Sapere aude (Imperial Russian Mythos Organization Quest)

Winning Votes:

[X] Recruit
[X] Research

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"Ah, the Headmaster of St. Ivan's! Welcome, welcome, please be seated!"

Gustavus greeted each man at the table warmly, nodding at the assemblage of nobles, military officers, and factory owners. A scant few academics stood out, mostly individuals from St. Peter's, though none of them the upper crust of teachers. It might have been a tired truism, but the more learned men were, the more they tended to forget when it was and was not appropriate to ask question.

About certain matters in particular, as well.

"It's good of you to join us, Gustavus," a particularly lean and hungry-looking colonel grinned at him, picking up a goblet of win and passing it along.

"Indeed, we always enjoy a man of numbers and words who knows what land his hallowed halls stand on," another man, a count, laughed derisively, obviously just a bit too drunk.

"It's always a pleasure to be of service and offer advice," Gustavus replied as he looked to a server and ordered a rather luxurious cut of meat, to be paid for by his generous hosts.

It was a lesson he had learned well from Demitri and his merchantry.

Everything was for sale, one way or another, but it was best if the buyer felt it was a gift returned such generosity with a willing gift of his own. Such would set the framework for a bountiful harvest in later seasons, where he could reap the just rewards of a carefully cultivated relationship.

"So, seeing as how I've been generously invited to this meeting, and I presume my invitation was more than just a formality, may I ask what my advice might be needed for?" Gustavus asked, settling into his seat properly.

One of the men laughed, waving with his cigar. "Clever as always. You see, my friend, we have been having a disagreement recently-"

"Really more of a friendly discussion," another stated, waving his glass about.

"Yes, yes, call it what you will," the first rolled his eyes. "We were just mutually considering the various methods by which we might help the empire."

...and themselves, no doubt.

Gustavus wished, among other things, that they would simply be more honest. If the empire had one defect, that was definitely it. No one admitted what they wanted, as if they should all be ashamed that they had desires that were not associated with the governments' aims and goals. Behind closed doors, within the 'Samsonite Society,' he and his cohorts were beyond the reach of petty morality and social values.

"Specifically, our friend in the military wishes to expand the artillery, but we've run into problems sourcing adequate amounts of steel," one of the men at the table stated. "Specifically, the process for converting pig iron into its more valuable counterpart is simply too great of a bottleneck for us to create the number of canon needed for our plans. Seeing as how artillery barrages have proven so useful in the ongoing war, we had hoped that an educated man might have a potential solution."

"Alternatively..." a grating voice chimed in, leading Gustavus to turning towards a disheveled man in an officer's coat. "We've been having significant troubles developing our food supplies to the point where we can support ongoing campaigns such as the one against Prussia. Many here thought you might have some insight, or know of someone who might possess some, as regards developing farmland or improving farming practices."

"Quite honestly, our artillery and logistics have proven quite serviceable so far," one of the oldest men at the table spoke up. "Truthfully, I would hope that your school would focus more on providing prestige for the empire as a whole. An important discovery or something similar would allow us bragging rights internationally which could attract more talent to fix problems like these."

Gustavus made a show of sipping at his drink and contemplated the matter.

Well, it was more as though he contemplated ways to speak at length on very little without committing to anything at all. That was, after all, the challenge of performing in polite society. There was the unstated alternative, of course, in pursuing more private ambitions within the society and developing the kinds of skills which would be less useful for the empire, but potentially more pressing and important for their own power-base.

Research:

Chrysopoeia:
"The ancient term refers to the alchemical process by which base metals like lead might be turned into noble metals such as gold. That is the ideal, anyway, but not something within our reach. Currently, at least. Instead, I propose an examination of the process by which we might use alchemical methods to refine a process of creating steel. It is less valuable than gold, true, but we believe it will be easier to make. Quantity of the material will make up for the lack of quality. There is also the fact that, pretty as gold might be, it has little practical use for the empire."

As Above, so Below:
"It is common knowledge that, according to astrological determination, the heavens shed the light of understanding upon the world below. Such a thing is a tricky affair at best, though. As a first step, I propose we might begin by making a study of the stars themselves. We cannot, after all, truly understand what the stellar bodies are saying if we do not even know where they are to be, when they are to be there."

Spell Casting:
"Magic is a difficult thing, the complexities of true ritual magics even moreso. A scant few among us have paltry tricks at our disposal, but none of us have truly delved into the application of our will over the veil of reality. I would especially urge the development of these skills in the name of developing some ability to project martial force. Now that we know of a potential rival or threat in the form of the Deep One Worshipers nearby, we should be ready to remove them if necessary."

Basic Prediction:
"While there is some truth to the idea that we might need to study the stars more to properly benefit from what we might learn, human history is full of examples wherein people used incomplete knowledge to do what could be done at the time. It is therefore my recommendation that we look towards the prediction of weather cycles. Building a proper guide as regards what we might expect from the climate would have numerous benefits for both our own research and the affair of the empire."

Fruits of Labor:
"An area in which we might freely experiment with large-scale rituals is in the application and use of farmland and plants. It's a curious endeavor, to be sure, but there are more than enough peasantry in the empire to apply various techniques which might influence the growth of plants. There is the slightest concern that some of the subjects might experience some... strange mental effects given their unskilled and unprotected minds. It's an acceptable risk, though."


Recruitment:

Academia:
"We are a school, are we not? It is easiest and most expedient to simply select individuals from the university itself. We have ensure that as many as possible will be of similar mind to ourselves, so there will be little danger in recruiting from this pool. The only disadvantage this potentially grants is the fact that, as aforementioned, all of the individuals will be of like-mind to each other. Diversity of thought will not be our ally here."

Military:
"While St. Ivan's is not quite so popular as the strictly military education that officer training provides, nor as enticing as graduation from St. Peter's, we have our fair share of men of rank who seek higher education. Individuals who know their way around the army and navy would be an obvious asset and a powerful tool for us to use in further expansion. It will be a simple matter to ensure that, for the good of the empire, they will be able to keep our affairs a secret."

Merchants:
"Merchants, simply put, make money. It is their purpose in life. As such, I believe we should prioritize their recruitment. Beyond new avenues of wealth, travelers and men of networks offer boons of information from abroad as well as potential routes of foreign growth by which we might insert ourselves into rivals to weaken them or allies to strengthen them. Further, they are a diverse pool of minds who know many languages and might know of other individuals of similar... disposition as ourselves."

Tradesmen:
"It is true that these people are below us in class, but have we not already agreed that we shall make use of individuals by merit? While there are a great many fools, drunkards, and gormless idiots amongst the workers of the empire, there are not doubt useful diamonds in the rough as well. All we need do is find and polish such gems. The promotion of such individuals will also broaden our abilities to connect with the peasantry of the empire, that we might mobilize some of them to our interests if need be. Men of skilled labor, mark my works, will be valuable in the coming years."

Orphans:
"All I hear is talk of recruiting those already come into their own. No, I say, we need but look to those young in body and mind to see the ideal recruit. An orphan has no one to be concerned over their welfare, has no loyalty beyond those who fill their bowl, and has no greater love than for those who house and clothe them. We posses some unused buildings, one of which might be good enough to house many dozens of these children that we might appear civilized and kind for taking in and educating to figure and scribe for our various professors and students. Of course, we would make sure they learn all manner of proper lessons as well."

Research:
[ ] Chrysopoeia
[ ] As Above, so Below
[ ] Spell Casting
[ ] Basic Prediction
[ ] Fruits of Labor

Recruitment:
[ ] Academics
[ ] Military
[ ] Tradesmen
[ ] Merchants
[ ] Orphans

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