Lord of a Fief Quest [Xianxia/Western Fantasy Fusion, CK2-ish]

Winter, 1033 - Master Park
[X] Han Kang - 200 Power, +25 Diplomacy, Improved relations with the Han clan

-[X] Social Actions (You may take 2 of these in exchange for 1 personal action)
--- [X] Have tea with the head of the Adventurer's Guild

--- [X] Have tea with Myeong Kimora
-[X] Send Wong Hui to Seclusion with Two Rank 2 Spirit Stones for 2x Speed per round of cultivation.
-[X] Provide all our Advisers One Rank 2 Spirit Stone for each round of Cultivation they undergo while at Rank 2. (Automatic until Stones run out or reaching Rank 3)
-[X] Report him to the Imperial Court and collect a reward of 20 Rank 3 Spirit Stones as a token of gratitude.
-[X] Do not buy Spirit Stones this Turn.

You decided on Han Kang and penned a flattering letter to the effect you wanted him as your diplomatic adviser. A month later he arrived in Toril and was ready to get to work. If only all things in life were so easy to accomplish.

Satisfied that the initial matters were out of the way, you penned a letter to Myeong Kimora inviting her to tea. It was important to maintain a personal connection with someone you intended to court. Letters could go only so far in maintaining a person's interest. Letters that you, honestly, have been a bit lazy about. Ah well, you are sure an invitation to tea will draw the beautiful lady out. The Myeong clan may be infamous but they have remained powerful by marrying the right people and a fief lord of the sixth circle fell under the heading of the right sort of person to marry.

The next letter you penned would have a much shorter journey for it was an invitation to Park Ji-hoon, the current head of the Adventurer's Guild and a peer in terms of cultivation base. That was one of the reasons you had not invited him to tea sooner, you wanted to be certain you would be treated as an equal and that required a cultivation base of the sixth circle. The response to your letter was generally positive and an appointment was set for tea.

__________________________________________________________________​

The walls of the room reserved in the Bloodthorn Palace for private meetings over tea was furnished with beautiful pieces of artwork showing mountain scenes and forest scenes. There were even paintings of powerful spirit beasts, such as dragons, adorning the walls. In the center of the room was a simple cherry wood table that was nearly a thousand years old and it was surrounded by four cherry wood chairs with cushions of equal age and rarity. It was a symbol of wealth to possess simple yet priceless artifacts like these. Only the owner and those who did their research would know of their value, it was a subtle show of wealth appropriate for old money like the Bai Clan rather than the boisterous boasting of the nouveau riche.

You were already seated and pouring tea for yourself when your guest arrived. Park Ji-hoon wore bright orange but traditional robes of a Daoist and he quickly settled into the seat opposite you. He was an elderly man, perhaps sixty years old in terms of biological age but for someone of the sixth rank that was more like a hundred and twenty.

Master Park said, "Greetings, Lord Bai. How may the Guild be of service on this blessed day?"

You smiled and poured him a cup of thick medicinal tea made from bloodthorn leaves. It was a staple of the Seto region and a common tea but it was the symbol of the fief and therefore the Lord. No other tea was as appropriate as bloodthorn tea served to a guest of Lord Bai.

You replied, "Master Park, I am glad you were able to make arrangements to see me. As for what the Guild can do for me? Let us set that aside for the moment, while I am open to talk business this was more of a social call."

Master Park replied casually, "Ah, it is refreshing to have a meeting that is not immediately a business matter. In that case, congratulations on achieving the sixth circle! That is quite the accomplishment for someone of your generation, Lord Bai!"

You shrugged and replied, "Ah, it is nothing with the wealth of the Bloodthorn fief to support my cultivation. I am just glad to be speaking with a peer of the elder generation."

Master Park smiled and said, "A peer indeed! It took me a hundred years to reach the peak of the sixth circle and I've been slowly inching along ever since on a Guild Master's salary."

