In the Wake of Monsters - an Advisor's Quest

[DarkKing98]

Feedback request: Are the council updates appropriately long? On the one hand, I sometimes want to make them longer to show what's going on in the world, and on the other hand, I sometimes want to make them shorter so I can focus on the PC instead of watching NPCs explaining to each other.

Click to shrink...

My advice? Write them depending on the mood you are in.

 

[RookDeSuit]

[X] [Report] Just the facts.
[X] [Orders] Plan Ready To Support The War
-[X] The palace budget is unfixable as it stands, I should sort out the palace's underlying obligations.
-[X] I should prioritize ensuring a supply train to Ebuskun, it's far too important to leave to anyone else.
-[X] So we're fighting demon spiders to the south and Tokarans to the north? Maybe it's time to impose an emergency tax.

 

[Angelform]

Feedback request: Are the council updates appropriately long? On the one hand, I sometimes want to make them longer to show what's going on in the world, and on the other hand, I sometimes want to make them shorter so I can focus on the PC instead of watching NPCs explaining to each other.

Click to shrink...

I feel it is a mistake to draw such a divide between PC and NPC. Our character is, first and foremost, a council member. To a large extent his life revolves around the life of Void and the rest of the advisors. You can't really show Marbel's story without including the wider context.

 

[veekie]

Same as the "Ready to Support the War" Plan, except I feel we should continue to shore up our existing walls and defenses. If Tokara ever decides to move away from this little distraction in the Scorpion Valley, or if the League of Free Cities wants to punish us for invading as well, our city needs to be ready.

Click to shrink...

We already did all the wall fixing short of building new walls.

Building new walls while under fire is not advised

Feedback request: Are the council updates appropriately long? On the one hand, I sometimes want to make them longer to show what's going on in the world, and on the other hand, I sometimes want to make them shorter so I can focus on the PC instead of watching NPCs explaining to each other.

Click to shrink...

I actually prefer to see longer council updates. Steward has to be aware of overall state so we can support them

 

[StarkDemise]

[X] [Report] Just the facts.
[X] [Orders] Plan Ready To Support The War

 

[ALanos]

[X] [Report] Just the facts.
[X] [Orders] Plan Ready To Support The War
-[X] The palace budget is unfixable as it stands, I should sort out the palace's underlying obligations.
-[X] I should prioritize ensuring a supply train to Ebuskun, it's far too important to leave to anyone else.
-[X] So we're fighting demon spiders to the south and Tokarans to the north? Maybe it's time to impose an emergency tax.

 

[wingstrike96]

[X] [Report] Just the facts.
[X] [Orders] Plan Ready To Support The War

 

[Exmorri]

Spoiler: Winning votes

[*][Report] Just the facts.

[*] [Orders] Plan Ready To Support The War
-[*] The palace budget is unfixable as it stands, I should sort out the palace's underlying obligations.
-[*] I should prioritize ensuring a supply train to Ebuskun, it's far too important to leave to anyone else.
-[*] So we're fighting demon spiders to the south and Tokarans to the north? Maybe it's time to impose an emergency tax.

Wisdom Shining Void, Portlord of Silverport, strides into the council chamber with a benevolent regal smile on his face. "For once, something is going unexpectedly right." he says. "Don't let this spread yet: Helmsland, one of the border states of the Caligian Confederation, is on the verge of secession. I gather they're sick of civil war, aggravated by the fact that the civil war also means nobody to help them with their side of the demon spiders problem. One of their ambassadors in a series of private meetings has intimated to me that they might even be willing to come under the aegis of Silverport if we can help them out with that." He pauses. "It's not something to be done lightly, of course, nor quickly, as we can't spare the forces to help them just now. But keep it in your minds and position yourself appropriately. Now, Morning, can you perhaps tell me how in the world we got into the current farce over in the petty principalities?"

Gold Morning takes a deep breath. "I don't have all the pieces myself." the spymaster confesses. "From what I can tell, the Stratocracy was originally going to ally with the Prince of Scorpion Valley and possibly other nearby potentates against us. I communicated this information to the Marshal, and she moved rapidly to stop the Tokarans before they could, um, get up to too much mischief. There's probably a military word for it."

