can someone who knows more about the lore say if we can trust Mannus to not cause problems for us? because if so i'd be happy to see him do well, just need to make him hopefully not hate humans (bit of a tall order, but we'd want to encourage less bad influences to start on this?)
Well, in the original lore, Mannus is a one-note boss who rules an isolationist pirate nation, and upon Marth and company landing on his island gathers up all his men and tries to murder them all to purify his island of their human corruption (don't mind that most of his army is human)
It seems likely to me that Vocalist is doing most of the heavy lifting here because Mannus is a one-note boss from the very first FE game, which had a notoriously underutilized cast. Mannus didn't even get a rewrite for Mystery of the Emblem, since book 1 was condensed and they decided his chapter could safely get skipped. It's possible that since FE1 hasn't quite 'started' yet,
Oh and before I forget.
[X] Throw that man in the trash.
Homer is from Thracia, a talented mage with pretty low base stats. However, he has the blessing of Paragon (increases EXP gain) and an extremely high hidden crit modifier, so he's often quite good if you decide to train him. But he's also a lech. You recruit him in Thracia by sending Nanna into the building he's in, at which point he tries to flirt with her and offer a drink. Nanna proceeds to slap the shit out of him and chew him out for drinking and partying while there's a war going on.
Homer will be fine if he gets fired, he'll probably scrounge around for work or go back to his barding ways. But if he stays with Mannus and damages the old dragon's diplomacy and respect, it may go a long way to turning Mannus distant. Hopefully, if we get rid of Homer and consider sending some actually decent people his way, we can form something of an alliance. Or at least a cordial relationship.
can someone who knows more about the lore say if we can trust Mannus to not cause problems for us? because if so i'd be happy to see him do well, just need to make him hopefully not hate humans (bit of a tall order, but we'd want to encourage less bad influences to start on this?)
Eh, lore knowledge won't really help you here, because Mannu is a one-chapter one-note boss and I am doing a lot of work to give him more of a personality. Here, let me copy down the sum total of his dialogue in Fire Emblem 11:
(Marth and his army arrive in Pyrathi)
Mannu: "Interlopers! Barbarous filth! They dare dig their heels and hooves into this hallowed ground? I will kill them for this- one by one- then turn the crimson grass beneath them into their pyre!"
(Someone confronts him in battle)
Mannu: "Foolhardy humans, defying a Manakete king! Tremble now, and feel the last quickening of your heart!"
(Mannu is slain)
Mannu: "What…? Slain, by this fangless coward and his minions?"
Then Catria arrives to announce that Princess Minerva is interested in switching sides, the plot moves on, and neither Mannu nor his country are ever mentioned again! Which is so bizarre to me, because a manakete ruling a small country independently of Medeus is a really interesting idea! They didn't even bring him up as a comparison, negative or positive, when they reveal later in the game that Medeus wasn't always evil and the most important thing is stopping the cycle of violence between manaketes and humans.
pirates? hmm, if we're doing to be expanding our naval assets this could be pretty significant
overall, they're probably competition so screw them, but we might benefit from dealing with them so i'd rather not piss them off (but i'd also probably rather not piss Mannu off more, and getting rid of bad influences is probably important for that. [X] Throw that man in the trash.
seems like the better of two options, keeping the lie up probably won't benefit us while this may be part of the road to making the situation better, unless we particularly like the pirates and want them to do well (i personally don't, and feel like it's better to get along with Mannus than them since he's more reliable?)
i'm not too enthused about doing mercenary work unless it's pretty lucrative since that'd probably benefit them more than us and we're probably competitors if our subjects are going to end up engaging in piracy and such, but having trade deals and them not hating our guts is probably worthwhile (so we'll probably want to keep an eye on them and avoid pissing them off if possible?)
now, ditching Homer would unfortunately probably be something the various pirates and bandit lords dislike, but i think it's best to not lie here, because Mannu is bound to find out eventually and if the whitewings don't mention it here he'll probably partially blame us for any incident, which would be a major hassle and torpedo any relationship with him?
