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>>44797295
This was hardly the best situation to be dealing with the complexities and impacts of choosing a side in the war between the Magi League and the Royal Seraphi Kingdom. Unfortunately, with one of the League’s up-and-coming hero spellblades on the other side of the sending device and in the very city you wanted to conquer, that might be forced on you.

You rub the bridge of your nose as you digest Rayza’s last words. No vampires? That seemed completely contrary to the report you had just received.

You say as much, “What exactly is your basis for saying that there are no vampires here?”

“We searched,” Rayza answers, and the tartness in her voice makes you imagine her striking a pose as she says as much. Not that you have the slightest clue what she looks like.

“To be more exact, we searched the city while actively trying to detect signs of vampiric power,” another female voice says, slightly deeper in tone and with an accent that seems vaguely familiar.

“What Moonblade said, although we avoided the keep. Couldn’t sense any power in there but it’s almost certainly trapped,” Rayza finishes.

Glancing between Cormann and Gnome, you confirm that both of them are as sceptical of their claims as you are. It’s not as though they don’t have a reason to lie to you.

Wearing a thin smirk that the League spellblades can’t see, you say, “Given what I’ve just heard about the resistance, you’ll have to forgive this vampire hunter for confirming it himself.”

“I don’t think that is wise. This is League territory,” Rayza says, her voice cautioning.

“No, it’s not. It’s Taouran territory and that means it’s vampire season for all. I will take Darlesia and remove any traces of the vampires.”

>continued

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>>44797306
There’s a long pause in which you stare at the sending device, as if daring Rayza to come back at you. Unless the League wanted to push against you and turn you into an enemy already, then you doubted there would be much opposition. Even if the spellblade was upset you didn’t roll over for her.

“I’ll relay that back to General Mercenie,” Rayza says. The playfulness in her voice from earlier is completely gone and she’s completely professional now, without any nicknames or insults. “I hope that you’re at least willing to work with us – the League has a lot to offer spellblades.”

With that, the League spellblades are gone and your scout finishes his report, without much to add. You look between Gnome and Cormann, the latter of which looks deep in thought. Ordering him to collect your officers and hold a strategy meeting, you make your way to the planning tent with Gnome by your side.

She doesn’t stay quiet for very long. “How exactly do you know Mercenie?” she asks you, her face expressionless even as a glint in her eye tells you that she’s very interested in your answer.

To be perfectly honest, you didn’t know her. At best you had seen and heard from a great distance once when you had been a part of her army, which numbered in the tens of thousands. You were just another spellblade in a mass of them. If Rayza had meant Mercenie when she said ‘Merce’ however, then that meant the famous League general knew you somehow. You wonder why Gnome is so interested? Your answer is…

>1. Honest. You don’t know Mercenie at all.
>2. Embellished and a little boastful to Gnome. You might not know Mercenie, but clearly you’re great enough to catch her eye.
>3. Completely made up. Pretend that you know her intimately, just to see how Gnome reacts.
>4. Custom

>>44797333
>>1. Honest. You don’t know Mercenie at all.

>>44797333
>1. Honest. You don’t know Mercenie at all.

>>44797333
1
Hate to bring up this theory now but it seems like an alright time since we may be dealing with merce soon. Is it at all possible merce is like the other Aefir and losing her magic? Could she simply be drawing power from Alyce like other familiars do?

>>44797333
>>1. Honest. You don’t know Mercenie at all.

>>44797412
I doubt it. From my understanding, the Aefir which already had magic are not losing it, it's just that each generation of Aefir is becoming less and less likely to be magically talented.

>>44797333
>>1. Honest. You don’t know Mercenie at all.
No reason to lie to one of our big players and especially to our champion.
Next level up after presumably conquering Darlesia?

>>44797333
>1. Honest. You don’t know Mercenie at all.

Just need to say "I do not know what the hell is going on and why she knows me."

>>44797487
A simple "I don't" would work much better

>>44797473
After the next big vampire kill, so probably.

Some thoughts I had at the end of last thread:

The Darlesians are acting irrationally enough (breaking their deal with us, siding with Fenix over the League that's right next to them and thinking Fenix isn't a dick) that there's a decent enough chance that the vamps have a decent hold over them.
The point of that is basically to get the League to intervene, which screwed up our plans and forced us to move away from Vitria.
Furthermore, the fact that Lyria is certain of a daywalker being present, while Rayza (presumably leading of the local League forces already here) thinks the opposite, indicates that the vamp is in very good hiding because they intend to fuck things up for us even more (or Rayza is just lying her ass off, but that doesn't really change things).
And the most simple way to do that is to whack us and/or the leader of the local League forces present (presumably Rayza) with Thralldom, which either means they've basically won the conflict with us or can get us into a war with the League, which would be nearly as catastrophic.

1/3

>>44797530

Things we have going for us in spite of that potential clusterfuck: We just doubled up on our personal Thralldom protection and Rayza is secretly a dragon. No one should know this right now, so there's a chance she could shrug off thralling attempts with an unexpected "Raargh! I'm a dragon!!!". Worth noting that her being a dragon actually getting out would be a massive scandal, which isn't entirely good for us because she's probably one of the few League people we know personally and personaly connections are how you know who can be trusted in pseudo medieval settings.

One more thing we should consider: There's a non-zero chance the Daywalker in Darlesia is Aladria, simple because she had this weird insta-thralling if the target enters her prepared grounds or something along those lines. This makes her thralldom mechanisms one of the few that could potentially hit the leader of the League forces without being stopped first. Slight upside to this is that Aladria may be questioning her current allegiances by now.

2/3

>>44797552

And finally on a less immediate note, if the plan is for Rayza to get thralled here, it's worth noting that this would give Taour, who are being backed by Stropham, control over a high ranking (the highest ranking?) member of the Tower of Stars' security. The Tower of Stars is Alice's seat of power and Alice was Stropham's political opponent within the League during the original AEQ.
No saying if this was engineered or a lucky coincidence on Stropham's part, but if thralling her was part of the plan here, there's potential for /a lot/ of political fallout if we uncover, prevent and acquire evidence of this plot. Of course, odds are Stropham can still claim this is entirely Taour's plot, but it'd at least make it a lot harder for them to keep backing Taour after denying involvement and decrying their actions.

3/3

I find it incredibly odd Taour would call back their greatest general and warrior from the front. I feel like shit is going down with vamp high command they needed him for.

>>44797530
>>44797552
>>44797581
>all this metagaming

>>44797692
It's great isn't it

>>44797552
>There's a non-zero chance the Daywalker in Darlesia is Aladria

Pretty much zero. She has to think of the place as literally her home in order to thrall. Some city she just moved too wouldn't count I would think.

I would just like to lay down some more evidence towards vampiric thralling of the main Darlesian Resistance. They have decided to support the RSK, and are utterly convinced that the RSK will be their saviour. This despite the fact that the RSK is the least likely party to actually accomplish their mission in this situation. If the resistance was in their right mind, they'd be supporting either us or the League, both of whom are rather likely to come to the rescue here. Now, by making them choose the RSK, the vampire has created a situation where the Resistance will... well... resist any intervention by the League, and quite possibly us as well. Taour knows they cannot hold the city, but want to deny the city to their opponents. Hence their choice.

Now, they likely do have a vampire in the keep. Probably one who is very skilled at hiding his/her presence. Taour needs to keep a Daywalker in Darlesia for as long as possible to ensure that the outcome will be one favourable to them. They would obviously choose one who is extremely skilled in both thralling and stealth.

>>44797692
Literally the only thing involving metagaming in that is Aladria, who doesn't even have to be involved, because all that's needed is a Daywalker with a wacky enough Thralling mechanism to hit important people, and the knowledge that Rayza is a dragon, which isn't even all that relevant to the situation at hand, beyond the possibility that she /may/ get bonuses to thralldom resistance because of that.

The rest is just knowledge about daywalkers namely that they can have widely varying thralldom mecahnisms, which we know IC, knowledge about the strategic situation, which we have, and knowledge about the overarching political situation, which we may be a bit more shaky on, but "Stropham are a bunch of shady dicks and would jump at the chance to secretely seize control over Ahm's security by proxy of the vamps" which isn't all that hard to reason.

>>44797781
Who knows where she lived before the mansion though?
More seriously, I threw that in there as a minor afterthought and because I only remembered her thralling mechanism in only the vaguest terms.
Doesn't really change much, since an unintroduced Daywalker with an indirect thralling mechanism would accomplish the same.

