Lord of a Fief Quest [Xianxia/Western Fantasy Fusion, CK2-ish]
- Thread starter ChaosCircle
- Start date
- Original
Rolen von Keng
Sleeping Green Bear
- Location
- The Wilderness
[X]Plan: Lurking in the Shadows
I don't know why, but I've always loved political machinations types.
I don't know why, but I've always loved political machinations types.
- Location
- Germany
[X] Plan Literal Cultivator
Don't like to pick nightmare, so this seems like the most attractive option.
Don't like to pick nightmare, so this seems like the most attractive option.
NuclearConsensus
Herald of the Thorned One
- Location
- the Philippines
[X] Plan Literal Cultivator
- Location
- Florida
Twisted Mind
ADHD Man!
- Location
- The Walled Commune (Florida)
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Plan: Death has come with Scythe in hand
- Location
- USA
[X] Plan Literal Cultivator
[X]Plan: Shonen Protagonist
- Location
- Florida
It looks like we are leaning heavily in one direction, so I'm going to close the vote. Hopefully have an update tonight.
Spring, 1032 - The Appointment
- Location
- Florida
It was a beautiful, bright day to have lunch on the patio. The last of the winter snow had melted only a few days ago and hopefully the sunny spring day was a good omen.
Your father sat in a traditional white robe across from you while a hotpot dominated the table. The shared broth was spicy as suited both your father and your tastes. A wide array of fresh meat and vegetables were arrayed on plates between you as well. It was the sort of feast a nobleman came to expect for even the most minor meeting. It was a symbol of wealth to afford a wide array of meat and vegetables to be left out in this manner. The servants would have the leftovers, as was just and right. Their betters ate first, as it should be.
A maid poured you both hot tea while you exchanged pleasantries. The pleasantries were brief, you were family who lived under the same roof after all. You know this conversation was not about that. It had a greater purpose, as did every meeting with your father. He never spoke to his sons without a higher purpose in mind although you were sure he considered you pleasant company. There was simply too much work to be done as the clan head to enjoy the little things in life.
Your father said, "I know you've been busy preparing for your first appointment now that you are of age. The recent unpleasantness within the family has led to a shortage of competent leaders to place at important posts so, despite your youth and inexperience, we will be expanding the duties we originally had in mind for you."
You nodded. You had expected a conversation like this given the recent unrest. You replied, "I know you intended to send me to Bloodthorn valley to oversee spirit grain production. I suppose you want me to look after the herb gardens and family alchemy as well? I'm very interested in the subject and I would be happy to help the family in that way."
He shook his head and stated, "No. I'm afraid this appointment will be bigger than what we had in mind before things went south. Bloodthorn was flash point in the conflict between the various branches of the family for the headship. The lord there, a loyal ally of the family, was poisoned. We kept it secret to keep up appearances and because the man had a fearsome reputation. Unfortunately, the poison will kill him and we doubt he will last until winter. We want the transition of power to be smooth but we also want power to pass to someone we can trust. That means one of my sons.
Your brothers have already been told of their postings to various positions of a similar scale, mostly replacing disloyal families that fought us during the unpleasantness. This should be a bit easier given the fief is loyal. I did not want to overwhelm you with a difficult task so early into your life."
You stared, surprised. This was an appointment for someone three times your age. An elder of the family of prove loyalty and ability. Surely there were elders cultivating on a mountain top somewhere to take the position. Could they be refusing to help because of the bloodshed within the family? Or could they have all been in Guilin? If so, your family's position was worse than you had thought. A clan, especially a noble one, needed the backing of those elders to keep the wolves at bay. Every noble clan had a few elders focused on attempting to reach Immortality, powerful mages who could slaughter entire army divisions single handedly. If they were all gone, your father would need to find political backing before your enemies found out. They had powerful elders too and could easily wipe your clan out. It might be technically forbidden to murder your fellow nobles but a powerful cultivator could make it look like natural causes or simply disappear an inconvenient person. Then there was the duels, the traditional and honorable way for two nobles to resolve their differences. They were technically to first blood but with a powerful cultivator on one side and a mere average one on the other, "first blood" was frequently fatal.
