Chosen by the Dragon God
- Thread starter Chandagnac
- Start date
- Original
Eternal_0bserver
(Unverified Bookworm)
- Location
- Earth, Northern Europe
@Chandagnac, you forgot to Thredmark the last chapter.
I guess we should ask for advice and support for cutting off the Aspiti's mercantile relationships.
I hope you feel better soon Chandagnac.
I hope you feel better soon Chandagnac.
Flashkannon
Aqua Iconographer
- Location
- TM 91
Oh, interesting thought.
Frankly, someone who knows how not to prance around and puff up his feathers would be just what we need to start winning more engagements.
Yeah... a competent commander and someone toget them some actual skills with naval combat.
The Avannis are already on our visit list, it'd be good for Elys to meet the God-Empress, but a in a month or two, I would say.
But he also seems to have good ideas/lessons.
Would be stupid to ignore good advice.
Try!
And if the Aspiti try, that could lead to them vastly overpaying for mercenaries.
As long as there are proper checks that it is a real Aspiti spy, and not just someone pointing at someone they don't like, that sounds like a great idea.
I'd say we should ask him, but he will probably not remember anymore... We could ask them when/if we meet them.
Oh yes.
Cut of the economic lifeblood of their empire.
Get well soon! ❤️
Yeah, these seem like important points to bring up. I'd imagine it would also be good for Elys to get more knowledge about supply lines and economics as a whole.
Flashkannon
Aqua Iconographer
- Location
- TM 91
Might be a good grounding for her on her future plan of obtaining at least some discretionary funds aside from Mishrak's, so she can do her own things sometimes.
Family Matters (Part Five)
Chandagnac
Broken Robot
- Location
- Nowhere
This past week or so, I've had a little holiday with my family. I hope all of you have been enjoying yourselves as well.
*
Family Matters (Part Five)
"Aspitolm's wealth is based on trade. How would you suggest we make it more difficult for them?" you ask, even as your mind is already considering various possibilities.
"Find ways to hamper their trade," says your grandfather. "The Sea of Squalls is vast, so I wouldn't suggest splitting up your fleet and trying to patrol it. Not unless you want to be defeated in detail." He gives a snort that might signify amusement or impatience, but you can't tell which. "Instead… you have plenty of skilled mages on your side. Make good use of them. Have them scry Aspitolm from a distance, make a note of which ships enter and leave port there, as well as what they buy and sell, and then send your warships to capture and impound them when they're out in the middle of the ocean."
"Might that have negative diplomatic consequences?" you ask, trying to think of potential flaws in this plan. "I can't imagine that Aspitolm's trade partners will be happy if we impound their ships."
"You're already at war with the Aspitis, so whatever you do to their trade ships won't make any difference. Do you care if they start to hate you more than they already do? And anyway, many of those who trade with Aspitolm… aren't supposed to. For centuries, Queli and Aspiti have been bitter enemies, but there are still those from Epiny and various other coastal cities who will happily trade with Aspitolm, even if their rulers wouldn't approve. Greed is a powerful motivator." Your grandfather sighs heavily. "It's the same with the Avanni. I'd advise you to visit Epiny's ruling council, the God-Empress of the Avanni – or her representatives, at least – and all the others. Persuade them that continuing to trade with Aspitolm isn't in their best interests. Then, when you arrest the traders and impound their ships, they won't have anyone to complain to."
There is a pause. Lord Lymond looks like he is pondering something. "Ah… the Sambian Empire won't like it and I doubt there's any way you could persuade them, but they've got too many problems of their own, so it's vanishingly unlikely that they'll stir themselves on Aspitolm's behalf. Expect to receive a few strongly-worded letters, but no worse than that. Similarly, the southern nations of Tsotchewan, Ekaiziyo, Songaraya and so on are too far away. It's already a long and difficult journey for them. Seize a few of them, confiscate their goods and free their slaves, and the rest will soon realise they shouldn't bother. Besides, as I understand it, those nations have a system where forced labour is a punishment for serious crimes that don't warrant the death penalty. Those labourers are supposed to be treated humanely and released after a few years, but often they're sold into slavery instead. Because corrupt leaders are a problem everywhere. But if the risks are too great and the chances of reward are too slim, I don't see why they'd bother. Pile on the pressure and they'll think twice about it."
