- Pronouns
- They/Them
Once you have it, it's not going to take a tax to keep it, no.
Also, as for what time it is? Mid-Autumn. Next Turn is late Autumn, and the trap will be sprung in Early Winter, if all goes well.
Behind the Serpent Throne (CK2)
- Thread starter The Laurent
- Start date
- Original Fantasy
Once you have it, it's not going to take a tax to keep it, no.
Also, as for what time it is? Mid-Autumn. Next Turn is late Autumn, and the trap will be sprung in Early Winter, if all goes well.
Turn 13B--Rumors
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Turn 13B--Rumors
Oh Beauteous Harvest
The last crop before the winter seasons has been dealt with, in the areas where there was one, and the reports all around seem to be relatively positive. It's hard to get excited about such news, third-hand as it is, but in the wake of the proposed reforms, suddenly everyone is pretending to be some kind of expert in these matters.
They talked about the yields of rice, and whether the policies would increase or decrease them, with all of the knowledge and wisdom of a person reading a scroll upside down. Kiralo was nothing like a scholar of such matters. But even he knew that most of the people talking about it with such authority were basically incompetent.
But there were those who knew something, and they said that the real question would be how much of it made it to the palace, and how much to the people. The real question was always how to divide and report such things. How to trust anybody not to lie about it.
This, it was easy to do, in that every braying donkey could assume that what they were told was completely accurate. It was also hard to do, once you'd actually thought about it.
So of course, the weeks were filled with donkeys.
On The Coasts, and At the Edges
The siege has not been broken. But it has been joined. Niu and his forces have managed to arrive, and now the fight is a three-way one, one in which both sides are trying to overawe each other or use their armies to force the other to retreat, while the defenders on the walls try to take advantage in the lull of the siege.
Meanwhile, at the Hari-Bueli border, the victories of earlier in the fall seem to have lead to a slackening off of attention as the Bueli forces have begun to regather their strength. It is just rumor, of course, but it is said that the Bueli were making allies with disaffected landowners, and preparing another round of raids.
Many Kinds of Foreign Devices
A debate has begun. Foreign witches, foreign trade, foreign horses… foreigners from the far and strange west. It has become a matter of discussion, when people aren't whispering the first hints that there was something up north, where a Governor's Son had gone and returned. That there was something going on with that.
Yet at the moment, the argument is trending Kiralo's way, if his way is openness. Everyone sees the weakness and division within and without Kuojah's camp, and realizes that he has far more pressing issues to deal with than this. The flood is starting, the debates will wash through the court.
And like water, they can bring both life and death with their floods.
******
A/N: And a short Rumors section.
Oh Beauteous Harvest
The last crop before the winter seasons has been dealt with, in the areas where there was one, and the reports all around seem to be relatively positive. It's hard to get excited about such news, third-hand as it is, but in the wake of the proposed reforms, suddenly everyone is pretending to be some kind of expert in these matters.
They talked about the yields of rice, and whether the policies would increase or decrease them, with all of the knowledge and wisdom of a person reading a scroll upside down. Kiralo was nothing like a scholar of such matters. But even he knew that most of the people talking about it with such authority were basically incompetent.
But there were those who knew something, and they said that the real question would be how much of it made it to the palace, and how much to the people. The real question was always how to divide and report such things. How to trust anybody not to lie about it.
This, it was easy to do, in that every braying donkey could assume that what they were told was completely accurate. It was also hard to do, once you'd actually thought about it.
So of course, the weeks were filled with donkeys.
On The Coasts, and At the Edges
The siege has not been broken. But it has been joined. Niu and his forces have managed to arrive, and now the fight is a three-way one, one in which both sides are trying to overawe each other or use their armies to force the other to retreat, while the defenders on the walls try to take advantage in the lull of the siege.
Meanwhile, at the Hari-Bueli border, the victories of earlier in the fall seem to have lead to a slackening off of attention as the Bueli forces have begun to regather their strength. It is just rumor, of course, but it is said that the Bueli were making allies with disaffected landowners, and preparing another round of raids.
Many Kinds of Foreign Devices
A debate has begun. Foreign witches, foreign trade, foreign horses… foreigners from the far and strange west. It has become a matter of discussion, when people aren't whispering the first hints that there was something up north, where a Governor's Son had gone and returned. That there was something going on with that.
Yet at the moment, the argument is trending Kiralo's way, if his way is openness. Everyone sees the weakness and division within and without Kuojah's camp, and realizes that he has far more pressing issues to deal with than this. The flood is starting, the debates will wash through the court.
And like water, they can bring both life and death with their floods.
******
A/N: And a short Rumors section.
Stand By For Courtiers.
Turn 14 (Late Fall)--Planning
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Turn 14 (Late Fall)--Planning
*****
*******
A/N: So, here we go! Uh, plan vote, duh. Also, sorry this took so long. Please indicate which action is the Ayila, and which is the Kueli. Like so: [][Ayila] Action.
Influence=5 (Kuojah's Power)-4 (Kuojah's Power Invested and Divided)+2 (Kuojah's Wealth)+1 (Not Entirely His Father's Son)+1 (Kuojah's Need)+2 (Victorious General)+1 (Reformer Image)+1 (Winning Poet)-1 (Ayila)=8 Influence-1 (Invested)=7 Influence, one must be spent on an Arts and Letters category, 1 free Martial Influence (Kueli), one free Magical Influence (Ayila)
Title: The Joy of Matrimony
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: Variable
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Mingzhu, Aia's daughter (Aia being Kiralo's half-sister) is going to be engaged soon, if the last elements of betrothal can be worked through. Perhaps Kiralo could help, and in doing so, get closer to the political factions related to them… or at least, to members of his own lineage.
Title: Asking Around, Part 1
Dice Rolled: Learning
Chance of Success: Variable
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Yanmae requires texts, lots of texts. Kiralo has contacts in Hari-Su, so perhaps he could get her the legal texts from those areas. It'd take time to get them in, but ordering them is the easy part. The waiting is a little harder.
Title: Maids!
Dice Rolled: N/A
Chance of Success: 100%
Time: 1 Turn
Text:Kiralo could begin to consider the means and methods of getting maidservants to Yanmae. This will involve multiple decisions, and actions that, admittedly, feel a little like procurement.
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: Variable
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Mingzhu, Aia's daughter (Aia being Kiralo's half-sister) is going to be engaged soon, if the last elements of betrothal can be worked through. Perhaps Kiralo could help, and in doing so, get closer to the political factions related to them… or at least, to members of his own lineage.
Title: Asking Around, Part 1
Dice Rolled: Learning
Chance of Success: Variable
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Yanmae requires texts, lots of texts. Kiralo has contacts in Hari-Su, so perhaps he could get her the legal texts from those areas. It'd take time to get them in, but ordering them is the easy part. The waiting is a little harder.
Title: Maids!
Dice Rolled: N/A
Chance of Success: 100%
Time: 1 Turn
Text:Kiralo could begin to consider the means and methods of getting maidservants to Yanmae. This will involve multiple decisions, and actions that, admittedly, feel a little like procurement.
Title: Perhaps a Poet
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: Variable, but results are certain
Time: 1 Turn
Text: It has been too long since Kiralo has been able to write some poems. While it is in some senses a sideline, it's a very good way to keep in practice, and show one's cultured nature
Title: An Unfinished Play
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of success: 80%
Time: 2 Turns.
Text: Kiralo has a play that has yet to be finished, a classic Southlands house-drama of a sort that he had begun to practice writing, having made two of them in the previous year and each a clear improvement over the last (the first being quite dreadful). He could continue his work on this, a link to the Southlands he has left behind. An impressive play can often be a very good way to make a mark among the right sort of community...such as the poets. And in this case, it actually might serve a legitimate purpose as shifting the narrative in favor of wanting to exchange cultural goods with the Southlands.
Title: The Ring of Contacts
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy and Learning
Chance of Success: Variable
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The art of letter-writing is an old one. Whether it is Kiralo's old poet friend in the Southlands, or some of his new contacts, writing professional and truly enlightening letters is both a matter of business… and in theory a matter of pleasure, one that allows others to see your education and erudition to your benefit.
Title: Friends In Poem Places
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 65%
Time: 1 Turn.
Text: Bei'ren is a friend now. A friend. And people who are totally friends help introduce one to their other friends, correct? Kiralo could use it as a way to improve his still shaky relationship with the community of poets and scholars that cling to the court. It would not be remiss, then, and could potentially pave the way to friendships that might well be useful, since the court honors poets, and places them in a position of some authority.
Title: Dueling Words
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 70%
Time: 1 Turn.
Text: The play could be printed up in a limited run. This would not be aimed at a general audience, and Kiralo thinks it's unlikely that it's going to catch on, even with victory, for a general audience. But there are no doubt plenty of nobles who wish to have the winning play in copy, for bragging rights, and others who merely wish it as a souvenir, and an excuse to slip a little money Kiralo's way...after all, what better way to win someone's favor than to request or purchase a copy of their little play?
Title: Shing Yan Shuffle
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 60%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Shing Yan is an important and interesting firebrand, one whose power is on the wax, and so if Kiralo could just carefully contact him and sound him out, it could be very interesting for both parties, most of all because Shing Yan has ownership of a printing press, that most dangerous weapon of spreading information...or misinformation, for that matter.
Title: South-Bank Scholars
Dice Rolled: Learning and Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 62%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The South Bank Philosophy Club aren't the only group that actively opposes Kuojah's philosophy and scholarship, but they are the most prominent critics, and visiting their club and their printing presses and reading more about their beliefs might give Kiralo a way in with them, whether as an envoy between them and Kuojah, as unlikely as that is, or as an ally of theirs against some of Kuojah's policies.
Title: Unseating the Poet
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy, secondary Intrigue
Chance of Success: 65%
Time: ! Turns
Text: Bei'ren could do it! Possibly. If he made a run at the position and failed, it would be a big problem, but if he succeeded, then it would cement Kiralo's influence and power, and access, over the Emperor, even if it is in a matter not related to the great affairs of state.
Title: The Music Men
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 75%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: In every court Kiralo has known the musicians and entertainers, if not itinerant (and they couldn't be in such a large and powerful court, or at least not many) have their own culture, and their own standards. In a court that is obsessed with ritual and beauty, knowing these musicians could prove useful in the future...and at the very least would make it easier to snag a few if and when he had a need for them.
