07.14g: To Onsen And Beyond!

The goings on of courts
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BringMeThatHorizon
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Re: 07.14g: To Onsen And Beyond!

Post by BringMeThatHorizon »

"Well, well. Somebody doesn't miss a beat." Jaeger grins, eyeing Alys once more with the same mix of curiosity and intrigue he leveled her with a few times now. His heard the others and took in their responses, but hers said something. The best way to see into how people tick sometimes is how they respond to the outrageous, how they handle the most ridiculous things leveled at them. The taller and more ambiguous the order the more likely to produce a view into that person's mind. For Quin, the embodiment of obfuscation, he answered in the most direct way possible- that was interesting in and of itself, though Jaeger had asked for a layman's explanation of complicated things. And this news of others of his kindred in the realm? Very curious. Perhaps worth pursuing, even.

Lyra was the one to worry about, it seemed. Rules, order, and judging a man by his laugh! Bah! Kind of boring, seeing someone with so much power tied down to things. But, she did have a point. Wanton chaos was not the way to conduct yourself here. Granted, that wasn't how he conducted himself at all when he wasn't out of his mind with some weird, pan-dimensional superpower coursing through him. Lyra was someone to look out for. She would have an eye on him. Politics could be so wearing, really they could. So he would play his cards right and keep her appeased, at least.

Jaeger stopped in mid-though, realizing he was sounding like some kind of machinator. Ugh. This wasn't him at all. Why was he so worried about calculating this out? It was silly to have so many investments at this point, when he'd only just really arrived.

"Am I to assume the criminal overlords of this realm have powers? Or will this be as simple as demonstrating that I bark louder? Because I am very intrigued by such a deceptively simple challenge, when mine were such tall orders."
Me? I'm dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly... stupid.
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Re: 07.14g: To Onsen And Beyond!

Post by Wyvern »

"Criminal?" Alys asks with an arched eyebrow. "Oh, yes, I should finish explaining the 'legal system', such as it is."

She takes another sip of her drink, then sets the still-half-full cup off to the side and slides a bit lower into the water. "Below the Amberites, there are various layers of greater or lesser nobility. Which, at the moment, still means 'whoever was capable of inspiring loyalty and claiming such rank'. It is, quite frankly, a mess. We have former 'gods' competing with ancient necromancers competing with analytical geniuses*, all with their own separate laws in their own little fiefdoms... most of them in the city, but still a few in Ht'gon. The good news is that most of their powers will not work here; in particular, force multipliers stronger than a good blade or bow do not work. The bad news is that - to the best of my knowledge - most of the easy applications of Pattern do not work here either."

_____
* This is Amber. It's a safe bet that there's a Moriarty** around somewhere. They might even be smart enough to keep their head down...
** Or two or three...
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Joshua
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Re: 07.14g: To Onsen And Beyond!

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"I believe Spellbinder is dealing with some of those thugs in the city. I also think he's finding that they're a bit more interconnected than expected. Pulling the strands out must be done carefully, unless one is okay with taking them all out at once. Still, such ruthlessness is a bit beyond that hero's temperament." Quin will stretch in the bath and sink into the water a bit more. If it matters, his suit isn't absorbing any water, so is only 'wet' where it's actually submerged. "Barking louder will make an impression. That's how most of them got their position. Lots of fish who were too big for their home, but are relatively small here. Quite a blow to one's ego."
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Re: 07.14g: To Onsen And Beyond!

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"So a surgeon's approach would me more welcome? Take the ringleaders one by one unawares, starting with the least powerful and apply pressure to their power bases? You're talking political warfare, now, not the work of a swordsman. Still..." Jaeger grimaced, not really enjoying the prospect of having to play such lengthy and dangerous games. But, its like Quin said- lots of fish too big for where-ever they came from here, now they're relatively small. That's him, somewhat at least. He wasn't the best hunter ever, nor any kind of particularly skilled before- but this whole magically-gifted superpower thing sort of boosted him up there.

