We can't wage war with the Nersondurans without risking the completion of several faction quests. All actions bar a single secondary in the plan are actions to complete quests that will the passives will not complete on their own. We have a single turn's grace to complete them, and if we spend that turn on a war, we'll fail a bunch anything demands our attention and dedicated actions.
Between so many happy factions giving good quests, friendly relations with the Caradysh, and all our subordinates being loyal with no outstanding issues after solving that Forlucan revanchism, the golden age that's due to come in 2 turns is shaping up to be the best the Arthwyd Empire has ever had. All we need to do is focus on the faction quests this turn so that even if something big comes up next turn, the full power of the upcoming golden age is undiminished.
The vote is still open for now, but I'm going to close it in a few hours. Vote Tally : Chronicles of Nations Redux - Civ Quest Original | Page 157 | Sufficient Velocity [Posts: 3926-3952] ##### NetTally 2.2.0
When the news reached Greenbay of what the Forluc and Caradysh had done, there was anger and outrage. Sometimes it was easy to forget that the Forluc were still barbarians rather than civilised people, but this time was not one of those. Instead, the Forlucans had very much proven themselves to uncivilised barbarians to all.
The only thing that the Arthwyd had expected from the free passage agreement was some traders and, if you were one of the more cynical individuals, some spies. What they had not expected was for the Forlucans to invite the Caradysh into their courts and highest rungs of leadership.
Yet the Forlucans have done just that as Forlucan chiefs hired Caradysh revenants to serve in their personal retinues and use their vast and powerful magical knowledge in their service. Worst of all was what the Forlucans have given to the Caradysh in turn. It wasn't clear if the Caradysh had used the advisors sent to convince the Forlucans to do or if the Forlucans had done their deeds as payment for receiving the advisors, but it had been done as the Foresters had gained all of their demanded prices from a generation past.
The first of all is that the Forlucans had sent some of their metalworkers to teach the secrets of smelting and forging metal to the Caradysh. And then while the Arthwyd were still reeling from this news, they found out about the next big bit of news as reports reached them of the Forluc sending war parties against the Nersonduran invaders.
It quickly became apparent that the Caradysh had convinced the Forluc to aid them in expelling the Nersondur from the Lowlands. Worst of all, the actions of the Forlucans would reflect back on the Arthwyd and this would certainly be taken by outsides as the Arthwyd Empire as a whole entering the war.
And then there was the honey business. While the Arthwyd Empire had managed to regain a trickle of honey flowing into their lands since the Cold ended, they had yet to re-enter the honey trade of the Far South and the Far East. The closest they got was Boarfolk traders coming from the Far East and the odd trader here and there arriving in Caermyr with some honey from the Far South or the Far East.
When the Caradysh began to trade in Caermyr, that changed. Nobody was sure how, but the Caradysh were able to produce honey in vast quantities, making them an alternative source of honey to whoever was producing it in the Far South. And for good or ill, the Caradysh were quite eager to sell it to the Arthwyd and while the hardliners protested this, too many of the Northerners were concerned with getting their hands on relatively cheap and plentiful honey to taking a hard stance against the undead abominations.
With the bad news from the Forluc foolishness and the mixed news with the Forester honey, things were rounded out by good news about farming. New ideas came about improving upon old ones. Techniques used in irrigation were adapted to form earthen flood banks to protect farmland and villages from floods, something that would be more useful in the Lowlands than it was along the coastlines of the north.
Another new technique crafted from old ones was upgrading the two-field crop rotation to a three-field crop rotation. By using their knowledge of seasonal crops and how they used up different soil fertility, the Arthwyd were able to get more usage out of their farmlands without harming the soil. Rather than alternating between fields as one was planted with seeds while the other was left fallow, a third of the farmland was left fallow while another third was sowed with crops that used one type of soil energy and the final third was sowed with crops that used a second type of soil energy.
And then there was the improvements to the ancient techniques of black soil. While the Arthwyd had made limited use of it for many generations, it was only over the last that mass production of it had been figured out. While the Arthwyd did not exactly need this additional boost to the food production, it could not hurt to improve the overall fertility of their farmland.
***
"Have you confirmed this?" demands Cadlon Evatine of the Arthwyd as she finishes reading the latest report, "There is no uncertainty regarding this?"
It has been only a couple of seasons since the woman was elected Cadlon of the Arthwyd and barely a full season cycle since Arthryn empowered her as her mortal Champion. Evatine had no idea why the goddess had done that, but as she got settled into her new position, it soon became apparent just why Arthryn had made this decision.
