- Pronouns
- They/Them
...also, why are we planning up to turn 8 or whatnot? Every time we tried to do that in Age of Strife, events utterly ruined the plans within two or three turns.
Knight of Dandriss: Stone and Steel
- Thread starter Academia Nut
- Start date
- Original
- Location
- Croatia
I'm more worried about a incoming Mantis invasion which may happen while we are out on the patrol. But the GM wouldn't do that on the first turn, right?
[X] Advertise for business
[X] Patrol rail lines
[X] Patrol forest x2
[X] Establish intelligence network
[X] Get to know people
[X] Throw a party
[X] Advertise for business
[X] Patrol rail lines
[X] Patrol forest x2
[X] Establish intelligence network
[X] Get to know people
[X] Throw a party
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- Pronouns
- He/Him
Hopefully tzeentch is no longer watching us, since we aren't in warhammer now.
On a more serious note, @Academia Nut would consider my idea of putting an author's note explaining that this quest was formed from another quest on the intro page so that new people won't be terminally confused by the community mentioning it?
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I've already sort of done something like that. If you check the first post there is now a link to the first story.
Because it's better to have a good plan when things inevitably go to hell in a handbasket, because you'll have more to work with when you get to that point and you'll have a better idea of what you need to do to get back on track.
Chaos and dissaster will happen with or without a plan, but you still will be better off if you have all your ducks in a row already.
If we couldn't plan just because there was likely going to be a wrench in the works sometime during its execution, we would literally never plan at all.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Hey guys, I'm going to call this a wee bit earlier than I might later because there is a fairly large majority of opinion in this case and I want to get the momentum on this one going. So if we get through the first turn relatively quickly and thus let others see what the tone and tempo of things will be, I figure that will help smooth things out in the long run.
So we shall go with...
[X] Advertise for business
[X] Patrol rail lines
[X] Patrol forest x2
[X] Establish intelligence network
[X] Get to know people
[X] Throw a party
So we shall go with...
[X] Advertise for business
[X] Patrol rail lines
[X] Patrol forest x2
[X] Establish intelligence network
[X] Get to know people
[X] Throw a party
1.2
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Advertise for business
[X] Patrol rail lines
[X] Patrol forest x2
[X] Establish intelligence network
[X] Get to know people
[X] Throw a party
As Ella sits in the cabin for the train - technically more of a really big and powerful truck with an articulated trailer in the back in comparison to the now almost mythical trains that once actually ran through these elevated tunnels - she reviews the data you had on Razorleaf Meadows. It was once one of the numerous 'satellite' communities before Starfall and the warlord era had more or less completely depopulated it. It had been a resort location, more or less, a little spot where the richer strata of Dandriss could go to feel exclusive, which had left it ill prepared for being cut off from all infrastructure supplies after the bombs fell, and then the handful of survivors had been swept up by one of the raider groups who figured out how to get vehicles into the tunnels and how to haul their reactors with them without wrecking them. About a decade ago an enterprising businessman had taken advantage of the stability her grandmother had brought to the area to resurrect the idea of making a luxury resort, and also nominally a place where some of the less satisfied nobles could go scheme out of the immediate line of sight of the duchess.
That plan had been somewhat derailed by a reaver raid last year. The lithe, uncanny aliens were a perennial thorn in the side of the entire planet, striking settlements at random and causing death, destruction, and suffering pretty much purely because they got off to it. As an officer and a Stone, Ella knew a little bit more about the creatures, such as the fact that they were telepathic and had a variety of unpleasant ways to screw with people's heads and make things worse, and that they had abilities/technology that allowed them to open up temporary portals pretty much anywhere at whim so that they could strike at targets when and where they chose. It was basically only the fact that they were "sustainably" hunting humans for sport that they hadn't already wiped everyone out or conquered the planet. In any case, the raid had depleted the mercenaries and militia to the point where the only choice had been to either go bankrupt replenishing the security, or beg Anna for the required military presence to keep the rich clientele they catered to from just staying home in fear.
Despite the whole thing having been set up as a way to get away from Anna's influence, the owners had decided to swallow their pride and ask for help.
Ella was Anna's somewhat delayed answer to all of that. Two companies of Jaeger infantry had been sent over immediately, but Anna had left the position of military governor in her own hands for about a year and had actually gone out of her way to come visit more than once. While it was fairly obvious that she was doing it to make anyone she appointed look better, it also tended to work as she had done it before. The fact that she had appointed a family member was something of an annoyance, but the fact that it was a young, inexperienced, and somewhat awkwardly positioned within the family hierarchy was conversely something of a relief for those with their interests in the matter. Her grandmother hadn't been lying when she had said that she was throwing Ella into a nest of vipers though. There were going to be a number of powerful people who would resent her presence and even more who would try to control her to their own ends. She would just have to play the game better.
