A Second Chance (Reincarnation/Crossover)

[Vindictus]

Presumably, it's because Halgenkya's world-spirit accepts the magic of it's residents, instead of rejecting it as Gaia does.

But since it's Nasu magic rather than FoZ, Halgenkya does not recognize, and gives it the boot anyway.

 

[Biigoh]

[X] Practice your body arts.
- - [X] Try and redevelop the art of REINFORCEMENT, and prana saturation of your body.
[X] Observe your uncle as he holds court. Politics is a viper`s nest. Noble and Royal Politics, however push it further.
- - [X] Your enemies will be found here.
- - [X] But so too your potential allies.
- - - - [X] As distasteful as it is, you should also try to talk to Sheffield. Find out her relationship with your uncle.

 

[mc2rpg]

[X] Practice your body arts.
- - [X] Try and redevelop the art of REINFORCEMENT, and prana saturation of your body.
[X] Observe your uncle as he holds court. Politics is a viper`s nest. Noble and Royal Politics, however push it further.
- - [X] Your enemies will be found here.
- - [X] But so too your potential allies.
- - - - [X] As distasteful as it is, you should also try to talk to Sheffield. Find out her relationship with your uncle.

 

[Solaris]

[X] Refine your skill of Creation and Forging.
[X] Expand Wire Menagerie
- [X] See if you can develop a miniature dragon and hero. Maybe you could enact a play for Mother when she has free time.

Because Wire Menagerie used by Iri is awesome.

 

[minuseven]

[X] Practice your body arts.
[X] Research a particular topic at the library.
- [X] The magic style of Halkeginia

[X] What happened to that squire you healed?

 

[Inara Seraph]

<snipped picture>
Because Wire Menagerie used by Iri is awesome.

Click to shrink...

8)

 

[Scope]

[X] Practice your body arts.
- - [X] Try and redevelop the art of REINFORCEMENT, and prana saturation of your body.
[X] Observe your uncle as he holds court. Politics is a viper`s nest. Noble and Royal Politics, however push it further.
- - [X] Your enemies will be found here.
- - [X] But so too your potential allies.
- - - - [X] As distasteful as it is, you should also try to talk to Sheffield. Find out her relationship with your uncle.

 

[Makahl]

[X] Practice your body arts.
[X] Research a particular topic at the library.
- [X] The magic style of Halkeginia
[X] Observe your uncle as he holds court. Politics is a viper`s nest. Noble and Royal Politics, however push it further.
- - [X] Your enemies will be found here.
- - [X] But so too your potential allies.
- - - - [X] As distasteful as it is, you should also try to talk to Sheffield. Find out her relationship with your uncle.

 

[Pipeman]

[X] Practice your body arts.
- - [X] Try and redevelop the art of REINFORCEMENT, and prana saturation of your body.
[X] Observe your uncle as he holds court. Politics is a viper`s nest. Noble and Royal Politics, however push it further.
- - [X] Your enemies will be found here.
- - [X] But so too your potential allies.
- - - - [X] As distasteful as it is, you should also try to talk to Sheffield. Find out her relationship with your uncle.

 

[Inara Seraph]

BGM Set

[X] Practice your body arts.
- - [X] Try and redevelop the art of REINFORCEMENT, and prana saturation of your body.
[X] Research a particular topic at the library.
- - [X] The magic style of Halkegenia.
[X] Observe your uncle as he holds court. Politics is a viper's nest. Noble and Royal Politics, however, push it further.
- - [X] Your enemies will be found here.
- - [X] But so too your potential allies.
- - - - [X] As distasteful as it is, you should also try to talk to Sheffield. Find out her relationship with your uncle.

Reinforcing your body is a natural step to take- with your extreme control over your prana, you run little to no risk of mutilating yourself by channeling the wrong amount. You should even be able to enhance your eyesight and hearing- while those systems are monstrously difficult to uniformly enhance, you believe you can manage it. Even so, you know that you should be cautious with your reinforcement- you very definitely shouldn't play around with Irisviel's magic. Any mistakes made could have catastrophic consequences.

