Cult Creator - The Pilgrims Journey

Meeting with the Union of Herbalists is something that has been delayed time and time again. Sometimes it was merely the fact that you had something better do to than spend three months in diplomatic and business meetings to establish the Pilgrims as a genuine customer or partner in the region. Sometimes it was a disaster that kept you and your diplomats scrambling to calm down a situation or the simple fact that there was too much to do.

With a Plague-Engine casting its toxic shadow over the region, your efforts to bring enough medicine to bear is simply not enough. While Seven has managed to create an antidote and a way to bring relief to those that had survived the poison, key-ingredients have proven to be frustratingly rare. Further complicating these matters is the fact that even the simple act of mixing the ingredients can lead to ineffective results if someone has no idea what they are doing as such only one course had remained viable to ensure that more people would survive the coming months. Meeting with one of the oldest Guilds in Slatnan and hoping for the best while preparing for the worst.

Those that did not spend any amount of time with politics, believing that a guild is the same as a Guild, is something that can is forgivable. Unfortunately, you are expected to have a fraction of knowledge about both the difference between a guild and a Guild, as well as the internal politicking that abounds between and in them.

The most striking difference between the guild of cobblers or smiths and the Merchant Guild is the simple fact that while both are legal entities, the Merchant Guilds charter has been signed by the imperial crown itself, tasked with overseeing an aspect of the nation, in any way that they see fit as long as it does not destabilize the country. So, while the guild of smiths may be a collection of smiths trading secret techniques or rare alloys while collaborating on the training of the next generation of smiths, the Merchant Guild has the sole writ, charter and legal domain of trade within and without the empire, though the last is rarely used. The Merchant Guild can decide whether or not a specific good is something that they want to trade, who is allowed to transport anything in meaningful quantities and is allowed to keep a security force distinct from both the army and the adventures. By sheer age alone, do these Guilds develop internal cultures, factions, ideologies, and a horrendous mess of bureaucracy grinding anyone that wishes to change anything to dust.

In short, a Guild is a legal entity within the empire that wields considerable power and has accumulated a massive amount of bureaucracy and rituals by sheer weight of time and momentum. In other words, if the Union of Herbalists thinks that you would become a threat to them, you would be doomed.

After a few years of getting the right papers to the right person and exchanging the right amount of bribes to get the right stamp.

As such, you are bringing someone along that had once been a member of the Union of Herbalists and knew the outlines of who is likely to help you for what price, which will prove invaluable. The preparations for this has taken over two weeks as Seven had coached you about the correct titles, which member is higher ranked at what point in the negotiations and which faction is likely to shout you down and which is going to consider your proposal. Steeling yourself with the latest report of a village suffering three dead, you collect all the evidence, samples, papers, and bribes that you will need in the coming week to secure a meeting and set out to collect those that would come with you.
Herbalists Mood: 82
Only for Seven to hastily inform you that you should wait for one more day as the pay-masters would convene today, which would chuck out your proposal faster than they could sell their mothers. Fortunately, the day after that, there would be a gathering of the movers and shakers of the guild who would be much more amenable to what you are going to suggest.

The trip into the city (after waiting a day) is both much too short and too long. Too short for you to prepare yourself in any matter you would find appropriate, for too many lives could be lost with a failure to convince them of the merits of your plan. Too long, in that, you can agonize over any minute detail and gesture of your speech. But every journey comes to a close, even if it was only a day's walk, and you enter Mirn proper.

The first thing you notice is the stench, as always. You have yet to find a city that does not overflow with the unwashed and filth. Something that you should push to correct in a few years maybe, once you are firmly entrenched in the structures and courts of the nobles. The second thing that finds itself at the center of your focus is the way that people act around you. A few months prior, there was an undercurrent of distrust, a smugness of someone watching a fool bumble about, the predatory intent to rob someone blindly, and the rare few that were genuinely happy to see you.

Now there is none of that. No one looks at you like you are going to cut them apart as a sacrifice, but rather as someone that is known to help out without demanding any compensation. There is no smugness, only the appreciation of someone standing by their ideals, even in the face of adversity. While there are still people that will likely try to take advantage of the Pilgrims, they are much less open about their plans to do so. And then there are those that like your presence. Some nod in approval, others smile, and some even talk to you for a short moment, thanking you for saving them, a relative, or a friend from death. While it genuinely warms your heart to see the people that the Pilgrims helped well and alive, it is a bit embarrassing when one man hugs you while weeping and thanking you profusely for saving the life of his daughters and swears that he will not forget what you have done. The whole street stared at you, whispering.

