A Taxing Return

[Deleted]

It was a great day!

Henri arrived home from his travels looking certainly more impressive, though not feeling it quite as much. He was mounted on a beautiful horse next to his Skaldi bodyguard, Azrak, and towing behind him his old horse—which he’d brought back for Mariliene.

She was resting in a chair on the Mansion’s porch, trying not to tear her hair out. “I’ve returned,” he said, smiling widely. Their eyes were at about the same level, given his mount and the height of the porch.

“I can see that,” she said, quietly gritting her teeth in the afternoon sun. A glass of tea rested at her foot.

He didn’t hear. “Morith and Sorath—both fairly incredible places, and… goodness, just lovely, the whole Lakes region. Duke Mardok—“

“My Lord,” she muttered.

“Anyway, the Tournament of Jewels was fantastic. An interesting series of bouts to spectate, but the ending, it just—“

“My Lord,” she said again, slightly louder this time.

“And we’ve arranged several deals, a very interesting cooperative, growth-oriented business model emerging from our trade connections; property in every city and ties up in—“

“MY LORD!”

He was quiet. The Skaldi named Azrak snickered. To see his master silenced by a woman.

“Your money, my lord.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “A Seventy-Five percent tax on your holdings has been levied by the crown. The letter came yesterday, and the collectors are coming today…”

“Sevenafayv…” He slurred the words, the adrenaline making him nearly drunk as his face went sour. “Sorry?”

“They’re taxing the shit off our fields, Lord.”

“Well, they can’t just—they can’t just do that without warning!” He turned the horse, and then decided to dismount. He scoffed, tossing his glove at the ground with great metaphor. “It’s unreasonable! We’ve been loyal to the crown for how long?" (He didn't know) "And I’m being forced to pay such… incredibly damaging taxation?” He crossed his arms. “Don’t they know how economics works? A seventy-flossing-five percent tax is going to ruin the damn market! Was there no one consulted about this?”

“It’s a dictatorship, sir, and well…” She shrugged, and then saw the opportunity. This was the moment she’d been waiting for—it was time for him to see the evil inherent in the oppressive regime. “It’s taxation without representation. Whoever’s in control can do just that, without question. There’s only one up top, and no one representing you, me, our people. Hell, he could take all of your money, and leave you nothing to raise forces against him. Against his… tax collectors, worst of all…”

“Well, can we raise our levies against him?”

“His forces are too great, especially now that he’s got 75% the private wealth in Cruinthe.”

“Can we sue for our right to our rightfully-earned money?”

“Well, I’m not sure—didn’t you, uh… did you earn it rightfully?”

“Well, you’d have to ask my father.”

“Oh, Henri, about that. While you were away, he—“

“Wait!” Henri stopped her, picked up his glove, and rushed to her side, bowing his head solemnly. “Okay, now.”

She sighed. “He’s not dead.”

“Oh, thank heavens. I couldn’t run this place, that’s for certain.”

“But he’s injured.”

“Oh.”

“While you were away, your father decided he’d… take justice into his own hands.”

“What?”

“He donned a black robe and fought criminals in the night down at Cordelia’s tavern district.”

“Er…”

“And it turns out that… he was okay at it. Until he tripped off a roof and fell on a caltrop.”

“Oh hell.”

“He fell on his leg, which got infected… and he’s going to die. Probably sometime next month.”

Henri leaned forward to check if she was joking. When he saw no signs of humor in her face, he let it out— “FFFFFffffffffFFFFFfffuuuuuUUUUUUUUUUUUU—“

It wasn’t a great day.

[Allyria Allenmorde]

Junipos 30th, 200ATD
-Mid-Day

Allyria had just finished putting her horse into the stable of Cordelay. As they had rode north from the road, having passed by other towns and Duchies, Allyria got to see a series of ruins and such that she had never thought existed before. Even Corday had a ruin of a castle on it's land. Such an interesting thing. She was so focused on those things in her head that she didn't even notice the stable-keeper's attitude towards her. Begrudgingly accepting her money.

The stableboy was happy to see her though. They talked for a minute, she checked on his leg. It was healing well. He thanked her again and promised to look after her horse well.

Of course... then he realized something about that horse.

But Allyria was out of earshot when he started his exclamations.

She had no idea how long Henri was going to dally here at his home before they continued on to Korasus. But with horses the road was much easier, things happened faster. It did not take them long to get to his Duchy. The land seemed to be flat grassland as far as she could see.

