Tim is off getting his transmission replaced in San Antonio, and as such is MIA. Dan (Koa so k'Terr) is initially nowhere to be found, but claims that he will show up sometime later, so the group today is mostly comprised of only Nick (Brother Xavier), Chris (Peter Sangaree) and Paul (Sean Punch).
The goal of today's session is to advance the history of Fennen Marsh by two years. As a consequence, the session bears more similarity to a matrix game than to actual roleplaying. The session is divided into four half-year segments, corresponding to the summer and winter seasons of the years 5004 and 5005.
Koa so k'Terr works upon the plans for the reopening of the Gieresport Airport to use as a spaceport. Much of his work is administrative, as he spends the bulk of his time redesigning the old Gieresport Airport for use as a spaceport. Sean Punch works by his side, concentrating on the technical aspects of the design (primarily the landing beacon).
Koa discovers that his "ultimate spaceport" will cost about 400,000 FB and requires a bunch of people who don't currently live in Fennen Marsh, and who may not live on Gwynneth. He falls back to a more limited plan, one that can eventually be scaled into Koa's ultimate vision. He brings in 100 workers and spends 3000 FB to clear all of the landing fields. He hires an additional 100 workers and spends a total of 4000 FB to construct several warehouses and a simple terminal building. Finally, he retains an offworld artisan team from Ravenna to test the integrity of the entire landing field for 1000 FB. The offworlders tell him that most of the field is intact, but that there are deep cracks in Landing Pad 2 that will need to be repaired (at a cost of about 50,000 FB). On the plus side, the offworlders tell Koa that the repairs aren't likely to be needed for some time, unless the pad is used heavily.
Koa does not arrange for refueling capability at the new spaceport, as he knows that this capability will require a Hydrogen Cracking Furnace, huge amounts of electrical power, and more money than the colony has available. He does take advantage of his varied experiences to spend some experience on Diplomacy.
Sean Punch spends his time deciding what kind of beacons and air traffic control the spaceport will need. He quickly assembles the list of equipment and prices:
|
Equipment |
Cost |
|---|---|
| Simple directional landing beacon, able to transmit approved landing vectors. | 2000 FB |
| Radar equipment able to track flying objects to a range of 100 km and enough equipment to do actual traffic control. | 8000 FB |
| Think machine to perform automated traffic control (NPAE can provide; requires radar set). | 10,000 FB |
| Improved air traffic control equipment (+1 to Piloting rolls for incoming pilots; requires automated traffic control) | 30,000 FB |
| Enhanced air traffic control equipment (+2 to Piloting rolls) | 250,000 FB |
Sean, after quick consultation with the other characters and an estimate of the depth of the budget, decides to go with the cheap version, buying and installing a simple beacon at the spaceport.
Peter Sangaree uses his Administration and Armory skills to ensure that his firearms foundry produces the 2000 Sangaree Specials promised to the Sacred Knife Battalion. The process requires a total of 10 artisans and 10 apprentices. They and their dependents increase the colony population by almost 50 folk. The Brother Battle quartermaster buys each firearm for 25 FB. Each gun costs some 15 FB to produce. The total profit from the contract to the colony is 20,000 FB.
As a side project, Peter retains a fairly large group of independent lawyers and monks to research the history of Sulesslund and the Fennen Marsh fief. He hopes that they will be able to determine for once and for all who holds title to the bulk of the continent. The cost to the colony for the research is some 4000 FB, with data promised in the winter of 5004.
Brother Xavier travels to the Quinta Sacra Cathedral in Llanfyrth, to study and discuss with local church hierarchy the chances of starting an Avestite Temple in Fennen Marsh. He manages to learn an additional level of Theurgy, but he is not successful in his informal petition to be granted an Avestite Temple in Fennen Marsh. He learns that such permission may only be granted by the Avestite Bishop on Delphi and the Temple Avesti Council on Pyre.
