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Fire Emblem: Last of the Manakete

What would readers prefer?

  • Pure narrative quest: no dice will be used, the author will have free reign to decide what happens.

    Votes: 25 59.5%

  • New dice system: the author will design a new, better dice system to add some randomness and risk.

    Votes: 17 40.5%
  • Total voters
    42
  • Poll closed .
Reader mode
[X] Write in, The Middle Path: Wisdom isn't found in mindless aggression, nor passivity, either. Wisdom is seeking to avoid conflict, but being willing to stand up for what is right when it's justified. You're not going to sink to his level and plan a confrontation, but you will defend you and yours with necessary force if he presses the matter far enough.

You may be arrogant and insulting by surprise...once.

After that you're just pretentious little piggies to roast.
 
[X] Write in, The Middle Path: Wisdom isn't found in mindless aggression, nor passivity, either. Wisdom is seeking to avoid conflict, but being willing to stand up for what is right when it's justified. You're not going to sink to his level and plan a confrontation, but you will defend you and yours with necessary force if he presses the matter far enough.
 
[X] Write in, The Middle Path: Wisdom isn't found in mindless aggression, nor passivity, either. Wisdom is seeking to avoid conflict, but being willing to stand up for what is right when it's justified. You're not going to sink to his level and plan a confrontation, but you will defend you and yours with necessary force if he presses the matter far enough.

This works for me.

JAGwin said:
Either Lacroix's knowledge of what happened is less than accurate or this is worded strangely, because as is it sounds like he's saying that the Sky Marshall was making unreasonable demands that the emissaries were meeting and that she was insulting them, which they (by my understanding) responded to by insulting her back. I'm pretty sure that's not what happened, and I feel like that's not the intended meaning what Lacroix is saying either.
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It very much is not what happened according to what is likely to be our best source outside of someone actually there - the Emperor.

Of course, some of his stress could be traced back to the most recent setback in his plans. Today, he had just heard back from his diplomatic outreach to the Sky Marshal of the Whitewings. Which was to say, he'd heard that the fool had somehow gotten it into his head to suggest to the highly matriarchal society that had built its mythos around standing up to people who took advantage of them that they would be so much safer and happier if they just accepted the Emperor's generous protection. Quite frankly, Thaddeus was surprised the man hadn't been sent back to him in pieces! A decade of work, of careful negotiations and ego-soothing and reassurance, blown away in a moment of blithering stupidity! It was almost like the man had been trying to ruin everything!
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However, I think Lacroix being incorrect here is intentional. I very much doubt the account the Emperor describes would be willingly spread around the Empire. A great deal of it is just politics and saving face - I doubt the Empire would just own up to catastrophically ruining negotiations even if it was somehow an accident of sheer incompetence and not the implied sabotage it appears to be. But since it does appear to be sabotage I think that provides even more motive for the saboteurs to push the wildly false narrative that it was the Whitewings who were unreasonable and insulting.
 
[X] Write in, The Middle Path: Wisdom isn't found in mindless aggression, nor passivity, either. Wisdom is seeking to avoid conflict, but being willing to stand up for what is right when it's justified. You're not going to sink to his level and plan a confrontation, but you will defend you and yours with necessary force if he presses the matter far enough.

Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup. The baron gets ONE chance. Next time he or one of his minions starts shit, we make charcoal.
 
Alcor said:
However, I think Lacroix being incorrect here is intentional. I very much doubt the account the Emperor describes would be willingly spread around the Empire. A great deal of it is just politics and saving face - I doubt the Empire would just own up to catastrophically ruining negotiations even if it was somehow an accident of sheer incompetence and not the implied sabotage it appears to be. But since it does appear to be sabotage I think that provides even more motive for the saboteurs to push the wildly false narrative that it was the Whitewings who were unreasonable and insulting.
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Sounds to me like the diplomat was either new and appointed by someone compromised by warmonger factions, or if Occam is right was simply compromised by warmonger factions themselves, but letting on even the faintest hint that the Emperor isn't in control of his Empire is dangerous.
 
[X] Write in, The Middle Path: Wisdom isn't found in mindless aggression, nor passivity, either. Wisdom is seeking to avoid conflict, but being willing to stand up for what is right when it's justified. You're not going to sink to his level and plan a confrontation, but you will defend you and yours with necessary force if he presses the matter far enough.
 
