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You decide it is high time begin training the militia, and instruct Lancelot to begin working on the task at once.



"As you will, my King. We shall collect the volunteers for a meeting today, and the smiths and craftsmen will begin work as soon as possible. I expect to have the militia in a fighting condition in a few days, though I doubt even my training will turn them into true warriors."

Lancelot bows deep and begins to make his leave.

You decide it is best to let the man have his escort, altbeit with a hint of espionage.



You explain to the NOBLEMAN that he can have his escort from among Lancelot's knights. The nobleman seems greatly relieved to have his escort and thanks you, before making a hasty exit. You gesture for Lancelot to remain for a moment longer.



With the nobleman out of earshot, you explain your cunning plan to Lancelot. His knights are to escort the nobleman to the coast, but they are also to keep an eye on the man and should report back with any knowledge of illegal or otherwise suspicious activities.

"As you will, my King. My men shall keep an eye on the noble on the road and protect him as needed. If his actions violate the law he will be arrested and brought before you at once!"

You nod approvingly.

"Before I leave, I wish to report on the matter we discussed before, that of a town militia. I believe we can train a force of roughly one hundred MILITIAMEN. These men would receive a basic training from me and my knights on how to fight, and the smiths and craftsmen would arm them with SPEARS and LEATHER ARMOUR. The men volunteer for the task but only in name. They will require a silver for each man for their services, thus totaling ONE GOLD PER YEAR and their initial training and arming will cost us another ONE GOLD.

If you agree to these costs, then I will have my men begin training the militia at once, though I believe it will take quite a while before they are ready for any kind of deployment or basic combat."

Wow, this is going to take some thinking. I had an early idea

Spoiler

of Guybrush Threepwood and Sergeant Ramirez from Call of Duty struggling to escape a devious trap using their characteristic methods

[close]

but the idea fell flat quite quickly as I ran out of ideas.

Need to do some more planning and thinking and come up with two good characters for this.

You ask the nobleman who heis, where he comes from and  what his business is.



The nobleman looks exasperated and makes nervous glances at your soldiers standing nearby.

"My name is Jonas, my family runs a private trading business to the far east, well beyond the borders of this kingdom.

I only meant to pass through in secrecy, but as I saw the knights I decided to follow them, knowing full well that the lands of Grimdark are often riddled with bandits and soldiers of the evil king, and see if I could find an escort for my small caravan as we head for the coast. I knew not that a new king had risen to power before I met your knights. I cannot tell you more of my business for fear. Please, you must understand that lives are at stake and I must be on my way at once! Lend me a few knights for escort or not, but I must ride off as soon as possible, or else I will be late and all will be lost."

His orders still standing, Lancelot sidesteps to block the nobleman's path as he turns to leave. This man seems to be in a real hurry.

I prefer the right half, Ghost. It just feels more... right.

Congrats to Baron! Looking forward to the next theme!

You deem that it would be best to ensure that you get to speak with this noble in person before deciding anything. You ORDER LANCELOT to bring the NOBLE into your AUDIENCE.



Within moments the sound of hurried footsteps, clang of armor and shouted curses and demands signal that the noble has arrived.

"You have no right! I am on very important business and I MUST be on my way! You have no right to delay me like this!"

The noble is brought to your presence. He isn't putting up a fight, but he is quite vocal about the fact that he does not with to be here and that this delay in his journey displeases him greatly.

"My King, I do apologize for my crass behavior, but my business is urgent and time wasted may well cost both gold and blood. A simple denial to my request of escort would have sufficed and I could have been on my way by now. Why have I been brought here?" -he demands, though there is a certain caution in his voice, as if the man were worried of something, perhaps even afraid.

Curious to see more of your realm, you decide to take a look at the MAP, before deciding on anything else.



You walk into the WAR ROOM and find that there are new symbols drawn on the map. EAST of your castle town there are symbols for three small villages and it seems that a wide swath of forest extend across the river that runs through your realm. The Jester, having followed you from the throne room, explains:

"The Knights travelled a good distance to the EAST, mapping out all three villages that belong to our kingdom in that direction. Having spread the word of your rise to the throne amonst the villagers the Knights rode around the great forest and even made some short incursions into the thick woods. They reported little of interest, save for some local wildlife. All in all they said that the easters portion of your realm seemed peaceful and the people were very pleased to hear that there was a new KING in castle Grimdark."