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: Variable, but results are certain
Time: 1 Turn
Text: It has been too long since Kiralo has been able to write some poems. While it is in some senses a sideline, it's a very good way to keep in practice, and show one's cultured nature
Title: An Unfinished Play
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of success: 80%
Time: 2 Turns.
Text: Kiralo has a play that has yet to be finished, a classic Southlands house-drama of a sort that he had begun to practice writing, having made two of them in the previous year and each a clear improvement over the last (the first being quite dreadful). He could continue his work on this, a link to the Southlands he has left behind. An impressive play can often be a very good way to make a mark among the right sort of community...such as the poets. And in this case, it actually might serve a legitimate purpose as shifting the narrative in favor of wanting to exchange cultural goods with the Southlands.
Title: The Ring of Contacts
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy and Learning
Chance of Success: Variable
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The art of letter-writing is an old one. Whether it is Kiralo's old poet friend in the Southlands, or some of his new contacts, writing professional and truly enlightening letters is both a matter of business… and in theory a matter of pleasure, one that allows others to see your education and erudition to your benefit.
Title: Friends In Poem Places
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 65%
Time: 1 Turn.
Text: Bei'ren is a friend now. A friend. And people who are totally friends help introduce one to their other friends, correct? Kiralo could use it as a way to improve his still shaky relationship with the community of poets and scholars that cling to the court. It would not be remiss, then, and could potentially pave the way to friendships that might well be useful, since the court honors poets, and places them in a position of some authority.
Title: Dueling Words
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 70%
Time: 1 Turn.
Text: The play could be printed up in a limited run. This would not be aimed at a general audience, and Kiralo thinks it's unlikely that it's going to catch on, even with victory, for a general audience. But there are no doubt plenty of nobles who wish to have the winning play in copy, for bragging rights, and others who merely wish it as a souvenir, and an excuse to slip a little money Kiralo's way...after all, what better way to win someone's favor than to request or purchase a copy of their little play?
Title: Shing Yan Shuffle
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 60%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Shing Yan is an important and interesting firebrand, one whose power is on the wax, and so if Kiralo could just carefully contact him and sound him out, it could be very interesting for both parties, most of all because Shing Yan has ownership of a printing press, that most dangerous weapon of spreading information...or misinformation, for that matter.
Title: South-Bank Scholars
Dice Rolled: Learning and Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 62%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The South Bank Philosophy Club aren't the only group that actively opposes Kuojah's philosophy and scholarship, but they are the most prominent critics, and visiting their club and their printing presses and reading more about their beliefs might give Kiralo a way in with them, whether as an envoy between them and Kuojah, as unlikely as that is, or as an ally of theirs against some of Kuojah's policies.
Title: Unseating the Poet
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy, secondary Intrigue
Chance of Success: 65%
Time: ! Turns
Text: Bei'ren could do it! Possibly. If he made a run at the position and failed, it would be a big problem, but if he succeeded, then it would cement Kiralo's influence and power, and access, over the Emperor, even if it is in a matter not related to the great affairs of state.
Title: The Music Men
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 75%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: In every court Kiralo has known the musicians and entertainers, if not itinerant (and they couldn't be in such a large and powerful court, or at least not many) have their own culture, and their own standards. In a court that is obsessed with ritual and beauty, knowing these musicians could prove useful in the future...and at the very least would make it easier to snag a few if and when he had a need for them.
Title: Mercenary Pasturings
Dice Rolled: Military, Stewardship
Chance of Success: 65%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: If the Rassit are going to stick around here, even through winter, then there's one of several things that need to be done. Of course, at great expense they could be fed no matter what, but finding some decent pastureland somewhat close by could be useful. The horses need something, and some open ground to train wouldn't be remiss as well. Of course, it'd cost money if one paid fairly for the pastures, but less than supplying people off public land would be. And it'd make the horses happier, and that's a goal in itself.
Title: The Turtle's Shell
Dice Rolled: Martial and Learning
Chance of Success: Variable
Time: 1 Turn
Text: If the Anlan's design is going to eventually be adopted, a few things will need to be tested. Guns, of the best quality, to adorn them is one. Spirits, of the best quality is another. But both must truly wait at the moment. But the third thing is metal, ready to be shaped in the proper way. While it will be some time before a Turtle can be purchased, perhaps experiments can be made with whether one can imitate the shells as described.
Title: A Bonus Worth Having
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy and Stewardship
Chance of Success: Variable
Time: 1 Turn
Text: It cannot be too great, of course, but the army deserves compensation for their victories, and with their pay having been in arrears before, a bonus wouldn't be unwelcome. And if Kiralo was known as the one who helped acquire it from the Emperor, it would raise his stock among the men.
Title: A Cannoneer's Worth
Dice Rolled: Martial and Stewardship
Chance of Success: 55%
Time:
Text: There is no promise that this will be successful, but the first step to having a better cannon corp is to pay the people such that they will stay, and pay them well enough so as to be able to require training. There need to be schools of gunnery… but in the meantime, there need to be men willing to do the hard work of making and tending to the guns. But such a step, however simple, opens up a long list of concerns.
Title: Guards, Guards
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 70%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The city guards take care of both crime and any civil disorder. When the people riot, or criminals attempt to hurt the profits of merchants, or in any case where authority in the city needs a strong arm, the city guards are there, and on the few occasions in which the city has been under siege, they have been important...one way or another, for more than once has the Csrae City Guard been bribed to open the gates for a man who will soon be Emperor, pushing past the last beleaguered defenses of a fool. It has happened...and it might happen again. History rhymes, and sometimes paying attention to the words matters. Kiralo can learn a bit more about them and their concerns, and see where it goes from there.
Title: Imperial Guards
Dice Rolled: Martial
Chance of Success: 75%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The army is not the guard, is not the city guard. But the Emperor has his own guards, and it would be remiss to be an Envoy *to* the army *from* the Imperial Seat without gaining a little more understanding of the legendary elite guards who protect the Emperor with their lives. Gaining their trust would be useful, or at least a greater understanding of the famous methods (and some of them are famously secret and no doubt involve the names of hidden spirits) that allow them to do such damage in the name of the Emperor.
Title: Maps!
Dice Rolled: Stewardship and Learning
Chance of Success: Variable
Time: 1 Turn
Text: One of the often-forgotten functions of having an army is to be able to map areas, and one of the often forgotten needs of an army are functional maps. During the war, Kiralo found the maps decently adequate at places, but for an extended conflict, they could be more detailed. The first step to check into the offices in general.
Dice Rolled: Military, Stewardship
Chance of Success: 65%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: If the Rassit are going to stick around here, even through winter, then there's one of several things that need to be done. Of course, at great expense they could be fed no matter what, but finding some decent pastureland somewhat close by could be useful. The horses need something, and some open ground to train wouldn't be remiss as well. Of course, it'd cost money if one paid fairly for the pastures, but less than supplying people off public land would be. And it'd make the horses happier, and that's a goal in itself.
Title: The Turtle's Shell
Dice Rolled: Martial and Learning
Chance of Success: Variable
Time: 1 Turn
Text: If the Anlan's design is going to eventually be adopted, a few things will need to be tested. Guns, of the best quality, to adorn them is one. Spirits, of the best quality is another. But both must truly wait at the moment. But the third thing is metal, ready to be shaped in the proper way. While it will be some time before a Turtle can be purchased, perhaps experiments can be made with whether one can imitate the shells as described.
Title: A Bonus Worth Having
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy and Stewardship
Chance of Success: Variable
Time: 1 Turn
Text: It cannot be too great, of course, but the army deserves compensation for their victories, and with their pay having been in arrears before, a bonus wouldn't be unwelcome. And if Kiralo was known as the one who helped acquire it from the Emperor, it would raise his stock among the men.
Title: A Cannoneer's Worth
Dice Rolled: Martial and Stewardship
Chance of Success: 55%
Time:
Text: There is no promise that this will be successful, but the first step to having a better cannon corp is to pay the people such that they will stay, and pay them well enough so as to be able to require training. There need to be schools of gunnery… but in the meantime, there need to be men willing to do the hard work of making and tending to the guns. But such a step, however simple, opens up a long list of concerns.
Title: Guards, Guards
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 70%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The city guards take care of both crime and any civil disorder. When the people riot, or criminals attempt to hurt the profits of merchants, or in any case where authority in the city needs a strong arm, the city guards are there, and on the few occasions in which the city has been under siege, they have been important...one way or another, for more than once has the Csrae City Guard been bribed to open the gates for a man who will soon be Emperor, pushing past the last beleaguered defenses of a fool. It has happened...and it might happen again. History rhymes, and sometimes paying attention to the words matters. Kiralo can learn a bit more about them and their concerns, and see where it goes from there.
Title: Imperial Guards
Dice Rolled: Martial
Chance of Success: 75%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The army is not the guard, is not the city guard. But the Emperor has his own guards, and it would be remiss to be an Envoy *to* the army *from* the Imperial Seat without gaining a little more understanding of the legendary elite guards who protect the Emperor with their lives. Gaining their trust would be useful, or at least a greater understanding of the famous methods (and some of them are famously secret and no doubt involve the names of hidden spirits) that allow them to do such damage in the name of the Emperor.
Title: Maps!
Dice Rolled: Stewardship and Learning
Chance of Success: Variable
Time: 1 Turn
Text: One of the often-forgotten functions of having an army is to be able to map areas, and one of the often forgotten needs of an army are functional maps. During the war, Kiralo found the maps decently adequate at places, but for an extended conflict, they could be more detailed. The first step to check into the offices in general.
Title: Secrets of the Dark Temple
Dice Rolled: Learning
Chance of Success: ???
Time: 1 Turn
Text: What IS down in the temple that drove the spirits mad?
Title: Pressed for Time
Dice Rolled: Learning
Chance of Success: 55%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Printing presses are a complicated business. There are official governmental ones, yes, but also many, many, many private ones, and there have been for well over nine-hundred years. But there are only two official printing presses that release government documents… and only one of them is in Kuojah's control. Perhaps it is time to look into the matter of the other one, since scholarly and legal opinion on the reforms will be… very, very important.