"And then, in the end, when we've taken away all of their business partners, Aspitolm will be all alone," says Jana, as if to summarize your recent discussion.
"Yes, precisely," says your grandfather. "Since the Aspitis import most of their food, if you prevent them from trading it won't be long before they're struggling to feed themselves. They'd be fools if they didn't have a stockpile set aside in case of a siege, but the sooner you can force them to eat into it the more they'll struggle. Of course, Tolmar is a large island, so they could easily grow enough food to support themselves if they were willing to plough over their cash crops and grow cereal grains instead. But that would take too long and there are too many rich and powerful landowners who would complain vociferously. Unless you dally for several years before invading, they'll never get it done in time to make any difference."
As the conversation has progressed, his voice has taken on a harsh, rasping quality. A servant brings him a glass of wine, which he drinks gratefully.
"The innocent will be the first to suffer: the slaves, the poor and the destitute who've never had a say in anything that's ever happened in Aspitolm. They're the ones who'll starve," says your grandfather, after a pause, even as he continues to sip his wine. They'll die in their thousands while the rich and powerful live in the lap of luxury until the very end. Doesn't that bother you?"
"Of course it bothers me!" you declare. "But I don't see what else we can do. Are you saying we shouldn't invade Aspitolm – or put an end to slave trade – stop them committing any more atrocities?"
"Obviously not. But whatever you do – whatever the leaders of your coalition choose to do – you should be aware of the consequences," he replies. "It would be easy to think of the war against Aspitolm as a straightforward confrontation between good and evil. In many ways, it is. But things are rarely so simple as they are in fairytales." Even as he says that, he gives your mother a fond glance. "Still, you don't need me to tell you that."
"It seems to me that we should try to end the war as quickly as possible, which would be much easier if Rivayne could use its full strength against the enemy. And one of the things that has so far prevented it from doing so is Admiral Moggsley. He should be removed and replaced by someone competent as soon as possible." Then, smiling sweetly, you say, "Grandfather, will you use your political power and influence to help us with that?"
"I will," he promises. "Starting tomorrow, I'll send a few letters to my friends in high places. Moggsley will be lucky if he still has a job by the end of the month."
"They'll promote him to some meaningless sinecure, praise him and give him dozens of undeserved honours," says your father, with a dismal sigh. "But as long as it gets him out of the way, I suppose it doesn't matter."
"Just so," says Lord Lymond Sayce, inclining his head just slightly. "Now, is there anything else I can do for you?"
If not, the next update will be the last of the current chapter.
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Eternal_0bserver
(Unverified Bookworm)
- Location
- Earth, Northern Europe
Have there been hugs yet? Because I don't remember and hugs are important.
Good that the setting has a sort of pressure valve for that:
Shaori, goddess of birds and freedom.
Now, the Aspiti gotta have some way of preventing her inviting slaves and the destitute into her flock for a while (in Hedge quest she did save someones live by birding them, but then was banished from the lands because of demon intrigue before she could unbird them), or the idea of holding slaves wouldn't make sense, as they'd always just grow wings and fly off.
But when the systems are failing, when resources are pulled inward to cushion the elite from the failing system, when the enemy is at the gate and demands the attention of their forces?
A proper siege could be the point where they can't keep the desperate from taking wing anymore.
We ought to talk to Shaori about this before we start choking the Aspiti.
Doing this sounds like it would be absolutely a "live up to her domains" kind of things. And if doing it on her own isn't feasible (too many birds to feed?), we can help her achieve a great work in her domains and many people who will fondly remember the time she saved their lives.