Through the course of the half-year, the characters find that many of their new recruits simply refuse to travel out to Fennen Marsh by air, and must be ferried over on the Sutter Kane. The demands of colony transport quickly conflict with the characters' need to support the Chibren trade, so they spend 4000 FB to purchase a second 150-foot steam brig, christening it the Salt Witch. Sir Brindal Karth gives it's command over to Captain Gregor Halfiron, allowing him to take over some favored members of the Sutter Kane crew as the core of the new crew. The characters agree to promote Captain Halfiron's First Officer to Captain, and give him command of the Sutter Kane.
The biggest news of the half-year is the loss of the Man-o-War Stabbing Sphinx in the outer system with all hands. Despite the ongoing peace, it is assumed that the ship was lost to Vuldrok attack.
The Emperor finally makes an official response to the assassination of his Envoy in the last year. The Count Edmond Giles de Cameton arrives insystem bearing an Imperial Eye warrant and accompanied by a team of investigators. He is charged with bringing the assassins of the Count Anwar Haddesh Rinfeh al-Malik to justice.
The ongoing Hawkwood and Orthodox campaign against corruption spreads out from Llanfyrth and the Custom House to hit closer to the characters' backyard. Bishop Nathan Maire of Tuam is exposed as corrupt and deposed. He is shipped back to Holy Terra in chains. His replacement, drawn from the extremely Orthodox clergy of Holy Terra, is the Bishop Ephraim Yates-Manteban. The new Bishop declares that the state of the Universal Church in Tuam is shameful, and that Tuam needs two new major Temples, one placed in the High City and one in the Low City. The various Guild interests and businesses operating in the High City end up covering most of the cost of this incredible building campaign, with perhaps less grace than might have been hoped.
By the end of the summer of 5004, the Fennen Marsh colony's population has expanded to almost 1000 souls. Bob Lungflook remains the colony administrator, and is slowly becoming overwhelmed with the demands of his job.
|
Item |
Income |
Expense |
|---|---|---|
| Sacred Knife arms contract | 50,000 | 30,000 |
| Chibren Trade (5 months' income) | 15,400 | |
| Salt Witch purchase | 4000 | |
| Clear Spaceport Field | 3000 | |
| Spaceport Terminal and Warehouses | 4000 | |
| Landing Beacon | 2000 | |
|
Subtotals |
65,400 |
43,000 |
| Profit | 17,400 | |
| Payment to MachtArbeiterBank | 4350 | |
|
Net Profit |
13,050 |
|
Peter Sangaree gets his report in from his research team on the ownership of Sulesslund. They report that at one time, the entire area was held by House Abelard. Unfortunately, the last scion of the house died out about 1500 years ago. This corresponds roughly to the time when much of the local population departed. Since then the place has been held in direct fief by House Hawkwood. The Grand Duke of Gwynneth or the Prince of House Hawkwood could grant fiefs, but none have been given except for Fennen Marsh and the coastal fiefs occupied by the Vuldrok.
A small number of petitions for fiefs upon Sulesslund have been made to the Grand Duke in the last century. Most of them have been made by what the various researchers characterize as "scrofulous" nobles, and all of them have been rejected. The matter is complicated further by the fact that somebody has been paying money to ensure that other, more promising petitions never meet the Grand Duke's eyes. Several Custom House officials were recently convicted of taking bribes to quash fiefdom petitions. Even after they were convicted, they refused to say who was providing the money.
Peter Sangaree spends most of his actual time working in the armory, developing .22 caliber bullets with small explosive heads for use against shielded targets. He also spends time helping his assistant Richard to pass his apprenticeship exams for the Engineers, an effort that is eventually successful.