You replied, "I understand. If that is what the family requires I will certainly do my utmost to succeed. I love alchemy and I know Bloodthorn valley is our main source of alchemical ingredients and products. I love to be involved in that kind of work."
Your father smiled and said, "Yes, my pill forging prodigy of a son, I figured it would be the post you would be happiest with. I was glad both the family's needs and your desires could come together in harmony."
It began to sink in that you would have this post for years, perhaps a lifetime, as long as the family's quotas were met. After all, once you bet on a horse there was no reason to change horses as long as it kept winning. It would be the perfect platform for your research into new pills and alchemical products. A foundation you could build the rest of your life on.
"Thank you, father. Is there any chance I can get some of the family's training materials? Bloodthorn Valley is far from the main hubs for cultivators and I would hate to fall behind in my cultivation. Alchemical products and pills are one thing but knowledge is just as vital."
Your father's cheeks turned a bit red as he replied, "I'm afraid most of the clan's reference materials have been lost. The clan elders each had copies of various scrolls and I think we will be able to assemble a decent library in time. My scribes should be able to send you something by next spring at the latest."
That was bad. The clan library was the source of a noble clan's power. It was what prepared the next generation for cultivation, for life. It also provided useful reference material for elders to consult as they tried their hand at achieving immortality. It also contained techniques to create pills, spirit treasures, and other valuable items. Valuable items whose creation was a close kept secret within the family. To lose it all with no proper backup was quite the embarrassment and also a vulnerability the family could not afford.
You simply nodded in response. There was nothing you could say or do to fix that situation. Much like you were certain there was a substantial loss of the clan's elders, this loss left your family more vulnerable than they had ever been.
The conversation and the lunch continued but your mind turned to other things. Specifically, what might be your short and long term goals now that your life had been turned upside down? You had plans to make, man. Plans!
Short Term Objectives (Pick 2)
[ ] Sneak into Toril and perform a surprise inspection on the books. If someone was skimming, you did not want to give them a chance to cover their tracks. With the Lord ill, who knows what he might have overlooked. Dying was a major distraction from one's duties.
[ ] Expand the Bloody Hand. Twenty might be enough retainers for an overseer who was second only to the fief's lord. But a lord? The usual expectation was an entire battalion. Sure, they might have ordinary soldiers already but you were never the sort to settle for ordinary.
[ ] Establish a supply of cultivation aids so you can begin cultivating right away. Pills, spirit stones, and other tools that will accelerate your cultivation. You needed to maximize the value you got for your time given you would be taking over an entire fief!
[ ] Replace the previous Lord's people with handpicked individuals you know would be loyal to you and you alone. They might be loyal to the local lord, they might be spies. You had no way to know and you were confident in your spies ability to screen people for various posts. They are less effective at vetting the people already in place given you have so few spies in Bloodthorn valley to work with.
[ ] Acquire a powerful spirit treasure, such as a saber or staff, to increase your power and make you better able to withstand challenges to your rule. Duels were a thing and your peers would be pushing 60, which means they would likely be Power 1000+ and possess at least their first elemental focus. Of course, you could just avoid giving offense but who knows what the enemies of your family might try all the same.
[ ] Fortify the borders against spirit beasts, raiders and other monsters. Sure, you had adventurers but they were unreliable sorts. You were surrounded by the Tian Shen mountain range, a wilderness that was frozen all year and contained many dangerous creatures. The Tian Shen was also the border between your people and the Orc Tribes. Orcs were known to raid through the Tian Shen in late summer when the ice had receded enough to open the mountain passes.
[ ] Acquire money. You had a need for wealth and while you might not be sure how you would spend it, it is ideal to have a reserve. Focus your efforts on income improvement projects such as raising taxes and using your secret techniques to improve spirit grain/herb production. You could always find a use for the money later.
[ ] Expand your knowledge of Alchemy. Sure, you knew basic techniques but you had the potential to create pills that were beyond the reach of other men. Your instructors had told you as much. Why not explore this potential to its fullest? After all, pills were a critical resource for cultivation and you needed to grow your powers quickly.
