Emerald Oracle
Chaos, yet harmony. Death, yet the Force
- Location
- The Else
...I am both enthused and horrified. I fear this is the feeling known as "Gone Horribly Right"
[Exalted, ?] Most High
- Thread starter Rihaku
- Start date
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- Tags
- exalted (white wolf)
Usernames
Merc gonna merc ya
THE FINAL COUNTDOWN~
If Odyssial could listen to music while training, what song tracks would he listen to? Heart of fire? eye of the tiger?
Rihaku
The Internet
I dunno, classical music? Whichever kind research has validated to have the most neurogenerative or neuroprotective effects, I guess.
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Somehow always manage to give Ulyssian a reminder on one more thing that he managed to miss despite him planning the most optimal course of action?
That sounds horrifying
Guile
Having a really great time right now
Well yeah, sure, but the first week in office as a Satrap?
There HAVE to be better times.
A Satrapy In Crisis, II
Rihaku
The Internet
A Satrapy in Crisis, II
A misty day. Smoke from their campfires rose from the meadow, blending with the fog. He couldn't see the sky from here, could barely see the trees and their emerald leaves in the dense paleness. They were blanketed, covered in layers and layers of low-hanging cloud.
Nellens Talomar breathed in the thick, moist atmosphere without problems, but some of the soldiers had begun to suffer from deep, hacking coughs. He reached the top of the hill where Sesus Ulyssian stood, glaring down on the assembled camps and into the horizon, as if his eyes could cut straight through that mist.
"Dragonlord." There was no fatigue in Ulyssian's bearing, though his voice was grim. "This fog isn't natural. You have experience with the Abyssals in this terrain. Is this a tactic they have used before - Necromancy on this scale?"
"Could be, sir," Talomar said affably, glad he had caught the Satrap in a relatively good mood. Anytime he asked for advice, that was good.
The boy was capable, no one doubted that. But sometimes he could be too capable for his own good. Always acting like the whole Satrapy rested on his shoulders alone - a man couldn't live like that. "We've cleared out a couple of zombie nests through the run, but nothing major, as you know. Might be that Necromancer was feeling a mite offended. This stuff, though, its nasty. Won't do much to a hardier Exalt, but the common soldiers are starting to get sick."
"I asked our Immaculate shikari of Air to clear out the mist," Ulyssian said. "He told me that it was clearly a tribulation sent by the Dragons and that we should face it on our own. That, or head back."
They'd done heady work these last few days, re-securing a broad perimeter around Luseng, moving to capture the richer or more defensible areas slightly further out. Camouflaged beastman scouts, shambling packs of zombies, even the errant group of broken Hobgoblins or Cataphract beaters - the Legion had finally gotten a chance to stretch their legs and remember their pride. With the boy fighting at the front, they felt invincible. Maybe justifiably so, Talomar thought. They hadn't suffered a single casualty since the Satrap had taken over as Acting General, and while the boy's tactics might be a tad paranoid even by Talomar's cautious standards, they still managed to maintain a basic level of efficiency.
It was good land they'd moved through, and with government grants the entire refugee populace could be re-settled here, though the landowners wouldn't like that. Talomar hadn't asked Ulyssian's opinion on the matter, seeing as how the Satrap was occupied with other matters. Chief among them, his spat with the Wyld Hunt that'd been sent along to deal with the Anathema threat.
The Nellens weren't a devout House, but Talomar revered the Dragons as much as any man, he supposed. There was a difference between that, and treating everything a monk said as the Texts themselves, so he could understand Ulyssian's defiance. But, it still troubled him. The shikari had been nothing but pleasant to himself and the troops, even to Ulyssian himself. If the Satrap had annoyed them with his blunt demeanor, he couldn't very well expect their full cooperation.
On the other hand, it was just a tad callous for that Air Immaculate to let the whole Legion suffer over a personal matter. Cathak Irwi hadn't struck him as that kind of Immaculate. This Hunt was much more cordial, but also much more... frighteningly effective, than the old Mnemon Grand Master had been. Local spirits only needed to look at them, and fell into line.
"That's... that's unfortunate, sir," said Talomar finally. "What're your orders, then?"
Ulyssian sighed. "We fall back. I won't risk the men against this if our strongest Air Aspect refuses to help. They're not strictly in our chain of command, so I can't simply order him to. We've done well, but..."
He shook his head. "We were just gathering momentum. We could have gone so much farther! Been in position to strike at the Mountain, even the Archives at Auseng Bu. I imagine the Abyssal could have conjured a much smaller cloud that was markedly deadlier. This was not just a means of wide-scale interdiction. He was testing us. When next, we have a chance to be ruthless, it will be an opportunity to surprise him."
"Take what gains you can," Talomar said agreeably, knowing better than to openly disagree with the Sesus. The boy had his family's brutality, all right, but most of the time it seemed well-tempered with cunning.
The Ghost-Water weren't soft, but they looked after their own. Still, he would keep the boy's confidence, and not speak of this to the other Dragonlords. Hopefully, when the hour was dire and Ulyssian's instincts drove him to ruthless action on a far grander scale, Talomar would be able to hold him back.
Ulyssian snorted. "You're allowed to disagree with me, Dragonlord."
"Ack." Talomar rubbed the back of his head. The boy was sharp. Got it. "Am I really that transparent, sir?"