Her first objective would have to be to restore confidence in the settlement. That meant making some obvious patrols to ensure that everything was nice and peaceful and there would be no threats to tourists and investors, and making sure that everyone in the rest of the nation knew that Razorleaf Meadows was a fun and safe place to come. Fortunately the damn place was loaded up with bright and shiny things that spoke of wealth and excitement, so drumming up business like that shouldn't be too hard. The only question was how much to invest.
Culture invested in generating Economy
[] Minimum, 2 Culture
[] Minor, 4 Culture
[] Half, 7 Culture
[] Major, 10 Culture
[] All, 14 Culture
While ruminating on that, Ella also tabbed her tablet over to the personnel lists. While there were some people she had fairly extensive files on due to their official capacities, she also knew that she would have to set up her own personal network of people to get to know and who could listen in on things for her and all of that fun stuff. The biggest players were Major Andrew Chambers and Mayor Krain Milvus. Power was distributed oddly throughout Green Owl in a peculiar tension of popular approval, ownership, and merit. Within the military itself actual rank was purely allocated by merit and achievement, but certain positions like 'Knight' were a parallel structure, and things like 'military governor' could be assigned to damn near anyone, case in point. As such while Ella could theoretically order the Major around despite having only earned the rank of 2nd Lieutenant, countermanding his orders, or any other officer ranked higher than her, was likely to cause problems, especially if she made a bad call. Similarly, Mayor Milvus had his position via a combination of popular support and being the one who had sponsored things in the first place. Pissing him off was unlikely to go well, although so long as money and influence kept coming in he was unlikely to complain much. Still, the buck stopped with Ella so even if they made recommendations, the final decision for a large number of things came down to her, as did the consequences.
There were a few other important people to meet. The top of that list included Daniel Hewer, the chief engineer of the settlement's primary fusion reactor; Morgan Klaus, the chief of the local police forces; and Samantha Sea, a South Woods executive who liked to spend time and money in Razorleaf. There were a number of other notables, but those were the ones where an introduction wasn't necessary like it was for Chambers and Milvus but remained a really good idea. About the most 'Stone' pick of that list was Hewer, in that while the other two were somewhat understandable from any perspective, the Stone dynasty had maintained and expanded its power on the back of technological superiority to its neighbours. Fusion reactors were an old, well established technology, but the incredible amounts of power they generated and the required technical crews always meant that there was at least a little bit of experimentation going on in their presence. Not much now, but maybe enough to form a base for attracting later additions to the settlement. Having a qualitative edge was always useful.
Arriving at the station at long last, Ella set her muse to finish up the paperwork and searches for her and then disembarked to go meet the assembled dignitaries. The Major was out with the troops on display, while the Mayor had his own various dignitaries out and about to greet her. Going through the necessary initial motions before retiring into the settlement proper, Ella found the two men to be about her estimation. Major Chambers was a career officer in his mid-thirties who while not exactly pleased with his current assignment was a straight shooter who also knew that doing a good job here was an excellent way to fast track his career, so as long as did what he was told and gave good advice he would probably see a promotion or two before being reassigned to a more prestigious position in the next few years. From his armour, which included a few supplemental diamond leaf plates to give some flair for the older style armours that used local materials before production of the lighter synthetic suits ramped enough to entirely displace those, he was a consummate infantryman and Jaeger. Useful. Mayor Milvus on the other hand was also about what Ella expected, that being a middle aged businessman with a sweet tooth and an overweening ambition that he more or less kept in check around her, lest he piss her off too early. Good, neither one was likely to give her grief until she had at least earned their ire.
For the most part she was interested in getting the patrols off the ground so that by the time the advertising was ready to go they would have solid evidence to back it up, so she focused her attention on the Major for the moment. Her first question once it was appropriate to ask was, "So, do we have a patrol schedule adequately prepared?"
Nodding, the man said, "I have a full rotation of patrol routes through the rail lines and in the forest prepared. We had already been doing limited patrols of the rail lines anyway, so the core of what you want was already in place."
"Excellent. While I can't go all the time, I will be attaching myself to a number of the forest patrols," Ella stated, grinning as she added on, "I do hope that the presence of a Centurion helps compensate for having an extra lieutenant hanging about."
