What about Waddles then? Oe Ein? Those are damn cool pets!
I got it. Our future overlord is Waddle Doo, the most fearsome Death Mage there ever was.
4 Likes
I rather suspect more excitement is waiting in your future.
Oh, before we go any further: you are your parentsâ eldest child, but are you an eldest daughter or an eldest son?
- Daughter
- Son
0 voters
And what is your given name?
- NepNep
- Fluffy
- Fang
- Hedwig
- Norbert/Norberta
- Waffles
- Waddles
- Oe Ein
- Waddle Doo
0 voters
And your family name?
- de Peña
- de Castillo
- de Flores
- de Rivera
0 voters
You have twelve hours as usual 
And what sorts of things are you good at, Doña NepNep? Like all young people of your class, youâve been well-trained in the social graces: you can dance, and make polite conversation, and play a little music, and ride in a hunt. And you have at least a basic understanding of magic.
The ancient noble houses of Iberia are all mage houses. Members of a Life Mage family are born with the ability to make plants grow, to heal the sick and injured, to calm those who are agitated. Members of a Death Mage family are born with the ability to throw firebolts at enemies in battle, to kindle flame and to heat metal. But like anything else, much study and practice is required if the mage wishes to excel. You know at least a little magicâŠwhether or not you studied it seriously is up to you.
Tell us about yourself, Doña NepNep. What sort of person are you? What did you spend your spare hours studying, when you were younger?
- I spent every moment of my free time in the library. I am well-read in history, literature, mathematics, and foreign languages.
- I studied magery with my father every moment I could spare. I am unusually skilled at it for my age.
- I learned how to read the people around me, and how to get what I wanted from them with minimum possible effort.
- Studying? I did as little of that as possible. I spent most of my free time daydreaming. I am quite lovely to look at, though. And I am a very graceful dancer, and very charming when entertaining guests. Everyone says so.
0 voters
Hmm, okay, there are actually two possible ways we could go about it. We could either go the magic route and make everyone fear us through that, or we could go the manipulative bastard route and say that we are good at reading people. Not yet sure which of those I want to pick.
Iâm all for being a manipulative bitch.
Nepnep! You guys are great!
The NepNep name made me pick up the lazy routeâŠ
1 Like
Manipulation is nice but so are book smarts and magic.
Thanks for the vote guys! One thing I didnât mention is, I will be basing all our stats according to that vote :3. And lucky me, there is no tie! Letâs carry on!
Very wise of you. Some would call that manipulation, but manipulation is such a horrid word, isnât it? Itâs simply easier to get what you want if you are careful than if you make a great fuss.
And what would you say is your second most notable quality?
Itâs not exactly a skill, but people comment on how sweet I am and how lovely to be around. How charming, in short.
That tells us what youâre good at, but you canât be perfect. What would you say is your greatest weakness?
I have only the barest scraping of magical talent. I can handle the very basics, but not any more than that.
But thatâs not really important, is it?
As you are about to enter the house, a bright purple butterfly flits right across your path.
Red and blue and yellow ones are common, but purple ones are rare. They bring good luck, so the saying goes. And since it crossed your path, it can only be good luck for you. The butterfly will go and grant you a wish if you wish quicklyâso what are you wishing for?
- A windfall! Enough money to go to Court and enjoy the season.
- The chance to do something splendid, something that will change the world.
- An adventure! Anything to enliven dull life in the country. (Maybe one that is less destructive than the barn catching fire, though.)
- True love. Isnât that what everyone wishes for, really?
0 voters
Now, next update will probably be earlier than noon because I have a bit of business tomorrow so I will try to do it as soon as I wake up
1 Like
So we ended up with a highly manipulative person with a lot of natural charm? That somehow sounds more on the path to evil mastermind than magic (even tho I am a fan of magic). Great start!
1 Like
I like how none of us care about money.
2 Likes
I think only I voted for money 
1 Like
I voted for true love because every Nep needs another Nep.
1 Like
Love > Money
Letâs use our skills in m̶̶a̶̶n̶̶i̶̶p̶̶u̶̶l̶̶a̶̶t̶̶i̶̶o̶̶n̶ social interaction to seduce someone (what could possibly go wrong).
I hope the butterfly grants your wish!
The next few days meander past. Nothing of note occurs, except for the arrival of your Uncle Pedro and Aunt Leonor for your coming-of-age ball. Your uncle is in fact financing the ball, with money gained from a recent successful campaign abroad, or you wouldnât be having one at all. Your parents could certainly never afford it.
Finally, your birthday arrives. Downstairs, your mother and father await the guests, talking with your aunt and uncle. Up in your pleasant, but plainly-furnished bedroom, your fourteen-year-old sister Magdalena helps you dress for the party.
Chattering without a pause for breath, Magdalena finishes tying all your laces. âThere!â she says. âNow you can look!â You turn to look at yourself in the glassâa very fine mirror indeed, one of the few remnants of your familyâs former glory.
âYou look splendid!â Magdalena declares.
And indeed, you are quite pleased with what you see reflected. The rich color of your gown complements yourâŠ
Would you like to specify the color of your hair?
- Golden
- Brown
- Black
- Auburn
- No preference
0 voters
And your eyes?
- Blue
- Green
- Gray
- Hazel
- Brown
- Black
- No preference
0 voters
You look at yourself in the mirror, admiring your new gown. It is made of silk, in a soft blue shade that allows your thick golden hair to be shown to best advantage, and edged with ribbon and lace that perfectly set off your blue eyes. Your mother has loaned you her wedding jewels, and they wink around your throat and in your hair.
