[x] You'll always be a person to me, and my noble steed too! You don't have to be human-shaped to be a person. I do miss you though, and we could spend a lot more time together, if you could be human-shaped when you want to.
I like this vote. Balancing handling the growth of a person created for a purpose with the changing circumstances of that purpose is likely very hard.
Now that I think about it, I'd pin that as Mishrak's largest flaw: creating intelligent life for a purpose, but then not always following through on managing the resultant minds and purposes.
i dont know if elys would have the concept, but i want to get across that personhood can mean being a dragon person as much as it can mean being a human person (as well as the, pretending to be a human every now and then wont stop one from being the same person the've always known, noble steed-hood included)
...also, funny how you set up that vast bizarre intricate conspiracy in Rivayne at the end of Tinpot Princess, and it's going to be resolved primarily by characters who are not in focus. Still, it certainly its job of making Elys's parents have a good reason to not be able to instantly solve all of her problems anymore. Let's see if the Aspitolm war does the same for Mishrak.
That 'vast bizarre intricate conspiracy in Rivayne' was a major factor in my decision to bring The Tinpot Princess and Her Many Travels to an close: it was so complicated that it could easily take dozens or even hundreds of updates to resolve, hardly any of which would have involved Elys. It could have taken up an entire quest all on its own. Yeah, I think I'm justified in leaving it up to Gareth and Yslena (and their new adventuring party) to solve offscreen.
Now that I think about it, I'd pin that as Mishrak's largest flaw: creating intelligent life for a purpose, but then not always following through on managing the resultant minds and purposes.
Personally, I think he has a tendency to be overindulgent with his 'children'. For instance, Catharne has been back home with him for over a month. During that time, he's probably let her do anything she wanted to do. Alas, she's getting a bit spoilt...
Anyway, there will be no update tonight because I had a meeting at work and I'm going out with friends after I've had dinner. Maybe tomorrow or Friday.
Here's the vote tally so far:
Adhoc vote count started by Chandagnac on Jul 7, 2021 at 12:39 PM, finished with 7 posts and 6 votes.
[X] You can be a noble steed and still be a person. If you wouldnt be comfortable taking on the guise of a human, I'd understand, but it would be nice to be side by side again.
[x] You'll always be a person to me, and my noble steed too! You don't have to be human-shaped to be a person. I do miss you though, and we could spend a lot more time together, if you could be human-shaped when you want to.
[x] You'll always be a person to me, and my noble steed too! You don't have to be human-shaped to be a person. I do miss you though, and we could spend a lot more time together, if you could be human-shaped when you want to.
- [X] Shapeshifting can let you do more than be a human. You can turn into a long dragon that can pass through low doors, for example.
...y'know what, we all seem to be voting for basically the same thing, but in slightly different ways. My vote is now
[X] The basic general sentiment everyone is voting for/all of the above suggestions, but said in whatever Chandagnac thinks would be the most Elys way to say it.
[x] Right, and you can't be my steed if we are apart from each other. Shapeshifting would mean we could be together a lot more often, and there is more to a steed than just carrying people around!
She wants to be our ever-present support and take part in our glorious adventures, if I get her meaning behind the wish to be a "noble steed", but right now our adventures shape out to be low on valorous combat, but very high on mischief. And there is a lot of mischief you can get up to with shapeshifting. Elys could use another partner in crime.
[X] The basic general sentiment everyone is voting for/all of the above suggestions, but said in whatever Chandagnac thinks would be the most Elys way to say it.
Personally, I think he has a tendency to be overindulgent with his 'children'. For instance, Catharne has been back home with him for over a month. During that time, he probably let her do anything she wanted to do. Alas, she's getting a bit spoilt...
hmm, two sides of the same coin to me. Neglectful parents will sometimes compensate with bursts of attention or gifts.
Not that Mishrak is abusive, but I just see him as not planning in terms of mortals very well.
It's mostly the same ideas, I just wanted to emphasize the difference between personhood and being humanoid to Catharne, as well as sneak in an opportunity to say that we like her company and want to have more of it.
i didnt mean mine as a final vote which is why i didnt put the x in it. figured someone else would take the setiment and word it better. was nice that people voted for it
hmm, two sides of the same coin to me. Neglectful parents will sometimes compensate with bursts of attention or gifts.