"No, but I am that cynical of a Dynast," Ulyssian replied. "Lung Feng Zao's a suspicious man. Have you ever read The Violet Antechamber?"
"Without ruthlessness, tragedy? The Nellens don't really take much stock in that saying, sir, if you'll pardon my saying so."
Ulyssian looked at him blankly. "Saery said something similar, though she was a bit more hysterical about it. I can't imagine that your leaders are that idealistic, though. Your house has survived centuries of Dynastic intrigue. Unless they are all Lunar Anathema in disguise, they're simply not powerful enough to get by with that kind of attitude."
Talomar grimaced. "Between you and me, sir, I'm not sure our House Council is entirely human. If one of 'em were a Lunar, it wouldn't surprise me a bit."
"I'll keep that in mind," Ulyssian said sardonically, rotating slowly. "The fog extends all the way to the shore, in both directions. The Abyssal's boxed us in. I suppose we should count ourselves lucky that he didn't hit the city, or lands we managed to secure. Tell Dragonlord Werewinth to drive back the mist as much he can, and for the men to march in dense formation. Dragonlord Spar is to maintain a continuous flame around himself and ward the periphery. I would assist, but my anima is bound to the sword."
Talomar snapped off a salute. "On my way."
---
Foes threaten you from every corner. The shikari build ties with the common people, couching their sabotage in the context of religious truth. They are personally likeable enough that they may well get away with it. Or did Anys not give them any explicit directions? Are you simply being paranoid?
In any case, the Abyssals cannot be allowed to interdict your expansion this way. A half-day's exposure and already a tenth of the Legion has fallen ill. At present, you effectively control less than ten percent of the Satrapy you were assigned, and none of the major objectives save Luseng itself. The new City Father is only modest in power, a sour and intractable spirit not given to inspiring worship, but he seems competent. The combined spirits and Air Aspects ought to be able to prevent the fog from striking the city itself, though if it continues to advance towards Luseng, that could wipe out all your gains.
Previous Turn Results
In general,
5 successes is quite good [Odyssial's standards: Abysmal] - you performed as well as an Attribute 4 Ability 4 mortal might have, with a one-die stunt and no Willpower expenditure. Close to the limit of human ability, though Ulyssian frequently did better. However, you will frequently encounter tasks of Difficulty 5 or greater; things even mortal heroes would be hard-pressed to consistently achieve.
10 successes is great [Odyssial's standards: Incredibly Disappointing] - you performed as well as a competent Solar might have, in an area of secondary focus. Well beyond human limits, you either managed an adequate performance on a heroically challenging task, or demonstrated Exalted puissance at a normal task.
20 successes is magnificent [Odyssial's standards: ...Could Be Worse] - you performed up to Odyssial's standards, given your minimal experience. Perhaps your power is beginning to attain the level of 'barely adequate!" Near the limit of even Solar potency, your feat is on a level that would extend well beyond dropped jaws, straight into staggered disbelief, were it to be recounted to typical men. The Princes of the Earth, even the Chosen of the Dragons, do not attain primacy of this level, not with any sort of consistency...
Tip of the Spear - War Roll Boosted With Fate-Shifting Solar Arete, Truth-Rendering Gaze, Peerless Skill, Two-Level Stunt - 35 Successes (you rolled a lot of 2s... and 10s). Sizeable gains despite Abyssal interference; all hostile forces in region, even those cunningly hidden, were rooted out and utterly exterminated. No casualties or injuries taken. The soldiers believe you to be Sesus reborn, only better at fighting. Your power among the common men is unchallengable; the Dragonlords are too wary to openly defy you. You control now about 10% of the Satrapy, definitively secure.
Save for that goddamned mist.
Public Works - Bureaucracy Roll boosted with Crowned By Metis, Heaven-Turning Calculations, Peerless Skill, One-Level Stunt - 18 successes. Work goes swimmingly and you only lose a modest portion of the funds to corruption. Due to your expert delegation and efficient plans, a full three percent of the city has been re-built in a mere week! A miracle of organization, to say the least; the Satrapal Administration is invigorated, and impressed! Seeing the refugees work so tirelessly to rebuild their homes has also kindled the flames of fellow-feeling in the native city-dwellers.
The Spirits Within - Performance Roll boosted with Crowned by Metis, Peerless Skill, Fate-Shifting Solar Arete, One-Level Stunt - 11 successes. You barely manage to push the extremely complicated rite though, but the resulting promoted god is... less than impressive. Still, it was no easy task, leading the prayer like that in front of the entire city. If you hadn't had the Crown, things may have gotten dicey. Good thing you succeeded, else the gods might have been disillusioned of your seemingly all-encompassing competence. As it is - they believe you sabatoged the rite directly, to constrain the competition of their influence and yours.
---
Military
[ ] Prey and Hunter - The Necromancer wants to play games. You will show him the stakes. Set out with a strike force of Exalts and obliterate every shadowland village you come across. Maison and Void Scar are capable trackers, and you've inherited Odyssial's knowledge of fieldcraft. Along the way, you'll hunt down this Seeds of the Poppy, discern what he's done to the City Father, and then deliver him to the Void he so devotedly serves. Needless to say, this is risky - you could run into the Lily, or even the Gardener along the way. Strong as you are, you don't know if you can overcome the former, much less the latter. [Personal Action]
[ ] Consolidate Gains - Have the men patrol the border of your re-claimed land, and conscript the non-Immaculate, non-military Air and Fire Aspects to help out. Given moderate the size of the territory, they should be able to prevent the fog from advancing even if it desires to. This will weaken your bureaucratic management.