You take it gradually- your body instinctively rejects prana, even your own. No matter how fine your control is, it means nothing if you can't keep the flow steady. You start with your limbs- with reinforced arms and legs, you can perform physical feats impossible under normal circumstances. Eventually, you'll branch out into reinforcing your eyes and ears. You'll have to keep practicing diligently as you age- your body is still growing, and even a minute shift could result in a negative backlash.

Reinforcing objects is much easier- you can make a plank of wood able to withstand a metal sword if you infuse enough prana. Examining the structural integrity of objects does not come naturally to you, but you can get very basic information on the composition of anything you look at. You get much more detailed information if you analyze metals.

New Skill: Reinforcement F

Alongside your efforts toward reinforcement, you do some research into your own potential elemental affinity, and the use of willpower. On this subject you have a wealth of information at your disposal. Much of it is useless for your purposes- exhaustive spell listings are great for a learning mage, but not so much for you, as you can't use willpower just yet.

It seems that elemental affinity is generally hereditary. The most prevalent Gallian affinities are water and air- the royal family in particular has always followed this trend. You would say one of them is likely to be yours as well, except that your genetic changes from melding with Irisviel might end up affecting your affinity. You can't say with any confidence what it will be. Nobody really knows for sure until they summon a familiar, although it's not that hard to guess once you start casting spells.

You shouldn't be able to utilize willpower for a couple of years yet, at the onset of puberty- but you wouldn't mind bucking that trend. You can already use one magical energy, why not another? However, no matter what you do, you can't follow the instructions in the book to tap into that source of energy. None of the mental tricks work for you. You have an irrational fear that you can't use willpower at all- that would be disastrous, but then you remind yourself you're not supposed to be able to use it yet. Even if you can't use it, you still understand far more about the theory of spell-casting than any ten year old could be expected to. Hopefully it'll come in handy later.



You attend your uncle's court a few times- there is always room for the Princess. You learn a lot of things about the way your country's leaders work.

Each noble rules over a particular section of the country with autonomy- they are required to visit the capital to make reports every so often, but unless something draws the crown's attention to a specific region, they are free to impose whatever laws they wish, so long as they don't supersede laws set forth by crown and pay their tithes.

You notice more strongly the difference in social classes. Although technically the court is open to all- some of them, anyway- it is quite rare a commoner will seek assistance from the crown, and even rarer to level accusations toward nobility. A man complaining about his lord taking his wife as a mistress was all but laughed out of the building. If the interests of a commoner and a noble clash, the noble will win every single time. The concept of 'basic human rights' doesn't seem to exist here at all.

The King's word is law. Other nobles can give their opinions- often, the King will side with the majority so as not to alienate his court, but he does occasionally contradict popular opinion. It seems like he does this most often when he feels the nobles are overreaching or not respecting the crown's authority. Despite his total lack of charisma, you're very impressed with your uncle's political acumen. He is extremely savvy in all his dealings- you've never once seen him at the wrong end of a negotiation or compromise.

Despite that, it's strange how he occasionally does something with no logic behind it at all. It feels like there's some kind of underlying reasoning, but to general scrutiny it makes no sense at all. It's given him a reputation of being erratic. The more vulgar whisperers call him 'The Mad King.' You don't believe it for a second- your uncle is a shrewd man.

As far as 'allies' go.. in the true sense of the word, you have none, apart from your mother. Nobody does, not in this country. Any trust you give to another would have to be repaid many times over before you'd feel comfortable calling them an ally. What you do have is people with aligning interests. In your case, it's people who want the favor of the crown for whatever reason. Any support you give is entirely symbolic- you don't have the ear of the King, nor can you affect policy, but you can still be trotted out to show people 'look, we care about this' without having to commit someone who actually has a job.

The King's rule right now is stable- at least, as stable as the Gallian throne ever is. Thus, nobody is going to be trying to curry favor with you in anticipation of you taking the crown- not unless they're playing a very long game.

Your enemies are.. everyone else. Since you have a great potential for power, but little actual power- you are a very big threat and tempting target for any scheming noble looking to get ahead. Which describes 95% of the court.