The town was more or less what she expected. Many of the buildings were much like the ones in Morith. Similar look and feel. Others were clearly older or were made of poorer materials. Mud brick buildings with thatched roofs versus tile shingles and reinforced stucco walls. It was clear there was some sort of division of wealth going on, but Allyria wasn't sure if it was generational, class related, or simply because new construction materials were hard to come by and it was therefore difficult to upgrade the more poorly constructed buildings.

The townspeople weren't very colorful according to her reckoning, standard cruic types from what she could gather, as she gave herself a tour. There was a town hall, a blacksmith or two, a few stables, one less colorful inn, one more colorful inn. There was the manor where she assumed Henri lived, which was on a hill jutting against the natural south-western slope of the land, some barracks, a town constable's office, a tax office most likely staffed with SKC officials, among other businesses and shops. The roads were hard packed mud. Hard becuase it hadn't rained in days, packed because the town roads were well traveled.

She thought of the juxtaposition between them and the roads they traveled to get to Corday, as well as the ones around the ruins.

She wandered around the town a little wide eyed, seeing how life was out in a Duchy town. People seemed to be scarce, giving her sidelong glances and keeping a good distance away. It was a nice town.

She wore her usual hand-me-down robes, Dungeon Rushers, and Rough Gloves, with her backpack full of all her other stuff and her Scarlet get-up.

"Go back to Korasus stoneblood!"

Egg.

Egg right on her face...

Allyria froze... confused looking around... not sure who threw it as there were only a handful of people on the street and none of them were looking at her.

"...."

Totally speechless for once in your life, Allyria. Good girl... way to handle this...

That's where I was going...

[Deleted]

Henri looked over the forms in the letter, which had been sent via Fordeth through the SKC offices in Cordelay. They listed claims of an enormous amount on parts of his estate, which had not been taxable income for decades. And moreover, Henri himself had never actually audited his father's fortune--he'd simply withdrawn whenever he needed it, assuming the supply was plentiful. It had been a mountain of gold on which Jean had sat, carelessly keeping it in the bank, gathering interest but rarely circulating. And the strangest thing--Henri had no clue what Jean had done before ascending to Dukehood, no idea how his personal fortune had been amassed. The money couldn't be stolen from the coffers, either. They barely contained a fraction of the Corday family's personal stash, since the taxes had been quite low... the numbers quite simply did not add up.

"Father," he said to Jean, whose rattling breath filled the newly-furnished bedroom, warmed by a central pillar of stone (which Henri would work out to be the chimney of the new kitchen), "I think I can save most of our fortune, but what... where exactly did all this money come from?"

The rattling breath became laughter. "You know very well that you can write most of it off, but the other part--" cough cough "I thought you'd never ask," he said.

"Father?" Henri rushed to his side. "What are you not telling me?"

"We were deep in..." cough cough "documents, my boy... You know how those Sovereign bastards love their paperwork, and..." wheeze "It's marked up beyond recognition. Down South they've a hard time enforcing it, though. I made my empire, managing a hundred bush mills and stamper forgers..." He smiled with nostalgia, his neglected teeth starting to rot with his mind. "And we smuggled like hell, too. Weapons, people, you name it. It was the life..." he nodded, "but I wanted to settle down, provide a good steady life, get out of the business. So I made a few deals with the Skaldis, the Drokagr, the Bone Wasters, sold them my empire... and then I came here"

He shook his head. "With all things I do, I got in too deep. I had to do things I shouldn't've done. Made war and love with people I shouldn't've. And in the end, I only provided half the life I wanted to give you... I'm guilty of so much wrong," he seemed to try to furrow his brow, but it was twitching. A pool of milky teardrop formed in his right eye. "The inside lies would fall apart, and I'd melt another layer on top--I'm just a lie clothed in lies, my boy. And you're building up to be the same, if you don't--"

He suddenly grabbed Henri's lapel and yanked, a wild look on his face. Henri could smell his father's breath, the smell of inner death already strong, and yet--he couldn't help but be anxiously amused. There was that single milky tear, splitting into rivers between the wrinkles running down his father's face. It seemed as if Jean was finally about to redeem himself, for a life spent in the dark world--or if somehow possible, for being such an absent father. Perhaps he'd advise Henri to not squander the wealth on illegal things, perhaps he'd tell him to join the world of the old rich, the legitimately wealthy.

That wasn't the way the world worked. "You've got to embrace it, boy. We weren't made to rule from this house. You were made from one part black market, one part underground... I was made to stick to shadows, and your mother..." His eyes were glassy, his pupils narrowed to pinholes. "Your real mother never adjusted to the light."