[A noble]

After a night of restless sleep and wild dreams ranging from romatinc conquests to the daily lives of farm-animals, you awaken to a new day. It feels like a day in which good things happen.



You arrive in your throne room to find the Jester standing next to a curious device which has been attached to the wall of your throne room during the night.

"My King! Good to see you wide awake! Look what Mr Mandarb of the craftsmen's guild brought you! They call it an hourglass of time!"

You examine the device and it indeed seems to be a large and rather ornate timeglass. The sand slowly trickles down into the lower segment, glittering in the rays of the morning sun.

"There are more news too, My King. The craftsmen have been especially busy and have forged new SEALS OF TRADE for the trader's guild. BARON of the forkbeaks left today and the new seals were used to seal a trade agreement with the FORKBEAK clan as he did. We expect trade to commence within days.

ROBINA and her rangers left on their expeditions at dawn, and are expected to return tomorrow morning.

Furthermore, the EXPEDITION sent towards the EAST by Sir Lancelot has returned.
All of the five knights have returned safe and sound.
The knights have added a new segment to our map of the realm. They have given us a rough sketch of the villages and woodlands to the east of the castle town of Grimdark.
The knights met with a small caravan arriving from the east, which requested protection within our realm and followed our knights to the gates of our town. A noble of unknown origin travels with the caravan and wishes to remain in secresy. However, the noble has requested an escort to travel with the caravan. If the caravan can reach the coast to the west safely, the noble promises to pay hansomely.

If you are so inclined, my King, I can take a word to Lancelot and have him organize some knights to provide escort for the caravan until it reaches it's destination before we get to your first audience of the day."

[First paragraph]

First paragraph

It was so cold.

Sanna pressed her arms close to her body, pulling her coat tight, and shivered as she made her way through the main street of the city she had called home. There were cars still parked on the sides of the street, the fuel in their tanks frozen solid, their cracked windows frosted over and covered with a thick layer of feathery snow. There was no wind or birdsong, just a hollow silence in which the crunch of snow underfoot seemed to echo and roar like thunder. The air stood still and heavy, and the dark clouds She had been alone for a few days now, ever since Antti had disappeared in the middle of the night, and the food she had left in her stolen rucksack was running out. Behind the sunglasses she had taken from the dashboard of an abandoned car, her eyes scanned the storefronts and displays. They were all in ruins, looted or burnt down in desperate attempts to gain entry or just to stay warm. A lone Finnish flag hung low in a flagpole. Someone had smeared some red paint over the blue and white cloth and had then reeled the flag back up. Sanna paused to look at it, wondering if it was a sign of something. A crunch of snow echoed in the lifeless street, but she had stopped walking.

It was so cold, and she wasn't alone anymore.


Blurb

Climate change? Nuclear winter? Galactic radiation?

Everyone's guess was as good as the next.

Whatever the cause was, the effects were obvious. A winter in June, darker and colder than any before, had stranded the entire city of Tampere under a blanket of snow. As temperatures crept down to -40c and below, vehicles ceased to start, trains froze on their tracks and people shivered in their homes as the power went out. Radio stations went quiet, phone lines and internet connections went down and the thick cloud layer blocked even satellite connections. In days the people went without food and water.

And then the fight for survival started.

You inform Dennis and Baron that it would greatly please you to establish fair trade between your peoples.



Baron seems overjoyed.

"There is always need for frest timber and cloth for repairs and maintenance, as well as making new ships. As soon as I return to my clan, I shall send a vessel up the river at once!"

Dennis and Baron continue to talk for a time, but soon all those present seem to be very tired.
You decide it is time for bed.

Let's all agree that Rorik and Lancelot are actually just off-screen and just didn't fit into the picture this time. Rorik already shared tales of his travely with you during the day and drunkenly chatted with Lancelot before excusing himself early for bed, since the wine enjoyed by these folks of the warm lands apparently makes him queasy. He did not share anything further of his mission and when Lancelot asked why this is, Rorik became apprehensive in his drunken state.