Nobody can ever be caught openly, even if its tacitly accepted that underhanded plotting goes on underneath the surface- you aren't commoners, after all. Nobody wants to sanction open warfare between the ruling houses. If, however, anyone is proved to have committed offenses against another noble- and especially royalty- every single noble will turn on that fool like a pack of hyenas.

It also makes the preferred subversion of choice the 'frame.' If you can plant enough evidence to 'prove' the treasonous actions of another noble, the result is effectively the same as assassination- one dead noble. Your evidence needs to hold up to scrutiny- investigations are not lax, and the burden of proof is high, but some nobles will go along with a conspiracy even if they know it's a sham, as long as it suits their interests. You personally witnessed a noble you're sure the King knew was innocent being judged guilty because enough nobles voiced their 'outrage.'

On the flip side, you become aware that it is especially important for you to have proof of seditious actions should they happen again. You can't make accusations without being able to back them up or you'll lose all credibility. You witnessed this happen as well.

There's a summit of all the gathered land-owning nobles in the kingdom that takes place every year- it is a grand social event as well as a chance for the King to keep tabs on the kingdom and for the nobles to show off productivity from their fiefdoms. It is here that you would want to find people to help vouch for you- the most important thing for you is to find people who would be willing to side with you or your mother should you catch a noble responsible for plotting against you. It is coming up soon, and lasts a full week.

Skill increased: Perceptive F+
Skill increased: Royal Demeanor E

There's one person in particular you're very curious about. Sheffield is always at Joseph's side- her presence is never openly questioned, but you have to wonder- who is she? Based on her mannerisms and style of dress, you would pin her as a noble of some kind- but of what line, nobody has any clue. Her features are not Gallian at all.. in fact, you would say they remind you of Arabs in the Middle East from Irisviel's world. It really calls into question where she hails from, and what she did to become such a close adviser to the King.

Anyone who tries approaching her to curry favor or for any kind of political maneuvering at all invariably gets nothing out of it. She seems to be above the squabbles of the court- the only motive you can discern is her unswerving loyalty to Joseph. If you had to guess, you'd say she doesn't care about Gallia at all, the way she deals with a lot of the nobility- a haughty kind of condescension that says she knows she's better than all of them.

You overcome your trepidation to speak to her during a court session one day. You speak quietly, so as not to distract from the proceedings. "Sheffield?"

She turns her hawk-like gaze toward you. "What do you want?" she says sharply.

"I was just wondering what you thought." You gesture toward the case in progress.

In this case, a commoner is appealing to the crown for the right to purchase a certain tract of land. He's been denied by the local nobility, but the crown could overrule the noble if he can convince Joseph to rule in his favor. He's arguing that the land is not being put to any particular use, and that his business would help the Kingdom prosper. On the noble's side, he argues that it is his decision what he does or does not do with his land- there are a lot of subtle jabs at how much a commoner's business really benefits Gallia. Despite what you believe to be a well-reasoned request from the commoner- it seems to you like his proposal would benefit the noble he's purchasing land from, as well- you don't think the court will rule in his favor. It's a power play- nobles categorically reject anything that even appears to be undermining their authority, unless it's royalty.

Sheffield appears thoughtful for a moment. You're glad she isn't dismissing you out of hand. "Hmm.."

"Let me ask you first," she begins.

"What would you do, if you were in Joseph's shoes?"

[ ] I would rule in the noble's favor. (Lie.)
[ ] I would rule in the commoner's favor.
[ ] I would come up with some sort of compromise.
- [ ] Such as? (Write-in.)
[ ] Something else. (Write-in.)

Lots of ways you can respond, those are just very basic answers..

 

[Pipeman]

[X] I would come up with some sort of compromise.
- [X] Rule that the noble has to put the land to some use within a certain amount of time or he has to allow the commoner to purchase it. That way the noble still gets the chance to decide what happens with the land and to determine a better use than a commoner could, the Kingdom benefits from the land and the commoner doesn't get to ignor the decision of the noble landowner.