>>44797692
a lot of that stuff is in the gdocs and ask and aspirational more or less said in the ask that he'll basically feed us whatever knowledge we need via alenier before we make a major decision here

start brainstorming questions so alenier can feed us the intel we need to take on daywalkers

fucking names man I keep trying to type alenier and aliener

>>44797333
>1. Honest.

>>44797333
fgsfds all this discussion and half of you guys forget to vote while aspie waits on us

>1. Honest. You don’t know Mercenie at all.

>>44797999
People can discuss things after they vote anon. Id rather we did as we can think through future plans and shadowruns.

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>1.

Although Gnome may have had an interesting reaction to an embellished story, you decide that honesty works best here.

“I don’t know here,” you say as you walk into the tent. “The closest I’ve been to her is as one of tens of thousands under her command.”

“Curious that she apparently thinks well of you,” Gnome muses. “I’m assuming that your connection with Lyria isn’t well known?”

“You and Ser Lynn are the only people I’ve ever told about it,” you say. “How do you know Mercenie?”

Gnome gives you a look of exasperation and ruffles your hair, earning you an amused look from Maloric as he enters. She says, “Merce is Alyce’s familiar, and Alyce was Taren’s apprentice.”

Oh, that made a lot of sense. Grimacing at the realisation, you nod at Lynn and Cormann as they enter with your remaining officers. You briefly explain the situation to them.

“It sounds like the next move for the League will be asking us to provide them with the right to move soldiers and supplies through the lands surrounding Darlesia in exchange for them helping us take the city,” Cormann says. “It’s a fair deal, if we needed the help.”

“It’s a shit deal,” Maloric says with a scowl. “The second we do that we take a side, and the Seraphs won’t take that lying down. They might be confident that they’re going to march on Passau, but I’m not.”

Gnome interrupts Maloric before he gets any more heated, saying, “It doesn’t seem likely that this conflict can be avoided forever. Given that we’re rather heavy on mages and spellblades then wouldn’t we gain the most benefit from working with the mages?” Gnome gives you a look, no doubt thinking of what you might be able to learn from them, not that it was that simple.

>continued

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>>44798083
You shake your head in response to Gnome as you run a hand along the borders of the nearby countries on the map. “The war isn’t as simple as mages vs royals. If it were, then it would have long been over. Perhaps the archmage genuinely believes it is, but it’s really about who has the right to rule – introducing councils of mages into cities, when the most esteemed mages are always from noble families, doesn’t exactly open up the rule of nations and cities to the masses.”

It was a very true point. Alyce of Lyss was once Alyce Forstadt, scion of an old and extremely wealthy family. Even if the original magi rebellion was about the cruelty shown to mages, this one was more about whether mages had more right to rule than royals. Regardless of your own magical inclinations, siding with the League because they were more magical was not a good reason.

“That’s one way to put it,” Gnome says slowly. “It does leave me wondering whether you think it is better. Sometimes it can be easier to simply follow your morals instead of making decisions purely on what is of greatest gain.”

You…

>1. Feel that having mages rule, or at least those of significant power and respect, tends to be better than outright hereditary rule.
>2. A strong hereditary line is of greatest benefit, particularly as the strongest family member is likely to come out on top.
>3. Think that rule should be purely about those who can claim power and respect.
>4. Custom

>>44797781
I dont understand that mentallity. Sure she may not be able to thrall but she could still be active around the region. By this logic the only place she could be located would be her manse. Unless im completely wrong because last thread stated there were thralls being made here in the city. Feel free to correct me if so.
Can nightwalkers thrall?

>>44797999
I already voted and am talking while waiting for the next bit. And it's a forgone conclusion for anyone who hasn't voted, given the landslide of the current vote.

>>44798124
>3. Think that rule should be purely about those who can claim power and respect.

>>44798124
3. May as well be a meritocracy.

>>44798124
>3. Think that rule should be purely about those who can claim power and respect.
Kind of feel this is most in line with what I'd enjoy playing as. It also works well as a gateway philosophy to a pseudo-roman "Just adopt someone awesome for your heir" solution to the question of succession.

>>44798124
>3. Think that rule should be purely about those who can claim power and respect.

>>44798124
2. A strong hereditary line is of greatest benefit, particularly as the strongest family member is likely to come out on top.
Even though 3 will win. This seems like a rather fast and easy way of getting this discussion out of the way.

>>44798124
>>3. Think that rule should be purely about those who can claim power and respect.

If you can take it. Then it's yours. Getting bogged down in the how leads to issues. Pragmatism is the truth of politics!

>>44798132
She can be out of her home but she can't thrall out of her home.

>>44798124
I don't think just anyone should just be able to come up and take rulership because they're the strongest, even though their political views and mindset are completely different to those of the previous rulers, especially if they aren't even native to the nation, but I do believe that given those limits, the one with the most power and most respect/influence should rule, if they want to.
If that counts as a 4, then please count it as such, otherwise, 1, since that one doesn't really limit it to either.

>>44797999
I was the second person to vote and only bothered to copy paste my speculation afterwards.
Not to mention that the guy who only voted after the update was almost done really doesn't have much room to talk.

>>44798124
what is the hidden downside/consequence of choosing 3?

that we upset both the Magi League and RSK and effectively start out with negative diplomacy stats with both of them and have to turn to or consider alternative ally options?

>>44798124
3

>>44798124
>3. Think that rule should be purely about those who can claim power and respect.

Promotions should be done on merit, and if you establish your own system to accomplish your goals, it was because you had help, no two ways about it. If you can hold onto power without thousands dying under your thumb, then you deserve to rule.

3 seems TOO simplified. According to that we'd be fine with Volante coming in and seizing control of Harrowmont since he's stronger than us.

>>44798132
The post was in response to a piece of speculation that suspected this entire thing is a trap to thrall a League commander and so they can engineer conflict between us and the League.
Aladria's ability to thrall is very much relevant here.

>>44798256
>>44798276
is this a character shaping vote? Despite the landslide 3, I'd like to know more about where this ideology is coming from.

A meritocracy sounds great, but on the other hand, if it turns into a 'might makes right' setup then it feels like that could turn into an anarchic endless civil war/constant challengers situation

>>44798124
>>4. Custom
Obviously just having the strongest duke it out is bad for civilization. Too many civil wars. Going with a nominative succession where the previous ruler chooses the best choice is ideal, providing that it isn't abused. Perhaps rules about it staying in family lines for over three generations at a time.

>>44798316
>Promotions should be done on merit
That is the case in both 1 and 2 though as well, since it's assumed that neither system is super corrupt.

>>44798338
no you don't understand what 3 means

>>44798276
It's about establishing our own views and plans, not about choosing a side.
Our answer will of course inform Saul's attitude when it actually comes to choosing a side, but that's a different decision.

>>44798383
Then explain

>>44798124
>>2. A strong hereditary line is of greatest benefit, particularly as the strongest family member is likely to come out on top.
Let's be interesting guys, I think Saul would be really interesting if he were a royalist

I remember there was a discussion of nonimative succession, where the ruler choses an heir who doesn't necessarily has to be in his family.
It's a shame it wasn't one of the default options and so has no chance to win.
Could've made it so that if the ruler doesn't appoint one then either an assembly of advisors takes over temporarily or his child is appointed.

>>44798396
you would not just lay down and let him take over you would fight him to see who is more powerful
>>44798415
he has already said he does not care that he is a noble

>>44798351
I kind of read it as a "It's not so much how the group are organized so much as how competent they are and how skilled they are at running things." No so much lawless hellhole.

>>44798448
Yes and if Saul lost he would have no problem with serving under Volante, right? Since Volante deserves to rule, then.

>>44798440
That's incredibly easily folded under 3 though.
I mean, three doesn't bother going into the details of how to determine that person, but since a free for all would be utterly retarded, grooming an heir in preparation is one of the more obvious choices.

>>44798475
saul would be dead if he lost

>>44798467
>I kind of read it as a "It's not so much how the group are organized so much as how competent they are and how skilled they are at running things." No so much lawless hellhole.
That's not what is said though, it says purely power and respect matters, which means free for all.
Also no practical system of succession, except for something silly like a tournament which would just be retarded.

>>44798475
If Volante can beat us and make us respect him for reasons other than power, than we'll be more so inclined to follow his lead. That's the idea. Power plus respect, not just one or the other. If everyone likes you but you don't have the power to follow through on any of your decisions or hold onto your rulership, you don't deserve to rule. If everyone hates you despite your awesome power, they'll unite against you and crush everything and everyone you rule between you and them, making you Emperor of Nothing, ergo, you don't deserve to rule.