"As certain as we can be without directly receiving a statement from the High King Skjaldur himself," answers the priestess, "And given what we know of him, I would personally advise that on the grounds it would be too dangerous to whoever meets with him."
Evatine resists the urge to sigh. She had expected to deal with the fallout of that Forlucan nonsense and perhaps some Caradysh trickery, but this proclamation from the Far South had changed everything.
Uniting his people behind him, a Nersonduran warlord called High King Skjaldur had been openly declaring his intent to conquer the Arthwyd Empire. The barbarian cur had been stating to all that he is going to rule over his new kingdom with Greenbay as his capital and he isgoing to make the riches and women of the Arthwyd Empire his own.
"And his desire to war with us is unrelated to the Forlucan attacks on the Nersondurans in the Lowlands?"
"It would seem so," confirms the priestess, "We are not sure if they have influenced Skjaldur's decision, but the primary factor seems to be the wealth, power and prestige of the Arthwyd Empire along with the desire to leave his mark on history. He desires glory and greatness and has decided that his path to that is toppling the Arthwyd Empire."
"I see," says Evatine as she begins to think over what this means for her and the rest of the Arthwyd, "Thank you for letting me know."
And with that, the priestess leaves and Evatine is left alone with her thoughts. By all accounts, Skjaldur is a peerless general and fighter hence why the man has proven so able in uniting the Nersondur behind him. If he wants to take on the Arthwyd Empire, the Champion of Arthryn is certain that he will not succeed, but he will certainly do plenty of damage on the Arthwyd in the process if allowed to run unchecked.
Barbarians might be uncivilised, but they are a far from harmless.
To make matters worse, the nomad tribes of the Boarlands have a new warlord rising amongst them. It was recent enough that the Arthwyd had yet to get any accurate information on the newest warlord of the steppes, but depending on just what this warlord is like, they could be a great boon to the Arthwyd or another threat like Skjaldur and the Nersondurans.
The Arthwyd Empire was strong. It has over two million people as part of it when you count everyone who is in it and it controls more land than any other people in history. It has Catclaws, Cateyes and Sun Warriors on top of masses of barbarian warriors from the Lowlander territories. It is the world's sole source of metal goods and its infrastructure is unmatched. More settlements than not have towering walls of stone and its farms produces more food than any other people.
And yet it is facing one and possible two threats that are strong enough to hurt it badly even if they could not bring down the Arthwyd Empire in its entirety.
Yet the Arthwyd Empire has its weak points. The Halbarnwyd are isolated and while that is not normally a problem, it is something that the Boarfolk could exploit as the nomads are the only people in a position to cut it off from the rest of the Arthwyd Empire. The new nomad warlord could attack the Halbarnwyd and the colony could fall before the rest of the Arthwyd even know that is something is wrong.
And then not every settlement has a stone wall or even a wall at all. Too many places in Greenbay or Sunrise Bay have no wall at all to protect them and while they are in the heartland of the Arthwyd, they are still vulnerable if an army gets that far.
The Caradysh could cause problems and they have recently proven how tricky they can be to deal with. Yet as the Champion of Arthryn considers those foul monsters in the Cursed Forest, Evatine notes that the Foresters might be an ally in these trouble times.
The Caradysh might be undead abominations, but they are pragmatic abominations and the Nersondur are an enemy of theirs. Combined with how the monsters are smart enough to desire peace with the Arthwyd, Evatine is forced to sourly concede that the Caradysh are pragmatic enough that they could be an ally against Skjaldur and his Nersonduran army.
And then there are allies within the Arthwyd Empire. The Merntir, Grythwyd, Caermyr, Maradysh and Cernn are all going to rise to the defence of the Arthwyd Empire when they find out what Skjaldur desires, but the barbarian parts of the Arthwyd Empire are more uncertain.
Thanks to the Caradysh, the foolish Forlucans have already committed to war with the Nersondur, but the Raradysh, Tordysh, Lorvysh and Zaradysh are different matters. There is no guarantee that the barbarians will come to the defence of the Arthwyd Empire. The Tordysh would if the nomad warlord decides to target the Arthwyd Empire via the Lowlands, but the others are safe enough that they will only be in danger themselves when other parts of the Arthwyd Empire have already been overrun.
No wonder Arthryn has chosen Evatine to be her first mortal Champion. The Arthwyd Empire will need her guidance and leadership in the upcoming seasons.
An Epic Age of Heroes is at hand with the Nersonduran High King declaring his intent to conquer the Arthwyd Empire while the Boarfolk nomads are uniting behind a new warlord. What does Evatine, Cadlon of the Arthwyd and Champion of the Arthryn do? (Pick 2)
[] [Epic] Evatine decides to prepare the Arthwyd Empire for the upcoming war. (Temp Econ--, Temp Mystic-, Temp Martial+, ???)