 

[Biigoh]

[X] I would come up with some sort of compromise.
- - [X] Rule that the noble has to put the land to some use within a certain amount of time or he has to allow the commoner to purchase it. That way the noble still gets the chance to decide what happens with the land and to determine a better use than a commoner could, the Kingdom benefits from the land and the commoner doesn't get to ignore the decision of the noble landowner.
- - [X] The alternative would be to have the noble lease the land to the commoner for a certain amount of time, for a reasonable amount of money.

 

[MacroDaemon]

She's either going to mock our answer or she'll relay it to Joseph who will credit us for the verdict so we'd face any blame that comes as a result. At least, that's what I suspect.

 

[useless101]

[X] I would come up with some sort of compromise.
-[X] Rule that the noble has to put the land to some use within a certain amount of time or he has to allow the commoner to purchase it. That way the noble still gets the chance to decide what happens with the land and to determine a better use than a commoner could, the Kingdom benefits from the land and the commoner doesn't get to ignore the decision of the noble landowner.
--[X] The alternative would be to have the noble lease the land to the commoner for a certain amount of time, for a reasonable amount of money.

Do we want to mention that this makes it look like we're being nice to the commoner and helping the country while not actually making the noble do anything? Growing grass, and a great many other things, would count as 'doing something' with the land.

As is, it makes us look like a naive child. With the twisted logic added, it makes us seem smart but manipulative.

Other than being a bitch, and completely obsessively in love with King Joe, I don't know much about how Sheff thinks.

 

[Pipeman]

The great thing about suitably vague orders is that the one who gave the order can interprete it liberally as well and thereby can pull a reason to punish the recipient whenever they need or want to out of their ass, unless the recipient goes well and beyond the call of duty.

Edit:
I'm also not really seeing the point of the leasing addition.

The commoner wanted to use the land.
The noble basically said no, because he felt like it. Maybe the noble just didn't want more commoners in the area or something.
Then the commoner didn't back down.
And the noble got upset because a commoner doesn't know his place and won't accept that a noble's word is final.
Then the commoner went as far as going to the King himself with this to circumvent the nobles authority.

A commoner is now claiming to know better than a noble.
Ordering the noble to lease the land instead of selling it is no different than just siding with the commoner, because for everyone but the commoner (read: everyone important) this isn't even about the land.
For the nobles it's about he fact that a commoner is essentially trying to force a noble to go along with his idea.

My write-in, on the other hand, basically has the King say, "Yeah, no. Commoners don't get to tell nobles what to do with their land."
While adding as a semi-seperate matter, that not putting land to use is a waste of resources, which is why the nobles should stop doing that unless they want to suffer, admittedly rather mild, consequences (like not getting a say in what is done with the land).

 

[Tetsurō]

[X] I would come up with some sort of compromise.
-[X] Rule that the noble has to put the land to some use within a certain amount of time or he has to allow the commoner to purchase it. That way the noble still gets the chance to decide what happens with the land and to determine a better use than a commoner could, the Kingdom benefits from the land and the commoner doesn't get to ignore the decision of the noble landowner.

 

[Emral282]

[X] I would come up with some sort of compromise.
-[X] Rule that the noble has to put the land to some use within a certain amount of time or he has to allow the commoner to purchase it. That way the noble still gets the chance to decide what happens with the land and to determine a better use than a commoner could, the Kingdom benefits from the land and the commoner doesn't get to ignore the decision of the noble landowner.

 

[Selias]

[X] I would rule in the noble's favor.
Don't want the nobles worrying that you're going to give away their land, after all. They might decide that somebody else would be more fit for the throne.

 

[Pipeman]

[X] I would rule in the noble's favor.
Don't want the nobles worrying that you're going to give away their land, after all. They might decide that somebody else would be more fit for the throne.

Click to shrink...

But... we aren't giving their land away.
We are saying: "Actually do something with that land, you lazy fuck, or we will decide what you do with it for you."
And, even if the noble is too lazy to do something with the land after his Monarch personally told him to get his shit together, we wouldn't take it away.
We would order him to sell it.
As in he would still be paid a fair price for land he isn't using.

In the end, it's more about forcing the nobles to actually do stuff or have them face mild consequences.

 

[FurikoMaru]

The whole thing gives off the impression, to me at least, that the noble doesn't so much want the land left to fallow as he wants to play 'great idea, glad I thought of it'.

