Behind the Serpent Throne (CK2)
- Thread starter The Laurent
- Start date
- Original Fantasy
[X] Agree
-[X] Pump Jinhai for information on the East, the Sea-Raisers, the Sea-People, etc. This is likely where the next war will be fought.
-[X] Pump Jinhai for information on the East, the Sea-Raisers, the Sea-People, etc. This is likely where the next war will be fought.
- Location
- ?
Reading the update again, I remain content with winning combo, even if I do wonder about the path not taken, so to speak.
It will be sad to see him dead though. Was his position predetermined, or could things in the background have happened differently enough that it wouldn't come to civil war?
It's been a while, I can't quite recall... might be a sign I need to reread the quest ^^'
It will be sad to see him dead though. Was his position predetermined, or could things in the background have happened differently enough that it wouldn't come to civil war?
It's been a while, I can't quite recall... might be a sign I need to reread the quest ^^'
[X] Agree
-[X] Pump Jinhai for information on the East, the Sea-Raisers, the Sea-People, etc. This is likely where the next war will be fought.
While I like the idea of the vote, it's not really correct about the next war will be fought there as technically Csirit is already being invaded by both the Buelli and the Sea Raiders so it's happening right now, on both the east and west of the nation.
Although as I've previously mentioned, we're actually in a rather perfect position to respond adequately now as the major costs for a campaign is just raising the troops and training them in the first place, followed by organizing the logistical infrastructure, bureaucracy and support staff they require. With us already having several raised armies, after this Csirit really should be capitalizing on it and pushing both forces back, particularly as the Irit army hasn't fought a pitched battle yet.
-[X] Pump Jinhai for information on the East, the Sea-Raisers, the Sea-People, etc. This is likely where the next war will be fought.
While I like the idea of the vote, it's not really correct about the next war will be fought there as technically Csirit is already being invaded by both the Buelli and the Sea Raiders so it's happening right now, on both the east and west of the nation.
Although as I've previously mentioned, we're actually in a rather perfect position to respond adequately now as the major costs for a campaign is just raising the troops and training them in the first place, followed by organizing the logistical infrastructure, bureaucracy and support staff they require. With us already having several raised armies, after this Csirit really should be capitalizing on it and pushing both forces back, particularly as the Irit army hasn't fought a pitched battle yet.
You are ignoring content by this member.
Show ignored content
Is this agreement to all of his requests, or just the last one?
Zeitgeist Blue
Currently Made of Metal
- Location
- Manila, Philippines, GMT +8
[X] Agree
-[X] Pump Jinhai for information on the East, the Sea-Raisers, the Sea-People, etc. This is likely where the next war will be fought.
-[X] Pump Jinhai for information on the East, the Sea-Raisers, the Sea-People, etc. This is likely where the next war will be fought.
If he was being completely honest...I think if we had spent a lot of effort reaching out to him and building a relationship this could have been averted.
But then the half dozen other fires we were busy dousing, the credit we'd have been building, etc wouldn't be done, so we'd probably see another department go rogue.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Vote closes tomorrow evening.
slybrarian
Creature of Fable
- Location
- A Far and Sunless Land
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Agree
-[X] Pump Jinhai for information on the East, the Sea-Raisers, the Sea-People, etc. This is likely where the next war will be fought.
-[X] Pump Jinhai for information on the East, the Sea-Raisers, the Sea-People, etc. This is likely where the next war will be fought.
Random Member
Gardener of Human Happiness
- Location
- Behind You
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Sixteen is, but as far as it goes, the "Traditional" age varies widely, but it's usually known/thought that fifteen, or so, is too close to 16.
Random Member
Gardener of Human Happiness
- Location
- Behind You
Yeah, if 16 is considered the age of adulthood, there's not much time to reeducate kids of 14-15.
[X] Promise only to spare family under the age of fourteen (so thirteen and younger), not sixteen as the Prince asked. Agree to the rest.
-[X] Pump Jinhai for information on the East, the Sea-Raiders, the Sea-People, etc. This is likely where the next war will be fought.
[X] Promise only to spare family under the age of fourteen (so thirteen and younger), not sixteen as the Prince asked. Agree to the rest.
-[X] Pump Jinhai for information on the East, the Sea-Raiders, the Sea-People, etc. This is likely where the next war will be fought.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Vote closed.
Turn 12: After the Battle--Part 3
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Turn 12: After the Battle--Part 3
[X] Agree
-[X] Pump Jinhai for information on the East, the Sea-Raisers, the Sea-People, etc. This is likely where the next war will be fought.
