Skip to main content.
Back to Alessandro

Past Actions


Action by Aleksei for Skal'dajan Diplomacy

(Public Action, OOC Date: Feb. 18, 2020, 10:19 a.m.)

Once upon a time, several years ago, about twenty thousand people in Stormward suddenly had no place to go. The Liberators took up the call, expanding previous efforts of assisting those freed from bondage to make it work for -- a much larger number. And, because of the help of countless supporters who came together, they were able to see those people safely relocated (for those who wished to be) and resettled (for all of them) into new lives.

Well! Now we have...several tens of thousands of slaves from the Saffron Chain ending up in Arvum. That is quite a lot. Some of them already seem to be settling in the Lyceum where they landed, but the Liberators would not be doing their duty if they did not respond. And so Aleksei and a number of others are traveling south to see what can be done. A lot of ex-thralls from Stormward ended up settling in Setarco several years ago after Pravus offered such notable assistance, and he'll reach out to see if some of those people -- maybe some of them became Liberators! -- will offer some of their assistance, as people who have benefited from this sort of aid before, along with, of course, connecting with the local Seraph and the Faith discipleships in Setarco.

The process is simple enough: the Liberators always seek to give refugees as many choices as they can. Where do you want to live? What do you want to do? Aleksei provides as much guidance as he can, helping educate people on their options so they can find the path most suitable to them. And then, wherever they land, the Faith makes sure they have places to stay and food to eat as they go through the process of first finding work or apprenticeships to find their feet. A simple enough process! But one that requires a ton of work and resources.

At least it's not Aleksei's first rodeo, right?

Zara's bringing her diplomatic talents to apply to the problem. She has limited direct experience with refugees but a very great deal of experience in smoothing feathers in the midst of great change, as with the Great Road. She's also able to use her position as Voice of Valardin to aide those who would settle in the Oathlands.

Raya began her journey into the Faith, before taking her vows, as a disciple of Jayus. And she still believes there are none better who can aid those in need of finding gainful work as makers of beautiful things. So, she works her connections to help those who can craft find apprenticeships. She also offers instruction on the Pantheon and general cultural matters, so these new citizens can understand what's expected of them and acclimate to their new lives.

Having heard about the move by Aleksei and the Liberators to help settle the Eurusi refugees, Dianna is keen to go to the Lyceum, her birthplace and former home, to assist with helping smooth the transition of these people. She'll use her ability to charm and persuade mass groups of people - her prestige and renown having grown since becoming both Godsworn and a Third Reflection Mirrormask (and it hasn't hurt to be Countess Vanora's protege, as well).

In each of the encampments, inns, or other gathering places where these newly freed former-slaves congregate, Astrid will be there. She'll walk among them, shake their hands, kiss their cheeks. She'll arrange times to preach about Choice and its consequences, on the dogma of Skald. And any who wish to join the Compact (or re-join depending on where they were taken from) she will help find a new life.

Change can be frightening in the moment, even if it is ultimately for the better. Freedom may seem daunting after what feels like forever under the lash, but it is ultimately the first step to a new life. Estelle feels the divine calling of Lagoma to assist these multitudes in need as best as she is able to bolster them through to this new stage of their lives. Long trips and new places can unblance one's humors, and the Mercy will first seek to keep their bodies strong and healthy so that they are better able to focus on the encouraging mentions of what the Liberators and Arvum can offer.

Once upon a time, several years ago, about twenty thousand people in Stormward suddenly had no place to go. And Kennex were greatly in need of help and were greatly assisted by the liberators. Since then, Kennex has grown into a duchy and has a reputation for being one of the most progressive houses in Thrax, and all because of the Liberators help.

It is now time to help pay forward the help the Liberators gave to Kennex all those years ago, by providing support and assistance in the form of writs and silver and support. Catalana will leave the ships and moving people to the others more experienced with boats, while Catalana Kennex will come herself and help take charge of the paperwork. If it's one thing the lady knows, is that paperwork saves lives. She'll take note of what people say in their interviews and where they are interested in being placed. She will look at lists of who has lands available and match them to where is most suited. She will co-ordinate all ships coming and going and make sure each ship has the correct rations and passenger loads. At the end of the day, she will present summary reports and cost analysis to Aleksei and hopefully save him from pulling all his hair out.

Jyri has experience of similar situations, though the scope of this is much bigger than anything he's been involved with before. Either or, he hears Aleksei's call and immediately offers his help. His expertise in survival and leadership is his focus, he knows how to make much out of nothing, so he comes along - despite being quite dubious about travel at sea, should they need to get on a ship.

Before leaving, he held a raffle with one of his paintings as a prize, and a fair bit of extra resources was the result, all to help the refugees with. He also adds on a considerable amount of his own. As a former refugee, he knows fully well how rough this will be for them and every bit of coin helps.

So, his services are protection, and he can train refugees or put his skills as a leader to good use, making sure things run smoothly with his commanding aura. But, additionally - he is the Minister of Population for house Whitehawk and his house is offering housing and work to refugees, to as many as Whitehawk land can reasonably accept.

Darren loves a good liberation, and will gladly travel with Aleksei and the others down south with little grumbling to do his best to help out. He'll extol the virtues of the Northlands and Freedom and offer jobs and homes to those that would take Redrain up on their offer. He also brings with him a contingent of soldiers to ensure that both their own journey, and the journeys of those that wish to travel onwards from the Lyceum, are suitably protected.

Tatienne is a skilled merchant, affluent and willing to invest in this heavily to help the newly freed acquire genuine freedom. She figures this many people will need to be fed and clothed, and so she pulls in on her considerable network contacts to provide abundant amounts of both; and any excess funding can go to building up homes for the newly freed.

Orrin has done this before! Orrin has done this before repeatedly. Between readying his land for refugees with a particular focus on thralls (action 3129), building an entire town set up for the care and education of newly freed folks (action 3284), to screening refugees (acion 3358) and several rounds of hunting down cultists on the heels of that (plot 425), to freeing slaves in the Saffron Chain and settling them at Pearlspire (plot 595), Orrin is prepared for this in particular.

He's going to do three things.

1: He's going to make sure that everyone working on this - from Liberators in general to folks with their specific holdings - have an accounting of what has worked to prepare lands for refugees, what has been good but extraneous, what has been less effective. He's going to make sure that everyone working on this knows what has worked to find cultists and bad actors amongst refugees, in particular using those more familiar with the cultural background of the refugees in general to make note of those acting in ways that are inconsistent with people who legitimately just want to live their best free lives.

2: He's going to identify helpful folks from those who have successfully settled in Pearlspire from the Isle al'Aswaq, whether they are helpful because they have linguistic skills, keen insights into other people, or other social skills that would make them persuasive and capable of helping, and lead them through the process of refugee screening. For those holdings that are taking refugees who don't have such help, he'll try to identify people who would be willing to travel and do this work in other holdings as well.

3: He's going to offer homes to as many screened refugees as possible, with a focus on populating Breckendale Vale.

When the offer to help slaves from Eurus comes her way, Raja was dubious. She has her own private reasons to not get involved. However, curiosity wins at the end. This would be an opportunity to mingle with people from her place of birth, even though they are the lowliest slaves. She sets off with the Liberators, working alongside them to help settle in the now freed people.

Alessandro will be assisting with the finances of this sort of endeavor. There has to be some sort of budget, and the more it's stretched, the more refugees can be settled somewhat comfortably and hopefully happily. He will also offer Greenhaven as one of the choices for the refugees to settle in, should they wish to. He has some experience with resettlement due to the aftereffects of the Great Road, and so he puts those to use now.

