Solace gives birth to a baby girl, whom she names Hope. She asks Vialle to be godmother to the baby, perhaps in hopes of staving off too many visits from Lady Vesper, who spends most of her time at the castle when she can.
Folly stops by Solace's quarters frequently -- often during or after a visit from Lady Vesper -- to sing lullabies and soothing songs. Eventually, Solace figures out that the songs are intended as much to calm her own ragged nerves as to soothe her baby.
Vialle, who also spends a lot of time there, certainly figures it out, and is grateful.
Interestingly enough, Jerod wanders in from time to time to speak to Vialle after the birth of the baby, and shows an interest in how the baby is doing. Whether anyone can prove he's ever changed a diaper is questionable at best, but it appears he has no nervousness around children, and actually seems to like them. OTOH, he dislikes Lady Vesper's constant visits, and makes sure to keep up with the castle staff on whether she's becoming a pain in the ass...if that's the case, measures will be taken to correct that problem (quietly).
Vere will make a point of seeking out Lady Vesper and speaking with her whenever she's in the castle, since he doesn't mind her so much and she seems to annoy the rest of the Family. He'll fill her in all the intricate details of the latest changes he and Nestor have made in the filing system of the Library, on the interesting problems they're having with the drains and the solutions they're finding for them, the intriguing new ways the cooks are finding to serve the same ingredients over and over in new recipes, the many fascinating things he's discovered about the life cycles of the spiders and insects that live in the castle, and many, many, many other topics. Vere is a never-ending source of such conversation for dear Lady Vesper.
[GMs]
[Vere is just mean.]
Lady Vesper learns to avoid Vere and is seen less frequently than she otherwise might be, even without an epidemic of minor improbably accidents.
That's so sad. Vere hates the thought of a grandmother not keeping current on the doings of her grandchild, so he solicits amusing and entertaining stories about Hope's progress from Solace and the child's nurse (surely she has a nurse?). Every couple of weeks, when he has several hours worth of these stored up, he will visit Lady Vesper at her home in Amber, and regale her with amusing stories of the baby's first grin, the baby's first burp, the funny faces she makes when she hears Folly's music, her discovery of her toes, which toys she likes best, who she prefers playing peek-a-boo with, and all the other endlessly fascinating details that Lady Vesper no doubt longs to hear to fill her empty evenings.
Paige is a doting aunt who will openly tell Harmony off when she gets too infuriating.
Aside: Nobody calls her Harmony. Not even Aunt Felicity.
Solange hears things from Aunt Felicity that amount to "Well, I never!" on Lady Vesper's part. But Aunt Felicity obviously thinks it's funny.
Lucas will be soliciting during this time, both from his cousins as well as Solace and Vialle (but NOT Vesper) suggestions for a birth celebration. If asked by cousins why he has waited so long, he'll make some flippant line along the lines of, "Well, I didn't want to show the baby off when it was all wrinkly." He gives Solace and Vialle different answers in private.
"A birth celebration?" Jerod asks. "Well...I suppose you could always go and invite those people you find personally appealing to the event. Assuming of course that you think that would be wise.
"Or you might talk to your wife and see if she's got some ideas. I'm sure that some of your cousins here would quite love going to such an event."
Vere considers the question thoughtfully. "Among Mother's people," he says, "there would be a naming-day ceremony, including a presentation of the child to the Priestesses and a dedication of her future to the Goddess' service." He shrugs. "That is probably not called for in this case. However, we would also have a ceilidh, with singing, dancing and drinking, and many women eager to see and hold the baby and give the parents a night free of all care."
"Well, love, what do you want to accomplish?" asks Folly. "If you're looking for some sort of big public thing, where Amber's citizens officially become aware of Hope's existence and maybe have a chance at a glimpse of her, then some sort of ceremony of records might be in order -- you know, having someone officially proclaim the baby's name and her parentage --" Folly gives Lucas a sly smile -- " or maybe having Vialle publicly accept the role of godmother, or somesuch. I'm sure Vialle would be thrilled, and it would piss off Lady Vesper, which is always a bonus. And of course," she adds, "you'd be under no obligations to mention Hope's actual birthday during any of this, if you don't want to. In fact, her 'naming day' could become her official celebratory anniversary, if you wish...."
