So... I think the key question here is going to be "What do we do about the bandits?"
I think that face... matters. It's effectively a rolled stat, except that it's a lot easier to gain or lose. People around us are going to care about it. That doesn't mean we need to be stupid about it, but we also shouldn't ignore it. Our current level is 6 (Hi, sis!). That's decent, for now. Ideally, we want that number to go up rather than down.
Our diplomacy is currently 0. That's... not great. We should keep in mind that our diplomacy is not great.
So, looking at it...
- We can demand that they let our caravans through. We will probably succeed, which gains us face. Face is good. It also solves the issue here without further action. Downside is that it cuts off any chance of further diplomacy and offends them. They might decide to do something stupid later, and we get no further benefits out of them. There's a decent chance that at some point in the future we'll need to wipe them out entirely.
- We can just let them have what they want. This results in loss of face. That's bad. It also requires no further actions.
- We can poison them and walk away, and then set fire to the outpost. This costs an action, reduces stress, improves face, and angers the sect but doesn't actually cut off the chance of further discussion. It... doesn't seem like it has all that much to recommend it above Plan Imperious Demand unless we're worried that our Face might not be enough.
- We can poison them and walk away and then attempt diplomacy. This results in reducing stress, costs us an extra action, keeps us friendly with the iron fist, but if we fail the diplomacy check it results in a loss of face (and a bad deal) and our diplomacy skill really isn't that great.
So basically every answer that maintains a decent relationship with these people is on the "losing face" side. Anything that increases face also damages the relationship. Taking extra time will improve the tradeoff a bit and net us a stress reduction, but the tradeoffs still aren't great.
/****************/
Now, if we do decide to smite them? Legit, the Iron Fists have no one to blame but themselves. There is a right way to go about this, and they would have known it, and they decided to do this instead. They are testing us, in a high-stakes game. If they'd come to us up front, everything would have been cool, but, you see, this effectively gives then the chance to gain the face that we lose. That's why we're in this (not great) situation. They are trying to steal some of our face... and then try to sweeten it back up with a reasonable deal to the point that we let them get away with it.
Honestly, the diplomatic answer would be ideal... if we were any good at all at diplomacy. We're not. It's not a strength... and establishing a bad deal with these people is worse than just folding.
Honestly, my ideal answer would be to make them back down and then come back around and establish a better relationship once the proper order of things was better established, but that's explicitly not available as an option. I suppose that us taking face from them when they were trying to take it from us is sufficiently hateful to them that they're not wiling to deal with us afterwards.
I mean, I feel like it's a coherent position to take. "First, no. Your demands are entirely unacceptable, and you should know that. You will allow my caravans to pass through, and apologize for your behavior, or I will murder every single one of you. That said, once you apologize, your rates seem reasonable, and I am willing to discuss hiring your services." That seems like a reasonable thing to say. @Arcanestomper - is that not a reasonable thing to say?
I mean, I feel like it's a coherent position to take. "First, no. Your demands are entirely unacceptable, and you should know that. You will allow my caravans to pass through, and apologize for your behavior, or I will murder every single one of you. That said, once you apologize, your rates seem reasonable, and I am willing to discuss hiring your services." That seems like a reasonable thing to say. @Arcanestomper - is that not a reasonable thing to say?
If that is the action you want to take yes. I will note that angering the Iron Fist sect doesn't put you into a massive feud or anything. They'll dislike you a bit, but you can still work with them in the future.
If that is the action you want to take yes. I will note that angering the Iron Fist sect doesn't put you into a massive feud or anything. They'll dislike you a bit, but you can still work with them in the future.
[ ] Demand that they let your caravans through.
You are the young master of the Zhuge clan. What right does the Iron Fist sect have to impede you! Demand their immediate acquiescence and in return you'll look the other way from the rest of their dealings.
A Successful Face Test resolves Trouble Clock and improves Face
Angers the Iron Fist Sect
Lose out on possible benefits of working with the Iron Fist Sect
I felt like "Lose out on possible benefits of working with the Iron Fist Sect" was pretty clear, here.
