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Burden of the Emerald Empire (A Legend of the Five Rings Tale)

Reader mode
Kisada continues to pay off as a resource.

Also, interesting stuff going forward.

I think we're probably done with external threats for a while, which is good. The Unicorn are badly damaged as far as raw combat power. The Lion have dear brother in the Champion slot. He'll be able to consolidate power there as he goes. The Mantis Champion is likely to start being fractious, though, what with the fact that we're basically stealing our Treasurer from him, and then stealing the leverage he had over her and giving it to the Daidoji. He'll make a good Daidoji. The Scorpion have been hollowed out a bit too, what with the backstabbing and betrayal inside the clan, but as long as Paneki manages to come back alive, he'll be in a good position to finish cleaning house. Mantis (30), Crane (30), and Scorpion (25) are the lowest clan ratings. Everyone else is 45 or better.

Also, we have what looks like the Kolat running around quietly and doing things that are potentially unfortunate, while we have the Daughter of Fu Leng and probably also the Ninja running around and doing things that are most certainly unfortunate. The fact that the Scorpion are both a bit savaged and low in clan rating is... a bit on the unfortunate side.

We're going to have a number of "pick your strategy" choices coming up. Of those...
- This is a shining opportunity to reward our Treasurer for her hard work. We don't want to go *too* crazy, but making life work better for the merchants is a good plan in general. If there's still a city left in Medinaat al Salaam, I'd bet that would be a great place to start. After all, their merchants are already not running on the Rokugani system (and their system is probably more merchant-friendly than ours). It's also the sort of thing that will tend to make the Kolat happy. The degree to which it will empower them isn't necessarily *best*, but having them generally in favor of us rather than against us is bound to be beneficial.
- We'll want to be looking for ways to make the Scorpion happy, and be very careful about things that would make them *unhappy*. Right now, we have Paneki's personal support, which is *great*, but having his clan supporting him in this would be Very Helpful.
- On the bright side (sort of) the Scorpion are probably still feeling the pinch financially, which means that if the treasury reforms work, we can start making choices like "pay the Scorpion to take care of the problem. Don't ask questions." - a great way of both gaining Scorpion favor and making certain kinds of problems go away
 
I would hope that the new Mantis Champion remembers what happened to his predecessor.

It is one thing to be ambitious, it is quite another to try to be ambitious when your house is still in shambles and in disgrace from a huge failure and embarrassment from just a few short years ago.

Basically my point is that while he's going to be super annoyed by our move with our treasurer, he is really not in the position to do jack and shit.

But if he fucking insist, I will gladly deal the finishing blow to the Mantis.
 
Deadly Snark said:
I would hope that the new Mantis Champion remembers what happened to his predecessor.

It is one thing to be ambitious, it is quite another to try to be ambitious when your house is still in shambles and in disgrace from a huge failure and embarrassment from just a few short years ago.

Basically my point is that while he's going to be super annoyed by our move with our treasurer, he is really not in the position to do jack and shit.

But if he fucking insist, I will gladly deal the finishing blow to the Mantis.
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Ah, good point. I'd forgotten how it came to pass that the Mantis Champion got replaced.

Now, I'd rather *not* end the Mantis as a clan if I can avoid it. It's pretty much a guarantee that it would upset our treasurer, for one thing, and it would hamper any further economic reforms in a number of ways, but it is a useful point to bear in mind.

Also, re-reading {Threadmarks: Year 4: End of the Beginning}, about the Mantis...

- The new Champion is a courtier, and *deeply* ambitious.
- He's loyal, for now, and appreciated that we spun off his only real competition as the head of the Catfish clan.
- Current Mantis opinion of the Shadowlands is marginally friendlier than the Crab's opinion of same.
 