[ ] Write In - Write in a reasonable short term objective.
Medium Term Objectives (Pick 1)
[ ] Focus on Cultivation. You were forty years behind and you needed to catch up as quickly as possible. That meant bending the rules a bit, risking some Corruption, and acquiring as many cultivation aids as you could financially afford with the resources allotted to you for your position as Lord of Bloodthorn valley. You needed to get your own elemental focus as quickly as possible. It would be wood, of course.
[ ] Focus on Pills. You love alchemy and you want to become the best alchemist you can spare the time to be. Your spies could acquire foreign pill techniques for you to use and you could research them yourself. It was also the fastest way to cultivate given many pills were cultivation aids capable of amplifying cultivation in one or more areas.
[ ] Focus on Politics. You were a Lord now and you needed to play the part. That meant an annual appearance at the Imperial Court and damn the time and expense. It also meant networking among your peers to develop relationships you can tap later for your own benefit. Of course, you would have to do your fellow Lords favors as well.
[ ] Focus on Glory. There are orcs to slay and you know you will be able to hit them in the summer. You'll skip it this summer, you just do not have the time to prepare, but next summer...next summer you will take the fight to your traditional enemies and make them fear the name Bai. It would also put your fellow Lords on notice that you were a power to be reckoned with, not some kid who benefited from his father's nepotism.
[ ] Focus on Marriage. You need a wife so it is time to go a courting. Your family would approve of the idea and it was important to find a pliable wife early on when you were still young and you were not seen as one of those old men preying on young women. Besides, you always wanted to start a family of your own and you needed a wife for that.
[ ] Write In - Write in a reasonable medium term objective.
Please vote by plan as there are synergies (i.e. Expand your knowledge of Alchemy + Establish a supply of cultivation aids + Focus on Cultivation or Expand the Bloody Hand + Spirit Treasure + Focus on Glory)
This governs what options will be presented to you in the early game as you can only focus on a few things at a time if you want to be effective. Short term goals are things you can accomplish this season even with the time wasted on travel and setting up your new domain, Medium term goals may take a year or more to accomplish.
Your father sat in a traditional white robe across from you while a hotpot dominated the table. The shared broth was spicy as suited both your father and your tastes. A wide array of fresh meat and vegetables were arrayed on plates between you as well. It was the sort of feast a nobleman came to expect for even the most minor meeting. It was a symbol of wealth to afford a wide array of meat and vegetables to be left out in this manner. The servants would have the leftovers, as was just and right. Their betters ate first, as it should be.
A maid poured you both hot tea while you exchanged pleasantries. The pleasantries were brief, you were family who lived under the same roof after all. You know this conversation was not about that. It had a greater purpose, as did every meeting with your father. He never spoke to his sons without a higher purpose in mind although you were sure he considered you pleasant company. There was simply too much work to be done as the clan head to enjoy the little things in life.
Your father said, "I know you've been busy preparing for your first appointment now that you are of age. The recent unpleasantness within the family has led to a shortage of competent leaders to place at important posts so, despite your youth and inexperience, we will be expanding the duties we originally had in mind for you."
You nodded. You had expected a conversation like this given the recent unrest. You replied, "I know you intended to send me to Bloodthorn valley to oversee spirit grain production. I suppose you want me to look after the herb gardens and family alchemy as well? I'm very interested in the subject and I would be happy to help the family in that way."
He shook his head and stated, "No. I'm afraid this appointment will be bigger than what we had in mind before things went south. Bloodthorn was flash point in the conflict between the various branches of the family for the headship. The lord there, a loyal ally of the family, was poisoned. We kept it secret to keep up appearances and because the man had a fearsome reputation. Unfortunately, the poison will kill him and we doubt he will last until winter. We want the transition of power to be smooth but we also want power to pass to someone we can trust. That means one of my sons.
Your brothers have already been told of their postings to various positions of a similar scale, mostly replacing disloyal families that fought us during the unpleasantness. This should be a bit easier given the fief is loyal. I did not want to overwhelm you with a difficult task so early into your life."