Or were you saying that my formulation was a different action we could take? If it *was* a different action we could take, could we have some idea as to the expected results (in the same bullet-point sort of way)?
I felt like "Lose out on possible benefits of working with the Iron Fist Sect" was pretty clear, here.
Or were you saying that my formulation was a different action we could take? If it *was* a different action we could take, could we have some idea as to the expected results (in the same bullet-point sort of way)?
I meant the possible benefits of taking this current offer. Not that it would lock you out of working with them permanently. Though it would take some time and effort to work out a future deal if you did anger them now.
On another note how are people feeling about the updates. Is there enough time for the votes? Would you like to see something else or have additional options?
We will want Leaf Cauldron long term, no doubt, and probably higher than Iridescent Toxin, but in the short term, we don't really need any more until we actually have something to do with it other than make healing potions. We're already at the point where we average three of those per action, and the worst thing that happens is we only get 2 instead...additional bonuses don't do a lot for that.
Additional bonuses do help, as leftover successes are banked.
We are also running the experimental medicine hall, so we will need to get onto working on that role as soon as the supply issues are sorted.
Which I'm getting a bit confused reading about as people seem to be calling the Iron Fist Sect 'Bandits'. The Bandits are a separate trouble clock.
Dealing with the real bandits blocking a trade route before inviting the Iron Fist over for a talk would be a good idea. Just as a little reminder about what happens when shipments are blocked.
I feel compelled to point out that actions are done in the order that are listed (considering the previous quest). So if your plan was to negotiate after having dealt with bandits for a perceived synergy between them, then you need to have dealing with bandits come first in the plan.
I feel compelled to point out that actions are done in the order that are listed (considering the previous quest). So if your plan was to negotiate after having dealt with bandits for a perceived synergy between them, then you need to have dealing with bandits come first in the plan.
Scheduled vote count started by Arcanestomper on Feb 6, 2025 at 3:37 AM, finished with 29 posts and 17 votes.
[X] Plan Iron Fist In Velvet Glove
-[X] Select a technique to boost with 3 TP. (School of the Iridescent Toxin)
-[X] Be noncommittal
-[X] Organize Medicine Pavilion (Goal: 7/10) (Stress: 1)
-[X] Hunt Mountain Bandits Beasts (Goal 5) (Stress: 1)
-[X] Negotiate with the Iron Fist Sect (Goal 10/20)
[X] Plan: Show no weakness don't be a dick
-[X] Be noncommittal
-[X] Select a technique to boost with 3 TP. [School of the Leaf Cauldron]
-[X] Organize Medicine Pavilion (Goal: 7/10) (Stress: 1)
-[X] Negotiate with the Iron Fist Sect (Goal 10/20)
-[X] Hunt Mountain Bandits Beasts (Goal 5) (Stress: 1)
[X] Plan: Clan vs. Sect, Word Games
--- [X] Select a technique to boost with 3 TP. [School of the Leaf Cauldron]
-[X] Organize Medicine Pavilion (Goal: 7/10) (Stress: 1)
-[X] Negotiate with the Iron Fist Sect (Goal 10/20)
-[X] Hunt Mountain Bandits Beasts (Goal 5) (Stress: 1)
[X] Plan Iron Fist In Velvet Glove
-[X] Be noncommittal
-[X] Select a technique to boost with 3 TP. [School of the Leaf Cauldron]
-[X] Organize Medicine Pavilion (Goal: 7/10) (Stress: 1)
-[X] Negotiate with the Iron Fist Sect (Goal 10/20)
-[X] Hunt Mountain Bandits Beasts (Goal 5) (Stress: 1)
Even if it doesn't, it got us to 15/5, so I'd hope it helps in that regard.
The rolls were mostly okay this time, though it looks like negotiations are gonna require another one barring big bonuses from having thoroughly exterminated some bandits. Which would actually make sense...a man can dream, anyway.
Even if it doesn't, it got us to 15/5, so I'd hope it helps in that regard.
The rolls were mostly okay this time, though it looks like negotiations are gonna require another one barring big bonuses from having thoroughly exterminated some bandits. Which would actually make sense...a man can dream, anyway.