it could be possible to encourage bad actors to manipulate Mannu better/specifically screw with them by having the diplomatic incident, but i don't think that'll benefit us much, since we're quite far geographically? the pirates are the ones who'd gain from it the most, so i don't think it's worthwhile unless we're being human supremacist (ew) and don't want any manaketes in charge full stop or are being bribed to keep hush (there wasn't an offer given, and getting one would be a pain. it might make any trade deals better, but i doubt criminal types and such would pay us off since we lack the leverage to properly blackmail them. after this turn it'd be harder to sew distrust since we'd need to meet them again and advisors could try and prevent that/make us seem untrustworthy, plus we'd be "in on it" and would get dragged down by a reveal too? plus Mannu would probably find out at some point anyhow and after that there's no blackmail to even hold over the pirates heads. overall we'd lack leverage to properly extort them so i don't think doing so would work out, and we'd only gain goodwill (which could make actions easier, but if we don't really want them that's not too useful))
ideally him doing well would be a good thing, since he could be a counterbalance to other Manaketes like Medeus? he seems less ambitious so we don't need to worry about him causing problems for us, while him being independent means some might flock to his banner/align with him instead of Medeus, meaning we have less Manaketes in the picture to worry about.
can someone who knows more about the lore say if we can trust Mannus to not cause problems for us? because if so i'd be happy to see him do well, just need to make him hopefully not hate humans (bit of a tall order, but we'd want to encourage less bad influences to start on this?)
Its complicated in the games he's pretty indistinguishable from Medeus.
On Homer, maybe say he's good at what he does but what he does is not diplomacy. Homer is honestly pretty strong with his high crit, paragon and sage boost(seriously he bribed the devs he gets +6 magic,+6 skill+4 speed and+4def...in game where the caps are 20). Does paragon mean he's a trainee or is that some other trait. I'd like to honestly see if we can recruit him. Wonder if we can target the pirates in Pythrati without them having recourse? [X] Throw that man in the trash.
If he's out of work can we just hire him lol.
Can we do a write in to say something else besides these two options though?
The pirates in Pyrathi do have a recourse, quite famously: Mannu does not take kindly to anyone attacking his islands. Any effort to clear out the pirates will have to get Mannu's permission beforehand, or else have a way to deal with an angry fire dragon.
Hmm okay then what would we want to say, perhaps imply he is not skilled in this manner of diplomacy but say he is skilled at some diplomacy given his employment
...do we want to even tell him that I want to poach this guy.
Hmm okay then what would we want to say, perhaps imply he is not skilled in this manner of diplomacy but say he is skilled at some diplomacy given his employment
...do we want to even tell him that I want to poach this guy.
True enough is there a term for this practice in our capitalist economy whatever, say goodbye to our your job Homer, and enjoy employment under Michalis! Now go annoy Mathis.
[X] Encourage Mannu to choose Dhalsim as a replacement for Homer, should Dhalsim be willing.
I wonder if this would increase the Whitewing Sisters diplomacy, or if it would create 1 good.
On drafting personal action ideas, 'Do Some Weaving' could be retooled as
[] (Palla) Do some weaving with Matthis
they both have good stewardship, and interest in similar subjects. Might be worth the action on one of them.
anyhoo
...have we considered that replacing Homer now is a tricky move?
Having Homer at the gala could make extricating Maria from Macedonian custody easier, perhaps?
still...
[X] Encourage Mannu to choose Dhalsim as a replacement for Homer, should Dhalsim be willing
for those who didnt notice, this is a street fighter character who's just cameo'd.
I dont know how good his diplomacy is, but he might be a better choice diplomatically.
At the least, he's met with the whitewings, wouldn't be a threat to Maria when in a room alone together, and is further loyal to Mannu.
I dont think we'll be talent poaching Dhalsim, as fantastic as his stats are I imagine, and I expect he'd be a likely appointment (especially if we dont find a more fitting appointment)
Frankly I'm amazed that Dhalsim wasn't already the go-between, but I also imagine he might not enjoy dealing with the pirates... buuuut I also imagine he's of stronger moral fiber and unlikely to be manipulated by the pirates.