You nodded sympathetically, "I understand your pain, before I was Lord Bai my cultivation base expanded at quite the glacial pace. I am curious, is there anything you might like as a personal gift from a fellow Daoist?"

Master Park winked at you and said, "Well, since you asked, I suppose a gift of a Bloodthorn Pill would be most gratifying. It takes me an entire year to save up to buy one but for a Lord of your station it would be a simple matter to grant me one, particularly as it is the fief's primary export."

[ ] Grant him a pill (Improved relations with Master Park, -50 Silver Bars)

[ ] Refuse him, 50 silver bars was too high a price for his friendship. Gift him something smaller and more appropriate.

Satisfied you offered Master Park a gift of value, you moved on to other matters. You smiled and said, "I heard there was some trouble in the Tian Shen Mountains this fall with some of your adventuring parties? Something about a powerful spirit beast roaming the mountains? Would you happen to know precisely how powerful it might be?"

Master Park smiled and replied, "Oh, it is a troubling young dragon that has been devouring spirit cores of spirit beasts and human cultivators alike! Its cultivation base is easily of the fifth rank, perhaps even the lower echelons of the sixth based on the reports I have at my disposal. Why? Thinking of going hunting?"

You gave Master Park an enigmatic smile and said, "Oh, just keeping tabs on current events. It might be nice to experience a challenge on par with my new cultivation base but then again, perhaps I should keep to Toril and stay safe. The conflict with the Zhou clan might mean assassins have already been loosed after all."

Master Park nodded and said, "Ah, true. That particular cold war has been growing warmer. I would offer the Guild's services but we are a politically neutral organization. Hunting monsters? Happy to help! Politics? Not so much."

You nodded and replied, "Indeed. I would never ask you to get involved in politics. Speaking of monsters, there is a pack of direwolves to the west of Toril. What would it cost me to have them wiped out? I would do it personally but I have too many demands on my time these days."

Master Park smiled and said, "Oh? I've heard of that pack from the adventurers collecting the Cao Grass you sell under the table to the Myeong clan. Probably 800 Silver Bars would cover my expenses if you'd like that done."

[ ] Yes, 800 Silver Bars seems fair.

[ ] No, 800 Silver Bars is too much.

Satisfied that the relevant bits have been attended to the conversation devolved into pleasant small talk between a Lord and one of his subjects. No major issues that required your attention were brought to the table and for that you were thankful. It was always good to listen to one's powerful constituents.


P.S. Do people thing a simple relationship scale from 0 to 100, 100 being super loyal ally and 0 being most hated enemy works for this game? I probably will put up a list of relationships this weekend. Also I need to remember to add a dragon hunting action to the next turn.
 
[X] Grant him a pill (Improved relations with Master Park, -50 Silver Bars)

50 silver isn't really worth a lot to us in the grand scheme of things, and it would be money well spent to make him like us.

[X] Yes, 800 Silver Bars seems fair.

Although this is a little steep, it will allow us to begin making money from resources that have previously been off limits.
 
[X] Grant him a pill (Improved relations with Master Park, -50 Silver Bars)
[X] No, 800 Silver Bars is too much.
 
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[X] Grant him a pill (Improved relations with Master Park, -50 Silver Bars)
[X] No, 800 Silver Bars is too much.

50 Silver Bars is cheap enough to get into his good books. 800 Silver Bars is too expensive. Keep in mind the loot value was estimated at +240 Silver when we first got the option to clear the rest of the Direwolves, so we'll be at a net loss of -560 Silver.

With Bai Shen at Rank 6, all his Advisers reaching Rank 3, and we have 15 Knights (all Rank 2) we could clear them out easily with this Personal Action:
[ ] Purge the wolves: Lead an expedition to purge the wolf pack that exists in your lands. They need to be dealt with eventually.