You need both.

>>44798338
I kind of read that more as if he wins and can hold it then it doesn't matter because we lost so we are dead anyway.

Kind of a pragmatic it goes as the dice lands philosophy. Think more on where the power is and not so much what the systems are. Systems can be changed but leadership and powerful rulers are harder to totally remove.

>>44798533
>Power plus respect, not just one or the other
Except, you know, vampires can brainwash you into respecting them

>Interview with an Archdevil when?

>>44798573
The Volante example was just that. An example. Admittedly not a great one because of the thralldom thing, but yeah.

>>44798514
Power counts political power.

You can be the weakest bastard in a thousand miles and if you can convince the army to follow you to their death you are the strongest person there.

Regardless, considering Saul1s young age and inexperience with politics so far, I think his view on such matters could very easily change through the course of building his empire.

>>44798514
It's retarded because you choose to interpret it as retarded.
By the same vein one could argue that the mage option allows for world conquest via mage-off.

People are just trying to shoehorn 3 into being something it's not. 3 means you have parity for x equivalent thrones/territories/titles/empires. If you possess the power for it, which can be political, social, physical, magical, whatever helps you accomplish your goals I.E ruling an empire, and are respected for reasons that could cause other powerful people to respect you, like good policies, then you deserve to rule.

How big of a thing is honor and keeping her word for Alyce? Does Gnome know?

>>44798676
I kind of like the idea of him being pretty pragmatic and not really having a set stance on the mage vs Royals thing other then "Whatever helps me the most at the time." So he can be a wild card.

>>44798692
Pretty much exactly what I was thinking personally.

>>44798732
Yes anon I know you like the idea of outjewing everyone, you said so before, but that has nothing to do with my post.

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>3.

“Morals don’t have much to do with who rules, in the end that’s up to the people, the soldiers and all else under dominion,” you say calmly, aware of the attention your answer will receive from your gathered officers. “If you can claim the power and respect of people, then you rule. I hold command here because of the respect and support of all of you, not because I come from a noble family or have the greatest magical talent.”

“That’s not exactly an answer,” Gnome says with a frown.

“I’m pragmatic. I’ll claim power and respect by offering people a future they can’t get under others. Alyce did the same, arguably even King Fenix is doing that – how else would he retain the support of so many mages, including his own court’s Grand Magister?” you say, looking directly at Gnome.

“And if somebody else challenges you under the same rules?”

“Then I’ll beat them at my game,” you say, letting a small self-assured smile slip through. “Now, onto the actual strategy part of the meeting.”

Your officers give you nods of respect – you had claimed everything you had so far through demonstrating that you were the most capable and that you could follow through on what you promised. You couldn’t let them think anything else.

As for the current situation, things haven’t dramatically changed since you set off from Vitria, you realise as Cormann gives you an update. The League had taken Haylsburg but were facing an RSK counter-attack, preventing them from pressing forward onto Passau – the longer they were delayed, the more likely that Falwick would recover and sortie out of his castle and shatter their front.

>continued

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>>44798802
Closer to home, you had limited intelligence that suggested that Volante was on the march with his new army. You didn’t know where he was going yet, but if it was to Darlesia then things could get dicey very quickly. At least Farun was making a good show of force, having formally declared war against Taour. With their forces reinforcing yours, hopefully Volante wouldn’t be able to easily break through to Vitria if he marched east.

You have around 3.5k soldiers here, with a focus on elites. Taour only has 2k soldiers in the city, plus potential reinforcements from the north from either Volante or the forces defending the Wall of Lesia. There was also the matter of whatever was in that keep and whether there was a powerful daywalker who had thralled the resistance leaders.

With that in mind, the question was whether to accept the League support here. You didn’t know whether there was more than just Rayza and Moonblade here, but you knew that even just those two could be of immense support against a powerful daywalker. The cost would be high, however – if you didn’t allow military access then they would have a debt they could call in, or else would be deeply untrusting of you henceforth.

>short discussion on next move and potential benefits

Basically, how do you want to take Darlesia, deal with the League and approach the possible vampire in the city.

>>44798765
Was more making a comment about the idea of his growth over time since you mentioned that. Where he gets locked into one route and all that.

Though to be a true jew we'll need to build a few banks. Maybe start using the empire to buy up merchant interests. Need to think harder on this.

>>44798822
We have no reason to trust them. Sure theyre powerful mages but we cant risk them being thralled. Also I dont want to pick sides in the larger war next door.

>>44798822
Honestly I kind of say we need more info here. If we could directly find the vampire we could drive by it. But with it hiding that's a pain in the ass.

For the league I think it would be kind of interesting to allow military access as a long term approach to reach Shropham and then use them to cause internal strife in the league. Depending on what we know about them.

We could use this as a chance to get closer to the league but in reality be reporting the leagues movements and the likes to the RSK or the likes depending on how far we can bend any agreement we make here.

>>44798822
>>44798910
agree. Have no particular desire to owe the magi league favours in the future and Rayza's stance towards us initially while not condescending, shows that they don't view us as equal anyways

>“I don’t think that is wise. This is League territory,” Rayza says, her voice cautioning.
when it fucking well isn't, plus the general laid back-ness of her interaction with us to start; she didn't start acting professionally til we called her out on it
future allying with shropham ho!

>>44798822
I want to approach Darlesia from the north, preemptively cutting off the path of reinforcements coming from the Wall of Lesia. If we had good spies I'd send them into the city itself to snoop around but don't mess with the keep.
I'd say do not ask for League assistance and instead ask for future neutrality in return of us promising not to directly help the RSK against the League. I want to keep the opportunity to use one of the League's attacks on the RSK to take the area north of Herrieton for ourselves open. Maybe mention something about stablizing Taour/Shophram and thus letting them concentrate on the war instead of having to pay attention there?


How fast can Gnome dig tunnels?

Another stealth run for the hidden vamp could be a good idea.
At the same time, unlike in Vitria killing the daywalker does not actually turn almost all Taour forces to our side again, so our army needs to attack anyways.

Regarding the League, I'm still hoping that we can trade in military access for military access to bypass the Wall of Lesia. Pulling that off would give us a far easier and faster way to threaten Taour directly, which in turn means they can't risk marching on Vitria again nearly as easily, we don't actually have to take Trembin to take out their capital and the garrison in Trembin can't be pulled back into Taour without giving us Trembin for free.
Unsure whether more interaction with League forces and making us appear more trustworthy through that would really help though, considering that in that case they'd already have given us something in return for military access.

>>44798822
We have so much to gain without getting involved with the neighboring superpowers still, we have yet to solidify our rule in the local region. Yes, it may become a scenario of us having to absolutely pick a side eventually, rather than playing the field, but why get involved at a stage where we're just going to be bullied or bulldozed into helping with their war? We aim to take over the continent, not play second fiddle to foreign powers.

>>44798822
I wonder if we could test the people in Darlesia for Thralldom to see if they are really thralled or if a bunch of them are just crazy.

>>44799008
>How fast can Gnome dig tunnels?
TUNNELBRO NO
IT IS TOO SOON
STAY YOUR HAND

>>44798997
allying with the people funding the people trying to kill us is not very likely

>>44799038
B-but anon, the keep! The keep is stationary, and no one traps the ground below the foundation!
not tunnelbro

>>44798997
I agree with everything but thw Shropham part. If you can give a convincing IC reason to help or ally with them in any way I could be convinced.

>>44799052
The League isn't really a monolith though and as long as we get enough in return, it's less allying and more trading favours.

The big question is how much we can trust the League and how soon Volante's forces could be here, if he is indeed marching in this direction.

Then there's the question if our infiltration of Vitria could be known. If so, they'd suspect us to infiltrate the city ahead of time.

And then we come up to how to take the city itself. Obviously we cannot trust most of the Resistance, however there are a few small people we can trust. We've had knights inside the city, meaning that we definitely can get small forces inside the city. If I had to choose an option, it would be to infiltrate the city ahead of time and get ready to secure a gatehouse so our army can flood right in.

Another thing that would be key is a reconnaissance of the keep itself, to determine if there is in fact a daywalker there. It will need to be cleared at some point, and I don't trust anyone who could possibly be thralled. That leaves ourselves, Gnome, Lynn, and possibly Rayza, if we DO choose to accept her help, to fight our way through the resistance and slay the Daywalker.

Further, we need to act with speed and keep as many of our forces alive as possible for use in a field battle to the north of the city against the reinforcing Volante before he arrives. This gives us a tight timetable. The key will, once again, be tempo. Once we move in, we have to keep moving.

