You
//What does Sigrune think of you, [pc.name], the [pc.title]?
Sigrune. Trust 0 25 50 75 100 “I serve you because of right, accord, and gratitude. I don’t know enough about you nor you about me to consider you anything but a patron.”
“Show me you’re worthy of my vow and my collar, help me regain my place in the world, and maybe I’ll think are you better than the mud beneath my feet,” she says.
Seven be damned, that was heartless. But you do admit, you kicked her ass fair and square, but not everyone is as open to might makes right, despite the Marches penchant for random acts of violence at every corner. It is how you’ve made your mark upon this place and not ended up Kas’s newest cocksleeve or cocktoy yet. That must mean something.
You ask her what she thinks of your title next.
Pc.isadventurer |“Let’s be fair: You’re a copper a dozen in these parts. Mercenary one day, junk bandit the next. You’ll go where glory and ass call, but you do what you have to survive. Isn’t that how you “won” me,” she says, rubbing in your means of acquisition.
Again, she is a horrid shrew, but you laugh. The way she lightens your situation eases your mind.]
Pc.isalalchemist|”Do you seek the mysteries of immortality? I knew an Esteolrean alchemist from Belhara who used to deal with the Twins. Do you know what happened to him?
You have a feeling but ask. Sigrune’s smiles grows three times and reveals her bright whites.
“He blew himself up in a transmutation experiment. So you can mix and match herbs and ingredients together? Congratulations, you’re one transmutation way from certain death.]
She enjoys killing your mood. She’ll regret that remark when it’s discipline time. She smiles when you think that.
Pc.championofrost] “You serve a noble cause. Your accolades have reached my ears and I will compose a ballad worthy of your growing fame.” Sigrune says, her voice cascading upwards in a seething serenade.
“Sigrune.”
She doesn’t stop. “[pc.dcb[|Deranged slayer of demons|Noble liberator of the Winter City|Jibbering idiot who lucks through life], retainer of princess [etheryn.confidence|hides behind her skirts|rushes into danger], Duchess Etheryn Riddell, future Queen of the Rimjobs -- I mean the Rim,” Sigrune’s slaughter of your story bellows through the dragon’s skull.
You slap your face and run your palm down it as she continues. “Sigrune.”
“Mighty [master/mistress], you have earned the favor and prestige of an ancient and proud people,” she finishes.
You wait for her to truly finish. “And?”
“Its craven Queen has ejaculated out her pitiful soul; its current regent is stuck in a magical chastity cage, and you have elected to be her sword and shield, ears and eyes, bedwarmer if need be. [Master/mistress], your appetites are deep, but the Boreal Elves are already on their way to irrelevance.”
You’re regretting this accord already.
“You asked, and the Winter City for all its glories and accomplishments is becoming like Tychris or Belhara, a shadow sliding into the maw of obscurity.”
“That’s a mouthful.”
Sigrune bursts into a chorus of laughter. Well, at least you know where she stands on the Elves.
Pc.championofhawkenthorne| “Now you’re on your way. The Baroness knows she needs an agent who can do the work she can’t out in her lands.”
You’re taken a back. Usually, the Rhymer mocks or belittles your station, But for once…
“If you were in Belhara.”
There it is. There’s the scathing snipe.
“Is nothing good enough for you? I’ve fought orc chieftains, psychotic unicorns, and unruly scores of bandits, gnolls, demons, and what not.” You declare your victories.
“What will quell your incessant mockery of my deeds?” you say, flabbergasted by her impossible standards. When will your torment cease!?
“Only when you rule the world will I concede, [master/mistress],” she says, with a drawn out sigh.
Sigrune turns her head to the side and glances at you. “Sigh…”
“I am going to smack you upside the head.”
Sigrune leers at you and offers her face. She draws close and adds.
“So have dozens of others, [master/mistress]. What I’m saying is you’re on the road to glory, but don’t let it go to your head,” she soothes. Her warmth skulks beneath her verbal ruin. You scratch the back of your [pc.hair.]
“I suppose that’s good enough.”
“It’s the best you’ll get from me.”
Pc.isMarcherBaron| “Now there’s something of worth. You’ve your own title, your own soldiers, if you can call them that, and the power to levy taxes. Congratulations, but you and what army will restore the Marches?” Sigrune flutters her deep ambers in jest.
You point to her and counter with Daliza’s conscripted veterans!
“Oh, and what of their caliber?” The Jotun asks, cool as a glacier.
