"Thank you again, I know this is your business, but we appreciate any friendly faces we can find here." I look at Rachel, "do you think you can convey the good news to the menagerie? I'll make sure to brush them good in the morning so they shine when we bring them off the ship. Well, the horses at least, I'm not brushing your Ape."
I ask the Captain, "We are unfamiliar with the local social niceties, and making a good first impression is rather important to us. If you could get us up to speed on the way of things around here, it would be much appreciated. In particular, knowing who we should approach first concerning an audience with those in charge would be much appreciated."
The captain looks to you and says, "Remember this is a nobility ruled by a monarch or a king currently but there has been queens at times too. The fact of this is that no one can request a audience with the king unless it or they are brought forward by a greater noble house. TO get to a greater noble house you have to go through a lesser noble house that can not find a solution for your issue. Knowing that you have the rights of Ambassadors per say due to the fact that you come from a new power that this country or even this world is not familiar with should get you a audience in a reasonable amount of time. This time line can take a few days to a few weeks depending on how quickly the noble houses wish to hold on to something important for their own game. This game is not to be taken lightly the wrong work or action can turn a lesser house against you and in turn can ruin any chance of being led to a greater house and ultimately the King. To get in contact with a lessor house you will need to go to the center of the city to the main guard barracks. There you need to ask for the officer in charge. This will be a lessor nobles son or daughter who should be able to get you in contact with his or her father. From there it is a waiting game. As far as local customs basically do not look for trouble. If you look for trouble then surely you will find it and they do not take kindly to foreigners causing issues in the city. Other than that not much else I can say. I do wish you good luck with your quest."
"Well, since we are emissaries, we should dress the part, but that should wait until we get there so we can see exactly how we need to look to be impressive. What kind of travelling slash bribery slash palm-grease funds do you think we'll need, Captain? I think we can keep ourselves out of general trouble, but is there any special laws that are extant there we should be aware of?"
Just before docking, I hand Jonathan four horseshoes, saying "Here's those special horseshoes I promised. They'll attach magically to your steed of choice, will never wear out, and allow you to ride across any surface. While you can't exactly fly with them, you can ride over water, ice, even something as insubstantial as fog. Combine that with the Horn of Fog, and you basically can travel anywhere you want to. You'll need to spend some time with your horse to get it used to the idea, I'm sure. Oh, and you also won't leave any hoofprints of any kind!"
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“Can you tell me the difference between a witch and a wizard?" "Sure, a wizard is what they call you when they want to hire you, and a witch is what they call you when they're getting ready to run you out of town.” SunWolf replied ― Barbara Hambly, The Witches of Wenshar
" I will definitely share the news with our equine friends. They will be happy to hear this. The boat has made them uneasy. " Grinning i say, " What...you don't want to brush Caesar? You might hurt his feelings. Just when he was starting to like you. " I laugh softly.
Later when we are talking with the captain......I frown as we discuss what to do. " Well...this will be very interesting. I'm not sure how we will look impressive with the clothing we have though. I would rather not wear my armor but i don't have anything that is close to emissary level. " I sigh as I mentally inventory the clothes i have on the ship.
Grinning at Jonathan, I add to Rachel's statement, "You might want to reconsider that, assuming he'll let you of course. Grooming is a bonding thing for Apes, a rather important one, he's more likely to save your butt without being told to by Rachel if he thinks of you as part of the troop."
---
I nod at Rachel's concern regarding appropriate clothing, "None of us do, but that's easy enough to solve. We'll have a few days at least to prepare for the main event, and the local tailors will no doubt be happy to take our coin in exchange for suitable outfits in the local fashion. If we manage to pick the right tailor, we can probably get a hefty discount as well. Having one's clothing displayed by foreign dignitaries visiting court can be worth quite a bit to such a business after all. You might want to take the lead on that, I have no business taking charge in regards to serious clothes shopping."
I tug at my collar, already remembering the feel of the formal wear I'd been forced to endure from time to time in my former life, and well aware of certain cultures that did a lot worse than neckties in the name of fashion, "I just hope the local court fashion doesn't involve anything too torturous for either gender."
