You take a sip of the new warm beverage out of the fine porcelain cup. Koryū had given you both of these things as a gift just prior to his departure back to his homeland. "Tea" he called it. There are several different varieties, all made by processing and treating the leaves of a unique plant native to Neighpon a certain way before boiling them in hot water. It's...well it's not bad, and Gabriella seems to love the stuff, but you don't drink it for its flavor. You drink it for the energy it's supposed to give you, which you need to make it through the long days of making decisions regarding the realm and its people.
You also drink it for its warmth. This far North snow isn't falling as a result of the Shadow King's machinations, but a bit of the chill can still be felt, even here. It is of course much worse down at the border, though still not as bad as the previous magically-caused blizzard. You've ordered the setting aside of funds for aid, just in case anyone should need it. Your people have handled the adversity with their typical stoicism though, so you doubt you'll see many takers. Once again, you are reminded of your people's resilience and courage, and feel pride. With the completion of the first layer of fortifications that comprise the Peregrine Line, some dare to say that this will be the last time the Shadow King strikes against your core territory. You envy their optimism. Still, with the arrival of the Neighponese to assist, it certainly feels like the tide is turning.
You shake your head and return to looking over applications for captains to lead trade missions to your new neighbor. An Emperor's work is never done.
Martial: Gustav Kingfeather, once known as the hardest drinker and fighter in Griffonia, has sworn not to consume a drop of alcohol until the losses of Redstone Pass have been avenged, and the threat of the Shadow King dealt with once and for all. He's thrown himself into his work, seeking to ensure an end to this conflict that has already cost the Empire so many lives. (Two Actions Per Turn)
[ ] The Peregrine Line-The Gates to the North: The Watchtowers have been completed and staffed with sentries. Now that you no longer have any need to worry about a surprise attack, you can begin building proper defensive works made to withstand all-out assaults. Walls shall be built, firing positions prepared, and strong points will be constructed in and along the mountain passes that serve as the only routes through the Peregrines. It will be costly and time consuming, but by the end of it you'll have a barrier for the enemy to throw themselves against while your troops cut them down. Cost: 1500. Time: Three Years. Reward: Southern Border Fortifications Built, Peregrine Line Completed.
[ ] Big Sticks: The mobile Ballistae proved instrumental in your victory at the Battle of Wingbardy. Clearly they are a valuable battlefield asset. Build a few more. Cost: 400. Time: One Year. Reward: +10 mobile Ballistae added to army.
[ ] Hans, Get the Flamethrower: The flame projectors proved to be one of the most important assets of the Winter War, being the only viable method of destroying the shadow-beasts, and serving as excellent counters to the abominations. Now that the Troll-Busters' contract has expired, it's probably a good idea to build a few more of these devices for yourself. Cost: 400. Time: One Year. Reward: +4 Static Flame Projectors
[ ] Army Artillery: The cannons have proven their effectiveness on the battlefield, and now that you have the foundries up and running, it's time to start cranking out some more of these explosive artillery pieces. Cost: 500. Time: One Year. Reward: +10 Cannons added to army
[ ] The West Wall-Watchtowers: You have neighbors to your West. Large, strong, and surprisingly fast neighbors that are used to living off the land and crossing great distances in a relatively short period of time. They don't seem hostile at the moment, but it couldn't hurt to take precautions. The Black Cliffs of Aquileia serve as a natural barrier, but one that could be crossed by the Yaks (or another foe) if they really wanted to. It only makes sense to fortify this barrier and make it more difficult for any Yak raiders or warbands to cross into your core territory. You can start with some watchtowers. These small posts won't be able to prevent any sizable force from crossing the border, but their vigil will prevent a surprise attack and give you some warning in the event of a hostile mountain crossing. Cost: 1000. Time: Two Years. Reward: Western Border Watchtowers built, removes possibility of surprise attacks, may discourage raids into core territory.
[ ] Into the Frost and Snow: You have the Army back up to pre-war levels, and you now have reliable intel on your enemy and an army of magic users ready to back you up. The Shadow King has been weakened from his defeat at Redstone Pass, but destroying him will require one more push, a strike against his own lands. Gather your army and march South, to victory or death. Cost: 0. Time: One Year. Reward: Crystal Empire Invasion Arc.