Folly doesn't ask Lucas why he's waited so long. :)
Solace supports whatever dear Lucas wants.
Vialle thinks you ought to have a quiet afternoon reception for Solace, to reintroduce her into society after her confinement. Perhaps the girls could talk things out with Aunt Felicity and some of the other ladies in her circle, to make sure that any unseemly gossip is kept to a minimum. People will count on their fingers, but that's not to be helped.
Lucas will go for that.
[Lucas]
I'm thinking Lucas will ask Vialle to be the godmother, but will not
make a big ceremony of it. It'll likely come up during the reception,
though.
Other things this year, Paige is working painting much more, leaving any sort of Court issues to Jerod and handing much of her judicial docket to Lorring, if possible. She'll take students if any inquire, but she expects that to be unlikely.
Reid takes an interest in her painting skills, and feels out whether suggestions to improvement in technique or content would be welcomed.
Comments offered contructively would be welcomed, warmly. She'd be happy to discuss technique, but one can see that while she enjoys it, Paige would much rather be doing than talking. If Reid's amicable to working together on something, or perhaps talking while sitting for her, she'd love it.
She spends several weekends at her summer house to the north, just getting away.
And for those watching the on-going drama, she seems more at ease with Martin.
One evening, a runner arrives from Arden and is presented to the council. The young man seems nervous before such illustrious personages, but he stands tall with his crown badge displayed and, when asked, relays this message (almost without taking a breath):
"Ranger Brita regrets to inform the council that an accident has occurred in Arden. A family travelling through Arden without Ranger protection was attacked by a bear which killed the parents and one child. The other child is being treated for serious injuries. Ranger Brita requests that the council inform the citizens of Amber to the potential danger from wildlife in the forest and ask that Rangers be alerted of future excursions into the forest so that proper protection can be provided." The young man seems to deflate slightly as he finally completes his message.
"Oh," he adds, digging in his pouch. "Brita - er, Ranger Brita - asked me to give you this note as well which provides more detail on the attack."
[who takes it? I'll send a post with the message to the individual that takes it. They can then decide what gets read to the group. Ah, reality e-mail! :)]
Vere tilts his head to one side, and high Waters and those who know him best might almost think he was amused, though others will see only the same unemotional Vere they are used to. He does not make any move to take the note.
Jerod will take the message that the runner offers and scans it for a moment to get the gist fo the message. But he doesn't keep it and passes it to the person next to him for their perusal.
Paige, while not sitting next to Jerod, (not that high in the pecking order and not minding sitting near Martin currently..) will extend a hand. "May I?" she asks.
Jerod passes it over to her without any delay.
She reads it more deliberately, looking for meanings behind words.
Reid, being part of an investigative triumvirate with the other two note readers indicates his intent to read the note over Paige's shoulder. It may be an unrelated matter to the warehouse investigations, but if the council was gathered, he probably would have positioned himself between Jerod and Paige.
Solange takes the note and reads it in turn. (After Paige, I think.)
Oh, bugger. Lucas will contrive to look over her shoulder.
"We may have a return message for you." Jerod says to the runner. "Get something to eat and drink from the kitchens, and be outside the door immediately after."
[GMs]
I think everyone is going to read it in the end, so here it is:
---
Lord Gerard and Cousins,
The accidental deaths of the three Milner family members does appear to
have been caused by a bear - probably one that had just come out of
hibernation. I am hoping that the efforts to save the remaining child
succeed. Barring finding any additional family members, I would like to
request that the child become a ward of the Crown.
In extending the patrols through Arden, the Rangers have found no abnormal animal activity (or Chaos incursions). They have noted human activity, however, coming from the Amber-side of Arden. The human incursions could be innocent, but with the current state of affairs in Ranger/non-Ranger relations, it seems like it would be a good idea to alert the populace to the wildlife dangers and try to set up a method of informing Rangers of sanctioned access to Arden. I will be initiating a patrol of that side of Arden to watch for any unsanctioned access to protect Arden and also prevent accidents like with the Milner family.