Let's all also agree that I did not forget that Rorik was supposed to come to this dinner because we had two separate guests invited to the same dinner and I got confused.

Let's all ALSO agree that my website host isn't currently down causing all of the images to not display at all.

It's a lot to agree to, but I'm sure we can all get along.

You decide that you need to know as much as possible of this Baron and his pirates before agreeing to anything with him, and what better way to find out that to ask.



Baron considers you question for a moment, then replies:

"We pirates are enemies to no nation, per se, but all seafaring folk consider pirates an enemy of sorts. Some decide to bargain with us, thus gaining safety on the high seas and the coastlines, while others arm their ships and men and try to fight us. Beyond this most natural state of affairs the six major pirate clans do not always see eye to eye, but the Forkbeaks are the greatest clan by a wide margin. No other clan can muster even half of the ships and men that are at the Forkbeak's disposal at any given moment."

You decide it is time for dinner, and invite Hirschel to accompany you. He promises to bring some dried spices with him.



Your guests are seated around you, and the food smells unusually delicious. As the King you are served first, and in moments you and your guests are enjoying a delicious meal along with friendly discussions into several subjects. Hirschel entertains the table with tales of his travels as well as descriptions of some of the more rare and pequliar plants he has encountered, such as the scalding-to-the-touch dragon's tongue flower, the mandrake root and a highly rare desert rose, which only blooms once every decade and even then only on one specific day.

Baron, the pirate envoy, returns the favor with tales of grand battles on the high seas, and while he mentions having sunk or captured ships from all over the world, he never mentions having sunk one belonging to any previous king or the traders of your realm. You suspect he is simply being courteous. Baron also speaks at length with Dennis of the traders, and the two seem to come along well together. Dennis soon tells you that he believes that, should the King approve, he could forge a deal with the Forkbeak pirate clan, in which your people would supply the pirates with timber and cloth, while the pirates would pay with precious jewels and gold, as well as fish from the sea.

The night winds down and people begin to seem tired. If you wish, you might raise another subject for one of the people in the table, or you might simply head to bed and see what tomorrow brings.

"It would be a poor beginning for our future trade in the area of herbs and potions if we sold hastily grown and poor quality merchandise. Take all the time you need and let me know if you need anything or when we have something to offer for our traders."



Hirschel nods, clearly pleased with your words.

"I shall do my best, my King."

As Hirschel begins to make his exit the Jester pipes up: "My King, your dinner guest awaits, for it is late now. I suggest we enter the dining room before our meal goes cold."

[Voice actor, female]

Hello everyone!

I'm working on a super-secter project that needs a bit of help to get through before it's deadline of "end of March". All positions are unpaid, but greatly appreciated. The game in question is a short adventure game with a mild horror theme. There is currently a playable concept level with 90% of graphics done.

I am looking for:
- Voice actor, female, 15-35 years old, fluent english, preferrably american accent or very mild accent (20 lines or so)
> Send me a PM with the following test line to apply: "Hey, Uriah, good to hear your voice!"

- Voice actor, male, 20-40 years old, fluent english, preferrably american accent or very mild accent (50 lines or so)
> Send me a PM with the following test line to apply: "Kid! Hey kid, gimme a hand here!"

- Voice actor, male, 30+ years old, fluent english, preferrably american accent or very mild accent, gruff or grumpy voice (20 lines or so)
> Send me a PM with the following test line to apply: "What part of that did you not understand? Stay - away - from me!"

- Voice actor, generic old lady (5 lines or so)
> Send me your best impression of an old lady to apply

- Musician, style free, must be capable of producing 10+ minutes of music for game by end of March
> Send me an example of your previous work and I will tell you more of what is needed

- Additional playtesters, 2 positions open, must be willing to work during March
> Contact me via PM to apply, message must contain the word "Doggie" somewhere in it's content

"Hirschel, would it be possible for us to grow any herbs which would be valuable for trading, or perhaps could be refined into potions of some value?"



Hirschel nods.