Title: A Confused Code
Dice Rolled: Intrigue
Chance of Success: 55%
Time: 2 turns
Text: Arimi's strange pidgin Anlan-Bueli-Csiritan-Southlander is hard to understand when he switches into it, and seems to share the grammatical composition of absolutely none of them. That could make it a surprisingly useful language if one wanted to convey coded messages, since Arimi doesn't switch into it often, and the odds of anyone being able to work it out are actually somewhat slim, and the odds of anyone taking the time to do so are even slimmer. It'd take some studying and work, though.
Title: The Opener of Letters
Dice Rolled: Intrigue
Chance of Success: 60%
Time: 2 Turns
Text: Perhaps a courier or two could be convinced to sometimes tell tidbits of the information they are transferring. It is not likely that they will provide huge levels of details, not on the budget Kiralo currently has, strained as he is by his father's careful management of his money, but a few details at the right time could begin to reveal some of what the webs of messages outwards say and mean.
If you're wondering why there's nothing directly related to the meeting… there are things that can indirectly effect it, in this category and others, and there will be options in Turn 15, but you don't want to tip your hand too soon.
Dice Rolled: Learning
Chance of Success: ???
Time: 1 Turn
Text: What IS down in the temple that drove the spirits mad?
Title: Pressed for Time
Dice Rolled: Learning
Chance of Success: 55%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Printing presses are a complicated business. There are official governmental ones, yes, but also many, many, many private ones, and there have been for well over nine-hundred years. But there are only two official printing presses that release government documents… and only one of them is in Kuojah's control. Perhaps it is time to look into the matter of the other one, since scholarly and legal opinion on the reforms will be… very, very important.
Title: A Confused Code
Dice Rolled: Intrigue
Chance of Success: 55%
Time: 2 turns
Text: Arimi's strange pidgin Anlan-Bueli-Csiritan-Southlander is hard to understand when he switches into it, and seems to share the grammatical composition of absolutely none of them. That could make it a surprisingly useful language if one wanted to convey coded messages, since Arimi doesn't switch into it often, and the odds of anyone being able to work it out are actually somewhat slim, and the odds of anyone taking the time to do so are even slimmer. It'd take some studying and work, though.
Title: The Opener of Letters
Dice Rolled: Intrigue
Chance of Success: 60%
Time: 2 Turns
Text: Perhaps a courier or two could be convinced to sometimes tell tidbits of the information they are transferring. It is not likely that they will provide huge levels of details, not on the budget Kiralo currently has, strained as he is by his father's careful management of his money, but a few details at the right time could begin to reveal some of what the webs of messages outwards say and mean.
If you're wondering why there's nothing directly related to the meeting… there are things that can indirectly effect it, in this category and others, and there will be options in Turn 15, but you don't want to tip your hand too soon.
Title: Mayhaps to learn
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy, Learning, Stewardship
Chance of Success: 65 (Dip), 40 (Learning), 55 (Stewardship)
Time: 1 Turn
Text: It is time to evaluate the Emperor's education. What does he know, what doesn't he know? What could he be made to know? How honest are his teachers, how politically inclined… and how skilled are they?
Title: The Other Royals
Dice Rolled: Intrigue
Chance of Success: 70%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The Emperor has two sisters, one older and one near his age. Kiralo has seen nothing of them, and knows only that their names are Biyu and Chenhau. Perhaps he could ask around, and learn more about them. It's...way too early to think of such things, with a war coming, but they might yet be important in the grand scheme of things, even if, as with Yanmae, it is clear that Kuojah is hiding them away. And no wonder, considering any marriage proposals to them would be aimed at marrying them...and then unseating the dynasty. So it's best for all involved, no doubt, that they be hidden away...yet one wonders. And one gossips.
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy, Learning, Stewardship
Chance of Success: 65 (Dip), 40 (Learning), 55 (Stewardship)
Time: 1 Turn
Text: It is time to evaluate the Emperor's education. What does he know, what doesn't he know? What could he be made to know? How honest are his teachers, how politically inclined… and how skilled are they?
Title: The Other Royals
Dice Rolled: Intrigue
Chance of Success: 70%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The Emperor has two sisters, one older and one near his age. Kiralo has seen nothing of them, and knows only that their names are Biyu and Chenhau. Perhaps he could ask around, and learn more about them. It's...way too early to think of such things, with a war coming, but they might yet be important in the grand scheme of things, even if, as with Yanmae, it is clear that Kuojah is hiding them away. And no wonder, considering any marriage proposals to them would be aimed at marrying them...and then unseating the dynasty. So it's best for all involved, no doubt, that they be hidden away...yet one wonders. And one gossips.
Title: Eunuchs!
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 65%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The eunuchs have long been ignored. But if Kiralo is going to expand his influence over the Emperor, he needs to talk to them. Besides being functionaries, a number of them are personal servants of the Imperial Household. And the non-eunuch servants are, for various reasons, hard to talk to. Their influence is in a different way, involving different means… but eunuchs, they can deal. And be dealt with.
Title: Followup Notice
Dice Rolled: Stewardship, Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 65%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Having gotten close to the Hari-Su merchants, he could continue to show interest in their affairs, in the hopes that this strengthens ties and opens up other opportunities, since he's going to be connecting with merchants quite often in the future, more likely than not. He'll have to be careful not to come off as entreating more bribes, or else they'll likely shut him down or, even if they don't, come to distrust him. A man who doesn't stay bought is useless.
Title: Young Snakes, Sharp Fangs
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 75%
Time: 1 Turn.
Text: The young and ambitious, unmarried noblemen of the court are a sharp bunch. Kiralo declined in a way their companionship earlier, and they're not going to be easy to befriend, and he'd have to balance their friendship with the possibility that they might be trivial people whose goals will not align with his. Yet at the same time, they are the people his age and younger, and their fathers and uncles, their brothers and cousins, are important people, as are they by reflection. Since the war, Kiralo has even more cachet.
Title: Money in the City
Dice Rolled: Stewardship and Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 70%
Time: 1 Turn.
Text: As nobles and bureaucrats are to the Imperial City, so are merchants and petty officials to Csrae the city. The important men that are behind most of the power in Csrae the city are men whose opinion matters, not least of which because the relationship with the Imperial City is highly symbiotic. Through Yonu, Kiralo has a chance to get to know them. Shake the tree, and see what comes out.
Title: Public Works and Public Deeds
Dice Rolled: Learning
Chance of Success: 80%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The Department of Public Works is a very important one, with the rash of road-building that will be happening. While the agricultural matters are going to take a lot of work to hash out, and are beyond Kiralo's remit, the road-based matters will interact greatly with concerns of military use, as well as economic use, and in places the army will be a large portion of the labor. Learning more about them might allow Kiralo to find ways to help the process.
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 65%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The eunuchs have long been ignored. But if Kiralo is going to expand his influence over the Emperor, he needs to talk to them. Besides being functionaries, a number of them are personal servants of the Imperial Household. And the non-eunuch servants are, for various reasons, hard to talk to. Their influence is in a different way, involving different means… but eunuchs, they can deal. And be dealt with.
Title: Followup Notice
Dice Rolled: Stewardship, Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 65%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Having gotten close to the Hari-Su merchants, he could continue to show interest in their affairs, in the hopes that this strengthens ties and opens up other opportunities, since he's going to be connecting with merchants quite often in the future, more likely than not. He'll have to be careful not to come off as entreating more bribes, or else they'll likely shut him down or, even if they don't, come to distrust him. A man who doesn't stay bought is useless.
Title: Young Snakes, Sharp Fangs
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 75%
Time: 1 Turn.
Text: The young and ambitious, unmarried noblemen of the court are a sharp bunch. Kiralo declined in a way their companionship earlier, and they're not going to be easy to befriend, and he'd have to balance their friendship with the possibility that they might be trivial people whose goals will not align with his. Yet at the same time, they are the people his age and younger, and their fathers and uncles, their brothers and cousins, are important people, as are they by reflection. Since the war, Kiralo has even more cachet.
Title: Money in the City
Dice Rolled: Stewardship and Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 70%
Time: 1 Turn.
Text: As nobles and bureaucrats are to the Imperial City, so are merchants and petty officials to Csrae the city. The important men that are behind most of the power in Csrae the city are men whose opinion matters, not least of which because the relationship with the Imperial City is highly symbiotic. Through Yonu, Kiralo has a chance to get to know them. Shake the tree, and see what comes out.
Title: Public Works and Public Deeds
Dice Rolled: Learning
Chance of Success: 80%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The Department of Public Works is a very important one, with the rash of road-building that will be happening. While the agricultural matters are going to take a lot of work to hash out, and are beyond Kiralo's remit, the road-based matters will interact greatly with concerns of military use, as well as economic use, and in places the army will be a large portion of the labor. Learning more about them might allow Kiralo to find ways to help the process.
Title: Due Diligence
Dice Rolled: 2d50
Chance of Success: N/A
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Now that he's back at court, he has more time to continue studying up on the issues, including the agricultural and leadership ones that have become quite prominent. (Currently at 42/200)
Title: Among the Scholars
Dice Rolled: Learning
Chance of Success: 55%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Perhaps he should start reading the classics and learning a little more about the process of Degrees, and of how it has been reformed… certainly not for his own run at such a prestigious and yet in his case useless rank. Certainly not!
Title: Serving
Dice Rolled: Stewardship
Chance of Success: ???
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Ones servants will need to be ready for bigger-time business, and bigger-time work, than they have previously done.
Title: Bring Me to Life
Dice Rolled: Stewardship
Chance of Success: 80%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Perhaps Kiralo should hire a doctor. He's doing well for himself, of course, and more than that he's in the prime of his youth, but you can never be too careful, and a doctor could serve other functions and purposes as well, especially one that is on retainer. On the other hand, Kuojah's financial leash is pretty short as is.
Title: Letter To Hao Ren
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: Variable
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The young man was kind to Kiralo, and Kiralo was… kind to him. He is knowledgeable of local politics, and knows at least a few people of import. For all that, this alone could not justify the time spent. But perhaps Kiralo merely wishes to do it.
Dice Rolled: 2d50
Chance of Success: N/A
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Now that he's back at court, he has more time to continue studying up on the issues, including the agricultural and leadership ones that have become quite prominent. (Currently at 42/200)
Title: Among the Scholars
Dice Rolled: Learning
Chance of Success: 55%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Perhaps he should start reading the classics and learning a little more about the process of Degrees, and of how it has been reformed… certainly not for his own run at such a prestigious and yet in his case useless rank. Certainly not!