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Year 5: Autumn Weddings
  • Threadmarks
    • Year 5, Month of the Rooster, 12th day
    Kyuden Daidoji

    You politely clap for the happy new couple. Hiroko seems wistful as her son is welcomed into the Daidoji family, being born anew as Daidoji no Yoritomo Sanosuke. The wedding as might be expected is absolutely beautiful, after all its a Crane wedding. As much as you don't want to take the day away from the bride and groom. (Daidoji Ayaka does look rather lovely in her kimono after all) You do that simply by being here, by saying that you care enough about your Treasurer to come as a guest to her son's wedding.

    It's not a exactly subtle way to tell Okimoto to go fuck himself. However, subtle is for Emperors who haven't just won a major war and ended an existential threat to the Empire. The way Okimoto looks at you with utter politeness, tells you that he's furious that you parried him so easily. You expect that he didn't you would bother helping Hiroko.
    Well everyone makes mistakes.

    As probes to test your resolve go this had been a relatively minor one. You wonder if it's something in the Isles of Silk and Spice that make the Yoritomo suicidally over confident. A small part of you shudders to think that Yoritomo might be the natural state of Hida without having...well a constant fight for their lives.
    Probably better not to voice that one to anyone. If nothing else your mother would be appalled.

    The thought whirls from your head as Otomo Kotaro steps beside you and whispers.
    "My Emperor, we have...news from the Front and the Kasuga."

    "Important?" You ask quietly.

    "Potentially, Doji-sama has provided her own office to use for a meeting."

    "Lead on then. We should return quickly for the gift giving." You say.

    Domotai's office is an austere thing, oh there's an exquisite painting hanging on the wall, and a few assorted tsurugari and gifts. However, overall the effect is such that you get the feeling Domotai doesn't do a personal life outside of her duty. Which might very well be the point.

    Waiting in your office is Kasuga Emi, Kotaro's bride and contact with the Kasuga, along with Domotai herself. They both kowtow before rising up at your command.

    You raise an eyebrow at Kotaro over Domotai, its Emi who explains.

    "Given that Doji-ue is the most senior of your vassals, present, and you have left Kitsuki Akane-sama as regent in Toshi Ranbo, it seemed prudent to have her join us."

    And it further reinforced the image that you and the Crane were the best of friends. Domotai's thin smile assures you that she knows, and doesn't intend to push it past this. A little tit for tat you suppose.

    "Alright then, what has happened in Medinaat al Salaam" You ask.

    "The Shogun with respects has written that no less than three ambassadors have come to him asking what he intends to do. He has for now committed to nothing but recommends that you receive them this year at Winter Court. We have also received a fourth ambassador through...other channels" Emi answers.

    "Gaijin?" Domotai asks, her unconscious xenophobia causing her to tense.

    "Hai, the Senpet, the Yodotai, and the Pelmyrians, are in the East. An envoy from the Ivory Kingdoms also wishes to come to the Winter Court"

    "Gaijin on the holy soil of Rokugan? That's absurd" Domotai states.

    "Absurd or not Doji-Ue, they are now all neighbouring powers who want answers."

    "And what care do we have for them?" Domotai asks.

    You mentally sigh ah the joys of censorship working against you.

    "At the moment, our Empire needs peace to recover. My Uncle says the Imperial Legions took a heavy beating, and we still don't know whether Bayushi Paneki won or lost. Kasuga-san do you know who these...people are? I know of the Ivory Kingdoms, but the others elude me." You say.

    Emi bows.

    "Hai. The most powerful is the Yodotai, they have been an expansionist power for years. They are well armed, and equipped with powerful magic based on their 'saints'. They have no Emperor like we do, rather an feuding group of families known as Dynatoi, that fight to become leader of their Empire for a time before inevitably being betrayed and murdered. Intrigue and war are considered the same things by them. However, their economy is even more terrible than ours, fuelled largely by looting new territories. They're also deathly afraid of the sea."

    That was odd, but you take it in and nod.