You stared, surprised. This was an appointment for someone three times your age. An elder of the family of prove loyalty and ability. Surely there were elders cultivating on a mountain top somewhere to take the position. Could they be refusing to help because of the bloodshed within the family? Or could they have all been in Guilin? If so, your family's position was worse than you had thought. A clan, especially a noble one, needed the backing of those elders to keep the wolves at bay. Every noble clan had a few elders focused on attempting to reach Immortality, powerful mages who could slaughter entire army divisions single handedly. If they were all gone, your father would need to find political backing before your enemies found out. They had powerful elders too and could easily wipe your clan out. It might be technically forbidden to murder your fellow nobles but a powerful cultivator could make it look like natural causes or simply disappear an inconvenient person. Then there was the duels, the traditional and honorable way for two nobles to resolve their differences. They were technically to first blood but with a powerful cultivator on one side and a mere average one on the other, "first blood" was frequently fatal.
You replied, "I understand. If that is what the family requires I will certainly do my utmost to succeed. I love alchemy and I know Bloodthorn valley is our main source of alchemical ingredients and products. I love to be involved in that kind of work."
Your father smiled and said, "Yes, my pill forging prodigy of a son, I figured it would be the post you would be happiest with. I was glad both the family's needs and your desires could come together in harmony."
It began to sink in that you would have this post for years, perhaps a lifetime, as long as the family's quotas were met. After all, once you bet on a horse there was no reason to change horses as long as it kept winning. It would be the perfect platform for your research into new pills and alchemical products. A foundation you could build the rest of your life on.
"Thank you, father. Is there any chance I can get some of the family's training materials? Bloodthorn Valley is far from the main hubs for cultivators and I would hate to fall behind in my cultivation. Alchemical products and pills are one thing but knowledge is just as vital."
Your father's cheeks turned a bit red as he replied, "I'm afraid most of the clan's reference materials have been lost. The clan elders each had copies of various scrolls and I think we will be able to assemble a decent library in time. My scribes should be able to send you something by next spring at the latest."
That was bad. The clan library was the source of a noble clan's power. It was what prepared the next generation for cultivation, for life. It also provided useful reference material for elders to consult as they tried their hand at achieving immortality. It also contained techniques to create pills, spirit treasures, and other valuable items. Valuable items whose creation was a close kept secret within the family. To lose it all with no proper backup was quite the embarrassment and also a vulnerability the family could not afford.
You simply nodded in response. There was nothing you could say or do to fix that situation. Much like you were certain there was a substantial loss of the clan's elders, this loss left your family more vulnerable than they had ever been.
The conversation and the lunch continued but your mind turned to other things. Specifically, what might be your short and long term goals now that your life had been turned upside down? You had plans to make, man. Plans!
Short Term Objectives (Pick 2)
[ ] Sneak into Toril and perform a surprise inspection on the books. If someone was skimming, you did not want to give them a chance to cover their tracks. With the Lord ill, who knows what he might have overlooked. Dying was a major distraction from one's duties.
[ ] Expand the Bloody Hand. Twenty might be enough retainers for an overseer who was second only to the fief's lord. But a lord? The usual expectation was an entire battalion. Sure, they might have ordinary soldiers already but you were never the sort to settle for ordinary.
[ ] Establish a supply of cultivation aids so you can begin cultivating right away. Pills, spirit stones, and other tools that will accelerate your cultivation. You needed to maximize the value you got for your time given you would be taking over an entire fief!
[ ] Replace the previous Lord's people with handpicked individuals you know would be loyal to you and you alone. They might be loyal to the local lord, they might be spies. You had no way to know and you were confident in your spies ability to screen people for various posts. They are less effective at vetting the people already in place given you have so few spies in Bloodthorn valley to work with.
[ ] Acquire a powerful spirit treasure, such as a saber or staff, to increase your power and make you better able to withstand challenges to your rule. Duels were a thing and your peers would be pushing 60, which means they would likely be Power 1000+ and possess at least their first elemental focus. Of course, you could just avoid giving offense but who knows what the enemies of your family might try all the same.
