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You call in Lancelot and take on the most heroic tone you can muster.

"Lancelot, take a few of your knights and escort this man to his homestead and DEAL WITH the GOBLINS pestering him."



Lancelot and the peasant give a bow.

Lancelot: "As you wish, my King. I shall make sure these goblins won't be pestering anyone ever again!"

Lancelot and the peasant turn to leave. It seems you still have time for one more audience today.

You order the next audience in.



A harrassed looking buck-toothed man in stained peasant's clothes stands before you.

"My King", he says with desperation in his voice. "I am in need of your help. Goblins! Three of them! They come every other night and break my fences, kill my cattle and steal my crops, and all I can do is hide in my home and wait for the sunrise. I fear for my life and for the life of my wife and children, and if this goes on our harvest will leave my family at the mercy of our neighbors. Please, is there anything you can do?"

You order that a meeting be arranged between you and this Sonya at a discreet location.



Jester: "As you wish, my King. The meeting shall be held first thing tomorrow morning! Is there anything else, or shall we send in the next audience for today?"

Spoiler

Yes, I am perfectly aware I am spamming the same graphic like five turns in a row. Sorry.

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You ask for more information on this "woman" Lancelot mentioned, and that a meeting with her should be arranged.



Lancelot looks troubled, but holds his tongue.

The Jester shrugs ad begins to explain: "I believe Sir Lancelot is referring to one MISTRESS SONYA of the HAPPY HANDS brothel. She is, even considering her occupation, a powerful woman with plenty of connections. Through her subordinates she is able to gather quite a bit of information on almost any man, and often some women, in the realm. However, her occupation makes her somewhat inappropriate company for a king, well, at least in the minds of most nobles I would presume.

We can have Sonya brought to meet you on the first light of tomorrow morning. I am sure Lancelot will provide some trustworthy knights to act as escort and cover to keep her identity secreted away as she enters the castle."

You give Lancelot a long-winded explanation as to why the realm needs a spy network and assure him that you share his views, yet feel that this matter is of great import to the well-being of the realm.



Lancelot looks disappointed, but gives a curt nod eventually.

Lancelot: "As you wish, my King. It is not my place to go against your wishes in this matter. If you are adamant that the realm needs a spy then I do believe my men have spoken to me about a certain woman with such ambitions, although I dislike her reputation a great deal, it might just be worth a moment of your time to speak with her. Privately, of course."

You request Lancelot and the Jester to provide you with a list of candidates for court SPYMASTER's.



Lancelot shakes his head, looking disappointed.

"My King, I cannot in good conscience recommend that we hire a spy. Such behavior is lowly and not suitable for  the values of a proper leader. One should rule only through virtue, faith and strong will, not by employing sneaks and thieves to listen, lie and steal."

The Jester on the other hand is more open to the idea:

"There are many different types of potential spies within your realm and beyond.

For example, many innkeepers and even courtesans tend to hear all sorts of things in their line of work, and thus have a good sense of events within our realm, their contacts might also allow them to serve as operators for a number of underlings.

On the other hand people who work in caravans, traders and diplomats and such, travel outside of our realm and can gather information abroad and are also often of some considerable wealth, which might help them to purchase the loyalty of many sneakier elements of society with relevan ease.

I also hear that one of the pirate clans specializes in training assassins and thieves, whom they insert into towns and keeps by small boats and who then scale walls and steal both gold and information with ease, perhaps we could hire one such individual?

There are also wild tales of a fold a furry-folk living in the jungles far to the northwest. It is said that they move among the trees and ancient ruins like shadows and that they train the finest assassins the world has ever known, although contacting them and hiring one might be quite troublesome.

Lastly, we can always just hire someone from our own realm, someone from Lancelot's upcoming militia might show promise, or perhaps one of the RANGER's? Such a person should be well-versed in travelling the countryside and moving silently, so further training and equipment might make such a person a valuable active spy.