Title: Serving
Dice Rolled: Stewardship
Chance of Success: ???
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Ones servants will need to be ready for bigger-time business, and bigger-time work, than they have previously done.
Title: Bring Me to Life
Dice Rolled: Stewardship
Chance of Success: 80%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Perhaps Kiralo should hire a doctor. He's doing well for himself, of course, and more than that he's in the prime of his youth, but you can never be too careful, and a doctor could serve other functions and purposes as well, especially one that is on retainer. On the other hand, Kuojah's financial leash is pretty short as is.
Title: Letter To Hao Ren
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: Variable
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The young man was kind to Kiralo, and Kiralo was… kind to him. He is knowledgeable of local politics, and knows at least a few people of import. For all that, this alone could not justify the time spent. But perhaps Kiralo merely wishes to do it.
Title: Spiritual Defense
Dice Rolled: Intrigue and Hung's Magic
Chance of Success:60%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The same methods of investigation can be used against him, Kiralo knows. Perhaps he could learn how to be careful of spiritual tails and investigations into his spirit activities. At the moment, there is not much to hide, but knowing how to hide it might well be important in the future, especially regarding the fact that he might be seeing a lot more of spirits in the future.
Title: Is it Possible?
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy, and Magic
Chance of Success: 75%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Ask around about the idea of tattooed scrolls. Very carefully, making sure to indicate that this is polite and respectful curiosity, more than an actual desire to know. But the first step of any question is knowing whether it is a proper one to ask. With Ayila present, it helps things along quite a bit.
Title: Academy Days: Cultivating the Head
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 70%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The Archmage and headmaster is an old and powerful man, perhaps it could be that he might find it agreeable to ally with Kiralo in some matters. At the very least, it would not hurt to learn more of the man, though he's no doubt proud and powerful.
Title: Academy Days: The Bureaucracy of Magic
Dice Rolled: Stewardship
Chance of Success: 65%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Every aspect of the academy has bureaucracy. Who is allowed to attend, and why, where the money for them to do so is gotten, and how they are licensed and registered upon graduation, the intake and outtake to ensure that the Academy remains the foremost one in Csirit. It is a matter of a great deal of work and effort, some of it in court, and getting a grasp on how the process works would give a greater ability to influence it for Kiralo's own purposes. One must know how a group works in order to begin to control it.
Title: A Primer On Foreign Magic
Dice Rolled: Magic, Ayila's Magic (34)
Chance of Success: 75%
Time: 2 Turns
Text: Kiralo might need to know about the nature of foreign magic. There is only so much that can be learned, but it would be helpful in evaluating the turtle, and any other possible threats, even if it isn't going to play into the war effort. But there is more to it than that, and there is some degree of risk in that studying foreign ways can sometimes be misconstrued as agreeing with them.
Title: The Great Spirit
Dice Rolled: Magic
Chance of Success: ???
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Ayila's new… guest could be explored further, if one was just willing to take a few risks. Or more than a few.
Dice Rolled: Intrigue and Hung's Magic
Chance of Success:60%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The same methods of investigation can be used against him, Kiralo knows. Perhaps he could learn how to be careful of spiritual tails and investigations into his spirit activities. At the moment, there is not much to hide, but knowing how to hide it might well be important in the future, especially regarding the fact that he might be seeing a lot more of spirits in the future.
Title: Is it Possible?
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy, and Magic
Chance of Success: 75%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Ask around about the idea of tattooed scrolls. Very carefully, making sure to indicate that this is polite and respectful curiosity, more than an actual desire to know. But the first step of any question is knowing whether it is a proper one to ask. With Ayila present, it helps things along quite a bit.
Title: Academy Days: Cultivating the Head
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 70%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The Archmage and headmaster is an old and powerful man, perhaps it could be that he might find it agreeable to ally with Kiralo in some matters. At the very least, it would not hurt to learn more of the man, though he's no doubt proud and powerful.
Title: Academy Days: The Bureaucracy of Magic
Dice Rolled: Stewardship
Chance of Success: 65%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Every aspect of the academy has bureaucracy. Who is allowed to attend, and why, where the money for them to do so is gotten, and how they are licensed and registered upon graduation, the intake and outtake to ensure that the Academy remains the foremost one in Csirit. It is a matter of a great deal of work and effort, some of it in court, and getting a grasp on how the process works would give a greater ability to influence it for Kiralo's own purposes. One must know how a group works in order to begin to control it.
Title: A Primer On Foreign Magic
Dice Rolled: Magic, Ayila's Magic (34)
Chance of Success: 75%
Time: 2 Turns
Text: Kiralo might need to know about the nature of foreign magic. There is only so much that can be learned, but it would be helpful in evaluating the turtle, and any other possible threats, even if it isn't going to play into the war effort. But there is more to it than that, and there is some degree of risk in that studying foreign ways can sometimes be misconstrued as agreeing with them.
Title: The Great Spirit
Dice Rolled: Magic
Chance of Success: ???
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Ayila's new… guest could be explored further, if one was just willing to take a few risks. Or more than a few.
*****
Influence: 1 (Father's Glory)+1 (Influence with Irit)+1 (Envoy)+1 (Victory!)-1 (Investment in Hari-Su, the Basrat orders, etc, etc)=3 State Influence
Title: Mother's Return
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 55%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: With the events of the last few months, the odds of his mother's remains being returned to him has increased. Not all the way, not yet, but he has gained power in his relationship with his father. Kiralo wants this more than anything, and yet he must be cautious not to make her prey to those who might hold her remains hostage, or think it untoward and try to prevent it.
Title: At the corner of Empire.
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of success: 65%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Hari-Bueli is a far-off province, one currently in the middle of an ongoing defensive war against Bueli. Its concerns and politics are its own, and perhaps could be better understood.
Title: Mountains and Forests
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 70%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Rerin is a heavily mountainous province whose forests are said to contain much of wonder and more of terror. Bordering more than a few provinces, with its governor sick and its succession in doubt, it might be far more important than one might think at first. Yet the opening gambit to talk to them is simple: a letter of concern and hopes for improvement to the Governor, and then see just what turns up.
Title: An Old Seat of Empire
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 60%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Once, Xissand was the seat of a rival Empire, formed in the breakup, classic history says, that followed the Fourth Emperor and led to the age of darkness in which the Emperor was forgotten. It has long since been conquered, its heretics purged, or at least as purged as any being on the planet, and it has long been loyal and fully Csiritan, lacking much of the blood (though there is some) of Xissand. Yet there are still many ruins that to this day remain guarded by powerful spirits or more powerful superstitions, or are hidden far away beneath rivers and within the craggy hills of West-Xissand.
Title: Farthest North
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of success: 80%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Hari-Nat is the province that borders the vast and barely passable in the best of times mountains of the far north. It is often the province that stands out of the way of the major conflicts, waiting and seeing what happens, not strong enough to ever declare independence as some have during times of conflict, but not so weak as to be conquered and subjugated. Even its people are a little different, altered by the cold and harsh climate. Investigate into them more fully. The information on what lies beyond and within these mountains has driven interest in the region.
Title: People of the Sea
Dice Rolled: Learning and Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 60%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The Sea-People did Csirit an uncertain good when they helped Hari-Os, but it is a good that might be appreciated. Often regarded as both less bad and worse than the normal barbarians, the Sea People are those who have done what is pure heresy, made strange mystical congress with the spirits of the sea, and so many of them are not entirely human in appearance or even outlook, and in addition to the Islands that house the large majority of their population, they are said to have underwater cities where those 'too far gone' rest. Of course, many things are said and only some are known, but Kiralo has seen men with gills or strange colored skin, or webbed toes or hands, and even the most 'normal' of the Sea People has a tie to the ocean and water far greater than even the most experienced Southlander sailor. Learning more about them, and perhaps cautiously contacting them, could be useful.
Title: Supplicants
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of success: 37%
Time: 1 Turn.
Text: Kiralo can begin the long bureaucratic process of making an argument of a certain type. The Southlanders, if this is done right, can send tribute embassies every few years, depending on matters, to trade at the capital and acknowledge Csiritan greatness, as well as similar annual or semi-annual trade missions at the border. The details would take time to be decided, and the first step would be to send diplomats to ask if they would be willing to submit in humble supplication.
Title: The Monasteries of the World
Dice Rolled: Learning
Chance of Success: 70%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Talking with Yanmae had convinced Kiralo that knowing more about the monasteries and their rules would probably be very useful. Asking around for the proper texts and grants and charts that all clarify just what the monasteries in general are doing would be easy. A harder part would be getting an accurate and fair picture.
Title: Horses of the Border
Dice Rolled: Stewardship and Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 70/50/30%
Time: 2 Turns
Text: Perhaps the Governor should be contacted. The Southlands remained loyal, or at least their leadership did, and one way that the army as a whole could benefit is from better horse stock. This isn't a small matter, and even the request will be complicated both economically and practically. It's a major undertaking, and one that might well be too expensive for the treasury at the moment, but barring a major trade in horses with the Southland, Hari-Su is the best bet for this sort of thing.
Title: Loans, Loans, Loans
Dice Rolled: Stewardship
Chance of Success: Variable
Time: 1 Turn
Text: It'd be a stopgap, but the Emperor could request loans from certain loyal merchants to pay off certain debts and obligations without dipping too deep into the treasury. It'd hopefully get at least some of the merchants more invested in the schemes of the Emperor. It might give them a reason to support his agricultural or other reform plans, though there is of course the risk of money corrupting virtuous power.
Title: The Hunt For Fall Artifact
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy, Stewardship, Magic...
Chance of Success: Variable
Time: 1 Turn, may take additional turns depending on results
Text: Ayila is seeking an artifact of power and worth, for herself, her family, and the future of the world… or something like that. It's destined to help do something great, by the Spirits. Kiralo cannot pretend to entirely understand it, but he understand what a bargain is, and what fulfilling his promises truly means.
Title: Embassy Beyond the Mountains
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy, then Stewardship and Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 40% chance of being agreed upon, Variable chance of how much in the way of resources the Empire is willing to spend, and related chance of success in that regard.
Time: 3 Turns
Text: It is the dream of more than a few men, but it is one that still needs time. Hiro is still navigating the political minefield, but speeding up the process for him can only benefit matters. And might well earn his gratitude. If he wishes to leave in the Spring, he'll need approval within the next two months, though he could leave as late as summer and still have a chance. Winter, though? He needs to be on his way and ready to winter with allies on his road to a people that have been lost in history.
