Manuel limped into the council chambers.
The better part of the last six months had been organisation - trying to get new Foundation Establishment experts to take over Legions on a provisional basis, raising up new structures to replace the old Council temporarily, and gleaning information about the state of the Clan. That was the most glaringly problem at the moment, and one that had taken a year to settle. How many had died, and how many lived, how many wounded, crippled, and so on. The scope of the disaster with Bhrigu had been such that the normal channels of organisation simply did not exist at the moment, and so what would normally be with him in a few weeks was taking months - and much of his personal effort.
Thankfully, the initial census before the Trials had been fairly conclusive. Approximately six hundred and ten thousand Qi Condensation juniors along with six thousand and fifty-six Foundation Establishment experts, and fifty-nine Core Formation elders.
Remaining to him were fifteen Core Formation elders, two of whom were his Councillors already.
The situation was thoroughly untenable. He in theory needed five of them to serve as a Council, but the number of crucial Legions that needed organisation and leadership was at least twenty. Removing five of his best Legates would have consequences, but so would having a dysfunctional Council.
He would have to make the decision soon, however.
[ ] Man the Council properly - In the long-term a better decision, allowing better administration and use of resources. In the short-term will be a costly decisions as Legions are less well-managed and key borders and trade areas go without the Legion protection they need. Raids, loss of income, and the like are all quite likely, and the chance of Blood Path uprisings is increased. This will reduce naturally over time as you gain more Core Formation disciples. This will open up a sub-voting turn in future to pick our new Council members from a very limited pool of talent.
[ ] Leave the Legates in place - It will take longer to recover your administrative and economic apparatus, as well as your ability to properly train new disciples, but you should be able to protect your most crucial areas efficiently in the short-term.
There was exceptional news elsewhere, however. Among Foundation Building experts he had lost only seven hundred and two, an unexpectedly low amount. The vast majority of his experts remained intact, and would need to serve as the core for the Clan for at least sixty or seventy years going forward. They existed, however, and that was sufficient to give him hope.
Lastly was the Qi Condensation juniors. Pleuron had been reported lost, initially, and the first total that had trickled back to him had estimated three hundred and thirty thousand dead of his six hundred and ten. They were calling it all manner of things, but Manuel was satisfied with the 'Miracle at Pleuron'. Qi Condensation challenging Core Formation? He chuckled, glad for a moment he had prevented the Ninth Prince from dying. If this was the quality of junior they were outputting now, he'd fight a hundred Nascent Souls to keep them alive.
A number that had been three hundred and thirty thousand overall had trended downwards to three hundred thousand, almost thirty thousand saved - both at Pleuron and through efforts of other Qi Condensation juniors in other places taking on far more of the load than he had ever expected.
It was a disaster, yes, but one that could possibly be borne. He could see a path to future, as slim as it was.
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There are basically four Mechanics in this quest.
(1) Choices. Your Clan Council will ask you to make a call on something. Mostly they won't do this - they're competent enough to handle things on their own, but sometimes they will. You'll see 0-2 of these per turn, on average. They're usually pretty straight-up binary choices.
(2) Focuses. You choose in general what the Clan should focus on for the next 20 years. Building up for war? Training new disciples? Carving more arrays? More trade? Focuses don't prevent you from doing everything else, it's more 'here's the one thing we should really get done'. Focuses are mainly mediated by your personal skill levels and specialities.
(3) Actions. What you, personally, do. Usually mediated by skills, but often by Cultivation level - especially when it comes to combat. You can always Write In Actions. In fact, writing in more complex and well-thought out Actions will positively increase your chances of success.
(4) Purchases. What wealth the Clan has, and what your Council want you to spend it on. They'll usually come to you with the thing they want most. No micromanagement, just 'here is the big-ticket item I want'. These will often (but not always) persist between turns. Wealth is expressed in terms of Years of Income Saved. You can take as many of these as you can pay for! Keep in mind, though, if you spend all your money, you won't have it in future for dire situations.
All voting is Plan Voting. Make a Plan if you want, or just vote on someone else's! You can vote on as many Plans as you like! Approval Voting, baby!