As someone who's been hovering the quest, I was surprised that it took this long for folks to react to Dhalsim, I think the first major non Fire Emblem character showing up. He's so cool, he does Yoga and Flame :]
huh, didn't even realise there was a named cameo character this update
not sure if that writein's better or worse for us but i'll add it as an approval vote regardless, maybe edit my previous vote out if it gets close
always a bit awkward how late writein plans/additions don't have much opportunity to win since a bunch of people have already voted, after all
yeah, that's how I feel about making my own plans. I'm mixed on voting moratoriums because for an established quest they can encourage discussion, but for first or second update ones for a less-established QM, it can kneecap participation.
This was the sort of update where I doubt any write-in would get used, but hey... I noticed a Named Character, and given 8 bit dystopia decided to use duckduckgo to check who that might be (I figured a fire emblem extra, woops lol, this isn't fuga from fates)
[X] Homer's…fine. Homer will continue to serve as Mannu's chief diplomat, representing him to the human powers of Archanea, including at the Pales Gala. A major diplomatic incident is all but guaranteed.
[X] Throw that man in the trash. Homer will be removed from his position. While Mannu may not find a replacement in time for the Gala, whoever he appoints in the end will probably be better for his rule. They certainly can't be worse!
[X] Throw that man in the trash. Homer will be removed from his position. While Mannu may not find a replacement in time for the Gala, whoever he appoints in the end will probably be better for his rule. They certainly can't be worse.
"…and to make matters worse, he just wouldn't stop flirting with us!" Catria finishes her rant.
"And…that has made you angry?" Mannu says, mystified.
Est wrinkles her nose in concentration as she tries to figure out how to explain it to the old dragon. "Well, I like getting compliments. Everyone does. But when someone keeps paying you compliments, it sounds insincere. Like they just want something from you."
"In conclusion," Palla says, "I do not think someone so dissolute and disreputable should be representing you, King Mannu, lest he tarnish your reputation and legitimacy. That is our honest opinion, and we offer it in a helpful spirit."
The manakete king narrows his eyes and the sisters all hold their breath, mindful of his legendary temper. But he stays silent, turning something over and over in his mind.
"Will Dhalsim take the job? No, no…" the old man mutters. "Legitimacy. Galas. Reputation…Bah!" He slams a hand on the low table, suddenly.
---
Lead a Raid: Archanea East Coast (Minerva)
Resistance: 41 (an ordinary Gazzak)
[Finding an appropriate target; Intrigue; Difficulty 45: 35+10=45; Success, but with a complication]
Bandits are a lot harder to find than stationary villages. Bandits, curse them, move. Bandits are desperate, and that makes them, paradoxically, both brave and cowardly. Once you've cornered them, they are unlikely to surrender. But actually getting your hands on the damn rats…
Minerva is aware that she is being hypocritical. Her curses are born of frustration. One would think that, as a raider herself, she should be easily capable of thinking like a bandit and tracking their movements. But, well…Minerva has crossed the length and breadth of Archanea on wyvernback. She's not really familiar with the patterns and capabilities of more grounded troops – where they might go to ground, or the route they might take there. But when you can't pick a lock, take the door off the hinges.
So she walks into a reasonably-prosperous village and asks them, "Have you been raided recently?" She walks, mind you – had she arrived with Leonidas, there would have been far too much screaming and running away and hiding of valuables.
"Not yet, no," says a matron, "but given the state of things…they came to my sister's house, five days ago. And she lives not twenty kilometers from here!"
"Do you know who leads the local gangs? Or their tactics? Or where they live?" Minerva presses her.
"Um…I wouldn't know anything about such beastly people. I just try to keep my head down and my family safe!"
A man has stopped to watch them. Stepping forward, he points at Minerva accusingly: "And just why are you interested, stranger? You've got no good intentions here, not dressed as you are!"
Well, of course she's dressed in full armor with Hauteclere strapped to her back. She's on an expedition in hostile territory, alone. But she does suppose it might lead people to assume she has violent intentions. Drat. Her plan to appear non-threatening has failed.
She is wondering if she should have brought Leonidas after all when the matron, to her complete surprise, starts to defend her: "Kwame, you fool! She's a knight! She's obviously here to hunt down bandits for us!"
Kwame is not mollified. "And the herzogin is still sending out knights to us, is she? She took all the knights to fight Grust! And then she died!" He fixes Minerva with a deadly glare. "No, she's a bandit, here to scout us out for plunder!" His shouting is drawing a crowd.