Whichever type of spy we pursue, we must be ready to play handsomely to ensure loyalty of such an individual, for a poorly-paid spy makes for a likely traitor."

You thank Broomhilde for her offer, but your response makes it absolutely clear that you are not ready to make this sort of decision so quickly, even with such amounts of money made available to you.



Broomhilde looks disappointed, but graciously accepts your indecisiveness.
"As you wish, my King, I will be available, should you change your mind."

With that she stands up and begins to make her leave.

After she is out of earshot you call for Lancelot and the Jester and request them to tell you what they know of the Yesteryears.



Jester pipes up first:

"My King, the Yesteryears are and have always been one of the most wealthy noble lines known to our realm. However, in a most unfortunate and unsightly administrative mistake by one of the past kings of the land, the Yesteryears were given exemption from taxes and all other responsibilities to the realm and to the crown. They are highly secretive and cunning, and are said to have dozens of high-level spies and saboteurs in their service.

Effectively, they are an autonomous independent state the size of a mansion and a small tract of forested land surrounding it. Most of their businesses are run outside of our Kingdom and any income they collect is transported to their highly guarded mansion and used sparingly. Only a few people have seen the building's interior, but it is said that the building is well-guarded and almost maze-like, in order to protect the Yesteryear's considerable wealth.

The EVIL KING sought to bring the Yesteryears to bend the knee to the crown once more and hoped to claim even a portion of their wealth, but the Yesteryears are well protected by mercenary knights and traps, and thus the EVIL KING's assassins and burglars failed miserably and even the EVIL KING could not raise enough men to make him feel secure enough to think that the Yesteryears would accept any changes in the Crown LAW that would have affected them negatively."

Lancelot nods, confirming the Jester's words. Then he speaks as well:

"The Yesteryears wield a considerable force of knights, who serve both as bodyguards to the Yesteryears as well as guards to their estate. Their lands are also infested with semi-feral wolf-dogs, which have been trained to attack but those serving the Yesteryears, although we do not know how this has been done. Most intruders to their lands meet a nasty fate in the hands of these wolf-dogs, and the few that make it through are cut down by the knights, or hired to serve the Yesteryears should their skills be of interest at the time."

You have the JESTER bring up some wine for yourself and BROOMHILDE.



One of the knights accompanying BROOMHILDE steps up and samples the wine for her. After a moment has passed the knight gives a nod, then hands the cup to BROOMHILDE who accepts it with a nod. She sips the wine.

"Thank you, my King, how very thoughtful."

You try to seem as interested as possible in hearing more about the YESTERYEAR family line, but BROOMHILDE does not seem very forthcoming. She seems to be waiting for your response to her offer of marriage.

"My King, my offer will stand." -she says. "Should you wish to think on the matter, then by all means do so. I shall be retreating to my manor later this evening, send a messenger for me if you wish to answer properly."

You have JESTER bring a chair so that BROOMHILDE can have a seat.



"Thank you for the seat, my King, travelling does wear on oneself."

You explain that you are honored by the marriage proposal, but wish to know more of BROOMHILDE and the YESTERYEAR clan.

"We Yesteryears have lived for centuries on a hilltop mansion to the southeast of your town. We do not work, we simply own things within your realm and without. We own trade ships, brothels, craft-shops and trade caravans and much, much more, all of which provides us with a steady flow of return for our investments. By the old King Fortell IV's decree, which he gave four centuries ago, after our mercenary army crushed his royal militiamen in battle, our family has been given exemption from taxes and other mundane affairs, and thus we live a rather secluded life. The wealthy are often mistrusted by the commoners you see, so there would have been little point in taking over the crown by force at the time. This is why I have come to you, my King. Our marriage would allow my family fortune to be put to good use, allowing YOU to have an easier time, obviously, while allowing the Yesteryear family to return to society in a suitably prestigious position."

Two questions:

1) How old is she?

2) Is bigamy legal in our realm?

1) How old does she look?

2) You're the damn king, up to you

With Dennis gone, your next audience arrives with notable fanfare. Two armoured knights escort a fair lady into your court.