The energy went out of him, and he fell back in bed. Henri couldn't breathe until his father began snoring again. Trying not to think of it, pushing his way through the shock, he could cope the only way he knew how--mental games. He looked at what he could do with the finances. No matter how ill-gotten they were, they were soon to be his problem.

---

Rolling for any way which might help Henri avoid part of the emergency taxation, whether by moving around numbers to look less taxable, or by finding loopholes in tax law, either way granting Henri money in back taxes "mistakenly" collected. Legally, of course.

Knowledge: 20 (as of leveling up)

Possible Knowledges:
Accounting I
Law I

57VKGoOg

---

After arranging for his taxes to be in order, he looked for Mariliene. "I want you to know," he said, very quickly, his voice croaking slightly, "That I will be east for a week or so--in Korasus. Doing research, arranging trade deals... No protests-- if my father dies before I return, you shall be the interim Duchess of Corday." He nodded slowly to let the meaning sink in. "Understand?"

She was a little stunned, but nodded back. "Fine, milord." She bowed to him as he mounted his horse. "And what is to be done with his body?"

He rounded it, and looked at her sharply. "Cremate it," he said, with a harsh whisper, and rode into Cordelay, looking for a gray woman.

[Allyria Allenmorde]

Allyria was afraid that next it would be a rock. She didn't want it to be a rock. She didn't want it to be an egg. But dammit there was a crowd starting to gather and she was getting nervous. Most of the crowd were men, ragged, middle aged, and angry looking. Then she noticed that women were among them too, as were children. People started shouting things at her.

Oh fuck this...

Allyria started moving again, heading towards the outside of town. She took a turn down an alleyway and there was a man halfway down it, standing there with a big knife, playing with it in his hands. She got the meaning, she wasn't leaving that way. She turned back around and hurried towards the north. Only to find more people trying to cut her off. She realized she was being herded towards the center of town. There wasn't much she could do about it, short of killing someone.

She took a turn down another street, as of yet unoccupied.

"She went down that one! Hey!"

Ah crap... don't they quit? What did I ever do to them?

She thought, continuing down the street. There was a shout behind her.

"Stop running ya gray bitch! You're not going to get away with it!"

Get away with what?!

"No thank you!"

Around the corner she went and wham! Right into the burly chest of a very large man. Allyria was on her ass immediately, shocked. She scrambled to her feet and started to head south along this new street. Muddy road, slippery as all get out, and a crowd of people coming towards her.

That's it...

She drew her sword with force, showing she meant business.

"That's the murder weapon! That's what she used to carve up Old Hobb!"

Old Hobb? Who the fuck is Old Hobb?!

They could have been making it up just to lynch a Drokagr for all she knew. She wasn't even considered full blooded despite her parents. The sword didn't do anything to dissuade the crowd, they got close around her. Someone tossed a rock, it hit her in the back and she staggered forward. Another hit her in the side of the head. Someone behind her kicked her legs out from under her. Her sword clattered to the ground. As two guys went to grab her she rolled up her left sleeve, exposing her tattoos. Purple flames broke free from the tattoos, an arcane bolt shot into the sky. Everyone else froze.

"Back the fuck up! Back the FUCK UP!"

She pointed the palm of her left hand at one of the men. He pissed himself with fear.

A sorcerer was in their midst. People ran screaming. Allyria recovered her sword. Her tattoos were glowing still, and most of the people had frozen with fear. No one that hadn't run initially had moved. They gave her a good ten feet.

"Where's your lord?! What the fuck is this about? Who the fuck is Old Hobb?!"

"You should know! You killed him you witch!"

Allyria shot the dirt with an Arcane bolt. The ground crackled with purple electricity, particles floated up from the ground and a colorful scorch mark was plainly visible in the small crater.

"I didn't kill fucking Old Hobb! I just got here today! Ask your Lord. I traveled with him!"

"Old Lord Corday's been laid up! Lying bitch!"

Someone brave threw another rock, it hit her in the mouth. Her fangs cut her lip. Blood dribbled down her damn chin.

Ow... fuck... shit...

"Nnnng. His son! I've been traveling with his son!"

"Liar!"

Stalemate. No one threw a rock. She didn't have an answer to the allegation without Henri miraculously showing up to break up this bullshit. Like that would happen. He probably had more important shit to do.