[ ] Write-In: If you don't like the all-in nature of Prey and Hunter and don't want the consequences of Consolidate Gains, a write-in is possible. You could like, ask Zao for help or something. That would actually work really well, in all likelihood, though it does smack of dependence. What will the people think?
Diplomacy
[ ] Write-In: Still no Diplomatic actions available. The mist cuts you off from the rest of the continent! However, a status update was sent to the Home Office this week. You can expect orders... soon. Because you are a Crown Satrapy, you are technically beholden to the Regent (i.e. the Deliberative) rather than a House. This has its advantages, but while Anys Syn rules supreme, its disadvantages are greater. On the other hand, news of this setback will hopefully at least prevent her from pulling you, for now.
Administrative
The Public Works project continues and is working well; Dragon-blooded management is competent, though you've lost some funds (15%) to corruption among the Viziers.
[ ] Implement Purge - Off with their heads! Well, nothing so drastic. You will imprison some of the more excessive officials to show that you mean business, and implement a brutal audit with punishing fines, to force the viziers back in line. Only if they do not comply will you resort to force. But this much must be made clear: There will be no corruption in your satrapy. Not anymore. May lower bureaucratic effectiveness if the viziers are slow on the uptake.
[ ] Expand the Works - Though you can't maintain this burn rate of money forever, Luseng is still in crisis and the city needs to be not just re-built, but expanded to cover those refugees whose habitation here will inevitably become permanent. This will further lower resentment against the refugees while better assimilating them into the populace, but at a significant cost to the kingdom's finances...
Lore
[ ] Tower of Ivory and Jade - The Abyssal wants to hem you in? Let him. Eighty percent of the satrapy's populace is gathered in Luseng, and you have one of the most productive and spacious ports in the North. There is enormous opportunity for economic development of the urban area. They can have the rest of the area. You will create a magnificent citadel, a city without peer, to stand as a bulwark against all Creation's enemies. Focus the multiplicative power of the Strategos' mind on the sole task of making Luseng great, temporarily emptying the coffers to buy up records of all kinds from the swiftest cutters that can cross to other Satrapies or the Inland Sea. [Personal Action, Induces Timeskip.]
[ ] Prayer Optimization - Odyssial remembers how he extracted every last ounce of spiritual power from his tribe's limited prayers. There is a large itinerant population of refugees with little to do, especially those not able-bodied enough to perform public works. Distasteful as it is, there is a way to employ them gainfully, for wages as low as a day's food and somewhere to sleep. Humanity's "original" purpose: the production of worship. Your City Father is weak, for all his experience. Make him strong.
A misty day. Smoke from their campfires rose from the meadow, blending with the fog. He couldn't see the sky from here, could barely see the trees and their emerald leaves in the dense paleness. They were blanketed, covered in layers and layers of low-hanging cloud.
Nellens Talomar breathed in the thick, moist atmosphere without problems, but some of the soldiers had begun to suffer from deep, hacking coughs. He reached the top of the hill where Sesus Ulyssian stood, glaring down on the assembled camps and into the horizon, as if his eyes could cut straight through that mist.
"Dragonlord." There was no fatigue in Ulyssian's bearing, though his voice was grim. "This fog isn't natural. You have experience with the Abyssals in this terrain. Is this a tactic they have used before - Necromancy on this scale?"
"Could be, sir," Talomar said affably, glad he had caught the Satrap in a relatively good mood. Anytime he asked for advice, that was good.
The boy was capable, no one doubted that. But sometimes he could be too capable for his own good. Always acting like the whole Satrapy rested on his shoulders alone - a man couldn't live like that. "We've cleared out a couple of zombie nests through the run, but nothing major, as you know. Might be that Necromancer was feeling a mite offended. This stuff, though, its nasty. Won't do much to a hardier Exalt, but the common soldiers are starting to get sick."
"I asked our Immaculate shikari of Air to clear out the mist," Ulyssian said. "He told me that it was clearly a tribulation sent by the Dragons and that we should face it on our own. That, or head back."
They'd done heady work these last few days, re-securing a broad perimeter around Luseng, moving to capture the richer or more defensible areas slightly further out. Camouflaged beastman scouts, shambling packs of zombies, even the errant group of broken Hobgoblins or Cataphract beaters - the Legion had finally gotten a chance to stretch their legs and remember their pride. With the boy fighting at the front, they felt invincible. Maybe justifiably so, Talomar thought. They hadn't suffered a single casualty since the Satrap had taken over as Acting General, and while the boy's tactics might be a tad paranoid even by Talomar's cautious standards, they still managed to maintain a basic level of efficiency.
It was good land they'd moved through, and with government grants the entire refugee populace could be re-settled here, though the landowners wouldn't like that. Talomar hadn't asked Ulyssian's opinion on the matter, seeing as how the Satrap was occupied with other matters. Chief among them, his spat with the Wyld Hunt that'd been sent along to deal with the Anathema threat.
The Nellens weren't a devout House, but Talomar revered the Dragons as much as any man, he supposed. There was a difference between that, and treating everything a monk said as the Texts themselves, so he could understand Ulyssian's defiance. But, it still troubled him. The shikari had been nothing but pleasant to himself and the troops, even to Ulyssian himself. If the Satrap had annoyed them with his blunt demeanor, he couldn't very well expect their full cooperation.