[] [Epic] Evatine decides to launch a pre-emptive strike on the Nersondur. (Temp Econ-, ???)
[] [Epic] Evatine decides to reach out to the new Boarfolk warlord of the nomad tribes. (Temp Diplo-, Temp Wealth----, ???)
[] [Epic] Evatine decides to reach out to the Caradysh as allies against Skjaldur. (Temp Diplo-, -1 Stability, ???)
[] [Epic] Evatine decides to ensure that the barbarian parts of the Arthwyd Empire support the war. (Temp Diplo--, ???)
[] [Epic] Evatine attempts to hire Boarfolk tribes to aid the Arthwyd against the Nersondurans. (Temp Diplo-, Temp Wealth----, Temp Martial+?, ???)
As part of being a Great Power in an Epic Age, you can upgrade your Hero Evatine.
[] [Hero] Upgrade Evatine from Heroic Admin to Genius Admin.
[] [Hero] Upgrade Evatine from Heroic Martial to Genius Martial.
[] [Hero] Upgrade Evatine from Heroic Diplo to Genius Diplo.
[] [Hero] Evatine becomes a Mystic Hero.
[] [Hero] Evatine becomes a Tech Hero.
[] [Hero] Evatine becomes a Culture Hero.
Conservatives (9.1/10) = Goals: Stability and the status quo, Mood: Mixed, Ability: +1 Passive Policy per 4 Faction Power, Objective: Do 3 Settle Lands times in 3 Turns, Success/Failure: Free Road/Temp Diplo-- Gerontocrats (1/10) = Goals: Empowerment of the Elders, Mood: Content, Ability: Econ+ per 1 Faction Power, Objective: TBD after Epic Age, Success/Failure: -/- Theocrats (4.4/20) = Goals: Empowerment of the Priesthood, Mood: Very Happy, Ability: +1 to Mystic per 1 Faction Power, Objective: Support 1 Religious Subordinates in 2 Turns, Success/Failure: Temp Econ++/- Monarchists (7.3/10) = Goals: Empowerment of the Cadlon, Mood: Happy, Ability: Free Secondary Action per 5 Faction Power, Objective: TBD after Epic Age, Success/Failure: -/- Centralists (7.4/10) = Goals: Increased centralisation, Mood: Happy, Ability: +1 to Upper Centralisation Limit per 3 Faction Power, Objective: Do 2 More Messengers in 3 Turns, Success/Failure: Free Innovation Roll/- Localists (5.3/10) = Goals: Decreased centralisation, Mood: Happy, Ability: -1 to Lower Centralisation Limit per 3 Faction Power, Objective: Build 1 Libraries in 2 Turns, Success/Failure: Free Innovation Roll/- Militarists (3/10) = Goals: Stronger military and increased warfare, Mood: Upset, Ability: Martial+ per 2 Faction Power, Objective: Build 1 Wall in 2 Turns, Success/Failure: -/Temp Diplo- Isolationists (1.2/10) = Goals: No interactions with foreigners and their lands, Mood: Upset, Ability: Diplo- per 2 Faction Power, Objective: TBD after Epic Age, Success/Failure: -/- Explorists (8/10) = Goals: Exploration of the world, Mood: Neutral, Ability: +1 to Exploration Rolls per 1 Faction Power, Objective: Make contact with a new people in 1 Turns, Success/Failure: Free Stability/Temp Wealth-- Traderists (7/10) = Goals: Thriving trade networks, Mood: Annoyed, Ability: Wealth+ per 1 Faction Power, Objective: Do 1 Plant Cash Crops in 2 Turns, Success/Failure: Free Sacred Forest/Temp Econ- Internalists (5.3/10) = Goals: Internal development, Mood: Very Happy, Ability: +1 Econ per 1 Faction Power, Objective: TBD after Epic Age, Success/Failure: -/- Pacifists (7.3/10) = Goals: No violence or offensive wars, Mood: Annoyed, Ability: Chance relative to faction power to negate Stability loss while at peace, Objective: TBD after Epic Age, Success/Failure: -/- Purists (1.4/10) = Goals: No barbarians and their ways, Mood: Somewhat Pleased, Ability: Diplo- per 2 Faction Power, Objective: TBD after Epic Age, Success/Failure: -/-
***
As a surprise to everyone, we will be having an Epic Age now as we went from having zero Heroes in the world to having six Heroes and a Genius. Thanks to the Epic Age rules (which I had to update a bit due to how many powers there are), we have about a dozen Heroes running about the world. The Arthwyd have a Martial Hero and an Admin/Diplo Hero that I have merged into one individual (Evatine) for reasons while the Caradysh have upgraded on of their Heroes. The Boarfolk have a Martial Hero while the Nersondur have a Genius Martial with Heroic Admin (High King Skjaldur) alongside a Martial Hero.
