To further sum up the Cerebrum (an subsequent expulsion)...

[AthasianLaborer]

Victory will act as a good slave unless someone threatens Coden.


Then they'll die unless Coden says otherwise.

[Attilius]

[Jesse, it's the Coden show now. Lead the way. You have the team as body guards/backup if/when needed.]

[DM Bob]

The family crypt is south, still within the city's walls and on the grounds of the Roko's Estate. Wine, crodlu, coal and marble were their strongest interests. They also held some inix, but mainly for their dung and meat - they had little developed business in their training, preferring to turn over their stock as soon as possible. This led to a dependence on water and grain. Coden's uncle, Malikon, used his seat on the Patrician's Council to leverage as much subsidy to these two main effects.

You could investigate the offices and oven space downtown if you wanted to perhaps learn more of the cousin's death from the locals.

It is also possible for Laahk to split and meet up later if he wishes to speak to his kanksman contact about trained cilops.

[Coden Rokos (Jesse H.)]

(( Have we been in play for at least a month, Mr. DM? If so, Coden can collect his monthly income and use that for some shopping. ))

"First things first. Anyone who's going with me to the funeral is getting some new clothes," Coden says.

"Now. About the Rokos family estate. Moderate villa. Exterior walls. Paid guards. There's a small stone reflecting pool on the west side, lined with palm trees. That's probably where any speeches will be given. The interment will probably be cremation, with the ashes then churned into the soil of the estate's gardens—what the estate has given to the family, the family returns to the estate. They'll receive markers in the family crypt; only former patriarchs and matriarchs are actually physically interred there."

Coden paces back and forth a bit, thinking, hands clasped together.

"Uncle Malikon will oversee the event personally. He wants to remind people that he's the head of the household, that he's in charge, that life and death are in his hands. He's got heat with me because I'm keeping the entire estate from being fully under his sway—not everyone in the family agrees with him all of the time, and I still do own my father's share of the estates, however small that may be. Be polite. He did just lose family too. But keep in mind that he will use this as an opportunity to scope out who I'm working with, what kind of allies I have, what sort of resistance I might bring to bear. He might make you an offer, if he thinks he can purchase your loyalty to get me out of the way. Or he might just 'encourage' me to continue to fly off on a ship and leave the household—the longer I'm gone, the easier it is for him to make changes that will slowly edge me out."

"He has no legal authority to refuse me entry, nor any customary one, but he's smart enough not to make a big deal out of it. He'll take this as an opportunity to learn more about what I'm doing and how it might impact him. The Gambit and our recent wealth and dealings have all given me more pull than he will like. If I become part of a successful business venture and decide to move back into the city, that'll mean I'll be at family events more often, speaking up and taking charge, and he doesn't want that. He wants me out of the way so that he and his heirs can control the estates, their income, and their political ties."

"We don't need to stay very long," he says, finally coming to a halt. "In truth, I wish to pay respects to my cousins, and put that to rest. But this is also a reminder that I'm still here and I'm not going to be easily edged out of family affairs."

(( While we are in the family scene, I invite other players to invent characters for Coden's family estates: Servants, friends, distant relatives, hangers-on, whatever you think would be interesting flavor. With Bob's approval, of course! But this playground is for everyone to enjoy, so if you think it would be cool for one of your PCs to know someone there because you trained together, or you were old lovers or rivals, or someone might have a business deal or a bit of lore that can drive your character's story forward, please don't hesitate to simply make an addition to the social scene. ))

[Attilius]

HurK looks down in confusion, patting his gear and chatkcha bandoliers "What's wrong with my clothes?" he says to himself.

When Coden mentions his uncle possibly buying us off, HurK jokingly quips "I DO like powerful psionic items..."

[Bob, seconded to go to the wake.

Also how much knowledge, interaction and daily dealings did HurK have with Codens father, family and estate before he went adventuring?]

[Deleted]

(OoC: Mak has only had 2 dealings within Balic. First, involving the 'disappearance' of the necklace he currently wears and the second being the PCs adventure escaping from Balic after liberating the urns. I don't imagine any NPCs from either would be involved with Coden's family.)

"First things first. Anyone who's going with me to the funeral is getting some new clothes," Coden says.

Mak smiles and pulls at his current tribal attire, "I would gladly accept a change of clothes, thankfully Balicans don't adorn themselves with dead carcasses. I believe I would fit something sized for a human child of middling age."

Speaking directly to Coden he asks, "With your consent, I would like to work magic on you to learn Balican customs better. I do not wish to make offense by accident."

(OoC: Assuming Coden agrees, Mak will cast 'Know Customs' [Lv.3] on him to learn the particulars of Balic as well as his noble house.)

[DM Bob]

[Closing thread]