Kiralo didn't trust Jinhai. The man had started a civil war. No matter his supposed goal, Kiralo could not imagine that ambition and desire for power wasn't a part of it as well. The man was a Prince, and he could have done many other things to achieve his goal. So Kiralo did not entirely buy what Jinhai was saying.
Ultimately, it was unseemly greed and lust for power that had driven them here, and Kiralo thought about all of the dead that had been cast aside in the pursuit of his goal. Did he truly regret it? Kiralo wasn't sure, frowning at this man who had opened himself up and revealed too much and too little.
"I… agree, on a condition."
"Probably," Jinhai said, shortly.
"Information about the Sea-Raiders. They're the next enemy to go against. The next enemy to vanquish," Kiralo said, quietly.
"Ah. I have fought them before. What do you want to know?"
"How did you get so many as slaves?" Kiralo asked.
"We captured them a year ago, maybe a little more. I was thinking of using them for information, but they knew nothing new, and the 'berserkers'--" the foreign word stood out, bizarre and nonsensical, "were both dangerous, stupid, and powerful. The Sea-Raiders are just what their name suggests. They raid, and so this coming in force, I believe it is politics."
"Politics?" Kiralo asked.
"The Typhoon, or so they call him, is a powerful lord in a fractured country. He wishes to gain ascendance, or so I've been told by my spies. He is going to grab as much as he can, and then he's going to leave to use our wealth to rise up to a level of power that will allow him to conquer their strange, mountainous homeland."
"Mountainous?" Kiralo asked, carefully.
"Yes. They have horses and archers, but they've always been a little like the Bueli, and when they developed cannons from raiding us, they took it farther, because no point of their land is all that far from the sea, and even when it's in the mountains, that just makes the cannon a better weapon.
And their use of spirits in tools is a reaction, at least initially, to a lack of resources. The iron and the steel in their island chains is… subpar." Jinhai shook his head, waiting for Kiralo to absorb this information and ask more.
"So they make up for it, and more, with spirits, and so where do their berserkers come in?"
"It's simple. They're people who call the spirits together and use them on their own minds. They drive themselves to violence everlasting, or so they claim, burning out their very bodies and their lives with the might of the spirits. There are even legends of people not merely using a Great Spirit, but being possessed with one, or containing one within themselves. Of course, this would be madness… but then, who ever said they were not mad?"
Kiralo frowned. "I'm not used to war at sea, but I do know that getting stuck in like that has to be a negative. It should mean that he shouldn't be able to retreat as easily."
"In theory. In practice the Empire is too big, far too big, for trapping him. If he gets control of even a single city, he can use it as a clearinghouse."
Kiralo knew the answer immediately. The problem was that it wasn't the right answer. The answer was: just let the raiding go, use force to make it not advisable to continue, and he'll leave with the winter storms to return to his home and act like a Typhoon there. But there was no way that wouldn't weaken and hurt Csirit. After the victory with the Sea People, it had seemed that perhaps the Sea-Raiders would be dissuaded from doing too much. Now it seemed as if a defeat would tell them it was open season.
"I can see your logic," Jinhai admitted. "You're right. You probably have a better idea than I about how to go about it, given time and access to good maps. But you know, as well as I, that that isn't acceptable, either politically or practically. The wise man does only what can be done."
Kiralo sighed. "However," he said, thinking. "What about a coastal advance combined with a push into the hinterlands?"
"Say again?"
"It's a thought, at least. Ships are going to be going up and down the coast raiding, correct?" Kiralo asked.
"Yes."
"Imagine if they had to spread out even further to try to counter the march up and down. I know he doesn't have the numbers, does he, to fight the entire army we could bring? Attack from three places at once…"
"And bankrupt the Empire," Jinhai said, but it sounded as if he were thinking about it for a moment. "They want an easy fight, that much is obvious. They're bandits, deep down, bandits who have far more power and pride than most bandits."
Kiralo understood that. There was a line, between bandits and the Rassit, between those who would do anything to win, including raiding, and those for whom their raiding was the heart of their military effort. Everything else was just an excuse, Kiralo decided, after a long moment of consideration.
"Pride can be humbled," Kiralo said quietly, as he imagined this Typhoon. As he imagined this army, spreading out, fighting for plunder. Defeat was toxic to any army, but for an army that existed only for plunder?
He had to hope that a sharp, strong defeat would drive them off. Not a victory, not some total defeat that drove the Sea-Raiders back. And the one time that the land of the Sea-Raiders had been invaded by Csirit, it had ended in some disaster and destruction for both sides, and ultimately defeat.