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There is a Voting Moratorium for TWELVE HOURS after this post. Feel free to create plans, but votes for plans will not be counted until that time has passed.
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Manuel had been in the clan headquarters for some time. It was full, fuller than it had been in years. Committees for Foundation Establishment experts had taken over where Elders had once sat on the Council, doing their best to perform the tasks, and failing miserably. There had been three tables last meeting, now there were fourteen. As exhausted and wounded as he was, he still needed to to check his Elders and those standing in for Elders for any sign of things like mental corruption and subtle poisons. It was doable, but defending the Clan headquarters if there was an attack... well, it would come down to the Nascent Wills, he suspected. No chairs were here - there was no room for it, cultivators packed in shoulder to shoulder. The system as it stood was dysfunctional and barely moving, but the experts were doing all they could to get Manuel information, to help him make choices.
Messages from other clans, vassals, traders... all of them piling up, all of them needing attention that didn't exist. He didn't even have a proper mechanism for sorting through what was most important yet, let alone a mechanism for deciding on all the minor things.
"Report, as best you can. I won't hold any failures against you, don't worry."
Manuel's voice was like a gentle set of bells, promising forgiveness and hope, each word a melody. These new committees didn't know how things functioned, and he would not have fear of him weaken their ability to help him govern.
First was a committee of fourteen, replacing Euphrosyne Sarantapechos. Their leader, a young lad of four hundred years spoke. He was short, standing a foot below Manuel's height, but his skin was a deep bronze, and his eyes shone with vigour.
"Archegetes. I am Acting Committee Elder Ya Yu. Obviously in terms of wealth things have gone... well, I'm not sure. Worse than previous Trials, it's hard to get mines operating and the Contribution Points system working properly. I estimate we have eleven years of income saved."
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Second was Kleisthenes Sarantapechos, a Mid Core Formation Elder. Euphrosyne's twin sister, the last living Sarantapechos Core Formation elder. She cultivated a rare Yang attribute technique, and went by a male name, and wore a male body to aid in her cultivation. For her, if she had not cultivated her Yang technique - she never would have risen into Core Formation. Such a thing was uncommon among your Clan, but not unknown. She is the Hetaireiarches, or in common terms, the Elder of Diplomacy. To her fell the duties of managing external powers and other Nascent Souls. She often complained about her lack of talent, and she and Manuel had been friends. During the Trials Manuel's choice leading to her sister's death had made them distant. Her voice was clipped, professional. Trying to avoid the anger they both knew lurked beneath the surface.
"Archegetes. Yao Zhihao is protecting our borders. However, her focus is certainly not diplomatic, but we can deploy her as such. I have several recommendations."
[ ] Deploy her to the Devil Bees
"This is one recommendation. It will certainly stop any incursions, but if there was not to be an incursion it will be worthless. An invasion is unlikely, but raids against us are not."
[ ] Deploy her to the Blood Cannibals
"Another is to use her to ward off Blood Cannibal spies and the like. It will perhaps improve our odds against the inevitable invasion once the truce ends in forty years."
[ ] Deploy her to the Scorpion Road
"My third notion is to let her guard the Scorpion Road. While our borders will be weakened, I expect our wealth will increase as our ability to guard the Road is less crippled. I would think infiltration by the Blood Cannibals would be inevitable, however, and any raids by the Devil Bees will be unstoppable if they come."
"Notable as well, the Demonic Altar is occupying the core territory of the Gemstone Justice Sect, slaughtering mortals en masse. Strength Purity took down an Early Nascent Soul on Demonic Altar's side, however, so their operations are restricted and they are pulling back into their own territory. Demonic Altar Sect has been retreating on all fronts, though the war is a very long way from over. Noble Knowledge Sect tried to break the Poison-Crushing Siege again, but this was once again a trick. Another fifty thousand Bear Enslavement cultivators died to a grand prediction of Noble Knowledge, enveloping an army in poison well outside of the siege, and the Bear Enslavement Sect has withdrawn from the Siege almost entirely. However, a Noble Knowledge Mid Nascent Soul was badly wounded in this battle, so we can anticipate little action from them in the next forty years as they risk massive Nascent Soul reprisals otherwise."