[X] Plan Iron Fist In Velvet Glove
-[X] Select a technique to boost with 3 TP. (School of the Iridescent Toxin)
-[X] Be noncommittal
-[X] Organize Medicine Pavilion (Goal: 7/10) (Stress: 1)
-[X] Hunt Mountain Bandits Beasts (Goal 5) (Stress: 1)
-[X] Negotiate with the Iron Fist Sect (Goal 10/20)
Getting back to your office you go through the documents once more. The outing has done you some good as many of the more murky aspects of running the pavilion now seem clear to you. Taking a new scroll you begin marking down a personal ledger to organize your thoughts on the Silver Grass Pavilion.
Budget: $1
The Silver Grass Pavilion is funded out of the coffers of the Zhuge clan. You don't personally need to worry about tracking the salary of every apprentice and the cost of flasks. You have clerks for that. But in general you decide how many spirit stones are allocated to various tasks. Surprisingly however you have discovered that the elders are giving you the pavilion more spirit stones than you actually need.
You think it's a combination of poor accounting and development funds. You can use these extra funds to help develop the Silver Grass Pavilion, or simply pocket them.
Size: Small (8/10)
You have 800 apprentice alchemists performing various small tasks and learning how to brew elixirs and pills. Above them you have fifty alchemists ranging from freshly graduated apprentices to senior alchemists with decades of experience. This is smaller than would be expected for a pavilion of this size. You really should have approximately one thousand apprentices and eighty alchemists to fully utilize the space in the pavilion.
For now this isn't a huge concern as you have been mostly left to your own devices. But that won't last forever. Eventually the clan elders will order the pavilion to produce some quantity of goods. And you will have a harder time meeting their likely demands than would be expected from a pavilion of this size.
Facilities: Fine
One source of good news is that the pavilion is fully equipped. You have inspected all of the distilleries and all of the pill cauldrons and brewing stands appear to be in good condition. All the ingredient warehouses are dry and well stocked. The equipment is not the best you have ever seen, but it is still of good quality.
The only problem of course is that your ingredient stockpiles will start to dwindle if this issue with the Iron Fist sect continues.
Expertise: Mid Soldier (Iron)
You have examined the alchemists official records and questioned them to clear up areas that were unclear. This has given you a good idea of what they are actually capable of. Between the apprentices handling the mundane tasks of preparing ingredients and brewing and the true alchemists monitoring the more complex steps, you think that the pavilion as a whole could create recipes of the up to the Soldier realm.
They are somewhat uncoordinated however. Some of them might be able to create higher grade elixirs, but most of their output will likely only be of the iron grade.
Discipline: Poor
The main problem is that the alchemists do not work together. The senior alchemists have their own little fiefs that they maintain inside the pavilion and pick and choose the best of the apprentices to work under them. Likewise the choicest assignments given to the pavilion are taken by the most influential alchemists instead of the ones whose skills are most suited to them.
This isn't something you can fix with a simple order. You can't manage every alchemist every day. You rely on them following the proper procedures and dividing tasks among themselves of their own free will.
Loyalty: Poor
The Silver Grass pavilion has not had a proper head for several decades. Since before your birth and even during your training it was left to rot. In this time corrupt alchemists have used it's status as the main medicine pavilion to secure choice assignments from nobles in the zhuge clan and even other lesser families in the city. While more loyal, or just ambitious, alchemists have simply used it as a stepping stone to secure positions in one of the other pavilions once their skills were good enough.
Your personal retinue includes a handful of alchemists like Miss An Lia and a batch of their apprentices. These were personally chosen by the clan elders for their skills. Long years of service and the privilege that comes with being your personal servants have engendered considerable loyalty in them. But for the remaining alchemists under your nominal leadership their loyalty to the Zhuge clan as a whole is low, and their loyalty to you is nonexistent.
Reputation: Low
Your final note is more of a guess than something you derived from the reports. But given everything else you have seen in the pavilion you believe that outsiders would consider the pavilion unfavorably. No one expects much from the silver grass pavilion.