On the other hand, it was just a tad callous for that Air Immaculate to let the whole Legion suffer over a personal matter. Cathak Irwi hadn't struck him as that kind of Immaculate. This Hunt was much more cordial, but also much more... frighteningly effective, than the old Mnemon Grand Master had been. Local spirits only needed to look at them, and fell into line.
"That's... that's unfortunate, sir," said Talomar finally. "What're your orders, then?"
Ulyssian sighed. "We fall back. I won't risk the men against this if our strongest Air Aspect refuses to help. They're not strictly in our chain of command, so I can't simply order him to. We've done well, but..."
He shook his head. "We were just gathering momentum. We could have gone so much farther! Been in position to strike at the Mountain, even the Archives at Auseng Bu. I imagine the Abyssal could have conjured a much smaller cloud that was markedly deadlier. This was not just a means of wide-scale interdiction. He was testing us. When next, we have a chance to be ruthless, it will be an opportunity to surprise him."
"Take what gains you can," Talomar said agreeably, knowing better than to openly disagree with the Sesus. The boy had his family's brutality, all right, but most of the time it seemed well-tempered with cunning.
The Ghost-Water weren't soft, but they looked after their own. Still, he would keep the boy's confidence, and not speak of this to the other Dragonlords. Hopefully, when the hour was dire and Ulyssian's instincts drove him to ruthless action on a far grander scale, Talomar would be able to hold him back.
Ulyssian snorted. "You're allowed to disagree with me, Dragonlord."
"Ack." Talomar rubbed the back of his head. The boy was sharp. Got it. "Am I really that transparent, sir?"
"No, but I am that cynical of a Dynast," Ulyssian replied. "Lung Feng Zao's a suspicious man. Have you ever read The Violet Antechamber?"
"Without ruthlessness, tragedy? The Nellens don't really take much stock in that saying, sir, if you'll pardon my saying so."
Ulyssian looked at him blankly. "Saery said something similar, though she was a bit more hysterical about it. I can't imagine that your leaders are that idealistic, though. Your house has survived centuries of Dynastic intrigue. Unless they are all Lunar Anathema in disguise, they're simply not powerful enough to get by with that kind of attitude."
Talomar grimaced. "Between you and me, sir, I'm not sure our House Council is entirely human. If one of 'em were a Lunar, it wouldn't surprise me a bit."
"I'll keep that in mind," Ulyssian said sardonically, rotating slowly. "The fog extends all the way to the shore, in both directions. The Abyssal's boxed us in. I suppose we should count ourselves lucky that he didn't hit the city, or lands we managed to secure. Tell Dragonlord Werewinth to drive back the mist as much he can, and for the men to march in dense formation. Dragonlord Spar is to maintain a continuous flame around himself and ward the periphery. I would assist, but my anima is bound to the sword."
Talomar snapped off a salute. "On my way."
---
Foes threaten you from every corner. The shikari build ties with the common people, couching their sabotage in the context of religious truth. They are personally likeable enough that they may well get away with it. Or did Anys not give them any explicit directions? Are you simply being paranoid?
In any case, the Abyssals cannot be allowed to interdict your expansion this way. A half-day's exposure and already a tenth of the Legion has fallen ill. At present, you effectively control less than ten percent of the Satrapy you were assigned, and none of the major objectives save Luseng itself. The new City Father is only modest in power, a sour and intractable spirit not given to inspiring worship, but he seems competent. The combined spirits and Air Aspects ought to be able to prevent the fog from striking the city itself, though if it continues to advance towards Luseng, that could wipe out all your gains.
Previous Turn Results
In general,
5 successes is quite good [Odyssial's standards: Abysmal] - you performed as well as an Attribute 4 Ability 4 mortal might have, with a one-die stunt and no Willpower expenditure. Close to the limit of human ability, though Ulyssian frequently did better. However, you will frequently encounter tasks of Difficulty 5 or greater; things even mortal heroes would be hard-pressed to consistently achieve.
10 successes is great [Odyssial's standards: Incredibly Disappointing] - you performed as well as a competent Solar might have, in an area of secondary focus. Well beyond human limits, you either managed an adequate performance on a heroically challenging task, or demonstrated Exalted puissance at a normal task.
20 successes is magnificent [Odyssial's standards: ...Could Be Worse] - you performed up to Odyssial's standards, given your minimal experience. Perhaps your power is beginning to attain the level of 'barely adequate!" Near the limit of even Solar potency, your feat is on a level that would extend well beyond dropped jaws, straight into staggered disbelief, were it to be recounted to typical men. The Princes of the Earth, even the Chosen of the Dragons, do not attain primacy of this level, not with any sort of consistency...
Tip of the Spear - War Roll Boosted With Fate-Shifting Solar Arete, Truth-Rendering Gaze, Peerless Skill, Two-Level Stunt - 35 Successes (you rolled a lot of 2s... and 10s). Sizeable gains despite Abyssal interference; all hostile forces in region, even those cunningly hidden, were rooted out and utterly exterminated. No casualties or injuries taken. The soldiers believe you to be Sesus reborn, only better at fighting. Your power among the common men is unchallengable; the Dragonlords are too wary to openly defy you. You control now about 10% of the Satrapy, definitively secure.
Save for that goddamned mist.