"I'm afraid the scion of Gareth and Yslena Allardyne will have to insist on the customary hug Lord Grandpa owes her!"
Jokes aside: A hug! Can't have a family meeting without that, can we?
Flashkannon
Aqua Iconographer
- Location
- TM 91
Indeed they are.
Looks like she's our next stop, then.
I don't think we want to drag this out, then. We lean some on their supply lines, winnow their labor supply, and when they slip up, we go for the throat. We will need to make sure we don't miss arresting any major political leadership, otherwise they will just start anew elsewhere.
Might be worth it to bait that mistake, leave some kind of feigned opening for the elite to escape or something.
As a side note, if we're willing to dedicate personal efforts to this or ask pretty please to GF, Raef, or Samaya, we could do an alternate plan: wait until they're over halfway through their journey, whip up a fog bank, and portal them back where they came from, far enough out that they will need to head back to port for supplies, and will have already wasted days to weeks of their time. Supplies aren't cheap, nor is time to a trader.
I'm glad that you're feeling better.
I can't think of anything else for Elys to say to her grandfather.
I can't think of anything else for Elys to say to her grandfather.
For the ships of those countries we have convinced:
Have an envoy stationed with them, with strong contacts to their justice system and scry-ers.
When we scry one of their ships doing illegal Aspiti trade, send a message to the envoy, who gets [friendly country] to scry and confirm: Yes, that is a crime, they are wanted now, arresting them is not piracy.
Then we let whip up a fog bank, use the sleep spell from Samaya (gotta learn that from her, would be great for Jana when/if she does sneaky stuff for Elys, would be good for battle mages for situations like these) to knock out the enemy crew, and crew the ship with deep ones.
If those are very centralized, they'd be a very rewarding target for a bit of "spies find the warehouses and map them out, then Elys goes in with a stealthy team (let Jana get shadow magic first). For the warehouses they get into before the enemy find them: open a portal to a part of undersea palace where labourers with wheelbarrows wait to empty the place. For the warehouses they reach once the enemy is aware: Fire based dragon breath to start a fire, hurry to next warehouse or call it a day and escape.
Flashkannon
Aqua Iconographer
- Location
- TM 91
I meant to say, heavily thirded.
Ooo, very fun idea. Depending on how fastidious they are about checking the contents of their warehouses, they might not even notice until it's too late.
Update! I hope you had a good Christmas and New Years! (And so did everyone else. ^^)
Agreed--ending the chapter there seems good.
Agreed--ending the chapter there seems good.
As a note of observation, this seems like a longer-term plan. I imagine it might take a few months to be able to have a scrying system and come to the arrangement with friendly nations in the first place. And if their justice system is too corrupt, it might take even longer than that.
Family Matters (Part Six)
Chandagnac
Broken Robot
- Location
- Nowhere
Well, fingers crossed. I've got an appointment with a doctor on Monday.
*
Family Matters (Part Six)
"May I have a hug?" you ask, spreading your arms wide.
"Be gentle," he says, with a wry smile. "I doubt my old bones could withstand your full strength."
He leans forward slightly, allowing you to gather your arms around him. In spite of his words, he feels remarkably robust. Beneath the soft fabric of his expensive clothes, he feels as tough as if he had been carved out of teak.
"And I suppose I should hug you as well, father," says Yslena, with a smirk. "If it isn't an imposition."
Lord Lymond looks mildly taken aback. "Motherhood has mellowed you, it would seem," he murmurs.
"I was never that bad, was I?" she asks, with a raised eyebrow.
He pauses, looking contemplative. "You wanted to be taken seriously. That's no bad thing."
Therefore, as you withdraw, your mother takes your place and enfolds her father in a gentle embrace.