---

Allyria Allenmorde
All-25
HP: 497/500
Stm: 123/125
MP: 243/313 -60 (2 bolts)

Bolt 1 at the sky
Bolt 2 at the ground

[Azuloth]

-Tax Avoidance Results-
Henri will receive a small return for his efforts. Not as much as he'd hope, but enough to learn from.

[Deleted]

He heard the shouts before he saw the crowd.

Crowds always seemed to form fast in Cordelay. The drunken youth would riot every once in a while just to take out their stress, but usually it was a bunch of people standing on boxes and shouting in the air. Usually it didn't lead to anything, mostly on account of it was always drunken youth just trying to be controversial-- attract some girl or boy with their brave words. But this time was different--they all faced one direction.

They were running to the center of down.

"MOVE!" he shouted to the people in his way.

Why hadn't he warned her? Dammit.

A bolt of purple in the sky, and suddenly the flow of people was against him. They rushed by, avoiding his horse as he shot into the center of town.

There she was, bleeding from her lip. And yet, from the purple magic arching its way across the pebbles, he got the feeling the crowd didn't have the upper hand. His horse jumped a boy who'd crouched over to grab a stone, and he landed gracefully in front of Allyria.

Stopping its momentum, he reared his horse back, showing its teeth to the villagers, and drew his sword silently from the scabbard. He pointed it at the boy, and spoke for Allyria. "Drop it, or her next bolt will have better aim. Cooler Heads Prevail."

"Fockin' hell," Bolg the Greentooth said, and spit on the ground before him. But other than that, no one made a single move.

Henri looked out on the crowd, which stared on in tense, silent consternation. "What's the problem, folks?"

"She killed Old Hobb!"

"Bolg-- He died over a month ago, from gangrene in his hobble-leg. It's terrible, I know, but we can't go on blaming people for an easily-preventable disease."

"You've bloody been gone long enough!" said some lady from the crowd.

"Yes, and I noticed that Miss DuPasca has been terrible to you all," he said, with dripping sarcasm, "employing fifty-three of your number on the farm developments and one-thousand seventy in our armed services. Truly... I've been sorely missed." He drew his horse around the well, "Now I've got you all here, I'd like to announce something." 

The crowd shuffled, uncomfortable at how quickly the subject had changed. And then, an impromptu speech by the man with the silvertongue. "As some of you may know, I've been building relationships with the Lords of the Central Corridor and Lakes Regions, with the hope that our Duchy may be on the level of the Mardoks of Mallon--yea, that Cordelay could be as well-developed as Morith, or Sorath." They nodded amongst themselves, as if that had been one of the countless rumors left to explain his month-long absence, and only now had it just been confirmed as the true one. "Some of you may notice an influx of new businesses in the next month, as I've written up a few new laws during my travels which would make Corday a shiny investment for prospective business-owners... Mariliene should be enacting them in not too long, as I've left them in her care. Some of these laws will also benefit you--directly, as some will give you more freedoms and financial assistance--or indirectly, as you may start businesses or be employed by larger businesses." There was a brief pause. "I'm doin' tough shit to help y'all out!" At that, he got some applause, from the people who understood what he said, and bigger nods from the people who didn't. Henri smiled widely, and swept a broad hand back to Allyria. "Now, for the immediate news! I am escorting Miss Allyria Allenmorde--a Korasuan Royal--back to her home in Korasus. For her safe delivery, our duchy has been promised several beneficial relationships. I would like you all to apologize to her, and pray that the bust lips and bruises aren't noticed. After all, they might have different skin, but they use the same coin." The nods continued. "Now, this li'l gray's goin' back-ta Korasus, 'n she's worth more than a pretty-copper- to you 'n yours, so keep yer hand off, hear?"

At that were sighs of understanding and relief. Yes, he told several half-truths. Yes, they didn't know what half of what he said even meant. But they believed the half-truths the whole-way, half-understood the other half-halves, and dispersed. Some felt happier, some felt confused, but all felt like maybe they shouldn't throw stones at every gray bitch.

Henri extended his hand to Allyria. Her horse was a little far from here, yet, and a ride would help. "Need a lift?"

---

What Henri Wants to Do: Hard. -15

Used "Cooler Heads Prevail" to calm crowd, diminishing their aggression.
(Dip20 + Cha20 / 2 = +20 Threshold)

Used Silvertongue to then convince them that Henri had gone away for a good reason, and that Allyria's survival would help them financially. +10 Threshold

Roll:
Knowledges: Broker I, Cruic I, Steward I, Leadership I, Relationships I
Stats: Cha 20, Dip 20, Kno 20

Difficulty: -15
Skills: +20 +10
Knowledges: +5 +5 +5 +5 +5
Stats: +20 +20 +20

Threshold: 100

aTv3cp8C

---

Recalculating Roll Threshold
-Knowledge stat doesn't apply. Hard difficult doesn't apply.
Difficult: Normal (He is their lord, and their emotions are up. Evens out. Defying him would be a difficult test for them.)

