Silly Plots 4: It's not particularly silly, is it?

[bc56]

The House that was Won

The county of Arletane is a hilly land, crowned with primeval woods. It is a place of rugged beauty and rugged people, a true frontier province. Upon his arrival, Edgar will pass several small farming villages amongst the foothills before ascending into the central town of the area. Its wooden buildings are built around the base of a large hill, atop which sits a squat but sturdy keep. People come out into the streets to watch the stranger arrive. They'd heard that the county was given to another by their former queen, but they did not know who to expect. Could this tiger be the one?

[Zefir]

Yes, some of the machines are broken, but plenty are still intact. The echoes show that the ship is mostly buried. They would need to dig through the dirt up ahead, or crawl through that vent off to the right and remove some panels from the inside.
"We hope you can find information in the ship's electronics, about where it came from and why, or at least take bits of working machinery out of it."

[The Underground]

Mia studies her readings for a moment befor she answers her guide.

"Hmm," she says. "Have you establisched a way inside? I don't feel like there is an easy way to do so. Either digging or going through that vent."

She points at the two spots she can make out. while looking a bit worried at the digging spot. She didn't bring heavy machinery. her backpack only got some general tools and the bos who is following her has a few bigger tools like electrical screwdriver, drill and such. Nothing that can break through the ground that easily.

Should he have no option for her she will start opening the vent. There isn't any reason to no do it, thought she takes on a mask, since vents tend to be dirty and dusty.

[Deathkeeper]

The House That Has Won

It is worthy of note that Edgar does not own a car. If he did, he would find himself quite unable to fit inside of it at the moment. At some point however he did acquire a magic palanquin. An ornate wooden thing with royal purple cushions piled high and wide enough even for him. Edgar sat upon it shortly after winning and found it luxuriously comfortable. He could practically feel the will to use his legs melting away. Well, not quite. It isn’t going to fit inside many buildings. But it sure beats walking for miles.
And so the enormous tiger bounces along the road in his magic chair at a speed slightly too fast for any procession of mortals could have carried it. He marches straight to the keep so that he might announce himself at the door.
This day he is wearing his uniform itself, a small skirt-like thing of expensive blue silk.
”Edgar Winchester, Count of Arletane.” he announces. He tries is best to sound commanding but he can’t quite get the “am I doing this right?” Out of his voice.

[Recaiden]

"The ship wasn't a priority until you volunteered to help."
"But we can dig in."
Spike's Hound, the smaller creature named 'Spot', leaps to the spot Mia pointed out and begins tearing into the ground with its claws. In short order they will all be able to go through the dug-out area and enter the wreck.

They're in the port battery. Several floors, up and down, each with row and row of big lasers. Near the front and back they're more smashed, but near the middle they're intact.
Of course, one major thing isn't working - the power. Lights are off, screens are dark, basic hatches are shut.

[bc56]

The House that was Won

A hush falls over the assembled crowd, followed by interested babbling. Is this the new count? He certainly looks like a nobleman. How will he run the place? He sounds inexperienced, but is that a good thing or a bad thing? Eventually, a thin, reedy man steps up out of the crowd. He clears his throat, motions to the villagers to quiet down, and then addresses Edgar. "Welcome, Count Winchester. I am Alphonse, majordomo to the counts Arletane some fifteen years. May I see that your papers are in order?" Edgar received papers with the title, which were in the same box as the spellbook he won. Signed by Aethiiraxa, they confer to him ownership of the county and the title that comes along with it.

[Deathkeeper]

[The House that was Won]

"Of course, my good man." Edgar takes out the notebook that he was keeping the paperwork in to keep it from getting bent. He hops down from the chair with his impossible grace and presents the papers to the man.
"There you are." His first instinct is to take a jab at his own appearance but decides to keep that under wraps for now. These people don't need their first impression of their new lord that he's bound to an even more powerful woman.
"I do hope that everything is in order."

[bc56]

The House that was Won

Alphonse takes the papers and looks then over a few times. "These appear to be correct." He returns them and takes a deep bow. "Welcome milord. Shall I show you to your quarters in the keep? Or perhaps you'd like to be informed on local affairs?"

[Deathkeeper]

[The House that was Won]

"I would be happy to take a tour of the keep, though learning of local affairs sounds to be of great import." he says with a nod. After judging the size of the door he hefts the palanquin and moves it out of the way of any foot-traffic.
"I trust it will be alright, leaving this here? You don't really stable a magic chair. It's unorthodox I know, but it's what I have." He probably would have looked silly if he'd driven here in a sedan. Even one with a huge chair.

[bc56]

The House that was Won

"Of course. We can discuss matters of state while I show you the keep." The main door to the keep is plenty large enough to accommodate Edgar's bulk. As he is led through well appointed but disused rooms. "You'll probably first want to know the state of the treasury. Sadly, it is rather depleted at the moment. The previous countess taxed the province rather heavily, but after the troubles with the mines, it was difficult to keep up with her demands." She's a dragon. Dragons like treasure. This seems self-explanatory.