You have twenty finely trained soldiers. “Yes, twenty soldiers across how much stretch of land? Are you going to go up the Fox Den and ask for your tithe? Perhaps shake down the Baroness for protection money against the demons who you’ve fought or ravaged, hmm?”
You give up and throw your hands in defeat. You turn your back and start to walk away. Sigrune grabs your hand and drags you back into her vicinity. You are tired of her critique. What does she do all day besides pretend to guard the sight of foolish dead men and a crumbling tower?
“I am your servant, the Rhymer who records your deeds and blesses your soul. You must allow me some defiance. It’s what makes our relationship even more fun.”
“Is nothing good enough?”
“I served kings and queens, [pc.mistress/master] [pc.name]. You are getting closer to my admiration but not enough. Not until your soul is worthy of poetic immortality.”
Yes, you’ll get on that, along with discovering how to traverse time and summon the echo of Tollus’s nicer twin, Sullot.
“You’re almost there.”
So close yet so far!
Waywalker| “Make sure to not get lost in those old portals. I’ve heard horror stories about Waywalkers running errands or mission for their magister masters.”
You think about the possibility and gulp. “I wouldn’t want to see half of you come out a waystone and the other to be stuck where it is,” she flutters her eyes with flecks of spite.
“Yes, thank you, Sigrune.”
“Any time, [master/mistress.]
And of your nature, please let it be done.
Pc.dcb| “You’re like the ones you fight. Your lusts are like the sea, your heart is like tar, and your capacity for violence is like the ray of a scorching sun.”
For once you agree and know this is what you are like. You tolerate the Rhymer’s opinion.
“And?”
“But you may be what this world needs. Who else is relentless enough to pursue an invader without cause or care? Even if you leave a pile of bodies and broken souls in your path, if this world stands?” She folds her arms, almost basking in your carnage. “I imagine the Seven will forgive you.”
The world is yours for the taking. You either do or get done, and you’re not done, yet. Caught up in your inner ego, Sigrune cups your chin and strokes it. You allow it but raise your brow in contemplation.
“What?”
“Your ambition is like a maw, [master/mistress]. But there is a hunger in you like the magisters of Belhara. Do not mistake ambition for devouring. Never let the Void take what fuels you.”
| “You’re the light in the dark. Despite the Marches broken and divided peoples, places, and hearts, you might be the last best hope for this scarred place.”
“Wait, where’s the remark?”
Sigrune sighs, placing her hand on her breast. “When it matters, I speak truth, [master/mistress]. I know you walk a lonely path. But take care heart in your cause. Never let anyone sway you from your convictions.”
“Thank you, Sigrune.”
“I don’t know how your story will end, [pc.name]. But I know you’ll change the Marches’s fate, one way or the other.”
|”You’re an idiot.”
“But like is that so wrong? Isn’t it better to think but not think?” you stare at her like an owl in the dark.
Sigrune rubs the insides of her eyes and looks for something. “Master/mistress, I think you should do what’s best for you and remain unconcerned with how your journey goes.”
“OH, that’s so much better. Thinking is like really hard.”
Sigrune’s such a big softie!
11/15: 13k words into Sigrune's revamp as a fleshed out NPC. Sigrune as a character is pretty much a blank slate. Based on what I've reread and skimmed from Discord notes, I expanded her story to be a sarcastic and slightly deranged Jotun skald type with deep connections to Jotun mythology. Sigrune's two hundred years of service to her patrons, who forgot her, has left her both deeply wise and deeply ignorant.
Initially she comes across as a honor-bound Jotun warrior, but when you learn more about the Jotun and Tychris, along with the event that leads into your prickly relationship, you discovers she's far more than a "big, dumb, blue brute" as many in Tychris thought of her.
As you can see from this sloppy scene, Sigrune has a lot of reactivity to your current state. Given how much I've learned from my first 16 scenes, I've gleamed how to craft a relatively robust character given my tabletop writing background.
Roadmap:
Sigrune Revamp/Expansion: 20-25k worth of content. Sigrune when she's submitted will be a fully fleshed out npc with her own trader options, once a day active blessings based on key plotpoints you've completed with varying degrees of buffs, and a bevy of story and events similar to Kinu's level of content.
Sigrune is a champsexual brat/power bottom. Her whole style is to goad, resist, and tempt the Champion into challenging, responding, and punishing her when she acts out. As you can see from this single conversation, she has a fair bit of reactivity to you. She's not easily impressed by would-be heroes, marcher barons, or psychotic demon queens. She has a massive resentment towards her patrons when she discovers what happened to them and what they think of her after the Convocation of Mirrors.