Porter Kennex will be using his position as Admiral of the Stormward Fleet to help transport refugees and get them resettled. They'll be given an opportunity to settle in Stormward, if they should so choose to.

Shard has limited resources, of course, but what she does have in abundance are a whole lot of sellswords available for work, and the ability to provide said work at the cost of their contracts alone, and without taking a cut herself or doing the usual mark-up for profit. And it just so happens that a fair chunk of those sellswords are ex-Kennex Thralls, recruited during that crisis many years ago. They'll be providing security and protection for the incoming refugees, as well as any necessary escort to wherever said refugees choose to go. She'll also be offering a place to any former slave who wants to actually take up the life of a mercenary.

Oh, and if any of her sellswords get any ideas about taking advantage of the needy circumstances of the people they're protecting, or for that matter sticking their fingers into the vast amounts of wealth that need to be moved around to make this happen, well, there are other examples to be taken from the Valorous Few's time in Kennex lands; that of the very swift violent end a few of them met when they decided to start looting. The Captain-General has no intention whatsoever of letting her crew run wild on this trip.

Mailys is a merchant, and that means several things:
1) She has considerable liquid assets, and she'll personally contribute five hundred thousand silver to this cause.
2) She has a talent for getting a -lot- of goods at a discount, and so many of these new refugees will need the sundries. They'll need a change or two of clothes, soap, pots and/or pans. They're going to need bedding, and tools of their trades-- or their apprenticeships, or whatever path they take. Mailys is going to do her absolute best to get the most bang for her buck, trying to get the perfect balance of quality and quantity. None of it's going to be amazing, but it'll all be quite serviceable.
3) She'll offer free room and board within Arx for one (1) year, for any refugees that don't find a place elsewhere, whether that is at Casa di Corsetina or one of the various boarding houses within the city.
4) Employment! Corsetina Merchantile has a wealth of job opportunities for all kinds of skillsets.

Elora accompanies her husband, Jyri, as he provides protection and trains/leads the refugees, she would provide medical services and advice to anyone that needs it, using her skills to spot illnesses and injuries before they become worse (or in the case of diseases, spread to the greater population), as well as providing triage so as not to no misuse valuable resources to ensure the best outcome for all of the surviving refugees.

A well-known merchant, Svana has the gift of a silver-tongue and a perceptive eye. House Stahlben and Svana will donate silver to the cause as well as other resources - though Svana's main goal during this trip will be to help manage those resources. There is a art to stretching both gold and resources. And due to Svana's exquisite charm, it might not hurt to have her talk to those who might be liberated or are newly liberated. She can be very persuasive - even better when the cause is a good one.

It's a huge undertaking, but goes well as can be expected. The largest concern for most is of cultural clashes, as most of the Eurusi fleeing the war in the Dune Kingdoms are aghast at the thought of giving up their worship, and it's complicated that the Eurusi don't all share the same religion with one another, and that the Oathlands Orthodox would be horrified at the thought of thousands upon thousands of non-believers settling among the Compact. True, they all swear oaths of fealty under the sight of Limerance, so they don't -reject- the Pantheon, but that's not the same thing as whole heartedly accepting it. Still, through a monumental effort, the Eurusi ex-slaves and refugees are spread throughout the Compact and it's a triumphant relief effort.

Which is not to say there's not incidents.

While searching for the ill intentioned among the Eurusi, Aleksei gets an uncomfortable feeling among one particular group that has a few burly ex-soldiers that deserted from the Dune Emperor's armies. The soldiers are three scarred and dangerous looking individuals, standing out in a group of a mix of refugees that includes a kindly old woman who must be in her eighties. The little old lady walks haltingly with a cane as she translates in heavily accented Arvani for the group of Eurusi, and seems a little frazzled as she struggles to respond to the angry demands of the former soldiers. The soldiers seem to have a cultural clash with the idea of taking an oath of fealty underneath a foreign god, as they fear it will bind them and make them slaves, misunderstanding the implications. A group of templars moves in to help keep the calm, as Zara tries to ease tensions, and Aleksei, Astrid, Raja and Shard approach to assist.

The little old lady seems very grateful for the help, and turns towards Raja, "Oh! Dear me, you're the whelp of Rasheem Al'Harashi the Traitor, aren't you? I'm going to eat your heart." She smiles toothily and begins to reach forward towards a recoiling Raja, as a templar instinctively steps forward in reflex.

The old woman casually juts her cane towards the templar and it pierces through his platemail breastplate as if it was paper, and she flicks her wrist up and down, lifting the impaled templar in the air with her cane and bringing him crashing down on the cobblestones with such force that the templar's upper body turns to an unrecognizable paste and the stones shatter below.

In the next few seconds,dozens of swords leave sheathes, even as the templars look around in confusion at what the threat in could possibly be as screams and panic takes the crowd, with the previously worried eurusi soldiers scrambling and running. The little old lady is pouncing forward as Raja dances back and stabs with a previously hidden alaricite dagger as dozens of Culler thugs that had been milling around the docks rush forward to help Raja. Arrows whistle through the air from Shard, punching into the old woman who is tittering with a disturbing laugh as she skitters forward spider-like, reaching up to tear a Culler gang member in half with her hands as one gets between her and Raja.

Then the templars and Culler gang members are on her, as well as a half-dozen arrows feathering her body from Shard. As the little old lady tears another templar's head off, dozens of dagger, sword, spear and mace hits impact the horrifying threat, and though she is impossibly tough, the wounds start to cut her apart. Jyri finally cleaves off her head with the Howl, his massive glaive, and the decapitated head is still laughing, "THE PROPHET WILL DRINK DEEP OF YOUR BLOOD! THE PROPHET WILL COME FOR YOU ALL! THE PROPHET WILL..." And an arrow through the forehead from Shard silences her.

So that happened.

Action by Alessandro for The Great Road Crisis

(Public Action, OOC Date: April 15, 2019, 3:24 p.m.)

Now that Greenhaven has become home to many refugees and displaced Prodigals, and the infrastructure has been upgraded to support then, Alessandro gets to work on assisting the new citizens of the Greenwood in other ways. He goes to find crafters in Arx who would be willing to take on Prodigal apprentices, and/or come to the Greenwood to teach, and makes an expedition there to bring them there for any interested citizens who wish to learn the trades.

In particular, he works with master brewer Venturo Thayne and Ida Ferron. The former, to establish a Raconteur brewery on Greenmarch lands. With distilleries already operating, there are many wish knowledge of how to make other kinds of alcohol, and will be eager to learn from him. The new road is also useful for allowing the Kismet Carnival to come to Greenhaven, giving the refugees some fun as a small respite from the horrors they've faced. The latter, because Ida has very strong ties with Greenmarch and is known throughout the Oathlands as a well-respected smith with the patronage of Prince Edain himself.

He reaches out to healers, scholars, and other people who are willing to pass on their knowledge and expertise to the next generation, and he himself offers to take on up to three assistants who are interested in the law, now that he has become a Magistrate of the Court. He contacts the Whispers as well to see if any will make the journey to Greenhaven, since becoming a Whisper can be quite a prestigious vocation.

He finds House money to fund all the apprenticeships, assistantships, and anything else that will be used toward the further education of the new citizens, and also funds those who wish to study at Mia Riven's new university (Action #3196).