"Entrench?" suggests Blade, looking up from fidgeting with a loose thread on his latest new dress.

"Before they could entrench themselves? That sounds about right." says Morning. "Thank you. Then the Tokaran expeditionary force had conflicting orders and a falling-out with the locals, turning into mutual hostility and then a Tokaran occupation. Our force arrived without knowing this at the time and believed the valleymen to be collaborators. Seeing our arrival and hostility, the princes then thought that Silverport and Tokara had formed a united front intent on annexation, so a great many of them have banded together into the League of Free Cities to oppose us. The League is still growing and we may see it turn into a new major power to our east."

"That fits with Ebuskun's report." says Void, tapping the scroll in question. "Her side of things involves more claims of guerilla warfare, covert operations, deceit, betrayal and sabotage, much of which I imagine may be simply the result of not knowing who's who in all the little places. To summarize: the Tokarans are occupying Scorpion Valley, we're occupying Hornshire, there are constant minor skirmishes, and the 'League' isn't nearly as united as they'd like us to think. People are betraying each other left and right and Ebuskun says she found half a dozen princes willing to take her side if only she'd help them get revenge on their longstanding enemies on the other side of such and such river. Since the alternative was letting Tokara collect all the allies, she's accepted. And now we're committed." He sighs. "This is not the war I had planned. But I suppose it'll do."

Three glares at Void. "What do you mean, it'll do? It's a senseless war! People are dying!"

"And it's still better than fighting demons in the depths of the southern forests. This war? It's practically reasonable by comparison, if not exactly glorious."

Three purses her lips, but refrains from further comment.

"Further business. Blade, I trust you've been keeping your finger on the pulse of things closer to home?"

The chancellor perks up. "Indeed. Clan Gold have distanced themselves from you while Clan Bridge have continued to distance themselves from their previous vocal opposition, until they're both becoming only mildly obstructive. I imagine they know better than to stir up trouble when we're at war. If you want to quietly administrate and let Silverport recover, now seems like a good time for it. If you have great reforms you want to push through, don't: they can muster a lot of opposition for that. Their supporters among the minor clans are infighting a bit at present, but they'll join forces against you if you do anything too objectionable."

"For example, if I proposed to elevate Clan Avalanche?" Void asks innocently.

"For example." says Blade. "That would definitely get people coming together to object."

Void looks at you sadly, and shrugs. Then he turns back to Blade. "Anything else?"

"The elders of Ascension have turned a lot of their attention to trying to break into divine politics and influencing who might be appointed God of Silverport next, but I don't think they're having any luck. You probably know the state of Clan Wisdom better than I do, and I need more discretionary funding for my bribes again." he says.

"Marble?" Void asks.

"The palace is still losing money hand over fist." you state. "It's not quite as bad as it was. But it's still close to a hundred talents a year."

"Which means another one won't be noticed, right?" says Blade nonchalantly.
You glare reprovingly at him.
He is undeterred.

"Blade, you'll have your money, but I want to see results, not frivolous spending. Get Gold back on my side, or cut Bridge's supporters loose, whichever you think is easier - but I want the city lining up behind me." The Portlord turns to you. "Marble, you've done a good job getting the palace budget back in shape. How long would you need to make it turn a profit?"

"I'm not confident that that's actually possible as things stand." you say after due consideration. "There are still improvements I can make, to be sure. Some of the palace-owned land still has squatters not paying rent, for instance, but all their rents combined are not going to make up anything close to a hundred talents. Maybe five or ten if we're lucky and if I work on a great deal of refurbishment."

Void scratches his chin thoughtfully. "Hm. Five or ten talents over the course of a year is useful but not that much where the whole city is concerned... well, my clan will probably be happy to support me in my post for a while longer, and I can pay them back in favors and other currency. So what do you think you should be working on if not the palace budget? The walls again?"

"No. Levy an emergency tax to support the war, perhaps?"