On the one hand that means the elders are unlikely to ask you to perform anything especially difficult. But on the other hand it means the pavilion adds little to your personal clout. They would likely deny any requests you made as the pavilion head. Whether that was for more budget or to dispatch the clan's warriors to collect specific beast parts.
In order to gain a little bit of favor from the clan elders you decide to deal with the bandits. You assemble a small band of guards, just a dozen mid level warriors, and head out to the western mountains. It is not a pleasant trip. You do not like riding dragon horses, and camping under the stars is deeply uncomfortable.
By the time you arrive at the mountain bandit's stronghold you are in a rather irritable mood. You're dirty, hungry, and had to fight off several monster attacks on your way here. As your party stands on a ridge overlooking the stronghold, just a few crude wooden palisades surrounding a handful of huts, you consider simply dropping a poison cloud on the whole thing and being done with it.
The second rate warrior leading your group coughs and politely reminds you that the bandits might have hostages. So reluctantly you decide a more precise attack is called for. You are about to lead your warriors in a straightforward attack when you stop and take a closer look at your surroundings. One of the poplar trees on this section has quite a lot of spiritual energy. Enough that it just needs a little push.
Mustering your qi you send a burst of wood energy through the tree then wave your guards back as the poplar begins to shudder and twist. With a groaning creak the tree uproots itself. Its nascent spiritual conscience succumbs to your direction and with stomping roots the poplar advances on the palisade.
Its branches curl around the logs and yank them out of the ground with ease. You can hear screams of fear as the bandits attempt to flee. An awakened tree spirit is not something anyone wants to deal with. Definitely not a band of undisciplined bandits. You order your guards to go around the stronghold to catch anyone fleeing while you follow the poplar into the camp itself.
One scarred man seems to be trying to rally the bandits. You judge his spirit to be in the Soldier realm. The only one you can sense here. Probably the leader of the bandits. A thrown dagger ends his life and sends the bandits into even deeper confusion. The few who try to attack your tree spirit are bludgeoned by lashing branches or pierced by iron hard roots. The rest are captured by your guards.
Afterwards the guards search the huts. They find a small stash of captured goods and a handful of captives. Questioning them you find that they are the survivors of small peddler caravans that the bandits have been raiding. You give them the bandit's loot and send them on their way.
You consider the tied up bandits. A dozen peasant cultivators and several times that of purely mortal vagabonds. Their lives are forfeit by any measure. You are well within your rights to execute them here. They have likely killed dozens if not hundreds of travelers.
But you do have other options.
[ ] Just kill them
The quick and easy option. Technically not exactly legal by the imperial laws, but no one is going to care. It would take a very legalistic Imperial judge to even fine you for executing a band of mountain bandits without a trial.
+1 Face: Ruthless
[ ] Bring them back
Legally even bandits like these are entitled to a trial. The empire has laws for how to judge the difference between an unrepentant murderer and those who were forced into this life. Most of them will likely still be executed, but a few will be given the chance to redeem themselves. The thought soothes your soul just a little.
-1 Stress
[ ] Feed your tree
It is illegal to use a human to improve your cultivation. This is to prevent the use of the otherwise extremely rich resources generated by a human's body. Especially the qi rich blood and bones of a cultivator. But your tree isn't a cultivator. It's not even a registered spirit beast of the Zhuge clan. You could give the bandits to the tree and then just look the other way.
Strengthens Mountain Poplar
+1 Stress
The Iron Sect envoys prove to be extremely prepared. They debate your law clerks on every minor point of minutia and insist that they are within their rights to charge a toll on the road, and indeed on any new roads in the area. Your law clerks counter with their own records and point out that the Zhuge clan has been patrolling that area for generations. They even find records of Zhuge levies repairing and expanding the road.
Meanwhile your eyes are glazing over. All these legal arguments are going right over your head. If you concentrate you can understand what the immediate argument is about, but following the whole thing is difficult, and frankly boring. It is with some relief that the negotiations recess while both parties consult their respective archives in search of more evidence to use as ammunition in support of their arguments.