SPOILER: Click to show

Difficulty: 0
Skills: +20, +10
Knowledges: +25 (5x5)
Stats: +20 (Cha), +20 (Dip)
*Charisma and Diplomacy can be used in conjunction*

Threshold: 95
-Failed by .2 degrees.

Civilians Resist orders:
Difficult: -30
Henri Failed: +20
Cha & Dip Resist: 10 (Combined)
Threshold: 0
-Auto-Fails
1D100 => 36 -Auto-Fails-

Results: Unchanged.

[Allyria Allenmorde]

He talked and Allyria stood there with her guard up. The left hand still outstretched, the other still gripping her sword. As the situation eased up, so did she. Once they had gone she wiped her face from the blood and sheathed her sword. Her arm stopped glowing and she rolled her sleeve back up. He asked her if she wanted a ride.

Hell yes... I want a ride out of this town.

"Y-yes. What was their issue with me? I don't understand... I didn't kill that old man like you said."

She took his hand and climbed up onto the horse, settling in just behind him. She put her hand on his shoulder as balance. What a mess she had made just by showing up. That was more than enough to incite these people to violence. She didn't understand. Not at all. Henri had talked them down so easily, he had them believing everything he said so easily. She even believed it, even the part about her being royalty. It hit her.

"Henri.. if I gave you the impression I'm some kind of Drokagr Royalty... I'm sorry but I'm not. I don't know how that happened."

---

Allyria Allenmorde
All-25
HP: 500/500
Stm: 122/125
MP: 238/31

[Deleted]

They rode their horse up the natural lay of the land back to his house, where her horse was probably stabled. He wondered if Leon had been glad to see her.

"I didn't think you were," Henri said, "I mean, necessarily. You didn't have to be for the me to make them think you were. The... magic certainly could convince 'em. I guess we'll... talk about that whole magic thing, later..." They began to edge out of town, out of the earshot of any weary villager. "Why them, why you? They were angry at the world, partly. And partly, they're afraid of people who look different. They raise each other to think that Drokagr commit crimes more often; that your folk are in some way both inferior and 'out to get' humans." He sighed. "They've even... killed Drokagr before. And they'll keep vows of silence, so no one gets arrested for it, no one finds the body--it just disappears."

He remembered his father tell of such a situation occurring, some months before Henri's birth--or was it after? A young woman and maidservant of the Corday household, her skin a lustrous purple, had disappeared in the night. Some said she was exiled by Jean himself, who always was a little wary of the Drokagr--sent away on a cart with a paid-off courier. Others spoke of how she had been torn from the manor in the night and taken by a small gang, who ended her life silently and without remorse. After her death, Jean only employed humans in his household--obviously a clear message had been sent that the villagers would not tolerate otherwise. Or perhaps it was his father's will that she be gone from his sight. But why?

He gulped as they edged near the house. What might his father say if he saw them together?

[Allyria Allenmorde]

They kill Drokagr? That's... I could have... Shit...

"And what about you? Do you think so lowly of my race?"

Allyria was a little bit pissed off now. He could have told her about this. That his people were xenophobic to the point of violence. That they blamed everything on her kind. He said it so... Factually. Like there wasn't any fighting it and that it was pointless to do so. The country side may have rolled along but Allyria felt like she was still in the streets, beset on all sides by pitchfork and torch wielding villagers trying to lynch her for a crime they knew she didn't commit.

I feel sick.

She wanted to get off the horse, get to her horse, and start heading back to Korasus immediately. She wanted to put this town far behind her, as far as possible. And never come there again. Whatever potential friendship she had with Henri be damned. If visiting meant dodging his people every time, and she wasn't going to alter her appearance just to do so, even though she was capable.

"When do we leave?"

Her lip had healed a while ago though. Almost perfectly. But that wasn't enough to set right what had just happened to her. There wasn't anything stopping the villagers from lynching the next Drokagr to come along. Or half breed even.

---

Allyria Allenmorde
All-25
HP: 500/500
Stm: 121/125
MP: 233/313

Sudden Sight
Fl4Chlk0