Void freezes in his seat, then turns slightly and regards you with a fierce glance. Blade starts to say something disapproving, but trails off as it becomes clear the Portlord is not listening to him. You start to get a little nervous and are wondering if you should backpedal when your boss finally speaks. "An intriguing idea to be sure, but that would require a proper census to base it on, and I don't recall hearing that from you. Did you conduct a census and not tell me?"

"Not thoroughly enough to raise it yet. I have only a loose estimate." you say. "It could be off by as much as half."

"Then no. Without a thorough census to go by, any tax is going to look like a cash grab." Void says. "I'd be better off just asking the clan heads to contribute more and counting on their sense of civic duty. Which I should perhaps do, but that's another matter. So. You don't have a thorough census but you don't think the census is urgent enough to bring up before taxes. What were you planning to tax, if not people?"

[Stewardship: 37+19=56.]

"Land. Its value is obvious, it can't be hidden or transported, and people are diligent about keeping track of who owns it."

"Now there's an idea." Void goes still again, but this time his eyes are unfocused, looking off into the distance as he thinks. "I can see a lot of potential in that idea, but also a lot of loopholes. Maybe draw up a proposal... wait, now we've skipped your report. Walls, wasn't it?"

"Yes. I've reinforced the outer walls so it's easier to hold them against assault, and I've cleared the main roads so it's easier to get soldiers to where they need to hold out."

"Good, I suppose, but it sounds trivial when you put it that way. What else did you have for me?"

"I could focus on making sure the army is well supplied." you suggest. "Ebuskun will appreciate it."

"She's straight up a river route, with a dozen independent cities nearby to buy anything that doesn't make it on the supply train." says Void. "Just see they get their pay, you don't need to micromanage."

With both your suggestions of taxes and supplies shot down, you circle back to an earlier topic. "I might be able to improve the palace budget a different way than just patching up holes and restoring the former status quo. Shed palace obligations. There's responsibilities we can put on the clans, or put back on the clans as I suspect several of them were foisted on the palace due to political maneuvering, or just abolish entirely if they're obsolete. Use the war with Tokara and the threat of spider demons as cover for why the palace can't handle all this."

"Hmph. Not what I had in mind, but it'll do. See about that, and maybe outline further how you propose to implement a land tax." He nods. "Three, any progress on finding tools against the spider demons?"

"Yes. I would like to discuss it in private with you afterwards as it is potentially dangerous knowledge."

"Acceptable." Void looks around. "I find myself missing Ebuskun, it feels oddly empty without her. Morning, what do you think is most important now?"

"The Stratocracy or the League." says the spymaster.

"Why not Caligia?"

"The Confederation isn't in shape to plot against us. You don't need me to notice that they're breaking apart from civil war."

"A little overstated, but I take your point." says Void. "The Stratocracy it is - after the city is hopefully united a bit by the threat of war, I'll want to see what kind of leverage I have on them for a peace treaty in a few months. If that's everything for public consumption, I have private meetings to get to."

---

Voting time. You have SIX (6) actions over the next six months (one turn). One action may represent a month of solid work, or one day a week over the course of the turn - please don't poke the abstraction too hard. Overwork choices give you an extra action rather than consuming one, so you can go up to nine actions if you're an absolute workaholic. You may spend two actions on one choice to focus extra time and effort on it. Voting is by plan.