Sigrune is a complimentary mirrror to the pc: a person who often did a lot of work but gets little overt credit compared to their peers. This allows her to form a rather...caustic view of the world, major players, and even the pc as they develop a relationship with her.
Sigrune's Trust System: Rather than have 2-3 meters that track needless variables, Sigrune has an overall trust mechanic that combines affection, submission, and trust in the PC. The idea ties into a dominant and brat/submissive's relationship. Regardless of what you think of her/how you respond, Sigrune's cripplingly obvious loneliness and resentment beneath her warped sense of humor and banter frame her as someone who wants to be remembered. Most of her questions/responses to the player will allow you to develop your own rationale for why you're chasing Kas, what you want, with minor but well-suited parser checks that reflect your status.
Sigrune's Vault:
At a certain trust point, a scene will play and Sigrune will unlock the Convocation's vault. This will lead to a tier 1, 2, 3 progression of items. Tier 1 are mostly "relics" that are nothing but surplus crap left around the Vault after the Convocation's guests went to meet eternity. Some of the items directly call back to other characters in the story with amusing Sigrune tidbits. Others are surplus from Tychris and Belharan make bronze restored by Sigrune and her Jotun elbow grease. Some of these items are much needed counterparts to missing bonuses/resistances.
What's the catch? They cost a lot of ec. The trade off is you need money to buy them and since Sigrune has limited stock and rations, you need to make it worth her while. And you will.
Work and Days with the Rhymer: Sigrune has 3-4 events, two of which will increase your endurance and willpower +1 a day, and the other two are basic bonding scenes where you can learn about her and respond accordingly.
Steamy Scenes: Sigrune will have between 13-20 scenes overall when finished. However, the first expansion will have about 4-5 that are more foreplay/short reactivity oriented. The reason I wanted this is because Sigrune's arc/relationship with the Champ is a slowburn d/s style romance. This doesn't mean whips and chains, but Sigrune respects a pc who acts/responds according to their wills. You will have both vagina and dong oriented content.
And yes, buying an item or two will unlock special scenes.
Mommy...Dommy?
Yes.....? But not really. For me, this was the biggest decision because it frames Sigrune's story, your relationship, and her entire future content/ambition as a whole. I looked at Kas, Evelyn, and Lady Evergreen, along with Arona. Evelyn is already what I would consider the premier Mommy Dommy by Wsan. Her atittude matches a realistic dominatrix with a worshiping sub. Evergreen has that vibe too, and Kas is probably the right mix of stud and mommy.
I really wanted to do something different with Sigrune. The Jotuness is far more than she lets on but as your servant due to plot reasons, she distrusts you from the start. This doesn't mean she hates you, but as she states in her trust reactivity, you don't start off on the best terms since at the moment you can only beat her ass. But, as a Jotun, she respects your strength and with the Twins either well
spoilers you know, she's currently patronless.
There will be a once in a while Mommy Dommy scene but it's played more for laughs than sexiness.
Snu-Snu or Face Crush?
Yes. Yes. Yes. But with endurance and willpower checks. You can't expect to take on all that ass and muscle unless you're the best of battles.
On the Horizon:
Sigrune Quest: At 25 trust, you unlock a new scene and item that binds to you. With Sigrune's limited knowledge, you return to the glacial rift and encounter a new event that unlocks a gnarly act 2 weapon of your choice, but also adds two new enemies:
The Frosttailed Handmaidens, a trio of spectral and psychopathic sorceresses from gods know where, who want to "bring" you back to their mistress, the Misty Warden.
The Misty Warden: Simple concept: 8ft tall yandere spectral salamander mommy switch. When you gain a certain item and weapon, you earn the "affection" of a deranged but loving salamnder warrior-priestess with big curves, big titties, and big love who mistakes you as her "fiance" due to plot shenanigans. Losing to her will earn a bad ending straight out of Celtic mythology and beating her will reward you with gnarly new gear, items, and lore from Sigrune.
Sigrune quest is an ambitious sideplot that will involve some older characters who can barely help you as run, fight, and evade a fate you never asked for. It's bad enough Kas and her demons are running around, Tollus and his goons are intent on some messed up plan, but now being haunted by the Misty Warden, her handmaidens, and Sigrune's strange past leaves you all the more overwhelmed.
Concept: Sigrune is designed as a fully robust npc that borders on companion tier reactivity, scenes, and dialogue options. She exists as a sideplot thread that weaves into the core story without really involving herself. Heavy focus on small dom and big sub. Rejoice, you are the little spoon and she is the big spear.