Public Works - Bureaucracy Roll boosted with Crowned By Metis, Heaven-Turning Calculations, Peerless Skill, One-Level Stunt - 18 successes. Work goes swimmingly and you only lose a modest portion of the funds to corruption. Due to your expert delegation and efficient plans, a full three percent of the city has been re-built in a mere week! A miracle of organization, to say the least; the Satrapal Administration is invigorated, and impressed! Seeing the refugees work so tirelessly to rebuild their homes has also kindled the flames of fellow-feeling in the native city-dwellers.
The Spirits Within - Performance Roll boosted with Crowned by Metis, Peerless Skill, Fate-Shifting Solar Arete, One-Level Stunt - 11 successes. You barely manage to push the extremely complicated rite though, but the resulting promoted god is... less than impressive. Still, it was no easy task, leading the prayer like that in front of the entire city. If you hadn't had the Crown, things may have gotten dicey. Good thing you succeeded, else the gods might have been disillusioned of your seemingly all-encompassing competence. As it is - they believe you sabatoged the rite directly, to constrain the competition of their influence and yours.
---
Military
[ ] Prey and Hunter - The Necromancer wants to play games. You will show him the stakes. Set out with a strike force of Exalts and obliterate every shadowland village you come across. Maison and Void Scar are capable trackers, and you've inherited Odyssial's knowledge of fieldcraft. Along the way, you'll hunt down this Seeds of the Poppy, discern what he's done to the City Father, and then deliver him to the Void he so devotedly serves. Needless to say, this is risky - you could run into the Lily, or even the Gardener along the way. Strong as you are, you don't know if you can overcome the former, much less the latter. [Personal Action]
[ ] Consolidate Gains - Have the men patrol the border of your re-claimed land, and conscript the non-Immaculate, non-military Air and Fire Aspects to help out. Given moderate the size of the territory, they should be able to prevent the fog from advancing even if it desires to. This will weaken your bureaucratic management.
[ ] Write-In: If you don't like the all-in nature of Prey and Hunter and don't want the consequences of Consolidate Gains, a write-in is possible. You could like, ask Zao for help or something. That would actually work really well, in all likelihood, though it does smack of dependence. What will the people think?
Diplomacy
[ ] Write-In: Still no Diplomatic actions available. The mist cuts you off from the rest of the continent! However, a status update was sent to the Home Office this week. You can expect orders... soon. Because you are a Crown Satrapy, you are technically beholden to the Regent (i.e. the Deliberative) rather than a House. This has its advantages, but while Anys Syn rules supreme, its disadvantages are greater. On the other hand, news of this setback will hopefully at least prevent her from pulling you, for now.
Administrative
The Public Works project continues and is working well; Dragon-blooded management is competent, though you've lost some funds (15%) to corruption among the Viziers.
[ ] Implement Purge - Off with their heads! Well, nothing so drastic. You will imprison some of the more excessive officials to show that you mean business, and implement a brutal audit with punishing fines, to force the viziers back in line. Only if they do not comply will you resort to force. But this much must be made clear: There will be no corruption in your satrapy. Not anymore. May lower bureaucratic effectiveness if the viziers are slow on the uptake.
[ ] Expand the Works - Though you can't maintain this burn rate of money forever, Luseng is still in crisis and the city needs to be not just re-built, but expanded to cover those refugees whose habitation here will inevitably become permanent. This will further lower resentment against the refugees while better assimilating them into the populace, but at a significant cost to the kingdom's finances...
Lore
[ ] Tower of Ivory and Jade - The Abyssal wants to hem you in? Let him. Eighty percent of the satrapy's populace is gathered in Luseng, and you have one of the most productive and spacious ports in the North. There is enormous opportunity for economic development of the urban area. They can have the rest of the area. You will create a magnificent citadel, a city without peer, to stand as a bulwark against all Creation's enemies. Focus the multiplicative power of the Strategos' mind on the sole task of making Luseng great, temporarily emptying the coffers to buy up records of all kinds from the swiftest cutters that can cross to other Satrapies or the Inland Sea. [Personal Action, Induces Timeskip.]
[ ] Prayer Optimization - Odyssial remembers how he extracted every last ounce of spiritual power from his tribe's limited prayers. There is a large itinerant population of refugees with little to do, especially those not able-bodied enough to perform public works. Distasteful as it is, there is a way to employ them gainfully, for wages as low as a day's food and somewhere to sleep. Humanity's "original" purpose: the production of worship. Your City Father is weak, for all his experience. Make him strong.
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Emerald Oracle
Chaos, yet harmony. Death, yet the Force
- Location
- The Else
I'm not sure what sort of combat option I want to go with, though I'm sure something will emerge to convince me one way or another. For the Administrative option I'm going to go with the option that solidifies the city more than the one that deals with corruption. Partially because it's the Red option, but also because while Corruption is BAD mm'kay, I'd rather fix up the city more since my Lore choice is not conducive to that. I speak of course of the fact that MAGIC MUST DEFEAT MAGIC! We must strengthen our new City Father so that we may determine "Who Else Wants a Piece of Uncle?!".
[x] Expand the Works
[x] Prayer Optimization
[x] Expand the Works
[x] Prayer Optimization
Well, that could've gone better, if the Shikari are going to be that obstructionist it does seem like it's time to implement the 'Abyssal' Assassination. Hopefully stir up some desire for righteous vengeance since they've made themselves liked. Not sure what the best sort of overall strategy to pair it with is yet though.