Do Your Job: The office of the Palace of the Portlords functions as a nexus for a wide variety of activities that various people at various times have felt that Someone Ought To Do. You are not convinced that the palace should be doing all of these, and have resolved to trim some of them.
[] Trim obsolete activities. This is the safest category, but also the least rewarding, where you'll be scraping the bottom of the barrel. Entirely useless jobs don't last all that long without finding camouflage.
(Example: propitiating the soul of a barbarian warlord thirty years dead who's almost certainly reincarnated by now and is not going to come back as an angry ghost any more.)
[] Trim rare contingency posts. Several people are on retainer in case of very unlikely events happening again, or occupied in warding off possible disasters that look like pure superstition.
(Example: checking for contact poison on various household tools.)
[] Trim paperwork requirements. It might cause problems for you in the future, but you can always reintroduce anything that turns out to be necessary after all.
[] Trim vague and ill-defined duties, or at least clarify them, preferably towards the lower end of the range of ambiguity.
[] Trim misplaced responsibilities. The palace pays for upkeep on several properties it doesn't own, and subsidizes goods you see little reason to subsidize.
[] Trim festival arrangements. The palace sponsors a surprisingly large number of feasts, parties, balls and other social events during the course of a year, also a regatta. They're fun and popular, but arguably not the palace's business to organize.
[] Trim religious offerings and ceremonial miscellany. The largest category by far, but also the one with the largest chance of backlash where people will denounce your austerity.
[] Write in suggestions

(These categories overlap a bit. You should not take all of them. Think of them as directions to point your attention in, and not strictly sorted separate types.)

Maintain Your Triumphs: You've made great strides, but much of it might go even better if you spare time to see to its upkeep, or might fall apart if you do not.
[] Work on a full new set of examinations. (Will take multiple actions to complete, can be taken repeatedly during a single turn.)
[] Go and help out at your new forge. It'll surely go better with both your vision and your new understanding to assist.
[] The palace is still losing money, but less of it. Make it lose even less, so Clan Wisdom doesn't have to subsidize it. (costs one action per sub-option taken)
-[] Prioritize repairs, reconstruction and reutilization of palace-owned land so you can start charging rent on it again. You've made a little headway here, but it's slow going.
-[] The threats of audits you issued made some people implicitly admit they owed money by stalling. Make good on your threats, start auditing.
-[] Ask your relatives for more advice. You have no shortage of relatives and they have no shortage of opinions.
-[] Something else?
[] There's ongoing staff turnover even when you're not actively recruiting and replacing. Apply some oversight.
[] The city walls could still use more fortifying.

Self-improvement: Can attempt to raise one of your attributes. Difficulty increases as the base attribute rises. New skills are also listed here.
[] Practice. Take some time away from what you're doing to look at how you're doing it and whether there's a better approach.
[] Tutoring. Ask one of your fellow councillors for advice in their field of expertise.
[] Paid Tutoring. Hire a professional teacher, like the ones your clan used to pay for when you were younger.
[] Study Smithing. Zara has blessed you with particular competence and understanding here, you will advance rapidly.

Miscellaneous:
[] Abuse your office to sabotage some target of your choice.
[] Abuse your office to shift your personal obligations onto the palace budget.
[] Maybe you could follow up on that provisional census. (Write in approach)
[] Something else?

Social actions: One of these can be taken for free each turn in your spare time. Each additional selection from this section will still cost an action. You do not need to socialize with your own clan - that happens automatically unless you choose to skimp on family obligations.
[] Get to know one of your fellow councillors. (choose which)
[] Spy on one of your fellow councillors. (choose which)
[] Socialize and build connections with one of the great clans of Silverport. (choose which)
[] Spend time with someone else? (write-in)

Special actions:
[] Slow and Steady. Take your time to think and plan properly before you act. Other planned actions this turn get a bonus die to their rolls. Cannot be used if overworking.
[] Overwork: skimp on family obligations. You get an extra action this turn. May damage your social standing.
[] Overwork: skimp on religious obligations. You get an extra action this turn. May damage your social standing.
[] Overwork: skimp on food and sleep. You get an extra action this turn. May result in poor health.

Spoiler: Personal Finance Management

Earning: 100g/turn (50g salary, 50g embezzlement)
Spending: 88g/turn (5g family, 5g shrines, 5g clerks, 35g debt payment, 38g forge upkeep)
Current wealth: 88g

Optional plan elements you can add:
[] Stop embezzling.
[] Reduce embezzlement to 10g/turn. (Removes risk of discovery)
[] Reduce embezzlement to 25g/turn. (Reduces risk of discovery)
[] Increase embezzlement to 100g/turn. (Increases risk of discovery)

[] Change debt payment to 15g/turn.
[] Change debt payment to 25g/turn.

