Working on making a plan. Open to changing the mine and serial killer investigation but i think we need to do the others though.
[x] In works v1
[x] Appoint an Ambassador-At-Large
-[x] Liesel von Eigenhof
[x] The Anti-Sylvanian Pact
[x] Our Own Trials
[x] The Combined Hierarchs
[x] The Congregation of the Stirland
[x] Increase the Stipend
[x] The Auditor
[x] Agree to Both
[x] Family Matters 1 dice
[x] We do Negotiate with Ranaldians 3 dice
[x] Engage with a Neighbour 3 dice
-[x] Stirland
[x] Engage with Cult
-[x] Cult of Soll
[x] Expand Mines
-[x] Jengen Quarry
[x] Unknown Serial Killer 2 dice
No reason why Taal and Rhya shouldn't have an Electoral Vote. Sure, it will make the Otillians more powerful but hey if we want the priesthood of Verena to become Electors in the future, might as well start now with an already established god and goddess.
I was thinking along a similar line. Getting the cult of Taal and Rhya their own Electoral Vote creates a good living precedent for us to agitate for our Cult to become an Elector in the future too.
We certainly can't just let Vlad nab Stirland for himself or even just place a thrall on the Stirlander throne(?). Choosing Our Own Trials is pretty risky, we'll be seen as suckers if Vlad does decide to seize Stirland for himself. Acceding to nab Flensburg via an agreement with Vlad just rubs me the wrong way.
If we uncover that the heir is a vampire thrall or any other sort of fuckery that's even better.
Their heir's son rather than the heir himself seem to be the cats paw that Vlad seem to be angling for. Which i think we have room to disarm in the future.
I think getting Averland move in if Vlad jumps the gun is how we should counteract Vlad while we're testing the Heir.
[ ] The Anti-Sylvanian Pact
Don't you think that the secessionists are a problem in the long run?
Sure, they are loyal because the circumstances suit them, but in my opinion humanity cannot survive without a united empire.
..
This update in particular is worrying when the secessionists join forces with our pacified Sollanders.
Oh, yes they definitely are. But, the secessionists are being run on bitter Wissenland pride most of all. Their cause started when the GT left Wissenland for Reikland and von Liebwitz doing a fair job being their Elector. We could theoretically disarm the Secessionist threat by forming our Imperial Claimant Faction like some of them have been agitating for, even if its something for Eldred or his heir to pick up.
I would prefer the banker Mariele Althaus.
She has contacts and seems to be an experienced negotiator.
See, i thought the Banker wasn't bad either but i want to conduct diplomacy with the Cult of Ranald, and the Ranaldians have been targeting the Bank for several turns. Appointing a Bank Board Member as our chief diplomat will not result in anything good.
The issue I'm seeing here feels the same as that other quest of the Warhammer Advisor with the Grey Wizard, where the players kept focused on the internal affairs only, to the point of ASKING the Elector Count of Stirland if they could investigate and spread a espionage network abroad only to be told that they should have done this long ago.
It's more a thing about the Option not being put on display rather than excessive isolationism imo. But, yeah this inactivity has been resulting in us playing second fiddle to Vlad.
Ranald saved the Empire that day. They are dangerous but useful assets.
Part of why i feel that diplomacy with the Cult of Ranald will be useful to us. We could theoretically maneuver things such that Ranaldians could help us get better understanding of machinations across the Empire. Their network is good enough that it stole Elector only information after all. It could conceivably get us eyes in Sylvania too. Vlad would've purged Sylvania for Sigmarites but he can't exactly kill every thief or the downtrodden, and for all the waxing about how Vlad is a good ruler, he's a vampiric monster whose response to a plea of aid was laughing.
"Some lesser noble from the outer reaches of the county had taken it upon himself to make a pilgrimage to Drakenhof to petition Vlad von Carstein for aid in feeding his own people. The count had laughed in his face dismissively and told him to get on his knees and beg. When the noble did as he was told von Carstein laughed even harder and suggested that he might as well kiss the dirt at his feet for all the respect he had for a man who would beg at the feet of another. Instead of aid, von Carstein disenfranchised the noble, allowing him to leave Drakenhof with the shirt on his back and nothing more, no shoes, no trousers, no cloak to guard against the elements, and promised to send one of his most trusted family members to the man's home to rule in his stead. "A man should be able to care for his own, notprostrate himself at the feet of strangers and beg for mercy. It is a lesson you would all do well to learn." - Inheritance
There's definitely seeds of extreme discontent in Sylvania that would lead to a cult of Ranald.