    "The Senpet are at present the main contender with the Yodotai, based around the Xowan River delta, they too are part of the Burning sands, albeit only distantly. A land revolving around seemingly reincarnating Pharaoh who has guided them for centuries, they rely on the power of their gods and easily fortified border in order to stand up against the Yodotai. Economically they have deep pockets from goldmines and the fertile river. Peasant food it might be, but if its all you have" Emi shrugs.

    She continues: "They are...somewhat obsessed with the past and believe that at one time their Empire of the Scarab stretched from sea to sea. While honest after a fashion they are not...humble. Then if you were one of the only peoples to actually stop the Yodotai you'd be arrogant too I guess."

    Domotai frowns, clearly not liking these gaijin presuming to be better then the Emerald Empire.
    Gaijin were always wrong, but that wrong was surely preposterous wasn't it?

    "And the Pelmyrians?" You ask.

    "We know less about them, they live in the frozen north some distance away from many trade routes, its only recently that they seemed to have encroached on the Burning Sands and begun to take an interest in the region...after fighting the Yodotai and managing to wrangle a peace out of them. Lead by their Tsar Vladimir the Iron Fisted. Which is like an Emperor but somehow not. They seem to believe in a sort of Thunder deity, and invoke special writing to create their own spells. While not as disciplined as the Yodotai or as numerous as the Senpet...rumours say that they fight as well as any three Yodotai, and any ten Senpent. How much of that is true I don't know."

    Emi seems a little out of breath to have gotten that all out so quickly. You can't really blame her though.
    But, why was this so urgent that you needed to be dragged out of the wedding?

    "Ordinarily we would wait...but the disposition of Medinaat al Salam is something the Clans also desperately wish an answer to. The Unicorn and Lion left are making loud noises that one of them should have, they of course disagree as to whom..." Kotaro says.

    You look at Domotai.

    She shrugs.
    "The other clans are a little more ambivalent, but they all agree that neither the Unicorn or the Crane should have it. The most popular proposal has been to have it given to a new minor clan made for the purpose, although some of the Asako think that such a clan would only be weakly tied to us. They believe it should either remain an Imperial City, or be released as a 'protectorate' the Crane lean more to letting it go. What use do we have for gaijin land or gaijin contacts?"

    You nod.

    "My Emperor, there are already rumours swirling aplenty, and if we don't put out something, the Lion may well try to attack the Unicorn while their leaders aren't there to stop them. Kotaro finishes.

    Just once, you want people not to make your life difficult, is that too much to ask?
    Suppressing a sigh you think. Put out that you would hear arguments for Medinaat al Salaam at winter court was an easy decision. But, those ambassadors, you had to decide what to do with them. Accepting them was likely to anger...well the Crane, Phoenix and Lion, but the Mantis, and Unicorn possibly the Crab would be happy about it. At the moment you couldn't really upset either the Scorpion or Crane, but the Mantis weren't much better. The sticking point was that Gaijin were technically supposed to be killed on sight when they entered Rokugan.

    But what if they met you on a place that wasn't Rokugani soil yet?
    The question turns in your mind. Medinaat al Salaam did have a palace....
    Hmmm...

    [] Accept the Ambassadors in Rokugan proper at your normal winter court (-5 Lion, Crane, Phoenix +5 Mantis, Crab, Unicorn)
    [] Accept the Ambassadors and hold winter court in Medinaat al Salaam (Potential risk greatly heightened)
    [] Reject them, you will send envoys to them instead. (-5 Foreign powers)

    ---
    If holding winter court in Rokugan vote on which court

    [] Kyuden Ikoma (Lion)
    [] Kyuden Doji (Crane)
    [] Kyuden Hida (Crab)
    [] Kyuden Kitsuki (Dragon)
    [] Kyuden Shiba (Phoenix)