[] Shut down the forge.

---

Separately from the action plan and entirely optional:

[] [Tax] Submit an outline for what an initial land tax system might look like for the Portlord's perusal. Who gets taxed at what different rates by location or building use or social class, who is exempt entirely, how would value be assessed, where will the responsibility lie for collecting and checking it, et cetera.

 

[RookDeSuit]

The palace is still losing money hand over fist." you state. "It's not quite as bad as it was. But it's still close to a hundred talents a year."

"Which means another one won't be noticed, right?" says Blade nonchalantly.

Click to shrink...

I think Blade knows, but he acknowledges we have been doing well enough at our job that all he'll do is make snide comments.

On that note, how would everyone feel if we cut embezzlement down:

[] Reduce Embezzlement to 10g/turn

Between the work our colleagues have to do, and the incoming new employees we might want to consider this.

 

[ALanos]

Unless we managed to get properties under the ownership of a certain Marble Avalanche we would be drowning in debt if we stop embezzling.

 

[gutza1]

Hmm. If we're going to do a tax plan, we have to make it very clear that it isn't the oppressive feudal-style taxation that the people of Silverport despise. That means that poll taxes are a definite no-go. However, I feel like just a tax on landownership may not raise enough money. Therefore, I propose the following:

[X] [Tax] Outside the city walls, place a 10% tax on produce and/or income (the taxpayer can decide how to pay) on estates greater than 200 acres, to be paid directly by the estate and not by any hired laborers working on said estates. Inside the city walls, place a 10% tax on the owners of residences termed "mansions," defined as estates at least approximately 5000 sq. feet in size. In addition to these land taxes, place a 10% tariff on precious stones (jewels, gems, and jade), marble, fine glassware such as porcelain, gold, salt, spices, tea, expensive/uncommon dyes, and silk entering the city, to be counted at the gates of the city, as well as a 10% tax on the previously enumerated goods manufactured, processed, or produced in the city itself.

200 acres was well above the average size of a yeoman farmer's plot of land IRL, so this limit should include only the wealthy landowners. 5000 sq. feet is the size of a large modern house, so I assume it can also represent the minimum size of a wealthy estate in a medieval city. The luxury goods taxed, in addition to being mainly consumed by the upper-middle to upper class, are easy to search for and require expensive dedicated workshops to process or produce, making their taxation easy for medieval governments. After the war, it may be a better idea to cut the rates and fees of commerce or city services instead of abolishing this tax, to shift the burden of finance away from the lower and middle classes and towards the upper class. Finally, here's my plan for the actions:

[X] Plan Cutting the Rot:
-[X] Trim obsolete activities. This is the safest category, but also the least rewarding, where you'll be scraping the bottom of the barrel. Entirely useless jobs don't last all that long without finding camouflage.
-[X] Trim vague and ill-defined duties, or at least clarify them, preferably towards the lower end of the range of ambiguity.
-[X] Trim misplaced responsibilities. The palace pays for upkeep on several properties it doesn't own, and subsidizes goods you see little reason to subsidize.
-[X] Go and help out at your new forge. It'll surely go better with both your vision and your new understanding to assist.
-[X] The palace is still losing money, but less of it. Make it lose even less, so Clan Wisdom doesn't have to subsidize it. (costs one action per sub-option taken)
--[X] The threats of audits you issued made some people implicitly admit they owed money by stalling. Make good on your threats, start auditing.
-[X] Slow and Steady. Take your time to think and plan properly before you act. Other planned actions this turn get a bonus die to their rolls. Cannot be used if overworking.
-[X] Get to know one of your fellow councillors - Blade.

I feel like this is going to be quite an important turn, so we should ensure that our actions succeed. The first three actions are the ones I feel we can afford to cut. I'm not willing to take chances with contingency jobs, considering the supernatural-filled nature of the setting. Getting state property productive again seems like it'll take too much effort for not enough reward, so I feel like we should audit instead for quicker results.