Brother Xavier continues to study at the Quinta Sacra Cathedral. During his time there, he is contacted by the new Bishop of Tuam. The Bishop tells him that he is aware of the fact that Brother Xavier is currently serving in a remote colony out on Sulesslund, a colony that is currently poorly-served by the Orthodox Church. The Bishop is particularly dubious of Patera Fen's fitness as spiritual guide to a community. His initial position is that Patera Fen must be shipped out to a monastery in Delphi or Ravenna for retraining, and that Fennen Marsh needs a new Orthodox Temple manned by at least thirty priests, and possibly an Avestite monastery with a dozen Avestite novitiates.
Brother Xavier is a touch disturbed by this turn of events, especially the part involving sending Patera Fen away. He commences an argument with the Bishop of Tuam about exactly what needs be done with respect to the spiritual life of Fennen Marsh. By the end of it, he has managed to get himself in charge of the Avestite monastery. He is also allowed to select half of the novitiates. Finally, he persuades the Bishop that Patera Fen can be retrained under the tutelage of the Orthodox head of the temple. His arguments towards this end are staggeringly successful (a very impressive Theology roll, that is). He submits the Bishop's demands to the rest of the characters, who determine that the monastery will cost 4000 FB to construct, and the temple will cost an additional 4000 FB. The characters agree to the Bishop's terms and pay the money, siting the Avestite monastery some distance outside of the colony.
In the course of Brother Xavier's studies, he gains permission to study the rituals of the Brother Battle sect, up to level 3.
Koa so k'Terr makes a tour of the world of Gwynneth, speaking to as many Hawkwoods and Vuldrok as he can, telling them about the plan to open a new spaceport on Sulesslund. He tries to convince them that it will be a good thing for Gwynneth, and that they should make use of it when it is appropriately blessed. Along the way, he looks for new Sangaree Special customers. He takes Peter along part of the tour, mostly because his own Merchant skills leave something to be desired. Through these efforts, Peter manages to sell a mere 500 guns, enough to keep the armory going but not enough to actually make any money.
Koa also engages the team of lawyers and clerics Peter has previously been employing to research the question of what sort of official permissions are needed to bless a starport on Gwynneth. They are able to report back fairly quickly, explaining that the Archbishop of Llanfyrth needs to bless the starport. They prepare the petition and Koa goes to deliver it, with Morgan Hawkwood as the front man. The cost of housing the Bishop's entourage and staging the ceremony will be about 5000 FB, a cost that the characters agree to pay as a necessary investment.
Sean Punch spends his time researching the captured Insurgent Golem. He finds that the power supply looks like it's been dead for centuries. He tries looking at the golem brain, and it talks to him in Vinjogoguladjz's voice. He drops that effort quickly, then carefully takes the power supply and golem brain apart. He finds that the power supply contains a metallic, throbbing heart and that the golem brain is grown into organic patterns. He destroys the whole thing, then gives it to Brother Xavier to dispose of permanently. Brother Xavier consecrates the thing, then watches as it dissolves.
Sean gets over his disappointment with the Insurgent Golem by programming a highly addictive game to take everyone's minds off work.
The Bishop of Tuam insists that the spaceport must be appropriately sanctified and blessed by the Archbishop of Llanfyrth, just as the characters expected. The cost of supporting the Bishop's retinue and mounting an appropriate ceremony turns out to be 5000 FB, also as expected.
In the course of preparing for the Archbishop's arrival, the characters buy a Moremax Spirit (a six-wheeled convertible similar to a 1930's German Staff Car) for 2000 FB. They buy a nice shiny new one so they can show it off at the ceremony. Sadly, they find that their driving range isn't nearly what they might have hoped, as there really aren't all that many good roads in the colony, but it does provide them with a stylish way to drive from the airfield to the colony and back again. Peter has visions of organizing the colony population to wave little flags along the road as the characters drive by in fine banana republic style.
The characters arrange to have the Hawkwood frigate Righteous Falcon, under the command of Captain Samuel Willet-Hawkwood, be the first ship to land on the newly-sanctified spaceport. They use the Baronet Robert Arlor de Marlwen's lift yacht and their Moremax Spirit to ferry around the Bishop of Llanfyrth.