[ ] Kill the Direwolves. (Initiates Combat; Potential loot 12 Direwolf Cores / 240 Silver Bars; Potential Casualties: 1-3 Knights)
There was only 12 rank 2 Direwolves when we left their lair alone, it doesn't urgently need clearing as the wolves are mostly keeping to themselves, and we mostly want them gone to sell more Cao Grass, but not if we're losing money to pay for clearing.

Also, I don't think we can go hunting Dragons soon because we can't eat their Spirit Core with our 39 Corruption; we should only hunt it if it's becoming too dangerous, otherwise it's a lost opportunity.

Regarding relationship stats, I'm fine with that as a gameplay abstraction, but I don't think it should be based on loyalty per se, but rather how much an individual likes us, personal loyalty is more complicated to quantify.

EDIT: @LordEdric @Ptolemy
We will barely have enough money for next turn expenditures; if we spend 800 Bars to kill off non-hostile wolves, we can't afford to expand Spirit Grains. Which is more important, Cao Grass (very little profit) or Spirit Grains (+1000 Silver)?

Next Turn's Treasury: 2433 Bars (-50 if we give Bloodthorn Pill)
Expenditures: Flooding Market (-500), Spirit Grain (-2000)
 
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[X] Grant him a pill (Improved relations with Master Park, -50 Silver Bars)
[X] No, 800 Silver Bars is too much.

50 Silver Bars is cheap enough to get into his good books. 800 Silver Bars is too expensive. Keep in mind the loot value was estimated at +240 Silver when we first got the option to clear the rest of the Direwolves, so we'll be at a net loss of -560 Silver.

With Bai Shen at Rank 6, all his Advisers reaching Rank 3, and we have 15 Knights (all Rank 2) we could clear them out easily with this Personal Action:



There was only 12 rank 2 Direwolves when we left their lair alone, it doesn't urgently need clearing as the wolves are mostly keeping to themselves, and we mostly want them gone to sell more Cao Grass, but not if we're losing money to pay for clearing.

Also, I don't think we can go hunting Dragons soon because we can't eat their Spirit Core with our 39 Corruption; we should only hunt it if it's becoming too dangerous, otherwise it's a lost opportunity.

Regarding relationship stats, I'm fine with that as a gameplay abstraction, but I don't think it should be based on loyalty per se, but rather how much an individual likes us, personal loyalty is more complicated to quantify.

EDIT: @LordEdric @Ptolemy
We will barely have enough money for next turn expenditures; if we spend 800 Bars to kill off non-hostile wolves, we can't afford to expand Spirit Grains. Which is more important, Cao Grass (very little profit) or Spirit Grains (+1000 Silver)?

Next Turn's Treasury: 2433 Bars (-50 if we give Bloodthorn Pill)
Expenditures: Flooding Market (-500), Spirit Grain (-2000)
Good point, changed my vote, maybe if we're lucky, help from the main clan to deal with the mine can also help with the wolves
 
[X] Grant him a pill (Improved relations with Master Park, -50 Silver Bars)
[X] No, 800 Silver Bars is too much.

I think we should just wipe out the wolves ourselves for a tidy profit
 
[X] Grant him a pill (Improved relations with Master Park, -50 Silver Bars)
[X] No, 800 Silver Bars is too much.
 
So with most of us voting not to pay the 800 silver, is everyone OK with clearing out the wolves personally in spring?
Yes, the general sentiment seems to be clearing the direwolves with a Personal Action as it's the most convenient and cheap method, if nothing else comes up.

Good point, changed my vote, maybe if we're lucky, help from the main clan to deal with the mine can also help with the wolves
One thing I'd like to note about the Rank 10 Spirit Mine: it has an equivalent Rank 10 Spirit Beast guarding it.
So, if the Bai Clan does not send us any aid, it's going to hamper our future growth because we won't be able to secure the Mine and take advantage of those Spirit Stones until we reach Rank 10 to fight it.
Bai Shen is currently Rank 6 (almost 7), which means only Rank 6 Stones will be useful for him. ONE Rank 6 Spirit Stone costs us 100,000 Silver Bars to buy. That's ludicrously expensive with our current income, which means if we can't secure our Rank 10 Mine, we will not have any Spirit Stones to use for cultivation in the foreseeable future. If we're forced to secure the Spirit Mine ourselves, the stones will only be useful one-time for Rank 10 -> 11.