Diplomacy: Elva's been busy. Between the Yak Clans and the Neighponese, not a day has gone by that she hasn't had to sort through a massive backlog of reports, files and communiques. Still, she manages to keep up with the workload, if just barely. (One Action per Turn)
[ ] Asking for Assistance: The Yaks aided you in the fight against the Shadow King once before, at great cost to themselves. Now you face the prospect of launching an invasion into the very heart of the evil itself. You'd feel a lot better about your chances if you could elicit a promise from the Yaks to support you in the endeavor. But that might be a tough sell. The Yaks only moved to support you because the Shadow King's invasion threatened their homeland, and the casualties they took at Redstone have undoubtedly made them weary of another battle so soon after the last. Still, you have to try, as the weight of a Yak charge could decide the fate of a a battle. Cost: 200. Time: One Year. Reward: Promises of Yak Assistance in Invasion of Crystal Empire. Chance of Success: 40%
[ ] Nanban Trade: Emperor Koryū Ryūō's arrival on your shores has opened up a world of possibilities in terms of trade. Alongside weapons and warriors to aid in the fight against the Shadow King, the other Emperor also brought samples of exotic goods from his homeland, from silk and sake to tea and fine porcelain. Already the nobility is eager to get their hands on these exotic novelties, and your new friend has implied that his own subjects seek to trade for raw materials to feed the expansion of their economy. All that's needed is to hash out the details of a trade agreement. Cost: 300. Time: One Year. Reward: Trade Routes with Neighpon Established, Increased Trade Income. Chance of Success: 70%
[ ] Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Even with only two other nations to worry about, Elva and her staff are swamped. They simply don't have the resources they need to do everything that needs to be done. Only one way to fix this: Reorganize the existing diplomatic staff, hire on new prospective diplomats, and construct a dedicated building to act as a headquarters for the new government office. Expensive, yes, but necessary to coordinate matters of international relations. Cost: 600. Time: One Year. Reward: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Created, Additional Diplomacy Action Unlocked.
[ ] Permanent Neighponese Ambassador: Rather than sending a party of diplomatic staff across the ocean whenever a deal needs to be negotiated or an issue smoothed over, why not simply have them stay in the host country more or less permanently, taking up residence in the court of the local ruler? You can't do this with the Yaks as their decentralized leadership prevents this, but Neighpon is a different story. See if they'd be agreeable to the idea. Cost: 400. Time: One Year. Reward: Permanent Diplomatic Mission established in Neighpon, Cheaper Neighpon Diplomatic Actions, New Diplomacy and Intrigue Actions Unlocked.
Stewardship: Frida remains her upbeat self, especially now that the Empire has been dragged out of the debt it had accrued last year. The return of the unnatural cold from the South has put a bit of a damper on things, but its comparative lack of intensity from the last time it ravaged your lands has made the burden a bit easier to bear. (Two Actions per Turn)
[ ] Imperial Brew: This is something that could be...controversial. Archimedes' shroomshine has been exceedingly popular with the Imperial Citizenry. However, given it's relatively recent invention, all the people brewing it are doing so on a small scale. Someone in Rosewing's Department raised the idea that, instead of having a bunch of independent brewers making a bunch of wildly disparate concoctions in their basements, the government could contract them and arrange the sale and distribution of the alcohol itself, ensuring consistent quality and netting a tidy profit in the process. Of course, some people might not approve of the government selling alcohol, or taking control of the market in such a fashion. Cost: 400. Time: 1 Year. Reward: Government Controlled Breweries. Gain Alcohol Sales Income. May raise Peasant Opinion. May lower Peasant Opinion. 50% chance of either outcome.