"Anyways, we probably do not need the whole group there if any would prefer to remain behind. I'm not particularly inclined to go, but I should. Rachel, I would like to have you with me, your voice would be of great assistance here. Thalica, I would like for you to come as well, the tale of your home can only add to our suggestion of an alliance against those responsible. Who else?"
"Count me in! I'll happily play a diplomat and dignitary. It might take me a bit of listening to the cadence of their formal languages to get the idea, but speaking in formal, florid language for LARP events will bring back memories. Typically, dealing with local nobles, each of them will have a sense of pride that stoking usually will get the results we'll want. Every stage of the hierarchy will consider itself important beyond their effectiveness, I'm sure. Handle them like they owe you money and you can't beat them up. - flattery, buttering and stroking. Jason's right, too. Clothes maketh the measure. "I say as I use the coif to change my own clothes into a tuxedo, then a formal Musketeer-style with lace and feathered chapeau. "And we'll make some tailor and haberdasher's day when we commission fancy duds. We could even go with formal wear from our own world and stand out, which may help our petition to see the monarch."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“Can you tell me the difference between a witch and a wizard?" "Sure, a wizard is what they call you when they want to hire you, and a witch is what they call you when they're getting ready to run you out of town.” SunWolf replied ― Barbara Hambly, The Witches of Wenshar
My jaw drops at the sound of all the red tape we'll have to cut through. "Dude, you could have told us this earlier." I pause for a moment, "This does change how we need to approach this situation. I know we can act in good faith for the Lord, but we have to be very careful what we promise to do. I'm sure Rachel and Jason have some more pull with the court than the rest of us, because I don't want to wind up trying to explain things like that other guy did, what was his name? The one guy that kept getting in trouble with the lord like every time he talked to him....?"
“I concur with Jonathan on this one. The, fewer people the better. Less, chance of unforeseen complications,”said Travis.
“Rachel, and Jason are a logical choice I agree. Sure, Grant should also go. In any case what kind of fancy clothes do we all need over there. Do, we have The finances,”?Travis added.
I furl my brow, "Well, I wasn't exactly saying we should limit our numbers, just to be careful because this is gonna be a longer dance then we, well than I, anticipated. We should let them be the faces of our group though."
The captain just says that you did not ask this question when you first thought of the travel. As you discuss this you hear one of the sailors call out that the city is visible. Looking to the east you soon see a large castle on top of a hill over looking a large walled city. The only part that is not walled is the bay in which you are sailing towards. Out in the lake itself you can see three large galleys. The Captain points them out telling you they are war ships capable of ramming a boat to sink it should an enemy of the state draw near. He also points out the square towers on both sides of the bay where the wall ends chains hanging down into the water. He informs you that those towers can pull the chain up preventing any ship access to the harbor. He yells a order to one of the crew who soon has a light blue flag with a yellow sun in the middle being raised on the fore mast. Looking closely you see this same flag on the war galleys. As you draw closer the same flag is flying over some of the towers and at the castle. The Captain says Welcome to Fetha as you continue on into the harbor.
" Jason, I would love to go. I want to speak with other people here. Learn more about different cultures. I'm very curious to see a more established kingdom. " My eyes sparkle at this. " I would love to take the lead on shopping here. I'm curious what sort of courtly fashions will be required. I guess a little research will be in order. "
As we draw up to the harbor my eyes widen. The city is larger than expected. " This is amazing. We will learn much on our visit here. Poor Caesar may not be able to go though. "
I take a look over the city and try to take in all I can as we make our approach to the docks. To the captain I'll say, "Thank you for the passage, we'll look for you when it is time to make our return, though I do not know if you will be here when that happens. We will need lodgings, is there anywhere in particular suitable for a group of our size including the animals?"