"I have one last favour to ask," he says, after she releases him and takes a step back. "I can only hope that you won't be required to do anything, but…" He takes a deep, shuddering breath. "It is an inescapable fact that I am going to die soon. After I'm gone, Elward will take my place. He has no children of his own, so he has designated a young man named Jesric Baines as his heir. Jesric is my great-grandnephew, so his claim to these lands is as good as any other, except for yours, of course–" He gives significant glances to you and your mother. "–but Elward is in late middle age and not in the best of health, so it is entirely possible that these lands and the title of 'Count of Norrange' will be passed on to Jesric sooner than anyone would like. And then… if everyone behaves sensibly and honourably, there won't be any problems. However, the world is filled with smallminded, greedy people for whom honour means less than the dirt they tread underfoot. It is entirely possible that some of my cousins may be nursing a grudge over having been passed over in the succession. Perhaps they think their claim to my lands and titles is better than Jesric's and they will try to prove it through force of arms. I would be grateful if you would prevent that, if it becomes necessary."
"You want us to prevent a civil war," you surmise. "Have you told King Marc about this?"
"If his advisors are at all competent, he should already know." Your grandfather gives a dismissive snort.
"But it's possible that someone may need to keep him informed. If not now, then closer to the time," Your mother points out.
"I have little choice but to leave that up to you – or Elward – or Jesric himself, perhaps. No doubt I will be long dead before my worries become anything more than vague predictions of the future. Still, I feel it is my duty to prepare for the worst, even if I won't be there to see it." He pauses, glances at you, and continues, "Of course, if you wanted to take the County for yourself, you have the best claim and I doubt that anyone could stop you. But I don't see why you would want to. You are already the Chosen of a god, with power and influence over a large part of Creation, so why would you give that up to become a moderately important noblewoman? You've already outgrown this bucolic little land. Still, you seem like a compassionate person, so… please remember that when the rich squabble, the poor suffer. When wars break out, it is usually the poor who are forced to fight, who have their homes and farms burned down, and are horribly mistreated and left to starve. That is what I would like to avert, with your help."
"I'll do what I can to prevent a civil war," you say. "But I hope there'll be no need."
"As do I," he says, inclining his snow-white head. "Alas, in this life, we don't always get what we might wish."
After that, he invites you and your family to dinner. A relatively small family dinner, with no more than five courses and only a few people seated around the table: you, your grandfather, Jana, your parents, Uncle Elward and Aunt Raene, and Jesric Baines. Apparently, for most of the day, Elward and Raene have been hard at work in the city of Perganot, serving as its rulers, administrators and highest court of justice, and Jesric has been watching and learning from them.
There is soup, then salad, then a main course consisting of guinea fowl, which tastes very much like chicken, and roasted vegetables in a rich gravy, followed by a cheeseboard and then dessert, which consists of meringues with whipped cream and strawberries. Along the way, your grandfather takes this opportunity to introduce you to various vegetables you may not have encountered before, all of which come from the far-western continent of Chamdara and have only been transplanted to Quellonia relatively recently: tomatoes, potatoes, soy beans and various others. Apparently, ever since the days when Chamdara was cut off from the Wheel – when they couldn't be sure that dead animals' ghosts wouldn't follow them around forever, or cause their carcasses to reanimate in the middle of the cooking process, or make a bid for freedom even while they were being chewed up and swallowed – many Chamdarese peoples have had a cultural aversion to eating meat, so the goddesses Lyssa and Nyssa conjured various new fruits and vegetables to enrich their diets and make sure they were getting the nutrients they required.
You notice that while this conversation is going on, Jana is silent and watchful, alert and ready to combat anything that might threaten you. It's clear that she's taking her role as your handmaiden seriously, but you find yourself missing her usual irreverent joking behaviour.
All in all, it is a good meal and a rather pleasant evening. Your parents decide to stay the night while you and Jana resolve to return to the Engelram Academy.
"We don't want Catharne to worry about us any more than she already is," you explain.
"Goodnight, Elys," says your grandfather. "And may good fortune go with you."
