Guiding the Powerful Yet Incompetent, Tuesday, Second Period

[tellmehowstuffworks]

Upon entering the Danger Shop, the students would find themselves in a well-appointed medieval-style sitting room, with Henry VIII occupying the nicest chair in the place.

Yennefer, standing behind the chair and to the side, told her students, "You are visiting a lord in your kingdom, for...the hunting or some such, the commemorative feast of a famous battle, I don't know, who cares, and your advisee has taken a liking to some of his host's tapestries and wants them packed up to take home with him, as a gift. After all, why shouldn't his host give him a gift?

"You, of course, being a sensible person, realize that this will give offense, as firstly, tapestries are very expensive and you can't just demand your host give you expensive things, and secondly, your host didn't actually give them to you so that would be stealing for anyone other than a king. Your task is to convince your advisee to leave the tapestries be. Good luck."

Comments

Sign In

[tellmehowstuffworks]

Wondering if Yennefer reads the news.

Re: Sign In

[nicedragonsfinishlast]

Julius Heartstriker Quetz

Re: Sign In

[gospel_of_oblivion]

Illyana Rasputin

Re: Sign In

[scoffs_at_tradition]

Shuri

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[grayskollar]

Adora

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[dauntlessdragoon]

Freya Crescent

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[mylandmyrules]

Nell Ingram

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[unusual_sith]

Lana Beniko

During the Lecture

[tellmehowstuffworks]

Tapestries, hmm?

Convince the King

[tellmehowstuffworks]

They're ugly tapestries anyway.

Re: Convince the King

[nicedragonsfinishlast]

Oh thank goodness. A lifetime of managing Bethesda's whims was coming in handy. Yennefer could have been talking about his mother specifically.

"Your Majesty," Julius said. "If I may point out, many people have seen these tapestries here. I should hate for anyone to look at your decor and assume that you were copying this lord's taste. Surely it would be better to have ones created for you personally, rather than receiving secondhand castoffs."

Re: Convince the King

[tellmehowstuffworks]

Yennefer gave Julius an approving nod, but the king said stubbornly, "But I like these, and they're already done."

Re: Convince the King

[nicedragonsfinishlast]

"Of course, Your Majesty," Julius said quickly. "But do you really want people looking at your halls and thinking of someone else, do you? They should be focusing on your spendidness, not someone else's good taste."

Re: Convince the King

[tellmehowstuffworks]

"Hmmm," the king said. "You may have a point. It really should be all about me, shouldn't it?"

Re: Convince the King

[nicedragonsfinishlast]

"It really should," Julius assured him. "And think of how honored the weaver would be to receive your notice when you commission tapestries in your own honor! Truly a grand gesture, Majesty."

Oh god, this shouldn't feel so much like home.

Re: Convince the King

[tellmehowstuffworks]

"Yes," the king said thoughtfully. "Yes. Tapestries about me..."

And now he was daydreaming about them.

"Nicely done," Yennefer told Julius.

Re: Convince the King

[nicedragonsfinishlast]

"Thanks," Julius said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I...this was good practice."

Re: Convince the King

[tellmehowstuffworks]

"Do you have experience with narcissists or are you just a natural?"

Re: Convince the King

[nicedragonsfinishlast]

"Uhh. I've dealt - my mom - err..." Julius struggled to find a way to say My mother is a petty despot who rules over the family with iron talons but. You know. Without saying that.

Re: Convince the King

[gospel_of_oblivion]

Illyana eyed the offending tapestries with a sigh.

"Look, they're old, and tacky, and don't really go with the rest of your stuff, and definitely aren't worth starting a war for stealing them. Hold a contest or something for all the weavers to compete for your favor and start a new design revolution instead. Make him look shabby."

Re: Convince the King

[tellmehowstuffworks]

The king pounded his fist on the arm of his chair. "How dare you question my taste? And a war? None of my vassals would dare defy me!"

Behind the chair, Yennefer said, "The second half was a very good idea, but you'd already lost him with the first half questioning his taste and how utterly cowed his subjects are by his magnificence." She rolled her eyes at this last, then asked, "How do you regroup?"

Re: Convince the King

[gospel_of_oblivion]

"That is a harder question than you realize," Illyana replied, amused. "I was raised in a Hell dimension. My natural inclinations in how to resolve issues are generally frowned upon by most humans."

She was trying very hard to be Good. But she'd only been out of Limbo for a year, and that didn't mean she wasn't still demonically-inclined.

She sighed, and turned her attention back to Henry. "I will make you something magical and special when we get home. BUT. The spell requires you abstain from simply taking what you want while you are a guest, because your purity of intent and piety to the laws of hospitality must be real for it to be magnificent."

Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiies. Illyana could use her creation magic right here and now, but she kinda wanted to punish him a little.

Re: Convince the King

[tellmehowstuffworks]

"Good!" Yennefer said. "Bullshitting about magic is a solid legitimate tactic, especially if you know your royal doesn't know how magic works, which, let's be honest, most of them don't."

The king stroked his beard. "Hmm. Special and magical, you say?"

Re: Convince the King

[gospel_of_oblivion]

"Special, magical, and one-of-a-kind," Illyana sighed, looking bored. "But the spell won't work if you do something selfish for personal gain, because it the level of wonder is based upon the recent purity of your heart and intentions. For creation magic sees into the deepest shadows of us, and reacts accordingly."

Okay, not total bullshit, creation magic *was* picky about intent and meaning, but only in regards to the actual magical practitioner.

Re: Convince the King

[scoffs_at_tradition]

"Do you want another regional uprising?" Shuri demanded. "Because this is how you get a regional uprising."

Tact was not her strong suit.

Re: Convince the King

[tellmehowstuffworks]

"My subjects would not dare!" the king roared. "They are all completely loyal to me!"

Doubtful.

Re: Convince the King

[scoffs_at_tradition]

Shuri snorted. "Not if they can credibly point to blank walls where tapestries were before you came and aren't there after."

Re: Convince the King

[tellmehowstuffworks]

"They are a gift. A host should give his guest a gift!" No, that's...that's not how that works...

Re: Convince the King

[scoffs_at_tradition]

"The host should get to pick the gift out," Shuri countered. "You can't just pick something. That's theft."

Re: Convince the King

[mylandmyrules]

"Oh Sir," Nell said, looking concerned. "You'un don't want those tapestries. Not with the curse and everything."

Re: Convince the King

[tellmehowstuffworks]

The king looked concerned. "What curse?"

Re: Convince the King

[mylandmyrules]

"I'm not surprised you haven't heard," Nell said in a low voice. "They try to keep it quiet, but anyone removing the tapestries from this hall... I shudder to even think of what has happened. There doesn't seem to be a problem if they stay here, but the ill luck that befalls any place they are moved to..."

She shook her head. "I'd hate for you to chance such evil."

Re: Convince the King

[unusual_sith]

"You could start a new trend," Lana said, nodding approvingly. "No, wait - they'd be starting the trend. You'd be seen as a follower." She frowned in feigned concern. "Do you think it wise to be seen as a follower, your majesty?"

Talk to Yennefer

[tellmehowstuffworks]

She's here!

OOC

[tellmehowstuffworks]

La