You make your escape already dreading the next session you'll be forced to attend.
Alchemist Bonus
--- [ ] Select a technique to boost with 3 TP. [Cultivation, School of the Jade Cauldron, School of the Iridescent Toxin]
Turn Actions
You may personally lead 3 actions without penalty.
Remember that you can also write omakes for other members of the clan to deal with issues you can't.
Cultivation (+6) [Cultivation]
[ ] Cultivate: +.2 TP for every point on the roll
--- [ ] Select a trait, skill, or technique to boost with the XP gained.
------ [ ] Who benefits from this boost?
[ ] Study the Mystic Scrolls on the Knight realm
--- [ ] Who are you asking for the scrolls?
You don't actually know what is required to advance from the Knight realm to the Lord realm. You have a vague sense that it involves some kind of spiritual fruit, but the exact details are a closely held secret. It is in fact illegal for commoners to learn them at all. You're a noble of course, but the Imperial Bureaucracy takes the view that the less people that know a secret the better.
Still you are a Knight now. Which means you are entitled to learn the details. You simply need to request access. Either from your mother or your brother. Or technically your sister. As if she would help you.
Administration (+2) [Administration]
[ ] Recruit More Alchemists (Goal: 0/10) (Spirit Stones: $1)
Send An Lia out into the city to hire more alchemists for the pavilion. There are always small alchemist shops and loose cultivators that can be recruited by a large clan like the Zhuge. They won't be the best or most loyal, but that can be fixed with time.
Size: +1
[ ] Request More Alchemists (Goal: 0/10) (Reputation Test)
Request that the clan elders assign more alchemists to the silver grass pavilion. Despite your low clan influence this is still likely to be accepted simply because it isn't a very large demand. There are thousands of alchemists scattered among the various pavilions around the province.
Unless you happen to catch the clan elders in a bad mood these will likely be better than the alchemists you can recruit on your own.
Size: +1
[ ] Clean up Corruption (Goal: 0/20) (Stress: +1)
It will be rather difficult, but you can track down all the cases of corruption in the Silver Grass Pavilion and put an end to it. Many of the alchemists likely just need a warning, but some will need to be removed entirely. But it should get easier as you weed out the worst of the bunch.
Size: -1
Discipline: +1
Alchemy (+8) [Leaf Cauldron + Core]
[ ] Brew Flowing Ivy Elixir (Goal: 3/5 Repeatable) (1/3 Stress Free)
It's always good to have some healing elixirs on hand. You already have the recipe so it shouldn't be too hard to brew a few elixirs. You will gain 1 elixir for each five points of progress.
[ ] Research a new Recipe (Goal: ??)
--[ ] What kind of elixir are you trying to make?
You can try to figure out the recipe for a new pill or elixir. You are quite talented in alchemy so you can try to make nearly anything, but more complex and potent recipes will be harder. They may also require more exotic ingredients.
[ ] Use a Flowing Ivy Elixir (1 Elixir)
-[ ] The Target
Use 1 elixir and your wood qi to fully heal a cultivator of the Knight realm or below.
[ ] Assign the Silver Grass Pavilion a Task
-[ ] Elixir or research
You are the head of the pavilion. You can assign the pavilion as a whole tasks to complete. Even in its current state the alchemists will still carry out your orders. Though their output will be limited.
Automatically carries out a task.
Will continue every turn until stopped.
[ ] Purchase New Equipment (Goal: 0/10) (Spirit Stones: $5)
You can purchase some better pill cauldrons from the markets in Fragrant Lotus City. This won't be cheap. You'll need to save up for some time, ask the elders for more stones, or find another way to make money. But it should noticeably improve the output of the pavilion's alchemists.
Facilities: Fine -> Good
[ ] Lead a Grand Project
-[ ] Write in Goal
In order to increase the loyalty of the alchemists in the Silver Grass Pavilion you need to prove that you are a capable leader who can provide them with benefits in the future. You aren't sure how exactly to do that at the moment, but you can start by proving that you are a capable alchemist.