Is there any probability of Chaos-inspired hits on Arden? I don't believe this accident is related to our previous problems and the Black Road is gone, but I will try to keep the Rangers alert to anything.
The Rangers are tolerating the Crown's control and my push to keep the Rangers "efficient in this time of war." Any assistance in providing new recruits would be appreciated to help "keep the peace." I believe we can put the Ranger/settler conflict to rest for now, although I will try to be alert to any grumblings in the ranks.
Please keep me informed of any requests you have for Ranger assistance. Somebody give Hope a hug for me.
Respectfully, while enjoying her outdoor adventures,
Brita
Once everyone has had a chance to read the note, Jerod looks around. "Does anyone have any concerns they want to bring up about this? It seems pretty straight forward. I'm not sure what aid we could bring to her in regards to the child that she wouldn't have...though if someone's got an interest in it, I'd say go for it. She seems to have a good handle on things for the moment."
After Carver breaks and his smugglers and hoarders give it up, it's trivial to clean up the smaller operations. Between the efforts of the 2/3 of the council involved in this bloody awful mess, you are able to recover the vast majority of the "missing" food. It takes weeks to break everything down and recover all the food.
Based on the evidence presented, Gerard decrees punishments for the offending merchants: loss of crown contracts and patent permission to accompany crown vessels and caravans for periods of one to ten years, depending on circumstance.
Bliss is on the light end; Laurel, Jewel, and Carver are in the middle. Smaller figures take the brunt.
Gerard also issues an additional edict about the illegality of food hoarding. It is possible to move food into stores outside the warehouse district, but the Crown must be notified if the food was acquired on a crown-sponsored voyage or caravan. Since this caveat covers everything since the Sundering, it's not very meaningful.
There's quite a bit of grumbling about the edict, but everyone complies.
Jerod will be listening out for this...he knows that for the next little while information is likely to be scarce given the rep he's likely developed in relation to Carver, but he's still interested...mostly in regards to why they are grumbling.
How are people amusing themselves these days?
Lucas keeps himself quite busy with trading and work in Garnath. What spare time he has is spent at the Red Mill and with Hope.
Family jam sessions presumably continue, with the usual suspects playing and bringing back new tunes from their travels.
Vere continues to attend these, as well as playing with Folly at the Pickled Grouse whenever she wants him.
[Folly]
The bagpipes will be a big hit.
If he has not already been doing so, Folly will encourage Gerard to stop by the sessions from time to time. She claims that she's hoping he'll teach her the bawdy sailor songs he must've learned in all those years at sea. Even low waters can tell, though, that her real hope is that the music will help ease Gerard's continuing pain.
Gerard does attend them on occasion, although he steadfastly refuses to teach her bawdy songs.
Reid has worked himself into a schedule of playing publicly at least 3 nights a week most of the time.
While Reid is well known and appreciated at the Pickled Grouse, it's possible for him to pick up a weekly gig somewhere more upscale if he wishes.
Martin continues to host cards and dice at the Red Mill for cousins and close friends such as Worth and Venesch. After he crashes a ladies' games night in the castle with any male cousins he can find on short notice, he also hosts occasional coed game nights at the castle. Privately, he's had a new guitar made and seems to be practicing a lot with it, though not in the hearing of most of you.
Jerod would probably be one of the males on short notice for that event...he'd actually be curious to see his sister playing cards...:) (as oppose to reading them).
[Lucas]
In.
Ossian is in.
Vere raised an eyebrow. "Intrude upon the ladies' private night uninvited? While I can see the intended humour, it is surely not a polite thing to do to our Cousins?" He will politely decline to join the expedition.
Oh, but Jerod and Martin have got to get this guy drunk once or twice...:)...and for Jerod to be saying that, that says something...
Martin rolls his eyes, amused and exasperated all at once. "Paige all but ordered me to crash it, Vere. Don't be such a stick. Loosen up. Besides," he adds, "she only started it because she wasn't invited to Red Mill, anyway."
Ossian takes Vere by the arm; "Listen to Martin. Let's go! You can always tell anyone that Ossian and Martin talked you into this."