Ida has spent much of her time as a smith teaching those who might not have the opportunity to learn in more traditional ways. She's often taken apprentices from the Lowers orphanages and gone out to newly formed holdings (actions 2444, 3069) to teach smithing to those acclimating to the Compact. Since their arrival in Arx, Ida has been close with House Greenmarch for some reason, so this project is especially important to her. She will take the trip and bring some journeymen along, both so she can give lessons herself and have some of the journeymen stay on to continue guiding those interesting in taking up the trade. She will also make all the tools they might need to further their careers, of no cost to Greenmarch. (OOC putting in 50k to represent steel cost as well as 300 econ)

Margret is a Voice of Greenmarch. She helps Alessandro by coordinating and managing the talent they already have in the Greenwood to make sure the Prodigals who want to learn a trade have teachers. In addition to that she teaches the healing arts to those who are interested.

Working with Lord Alessandro, Venturo will help to create jobs, improve morale, and bring something to be proud of to those refugees and already members of the lands of House Greenmarch. He'll establish a Raconteur brewery and cultivate new farmlands, along with creating a Kismet Carnival to travel to the villages and Greenhaven itself, bringing those games and entertainment. But equally as important, he'll spread the word. He'll look for investors, tell stories to the refugees of hope from moments of darkness, and in general do what he can to make certain the message is spread of what House Greenmarch is trying to accomplish.

Helena is thrilled to offer her services as a scholar and teacher to anyone looking to better themselves through education and knowledge. She brings quills and books and parchment and journals, quite the picture of an eager, bright-eyed school mistress ready to engender change and foster growth in her pupils. Oh, there will be poetry classes, too, of course, but some more "practical" topics as well, like reading, writing, rhetoric.

To imagine Prodigals, new to the Compact, would know all they are required to know to be proper citizens is foolhardy at best. Thus, Emrys joins the efforts of House Greenmarch in ensuring a smooth transition for their new people. With teaching being what he's been doing for more than three decades, he sets to work at once, with diligence and patience.

All through the Oathlands, it's becoming known that Greenhaven is true to its name- it is a haven for the diplaced, for prodigals who are seeking sanctuary, and for safety from the worst impulses of those who live in Arvum. House Valardin and House Greenmarch were tied by marriage, and that bond is still strong, however much lower houses have had to question it. Now, with all the funding and efforts overseen by Alessandro, Greenhaven has a chance to be far more prosperous.

Ida, Hammer of the West, has a surprisingly large Hammer Fan Club among new smith devotees. Pugilism is also catching on in Greenhaven, which is almost certainly related. This ties in surprisingly (and arguably unfortunately) well with Venturo's Kismet Carnivals, which are wildly popular- and also provide a great deal of work.

Margret does extremely well making certain the development is peaceful and goes over well, and Helena and Emrys both put extensive effort in teaching the prodigals- many of whom never had the chance for learning any real trades in their old domains.

Greenhaven grows substantially from their efforts.

Action by Alessandro for Greenmarch Road Plot

(Public Action, OOC Date: Jan. 26, 2019, 4:26 p.m.)

The Great Road did not come out exactly -- to put it mildly -- as everyone involved with it would have hoped, but the consequences must be dealt with. So, as Minister of Upkeep for Greenhmarch, Alessandro gets to work. He and other Greenmarch family members take several weeks in Greenhaven to welcome the prodigal refugees and Abandoned who have recently bent the knee, to assure them that they are welcome in Greenmarch and will be protected as strongly as anyone already living there. He takes count of new arrivals and tours current infrastructure to see what might need to be improved, and what needs to be added, and finds the money to do it through the new commerce the road has brought.

Once the survey is complete, he assists with matching new arrivals to current crafters, builders, farmers, etc, who need extra hands, encouraging some to help with the new building projects to house the population boom, or for those with a more martial bent, joining the Greenmarch army or cavalry. He also makes sure that all the new money coming in from trade is accounted for, and flowing out to pay people appropriately.

At the invitation by Greenmarch, Ida will travel to Greenhaven with a few journeymen to assist with building projects where she can. Her main reason for going, though, is to offer smithing lessons to any of the new arrivals who might wish to learn a trade. She'll note her relatively long history with the Greenmarch family and her days as a young smith mostly repairing horse shoes and plows along with fixing armor and forging weapons.

Simone makes the trip to Greenmarch lands, spending her time among their people, new and old. She has long championed bringing prodigals into the fold of the Compact and the Faith, and helping them to transition into their new lives. Now that this group of people is at her own doorstep, she will do no different. She works dilligently to help soothe rattled nerves, smooth out conflicts, and to generally help everyone to adjust to the changes. Getting everyone settled in and productive with as little fuss as possible is her goal, but she does her best to hear out all conflicts personally and to make adjustments to their plans, as needed, to hopefully guide it towards long-term stability, even if in the short term it creates a lot of headaches and extra work.

When Greenmarch calls for aid, Elgana answers with no hesitation. The Redrain Princess is no stranger to assisting her best friends with works for their House, so when the refugees start to pour in she is eager to meet with them to speak on all that Greenmarch has to offer them and what they could perhaps offer Greenmarch in turn. So it is off to their holdings that the Redrain royal travels, making certain her little sister, Helena, and Lorenzo travel comfortably and safely as well. Once there she will work with Helena and Lorenzo to listen to the needs of the people, assure them that they will find a good home in Greenhaven and generally work to make certain fears are quelled, praises are sung, and to point people in proper directions if she cannot answer their questions.

At his brother Alessandro's request, Prince Lorenzo travels to Greenhaven to help as well. Change can be difficult for everyone involved, so Lorenzo uses his diplomatic skills to smooth over disagreements between the new arrivals and current Greenhaven residents in the area. He is an excellent listener and is happy to try to sort out what people need and what can be provided to them to give them hope for their new lives. He always ends his interactions by emphasizing the kind and generous nature of the Greenmarchers, so that people will be willing to go to them to help mediate in the future.

At Greenmarch's request, Helena happily assists, eager to help close friends and her protege's house in this endeavor. She will travel to Greenhaven to speak with the refugees and Abandoned about the many benefits and improvements to their lives that will come with living under Greenmarch's protection. She will sing the praises of Greenmarch as a family and as a march and of their leaders. While the others are busy overseeing the projects and placement of workers, the Redrain princess will answer any questions from the reluctant to try to sway their opinion and bring them under Greenmarch's auspice.

: Margret puts the leadership skills she has learned from being Voice to use, and works to manage all of the projects they need to undertake to ensure that they get the refugees settled. She serves as a liaison between old subjects and new, and ensures that who needs what gets it, delegates tasks to ensure they get done, and redirects resources when needed. In addition to that she finds soldiers in the Greenwood with some military expertise, and has them set up defenses on the road and other vulnerable places in the Greenwood to guard against attacks from the Oathlands houses hunting the refugees.

Artur is always keen to get involved with worthwhile projects and especially to support his protege, Alessandro in his endeavors. House Redrain has a very great deal of experience in incorporating prodigals into society and encouraging good relationships with their new friends and neighbors. A lot of other Redrains are already involved, of course, but Artur is actually a little better than many expect at organizing and coordinating tings and especially with ensuring everyone stays suitably enthusiastic and chipper as they do it! He's perfect to keep everyone on task and keep morale high.

There's far more refugees than they might expect. The propaganda campaign from Elgana and Helena are obviously reaching far beyond Greenmarch's borders, as a flood of refugees come from other Oathlander lands where prodigals are being persecuted, and safe refugee can be expected in Greenhaven. Artur and Lorenzo do a brilliant job of speaking to the flood of refugees, many of them terrified and deeply angry at their lands and making sure tempers do not flare to the point where there could be violence. Simone and Ida perform admirably in helping the new refugees become integrated into Greenmarch, with training and directing them to where they are needed the most, and as for the defenses seen to by Margret...