    AN: And now we add foreign policy on to Hisao's long list of duties. The Information post and the Mechanics post have both been updated.
    The wide world beyond the Emerald Empire will not stay silent forever. When it comes to the Imperial doorstep, it must be dealt with one way or another, the wish to go into isolation may be strong, but not always practical. With this mind, other Empires have three ratings.
    Opinion Rating which works more or less along the same scale as that of the Clans (100 is good, 0 is bad)
    Military Rating, a measure of military ability compared to the Emerald Empire.
    Economic Rating, a measure of relative wealth compared to the Emerald Empire

    This is along a five point scale Going from weakest to strongest

    Pitiable: This Empire barely even has an economy or a military
    Poor: This Empire is feeling cash strapped or has few armies, but it survives for now
    Average: Neither especially better or worse compared to the Emerald Empire
    Strong: Doing better than the Empire but not unbelievably so.
    Incredible: Much stronger than the Emerald Empire in a very potent way.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Accept the Ambassadors and hold winter court in Medinaat al Salaam (Potential risk greatly heightened)
    This sets a decent precedent.
     
    Operation: Foreign Indecency

    [X] Accept the Ambassadors in Rokugan proper at your normal winter court (-5 Lion, Crane, Phoenix +5 Mantis, Crab, Unicorn)
    [X] Kyuden Ikoma (Lion)

    This will create a permanent rift with any foreign power attempting to create a permanent basis of communications in Rokugan. If the foreign powers are informed where they are sending their diplomats (likely, because there are communications), then they will either refuse to send someone (good, because that gives us the reasoning that they are insulting), send someone who will be killed by the Lion for some reason (showing that we do not want to deal with them, but will keep up apperances. It is their fault to not be able to behave) or send someone who is so bowing and scraping to not get murdered that we can push him/her to do whatever we like.
    Because as Rokugani: Screw the Foreigners. We may have to appear corteous but the message should be: Leave us alone. Now and forever.
     
    [X] Accept the Ambassadors in Rokugan proper at your normal winter court (-5 Lion, Crane, Phoenix +5 Mantis, Crab, Unicorn)
    [X] Kyuden Kitsuki (Dragon)

    Open to persuasion on the host
     
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    [X] Accept the Ambassadors in Rokugan proper at your normal winter court (-5 Lion, Crane, Phoenix +5 Mantis, Crab, Unicorn)
    [X] Kyuden Hida (Crab)

    Choosing Crab on the grounds of them:
    1. Likely going to be the most paranoid about shadowland/nothing infiltrators. (It's pure hubris to assume that the Shadow Dragon won't try to infect other nations)
    2. They are a Martial Clan and 2 of the three Ambassadors will respect Strength.
    3. They are less tied up in hospitality traditions. (Try explaining the need for sword polishers to someone who uses an axe.)
    4. Unlike the Lion they aren't as, well, Prickly.
     
    veekie said:
    [X] Accept the Ambassadors and hold winter court in Medinaat al Salaam (Potential risk greatly heightened)

    [X] Kyuden Kitsuki (Dragon)

    Open to persuasion on the host
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    To clarify the Kyuden Kitsuki vote is for if the Medinaat al Salaam vote doesn't go through?

    Dark as Silver said:
    A terrible threat given how literally no Winter court has gone without a plot. At this rate I wouldn't be surprised if clans started wanting Hurricane Hisao to winter elsewhere.
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    Some of them do. But heightened risk comes from the fact that you have very little set up time in Medinaat al Salaam and consequently relatively little protection. (Also the Ambassadors have magic that Rokugani don't really know how to handle yet)
     
    gman391 said:
    Some of them do. But heightened risk comes from the fact that you have very little set up time in Medinaat al Salaam and consequently relatively little protection. (Also the Ambassadors have magic that Rokugani don't really know how to handle yet)
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    Excellent, the day that our winter court visits are so disastrous we get a malus for visiting and a positive for staying away is the day that the clans are no longer problems.
     