Then, with a lowered voice: "I think your sister actually would like you to come, and the other girls too, cousin."
Vere regards Ossian for a few seconds, then looks over at Martin. "Ah," he says. "I see. Very well then."
Ossian looks questioningly at Vere for a few moments, and then starts to laugh. "Let's go!"
[Paige]
He crashes?!? How dare he?
[OK, GM's we need some sort of read on how this particular game of cards goes. There's bragging rights at stake...]
Big-time. Folly will play a lot more competitively at the crashed game than she normally does with just the ladies -- usually she sees the games as more of a social event and makes only a minor effort to win consistently.
The bragging rights will be quite hollow for those interested in them, at least from Jerod's perspective...:)...he tends to lose in cards against his cousins with higher water and air scores. He also recognizes that most of them are a lot better at gambling than he is...so the idea of losing isn't that big a deal. He looks at it this way - its not a big deal if a superior card player manages to whump Jerod's butt playing cards - its expected that it should happen (sort of like a foregone conclusion you might say, like Wayne Gretsky getting a few goals in a hockey game - no big deal). But what happens if Jerod turns the tables and manages to beat one of them...:) (not that it would ever happen).
Vialle hosts occasional afternoon teas at the castle for the ladies and friends such as Aunt Felicity. It is these teas that she proposes to use as a model for baby Hope's coming-out party.
[Lucas]
In if I can smooth talk my way.
Vialle is happy to see Lucas and the boys if they want to come to tea. (Gerard does sometimes, Martin does not.)
Solace is very busy with her baby and happy to have help from dear Lucas' cousins. She knits and embroiders a lot to keep her hands busy. Hope has lovely dresses and Lucas has fancy embroidery on his shirts.
[Lucas]
"Yes dear, quite lovely."
Jerod wanders in from time to time, checking to see how she's doing, as his busy schedule permits. Noting that she seems to like embroidering and other things, he'll make sure that various materials (of very good quality) for such activities make their way into Lucas' possession from time to time...so he can present them to his wife himself...:)
Vere will visit Solace and Hope from time to time, playing games with the baby and observing her progress with interest.
Folly frequently stops by to help with the baby. When Hope gets big enough to be away from her mother for more than a few minutes, Folly takes her on Seuss-like tours of the castle, singing rhymes about whatever they see ("Look, sweet baby, here comes Liam!/He's wearing red, so it's easy to see 'im!"). [Martin might want to consider changing his name.]
Martin takes the baby away from Folly, puts her down for a minute, and proceeds to tickle Folly into submission until she apologizes for that atrocious rhyme. ;-P
Cambina has had some older sections of the castle opened based on information provided by Reid. She's also working on a new family genealogy, not for publication.
Reid helps when available, and uses the opportunity to look for trinkets that might have been his father's, or things he might recall from his youth.
He finds some things he remembers, but nothing particularly identifiable as his father's. Cambina suspects Reid would want to ask Prince Benedict about mementos of Osric.
Gerard is still trying to get out and about as much as he can, making day trips to the harbor and the Naval on occasion. He has also embarked on a course of intense weight-lifting and upper-body exercise to keep from going to seed in his wheelchair.
If Gerard is interested, Jerod will arrange for an outing to the Diogenes Club...the membership no doubt would be quite eager to see the Regent, and Jerod's pretty sure some activities that Gerard likes can be arranged for when he's there.
Vere will attend upon his Father as often as possible, and will continue to act as a messenger for him.
On the amusement front, we know that Martin and Lucas also have mistresses. Has anyone else picked up an amour? Enquiring minds want to know.
Ossian has not done so....yet. Even if there are some contratictory rumours going about.
To date, Jerod does not have a mistress, though its reasonably certain that there are no shortage of volunteers...:) Its not that he's uninterested in the ladies, but rather that none seem to be able to hold his attention for very long.
No one has heard anything suggesting that Vere has any interests in that direction.
Gerard is mildly worried about that, but doesn't say anything to Vere. (Or anyone else, for that matter.)
Solange is starting to wonder if maybe her brother likes other guys and is just very, very discreet about it. She does not, however, ask him, although she might pay a little more attention to his social life.