[ ] Settling the Western Frontier: While the Western Steepes are largely inhospitable and unsuitable for permanent settlement, a significant portion of the land beyond the Black Cliffs is quite similar to your core territory. The Yaks don't appear to have any claims on these stretches of forest, and they may hold resources that could add to the economy. Even if they don't, it would be nice to have some settlements outside of your heartland to make interaction with the Yaks easier, or as a buffer should they prove hostile. Subsidize the construction of a few towns and encourage some of your people to establish homesteads on the unsettled land. Cost: 1000. Time: Two Years. Reward: New Western Settlements Established, Additional Income.
[ ] Mine Carts: Carrying loads of ore out of mines and to smelters is difficult, slow-going work. A few of the larger mines in your Empire have come up with a solution involving the use of carts that run along wood or metal tracks, pushed by workers or pulled through the use of pulley systems. Prior to the construction of Genevieve's blast furnaces, such arrangements were too expensive to be widely implemented across the Empire, but now that a glut of cheap iron and steel is available, Imperial subsidies can make such systems a standard piece of mining equipment as common as pickaxes and shovels. Cost: 500. Time: One Year. Reward: Mine Carts Installed at all Imperial Mines, Increased Mining Income.
[ ] Crop Rotation: Agricultural productivity is at an all-time high, but Genevieve has warned you and Frida that this might not remain the case. Apparently, when the same type of crop is planted in the same soil over and over again, it depletes the nutrients of the soil, resulting in diminishing returns. Thankfully there's a solution: simply alternate the crops one plants on different plots of land. Well, it sounds easy enough, but educating the farmers and arranging for such a system to become widespread might take some work, and some subsidies to ensure they go along with the plan. Still, it may be necessary to ensure a reliable food harvest. Cost: 600. Time: One Year. Reward: Crop Rotation becomes standard agricultural doctrine, increased Farming Income.
[ ] Imperial Irrigation Program: The weather can be a fickle thing. If enough rain fails to fall, there goes a farmer's crop. Irrigation networks can fix this, but having every farmer build their own irrigation system is...messy, not to mention inefficient. A government funded public works program could bring a reliable source of water to farms across the Empire. This will of course be an expensive and time consuming program, but the benefits will be worth it. Cost: 800. Time: Two Years. Reward: Standardized Irrigation, Significantly Increased Farming Income.
Learning: Archimedes and Genevieve continue their work as the Empire's top scholars, Archimedes focusing on improvements to the Imperial War Machine while Genevieve focuses on more Domestic improvements. This does not mean that the two do not collaborate and share information, merely that the two Griffons divide the work between them. (Two Actions per Turn)
[ ] Cannon Ships: Archimedes' new cannons are much more powerful than the old bolt-throwers, if more volatile and expensive. Unfortunately, small scale tests have shown that your current Cog designs are not suited for the weight of the new weapons, or the force of their recoil. You'll need to design a new class of ship from the ground up to accommodate these new weapons. Cost: 100. Reward: New Ship Class Designed.
[ ] Scatter-Shot: One of the engineers at the new Cannon Foundry has raised an interesting idea. What if, instead of firing one large projectile, the cannons could be made to fire many smaller projectiles all at once? A simple idea, but a potentially effective one if the technical difficulties surrounding it can be addressed. Cost: 100. Time: One Year. Reward: Scatter-Shot developed, Bonus to certain Cannon Rolls.
[ ] Flying without Wings: The fragment of the ancient design you found, while sparse on details due to its decay, has given both of your scientific advisors ideas. Big, big ideas. Of course, in order to make those ideas reality they'll need equally big amounts of funding and time. Just for starters they're going to have to figure out whether they can even build such a contraption with the materials they have available, and what other steps will need to be accomplished before they can even start to build this "flying machine". Cost: 200. Time: One Year. Reward: Viability of Airships explored, additional Learning Actions Unlocked.
[ ] Intro to Thaumatology: From the Yak Shamans' abilities to see into the future to the Qilin's fire-bending and the Illusions of the Kitsune and Tanuki, magic has has become a much more easily accessible school of study. Of course, your people lack any magical abilities of their own...but that doesn't mean you can't understand the theory and natural laws surrounding the phenomenon. Cost: 200. Time: One Year. Reward: Gain basic understanding of Magical Laws and Phenomenon, Additional Actions Unlocked.
