Letters from the Count of Aksarben
Letters from the Count regarding Aksarbenfest and the University of Aksarben
Letters from the Count regarding Aksarbenfest and the University of Aksarben
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Richard Remache rode in a padded chair at the stern of a luxury yacht, a low, sleek craft with intricate decoration on the sides, crewed by six rowers. It effortlessly cut across the calm waters of Lydes’ canals, weaving between larger vessels and barges in accordance with the shouted directions of the young many perched at the bow.
It was a windy day, which served to keep the worst of the heat away as the sun poured down on the city with hardly a cloud in the sky. The canals were crowded with cargo ships and barges, no doubt making delivers in preparation for the upcoming midsummers fair. From his comfortable seat Richard could see the flags of at least half the Trivian city states on various boats, all loading or unloading something.
The yacht rounded the southern tip of the water market as it hurried its way to Sovereign’s Lane, home of the city’s wealth named not after the king, but the coin. Richard’s destination was one his own countinghouses where he planned to meet with his son, Léon.
“Hard starboard!” René shouted from the bow. The rowers quickly adjusted their rowing, the ones to his right pulling their oars out of the water entirely, allowing the small yacht to just avoid crashing with a cargo galley loaded with chickens that had appeared out of a side canal. A man soon appeared at the side of the rail and shook his fist towards the yacht as it passed well below him.
“Look where you’re going you little welp! You got shit in your eyes?” Richard did his best to stifle his laugh while the man yelled.
“Quite yourself cur, and go back to minding your chickens, this is Comte Richard’s ship!” René continued looking ahead for more signs of trouble as he yelled at the sailor.
The man’s face turned white when he finally saw Richard at the stern of the ship in his thronelike chair, dressed in a fine coat, vest, and breeches, all a dark blue and accented with silver, as well as his cool white silk tunic. “I…begging your pardon sir, I didn’t realize…”
Richard could barely keep the smirk off his face as he nonchalantly waved a hand to the man. It was important for the man to ensure that his insults were clearly not directed at him; while they were traded often enough in Lydes’ canals the rich were treated better than the rest. With that, the yacht had already slipped far enough away to put an end to the conversation and Sovereign’s Lane began to grow before them.
“Here’s your dock sir, you want us to wait around?” René appeared to relax a little when the boat finally came to a stop and he threw a rope to a dockhand.
“Please do.” Richard hoped onto the dock with a casual grace and threw a small purse of coins to the dockhand. “I expect I’ll be back in an hour or so René, then we’ll head back to the estate.”
Richard passed several other quality ships on the docks and nodded to the guards that watched them. When he climbed the small flight of stair up to street level he immediately came face to face with his destination. The Remache Countinghouse was a four-story building designed in a hybrid of styles from over two hundred years’ worth of different architectural fads. It had columns, arched windows, siding of both stone and lacquered wood, sitting galleries both decorative and functional, all covered in silk awnings in the Remache family colors. Even outside the place he could see at least fifty men of business mulling around in finely tailored outfits that would cost a common laborer several months’ pay.
With a content sigh he entered the building and swept some of the water out of his hair. He smiled politely to the four guards who manned the foyer in their blue coats and white breeches and shirts. The main floor of the countinghouse, the public gallery, was cramped with desks and counters all manned by merchants, money-changers, scribes, or clerks, and most all of them with customers sitting on the other side. On either side one could see the four levels railed galleries, reserved for the more powerful and wealthy businessmen.
Richard climbed the wide iron stairs that led up to the galleries, again smiling to a pair of guards, all the way up to the third floor, where he found his son. Léon stood looking out at the public gallery, abstractly, while he seemed to listen to a pair of clerks read figures. Richard stepped straight up to him, barely even acknowledging the clerks, and clapped a hand on his shoulder, a wide smile on his face. “It’s good to see you son, come, let’s go up to the apartments.”
Léon waved off the clerks and followed after Richard without a word. His clothing lacked the bright colors and clear signs of wealth that most successful merchants had, but they were of the highest quality and would likely have cost several years’ pay for a commoner.
The upstairs apartments were richly furnished in a subtle fashion, allowing materials and craftsmanship to serve as its ornaments rather than gold and jewels. Once Léon had entered Richard closed the steel-reinforced door behind them and took a seat at the small two person table that was already filled with food, motioning for Léon to do the same. “It’s been some time since I’ve been to these apartments, you’ve redecorated.”
