Blade That Banishes Shadow
Rihaku
The Internet
The situation has been made clear to Hunger. What now to do?
[ ] Crush Them. The Lord Protector has deployed the Tenth Legion as a vanguard force while the remaining two act as his guard. Descend upon the Fifth and Thirteen Legions like the fist of an angry god. Hammer them with such waves of Pressure as to rival the destruction of the Armament-Fish, grind them into dust until they break or yield, then slaughter the Lord Protector unless he gives his unconditional surrender. [-Adorie], +1 pick
*The strength of Hunger is in direct conflict. Translate this battle into the arena of your strength. Do as the Forebear did before you; show this insidious schemer that the hour of reckoning has come.
*Unfortunately you won't be able to spare anyone with this method. Time is of the essence. Millions of soldiers will die. Maybe if you're lucky they'll break and rout before they're annihilated, but the discipline of Nilfel is legendary. Each of their captains would be a nation-bestriding hero outside, and their champion-generals are veritable forces of nature.
*Their auxiliaries and support beasts are far less heroic and unlikely to withstand the power of Holy Shit. They at least should flee quickly.
*Take care that the Lord Protector does not flee himself. Speed will be critical to the execution of this plan. Still, so long as you are able to reach him, this plan should work. The All-Defeating might of the Forebear ought more than suffice to overwhelm his convoluted defenses. No other plan offers such adamantine reliability; there is a reason the Forebear eventually decided to simply cut through all opposition.
*If the Lord Protector forces Hunger into a no-win situation via hostage-taking of Versch, Hunger is likely to call his bluff. The consequences of that could be severe, but ultimately it may be healthier to think of Versch as already lost when the Lord Protector captured him. Rescuing him would be a bonus, but eliminating the threat of the Lord Protector is an existential priority, and Hunger's rate of power growth makes it entirely possible for him to, one day, personally supplant a fully healed Armament in pure might. [---Letrizia] if Versch dies because Hunger decided slaying the LP was more important.
[ ] Rescue Versch. Whether or not the Lord Protector is aware, Hunger has a fundamental connection to Versch that allows him to track the Armament. Given his opponents' competence so far, it would be unwise to assume that Versch is merely hidden and unguarded - in fact it's highly likely that any rescue attempt would be a trap, and there is still the outside possibility that the Lord Protector is spying on or outright spoofing Hunger's connection somehow. Even so, Versch must be rescued. Deploy with Gisena to track down Versch and hope that your wide array of powers & defenses will suffice to deal with whatever the Lord Protector has guarding him. [+Letrizia]
*The Lord Protector has put Hunger in a bad position; to secure Versch without negotiating with the Protector, he must walk directly into a trap.
*Still, given Hunger's divination immunity and rapid increase in strength, it's unlikely the Lord Protector was fully prepared for an invader of Hunger's capabilities.
*Hunger of course is not especially prepared for the Lord Protector's hidden cards either, though he does have powerful general immunities from the All-Defeating Stance and Gisena, and immense Rank with which to sway the tides of chance.
*If you can successfully rescue Versch (and make sure the Lord Protector has no means of repeating his feat), then wiping out the Lord Protector's armies should be a fairly straightforward, though not trivial, endeavor.
[ ] Oblique Means. Consolidate the allied legions and summon reinforcements via Supreme Enclosure. Time is critical, but the benefits of an allied summon outweigh the substantial costs of inaction here. Some Astral being capable of re-capturing Versch or nullifying the Lord Protector's abilities would provide immense utility. Also, by proceeding at a slower pace Hunger can honor Adorie's request not to slay too many of the opposing legions. With Hunger's immense Blood Rank, it should be entirely possible to nonlethally incapacitate even such heroes as these with the Ring of Blood, given enough time. [++Adorie]
*Gives the Lord Protector even more time to prepare and/or execute his shenanigans
*But you have shenanigans of your own, and staying your hand against the legions of Nilfel could be a public relations coup for those Legions on the fence about the whole matter.
*Gisena might also be able to whip something up, though an hour is not a lot of time to work.
*The Lord Protector has you outgunned on the esoteric front, but that need not always remain the case. Given your greater direct strength, you need far fewer force multipliers than him to secure victory.
[ ] Shock & Reason - The reasonable thing to do now that you are forced into this position would be to negotiate with the Lord Protector, but it would be wise to amply demonstrate the wisdom of discourse beforehand. This plays out similarly to Crush Them, but Hunger will make at least a moderate effort to avoid excessive casualties. [+Adorie] The goal is to display Hunger's overwhelming power and improve the terms of negotiation, making it clear to both parties that either can inflict irreparable harm to the other. Therefore, why not reach an accommodation?
*Leverages Hunger's battle power alongside his immense CHA and Holy Shit, as well as Gisena's superhuman APP, INT, and MAN, fully utilizing the broad gamut of their abilities.
*Hunger lacks any way to enforce the honoring of any such agreements reached, especially in the long run. The Lord Protector seems capable enough to understand the consequences of defection, but who knows if he won't pull out another trick to neutralize those as well?