[ ] Fortify the borders against spirit beasts, raiders and other monsters. Sure, you had adventurers but they were unreliable sorts. You were surrounded by the Tian Shen mountain range, a wilderness that was frozen all year and contained many dangerous creatures. The Tian Shen was also the border between your people and the Orc Tribes. Orcs were known to raid through the Tian Shen in late summer when the ice had receded enough to open the mountain passes.
[ ] Acquire money. You had a need for wealth and while you might not be sure how you would spend it, it is ideal to have a reserve. Focus your efforts on income improvement projects such as raising taxes and using your secret techniques to improve spirit grain/herb production. You could always find a use for the money later.
[ ] Expand your knowledge of Alchemy. Sure, you knew basic techniques but you had the potential to create pills that were beyond the reach of other men. Your instructors had told you as much. Why not explore this potential to its fullest? After all, pills were a critical resource for cultivation and you needed to grow your powers quickly.
[ ] Write In - Write in a reasonable short term objective.
Medium Term Objectives (Pick 1)
[ ] Focus on Cultivation. You were forty years behind and you needed to catch up as quickly as possible. That meant bending the rules a bit, risking some Corruption, and acquiring as many cultivation aids as you could financially afford with the resources allotted to you for your position as Lord of Bloodthorn valley. You needed to get your own elemental focus as quickly as possible. It would be wood, of course.
[ ] Focus on Pills. You love alchemy and you want to become the best alchemist you can spare the time to be. Your spies could acquire foreign pill techniques for you to use and you could research them yourself. It was also the fastest way to cultivate given many pills were cultivation aids capable of amplifying cultivation in one or more areas.
[ ] Focus on Politics. You were a Lord now and you needed to play the part. That meant an annual appearance at the Imperial Court and damn the time and expense. It also meant networking among your peers to develop relationships you can tap later for your own benefit. Of course, you would have to do your fellow Lords favors as well.
[ ] Focus on Glory. There are orcs to slay and you know you will be able to hit them in the summer. You'll skip it this summer, you just do not have the time to prepare, but next summer...next summer you will take the fight to your traditional enemies and make them fear the name Bai. It would also put your fellow Lords on notice that you were a power to be reckoned with, not some kid who benefited from his father's nepotism.
[ ] Focus on Marriage. You need a wife so it is time to go a courting. Your family would approve of the idea and it was important to find a pliable wife early on when you were still young and you were not seen as one of those old men preying on young women. Besides, you always wanted to start a family of your own and you needed a wife for that.
[ ] Write In - Write in a reasonable medium term objective.
Please vote by plan as there are synergies (i.e. Expand your knowledge of Alchemy + Establish a supply of cultivation aids + Focus on Cultivation or Expand the Bloody Hand + Spirit Treasure + Focus on Glory)
This governs what options will be presented to you in the early game as you can only focus on a few things at a time if you want to be effective. Short term goals are things you can accomplish this season even with the time wasted on travel and setting up your new domain, Medium term goals may take a year or more to accomplish.
- Location
- USA
[X] Plan: Catching up
-[X] Establish a supply of cultivation aids so you can begin cultivating right away. Pills, spirit stones, and other tools that will accelerate your cultivation. You needed to maximize the value you got for your time given you would be taking over an entire fief!
-[X] Expand your knowledge of Alchemy. Sure, you knew basic techniques but you had the potential to create pills that were beyond the reach of other men. Your instructors had told you as much. Why not explore this potential to its fullest? After all, pills were a critical resource for cultivation and you needed to grow your powers quickly.
-[X] Focus on Cultivation. You were forty years behind and you needed to catch up as quickly as possible. That meant bending the rules a bit, risking some Corruption, and acquiring as many cultivation aids as you could financially afford with the resources allotted to you for your position as Lord of Bloodthorn valley. You needed to get your own elemental focus as quickly as possible. It would be wood, of course.
also ChaosCircle question what did you think of the plans
-[X] Establish a supply of cultivation aids so you can begin cultivating right away. Pills, spirit stones, and other tools that will accelerate your cultivation. You needed to maximize the value you got for your time given you would be taking over an entire fief!