When he attends social functions Vere flirts back casually with any women who flirt with him, and seems both accomplished at flirting (if a trifle pedantic at times) and at ease with the women (both married women and maidens). Nothing ever seems to come of this, however. No one has seen anything at all indicating any interest in men.
Have Ossian and Reid thought about a club yet? What parade Krewes are people in for the Spring Festival? (Ask Rikibeth.)
[Lucas]
Krewes...?
I'll take that as "ask Rikibeth."
From a separate thread, where the explanation first occurred:
Martin says, "It's kind of you to say so." Changing the subject: "So what exactly happens during Festival here? I've seen all sorts of spring festivals in my travels, from the most rustic to the technologically urban. Not that high-tech shadows are always in touch with the seasons, mind you. But a good excuse to get drunk and have a wild time is welcome most places, whether or not you really understand why."
"Well, the excuse for all the festivities is the annual Dedication of the Fleet ceremony. The big parade is a procession to the waterfront to watch the King make his speech. Of course, it's gotten pretty elaborate over the centuries, and what was once just the heads of the merchant companies and the admirals marching down behind the King towards the assembled captains and crews has turned into something much bigger. Some of the floats and bands and things are sponsored by merchant companies and guilds and clubs and societies that have a purpose the rest of the year beyond the parade, but the biggest, fanciest ones are put together by parade krewes, which are private associations that exist just to put on parade displays. And of course the krewes go masked, so nobody's supposed to know who's part of what krewe the rest of the year, and maybe the dockworkers and sailmakers don't know, but Aunt Felicity could tell you which ones all of her friends were in, and their husbands, and which ones were considered the most important. And everyone in the city who isn't actually marching in the parade or riding on a float turns out to watch it, and lots of them go masked or in fancy dress too, and then after the parade and the ceremony there's the celebrating -- musicians and players in the streets, and also private parties and balls. The invitations are just starting to come in, and now that I'm The Regent's Daughter, I've got a stack of 'em. I bet you will too. I'm surprised nobody's asked you to be in a krewe yet."
"Oh yes," says Martin, "I've gotten quite a few invitations to balls and the like. I think now I've even been sounded out for a krewe, but I didn't know what I was being asked at the time, so I probably gave all the wrong answers."
Solange nods. "No doubt," she says.
In other words, the GMs let me incorporate New Orleans Mardi Gras into Amber, minus the frat boys.
[Jerod]
Ah...so it would appear that the family will get invitations to be part of a
Krewe? (assuming I'm reading this right)
In that case...Jerod's got a day off work and is going to relax...you guys have fun at the Festival...:) (he isn't worrying about receiving any invitations anytime soon)
[GMs]
Jerod has certainly been a member of a Krewe for many years. Like being in
a club, it's a networking thing as much as it is a social thing. I can't
imagine Jerod wouldn't have used that kind of a network, and he wouldn't be
thrown out of his Krewe even if someone complained of his conduct with
Carver and Octave. Basically, it takes a Royal to blackball a Royal.
I wasn't figuring Jerod would actually get blackballed...but if no one actually sent an invitation, that gives him an excuse to not show up...:) (he takes his vacation time whenever he can get it)
However, I suspect the probability of Jerod not getting an invitation are such that even he would be hard-pressed to adjust the local shadow conditions...:) (were he so inclined)
(P.S. Sir Octave is also a member of Diogenes.)
I'm not surprised...I'd figure most of the legal crew, plus all the intellectuals (be they artistic or pure science types) would be members. Jerod's not going to ignore him when he's at the club, though out of courtesy he's also not going to go looking for him either. We'll see how it goes from there.
Folly plans to spectate with her friends from the Pickled Grouse.
Brita probably hears about the Spring Festival during one of her trips into town (or potentially through the Rangers themselves). She will ask if the Rangers have ever participated (military drill team?) or if any assistance would be needed in crowd control. You don't get the impression that Brita is interested in attending the parade for fun.
The Rangers have their own springtime celebrations in the country and don't participate in the city festival. The Rangers will certainly expect Brita to celebrate with them, so she probably wouldn't join a Krewe anyway.