The NPAE renegades under the Master Processor-Wright Dennis Thorne finally bring their MMSPA (Massive Multi-Scalar Parallel Architecture) think machine on-line. The characters are marginally disappointed that it doesn't instantly produce world-shattering results, but the NPAE technicians are overjoyed and immediately start work on a series of hard-to-understand analysis projects.
By the end of the winter of 5004, the colony population has grown to some 1200 souls and the center of town is actually starting to look like the center of a town (albeit a town in the middle of the wilderness). The New Gieresport spaceport has been consecrated, and is now open for business. The colony officially experienced substantially more losses than profits over the half-year, and by the end of 5004 has reduced its total available funds to 10,050 FB, with an additional 6000 FB in the under-the-table "slush fund" thanks to the payments Patrice Cheroux is now making.
|
Item |
Income |
Expense |
|---|---|---|
| Various small arms contracts (500 weapons produced) | 0 | 0 |
| Chibren Trade (5 months' income) | 15,400 | |
| New Orthodox Temple with quarters for 30 monks | 4000 | |
| New Avestite monastery with quarters for 12 novitiates | 4000 | |
| Consecration of the New Berlin Spaceport | 5000 | |
| Shiny new Moremax Spirit staff car | 2000 | |
| Research team expenses | 4000 | |
|
Subtotals |
15,400 |
19,000 |
| Loss | 3600 | |
| Payment to MachtArbeiterBank | 0 | |
|
Net Loss |
|
3600 |
The characters, noticing that Bob Lungflook is nearing the breaking point, decide to get him some formality (and the accompanying staff) to hide behind. They incorporate the settlement at the original colony site as the City of New Berlin, and prepare a charter for the City of New Gieresport about 80 kilometers away on the coast. They intend to use New Gieresport as a sea port linked to the spaceport, and make certain to put the new city at a location identified by the surveyor Seaden Quinn as a good location.
Brother Xavier spends his time in the summer getting his novitiates settled in to their new monastery. He also spends a lot of time actually selecting the novitiates, looking through monasteries all across Gwynneth. He makes certain that a couple of his choices are old, broken-down guys just looking for a peaceful place to rest, and that the rest are mostly callow, impressionable youths. The remaining novitiates prove to be quite varied, but all disturbingly devout.
Peter spends most of his time supervising the work of preparing the actual city charters. In his spare time, he tries his hand at hiring some people as a staff for Bob Lungflook. He hires a variety of churchmen, freelance lawyers and Muster contractees to write laws and perform actual administration once the charter has been written. He also sets them the responsibility of figuring out a city budget. Most of his hires are from among the scholars and clerics the characters had previously employed for a variety of law-related research. Finally, he appoints Bob Lungflook to the office of Seneschal to Sir Brindal Karth, with the primary responsibility of holding the office of Acting Lord Mayor of New Berlin (Sir Brindal Karth is, of course, Lord Mayor in absentia).
With his civic duties behind him, Peter sets about making himself into a gentleman. He talks to the Baronet Arlor de Marlwen and to Morgen Hawkwood about finding a good fencing master. His goal is not so much to learn how to fight (though he wouldn't complain if he does), but to gain entree into noble society. The Baronet and Morgen Hawkwood suggest three possible teachers:
After considering his various options, Peter elects to train with Ariela Nau ab Hawkwood. He convinces her to take him on as a student based in part upon his money and in part upon the fact that he can present documents to her showing that he is a Councilman of New Berlin. In addition to the 1000 FB Peter spends on tuition, he spends an additional 1000 FB maintaining a substantial residence in Llanfyrth, complete with appropriate clothing and servants. To keep the colony's obligations to the MachtArbeiterBank as low as possible, he draws the money from the colony's general fund as a "salary."
Koa spends 4000 FB in research costs trying to find ways to get the Grand Duke to grant anyone in the party a fief in the rest of Sulesslund.