But it would stretch the treasury, certainly. It depended on the response that worked best, and that depended on far too much in the way of politics and the counting of coins. Even feeding this army to stay here a short time would be a massive task, now that there was an entire other army to also feed.
The logistics were enough to send one's head spinning.
"Maybe they can be," Jinhai said. "That's another victory for you if you, or someone, can manage it."
"And the Sea People?"
"I am not a man of tradition. Or at least, not the sorts of traditions that make one want to never work with such as them. They are strange, yes, perhaps even inhuman, but even the Sea-Raiders are nothing against their boatmen and their ships. They're too skilled, and too in tune, and even without that, there's a certain technology they have…"
"What?" Kiralo asked.
"They can make explosive powder that can survive the wet and damp. At the battle, they used this to their advantage. They planted strange underwater bombs on the enemy's ships, and then cut them off with their own ships." Jinhai shook his head. "But as allies, you'd need to pay them, or create friendship with them, and what do you think the court will say to that?"
Kiralo considered this for a long moment, and then shook his head. "They will say what I want them to say, before too long. I mean to advise the Emperor well to turn away from base fears."
"It's a cost, but besides the obvious, there's the fact that they have access to strange and exotic materials. It's worth it for the merchants, but at the same time, what do their voices mean at court? Especially when they're going to be overthrown and killed for their association with me in Hari-Os."
Jinhai shrugged. "I've hurt your potential allies, if you really wish to follow such a path. They're going to be dead, or at least very quiet. I almost regret it. Or maybe I regret it quite a lot, but not because of your troubles."
"You're selfish. I can't blame you, at least in this one respect," Kiralo admitted. Jinhai was thinking about his death, and here Kiralo was asking about information about the Sea-Raiders. And of course, Kiralo hadn't even begun to ask all of the questions he wanted to know. "But I can ask you, if you wish for me to support this line, that you should find, if you have a brush and paper, that you should write that and far more. Every scrap of information you have on them, including the specifics of their spirit-lore, written down where I can consult it. I know there are far more details. How does their logistics chain work? Is it entirely centered around theft, or do they also fish, or co-opt the local economy for more than just looting and plunder? What about their ships, what are their masts and speeds? And their raiders? How many."
Jinhai looked taken aback, sitting there. "You are a very thorough man. I can imagine you with a scheme already, a plan."
"I plan, once this day is done, to lie down on some soft surface and sleep," Kiralo said. He was telling the truth. He was too clear of a thinker to make plans as exhausted as he was. He'd read Jinhai's writing, and think on his words, in the morning. But the more information he had now, the more likely that one God or another might bless him with an answer in his dreams. Dreams were how humans communicated not only with the divine, but with themselves.
A person saw themselves as a boat on the river, whereas they were the river itself, with depths that the boatman himself didn't understand. That was the claim of Mencinus, and since Jinhai was in the habit of quoting, without even thinking about it, the sayings of ancient thinkers, then why shouldn't Kiralo join in?
It was clearly a reflex, and a fascinating one at that. It felt like what his father must have once been like, before he drew himself too far out into tradition, until he became a living statue. It must have been the version of his father that his mother had loved falsely, before she awakened, in part, to the true Kuojah.
"Your troubles follow you into sleep. Into bed. They'll tug at your ears and whisper profane ideas in them when you look up to see what they want." Jinhai shook his head. "But I wish you the best of luck, as much as I can right now. I assume this interview is over?"
Kiralo frowned, looking at Jinhai, wondering what lies he's told and what truths he's withheld. There was no doubt that he'd done so.
"It is, I suppose," Kiralo said. "You will be kept in relative comfort, though we will watch for any suicide attempts. You cannot kill yourself."
"That's your job, isn't it?" Jinhai asked.
Kiralo shrugged. "It's the Empire's job. I'll keep to my deal if you keep to yours."
Jinhai is almost out the door, hauled by guards, when he says it. "Just to tell you, I still have allies within the court. They will hate you, and fear that you will expose them. They might even murder you."
"And you can do nothing about that?" Kiralo asked.
Jinhai only smiled, which was an answer, more of an answer than was needed. Of course he couldn't. Kiralo was not an ally, and he had apparently decided not to kill as many of his friends as possible on the way to the execution grounds.
Yet he had felt the need to warn Kiralo. Because he was worried?
Kiralo frowned. Jinhai left like a man lightened of all his burdens, walking with his head held high.
At least one of them had gotten what they wanted.
Of course, it'd help if Kiralo had known what he had expected. Instead, he'd just felt like he wanted to meet Jinhai, at least once before it was all over, as it would be before too long.