So yeah, pray Bai Shen's father is wise and the Clan has available resources to help us secure it, because if we can get that Mine running early, we're pretty much set for life. ONE Rank 10 Stone = 1 billion Silver Bars.
Our fief is pretty much a money-making machine once it's fully developed:
- Alchemy Hall = +Cultivation, +Revenue​
- Spirit Herb Garden = +Revenue​
- Spirit Grain Farm = +Cultivation, ++Revenue (Second Farm)​
- Hot Spring Retreat = +Cultivation, +Revenue (if opened up)​
- Spirit Stone Mine = +Cultivation, +++Revenue (Rank 10!)​
- Protag Skills = +++Synergy (Alchemy, Horticulture, Wood element Specialization)​
In fact, we almost got all the Fief Special Features from Char Creation without even realizing it. We're only missing a Beast Ranch & Blacksmith Hall for unique revenue sources (Conventional Mines/Slaves are meh). I bet if our Rivals knew the true extent of our Fief's Wealth, they'd die from spitting blood out of jealousy :V
... We should probably get stronger ASAP still, just to be sure nobody tries to challenge us for our fief when the jig is up.

Minor Fixes:
[ ] Spirit Stone Mine - A singular spirit stone mine that yields a sizable quantity of Rank 1 through Rank 5 spirit stones. Useful tools for any cultivator and a decent source of revenue. Of course, your rivals envy this particular asset and would seek to take it from you. Gain +10 to Cultivation attempts until Rank 6 (600 Power).
Typo: (600 Power) -> (500 Power)
"Lady Myeong, the recent unrest within the family is no secret and my father had to take certain risks with appointments to avoid other risks. It is all one big, calculated risk when one plays the game of thrones. I just hope I was the good kind of risk."
Phrasing: Consider tweaking as overall sentence looks slightly awkward due to repeated usage of 'risk.'
- my father had to take certain risks with appointments to avoid other hazards.
- It is all one big, calculated gamble when one plays the game of thrones.
- I just hope it was the good sort of bet.

Questions:
Horticulture - You have a set of techniques for farming plants that have been mutated by spirit energy. This allows you to generate more bountiful and valuable crops than other men. Effectively a +20 to Horticulture rolls.
1) What sort of action would Bai Shen's Horticulture bonus apply to? Could you give a criteria so players can suggest potential actions, as you said it doesn't apply to R&D actions? E.g. We want to take the "Improve Spirit Grains" action but the bonus doesn't apply, even though it's supposed to fulfill the "plants mutated by spirit energy" criteria.

2) Can we exchange Spirit Stones for their equivalent value in lower or higher ranks, and is there a limit? (I.e. Rank 3 -> Rank 6 Stones -OR- Rank 4 -> Rank 2)
a) What rank is the Ka Clan's Spirit Stone mine?​

3) Do the payments for increased military spending begin charging from the Turn implemented or Turn after implementation? E.g. Turn 4 Action: +200 Silver/season is charged immediately from Turn 4 (action succeeds or fail, cost is deducted) -OR- +200 Silver/Season is charged IF action succeeds from Turn 5 onward.