    Alright let's see how the tally goes.
    Well mildly strong consensus to receive the Ambassadors in your own courts but a four way on which castle though.
    Adhoc vote count started by gman391 on Feb 24, 2018 at 5:53 PM, finished with 11 posts and 4 votes.
    • [X] Accept the Ambassadors in Rokugan proper at your normal winter court (-5 Lion, Crane, Phoenix +5 Mantis, Crab, Unicorn)
      [X] Accept the Ambassadors and hold winter court in Medinaat al Salaam (Potential risk greatly heightened)
      [X] Kyuden Ikoma (Lion)
      [X] Kyuden Kitsuki (Dragon)
      [X] Kyuden Hida (Crab)
    Click to expand...
     
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    Well I already gave my reasons for choosing the Crab for this international meeting.

    But I can try and explain why we need to have this meeting in our territory at all.

    My Logic
    1. The Unicorn is fucked for the next few years. Whatever job they had? They aren't going to be able to do it since we just spammed them against a bunch of glass golems and I think a Rakshasa? (The tiger Rakshasa? Not sure if we using The Legend of the Ronin's Rakshasas.) Which means we need another method of obtaining information as forewarning from the other nations.
    2. We kinda, sorta, maybe, just Conquered Medinaat al Salaam. For a Nation that traditional stays isolationist to the point of having no "official" trade with foreigners, suddenly shifting course and taking over a neighboring nation, specifically a fairly neutral one at that, makes everyone around us Nervous. Now some would argue that making other nations worry about our strength would be a good thing, but we just spent a lot of strength (The Lion and The Unicorn) fighting against one of the enemies of all. So looking for more conflict with foreigners would be a suboptimal decision.
    3. Medinaat al Salaam. Just wow. Okay its a valuable trading city, but more importantly its not ours and has never been ours. The fact that if we ask the Scorpion real nicely, they will probably (Definitely) be able to scrounge up some ancient maps that say that Medinaat al Salaam was once Rokugani Clay, and that doubting such maps is Treason, but that doesn't really change that to the outside world, we basically just shifted from a hard hatred of foreigners and deep-seated isolationism to a suddenly aggressive expansionist policy for no apparent reason.
    4. Which leaves us needing to explain to them that this was a once-off thing do to extreme circumstances and that we would normally never consider doing such a thing. So we need to have a meeting with the diplomats so we can explain why we did it, that we aren't looking to do it again, so you guys totally don't need to start building up armies in preparation for an all-out invasion from the Emerald Empire.
    5. Also the Rokugani economy has apparently been always dysfunctional from the very beginning but it is especially screwed up right now from all our expenses. Which leads to Foreign trade and to quickly refuel the economy with our cornucopia of luxury goods such as tea, silk, and various other things as an emergency measure.
    6. So where to do it? Medinaat al Salaam was the site of a warzone and has been conquered twice. (once by us and once by the Shadow Dragon) it also is likely the edge of where we can logistically support so the meeting there is going to be undignified and not up to code. Plus it reminds them of the Emerald Empire's military might and length of her arm, but when you are trying to defuse tensions, showing off the carcass of what was once a shining city will likely be counter-productive.
    7. So it has to be In-house. This meeting will involve ambassadors from foreign nations but I doubt they are fully aware of Rokugani customs and the ease of giving offense. The ease of giving offense is why I ruled out the Lion and the Crane. The Crane like to set up duels with their Kakita to get their way in lieu of actually being diplomatic. Also they are supposed to be the gatekeepers of Rokugani Tradition and so are likely to resent gaijin presence and influence. Which is a shame because a think the Left Hand of the Emporer should be our diplomatic might with the outside world as the Lion are traditionally our Military might. But the Crane letting people down about doing their actual jobs seems to be an actual thing in quests and we are just now reestablishing their clan rating. Better not to jeopardize that but forcing gaijin into their courts will ruffle a bunch of feathers.
