Fiona smiles. [color=blue]"I would expect no less, my friend. I would be surprised if there were any trouble at the summit, but I have confidence in your ability to handle anything that comes up. Now, if you will excuse me, I think it's time for a little nap."
((This appears to be about a year, year and a half after Reynault died. Did he leave good ledgers for Henri to go over and work off of? If so, does the thousand marks a year sound right? And if so, can I safely assume that the covenant can easily afford it? And what kind of "exchanges in kind" had we done before?))
Korvin is checking on that now. I must assume that some payment happened and is called Tithes or some such. I'm sure I and perhaps some grog are going to be involved in a Crusade soon :-/
By and large, any excessive surplus was diverted to either the bishopric or the duchy, and a back of the napkin estimate of 1000 marks (500 lbs) seems about right. Henri would have sent the sums along last year without giving it much of a thought. We'll say that this year he kind of forgot about it... 
What do you mean you forgot about 500 lbs of silver?!?!
My napkin and yours are in the same ballpark. I do plan on floating by everyone a draft of a summary of covenant finances - hopefully within a week. I'll remember these tithes when I do.
(By the way, Tranquillina suddenly feels less bad about wanting a high-upkeep laboratory.... :mrgreen: )
In early winter of 1226, as Alexei is reviewing the turb, a young woman walks up to the edge of the field...although it takes him a moment to realize that it is a young woman. Her hair is snow white, but she has the face and body of a young woman, dressed in a short white dress with a plunging neckline and gathers at the waist, and she looks vaguely familiar to Alexei (but can't quite put a name to the face).
After gracing Alexei with a smile, she stands there watching the men intently.
Gaston Lainnier is near the turb, half-heartedly working on some hatchet swings, when the white-clad woman approaches. With an eyebrow raised, he straightens up, brushes some dirt off his tunic, and looks around for a way to impress her. Settling on a thin training post near that edge of the field, he casually walks around closer to her, then suddenly twists and flings his axe at the post. ((He has chosen a Hard shot: even Average would probably be impressive to a non-warrior, but Gaston knows he can make a Hard shot, no problem!))
Attack total (throwing axe) +5 + stress die 8 = 13, beating an Ease Factor of 12.
The axe thuds solidly into the lower half of the post, just as Gaston knew it would. Smiling winsomely, he turns to face the woman.
The woman watches Gaston as he moves closer, a smile playing at the corners of her lips. The smile broadens as he shows off for her, her eyes studying his body as he moves.
[color=blue]"Very nice," she says in French (with an accent that he likely can't place). [color=blue]"I do so enjoy a man who knows how to handle his weapons."
((Gaston has traveled reasonably extensively in Auvergne and Champagne as well as Bourgogne. I'd make a roll to identify the accent, but I don't really know what ability to use with Perception, other than French itself...?))
"Well, then," he replies, strutting closer to her, "it seems we are destined for an enjoyable day. What stars have aligned to bring you here this afternoon for the first time? - for I am quite confident I would remember you had you visited ere now."
((There are about three or four people in the covenant with the same accent. This is, I think, about three years after Gaston arrived, since his born and current age on his sheet adds up to 1223, so he might have heard it. I would think, maybe Per + Folk Ken?))
[color=blue]"Why limit ourselves to just the afternoon?," she says with a playful smile. [color=blue]"I've found that the things you enjoy, you can do for a very long time. As to what brings me around? I thought I would see what Mons Electi has to offer, see if it could bring me comfort, if not satisfaction." She gives him a quick, almost surreptitious once-over, then casually looks over the covenant. [color=blue]"And it's quite possible that I've found what I need," she continues with a sidelong glance at Gaston.
((The Folk Ken description starts with "Understanding the background....", so I can go with that. Gaston's roll is Per 0 + Folk Ken (available women) 4 + stress die 3 = 7, not great.))
((Also, my thinking was that Gaston and the other woolworker characters I've made had been at the covenant already, rather than arriving en masse in 1223. I just chose that year for the character build to match Tranquillina, and since most RP threads were already past 1222. Not crucial though.))
"It would trouble me unspeakably should your visit not result in your complete satisfaction, m'lady," Gaston gushes. With a flourish and a bow, he says "Gaston Lainnier, at your service. Whom do I have the pleasure of escorting 'round our grounds?" and offers her his arm.
((The French woman would know that Lainnier referred to his occupation, so now has some idea of his station in the covenant.))
((By the way, the White Woman is Gifted, so there may be the Social effects to take into account.))
She slides her arm through his and leans against him. [color=blue]"You may call me Blanche...at least for now. So, you're a wool-worker?" she says as she strokes his arm. [color=blue]"You must have very good hands. Can't wait to see what they can do."
((Sorry I only just now got a chance to look at this thread and the recent turn of events))
"Monsieur Gaston!" Alexei says sharply, noticing the lack of discipline on his task at hand. 'Who is that woman?' he thinks, he couldn't quite place her...
"Perhaps you'd care to explain yourself?"
With a start, Gaston jumps away from the woman's touch. "Seigneur! I, ah, this gentle lady requested our hospitality," he says quickly, looking around in all directions to see if Eloise had happened by. "I present to you Blanche. Not our own Blanche, of course, as you can see from the, uhmm, c'est ça."
Gaston's brow furrows as he looks again at the provocative stranger, suddenly suspicious of her appearance without understanding why. Even her rapid acquiescence to his charm, usually completely understandable, rang a little false this time. Letting Alexei take charge of the situation for now, he kept a pace's distance between him and the woman, although his eyes did not.
[color=blue]"I do believe we've met," Blanche says in French as she offers Alexei her hand with a smile, [color=blue]"but under vastly different circumstances."
Alexei gives a little wave to Gaston with his left hand 'You are dismissed' and then takes Blache's hand and kisses it.
"Alexei Von Kroitsau...Mademoiselle Blanche? How did we meet? I know this is not the first time?" he studies her face, though not in such a way to be too unseemly. "And how can I be of assistance?"
((Wow, that was kind of mean on my part, I shouldn't be just dismissing a grog that's part of the story. I'm going to ammend that))
Alexei gives a little wave to Gaston with his left hand 'Step aside' and then takes Blache's hand and kisses it.
((Dang...-2 Per and no Awareness?))
[color=blue]"When last we met, magus, I was...a little larger than I am today," she says in French.
[color=blue]"My apologies, Alexei," she says softly in Latin, with a hint of a Scottish accent, [color=blue]"I had no intention of getting Monsieur Gaston in trouble." She glances at the grog again and gives him a smile.
[color=blue]"I was simply testing a theory of mine, and it seems to have gone much better than I thought. Unfortunately. I assure you that I will return him to you intact." She grins at Alexei.
((Yeah...and the guy that runs him tends to be a bit clueless. I'm running a complete blank here.))
((facepalm White hair...Scottish accent...a little larger? Ah well. If Alexei is clueless, he's clueless. 
Might be fun if he did think that this snowy-haired vixen were to so easily infiltrate his defences, without it being an "inside job."))