For Jinhai.
The thing the meeting had convinced him of most was that it'd never end, for Kiralo. Not until he was dead. There'd always be another horizon, and always another foe.
For better and worse.
*******
What to do with the rest of the day? (Choose 3)
[] Greet the Governor of Hari-nat, his son, and the others when they arrive. They could have turned the tide of the battle, and they might well be feeling guilty--and secretly annoyed--that they helped only a little in the final victory.
[] Talk to Jun, and other generals. Try to check in with them and their reading of the men and the materials to make sure all is as it should be.
[] Talk to Kueli. He knows the will and mood of the Rassit, and just as importantly, he probably knows logistics better than most. He could perhaps help with that too.
[] Pray for the souls of the dead, and try to cleanse and purify oneself, even if you don't have a stream or a lake.
[] Meet with Ayila. She did something great and terrible and astounding, and more than that, in the end he'll owe her quite a lot, and she will have to move on, eventually, for this was meant to be a side-journey at most for her. It won't be immediately, because she wanted and needed his help, but…
[] Write a letter to the Emperor, a letter ot court, and a letter to his father, explaining his actions and his victory. Now is the time to strike while the iron is hot, perhaps. The rumors and understanding of what happened here need to be shaped properly… and without humility, either. And with a good deal of self-justification. It's not impossibly vital, but it is definitely not a waste of time.
[] Talk with Qing'lu, General of the South, about the politics and the political implications. He's probably the person whose opinion and actions matter most who is also present, being a major political player within the army in his own right. This is, or could be, his victory as well.
******
A/N: And there we go. I hope you enjoyed. We're only one update away from getting to the big vote you've all been waiting for, which will decide how the next part of the story goes. Hope you're all enjoying this.
[X] Agree
-[X] Pump Jinhai for information on the East, the Sea-Raisers, the Sea-People, etc. This is likely where the next war will be fought.
Kiralo didn't trust Jinhai. The man had started a civil war. No matter his supposed goal, Kiralo could not imagine that ambition and desire for power wasn't a part of it as well. The man was a Prince, and he could have done many other things to achieve his goal. So Kiralo did not entirely buy what Jinhai was saying.
Ultimately, it was unseemly greed and lust for power that had driven them here, and Kiralo thought about all of the dead that had been cast aside in the pursuit of his goal. Did he truly regret it? Kiralo wasn't sure, frowning at this man who had opened himself up and revealed too much and too little.
"I… agree, on a condition."
"Probably," Jinhai said, shortly.
"Information about the Sea-Raiders. They're the next enemy to go against. The next enemy to vanquish," Kiralo said, quietly.
"Ah. I have fought them before. What do you want to know?"
"How did you get so many as slaves?" Kiralo asked.
"We captured them a year ago, maybe a little more. I was thinking of using them for information, but they knew nothing new, and the 'berserkers'--" the foreign word stood out, bizarre and nonsensical, "were both dangerous, stupid, and powerful. The Sea-Raiders are just what their name suggests. They raid, and so this coming in force, I believe it is politics."
"Politics?" Kiralo asked.
"The Typhoon, or so they call him, is a powerful lord in a fractured country. He wishes to gain ascendance, or so I've been told by my spies. He is going to grab as much as he can, and then he's going to leave to use our wealth to rise up to a level of power that will allow him to conquer their strange, mountainous homeland."
"Mountainous?" Kiralo asked, carefully.
"Yes. They have horses and archers, but they've always been a little like the Bueli, and when they developed cannons from raiding us, they took it farther, because no point of their land is all that far from the sea, and even when it's in the mountains, that just makes the cannon a better weapon.
And their use of spirits in tools is a reaction, at least initially, to a lack of resources. The iron and the steel in their island chains is… subpar." Jinhai shook his head, waiting for Kiralo to absorb this information and ask more.
"So they make up for it, and more, with spirits, and so where do their berserkers come in?"
"It's simple. They're people who call the spirits together and use them on their own minds. They drive themselves to violence everlasting, or so they claim, burning out their very bodies and their lives with the might of the spirits. There are even legends of people not merely using a Great Spirit, but being possessed with one, or containing one within themselves. Of course, this would be madness… but then, who ever said they were not mad?"
Kiralo frowned. "I'm not used to war at sea, but I do know that getting stuck in like that has to be a negative. It should mean that he shouldn't be able to retreat as easily."
"In theory. In practice the Empire is too big, far too big, for trapping him. If he gets control of even a single city, he can use it as a clearinghouse."