Léon sat slowly and rested his hands on his lap. “Hello father. Yes, it’s better without all the gold and giant gems on everything. People know we are wealthy, we don’t need to be so tawdry about displaying it.”
“Fair enough.” Richard picked up his fork and knife and set to work on the food before him. An infant shark lay on his plate, stuffed with red and yellow peppers which had been stuffed with sausage and cheese. It’s eyes had been replaced with black olives and its teeth had been taken out so its mouth could be filled with rice. “Ahhh.” Richard took a few bites before looking up at his son. “So tell me, how are you and young Lady Catherine doing? I haven’t seen much of her at the estate.”
Léon shrugged and poured them both a glass of Lydesian Brandy. He sipped his slowly. “She is well, I think she’s becoming used to Lydes, she certainly hasn’t had trouble dealing with the nobility.” He took another sip of his brandy and placed the glass back on the table. “She’s been trying to think of ways to help the people in the western districts too.”
“You don’t say?” Richard washed down a mouthful of stuffed pepper with the brandy. “I can’t imagine much that will help the packs of beggars and thieves in those parts, make sure she is well looked after if she goes past the Golden Green, eh?”
“Naturally.” Léon ran his hand through his beard thoughtfully before finally beginning to eat as well.
“Your sister is doing well by the way, fully recovered, like nothing ever happened.” He smiled as he spoke.
“That’s good to hear, and how was the capital?” Léon asked.
“It’s not so different from when you went to the University, cities don’t change much you know. No, but the king seems capable, though I do have to wonder when he will name a council. At the very least the visit didn’t hurt us any.” Richard put his utensils down and stared at Léon for a moment, nearly grinning. “Which reminds me, I wanted to compliment you on your work while I was away. I mean, by god, what you did was damned impressive, more than doubled our trade in just a few months. I always knew you had an eye for this type of thing.”
Léon bowed his head slightly in thanks and sipped his brandy. “I appreciate that thanks father, it wasn’t so difficult though. The city states were practically begging for secure, reliable trade, what with the war, and it wasn’t hard to convince them that their goods would be safe going to Lydes.”
“Not so difficult, hmm, maybe not for you, but damn near unthinkable for most of us I imagine. I think I’ll have to concede our little game to you son, there’s no question that you did better than I could have hoped to. You know we’re the richest trade city in the entire kingdom now? Behind the capital of course. It boggles the mind really.”
“I realized as much father, yes. It’s good to see Lydes living up to its potential.” He took a moment to slip off his coat, leaving him in his vest and silk shirt.
Richard nodded eagerly. “Yes, living up to its potential, just so. Which is what we have to do, we have to keep thinking bigger. While other lords plant some new crops or open a foundry we need to bring in more trade, expand our banks, and we need to start creating some wealth of our own.” He held up the glass of brandy and stared at it intently. “This here, this is part of it. Not many outside of North Mivian have ever tried this, we need to keep growing, until everyone has tasted it and everyone wants to buy some.”
“As you say father, I certainly can’t fault any of your ideas, I even had a few similar thoughts myself.”
“Excellent, wonderful, that’s what I like to hear, and with that in mind I have a favor to ask you, as well as a reward to give you for your successes.” He took a big bite of the shark meat and swallowed quickly. “I don’t want to lose moment on this, so I’m going to work to keep things going here in Lydes. Meanwhile I’m sending you and your wife to the Empire, more specifically to the emperor. Think of it like a vacation, you won’t need to do any real work while you’re there, simply talk to the lords and ladies, look for new opportunities for trade, and generally get on the emperor’s good side. How does that sound?”
Léon sat and slowly lit a cigar as his father spoke. “I would happily go for you, if you wish, but not right away, there are a few things that I need to resolve here, then Catherine and I will need to pack. I’ll do my best once I arrive though.”
Richard nodded, already focusing back on his meal. “Of course you will, I have nothing but faith in you. Oh, I forgot to mention, as much as I like what you’ve done, you’ve probably made Marie’s life a little more difficult.”
Léon frowned slightly at that. “What do you mean? Because Hemritch is seeing less trade now? It’s business, they wouldn’t turn down a chance at doubling their trade if they were given one.”
Richard laughed and threw one of the black olive ‘eyes’ into his mouth. “I’m not entirely sure of that, but Edwin has always been a bit…rigid, traditional perhaps, no doubt he’ll cause a fuss over it, something along the lines of ‘historic trade rights’ and all that.” He laughed again and drank the rest of his brandy as he stood up. “I won’t let anything come of it if he does, obviously, but fair warning if Marie writes an angry letter or two.” He patted Léon on the shoulder and went to the door. “Finish up your business and let me know when you’re ready to leave, the end of the month at the latest. Farewell.”
