Sapere aude (Imperial Russian Mythos Organization Quest)
- Thread starter Slayer Anderson
- Start date
- Mature Alt. History Horror
- Location
- California
She's 53. As much as I like her acceptance of our weird band of academics, she probably only have a decade and a half at best; of that only half that will be spent ruling I.e. dealing with politics.
Solid steel orphans!
- Location
- Russia
He's not that stupid. Disengaging from Prussia had merit, if not doing that the way happened. On the other hand, even trying to send the Guards away from St.Petersburg... okay, I'm less sure of that.
Catherine is good - for us. Corruption is tolerated and gold rains on those close to her - just her 11 lovers had received... pretty much the state debt of the Empire. We have connections in the court, and, while she's not particularly interested in industry (and thank the Lord, I wouldn't want a ruler that believes that mechanization is bad because fewer people are employed to look anywhere close), we may be propped up to attempt to impress the Western Enlightenment circles. Just don't forget that there are reasons why imposters claiming to be miraculously surviving Peter popped up like mushrooms after a rain... but who cares about the peasants?
Turn 3: 1763 (Phase III)
- Location
- South of North
Turn 3: 1763 (Phase III)
Michael looked up from the bowl of food placed in front of him by one of the older children, one of the group from the orphanage who had been selected to act to corral the smaller kids. Their position had been much the same while they were staying with the priests, of course, though they were now assigned other tasks as well.
"Can you believe they're teaching us numbers and letters?" Sophia, the girl next to him, asked in an undertone. Unlike in the orphanage, they were permitted to speak during mealtimes, but the liberty was a new one and none of the children wished to push their luck.
"It's weird," Michael confirmed, nodding his head. "Everything's weird."
"But better," Egor mumbled, lifting his bread to his mouth. "We don't have to spend days at the factory like we did in Moscow. Or pray every time we eat, or before we go to bed, or whenever we mess up. I like the professors more. They just take out the lash if you fuck up."
Michael felt his hand reach up to push back the loose hair brushing his face and met the leather strap covering the scar where his eye used to be.
Maybe Egor had a point?
Sophia shrugged, freely using her left hand to eat. Something else which hadn't been allowed at the orphanage. Even with the fact that her missing fingers made it hard to hold the utensils properly.
"Do you think the professors are 'godless men of science' like that Father Filip talked about?" Michael asked absently.
"Doesn't really matter," Egor stated. "They feed us, our chores are easier, and we might learn enough tricks to get jobs one day."
There was that too, Michael nodded as he finished eating.
"I heard Vassily was working with liquid metals, though. Isn't that more dangerous than factory stuff?" Sophie asked.
"Vassily is a lot older than us. He was bragging that he got paid for it too," Michael chimed in, frowning.
Wooden spoons scraped against wooden bowls in surprise.
Being paid changed things. The orphanages had made 'arrangements' with certain factory owners to ensure the money they received went into the church's coffers. Usually at least. Sometimes the priests took a... 'finder's fee' for ensuring the right amount of workers. And, of course, if you were old enough to find work yourself, to make your own money, you obviously no longer needed the bed or meals that the orphanage could provide.
Michael had heard of the 'deadly sins' of the Papists, and greed was not so abhorrent a sin, but still... While it was sinful to desire money, everyone who had money seemed to have more power than they did.
"Oh, yeah, has anyone seen Jurg?"
The question came from the next table over, a girl who had lost an arm to some piece of factory equipment.
Sophia leaned in. "I saw one of the professors take him, he hasn't come back."
You understood why she was being quiet about that. You weren't sure how your new keepers would react to telling tales yet. "I didn't like Jurg anyway. Don't think anyone did."
Which helped, really. Jurg had been bigger, stronger than all but the oldest of the boys, and a bad-tempered thug to boot.
"He talked back to one of the lady professors," Egor added quietly. Both Sophia and Michael looked askance at him with that announcement. The gruff boy wasn't known to be a good source of gossip. "Keep it tucked, I haven't told anyone. Just happened to be around the corner. He said something about how a lady's brain ain't fit for learning."