Kiralo knew the answer immediately. The problem was that it wasn't the right answer. The answer was: just let the raiding go, use force to make it not advisable to continue, and he'll leave with the winter storms to return to his home and act like a Typhoon there. But there was no way that wouldn't weaken and hurt Csirit. After the victory with the Sea People, it had seemed that perhaps the Sea-Raiders would be dissuaded from doing too much. Now it seemed as if a defeat would tell them it was open season.
"I can see your logic," Jinhai admitted. "You're right. You probably have a better idea than I about how to go about it, given time and access to good maps. But you know, as well as I, that that isn't acceptable, either politically or practically. The wise man does only what can be done."
Kiralo sighed. "However," he said, thinking. "What about a coastal advance combined with a push into the hinterlands?"
"Say again?"
"It's a thought, at least. Ships are going to be going up and down the coast raiding, correct?" Kiralo asked.
"Yes."
"Imagine if they had to spread out even further to try to counter the march up and down. I know he doesn't have the numbers, does he, to fight the entire army we could bring? Attack from three places at once…"
"And bankrupt the Empire," Jinhai said, but it sounded as if he were thinking about it for a moment. "They want an easy fight, that much is obvious. They're bandits, deep down, bandits who have far more power and pride than most bandits."
Kiralo understood that. There was a line, between bandits and the Rassit, between those who would do anything to win, including raiding, and those for whom their raiding was the heart of their military effort. Everything else was just an excuse, Kiralo decided, after a long moment of consideration.
"Pride can be humbled," Kiralo said quietly, as he imagined this Typhoon. As he imagined this army, spreading out, fighting for plunder. Defeat was toxic to any army, but for an army that existed only for plunder?
He had to hope that a sharp, strong defeat would drive them off. Not a victory, not some total defeat that drove the Sea-Raiders back. And the one time that the land of the Sea-Raiders had been invaded by Csirit, it had ended in some disaster and destruction for both sides, and ultimately defeat.
But it would stretch the treasury, certainly. It depended on the response that worked best, and that depended on far too much in the way of politics and the counting of coins. Even feeding this army to stay here a short time would be a massive task, now that there was an entire other army to also feed.
The logistics were enough to send one's head spinning.
"Maybe they can be," Jinhai said. "That's another victory for you if you, or someone, can manage it."
"And the Sea People?"
"I am not a man of tradition. Or at least, not the sorts of traditions that make one want to never work with such as them. They are strange, yes, perhaps even inhuman, but even the Sea-Raiders are nothing against their boatmen and their ships. They're too skilled, and too in tune, and even without that, there's a certain technology they have…"
"What?" Kiralo asked.
"They can make explosive powder that can survive the wet and damp. At the battle, they used this to their advantage. They planted strange underwater bombs on the enemy's ships, and then cut them off with their own ships." Jinhai shook his head. "But as allies, you'd need to pay them, or create friendship with them, and what do you think the court will say to that?"
Kiralo considered this for a long moment, and then shook his head. "They will say what I want them to say, before too long. I mean to advise the Emperor well to turn away from base fears."
"It's a cost, but besides the obvious, there's the fact that they have access to strange and exotic materials. It's worth it for the merchants, but at the same time, what do their voices mean at court? Especially when they're going to be overthrown and killed for their association with me in Hari-Os."
Jinhai shrugged. "I've hurt your potential allies, if you really wish to follow such a path. They're going to be dead, or at least very quiet. I almost regret it. Or maybe I regret it quite a lot, but not because of your troubles."
"You're selfish. I can't blame you, at least in this one respect," Kiralo admitted. Jinhai was thinking about his death, and here Kiralo was asking about information about the Sea-Raiders. And of course, Kiralo hadn't even begun to ask all of the questions he wanted to know. "But I can ask you, if you wish for me to support this line, that you should find, if you have a brush and paper, that you should write that and far more. Every scrap of information you have on them, including the specifics of their spirit-lore, written down where I can consult it. I know there are far more details. How does their logistics chain work? Is it entirely centered around theft, or do they also fish, or co-opt the local economy for more than just looting and plunder? What about their ships, what are their masts and speeds? And their raiders? How many."
Jinhai looked taken aback, sitting there. "You are a very thorough man. I can imagine you with a scheme already, a plan."
"I plan, once this day is done, to lie down on some soft surface and sleep," Kiralo said. He was telling the truth. He was too clear of a thinker to make plans as exhausted as he was. He'd read Jinhai's writing, and think on his words, in the morning. But the more information he had now, the more likely that one God or another might bless him with an answer in his dreams. Dreams were how humans communicated not only with the divine, but with themselves.