That's the end of another chapter.
At the end of the current chapter, the Aspiti Empire has a total of 26 Warscore. Their Warscore increases at a rate of 2 per month (and can be increased by various special events).
The Coalition (of forces leagued against the Aspiti Empire) will gain additional Warscore as a result of Lord Lymond's actions, but you won't learn about that until the beginning of the next chapter. For now, the Coalition has a total of 37 Warscore. Their Warscore increases at a rate of 1 per month (and can be increased by Elys's actions).
Whichever side gains a total of 54 Warscore first will be the winner of this stage of the war.
At the end of the current chapter, the Aspiti Empire has a total of 26 Warscore. Their Warscore increases at a rate of 2 per month (and can be increased by various special events).
The Coalition (of forces leagued against the Aspiti Empire) will gain additional Warscore as a result of Lord Lymond's actions, but you won't learn about that until the beginning of the next chapter. For now, the Coalition has a total of 37 Warscore. Their Warscore increases at a rate of 1 per month (and can be increased by Elys's actions).
Whichever side gains a total of 54 Warscore first will be the winner of this stage of the war.
What do you want Elys to do next month? (Choose one)
[] Go to Mishrak's undersea palace and spend time meeting various representatives of the different groups that make up the Coalition. (+Warscore?)
-[] Ask Sildar and Jorantul how they're getting on.
-[] Meet some of the Wranni.
--[] Be pleasantly surprised to see an old friend.
-[] Talk to some of the Deep Ones.
-[] Meet Red Ruin and the few remaining orcs.
[] Join in the assault on Ismar and Windskil.
-[] Take part in the beach assault.
OR
-[] Sneak in beforehand and start sabotaging the defences.
OR
-[] Serve as air support.
[] DIPLOMACY MISSION: Meet with the high council of the Sisterhood of the Iron Orchid.
-[] Attempt to persuade them to that the remainder of their forces should join in the war against Aspitolm.
--[] Suggest that you can get a lot of new recruits for them (by providing armour and weapons for the wannabe lady knights from the orphanage).
-[] Also, arrange a meeting with Epiny's ruling council.
--[] Try to persuade them to make it illegal for their citizens to trade with Aspitolm for the duration of the war.
[] Start building up your own sources of wealth and income so you won't have to keep asking Uncle Mishrak for money all the time.
-[] Write in: how?
[] DIPLOMACY MISSION: Visit the Avanni capital, Ontopophis. Present yourself to the God-Empress as an ambassador.
-[] Invite the Avanni to join the war against Aspitolm. (+Warscore?)
--[] Try to persuade them to make it illegal for the Avanni to trade with Aspitolm for the duration of the war.
[] DIPLOMACY MISSION: Try to make peace between the people of Rivayne and the local nature spirits.
-[] Arrange a meeting with the Riders of Famine and Pestilence, who will be acting as the nature spirits' representatives.
--[] Remind them that in the past they have worked together with Lissa and Nyssa to improve the lives of humans so they don't need to encroach on the lands that already belong to various nature spirits. (Possibly invite Lissa and Nyssa to the meeting?)
---[] Try to convince them to improve the lives of Rivayne's poor.
[] Go with Mishrak to the city of Suantum, in the Dragon Empire.
-[] Meet with some of his priests and find out what they have been learning from him.
[] Devote much of your time and energy to learning water magic at the Engelram Academy.
-[] Study together with Tassin Tayde and any of Jana's other friends who want to learn.
[] Meet with the Demon Lord Achamat, who will tell you everything he has learnt about the Mystic Path.
[] Do something else (write in)*.
*If there's anything I've forgotten to add to this list, that doesn't mean that you can't do it.
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Well, we should probably follow up on his good advice.
[X] DIPLOMACY MISSION: Visit the Avanni capital, Ontopophis. Present yourself to the God-Empress as an ambassador.
-[X] Invite the Avanni to join the war against Aspitolm. (+Warscore?)
