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Arc 8 Chapter XX: High Stakes Negotiations
🕑 Added 2024-10-27 23:13:01 +0000 UTCBy the time Vitellius had finished with his initial 'proposal' (read: blatant reaction bait), I was barely managing to keep my eyes from narrowing at the... oddly familiar audacity he held himself with.
The fat man was a very well practiced hand at this particular game, and the way he knew how to push exactly to where I set my mental limit before I simply decided they needed removing posthaste both vexed and impressed me equally.
I would obviously not give him a thing he asked for but something told me he already knew that.
With an overexaggerated sigh, I found myself leaning back into my seat and giving the man a falsely disgusted look "So let me get this straight." I spoke as if I just heard a child say something hilarious "You three" I point at them and the two younger ones turn very uncomfortable while the elder remains unshaken "Want guaranteed spots in whatever council is formed after the inheritance is complete. For an entire century." I finish with a deadpan.
A full century of council rights including their inheritors, yes. The fucking audacity of these people!
Before Vitellius can interject as his jolly smile would imply I go on "But even that is apparently not enough." I lean in on the table "You demand removed tariffs on trade, greatly reduced taxes on most industries, a near exemption from raising levies during times of war and to top it all off all of you demand an heirloom worthy artifact each for nominal support on the Elder Council."
My expression did not shift even slightly as I spoke but the glow in my eyes turned from a welcoming one into one just waiting to burst into a firestorm "Please, do tell me what other outrageous demand you have, so that I may inform the Emperor of this treason and have you all stripped of land and title."
"Treason?!" The Count of Kvatch leaps up in a fury, or at least he tries as the metaphysical weight of a mountain falls upon his shoulders and nearly crushes him in an instant, leaving the young man straining to even remain seated upright.
"Yes, treason." My brightly glowing eyes move from the young man to the other two, the Countess of Blackwood flinching in fear while the fat Count of Chorrol remained mostly composed baring a bead of sweat going down the side of his head.
I slowly stand up and begin to pace around the pavilion as my troops form a wide circle around us just out of sight. My guests would never see them but there was a certain instinctual terror and foreboding engraved in every mortal being whenever they were surrounded by something. The air would turn heavy, their blood would pump harder and their heartbeats turn louder.
"You three come in here." I speak up after a good ten seconds of tense silence "Pretend to offer friendship and agreement in good faith." I round on them "And yet here I stand, having been spat in the face in my own home!"
"Please calm yourself." Vitellius' voice is just as relaxed as ever "This is a negotiation."
"One I am already regretting." I give him a sideways stare as I stop pacing "But, for the sake of expediency, I will give you another chance to make me a better offer. And if you even consider asking for something as outrageous as you just did, I will make it my job to see you ruined."
"You can't talk to us like this!" Count Julian, having managed to gather himself from my deathstare, stands up again.
This time I do permit it.
He glares at me with furious eyes "What gives you the right to dictate what we can and cannot do?! What gives you a foreigner elf the right to threaten us without consequence?!"
"Julian calm yourself!" Vitellius nearly growls at the young man.
This wasn't part of the plan then.
Even Countess Varina looks just about ready to snap at me for my bluntness.
Woe, how unfortunate.
For them that is.
"What gives me the right?" I raise an eyebrow, my voice almost comically serene "Absolutely nothing."
"What?" The poor fool's mouth falls open.
"Absolutely nothing gives me the right to threaten you, Julian Karis of Kvatch, owner of the largest assortment of illegal brothels across the entirety of Cyrodiil" I reveal his secret with the ease of speaking on the weather.
He pales and shakily takes a seat.
"Absolutely nothing permits me to place my hand around your neck." My stare moves to the Countess "Certainly not some of the largest skooma storehouses on the Black Marsh border."
She looks just about ready to either flee or attempt to stab me with a butter knife. She is too cowardly to do either.
My stare finally returns to Vitellius "I do hear the village of Char's Peak is oh so lovely in this time of year." The fat man stills "That is right, Vitellius. I know all about your hidden child and their heritage."
He goes to habitually deny my claims but I go on without a care.
"What you planned to hold as leverage over my chosen ruler shall now be leverage over you." I speak clearly, more akin to a command than an offer. I look to Julian "One wrong move and your entire holding is taken in one neat fine." My gaze wonders to Varina "One wrong word and I will force all of that sweet skooma down your disgusting little throat."
The paper-pale woman gulps in fear.
Once more my gaze finds Vitellius' "One more fucking attempt at gaging my reactions and I will burn that entire fucking village to the ground." I take one step forward and this time all three flinch "But I am a generous Mer." I loom over them, my height which was just above average in Skyrim being downright towering in Cyrodiil "Make me an acceptable offer. Or I will make you my own."
They looked far less willing to test me this time.
---
Some half an hour later, we had finally reached a far more palatable agreement. I looked down at the trio with far less heat in my gaze and spoke "To surmise, you three will be given a reduction in taxes for the express purpose of enriching your lands and people, try and cheat me and I will know." I lean in slightly "Your lands will be given non-critical priority on infrastructure projects where it is reasonable, lie about that and I will know." I lean in further "You will be given titles with the attached salaries in court, use this to any detriment of the Septim dynasty and I. Will. Know."
Neither had the temerity to interrupt me again.
"The titles will be the following." I go on "Count Vitellius Tor is to be given a spot on the future council, in return for an official document of his son renouncing his imperial claim."
The fat man nods happily.