That's where there might be an issue. Margret does an outstanding job of increasing the defenses, but as Alessandro is seeing to the new refugees, there's an extremely tense meeting with a patrol of dozens of mounted House Delcambre knights, who were intent on riding down prodigals. When confronted by Greenmarch soldiers led by Alessandro at the defensive lines drawn up by Margret, the Delcambre men back off, but it was a near thing- and their captain (who refused to arrogantly refused to identify himself) flatly stated that this was not over, and Greenmarch as 'godless shavs could be expected to be part of the rot at the heart of the Oathlands'. They stated they'd be back- and in force.

The prodigal refugees are extremely grateful for the save, and word of Greenmarch saving them spreads wide, with a surge in income from their domain due to the increased people and productivity, with praise going all around Arvum for their kindness towards refugees. But make no mistake, some of the Oathlands considers them enemies for it.

Action by Kaldur(RIP) for Rebuilding Redreef

(Public Action, OOC Date: Dec. 27, 2018, 7:07 p.m.)

Some time ago the idea of improving County Pearlspire's infrastructure was seeded. The idea began as a military effort, improving roads to improve troop movements. Which would improve trade. And like the bit of grit that eventually becomes a pearl, the idea has grown and taken shape. And grown some more. Inspired by Lord Michael Bisland, the success of the Empyrean trade route, and encouraged by Marquessa Deepwood, Lord Kaldur has begun shepherding a massive infrastructure project - an overland analog to the Empyrean Route that will set a series of trade roads through Grayson's principalities and farther. /From Stormwall to Ostria and beyond!/ says young Kaldur, with emphasis on 'and beyond.'

When the planning is done and construction begins in earnest, Lord Kaldur is a man who prefers to lead from the front when he can. In County Pearlspire he will work tirelessly alongside the men and women (and horses!) of the Seliki Engineering Corps as they plan and execute the work laid before them. He is a steadying presence with encouragement and focus at setbacks and ready with praise for work well done.

(OOC: Recommended support is 100-200 resources for Baronies and Counties, 200-500 resources for Marches and Duchies; but any and all support is welcome)

As work proceeds all over the Compact, who knows what will be discovered!!

Lady Peri Seliki has a strong relationship with the prominent traders that already flock to Pearlspire's shores and has reached out to those that she tipped off previously to some lucrative opportunities on lumber. She gathers information from them on where the best routes would benefit from roads to add to her brother's efforts and arranges for them to get the word out to others, both to fulfill the gap in transporting materials to the workers and in preparation for the new network.

Considering that some adult supervision will be required, Kalani would be happy to go along and serve as a stand-in for said-adults. Chiefly, if anyone is going to build anything, someone is bound to get hurt in the process. It's a natural outcome of people + tools = broken body parts.


Samantha is wholeheartedly invested in this notion, especially with Old Oak (presumably) being one of the stop points on the road. She'll invest resources into its creation, and encourage the hiring of the March's population for all levels of its creation. She will also look into facilitating the formation of security for the road, and aid in the diplomactic and economic efforts surrounded projecting its cost to create and projection of its maintenance.

As a purveyor of stone, particularly granite and marble, Grazia is going to have stone shipped to the Selikis for Pearlspine. Some of the stone will be used for the very roads it is to be transferred along, but the bulk of it will be sailed along the coast to the actual port city to be used to build the harbor. This is an important trading endeavor, and Grazia expects that due to the long-term nature of the project that it will offer a nice economic boost for her quarries.

Aviaron's Peak rests atop a MOUNTAIN, which means its architects and workers have experience working in... the MOUNTAINS. So Rhea will consult with her stewards to put together a crew of advisors and workers to help with Kaldur's project, lending them valuable experience. Aviaron's Peak will also provide any necessary metal for the project at a discount.

As stewards and protectors on the roads of Arvum, and as followers of Gild who favors trade, civilization and hospitality, the Knights of Solace lend their aid to the project with the promise that it will feature a few Solace waystations and shrines for pilgrimage. Thena offers the Solace soldiers stationed near the proposed route for protection and manpower. She also sends resources and silver for the project. Once complete, the route will be added to the Knights of Solace regular coverage.

Ann believes in Kaldur's efforts for a trade route and signs Stormwall up, understanding that he needs support in many ways to see success in the long run.
*She puts her economic mind to use, saving Kaldur where she can and maximizing profits.
*Pours over paperwork with him to make sure no one is pulling a fast one on him.
*Assigns Crovane's reserves to patrol the route inside Crovane lands.
*Uses her Inquisitorial contacts to make sure no one is sharing the details of the road to those outside of the Compact for their own benefit.

Michael Bisland rounds up maps and engineers who know how to READ said maps to help a vassal in need. Or in want. Since Kaldur doesn't /need/ these roads but he sure does love to talk about it. So much. Just constantly. Leave me alone, I helped!

Grady is following Samantha's lead here, helping smooth the way for increased security and infrastructure between Pearlspire and Old Oak, ideally helping both domains grow stronger and more secure. He talks to people, he negotiates, he encourages the soldiers, and he keeps a careful eye out for any rising arguments, moving to help quell those as swiftly as possible.

Gabriel Bisland is encouraged by the younger generation's drive to see the Compact reach new heights. He adds the weight of the mighty House Bisland to the project. Not only to fund the improvement (or new construction of) roads in Pridehall, but so that the project over all might avoid the danger of dipping into the red.

Giulio will assist in helping those that wish it in building a uniform code / set of agreements to make the best money they can on this.

Stonewood is no stranger to road building, having recently refurbished the road to Pridehall that helped put them on the map. What's not on the map, however, is a great way to cross the river at Stonehearth. So in coordination with this network of roads, Malesh will oversee the creation of a bridge or ferry (whichever is more practical/profitable) crossing the Gray River not far from the docks at Stonehearth.

Recognizing the opportunities for trade and also for his house, Fecundo is lending his diplomatic skills to getting the project moving, working through any of the lands where the road is planned to go. It also doesn't hurt that he'll be able to point to the quality of output from the Gemecitta stone.

Etienne has a vested interest in the pursuit of the expansion of civilization, trade, commerce, and the cause of safe journeys. All of which are accomplished by a well funded and functional transportation system. Etienne will be contributing silver generously provided by the Faith as well as speaking well of the endeavor whenever possible to those that need help convincing. Etienne would indicates the funds are for the builders, and those that support them, soldiers, cooks, and the like. Etienne would also be on hand for cutting any ribbons with hilariously large scissors.

Eddard uses all of his wiles and charm to help speed along permits and coax constructions crews to take on the needed jobs. If Duskshire ends up on the new set of roads, thats not so bad, eh?

Lord Bedivere Whitehawk will be acting on behalf of his dear newphew (Baron Silas Whitehawk) to lead forth Whitehawk soldiers to help out on the road project for Lord Kaldur Seliki. Bedivere himself will be out there as a managerial force to help out every day.
He seeks the help of huntsmen and cartographers in the area to help map the road around mountainous and hilly terrain to connect agricultural communities.
Since gravel and paving is time-consuming and expensive, wood is used in these instances to limit excessive sliding on the steeper side of a hill.
Whitehawk soldiers are deployed to help with security and digging where soil is already worn away, close to the bedrock, so muck will be less of a concern.