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Third was, well, Manuel. A few Foundation Building experts tried to give information, but they simply did not have it. The infrastructure and network wasn't there, and simply guarding their own territory from infiltration was beyond them at the moment. Nikephoros Theophylaktos was dead. Manuel's last disciple, and one of the two people he cared most about in the world. No reports of any worth, Manuel thought, and he was too badly wounded to do the wetwork himself. They would have to resign themselves to knowing little for the next decade or two as they rebuilt.
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Fourth came another Foundation Building lass, a young woman of three hundred and thirty, a Legion trainer. She has attempted to take over the place of the former Elder, but a Foundation Establishment expert cannot take on a Core Formation elder's job, much less in a few months.
"Archegetes. I cannot even offer a prediction at this point of how things will go. Things are so desperately bad..."
Her voice trailed off, having forgotten to even give her name.
"I will endeavour to rebuild infrastructure such that we can know what is happening and train properly. It will take time, I'm sorry Grand Elder, but... I'm sorry."
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Lastly was Heraclius Staurakius, a Great Circle Core Formation Elder. He is Protostrator, leader of your armies. One of your precious Core Formation cultivators in the Great Circle, Heraclius has stalled cultivation-wise. He is an exceptional commander, but he is old. At 900, he will only be capable of command for another 60 years or so. He is the best commander available by an astounding margin, and the most experienced. In the short and even medium-term, though, he is the best available to you - a little more skilled than Aikaterine was, even. His prior successor is dead, but sixty years from now is less urgent than it had been. Manuel had resolved to use one of the Clan's few Lifespan Treasures on him in forty years - there was no better choice for survival.
Heraclius speaks, a gravelled voice coming from a throat that had been cut more than once.
"Archegetes. Disaster on all fronts. I am attempting to quench the bleeding, but I cannot in truth. Give me time and more Legates and I will be able to hopefully hold the Cannibals at the border in forty years. I can make no promises, but I will bend all my efforts towards that."
Manuel ran his tongue over his teeth thoughtfully.
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Currently the Clan has 11 Wealth.
The Clan saves 10 Wealth per turn (+5 from last turn. +10 from cultivator deaths, -7 from sheer inefficiency).
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What should the Clan focus on?
[ ] Building Bridges (Write-in target) - You should make more allies. Choose a target on the map and aim to have their relations with you increased. Give gifts, exchange assistance, aim for strategic marriages.
[ ] Intrigue (Write-in target) - You should learn about another clan entirely. Spend Spirit Stones like water in the plains and find out everything you can. Strengths. Weaknesses, places to strike, rebels, and so on and so forth.
[ ] Raiding (Write-in target) - Better to weaken an enemy. Send teams of cultivators to go raid an enemy for resources and to kill them where possible. Minor conflicts, with minor rewards. At best, you can seize minor territorial gains. This will worsen your relations, of course. Gains widely variable Wealth (0-10, excluding crits). May seize territory and gain Income in extreme cases. Loses Cultivators - around 5,000 Qi Condensation cultivators, 50 Foundation Establishment cultivators, and potentially 1 Core Formation Elder.
[ ] War (Write-in target) - Simply invade. Strike with all your might and seize territory. Kill cultivators. Requires your personal attention to prevent Nascent Souls simply obliterating your forces. Uses your personal Action for the turn. War will open a set of new sub-turns.
[ ] Increasing Wealth - More trade, more mines, more growth. Aim to find more Spirit Stones, tax more from traders, whatever works to increase your Clan Wealth. Increases Wealth by an average of 5.
[ ] Training Soldiers - Raising Disciples to higher Realms is all well and good, but training them to be perfect members of Formations is better. Ensure your Clan is trained and ready for war. Your readiness to go to war will increase significantly, though this fades over time.
