[X] Plan Overhauled
-[X] "We speak not of a mortal war here, Minister Tarly. This is not a war of nobles, where one meets in a field to fight over who owns what strip of land. It is not a war of traders, where ships on the sea harass each other over trade routes and gold. They care not for land. They care not for gold. They care not for us. For them, we are nothing more than ore dug from the ground. Something to be taken, purified and cast into a shape that serves their purposes. Killing us is not something they do in furtherance of their goals, but it is the goal itself."
-[X] "This war is a total war. To live is to fight in it, no matter what it is that you do. Every breath we take is defiance of their designs. Every healer is a soldier, fighting day for day to deprive them of what they want to take from us. Every scholar is a soldier, every scrap of knowledge gleamed a chance to forge another blade against our foes. Every artist is a soldier, beating back the despair and keeping our hopes alive so that we fall not prey to their blandishments while we yet live."
-[X] "We can fight this war. We can win this war. To think otherwise is the first step towards defeat. Even as we speak here, we fight this war. Out in the Deep, the Illustrious is being put through her paces while more vessels are worked on in the berths beside her. In the factories, workers labor day and night to fill bombs and shells by the thousands. In Westhaven, soldiers train to hold the line against the onslaught. And there will be more. Weapons greater and more terrible than any man could have dared to imagine. Machines so vast and mighty that even the false gods will learn to fear them."
-[X] "But above all, you must keep the faith. In the Imperium to protect you in life, and in the gods to do so in death. When we are not united. When we waver in our resolve. When all hope seems lost. Then is when they will come to you. Maybe in the flesh. Maybe in your dreams. Maybe as a whisper during your prayers. The will offer you an easy way. They will offer you poison. And if you waver, they will spread it through you."
-[X] "This war is a total war and I have burdened you all with this truth because you too must fight it. Because you too are now soldiers in it. I have forged the Imperium not as a throne for myself, but as another weapon against the darkness around us. And it is through your actions and choices that it will be determined if it will serve that purpose. Before this great and terrible truth of the world, all our labors may seem small and pointless, but only if we labor alone for our own gain. But if are united in mind and purpose, we can fight this war. We can beat them back. And one day, true victory might be within our grasp."
-[X] Ask Mereth to present the military situation on the Planes, taking advantage of the unexpected moment to tact to drive home the notion that your baatezu are in the same boat as the rest of the Realm
-[X] Explain that Mereth's soul, due to a ritual cutting her off from Baator and which you perform on all fiends and most other Outsiders serving you, will be lost and dissipate, unless some astral predator or fiend snatches it up. It is a detail you could not explain in open session when they objected to Iziku, but you trust their loyalty because they trust you with the fate of their very souls.
[X] Plan As Talon, But With Mereth
-[X] "Gods have saved our souls for millenia, and they will continue to do so. The Imperium has helped old Gods such as Yss and Zathir better understand and shelter mortals. It has fought alongside R'hllor's own armies, and as our strength grows we will not only shield the souls of the living and ensure they are safeguarded by kindly Gods : we will continue to oppose the foes of all life in whatever realms they hide." -[X] "I once fought an Archduke of Hell who challenged me over a soul. His skin was made into this cloak, and the souls were freed from his clutches. Victory can be ours, when the time is right and we have the strength to claim it." -[X] "This is a war older than any of us. Your Gods fight for your souls already, and the Blood War between devils and demons has kept them both busy fighting each other for millennia. The horrors out there are many, but they are not united and they strike each other as often as they strike us. We will win this not by fighting them all at once, but by protecting ourselves and making sure each of our assaults brings us one well-timed step closer to victory for all."
-[X] Ask Mereth to present the military situation on the Planes, taking advantage of the unexpected moment to tact to drive home the notion that your baatezu are in the same boat as the rest of the Realm
-[X] Explain that Mereth's soul, due to a ritual cutting her off from Baator and which you perform on all fiends and most other Outsiders serving you, will be lost and dissipate, unless some astral predator or fiend snatches it up. It is a detail you could not explain in open session when they objected to Iziku, but you trust their loyalty because they trust you with the fate of their very souls.
[X] Plan Overhauled
-[X] "We speak not of a mortal war here, Minister Tarly. Our enemies are uncountable and their powers vast. Greater even than that of the Genie Realms and held at bay only through their fights among each other. They bleed and they die, but they will pile their bodies higher than the Wall if that is what it takes and they will do so with little hesitation."
-[X] "This is not a war of nobles, where one meets in a field to fight over who owns what strip of land. It is not a war of traders, where ships on the sea harass each other over trade routes and gold. They care not for land. They care not for gold. They care not for us. For them, we are nothing more than ore dug from the ground. Something to be taken, purified and cast into a shape that serves their purposes."
-[X] "This war is a total war. To live is to fight in it, no matter what it is that you do. Every breath we take is defiance of their designs. Every healer is a soldier, fighting day for day to deprive them of what they want to take from us. Every scholar is a soldier, every scrap of knowledge gleamed a chance to forge another blade against our foes. Every artist is a soldier, beating back the despair and keeping our hopes alive so that we fall not prey to their blandishments while we yet live."
-[X] "We can fight this war. We can win this war. To think otherwise is the first step towards defeat. Even as we speak here, we fight this war. Out in the Deep, the Illustrious is being put through her paces while more vessels are worked on in the berths beside her. In the factories, workers labor day and night to fill bombs and shells by the thousands. In Westhaven, soldiers train to hold the line against the onslaught. And there will be more. Weapons greater and more terrible than any man could have dared to imagine. Machines so vast and mighty that even the false gods will learn to fear them."
-[X] "But above all, you must keep the faith. In the Imperium to protect you in life, and in the gods to do so in death. When we are not united. When we waver in our resolve. When all hope seems lost. Then is when they will come to you. Maybe in the flesh. Maybe in your dreams. Maybe as a whisper during your prayers. The will offer you an easy way. They will offer you poison. And if you waver, they will spread it through you."
-[X] "This war is a total war and I have burdened you all with this truth because you too must fight it. Because you too are now soldiers in it. I have forged the Imperium not as a throne for myself, but as another weapon against the darkness around us. And it is through your actions and choices that it will be determined if it will serve that purpose. Before this great and terrible truth of the world, all our labors may seem small and pointless, but only if we labor alone for our own gain. But if are united in mind and purpose, we can fight this war. We can beat them back. And one day, true victory might be within our grasp."
-[X] Ask Mereth to present the military situation on the Planes, taking advantage of the unexpected moment to tact to drive home the notion that your baatezu are in the same boat as the rest of the Realm
-[X] Explain that Mereth's soul, due to a ritual cutting her off from Baator and which you perform on all fiends and most other Outsiders serving you, will be lost and dissipate, unless some astral predator or fiend snatches it up. It is a detail you could not explain in open session when they objected to Iziku, but you trust their loyalty because they trust you with the fate of their very souls.
[X] Ask Mereth to present the military situation on the Planes, taking advantage of the unexpected moment to tact to drive home the notion that your baatezu are in the same boat as the rest of the Realm
[X] Ask Mereth to present the military situation on the Planes, taking advantage of the unexpected moment of tact to drive home the notion that your baatezu are in the same boat as the rest of the Realm
-[x] have Yrael and Mereth prepare a presentation for future briefings on the status of the realms.
[X] "Yes they do." -[X] "Even their lords." Fiddle with your cloak. "An Archduke's hide is a hell of a source material." -[X] "Do you wish to take the fight to them? Why do you think I had this Imperium formed?"