-[X] Expand your knowledge of Alchemy. Sure, you knew basic techniques but you had the potential to create pills that were beyond the reach of other men. Your instructors had told you as much. Why not explore this potential to its fullest? After all, pills were a critical resource for cultivation and you needed to grow your powers quickly.
-[X] Focus on Cultivation. You were forty years behind and you needed to catch up as quickly as possible. That meant bending the rules a bit, risking some Corruption, and acquiring as many cultivation aids as you could financially afford with the resources allotted to you for your position as Lord of Bloodthorn valley. You needed to get your own elemental focus as quickly as possible. It would be wood, of course.
also ChaosCircle question what did you think of the plans
[X] Surpise inspection
-[X] Sneak into Toril and perform a surprise inspection on the books. If someone was skimming, you did not want to give them a chance to cover their tracks. With the Lord ill, who knows what he might have overlooked. Dying was a major distraction from one's duties.
-[X] Expand your knowledge of Alchemy. Sure, you knew basic techniques but you had the potential to create pills that were beyond the reach of other men. Your instructors had told you as much. Why not explore this potential to its fullest? After all, pills were a critical resource for cultivation and you needed to grow your powers quickly.
-[X] Focus on Cultivation. You were forty years behind and you needed to catch up as quickly as possible. That meant bending the rules a bit, risking some Corruption, and acquiring as many cultivation aids as you could financially afford with the resources allotted to you for your position as Lord of Bloodthorn valley. You needed to get your own elemental focus as quickly as possible. It would be wood, of course.
-[X] Sneak into Toril and perform a surprise inspection on the books. If someone was skimming, you did not want to give them a chance to cover their tracks. With the Lord ill, who knows what he might have overlooked. Dying was a major distraction from one's duties.
-[X] Expand your knowledge of Alchemy. Sure, you knew basic techniques but you had the potential to create pills that were beyond the reach of other men. Your instructors had told you as much. Why not explore this potential to its fullest? After all, pills were a critical resource for cultivation and you needed to grow your powers quickly.
-[X] Focus on Cultivation. You were forty years behind and you needed to catch up as quickly as possible. That meant bending the rules a bit, risking some Corruption, and acquiring as many cultivation aids as you could financially afford with the resources allotted to you for your position as Lord of Bloodthorn valley. You needed to get your own elemental focus as quickly as possible. It would be wood, of course.
Resonant
Procrastinator Supreme
[X] Plan Stabilized Foundation
-[X] Sneak into Toril and perform a surprise inspection on the books. If someone was skimming, you did not want to give them a chance to cover their tracks. With the Lord ill, who knows what he might have overlooked. Dying was a major distraction from one's duties.
-[X] Replace the previous Lord's people with handpicked individuals you know would be loyal to you and you alone. They might be loyal to the local lord, they might be spies. You had no way to know and you were confident in your spies ability to screen people for various posts. They are less effective at vetting the people already in place given you have so few spies in Bloodthorn valley to work with.
-[X] Focus on Surveying. You are a newly appointed Lord; without the necessary preparation and background you will almost certainly make a mistake in the future. Take a tour around your new fief to familiarize yourself with the locals and get a feel for how the previous Lord's administration worked so that you'll have better understanding on how to run yours. (E.g. Scout potential sites or natural resources for future development; observe whether the ecosystem of fauna & flora is balanced; understand which issues plaguing the fief to prioritize, establish a relationship with the Adventurers, locate which areas require fortification, read about the history of the land, etc.)
So here's my plan, before we start doing any future planning, we NEED to get an intimate understanding of our fief or we'll inevitably miss things in the future. My write-in Medium Goal has us doing just that.
I don't like the Political option because we're still a minor individual with no clout to start playing Intrigue when we're out of our league.
Marriage is too early at the start when we have no achievements to our name, we should postpone that until we're stable before bringing new variables and responsibilities into our life, namely a family.
Focus on Cultivation or Pills? We are a Noble with responsibility first; Hermit/Alchemist second. Yes, personal power is very important in this setting, but without learning how to apply that makes it as useful as a blunt hammer, relying solely on our Combat Prowess or Pill Research, and people will take advantage of that.