[ ] Shiny and Black: The Orichalcum has been smelted, now it's time to see what it can do. Have Archimedes put the dark metal through every test he can think up and record the results. With any luck, this stuff will have more interesting qualities than being really hard to break or melt. And if not...well, it's already better at that than steel. Cost: 100. Time: One Year. Reward: Orichalcum Qualities Revealed.
[ ] Machine Tools: Blacksmiths and other artisans of metal are vital to your realm's economy and technical advancement, but as demand for shaped metal products has begun to grow they have become a bottleneck, straining to keep pace with demand. Both Archimedes and Genevieve say they have some ideas to resolve this problem through the introduction of new tools meant to make the precision working of metal easier. Developing, producing and distributing these devices will be expensive, to say nothing of the time and effort that will have to be expended training Gryphons and Dogs in their use, but it is necessary of your Empire is to advance technologically in your lifetime. Cost: 500. Time: Two Years. Reward: Machine Tools Invented and Distributed, Slight Increase to Tax Income, New Actions Unlocked.
Intrigue: Ravenburg is as stoic and calmly professional as ever. If he's been at all affected by the War, he doesn't show it. Apart from his sudden fixation upon potential happenings south of the border, he's the same as he ever was. You actually find that quite reassuring. (One Action Per Turn)
[ ] Yakity Yak: The Yaks showcased their strength when they fought alongside you and yours at the Battle of Redstone Pass. They proved to be great allies...but they could also become a powerful enemy if things were to go wrong. The war has stirred up the Yaks' cultural and political landscape. You need to know what exactly is going on in the lands of your Western neighbor, and whether you should be concerned. Cost: 300. Time: One Year. Reward: New Intel on Yak Clans and the Fallout from the Winter War, possibility of new Intrigue Options. Chance of Success: 60%
[ ] Sleeping Dragons: Koryū is a nice guy, or at least he seems to be, and the Neighponese are steadfast allies in the war against the Shadow King. Still, the old saying goes "trust but verify". Aside from what your fellow Emperor and the first contact team told you you don't really know much about the Neighponese. Their economy, their politics, their military, their level of technological advancement. You don't even know if everything Koryū told you is true. Surely it wouldn't be a big deal if you sent a few gryphons to poke around Neighpon and report back? Cost: 400. Time: One Year. Reward: New Intel on Neighpon, New Intrigue Actions. Chance of Success: 50%
[ ] Captain Karl Kaboom's Explosive Adventures: The sabotage against your Southern enemy went well. So well there's almost nothing left to sabotage. Almost. At some point you're going to have to assault the Shadow King's fortress, and when you do it's going to be a hard fight. Perhaps you can make things easier for yourself by planting some explosives under and around your enemy's defenses in advance? You think you know the right person for the job. Cost: 400. Time: One Year. Reward: Explosives pre-planted on and under Crystal Empire defenses, to be triggered during attack. Chance of Success: 30%
Personal: You refuse to let your duties as Emperor take up every moment of your day. (Two Actions per Turn)
[ ] Overtime: Your advisors can only do so much, and sometimes that's just not enough. If it's truly necessary, you can sacrifice some of your otherwise free time to carry out an additional action from another category, provided said action has a duration of only one year. The costs and chances of success for that action remain the same.
[ ] Combing the Archives: Your last trip to the Archives proved a fruitful endeavor that reintroduced long-lost technology to the Empire. Who knows what else you could find buried amongst the piles of faded parchment? Cost: 0. Time: One Year. Reward: Chance to gain information and knowledge from Pre-Discord Records.
[ ] New Swords for Everybody!: Now that you've got a neat new metal, it's time to start forging it into blades. Unfortunately you only have the one deposit of Orichalcum, which, due to the nature of the material, has proven difficult to mine in large quantities. As such, you don't have a lot of the stuff to work with. But that still leaves you with more than enough to forge new blades for yourself, Gabriella, your children, and the Grandmasters of the Knightly Orders. Cost: 300. Time: One Year. Reward: Orichalcum blades for you, your family, and the Grandmasters.
There will be a three hour moratorium to allow for discussion and plan-crafting.