*Still, stripped of his Legions the Lord Protector is merely one very capable archmage, that should theoretically be entirely within the abilities of Nilfel (a nation with countless powerful mages) to police.
*You would have to decide what outcomes you're okay with. The Lord Protector surrenders, disarms, is kept heavily monitored with his abilities magically suppressed and turns the country over to Adorie? Reasonable security, but he'd be unlikely to agree to such unless he truly believes that death is imminent and unavoidable otherwise.
*It could theoretically be possible to turn the Lord Protector into an ally, if somehow you could come to trust each other... though the wisdom of such an agreement would be questionable at best, those ruled by self-interest are often predictable.
---
However you decide to confront the Lord Protector, will you take Adorie with you? Close proximity to her bloodline further strengthens you against existential diminishment, allowing Praxis techniques to be spammed more frequently. A roughly 15-30% increase in Praxis usage should be possible - a considerable advantage, as the Refinement of Quickness has immense utility in all scenarios above. She is also a fairly skilled negotiator with superhuman mental and social attributes, deeply knowledgeable about your enemies; many Legions may hesitate to take the life of their Princess even if they are otherwise staunchly loyal to the Lord Protector. Even the Lord Protector himself may wish to avoid erasing the Mirellyian bloodline from this earth...
However, you'll have to keep Adorie alive, and while she does possess impressive Rank for her age she has underwhelming physical Attributes and virtually no combat skill. Certain actions undertaken can also improve or worsen your relationship with her, highly relevant if you're to trust her to run your domains after departing for the Human Sphere.
[ ] Take Adorie - She'll be helpful, and Hunger has power to spare. Trading some combat effectiveness in certain situations for greater Praxis usage is very tolerable given the slew of utility benefits her presence could bring. [Baseline +Adorie, modified by her impression of your actions]
*Potential to increase Adorie Power by up to ++ and Adorie Progression by up to ++
*The power of the Mirellyian bloodline is immense, but she's received little training in how to tap into it, her parents having been slaughtered while she was very small. In theory, it should awaken during times of dire need...
*Her EFB is really strong. Just saying.
[ ] Don't Take Adorie - Defending the life of another is an inherently complicated proposition and you don't want her judging your actions anyway.
*Why introduce additional variables? There's much to gain but Hunger isn't really in dire need of more advantages here.
[ ] Custom Arrangement - Maybe you'd like to only take Adorie along for certain plans. If so, you may create a write-in stipulating exactly when you'd like to bring her versus not, and if Hunger (and the voters) are convinced, he'll do it! Does not benefit from the inherent +Adorie of the Take Adorie option, but does have the potential to improve her stats.
*You'll have to lobby for it.
[ ] Crush Them. The Lord Protector has deployed the Tenth Legion as a vanguard force while the remaining two act as his guard. Descend upon the Fifth and Thirteen Legions like the fist of an angry god. Hammer them with such waves of Pressure as to rival the destruction of the Armament-Fish, grind them into dust until they break or yield, then slaughter the Lord Protector unless he gives his unconditional surrender. [-Adorie], +1 pick
*The strength of Hunger is in direct conflict. Translate this battle into the arena of your strength. Do as the Forebear did before you; show this insidious schemer that the hour of reckoning has come.
*Unfortunately you won't be able to spare anyone with this method. Time is of the essence. Millions of soldiers will die. Maybe if you're lucky they'll break and rout before they're annihilated, but the discipline of Nilfel is legendary. Each of their captains would be a nation-bestriding hero outside, and their champion-generals are veritable forces of nature.
*Their auxiliaries and support beasts are far less heroic and unlikely to withstand the power of Holy Shit. They at least should flee quickly.
*Take care that the Lord Protector does not flee himself. Speed will be critical to the execution of this plan. Still, so long as you are able to reach him, this plan should work. The All-Defeating might of the Forebear ought more than suffice to overwhelm his convoluted defenses. No other plan offers such adamantine reliability; there is a reason the Forebear eventually decided to simply cut through all opposition.
*If the Lord Protector forces Hunger into a no-win situation via hostage-taking of Versch, Hunger is likely to call his bluff. The consequences of that could be severe, but ultimately it may be healthier to think of Versch as already lost when the Lord Protector captured him. Rescuing him would be a bonus, but eliminating the threat of the Lord Protector is an existential priority, and Hunger's rate of power growth makes it entirely possible for him to, one day, personally supplant a fully healed Armament in pure might. [---Letrizia] if Versch dies because Hunger decided slaying the LP was more important.
[ ] Rescue Versch. Whether or not the Lord Protector is aware, Hunger has a fundamental connection to Versch that allows him to track the Armament. Given his opponents' competence so far, it would be unwise to assume that Versch is merely hidden and unguarded - in fact it's highly likely that any rescue attempt would be a trap, and there is still the outside possibility that the Lord Protector is spying on or outright spoofing Hunger's connection somehow. Even so, Versch must be rescued. Deploy with Gisena to track down Versch and hope that your wide array of powers & defenses will suffice to deal with whatever the Lord Protector has guarding him. [+Letrizia]
*The Lord Protector has put Hunger in a bad position; to secure Versch without negotiating with the Protector, he must walk directly into a trap.