You feel like you have suddenly changed into someone completely different. Magdalena claps her hands in delight. âCome on, NepNep! I can hear guests arriving! Itâs time to go downstairs!â
You stand with your mother and father, receiving guests and graciously accepting their best wishes. The guests are mostly families from nearby estates, plus a few friends of your parentsâ from farther away. Everyone looks most splendid, dressed in formal coats and beautiful gowns in a rainbow of colors. Everyone has a smile for you. Some of the adults look at you appraisinglyâonly to be expected as you are now considered to be of marriageable ageâand many of the youngsters of your age try to flirt. You flirt backâŠbut only a little, since your mother and Aunt Leonor are standing nearby.
Oh, by the way, are you flirting with the young men or the young women?
- The young men.
- The young women.
0 voters
I flirt with Uncle Pedro 
3 Likes
Please please please let us be gay.
Also: I vote if we end up with blonde hair and blue eyes that we look like Beatrice the Golden Witch.
1 Like
It seems pretty likely you get what you want exactly this time.
Tho thereâs another Beatrice I have in mind
1 Like
There are many lovely young women to flirt with.
You stand in the receiving line for what seems to be hours. Behind you, the guests circulate and talk, and snippets of gossip drift to your ears.
ââŠdid you hear about Don Alonsoâs youngest? Foolish girl, she turned down a most advantageous proposal last yearâand it was her third Season at Court!â
âWhat does she think to do now? She canât possibly offer a proposal to anyone; her parents cannot afford to set her up in her own householdâŠâ
It is the way of things. One either courts or is courted. A youngster of sixteen or so is courted, generally by a well-established adult of twenty-five or thirty. Among the nobility, an eldest child is likely to have his or her own household, and seek to bring a husband or wife into it. Younger children are courted by others. There are exceptions, of course: wealthy parents may be able to provide all their children with sufficient inheritance to set up households, and poverty-stricken familiesâlike yoursâcannot even do it for their eldest.
âI heard that she turned down that proposal because she had hopes of Doña Beatriz offering for her!â
âFoolish indeed! Doña Beatriz has no money to support a wife!â
âI heard that Beatrizâs sister Eugenia is having a love affair with Don Carlos de VargasâŠâ
âWith Don Carlos? But he is a Life Mage, and she is a Death Mage! How shocking!â
That, too, is the way of the world. There are Death Mage families and Life Mage families. One tends to marry within oneâs set. Except for the Queen, of course. Queen Agustina, like all the Monarchs of Iberia, has married across mage lines. She is a Death Mage, and her King Consort a Life Mage. This means their children are more likely to be Life Mages, and so a Life Mage will succeed a Death Mage to the throne. That has always been the way of things.
Of course, it is only the way of things if the Queen and King Consort succeed in producing an heir.
ââŠI heard Their Majesties have lost another unborn child,â you hear another thread of gossip start.
âHow dreadful!â
It is dreadful. Their Majesties have only the one child, and she is a Death Mage. She cannot succeed to the throne.
âI heard that the Queen has commanded young TomĂĄs de Reyes to be brought to CourtâŠâ
Aunt Leonor clears her throat and changes the subject, reminding the speaker that there are youngsters listening.
At last, your duties in the receiving line end. Now what?
- I shall go and dance.
- I see a group gossiping in the corner. I shall go and see if I can hear more about this TomĂĄs de Reyes.
- There is another group who appear to be discussing magic and other studies. I shall go and join them. I would rather do that than dance or gossip.
0 voters
You have taken only the first step when your uncleâs voice booms out, calling for everyoneâs attention.
âI wish to propose a toast!â he says. âIn honor of my nieceâs birthday!â
There is a smattering of applause. Goblets are raised.
âAnd I wish to make an announcement!â Uncle Pedro continues. He pauses to be sure he has the attention of the entire room, and then says, âI have been so fortunate as to receive the favor of our most gracious Queen! In recognition of my service abroad, she has awarded me with a suite of rooms in the palace, and given me permission to bring my niece NepNep to Court when the Season starts in the autumn. NepNep, you shall have a proper Season after all.â
âI can manage a Seasonâs worth of gowns,â he adds the following morning over breakfast, when it is just family again, ânot more than that; you wonât be able to return next year if you donât manage to find a spouse this year. But four months ought to be enough.â
âI am very grateful to you, Uncle,â you say.
âOnly doing my best for the family,â he replies, somewhat pompously. âAnd giving you the opportunity to do your best, in turn. Depending on whose eye you catch, you may be able to secure me a spot of influence commensurate with our familyâs honor, if not its recent fortunes.â
âEven if you canât do that,â says your father, âa match with a suitor of means can improve our familyâs fortunes.â
âAnd secure your own comfort,â says your mother.
âAnd then after you are married, you can chaperone me when it is my turn to be presented at Court!â says Magdalena.
What about you? What are you hoping to get out of this?
- Security. I want to make a good marriage with someone wealthy, so I donât have to worry about money any longer.
- Fun. Iâll never have any here in the country! This is my only chance.
- True love. Surely among all those courtiers, there is someone destined for me, just like in a fairy taleâŠ
- The chance to influence important decisions.
- Adventure! Nothing ever happens here, but things happen there!
- I donât want to go, actually.
0 voters