 

[Larekko12]

[X] I would come up with some sort of compromise.
-[X] Rule that the noble has to put the land to some use within a certain amount of time or he has to allow the commoner to purchase it. That way the noble still gets the chance to decide what happens with the land and to determine a better use than a commoner could, the Kingdom benefits from the land and the commoner doesn't get to ignore the decision of the noble landowner.
--[X] The alternative would be to have the noble lease the land to the commoner for a certain amount of time, for a reasonable amount of money.

 

[Scope]

[J] Execute them both for treason against the Crown! One for not making use of the land his family has been graciously granted by the Crown to benefit the Kingdom, the other for daring to think that land is granted just by paying money. What do we look like? Germania? What's next? Buying ones way into Nobility?

 

[Jiven]

[X] I would come up with some sort of compromise.
-[X] Rule that the noble has to put the land to some use within a certain amount of time or he has to allow the commoner to purchase it. That way the noble still gets the chance to decide what happens with the land and to determine a better use than a commoner could, the Kingdom benefits from the land and the commoner doesn't get to ignore the decision of the noble landowner.
--[X] The alternative would be to have the noble lease the land to the commoner for a certain amount of time, for a reasonable amount of money.

 

[minuseven]

[X] I would come up with some sort of compromise.
-[X] Rule that the noble has to put the land to some use within a certain amount of time or he has to allow the commoner to purchase it. That way the noble still gets the chance to decide what happens with the land and to determine a better use than a commoner could, the Kingdom benefits from the land and the commoner doesn't get to ignore the decision of the noble landowner.

 

[Vindictus]

[J] Execute them both for treason against the Crown! One for not making use of the land his family has been graciously granted by the Crown to benefit the Kingdom, the other for daring to think that land is granted just by paying money. What do we look like? Germania? What's next? Buying ones way into Nobility?

Click to shrink...

.... Brilliant idea!

New trait- 'Trolltastic!', here we come!

[X] Execute them both for treason against the Crown! One for not making use of the land his family has been graciously granted by the Crown to benefit the Kingdom, the other for daring to think that land is granted just by paying money. What do we look like? Germania? What's next? Buying ones way into Nobility?

 

[hunter09]

[X] Execute them both for treason against the Crown! One for not making use of the land his family has been graciously granted by the Crown to benefit the Kingdom, the other for daring to think that land is granted just by paying money. What do we look like? Germania? What's next? Buying ones way into Nobility?

I am all for it lets be a royal b%$#@

 

[Solaris]

[X] I would come up with some sort of compromise.
-[X] Rule that the noble has to put the land to some use within a certain amount of time or he has to allow the commoner to purchase it. That way the noble still gets the chance to decide what happens with the land and to determine a better use than a commoner could, the Kingdom benefits from the land and the commoner doesn't get to ignore the decision of the noble landowner.

 

[Inara Seraph]

[X] I would come up with some sort of compromise.
-[X] Rule that the noble has to put the land to some use within a certain amount of time or he has to allow the commoner to purchase it. That way the noble still gets the chance to decide what happens with the land and to determine a better use than a commoner could, the Kingdom benefits from the land and the commoner doesn't get to ignore the decision of the noble landowner.

Click to shrink...

Votes locked, writing. Update soon™.

 

[Inara Seraph]

BGM Set

[X] I would come up with some sort of compromise.
-[X] Rule that the noble has to put the land to some use within a certain amount of time or he has to allow the commoner to purchase it. That way the noble still gets the chance to decide what happens with the land and to determine a better use than a commoner could, the Kingdom benefits from the land and the commoner doesn't get to ignore the decision of the noble landowner.

"Hu.."

"That's interesting. Why should you care about that commoner's business?"

"I can guarantee you that whatever he's claiming- that province will keep on functioning just fine no matter what happens here." she continues.

You furrow your eyebrows and open your mouth to respond, but Sheffield raises a hand to stop you. "The thing I'm trying to get at is.."

She looks toward the grumpy-looking noble and his entourage. "The difference in power. What the noble thinks is infinitely more important."

She turns her gaze back to you. "That's why it's interesting to me that you would care about someone who should be less than an ant to you." She raises an eyebrow questioningly.