Not that Mishrak is abusive, but I just see him as not planning in terms of mortals very well.
Mishrak's own father was the elder god Vlakoroth, who was abusive towards his many children. (Vlakoroth believed that the strong should dominate the weak; he was very keen for his favoured children to demonstrate their strength and toughness.)
I think how he was treated by his father/creator (or mother – Vlakoroth had both male and female aspects) goes some way towards explaining why Mishrak is so doting and lenient with his own creations.
If there's more than one popular vote and they don't contradict each other, I'll usually try to include both of them in my next update, unless my readers make it clear that they don't want me to do that. In this case, the reason why I asked for more votes was because I wanted other people to have a chance to add their own suggestions for what Elys should say to Catharne.
"Why do you want to be treated like an animal?" you ask. "Don't you deserve to be treated the same as any other person? Don't you want to be treated like… like you're my cousin?"
Despite her reptilian appearance, she has quite an expressive face. Right now, she looks confused. "I've always been your 'noble steed'," she points out. "It's what I was born to be."
Mishrak makes an embarrassed noise. Shifting his feet so that he can settle more comfortably on your shoulder, he says, "Catharne… when I made you, I assumed that Elys would be a knight like her mother. Like she pretended to be in many of her childhood games. But now, she has chosen a different path. There is no reason why you can't do the same."
"You're my noble steed, but I think of you as a person as well," you tell Catharne. "You don't have to be human-shaped to be a person. If you wouldn't be comfortable taking on the guise of a human, I'd understand, but it would be nice to spend more time with you. If you had shapeshifting powers, we could be together a lot more often – I want you to be involved in my adventures, just like you were always meant to be! It's difficult for you to be my steed while we're spending most of the time apart. Besides, if you could change your size and shape enough that you could take on human form, I'm sure that you could use it for other things: for example, you could go through doorways anytime you wanted to!"
"I'll think about it," she replies, rather hesitantly.
"Of course, if I were to give you shapeshifting powers, I would need to train you in how to use them properly," says Mishrak. "We would need to spend a lot of time together: it could take months before you were ready to go out into the world and join Elys as her noble steed."
Catharne carefully considers what her father just said. "In that case… I suppose I should make a start as soon as possible."
"Later on, after Elys has returned to her school," says Mishrak. "For now, you should make the most of the time you have together."
You regale them with the story of how you tried to confront one of your teachers who had been treating you unfairly, only to be sucked through a portal into a strange otherworld, from which you were rescued by a group of young mage apprentices from the Tyrepheum Academy of the Magical Arts.
"I think I made some new friends at last!" you exclaim, clasping your hands together. "I can't wait to go back there!"
"I'm happy for you," says Mishrak, with a reptilian smile.
"Me too," Catharne mumbles, sounding much less enthusiastic.
"That reminds me: I need to find a way to go back there," you say. "Can I talk to Samaya while I'm here? She could easily set up a portal so that I could go there as often as I want."
"I don't know where Samaya is. She has her own business to attend to," says Mishrak.
There are dozens of portals in Mishrak's undersea palace, leading to various places in Greater Quellonia and around the world, all of which were set up by Samaya. You spend a moment thinking about how disastrous it would be if any of them started to malfunction for any reason. The palace has always had its own supply of fresh air, even back when it was ruled by the Sea Ghouls – you don't know how, but you're fairly sure that Rynn the Sea God deliberately designed it so that his mortal land-dwelling worshippers would be able to visit him – so it's clear that the portals aren't necessary to provide the inhabitants with a constant supply of breathable air. However, if all of the portals suddenly closed for whatever reason, it would cause plenty of other problems. Therefore, you deduce that your uncle must have a way to get in touch with Samaya, or some other portal mage, in an emergency.
"Yes, very clever, Elys," he says, when you explain your theory to him. "You're right: I could contact her. However, if she was in the middle of doing something important, she would not like it if I interrupted her. She and I have an understanding: she is not one of my servants or my worshippers, but I have done favours for her in the past and she has repaid me in kind."
"So… if I wanted her to do something for me, I would owe her a favour," you surmise.
"And I would owe her a favour for calling her away from her undoubtedly very important business," says Mishrak with a nod.