    8. The Lion was already feeling the Strain from its conflicts, before we just used them against the Shadow Dragons forces. so they are likely going to be Undermanned (They lost personal and are likely having to stretch themselves thin to keep everything running) and Stressed (From being both undermanned and needing to find replacements for critical jobs) from all the conflict. Plus I'm not sure the Lion are actually physically capable of actually doing anything that is a compromises on matters they deem fall under a matter of Honor (which is well everything) especially with filthy gaijin. In addition their Clan Champion is currently a Boy (our Younger brother) with a regent. This is especially not the time to both look weak (For having a child/regent in Charge) and go looking for more conflict (The Matsu are likely grumbling right now and no one has ever said that they are ever shy from starting a fight over what others would call a trivial matter).
    9. The Phoenix are already doing covert interactions with Gaijin (not sure if Hisao, Kaneka, or Kaname are aware of that fact) and they are, traditionally at least, a pacifistic clan. But being too conciliatory isn't what we need right now, we need to be decisive and firm. We cannot afford to show weakness right now. Not to mention that they are also a traditional clan, and while I don't think they will start a diplomatic incident from taking offense at a minor faux-paus like the Crane and the Lion would, but lets not tempt Murphy here. They are however loaded.
    10. Which leads to my next point, we need to be able to use trade to refill our coffers and make trade bargains that are heavily weighted in our favor. The Lion are Frugal and think that showing Largess is some serious heresy, so they are out of the running. The Crane have a Dedicated Family for the purpose of trade and they love to show off their wealth, but they have also been in a snit with their Trading Family and their lands don't really show off martial might either. The Phoenix as I mentioned above have very luxurious lands but they have no real dedicated trading tradition (Feel free to correct me on this) and if they have any actual Defensive works? That is because sharing a border with the lion has made it very clear on need for actual defenses. But! Those are likely located on the edge of their territory, not where we are going to have the talks.
    11. The Dragon are Dirt-poor, don't really have anything to trade or people to trade with and are located in the mountains. They are poor enough that Hosting a Imperial Winter Court has lead to famines and people dying of starvation before do to the sheer expense of feeding, entertaining, and trying to look respectable to the Imperial Court. They haven't pissed us off recently to the point that we need to pull such a White Elephant ploy on them.
    12. The Crab aren't really rich, but are the main growers of tea which is likely going to be our main export along with silk and spices. They do benefit from having the Yasuki as their trading Family as they are the most pragmatic of them, hopefully enough to swallow some inadvertent rudeness from gaijin traders. They are likely the clan with the Highest density of castles and have't been (largely) involved with the our campaigns in the Burning Sands, so they can probably show off a well-maintained military force. They aren't as prickly as the Lion and tend to be more pragmatic about social customs, so they are less likely to cause a diplomatic incident. (Knock on wood.) They are our mother's clan so she will likely be able to explain why we are doing this in their lands in a way that might not offend them. Failing that we might be able to rely on our in-laws from our Mothers side of the family to help smooth things over. Them also being the defenders against the Shadowlands will help lend credence that we only attacked Medinaat al Salaam to stop an enemy of all mankind, by showing that we have an entire clan set up to do just that, and how much of our history has been spent fighting against such foes on Humanity's behalf. (I know Rokugani are leery of considering Gaijin Human, but the Gaijin themselves consider themselves to be human so a moot point.) That and we just settled several disputes in their favor so hopefully this won't cause any issues.
    Alright at almost 1.5k words I think this should help spark some discussion.