Chambers very pointedly did not react strongly to that but said, "The presence of Knights does tend to improve the morale of the men, particularly in the forests."
Heh. Amusing.
As the next few days turned into weeks and Ella got used to the responsibilities and quirks of her new office, she also began to work out who was who in everything and start making friends and acquaintances. One of her bigger plans was to host a major party to invite the major movers and shakers, and to make an impression beyond the dry and standard meetings. The only question was what tone to go for. While her target audience was the upper classes, the attitudes of the people in Razorleaf Meadows was a bit wilder, with a number of more decadent activities having some degree of official approval by the people here. Still, she only had one opportunity to get her debut just right.
Her party would be a...
[] Formal ball
[] Elegant masquerade
[] Semi-casual social
[] Relaxed gathering
[] Rowdy dance
[] Debauched rave
[X] Patrol rail lines
[X] Patrol forest x2
[X] Establish intelligence network
[X] Get to know people
[X] Throw a party
As Ella sits in the cabin for the train - technically more of a really big and powerful truck with an articulated trailer in the back in comparison to the now almost mythical trains that once actually ran through these elevated tunnels - she reviews the data you had on Razorleaf Meadows. It was once one of the numerous 'satellite' communities before Starfall and the warlord era had more or less completely depopulated it. It had been a resort location, more or less, a little spot where the richer strata of Dandriss could go to feel exclusive, which had left it ill prepared for being cut off from all infrastructure supplies after the bombs fell, and then the handful of survivors had been swept up by one of the raider groups who figured out how to get vehicles into the tunnels and how to haul their reactors with them without wrecking them. About a decade ago an enterprising businessman had taken advantage of the stability her grandmother had brought to the area to resurrect the idea of making a luxury resort, and also nominally a place where some of the less satisfied nobles could go scheme out of the immediate line of sight of the duchess.
That plan had been somewhat derailed by a reaver raid last year. The lithe, uncanny aliens were a perennial thorn in the side of the entire planet, striking settlements at random and causing death, destruction, and suffering pretty much purely because they got off to it. As an officer and a Stone, Ella knew a little bit more about the creatures, such as the fact that they were telepathic and had a variety of unpleasant ways to screw with people's heads and make things worse, and that they had abilities/technology that allowed them to open up temporary portals pretty much anywhere at whim so that they could strike at targets when and where they chose. It was basically only the fact that they were "sustainably" hunting humans for sport that they hadn't already wiped everyone out or conquered the planet. In any case, the raid had depleted the mercenaries and militia to the point where the only choice had been to either go bankrupt replenishing the security, or beg Anna for the required military presence to keep the rich clientele they catered to from just staying home in fear.
Despite the whole thing having been set up as a way to get away from Anna's influence, the owners had decided to swallow their pride and ask for help.
Ella was Anna's somewhat delayed answer to all of that. Two companies of Jaeger infantry had been sent over immediately, but Anna had left the position of military governor in her own hands for about a year and had actually gone out of her way to come visit more than once. While it was fairly obvious that she was doing it to make anyone she appointed look better, it also tended to work as she had done it before. The fact that she had appointed a family member was something of an annoyance, but the fact that it was a young, inexperienced, and somewhat awkwardly positioned within the family hierarchy was conversely something of a relief for those with their interests in the matter. Her grandmother hadn't been lying when she had said that she was throwing Ella into a nest of vipers though. There were going to be a number of powerful people who would resent her presence and even more who would try to control her to their own ends. She would just have to play the game better.
Her first objective would have to be to restore confidence in the settlement. That meant making some obvious patrols to ensure that everything was nice and peaceful and there would be no threats to tourists and investors, and making sure that everyone in the rest of the nation knew that Razorleaf Meadows was a fun and safe place to come. Fortunately the damn place was loaded up with bright and shiny things that spoke of wealth and excitement, so drumming up business like that shouldn't be too hard. The only question was how much to invest.