"Think they got rid of him?" Michael asked, still keeping his tone low.
"Be nice if they did," Sophia muttered foully, causing both boys to turn to her. The girl's face heated as she realized what she'd said, ducking her head. "He kept pulling my hair and teasing me about my hand."
Michael grunted. "Good riddance, then."
Same old, same old, he thought with a certain air of too-young maturity, keep your head down, do your work, don't talk back. It was as easy as that.
The door to the large food hall opened, admitting one of the robed professors who briefly looked about the room before his eyes settled on...
"You three," he pointed, jabbing a finger in the small group's direction, then crooking it as he beckoned them. "Come with me. Hurry now, I have a job for you."
Michael drained his cup and stood in a hurry from his stool as Sophia did the same. Extending a hand to Egor, the older boy brushed the gesture aside as he grabbed his crutch and pushed himself upright.
"Don't need no help," Egor grunted as he propelled himself forward, the sound of one foot hitting the hard floor in time with the tip of his walking aide as the otherwise-silent room watched them.
Michael sighed and hurried to catch up.
"My name is Professor Adrik Morozov," the man stated as the door shut behind them, his long stride unrelenting even for the children behind him. "I've been looking after which of you might be more useful than the others." Here, he paused to look them over.
Michael didn't know what he was looking for, but he knew what he would see at least. Three crippled children from a poor orphanage in Moscow. It was all that anyone saw. Still, part of him held out hope that, just maybe, the professor was smarter than the rest of the people who dismissed them out of hand. Maybe they could do something that would earn them-
"How would you three like better food? Better beds? Better clothing?" The professor asked. "You're smart enough to make it worth our while. The university's job is to teach, after all, and you three have been doing well at applying yourselves properly."
There was a moment of silence as the three exchanged cautious glances.
"W-we'd liked that very much, sir," Michael stated with a nod, stepping forward.
The older man nodded shortly. "Then we'll need to know you can keep a secret. The... university has a great deal of knowledge that needs to be... protected, you see."
All three children nodded, though they didn't see, not really.
The professor removed a key from his robes, opened a locked door that none of them had ever seen the other side of, and beckoned them further. A long walk down a windowless corridor, a short flight of stairs downwards, and another winding path further found them at another locked door, which apparently took the professor more time and effort to open.
Michael, Sophia, and Egor shifted nervously as several locks were undone, wondering what could possibly need this kind of security...
"Ah, there you are Adrik. I was beginning to wonder."
"Faina, sister please, we have plenty of time left for the initiation," the professor replied as they walked in to the new room. Absently, they heard the door shut behind, the locks being engaged again as their eyes firmly fixed on the bound form roped to a large wooden table between several of the adults who ran the university. Michael noted the 'headmaster' and the symbolic blue sash he'd worn the first time they'd arrived at the school.
The children's throats tightened as they noted the array of sharp implements on display around the form that they dimly recognized as Jurg. The restrained boy's panicked eyes stared back at them even as he fought against his bindings.
"Here's your test, children." All three stiffened as Professor Morozov loomed from behind them. "All you need to do is hurt him. Anyway you like. This is a test though, so we want to see how creative you can be. Once you've done enough, we'll show you how to kill him and part him out."
The professor stepped around them, picked up a few sharp implements at seemingly random and placed them into numb hands, curling fingers around them securely. "You do this and you'll have your own private rooms tonight. We'll wash the blood off and get you nice clean clothes, too. Brand new, so that you can be scribes for the professors starting tomorrow. You'll make a few rubles each week as well."
The professor clapped Michael on the back and, surprised at the motion, the boy took a halting step forward.
"Take your time," Adrik stated, walking away and towards a cluster of the robed professors. He had to admit, it was nice that they could disguise their more traditional clothing as that of professional academics. The hoods had taken a bit of creative tailoring to properly conceal, albeit, but it was ultimately worth it.
His sister offered him a glass of wine as he approached.
"Do you think they will go through with it?" Faina asked.