EDIT:
Is this a reasonable Medium-term goal @ChaosCircle? Not sure if it's something that takes long enough for a year.
EDIT2:
Added examples to the Medium-term Objective, in brackets.
-[X] Sneak into Toril and perform a surprise inspection on the books. If someone was skimming, you did not want to give them a chance to cover their tracks. With the Lord ill, who knows what he might have overlooked. Dying was a major distraction from one's duties.
-[X] Replace the previous Lord's people with handpicked individuals you know would be loyal to you and you alone. They might be loyal to the local lord, they might be spies. You had no way to know and you were confident in your spies ability to screen people for various posts. They are less effective at vetting the people already in place given you have so few spies in Bloodthorn valley to work with.
-[X] Focus on Surveying. You are a newly appointed Lord; without the necessary preparation and background you will almost certainly make a mistake in the future. Take a tour around your new fief to familiarize yourself with the locals and get a feel for how the previous Lord's administration worked so that you'll have better understanding on how to run yours. (E.g. Scout potential sites or natural resources for future development; observe whether the ecosystem of fauna & flora is balanced; understand which issues plaguing the fief to prioritize, establish a relationship with the Adventurers, locate which areas require fortification, read about the history of the land, etc.)
So here's my plan, before we start doing any future planning, we NEED to get an intimate understanding of our fief or we'll inevitably miss things in the future. My write-in Medium Goal has us doing just that.
I don't like the Political option because we're still a minor individual with no clout to start playing Intrigue when we're out of our league.
Marriage is too early at the start when we have no achievements to our name, we should postpone that until we're stable before bringing new variables and responsibilities into our life, namely a family.
Focus on Cultivation or Pills? We are a Noble with responsibility first; Hermit/Alchemist second. Yes, personal power is very important in this setting, but without learning how to apply that makes it as useful as a blunt hammer, relying solely on our Combat Prowess or Pill Research, and people will take advantage of that.
EDIT:
Is this a reasonable Medium-term goal @ChaosCircle? Not sure if it's something that takes long enough for a year.
EDIT2:
Added examples to the Medium-term Objective, in brackets.
Last edited:
The risk of corruption makes me nervous I would rather avoid that
[X] Sneaky Alchemy
-[X] Sneak into Toril and perform a surprise inspection on the books. If someone was skimming, you did not want to give them a chance to cover their tracks. With the Lord ill, who knows what he might have overlooked. Dying was a major distraction from one's duties.
-[X] Expand your knowledge of Alchemy. Sure, you knew basic techniques but you had the potential to create pills that were beyond the reach of other men. Your instructors had told you as much. Why not explore this potential to its fullest? After all, pills were a critical resource for cultivation and you needed to grow your powers quickly.
-[X] Focus on Pills. You love alchemy and you want to become the best alchemist you can spare the time to be. Your spies could acquire foreign pill techniques for you to use and you could research them yourself. It was also the fastest way to cultivate given many pills were cultivation aids capable of amplifying cultivation in one or more areas.
[X] Sneaky Alchemy
-[X] Sneak into Toril and perform a surprise inspection on the books. If someone was skimming, you did not want to give them a chance to cover their tracks. With the Lord ill, who knows what he might have overlooked. Dying was a major distraction from one's duties.
-[X] Expand your knowledge of Alchemy. Sure, you knew basic techniques but you had the potential to create pills that were beyond the reach of other men. Your instructors had told you as much. Why not explore this potential to its fullest? After all, pills were a critical resource for cultivation and you needed to grow your powers quickly.
-[X] Focus on Pills. You love alchemy and you want to become the best alchemist you can spare the time to be. Your spies could acquire foreign pill techniques for you to use and you could research them yourself. It was also the fastest way to cultivate given many pills were cultivation aids capable of amplifying cultivation in one or more areas.
- Location
- The Star Kingdom of Manticore
[X] Plan Stabilized Foundation
- Location
- California
[X] Plan Safe Base
-[X] Sneak into Toril and perform a surprise inspection on the books. If someone was skimming, you did not want to give them a chance to cover their tracks. With the Lord ill, who knows what he might have overlooked. Dying was a major distraction from one's duties.