While the Volkov Woods is one of the newer areas of the map, and that they may not come anywhere near the proposed current trade route - Ruslan is hopeful that someday, when the trade route starts to create the terciary routes, that the Volkov Woods would be part of this future. As such, he has created a small patrol of 150 troops to be sent to provide security and protection for the crews along the route.

Lady Rey Laveer, as Voice of Laveer and a Mercy has decided that roads are more than needed to connect trade routes, but as a side not would be good for movement of healers to farther reaches of Arx. And has offered her House's support as well as her personal support to the Roads Project.

Given the Twainfort's traditional seat as a trading hub due to its control of the fork of the Mother in the Daughter and Son Rivers, it's simply good sense to see that more and more overland routes from far-flung, land-locked Houses can reach Riven's ports and speed the passage of their goods along its way. Mia will work with a number of her advisors, particularly those most familiar with the landscape and locations throughout her County, and those recently joined Prodigals from surrounding areas of the Gray Forest to find the appropriate blend of transversible but also defensible routes through the woodlands.

In her role as minister of upkeep to Inverno, Mirella will be working on behalf of the house to aid Lord Kaldur's project. Alongside advisors from house Inverno she'll be investigating the safest and most convenient routes for roads to the island city of Caina and any surrounding settlements, as well as figuring out required costs prior to these roads being built. She'll share this research with the Seliki Engineering Corps and assist them in any way that's helpful and beneficial to Inverno and Seliki. She'll also be donating 100 economic resources to the project, representing Inverno's ministry of income rising to the task to provide funds.

Though their home is an out-of-the-way island, the Truesworn are often keen to participate in the broader life of the Compact. A grand project to improve the infrastructure of the coastal trade routes evidently meets with the Truespeaker's approval. Sudara duly brings to bear all the Setarcan know-how and book-learning she can muster, in guiding her people through work to develop Esterhold's internal structure and develop its external trade.

Tenebrae, a warrior above all things, will help in this endeavor by both allocating and commanding soldiers to protect the works, as well as using soldiers as workers on the Isle of Esterhold. They will be learning from the engineers as much as possible, while also ensuring no resources go missing, and protecting lives. This protection also applies to guarding the sea lanes to ensure the transport of resources, skilled craftsmen, and the money to pay them.

The Marquessa of Nilanza is happy to supply as much as we can of the materials and labor required for the stretch of road to be built across the march, if the engineers to see it through can be provided by other means. Then we, House Malespero, can contribute both economic and social resources to the effort, and to all upkeep.

Belladonna has received an invitation to take part on Kaldur's new efforts to build a more cohesive network of roads for commerce. She will be seizing that opportunity and trying to convince other lords, traders, merchants, crafters, etc, to join in with some of their own resources, thus investing much of her Social pull into this. She wants to make Setarco, the whole island, a place of culture and wealth. She will know places to avoid and where the roads should go through.

Lord Sebastian Pravus will be visiting Setarco during January of 1010 as part of some other work. While there, he will talk with local contacts to get an understanding of the breadth and scope of work needed to build roads on the island, as well as the best ideas for placement to assist the engineering corp. Additionally, he will assist the project by spruiking the benefits of a well-built trade road far and wide with his many contacts in Arx and especially within the Pravus lands to drum up additional support and interest in the project and its potential benefits to the local economy.

Following her sister's lead, Celeste is offering her expertise in terms of patrol schedules, strategic importance to areas, most likely to be ambushed here... that kind of thing. She'll further take effort to extol the virtues of this project to important and influential figures in Arx and Setarco.

Mikani helps Kaldur understand the unique location that is Redreef. She gathers funds and encourages the infrastructure project through out her Barony. Mikani addes in economic resources to help with the building of the roads and other paths knowing that anything can be useful.

Baroness Skye Blackshore is a founder of the Empyrean Trade Route. She provides all the mappings where the ships will stop along the way, providing recommendations for fortifications so that goods can be transfered from the ships to the land. Then she will using her mapping skills and knowledge of war to figure out potential ambush points and provide that to people who are going to managing security of this route. She will also use her economic skills to assist Duchess Ann with negotiating better building rates, using her woodworking and infrastructure talents to make sure they get the necessary supplies for building without spending to much.

Dycard is going to help out with the persuading of people that this is a good idea and one that should be supported. After all, roads help farmers get their produce to market as well as letting military forces travel much faster, and that has to be to everyone's benefit come tax-time, right?

Tyde lands are connected both by more traditional roads on Tyde Isle, but more often by more watery roads. Increased trade is good by land, but with goods arriving all the time and boats being a bit more infrequent but with larger cargo capacity than a cart, it is important that there are places to store the goods and efficient places to load and offload. As part of Kaldur's efforts, and to connect this large Grayson road network to the Empyrean and the Isles, Tyde makes land and resource available for the construction of proper warehousing and expanded stone piers to allow for efficient offloading, and offer this same expertise to help build them on the Grayson shores.

Mirk had planned something similar himself, so there's no hesitation when he's offered the chance to connect Whitehold and Cascade Springs to this planned network of roads. As the Minister of Coin for the Halfshavs, he brings some of his House's resources to the table: chiefly stone for the main roads, but also access to scouts with experience finding routes through the mountains. He acts mostly as a diplomat and negotiator, working with others to see to it that those resources are used where they'd be most effective.

Magnus will participate by guiding and assisting in the direction and protection of the roads approach to the Bonespire and surrounding winter wasteland. Utilizing his tactical and martial aptitude he will make himself available to personally advise on any potential known threats or Shav'arvani bands in the area's which they pass through as well as coordinate the protection of all participants with other collaborative members of the team, to include the usage of a detachment of assigned Bone Warden's.

With the building and improving of roads into the far reaches of the Compact, some things might be discovered-- or rediscovered that are best left alone or need a Shaman's expertise to navigate. Volcica will be lending all of her skills to this effort, making sure the spirits remain content in Stahlben's lands and as far out as she can help.

House Ravenseye will happily do their part to be included in a road project to try and make their remote area a little more accessible. Cadern will be sending out missives to Ravenseye and some of their neighbors to avoid any ruffled feathers and ensure things get handled amenably for the usually isolated northerners.

As Voice of Steelhart, Col will invite the trade road to Highhill and provide some military support and strategy as needed to ensure everything is kept safe.

Believing this to be a good endeavor for his house (roads are great for horses), Count Philippe signs up for the project. Alongside his officials, they lay the foundation for dirt paths, making sure to disturb as little as possible of their natural resources by routing the road system through ground that has already been used. Philippe is adamant about raising ranger stations for the Knights of Solace on these roads.

The Rivenshari know other roads, those of the water ways that move through the lands. Which is not a bad thing, they can use that knowledge to help intergrate the two road ways together as well as the roads that will run through Riva. Eshra puts her best minds to this, with the Knights of Solace already having a barracks in Riva and the trade routes that have already been established.

Sasha is gather up 500 economic writs, 500 social writs, and 500 military writs for the roads coming through Giant's Reach. She is also offering to aid with the spreading of the good word of the trade route.

As Marquis of one of the more remote holdings, Gaston is thrilled at the prospect of expanding the Roads and making Cloudspine more accessible. Aside from lending Blackram's political support for the effort, Gaston will also dedicate silver, and military resources to help protect the engineers as they work through expanding into the wilder parts of Arvum.