After you've spent a few hours playing with Catharne, you decide that you'd better head back to the Engelram Academy of the Magical Arts before your absence is noticed. Before Mishrak can carry you there, you need to go through one of the portals back to the mainland. On your way to the nearest portal, you notice a few of the Deep Ones tending the gigantic armoured turtles they are telepathically bonded to. Each turtle is enormous, as long and wide as a fishing boat, but they seem as devoted to their human partners as any well-trained dog you have ever seen.
"How is the war with Aspitolm going?" you ask, mesmerized by the sheer size and strength of your uncle's most recent creations. Their beaklike mouths look large enough to lop off someone's arm in a single bite!
"My Deep Ones are not soldiers and – despite their formidable appearance – the fastitocalons are not invulnerable. I refuse to send them into battle against the most heavily armed Aspiti warships, which often have mage support and have been warded by Zanaster's priests, but they have been quite successful in attacking smaller merchant vessels. Trade is Aspitolm's lifeblood. If we can do enough damage to their economy, we will have destroyed their ability to make war," says Mishrak. "More than that, despite their vast plantations, I'm not sure that the Aspitis could even feed themselves if they didn't import large quantities of food. And their fishing fleet, of course."
Something about the way he says that last sentence – slowly and thoughtfully, as if taking it into consideration – makes you feel very worried. "Uh… have you been sending them to attack Aspitolm's fishing fleet?" you ask. "I'm sure that most of their fishermen would be poor people, just trying to feed themselves and their families, not involved in the current war or the slave trade at all."
"It has been suggested to me that I should destroy Aspitolm's fishing fleet. I haven't done it yet," says Mishrak. "Nor have I allowed my Deep Ones and their fastitocalons to do so. But perhaps I should."
"But that would be wrong!" you cry, dismayed. "You'd be killing innocent people!"
"To what extent can any of them be called 'innocent'? They have all benefited from Aspitolm's trade in human flesh, if only indirectly. They all contribute to their vile empire's continued ability to maintain itself, enabling it to conquer and enslave other nations. They all wilfully ignore the horrible atrocities that have been – and continue to be – committed by their lords and masters, the rich and powerful, every single day." He pauses. A rumble of frustrated rage causes his avatar's tiny body to shake. "Besides… in order to win this war, the Aspiti Empire will do whatever is necessary, no matter how heinous. I am not suggesting that we should stoop to their level; but, in order to win this war, we may need to act ruthlessly."
"That's awful!" you protest.
"No. It's war," he replies. "Long ago, I learned from my father, Vlakoroth, how wars can be won and lost. I hated my father, but... perhaps I need to emulate some of his methods. He was wrong about many things, but he understood war."
"War crimes, maybe." You shake your head, uttering a contemptuous snort of laughter. "That's why Telthalus stabbed him in the head."
Mishrak nods. "Indeed."
What should Mishrak do about the Aspiti fishing fleet? (Choose one)
[] Leave it alone. Too many innocent people could get hurt if he did otherwise! (No risk of disaster, no effect on Warscore.)
[] Have the Deep Ones shred the nets of the fisherman as they go out to fish. (Hardly any risk, increase Warscore by a small amount.)
[] At night, send his Deep Ones to destroy the fishing vessels while they are docked and have no one aboard. (Some risk of disaster, increase Warscore by a small amount.)
[] During the day, send his Deep Ones and their fastitocalons to destroy the fishing fleet at sea, killing as many fishermen and causing as much terror as possible. (Much greater risk of disaster, increase Warscore by a large amount)
This is not a CK2-style quest, but that doesn't mean I won't steal borrow some ideas from the Crusader Kings franchise. In this case, Warscore.
The Aspiti Empire currently has 1 Warscore. Their Warscore increases at a rate of 1 per month (and can be increased by various special events).
The Coalition (of forces leagued against the Aspiti Empire) currently has 3 Warscore. However, their Warscore will not increase unless Elys uses her monthly actions to check up on Mishrak, her parents, or any of their allies who are involved in the war. Think of it as 'Schrodinger's warfare': the Coalition is in a quantum state in which it is impossible to know whether they are winning or losing until Elys opens the box and collapses the wave form. Or maybe I'm just spouting nonsense.
Whichever side gains a total of 27 Warscore first will be the winner of this stage of the war.
What should Elys do next?