    That or just tag @Sirrocco and ask him to grace us with his Tiny Squid wisdom on the matter.
     
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    [X] Accept the Ambassadors in Rokugan proper at your normal winter court (-5 Lion, Crane, Phoenix +5 Mantis, Crab, Unicorn)
    [X] Kyuden Hida (Crab)
     
    @keenscythe

    Just make sure they get their Jade :<

    Regarding the Rakshasa, there is only the one, but they're fairly hardcore, and yes for now Medinaat al Salaam is under the control of the Emerald Empire. While the other powers are aware that there was a coup...they are not aware that it was a shape shifting nigh immortal transcendent dragon made up of primordial entropy that did said coup. So yeah it looks like the Emerald Empire for some reason was out of the blue pissed off enough to go invade a reasonably respected power and win.

    In minor defence of the Crane, they see themselves as the keepers of the Empire's Culture not diplomacy specifically, although that's part of it. The unfortunate thing is that the Emerald Empire never got over their collective psychological scarring from the Battle of the White Stag. So xenophobia is part of the Empire's culture, changing that is an uphill battle. If you ordered them not to start shit they won't, but they will be ridiculously passive aggressive, as is their wont.
     
    hmm fair points

    [X] Accept the Ambassadors in Rokugan proper at your normal winter court (-5 Lion, Crane, Phoenix +5 Mantis, Crab, Unicorn)
    [X] Kyuden Hida (Crab)
     
    gman391 said:
    Just make sure they get their Jade :<
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    Not sure it has ever been Canonically answered, but do foreign lands even have Jade to trade?
    I know a foreign land suddenly discovering Jade is one the stock reasons to send Samurai as a diplomatic envoy in the rulebooks, but is there any truth to that or is it just a handwave for foreign adventurism?

    Bleugh, I still need to work on my reading Comprehension.
     
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    Hisao is going to need to have a talk with the Tortoise though. Because frankly if we are going to do any diplomacy with outside powers, they are about the only one qualified.
     
    Yeah, we should probably get some IC info before we lock the vote.

    @gman391 I know in more Single-player Quests you run we can ask and have you roll the relevant lore for learning what the PC knows in-character
    Can we do the same to get the Tortoise's input on the situation as well as Hisao's/His Various Advisor's knowledge of the political implications of each choice?
     
    Going to roll the Jade question into the advisers @keenscythe
    These are the views of the advisers you have on hand, including Domotai. (Akane, and Shem-Zhe, and Noritoshi are in the capital, and Kaneka is in Medinaat al Salaam)

    Kotaro
    ----------------------
    Kyuden Hida is something you have to do, and the paranoia of the Crab means that their spies won't get out or anything. But, he's pretty sure that Shahai is going to do something there, the opportunity is too good for her not to, what though, he doesn't really know for sure, he's thinking something to do with even more cursed Bloodswords given she stole the Anvil of Despair and that the Anvil is really only good for making Bloodswords. While the Crab are unlikely to cause a direct diplomatic incident, they're also not likely to make friends either.
    On the foreign side of things he'll defer to his wife.

    Kyuden Doji: In terms of impressing people with grandeur its hard to beat Kyuden Doji, and the Crane will play ball, no matter how much they secretly hate it. Due to the low level purge of the last few years, this is arguably one of the safer bets for your personal security. The Crane will be passive aggressive, but are unlikely to start anything without the go ahead from the Emperor. The reputation of iron you've cultivated serves you well here.

    Kyuden Ikoma: While not as lovely as Kyuden Doji, its austere nature and the fact that the Lion more or less came out ahead in the war means that you'll probably only get a few people trying to start things. Although he does expect that the castle daimyo will perform sepukku for letting the castle be polluted by the gaijin. Overall the main benefit is mostly that it lets you introduce Daio to more of his vassals.

    Kyuden Kitsuk: This is only technically a Kyuden, its never actually been tested but in theory it should be enough for everyone. The Dragon are unlikely to do anything on purpose...but the Dragon are strange about these things. On the other hand, the Kitsuki are probably the best family to find spies in the Empire.

    Kyuden Shiba: A bit of an oddball choice, the castle isn't as austere as Kyuden Ikoma, but not as grand as the castle of the Crane. So a wash on that. The Phoenix are amongst your most ardent supporters, so even if they disagree, the worst that will happen is that the monks will make noises and the Elemental Masters will push for you to have a new spiritual advisor. On the other hand the Phoenix have largely been left alone in the wider scope of things, so they likely have the worst infiltration problem.
    --------

    Yoritomo Hiroko

    Kyuden Hida: Not a bad pick but not really a good one either. The Crab lands are...not suited to portraying wealth, and we need to look like we can raise even more armies if we have to.