Minerva puts a hand on her axe. "Let's say you're correct." She does not show any fear. "What are you planning to do about it, exactly?" The implied threat is enough to stop him cold.
Suddenly much less confident, he turns to look at the villagers gathered behind him. There are a great many, with some dirtier and more haggard than others – this village is full, numbers swelled by refugees fleeing the war. "We have to stop her from getting back to her fellows. If she doesn't return, they won't bother us."
"What are you doing?" shrieks Minerva's defender. "This woman's done nothing to us! We can't attack her!"
His logic is shaky, anyway – it would only work for an unconfident or loosely-organized band of marauders. If she were to die here in truth, her comrades would wreak a thunderous vengeance upon this place. For his sake, he'd better not attack her.
She fixes her eyes upon Kwame. He is a sturdy man, but the scars on his hands are from a trade other than war. There is such fear in his eyes…yet he seems almost drunk on it, reveling in aggression. This is a man who wants to be less powerless than he is. He continues, "You piece of shit. You think you're untouchable. You think we're just going to sit right here and meekly let you do whatever you want?"
He is going to move on her. Minerva draws her axe, ready to block his charge, already regretting her choice to come here, when the loud ringing of a bell breaks his stride and causes everyone's gaze to turn towards the sea.
"Ships!" comes the call. "Pirate ships! From Pyrathi!"
Well. Perhaps the Fates are smiling on her after all. A small smile breaks free of her lips.
She looks down to see the wizened matron tugging at her cloak. "Please, miss," she says, "is it as I said? Are you a knight or a bandit?"
"Truthfully, I am both." She is a proud knight in the eyes of Macedon, a protector and a provider; under the laws of everywhere else, she is a well-equipped bandit who might escape the gallows only by the grace of the ransom her king would pay for her. She inspects the silhouettes in the distance, and the men boiling out of the morning fog. "There is not time for the full story – but I am not your enemy today. Take heart in that."
---
In a clearing, some ways away, a dracoknight named Audrey leans against their dozing wyvern, knitting. It's their first time working with machine-spun yarn, from some manner of beast called a 'crylic', and so far the experience has been disappointingly okay. Not at all worth the premium they paid.
Thus, they are not too disappointed when the roiling red shape of a wyvern suddenly crashes into the center of the clearing, hitting the campfire and the teapot, sending embers and boiling water flying everywhere. Wyverns and knights jerk awake where they were napping, others get to their feet spitting curses, and there is general uproar. Audrey is forced to catch a burning branch on their knitting, then throw it to the ground and stomp it out.
Well. It's all covered in dirt, now, and even partially…melted? What is with this fucking yarn?
"That's Leonidas. The Commander's in trouble!" someone calls. "Ready for battle!" Right. Well, if the Princess has encountered something that even she can't handle, they can't be going in distracted, or late. A pity – this was supposed to be a rest day. Audrey lets the knitting fall back to the ground and orders Needle to hold still for the saddle.
---
[How quickly can the dragoons get here? Stewardship; 20/40/60/80/100; 30+3=33; Minerva will have to last five rounds on her own.]
Minerva tells Leonidas to get the others' attention and leaves it for him to figure out the details. Her focus has to be on the village, here and now. She is pleased to see the villagers in action: grabbing children and runny-sacks, and disappearing into hiding places or fleeing further uphill. They've been well-taught. She lopes in the opposite direction, following the downhill slope; the village is built on a rise above a beach, where the pirates came ashore. There must be a path up – and she finds it, with two armed men already at the top.
[Minerva vs. Pirate Vanguard; Martial: 41+41+5(Charge!)=86 vs. 30+16=46; Solid Success]
[Using Hauteclere: 7/9 Successes]
She throws herself into a charge. Naturally, the two pirates try to back away; but they are standing at the edge of a grassy cliff. One of them manages to skitter to the side; the other is directly in her path, and she knocks him over the edge with a blow from Hauteclere.
[Pirate Vanguard vs. Minerva; Martial: 51+16=67 vs. 80+41+8(Red Scale Armor)=129; Solid Failure]
She turns to meet the other pirate's answering strike, catching axe with axe. Her eyes widen to see a dark shape advancing from behind him.