--[X] Try to persuade them to make it illegal for the Avanni to trade with Aspitolm for the duration of the war.
[X] DIPLOMACY MISSION: Visit the Avanni capital, Ontopophis. Present yourself to the God-Empress as an ambassador.
-[X] Invite the Avanni to join the war against Aspitolm. (+Warscore?)
--[X] Try to persuade them to make it illegal for the Avanni to trade with Aspitolm for the duration of the war.
[X] Devote much of your time and energy to learning water magic at the Engelram Academy.
-[X] Study together with Tassin Tayde and any of Jana's other friends who want to learn.
@Chandagnac
if Jana doesn't want to learn water magic, will she use the time to learn shadowmagic?
-[X] Study together with Tassin Tayde and any of Jana's other friends who want to learn.
@Chandagnac
if Jana doesn't want to learn water magic, will she use the time to learn shadowmagic?
I really enjoyed this section, good stuff!
[X] DIPLOMACY MISSION: Visit the Avanni capital, Ontopophis. Present yourself to the God-Empress as an ambassador.
-[X] Invite the Avanni to join the war against Aspitolm. (+Warscore?)
--[X] Try to persuade them to make it illegal for the Avanni to trade with Aspitolm for the duration of the war.
[X] DIPLOMACY MISSION: Visit the Avanni capital, Ontopophis. Present yourself to the God-Empress as an ambassador.
-[X] Invite the Avanni to join the war against Aspitolm. (+Warscore?)
--[X] Try to persuade them to make it illegal for the Avanni to trade with Aspitolm for the duration of the war.
[X] Devote much of your time and energy to learning water magic at the Engelram Academy.
-[X] Study together with Tassin Tayde and any of Jana's other friends who want to learn.
I feel like Elys should also spend some time getting into some stuff that's more... Normal for her age, for lack of a better way to put it, before going more into international politics and saving-the-world stuff.
-[X] Study together with Tassin Tayde and any of Jana's other friends who want to learn.
I feel like Elys should also spend some time getting into some stuff that's more... Normal for her age, for lack of a better way to put it, before going more into international politics and saving-the-world stuff.
Plus it gives us new tools to deal with issues if fights happen!
(@Chandagnac)
Shaori (and her flock) is general theological knowledge, right?
Could we write in talking to her, trying to get her onto our side where she'd help the innocent escape via temporary bird-ing?
(Or desperate enemy soldiers via longer term bird-ing, avoids "enemy fights like a cornered animal" issues)
Chandagnac
Broken Robot
- Location
- Nowhere
Potentially, but you should bear in mind that Shaori isn't especially well-known in this part of the world, so she has relatively few worshippers (except in Vashiira) and only limited power.
Flashkannon
Aqua Iconographer
- Location
- TM 91
I like hearing this guy talk. The wisdom and clarity of age and mortality seeps from every line he speaks.
It's... it's really true, but a lot of our grandfather giving us what amounts to his last will and testament while admitting that we outgrew anything he really had to give us before we even met him... it's emotionally somewhere.
That's a viscerally horrifying thought! Wow!
I think I agree, but I also do really want to meet the God-Empress. Also of note, she is at school a lot for all this, just that it's offscreen. These are the adventures she's going on!
[x] DIPLOMACY MISSION: Visit the Avanni capital, Ontopophis. Present yourself to the God-Empress as an ambassador.
-[x] Invite the Avanni to join the war against Aspitolm. (+Warscore?)
--[x] Try to persuade them to make it illegal for the Avanni to trade with Aspitolm for the duration of the war.
And maybe offscreen Elys takes a little montage vacation in Ontopophis before or after meeting the God-Empress.
Yeah... Melancholic, maybe? At the very least, we're definitely showing up to his funeral to pay some last respects...
Yeah, but it's like--even just having a once-a-month adventure that decides the fate of untold thousands, if not millions, is still pretty often. xP