The best way you can think to do that is to marshal the entire pavilion into a grand working producing a rare pill of high grade and realm. This will be a complex endeavor. So your first step will be figuring out what you want to try and make.
Quest (+3) [School of the Iridescent Toxin]
[ ] Negotiate with the Iron Fist Sect (Goal 15/20)
The Iron Fist sect's offer isn't entirely unreasonable. But you won't be making a deal in some mountain fort. Summon their envoy to the Zhuge clan compound where they can make their case and you will have the benefit of the clan's retainers to help make the best deal.
Uses Diplomat skill (+0)
Pleases the Iron Fist Sect
Removes Missing Shipments [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
May result in a bad deal and loss of Face.
[ ] Do something else with the Iron Fist Sect (Goal 10/20)
-[ ] Write In
If you, SV, can think of some other way to deal with the situation I'll allow attempting it.
Results Vary
[ ] Go on an Adventure (Goal: ??)
You probably shouldn't be heading out to explore ruins and look for treasures on your own, but you don't have anything else particularly pressing to do. Take some time off to go slay monsters, search ancient palaces, and roam the wild lands looking for fortunate encounters. (Depending on the roll you can find useful locations, harvest rare materials, loot treasures, tame spirit beasts, increase your cultivation, and possibly reduce stress.)
Learning (+5) [Sage]
[ ] Teach Senior Alchemists (Goal: 0/10) (Face Test) (Stress: +1)
You are the best alchemist in the silver grass pavilion, and you could teach even the most senior alchemists in the pavilion a thing or two. Unfortunately many of them are significantly older than you and unlikely to listen well. You'll have to force them to accept your teachings.
Expertise: +1 Grade
[ ] Teach Promising Apprentices (Goal: 0/20)
Alternatively you can pick out promising apprentices to take on as disciples. This will take more of your time and the results won't be quick, but you will be able to oversee all aspects of their training. And in the end should gain several highly trained alchemists with excellent loyalty.
[ ] Write an Alchemy Manual (Goal: 0/20)
You could also collect the current training materials that the apprentices are using and collate it into an alchemy manual. You are unlikely to provide any exceptional insight in your manual. You aren't an alchemy grandmaster. But the benefit is that all the apprentices would be learning alchemy in a way that is both standardized and fitted to your personal style of alchemy.
Incremental improvement to Expertise and Disciple
Diplomacy (+0) [Diplomat]
[ ] Request a Larger Budget (Goal: 0/20) (Reputation Check) (Stress: +1)
The clan elders are unlikely to grant the Silver Grass Pavilion more money, but you can always ask.
Budget: +?
[ ] Request a Personal Stipend (Goal: 0/20) (Face Check) (Stress: +1)
You could also ask the elders for a personal allotment of spirit stones. You'd be free to use these spirit stones in any way you wish. If they agree to grant your request of course.
Spirit Stones: +?
Personal [Automatic success]
[ ] Spend Time with your Family (Automatic)
You could try to spend some time with your siblings, or even your mother. You don't know who would be available so it would be up to fate who exactly you can pull away from their duties.
Budget: $1
The Silver Grass Pavilion is funded out of the coffers of the Zhuge clan. You don't personally need to worry about tracking the salary of every apprentice and the cost of flasks. You have clerks for that. But in general you decide how many spirit stones are allocated to various tasks. Surprisingly however you have discovered that the elders are giving you the pavilion more spirit stones than you actually need.
You think it's a combination of poor accounting and development funds. You can use these extra funds to help develop the Silver Grass Pavilion, or simply pocket them.
Size: Small (8/10)
You have 800 apprentice alchemists performing various small tasks and learning how to brew elixirs and pills. Above them you have fifty alchemists ranging from freshly graduated apprentices to senior alchemists with decades of experience. This is smaller than would be expected for a pavilion of this size. You really should have approximately one thousand apprentices and eighty alchemists to fully utilize the space in the pavilion.
For now this isn't a huge concern as you have been mostly left to your own devices. But that won't last forever. Eventually the clan elders will order the pavilion to produce some quantity of goods. And you will have a harder time meeting their likely demands than would be expected from a pavilion of this size.