[Kwame vs. Pirate Vanguard; Martial: 77+10+5(Fighting for his home)=92 vs. 97+16=113; Failure]
It's Kwame, the man from earlier. He's carrying what looks like a blacksmith's hammer, and his eyes are alive with the fires of a father's wrath. The pirate must have read it in her eyes – he disengages, slipping between her axe and his hammer. He takes up position parallel to the village, hoping to pin the defenders between himself and the other pirates even now charging up the path.
[Truce? Diplomacy; Difficulty 55: 36+6+10(Truths Laid Bare Through Battle)=52; Bare Failure]
Kwame's eyes shift between her and the pirate; he clearly likes both of them about the same. But he did come across her locking blades with him, so if she is a bandit, she is at least not with these bandits. "You, don't move," he growls at her. "I'll handle that fucker."
Well, she doesn't intend to. Minerva plants her feet at the currently-clear entrance to the village and prepares for an onslaught. She is one very well-armed woman, at a chokepoint, facing about…a dozen enemies. As soon as she counts them, they are on her.
[Pirate Mob vs. Minerva; Martial; 90+18=108 vs. 73+41+8(Red Scale Armor)=122; Failure]
[Minerva vs. Pirate Mob; Martial; 57+41=98 vs. 25+18=33; Solid Success]
[Using Hauteclere: 8/9 Successes]
She ducks the first strike, letting it whiff harmlessly above her pauldrons, and uses her momentum to power a heavy blow to the pirate's thigh. He screams, stumbling to the side in a cascade of sand; he cannot help himself back onto the narrow path.
[Kwame vs. Pirate Vanguard; Martial: 24+10+5(Fighting for his home)=39 vs. 19+16=35; Bare Success]
[Pirate Vanguard vs. Kwame; Martial: 53+16=69 vs. 25+10+5(Fighting for his home)=45; Success]
She takes a moment to check on the blacksmith, and sees him lunge forward in a blow that leaves him painfully open. The pirate takes advantage of this with a slash that draws blood, and Minerva has to hiss through her teeth. Is it simply her fate to always be paired with rank amateurs?
[Pirate Mob vs. Minerva; Martial; 25+18=43 vs. 94+41+8(Red Scale Armor)=143; Critical Failure]
[Minerva vs. Pirate Mob; Martial; 56+41=97 vs. 78+18=96; Bare Success]
The pirates have seen enough of their men fall to her axe that they eye her more warily, now. There is a pause in their advance. She steps forward in a feint, and presses them back further. She's not actually going down that path, of course. The footing must be horrible. All she needs to do is delay until her dragoons arrive. She calls to Leonidas again, and receives a thin impression of the winds of flight.
[Kwame vs. Pirate Vanguard; Martial: 62+10+5(Fighting for his home)=77 vs. 80+16=96; Failure]
[Pirate Vanguard vs. Kwame; Martial: 58+16=74 vs. 25+10+5(Fighting for his home)=45; Success]
She checks on the blacksmith again. He is on the ground…oh no, did he fall for a trip attack? Her jaw clenches. She cannot help him. If she leaves her position, the pirates will surround both of them. She does not have so much as a rock to throw at his opponent.
[Pirate Mob vs. Minerva; Martial; 92+18=110 vs. 60+41+8(Red Scale Armor)=109; Bare Success]
[Minerva vs. Pirate Mob; Martial; 72+41=113 vs. 88+18=106; Bare Success]
They are coming at her two at a time, now. A fist and an axe both come for her; she chooses to block the axe and duck the fist. A glancing blow, a shadow of pain across her face; damn it, she doesn't have the free room to swing Hauteclere! With a heave of her strength, she breaks the blade lock.
[Kwame vs. Pirate Vanguard; Martial: 30+10+5(Fighting for his home)=45 vs. 89+16=105; Solid Failure]
[Pirate Vanguard vs. Kwame; Martial: 41+16=57 vs. 04+10+5(Fighting for his home)=19; Success]
She hears a scream from behind her. It sounds like Kwame.