Adrik snorted. "We selected these in particular for a reason. They've been sneaking glances at the lesser texts we've left out, they're tight-knit, and they've all had negative interactions with the stupid one." Behind him, a hissed conversation between the three children was breaking out as they gestured wildly amongst themselves. Adrik shot the three a smirk. "They're also desperate. I had to admit I was skeptical when Demitri selected a load of cripples, but they have a certain... hunger that the whole ones do not. I might even call it hate, really. A need to lash out."
"Whatever it is, I can see it's useful," Faina stated as she nodded towards where the boy with the one eye was stepping forward. She paused, humming. "Have you heard the news regarding the new emperor?"
Adrik nodded, keeping his eyes on the children. "Indeed. He's sued for peace. No, more than that, he's effectively put the empire's forces under Fredrick's command."
"Indeed," Faina scowled, "but there's been more. He wants the secret to the steel process we've been developing. If he can align enough of the new wealthy families behind him as he produces new guns for the army, he might have a chance at stabilizing his reign and fighting off his wife when she makes a push for the throne."
"I hadn't heard things were that definite." Adrik stated. "I know that Peter has been regaling everyone who will listen with his grand plan of conquest against Denmark."
"He is far too in love with his lands in Holstein-Gottorp and wants to reclaim some paltry part of Schleswig... do you disagree?" Faina asked.
Adrik shrugged somewhat. "He is the emperor, he has that right, but... I wonder if he is not craftier than we believe him to be. Would not the seizure of Eastern Prussia merely aggravate hostilities with Fredrick's heirs?"
Faina frowned as she thought.
Behind them, muffled screaming began.
"You think he means to use his new alliance with Fredrick to seize the Danish lands and, what, open up the sea to the empire properly?" Faina asked doubtfully.
Adrik nodded, "as you say, sister. Peter is far from the idiot that so many of his detractors love to paint him as. His proclamaitions on religious freedom, stripping the nobility of some of their power and the church of their property, the abolition of the secret police, much of what he does is a forward-thinking agenda."
Yet more screams were heard.
Faina nodded slowly. "I suppose I understand your point and you do have the headmaster's ear. Does that mean you will be..."
[ ] The cult should hand the steel process over to Peter III and see how the university is rewarded for its efforts. More than any reward, though, the emperor's aims are in line with what the cult believes will allow Russia to prosper.
[ ] The cult will hold out for the possibility of a palace coup by Catherine. Her views are more in line with her predecessors and favor a more traditional expansion of the empire. It is likely that she will be more generous than her husband as well.
ONE HOUR MORATORIUM! DO NOT VOTE FOR ONE HOUR!
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I'll be honest, I don't know enough about Catherine to know whether or not it would be worthwhile supporting her coup, or pursuing the status quo
Edit: thinking on it, I think supporting Catherine might be best, if we want to cast ourselves as staunchly nationalistic, build a better Russia by Russians for Russians (ignore the Poles, Estonians, Latvians, Ukrainians, etc), focusing more on buildup of the heartland and Siberia, while Peter would be best if we want to focus on Europe, getting involved in Euro politics, getting a larger base from which to build in, at the cost of the succession crises, and more nationalities to deal with, likely causing us more problems
That's just a quick analysis though
Edit: thinking on it, I think supporting Catherine might be best, if we want to cast ourselves as staunchly nationalistic, build a better Russia by Russians for Russians (ignore the Poles, Estonians, Latvians, Ukrainians, etc), focusing more on buildup of the heartland and Siberia, while Peter would be best if we want to focus on Europe, getting involved in Euro politics, getting a larger base from which to build in, at the cost of the succession crises, and more nationalities to deal with, likely causing us more problems
That's just a quick analysis though
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- Location
- Pennsylvania
Peter's effectiveness as a ruler is debatable. Despite the fact Russian troops were in Berlin he decided to give the Germans back their territory. The Germans took advantage of this to attack the Austrians and force them to the negotiating table in their ongoing conflict. Later Peter tried to fight Denmark. Apparently Peter believed gaining territory and influence in Denmark and Northern Germany was more useful to Russia than taking East Prussia. Equally, he thought that friendship with Prussia and with Britain, following its triumph in the Seven Years War, could offer more to aid his plans than alliance with either Austria or France. He also proclaimed Freedom of Religion. During his 186-day period of government, Peter III passed 220 new laws that he had developed and elaborated during his life as a crown prince. Elena Palmer claims that his reforms were of a democratic nature. Peter III's economic policy reflected the rising influence of Western capitalism and the merchant class or "Third Estate" that accompanied it. He established the first state bank in Russia, rejected the nobility's monopoly on trade and encouraged mercantilism by increasing grain exports and forbidding the import of sugar and other materials that could be found in Russia.