    Kyuden Doji: Despite the fact that at least one Kakita will start shit, probably the best in terms of showing the gaijin that we are in fact a functioning power with lots of money.

    Kyuden Ikoma: Best thing for this is it means the Gaijin only see part of our empire, other than that nothing really to recommend it.

    Kyuden Kitsuki: Dragon are weird, they'll probably find someway to help, but its not my first choice by a long shot. It'd make Akane happy to visit again, though.

    Kyuden Shiba: The Phoenix have been doing fairly well what with you knee capping their main threats so they can afford it and they'll be alright with it. Just not as good at being pretty as Crane though
    ----------------------------------------

    Doji Domotai

    Kyuden Hida: If we must have the gaijin, the Crab are perhaps the best option if you're looking to make it look like we're accommodating them. However, given the nature of the Shadowlands, I don't think its worth the risk to have it here. The Gaijin coming home tainted would...probably be the wrong message.

    Kyuden Doji: We have held Winter Court for the Emperor in every state of the Empire imaginable, we can do it for the Gaijin if we must. That said, we are the best suited for holding a large amount of people, and the Doji Legion has largely recovered from the War of Silk and Spice, so we can provide a credibly military defence. The truth is my Emperor you may well need to be in Kyuden Doji to soothe our tempers. It is...upsetting to think of the Gaijin on our holy soil.

    Kyuden Ikoma: I largely concur with Otomo-san and Yoritomo-san on this. Its not really worth it beyond some internal politics, and if we cared about that, we wouldn't be doing this anyway.

    Kyuden Kitsuki: In truth I think the Dragon are the most likely to get along with the gaijin, they are already so very strange after all. If they need assistance, we will provide. If you do not wish to choose my home, then I would recommend this.

    Kyuden Shiba: The lands of the Empress's family are fine indeed, but the Phoenix are not as adept at showmanship as we are. Given the profusion of priests and monks, violating that sacred soil may well be worse than the other locations.
    ------------------------

    Kasuga Emi

    Kyuden Hida: While the foreigners do have some Jade, although most of it is imported from the Zanj, they don't really have the same experience we do and are unlikely to take it seriously until one of them turns into I dunno, a walking tree or something. The martial might will impress the Pelmyrians and Yodotai somewhat. However the Ivory Kingdoms will know it for the front it is, and the Senpet are unlikely to be impressed by hellscape.

    Kyuden Ikoma: If we're looking to impress militarily, Kyuden Ikoma is probably a good idea, but it will mean that the Ikoma will pull back to do so. Again though it won't convince anyone to trade with us at all.

    Kyuden Doji: While not as impressive militarily, that can be worked with given Doji-sama's legion. It does portray as very wealthy and worth trading with, so its my preference despite the difficulties.

    Kyuden Kitsuki: I honestly have no idea what the Dragon will do, and neither will the ambassadors, they'll be off balance which could work for or against you.

    Kyuden Shiba: A sort of middle ground between Kyuden Ikoma and Kyuden Doji, it doesn't really excel at either, but it doesn't disappoint at either, so it could work
     
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    gman391 said:
    important from the Zanj
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Important or imported?

    Hadn't considered the possibility of one of the ambassadors ending up tainted.

    If we go with Kyuden Hida is there any counter-measures we could employ to prevent this from happening?

    I mean how much Jade does the Imperial Throne actually own and could afford to give as neat gifts to the diplomats (Holy Talismans against being infected by Chaos Tainted)?

    Also if I am reading the Foreign powers tab correctly, we need to impress the Yodotai and the Pelmyrians with martial power so they don't attack the suddenly irrational/weakened power in their midst and the Senpet and the Ivory Kingdoms with riches to get good trade deals.

    This is going to be tricky as wealth and martial might tends to be an either/or scenario among the clans from what I gather so far.
     
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