Cullen will work with his brother-in-law, Lord Alessandro, to make sure that the section of the road that will link Greenhaven to the network (by running along the south bank of the river and establishing a ferry system just west of the fork, ideally with the aid of Rivenshari river captain expertise) will be well-defended during its construction. He will take personal command of a troop of light cavalry and archers. He will also inform any other soldiers, including the engineers, where the safest - and most dangerous - places in the area lie, and how best to fight in the region.

As Minister of Upkeep for Greenmarch, Alessandro is eager to collaborate on a project such as Lord Kaldur has put forth. He will work with the Seliki engineering corps, as well as all other engineers who are assisting, to devise the best route through Greenmarch lands for the roads, perhaps partly running near the river as suggested by his brother-in-law, Lord Cullen, for easier trade with those houses such as Rivenshari and others who are at the forefront of maritime trade. He will also assist with bookkeeping, allocations of funds if necessary, and various economic portions of the endeavor, should it be needed.

The Voice of House Lyonesse takes a personal hand in the great roadworks project, enthusiastic for the potential of growth it can bring to Lyonesse lands and its people. Lady Jenessa temporarily returns to Lyon's Redoubt to assist, providing insight into the geography of the area as well as the best routes for travel. Not only does she oversee the exchange of lumber for proper stones for the road surface, she also plots out the route itself with the Seliki engineers and Lord Kaldur. Furthermore, the Lyonesse offers use of what sailworthy ships they possess to expedite the transport of building materials up and down the river to the surrounding holdings of those involved. Not only is time spent and investments made, but Jenessa further encourages the locals of Lyon's Redoubt to make the experience a memorable one for the visiting engineers and Lord Kaldur himself, throwing a modest but personal banquet for the guests of House Lyonesse and all the workers who put in time and labor.

Reigna had been planning on building roads throughout Oakhaven to stimulate trade and facilitate troop movements throughout the March. Kaldur's plans dovetail perfectly into this plan, and she shifts her focus from just Oakhaven to the surrounding areas as well. She will be contributing resources from wood and stone, to engineers and laborers to help with the construction.

Olivia will draft a plan for House Ashford's particiaption, along with providing some necessary material support. Given her area of expertise, she will prioritize roads in Ashford territory to provide good access to typical regions of agricultural surplus so that these products can be moved to market more quickly without risk of spoilage.

Lilia Telmar offers maps and recommendations for routes through the Temarch, with particular diligence paid to their placement in respect to pre-existing towns and trading routes. She's trying to find that sweet spot between maximum efficiency in road construction and minimum disruption to the people of the land, who might like to use the roads but who don't want to give up their lands. She's tagged a particular river crossing for the establishment of a new bridge, and indicated that it is likely to become the site of a thriving inn catering to travelers.

In an effort to bring more interesting people to Acorn Hill, and support the travel development plan, Tessa is personally funding the construction of an inn in the town of Acorn Hill, with stables enough for larger groups of merchants, mercenaries and travellers that may be passing through. The Golden Dame, as the inn is called, also keeps a very comfortable room always open and free of charge to any musicians or entertainers that are willing to perform for their supper so to speak. The HOPE is that this will make the stays for every one more pleasent.

Kritr will put people working towards a road in the land he controls to link it with the rest of the road system and accept whatever help of engineers is offered.

House Grayson will be taking advantage of the economy of scale of the overall effort to acquire the supplies to improve the existing roads surrounding Bastion and Arx at favorable rates, with an eye to planning linkages for future expansion to the ducal territories of the Crownlands.

Saikland Greens is a small area but a link and a junction along the path between areas to the north and Iasu to the west and Ostria to the south should the route extend that far. The route, if it succeeds, is an opportunity for networking with other houses and fealities, for enhanced trade opportunities. The mappers, guards and engineers provided by Lord Kaldur to begin the initial planning and feasibility of the route are welcomed and she accompanies them during one of her trips to Saikland to make sure they find places that do not disturb the farming and vineyard, existing businesses, have resting points with water, camping areas, spots near villages and military posts for protection and provisions. They plan out areas to avoid such as difficult stream fords, the small bog to the south that moving inland a bit can circle. Lucita adds some of her military forces to the group as they look over the areas to the south and north and around the perimeter of Saikland, careful not to intrude into Fidante Holdings but to see the locations and condition of any existing routes and trails, help secure the areas within and adjacent to Saikland and the number and location of any abandoned groups along the way. Her charm and propaganda skills can sooth the way and help persuade some to join the compact rather than resist and prey upon the merchants using such a trade route. Once areas are secured, she will assess to see if improvements to her docks becomes necessary.

Sabella is well aware of the issues that might come up with this road and so she is ready to be on hand to talk it up to anyone and everyone that wants to listen. And even those that don't want to listen, painting a picture for people of the Compact of safe, faster travel and trade, and trying to pitch it to the Shavs that instead of having Compact people traipsing their way everywhere through their lands this will keep them all in one place and hey, they can set up stalls to sell them products along the way and everybody wins! Yay roads!

Tikva thinks this is a terrible idea. She has been repeatedly insistent that it is a terrible idea whenever it has come up. However, a number of her vassals are insisting on involving themselves in it anyway, and despite her best efforts to persuade him and others otherwise, the help of House Grayson has been sought. It is not in her to refuse what aid she can offer in order to defray some of the hazards that she perceives in creating a massive overland trade route through lands that are not held by the Compact. She does what she can to ensure that any workers are actively protected by soldiery, that there are relay stations set up along the route that she believes to be an ultimately doomed project so that messages and emergency cries for help when the raiding parties come can help protect them. Tikva does not anticipate that her efforts will be able to prevent anything from ending in disaster, loss of life and potential deep economic distress for those houses embarking on an ill-advised venture, but at least if she does something to try to stave off some of the worst, maybe she can mitigate the damage to people who insist on failing to follow her good advice.

Niklas will mostly make jokes about how they should extend the road to Stormward. Like, hey guys, why can't we do a road to Stormward? This is a massive undertaking, but you know what would really make you guys legends? Uh. A road to Stormward. Really, he'll keep doing it until people are annoyed with him. But only the people who are actually working on the project. For everyone else the celebrity prince will turn on the megawatt smile and gladhand like the white hot grease fire of charm and charisma he happens to be. He's no good with a sword, he doesn't run his own domain and he doesn't have an army to offer, but what he does have are contacts who can help to make sure the money gets to where it needs to be and parts more easily from those who may be reluctant to turn it over. Call it monetary logistics. You don't need to know what you're moving, you just need to move it.

As Minsiter of Infrastructure for the Crown, Jaenelle understands the captial city is certainly a hub of activity. Arx will continue to assist where needed, making sure the roads leading to and from Arx are kept safe to the traders as well as making sure the steets themselves are kept free from holes, cracks, or anything that might make travel harder. Jaenelle's focus will be the roads directly around Arx.

Jennyva has been given permission from Duke Malcolm to sign Graypeak up for this project and contribute writs, time, whatever Kaldur may need. Her expertise is in negotiations and marketing and she ensures that the merchants know to use these new roads to their advantages.

As a capable steward and Voice for Blackram, Teagan has stepped up to oversee her family's participation in this expansive project. As remote as the Cloudspine is, such a road will be greatly beneficial. She will gladly see to aiding in what ways she can beyond providing what Blackram will for the connection of their holdings to the road: primarily with her economic skills.

Sir Andry Bayweather seems more then interested in the idea of helping connect the compact into a more unified whole and is helping arrange patrols with the Knights of Solace as well putting in work to arrange funding for any sections which otherwise seem to be neglected

Seymour believes an effort like this can only further enhance the trade network between fealties, to the benefits of trade at all levels. Seymour is ensuring that there are ample resources to ensure the holdings in Stormwall and Ashford he is responsible for can be a part of this, and to establish new trade posts for Oak Mercantile where the need for additional trade along the new route may exist.