[ ] Encourage Immigration - More people meant more revenue and you had the industry to support an influx of workers. Rice and other farming techniques were very manual labor intensive and the more labor you had, the more you could produce. This represents a one-time boost of 10% to your fief's income and population. However, it leaves you vulnerable to infiltrators who might use such a program as cover for their nefarious intentions. The higher you role, the fewer negative effects this will have on your could war with the Zhou.
4) The underlined sentence in the above quote describes "higher rolls = fewer negative effects in Zhou clan Cold War."
a) However, it was revealed that Stewardship actions all Autopass so there was no Dice Roll for that flavor text to take effect.​
b) Is this an oversight which will need to be accounted for, or is it not relevant anymore?​

[ ] Hire Ninja to protect yourself against enemy Ninja. Hidden Villages were mercenaries first and foremost and would do anything for a price. It was best to have countermeasures in place before disaster struck. Provides +20 vs. Intrigue actions.
--- [ ] Through the end of the year (-600 Silver Bars)
--- [ ] Ongoing (-200 Silver Bars / Season, indefinitely)
New Mechanic: Debt
Keep in mind you have 2063 Silver Bars, you've spent 2300 bars and gone 237 silver bars into debt with your actions this turn.
Expenditures for Fall Turn Orders:
Revenue: 1357 Silver Bars / Season
Treasury: 2063 Silver Bars

2063 (Treasury) - 500 (Flood Market) - 1200 (River Mills) - 600 (Hire Ninja Protection) = -237 Silver Bars
5) So, the above shows that we hired Ninja Protection during Autumn for 2 seasons (till end of year). It costs 200 Silver Bars/Season to hire Ninjas so 200*2 = 400 Silver Bars. However, we paid 600 Silver Bars so it was an overcharge of -200 Silver.
a) To rectify the error, could you instead extend the duration of Ninja Protection to cover the new year's Spring Season (+1 extra Season) so the -200 Silver is accounted for? It's the most convenient solution, since we paid for 3 Seasons.
The story you were told is that the Archmage Xiu Ling, one of the few Immortals of the Empire, was attacked by a murderous band of foreign assassins who had summoned a Great Dragon to aid them.
6) I completely missed this tidbit first time I read it, but was this quote a reference to the D&D stereotype of a band of murderhobos trying to gank an innocent City Lord? :V

7) Suggested Actions: Establish a Blacksmith Hall in our Fief, scout for Conventional Mines, research Array Crafting using Athame Spirit Treasure, invite a Sect to establish itself in our Fief, hire an Array Crafter to build a Great Spirit Maze or similar around our Fief, etc.
 
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1) What sort of action would Bai Shen's Horticulture bonus apply to? Could you give a criteria so players can suggest potential actions, as you said it doesn't apply to R&D actions? E.g. We want to take the "Improve Spirit Grains" action but the bonus doesn't apply, even though it's supposed to fulfill the "plants mutated by spirit energy" criteria.

Its kinda an awkward bonus but I probably can add a personal action to grow a personal garden of spirit herbs you can apply it to.

2) Can we exchange Spirit Stones for their equivalent value in lower or higher ranks, and is there a limit? (I.e. Rank 3 -> Rank 6 Stones -OR- Rank 4 -> Rank 2)

Yes you can exchange them.

a) What rank is the Ka Clan's Spirit Stone mine?

Rank 6

3) Do the payments for increased military spending begin charging from the Turn implemented or Turn after implementation? E.g. Turn 4 Action: +200 Silver/season is charged immediately from Turn 4 (action succeeds or fail, cost is deducted) -OR- +200 Silver/Season is charged IF action succeeds from Turn 5 onward.
The first one.

4) The underlined sentence in the above quote describes "higher rolls = fewer negative effects in Zhou clan Cold War."

Correct.

a) However, it was revealed that Stewardship actions all Autopass so there was no Dice Roll for that flavor text to take effect.b) Is this an oversight which will need to be accounted for, or is it not relevant anymore?

Dice roll was concealed because if you knew the results you would know if you had spies, etc.

5) So, the above shows that we hired Ninja Protection during Autumn for 2 seasons (till end of year). It costs 200 Silver Bars/Season to hire Ninjas so 200*2 = 400 Silver Bars. However, we paid 600 Silver Bars so it was an overcharge of -200 Silver.
a) To rectify the error, could you instead extend the duration of Ninja Protection to cover the new year's Spring Season (+1 extra Season) so the -200 Silver is accounted for? It's the most convenient solution, since we paid for 3 Seasons.