The Forluc have an Admin Hero as does the Grythwyd, Zaradysh, Halbarnwyd and Lochanysh. The Merntir have a Culture Hero and the Lorvysh have a Mystic Hero while the Fornn and Bruraysh both have Martial Heroes. On the bright side, Urth hasn't shown up. Anyway, I will be going into Epic Age turns where each update will cover one or two years until the end of the Epic Age where you will return to regular length turns.
With the Caradysh and the Forluc, the Caradysh have cleverly used their new access to the Forluc to get a bunch of stuff from them. By offering some of their own as court wizards for Forlucan nobles, the Caradysh have both gotten the Forluc to attack the Nersondur for them and to gain metallurgy tech from the Forlucan metalworkers.
The Caradysh have also used the free passage to become your new source of honey since you have yet to fully regain access to the original source in the Far South. You can thank @Raichu1972 for this as I didn't realise the Caradysh could pull this off until they suggested it and I realised that yes, the Caradysh had everything they need to do this with the free passage agreement.
Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to. Feel to ask questions for more details and information.
The Arthwyd Ancient Theocratic Elective Monarchy UpperCentralisationLimit: 8 Lower CentralisationLimit: -2 Admin Strain Free Provinces: 6 Penalty Accumulation: Additional +2 Lower Centralisation required per 1 Province Player Actions: 1 Main Action + 1 Secondary Action +1 Secondary Action per 2 Provinces Passive Policies: 1 +1 per 2 Provinces. Subordinates: 2 + Prestige/10 Special: Gain Crisis Resistance+ per Province Special: Free Subordinate Slot for Subordinates that share the same religion per a point of Legitimacy. Special: Monarchs are more likely to be competent.
Early Ancient Palace Economy Crisis Damage: Event, Crisis Damage- per 1 Centralisation. Wealth Generation: 1 per Dominant. Passive Policies: 1 +1 per 2 Provinces. Additional Actions: None Special: Negative Centralisation or lower than Minimum Centralisation will lead to collapse.
Statuses Centre of Trade (Caermyr): Temp Wealth+ every Turn. Centre of Trade (Greenbay): Temp Wealth+ every Turn. Coughing Plague (Medium Plague): d6 Crisis every Turn. Expensive Free Labour: All Wealth Costs are greatly increased, +2 to Innovation Rolls, King of the Hill: Temp Diplo+ at the start of every Turn. Trade Dominance (Bronze Goods): Wealth++ Trade Dominance (Copper Goods): Wealth+ Trade Dominance (Gold Goods): Wealth++ Trade Dominance (Silver Goods): Wealth+ Trade Deficit (Honey): Wealth--
Values & Legacies Agricultural Innovators: +1 Temp Econ to Farming actions. Ancient Bureaucracy: +2 Passive Policies Ancient Centre of Civilisation (Great Bay): Extra Innovation Roll at the start of each turn. Blessing of Bronwyn: Gain +1 to all Diplomacy Rolls. Blessing of Mairyn: Gain +2 to all Exploration Rolls. Bronze Blooded: +2 Temp Econ to Econ Generation Actions. Chosen of Arthryn: Gain +1 to all Innovation Rolls. Colonial Empire: +1 Colony Slot. Rush Builders: Extended Projects take less actions, but each action is more expensive. Tech Discoverers: +1 Temp Tech to Tech generating actions Wealth Discoverers: +1 Temp Wealth to Wealth generating actions
Born Equal While the choices of a person and the world around them can make a person greater or lesser, everyone is born equal to each other.
Pros: Decreased social stratification,
Cons: Decreased social stratification,
Bloodied, but Unbowed (Linked to Charitable Haven)Your people have suffered great loss, but you survive and you will recover. Blows that would break others merely leave you limping and your people have suffered enough of such blows to know how to recover and that they can recover.
Pros: Better at surviving and getting by in hard times, Bonus to dealing with disasters, Better resilience and recovery after suffering losses,
Cons: Harsher and ruthless,
Caretakers of Nature The Arthwyd are the guardians of their land and that means looking after the place that they call home. They will safeguard and preserve their lands lest they fail in their duty.