... maybe we should just kill the Shikari after all.
Alectai
Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion
Ugh, how irritating.
[X] Prey and Hunter -
[X] Expand the Work
[X] Prayer Optimization
We can't really let them dictate the pace just by waving their hands and using magic, especially since the Shikari are willing to actively refuse to support us, directly, to the point of openly leaving men to die just because they can't be assed to provide a good breeze. Giving a Sorcerer (Or a Necromancer) preptime is disasterous, and fortunately, stealth is an area where we are very good at.
If he's managing to create a fog of contagion, he's almost certainly in the area, since "Sit in your ivory tower a hundred miles away and cast down poison and plague from a position of safety" isn't really how Exalted works as a game. If their Necromancer is around, we either slay him, or we force them to commit forces to protect him, which means they're not attacking our interests.
Yes, this may be a trap, but if they're capable of devising a trap capable of mousetrapping us when we've literally been here for no more than two weeks, and have maintained the initative since, then we're certainly not going to be able to take them when they've had time to bend that super intellect and sorcerous might to fucking us over.
EDIT: On another point, I like Talomar, I hope he lives.
[X] Prey and Hunter -
[X] Expand the Work
[X] Prayer Optimization
We can't really let them dictate the pace just by waving their hands and using magic, especially since the Shikari are willing to actively refuse to support us, directly, to the point of openly leaving men to die just because they can't be assed to provide a good breeze. Giving a Sorcerer (Or a Necromancer) preptime is disasterous, and fortunately, stealth is an area where we are very good at.
If he's managing to create a fog of contagion, he's almost certainly in the area, since "Sit in your ivory tower a hundred miles away and cast down poison and plague from a position of safety" isn't really how Exalted works as a game. If their Necromancer is around, we either slay him, or we force them to commit forces to protect him, which means they're not attacking our interests.
Yes, this may be a trap, but if they're capable of devising a trap capable of mousetrapping us when we've literally been here for no more than two weeks, and have maintained the initative since, then we're certainly not going to be able to take them when they've had time to bend that super intellect and sorcerous might to fucking us over.
EDIT: On another point, I like Talomar, I hope he lives.
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Guile
Having a really great time right now
It's annoying, but it's not like we'd have gotten FURTHER with the shikari dead.
We'd still be lacking an Air adept of sufficient strength.
LordOfMurder
Bhaal
- Location
- Australia
[X] Prey and Hunter
[X] Implement Purge
[X] Prayer Optimization
Continue our push into the remainder of the satrapy while we retain momentum. Implement purge is better than expand the works because increasing our revenue doesn't help us if we're losing a substantial percentage of it to corruption. Prayer Optimization over Tower of Ivory and Jade both because strengthening the city father by optimizing prayer is better done sooner rather than later and it's too soon to time-skip and blow all our money on one mega-project.
[X] Implement Purge
[X] Prayer Optimization
Continue our push into the remainder of the satrapy while we retain momentum. Implement purge is better than expand the works because increasing our revenue doesn't help us if we're losing a substantial percentage of it to corruption. Prayer Optimization over Tower of Ivory and Jade both because strengthening the city father by optimizing prayer is better done sooner rather than later and it's too soon to time-skip and blow all our money on one mega-project.
Guile
Having a really great time right now
Oh, and I'm gonna go ahead and feel smug about Tip of the Spear's middling success.
10% of the country is now under ours, with no significant landmarks under our control. And now we have to patrol that land, or the two armies camped on our doorstep can take it right back. Charging out and relying on Uly's power doesn't always work; so noted.
10% of the country is now under ours, with no significant landmarks under our control. And now we have to patrol that land, or the two armies camped on our doorstep can take it right back. Charging out and relying on Uly's power doesn't always work; so noted.
Rihaku
The Internet
Previous Turn Results
In general,
5 successes is quite good [Odyssial's standards: Abysmal] - you performed as well as an Attribute 4 Ability 4 mortal might have, with a one-die stunt and no Willpower expenditure. Close to the limit of human ability, though Ulyssian frequently did better. However, you will frequently encounter tasks of Difficulty 5 or greater; things even mortal heroes would be hard-pressed to consistently achieve.
10 successes is great [Odyssial's standards: Incredibly Disappointing] - you performed as well as a competent Solar might have, in an area of secondary focus. Well beyond human limits, you either managed an adequate performance on a heroically challenging task, or demonstrated Exalted puissance at a normal task.
20 successes is magnificent [Odyssial's standards: ...Could Be Worse] - you performed up to Odyssial's standards, given your minimal experience. Perhaps your power is beginning to attain the level of 'barely adequate!" Near the limit of even Solar potency, your feat is on a level that would extend well beyond dropped jaws, straight into staggered disbelief, were it to be recounted to typical men. The Princes of the Earth, even the Chosen of the Dragons, do not attain primacy of this level, not with any sort of consistency...
Tip of the Spear - War Roll Boosted With Fate-Shifting Solar Arete, Truth-Rendering Gaze, Peerless Skill, Two-Level Stunt - 35 Successes (you rolled a lot of 2s... and 10s). Sizeable gains despite Abyssal interference; all hostile forces in region, even those cunningly hidden, were rooted out and utterly exterminated. No casualties or injuries taken. The soldiers believe you to be Sesus reborn, only better at fighting. Your power among the common men is unchallengable; the Dragonlords are too wary to openly defy you. You control now about 10% of the Satrapy, definitively secure.