A person saw themselves as a boat on the river, whereas they were the river itself, with depths that the boatman himself didn't understand. That was the claim of Mencinus, and since Jinhai was in the habit of quoting, without even thinking about it, the sayings of ancient thinkers, then why shouldn't Kiralo join in?
It was clearly a reflex, and a fascinating one at that. It felt like what his father must have once been like, before he drew himself too far out into tradition, until he became a living statue. It must have been the version of his father that his mother had loved falsely, before she awakened, in part, to the true Kuojah.
"Your troubles follow you into sleep. Into bed. They'll tug at your ears and whisper profane ideas in them when you look up to see what they want." Jinhai shook his head. "But I wish you the best of luck, as much as I can right now. I assume this interview is over?"
Kiralo frowned, looking at Jinhai, wondering what lies he's told and what truths he's withheld. There was no doubt that he'd done so.
"It is, I suppose," Kiralo said. "You will be kept in relative comfort, though we will watch for any suicide attempts. You cannot kill yourself."
"That's your job, isn't it?" Jinhai asked.
Kiralo shrugged. "It's the Empire's job. I'll keep to my deal if you keep to yours."
Jinhai is almost out the door, hauled by guards, when he says it. "Just to tell you, I still have allies within the court. They will hate you, and fear that you will expose them. They might even murder you."
"And you can do nothing about that?" Kiralo asked.
Jinhai only smiled, which was an answer, more of an answer than was needed. Of course he couldn't. Kiralo was not an ally, and he had apparently decided not to kill as many of his friends as possible on the way to the execution grounds.
Yet he had felt the need to warn Kiralo. Because he was worried?
Kiralo frowned. Jinhai left like a man lightened of all his burdens, walking with his head held high.
At least one of them had gotten what they wanted.
Of course, it'd help if Kiralo had known what he had expected. Instead, he'd just felt like he wanted to meet Jinhai, at least once before it was all over, as it would be before too long.
For Jinhai.
The thing the meeting had convinced him of most was that it'd never end, for Kiralo. Not until he was dead. There'd always be another horizon, and always another foe.
For better and worse.
*******
What to do with the rest of the day? (Choose 3)
[] Greet the Governor of Hari-nat, his son, and the others when they arrive. They could have turned the tide of the battle, and they might well be feeling guilty--and secretly annoyed--that they helped only a little in the final victory.
[] Talk to Jun, and other generals. Try to check in with them and their reading of the men and the materials to make sure all is as it should be.
[] Talk to Kueli. He knows the will and mood of the Rassit, and just as importantly, he probably knows logistics better than most. He could perhaps help with that too.
[] Pray for the souls of the dead, and try to cleanse and purify oneself, even if you don't have a stream or a lake.
[] Meet with Ayila. She did something great and terrible and astounding, and more than that, in the end he'll owe her quite a lot, and she will have to move on, eventually, for this was meant to be a side-journey at most for her. It won't be immediately, because she wanted and needed his help, but…
[] Write a letter to the Emperor, a letter ot court, and a letter to his father, explaining his actions and his victory. Now is the time to strike while the iron is hot, perhaps. The rumors and understanding of what happened here need to be shaped properly… and without humility, either. And with a good deal of self-justification. It's not impossibly vital, but it is definitely not a waste of time.
[] Talk with Qing'lu, General of the South, about the politics and the political implications. He's probably the person whose opinion and actions matter most who is also present, being a major political player within the army in his own right. This is, or could be, his victory as well.
******
A/N: And there we go. I hope you enjoyed. We're only one update away from getting to the big vote you've all been waiting for, which will decide how the next part of the story goes. Hope you're all enjoying this.
[X] Pray for the souls of the dead, and try to cleanse and purify oneself, even if you don't have a stream or a lake.
[X] Greet the Governor of Hari-nat, his son, and the others when they arrive. They could have turned the tide of the battle, and they might well be feeling guilty--and secretly annoyed--that they helped only a little in the final victory.
[X] Talk with Qing'lu, General of the South, about the politics and the political implications. He's probably the person whose opinion and actions matter most who is also present, being a major political player within the army in his own right. This is, or could be, his victory as well.
Proper cleansing and high politics first. The people on the ground are willing to wait a time. The elite won't, nor will the spirits.
That and Kiralo needs to recenter himself.
[X] Greet the Governor of Hari-nat, his son, and the others when they arrive. They could have turned the tide of the battle, and they might well be feeling guilty--and secretly annoyed--that they helped only a little in the final victory.