>>44799093
talking about shropham

>>44798997
I do think that is actually a pretty good idea when considering how different this play though is. Damaging the league can only help when you plan on taking them over at some point anyway.

>>44799052
am aware, but it's not impossible

Shropham has more or less been stated to be the "no sense of right and wrong" faction that gives no fucks as long as "NEW MAGIC"

they're only really backing Taour because possible new and nifty vampiric magic. We conquer Taour and do our own vampire research (freeing thralls, Heavy nightwalkers, daywalker units, etc if we so choose) and have a focus on our own research pushing the limits and chances are they won't give a fuck and they'll back us instead

tl;dr we kill the guys they're backing and take over their research and/or push the boundaries with our own research and they probably won't really give a shit or so it seems

>>44799117
You really shouldn't make decisions just to be more dissimilar to Talon

>>44798997
Of course it itsn't.
That was just political posturing. Everyone does it, it's basically obligatory and if you can't take it without feeling salty, maybe you should stay away from everything involving politics, including ruling an empire.

Key points to keep in mind here is that Rayza does not actually know we're an emperor to be or are even aiming for that.
She thinks she's dealing with a mercenary warlord and is hoping to win him over to the League as a powerful asset.

On another note, this language isn't even remotely as much of dickmove as how we pressured Sarah, not that I actually care about that either, because both are just politics.
You need thick skin to deal with it or you are way too easily manipulated.

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>>44798958
>Honestly I kind of say we need more info here.
You're not really going to get any more info unless you either move on Darlesia in some way (small team to find the vampire or an outright invasion), or else just wait around to see what happens and hope your scouts turn up with something in the city.

>>44799033
You would have to get Mal in physical contact with them, which would be hard for a variety of reasons (not the least of which is that they might not trust you not to try to kill them, thralled or not).

>>44799104
>nfiltrate the city ahead of time and get ready to secure a gatehouse so our army can flood right in.
I didn't say this earlier, but Darlesia isn't a walled city (it's too damned big). It does have walls in it, but they're not exactly in the greatest state since the city already got sacked and conquered by the Taourans.

Anyway, nobody really wants to work with the League except the one guy who wants to potentially trade with them for military access both ways. Otherwise it's really about whether you want to infiltrate the city yourself and hunt around; invade the city wholesale; or wait around and try to gather more information to better plan your next move.

>>44799052
They're just funding them. They're not directly attacking us. So oust the vampires and we can see how they react. Depending on what we do with the vampires and the likes we can likely still interest them enough not to shut the door in our faces.

>>44799085
They and the rest of the league tend to butt heads. They are a powerful faction within the league that doesn't have many friends. Any harm they cause is a plus to us and they have good magitech we know of.

I could see us allying with them as a method of trying to limit the leagues options. Since moving against us agitates them.

I'm in favor of a meeting with their leadership essentially saying we'll turn a blind eye to their research so long as they don't fuck up royally, but if they do their heads would be on pikes, simply to make it seem like we didn't allow it to continue.

>>44799239
Given we should be immune to thralling it would likely be best for Saul to go in. Maybe send a few scouts for a few days to get the gist then go in with Saul and Mal and the crew.

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LEAGUE VOTE
>1. Don't truck with Rayza and the League at all right now.
>2. Approach Rayza about gaining her assistance for Darlesia as a way to pave a future relationship (without promising military access yet).
>3. Custom

DARLESIA
>1. Invade the city with your army now, as you have the advantage over the Taourans.
>2. Infiltrate the city (as you did Vitria) and try to gather more information and deal with the vampire.
>3. Position yourself around the city in preparation for an invasion but wait to gather more information and suss out what Volante is doing.
>4. Cusotm

>>44799252
Kind of think this could be a useful deniable asset really. Help them with their forbidden magic research and if they fuck up then we can claim we didn't know it was that far.

If they don't then we just learned more about magic types that the rest of the world has issues defending against and can start judging if it's too dangerous to use or not.

>>44799332
2
1

>>44799239
Are vampiric dragons a thing? Or is their shit too different to mix? How about elves, or dwarves? I'm assuming it doesn't work on foxes by virtue of them being purpose made for what they do.

I don't recall ever hearing (or reading about it in the loredoc) about if vampirism affects the other common races.

>>44799332
>>1. Don't truck with Rayza and the League at all right now.
>1. Invade the city with your army now, as you have the advantage over the Taourans.

>>44799085
desu I'm not really sure Saul's personality has been fleshed out enough to really be able to give solid IC reasons but

- reactionary move against MG limitations
- we're apparently loaded with mages/spellblades this run, so having a mage faction allied with us is beneficial, which means Shropham or Magi League anyways; given the trend towards not wanting to ally with ML this time, we might default to Shropham anyways

- Shropham is the center of groundbreaking magical research and doesn't answer to oversight from ML (hence lots of potentially illegal research and the MG just itching to come in and smash everything)+ Magi League has stagnated due to internal politics and chasing away lots of actual talent
- Saul is pragmatic enough to realize that new and advanced magitech/toys will give him an edge against the other factions, especially as the underdog at the moment

tl;dr we'll want to ally with a magic faction because of the composition of our own forces, we don't want to ally with the ML, and Shropham can give us an edge because of their fancy toys and research nobody else has

>>44799249
I hate bringing up meta knowledge but it feels like something the MC might be able to gather himself.
The League wont be idle if us and Shropham start destabilising them. They will likely start taking measures to curtail their power or even kick them out. Just like last time. If they do get the boot you can bet your ass Shropham and us will get the full brunt of the Guard to deal with.
I feel we should be more insular until we get both this region and the farun area locked down and loyal.

Right, so I suggest a small team with two goals in mind. First, we need to kidnap someone high up in the RSK supporting Resistance for Mal to test for Thralldom. If that is the case, we'll go and root out the vampire in the keep.

Then we need to have the invasion of the city planned ahead of time and ready to go on a moment's notice. Since the city is not walled, some Darlesian knights infiltrated early enough can hold certain key passages so our forces can move quickly enough. Also, attach a Darlesian to each formation, so they all have guides and can move around the city far more easily if necessary. Essentially, bullrush down several parallel routes. If resistance is too stiff in one of them, bypass and encircle, at which they can be crushed by AA and mage fire.

Speaking of mages, we can really make use of them for our initial moment, but what exactly would that take the form of? Perhaps a giant street sweeper down one of the main lines of resistance.

>>44799332
LEAGUE VOTE
>2. Approach Rayza about gaining her assistance for Darlesia as a way to pave a future relationship (without promising military access yet).

DARLESIA
>4. Infiltrate the city (as you did Vitria) while your army moves into position to invade.

I'm the guy who wants tot rade access and even I wouldn't mind too much if 1 wins on the League vote, largely because I'm a bit paranoid about whether Rayza and Moonblade may be thralled right now.

>>44799332
1
2

>>44799332
>1. Don't truck with Rayza and the League at all right now.
>1. Invade the city with your army now, as you have the advantage over the Taourans.

>>44799372
We know elven vampires are possible and they are stupidly powerful I remember one anon thinking of mass producing them last quest.. I'm pretty sure dragons though are impossible given how their body works.

>>44799332
>>1. Don't truck with Rayza and the League at all right now.
>>2+3

>>44799395
Sure I'll back this

>>44799332
1 and 1
I dont think we have much time to deal with Darlesia before Volante noves on us again. I dont trust a word Rayza has said.

>>44799416
Might want to link an actual vote to the storypost then.

>>44799332
1
1

>>44799332
>1. Don't truck with Rayza and the League at all right now.
>2. Infiltrate the city (as you did Vitria) and try to gather more information and deal with the vampire.

>>44799332
1
2
I would like to have the army ready to invade at a signal

>>44799391
Yeah now I can agree there. Stability first. Still it's something we can do as a method of limiting their options. Shropham is pretty powerful right now so it would likely be hard to kick them.

And even if the guard intervenes unless the helldragon shows up Shropham and us could likely drive them back unless they cranked out a all out invasion.

Depending on how we work the RSK we could do quite a lot with this.

>>44799332
I'm >>44799411
and I'd just like to add that I don't really care if it's 1 or 2 as long as we do 3 along with it. Obviously 1 would be a bit delayed, like having them attack at our signal or something. Still I think positioning our army to the north would be the smart move.
Maybe give the League a tip to watch out for RSK movements into Darlesia.

>>44799332
>>44799395
I'm with this anon
LEAGUE VOTE
>2. Approach Rayza about gaining her assistance for Darlesia as a way to pave a future relationship (without promising military access yet).