[Pirate Mob vs. Minerva; Martial; 99+18=117 vs. 33+41+8(Red Scale Armor)=82; Success]
[Minerva vs. Pirate Mob; Martial; 07+41=48 vs. 85+18=103; Solid Failure]
She has no time to consider him. While her weapon is still upraised and her guard is open, one of the pirates swings upward – not at her well-protected torso, but at the place where it joins with her arm, necessarily less armored for the sake of flexibility. The blade of his axe slams into her with painful force. She abandons her attempt at an attack and stumbles back, axe held cringingly close as she tries to assess the damage to her shoulder. Damn it – her armor's red, she can't tell if she's bleeding! She thinks of the vulnerary held on her belt – but the pirates won't give her a spare moment to use it, curse them. If she holds the axe in a two-handed grip, she should be fine. She can still attack.
She looks at the opponents crowding towards her with crimson eyes. They look so eager. "That's not enough," she warns them. "You will never be enough."
To her surprise, a voice actually responds. "Oh lassie, I have to admire your confidence. But the waves will wear down a mountain, soon enough." The pirates pause, making way for the man pushing through their ranks. He's wearing no sign of rank, unless his green bandana counts, but his bearing makes it clear that he's the leader. "And I'm getting mighty tired of waiting. I'd prefer to get on with what I came here for."
"Well, I came here to slay bandits. I'm happy where I am," Minerva replies. Subtly, she tenses and relaxes her shoulder. Hurts like hell, but she doesn't feel the heavy wetness that would indicate it's bleeding freely.
The pirate captain shakes his head. "Doesn't it wear at ye? Your king's gone, your lord's gone. Ye've got no mates left in the world. What keeps ye at your duty, still? Now, don't misjudge me, lass, I'm fixing to kill ye still, but I can't help but feel a little curiosity." He shrugs, and in the same motion readies his gleaming axe. "Will ye tell me?"
Minerva doesn't lower her guard, but she does explain to him: "You are a fool. First of all, I am not a knight of the Holy Kingdom. I am wearing wyvern-scale armor and carrying a golden axe. Do you not understand? Hardin of Aurelis could recognize me on sight." She sees at least some of the pirates come to a belated realization, and start to check the skies. Their worried mutterings hearten her. "If you know what I am, the second mistake should reveal itself to you. I am not fighting alone."
A shadow descends, diving at full speed. Two clever men throw themselves off the path to lie prone on the sandy dunes below. The rest shove each other and panic as Leonidas swoops past, scattering them like bowling pins as he cries his greeting to Minerva.
The pirate captain ducks and rolls forward. He comes up behind her, scanning the sky, and the swiftly-approaching shapes of the finest raiders in all the land. "Ok! Fine! Ye can have this place. I'll just collect me men and be on me way—"
"No. I told you already. I am not here to raid today. I am here to slay bandits."
His eyes narrow. He is, in the end, brave in the way of the desperate. "Don't be so cocky. I'll put me axe square between your eyes and take that shiny trinket for meself, I swear it on the rickety peg leg o' Shanty Pete!"
[Gazzak vs. Minerva; Martial; 17+22=39 vs. 36+41+15(Wings Obscuring the Sky)+8(Red Scale Armor)=100; Solid Failure]
[Minerva vs. Gazzak; Martial; 67+41+15(Wings Obscuring the Sky)=123 vs. 01+22=23; Critical Success! Wow!]
He attempts to slash at her. But Leonidas is keeping his men busy, and so Minerva finally has the freedom to maneuver. She quicksteps back, and his swing hisses through empty air. He grows angry as she keeps dodging. One more missed swing, and the pirate captain, seeing her out of his reach, is convinced that he is also out of hers. He does not get his arms up to defend himself until Hauteclere has already sailed into his unarmored chest.
"Wha?" he gasps. Before he can do aught else, before the quivering golden axe can fall to the ground under its own weight, Minerva darts forward, following the scarlet ribbon that ties Hauteclere to her, and wraps her hand around its haft once again.
[Using Hauteclere: 9/9 Successes]
---
Within a three-sided prison of gold, a fragmentary spirit slumbers. There is not enough left of the wretched thing that it even remembers who it is or why it is here. Is its state a punishment levied by the gods? Or a half-successful bid for immortality? It is only dimly aware of the world outside, and what form it currently takes. But every so often – more often, of late – the blank gold walls are colored red, and the music of dying screams wrenches at a millennial slumber.