[X] Talk with Qing'lu, General of the South, about the politics and the political implications. He's probably the person whose opinion and actions matter most who is also present, being a major political player within the army in his own right. This is, or could be, his victory as well.
Proper cleansing and high politics first. The people on the ground are willing to wait a time. The elite won't, nor will the spirits.
That and Kiralo needs to recenter himself.
keios
very normal
- Location
- US
[X] Pray for the souls of the dead, and try to cleanse and purify oneself, even if you don't have a stream or a lake.
[X] Meet with Ayila. She did something great and terrible and astounding, and more than that, in the end he'll owe her quite a lot, and she will have to move on, eventually, for this was meant to be a side-journey at most for her. It won't be immediately, because she wanted and needed his help, but…
[X] Talk with Qing'lu, General of the South, about the politics and the political implications. He's probably the person whose opinion and actions matter most who is also present, being a major political player within the army in his own right. This is, or could be, his victory as well.
-----
Thanks for these last few chapters, @The Laurent. I love this quest: it's sweeping and epic, and yet human at every level. (Also, Jinhai did not disappoint in person! Being in his head was quite fun.) And these two chapters really brought the end of the battle to home emotionally.
[X] Meet with Ayila. She did something great and terrible and astounding, and more than that, in the end he'll owe her quite a lot, and she will have to move on, eventually, for this was meant to be a side-journey at most for her. It won't be immediately, because she wanted and needed his help, but…
[X] Talk with Qing'lu, General of the South, about the politics and the political implications. He's probably the person whose opinion and actions matter most who is also present, being a major political player within the army in his own right. This is, or could be, his victory as well.
-----
Thanks for these last few chapters, @The Laurent. I love this quest: it's sweeping and epic, and yet human at every level. (Also, Jinhai did not disappoint in person! Being in his head was quite fun.) And these two chapters really brought the end of the battle to home emotionally.
- Location
- Virginia
[X] Meet with Ayila. She did something great and terrible and astounding, and more than that, in the end he'll owe her quite a lot, and she will have to move on, eventually, for this was meant to be a side-journey at most for her. It won't be immediately, because she wanted and needed his help, but…
[X] Write a letter to the Emperor, a letter ot court, and a letter to his father, explaining his actions and his victory. Now is the time to strike while the iron is hot, perhaps. The rumors and understanding of what happened here need to be shaped properly… and without humility, either. And with a good deal of self-justification. It's not impossibly vital, but it is definitely not a waste of time.
[X] Talk with Qing'lu, General of the South, about the politics and the political implications. He's probably the person whose opinion and actions matter most who is also present, being a major political player within the army in his own right. This is, or could be, his victory as well.
[X] Write a letter to the Emperor, a letter ot court, and a letter to his father, explaining his actions and his victory. Now is the time to strike while the iron is hot, perhaps. The rumors and understanding of what happened here need to be shaped properly… and without humility, either. And with a good deal of self-justification. It's not impossibly vital, but it is definitely not a waste of time.
[X] Talk with Qing'lu, General of the South, about the politics and the political implications. He's probably the person whose opinion and actions matter most who is also present, being a major political player within the army in his own right. This is, or could be, his victory as well.
Random Member
Gardener of Human Happiness
- Location
- Behind You
[X] Greet the Governor of Hari-nat, his son, and the others when they arrive. They could have turned the tide of the battle, and they might well be feeling guilty--and secretly annoyed--that they helped only a little in the final victory.
[] Talk to Jun, and other generals. Try to check in with them and their reading of the men and the materials to make sure all is as it should be.
[] Talk to Kueli. He knows the will and mood of the Rassit, and just as importantly, he probably knows logistics better than most. He could perhaps help with that too.
[X] Pray for the souls of the dead, and try to cleanse and purify oneself, even if you don't have a stream or a lake.
[] Meet with Ayila. She did something great and terrible and astounding, and more than that, in the end he'll owe her quite a lot, and she will have to move on, eventually, for this was meant to be a side-journey at most for her. It won't be immediately, because she wanted and needed his help, but…
[] Write a letter to the Emperor, a letter ot court, and a letter to his father, explaining his actions and his victory. Now is the time to strike while the iron is hot, perhaps. The rumors and understanding of what happened here need to be shaped properly… and without humility, either. And with a good deal of self-justification. It's not impossibly vital, but it is definitely not a waste of time.
[X] Talk with Qing'lu, General of the South, about the politics and the political implications. He's probably the person whose opinion and actions matter most who is also present, being a major political player within the army in his own right. This is, or could be, his victory as well.
Praying here just seems like something Kiralo would do. The other two is to get the politics out of the way quickly.