"Count Julian Karis will be given a commanding position in the legion when the war starts in return for a greater number of soldiers raised. The minimum of said number being three thousand soldiers, armed, armored, fed, and disciplined."
The young man is far more reluctant in nodding but still does as he is told.
"And lastly, Countess Varina Eswood will be given a lesser titles under the auspices of the Mistress of Infrastructure, which she shall use for the creation of a road through her wooded domain." My stare hardens "And if I ever hear a thing about your... stash finding its way to children I will murder you."
She gulps in fear once more and nods rapidly.
"All this will be given in return for your unquestioning, complete, and loyal support of the new Septim dynasty." My voice rings out clearly and harshly "Any deviation or sign of treachery will be met with extreme prejudice. Are we agreed?"
A trio of agreements rings out, some more and some less enthused.
"I trust that all parties are satisfied?" Vitellius pats his stomach and looks from one face to another "I personally find that a good meal is great to seal a momentous deal, what say you Lord Dagoth?"
As if orchestrated (which it very much so was) one of my servants brings a masterfully baked 'hungry mage sized' pizza and places it in front of me. I look up from my mean and and the trio of suddenly very hungry guests "Get the fuck out of my house."
(General POV)
The trio of high nobles were almost eerily silent as they picked up their very well fed guards and left Lord Dagoth's manor, only the sound of hooves cutting into their thoughts as they rode out of the Elven Gardens District.
The moment they stepped through the gate leading to the center of the city, Julian broke the silence "By the Nine, what the fuck was that Vitellius?!" The younger man snarled. His now dead father had told him to always trust his old friend from Chorrol but this was slowly becoming too much for the young master of Kvatch.
"I have no idea what you are talking about my friend." The fat man gave him a cheerful smile "I personally enjoyed that little spar."
"An elf of twenty years just walked all over us." Varina spoke up, a bit of defeat tinging her voice "He has placed a noose around our throats and had us thank him for it."
A short bout of silence descended once more before it was shattered utterly by Vitellius' laughter "How blind the two of you are." The fat man half scoffed half chuckled "That we managed to extract anything from a man known to simply remove those he found too irritating to deal with is already an achievement."
"You aren't wrong." Julian admits begrudgingly "Still, he reduced the price of our support to nearly nothing."
"Ah Julian, my dear Julian." Vitellius shakes his head, giving his younger peer an almost pitying look "Had I not began the entire negotiation with the outrageous demands we agreed on, he would have had us pay for the privilege of serving him and his chosen sovereign."
"T-truly?" Varina stutters slightly.
"Indeed." Vitellius smirks "Trust me, compared to what could have happened to us the moment we stepped into that manor, today's outcome was a victory." The fat man knew damn well that if he had pushed just a tiny bit further, all three of them would soon find themselves facing rather unfortunate accidents.
Julian's shoulders slump, a fresh determination lighting up in his eyes "I guess I should start reading up on strategy manuals again, I don't need that creature thinking me incompetent after I bought my command." He barely holds back a shiver at the thought.
Varina says nothing but also notes down hiring a tutor for the position she gained.
"Something doesn't add up though." The Countess spoke after a while "How can a noble of Morrowind, a barely recognized one at that, have such influence over our futures? You always seemed awfully insistent on getting into his good graces, or at least having him tolerate us Vitellius. Tell us, what is it that you are hiding?"
"You mean you still don't realize?" The fat Count gives the both of them looks of smug superiority. Seeing the both of them remain confused, he chuckles "We weren't talking to the Lord of House Dagoth today." He shakes his head "No, if my information is correct we were just negotiating to the future Emperor Consort."
Julian's next words surmised everything perfectly "Oh."
------
At the other end of the Imperial City, in the hidden depths of the Market District and below a certain luxurious inn, a quintet of figures found themselves in a meeting.
A seemingly young woman bowed her head before a silver haired Imperial man, his pale countenance and crimson eyes swiftly revealing him to be a vampire "My lord Ancient" Isabella Tor bowed her head.
"Isabella, my dear." The old man smiled amiably "I trust you have interesting news for me on this fine evening?"
"I would not dare waste your time, sire." She simpers just enough to be respectful but not annoying "The future Empress is already moving, and doing so rapidly. Leyawiin has already been pacified and Skingrad seems to be next on the list. Their next moves will no doubt follow just as swiftly and if we wish to extract any form of advantage we must act even faster."
"Hmmm." The old man rubs his chin for a moment before nodding slightly "Her Imperial Highness seems to be spending most of her time posturing and winning over the glory hounds, correct?"
"It is as you say" Isabella nods.
"And most of the work behind the scenes is in the hands of Vyren's heir?" The man smiles as he mentions the name "Like father like son I suppose."
"You wish for me to contact him?" The once Countess asks with not quite fear but it certainly wasn't eagerness.
"I do." The elder vampire smiles lightly "You are to invite the young Lord Dagoth for a meeting with myself and a few of my peers, so that we may negotiate our position in the future Empire and not be swept up in the wave of progress." He chuckles at some inside joke he no doubt heard centuries ago "Her Imperial Highness must not be seen interacting with us however, so her closest ally will have to do."
"My lord" Isabella pauses but forces herself to continue "Are you... certain that is safe?"
"You have heard what happened to the Volkihar?" The old man asks simply and she nods "If he wished us removed we would not be able to do a thing except make it expensive for him to do so."
"I see." Isabella bows "I will follow your wisdom, Lord Hassildor."
The ancient protector of Skingrad smiled, his fangs glinting in the dim underground light.