[] Head back to the Academy immediately. (No chance of anyone finding out that Elys has once again broken the rules by leaving without permission.)
OR
[] Talk to the Deep Ones.*
[] Talk to the Wranni who have joined Mishrak's military coalition.*
[] Talk to Sildar and Jorantul.*
*Choose as many of these options as you wish, but for each one you choose there will be a greater chance that Elys's rule-breaking will be discovered and that she will be punished. (Also, one or more of these options may increase your Warscore, but I'm not going to tell you which ones.)
[] At night, send his Deep Ones to destroy the fishing vessels while they are docked and have no one aboard. (Some risk of disaster, increase Warscore by a small amount.)
[] During the day, send his Deep Ones and their fastitocalons to destroy the fishing fleet at sea, killing as many fishermen and causing as much terror as possible. (Much greater risk of disaster, increase Warscore by a large amount)
Oof. That's a hard decision. I'm leaning towards the night attack, both for the much lower chance of disaster and for the moral aspects. I don't want Mishrak and Elys to get used to that sort of thing. There's also the hearts-and-mind argument, wherein not commiting war crimes makes it easier for others to join your cause, and to convince the non-slave-owners that this isn't a war to extinction.
[] Talk to the Deep Ones.*
[] Talk to the Wranni who have joined Mishrak's military coalition.*
[] Talk to Sildar and Jorantul.*
Here I'm much less conflicted. We should have Elys talk to everyone, build the warscore as high as we can, and accept that she will be caught and punished. Unless we decide to spend every monthly action building warscore, we'll want to get it as high as possible so we have time for other actions.
[X] At night, send his Deep Ones to destroy the fishing vessels while they are docked and have no one aboard. (Some risk of disaster, increase Warscore by a small amount.)
I feel like this will only work in the short term as the enemy will likely start laying ambushes but short term this is doable and has less chance of disaster.
[X] Talk to Sildar and Jorantul.*
I did want to talk to the Deep One's, but I forget if we are close to them XD
Here I'm much less conflicted. We should have Elys talk to everyone, build the warscore as high as we can, and accept that she will be caught and punished.
I find that rather persuasive. However, even as I vote for it, what about getting Elys's actions and movements restricted early? I doubt the punishment will be innocuous. What if it's a tracking spell or something similar?
[X] At night, send his Deep Ones to destroy the fishing vessels while they are docked and have no one aboard. (Some risk of disaster, increase Warscore by a small amount.)x
[X] Talk to the Deep Ones.*
[X] Talk to the Wranni who have joined Mishrak's military coalition.*
[X] Talk to Sildar and Jorantul.*
This is why Elys is not directly part of the war effort. She may be ready to be a badass adventurer who fights bad guys, but she is most certainly not ready for war.
Still, although I would be understanding of the most ruthless option here, for the greater good of making sure the atrocity that is Aspitolm's very existence is ended as quickly and decisively as possible...
[X] At night, send his Deep Ones to destroy the fishing vessels while they are docked and have no one aboard.
Seems like a good compromise. However, I would like to propose an additional plan to that, for dealing with all the remaining fishing that we miss. Mishrak is a god of the sea. He creates and rules over (in a very hands off sort of way) many of the sea's inhabitants. So as the Deep Ones do their thing, as a secondary measure Mishrak should also:
[X] Create creatures whose purpose is to prevent any fish or other sea life from being caught be Aspiti fishermen.
Could simply chase them off, could simply warn the fish away telepathically, could even use the fish as food just so the Asps don't get a chance to. I'll leave that up to Mishrak (though, he should keep in mind other things for them to do once the war is over). Heck, if he does this well enough, it might actually be better to do this than destroying all the ships; sending fishing vessels out isn't completely free, and this would make sure that the fishermen going out would be getting nothing for it and completely wasting their time and resources.
As for Elys... hmm... well, I'm actually most interested in seeing the Deep Ones' perspective on all this, since they're just a bunch of Ismar and Windskil civilians who are new to all this, and really their entire species is completely new. But at the same time, I feel like that coversation would be the least likely to add anything to the war effort. And I get the feeling that Elys's punishment this time would be something worse. Possibly something that makes it harder to do future important stuff. So... hmm... I'll just say, I vote against talking to all three groups, go for two at most, and otherwise I abstain from voting on that.