[] Talk to Jun, and other generals. Try to check in with them and their reading of the men and the materials to make sure all is as it should be.
[] Talk to Kueli. He knows the will and mood of the Rassit, and just as importantly, he probably knows logistics better than most. He could perhaps help with that too.
[X] Pray for the souls of the dead, and try to cleanse and purify oneself, even if you don't have a stream or a lake.
[] Meet with Ayila. She did something great and terrible and astounding, and more than that, in the end he'll owe her quite a lot, and she will have to move on, eventually, for this was meant to be a side-journey at most for her. It won't be immediately, because she wanted and needed his help, but…
[] Write a letter to the Emperor, a letter ot court, and a letter to his father, explaining his actions and his victory. Now is the time to strike while the iron is hot, perhaps. The rumors and understanding of what happened here need to be shaped properly… and without humility, either. And with a good deal of self-justification. It's not impossibly vital, but it is definitely not a waste of time.
[X] Talk with Qing'lu, General of the South, about the politics and the political implications. He's probably the person whose opinion and actions matter most who is also present, being a major political player within the army in his own right. This is, or could be, his victory as well.
Praying here just seems like something Kiralo would do. The other two is to get the politics out of the way quickly.
- Location
- ?
[X] Greet the Governor of Hari-nat, his son, and the others when they arrive. They could have turned the tide of the battle, and they might well be feeling guilty--and secretly annoyed--that they helped only a little in the final victory.
[X] Pray for the souls of the dead, and try to cleanse and purify oneself, even if you don't have a stream or a lake.
[X] Meet with Ayila. She did something great and terrible and astounding, and more than that, in the end he'll owe her quite a lot, and she will have to move on, eventually, for this was meant to be a side-journey at most for her. It won't be immediately, because she wanted and needed his help, but…
We will never get politics out of the way entirely, so I'm trying to pace them somewhat. Other option I like a lot is writing letters.
[X] Pray for the souls of the dead, and try to cleanse and purify oneself, even if you don't have a stream or a lake.
[X] Meet with Ayila. She did something great and terrible and astounding, and more than that, in the end he'll owe her quite a lot, and she will have to move on, eventually, for this was meant to be a side-journey at most for her. It won't be immediately, because she wanted and needed his help, but…
We will never get politics out of the way entirely, so I'm trying to pace them somewhat. Other option I like a lot is writing letters.
[X] Pray for the souls of the dead, and try to cleanse and purify oneself, even if you don't have a stream or a lake.
[X] Greet the Governor of Hari-nat, his son, and the others when they arrive. They could have turned the tide of the battle, and they might well be feeling guilty--and secretly annoyed--that they helped only a little in the final victory.
[X] Talk with Qing'lu, General of the South, about the politics and the political implications. He's probably the person whose opinion and actions matter most who is also present, being a major political player within the army in his own right. This is, or could be, his victory as well.
[X] Greet the Governor of Hari-nat, his son, and the others when they arrive. They could have turned the tide of the battle, and they might well be feeling guilty--and secretly annoyed--that they helped only a little in the final victory.
[X] Talk with Qing'lu, General of the South, about the politics and the political implications. He's probably the person whose opinion and actions matter most who is also present, being a major political player within the army in his own right. This is, or could be, his victory as well.
[X] Write a letter to the Emperor, a letter ot court, and a letter to his father, explaining his actions and his victory. Now is the time to strike while the iron is hot, perhaps. The rumors and understanding of what happened here need to be shaped properly… and without humility, either. And with a good deal of self-justification. It's not impossibly vital, but it is definitely not a waste of time.
Managing the reaction of the court to our victory is absolutely critical.
Managing the reaction of the court to our victory is absolutely critical.
[X] Pray for the souls of the dead, and try to cleanse and purify oneself, even if you don't have a stream or a lake.
[X] Greet the Governor of Hari-nat, his son, and the others when they arrive. They could have turned the tide of the battle, and they might well be feeling guilty--and secretly annoyed--that they helped only a little in the final victory.
[X] Talk with Qing'lu, General of the South, about the politics and the political implications. He's probably the person whose opinion and actions matter most who is also present, being a major political player within the army in his own right. This is, or could be, his victory as well.
[X] Greet the Governor of Hari-nat, his son, and the others when they arrive. They could have turned the tide of the battle, and they might well be feeling guilty--and secretly annoyed--that they helped only a little in the final victory.
[X] Talk with Qing'lu, General of the South, about the politics and the political implications. He's probably the person whose opinion and actions matter most who is also present, being a major political player within the army in his own right. This is, or could be, his victory as well.