That's fine

6) I completely missed this tidbit first time I read it, but was this quote a reference to the D&D stereotype of a band of murderhobos trying to gank an innocent City Lord? :V
Yes.

7) Suggested Actions: Establish a Blacksmith Hall in our Fief, scout for Conventional Mines,
You don't know of any place to start searching for conventional mine sites that aren't covered in spirit beasts that would need to be dealt with. I can add it but its probably going to be an event/action chain to get from Point A to Point B. And there is no point in having a Blacksmith Hall if you don't have conventional mines.


research Array Crafting using Athame Spirit Treasure, invite a Sect to establish itself in our Fief, hire an Array Crafter to build a Great Spirit Maze or similar around our Fief, etc.
These are fine.
 
Voting closed.

Adhoc vote count started by ChaosCircle on Oct 3, 2020 at 12:34 PM, finished with 12 posts and 7 votes.
 
Relationship Status
Relationships


Bloodthorn Fief Knights - Ally (80/100)
Liu Chen - Ally (80/100)
Wong Hui - Ally (80/100)
Bai Chenshen - Ally (80/100)
Han Kang - Ally (80/100)
Han Clan - Ally (80/100)
Nae Clan - Ally (70/100)
Ka Clan - Ally (70/100)
Tong Clan - Ally (70/100)
Myeong Clan - Ally (70/100)
Park Ji-Hoon, Guildmaster of the Adventurers - Ally (70/100)

Zhou Clan - Enemies (0/100)
 
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Its kinda an awkward bonus but I probably can add a personal action to grow a personal garden of spirit herbs you can apply it to.
Hmm, I don't wish to make things awkward so don't feel obligated to somehow fit that in. That said, I'm just curious what you had in mind for Horticulture as it's an important choice from Char Creation.

Cross-Cultivation is immediately obvious and relevant for example, and the Spy Network/Bloody Hand are a constant presence in the story itself. Horticulture just feels like the odd one left out, y'know?
Dice roll was concealed because if you knew the results you would know if you had spies, etc.
Huh... Since our Spy Network is mainly an outward-facing tool, is "Create an Internal Security/Inquisition Bureau" a valid action for proactively enhancing our Intrigue defense, or is that covered by outsourcing to Ninjas?

I'm not sure if the +20 Intrigue from Ninja Protection only helps against other Ninja or general spying?
You don't know of any place to start searching for conventional mine sites that aren't covered in spirit beasts that would need to be dealt with. I can add it but its probably going to be an event/action chain to get from Point A to Point B. And there is no point in having a Blacksmith Hall if you don't have conventional mines.
Gotcha, that makes sense. Just spitballing ideas.

EDIT:
Just wanted to confirm: Spirit Stone Mines yields the same Rank of Stones as its Rank, right? (i.e. Char Creation Rank 5 Stones = Rank 5 Mine -OR- Ka Clan's Rank 6 Mine = Rank 6 Stones)
 
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Winter, 1033 - Tea with Myeong Kimora
[X] Grant him a pill (Improved relations with Master Park, -50 Silver Bars)
[X] No, 800 Silver Bars is too much.

-[X] Social Actions (You may take 2 of these in exchange for 1 personal action)
--- [X] Have tea with Myeong Kimora

-[X] Send Wong Hui to Seclusion with Two Rank 2 Spirit Stones for 2x Speed per round of cultivation.
-[X] Provide all our Advisers One Rank 2 Spirit Stone for each round of Cultivation they undergo while at Rank 2. (Automatic until Stones run out or reaching Rank 3)

-[X] Report him to the Imperial Court and collect a reward of 20 Rank 3 Spirit Stones as a token of gratitude.