 

[Cawasnow]

[X] Plan: Trim Down.
-[X] Trim vague and ill-defined duties, or at least clarify them, preferably towards the lower end of the range of ambiguity.
-[X] Trim misplaced responsibilities. The palace pays for upkeep on several properties it doesn't own, and subsidizes goods you see little reason to subsidize.
-[X] Trim festival arrangements. The palace sponsors a surprisingly large number of feasts, parties, balls and other social events during the course of a year, also a regatta. They're fun and popular, but arguably not the palace's business to organize.
-[X] The palace is still losing money, but less of it. Make it lose even less, so Clan Wisdom doesn't have to subsidize it. (costs one action per sub-option taken)
-[X] Prioritize repairs, reconstruction and reutilization of palace-owned land so you can start charging rent on it again. You've made a little headway here, but it's slow going.
-[X] The threats of audits you issued made some people implicitly admit they owed money by stalling. Make good on your threats, start auditing.
-[X] Study Smithing. Zara has blessed you with particular competence and understanding here, you will advance rapidly.
-[X] Get to know one of your fellow councillors. (Blade)

 

[RookDeSuit]

Unless we managed to get properties under the ownership of a certain Marble Avalanche we would be drowning in debt if we stop embezzling.

Click to shrink...

Now, that was not the truth when we started, and I know I cannot get people to flat out stop. I figure a decent compromise would be to reduced the amount of money we are embezzling.

Either that or reduce the amount of money we pay back to 25g/turn. We even have the excuse that different sectors of the Port need every scrap of wealth to continue to operate.

Edit:

[X] Plan Cutting the Rot:
-[X] Trim obsolete activities. This is the safest category, but also the least rewarding, where you'll be scraping the bottom of the barrel. Entirely useless jobs don't last all that long without finding camouflage.
-[X] Trim vague and ill-defined duties, or at least clarify them, preferably towards the lower end of the range of ambiguity.
-[X] Trim misplaced responsibilities. The palace pays for upkeep on several properties it doesn't own, and subsidizes goods you see little reason to subsidize.
-[X] Go and help out at your new forge. It'll surely go better with both your vision and your new understanding to assist.
-[X] The palace is still losing money, but less of it. Make it lose even less, so Clan Wisdom doesn't have to subsidize it. (costs one action per sub-option taken)
--[X] The threats of audits you issued made some people implicitly admit they owed money by stalling. Make good on your threats, start auditing.
-[X] Slow and Steady. Take your time to think and plan properly before you act. Other planned actions this turn get a bonus die to their rolls. Cannot be used if overworking
-[X] Get to know one of your fellow councillors
- Blade.

Personal Finance

[X] Reduce embezzlement to 25g/turn. (Reduces risk of discovery)

Our guy is going to hate this, doing mundane work for the govt. not his inspiration, but this plan might be a winner.

Maybe, put in any land with deeply religious or spiritual importance gats exempted since temple monks usually don't make money. However, in the case of clans have them pay for all other lands.

Edit2: Done. Also, are we going to embezzle less this turn or not? And if so then by how much?

Edit3: Added a Reduce embezzlement action for personal finance. I'm hoping enough people could follow suit, but we'll see.

 

[Angelform]

Turn 5 Council – 771

Click to shrink...

Good update. Solid look at what the others are doing.

Think Void is starting to doubt our sanity. Or at least our restraint.

Do Your Job
[] Trim obsolete activities. This is the safest category, but also the least rewarding, where you'll be scraping the bottom of the barrel. Entirely useless jobs don't last all that long without finding camouflage.
(Example: propitiating the soul of a barbarian warlord thirty years dead who's almost certainly reincarnated by now and is not going to come back as an angry ghost any more.)
[] Trim rare contingency posts. Several people are on retainer in case of very unlikely events happening again, or occupied in warding off possible disasters that look like pure superstition.
(Example: checking for contact poison on various household tools.)
[] Trim paperwork requirements. It might cause problems for you in the future, but you can always reintroduce anything that turns out to be necessary after all.
[] Trim vague and ill-defined duties, or at least clarify them, preferably towards the lower end of the range of ambiguity.
[] Trim misplaced responsibilities. The palace pays for upkeep on several properties it doesn't own, and subsidizes goods you see little reason to subsidize.
[] Trim festival arrangements. The palace sponsors a surprisingly large number of feasts, parties, balls and other social events during the course of a year, also a regatta. They're fun and popular, but arguably not the palace's business to organize.
[] Trim religious offerings and ceremonial miscellany. The largest category by far, but also the one with the largest chance of backlash where people will denounce your austerity.