With that he hurried back down the stairs, through the public gallery, down the docks, and back onto his small yacht.
Start of Aksarbenfest!!!
((Due to time issues we will start on day 2))
With the completion of my marriage ceremony I hereby announce the start of Aksarbenfest! Everyone is still welcome to show up at the last minute but time is running out ((once the update is released the festivities will end)). While there will surely be much celebration tonight in the county, the count will retire to his chambers with his new wife, aside from a ceremonial dinner feast. The rest of the nobles who do not have women to sleep with, will stay up late into the night throwing around dice and writting character information on pieces of parchment, all the while pretending to be young men living in the futuristic mythical societies of Europe and America that go on adventures and play games on magical boxes.
Day 2 has now begun and local farmers, as well as merchants from across Mivian have come to revel in the agricultural exhibition and to enjoy the finest beers Mivian has to offer. With no events scheduled for today it will mostly be a day of socialization, with some nobles arriving late to take part in the later competitions.
((Due to time issues we will start on day 2))
With the completion of my marriage ceremony I hereby announce the start of Aksarbenfest! Everyone is still welcome to show up at the last minute but time is running out ((once the update is released the festivities will end)). While there will surely be much celebration tonight in the county, the count will retire to his chambers with his new wife, aside from a ceremonial dinner feast. The rest of the nobles who do not have women to sleep with, will stay up late into the night throwing around dice and writting character information on pieces of parchment, all the while pretending to be young men living in the futuristic mythical societies of Europe and America that go on adventures and play games on magical boxes.
Day 2 has now begun and local farmers, as well as merchants from across Mivian have come to revel in the agricultural exhibition and to enjoy the finest beers Mivian has to offer. With no events scheduled for today it will mostly be a day of socialization, with some nobles arriving late to take part in the later competitions.
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With the Preliminary rounds complete the championship events are now upon us!
Jousting
The Jousting championship placed the favorite Sir Elbert of Edelwick against the slight underdog Sir Stefan of Eisenweir. Many had expected a long bout, however Sir Stefan managed to pull off the upset in only two rounds. Given the surprising nature of the finish some had gone as far to accuse Sir Elbert of taking a dive, however nothing could be proven.
Archery
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Some of the best archers in the land came to compete with the count of Lower Plaite participating as well. Much to the surprise of the contestants though, the contest wasn't solely about shooting a fixed target from a predetermined range. In fact, the archers were to carry out various feats of skill such as shooting watermelons that were catapulted into the air or attempting to cut a rope by shooting it with an arrow. One event that particularly delighted the crowd, was when Lord David attempted to shoot an apple off the head of young Magneel blackgate. The arrow flew gracefully through the air and managed to split the apple with ease with Magneel untouched. At first some spectators thought that he had missed, not realizing that the apple was the intended target (According to Lord David). In the end, Lord David was declared the winner of the competition.
Horse Racing
As always the horse racing event was expected to come down to the wire. Adding more excitement was the presence of Count Alistar, a young noble rider from the Upper Plaite. Unfortunately, one of the riders had a bit too much too drink the night before and was too intoxicated to race. At the last minute the count decided to enter the race in his place rather than run the race with one less rider. Lord Marco of the city states had also made it into the final rounds, having just stopped by the festival after visiting lydes on a trading expedition.
While the count gets out to a strong start he simply can't keep up with the more experienced riders who had been training for the event and fades towards the back about halfway through. Lord Marco and Count Alistar battle it out for first for the first three quarters of the track and for a while it seems as if the young Alistar might pull away with the win. Near the end though, the veteran Lord Keefe of Caine breaks through and claims the title by a step. Alistar manages to hold onto second, quite an accomplishment for such a young rider. Lord Marco finishes in third and while he is disappointed that he couldn't squeak out a win, he was glad he got something out of it. The count finished back in 6th place out of eight. At the winner's ceremony Lord Keefe was noticeably overwhelmed by his victory and announced that this would be his last race as he was too old to continue and wished to go out on top. The crowd gave all three a roaring applause.
Jousting
The Jousting championship placed the favorite Sir Elbert of Edelwick against the slight underdog Sir Stefan of Eisenweir. Many had expected a long bout, however Sir Stefan managed to pull off the upset in only two rounds. Given the surprising nature of the finish some had gone as far to accuse Sir Elbert of taking a dive, however nothing could be proven.