The captain points out a street the leads deeper into the city itself. You can see it is a wider street and can allow two wagons to pass each other with plenty of room. Currently there are many people walking this way and that as they do their business. You can see humans, elves, halfelves and even a dwarf or three. The sight that is truly remarkable is a large man walking away from the docks he is easily 18 feet tall. The captain of the boat tells you that is market Street and has some of the best inns along it. He leads directly to the main market square at the center of the town where the barracks are at too. On this street look for the "Dew Drop Inn". "Mention my name and you should get good rooms. The lady running the Inn is a good friend of mine.". He turns away from you and begins to hollar at the crew to get off their lazy backsides and see to unloading this boat.
"Heh, the Dew Drop Inn," I change the pitch of my voice and sing in a higher key, ".... Honey, do drop in at the Dew Drop Inn...." smiling while looking at the group, "It's in the lyrics from one of my favorite singers, Tori Amos."
As they disembark, I also thank the Captain and what crew are nearby. “It was an excellent experience and I’ve picked some great tricks from you all!”
once ashore, I make a point of looking for formal or fancier clothing, trying to get an idea of various outfits and what might be appropriate as diplomatic style. As we make our way through the crowds, I keep aware of my pouches and gear, staying close to my horses side to prevent thieves from easy access.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“Can you tell me the difference between a witch and a wizard?" "Sure, a wizard is what they call you when they want to hire you, and a witch is what they call you when they're getting ready to run you out of town.” SunWolf replied ― Barbara Hambly, The Witches of Wenshar
As you look around on the docks you see mostly serviceable type of clothes. It is about three block s to market Street. There are other streets leading into the city from the docks but they are more crowded and it will take you a bit to get through. You will have to leave the docks to see other styles of clothes
As we pass through the streets, I pay attention to the layout, what languages are spoken, the mood and am keeping a lookout for anyone giving us an extra look, be it a guard, a thief or whatever. If people seem to be easy going and friendly, I will make eye contact and use whatever type of greeting they are giving as we pass. If they aren't, I'll present a more guarded demeanor that says leave us alone. Also, are there other horses here?
Yes there are horses plus donkeys, Mules and something that looks like a cross between bison and oxen. The people will greet you in common but you can also hear a bunch of other languages as people speak to each other. You can understand the common and the elvin being spoken but other languages no.
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The next couple days pass as the captain tells you that tomorrow morning you will dock in the eastern kingdom. You should make preparations now.
"Thank you again, I know this is your business, but we appreciate any friendly faces we can find here." I look at Rachel, "do you think you can convey the good news to the menagerie? I'll make sure to brush them good in the morning so they shine when we bring them off the ship. Well, the horses at least, I'm not brushing your Ape."
I ask the Captain, "We are unfamiliar with the local social niceties, and making a good first impression is rather important to us. If you could get us up to speed on the way of things around here, it would be much appreciated. In particular, knowing who we should approach first concerning an audience with those in charge would be much appreciated."
The captain looks to you and says, "Remember this is a nobility ruled by a monarch or a king currently but there has been queens at times too. The fact of this is that no one can request a audience with the king unless it or they are brought forward by a greater noble house. TO get to a greater noble house you have to go through a lesser noble house that can not find a solution for your issue. Knowing that you have the rights of Ambassadors per say due to the fact that you come from a new power that this country or even this world is not familiar with should get you a audience in a reasonable amount of time. This time line can take a few days to a few weeks depending on how quickly the noble houses wish to hold on to something important for their own game. This game is not to be taken lightly the wrong work or action can turn a lesser house against you and in turn can ruin any chance of being led to a greater house and ultimately the King. To get in contact with a lessor house you will need to go to the center of the city to the main guard barracks. There you need to ask for the officer in charge. This will be a lessor nobles son or daughter who should be able to get you in contact with his or her father. From there it is a waiting game. As far as local customs basically do not look for trouble. If you look for trouble then surely you will find it and they do not take kindly to foreigners causing issues in the city. Other than that not much else I can say. I do wish you good luck with your quest."
"Well, since we are emissaries, we should dress the part, but that should wait until we get there so we can see exactly how we need to look to be impressive. What kind of travelling slash bribery slash palm-grease funds do you think we'll need, Captain? I think we can keep ourselves out of general trouble, but is there any special laws that are extant there we should be aware of?"