*Still, given Hunger's divination immunity and rapid increase in strength, it's unlikely the Lord Protector was fully prepared for an invader of Hunger's capabilities.
*Hunger of course is not especially prepared for the Lord Protector's hidden cards either, though he does have powerful general immunities from the All-Defeating Stance and Gisena, and immense Rank with which to sway the tides of chance.
*If you can successfully rescue Versch (and make sure the Lord Protector has no means of repeating his feat), then wiping out the Lord Protector's armies should be a fairly straightforward, though not trivial, endeavor.
[ ] Oblique Means. Consolidate the allied legions and summon reinforcements via Supreme Enclosure. Time is critical, but the benefits of an allied summon outweigh the substantial costs of inaction here. Some Astral being capable of re-capturing Versch or nullifying the Lord Protector's abilities would provide immense utility. Also, by proceeding at a slower pace Hunger can honor Adorie's request not to slay too many of the opposing legions. With Hunger's immense Blood Rank, it should be entirely possible to nonlethally incapacitate even such heroes as these with the Ring of Blood, given enough time. [++Adorie]
*Gives the Lord Protector even more time to prepare and/or execute his shenanigans
*But you have shenanigans of your own, and staying your hand against the legions of Nilfel could be a public relations coup for those Legions on the fence about the whole matter.
*Gisena might also be able to whip something up, though an hour is not a lot of time to work.
*The Lord Protector has you outgunned on the esoteric front, but that need not always remain the case. Given your greater direct strength, you need far fewer force multipliers than him to secure victory.
[ ] Shock & Reason - The reasonable thing to do now that you are forced into this position would be to negotiate with the Lord Protector, but it would be wise to amply demonstrate the wisdom of discourse beforehand. This plays out similarly to Crush Them, but Hunger will make at least a moderate effort to avoid excessive casualties. [+Adorie] The goal is to display Hunger's overwhelming power and improve the terms of negotiation, making it clear to both parties that either can inflict irreparable harm to the other. Therefore, why not reach an accommodation?
*Leverages Hunger's battle power alongside his immense CHA and Holy Shit, as well as Gisena's superhuman APP, INT, and MAN, fully utilizing the broad gamut of their abilities.
*Hunger lacks any way to enforce the honoring of any such agreements reached, especially in the long run. The Lord Protector seems capable enough to understand the consequences of defection, but who knows if he won't pull out another trick to neutralize those as well?
*Still, stripped of his Legions the Lord Protector is merely one very capable archmage, that should theoretically be entirely within the abilities of Nilfel (a nation with countless powerful mages) to police.
*You would have to decide what outcomes you're okay with. The Lord Protector surrenders, disarms, is kept heavily monitored with his abilities magically suppressed and turns the country over to Adorie? Reasonable security, but he'd be unlikely to agree to such unless he truly believes that death is imminent and unavoidable otherwise.
*It could theoretically be possible to turn the Lord Protector into an ally, if somehow you could come to trust each other... though the wisdom of such an agreement would be questionable at best, those ruled by self-interest are often predictable.
---
However you decide to confront the Lord Protector, will you take Adorie with you? Close proximity to her bloodline further strengthens you against existential diminishment, allowing Praxis techniques to be spammed more frequently. A roughly 15-30% increase in Praxis usage should be possible - a considerable advantage, as the Refinement of Quickness has immense utility in all scenarios above. She is also a fairly skilled negotiator with superhuman mental and social attributes, deeply knowledgeable about your enemies; many Legions may hesitate to take the life of their Princess even if they are otherwise staunchly loyal to the Lord Protector. Even the Lord Protector himself may wish to avoid erasing the Mirellyian bloodline from this earth...
However, you'll have to keep Adorie alive, and while she does possess impressive Rank for her age she has underwhelming physical Attributes and virtually no combat skill. Certain actions undertaken can also improve or worsen your relationship with her, highly relevant if you're to trust her to run your domains after departing for the Human Sphere.
[ ] Take Adorie - She'll be helpful, and Hunger has power to spare. Trading some combat effectiveness in certain situations for greater Praxis usage is very tolerable given the slew of utility benefits her presence could bring. [Baseline +Adorie, modified by her impression of your actions]
*Potential to increase Adorie Power by up to ++ and Adorie Progression by up to ++
*The power of the Mirellyian bloodline is immense, but she's received little training in how to tap into it, her parents having been slaughtered while she was very small. In theory, it should awaken during times of dire need...
*Her EFB is really strong. Just saying.
[ ] Don't Take Adorie - Defending the life of another is an inherently complicated proposition and you don't want her judging your actions anyway.
*Why introduce additional variables? There's much to gain but Hunger isn't really in dire need of more advantages here.
[ ] Custom Arrangement - Maybe you'd like to only take Adorie along for certain plans. If so, you may create a write-in stipulating exactly when you'd like to bring her versus not, and if Hunger (and the voters) are convinced, he'll do it! Does not benefit from the inherent +Adorie of the Take Adorie option, but does have the potential to improve her stats.
*You'll have to lobby for it.