Archery
Some of the best archers in the land came to compete with the count of Lower Plaite participating as well. Much to the surprise of the contestants though, the contest wasn't solely about shooting a fixed target from a predetermined range. In fact, the archers were to carry out various feats of skill such as shooting watermelons that were catapulted into the air or attempting to cut a rope by shooting it with an arrow. One event that particularly delighted the crowd, was when Lord David attempted to shoot an apple off the head of young Magneel blackgate. The arrow flew gracefully through the air and managed to split the apple with ease with Magneel untouched. At first some spectators thought that he had missed, not realizing that the apple was the intended target (According to Lord David). In the end, Lord David was declared the winner of the competition.
Horse Racing
As always the horse racing event was expected to come down to the wire. Adding more excitement was the presence of Count Alistar, a young noble rider from the Upper Plaite. Unfortunately, one of the riders had a bit too much too drink the night before and was too intoxicated to race. At the last minute the count decided to enter the race in his place rather than run the race with one less rider. Lord Marco of the city states had also made it into the final rounds, having just stopped by the festival after visiting lydes on a trading expedition.
While the count gets out to a strong start he simply can't keep up with the more experienced riders who had been training for the event and fades towards the back about halfway through. Lord Marco and Count Alistar battle it out for first for the first three quarters of the track and for a while it seems as if the young Alistar might pull away with the win. Near the end though, the veteran Lord Keefe of Caine breaks through and claims the title by a step. Alistar manages to hold onto second, quite an accomplishment for such a young rider. Lord Marco finishes in third and while he is disappointed that he couldn't squeak out a win, he was glad he got something out of it. The count finished back in 6th place out of eight. At the winner's ceremony Lord Keefe was noticeably overwhelmed by his victory and announced that this would be his last race as he was too old to continue and wished to go out on top. The crowd gave all three a roaring applause.
To the Esteemed Count of Akserben
The Aksarbenfest was a truly remarkable experience. The activities, the festivities and the all-round good cheer made for a memorable five days, and I thank you again for the invitation and, as well, wish you and your spouse all the bliss of married life.
I took great interest in the agricultural exhibition. The fertile pastures of Cowen make agriculture a mainstay of the region and the innovative farming techniques on display at the exhibition will provide the subject of careful study for the estate managers in the duchy.
The archery was particularly thrilling. Seeing young Magneel stand before a firing squad of archers was a sight that many imagined would sooner or later be the case. And, of course, I thoroughly enjoyed the horseracing and hope to continue with the sport in the coming years.
Alistair Sommet,
Duke of Cowen & Marquis of the Upper Plait
Duke of Cowen & Marquis of the Upper Plait
My love,
I hope you will forgive the lateness in which I reach out to you. I was afforded little opportunity to risk sending word with the events that surround Daggerfall as of late. I cannot tell you how relieved I was to find you not among your brethren in that accursed village my uncle and I put to the sword. I am glad you escaped harm, yet incredibly saddened at the loss of your people and regret at the role I was made to play.
I am haunted you know, not only by your absence but by my dreams each and every night. My grandmother comes and visits me, offering a flagon of wine, smiling wide. Her mouth is rotted and filled with graveworms and her eyes empty and accusing. How she haunts me from beyond the grave!
I suppose a new ghost will come and visit me soon. My stash has been raided and the mushrooms I picked have disappeared. I fear for the soul of my sister as I reminisce how prone she was to raid my room in the past. What came of them? I suspect her late husband would know the answer if only the dead could speak. I am vexed. I love you so much, but that love seems only to have brought loss and pain.
Do I question you? Do I question us? No. Never. This is the price I must pay for the goal I seek. I would watch all my house burn if only you and I could stand together unburnt amongst the ashes.
I love you. Please stay safe, and send word as soon as you can.
~Sumner Starborn
Appendix
Sumner the younger was discovered to be consorting with heretics by his grandfather, around the same time as the passing of his grandmother. His grandfather, Sumner the Older, ordered his grandson to aid the Baron of Buntry in defeating the heretics by providing intel and fighting. Now it seems that Sumner is still in contact with the remains of the heathen leadership...
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Alright guys, I was hoping to have something in form of an update out this weekend, but as it have become obvious then I no longer posses the time to run this forum game. As such I would like to thank you all for the wonderful ICs and I hope that some of you will join my next project which will hopefully start around winter when I have more time 
Again thanks for playing.
Again thanks for playing.