DARLESIA
>4. Infiltrate the city (as you did Vitria) while your army moves into position to invade.

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Rolled 2 (1d2)

First vote is 1, second vote is a tie between 1 and 2, so rolling for it.

>>44799477
And even if they DID launch a full out invasion, I doubt the League would like to see it, them being kicked out or no. It's still the Guard trampling down mage leadership.

>>44799570
Can't do both?

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>>44799633
It's kind of hard to infiltrate a city and invade it at the same time, anon. The army positioning stuff for option 2 went without saying, in my opinion.

>>44799669
>The army positioning stuff for option 2 went without saying
Oh, alright then

>>44799669
>"hey bro you see that army camping outside our walls? You think they're gonna invade us?"
>"nah man they're probably just tourists"
>"who's the foreigner that looks like a soldier? Are we being infiltrated?"
>"SNEAK SNEAK SNEAK"
>"why is he bellowing SNEAK SNEAK SNEAK while tiptoeing around and taking pictures"
>"GREETINGS CITIZEN. I AM BUT A SIMPLE TOURIST. COULD YOU POINT ME IN THE DIRECTION OF THE BARRACKS AND NOTE THE KEY MILITARY BUILDINGS WITHIN THIS CITY ON MY MAP"
>...

>>44799746
>He seemed like a nice fellow.
>Yeah, he was - do you smell smoke?
>Why is the armory burning?
>Where did the gates go..?

>>44799894
>Man look at this horde of touists!
>This is bad man, real bad
>we can't have a fire during peak tourist season! It's not safe for them!
>s-sir! Please stop smashing things!
>damn drunken hooligans
>sure is hard to regulate the flow of tourists when the gates are gone. Can't maintain order without weapons from the armory either
>this job sucks

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>1 & 2

“Given the dangers of a daywalker in Darlesia, I’ll infiltrate the city ahead of the invasion,” you say.

“You’ve been gung-ho with the personal missions lately, Waise,” Cormann says, looking more concerned than upset. “We know that the vampires are dangerous and going in without the support of your men gets riskier every time, as they’ll begin to expect it.”

You look around the table at the other officers, looking to see whether the opinion is shared. Most of them don’t appear too concerned, though you notice Captain Malaine nodding along. It’s possible that the Darlesian had concerns given the known danger of the vampires.

While you were gauging your officers, Lynn intervenes, “The army will have its place, but if the resistance is thralled then are we not in more danger if we invade? How would morale be if we find ourselves battling the very people we intend on liberating?”

A more elegant and noble way of putting ‘the vampire will complicate matters and cause more losses’, you think. Then again, perhaps Lynn thought exactly like that – for you it was pragmatism as you knew nothing of the Darlesians and didn’t want to risk losing good men.

“The army will need to be ready to move at my command,” you tell Cormann. “This isn’t like Vitria where the infiltration will end everything. I need everybody to support me when the invasions comes, rather than being caught up fighting a vampire we didn’t prepare for.”

The meeting runs for some time after that, as you work through the details with your officers. When you leave you notice Maloric gesturing for your attention, though you doubt it’s anything too important.

You…

>1. Go to Maloric and spend some time catching up with him and seeing his thoughts.
>2. Check with Cormann about his thoughts on your plan and his concerns.
>3. Meet with Lynn and see that he’s ready for the infiltration.
>4. CUstom

>>44800034
>>2. Check with Cormann about his thoughts on your plan and his concerns.

>>44800034
>1. Go to Maloric and spend some time catching up with him and seeing his thoughts.

>>44800034
>1. Go to Maloric and spend some time catching up with him and seeing his thoughts.

>>44800034
>2. Check with Cormann about his thoughts on your plan and his concerns.

>>44800034
>2. Check with Cormann about his thoughts on your plan and his concerns.

>>44800034
>>>1. Go to Maloric and spend some time catching up with him and seeing his thoughts.

>>44800034
>>2. Check with Cormann about his thoughts on your plan and his concerns.

>>44800034
>1. Go to Maloric and spend some time catching up with him and seeing his thoughts.

>>44800034

>1. Go to Maloric and spend some time catching up with him and seeing his thoughts.

Mans never led us wrong.

>>44800034
>1. Go to Maloric and spend some time catching up with him and seeing his thoughts.

>>44800034
>>1. Go to Maloric and spend some time catching up with him and seeing his thoughts.
>>2. Check with Cormann about his thoughts on your plan and his concerns.
Either or, Mal is my preferred one, maybe we can get some brohood going, talk about him tutoring us in some magic once things have settled down

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>1.

You let Gnome know you’ll find her later and walk with Maloric back to his tent. He strikes up a conversation as you join him, weaving through the tents and soldiers as the two of you go.

“You’re certainly as decisive as ever, Waise,” he says with a smile. “That elemental of yours certainly doesn’t hesitate to put you on the spot at any moment.”

You grimace at that. “She’s a bit like that. I don’t know if she’s just trying to learn about me or is trying to push me to make decisions.”

“Probably both. Women are like that,” Maloric says.

The two of you stop suddenly in the camp as teams of soldiers pass in front of you with the food for the night. Preparing meals for more than three thousand soldiers requires enough supplies that the two of you are stuck where you are for some time as the carts and men do their hauling without pause.

While you’re waiting, you respond, “I’m not so sure about all women.”

“If they’re not pushing you to make a decision, it’s because you’ve made one,” Maloric says, looking down at you with a grin.

You’re not so sure about that, so you shrug. “What about Sarah? Is she like that or has yet to settle in enough to start asking for instruction?”

>continued

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>>44800525
Snorting in response, Maloric answers you even as he steps back to avoid a particularly burly soldier rushing past him, “I made a decision the first day she was in Harrowmont, because she badgered me about whether I’d help her. She’s sharp and has a lot of talent. The issue is that she doesn’t know where to direct it, so she needs to specialise. If I were you, I’d talk to her about that – she’s impressionable and if you have something in particular you want from your pet mage then you should just ask for it.”

You stare at Maloric with your mouth hanging slightly open for several seconds after he says that. What was going through his head regarding Sarah was beyond you. You…

>1. Ask him bluntly what the hell he means by ‘pet mage’.
>2. Just ignore his weird comment and ask him more about how Sarah is settling in.
>3. Change topics completely and talk to Mal about his research.
>4. Custom

>>44800550
>>1. Ask him bluntly what the hell he means by ‘pet mage’.

>>44800550
>>3. Change topics completely and talk to Mal about his research.

>>44800550
>1. Ask him bluntly what the hell he means by ‘pet mage’.

>>44800550
>>2. Just ignore his weird comment and ask him more about how Sarah is settling in.

>>44800550
>>1. Ask him bluntly what the hell he means by ‘pet mage’.
Depends on how rude this is if I'd choose it. If it comes off as a little standoffish, I'd choose
>3

>>44800550
1
Even though we arent on the best terms with anyone I wonder if it could be usefull to send Sarah to kearn at other towers. Could use her as a semi-diplomat mage. This could also do wonders for her learning.

>>44800550
>>1. Ask him bluntly what the hell he means by ‘pet mage’.

I don't really get why people are acting so surprised, pet isn't that sudden since she is a kind of spoiled little noble we promised to let become our mage for political gain. It might seem like we're just humoring her.
I don't see why Saul would get offended at this.

>>44800550
>>1. Ask him bluntly what the hell he means by ‘pet mage’.

LET'S MAKE HER SPECIALIZE IN PATTERNS

what's her maximum possible magic stat again? She's gifted, but not as much as Saul or Mal, right?

>>44800657
6, I believe.
I kind of want to let her specialize in whatever strikes her fancy, while she keeps in mind what we tell her, which is to think about how to benefit us either directly or indirectly.

>>44800657
she could be really really good

>>44800640
What? No, she's at our tower. She's like a hostage, sorta. We want her in harrowmont

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Just to let people know there will be a slight delay before the next post as I pick up lunch.

At the same time, has anybody thought of any names for the empire?

>>44800657
>Patterns
>Not constructs.

We already have Maloric for patterns.

>>44800762
I know you were sent some additional flag designs after the last thread, did you check those out or do you not want to bother with this topic at all anymore?

>>44800762
Phoenician Empire

>>44800762
Sauls crib.

>>44800762
Wasia

>>44800762
>>44800792
I like this, maybe just Phoenicia?

>>44800792
Waaaay to cheesy
>>44800797
I like this

>>44800762
Phoenicia sounds good, though we should be careful not to run into any empire called cartho or romanii.

Phoenix empire is a nice fall back.