Save for that goddamned mist.
Public Works - Bureaucracy Roll boosted with Crowned By Metis, Heaven-Turning Calculations, Peerless Skill, One-Level Stunt - 18 successes. Work goes swimmingly and you only lose a modest portion of the funds to corruption. Due to your expert delegation and efficient plans, a full three percent of the city has been re-built in a mere week! A miracle of organization, to say the least; the Satrapal Administration is invigorated, and impressed! Seeing the refugees work so tirelessly to rebuild their homes has also kindled the flames of fellow-feeling in the native city-dwellers.
The Spirits Within - Performance Roll boosted with Crowned by Metis, Peerless Skill, Fate-Shifting Solar Arete, One-Level Stunt - 11 successes. You barely manage to push the extremely complicated rite though, but the resulting promoted god is... less than impressive. Still, it was no easy task, leading the prayer like that in front of the entire city. If you hadn't had the Crown, things may have gotten dicey. Good thing you succeeded, else the gods might have been disillusioned of your seemingly all-encompassing competence. As it is - they believe you sabatoged the rite directly, to constrain the competition of their influence and yours.
In general,
5 successes is quite good [Odyssial's standards: Abysmal] - you performed as well as an Attribute 4 Ability 4 mortal might have, with a one-die stunt and no Willpower expenditure. Close to the limit of human ability, though Ulyssian frequently did better. However, you will frequently encounter tasks of Difficulty 5 or greater; things even mortal heroes would be hard-pressed to consistently achieve.
10 successes is great [Odyssial's standards: Incredibly Disappointing] - you performed as well as a competent Solar might have, in an area of secondary focus. Well beyond human limits, you either managed an adequate performance on a heroically challenging task, or demonstrated Exalted puissance at a normal task.
20 successes is magnificent [Odyssial's standards: ...Could Be Worse] - you performed up to Odyssial's standards, given your minimal experience. Perhaps your power is beginning to attain the level of 'barely adequate!" Near the limit of even Solar potency, your feat is on a level that would extend well beyond dropped jaws, straight into staggered disbelief, were it to be recounted to typical men. The Princes of the Earth, even the Chosen of the Dragons, do not attain primacy of this level, not with any sort of consistency...
Tip of the Spear - War Roll Boosted With Fate-Shifting Solar Arete, Truth-Rendering Gaze, Peerless Skill, Two-Level Stunt - 35 Successes (you rolled a lot of 2s... and 10s). Sizeable gains despite Abyssal interference; all hostile forces in region, even those cunningly hidden, were rooted out and utterly exterminated. No casualties or injuries taken. The soldiers believe you to be Sesus reborn, only better at fighting. Your power among the common men is unchallengable; the Dragonlords are too wary to openly defy you. You control now about 10% of the Satrapy, definitively secure.
Save for that goddamned mist.
Public Works - Bureaucracy Roll boosted with Crowned By Metis, Heaven-Turning Calculations, Peerless Skill, One-Level Stunt - 18 successes. Work goes swimmingly and you only lose a modest portion of the funds to corruption. Due to your expert delegation and efficient plans, a full three percent of the city has been re-built in a mere week! A miracle of organization, to say the least; the Satrapal Administration is invigorated, and impressed! Seeing the refugees work so tirelessly to rebuild their homes has also kindled the flames of fellow-feeling in the native city-dwellers.
The Spirits Within - Performance Roll boosted with Crowned by Metis, Peerless Skill, Fate-Shifting Solar Arete, One-Level Stunt - 11 successes. You barely manage to push the extremely complicated rite though, but the resulting promoted god is... less than impressive. Still, it was no easy task, leading the prayer like that in front of the entire city. If you hadn't had the Crown, things may have gotten dicey. Good thing you succeeded, else the gods might have been disillusioned of your seemingly all-encompassing competence. As it is - they believe you sabatoged the rite directly, to constrain the competition of their influence and yours.
[X] Prey and Hunter
We voted to take the initiative; time to take out one of the Abyssals. It's not even remotely close to safe, but I don't think it's necessarily a trap either; if they'd seen us go it alone and sneak off to take out the entire Raksha army in Head Them Off, then maybe they would anticipate this, but we've stayed with our forces so far. No, if we pull back, sequester ourselves somewhere private, and then slip away to take care of business I think we have a reasonable shot at catching them by surprise. With a strike force of Exalts, I rather like our chances against the Poppy. Here's hoping they don't have spies among Luseng's population who'll tip our hand to them.
[X] Expand the Work
The corruption is irritating, but inefficiency at this juncture would be moreso. If worst comes to worst, we can spend Resources 4 on a stimulus package.
[X] Prayer Optimization
This option is also irritating, as it reminds me of Yen Shang-jyi's tactics in the Odyssey, but it really is the most efficient way to employ the refugees without taking the time to implement Tiger Warrior Training.
We voted to take the initiative; time to take out one of the Abyssals. It's not even remotely close to safe, but I don't think it's necessarily a trap either; if they'd seen us go it alone and sneak off to take out the entire Raksha army in Head Them Off, then maybe they would anticipate this, but we've stayed with our forces so far. No, if we pull back, sequester ourselves somewhere private, and then slip away to take care of business I think we have a reasonable shot at catching them by surprise. With a strike force of Exalts, I rather like our chances against the Poppy. Here's hoping they don't have spies among Luseng's population who'll tip our hand to them.