In contrast Catherine was widely considered to have been the one who made Russia into a true world power.
In her accession to power and her rule of the empire, Catherine often relied on her noble favourites, most notably Count Grigory Orlovand Grigory Potemkin. Assisted by highly successful generals such as Alexander Suvorov and Pyotr Rumyantsev, and admiralssuch as Samuel Greig and Fyodor Ushakov, she governed at a time when the Russian Empire was expanding rapidly by conquest and diplomacy. In the south, the Crimean Khanatewas crushed following victories over the Bar confederation and Ottoman Empire in the Russo-Turkish War, 1768–1774 due to the support of the United Kingdom, and Russia colonised the territories of Novorossiya along the coasts of the Black and Azov Seas. In the west, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, ruled by Catherine's former lover, King Stanisław August Poniatowski, was eventually partitioned, with the Russian Empire gaining the largest share. In the east, Russians became the first Europeans to colonise Alaska, establishing Russian America.
Catherine reformed the administration of Russian guberniyas (governorates), and many new cities and towns were founded on her orders. An admirer of Peter the Great, Catherine continued to modernise Russia along Western European lines. However, military conscription and the economy continued to depend on serfdom, and the increasing demands of the state and of private landowners intensified the exploitation of serf labour. This was one of the chief reasons behind rebellions, including the large-scale Pugachev Rebellion of Cossacks, nomads, peoples of Volga and peasants.
The period of Catherine the Great's rule, the Catherinian Era,[1] is considered a Golden Age of Russia.[2] The Manifesto on Freedom of the Nobility, issued during the short reign of Peter III and confirmed by Catherine, freed Russian nobles from compulsory military or state service. Construction of many mansions of the nobility, in the classical style endorsed by the empress, changed the face of the country. She enthusiastically supported the ideals of the Enlightenment and is often included in the ranks of the enlightened despots.[d] As a patron of the arts, she presided over the age of the Russian Enlightenment, including the establishment of the Smolny Institute of Noble Maidens, the first state-financed higher education institution for women in Europe. She was a big fan of Chinese style art and imported a lot of it and also recruited a lot of foreign intellectuals. She regularly corresponded with Voltaire until his death and before that he widely praised her as the star of the north. And before anyone asks, no she did not die from having sex with a horse, that was a myth her political enemies cooked up.
- Location
- California
Idk, we built our nationalism under Catherine and to betray her this soon speaks poorly of us. Or this is an elaborate test for our loyalty.
We built our nationalism under Empress Elizabeth, according to turn 2 phase 1
- Location
- South of North
To summarize:
You've been playing in Russia ruled by Elizabeth so far.
Elizabeth just died and her son just took power, becoming Peter III.
Catherine is making quiet inquiries about overthrowing her husband. Because your group is hardcore nationalist (or at least espouses the ideas of it), you're plugged into some of the groups that are dissatisfied by Peter's decisions as well as some of the groups who like his policies well enough to let him ride until he fucks up. You don't have quite up-to-the-minute details on politics, but you're more connected than you would be otherwise.
- Location
- California
Pardon, you're right though that brings up the question on who would benefit more, and in turn, what benefits us and, at least the perceived benefit, to Russia.
Peter would gain an immediate boon as it matches is PR talk and immediate plans, but going into the ocean might not benefit us. Moreover, Britain lost the war, so the irl plans are both less and more tenuous. Britain can't get picky with it's allies as it's positioned to lose colonies. Conversely, they might get offend Russia is moving into the ocean.