[Deathkeeper]

[The House that was Won]

Now that Edgar is alone with the majordomo he's far more willing to be candid.
"Concerning, but will that be an issue for you? I'd like to make sure no one starves because the changing of hands was so sudden. Once that's done I'll worry about profits. Believe it or not I'm not quite as extravagant as I look yet." Sure he'd like to spend the rest of his life lounging on a couch and being fed fancy fruits by pretty servants like the king Nahira made him look like but he'd rather not anyone literally die to get him there.
But then, if Alphonse is keen he would have already noticed odd things about Edgar. Like how despite his corpulence, he has already proven to be quick, strong, and has had no trouble keeping up with the walk so far. Even if it's more of a waddle for Edgar. Supernatural grace can only make it into very elegant waddling.

[bc56]

The House that was Won

"That is greatly reassuring. Food is not currently an issue, but may become one if the problem is not resolved. If I may suggest, it may be a good idea to use some of the funds to deal with the mine problem." Alphonse replies.

[Deathkeeper]

[The House that was Won]

Edgar leans in expectantly.
"And the mine problem is...?"
Presumably it's something annoying enough that Aetiir decided to unload the province.
"Is the mine the province's main business?" he adds.

[bc56]

The House that was Won

"Ah, right. The main silver mine which provides most of the work in the area has a bit of an infestation right now. These rock creatures emerged from underground, and, well, started killing everyone they encountered. We aren't sure where they come from, but the mine is inoperable while they're in there." So when Alphonse says to spend money on the problem, he probably means to hire adventurers.

[Deathkeeper]

[The House that was Won]

”Oh? How big? How many? Are we talking an army or ten? Because if it’s an army we’d need MERC. If it’s ten I would love to smash something right now.” Edgar has not had an opportunity to test his superhuman abilities and he is not going to let his current appearance deter him from releasing a little anger.
Sure he has no combat training, but you don’t grow up where he did without knowing how to brawl. Besides, he has two sets of blessings. And someone in town can probably give him a nice cudgel.

[bc56]

The House that was Won

"They seem to be on the lower end of that scale, but their exact numbers are unknown." At Edgar's suggestion of smashing them himself, Alphonse looks genuinely surprised for the first time since they've met. "You have skill at arms, milord? If you wish to, I can have someone show you the way there. We don't have the soldiers to spare to give you much of an honor guard, but if you desire, I..." He's interrupted by a servant arriving in a rush, out of breath. "Sirs! There's someone at the gate! She demands to see the Count!"

[Deathkeeper]

[The House that was Won]

Edgar would tell the servant that he has super-strength, not skill, but they're interrupted. Edgar groans.
"I haven't even been here for ten minutes. Very well, let's go meet our guest. I might even know who it is." Could Aetiir have come to visit already? The dragon could certainly have enough spies to know right away when he arrived.

[bc56]

The House that was Won

Everyone heads back to the entrance, where a familiar face is waiting for Edgar. Aethiiraxa is there, still looking quite humanoid save for her horns, wings, and tail. "Count Winchester! I heard you had arrived and wanted to see what you think of the place!" She attempts to hug him in greeting, but whether he allows her to is another matter.

[Deathkeeper]

[The House that was Won]

Edgar is hugged! It is a bit of a surreal experience; he hasn't actually touched anyone since the other day. Nahira might be a bit forward but was generally hands-off, so Edgar hasn't really experienced giving anyone hugs through his new fur coat, let alone when there is so much of him. Aethiiraxa will also discover that Edgar's fur is luxuriously soft and warm. It's rather obvious when his uniform covers essentially none of his upper body.
"Ah, hello Aethiir. Can I call you that? I knew you would know when I came to visit but I didn't expect you here quite so quickly. Your wings are even faster than I imagined. Or you can teleport. I would very much like to know if it's the latter." Doesn't he have a spellbook? He should check for that.

[bc56]

The House that was Won

Alphonse's face goes white with shock as he realizes who this is. Aethiiraxa never appeared as a humanoid before.

Meanwhile, the dragon hugs Edgar a bit longer than necessary. He's very soft and warm. She likes that. "Sure, that's fine. I flew down here as soon as I heard you had arrived." She might not look it, but she's still as fast as she would be as a dragon. "So what do you think? Is Alphonse treating you well?"

[Deathkeeper]

[The House that was Won]

"Well, for someone I met four minutes ago, I'd say he's treating me quite well. Not everyone can see someone who looks like me riding in on a magic chair and stay quite so polite." Self-deprecation: the old stand-by.
"I've been told you left me with a monster problem as well." Oh, going straight for that, are you Edgar? Playing dangerous with a dragon.

