“It took two days to return from Pastulaire, for the road reeled like a drunkard. I thought of replacing it with a wide, straight route like those that score the Imperium: raised above the rains and flagstoned in white like a chantry altar. But I'd not trade those two days for all the gilt in Val Royeaux. The dappled sunlight. The cheery songs of peasants in the field. Barley, rippling like a sea of gold.” ―the Shame of Serault
Road and River is a basic action card in Dragon Age: The Last Court. Not all associated actions are available every draw. This is An Eventful Week card.
Description[]
“It took two days to return from Pastulaire, for the road reeled like a drunkard. I thought of replacing it with a wide, straight route like those that score the Imperium: raised above the rains and flagstoned in white like a chantry altar. But I'd not trade those two days for all the gilt in Val Royeaux. The dappled sunlight. The cheery songs of peasants in the field. Barley, rippling like a sea of gold.”
- the Shame of Serault
Travellers on Serault's sun-baked roads and white rivers are scarce, and must be protected. Which matter is most urgent?
Available actions[]
1.
An upsurge in banditry Half the cases your court heard this week were of travellers accosted on the roads. They want compensation. They want justice.
Result: Arrows from the trees The Dashing Outlaw's shameless band of malcontents aren't the only ones prowling the forest. Outcast, inbred bandit-clans claim the furthest vales, and lone outlaws devil the roads.
+2 Peril
→Outlaws Plague the Roads
2.
The merchant bows before your court "I have travelled all the way from Val Chevin, your Grace. Through Montfort and Ghislain, then across the Nahashin Marshes. Which, incidentally, I cannot commend."
Result: Patter Two spotty-faced apprentices bring forth samples: fiercely-painted ceramics and bright fabrics from the eastern ports. "Your Grace must have the first choice of these improbable luxuries. It is your unquestioned right! See, are they not splendid? Wonders like this adorn the finest parlors in Val Royeaux. "I must confess: the journey was not easy. I do not know when - or if! - I will return. Who knows when Serault will see such marvels again?"
+2 Peril
→The Merchant
Result (alternate): Patter Two spotty-faced apprentices bring forth samples of her wares: fiercely-painted ceramics and bright fabric from the eastern ports. "I wanted to bring these impeccable luxuries - which adorn the finest parlors in Val Royeaux - directly to you, your Grace, so that you might take the first choice of them, as is your unquestionable right. "But I must confess that the journey was not easy. Many dangers barred our path. I do not know when, or if, I will return. Who knows when Serault will see such marvels again?"
+2 Peril
→The Merchant
3.
Your bailiff returns to the castle beaten, bleeding and empty-handed Two guards carry him on a pallet. He tries to stand when you approach. "Forgive me, your Grace. They took the tax-coffers."
Result: Neither law nor decency He will recover. "This head's hard as old Serault oak," he sighs, rapping it. "A shame, really. I could do with a few days in bed." If lawless folk are bold enough to attack your own bailiff, who's next? A noble? Yourself? The Divine?
-2 Dignity
→Your Bailiff is Attacked
4.
An urgent report from your border guard "Your Grace! A company of mercenaries has entered Serault!"
Result: The bastard's army "We challenged them, but they were too many. They laughed! They have horse, foot, pike and archers, and a swarming throng of camp followers as rowdy as a Rhivaini circus! "Their captain is Orlesian, from his accent, but his shield was painted black to conceal his crest." A bastard, then, who turned to sword-work when he realised he'd never inherit.
+2 Peril
→The Free Company
5.
Challenge a bandit-champion to a duel
(Requires 100 Peril) The outlaw-clans are treacherous, crafty and cruel, but most of all they are proud.
Spend Authority to challenge the champion. If you succeed you will reduce Peril by a significant amount and gain a Trophy.
Difficulty: Derring-Do*6/7
Success: A haughty spirit A daughter of the Corpse-Dancer clan won the right to be the bandits' champion in a bloody series of midnight contests. She awaits you on a craggy isle at the widest point of the river, where the banks are more than a bowshot distant. On that isle, the first Marquis of Serault carved his domain and title from the wild-eyed folk who once ruled it. Your swords meet atop the bluff. Countless eyes watch from the west bank and the east. The battle is brief. Her ferocity is deep, her sword-work strong, but her feet are less sure than yours. As she falls, so does the spirit of the bandit-clans, who slink - humbled - back to their hovels. You reclaim her bent sword from the stones below, and mount it in your hall.
+1 Trophy, -50 Peril, -2 Authority
Failure: The fall You fight the Black Knot's champion atop a rocky isle in the river. He carries a pair of moon-edged axes and a coat of scars. He greets you with a howl like a wolf. He's good, but worse, he's lucky. You parry his blows, but the crag crumbles under your feet. You lose your balance. His blade nicks your cheek, and you fall. A patch of gorse saves you, but when your soldiers row across to the isle they find you half-broken. The bandits' victory-howl shakes the wood, and the wild music of their celebrations keeps the whole of Serault awake for a week.
-20 Peril, -(6 to 9) Health, -5 Authority