Catherine doesn't get a boon, but we would deny Peter. That could be enough to boost her faction in which case Peter either falls apart or he goes for broke by assaulting the College itself.
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- Location
- Pennsylvania
I think Catherine is also a good bet from a mythos perspective. From Lovecraft's call of Cthulhu:
"Professor Webb had been engaged, forty-eight years before, in a tour of Greenland and Iceland in search of some Runic inscriptions which he failed to unearth; and whilst high up on the West Greenland coast had encountered a singular tribe or cult of degenerate Esquimaux whose religion, a curious form of devil-worship, chilled him with its deliberate bloodthirstiness and repulsiveness. It was a faith of which other Esquimaux knew little, and which they mentioned only with shudders, saying that it had come down from horribly ancient aeons before ever the world was made. Besides nameless rites and human sacrifices there were certain queer hereditary rituals addressed to a supreme elder devil or tornasuk; and of this Professor Webb had taken a careful phonetic copy from an aged angekok or wizard-priest, expressing the sounds in Roman letters as best he knew how. But just now of prime significance was the fetish which this cult had cherished, and around which they danced when the aurora leaped high over the ice cliffs. It was, the professor stated, a very crude bas-relief of stone, comprising a hideous picture and some cryptic writing. And so far as he could tell, it was a rough parallel in all essential features of the bestial thing now lying before the meeting.
This data, received with suspense and astonishment by the assembled members, proved doubly exciting to Inspector Legrasse; and he began at once to ply his informant with questions. Having noted and copied an oral ritual among the swamp cult-worshippers his men had arrested, he besought the professor to remember as best he might the syllables taken down amongst the diabolist Esquimaux. There then followed an exhaustive comparison of details, and a moment of really awed silence when both detective and scientist agreed on the virtual identity of the phrase common to two hellish rituals so many worlds of distance apart. What, in substance, both the Esquimau wizards and the Louisiana swamp-priests had chanted to their kindred idols was something very like this—the word-divisions being guessed at from traditional breaks in the phrase as chanted aloud:
"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn."
Legrasse had one point in advance of Professor Webb, for several among his mongrel prisoners had repeated to him what older celebrants had told them the words meant. This text, as given, ran something like this:
"In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.""
Eskimo is just an old timey way to say Inuit and there are Inuits in Alaska. And while not all Inuits worship Cthulhu there is a chance another mythos worshipping sect might live in Alaska. And Catherine as I stated above was the reason Russia colonized Alaska. Also irl the Inuits knew about the gold in Alaska before anyone else but the Russians refused to believe them and lost out. We can change that.
"Professor Webb had been engaged, forty-eight years before, in a tour of Greenland and Iceland in search of some Runic inscriptions which he failed to unearth; and whilst high up on the West Greenland coast had encountered a singular tribe or cult of degenerate Esquimaux whose religion, a curious form of devil-worship, chilled him with its deliberate bloodthirstiness and repulsiveness. It was a faith of which other Esquimaux knew little, and which they mentioned only with shudders, saying that it had come down from horribly ancient aeons before ever the world was made. Besides nameless rites and human sacrifices there were certain queer hereditary rituals addressed to a supreme elder devil or tornasuk; and of this Professor Webb had taken a careful phonetic copy from an aged angekok or wizard-priest, expressing the sounds in Roman letters as best he knew how. But just now of prime significance was the fetish which this cult had cherished, and around which they danced when the aurora leaped high over the ice cliffs. It was, the professor stated, a very crude bas-relief of stone, comprising a hideous picture and some cryptic writing. And so far as he could tell, it was a rough parallel in all essential features of the bestial thing now lying before the meeting.
This data, received with suspense and astonishment by the assembled members, proved doubly exciting to Inspector Legrasse; and he began at once to ply his informant with questions. Having noted and copied an oral ritual among the swamp cult-worshippers his men had arrested, he besought the professor to remember as best he might the syllables taken down amongst the diabolist Esquimaux. There then followed an exhaustive comparison of details, and a moment of really awed silence when both detective and scientist agreed on the virtual identity of the phrase common to two hellish rituals so many worlds of distance apart. What, in substance, both the Esquimau wizards and the Louisiana swamp-priests had chanted to their kindred idols was something very like this—the word-divisions being guessed at from traditional breaks in the phrase as chanted aloud:
"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn."