"Yes, my King. It will take time, but I do believe I will be able to provide us with some herbs that might fetch a fine price in the south. I', afraid I'm not much of a potionmaker myself, but I have worked with southern alchemists in the past and I believe I can provide us with something of use. Mind, though, that growin quality herbs takes time, and I cannot promise a harvest this summer. We could harvest early, but that might reduce the quality of the herbs, and selling poor ingredients to alchemists for quick profit is a game several would-be herbalists have lost their lives attempting."

You permit the guards to swap out with fresh replacements for the rest of the day, and summon your advisor, the Jester, and your royal herbalist, Hirschel the Wizened, to your presence, thus beginning your last meeting for the day before dinner and a night's rest.



You eye over your two advisors, then explain the situation:
"Our realm is in dire need of income, and I need you two to help me correct this issue. Jester: do you know of any gold mines or miners in our realm?"

The Jester nods his head.

"I do, My King. There is a small mining operation not far to the north of our town. Ownership of the mine and it's income belong to a certain trader in the Trader's guild by the name of JONATHAN OF ANDERS, and the mine is run by a man by the name of MOOK. The mine is not a rich one, and there has been talk of halting it's operation and selling off the site unless profits increase soon. The mine does return tax income to the crown already, but I fear it is not much."

You nod, approving the Jester's wealth of information, then turn to Hirschel.

"Hirschel, you mentioned that you knew much of minerals as well as of plantlife. Do you think your abilities could be useful in searching for resources we could mine for?"

Hirschel gives a cautious nod.

"My King, if we can discover caves or caverns or make preliminary digs somewhere, I could certainly study the soil or rock for signs of anything useful. However, I mostly do the opposite, using my talents in studying the soil to identify fertile places for plants to grow, so I cannot guarantee success, though I do believe I can decrease the risk of beginning new mining operations should you wish. Mr Jester, do we know of any caves or caverns or other sites where I could easily study the rock and soil?"

The Jester ponders for another moment, mulling the matter over.

"I recall hearing of a partially udnerwater cavern near the river's edge to the east, but other than that I only know of the one existing gold mine in our lands. Expeditions would surely mark down caves and caverns as sites of interest should they encounter any, since such places are often nests of criminals as well as goblins or worse."

You stand up from your throne, disregarding the guards who do their best to stand straight despite their unknown ailment.
You walk up to the object on the floor you reach down and pick it up. It feels heavy, like glass or crystal, perhaps even metal of some sort, and feels smooth underneath the black silk.

"Jester..." -you call out softly. The jokester appears before you only moments later. As he enters his endless smile evaporates, leaving him looking confused.



"My King, what happened? The guards!? And what is...?"

You silence the baffled clown with a stern look.

"Jester, store this artefact in the treasury. I want it under lock and key, always guarded, and whatever you do, do not uncover it or look at it, for it may well end your life."

The Jester looks like he is bursting with questions and alarm, but manages to calm himself and eventually simply nods, reaching to delicately pick up the artefact from your hands.

"At once, my King." -he manages, his voice bereft of the humor it usually reflects, before heading for the treasury.

You decide it is best to be rid of this strange man, and the quickest way to do so is to accept his gift.

"I thank you for your gift, you may le-"



The strange man is gone. All of a sudden you can hear the wind as well as the birds in the trees outside. Your guards waver and stumble, and one of them begins to bleed profusely from his nose. The men look confused and disoriented.

"My King." One of the guards speaks in a weak voice, while struggling to remain upright on his feet. "May we... May we be excused for a moment? I will call for replacement guards to come down from the walls."

You still have time for more audiences, but your guards do not seem to be doing well and you yourself feel quite exhausted by this strange ordeal.
Your gift lies before the throne, still covered in black silk.

You feel the need for more information, and exclaim:

"Wait! Did the Evil King have this gift? Did he use it?"



The strange man pauses, then turns to face you. You realize it is awfully quiet.

"He did not, though he could have, and had he done so, you would not sit here today, King.
I believe he was saving it for something specific, though I do not know what."

The air stands still. You feel a painful headache coming on.

"Please accept the gift, King." -the stange man says. "I must leave, for time waits for no-one."

He begins to turn to leave once more.