It had taken you some time but you eventually made a decision to turn in Lord Kim of the Riverlands to the Imperial Court. The reward was paltry but the knowledge you did the right thing and hopefully avoided more portals to the Outside being created in the Seto Region was reason enough for you to be happy with the decision. A letter was dispatched and a month later Lord Kim was arrested by a Nascent Soul enforcer for the Imperial Court. That was one way of sending a message, Nascent Souls were above 5000 Power as well as immortals who could only be killed by other Nascent Soul experts. The Imperial Court had several such enforcers which were dispatched to engage in actual enforcement primarily to send a message that the Imperial Court had powerful backing.

You had good news from your advisers, all had gained substantial amounts of power during their cultivation this season. It was also wonderful news that Bai Chenshen and Wong Hui and managed to break through to the third circle of Foundation Establishment. It was good your advisers were growing more potent and they had you to thank for it. As their power grew, so would their loyalty. It was good that you had granted them use of your personal collection of spirit stones.
______________________________________________________________________________
The walls of the room reserved in the Bloodthorn Palace for private meetings over tea was furnished with beautiful pieces of artwork showing mountain scenes and forest scenes. There were even paintings of powerful spirit beasts, such as dragons, adorning the walls. In the center of the room was a simple cherry wood table that was nearly a thousand years old and it was surrounded by four cherry wood chairs with cushions of equal age and rarity. It was a symbol of wealth to possess simple yet priceless artifacts like these. Only the owner and those who did their research would know of their value, it was a subtle show of wealth appropriate for old money like the Bai Clan rather than the boisterous boasting of the nouveau riche.

You stood at attention when Myeong Kimora arrived for the appointed tea time and pulled out her chair for her like a gentleman. The beautiful lady took her seat without comment and then you proceeded to sit in your own chair. Next came the tea, a thick medicinal tea made from bloodthorn leaves. A staple of the Seto Region and a subtle reminder that you were the lord of Bloodthorn Valley.

Myeong Kimora took a sip of the tea and smiled at you as she said, "Thank you for the tea and the invitation, Lord Bai. Winter may not be the best season for social events but for you I was happy to make an exception."

You smiled at that and replied, "I am glad you were willing to make an exception for me, my lady. Letters feel so impersonal. I much prefer having tea with someone to get to know them."

She smiled demurely and said, "This is true. One can also speak one's true feelings without fear of a letter being intercepted. How do you feel about the Imperial Court?"

You shrugged and replied, "I have never been to the Imperial Court. For me it is a distant source of rules and authority that I dare not disobey for who can stand against Nascent Soul enforcers? I am not even in Core Formation yet."

She chuckled and replied, "True. While we might have one or two Nascent Soul cultivators on a mountaintop somewhere enjoying their meditations we are in no position to stand up to the enforcers of the Imperial Court. I suspect the Bai Clan is in a similar position. That said, those Nascent Soul enforcers cannot be everywhere and they are outnumbered by the patriarchs of various sects as well as the ancients of the various clans. It is truly men like Archmage Xiu Ling that intimidate the clans into silence. Who would dare to fight a man who is half a step into the Deva realm directly? It would be suicide, even for a Nascent Soul elder."

A part of you did not like this line of conversation but a part of you was also curious where it might lead. It would not do for you to be unfamiliar with a potential wife's politics when it comes to the Imperial Court or any other political matter. After all, politics was a critical part of life in the Empire.

You replied, "True, but there was that incident with foreign assassins so clearly there are some people willing to take on the job of assassinating the Archmage. Do you feel restrained by the laws of the Imperial Court?"

She shrugged and replied, "A bit. The rules are mostly reasonable but when the Imperial Court issues a dharmic decree everyone has to submit immediately if they value their lives. It is all a bit overbearing in my view. I would prefer a life where a random order from on high did not require I drop everything and obey."

You said, "That is fair enough. No one likes to be ordered about by some far away ruler. People prefer to lead their own lives and engage in their own activities."