Pros: Bonus to land management projects,
Cons: Additional consequences for harming the land,
Charitable Haven The lands of the Arthwyd are prosperous and peaceful. Free from war, slavery and other forms of suffering, many seek sanctuary in Arthwyd lands in times of turmoil and the Arthwyd are more than happy to grant it.
Pros: Increased Idea Spread, Increased Refugee Arrivals, Gain a Value from current or historical neighbour,
Cons: Reduced Social Cohesion, Many think you weak,
Communal Mandate As per the words of the goddess, loyalty and kindness to one's people is of the highest importance and even when times are tough or when it is not personally beneficial, one should stick by their community.
Pros: Reduced Internal Discontent, Increased Resistance to Foreign Intrigue,
Cons: Increase stability loss from taking actions which harm the People,
Pioneering Ways The world is wonderous and ripe for the taking. The Arthwyd regularly seek out new lands to make them their own as they funnel their plentiful population into the frontier to settle the wilderness.
Pros: Increased Population Growth, Common Independent Exploration, Common Independent Expansion,
Cons: More mouths to feed, Common Uncontrolled Expansion,
Sacred Defence The People do not abandon their own for it is their sacred duty to protect each other. They stand by their neighbours and community through thick and thin and do not yield when it comes to protecting their fellows for that is their duty as commanded by the goddesses.
Pros: Increased Unity during times of crisis, Sacred Warriors, Increased loyalty from religious subordinates,
Cons: Legitimacy loss when abandoning members of the People to harm and danger, increased Legitimacy loss when the threat is from those with conflicting beliefs,
Completed Megaprojects
The Aqueduct A series of waterways built throughout the city of Greenbay, the aqueduct allows easy access to fresh, clean water for all those within Greenbay.
Effects: Reduces True City Upkeep for Greenbay, Bonus to Greenbay's rolls,
Arthrynite First Temple A large stone building that resides on a hill overlooking Greenbay, the Arthrynite Temple is the first temple in the known world. With a centre piece built around stone statues of Arthryn and her Daughters, this temple is one of the holiest places in the world.
Effects: Increased Stability Gains from Venerating the Goddesses, Temp Mysticism+ every Turn.
Arthrynite Grand Temple (Tier 2) Built in the heart of Greenbay, the Arthrynite Grand Temple is the largest building of its time. Equal in size to a village or neighbourhood, the Grand Temple is both a massive centre of worship for the Arthrynite religion, an extensive administrative centre for the Arthrynite priesthood and a nexus for the power of Arthryn and her Daughters.
Effects: Enhances the Faction Power of the Theocrats, Doubles of the Mystic Gains of religious actions, Boosts diplomacy with Arthrynites.
The Census (Bronze Age) (Tier 2) A grand administrative project to give the Cadlon information about the population such as how many people there are, where they are and what they need to get by in life.
Effects: Temp Econ+ every Turn, Temp Wealth+ every Turn, Crisis Resistance++,
Code of Laws (Bronze Age) A standardised set of laws that all of the Arthwyd must follow, these laws are focused on following the teachings and guidance of Arthryn and her Daughters.
Effects: Increased Loyalty from Religious Subordinates, Reduced Internal Discontent from Arthrynites.
The Evalynite Walls The Evalynite Walls are the first stone walls in the known world and are devoted to Evalyn, the Arthrynite Goddess of Battle. They stand guard around the ancient capital of the Arthwyd and the religious centre of the Arthrynite religion.
Effects: Bonus to defending walled settlements, Bonus to defending Greenbay,
First Library The Library of Greenbay is the greatest collection of information in the world and the first library. Containing almost countless records, this was the first great collection of information that is semi-available to all.
Effects: +1 to Innovation Rolls
Grand Sacred Forest A grand forest planted throughout the settlement of Greenbay, this forest is the supposed to be the opposite of the Cursed Forest and is sacred to Arthryn and her Daughters.
Effects: Additional Temp Mystic+ from Venerate the Goddesses, Bonus to Study Nature,
Greenbay Palace While not as impressive as the Forlucan Royal Palace, the Greenbay Palace does its job just as well. Acting as a centre of administration for the vast Arthwyd Empire, the palace is a boon for any Cadlon.
Effects: +1 Upper Centralisation Limit, +1 Admin Strain Free Provinces, Crisis Resistance+
Extended Sunrise Mountain Passage A grand pathway through the Sunrise Mountains, this passage was carved out over generations with hard work and divine aid. Now it stands completing, forging a safe route overland between the Arthwyd in the south and the Merntir in the north.