Maybe Waiseland?

>>44800775
but Mal's busy trying to rebuild zombieTalon

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Also, at some point there will be a vote as to whether to keep the surname 'Waise' or to take on the old family name of 'Rorsgrov'.

>>44800789
The latter. The flag has already taken up a lot of time as is.

>>44800762
Empire of the Eternal Sun
Like the sun, the phoenix rises in the east.

>>44800762
I just like Phoenicia.

>>44800855
>Mal master the arts of necromancy
>Undead dragons everywhere.
>Talon comes back from the dead.
>The game is over.

>>44800869
Booooo
Be more pretentious why don't you

>>44800775
The difference in constructs and patterns is that patterns are discount constructs, not as powerful, but far, far easier to make in large number.

>>44800896
Very well.
The Rising Black Sun

>>44800869
Nippon pls go

>>44800942
nuffin personel kid

>>44800825
I like this. I would rather avoid using our name as. We wont be alive forever or at least have bo reason to believe we will. Personally I want to go back to our old family name because I loathe the name we took on. Dont know why just hate it.

>>44800945
Eternal sun is british empire, rising sun is nippon.

>>44800947
The Dark Eclipse Empire

>>44800963
They're both island nations that love tea, same difference

let's go with something relating to our phoenix motif without directly referencing it?
ie words associated with rebirth, rejuvenation, being eternal etc

>>44800963
Eternal Sun is also french, Louis 14(?) was the Sun King wasn't he?

No references to the sun, phoenixes, or empire in the name please

If you need Phoenix go with Phonecia.

But Wasia or Waisia gets my vote

>>44800994
No idea, but its the british that has "Sun never set" (technically still valid) moniker, so eternal sun is a shoe in for it.
Besides, the french killed their monarchy.

>ITT: Reasons why Aspie should have named the Empire on his own

We're creatively bankrupt, boss.

>>44801015
Wasia is horrible, literally land of the nameless/orphans or something

>>44800971
Gay AF

>>44801032
Just go with Phoenix. The flag looks badass, and its a nice rebirth and fire mortif you can really work with. Simple.

>>44801032
>The Empire

>>44801035
Good, it contradicts the concept of nobility. The commoners will love us

I don't honestly see why we'd want to remind everyone of our past. Boohoo, my family is dead, let me name my Empire after this fact. That's retarded.

Phoenicia.

>>44801055
>The Empire of people and things, also stuff, the Kingdom of Republic.

>>44801058
It's shit, even the phonology of it is shit.
We are not ashamed of our name, and we don't hate nobles or family, makes no sense to name it something as horrible as Wasia

>>44801063
Anon what are you talking about?

>>44801085
It's better than something as retarded as the empire of the eternal Phoenix, or phoenixia, are you kidding?

Shit reading comprehension around here.

>>44801126
How is it better than Phoenicia?

>>44801146
It's not.

>>44801146
It's not pretension and stupid for one thing

>>44801130
Some things never change.

>>44801171
Holding serious doubts you even understand what pretentious means.

>>44801171
How is it pretentious? You do know it's a real name of a nation that actually existed, right?
"The Nameless" is way more pretentious.

>>44801126
hey man, i just wanted Phoenix Empire or Phoenix Dominion (so we can ignore pointed questions about leadership type for a time).

Don't misrepresent in your argument or you just look silly.

>>44801192
attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed.

Naming ourselves after phoenixes when none are actually possessed and have nothing to do with us beyond our flag is pretentious. Rome didn't call itself Wolfia, Egypt doesn't call itself Crocodilia. Place names come from peoples, not from emblems m

>>44801224
The nation itself was not named after the animal man

>>44801272
Explains absolutely nothing about many historical events. Interesting interpretation of reality, but no cigaro.

>>44801272
Let's call ourselves Harrowmont and be done with it

>>44801272
And england has a lion on its flag, wales has a red dragon.

Get a damn story and you can shove what ever you like on the flag. e.g. the phoenix is the revival of a dead empire (darlesia, vitria, harrowmount) from vampires. Tada. Your argument is a bad one.

>>44801272
>Being this
>Wanting to be like this

Frownie townie, mang.

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Alright, back and writing.

For names, the ones that stick out are 'Phoenicia' and the Empire of the Eternal Sun/Phoenix. The only other one that I can think up (because I'm terrible at naming things myself) is something simple like the Eastern Dominion or Harrowmont Dominion.

>>44801309
England does not have a lion on its flag, but you're proving my point. We should not name our kingdom after the animals on our flag, it's dumb

>>44801272
>Rome didn't call itself Wolfia

Because Rome was named after its capital city, Rome. And the people who settled there originally weren't called Romans, as they predated the city, so I don't think you name a nation after its people.

Also, Waisia is a shit name, deal with it.

>>44801272
>attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed.
Shouldnt we actually be trying to do this? I mean we want poeple to think we are a big deal.

>>44801330
anything but phoenicia

>>44801348
Wasn't Rome named for Romulus, the legendary kid that was supposedly raised by a wolf?

>>44801338
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Arms_of_England

It was pretty much the flag of the english monarchy for a time.

>>44801348
The city Rome named itself after its founder, Romulus. The empire was "the Roman Empire"

You're stupid

Kek. Just kek.

>tfw considered suggesting "The Yorke Empire" as b8

>>44801374
"Is" means something different than "was"

>>44801368
Supposedly.

Much like how "Dayton [insert state here]" was named after a certain man named "Dayton".

But the people who lived where Rome stands before Rome was there, were not Romans, and it wasn't named for them. It may have been named for a -person- but it wasn't named for its -people-.

First Dubs get to name the empire

>>44801330
Empire of the Flowers and faggotry would be good.

>>44801379
>missing the purpose of the post

>mad because his choice was shit regardless

>>44801441
It's better than Empire of the Phoenix man, why don't you come up with a name that isn't fucking stupid

>>44801438
supportan'

>>44801465
>It's better
It isn't.
Make it the Rorsgrov Principality if you must oppose anything Phoenix like.
Or do you want the Saulan Empire, since you like the Roman Empire?

>>44801500
Dubs confirm

>>44801465
What's the name of the mountain range near harrowmont? Why dont we name ourselves after that?

>>44801472
sweet! I was actually just trolling, but it would be pretty cool, especially if other annons want it tooo!

>>44801519
Marnian range, I believe?

>>44801500
Cause Saulan sounds dumb. The principality suggestion though, I like.

Maybe Rorsgrav Dominion? Or Rorsia.

>>44801465
>naming your empire after orphans

>naming your empire after yourself by proxy

>naming something utterly shit that isn't even phonetically pleasing

How about no, you stupid anonymous bastard.

>>44801534
Lmaoooo
Let's be Marnia

>>44801543
Id rather not name the empire after ourselves again.

>>44801523
well I was gonna say it fit based on the blatant autism going on in this thread over the name, but in retrospect Empire of Autistic Faggotry would probably be better

I don't even care what we end up calling it. The Yorke Empire was a pretty stupid name last time, so whatever, the bar's pretty low anyways

>>44801566
WELCOME TO MARNIA! WE HAVE A DYSLEXIC LION AS OUR KING!

I like it.

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Alright, as things got out of hand I hereby declare that Saul’s empire is now ‘Saulyuken’. But not really. I think I'll leave this for now.

>1.

“Pet mage? Really?” you say, letting your tone make your opinion clear. The path is clear now and you begin walking forward.

“She’s in Harrowmont because you asked her to be there,” Maloric says, grinning and resolutely not backing down. “She’s even been using your name to barge around in the keep and set herself up. Given she’s not in your court or cabinet, and isn’t such a talented mage to be so important, that means she’s your pet and important because of it.”

“She’s not a pet,” you say. “Or are you going to call her that to her face?”

Maloric freezes and you nearly leave him behind before noticing. He scowls at you and crosses his arms, saying, “I’m not stupid, and neither is she. And don’t tell her that’s what I call her.”

“It’s good that you hand me blackmail material so easily,” you say dryly, gesturing for Maloric to start moving again.

“What are you going to blackmail me for?” Maloric mutters as he rejoins you, shaking his head.

“To have you deal with the politics of mages. It sounds awfully troublesome,” you say with a wicked smile.

That gets a reaction from Mal again, a visible shiver as he clearly imagines the sort of crap he’s going to deal with. “I’m here to get away from that political bullshit. Putting me front and centre to deal with it is evil – especially because you’re enough of a mage to deal with it yourself.”