[X] Expand the Work
The corruption is irritating, but inefficiency at this juncture would be moreso. If worst comes to worst, we can spend Resources 4 on a stimulus package.
[X] Prayer Optimization
This option is also irritating, as it reminds me of Yen Shang-jyi's tactics in the Odyssey, but it really is the most efficient way to employ the refugees without taking the time to implement Tiger Warrior Training.
The biggest issue with the Shikari is that they are far more charismatic than Uly. Their lack of help is frankly not that big of an issue as them strengthening the hold of the Immaculate Faith within the region.
As for the strike force, the Shikari would be following us, right?
Also, did we spend XP on anything?
As for the strike force, the Shikari would be following us, right?
Also, did we spend XP on anything?
Rihaku
The Internet
Hey, they're not actively impeding you, they're just not helping! Admirable restraint, given that they think you're Anathema.
God-King's Shrike and Prophet of Seventeen Cycles are themselves Charms that let you influence the world from hundreds of miles away; this guy's fog at least has to travel the distance, or blanket it. If he has to do something stronger than this extremely anemic fog, it will likely be closer to combat ranges. Something like Rain of Doom range, likely with similar constraints.
Giving them preptime is bad, sure, but getting preptime for yourself to use is extremely good! Their Workings cost XP; all your Prophecies cost is time! And in that time, Luseng can grow mighty, mighty enough to abrogate any assault, while its Exalted King reigns at the helm, the grey jewel of dawn shimmering upon his brow...
Indeed.
Hey, you secured almost 15,000 square miles in five days of campaigning! That's insanely good. You rolled War really well, it's just that being a beyond-godlike General doesn't do anything against a mist that sickens your soldiers, not if the specialists who can prevent it are unwilling to help. But you still made superb gains and secured the area well.
Alectai
Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion
Okay, the fact that we completely blew them out of the water with War is promising, it means that this mist was either a snapshot panic button from Seeds of the Poppy, or it was activating a contingency spell-and those usually don't last forever. More importantly, the fact we were only held back because the Shikari refused to get off their asses and help is going to cost them a lot of capital, and likely gives us an angle to fuck them up with a Prophecy down the line. Especially since it's not exactly a secret that the only reason we stopped here was because their adept refused to assist us.
Either way, they likely haven't had time to properly consolidate, and Seeds is likely trying to relocate at this point--he may never be this vulnerable again, if only because fighting a wizard in their sanctum is a terrible idea. The possibility exists that Lily of the Valley is present, but we still have good odds of successfully headcapping Seeds of the Poppy with our fieldcraft and stealth ability even if she's around, and while she would be incredibly tough to beat, she would hardly be invincible, especially if our opening strike is enough to bring down Seeds of the Poppy before he can rally the motes to start spellslinging.
Of course, the possibility of "Deathlord Interrupt" always exists... But even discovering if the Gardener is capable of intervening beyond it's sanctum, and paying close enough attention to do so is useful data, and barring being completely overwhelmed (Which is extremely difficult), all at once, the possibility still exists that we could disengage in good order.
Either way, they likely haven't had time to properly consolidate, and Seeds is likely trying to relocate at this point--he may never be this vulnerable again, if only because fighting a wizard in their sanctum is a terrible idea. The possibility exists that Lily of the Valley is present, but we still have good odds of successfully headcapping Seeds of the Poppy with our fieldcraft and stealth ability even if she's around, and while she would be incredibly tough to beat, she would hardly be invincible, especially if our opening strike is enough to bring down Seeds of the Poppy before he can rally the motes to start spellslinging.
Of course, the possibility of "Deathlord Interrupt" always exists... But even discovering if the Gardener is capable of intervening beyond it's sanctum, and paying close enough attention to do so is useful data, and barring being completely overwhelmed (Which is extremely difficult), all at once, the possibility still exists that we could disengage in good order.
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Rihaku
The Internet
Your Strike Force will be secret until it hits the Cusp, so they'd have to be spies among your Exalts themselves. Which, the Shikari... but they wouldn't seriously work with a Deathlord over you, would they?
Would they?
Hey! What's wrong with Shang-jyi's tactics? They're good, sound policies. Compare the amount of power a human in Exalted can generate by optimized prayer versus 80% of professions, and optimized prayer comes out on top! If you can wrangle the gods into using even a fraction of that power on your behalf, well - you've got an empire of legend, in the making!
Depends if you want them to or not. Your fieldcraft is superior, with Scar on your side. Assuming he's not an Abyssal infiltrator or something, but he hasn't pinged Infallible Watchman's eye.
Nope, not enough votes either way.
Hm, well, while you could definitely disengage with a high chance of survival, your DB friends might not be so lucky.
Rihaku
The Internet
Tower of Ivory and Jade would let Moon arrive in fewer updates!
Well by not helping us (who they only think is Anathema) they at least know they're definitely helping the Abyssals, hopefully the theological conundrum at least costs them some sleep.
[X] Prey and Hunter
Bad idea to let them get away with this kind of behavior, we need to keep the pressure up.
[X] Implement Purge
I think the best time to carry out the purge is now while things are still in flux, before things get to far along and it becomes more troubling to root it out.
[X] Prayer Optimization
With optimization in the name, how can you pass it up? Plus the personal action is booked, and I don't think time skipping is a good idea right now, things haven't yet calcified in spite of our set back.
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