Effects: Gain Temp Mysticism+ whenever a travel-based infrastructure project is completed,
Yet the Forlucans have done just that as Forlucan chiefs hired Caradysh revenants to serve in their personal retinues and use their vast and powerful magical knowledge in their service. Worst of all was what the Forlucans have given to the Caradysh in turn. It wasn't clear if the Caradysh had used the advisors sent to convince the Forlucans to do or if the Forlucans had done their deeds as payment for receiving the advisors, but it had been done as the Foresters had gained all of their demanded prices from a generation past.
The first of all is that the Forlucans had sent some of their metalworkers to teach the secrets of smelting and forging metal to the Caradysh. And then while the Arthwyd were still reeling from this news, they found out about the next big bit of news as reports reached them of the Forluc sending war parties against the Nersonduran invaders.
It quickly became apparent that the Caradysh had convinced the Forluc to aid them in expelling the Nersondur from the Lowlands. Worst of all, the actions of the Forlucans would reflect back on the Arthwyd and this would certainly be taken by outsides as the Arthwyd Empire as a whole entering the war.
Uniting his people behind him, a Nersonduran warlord called High King Skjaldur had been openly declaring his intent to conquer the Arthwyd Empire. The barbarian cur had been stating to all that he was going to rule over his new kingdom with Greenbay as his capital and he was going to make the riches and women of the Arthwyd Empire his own.
As a surprise to everyone, we will be having an Epic Age now as we went from having zero Heroes in the world to having six Heroes and a Genius. Thanks to the Epic Age rules (which I had to update a bit due to how many powers there are), we have about a dozen Heroes running about the world. The Arthwyd have a Martial Hero and an Admin/Diplo Hero that I have merged into one individual (Evatine) for reasons while the Caradysh have upgraded on of their Heroes. The Boarfolk have a Martial Hero while the Nersondur have a Genius Martial with Heroic Admin (High King Skjaldur) alongside a Martial Hero.
...I guess the heroic age has effectively nuked every single plan anyone had...
On one hand, the Caradysh is getting everything they wanted due to how things played out. On the other hand, we are now at war whenever we want to or not and they would be good allies to fend off the incoming attempt at comquest...
So, off the cuff, I want to pick two of these three options:
[] [Epic] Evatine decides to reach out to the new Boarfolk warlord of the nomad tribes. (Temp Diplo-, Temp Wealth----, ???)
[] [Epic] Evatine decides to reach out to the Caradysh as allies against Skjaldur. (Temp Diplo-, -1 Stability, ???)
[] [Epic] Evatine decides to ensure that the barbarian parts of the Arthwyd Empire support the war. (Temp Diplo--, ???)
I feel like reaching out to this warlord is better than starting with a bribe, both because it seems less...condescending, and also because starting off with flaunting our massive wealth could entice them to attack us when they otherwise wouldn't before.
Getting the Caradysh into this war in some binding way is a pretty big priority imo, since it would be just like them to slip under the radar and point Skjaldur our way to let him duke it out directly against us. I...somewhat trust them to keep their word, especially if we can impress upon them how awful it would be if we kicked the bucket and were replaced by the conquest spammers.
If we could take three options I'd also support making sure all of our vassals were playing ball, but that seems to be beyond us currently. I have to hope they have some level of understanding of how fucked the lowlands were before the Arthwyd became its suzerain, and how awful it would be for us to get wiped out and replaced. On the other hand, they might be so confident in our victory that they don't bother sending anyone, which would be equally bad.
[] [Hero] Evatine becomes a Mystic Hero.
I kind of want to go for this just because, as Champion of Arthryn, Evatine should be everything Arthryn represents. A fierce warrior, a just steward, an inspiring leader, and a user of powerful magics.
Since I mentioned this on the Discord, I figure I should mention it here:
I would say that they are quite useful in the current circumstances. They are the militarily strongest part of the Arthwyd Empire as they can bring more Temp Martial to bear than any other part of the Arthwyd Empire right now and they are already committed to the war with the Nersondur.
But yes, the Forluc can easily be more trouble than they are worth. They might no longer be a peer power, but they were once one of the great contenders for dominance of the Lowlands and they have their own significant powerbase and goals of their own.
It doesn't help that the Forluc don't act like they are vassals or really consider themselves to be vassals. They have a strong independent streak to them and they only care about what their Arthwydish 'overlords' say or want as much as you can make them care.
Haha, damn, everything blew up. I think we should go for broke and try to ride the tiger. Diplomance the boars and get them on our side to invade the Neos.
[X] [Epic] Evatine decides to reach out to the new Boarfolk warlord of the nomad tribes. (Temp Diplo-, Temp Wealth----, ???)
[X] [Epic] Evatine attempts to hire Boarfolk tribes to aid the Arthwyd against the Nersondurans. (Temp Diplo-, Temp Wealth----, Temp Martial+?, ???)