By mid-Winter, the fruits of the NPAE renegades' various MMSPA think machine projects are becoming clear. They indicate that they have generated a think machine model of the entire lower Anquelline river basin, and can use it for weather prediction and crop yield calculations. Sean Punch spends his time making sure that this information is appropriately integrated into the colony's operations. As a public service, he makes the results of the soil fertility survey available to all local settlers.
By the end of summer, the Baronet Robert Arlor de Marlwen has finished moving all of his people onto his new fief. As promised, he brings with him a population of some 700 peasants, living in two small inland villages, and a group of some 150 blacksmiths and artisans, settled in a town near the location of the Baronet's manor house. He demonstrates his wealth by bringing artisans in from Tuam and Pernley Bay to actually construct his manor house (a building that puts most of the structures in New Berlin to shame) and a landing field for his lift yacht. The characters are none too displeased with these developments, as the Baronet also pays out 5000 FB in taxes to Brindal Karth (equal to his yearly minimum allocation). In a gesture of goodwill, the characters give him and his people free shipping out to the colony site aboard the Sutter Kane and the Salt Witch.
By the end of the summer of 5005, the colony population has grown to some 2000 people, not counting the population of the Baronet's fief. Once again, Patrice Cheroux pays 3000 FB into the colony "slush fund." The characters pay themselves a total of 5000 FB (including the 2000 FB Peter uses during his stay in Llanfyrth), consuming their tax revenues from the Baronet. As compared to the previous half-year, the colony's expenses were substantially lower than in the half-year before, allowing a profit of 8550 FB and a payment of 2850 FB to the MachtArbeiterBank. The colony's funds on hand have increased to a total of some 18,600 FB.
|
Item |
Income |
Expense |
|---|---|---|
| Various small arms contracts (500 weapons produced) | 0 | 0 |
| Chibren Trade (5 months' income) | 15,400 | |
| Taxes (Baronet Arlor de Marlwen) | 5000 | |
| Research Team expenses | 4000 | |
| Character "salaries" | 5000 | |
|
Subtotals |
20,400 |
9000 |
| Profit | 11,400 | |
| Payment to MachtArbeiterBank | 2850 | |
|
Net Profit |
|
8550 |
The events of the winter of 5005 are somewhat abbreviated, owing primarily to time. The characters mostly work to build roads connecting New Berlin, New Gieresport and the Baronet's fief. Both Koa and Peter do their best to encourage farmers and freemen to emigrate. Between the two of them, they manage to increase the colony population by some 1400 people, leading to a final population of some 3000+ folk, plus an additional 1000 folk living in the Baronet's fief.
Brother Xavier has his Avestite novitiates investigate the Lachann Fibrelink Hub site as an extended training exercise. He also organizes the internal hierarchy of his monastery.
Peter continues to spend money on research, spending 4000 FB to try and find a good way to "legalize" the Chibren Cooperative to the south, making certain that he has Chibren approval before starting with the project.
As usual, Patrice Cheroux pays 3000 FB into the colony "slush fund," which has mounted to some 9000 FB (not counted in the colony's total available funds). The colony's winter income is pretty much limited to what the characters make from the Chibren trade, leading to a profit of 8550 FB and a payment of 2850 FB to the MachtArbeiterBank. The colony's funds on hand have increased to a total of some 27,150 FB.
|
Item |
Income |
Expense |
|---|---|---|
| Various small arms contracts (500 weapons produced) | 0 | 0 |
| Chibren Trade (5 months' income) | 15,400 | |
| Research team expenses | 4000 | |
|
Subtotals |
15,400 |
4000 |
| Profit | 11,400 | |
| Payment to MachtArbeiterBank | 2850 | |
|
Net Profit |
8550 |
|
As the session ends, it is the beginning of the year 5006 and all of the characters are at home in New Berlin, at the center of the Fennen Marsh colony. Each character gains 2 experience points.