Just before docking, I hand Jonathan four horseshoes, saying "Here's those special horseshoes I promised. They'll attach magically to your steed of choice, will never wear out, and allow you to ride across any surface. While you can't exactly fly with them, you can ride over water, ice, even something as insubstantial as fog. Combine that with the Horn of Fog, and you basically can travel anywhere you want to. You'll need to spend some time with your horse to get it used to the idea, I'm sure. Oh, and you also won't leave any hoofprints of any kind!"
“Can you tell me the difference between a witch and a wizard?"
"Sure, a wizard is what they call you when they want to hire you, and a witch is what they call you when they're getting ready to run you out of town.” SunWolf replied
― Barbara Hambly, The Witches of Wenshar
" I will definitely share the news with our equine friends. They will be happy to hear this. The boat has made them uneasy. " Grinning i say, " What...you don't want to brush Caesar? You might hurt his feelings. Just when he was starting to like you. " I laugh softly.
Later when we are talking with the captain......I frown as we discuss what to do. " Well...this will be very interesting. I'm not sure how we will look impressive with the clothing we have though. I would rather not wear my armor but i don't have anything that is close to emissary level. " I sigh as I mentally inventory the clothes i have on the ship.
Grinning at Jonathan, I add to Rachel's statement, "You might want to reconsider that, assuming he'll let you of course. Grooming is a bonding thing for Apes, a rather important one, he's more likely to save your butt without being told to by Rachel if he thinks of you as part of the troop."
---
I nod at Rachel's concern regarding appropriate clothing, "None of us do, but that's easy enough to solve. We'll have a few days at least to prepare for the main event, and the local tailors will no doubt be happy to take our coin in exchange for suitable outfits in the local fashion. If we manage to pick the right tailor, we can probably get a hefty discount as well. Having one's clothing displayed by foreign dignitaries visiting court can be worth quite a bit to such a business after all. You might want to take the lead on that, I have no business taking charge in regards to serious clothes shopping."
I tug at my collar, already remembering the feel of the formal wear I'd been forced to endure from time to time in my former life, and well aware of certain cultures that did a lot worse than neckties in the name of fashion, "I just hope the local court fashion doesn't involve anything too torturous for either gender."
"Anyways, we probably do not need the whole group there if any would prefer to remain behind. I'm not particularly inclined to go, but I should. Rachel, I would like to have you with me, your voice would be of great assistance here. Thalica, I would like for you to come as well, the tale of your home can only add to our suggestion of an alliance against those responsible. Who else?"
"Count me in! I'll happily play a diplomat and dignitary. It might take me a bit of listening to the cadence of their formal languages to get the idea, but speaking in formal, florid language for LARP events will bring back memories. Typically, dealing with local nobles, each of them will have a sense of pride that stoking usually will get the results we'll want. Every stage of the hierarchy will consider itself important beyond their effectiveness, I'm sure. Handle them like they owe you money and you can't beat them up. - flattery, buttering and stroking. Jason's right, too. Clothes maketh the measure. " I say as I use the coif to change my own clothes into a tuxedo, then a formal Musketeer-style with lace and feathered chapeau. "And we'll make some tailor and haberdasher's day when we commission fancy duds. We could even go with formal wear from our own world and stand out, which may help our petition to see the monarch."
“Can you tell me the difference between a witch and a wizard?"
"Sure, a wizard is what they call you when they want to hire you, and a witch is what they call you when they're getting ready to run you out of town.” SunWolf replied
― Barbara Hambly, The Witches of Wenshar
My jaw drops at the sound of all the red tape we'll have to cut through. "Dude, you could have told us this earlier." I pause for a moment, "This does change how we need to approach this situation. I know we can act in good faith for the Lord, but we have to be very careful what we promise to do. I'm sure Rachel and Jason have some more pull with the court than the rest of us, because I don't want to wind up trying to explain things like that other guy did, what was his name? The one guy that kept getting in trouble with the lord like every time he talked to him....?"
“I concur with Jonathan on this one. The, fewer people the better. Less, chance of unforeseen complications,”said Travis.
“Rachel, and Jason are a logical choice I agree. Sure, Grant should also go. In any case what kind of fancy clothes do we all need over there. Do, we have The finances,”?Travis added.