Title: Mother's Return
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 55%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: With the events of the last few months, the odds of his mother's remains being returned to him has increased. Not all the way, not yet, but he has gained power in his relationship with his father. Kiralo wants this more than anything, and yet he must be cautious not to make her prey to those who might hold her remains hostage, or think it untoward and try to prevent it.
Title: At the corner of Empire.
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of success: 65%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Hari-Bueli is a far-off province, one currently in the middle of an ongoing defensive war against Bueli. Its concerns and politics are its own, and perhaps could be better understood.
Title: Mountains and Forests
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 70%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Rerin is a heavily mountainous province whose forests are said to contain much of wonder and more of terror. Bordering more than a few provinces, with its governor sick and its succession in doubt, it might be far more important than one might think at first. Yet the opening gambit to talk to them is simple: a letter of concern and hopes for improvement to the Governor, and then see just what turns up.
Title: An Old Seat of Empire
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 60%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Once, Xissand was the seat of a rival Empire, formed in the breakup, classic history says, that followed the Fourth Emperor and led to the age of darkness in which the Emperor was forgotten. It has long since been conquered, its heretics purged, or at least as purged as any being on the planet, and it has long been loyal and fully Csiritan, lacking much of the blood (though there is some) of Xissand. Yet there are still many ruins that to this day remain guarded by powerful spirits or more powerful superstitions, or are hidden far away beneath rivers and within the craggy hills of West-Xissand.
Title: Farthest North
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of success: 80%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Hari-Nat is the province that borders the vast and barely passable in the best of times mountains of the far north. It is often the province that stands out of the way of the major conflicts, waiting and seeing what happens, not strong enough to ever declare independence as some have during times of conflict, but not so weak as to be conquered and subjugated. Even its people are a little different, altered by the cold and harsh climate. Investigate into them more fully. The information on what lies beyond and within these mountains has driven interest in the region.
Title: People of the Sea
Dice Rolled: Learning and Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 60%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The Sea-People did Csirit an uncertain good when they helped Hari-Os, but it is a good that might be appreciated. Often regarded as both less bad and worse than the normal barbarians, the Sea People are those who have done what is pure heresy, made strange mystical congress with the spirits of the sea, and so many of them are not entirely human in appearance or even outlook, and in addition to the Islands that house the large majority of their population, they are said to have underwater cities where those 'too far gone' rest. Of course, many things are said and only some are known, but Kiralo has seen men with gills or strange colored skin, or webbed toes or hands, and even the most 'normal' of the Sea People has a tie to the ocean and water far greater than even the most experienced Southlander sailor. Learning more about them, and perhaps cautiously contacting them, could be useful.
Title: Supplicants
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of success: 37%
Time: 1 Turn.
Text: Kiralo can begin the long bureaucratic process of making an argument of a certain type. The Southlanders, if this is done right, can send tribute embassies every few years, depending on matters, to trade at the capital and acknowledge Csiritan greatness, as well as similar annual or semi-annual trade missions at the border. The details would take time to be decided, and the first step would be to send diplomats to ask if they would be willing to submit in humble supplication.
Title: The Monasteries of the World
Dice Rolled: Learning
Chance of Success: 70%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Talking with Yanmae had convinced Kiralo that knowing more about the monasteries and their rules would probably be very useful. Asking around for the proper texts and grants and charts that all clarify just what the monasteries in general are doing would be easy. A harder part would be getting an accurate and fair picture.
Title: Horses of the Border
Dice Rolled: Stewardship and Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 70/50/30%
Time: 2 Turns
Text: Perhaps the Governor should be contacted. The Southlands remained loyal, or at least their leadership did, and one way that the army as a whole could benefit is from better horse stock. This isn't a small matter, and even the request will be complicated both economically and practically. It's a major undertaking, and one that might well be too expensive for the treasury at the moment, but barring a major trade in horses with the Southland, Hari-Su is the best bet for this sort of thing.
Title: Loans, Loans, Loans
Dice Rolled: Stewardship
Chance of Success: Variable
Time: 1 Turn
Text: It'd be a stopgap, but the Emperor could request loans from certain loyal merchants to pay off certain debts and obligations without dipping too deep into the treasury. It'd hopefully get at least some of the merchants more invested in the schemes of the Emperor. It might give them a reason to support his agricultural or other reform plans, though there is of course the risk of money corrupting virtuous power.
Title: The Hunt For Fall Artifact
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy, Stewardship, Magic...
Chance of Success: Variable
Time: 1 Turn, may take additional turns depending on results
Text: Ayila is seeking an artifact of power and worth, for herself, her family, and the future of the world… or something like that. It's destined to help do something great, by the Spirits. Kiralo cannot pretend to entirely understand it, but he understand what a bargain is, and what fulfilling his promises truly means.
Title: Embassy Beyond the Mountains
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy, then Stewardship and Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 40% chance of being agreed upon, Variable chance of how much in the way of resources the Empire is willing to spend, and related chance of success in that regard.
Time: 3 Turns
Text: It is the dream of more than a few men, but it is one that still needs time. Hiro is still navigating the political minefield, but speeding up the process for him can only benefit matters. And might well earn his gratitude. If he wishes to leave in the Spring, he'll need approval within the next two months, though he could leave as late as summer and still have a chance. Winter, though? He needs to be on his way and ready to winter with allies on his road to a people that have been lost in history.
*******
A/N: So, here we go! Uh, plan vote, duh. Also, sorry this took so long. Please indicate which action is the Ayila, and which is the Kueli. Like so: [][Ayila] Action.
Last edited:
[X] Plan Neptune
So those are my chosen court actions. A great deal of them are focused on getting to know various influential people or organizations within the Palace, which includes; the Eunuch's for obvious reasons given their role in bureaucracy, the young and ambitious noblemen as they're essentially the future and are linked with the present due to their families in prominent positions right now, the poets given it plays well to Kiralo's skill and because I'd much rather get to know the poets before trying to unseat the Emperor's tutor as it seems like that could be a fracture point, and finally getting to know the South Bank Scholars. They own printing presses, they're educated thus are bound to have an opinion on the reforms (which may be a strange one than the text indicates, as that's from before Kuojah presented them), and potentially being able to serve as a link between them and Kuojah could be helpful for the reforms themselves.
The pastures for our Rassit are pretty much essential given they're our troops and they need someplace over the winter, due diligence so the degradation stops and so we can work towards getting the trait, a Primer on Foreign Magic because of Ayila's incredible magic stat and us needing the knowledge in the near future with the turtles. Finally I put two dice on the confused code due to the upcoming intrigue event, as it seems like it'd help it.
The Monasteries of the World action as it can help our sister with her scholarly work, and they played a significant role within our mother's life. Finally, the Hunt for the Artifact as this is what we promised Ayila and finding an artifact of such power should be significant. I've put two influence dice on it as the success is variable so more dice on these options is ideal as it's not just success or failure, and secondly because there are multiple dice being rolled so additional influence is even more efficient.
Title: Friends In Poem Places
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 65%
Time: 1 Turn.
Text: Bei'ren is a friend now. A friend. And people who are totally friends help introduce one to their other friends, correct? Kiralo could use it as a way to improve his still shaky relationship with the community of poets and scholars that cling to the court. It would not be remiss, then, and could potentially pave the way to friendships that might well be useful, since the court honors poets, and places them in a position of some authority.
Title: South-Bank Scholars
Dice Rolled: Learning and Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 62%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The South Bank Philosophy Club aren't the only group that actively opposes Kuojah's philosophy and scholarship, but they are the most prominent critics, and visiting their club and their printing presses and reading more about their beliefs might give Kiralo a way in with them, whether as an envoy between them and Kuojah, as unlikely as that is, or as an ally of theirs against some of Kuojah's policies.
Title: Mercenary Pasturings [Kueli's influence]
Dice Rolled: Military, Stewardship
Chance of Success: 65%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: If the Rassit are going to stick around here, even through winter, then there's one of several things that need to be done. Of course, at great expense they could be fed no matter what, but finding some decent pastureland somewhat close by could be useful. The horses need something, and some open ground to train wouldn't be remiss as well. Of course, it'd cost money if one paid fairly for the pastures, but less than supplying people off public land would be. And it'd make the horses happier, and that's a goal in itself.
Title: Eunuchs!
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 65%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The eunuchs have long been ignored. But if Kiralo is going to expand his influence over the Emperor, he needs to talk to them. Besides being functionaries, a number of them are personal servants of the Imperial Household. And the non-eunuch servants are, for various reasons, hard to talk to. Their influence is in a different way, involving different means… but eunuchs, they can deal. And be dealt with.
Title: Young Snakes, Sharp Fangs
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 75%
Time: 1 Turn.
Text: The young and ambitious, unmarried noblemen of the court are a sharp bunch. Kiralo declined in a way their companionship earlier, and they're not going to be easy to befriend, and he'd have to balance their friendship with the possibility that they might be trivial people whose goals will not align with his. Yet at the same time, they are the people his age and younger, and their fathers and uncles, their brothers and cousins, are important people, as are they by reflection. Since the war, Kiralo has even more cachet.
Title: Due Diligence
Dice Rolled: 2d50
Chance of Success: N/A
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Now that he's back at court, he has more time to continue studying up on the issues, including the agricultural and leadership ones that have become quite prominent. (Currently at 42/200)
Title: A Primer On Foreign Magic [Ayila's influence]
Dice Rolled: Magic, Ayila's Magic (34)
Chance of Success: 75%
Time: 2 Turns
Text: Kiralo might need to know about the nature of foreign magic. There is only so much that can be learned, but it would be helpful in evaluating the turtle, and any other possible threats, even if it isn't going to play into the war effort. But there is more to it than that, and there is some degree of risk in that studying foreign ways can sometimes be misconstrued as agreeing with them.
Title: A Confused Code [x2 influence spent]
Dice Rolled: Intrigue
Chance of Success: 55%
Time: 2 turns
Text: Arimi's strange pidgin Anlan-Bueli-Csiritan-Southlander is hard to understand when he switches into it, and seems to share the grammatical composition of absolutely none of them. That could make it a surprisingly useful language if one wanted to convey coded messages, since Arimi doesn't switch into it often, and the odds of anyone being able to work it out are actually somewhat slim, and the odds of anyone taking the time to do so are even slimmer. It'd take some studying and work, though.