Go all in on not having to deal with a two front war (or 3 front if the Caradysh end up fighting us).
[X] [Hero] Upgrade Evatine from Heroic Diplo to Genius Diplo.
Upgrade the diplo to hopefully prevent internal vassal/ally problems and help get the Boarfolk on board. We have all these vassals and allies, might as well go all in on coalition warfare.
[X] [Epic] Evatine decides to prepare the Arthwyd Empire for the upcoming war. (Temp Econ--, Temp Mystic-, Temp Martial+, ???)
[X] [Epic] Evatine decides to ensure that the barbarian parts of the Arthwyd Empire support the war. (Temp Diplo--, ???)
[X] [Hero] Evatine becomes a Mystic Hero.
[X] [Hero] Evatine becomes a Tech Hero.
[X] [Epic] Evatine decides to prepare the Arthwyd Empire for the upcoming war. (Temp Econ--, Temp Mystic-, Temp Martial+, ???)
[X] [Epic] Evatine decides to ensure that the barbarian parts of the Arthwyd Empire support the war. (Temp Diplo--, ???)
[X] [Hero] Evatine becomes a Mystic Hero.
Actually I'll vote to prepare ourselves and our vassals, the Caradysh are going to be playing games no matter what they tell us.
>Caradysh leveraged the free passage into getting the other two agreements from the Forluc.
*turns to the thread* And so it is. Be wary, because now that's two powers within our Empire that possess the potential to go rouge if things go wrong for us.
...Good news is, the Nersondur ALSO are around to be a common enemy against us. Doesn't change the fact that this could still go wrong.
The Forluc have the desire, in that they want to be the best.
The Caradysh's undead hordes give them the power, potentially to cause major havoc.
If you ask me? We should have sent the war party. A once-off service, and more time for the Caradysh to be isolated.
With Boarfolk being...Not necessarily a peer, but too expensive to truly best in a way that may stick...
But that's me being Mister Warhawk.
[X] [Epic] Evatine decides to prepare the Arthwyd Empire for the upcoming war. (Temp Econ--, Temp Mystic-, Temp Martial+, ???)
I'm thinking if we DON'T do this, we'll be relying on our vassals instead of truly mobilizing ourselves. And we should be mobilizing, instead of simply getting our friends to fight on our behalf.
[X] [Epic] Evatine decides to reach out to the new Boarfolk warlord of the nomad tribes. (Temp Diplo-, Temp Wealth----, ???)
The Caradysh have been feuding with the Nersondur enough that I'm inclined to let momentum follow there. But the Boarfolk really could swing either way, and if we can have them in our corner, we'll be somewhat assured if the Forluc decide to be bull-headed anytime soon. We have more people then any one power, but we CAN lose to a coalition and be beaten that way if the neighborhood gets big enough.
[X] [Hero] Evatine becomes a Mystic Hero.
We could use some Mystics, if only to see if we can develop an edge against the Caradysh&Forluc. We're going to need it.
Also? After this War, assuming we're still standing and no one else decides to make trouble? I'm for doing actions that will bind the Arthwyd Empire together. As I see it, I'm worried at how there seem to still be lots of distinct vassals with their own identity. Neat, but at the same time slightly concerning they're still diffuse after all this time.
I'm thinking if we DON'T do this, we'll be relying on our vassals instead of truly mobilizing ourselves. And we should be mobilizing, instead of simply getting our friends to fight on our behalf.
The Arthwyd will be mobilising for war regardless. This is just Evatine getting a bit extra out of the Arthwyd proper by being an Admin/Martial/Diplo Hero.
I'm for doing actions that will bind the Arthwyd Empire together. As I see it, I'm worried at how there seem to still be lots of distinct vassals with their own identity.
Outside of the culturally Arthwydish/Arthrynite parts, the Arthwyd Empire isn't anything beyond a protection racket by the Arthwyd where you don't demand anything in return for providing protection whilst actually providing protection. Your foreign vassals just do their own thing whilst being protected by the Arthwyd and they don't do what you tell them unless you go over there and make them do what you want with either a carrot or a stick. Unless you threaten them with an army or pay them off, your vassals will follow their own interests as they don't care about the Arthwydish interests.
The Forlucans don't care about Arthwydish interests over Forlucan interests anymore than the Spanish government cares about German interests over Spanish interests. Foreign powers are going to prioritise their own interests over anything you want. To a lesser degree, this applies to Arthwydish vassals like Caermyr, the Merntir and so on, but the shared cultural/religious beliefs means that desires tend to align with your own.