Click to shrink...

1) Probably a waste of time.
2) Seems like the sort of thing likely to bite us in the arse. Pure superstition has a habit of only staying superstition till you turn your back on it.
3) Trap option. No Steward would ever do anything to reduce paperwork.
4) Possible but might not net us much.
5) Good option.
6 + 7) These are all but guaranteed to backfire horribly.

[Tax]

Click to shrink...

That will need quite a bit of thought.

 

[Siual]

Think Void is starting to doubt our sanity. Or at least our restraint.

Click to shrink...

We are spending our year's wage almost entirely on the upkeep of an experimental forge designed to make a hitherto vanishingly rare and almost mythical magical substance, without having any prior knowledge about the subject or even the slightest training in either metallurgy or thaumaturgy, just because we thought it'd be cool if we could mass-produce it. Void's right to doubt our restraint.

 

[tri2]

[X] Plan Cutting the Rot:
-[X] Trim obsolete activities. This is the safest category, but also the least rewarding, where you'll be scraping the bottom of the barrel. Entirely useless jobs don't last all that long without finding camouflage.
-[X] Trim vague and ill-defined duties, or at least clarify them, preferably towards the lower end of the range of ambiguity.
-[X] Trim misplaced responsibilities. The palace pays for upkeep on several properties it doesn't own, and subsidizes goods you see little reason to subsidize.
-[X] Go and help out at your new forge. It'll surely go better with both your vision and your new understanding to assist.
-[X] The palace is still losing money, but less of it. Make it lose even less, so Clan Wisdom doesn't have to subsidize it. (costs one action per sub-option taken)
--[X] The threats of audits you issued made some people implicitly admit they owed money by stalling. Make good on your threats, start auditing.
-[X] Slow and Steady. Take your time to think and plan properly before you act. Other planned actions this turn get a bonus die to their rolls. Cannot be used if overworking.

Click to shrink...

you forgot social action

 

[gutza1]

you forgot social action

Click to shrink...

It's an emergency, we don't have time for that.

 

[tri2]

It's an emergency, we don't have time for that.

Click to shrink...

it's free

 

[gutza1]

it's free

Click to shrink...

Oh, whoops. Editing that in.

 

[gutza1]

Actually, which councilors do we still not know about?

 

[RookDeSuit]

Actually, which councilors do we still not know about?

Click to shrink...

Either Blade or Gold Morning.

 

[King50000]

Blade might be the best to go with. I agree with Rook that he probably knows about our embezzlement, so it might be a good idea to get closer to him, maybe find out if he's been taking a piece on the side as well.

 

[gutza1]

Okay, edited getting to know Blade into my post.

@RookDeSuit You may want to edit your vote to include my change.

 

[Siual]

Actually, it kind of raises a flag that we're completely in the dark on Three's Intrigue score. She could be playing us, for all we know, and it's worth remembering that she shat bricks when she looked at the Abominations' notes. Full of untruths as they might be, she wouldn't be so nervous if what she read about herself were just lies, would she?

It might pay off to spend some more time with her.

 

[RookDeSuit]

Actually, it kind of raises a flag that we're completely in the dark on Three's Intrigue score. She could be playing us, for all we know, and it's worth remembering that she shat bricks when she looked at the Abominations' notes. Full of untruths as they might be, she wouldn't be so nervous if what she read about herself were just lies, would she?

It might pay off to spend some more time with her.

Click to shrink...

While true, we shouldn't press for info.

We already tried learning about her, and that just led to us being bored. We wait and talk with some one else at this time.