"If it's the difference between the two and I can't well rely on anything outside of raw physical ability it might well serve me to just find the weakest links and rattle the chain before going in and striking." He shrugs, trying not to let himself say too much and reveal a quicker wit than he's comfortable with. A little obfuscating stupidity kept people off their guard around him, which made his life easier and was generally regarded as a good decision among the duplicitous.

"On an opposite subject matter for a moment, if I may. Lady Lyra, I am quite certain my faculties are sound and I am, to say the least, not guilty of any sort of despotism. It's too far above my pay-grade, thank you."
Me? I'm dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly... stupid.
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Re: 07.14g: To Onsen And Beyond!

Post by ShadowOfPreservation »

Lyra nods. "I apologize if I offended. Amber unfortunately is like most other cities in many ways when it comes to some of its citizens seeking power and profit at the expense of others. Quin has the right of it I think in that carefully addressing the issue will yield the best results long term. Some of those causing issues might turn into great assets if addressed properly."
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Re: 07.14g: To Onsen And Beyond!

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Alys chuckles a bit at Quin's comment on size of fish. "Amusing, really; few of the 'biggest fish' here were 'big fish' at all where they came from. For example, I do not believe that either Lyra or her husband Rasanam were even leaders in their guilds, let alone royalty."

"As for the various groups... I have already started one project to put them a bit more in line; a simple offer of training for the various 'city watch' and 'police force' groups."
Alys pauses a moment, seeing how many of the implications of such a project Jaeger is willing to admit to noticing.*

_____
* For the record, obvious implications include (but are certainly not limited to):
  • Homogenizing procedures - and thus starting towards a unified legal code that doesn't vary depending on district.
  • Usurpation of loyalty - bootcamp style training will leave the rank and file more loyal to Alys (and other involved Amberites) than to their original superiors.
  • Coordination of efforts and reduction of inter-group friction - when you've got friends in the neighboring watch groups, there's a lot less incentive to treat them as rival gangs.
  • Creation of a city militia & a start on prepared defenses against potential invaders.
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Re: 07.14g: To Onsen And Beyond!

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"...All of this sounds like a bad shake to me. You're asking me to do what would require years, decades of work. You want a revolution, and you're asking one man to get it done." Jaeger doesn't so much answer the question as he flips the script, giving Alys a very obvious side-eye about the whole thing.

"You know what you're asking, too. That's the worst part. This isn't some half-baked scheme, it's a carefully thought out revolution and you're looking for a catalyst."
Me? I'm dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly... stupid.
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Joshua
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Re: 07.14g: To Onsen And Beyond!

Post by Joshua »

"I suppose you could get allies. Either other Amberites or you could always import some. You can borrow others. Still, the ones who find their way here naturally seem best." Quin will say. "So, you have some options. If you are going to help out. And you do have the right to demand help."
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Re: 07.14g: To Onsen And Beyond!

Post by Wyvern »

Alys just smiles and finishes her drink; as she sets it aside, the attendant kobold hurries to refill it.

"On the one hand," she comments after a bit, "I find your casual paranoia refreshing. On the other hand, I believe you are significantly underestimating your own potential. Perhaps you could take a day or two to consider how you might accomplish such a task?"

"Or, if you prefer, come up with some other goal suitable for practice at wielding political power; I am not set on using that particular example as a lesson."
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Re: 07.14g: To Onsen And Beyond!

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"I wouldn't call it paranoia. You're talking about ten years of work, at least. Unifying the law, recruiting and training a guard force worth a damn, sewing organization under the code of laws among the underworld bosses, killing or jailing anyone that refuses to follow..." He starts listing off the obvious as it occurs to him, going as far as to hold up a finger for each point as he goes on. "Making sure the leaders of underworld groups are properly incentivized to follow along, applying force or threat of force to those who don't. Putting protocols in place to keep civilians out of danger from potential rival groups that might show up in the course of restructuring..."


He stops there, giving Alys a bit of side-eye again. "All of this, again, is being handed to the new guy. You either have immense confidence in my abilities as a crime lord, or you are looking for a martyr. Neither of those things sound particularly profitable, by the way."
Me? I'm dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly... stupid.
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