I furl my brow, "Well, I wasn't exactly saying we should limit our numbers, just to be careful because this is gonna be a longer dance then we, well than I, anticipated. We should let them be the faces of our group though."
The captain just says that you did not ask this question when you first thought of the travel. As you discuss this you hear one of the sailors call out that the city is visible. Looking to the east you soon see a large castle on top of a hill over looking a large walled city. The only part that is not walled is the bay in which you are sailing towards. Out in the lake itself you can see three large galleys. The Captain points them out telling you they are war ships capable of ramming a boat to sink it should an enemy of the state draw near. He also points out the square towers on both sides of the bay where the wall ends chains hanging down into the water. He informs you that those towers can pull the chain up preventing any ship access to the harbor. He yells a order to one of the crew who soon has a light blue flag with a yellow sun in the middle being raised on the fore mast. Looking closely you see this same flag on the war galleys. As you draw closer the same flag is flying over some of the towers and at the castle. The Captain says Welcome to Fetha as you continue on into the harbor.
" Jason, I would love to go. I want to speak with other people here. Learn more about different cultures. I'm very curious to see a more established kingdom. " My eyes sparkle at this. " I would love to take the lead on shopping here. I'm curious what sort of courtly fashions will be required. I guess a little research will be in order. "
As we draw up to the harbor my eyes widen. The city is larger than expected. " This is amazing. We will learn much on our visit here. Poor Caesar may not be able to go though. "
I take a look over the city and try to take in all I can as we make our approach to the docks. To the captain I'll say, "Thank you for the passage, we'll look for you when it is time to make our return, though I do not know if you will be here when that happens. We will need lodgings, is there anywhere in particular suitable for a group of our size including the animals?"
The captain points out a street the leads deeper into the city itself. You can see it is a wider street and can allow two wagons to pass each other with plenty of room. Currently there are many people walking this way and that as they do their business. You can see humans, elves, halfelves and even a dwarf or three. The sight that is truly remarkable is a large man walking away from the docks he is easily 18 feet tall. The captain of the boat tells you that is market Street and has some of the best inns along it. He leads directly to the main market square at the center of the town where the barracks are at too. On this street look for the "Dew Drop Inn". "Mention my name and you should get good rooms. The lady running the Inn is a good friend of mine.". He turns away from you and begins to hollar at the crew to get off their lazy backsides and see to unloading this boat.
"Heh, the Dew Drop Inn," I change the pitch of my voice and sing in a higher key, ".... Honey, do drop in at the Dew Drop Inn...." smiling while looking at the group, "It's in the lyrics from one of my favorite singers, Tori Amos."
As they disembark, I also thank the Captain and what crew are nearby. “It was an excellent experience and I’ve picked some great tricks from you all!”
once ashore, I make a point of looking for formal or fancier clothing, trying to get an idea of various outfits and what might be appropriate as diplomatic style. As we make our way through the crowds, I keep aware of my pouches and gear, staying close to my horses side to prevent thieves from easy access.
“Can you tell me the difference between a witch and a wizard?"
"Sure, a wizard is what they call you when they want to hire you, and a witch is what they call you when they're getting ready to run you out of town.” SunWolf replied
― Barbara Hambly, The Witches of Wenshar
As you look around on the docks you see mostly serviceable type of clothes. It is about three block s to market Street. There are other streets leading into the city from the docks but they are more crowded and it will take you a bit to get through. You will have to leave the docks to see other styles of clothes
As we pass through the streets, I pay attention to the layout, what languages are spoken, the mood and am keeping a lookout for anyone giving us an extra look, be it a guard, a thief or whatever. If people seem to be easy going and friendly, I will make eye contact and use whatever type of greeting they are giving as we pass. If they aren't, I'll present a more guarded demeanor that says leave us alone. Also, are there other horses here?
Yes there are horses plus donkeys, Mules and something that looks like a cross between bison and oxen. The people will greet you in common but you can also hear a bunch of other languages as people speak to each other. You can understand the common and the elvin being spoken but other languages no.