[X] Write in, The Middle Path: Wisdom isn't found in mindless aggression, nor passivity, either. Wisdom is seeking to avoid conflict, but being willing to stand up for what is right when it's justified. You're not going to sink to his level and plan a confrontation, but you will defend you and yours with necessary force if he presses the matter far enough.
 
Barondoctor said:
Sounds to me like the diplomat was either new and appointed by someone compromised by warmonger factions, or if Occam is right was simply compromised by warmonger factions themselves, but letting on even the faintest hint that the Emperor isn't in control of his Empire is dangerous.
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One way for an Emperor to handle that sort of outrageous incompetence is to exile the diplomat and send him to the wronged party in chains as a an apology gift. Neatly deals with him if he's secretly attempting to sabotage the Emperor's plans, too.

@SoaringHawk218, a question about something I'm not sure I followed; did the Countess and her people somehow not figure out that Ryza was the one who rescued Artemis, or are they all sort of politely ignoring that Ryza roasted two of her guardsmen?
 
[X] Write in, The Middle Path: Wisdom isn't found in mindless aggression, nor passivity, either. Wisdom is seeking to avoid conflict, but being willing to stand up for what is right when it's justified. You're not going to sink to his level and plan a confrontation, but you will defend you and yours with necessary force if he presses the matter far enough.
 
[X] No. No you won't go down that road. Follow the plan, go back to Agrithe, and if he tries anything leave it to Countess Mantrae. You won't sink to his level.
[X] Write in, The Middle Path: Wisdom isn't found in mindless aggression, nor passivity, either. Wisdom is seeking to avoid conflict, but being willing to stand up for what is right when it's justified. You're not going to sink to his level and plan a confrontation, but you will defend you and yours with necessary force if he presses the matter far enough.

Agreed on both of these.
 
TaliesinSkye said:
One way for an Emperor to handle that sort of outrageous incompetence is to exile the diplomat and send him to the wronged party in chains as a an apology gift. Neatly deals with him if he's secretly attempting to sabotage the Emperor's plans, too.
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As JAGwin pointed out, the Emperor would have needed to live for that. In the excerpt I quoted - our only PoV piece from him - he gets assassinated at the end of it. And given he clearly notes he only heard what happened earlier that day there likely wasn't any time for him to put into motion any kind of gesture to show contrition.

TaliesinSkye said:
a question about something I'm not sure I followed; did the Countess and her people somehow not figure out that Ryza was the one who rescued Artemis, or are they all sort of politely ignoring that Ryza roasted two of her guardsmen?
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Without rereading to be absolutely sure of what they would be thinking when - I believe they knew Ryza was a mage and her disappearance alongside Artemis would obviously be extremely suspect, but maybe it was ambiguous she was the cuprit if only because it left the matter of how they escaped in the air.

But Jenna explicitly put together that Ryza was a dragon manakete and undoubtedly reported that to her liege so they definitely know now. So yeah I think it's politely ignoring it combined with perhaps a bit of natural distortion in how nobles see/value the lives of commoners/guards.
 
Alcor said:
As JAGwin pointed out, the Emperor would have needed to live for that. In the excerpt I quoted - our only PoV piece from him - he gets assassinated at the end of it. And given he clearly notes he only heard what happened earlier that day there likely wasn't any time for him to put into motion any kind of gesture to show contrition.
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I'm aware, I was speaking more in the hypothetical.
 
[X] Write in, The Middle Path: Wisdom isn't found in mindless aggression, nor passivity, either. Wisdom is seeking to avoid conflict, but being willing to stand up for what is right when it's justified. You're not going to sink to his level and plan a confrontation, but you will defend you and yours with necessary force if he presses the matter far enough.
 
Well things this chapter started rather ominous and its good to see how many care for the mc.
[X] No. No you won't go down that road. Follow the plan, go back to Agrithe, and if he tries anything leave it to Countess Mantrae. You won't sink to his level.
 
[X] Write in, The Middle Path: Wisdom isn't found in mindless aggression, nor passivity, either. Wisdom is seeking to avoid conflict, but being willing to stand up for what is right when it's justified. You're not going to sink to his level and plan a confrontation, but you will defend you and yours with necessary force if he presses the matter far enough.
 