---
Minerva does not give the man a chance to recover. She kicks at his body, still clenching around her axe, and he stumbles backward as she frees it. Backward, he goes, backward, backward, until he hits the weathered wall of a village house. Legs trembling, he resists the urge to crumple. He raises his weapon in one last act of defiance.
---
The current form of this shard of power, the axe called Hauteclere, is shaped for violence, and thus it is by violence that it interacts with the world. Violence itself is nothing but the friction of material bodies, however. It is the people behind it, their rich pain and despair, that give it any meaning. But even an animal can feel pain at being hit; it is intention that elevates violence higher still. When exercised with conviction, violence can be a manifestation of true virtue.
The Hylians praised three primary virtues, but this spirit recognizes only one: power, the act of shaping the world according to one's own truth. For example, the punishment of a fool, who needs to be taught to recognize the bearer for who she is.
---
Hauteclere's blade comes down, snapping the haft of his axe. "Ye'll…pay for this…" he growls, defiant to the last.
A corner of Minerva's mind wonders if she should ask for his name. But no, that would be a waste of time.
He dies standing. In the end, he is no different from a thousand others across the land.
Well…done, bearer of my legacy, calls a voice she does not know. She stiffens. Would you tell this lost one…a name it might call you by? She looks down at her axe, the blood on it swiftly beading up and dripping away, as if its proud radiance refuses to be sullied by such things. There is no doubt; the voice comes from golden Hauteclere.
"I cannot deal with this right now," she mutters, and turns her attention back to the battlefield. Leonidas and her compatriots are having a grand time ravaging the pirates on the beach, bunched up in a place without shelter or easy ways out. Even the simple act of running away is difficult on the debris-laden sand. A long violet dart – the wyvern Needle and its rider Audrey – land atop the path leading to the village. Needle roars, a discouraging sound to any pirates seeking to escape that way.
"Hail, Commander!" Audrey calls as the roar trails off. "We didn't leave you alone too long, I hope?"
"This whole day has been a bit of a mess, but I have no complaints with your presence here now," Minerva replies. "Audrey, I need you to overfly the village, catch any pirates who escaped. Do not damage the villagers or their homes."
"So odd to be on this side of things, for once," the other says, brow furrowed. But they still take off, obeying her order.
Minerva takes back up her position guarding the entrance to the village. Not many more feel Hauteclere's bite – the pirates instead seek to flee back whence they came, clambering aboard their boats and rowing out to a larger ship, waiting at anchor in the deeper waters. Capture that point, she signals. That ship is their only chance of loot today.
From the beach, Leonidas makes a mighty leap, assisted by a single flap of his wings, up to the rise where she stands. He looks at her appraisingly, and she at him. His mighty heart pounds in his chest, driving burning blood. He's flown fast and hard to get to her. Though he's not quite exhausted yet, he would prefer it if their part in this battle came to an end. Minerva herself is tired, and her injured shoulder is starting to swell.
O bearer, have we stopped fighting? Is this a good time to—
"No," she hisses. "I'm still busy."
[ ] Join the battle for the ship Though she's slain their captain, there's no telling how many pirates are left on that ship. And what sort of commander is the first to retreat from a battle? Minerva will not have time to dress her shoulder properly, though she will drink a vulnerary on the way.
[ ] Secure the village The pirates surely sent their best fighters on the raid and left the dregs to keep the ship floating. The other dragoons can handle them. Take some time to breathe and check on the villagers and Audrey. See if that man Kwame is alive. Minerva will take a vulnerary for her wounds and offer her spares to any injured villagers.
[] Give Minerva Food Poisoning + Send Minerva in to fight (unknown quantity) of Pirates
-[] if successful though: secures the ship and the loot brought home, perhaps?
-[] successful or not, I think Minerva might go out of commission for a moment, perhaps?
-[] NOTE:she's taking it on the way to the ship. Maybe she won't get ill until landing. Maybe.
[] Give Minerva and Injured Villagers Food Poisoning + Assume Ship Wont Escape
-[] Audrey will probably be fine, but Kwame? This is the route that maybe sees Kwame live + Recruited. I'm not actually that serious here, he had some pretty bad rolls and the pirates had some pretty good ones. IF he lives, that's gonna be an amputation probably. I dont expect either of these is actually a recruitment option here due to the vulneraries sabotaging things
-[] How badly do you want to bet administering poison to a village abroad goes?