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 65%
Time: 1 Turn.
Text: Bei'ren is a friend now. A friend. And people who are totally friends help introduce one to their other friends, correct? Kiralo could use it as a way to improve his still shaky relationship with the community of poets and scholars that cling to the court. It would not be remiss, then, and could potentially pave the way to friendships that might well be useful, since the court honors poets, and places them in a position of some authority.
Title: South-Bank Scholars
Dice Rolled: Learning and Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 62%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The South Bank Philosophy Club aren't the only group that actively opposes Kuojah's philosophy and scholarship, but they are the most prominent critics, and visiting their club and their printing presses and reading more about their beliefs might give Kiralo a way in with them, whether as an envoy between them and Kuojah, as unlikely as that is, or as an ally of theirs against some of Kuojah's policies.
Title: Mercenary Pasturings [Kueli's influence]
Dice Rolled: Military, Stewardship
Chance of Success: 65%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: If the Rassit are going to stick around here, even through winter, then there's one of several things that need to be done. Of course, at great expense they could be fed no matter what, but finding some decent pastureland somewhat close by could be useful. The horses need something, and some open ground to train wouldn't be remiss as well. Of course, it'd cost money if one paid fairly for the pastures, but less than supplying people off public land would be. And it'd make the horses happier, and that's a goal in itself.
Title: Eunuchs!
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 65%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The eunuchs have long been ignored. But if Kiralo is going to expand his influence over the Emperor, he needs to talk to them. Besides being functionaries, a number of them are personal servants of the Imperial Household. And the non-eunuch servants are, for various reasons, hard to talk to. Their influence is in a different way, involving different means… but eunuchs, they can deal. And be dealt with.
Title: Young Snakes, Sharp Fangs
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 75%
Time: 1 Turn.
Text: The young and ambitious, unmarried noblemen of the court are a sharp bunch. Kiralo declined in a way their companionship earlier, and they're not going to be easy to befriend, and he'd have to balance their friendship with the possibility that they might be trivial people whose goals will not align with his. Yet at the same time, they are the people his age and younger, and their fathers and uncles, their brothers and cousins, are important people, as are they by reflection. Since the war, Kiralo has even more cachet.
Title: Due Diligence
Dice Rolled: 2d50
Chance of Success: N/A
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Now that he's back at court, he has more time to continue studying up on the issues, including the agricultural and leadership ones that have become quite prominent. (Currently at 42/200)
Title: A Primer On Foreign Magic [Ayila's influence]
Dice Rolled: Magic, Ayila's Magic (34)
Chance of Success: 75%
Time: 2 Turns
Text: Kiralo might need to know about the nature of foreign magic. There is only so much that can be learned, but it would be helpful in evaluating the turtle, and any other possible threats, even if it isn't going to play into the war effort. But there is more to it than that, and there is some degree of risk in that studying foreign ways can sometimes be misconstrued as agreeing with them.
Title: A Confused Code [x2 influence spent]
Dice Rolled: Intrigue
Chance of Success: 55%
Time: 2 turns
Text: Arimi's strange pidgin Anlan-Bueli-Csiritan-Southlander is hard to understand when he switches into it, and seems to share the grammatical composition of absolutely none of them. That could make it a surprisingly useful language if one wanted to convey coded messages, since Arimi doesn't switch into it often, and the odds of anyone being able to work it out are actually somewhat slim, and the odds of anyone taking the time to do so are even slimmer. It'd take some studying and work, though.
So those are my chosen court actions. A great deal of them are focused on getting to know various influential people or organizations within the Palace, which includes; the Eunuch's for obvious reasons given their role in bureaucracy, the young and ambitious noblemen as they're essentially the future and are linked with the present due to their families in prominent positions right now, the poets given it plays well to Kiralo's skill and because I'd much rather get to know the poets before trying to unseat the Emperor's tutor as it seems like that could be a fracture point, and finally getting to know the South Bank Scholars. They own printing presses, they're educated thus are bound to have an opinion on the reforms (which may be a strange one than the text indicates, as that's from before Kuojah presented them), and potentially being able to serve as a link between them and Kuojah could be helpful for the reforms themselves.
The pastures for our Rassit are pretty much essential given they're our troops and they need someplace over the winter, due diligence so the degradation stops and so we can work towards getting the trait, a Primer on Foreign Magic because of Ayila's incredible magic stat and us needing the knowledge in the near future with the turtles. Finally I put two dice on the confused code due to the upcoming intrigue event, as it seems like it'd help it.
Title: The Monasteries of the World
Dice Rolled: Learning
Chance of Success: 70%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Talking with Yanmae had convinced Kiralo that knowing more about the monasteries and their rules would probably be very useful. Asking around for the proper texts and grants and charts that all clarify just what the monasteries in general are doing would be easy. A harder part would be getting an accurate and fair picture.
Title: The Hunt For Fall Artifact [x2 influence]
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy, Stewardship, Magic...
Chance of Success: Variable
Time: 1 Turn, may take additional turns depending on results
Text: Ayila is seeking an artifact of power and worth, for herself, her family, and the future of the world… or something like that. It's destined to help do something great, by the Spirits. Kiralo cannot pretend to entirely understand it, but he understand what a bargain is, and what fulfilling his promises truly means.
Dice Rolled: Learning
Chance of Success: 70%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Talking with Yanmae had convinced Kiralo that knowing more about the monasteries and their rules would probably be very useful. Asking around for the proper texts and grants and charts that all clarify just what the monasteries in general are doing would be easy. A harder part would be getting an accurate and fair picture.
Title: The Hunt For Fall Artifact [x2 influence]
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy, Stewardship, Magic...
Chance of Success: Variable
Time: 1 Turn, may take additional turns depending on results
Text: Ayila is seeking an artifact of power and worth, for herself, her family, and the future of the world… or something like that. It's destined to help do something great, by the Spirits. Kiralo cannot pretend to entirely understand it, but he understand what a bargain is, and what fulfilling his promises truly means.
The Monasteries of the World action as it can help our sister with her scholarly work, and they played a significant role within our mother's life. Finally, the Hunt for the Artifact as this is what we promised Ayila and finding an artifact of such power should be significant. I've put two influence dice on it as the success is variable so more dice on these options is ideal as it's not just success or failure, and secondly because there are multiple dice being rolled so additional influence is even more efficient.
[X] Plan Poetry In Gold
-[X] The Joy of Matrimony
-[X] Friends In Poem Places
-[X] Unseating the Poet x2
-[X] A Cannoneer's Worth
-[X] Pressed for Time
-[X] Mayhaps to learn
-[X] [Kueli] Mercenary Pasturings
-[X] [Ayila] A Primer On Foreign Magic
-[] At the corner of Empire.
-[X] The Hunt For Fall Artifact
-[X] Embassy Beyond the Mountains x2
Running the synergy of getting control over the poet spot with the Emperor's education and the Poets. We need the Influence it can grant, even if its a trickle.
Never enough actions I swear
-[X] The Joy of Matrimony
-[X] Friends In Poem Places
-[X] Unseating the Poet x2
-[X] A Cannoneer's Worth
-[X] Pressed for Time
-[X] Mayhaps to learn
-[X] [Kueli] Mercenary Pasturings
-[X] [Ayila] A Primer On Foreign Magic
-[] At the corner of Empire.
-[X] The Hunt For Fall Artifact
-[X] Embassy Beyond the Mountains x2
Running the synergy of getting control over the poet spot with the Emperor's education and the Poets. We need the Influence it can grant, even if its a trickle.
Never enough actions I swear
Last edited:
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Oh really, I didn't notice!
Zeitgeist Blue
Currently Made of Metal
- Location
- Manila, Philippines, GMT +8
[X] Plan Emperors, Nations, and Destinies
- [] An Unfinished Play
- [] Unseating the Poet
- [] The Turtle's Shell
- [] Imperial Guards [Kueli]
- [] Mayhaps to learn [x2 Dice]
- [] Followup Notice
- [] Due Diligence
- [] A Primer On Foreign Magic [Ayila]
- [] The Hunt For Fall Artifact
- [] Embassy Beyond the Mountains [x2 Dice]
As can be guessed from the plan name, a lot deals in pursuing our agenda of greater interaction with the outside nations (mostly Bueli and the Southlands through the Turtle and Hari-Su respectively). However, equal priority is given to our actions pursuing our relationship with the Emperor, which I'm sure everyone thinks is a worthy goal.
Unseating the Poet, Imperial Guards, Mayhaps to learn are all Emperor related actions. Mayhaps to learn has two dice on it because it has the most variables, and ones that aren't too favorable with only one die either.
An Unfinished Play, The Turtle's Shell, Followup Notice, A Primer On Foreign Magic are all foreign related actions.
It's stated plainly that there is synergy with The Turtle's Shell and A Primer On Foreign Magic. This would be on the evaluation and testing of the Turtle.
An Unfinished Play and Followup Notice are there to normalize the idea of Csirit to Southland relations (or at least Hari-Su to Southland relations). Also known as a big middle finger to our dad's policy.
The State actions though focuses on Ayila and Hiro. Their paths aren't ours, but there have been hints (or really just clearly stated words) that what will come out of their paths can shake the Empire to its foundations. The fact that their actions require State Influence (our most precious resource) to undertake only supports that something big is coming out of this.
Two dice to Embassy Beyond the Mountains since it has the least chance of success. However, the reason I don't have any actions with synergy to Hari-Nat (aside from Influence scarcity) is that this State Action will take 3 turns. That's a lot, and it's sure to be big if it takes that much. So we can start focusing on the North by then as we've done with the South and are starting with the West.
It is also a binary Pass or Fail action, unlike The Hunt For Fall Artifact which is variable and so will go through no matter what the die roll will be.
- [] An Unfinished Play
- [] Unseating the Poet
- [] The Turtle's Shell
- [] Imperial Guards [Kueli]
- [] Mayhaps to learn [x2 Dice]
- [] Followup Notice
- [] Due Diligence
- [] A Primer On Foreign Magic [Ayila]
- [] The Hunt For Fall Artifact
- [] Embassy Beyond the Mountains [x2 Dice]
As can be guessed from the plan name, a lot deals in pursuing our agenda of greater interaction with the outside nations (mostly Bueli and the Southlands through the Turtle and Hari-Su respectively). However, equal priority is given to our actions pursuing our relationship with the Emperor, which I'm sure everyone thinks is a worthy goal.