Culture invested in generating Economy
[] Minimum, 2 Culture
[] Minor, 4 Culture
[] Half, 7 Culture
[] Major, 10 Culture
[] All, 14 Culture
While ruminating on that, Ella also tabbed her tablet over to the personnel lists. While there were some people she had fairly extensive files on due to their official capacities, she also knew that she would have to set up her own personal network of people to get to know and who could listen in on things for her and all of that fun stuff. The biggest players were Major Andrew Chambers and Mayor Krain Milvus. Power was distributed oddly throughout Green Owl in a peculiar tension of popular approval, ownership, and merit. Within the military itself actual rank was purely allocated by merit and achievement, but certain positions like 'Knight' were a parallel structure, and things like 'military governor' could be assigned to damn near anyone, case in point. As such while Ella could theoretically order the Major around despite having only earned the rank of 2nd Lieutenant, countermanding his orders, or any other officer ranked higher than her, was likely to cause problems, especially if she made a bad call. Similarly, Mayor Milvus had his position via a combination of popular support and being the one who had sponsored things in the first place. Pissing him off was unlikely to go well, although so long as money and influence kept coming in he was unlikely to complain much. Still, the buck stopped with Ella so even if they made recommendations, the final decision for a large number of things came down to her, as did the consequences.
There were a few other important people to meet. The top of that list included Daniel Hewer, the chief engineer of the settlement's primary fusion reactor; Morgan Klaus, the chief of the local police forces; and Samantha Sea, a South Woods executive who liked to spend time and money in Razorleaf. There were a number of other notables, but those were the ones where an introduction wasn't necessary like it was for Chambers and Milvus but remained a really good idea. About the most 'Stone' pick of that list was Hewer, in that while the other two were somewhat understandable from any perspective, the Stone dynasty had maintained and expanded its power on the back of technological superiority to its neighbours. Fusion reactors were an old, well established technology, but the incredible amounts of power they generated and the required technical crews always meant that there was at least a little bit of experimentation going on in their presence. Not much now, but maybe enough to form a base for attracting later additions to the settlement. Having a qualitative edge was always useful.
Arriving at the station at long last, Ella set her muse to finish up the paperwork and searches for her and then disembarked to go meet the assembled dignitaries. The Major was out with the troops on display, while the Mayor had his own various dignitaries out and about to greet her. Going through the necessary initial motions before retiring into the settlement proper, Ella found the two men to be about her estimation. Major Chambers was a career officer in his mid-thirties who while not exactly pleased with his current assignment was a straight shooter who also knew that doing a good job here was an excellent way to fast track his career, so as long as did what he was told and gave good advice he would probably see a promotion or two before being reassigned to a more prestigious position in the next few years. From his armour, which included a few supplemental diamond leaf plates to give some flair for the older style armours that used local materials before production of the lighter synthetic suits ramped enough to entirely displace those, he was a consummate infantryman and Jaeger. Useful. Mayor Milvus on the other hand was also about what Ella expected, that being a middle aged businessman with a sweet tooth and an overweening ambition that he more or less kept in check around her, lest he piss her off too early. Good, neither one was likely to give her grief until she had at least earned their ire.
For the most part she was interested in getting the patrols off the ground so that by the time the advertising was ready to go they would have solid evidence to back it up, so she focused her attention on the Major for the moment. Her first question once it was appropriate to ask was, "So, do we have a patrol schedule adequately prepared?"
Nodding, the man said, "I have a full rotation of patrol routes through the rail lines and in the forest prepared. We had already been doing limited patrols of the rail lines anyway, so the core of what you want was already in place."
"Excellent. While I can't go all the time, I will be attaching myself to a number of the forest patrols," Ella stated, grinning as she added on, "I do hope that the presence of a Centurion helps compensate for having an extra lieutenant hanging about."
Chambers very pointedly did not react strongly to that but said, "The presence of Knights does tend to improve the morale of the men, particularly in the forests."
Heh. Amusing.
As the next few days turned into weeks and Ella got used to the responsibilities and quirks of her new office, she also began to work out who was who in everything and start making friends and acquaintances. One of her bigger plans was to host a major party to invite the major movers and shakers, and to make an impression beyond the dry and standard meetings. The only question was what tone to go for. While her target audience was the upper classes, the attitudes of the people in Razorleaf Meadows was a bit wilder, with a number of more decadent activities having some degree of official approval by the people here. Still, she only had one opportunity to get her debut just right.
Her party would be a...
[] Formal ball
[] Elegant masquerade
[] Semi-casual social
[] Relaxed gathering
[] Rowdy dance
[] Debauched rave
[X] Minimum, 2 Culture
[X] Elegant masquerade
Well the culture's got to be minimum 2 for 1 or it messes up the build order. That's pretty much mandatory.
Aaaand I feel like masquerade is the on-trope answer here, but I'm not exactly married to it.
[X] Elegant masquerade
Well the culture's got to be minimum 2 for 1 or it messes up the build order. That's pretty much mandatory.