-[] Oh also Minerva actually tends to her injury possibly in addition to the vulnerary rather than riding andtaking it.
Worst news: these are probably our only options
We can't tell Minerva to not use the vulneraries, because that'd be metagaming.
She doesn't yet know that they've all long-since gone bad.
Both choices are in-character, and both choices are disadvantageous.
Why? Minerva uses a vulnerary no. matter. what.
My theory of the outcomes is:
this is a choice on just how much danger Minerva will be in while kneecapped by putrid vulneraries
I'm expecting there to be a serious risk of Minerva falling in battle if sent aboard the boat..
I'm expecting there to be a risk that the villagers wont be too happy that she's passed out poison
this is a choice on just how little loot we want to bring back from raiding
because the ships might escape. we dont actually know how staffed they still are.
this choice probably affects diplomatic relations with the Holy Kingdom
because uh, "the raiders came and fended off pirates, and then poisoned the laypeople" could be interpreted interestingly
really, I expect there's some notable consequence from vulneraries being passed around to villagers
this choice probably affects some form of Recruitment / Support window? unsure tbh
I doubt Audrey is a hero candidate, and same for Kwame. Maybe, since they're named?
I didnt find either of them from a lazy search of "name fire emblem", so they could be OCs or references to something
Blacksmith could just be dead no matter what. Option A doesn't poison him, and Option B does. I wonder if there's anyhealing to be had from the spoiled vulnerary recipe, but, oh boy. Poor guy.
really this choice is how much you want Kwame to suffer on his no good bad day
Being Kwame Is Suffering (tune in for the omake: Puella Kwame Magica)
soooo... I'm personally unsure what route to vote for.
EDIT: in order to stimulate voting... I choose risk, in hope of potential reward.
i'm surprised nobody's mentioning the fact that hauteclere is apparently made with a triforce (power?) fragment, huh
maybe don't let that info get within GD corp's sights no matter what? because they'd definitely try to take it if so and that could be pretty bad. for now just keep an eye out on where minerva's going, maybe don't assign her to the fane quest so she's less associated with relics, and keep her off of any diplomacy style actions that would involve people from the city?
i still don't think it's worth doing ciphers until winter since we have a bunch of other things to do, but maybe sometime after that we'll unlock a more general "prevent information from spreading" action worth daking? depending on where GD has spies at the very could be wise to take before investigating more about hauteclaire, and maybe anything from the fane (don't think we can delay that though, so probably just need to deal with it)
regarding the vote, i was initially unsure which to pick, but if sticking around is counterproductive for its stated aims (due to feeding villagers the faulty vulneraries) then it may be best to go to the ship? there might be some pirates around but i'd hope they wouldn't be a serious threat to the villagers, whilst the fight at the ship may be somewhere we need to help (and could a bit even if poisoned, at the very least we'd give some people early warning about it?)
plus, if other allies are suffering from the vulneraries then we'd want to back them up to mitigate the disaster? if there's issues like that present regardless of if we go there then i'd hope we'd be at least a minor positive, i wouldn't worry about being totally incapacitated and drowning or something because our wyverns probably aren't drinking it lol
may be worth noting that staying out of the fight would leave more time to talk to the axe which may be important for relations with them, but meh, there'd be just as much time while flying to she ship and Minerva may put it off regardless, the vulneraries and the like would probs be pretty distracting and all...
Huh? No, I'm saying that you guys get to choose between Minerva fighting while sick or Minerva inadvertently poisoning the villagers she's trying to help, but not being in danger.
ok, phew, i thought you were saying the goal focused on itself (i.e, the raiding party as a whole) would fail (the whole group suffering more than they otherwise had?) if it got chosen
in that case happier putting minerva with her group for the time being, since that way at least they can protect each-other if needed. [X]Join the battle for the ship
I'm kind of more worried about the potential consequences of the vulnerary It could have not a good look with the info Minerva got from the other guy earlier cause wouldn't that feed on her suspicious about Michalis and if it was truly an incident?
It might be me being paranoid but I can see the case where part of her thinking "Is Michalis trying to poison me?"