Legrasse had one point in advance of Professor Webb, for several among his mongrel prisoners had repeated to him what older celebrants had told them the words meant. This text, as given, ran something like this:
"In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.""Eskimo is just an old timey way to say Inuit and there are Inuits in Alaska. And while not all Inuits worship Cthulhu there is a chance another mythos worshipping sect might live in Alaska. And Catherine as I stated above was the reason Russia colonized Alaska. Also irl the Inuits knew about the gold in Alaska before anyone else but the Russians refused to believe them and lost out. We can change that.
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[X] The cult will hold out for the possibility of a palace coup by Catherine. Her views are more in line with her predecessors and favor a more traditional expansion of the empire. It is likely that she will be more generous than her husband as well.
it looks like it's been an hour, I think we should go Catherine, matches more with our nationalist vibe, and it says she'd probably be more generous than Peter
it looks like it's been an hour, I think we should go Catherine, matches more with our nationalist vibe, and it says she'd probably be more generous than Peter
- Location
- South of North
Britain didn't really lose the war so much as get stalemated in America and Europe. In India it did actually see success and gain territory, pushing France out of the way to obtain dominion over the region.
Spain not being in the war meant that England couldn't really curb-stomp them either, so there wasn't any national prestige boost there.
Opening naval trade lanes has long been a Russian desire, it's just that different rulers focused on different routes to get there. Peter seemed to think that it was better to go through Denmark and the straits while Catherine focused much more on the Black Sea and opening up the Mediterranean for Russia.
Catherine favored France and Austria, whereas Peter preferred Prussia and England as allies as well.
It's really up to personal choice, since I'm admittedly fudging the historical context here to give Peter a solid chance at retaining power when Catherine could play courtly games far, far better than him.
- Location
- California
This sounds like it would empower the nearby Cthulhu cult with fellow worshipers. I guess, it wouldn't provide religious protection like with Peter, but the Mediterranean isn't the way to go. More maybe it is and there are artifacts in the Med?
Peter's already made peace with Prussia, which is annoying, but if we could forge ties with it that would be incredibly useful. Seizing Denmark would give us more control over the Baltics too, which is huge, and possibly limit Prussian influence in Northern Europe. I do lean towards the alt history scenario a bit more.
The part that has me concerned is revealing the secrets of how we've managed to produce so much steel. @Slayer Anderson what does that entail? Do we reveal how we do it but claim it's chemistry?
The part that has me concerned is revealing the secrets of how we've managed to produce so much steel. @Slayer Anderson what does that entail? Do we reveal how we do it but claim it's chemistry?
It's the center of lots of ancient civilizations, there's bound to be plenty of magical items they made in the Mediterranean, I'd guess Egypt, Greece, and Mesopotamia would be the most lucrative portions of the region, all owned by the Ottomans, the only downside is that there'd be equal numbers of people looking for ancient magical artifacts
Probably more in the Mediterranean than north Europe though, almost certainly I'd say
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- Location
- South of North
Essentially what the cult has done is to create an alchemical process to produce large amounts of steel, then reverse-engineered it back to normal methods. To do so they actually leaned heavily on Chinese and Japanese methods that predated the OTL Bessemer process, which cult members were more open-minded towards given their nature. The university hasn't really understood the potential for mass production quite yet, but they do appreciate that they've got a valuable contribution to the state military and economy.
Bessemer process - Wikipedia
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Essentially what the cult has done is to create an alchemical process to produce large amounts of steel, then reverse-engineered it back to normal methods. To do so they actually leaned heavily on Chinese and Japanese methods that inspired the OTL Bessemer process, which cult members were more open-minded towards given their nature. The university hasn't really understood the potential for mass production quite yet, but they do appreciate that they've got a valuable contribution to the state military and economy.