The Great Road is easily one of the most ambitious projects launched in recent years in the Compact, though the scope is so vast and the current state of travel in the Compact is so dangerous that it verges on quixotic. Still, the bold ambition is embraced by scores of notables in the Compact, and ambitious or no, they get to work with the massive project.

There are numerous challenges. First and foremost, the traditional respect for the autonomy of every domain holder. The Compact has always had paths, or even rough mud roads between major thoroughfares, and the Knights of Solace have long patrolled many of the most popular, but the proposed brand new road attracts notice of every domain holder that they would pass through, and this is hundreds of them. The majority welcome the increase in trade... provided a) it doesn't stir up an Abandoned response and b) that they aren't responsible for patrolling it with their own funds. That is relatively little help, and they are happy to profit from it, if it is at no cost to them. A smaller number enthusiastically welcome it, and are EAGER for an Abandoned response, and are actively looking forward to doing battle with their hated enemies. Particularly in the Oathlands, there's talk about 'cleansing their lands for good and all', which goes well outside the bounds of a friendly trade agreement, and is more than a little worrisome. Some of the talk goes well past a little worrisome, in fact. And a very few outright refuse to have any new road built on their land, despite all reasoning, pleading, threats, forcing the road to be built entirely around some random baronies and counties that simply do not wish to risk any sort of conflict with Abandoned or increase the flow of riff-raff through their borders.

But with initial agreements signed up, then comes construction. This is thousands upon thousands upon thousands of miles of road to build a road that unites the different domains on somethnig more than dirt, often overgrown, hunting paths. The sheer engineering this takes in laying down the stones and creating the waystations will stand as one of the most remarkable marvels done in the Compact in centuries. Much of the land goes through Abandoned controlled territory, even if it is ostensibly owned by the Compact, but the amount of forces brought make most of the Abandoned steer clear aside from the odd skirmish here and there as the road is being built with overwhelming force. But the key words are 'as the road is being built'.

The good news is that trade spikes up immediately, and many of the traders in the Compact are absolutely thrilled to have better overland paths in order to move their goods when rivers are inaccessible or impractical. It's a boon many of the domains, and the economic consequences should be strong, in the long term. The bad news is that there simply are not anywhere near enough Knights of Solace in the Compact to patrol thousands of miles of road. Certainly they do what they can, but the raids start immediately, and in great force, and the losses from the Knights of Solace start to mount, even as caravans start to hire sellswords and travel in greater numbers for protection. Which in turn, has prompted stronger raids. Much stronger.

The Great Road is an economic success, overall, despite the raids. And fame comes with such a large, daring project. But the social and political consequences are another matter all together, and those will be forthcoming.

Action by Sabella

(Public Action, OOC Date: Sept. 4, 2018, 2:49 p.m.)

Since the weather has gotten good again it's time for the Second Annual Season of Free Children's Plays to start up in Nightingale Park the Lowers! Princess Sabella Grayson along with a host of others has pulled together some of the city's greats for one night a week while the weather holds to entertain the many orphans and poor families of the Lowers. Just a way to bring a little art and fun to the lives of those that need it! Light refreshments to be served at each performance with actors, painters, playwrights, musicians, and of course Princes and Princesses able and willing to talk to interested children about things after the show! The season will run until the cold of winter makes it prohibitive to sit outside. The current lineup looks to be:

The Seafoam Princess, The Fox and the Rooster, The Grumpy Gryphon, The Brothers Redrain, The Dragon and the Mouse, and The Reflection's Wish.

For the most part Niklas' participation is in writing the plays and helping Gianna write the songs. Otherwise, he goes where needed. Need an actor for a show? He's there. The Nightingale's got a cough? He'll sub in. Need a background painted? Well, it's not really his thing, but he can do it! Whatever it takes to make certain this series is a big success! He's also willing to hobnob so as to add his celebrity to bring more attention to the cause.

Tabitha will be happy to use her painting skills for set design and the creation of props, aiming to make them eye-catching and lovely in a way that will charm young minds. After each show she'll also be delighted to talk to the children for as long as they want, possibly doing some wax crayon drawing with them if seems like a fun and fitting idea.

Gianna leads the Bard's College's efforts to help the plays be a success. This means composition of music (themes for characters!) and possible involvement in Acting if there's a need for someone dignified and beautiful. No? Fine. Music, then. If Gianna has a soft spot, it's dealing with disadvantaged kids.

Who is that bubbly woman wearing a rooster hat and trilling out a merry cock-a-doodle-doo? Who is that laughing lady with the faux-fox tail pinned to the seat of her trousers chasing the children around before the play? Who is that spirited lass huffing and puffing dramatically in her dragon get-up for all to see? Why, it's Princess Caith! Every show, she shows up in some outfit (let's just tell it like it is: they're costumes .. ridiculously cute costumes) themed to whatever play is being performed. She plays games with the children as they wait for things to begin! She offers her lap to anyone who doesn't have a mommy or a daddy here with them (let's circle up and watch together!)! She hands out little stuffed toys (foxes! roosters! gryphons! dragons! meeses and mices! a princess doll with brushable hair!) after the shows and gives out hugs to any kid who wants or needs one! 'Wasn't this fun? Oh, I do hope to see you again at the next one! I will save you a spot beside me!'

But she's not just here for the fun of it (although it /is/ super fun). She's also representing the Heart in Hand charity! Caith has care packages for the parents, things that they will find useful in their daily lives. Bread and hard cheese for the tummies. Blankets for a good night's rest. Hats and mittens in the colder months to keep warm, lighter cloaks in the summer to keep off the rain. Things of that nature. And if they need something else, she lets them know: reach out to Heart in Hand because Heart in Hand can help!

Evonleigh will perform in the plays as an actress, happy to draw on her years of acting troupe performances to put on a show for the children of Arx. She will of course happily talk to the audience in the post-show talks as well.

As a child of the street, Jareth is looking forward to lending his name, aciting talent, and story to help those in the burroughs. Jareth the great, even in his own mind, being a great example of a way out of the slums and dangerous life of crime and poverty that ends so many lives prematurely. Also the fact the Princeess Sabella has asked if he would help, for one cannot say know to a patron of the arts like the princess!

Alessandro is here to help in any way he can! Be it ushering, looking lawyer-ly to discourage pickpocketing, or whatever Sabella needs on the day. He has also brought along his and Margret's new ward, Valarienne, one of the children rescued by Prince Ainsley, so that she can see the show and perhaps play with some of the other children.

When the question is asked, 'Won't somebody think of the children?' - inevitably Princess Sabella answers back, 'I'm on it!' And with this particular venture, The People's Princess arranges for the Second Annual Season of Free Children's Plays to start up in Nightingale Park the Lowers!

With the help of Lady Tabitha with set design, Gianna Whisper - the Nightingale Herself!, Lady Evonleigh performing, Jareth the Actor also performing, Prince Niklas filling in wherever needed, and Lord Alessandro making sure everything goes smoothly, the plays are put on exceptionally well. The Seafoam Princess, The Fox and the Rooster, The Grumpy Gryphon, The Brothers Redrain, The Dragon and the Mouse, and The Reflection's Wish - all wonderful children's stories the children of Arx know well - come to life on the stage.