[ ] Fortifying (Write-in territory, ally or vassal) - Spend Clan manpower and soldiers to build new fortifications against outside enemies. New Arrays, help train new cultivators in lesser Formations to defend their lands, and so on. Will also strengthen a vassal or ally if chosen, and increase relations with them. Increases defenses in the chosen territory, ally, or vassal.
[ ] Write-in
What will you do? - LOCKED. Manuel is WOUNDED due to rescuing Kleisthenes last turn. No Action can be taken.
[ ] Hunt An Enemy (Write-In) - Why not? Hunt down enemies, see if you can kill someone. Usually used against an opposing Nascent Soul. Potentially very dangerous.
[ ] Weaken An Enemy (Write-In Faction) - Choose a faction, and use your Nascent Soul strength to simply sneak in and do damage. A little underhanded and shameful, but what do you care for the views of the Righteous Path? Potentially dangerous.
[ ] Assist A Faction (Write-in Faction) - Use your personal strength to assist an ally of some kind. Potentially dangerous.
[ ] Economic Activity - Carve arrays, scribe useful cultivation techniques onto scrolls, hunt down useful opportunities that might be dangerous to a Core Formation Elder. Make some money for the Clan.
[ ] Lecturing - You can simply lecture your many juniors on cultivation. Spend your time helping them grow, using less resources and ensuring better growth for the Clan.
[ ] Write-in
Purchases:
We have eleven full years of income (11 Wealth) saved. The Clan cannot go into debt - you can only spend what you have! (NB: Manuel's ideas are less efficient Wealth-wise than others. He doesn't run these parts of the Clan, and lacks the specific knowledge to make a top-tier choice. He's trying to choose something useful, but Nascent Soul doesn't grant you experience you don't have).
Manuel has an Administrative Idea...
[ ] Expand the Legion Contribution Board (7 Wealth)
"I've written this note to myself, but it seems plausible. Expand the Legion Contribution Board to allow Late and Great Circle Foundation experts some exposure to it. This will help manage the Legions more effectively in the interim, and will serve as an efficiency boost until we regain our Core Formation experts. It'll be more-or-less useless once that happens, but short-term Legion efficiency might be worth it."
Kleisthenes Sarantapechos wants to...
[ ] Hire Core Formation (5 Wealth per turn for 3 turns)
"Archegetes, there are many vassals with many Core Formation elders. Let us spend wealth to hire them, and use them to supplement our forces for the next sixty years. It won't regain our Legion efficiency, but we need Core Formation power badly to be able to administer our borders, the Scorpion Road, and put down rebellions. I estimate we'll be able to hire twenty-five Core Formation elders for this price - though bear in mind we'll be strengthening our vassals at our own expense, and they're unlikely to stand and fight in any real war.'
Manuel has an Intrigue Idea...
[ ] Extend the Devil Bee Civil War (10 Wealth)
"With money, hired Blood Path cultivators, and cleverness in picking the right targets, we can extend the Devil Bee civil war. This work was already done, and the reports exist, so it's possible to adapt this to our current intrigue apparatus. It'll be horribly costly for the effectiveness given the annhilation of said apparatus, but... if we pay for attacks on hives and bee swarms, we can reduce their ability to tame bees and maintain their mount numbers even if they kill one another. If we can win another twenty years in their civil war we can ensure we're not facing Devil Bees and Cannibals at once."
Manuel has a Disciples idea
[ ] Pour wealth into your Foundation Building Experts (10 Wealth)
"More Spirit Stones into the upper levels of Foundation Establishment. Let anyone who wants to challenge for Core Formation do so, with all the Clan's support behind them. On average this will yield three or four Core Formation Elders, but it could be as low as zero or as high as ten. Normally a desperately inefficient way to convert experts into elders, but right now..."
Heraclius Staurakius wants to...
[ ] Fortify the Scorpion Road (10 Wealth)
"Archegetes, I aim to purchase many formation plates and arrays, specifically for the Scorpion Road. Making it more difficult to attack frees up forces and Elders to guard the borders and put down rebellions. Being our most key income-generating asset it cannot be abandoned, but fortifying it would allow me at least a little operational flexibility. Not a lot, but some."