Bessemer process - Wikipedia
en.m.wikipedia.org
Oh shit that's huge! We developed the Bessemer process in the 1760s! We need to monopolize this now! Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit!
I think we need to back Peter. If he can fund it while keeping that inside the country we can mass produce steel. That's huge. Steel is still very expensive to produce, even in well developed countries like Britain. So we take it from a semi-precious metal and make it cheap and plentiful. We'd be a century ahead of the curve in terms of European metallurgy.
We could get in on the ground floor on churning out tons of steel. That'd be a huge boon for arms industry and construction but also exports. Britain is still relying on iron for nearly everything. Imagine if they have to buy steel from us because we make it so cheap that they can't compete with our foundries.
Forget Ukraine and Instanbul. We can crash the steel market. We buy up their shitty pig iron, turn it into steel for cheap, and laugh to the fucking bank as their domestic industries suffer.
[X] The cult should hand the steel process over to Peter III and see how the university is rewarded for its efforts. More than any reward, though, the emperor's aims are in line with what the cult believes will allow Russia to prosper.
I don't get how Peter would be better than Catherine at this? It seems like they'd be about the same at this, if anything Catherine would be better because it says she'll likely be more generous than Peter, giving more resources with which to develop the process
Peter would be undermining some of the powers of the nobles and clergy, making room for merchants and skilled tradesmen to move up in society, while pushing towards aligning with Britain and Prussia. Those are the type of people that synergize with expanding into the European steel market.
Under Catherine there's no guarantee that it'd be utilized as readily or used as an economic weapon. It's certainly possible, but we know she'd be focused on a lot of conquests and court intrigue. We need to be looking to the west, not the south or east. Nobles and clergy have their power tied up in land, and would be less likely to seriously invest in steel production, especially if we're about to make it for cheap. I feel the more merchant minded Peter would better utilize it.
Plus the text explicitly says sharing it with Peter, while with Catherine it's holding off to see what she'd give to us. Note more generous to us. That doesn't mean she'd grant other foundries a license to provide steel like Peter might. There is also the appeal of going more alt history if we can influence it.
This is also why I voted to bring in a tradesman into the circle. They would have immediately seized upon the implications of what we discovered.
Under Catherine there's no guarantee that it'd be utilized as readily or used as an economic weapon. It's certainly possible, but we know she'd be focused on a lot of conquests and court intrigue. We need to be looking to the west, not the south or east. Nobles and clergy have their power tied up in land, and would be less likely to seriously invest in steel production, especially if we're about to make it for cheap. I feel the more merchant minded Peter would better utilize it.
Plus the text explicitly says sharing it with Peter, while with Catherine it's holding off to see what she'd give to us. Note more generous to us. That doesn't mean she'd grant other foundries a license to provide steel like Peter might. There is also the appeal of going more alt history if we can influence it.
This is also why I voted to bring in a tradesman into the circle. They would have immediately seized upon the implications of what we discovered.
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UNKNOWN01
Nobody knows me... I feel lonely!
- Location
- Nowhere
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] The cult should hand the steel process over to Peter III and see how the university is rewarded for its efforts. More than any reward, though, the emperor's aims are in line with what the cult believes will allow Russia to prosper.
I'm not particularly knowledgeable about this era, but so far, I think that I will go with Peter for the moment.
I'm not particularly knowledgeable about this era, but so far, I think that I will go with Peter for the moment.
- Location
- SF Bay Area
[X] The cult will hold out for the possibility of a palace coup by Catherine. Her views are more in line with her predecessors and favor a more traditional expansion of the empire. It is likely that she will be more generous than her husband as well.
Given Russian History, and the character of Peter... this is a no-brainer
Given Russian History, and the character of Peter... this is a no-brainer
Amused Bystander
Herald of 'She who Umu's' Be Brave!
- Location
- Philippines
[X] The cult will hold out for the possibility of a palace coup by Catherine. Her views are more in line with her predecessors and favor a more traditional expansion of the empire. It is likely that she will be more generous than her husband as well.