to avoid the Heartsworns <<A Prudent Advisory>>
• Convince Marion Hilthorn to drink a memory altering potion that turned out to be poison (the fink) <<A Drink for a Debt>>
• Convince some of the local guards to kill the undead in the Barley Harvest Inn stables <<Scrupulous Guidence>>
• Convince Baron Horace Waltman to accept a bribe <<Gauche Avoidance>>.

After Lord Pedric released me from service, I reported bact to the Reeve. Abulard interviewed me to find what I had discovered <<Back to the Thistles>>. He then sent me to Lord Thannis Heartsworn to determine why they are in Tursh <<Meet the Heartsworn[[>>]]

I have come away from the experience with a deep distrust of House Godfrey. I will try to avoid working for them in the future.

Spy on House Heartsworn

Lord Thannis asked me to direct Drusilla Hilthorn to Tursh from Rindol Field (I have NO idea how she may have ended up there) <<Giving Directions>> He then gave me a number of tasks:

• recover Marion Hiltorn's effects <<Not a Thief, Just a Killer>>.
• make sure Sergeant Trackle doesn't rat me out for the slaughter of the Hilthor's undead servants <<Investigating Yourself>>.
• get Heartsworn back into the good graces of the Inquisition <<Doubleback>>.
• deliver a gift from the Hiltorns to Baron Waltman <<A Gift for Gab>>.
• ask Lord Thannis about his allegiances <<Settle with House Heartsworn>>.

After you speak with Lord Thannis you report back to Thistle <<Report Back to Thistle>>. We discussed the Houses Hilthorn and Tavager <<The Party Grows>>.

Lord Thannis is a bit pompous with his desire to protect us from ourselves, but he is intensely loyal to the king. He is also easily duped and not a good judge of others (he seems smitten by Lady Blythe Hilthorn. The also doesn't like House Godfrey and House Vermach.

Ally with House Tavager

After filling out yet more forms for Abulard Thistle <<Ally Yourself with the Tavagers>>, he gave me the name of my contact with House Tavager, Carter Sinclair <<Tavager's Man>>.

I spoke with Carter Sinclair and he accepted me into his employ. He seems to need help preparing the way for selling Tursh Academy to House Hilthorn:

• make [[Administrator Edwin] forget things about House Tavager <<Memory Wipe>.
• eliminate Surgin Hitlhorn who wants to be the new adminstrator <<Memory Plant>>, he plans to eliminate Tursh as part of his beautification program for the academy.
• convince Lady Blythe Hilthorn that Surgin was the secret owner of the academy all along <<Delivering Bad News>>
• go to Abulard Thistle to plant the appropriate ownership documents <<[[New Old Documents>>.

Abulard Thistle gave me the materials to forge a new deed for the academy to be given to Lady Blythe <<Acquiring Documents>>. After I give them to her, she verifies them with the zombie that is all that is left of Surgin <<Dead Men Tell Tales>>

Figure out Thistle's Game

I have come to realize that the Reeve is stirring up all the other houses rather than trying to keep order and I have decided to confront him on this <<The Thorn on the Thistles>>. He halfway convinced me that he is trying to keep balance between all the noble houses but I decided to find what I could from the other houses starting with House Godfrey <<A Noble Cause>>

Godfrey convinced me that the stagnation that Thistle is trying to achieve is intended to bring the kingdom to a grinding halt allowing Thistle to take over and I confronted Abulard with that <<The Best Way to Grasp A Thistle...>>. It became clear during the confrontation that the only power in town that can straighten this all out is the Sages Arcane if I can convince them not to arrest me on the spot <<Unraveling the Knot>>.

High Inquisitor Rolak decided that getting things straight was more useful than going after me, so ...

• He asked me to straighten help destroy the fake deed and put some backbone into Baron Horace Waltman <<Unraveling the Knot>>.
• He then asked me to help capture a fiend that is loose in the area, which he fortunately does not associate with me <<Fiends for the Box>>.
• Next, he informed me that I was going to the the Houses Tavager and Hilthorn about the aborted transfer of ownership <<Change of Plans>>.
• Finally he sent me to recover some evidence about the tower explosion at the academy <<Interception>>. While talking the adventure out of it, I heard of a glowing meteorite south of Tursh.

Now is the time to gloat over Thistle <<Stepping on a Weed>>.

Finishing my Training

I went back to Marcus Remniol for yet more training. He taught me about two more statement types <<Learn Repeal>>, <<Learn Rebuttal>> and taught me some more evaluations <<Learn New Evaluations>>. He then told me Lord Thannis had work for me <<Acquiring an Horse>>.

Working for Heartsworn

I approached Lord Thannis Heartsworn with a little trepidation as he is a bit of a pain and offered my services. He asked me to ride his horse to Three Rivers to speed an armor along <<Get My Armor, Now!>>.