Unseating the Poet, Imperial Guards, Mayhaps to learn are all Emperor related actions. Mayhaps to learn has two dice on it because it has the most variables, and ones that aren't too favorable with only one die either.
An Unfinished Play, The Turtle's Shell, Followup Notice, A Primer On Foreign Magic are all foreign related actions.
It's stated plainly that there is synergy with The Turtle's Shell and A Primer On Foreign Magic. This would be on the evaluation and testing of the Turtle.
An Unfinished Play and Followup Notice are there to normalize the idea of Csirit to Southland relations (or at least Hari-Su to Southland relations). Also known as a big middle finger to our dad's policy.
The State actions though focuses on Ayila and Hiro. Their paths aren't ours, but there have been hints (or really just clearly stated words) that what will come out of their paths can shake the Empire to its foundations. The fact that their actions require State Influence (our most precious resource) to undertake only supports that something big is coming out of this.
Two dice to Embassy Beyond the Mountains since it has the least chance of success. However, the reason I don't have any actions with synergy to Hari-Nat (aside from Influence scarcity) is that this State Action will take 3 turns. That's a lot, and it's sure to be big if it takes that much. So we can start focusing on the North by then as we've done with the South and are starting with the West.
It is also a binary Pass or Fail action, unlike The Hunt For Fall Artifact which is variable and so will go through no matter what the die roll will be.
Title: An Unfinished Play
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of success: 80%
Time: 2 Turns.
Text: Kiralo has a play that has yet to be finished, a classic Southlands house-drama of a sort that he had begun to practice writing, having made two of them in the previous year and each a clear improvement over the last (the first being quite dreadful). He could continue his work on this, a link to the Southlands he has left behind. An impressive play can often be a very good way to make a mark among the right sort of community...such as the poets. And in this case, it actually might serve a legitimate purpose as shifting the narrative in favor of wanting to exchange cultural goods with the Southlands.
Title: Unseating the Poet
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy, secondary Intrigue
Chance of Success: 65%
Time: ! Turns
Text: Bei'ren could do it! Possibly. If he made a run at the position and failed, it would be a big problem, but if he succeeded, then it would cement Kiralo's influence and power, and access, over the Emperor, even if it is in a matter not related to the great affairs of state.
Title: The Turtle's Shell
Dice Rolled: Martial and Learning
Chance of Success: Variable
Time: 1 Turn
Text: If the Anlan's design is going to eventually be adopted, a few things will need to be tested. Guns, of the best quality, to adorn them is one. Spirits, of the best quality is another. But both must truly wait at the moment. But the third thing is metal, ready to be shaped in the proper way. While it will be some time before a Turtle can be purchased, perhaps experiments can be made with whether one can imitate the shells as described.
Title: Imperial Guards
Dice Rolled: Martial
Chance of Success: 75%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The army is not the guard, is not the city guard. But the Emperor has his own guards, and it would be remiss to be an Envoy *to* the army *from* the Imperial Seat without gaining a little more understanding of the legendary elite guards who protect the Emperor with their lives. Gaining their trust would be useful, or at least a greater understanding of the famous methods (and some of them are famously secret and no doubt involve the names of hidden spirits) that allow them to do such damage in the name of the Emperor.
Title: Mayhaps to learn
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy, Learning, Stewardship
Chance of Success: 65 (Dip), 40 (Learning), 55 (Stewardship)
Time: 1 Turn
Text: It is time to evaluate the Emperor's education. What does he know, what doesn't he know? What could he be made to know? How honest are his teachers, how politically inclined… and how skilled are they?
Title: Followup Notice
Dice Rolled: Stewardship, Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 65%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Having gotten close to the Hari-Su merchants, he could continue to show interest in their affairs, in the hopes that this strengthens ties and opens up other opportunities, since he's going to be connecting with merchants quite often in the future, more likely than not. He'll have to be careful not to come off as entreating more bribes, or else they'll likely shut him down or, even if they don't, come to distrust him. A man who doesn't stay bought is useless.
Title: Due Diligence
Dice Rolled: 2d50
Chance of Success: N/A
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Now that he's back at court, he has more time to continue studying up on the issues, including the agricultural and leadership ones that have become quite prominent. (Currently at 42/200)
Title: A Primer On Foreign Magic
Dice Rolled: Magic, Ayila's Magic (34)
Chance of Success: 75%
Time: 2 Turns
Text: Kiralo might need to know about the nature of foreign magic. There is only so much that can be learned, but it would be helpful in evaluating the turtle, and any other possible threats, even if it isn't going to play into the war effort. But there is more to it than that, and there is some degree of risk in that studying foreign ways can sometimes be misconstrued as agreeing with them.
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy
Chance of success: 80%
Time: 2 Turns.
Text: Kiralo has a play that has yet to be finished, a classic Southlands house-drama of a sort that he had begun to practice writing, having made two of them in the previous year and each a clear improvement over the last (the first being quite dreadful). He could continue his work on this, a link to the Southlands he has left behind. An impressive play can often be a very good way to make a mark among the right sort of community...such as the poets. And in this case, it actually might serve a legitimate purpose as shifting the narrative in favor of wanting to exchange cultural goods with the Southlands.
Title: Unseating the Poet
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy, secondary Intrigue
Chance of Success: 65%
Time: ! Turns
Text: Bei'ren could do it! Possibly. If he made a run at the position and failed, it would be a big problem, but if he succeeded, then it would cement Kiralo's influence and power, and access, over the Emperor, even if it is in a matter not related to the great affairs of state.
Title: The Turtle's Shell
Dice Rolled: Martial and Learning
Chance of Success: Variable
Time: 1 Turn
Text: If the Anlan's design is going to eventually be adopted, a few things will need to be tested. Guns, of the best quality, to adorn them is one. Spirits, of the best quality is another. But both must truly wait at the moment. But the third thing is metal, ready to be shaped in the proper way. While it will be some time before a Turtle can be purchased, perhaps experiments can be made with whether one can imitate the shells as described.
Title: Imperial Guards
Dice Rolled: Martial
Chance of Success: 75%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: The army is not the guard, is not the city guard. But the Emperor has his own guards, and it would be remiss to be an Envoy *to* the army *from* the Imperial Seat without gaining a little more understanding of the legendary elite guards who protect the Emperor with their lives. Gaining their trust would be useful, or at least a greater understanding of the famous methods (and some of them are famously secret and no doubt involve the names of hidden spirits) that allow them to do such damage in the name of the Emperor.
Title: Mayhaps to learn
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy, Learning, Stewardship
Chance of Success: 65 (Dip), 40 (Learning), 55 (Stewardship)
Time: 1 Turn
Text: It is time to evaluate the Emperor's education. What does he know, what doesn't he know? What could he be made to know? How honest are his teachers, how politically inclined… and how skilled are they?
Title: Followup Notice
Dice Rolled: Stewardship, Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 65%
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Having gotten close to the Hari-Su merchants, he could continue to show interest in their affairs, in the hopes that this strengthens ties and opens up other opportunities, since he's going to be connecting with merchants quite often in the future, more likely than not. He'll have to be careful not to come off as entreating more bribes, or else they'll likely shut him down or, even if they don't, come to distrust him. A man who doesn't stay bought is useless.
Title: Due Diligence
Dice Rolled: 2d50
Chance of Success: N/A
Time: 1 Turn
Text: Now that he's back at court, he has more time to continue studying up on the issues, including the agricultural and leadership ones that have become quite prominent. (Currently at 42/200)
Title: A Primer On Foreign Magic
Dice Rolled: Magic, Ayila's Magic (34)
Chance of Success: 75%
Time: 2 Turns
Text: Kiralo might need to know about the nature of foreign magic. There is only so much that can be learned, but it would be helpful in evaluating the turtle, and any other possible threats, even if it isn't going to play into the war effort. But there is more to it than that, and there is some degree of risk in that studying foreign ways can sometimes be misconstrued as agreeing with them.
Title: The Hunt For Fall Artifact
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy, Stewardship, Magic...
Chance of Success: Variable
Time: 1 Turn, may take additional turns depending on results
Text: Ayila is seeking an artifact of power and worth, for herself, her family, and the future of the world… or something like that. It's destined to help do something great, by the Spirits. Kiralo cannot pretend to entirely understand it, but he understand what a bargain is, and what fulfilling his promises truly means.
Title: Embassy Beyond the Mountains
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy, then Stewardship and Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 40% chance of being agreed upon, Variable chance of how much in the way of resources the Empire is willing to spend, and related chance of success in that regard.
Time: 3 Turns
Text: It is the dream of more than a few men, but it is one that still needs time. Hiro is still navigating the political minefield, but speeding up the process for him can only benefit matters. And might well earn his gratitude. If he wishes to leave in the Spring, he'll need approval within the next two months, though he could leave as late as summer and still have a chance. Winter, though? He needs to be on his way and ready to winter with allies on his road to a people that have been lost in history.
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy, Stewardship, Magic...
Chance of Success: Variable
Time: 1 Turn, may take additional turns depending on results
Text: Ayila is seeking an artifact of power and worth, for herself, her family, and the future of the world… or something like that. It's destined to help do something great, by the Spirits. Kiralo cannot pretend to entirely understand it, but he understand what a bargain is, and what fulfilling his promises truly means.
Title: Embassy Beyond the Mountains
Dice Rolled: Diplomacy, then Stewardship and Diplomacy
Chance of Success: 40% chance of being agreed upon, Variable chance of how much in the way of resources the Empire is willing to spend, and related chance of success in that regard.
Time: 3 Turns
Text: It is the dream of more than a few men, but it is one that still needs time. Hiro is still navigating the political minefield, but speeding up the process for him can only benefit matters. And might well earn his gratitude. If he wishes to leave in the Spring, he'll need approval within the next two months, though he could leave as late as summer and still have a chance. Winter, though? He needs to be on his way and ready to winter with allies on his road to a people that have been lost in history.
Last edited:
Random Member
Gardener of Human Happiness
- Location
- Behind You
[X] Plan Random
-[] Unseating the Poet x2
-[] Mayhaps to learn
Chance to get more control over the Emperor and more Influence. At first I thought about spending 2 Dice on Mayhaps to Learn instead of on Unseating the Poet, but rolling well on Mayhaps isn't as important as rolling well on Unseating right now. And only 1 Dice will remain locked, so it won't cost us anything more next turn.