I enjoyed how everything played out - probably no other development would've led to Ryza learning so many useful things.

[X] Write in, The Middle Path: Wisdom isn't found in mindless aggression, nor passivity, either. Wisdom is seeking to avoid conflict, but being willing to stand up for what is right when it's justified. You're not going to sink to his level and plan a confrontation, but you will defend you and yours with necessary force if he presses the matter far enough.
 
[X] Write in, The Middle Path: Wisdom isn't found in mindless aggression, nor passivity, either. Wisdom is seeking to avoid conflict, but being willing to stand up for what is right when it's justified. You're not going to sink to his level and plan a confrontation, but you will defend you and yours with necessary force if he presses the matter far enough.
 
[X] Write in, The Middle Path: Wisdom isn't found in mindless aggression, nor passivity, either. Wisdom is seeking to avoid conflict, but being willing to stand up for what is right when it's justified. You're not going to sink to his level and plan a confrontation, but you will defend you and yours with necessary force if he presses the matter far enough.
 
[X] Write in, The Middle Path: Wisdom isn't found in mindless aggression, nor passivity, either. Wisdom is seeking to avoid conflict, but being willing to stand up for what is right when it's justified. You're not going to sink to his level and plan a confrontation, but you will defend you and yours with necessary force if he presses the matter far enough.
 
Alcor said:
TaliesinSkye said:
@SoaringHawk218, a question about something I'm not sure I followed; did the Countess and her people somehow not figure out that Ryza was the one who rescued Artemis, or are they all sort of politely ignoring that Ryza roasted two of her guardsmen?
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[...]Jenna explicitly put together that Ryza was a dragon manakete and undoubtedly reported that to her liege so they definitely know now. So yeah I think it's politely ignoring it combined with perhaps a bit of natural distortion in how nobles see/value the lives of commoners/guards.
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The fact that Ryza was freeing Artemis from an unlawful imprisonment probably doesn't help either. We can question the morality of two murders to reverse one kidnapping, but from a political rather than ethical standpoint...better to let a couple soldiers' deaths slide than re-open that scandal.
 
TaliesinSkye said:
@SoaringHawk218, a question about something I'm not sure I followed; did the Countess and her people somehow not figure out that Ryza was the one who rescued Artemis, or are they all sort of politely ignoring that Ryza roasted two of her guardsmen?
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As several people theorized; yes, Mantrae does know that Ryza killed those two guards, but due to a combination of factors she's not bringing it up. 1: Ryza saved Sypha, so that buys her a lot of slack. 2: Ryza's too important an ally, both through her own power and her connections to Agrithe, to be worth moving against. 3: OOC: Letoro explicitly made 'no retaliation against Ryza' a part of his deal with Mantrae over not taking his legitimate grievance to the next level.

As for the write-in; it's more an example of a difference between my options in my head and my options as written. I'd never intended for Ryza to simply roll over if Cicenco made another play: if his goons were to ignore Mantrae's letter and try to bring Ryza or any of her friends in by force she would retaliate with as much force as needed, up to and including frying them.

I'm allowing the write-in in part to encourage them: giving Ryza more nuanced options is something I like you all doing. Also, I can use it as her giving the men a clear warning to pass onto Cicenco: she is not going to tolerate his garbage.
 
SoaringHawk218 said:
As for the write-in; it's more an example of a difference between my options in my head and my options as written. I'd never intended for Ryza to simply roll over if Cicenco made another play: if his goons were to ignore Mantrae's letter and try to bring Ryza or any of her friends in by force she would retaliate with as much force as needed, up to and including frying them.

I'm allowing the write-in in part to encourage them: giving Ryza more nuanced options is something I like you all doing. Also, I can use it as her giving the men a clear warning to pass onto Cicenco: she is not going to tolerate his garbage.
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In the space between QM intent and player understanding, interesting ideas are created and fleshed out.

That said, looking forward to Ryza taking a firm stance and making that clear.
 
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SoaringHawk218 said:
I'm allowing the write-in
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Well, with that now confirmed...

[X] Write in, The Middle Path: Wisdom isn't found in mindless aggression, nor passivity, either. Wisdom is seeking to avoid conflict, but being willing to stand up for what is right when it's justified. You're not going to sink to his level and plan a confrontation, but you will defend you and yours with necessary force if he presses the matter far enough.
 
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