Who Needs Harmony?: An MLP Empire Quest

[X] Promotion: The Duke knows Wingbardy and it's people better than anyone else. It would be a waste to remove him from his position. More than that, his willingness to cooperate and go along with the integration should be rewarded. Name him the Archduke of Wingbardy and leave him in an administrative position. He'll run the place better than any of his subordinates would anyway.

He's loved by his people and understands how his lands work and has proven to be a good ally these last few years. Honestly I'd think we'd be hard press to a better candidate for running Wingbardy.

[X] Limited Concessions: The tax reductions are acceptable, but the independent trade policies are a step too far. The central government must have final say on what products pass in and out of the empire and whether they will be subject to taxes, tariffs or embargoes. Allowing the cities of the League to trade on their own terms would undermine Imperial authority and could even pose a potential security hazard should they try to sell restricted goods to other nations. You cannot accept such a risk.

Yeah they might bitch and moan but if we give them the ability to control their own trade I see that just as us dealing with problems later instead of now. I mean if they agreed to help us in the war as a whole then maybe but even then this seems like something that would come to a head for a future generation at some point. I mean we can make them official nobles and maybe even gift them some of the land around their cities to try and sooth them over but unless they can offer us something good enough to actually consider that giving them their independent trade policies I feel this is about as far as we can bend.

Void Stalker said:

And in the end keeping the Duke and his line in charge of the province of Wingbary (probably expanded with bits of Aqualia) should help.

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Aquileia doesn't exist and is under direct administration of the Griffonia and the Crown (us) without any intermediaries so we would be giving them our own land.

Joseph890 said:

I actually have a question about the choices concerning Wingbardy. Can we combine choice number one and number two together?

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No, sorry. Can't be both, they both need a total commitment from the person that holds the office.

[X] Experienced Steward: Claus Rosewing has served you admirably as Steward for years, but he has been wearing under the strain as of late, and he has expressed doubts that he would be capable of handling the increased workload of a reborn Empire. You could find a suitable replacement from amongst your own population, but the Duke is a masterful administrator and has experience managing a large territory. He would make a good replacement for Rosewing, provided you can find someone to administer Wingbardy in his stead.

[X] Limited Concessions: The tax reductions are acceptable, but the independent trade policies are a step too far. The central government must have final say on what products pass in and out of the empire and whether they will be subject to taxes, tariffs or embargoes. Allowing the cities of the League to trade on their own terms would undermine Imperial authority and could even pose a potential security hazard should they try to sell restricted goods to other nations. You cannot accept such a risk.

[X] Experienced Steward: Claus Rosewing has served you admirably as Steward for years, but he has been wearing under the strain as of late, and he has expressed doubts that he would be capable of handling the increased workload of a reborn Empire. You could find a suitable replacement from amongst your own population, but the Duke is a masterful administrator and has experience managing a large territory. He would make a good replacement for Rosewing, provided you can find someone to administer Wingbardy in his stead.

[X] Limited Concessions: The tax reductions are acceptable, but the independent trade policies are a step too far. The central government must have final say on what products pass in and out of the empire and whether they will be subject to taxes, tariffs or embargoes. Allowing the cities of the League to trade on their own terms would undermine Imperial authority and could even pose a potential security hazard should they try to sell restricted goods to other nations. You cannot accept such a risk.

They come in with special benefit, but if they misbehave we or our descendants can remove those tax breaks as punishment. Or give them financial responsibility for their own public works more over time quietly, things other provinces would have us take care of instead.

Not like we're exactly seeming to be hurting for coin way things are going anyway.

So, overall just a small price to pay for easy integration without bloodshed.

[X] Promotion
[X] Limited Concessions

[X] Experienced Steward: Claus Rosewing has served you admirably as Steward for years, but he has been wearing under the strain as of late, and he has expressed doubts that he would be capable of handling the increased workload of a reborn Empire. You could find a suitable replacement from amongst your own population, but the Duke is a masterful administrator and has experience managing a large territory. He would make a good replacement for Rosewing, provided you can find someone to administer Wingbardy in his stead.

I'm unsure which of these two would be better, but I feel both are preferable for retiring an useful administrator.