You laugh at that, ignoring the chill that’s setting in as the sun continues its descent. You…

>1. Change the topic to Mal’s research
>2. Continue pushing the political angle jokingly, making it clear that Mal will be your foremost diplomat for mages (but probably not)
>3. Stop joking and ask Mal more seriously about the politics of mages
>4. Custom

>>44801599
Well I am used to /pol civ threads so am used to Trump becoming a God Emperor eating souls of 'niggers' and 'kikes' so yeahhhh. funny names are the best.

>>44801635
change the topic to mal's research. We want to know if she has developed any sex toys that can be used against enemies or to passify allies or neutrals.

>>44801635
>1. Change the topic to Mal’s research

>>44801612
The Chronicles of Marnia: The source, the familiar, and the spellblade

I'm on board

>>44801635
>‘Saulyuken’

Only if we get to scream and do a spinning uppercut every time we say it.


>1. Change the topic to Mal’s research

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>>44801666
I'm with you, Satan.

>>44801635
>3. Stop joking and ask Mal more seriously about the politics of mages

And his thoughts on Magi League politics in general and why he wants no part

>>44801689
>not "Saulkuken eat"

I want QM to name the empire just because his names are terrible/similar to other names and we'd end up with like the Smith Empire or Toaure the Shoorpham Empire or something

>>44801635
3. I would like to hear his veiws. I feel like he could go far in the league.

>>44801635
>3. Stop joking and ask Mal more seriously about the politics of mages

>>44801666
Gotta maintain rhythm anon. The Dragon the Source and the Spellblade

>>44801635
Ask Mal if he really thinks we're enough of a mage to be able to do that, we won't by the way, but we don't really see ourselves as such either.

>>44801824
Wouldn't "Source" come last, then?

As it goes "Animal, Archtype, Location/Furniture"?

Lion, Witch, Wardrobe.

But it wouldn't flow as well, then.

>>44801896
I'm more concerned with the flow

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>3.

“I’m not exactly what you’d call a mage,” you say. “Is the politics really that bad?”

“It’s worse,” Maloric says as he steps into his tent, holding the flap open to let you in after him. “My old tower… well, current tower technically, was better than most but still had issues. I received an invitation to the Tower of the Moon in Ahm once but turned it down after I saw how much worse everything was – so far as I could tell I was invited purely to further the ambitions of others.”

That didn’t sound quite right – the Tower of the Moon was the sister tower to Alyce’s Tower of Stars, and one of the most prestigious mage towers on the continent. Surely they wouldn’t invite a mage just to have them be a support? You say as much to Maloric.

His look is bitter in response as he produces some coffee. “You’re exceptional in combat, but surely you’ve been in positions where your talents are clearly intended to hold somebody else up, no matter how important the battle might be?”

Accepting the mug of coffee reluctantly, you frown. “That happens all the time, but I could usually still work it in my favour somehow. If I didn’t, then I would at least gain something from the experience.”

“That works when you’re a mercenary, but imagine if you attached to a tower,” Maloric says, sipping at the murky brown liquid that was supposed to be coffee. “If you keep getting assigned to the crap positions, you’ll stop getting the experience and will become even less likely to work it in your favour. Then you would need to change towers, which carries a lot of stigma if you do so without the explicit blessing of your current tower. It’s a very controlling environment, even as a magister.”

>continued

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>>44802372
“And the Tower of the Moon would have been that bad?” you ask, your coffee remaining untouched,

“From what Farrell tells me, I was only half-right. Enchanters are still considered tools by just about every mage in both towers, but because there are so many senior mages and combat magisters there’s enough respect in the right places for the enchanters to still rise the ranks if they can deal with the crap,” Maloric says. “Still, it would have meant getting caught up in all the anti-royal, pro-mage politics. I like the fact you’re not taking a stance on that – I have no real love for the royals in the RSK, even if York got along with them, but I have friends on both sides.”

Like whoever it was in the RSK that was feeding intelligence through Maloric, you think. You.

>1. Press Maloric on his intelligence source.
>2. Make some small talk and then prepare with the troops.
>3. Custom

>>44802386
>2. Make some small talk and then prepare with the troops.

On to the action

>>44802386
>2. Make some small talk and then prepare with the troops.

>>44802386
>1. Press Maloric on his intelligence source.
time to talk about mals waifu

>>44802386
>So, if we ever go against the RSK we should be careful not to run into your friend, but is it for his sake, or for our's?

>>44802386
>2. Make some small talk and then prepare with the troops.

>>44802386
>2. Make some small talk and then prepare with the troops.

There's time for the other stuff later.

>>44802386
I need to get my AEQR empire building fix between threads.

What 4x games fit the AEQ aesthetic the best? Are there even any fantasy 4x games worth playing? HIT ME WITH SUGGESTIONS ANON

>>44802386
>>2. Make some small talk and then prepare with the troops.
Let's build up his trust a little more first

>>44802534
Ck2
Mount and blade

>>44802534
if you want to read another quest like this you could check out majesty rising on anonkun

>>44802634
It's not that good.

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>2.

After some small talk with Maloric about recent events you leave and begin preparations for the infiltration. By the time night falls you and the others are ready to move on the city. Gnome, Lynn and Maloric are with you, as they were in Vitria.

“Are you sure you want me to come with you rather than assist with command?” Ser Lynn asks you. You’d say that things were a bit late to say that, given that he was already in full armour and ready to move, but he was almost always like that. You honestly wondered if he took the armour off when he slept.

“If we’re going to be hunting a vampire then I’ll need the best I have, which means you,” you say and Lynn gives you a confident nod in return.

It takes a few hours to reach the city, as between the darkness and the cold things were slow going.

“Maloric, you need to learn how to fly,” you mutter to him as the party climbs up a ridge. A Taouran checkpoint had been established nearby and their patrols and torches had a large enough span to make it easier to go around than through it. Not that it was hard for you, as you simply flew up top.

“If man was meant to fly then we’d have wings,” Maloric says in return, his voice clearly frustrated. “Can you give me a lift?”

“An adventuring mage should be more than able to climb a ridge of this gradient,” Gnome says, staring down at Maloric as he’s just a foot short of the top of the ridge where you are standing. Lynn was nearby, looking afar and scouting out the approach to the city – it was all downhill from here, literally and figuratively.

Maloric seems to be a little out of breath, you…

>1. Ignore Gnome and give him a hand up the rest of the ridge.
>2. Join Lynn in scouting things out.
>3. Watch the nearby Taourans to see whether they’re preparing for an invasion.
>4. Custom

>>44802864
>>2. Join Lynn in scouting things out.

>>44802864
2

>>44802864
>rib him and ask him if he's afraid of a little something like heights

>>44802864
>>3. Watch the nearby Taourans to see whether they’re preparing for an invasion.

>>44802864
>2. Join Lynn in scouting things out.

>>44802864
Tell Gnome to give him a hand, form a small ledge under Mal or something, then join Lynn for scouting, we have like magically enhanved vision after all.

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>2.

You ignore Mal, leaving him to Gnome’s watchful eye as he struggles up the remainder of the ridge. Casting your own eyes over the plains leading to the city, you rely on your magic to filter out the darkness and let you see what’s happening. Which is very little – wreckage and decay still litters the roads and surroundings of the city from events months earlier. Taour has clearly done little to clean things up here but then, why would they? The vampires had little to gain from happy human subjects.

Of more interest was the glow in the city itself – Darlesia was an enormous sprawling maze of houses, towers and keeps. The city had always maintained a rich military tradition throughout its lifetime and that was now apparent in the ruins that littered the city now. There was little variation in the city in terms of topography, save a large keep that appeared to be built on an artificial ridge in the middle of the city. Below the keep was the glow and, if you weren’t mistaken, it was from a fire and a large one at that. Not all that surprising given the state of the city, but likely to provide plenty of cover for you to enter the city.

The question is, once you’re in the city what will you do?

>1. Investigate the fire
>2. Investigate the keep where the resistance leaders were likely thralled
>3. Track down your men and touch base with them
>4. Custom

>>44803459
3

>>44803459
>3. Track down your men and touch base with them

>>44803459
>3. Track down your men and touch base with them

>>44803459
>3. Track down your men and touch base with them

>>44803459
3

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>3.

As you enter the city, heading directly for the location that your soldiers had told you would be best to contact them at, you can tell that things aren’t right at all. The fire is spreading and you can hear the echoes of mass panic in the distance. You fire off a couple of sendings to your men to confirm they’re not involved.

“Maybe the League is making a move,” Maloric says as the four of you slip through the dark streets.