-[] The Joy of Matrimony
Family, connections, obvious.
-[] A Cannoneer's Worth
The first step to a professional cannon corps, we can use this as part of our reforms.
-[] Pressed for Time
Control over a printing press would be great, but even just assuring that the scholars support or remain neutral on the reforms might free up some of Kuojah's Influence. Might also help with our own reforms.
-[] Serving
I'm... not actually sure what this does, but I thought it might be related to the serving girls. Checking up on them and seeing what we can do with them seems like a good idea.
@The Laurent Could you clarify if this is indeed the case?
EDIT: It's actually about going more servants, but this could get us more Influence in the future. Delegation!
-[][Kueli] Mercenary Pasturings
-[][Ayila] A Primer On Foreign Magic
Kueli to take care of the Rassit and Ayila to study foreign magic, which could be helpful in the future.
-[] The Hunt For Fall Artifact
-[] Embassy Beyond the Mountains x2
We promised to do both of these. Putting 2 Dice on Embassy since it runs for 3 turns so there's more chance of something going wrong than with The Hunt. Besides, only 1 Dice will remain locked on it next turn.
-[] Unseating the Poet x2
-[] Mayhaps to learn
Chance to get more control over the Emperor and more Influence. At first I thought about spending 2 Dice on Mayhaps to Learn instead of on Unseating the Poet, but rolling well on Mayhaps isn't as important as rolling well on Unseating right now. And only 1 Dice will remain locked, so it won't cost us anything more next turn.
-[] The Joy of Matrimony
Family, connections, obvious.
-[] A Cannoneer's Worth
The first step to a professional cannon corps, we can use this as part of our reforms.
-[] Pressed for Time
Control over a printing press would be great, but even just assuring that the scholars support or remain neutral on the reforms might free up some of Kuojah's Influence. Might also help with our own reforms.
-[] Serving
I'm... not actually sure what this does, but I thought it might be related to the serving girls. Checking up on them and seeing what we can do with them seems like a good idea.
@The Laurent Could you clarify if this is indeed the case?
EDIT: It's actually about going more servants, but this could get us more Influence in the future. Delegation!
-[][Kueli] Mercenary Pasturings
-[][Ayila] A Primer On Foreign Magic
Kueli to take care of the Rassit and Ayila to study foreign magic, which could be helpful in the future.
-[] The Hunt For Fall Artifact
-[] Embassy Beyond the Mountains x2
We promised to do both of these. Putting 2 Dice on Embassy since it runs for 3 turns so there's more chance of something going wrong than with The Hunt. Besides, only 1 Dice will remain locked on it next turn.
Last edited:
- Pronouns
- They/Them
No, it's getting more and better servants for a more public role as a policy leader/political power.
Bakkasama
There is always a greater fool
- Location
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Pronouns
- He/his
Question: Does this mean we have 7 or 9 actions? Because I am Reading this as having 7 influence (thus 7 actions) of which we have to use one in Arts and letters because it comes from there; plus two extra influence that can be used in martial and magic because we delegate to Kueli and Ayila. Yet the plans I am looking at have all 7 normal actions.
Edit: Seems like some were modified while I wasn't looking. Or I derped. I probably just derped when Reading.
Last edited:
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Bakkasama
There is always a greater fool
- Location
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Pronouns
- He/his
Title: A Primer On Foreign Magic (Ayila)
Seems right up her alley
Title: Mercenary Pasturings (Kueli)
Necessary for our ponies
Title: A Bonus Worth Having
Title: A Cannoneer's Worth
Both good to keep the veterans in the army.
Title: Friends In Poem Places
Helps deposing the poet later
Title: Pressed for Time
Get control of the press, fast.
Title: The Joy of Matrimony
Title: Money in the City
These seem like they could help each other. Isn't our brother in law a merchant?
Title: Maids!
Pimp brother is best brother. We have to start it eventually.
Seems right up her alley
Title: Mercenary Pasturings (Kueli)
Necessary for our ponies
Title: A Bonus Worth Having
Title: A Cannoneer's Worth
Both good to keep the veterans in the army.
Title: Friends In Poem Places
Helps deposing the poet later
Title: Pressed for Time
Get control of the press, fast.
Title: The Joy of Matrimony
Title: Money in the City
These seem like they could help each other. Isn't our brother in law a merchant?
Title: Maids!
Pimp brother is best brother. We have to start it eventually.
- Location
- Germany
[X] Plan Promises Fulfilled
[X] Maids!
[X] An Unfinished Play
[X] [Kueli] Mercenary Pasturings
[X] A Bonus Worth Having
[X] The Turtle's Shell
[X] Young Snakes, Sharp Fangs
[X] Eunuchs!
[X] Followup Notice
[X] [Ayila] A Primer On Foreign Magic
[X] The Hunt For Fall Artifact x2
[X] The Monasteries of the World
Maids because we promised our sister asex slave maid, so lets get her a maid.
An Unfinished Play and Followup Notice because I would like to get Cs'rae to get used to the idea of more involvement with the Southlands. Eventually, once the chance of success gets better, we could choose Supplicants.
Mercenary Pasturings is just necessary. We need to take care of the Rassit. The are in a foreign land and can't be expected to solve their problems on their own. The Turtle's Shell because tanks. More importantly, we promised to help Juae in introducing the concept for his support in the war.
The administration and bureaucracy is very important in any government, so I chose Eunuchs to gain some influence. I am not that fond of the nobles, but we will need some connections with them. The young nobles are the most likely to listen to Kiralo and will only become more powerful in the future, so Young Snakes, Sharp Fangs.
A Primer On Foreign Magic because it synergizes with The Turtle's Shell.
We promised to help out Ayilah and it sounds pretty damn important, so The Hunt For Fall Artifact. If I read it right it will involve a lot of rolls and I really don't want to screw up a hunt for a major artifact, so it should definitely get two dice.
If there is a theme to this plan, it is to get started on fulfilling all the promises we made to various people, hence the title.
Edit: Added The Turtle's Shell to the votes.
[X] Maids!
[X] An Unfinished Play
[X] [Kueli] Mercenary Pasturings
[X] A Bonus Worth Having
[X] The Turtle's Shell
[X] Young Snakes, Sharp Fangs
[X] Eunuchs!
[X] Followup Notice
[X] [Ayila] A Primer On Foreign Magic
[X] The Hunt For Fall Artifact x2
[X] The Monasteries of the World
Maids because we promised our sister a
An Unfinished Play and Followup Notice because I would like to get Cs'rae to get used to the idea of more involvement with the Southlands. Eventually, once the chance of success gets better, we could choose Supplicants.
Mercenary Pasturings is just necessary. We need to take care of the Rassit. The are in a foreign land and can't be expected to solve their problems on their own. The Turtle's Shell because tanks. More importantly, we promised to help Juae in introducing the concept for his support in the war.
The administration and bureaucracy is very important in any government, so I chose Eunuchs to gain some influence. I am not that fond of the nobles, but we will need some connections with them. The young nobles are the most likely to listen to Kiralo and will only become more powerful in the future, so Young Snakes, Sharp Fangs.
A Primer On Foreign Magic because it synergizes with The Turtle's Shell.
We promised to help out Ayilah and it sounds pretty damn important, so The Hunt For Fall Artifact. If I read it right it will involve a lot of rolls and I really don't want to screw up a hunt for a major artifact, so it should definitely get two dice.
If there is a theme to this plan, it is to get started on fulfilling all the promises we made to various people, hence the title.
Edit: Added The Turtle's Shell to the votes.
Last edited:
- Pronouns
- They/Them
I actually do want to do a post talking about the plans, because a lot of people have started to really 'get' it? And, like, understand how to push certain agendas using certain actions and etc, etc.
Bakkasama
There is always a greater fool
- Location
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Pronouns
- He/his
Like how money is so often mentioned and there are actions to befriend merchants from Yonu, from our brother in law and from hinting at opening trade with the southlands with the play and buying horses from hari-su, which ties nicely with us hinting we want bribes from southern merchants and how we can tie their interests to that of the empire by asking loans for the emperor?
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Ex: Remembering the obligation to Juae, and realizing that the way to increase the odds of Supplicants...
Talking about Synergy, also good.
******
While perhaps slightly hasty on the Embassy (or at least, there are ways to increase the odds based on actions given in this turn), this one realizes the central importance of the Emperor in political affairs, and takes an active interest in that area.
******
I could, and might, talk about the other two plans as well.
Random Member
Gardener of Human Happiness
- Location
- Behind You
Hmm, I suppose that gaining more control over the Emperor would automatically increase Embassy's chances. Maybe I'll put that 2nd Dice on something else then.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
It might, actually, but that wasn't the synergy I was talking about. Also, some of it is a matter of timing and etc. You can totally go for an Embassy now if you're willing to push at it.
Random Member
Gardener of Human Happiness
- Location
- Behind You
[X] Plan Random
-[] Unseating the Poet x2
-[] Mayhaps to learn
-[] The Joy of Matrimony
-[] A Cannoneer's Worth
-[] Pressed for Time
-[] Serving
-[][Kueli] Mercenary Pasturings
-[][Ayila] A Primer On Foreign Magic
-[] The Hunt For Fall Artifact
-[] Embassy Beyond the Mountains
-[] Farthest North
Decided to replace the 2nd Influence on Embassy with Farthest North, for possible synergy between the two. The rest is the same.
-[] Unseating the Poet x2
-[] Mayhaps to learn
-[] The Joy of Matrimony
-[] A Cannoneer's Worth
-[] Pressed for Time
-[] Serving
-[][Kueli] Mercenary Pasturings
-[][Ayila] A Primer On Foreign Magic
-[] The Hunt For Fall Artifact
-[] Embassy Beyond the Mountains
-[] Farthest North
Decided to replace the 2nd Influence on Embassy with Farthest North, for possible synergy between the two. The rest is the same.
[X] Plan Poetry In Gold
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Analysis: It realizes the importance of education, economic advantage, and sets up some good things, though its State Actions seem spread too thin. At least, as a voter I'm usually a cautious sort, and a 40% chance of success, with a bare success not being that great anyways (better rolls mean more resources and goodwill), would make me raise an eyebrow.