Star said:

Aquileia doesn't exist and is under direct administratio of the Griffonia without intermediary so we would be giving them our own land.

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Because Wingbardy would be an administration unit within our empire and I expect us to also setup an archduke over Aquileia to manage it as I do not want to be drawn into micromanaging everything as that would be a lot of stress on us.

If you want to imagine it Federal Government (Us) with some state governments below (Wingbardy, Aquileia, maybe Griffonia)

Somebodynobody10 said:

This is a time of negotiations, not threats. We want the unification to go smoothly, without a fuzz and with no moment in history books marking down a black mark for future agitators to point out "imperialistic tendencies" and the like.

EDIT: what I mean with this, no "offers that can't be refused," please.

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It is a bit more then I want, but at the same time going to well you are treated differently then the rest is a bad idea to me. I would be fine with them being given a status as state government to our federal so that they would report directly to us with no layer in between (same as the archduke and whoever we put in charge of Aquileia).

Also, just a reminder that all actions have consequences, both good and bad. Keep that in mind when voting on things like this.

[ ] Experienced Steward: Claus Rosewing has served you admirably as Steward for years, but he has been wearing under the strain as of late, and he has expressed doubts that he would be capable of handling the increased workload of a reborn Empire. You could find a suitable replacement from amongst your own population, but the Duke is a masterful administrator and has experience managing a large territory. He would make a good replacement for Rosewing, provided you can find someone to administer Wingbardy in his stead.

[ ] Limited Concessions: The tax reductions are acceptable, but the independent trade policies are a step too far. The central government must have final say on what products pass in and out of the empire and whether they will be subject to taxes, tariffs or embargoes. Allowing the cities of the League to trade on their own terms would undermine Imperial authority and could even pose a potential security hazard should they try to sell restricted goods to other nations. You cannot accept such a risk.

I'll go with this as having expirienced stevard uses empire more and is increasing our power over Wingbardy as any minor noble wouldn't be able to gather support against us and cuz we are loved there.

Star said:

[X] Experienced Steward: Claus Rosewing has served you admirably as Steward for years, but he has been wearing under the strain as of late, and he has expressed doubts that he would be capable of handling the increased workload of a reborn Empire. You could find a suitable replacement from amongst your own population, but the Duke is a masterful administrator and has experience managing a large territory. He would make a good replacement for Rosewing, provided you can find someone to administer Wingbardy in his stead.

[X] Limited Concessions: The tax reductions are acceptable, but the independent trade policies are a step too far. The central government must have final say on what products pass in and out of the empire and whether they will be subject to taxes, tariffs or embargoes. Allowing the cities of the League to trade on their own terms would undermine Imperial authority and could even pose a potential security hazard should they try to sell restricted goods to other nations. You cannot accept such a risk.

I'll go with this as having expirienced stevard uses empire more and is increasing our power over Wingbardy as any minor noble wouldn't be able to gather support against us and cuz we are loved there.

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On the flip side I think the Duke likes us and keeping him there as Archduke would give us someone who is loyal and skilled to help ease the integration at a more local level.

Void Stalker said:

Because Wingbardy would be an administration unit within our empire and I expect us to also setup an archduke over Aquileia to manage it as I do not want to be drawn into micromanaging everything as that would be a lot of stress on us.

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Actually nobles are micromanaging things and are sworn directly to us.
We are only responsible for policies of the empire as a whole.

[X] Promotion: The Duke knows Wingbardy and it's people better than anyone else. It would be a waste to remove him from his position. More than that, his willingness to cooperate and go along with the integration should be rewarded. Name him the Archduke of Wingbardy and leave him in an administrative position. He'll run the place better than any of his subordinates would anyway.

[X] An Offer they Can't Refuse: How about no? If it weren't for you, Brochard would be battering down the League's walls and looting their cities. Your soldiers bled so theirs wouldn't have to. And now you are the most powerful Griffon in the world, an army of over fifteen thousand at your command, larger than any other in the known world by several orders of magnitude. You've got the League backed against the wall, and they know it. They'll get no tax exemptions, no independent trade policy, no special place in the new Empire. You'll drag them to glory whether they like it or not.