"Good day, My King." -the lady speaks in a soft voice of a mature woman, cutting off her knights who were clearly about to announce her arrival.
"My name is BROOMHILDE of the prestigious YESTERYEAR -family line."

She pauses and glances around the throne room, then gives a disappointed little sigh.

"Oh, I expected better of a castle. Oh well, I fear it cannot be helped. I have come to offer your majesty a proposal of marriage. 'Tis a most simple matter, really. A matrilineal marriage of your line and mine, and the considerable wealth of the YESTERYEAR line is yours to spend in the betterment of the realm. I do believe we currently have well over three hundred gold pieces at our disposal and with the income of our lands and businesses, we expect another hundred or so every year."

She pauses, cocking her head quizzically, then asks in a most impatient and bored tone imaginable.

"Well, my King, will you accept?"

You explain to Dennis that the villagers should keep their coin, and instead use it to construct an outlook tower to increase security in your realm.



"As you wish, My King. I am sure the villagers will be pleased with this option." -he says, smiling all the way. As Dennis begins to leave, he pauses.
"My King, you may wish to know that there is a rather fine lady coming up to meet you. I suggest you prepare yourself."

Dennis winks, then walks away.

Been sick 'n' stuff lately, so few updates. I currently have a fever and zero brain power to spare, so updates will resume next week.

The travelling artisan takes her leave and heads off to plan your new clothes.
As she leaves, DENNIS from the traders guild approaches.



"Hail My King. I bring news from one of the small villages to the east. The people of the village have faced with an unexpected flood and it seems they will be having little or no harvest this year. Since midsummer and soon thereafter the harvest approaches, the people there are worried and have sent word, pleading for help in order to secure their survival in the winter times.

The villagers ask that we send grain and vegetables from the town granary to supply them with rations for the winter. This would decrease our food reserves in town by about a fifth, so it would pose only a minor risk to our own stocks even if we have a bad harvest. In exchange the villagers have gathered all of their belongings and have estimated that they can sell their valuables and give the resulting 100 silvers (or one gold) to the crown.

I have spoken with Cat of the farmer's union and she thinks that the risk is small and that the people in the villages need to be fed in any case. The decision in yours, my King. Do we accept the trade?"

"I see..." -she mutters, clearly alreadly planning your future clothes in her mind.



"I'm sure you will be pleased with the result, My King. I shall return the day after tomorrow so you may fit the new clothes."
The lady artisan prepares to leave. You spy a familiad spiky-haired figure in the doorway of your throne room.

You attempt to haggle the price, and after a while you manage to get the price down to 40 silvers.
The lady artisan doesn't seem very pleased with the deal, but approves it anyway.



"As you will it, My King, your new clothes shall be done by dawn the day after tomorrow. Do you have any wishes on colour or style, some specific detail you would enjoy, perhaps?" -she asks.

You ask the artisan woman what she is wearing on her head.



"Oh, My King, this is a scarf!" -she giggles.

You wonder aloud if the artisan might be able to craft a magical piece of clothing for you.



"On my own, I'm afraid not, My King. I can craft you a fine suit out of any cloth you can find, but magic is not within my abilities. However, if you had a person versed in magic, I might be able to incorporate some sort of magical trinket or even magically imbued string or cloth into the clothes I make."

"Send in the next one, Jester!"



A fine-looking lady in a purple silk dress approaches the throne.
"Greetings, my King. I am Meredith, a travelling artisan by profession. I have travelled your realm, visiting one noble after another, offering my services as a high-quality dressmaker to all who seek my assistance. When I heard of a new King, I decided that I must present myself and offer my skill. For the price of fifty silvers on materials I can craf you a new set of clothes, ones which will surely make you a sight to behold!"

You mutter to yourself: "It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop."



Lancelot does not look back, perhaps he did not hear you?
In a moment he disappears from the throne room. The Jester's voice sounds from outside:
"Shall I send in the next audience, My King?"