[bc56]

The House that was Won

Aethii actually looks embarrassed at that jab. "I would have dealt with it, but, well, I, well..." She breathes. "I couldn't fit into the mine tunnels, okay? You humanoids build things so tiny." Well, she could fit now, but she was a big dragon when she wagered that title.

[Deathkeeper]

[The House that was Won]

Edgar shrugs.
"Well, you're more than welcome to give your citizens a parting gift and help me with the issue. You're better at fitting into small spaces than I am at the moment." Edgar pats his belly for effect, not breaking eye contact. Having some back-up would be nice, even if both of them are unsure about their present forms.

[bc56]

The House that was Won

"I suppose I could tag along. I just need something first. Now how did that chant go again?" Aethii starts muttering something under her breath. Alphonse looks at Edgar. "Will you be needing anything, sir? Equipment, provisions..?"

[Deathkeeper]

[The House that was Won]

"Well, I'm going to need a map if you can't send a scout to guide me or someone like that. I don't actually need food or water but they help. Something big and good for whacking something made of stone would be nice. And well, armor would be smart but there's no way any of you have something lying around that would fit me. So I trust your judgement." Edgar has resigned himself to his state of dress. That is to say, he's resigned himself to practical garments not fitting him, and he's incapable of caring about clothes that aren't for a practical purpose.

[Murkus]

[The Enchanted Forest]

"What? Not safe? For big badasses that pick on little children? Say it isn't so." Adir gives the horse-thing a venomous look and turns his attention fully on the boy for a moment. He starts to look for a way to open the cages while he listens. If there's a lock, maybe Owlteeth had the key. This only lasts a few seconds, of course. The transition in Adir's demeanor is something to behold. For a few moments, he was a friendly seeming man. Definitely a father, with the way he seems to favor the kids. But something of his anger creeps through with each passing second, until what's left is a poorly composed facsimile of a nice person. Like a cheery poster on the wall of a prison cell, rumpled and thin, stretched taut over a hole filled only with a great whistling darkness.

When the little boy finishes whispering, Adir slides his mask back down over his face.

He rises to his feet and starts toward the 'horse'. When he speaks, his voice holds such terrible gravity that one would think worlds turn on the nature of the beast's reply. He simply says, "Tell me how these open."

If it does so, and he's able to quickly confirm the method, he'll simply blow off its head. If it does not immediately reply with useful information, he starts to take its knees. Based on Hobbins' reaction he doesn't know if this will actually affect the creature much, but he needs to blast something right now. He needs to do anything but look at those kids, even for just a moment. If the creature offers up a compelling reason why it should not die, such as having swallowed 'Will' whole and alive like in a fairy tale, that alone might stay Adir's hand. These creatures do seem to operate on that sort of logic, after all.

[bc56]

The House that was Won

"Armor, no, but I think I have just the thing for a weapon." Alphonse turns to the servant that told them Aethii was there. "Go fetch Benbrytr from the trophy room." Meanwhile, Aethiiraxa has finished her mumbling and drawn a sword out of midair, a glistening black blade with an emerald hilt. She lets out a sharp breath as it enters her hand. "Oof! These things are so much heavier than they look." She's used to being large enough to use a sword like that as a toothpick. Judging by the stains around the tip of the blade, it might have been used for exactly that purpose. A few seconds later the servant reappears, walking slowly and carrying, with difficulty, a huge steel-bound wooden club. He offers it to Edgar. "It was used by a barbarian warlord that was defeated... Three counts ago? Before my time. It's sat in the trophy room ever since." It's a huge weapon, which a normal person would need both hands to wield and even then would have difficulty lifting it. But to someone of Edgar's prodigious strength, it should be much easier to hold.

[Deathkeeper]

[The House that was Won]

Edgar takes the club and hefts it easily over his shoulder.
"Yes, that'll do nicely. A little clumsy but I don't have any finesse anyway." Just because he can lift it doesn't mean he can control the weight. But he'll have to manage. He trusts if things go sideways Aethiraxa will bail them out.
"I can't carry yours for you." he teases the dragon. Now they just need a map or a guide.

[bc56]

The House that was Won

Aethii hefts her own weapon. "I know the way. C'mon." Alphonse looks like he's going to protest, but she cuts him off. "Who's going to mess with us?" They probably look fairly threatening.

[Deathkeeper]

The House that was Won

Edgar is likely only imposing because of the weapon and his incredible height. If not for that he would look like some lost, spoiled nobleman.
"Is there a path? I'd rather not have to wander through the underbrush." He'd rather not have to experience the wonderful world that is furry races dealing with fleas and ticks that wait out in the forests.

[bc56]

The House that was Won

Aethii looks at Edgar blankly. "There's a road. You think workers would tromp through the wilderness to get there?" She leads the way. There is indeed a road, straight and wide into the mountains. It's about a half hour walk to get to the entrance.