Aaaand I feel like masquerade is the on-trope answer here, but I'm not exactly married to it.
redzonejoe
Vaguely Pastafarian
- Location
- Canada
[X] Minimum, 2 Culture
[X] Elegant masquerade
Masquerade offers a veil of sophistication, while also allowing members to act a bit rowdy under cover of their masks. It's a good compromise.
[X] Elegant masquerade
Masquerade offers a veil of sophistication, while also allowing members to act a bit rowdy under cover of their masks. It's a good compromise.
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AZATHOTHoth
༼ つ ☀️_☀️ ༽つ
[X] Minimum, 2 Culture
[X] Debauched rave
[X] Debauched rave
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Also we can spare 2 Culture and still afford a Turn 3 Entertainment Complex, but we need 1 more Econ to get a second Reactor next turn.
...Seriously, folks, a masquerade is begging the 'Reavers' to send someone in to fuck with us. Or anybody, really.
I'd be happy with just about any kind of party where we don't push security down a deep hole and run screaming into the night, but the long and short of it is that masquerades are such a popular trope for dramatic stories because they make it easy to fuck with people. Granted, we haven't given anybody a special reason to do so yet, but if the Mayor or Major or anybody wanted to, this would let them do so in relative anonymity.
"You! You're the one who sprayed me with that stuff that ate through my dress and smelled like garbage. What were you thinking? Are you insane?"
"I haven't the foggiest idea what you're talking about, dear, I was having a small tete-a-tete with Lady Dormouse in the drawing room, and I was wearing a tiger mask. I'm told the man who sprayed you was wearing an elephant mask."
"You ran right into the drawing room! You were wearing the same clothes!"
"And Lady Dormouse and I described how he jumped out through the window we'd opened to let in some air. Really dear, keep up."
"Do you think everyone doesn't know who did this?"
"I really couldn't say. I'd say, however, that certainly no one can prove I did anything. You would be best served looking for the real culprit. But if you insist I am to blame, take what paltry evidence you have to court."
[X] Minimum, 2 Culture
[X] Debauched rave
I'd be happy with just about any kind of party where we don't push security down a deep hole and run screaming into the night, but the long and short of it is that masquerades are such a popular trope for dramatic stories because they make it easy to fuck with people. Granted, we haven't given anybody a special reason to do so yet, but if the Mayor or Major or anybody wanted to, this would let them do so in relative anonymity.
"You! You're the one who sprayed me with that stuff that ate through my dress and smelled like garbage. What were you thinking? Are you insane?"
"I haven't the foggiest idea what you're talking about, dear, I was having a small tete-a-tete with Lady Dormouse in the drawing room, and I was wearing a tiger mask. I'm told the man who sprayed you was wearing an elephant mask."
"You ran right into the drawing room! You were wearing the same clothes!"
"And Lady Dormouse and I described how he jumped out through the window we'd opened to let in some air. Really dear, keep up."
"Do you think everyone doesn't know who did this?"
"I really couldn't say. I'd say, however, that certainly no one can prove I did anything. You would be best served looking for the real culprit. But if you insist I am to blame, take what paltry evidence you have to court."
[X] Minimum, 2 Culture
[X] Debauched rave
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Alright, that's pretty convincing logic. And we are basically Anna 2.0. So... yeah. Okay.
[X] Minimum, 2 culture
[X] Debauched rave
Gluttonous is a strict -2 Management. Terrible trait. Greedy is +2 management, though. That's the one we should be shooting for, as vices go.
- Location
- Brazil
[X] Minimum, 2 Culture
[X] Elegant masquerade
[X] Elegant masquerade
Don't gluttonous and lust combine? I do not recall, it has been so long
- Pronouns
- He/Him
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- Location
- Upon the back of the Great A'Tuin
[X] Minimum, 2 Culture
[X] Formal ball
I am having some trouble understanding the voting trend so far. Would anyone be so kind as to inform me as to how a masquerade advances our goal of getting to know the various individuals of influence in this new community?
[X] Formal ball
I am having some trouble understanding the voting trend so far. Would anyone be so kind as to inform me as to how a masquerade advances our goal of getting to know the various individuals of influence in this new community?
redzonejoe
Vaguely Pastafarian
- Location
- Canada
This is part of why I wanted to avoid lust and start with greed.
Ugh. Let's at least keep our pants on for the first day or two.
Edit:
The story said:
I MEANT FIGURATIVELY
You'll be happy to note the current trend is for debauched rave, in which we get to know everybody very intimately.
[X] Minimum, 2 Culture
[X] Rowdy dance
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