[X] At night, send his Deep Ones to destroy the fishing vessels while they are docked and have no one aboard. (Some risk of disaster, increase Warscore by a small amount.)
[X] Talk to the Deep Ones.*
[X] Talk to the Wranni who have joined Mishrak's military coalition.*
[X] Talk to Sildar and Jorantul.*
im thinking, that once elys gets back, the next thing to do would be to read the portal book. if elys gets a punishment that eats up time, (moping floors or something, or a bunch of extra homework) that would mess with my plan. i dont think shell get a magical tracker, or if she did, i think it could be worked around.
[X] At night, send his Deep Ones to destroy the fishing vessels while they are docked and have no one aboard. (Some risk of disaster, increase Warscore by a small amount.)
being a jobless neet living in an irl imperial core is going to bias my views on this. that said, i totally get both the total war perspective and the no civillians aspect. id say thr civillians are complicit but they still shouldn't be targets.
[X] Talk to the Deep Ones.*
[X] Talk to the Wranni who have joined Mishrak's military coalition.*
[X] Talk to Sildar and Jorantul.*
have we (readers) met sildar and jorantul before? i cant place them... (nevermind, i went and had a look back through, they are mawroth's chosen)
but yeah, even without the war effort, this is a good use of her time.
im thinking, that once elys gets back, the next thing to do would be to read the portal book. if elys gets a punishment that eats up time, (moping floors or something, or a bunch of extra homework) that would mess with my plan. i dont think shell get a magical tracker, or if she did, i think it could be worked around.
[X] At night, send his Deep Ones to destroy the fishing vessels while they are docked and have no one aboard. (Some risk of disaster, increase Warscore by a small amount.)
being a jobless neet living in an irl imperial core is going to bias my views on this. that said, i totally get both the total war perspective and the no civillians aspect. id say thr civillians are complicit but they still shouldn't be targets.
[X] Talk to the Deep Ones.*
[X] Talk to the Wranni who have joined Mishrak's military coalition.*
[X] Talk to Sildar and Jorantul.*
have we (readers) met sildar and jorantul before? i cant place them... (nevermind, i went and had a look back through, they are mawroth's chosen
but yeah, even without the war effort, this is a good use of her time.
edit: the fish idea is a good one. afterall, dont fish have a right to resist capture?
What should Mishrak do about the Aspiti fishing fleet? (Choose one)
[] Leave it alone. Too many innocent people could get hurt if he did otherwise! (No risk of disaster, no effect on Warscore.)
[] At night, send his Deep Ones to destroy the fishing vessels while they are docked and have no one aboard. (Some risk of disaster, increase Warscore by a small amount.)
[] During the day, send his Deep Ones and their fastitocalons to destroy the fishing fleet at sea, killing as many fishermen and causing as much terror as possible. (Much greater risk of disaster, increase Warscore by a large amount
1) Mishrak is a God of monstrous sea creatures, so he should be able to scrounge up some wood eating sea worms which can rapidly render the fishing fleet non-viable.
2) We might be able to simply cut the nets and thereby spoil any harvest
3) Use treasure to bribe fishermen into defection?
[x] Have the Deep Ones shred the nets of the fisherman as they go out to fish.
Actually, this could also be beneficial in that - no civilians die, and it will likely take much longer for there to be military action, as the threat is harder to recognize. Not to mention, it will subtly remove ropes as a cheap option from the marketplace, either lessening the amount available to Aspiti warships, or forcing them to import more, which we sink on the way in, draining their supplies and war coffers at once. If we could do something about their wood supply too...
[x] Talk to the Wranni who have joined Mishrak's military coalition.*
[x] Talk to Sildar and Jorantul.*
Once created they are persistent. Mishrak could permanently devastate regional fishing because he wouldn't kill his creations. Long after the war is over
The problem with bioweapons is that they are hard to control and thus can easily devastate a much larger area than originally planned, harming bystanders or even the very person who made them.
That... is something that Mishrak would not have difficulty solving, unlike humans. He just has to keep track of the creations (fairly easy for a god), and give them new instructions for something else to do once the war is over. Heck, he could even make it so they can't naturally reproduce unless he specifically individually modifies them to be able to later, so even if he did nothing the problem would take care of itself as soon as the lifespan of the creations wears out.