[X] An Offer they Can't Refuse: How about no? If it weren't for you, Brochard would be battering down the League's walls and looting their cities. Your soldiers bled so theirs wouldn't have to. And now you are the most powerful Griffon in the world, an army of over fifteen thousand at your command, larger than any other in the known world by several orders of magnitude. You've got the League backed against the wall, and they know it. They'll get no tax exemptions, no independent trade policy, no special place in the new Empire. You'll drag them to glory whether they like it or not.

This sure as hell isn't the last state we'll integrate, and there's no way we'll let our own race set a precedent of concessions when there's more to come in the future. Either they back down if this is a bluff, or we'll roll over them as needed. The core of our empire must stay centralized.

Somebodynobody10 said:

This is a time of negotiations, not threats. We want the unification to go smoothly, without a fuzz and with no moment in history books marking down a black mark for future agitators to point out "imperialistic tendencies" and the like.

EDIT: what I mean with this, no "offers that can't be refused," please.

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The problem is that inequality like this is going to be a permanent fracture point in the Empire. I mean, having one region pay less taxes than the others will create resentement, and which will create tensions.

Going for independent trade policy is even worse.

[X] Promotion: The Duke knows Wingbardy and it's people better than anyone else. It would be a waste to remove him from his position. More than that, his willingness to cooperate and go along with the integration should be rewarded. Name him the Archduke of Wingbardy and leave him in an administrative position. He'll run the place better than any of his subordinates would anyway.

[X] An Offer they Can't Refuse: How about no? If it weren't for you, Brochard would be battering down the League's walls and looting their cities. Your soldiers bled so theirs wouldn't have to. And now you are the most powerful Griffon in the world, an army of over fifteen thousand at your command, larger than any other in the known world by several orders of magnitude. You've got the League backed against the wall, and they know it. They'll get no tax exemptions, no independent trade policy, no special place in the new Empire. You'll drag them to glory whether they like it or not.

Corripere said:

[X] An Offer they Can't Refuse: How about no? If it weren't for you, Brochard would be battering down the League's walls and looting their cities. Your soldiers bled so theirs wouldn't have to. And now you are the most powerful Griffon in the world, an army of over fifteen thousand at your command, larger than any other in the known world by several orders of magnitude. You've got the League backed against the wall, and they know it. They'll get no tax exemptions, no independent trade policy, no special place in the new Empire. You'll drag them to glory whether they like it or not.

This sure as hell isn't the last state we'll integrate, and there's no way we'll let our own race set a precedent of concessions when there's more to come in the future. Either they back down if this is a bluff, or we'll roll over them as needed. The core of our empire must stay centralized.

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I'm not so sure about that. Wingbardy and the city states are the last bastions of Griffons not directly under our control.

And then the question comes: if we are going to integrate more states/people into our demesne... do we really want it to be Our Way or The Highway? If we somehow get a chance to diplomatically vassalize something like a zebrican port city state, we should have the precedent we don't just bulldoze to naturalize everything to the Empire.

Somebodynobody10 said:

And then the question comes: if we are going to integrate more states/people into our demesne... do we really want it to be Our Way or The Highway? If we somehow get a chance to diplomatically vassalize something like a zebrican port city state, we should have the precedent we don't just bulldoze to naturalize everything to the Empire.

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Diplomacy is neat, and diplomatic offerings should be made. They should however not be offerings that entitle one part of the Empire to considerably greater rights than the other, especially not in perpetuity.

If they'd asked for a grand investement or something, that would be fine.

10ebbor10 said:

The problem is that inequality like this is going to be a permanent fracture point in the Empire. I mean, having one region pay less taxes than the others will create resentement, and which will create tensions.

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Yes, so long as they remain paying less taxes the other regions will be irritated at them.

We're not exactly swearing a blood oath before the ancient griffon gods that they'll keep those tax breaks.

@Questor Will it be a diplomacy roll to convince the rest of the city-states to fall in line, if we pick the option to fully integrate them?

[X] Promotion
[X] Limited Concessions

Wouldn't we be better off going for a middle ground between the "Accept Demands" and "Limited Concessions" options like say we'd be willing to accept their demands so long as we hash out some form of oversight to ensure the nations safety and prevent abuse of the concessions that are being asked for? Is this alright to do Questor?