Brita will certainly join in the celebrations and will schedule patrols for the day of festivities to allow all patrollers time to join in the party.
As for the parade Krewes; Ossian is with some artist friends, most of them young and radical, but according to the rumours, Baron Kaliq is also involved.
This year the krewe has put together a float, with very somber decoration. Skulls, tombstones, hourglasses; grey, silver and black. Everyone on the float is dressed in a large black hooded cape, and carrying a scythe. However; there is a wild party on the float, with music, dancing and drinks. "Come and party with Death" is the slogan.
Well, Vere will no doubt join the Naval's Krewe. It would be Poseidon in Shadow Earth's N'awlins [OOC - My old Tulane schooling is showing] but I don't know what sorts of names the Krewes would have in Amber. Maris Regus, perhaps?
The festival passes without much interest or involvement from Reid.
For those of you taking occasional weekend jaunts outside Amber, where do you go? What do you bring back?
[Lucas]
From shadow? Not much. Occasional knick-knacks that periodically amuse
him. That's about it.
Ossian goes here and there; mostly he looks for strange places, with odd colourings. He brings back lots and lots of scetches. Now and then he can be seen sitting somewhere in a park, (why not the memorial?), or on the slopes of Kolvir near the city, painting. If you come closer, you see that he often does not paint what he sees right now, but rather some other place, or person.
Several of you have mentioned small country houses in Garnath. What do you do when you go there? Do you invite others to accompany you?
Jerod continues his activity of hawking when he gets a chance, and its usually when he's in Garnath. He will occasionally invite people but its rare (mostly because of his schedule)...it would seem to be his place to retreat from the hectic life of the castle and Court. Those who are invited (and accept) find a very comfortable hunting lodge with several rooms to it. It has the slight bit of disarray to it that comes to be expected from a bachelor, but Jerod seems to be able to find anything he wants. There is a perponderance of music but most of it is cleaned up and put away before guests arrive, though it can be found in various cupboards as well as a couple of musical instruments, though his favored one (based on usage) seems to be the violin.
He also continues his behaviour of vanishing for a day or two every couple to three weeks...
Lucas will occasionally take Solace and Hope there, and that's about it.
On a tangent, I think Lucas is going to increase his smoking habit.
[He's probably importing cigars, then, and may be a driving force in starting tobacco farms north of the city.]
Vere continues to take Psyche out alone from time to time, in both directions up and down the coast and occasionally just out as far into the sea as he can go in a few days.
Reid is more often the guest than the host. Even though he visits Garnath with some regularity (one or two weekends a month, perhaps), he doesn't own property there and relies on the hospitality of the people he's met there.
As a Royal, most people are happy to see Reid come, but he has a reasonable sense for when he's wearing out his welcome. (Fish and guests ...)
Reid will probably meet in passing with Lucas and Martin, both of whom travel in Garnath on a regular basis when they're not at sea.
Brita spends much of her time in Arden/Garnath. She will welcome hawking or sparring with Jerod or any other cousins who head out this way. On her trips back to Amber, after she has updated Lord Gerard, she will stop by and play with Hope, attend any teas, and play cards. Her trips to Amber normally last for only a couple of days or at most a week and are relatively infrequent. For more regular updates, Brita normally sends runners to the council with reports detailing any growth in the Ranger ranks, any Events noted during patrols, the well being of the settlers and citizens of Garnath, etc.
A change of pace is just realized...there's someone in or near Garnath who likes hawking...:)...which means Jerod's got something to do with somebody when he's out there...so he'll make arrangements when he's there and Brita's not on patrol to take time and stop by...see how things are going with her and the Rangers, as well as to spar and hawk. If something comes up of a Council nature, he's around at least to listen, or to give the remainder of the group a warning in case there's something he thinks he might need dealing with before it gets too far (this assumes it falls into an area outside of Brita's responsibility, otherwise he doesn't touch it unless asked).
Brita enjoys sparing with Jerod and riding out to hawk (she will work these rides into her patrols of Arden). She also readily accepts Jerod's advice on council matters.