-[X] Fortify the borders against spirit beasts, raiders and other monsters. Sure, you had adventurers but they were unreliable sorts. You were surrounded by the Tian Shen mountain range, a wilderness that was frozen all year and contained many dangerous creatures. The Tian Shen was also the border between your people and the Orc Tribes. Orcs were known to raid through the Tian Shen in late summer when the ice had receded enough to open the mountain passes.
-[X] Focus on Pills. You love alchemy and you want to become the best alchemist you can spare the time to be. Your spies could acquire foreign pill techniques for you to use and you could research them yourself. It was also the fastest way to cultivate given many pills were cultivation aids capable of amplifying cultivation in one or more areas.
Here is my plan. It is a good idea to look at the books before they can be cooked too much (and to get a good idea of the potential sources of corruption or inefficiency in our new fief).
I chose to fortify the borders because it is currently Spring, and according to the description, Orcs can raid in late summer- so we probably want to secure the border before then to minimize the damage to our crops.
Focusing on pills since alchemy is our strength, power is important in this setting, and cultivating can improve our mind and spirit. Which may affect our abilities in being a better governor. Basically, we always want to be developing even as we improve our land- and we are already behind others.
-[X] Sneak into Toril and perform a surprise inspection on the books. If someone was skimming, you did not want to give them a chance to cover their tracks. With the Lord ill, who knows what he might have overlooked. Dying was a major distraction from one's duties.
-[X] Fortify the borders against spirit beasts, raiders and other monsters. Sure, you had adventurers but they were unreliable sorts. You were surrounded by the Tian Shen mountain range, a wilderness that was frozen all year and contained many dangerous creatures. The Tian Shen was also the border between your people and the Orc Tribes. Orcs were known to raid through the Tian Shen in late summer when the ice had receded enough to open the mountain passes.
-[X] Focus on Pills. You love alchemy and you want to become the best alchemist you can spare the time to be. Your spies could acquire foreign pill techniques for you to use and you could research them yourself. It was also the fastest way to cultivate given many pills were cultivation aids capable of amplifying cultivation in one or more areas.
Here is my plan. It is a good idea to look at the books before they can be cooked too much (and to get a good idea of the potential sources of corruption or inefficiency in our new fief).
I chose to fortify the borders because it is currently Spring, and according to the description, Orcs can raid in late summer- so we probably want to secure the border before then to minimize the damage to our crops.
Focusing on pills since alchemy is our strength, power is important in this setting, and cultivating can improve our mind and spirit. Which may affect our abilities in being a better governor. Basically, we always want to be developing even as we improve our land- and we are already behind others.
Resonant
Procrastinator Supreme
In terms of Medium-term Objectives:
I will note that for all the benefits higher Cultivation and Pills provide us, whether that's becoming Stronger or Smarter (for better Governance), it prioritizes the individual over the newly granted fief we don't fully control yet.
It's putting the cart before the horse - being better at your job doesn't give any result if we don't actually invest time into doing that job first.
Researching pills or catching up on our Cultivation helps but is adjacent to actually securing our lands directly, in the early phase where we haven't set up a trusted system of delegation.
For Short-term Objectives:
I'm fine with switching out 'Surprise Inspection on Books' to 'Fortify the Borders' since that still synergizes with the Medium-term plan of Securing our Lands.
I will note that for all the benefits higher Cultivation and Pills provide us, whether that's becoming Stronger or Smarter (for better Governance), it prioritizes the individual over the newly granted fief we don't fully control yet.
It's putting the cart before the horse - being better at your job doesn't give any result if we don't actually invest time into doing that job first.
Researching pills or catching up on our Cultivation helps but is adjacent to actually securing our lands directly, in the early phase where we haven't set up a trusted system of delegation.
For Short-term Objectives:
I'm fine with switching out 'Surprise Inspection on Books' to 'Fortify the Borders' since that still synergizes with the Medium-term plan of Securing our Lands.
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