And off the stage, Princess Caith is handing out smiles and stuffed animals to all the children who want so desperately to attend, paying special attention to children who seem like they might not have too many toys at home. All in all it's a grand, joyous affair, and the people of the city are happy to see Princess Sabella taking the lead in being so wonderful to the children.

Action by Cullen

(Public Action, OOC Date: July 14, 2018, 7:28 p.m.)

When the knights of the True Compact surrendered to Marquis Marius Greenmarch after a pitched battle and clever diplomacy won the day for House Greenmarch, it was understood that these outlaws would formally bend the knee in exchange for their continued existence, and that they'd be disarmed and forced to settle in the Greenwood to become more productive subjects - mainly producing timber and bows for export and increase Greenmarch's tax revenue. To see this chapter of bloody insurrection and conspiracy fully resolved, Lord Cullen Greenmarch, as the General of Greenmarch's army, will ride out at the head of that force to see the True Compact fulfill their promise with other members of the family ready to do their parts to make the process as smooth as possible.

A healer and a diplomat, Margret goes to assist Simone in working with the Knights and Villagers to see the Knights settled. She also teaches those villages how to live healthily by instructing them on basic hygiene (put the village latrine away from the drinking water) and basic first aid. This is done not only to keep them healthy, but to solidify their trust. If Greenmarch cares about their health then they care about them.

After convincing the leader of the knights to surrender, Marius will keep working with him. Not content to simply have the knights to be subjects, he wants them to be productive, loyal, members of the march that see a future within Greenwood. He'll talk to the leader about the proud history of Greenmarch, the way of cooperating and how to best settle in to make the best of things for both the march and themselves.

Having helped to resolve the conflict and to get the knights to lay down their weapons though diplomacy alongside Marius, Simone will now go with Cullen to see to the long-term stability of the knights. She will speak to nearby villages until a place can be found where the least likelihood of repraisal or hard feelings is to be an issue. She will work with both the knights and the villages to see them settled and productive and to help them deal with and lay aside previous prejudices that led to the conflict in the first place.

The charm that the Minx of the Marches is known for is on full display here. She is warm and welcoming and spends a good deal of time with the men and women formerly of the True Compact, helping them adjust to their new lives as bondsmen and women of Greenmarch.

Alessandro will be along to see to the accounts side of things. He will be helping secure apprenticeships for the former knights, liaising with Dame Ida to assist her by providing coin for materials for her toolmaking, keeping track of money needed for the venture, as well as how the incomes grow as people settle into their new lives. He will also be figuring out tax amounts and making sure everything is set up for payment to Greenmarch.

Through the last few years as a Ranger of the Silver Order serving his mission as guide and protector for deployed healers, Jamie Greenmarch has worked to protect these very men and in many cases, fought alongside them. After all, their battle prowess is not suddenly lost despite their shift to lumberjacks and fletchers. That comraderie is never forgotten and Jamie will use it to help facilitate the agenda of his family in this area, through building a more trusting and better relationship with the former Knights.

At the invitation of both Lords Alessandro and Cullen Greenmarch, Ida will accompany the party on their endeavor. As a knight herself and, maybe, still well-known pugilist, the smith will talk about her younger years of fixing as many plows as she did armor and how a good days work is still pretty damn rewarding. All that, though, because she's just chatty. The Ida's main focus will be bringing some journeymen from the shop and deliver a number of tools the former knights will need for their new trades. If any show interest in learning how to make such themselves, she will happily instruct them.

Norwood brings his own unique perspective to the soon to be farmer knights - being one himself from ages past. (Albeit with bees.) It's a solid practice run for Norwood's own future of trying to convince people who aren't particularly peaceful to settle down with the compact. He'll teach them what he knows about woodsman arts from his own childhood. It's okay to be a lumberjack!

Marian has gone through the transition from shav to prodigal. She does some volunteering with the Office of Prodigal and Refugee Affairs. She can offer valuable insight to Cullen in how to make the transition go smoother. As well as watch over the party visiting just in case any rogue factions try to derail the transition. While it's clear that Cullen is definitely in charge, Marian will take this opportunity to teach her protege what she knows.

In the Greenmarch, some shav upstarts have been claiming to be the One True Compact. But under the leadership of Lord Cullen Greenmarch they've been brought to heel. Princess Marian, Baron Norwood, Dame Ida, Lord Jamie, Lord Alessandro, Lady Monique, Marquessa Simone, Marquis Marius and Lady Margret all had their parts to play as well. Convincing the shav to bend the knee rather than be slaughtered was the first task, and helping them acclimate as part of the Compact was the second. They succeeded beyond what they could have hoped for, and as a result Greenhaven is more productive and stronger than ever before.

Action by Alessandro

(Public Action, OOC Date: June 3, 2018, 5:04 p.m.)

Alessandro has begun learning all he can about Greenmarch, and throwing himself into learning about the running of the house. Since Greenmarch is in need of building up their military again, he has decided to put his efforts into this task first.

His approach will be two-pronged. His own contribution will be the money side of things -- looking at house finances, seeing where there can be cuts made, drawing from any possible source to find the funds to hire new infantry, pikes, and archers. He will also be looking to make adjustments to house investments to possibly bring in new income.

He will also be speaking to all the members of the house about how they can contribute, whether it be encouraging people to join up in the army, showing a strong united front for Greenmarch through leadership skills, possibly taking on trainees for various military-related skills, or recruiting and training field medics.

Simone will assist by reaching out to their people to speak to them about the honor and the satisfaction of protecting their homelands. She will relate to them stories and tales of the heroes of the Greenmarch family and how they were supported by the troops that followed them into battle to raise their spirits and their sense of pride in their people.

Margret goes to the Greenwood to recruit healers to be trained as battle medics for the army. She organizes the volunteers she receives, and sets up programs in which to train them on healing in battles.

Cullen will use his extensive training in the tactics and strategies of warfare to help train new officers to lead in the field, utilizing such knowledge to recognize and exploit weaknesses of enemy forces.

Monique is Monique. She seduces new recruits. How many? Enough. She uses her Minxish wiles to charm and beguile conscripts, and if all of a sudden there are poets and bards singing flattering songs about the legendary Minx of the Marches in all the taverns this side of the Oathlands? Mere coincidence.

Marius rallies his people to rebuild the forces of the Greenmarch. He sends patrols around the various villages on Greenmarch land, encouraging them to join up, and he himself spends some time gathering people to speak to them. Reminding them of the proud traditions of the Greenwood, and that it has stood, untamed and unconquered, only through the sacrifice of it's people and soldiers.

Sir Corban might now just be a rank-and-file knight in the King's Own now, but he was a drill instructor once. Now armed with some of the latest teaching techniques, he will be join the Greenmarchers and see that the new recruits are shown the best technique and formation to join the ranks of the Greenwood army.

Prince Alessandro Velenosa has decided to start working on behalf of the Greenmarch family to build up their military. And apparently hiring in some advisory help works for Greenmarch and the family, as they all pitch in to help.

Marquessa Simone speaks about the importance of protecting their homeland. Lady Margret recruits and organizes battle medics. Marquis Marius sends patrols out to the various villages encouraging recruitment, and Lady Monique even helps encourage them to sign up by charming new recruits into believing this is the best job ever!

Once these new people have been recruited, Lord Cullen trains officers in war tactics, and Sir Corban helps with drills and some of the latest training techniques to get these green recruits up to speed as quickly as possible.

All in all a rousing success, though a Velenosan prince's heavy involvement raises some eyebrows and assumptions about future marriage matches among Compact gossips.