[] [Tax] No. Keep the status quo. (Current default. Boosts subordinate loyalty.)
[] [Tax] Yes. Make them pay tribute in warriors and equipment. (Gain Temp Martial every Main Turn or Mid Turn from each subordinate.)
[] [Tax] Yes. Make them pay tribute in food and labour. (Gain Temp Econ every Main Turn or Mid Turn from each subordinate.)
[] [Tax] Yes. Make them pay in tribute in riches and valuables. (Gain Temp Diplo every Main Turn or Mid Turn from each subordinate.)
[X] [Epic] Evatine decides to reach out to the new Boarfolk warlord of the nomad tribes. (Temp Diplo-, Temp Wealth----, ???)
There isn't a single thing that'd preserve the Arthwyd Empire more than saving it from getting invaded by two Great Powers instead of one. If that warlord attacks us, we have to fight tens of thousands of heavy cavalry of which some fly which would be very bad, and not only that, we'd only be able to send half of our military against them since the other half will fight the Nersondurans. I cannot stress enough how important it is we get peace with the warlord. It's an immensely good thing we have a Heroic Diplo cadlon. (Stretch goal is we get that warlord's help fighting the Nersondurans but the main thing is so we don't halve our armies and double our enemies.)
[X] [Hero] Upgrade Evatine from Heroic Martial to Genius Martial.
[X] [Hero] Upgrade Evatine from Heroic Diplo to Genius Diplo.
Peace with the warlord is critical but Heroic Diplo is equipped to handle that. There's still a chance of failure though so Genius Diplo is very valuable nonetheless, especially if you consider how it increases the chance the warlord could fight on our side. Alternatively, the Genius Martial would be greatly helpful for obvious reasons, and for the less obvious reason in that they'd help us get martial innovations during the war.
The other Hero options are bad. They could help in some way but nowhere near as much as Genius Martial or Genius Diplo and this crisis way too god damn major to pick anything but the most relevant and helpful choices.
If you ask me? We should have sent the war party. A once-off service, and more time for the Caradysh to be isolated.
With Boarfolk being...Not necessarily a peer, but too expensive to truly best in a way that may stick...
But that's me being Mister Warhawk.
...Funnily enough, considering the rolls, there would have been a melee a trois going on, with the Caradysh and us duking it out, with the Neosunder leader looking to coopt our empire, and the United boarfolk looming over us whom could decide to start raiding us at any time...
Despite how it turned out, I feel my wariness was justified. And no, I HIGHLY doubt we could have stayed out of the war considering the words of their hero this turn.
Uniting his people behind him, a Nersonduran warlord called High King Skjaldur had been openly declaring his intent to conquer the Arthwyd Empire. The barbarian cur had been stating to all that he was going to rule over his new kingdom with Greenbay as his capital and he was going to make the riches and women of the Arthwyd Empire his own.
Look at it this way, we sacrificed solid number benefit in exchange for less tangible ones, as they are more likely to actually support and help us due to us giving them essentially free protection.
We didn't vote for that to be the case at all. Those quotes in your post are solely about how much we tax our vassals, not how generally involved we are with our vassals or how ironbound they are to us. Furthermore, we peacefully, wilfully, and uncontroversially unvassalised the Raradysh so there is precedent for letting vassals go.
It was voted that the Arthwyd wouldn't demand any sort of tribute or tax from their vassals so I'm not going to let you get rid of your vassals for doing something that the players voted for. And in general, a vassal isn't just something you can get rid of and there needs to be a reason to discard a vassal.
...Funnily enough, considering the rolls, there would have been a melee a trois going on, with the Caradysh and us duking it out, with the Neosunder leader looking to coopt our empire, and the United boarfolk looming over us whom could decide to start raiding us at any time...
Despite how it turned out, I feel my wariness was justified. And no, I HIGHLY doubt we could have stayed out of the war considering the words of their hero this turn.
Look at it this way, we sacrificed solid number benefit in exchange for less tangible ones, as they are more likely to actually support and help us due to us giving them essentially free protection.
We didn't vote for that to be the case at all. Those quotes in your post are solely about how much we tax our vassals, not how generally involved we are with our vassals. Furthermore, we peacefully, wilfully, and uncontroversially unvassalised the Raradysh so there is precedent for letting vassals go.
That's the point? We voted that we would require nothing in exchange for our protection and friendly access to wider Arthwydish network of relationships. If they don't think it is in their interests to do what we tell them why should they?
They have the choice not to do so. Unless I misread the update they could still choose to help us of their own volition, we just don't have a default expectation that they must do so and even then the only doubts are about the parts of the empire not culturally Arthwydish.