She nodded, "Exactly. That is why I found your interest so enticing, only the Imperial Court or a Clan Head can really issue orders to a Lord or his wife. The Bai Clan is known for keeping a light leash on its Lords, as long as the substantial tax money flows into the Bai clan's coffers you are largely free to do as you wish. And as much as I might complain about dharmic decrees from the Imperial Court, they are only issued once or twice a generation. Hardly worth a rebellion over."

Well she was a reluctant loyalist but a loyalist all the same. That was good, rebellion against the Imperial throne was a suicidal proposition in your view. Even if you did not suspect the Bai clan was all out of Nascent Soul elders to fight on your behalf, the Imperial Court had at least a dozen such enforcers at their beck and call. It would take a dozen major clans marching together to stand up to the Imperial Court's enforcers. And even then, a single dharmic decree would cause a hundred clans to rise up in support of the Throne.

You felt it was time for a new topic and so you said, "How do you feel about the consumption of spirit cores to advance one's cultivation base? Or heavy use of cultivation aids to move one forward leaps and bounds?"

She shrugged at that and said, "I have no real opinion how my husband or anyone else advances their cultivation base. Immortality is the goal and any legal means is acceptable in my view."

That brought a genuine smile to your face. You had no intention of stopping either method of advancing your cultivation base, in fact a part of you wanted to go hunting.

From there, the conversation devolved into small talk and niceties that while pleasant were not worth recording to jade slips for later examination.

Wong Hui - 1D100+25 => 103 / 10 = 10.3 * 4.5 = 46.35 = 47
Wong Hui - 1D100+25 => 99 / 10 = 9.9 * 4.5 = 44.55 = 45
Liu Chen - 1D100+25 => 82 / 10 = 8.2 * 4.5 = 36.9 = 37
Bai Chenshen - 1D100+25 => 52 / 10 = 5.2 * 4.5 = 23.4 = 24
 
Hmm, I don't wish to make things awkward so don't feel obligated to somehow fit that in. That said, I'm just curious what you had in mind for Horticulture as it's an important choice from Char Creation.

Cross-Cultivation is immediately obvious and relevant for example, and the Spy Network/Bloody Hand are a constant presence in the story itself. Horticulture just feels like the odd one left out, y'know?

Yeah, that is fair. I'm just not sure what to do with it.

Huh... Since our Spy Network is mainly an outward-facing tool, is "Create an Internal Security/Inquisition Bureau" a valid action for proactively enhancing our Intrigue defense, or is that covered by outsourcing to Ninjas?
Covered by outsourcing to Ninja, you could try to create your own Hidden Village to provide you with an Internal Security Burea however.

I'm not sure if the +20 Intrigue from Ninja Protection only helps against other Ninja or general spying?
Only against active actions to harm you.

EDIT:
Just wanted to confirm: Spirit Stone Mines yields the same Rank of Stones as its Rank, right? (i.e. Char Creation Rank 5 Stones = Rank 5 Mine -OR- Ka Clan's Rank 6 Mine = Rank 6 Stones)

They yield that rank and below.

A yield from a rank 6 mine would probably only be 1 or 2 rank 6 spirit stones a season but many rank 1-5 spirit stones.
 
Bai Chenshen had a rough time training this turn, he barely made it
Wong Hui had some serious luck
Liu Chen is so close

They yield that rank and below.

A yield from a rank 6 mine would probably only be 1 or 2 rank 6 spirit stones a season but many rank 1-5 spirit stones.

So then this is what I think our rank 10 will get us a season

Rank 10= 1
Rank 9=10
Rank 8=20
Rank 7=40
Rank 6=80
Rank 5=150
Rank 4=300
Rank 1-3=too many to keep track of

Covered by outsourcing to Ninja, you could try to create your own Hidden Village to provide you with an Internal Security Burea however.

I think we might need to start our own, our out sourced help can seem to successfully sabotage anything
 
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