Facilities: Fine
One source of good news is that the pavilion is fully equipped. You have inspected all of the distilleries and all of the pill cauldrons and brewing stands appear to be in good condition. All the ingredient warehouses are dry and well stocked. The equipment is not the best you have ever seen, but it is still of good quality.
The only problem of course is that your ingredient stockpiles will start to dwindle if this issue with the Iron Fist sect continues.
Expertise: Mid Soldier (Iron)
You have examined the alchemists official records and questioned them to clear up areas that were unclear. This has given you a good idea of what they are actually capable of. Between the apprentices handling the mundane tasks of preparing ingredients and brewing and the true alchemists monitoring the more complex steps, you think that the pavilion as a whole could create recipes of the up to the Soldier realm.
They are somewhat uncoordinated however. Some of them might be able to create higher grade elixirs, but most of their output will likely only be of the iron grade.
Discipline: Poor
The main problem is that the alchemists do not work together. The senior alchemists have their own little fiefs that they maintain inside the pavilion and pick and choose the best of the apprentices to work under them. Likewise the choicest assignments given to the pavilion are taken by the most influential alchemists instead of the ones whose skills are most suited to them.
This isn't something you can fix with a simple order. You can't manage every alchemist every day. You rely on them following the proper procedures and dividing tasks among themselves of their own free will.
Loyalty: Poor
The Silver Grass pavilion has not had a proper head for several decades. Since before your birth and even during your training it was left to rot. In this time corrupt alchemists have used it's status as the main medicine pavilion to secure choice assignments from nobles in the zhuge clan and even other lesser families in the city. While more loyal, or just ambitious, alchemists have simply used it as a stepping stone to secure positions in one of the other pavilions once their skills were good enough.
Your personal retinue includes a handful of alchemists like Miss An Lia and a batch of their apprentices. These were personally chosen by the clan elders for their skills. Long years of service and the privilege that comes with being your personal servants have engendered considerable loyalty in them. But for the remaining alchemists under your nominal leadership their loyalty to the Zhuge clan as a whole is low, and their loyalty to you is nonexistent.
Reputation: Low
Your final note is more of a guess than something you derived from the reports. But given everything else you have seen in the pavilion you believe that outsiders would consider the pavilion unfavorably. No one expects much from the silver grass pavilion.
On the one hand that means the elders are unlikely to ask you to perform anything especially difficult. But on the other hand it means the pavilion adds little to your personal clout. They would likely deny any requests you made as the pavilion head. Whether that was for more budget or to dispatch the clan's warriors to collect specific beast parts.
One scarred man seems to be trying to rally the bandits. You judge his spirit to be in the Soldier realm. The only one you can sense here. Probably the leader of the bandits. A thrown dagger ends his life and sends the bandits into even deeper confusion. The few who try to attack your tree spirit are bludgeoned by lashing branches or pierced by iron hard roots. The rest are captured by your guards.
Afterwards the guards search the huts. They find a small stash of captured goods and a handful of captives. Questioning them you find that they are the survivors of small peddler caravans that the bandits have been raiding. You give them the bandit's loot and send them on their way.
The Iron Sect envoys prove to be extremely prepared. They debate your law clerks on every minor point of minutia and insist that they are within their rights to charge a toll on the road, and indeed on any new roads in the area. Your law clerks counter with their own records and point out that the Zhuge clan has been patrolling that area for generations. They even find records of Zhuge levies repairing and expanding the road.
Meanwhile your eyes are glazing over. All these legal arguments are going right over your head. If you concentrate you can understand what the immediate argument is about, but following the whole thing is difficult, and frankly boring. It is with some relief that the negotiations recess while both parties consult their respective archives in search of more evidence to use as ammunition in support of their arguments.
You make your escape already dreading the next session you'll be forced to attend.