You think she's missing the point. You just want what's best for the Kingdom. "It's not about helping him or being sympathetic or whatever, it would benefit everyone!" You can't help an inkling of frustration from leaking into your voice.

Her expression conveys amused condescension. "Huhu.. keep telling yourself that. My, our Princess is quite the bleeding heart, isn't she?"

She's twisting your words. There's nothing wrong with your solution- everyone wins, why can't she see that? Sure, you're sympathetic to his plight.. is that what she's getting at? That most nobles would never sympathize with a commoner? That it wouldn't even occur to them in the first place? You shake your head, dispelling your thoughts. You're probably over-thinking it.

"Well?" you say, annoyed.

Sheffield glances lazily back at you. "Hmm?"

"You said you would tell me what you thought if I answered your question." you point out.

She pastes a surprised look on her face. "I did sort of imply that, didn't I?" she says airily.

Her eyes glint with a touch of cruelty. "Fine. I would execute them both."

You look unhappily at her. "If you're not going to be serious.."

She turns her chilling gaze onto you. Her voice is positively frosty. "I'm absolutely serious. The King has better things to do. This should never have made it to the highest authority. It's a trifling matter."

"..." You're speechless. Sheffield laughs unpleasantly at your dropped jaw. She'd seriously kill them for nothing but wasting time? You can't get along with this person. Dismissing the disturbing implications that such a woman is so close to the King, you finally raise the question you'd really wanted to ask in the first place.

"Who are you to Joseph?" you ask.

"Haven't you heard? I'm an adviser. Nothing more." she responds. The last sentence is said with a barely discernible hint of bitterness. It's the kind of answer you've come to expect from her. A kind of mocking attitude that wonders why you haven't figured it out yet.

It's a puzzle- one that you're trying to put together without all the pieces. There's critical information you're missing to even be able to formulate a hypothesis. All you can really say is that Sheffield is trusted by Joseph, and that Sheffield is extremely devoted to Joseph. Where she comes from, what her job is, how she came to her position- none of that is possible for you to deduce.

You could try getting closer to her. She seems to.. maybe not respect, but she at least tolerates you. That's still more than you can say for anyone else besides the King. If you hang around her enough, she'll probably take an interest in you. Whatever her specialty is, she's doubtlessly an expert in it. She would be a powerful ally if she could be persuaded to your cause. She could possibly even be a mentor, if you can deal with her personality.

Given her aloofness from the court and general satisfaction with her life as far as you can tell- the key to getting her on your side is gaining her respect. You still haven't quite figured out what she values. She called you a bleeding heart- it was definitely meant to insult, but just the same, it wasn't laced with her usual derisive tone. You'll have to think on it- do you even want to bother? She's not a nice person by any stretch. You might be better off looking elsewhere for allies.

Speaking of, that yearly summit is coming up. It's not required for you to attend, but you can if you want. Your mother will surely be in attendance as well. It might be an opportunity to meet the nobles of the Kingdom and try to gather people sympathetic to you. On the other hand, you might end up negatively affecting your standing in the kingdom if you bungle your appearance. Your young age can excuse a lot of potential gaffes, but it still wouldn't do you any favors if you didn't make a good showing of yourself.

Finishing out the year: (Choose one.)

[ ] Expand the Wire Menagerie.
- [ ] What do you create? (Write-in.)
[ ] Continue practicing Reinforcement.
[ ] Practice your body arts.
[ ] Research a particular topic at the library.
- [ ] What? (Write-in.)
[ ] Something else you'd like to try. (Write-in.)

Other actions: (Choose one.)

[ ] What's your mother been up to?
[ ] Hang around Sheffield- what's an average day for her?
[ ] Play with your cats, invite Sarah the maid.
[ ] Visit the training grounds, observe magical spars.

Regarding the summit:

[ ] Attend.
[ ] Don't attend.

 

[overmind]

Finishing out the year: (Choose one.)
[X] Continue practicing Reinforcement.

Other actions: (Choose one.)
[X] Visit the training grounds, observe magical spars.

Regarding the summit:
[X] Don't attend.