Today, I went to the hospital and was given some very bad news: because I had a seizure five or six weeks ago, they want me to have an MRI scan and various other tests; until they know the results of those tests, they've told me that I can't drive. And I can't go in the bath and I have to sit down in the shower. Well... okay, it's not the worst thing in the world – there are plenty of people who are much worse off – but it came as a bit of a shock. Even the doctor apologised to me: I guess that I must have been looking kinda stressed out.
I find that rather persuasive. However, even as I vote for it, what about getting Elys's actions and movements restricted early? I doubt the punishment will be innocuous. What if it's a tracking spell or something similar?
She might be given so many detentions that she would have to skip next month's vote option. (Hey, since I want Elys to start growing up faster, I thought this was quite an ingenious solution.)
1) Mishrak is a God of monstrous sea creatures, so he should be able to scrounge up some wood eating sea worms which can rapidly render the fishing fleet non-viable.
It was several years ago, but the possibility of Mishrak creating a swarm of wood-eating sea worms to destroy Aspiti ships was discussed and rejected in The Tinpot Princess and Her Many Travels. People voted against the idea, fearing the possible consequences of unleashing a bioweapon. Instead, they decided that Mishrak would create a new species of great armoured turtles that are telepathically bonded to the Deep Ones and dependent on them to the extent that they are unable to survive on their own in the wild.
I still consider that vote to be valid, which is why I didn't offer you any 'Mishrak creates a new sea creature' options above. Besides, if he were to do that, it would take time. Creating a new form of life is not something that Mishrak can do instantaneously (well, to paraphrase what x_lksk said before, in my previous quests he probably could have). You can suggest it to him, but it'll take at least a month or two before he gets around to doing it. On the other hand, sending out his Deep Ones to attack the Aspiti fishing fleet is something that he can do right now...
well, I'm actually most interested in seeing the Deep Ones' perspective on all this, since they're just a bunch of Ismar and Windskil civilians who are new to all this, and really their entire species is completely new.
Some of the Deep Ones will be the original characters that Tascion created for the omakes he wrote for The Tinpot Princess and Her Many Travels. I don't know if that'll influence you one way or the other.
The problem with bioweapons is that they are hard to control and thus can easily devastate a much larger area than originally planned, harming bystanders or even the very person who made them.
That... is something that Mishrak would not have difficulty solving, unlike humans. He just has to keep track of the creations (fairly easy for a god), and give them new instructions for something else to do once the war is over. Heck, he could even make it so they can't naturally reproduce unless he specifically individually modifies them to be able to later, so even if he did nothing the problem would take care of itself as soon as the lifespan of the creations wears out.
You're right, but it's still not something that Mishrak can do instantaneously. If you suggest it to him now, he won't have done it until Elys comes back to talk to him again. (And therefore you won't get Warscore until then. 'Schrodinger's warfare' in action!)
Adhoc vote count started by Chandagnac on Jul 9, 2021 at 4:54 PM, finished with 14 posts and 6 votes.
[X] At night, send his Deep Ones to destroy the fishing vessels while they are docked and have no one aboard. (Some risk of disaster, increase Warscore by a small amount.)
[X] At night, send his Deep Ones to destroy the fishing vessels while they are docked and have no one aboard. (Some risk of disaster, increase Warscore by a small amount.)x
Hmm. Well, I don't feel like writing anything much tonight. I hope you understand. Besides, considering that I've given you some new information in this post, I think that it would be fair to give people a chance to change their votes, or for other people to vote.
@Chandagnac, yikes about the stroke. Cracking one's head open in a shower makes for one of the least epic gravestone epitaphs ever. Seriously, be careful with yourself.
I'm changing my vote. I don't want to risk missing the next turn. I'm open to argument for otherwise though.
[X] At night, send his Deep Ones to destroy the fishing vessels while they are docked and have no one aboard. (Some risk of disaster, increase Warscore by a small amount.)x
[] Talk to the Deep Ones.*
[] Talk to the Wranni who have joined Mishrak's military coalition.*
[X] Talk to Sildar and Jorantul.*
The idea wouldn't be to give the Aspitis any money. But their fishermen are probably not the most well off caste/group of their civilization, so if given enough wealth can probably be convinced to just abandon the Aspiti empire and settle somewhere else.