Well, all that went pretty well all things considered, I think? Face went up, which seems important. Anyway, on to planning:
[X] Plan Get Our House In Order
-[X] Select a technique to boost with 3 TP. (School of the Iridescent Toxin)
-[X] Bring them back
-[X] Negotiate with the Iron Fist Sect (Goal 15/20)
-[X] Study the Mystic Scrolls on the Knight realm
--- [X] Who are you asking for the scrolls? Our Mother.
-[X] Clean up Corruption (Goal: 0/20) (Stress: +1)
So, the idea here is to hopefully finish up with the Iron Fists, start actual cultivation studies, and start in the Clean Up Corruption grind (which we really do need to do ASAP, I think...one action per turn until completed). That last one's stress intensive, so bringing back the prisoners for trial is useful to keep that from getting out of control.
For our free TP, I think we'll be focused on admin and cultivation a fair bit going forward, more than alchemy (in the immediate term, anyway). There's thus an argument for raising cultivation (we can't do admin with our free TP), but I think getting to level 4 in Iridescent Toxin is probably worth it as a 'just in case' measure. We can then let it sit there for a bit and focus on Cultivation or more Leaf Cauldron.
For who to get cultivation knowledge from, I'm actually torn between our mother (a sure thing, I think) and our sister (an interesting gamble). So I'm actually gonna vote for both. The above is the 'ask mom' version...the second follows. No other changes between the two.
[X] Plan Get Our House In Order (Sister Version)
-[X] Select a technique to boost with 3 TP. (School of the Iridescent Toxin)
-[X] Bring them back
-[X] Negotiate with the Iron Fist Sect (Goal 15/20)
-[X] Study the Mystic Scrolls on the Knight realm
--- [X] Who are you asking for the scrolls? Our sister, in an attempt to maybe mend bridges. She wants us not to get stronger? Then tell us how.
-[X] Clean up Corruption (Goal: 0/20) (Stress: +1)
[X] Plan Get Our House In Order
-[X] Select a technique to boost with 3 TP. (School of the Iridescent Toxin)
-[X] Bring them back
-[X] Negotiate with the Iron Fist Sect (Goal 15/20)
-[X] Study the Mystic Scrolls on the Knight realm
--- [X] Who are you asking for the scrolls? Our Mother.
-[X] Clean up Corruption (Goal: 0/20) (Stress: +1)
[X] Plan Get Our House In Order
-[X] Select a technique to boost with 3 TP. (School of the Iridescent Toxin)
-[X] Bring them back
-[X] Negotiate with the Iron Fist Sect (Goal 15/20)
-[X] Study the Mystic Scrolls on the Knight realm
--- [X] Who are you asking for the scrolls? Our Mother.
-[X] Clean up Corruption (Goal: 0/20) (Stress: +1)
Pushing the training of Iridescent Toxin is good since it continues the training. Brining them back is narratively fitting for a Kind character and gets rid of a stress. Negotiate with the Iron Fist Sect will hopefully finish that up. Requesting access to Scrolls for advancement from mother makes sense given she's the one likely to give it with no strings attached. Cleaning up Corruption is going to be stressful but it's vital given how much of a den of corruption the Medicine Hall is.
Long Term I think we should likely teach apprentices because it'll replaced the lost numbers and have them be loyal to the MC personally which builds on his power base.
Long Term I think we should likely teach apprentices because it'll replaced the lost numbers and have them be loyal to the MC personally which builds on his power base.
I'd argue that personally teaching the apprentices gets rid of that issues, but given that I want to write a Alchemy Manual as the replacement for negotiating with Iron Fist Sect as the next level term project, I'd be totally cool with waiting longer for teaching students.
I'd argue that personally teaching the apprentices gets rid of that issues, but given that I want to write a Alchemy Manual as the replacement for negotiating with Iron Fist Sect as the next level term project, I'd be totally cool with waiting longer for teaching students.
I think we have fairly good odds of loyal personal students regardless, but that they go up if we have a more loyal organization in general. There's also a lot less risk of other people sabotaging them and the like the less...problematic the organization becomes.
I'm not sure we have a lot to gain by getting the Knight scrolls immediately. Looks like we'll be training up our own Alchemy skill for a while yet so that we can sort out the deficiencies of the Medicine Hall.