Actually...Jerod's looking more for her advice on Arden issues, so that he's better prepared in case stuff comes up in Court...:)
Brita readily talks to Jerod about the goings on in Arden. She mentions that patrols are becoming more cohesive and regular as she shows Jerod the patrol scheduling chart. "The problem I am having is that Arden is so big and the Ranger forces so denuded that it is difficult to cover everything properly." Brita points to the large green area on the map [y'all will see it soon]. "I don't want to neglect the Arden patrol duties that the Rangers feel are important. I want to try to increase our ranks and the best way I can see doing that is to provide increased benefits in the form of schooling in terms of reading and writing, as well as normal training. "
Jerod doesn't see anything wrong with this. Certainly the opportunity for advancement by becoming one of the Rangers is better now that they are deemed Crown troops.
"We should continue a recruitment drive to see about getting more personnel. I think we can push the element of citizenship in this case. Just as people can work off their debt to become a citizen by joining the army, the same can be done with the Rangers." Jerod says. "We have to be careful not to overload the system too much though. Training for things like reading and writing are good...but not essential for initial rangers. Better for those who want to lead patrols and advance."
"If we set up a cadre system for training, it will allow us to promote new personnel, as well as utilize existing personnel who may not be as efficient in the field, but better in staff positions. You've already put something like that in place now. This will permit you to set up a cycle of regular indoctrination for new recruits and to expand the units without undue stress. That way the new ranger recruits get inducted and properly trained, advancement opportunities are made available to spur the efforts of existing personnel to excel and still deals with the old-timers who are as high as they want to go."
"I'll speak to the others and see about setting up a more formalized recruitment process." and Jerod brings up those concerns at the next meeting assuming Brita is not there herself.
At some point in the future, Jerod would also recommend that the Council meet in Arden a couple of times, so that Brita is around for meetings and the Council can see what's happening...as well, it can be a good morale building exercise to see how the Rangers handle having such a big group of "notables" as guests.
Brita will spend time monitoring the care of the Milner child. She is hoping for a full recovery and, assuming the child shows signs of improvement, will bring books (w/ pictures), toys, and other appropriate diversions/amusements to the child. [By the way, how old is the child? do we have a name yet?]
He's in the eight-to-ten age range, so old enough to confirm what happened to his parents after he's healed up enough to talk. The Rangers at the enclave where he's staying are interested in taking him on as a mascot of sorts, and ultimately a trainee.
[FWIW, I didn't have a name in mind, so you can name him.]
Brita will readily agree to adopting Ger Milner into the Rangers. She will, however, insist that he receive schooling (reading/writing and such) in addition to his Ranger training. She will stop by the enclave often once he is back on his feet to teach him hand-to-hand fighting skills and work with him on his reading.
Folly also takes an interest in the child and offers to accompany Brita on her visits.
Partly as a result of hearing about the child's injuries, several of the books Folly takes out of the library are on medicine. She's also reading up on animal husbandry, metaphysics, and -- of course -- music.
Brita will also regularly schedule herself into the Ranger patrols. She will vary her support between the Arden routes, the border routes, and guard duty for caravans. She is not always scheduled as lead on these patrols, but integrates herself into the normal patrol order.
The Rangers respect that she's willing to take direction and learn from senior Rangers.
On her patrols through Arden, she will take note of the smells to get a good feel for the normal denizens populating the forest.
[GMs]
*sniff, sniff* Smells like forest.
*sniff, sniff* Smells like forest critter.
*sniff, sniff* Smells like Chaos critter.
*smash!*
:) Brita will assume she is doing the smashing :)
She will also go on some "patrols" alone, mainly through the forest. She will take her paints along and detail specific regions of the forest (View of Kolvir from Arden Edge, Main Road a Third Distance Through Arden, Garnath/Arden Border North of Settlers Town) using the skills that Master Reid has taught her.
While none of the paintings Brita is currently making have Trump qualities, as Trumps are currently dead, Brita will be well prepared to make place Trumps of these locations when Trumps start to work again.
[Brita]
That was the general thought.
Sometimes, she will just go into the forest and meditate as Master Ngyen taught her, channelling herself out into the calmness of the forest.
Last modified: 1 Jan 2002