If the houses around you are populated it’s hard to tell. The streets all look as dirty and damaged as one another, with many houses boarded up or in a state of disrepair. You catch the occasional glimpse of people huddled up in the alleys between buildings or under whatever cover they can find. In the middle of winter the city is cold enough that you can see your breath in front of your face, so you hope that they can stay warm enough outside.

A reply to your sending is slow and that in itself is a warning sign. The response is simple ‘Laying low, same place.’

In other words, you can still make contact but something big is going down. Perhaps the Taourans are cracking down.

“Too little noise,” Gnome says. “Even in a city like this, two thousand soldiers is plenty to create a far greater ruckus than this. Something else is happening and it’s not a crackdown.”

>continued

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>>44803956
That something else becomes apparent once you get to the run-down tavern that is your destination. A small crowd of men are patrolling the streets around it and the tavern itself appears to be getting rapidly searched. You don’t see uniforms or any signs that indicate this is Taouran work, and these men all look Darlesian. They wear grim faces and hold torches as they scan all around them, searching for something. Most likely your men, and you potentially.

Gesturing for silence, you fly atop a nearby building to gain a bird’s-eye view. The situation is little changed but you think that you might be able to slip by the guards and get a glimpse of inside. It would be risky but would let you know what is going on if it goes well. Or else you could simply push in by force, or wait it out. It doesn’t look like your men have been caught, for you can’t hear anything that sounds like interrogation with your enhanced hearing. You…

>1. Try to sneak in and work out what is going on.
>2. Push in by force to help your men.
>3. Wait things out patiently.
>4. Custom

Next post will be the last as it’s clear that most players have booked it.

>>44803983
>2. Push in by force to help your men.

>>44803983
>1. Try to sneak in and work out what is going on.

>>44803983
>>3. Wait things out patiently.
Sounds like the Resistance is making moves, or the vampire has made its move.

>>44803983
>1. Try to sneak in and work out what is going on.

Lets not be hasty. I'm betting our men have been thralled already.

>>44803983
3

>>44803983
1

>>44803983
>1. Try to sneak in and work out what is going on.
if someone is thralled can they be ordered to answer "the same way as always", or do the instructions have to be specific?

>Next post will be the last as it’s clear that most players have booked it.

still here, just lurking because there isn't much discussion, and haven't bothered to vote because everyone seems to be hiveminding

>>44803983
1

>>44804138
ya not a lot of reasons to vote if the option you want is winning or a option is hiveminded

>>44804060
yeah if they're thralled then "same place" could well be an ambush if we try to meet up; our making contact in and of itself would have alerted them if they were thralled before we got there

>>44803983
aspir, weren't we going to talk to Alenier to get more vampire info and/or a clearer idea on who the daywalker in the city might be? Plus info on Blackwater so we could reasonably strategize on how to potentially recruit if the option to do so came up and enough people wanted to

>>44803983
>most players have booked it.

Pish-posh, good sir, we all know that most anons only post in fighting, waifuing, and arguing.

While we intelligently leave the planning to others, who are wiser, and better at it.

Also because cats are fucking with all the cords and shit and they have to move hundreds of pounds of shit in order to get the cat unstuck.

Fucking cats.

>>44803983
>Next post will be the last as it’s clear that most players have booked it.
When there's not much to talk about and it's obviously going one direction, anons are unlikely to vote.

>>44803956
I'm still lurking. Don't typically write unless I'm voting or asking a question. I leave the discussions for anons that know the history.

>Aspie's clever ruse to bring out the lurkers status: SUCCESSFUL

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>>44803956
>The man wants discussion and will leave if we don't talk

Let's theorize as to what is happening. Houses are boarded up or ruined. People are huddled up outside even though it's cold AF
Why? Why aren't they hiding inside?

What's the % of humans to vampires? Is it completely overrun by them?

What's the cause of the Taourans suddenly cracking down?

Why are Darlesians cracking down? Are they thralled? Do thralls possess agency of their own wrt carrying out orders, or at they borderline useless drones?

DISCUSS

>>44804631
I can't say for certain what is in the houses, but likely many have been appropriated by nightwalkers.

And they don't like sunshine, hence the boards.

>>44804631
It's in all likelihood the Resistance. We wouldn't be fighting 2000 Taourans, we'll be fighting 2000 Taourans + 3000 Darlesians.

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>1.

The fortunate thing about these men not being soldiers is that they don’t think to look up. You drift from this rooftop to the tavern, staying out of the torchlight. The other fortunate thing is that those inside the tavern are talking loudly enough that you can hear them from the roof, which also meant wherever your men were they could also hear them. Rank amateurs overall.

“They’re not here, Derek,” says somebody.

“The hell they’re not,” growls who you assume is Derek. He sounds like a grizzled old war veteran, and if your guess is right then he’s likely one of the resistance leaders.

Your guess is confirmed almost immediately, “Look, why are we here hunting down people who can help us? The fire had nothing to do with them.”

“The fire has everything to do with them. They’re Taouran agents. We’ve already received confirmation that the Black Dragons are still in Vitria, with no intention of coming west. Given that the League agents killed Faezel and the known connections between Shropham and Taour, we have to assume that we’re being set-up. Whatever these spies know will help the RSK get in and save us.”

There’s a significant pause, noticeable mostly because all the searching and other frantic activity in the tavern has now ceased. You wish you were in a position to see inside, as you suspect this is a showdown between Derek and whoever his subordinate is.

“If you say so, sir, but they’re not here. If they’re spies then obviously they’re good ones, because they knew we were coming,” comes the rather muted response. “We’re better off searching the streets.”

Derek gives a grunt for a reply and, surprisingly, does exactly that. The patrols fan out and it’s only a quick sending to Gnome that keeps the others from being noticed. You drop down into the taverm as they join you afterwards and a sending to your men sees the tavern countertop literally slide out from the wall

>cont

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>>44804833
“Sorry about that, general,” says the lieutenant in charge of scouting, a Maes if you recall. “We saw the fire and noticed the goons barrelling down on us, so figured to hole up. The resistance has gone completely off the deep end – from what I hear some of the leaders had a showdown over their strategy and… things got bloody.”

“Rayza and Moonblade didn’t kill Faezel, then,” you say.

“Not unless they could be in two places at once, or my men are thralled,” Maes says. “They’re still with a couple of my men southside, well away from the fire. I think the vampire noticed we were here and tried to kill three birds with one stone.”

So that left you with the resistance publically against you and the League, even as it was falling apart at the seams. You suspected they were thralled but you couldn’t count out sheer insanity and paranoia yet. Finding out who was thralled and proving it was even harder – surely there would be some Darlesian mages who could be trustworthy enough to the resistance that could detect thraldom? Or maybe you should just cut straight to the cause of the problem and go for the keep.

>That’s the thread

Next thread tomorrow at 5:30pm EST (about 19.5 hours).

This thread ends early because, from plenty of experience, I know that threads don’t get better after they effectively die in activity. That huge vote delay makes it clear that people are probably paying more attention elsewhere and that just makes things worse overall. I’ll see if things are better next thread for when the action and decisions start.

The other thing is that after the dead response to the ‘go slower and try some dedicated character development’ stuff this thread, I’m just going to go back to the pressing action I was doing previously with character development built into those scenes.

I'll answer questions if there are any later, but for now I'm going to do something else for a bit.

Character development threads are fine and all, but if you wanted to actually accomplish something, yourself, personally, it's better if you just bring out the big votes. A smaller portion of people care about character interaction/personality votes.

>>44804863
I think it slowed down and participation dropped because people thought there were bigger decisions coming up? Like after the empire name shitfit it was basically
>chat with Mal about stuff of little relevance
>enter city, <choices>
>inside city, wat do <choices>
but there weren't really that many contextual cues for said <choices> in that it seemed like any of them would do, and that + the general hivemind trend meant people were waiting on things that they assumed would have more impact

like
>infiltrate city. Weird shit going on, investigate?
>find men
>okay, well, not sure what we'll do once we find them, let's go with that for now
>can't find men, weird shit going on, sneak more
well this is nice and orderly, guess we'll wait for more hints and th--
>low participation, calling it

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>>44804999
>>44805195
Yeah, everything in AEQ and AEQR has basically told me that dedicated character interaction is a waste of time. It's in the same category as worldbuilding in updates - everybody skims shit and it ends up being the weakest stuff in the quest because nobody cares (except the QM).

Also, I'm probably not going to do any more 'infiltrate' options as they always result in people not knowing what the fuck they want to do and then explicitly pick the choices that avoid the target they said they had in mind when they voted for infiltration.