First play through trying to get involved in court politics. Had my first assassination attempt today.

I typically just play through as a merchant: buying low, selling high and bashing bandits to blow off steam. But this play through I started as a son of a noble to try out the court relationship mechanics. I thought it was going ok until getting jumped in a tavern by an assassin.

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I joined up with Sarranid Sultanate, get my poor little village and think I'm ready to go. Big mistake. No affordable food so I've got to trade in dyes, pottery, and dates so I can sell them in other regions to keep my troops fed and afford my army. So I still have to spend a chunk of time as a merchant.

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I figured I could get some good allies by marrying right, so I started courting the ladies of the realm. Things were going well with Lady Sur. I read her all my poems, visited her every time she asks. I start sucking up to her brother Emir Quryas. When he stops giving me tasks, I follow him around when we're at war to save him when he gets into fights. Our relationship gets up around 14, so I ask if I can be considered a good match for seeing his sister. Not only does he say no, he's pissed I'm seeing her behind his back so I lose points with him there.

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I'm doing well in our wars, helping out all the other lords. Showing up at the feasts. Get awarded no new fiefs, but I've been building up my village doing all the village elder quests even though I'm like 'Build a fence for that damn cattle already.' Taxes start covering about half my troop costs so I can get more engaged in the constant wars we're fighting. Beating up lords is better than bandits anyway, but I still mourn every Sword Sister who gets downed by a Rhodok crossbow bolt in the first minute of the battle. Girl - wear a god damn helmet.

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Get my renown up around 500 when Emir Mundhalir tells me to go visit his daughter in her bedchambers at a feast. Creepy, but ok. Lady Yasmin is at -2 with me, because she didn't like me telling her I admired her at a different feast. I dedicate my tournament win to her, serves to break the ice. Soon, her old lady is dropping me letters so I do the old visit and read poetry bit.

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When our relationship is at like +8 I run into Emir Quryas again and he totally bitches me out because he's hung up on Yasmin. Instant drop to like -13. I consider finding a married lady of the Sultanate to buy him off with a couple gifts, but none know me well enough for the bride and none ever seem to 'need a champion.'

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Time passes. One lady I'm courting - Ruwa - disappears to the Nords after marrying my boy Lakhem who I was up to like 40 relationship with. Some friend, marries one of my girls and then goes and commits treason. She still shows up on my courtship report for some reason, but broke ass Lakhem has no fiefs. Everyone is telling me she's in Sargoth but I've tried to find her 3 times and she's never in the court. I keep running into Lakhem's sister Safiya though, dedicate a tournament to her and consider admiring her just to get back at Lakhem but I'll pass for now.

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Back in the Sarranid things are going well with Lady Yasmin. I've pretty much given up on Lady Sur, so there's no reason to suck up to Quryas again. I end up running into him at a feast in Narra anyway and he's still hung up on Yasmin. My relationship with him drops down to -33 after he bitches me out again.

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I decide to pop into the tavern before heading out of Narra and immediately get jumped by a hired assassin. I put him down easy enough but it pissed me off. At least the belligerent drunk has some funny dialogue, this dude apparently just lurks in the corner.

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I check my character report and Emir Quryas is the only one listed as "Enemy." The only lord who even comes close is that fool Jarl Olaf at -6 because I hunt him down every time we're at war for raiding my village.

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Emir Quryas has got to go. I've got like 5 "friends" from the Sarranid lords. What can we do to drag him out of the desert covered in butter?

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Submitted December 13, 2018 at 09:57PM by vertigoflow https://ift.tt/2Lf1QKK