Once that whole thing was over, and you managed to reach the entrance to the Hall of Healing, your nerves had settled, your will to see this through steeled even more by your walk through the city. With your head held high with a purpose, you gesture your followers and Seven to follow you into what would be the most grueling negotiation that the Pilgrims and you had ever faced.

It came, therefore, as something of a surprise when you were ushered directly into the assembly-hall before the gathered members of the entire Tessen-Region before being offered the same deal you wanted to propose. The only difference was that you had an idea of what antidote would be useful and which ingredients would be needed. After you told them what you explicitly required, and Seven vouched for it by his past membership, it took only three more hours to reach a compromise between the assembled factions on how much they were willing to give to you, for how long and what they wanted in return. They would provide enough supplies for a year, enabling you to reduce casualties by 12%, for the caveat that you would have to announce that the Union of Herbalists sponsored them publicly.

In exchange for proclaiming that the supplies used in the Pilgrim's efforts to help the people are donated by the Union of Herbalists, the Pilgrims will receive all the supplies they request, reducing casualties by 12% for 4(four) turns.
-[ ] Accept Herbalists Deal (-12% Casualties for 4(four) turns.)
-[ ] Decline Herbalists Deal (-30% Piety as this is what you came here for.)

While you were discussing what this could mean and how you would use the help to the best effect, three people, a man, and two women approached you. The tension between them was noticeably, and you soon found out why, for they represented three different factions within the Herbalists.

The woman to your left, a short redhead with white splotches along with her hands and face, introduced her as Kulma Drinsdittir, a member of the Unionists. They were more irked by your presence than you had anticipated and wanted to cut a deal with you. In exchange for not building, improving, or operating any new institutions that offered to heal the people in any way, shape, or form for ten years, they would use their funds to significantly increase the offered wares and double the time that they would be given for free. While this is a good deal on the surface, given that you would save more people, it would mean that you could not save more for a very long time, while also creating trouble back at the Tree for bending the knee so easily.

You will no longer be able to operate any structures that offer healing in any way, shape, or form for ten years (40 turns) in exchange for additional 24% casualties reduction for an extra 4(four turns).
-[ ] Accept Unionists Deal (-24% Casualties for 4(four) more turns, - 10% Piety)
-[ ] Decline Unionists Deal (Will upset the Unionists)

The woman in the middle, with white hair and a missing eye, introduces herself as Magrsita Lithidi, a member of the Base. She is more concerned with ensuring that the deal that has been offered is expanded upon, provided that you can pay that is. Given that the price is high, you are sharing her concern.

In exchange for 5 Materials per turn, the deal from the Union at large is expanded by one turn. Will begin to pay in 4(four) turns.
-[ ] Accept Base Deal (Union Deal is extended by one turn as long as you can pay)
-[ ] Decline Bae Deal (No change)

The man is another matter entirely. He looks barely older than 20, looking at his companions with a furious disgust poorly hidden behind a scowl. Slender of build and with pale skin, you wonder if he had ever seen a hard day's work. You nonetheless pay close attention as he introduces himself as Klein Stein, leader of the Healers. He talks at length how the Union has to provide for everyone to the best of their ability even if it means not extorting the poor, he gives a glare at Kulma and Magrsita here, and at affordable prices with predictable results. He wishes to foster closer relations with the Pilgrims since their goals align more often than not. He is willing to back his words with monetary incentives too. However, you notice that Kulma eyes you and Klein very carefully, and given her proposal, she won't be happy should you accept.

Work with the Healers and establish connections for future use.
-[ ] Accept Healers Deal (-2% Casualties per turn until the crisis is over, unlocks special support/faith/diplomacy actions, Unionists are angry)
-[ ] Decline Healers Deal (Healers are disappointed, may be more challenging to reach out to them in the future)

All deals start at turn 16.
Current casualties reduction at 47%.

Moratorium until the 07.06.20 at 17:00 CET.
Voting will be closed on the 08.06.20 at 17:00 CET.