It will be some time (estimated to be about 2 years) before the shipyards are restored to full functionality, but already the signs are good. In 4 (now 3) turns, "Orbital Damage" status will be removed, and 1 Military Shipyard will be completed in orbit of Moskva.
Roll: 107! (88+8+11) - Critical Success! Result: Even more impressive on the Exchequer's part is the sudden and rapid development of the Letom System. Initial reports from Dame Egonova's experts implied that, all things going well, the planned expansion of the Letom System's extraction infrastructure would take at least a year to reach completion. Egonova and the engineers managed it in less than six months, using a combination of generous subsidies and directly-funded construction. +1000 to base income. +1 Extraction districts on Kyiv. +1 Orbital Extraction districts in the Letom system. +2 building slots in Kyiv (1 orbital, 1 land
Roll: 44 (25+13+6) - Failure (just barely) Result: The chaos of the Guard's failed putsch and the still-extant chaos of Moskva itself has made it difficult to sort fact from fiction. To his own intense chagrin, Colonel Lisitsyn - still smarting from the Okhrana's failure to anticipate the second Guard revolt - is forced to report his failure to you. Attempts to glean more information through the Okhrana have failed to produce tangible results.
[X] Major Tatiana Chernova - Find and Kill Comamndant-General Izhmorskaya
Costs: None Challenge: INT 50 challenge Roll: 66 (37+21) - Success Result: It is several weeks into the nail-biting crisis when you receive the first intelligence that Commandant-General Izhmorskaya was found dead in her field command post, victim of an apparent poisoning with a powerful nerve agent. The Guard's leadership is almost immediately thrown into disarray, with various units of the rogue army going their separate ways and the remaining core of officers engaging in a game of backstabbing even as your forces close in. Tatiana deserves a raise. +10 to attempts to deal with the Guard.
Roll: 13 (3+10) - Crit Fail Result: Commodore Chekhov is a Navy man, through and through. This was proven definitively when you made the unfortunate mistake of assigning him to the difficult task of clearing out the rubble choking Moskva's cities. Despite his own personal protests that he was the wrong person to handle this initiative, he genuinely did try his best - but his attempts to mobilize Army units for the task led to them resenting him. His further attempts to effectively conscript a number of large construction conglomerates led to a backlash in the Senate, with several prominent magnates submitting an angry petition to your office demanding his removal from the project. And in the end? Well, in the end, nothing got done, and the cities are just as choked with debris as they were at the start of the whole project. To his credit, Chekhov has accepted full responsibility for the bungling, even as a number of different groups are now clamoring for his head. Chekhov gains trait "Just a Spacer," giving him -2 STE and -5 to all planetary initiatives. -3 penalty to Love.
Results: With the death of General Izhmorskaya, the internal divisions within the Guard's ranks - Samaran versus provincial, officer versus enlisted, political versus opportunistic plunderer - reared their heads. It only took a few hours before the first violence began to break out, with Izhmorskaya's officers quickly resorting to open combat over leadership. As a result, you proved able to squeak through a ceasefire, followed by something approaching a surrender from the largest remaining contingent once you promised to refrain from any summary punishments. Once the main contingent laid down their arms, other capitulations began to trickle in; soon, what had once been a rampaging rogue army became a dwindling collection of isolated bandit companies… and the noose is tightening.
Results: Though most lords of the Empire would've been happy with simply summarily executing these rebel generals, your insistence on public trials - in a continuation of your policy vis a vis Ivan - has done you credit among the more legalistically-inclined of your vassals. Even as your regime's judges dutifully return the customary death sentences for treason, you have begun to gain a reputation for fair legal treatment among your citizens and your neighbors. Gain Fear +3, Love +2, and trait "The Judge" - +3 STE, +10 to judicial initiatives. The Guard has been disbanded and neutralized as a political and military force, even if stragglers are still scattered across Samara raiding and plundering.
You receive a missive from the Diplomatic Ministry - Galactic-scale conflict might soon come to the Empire once again. Though far away from your region of the Orion Arm, it has come to your attention that Houses Falkenhafen and Sakir have allied (at least temporarily) against the power of the Cult, and thus against the Imperial order. They cite the increasing interference of the Cult in internal Great House affairs, and the increasing grind of the Cult tithes on their treasuries. This is hardly a new development; revolts against the Cult and its dominance over Imperial affairs happen once every few decades or so, and in most cases are an example of a particular clan attempting to squeeze concessions of some kind out of the Imperial government, and rarely are they ever committed attempts to overthrow the Imperial order. Already House Maryam has declared its intentions to defend the Cult and the Emperor's prerogatives, though no other houses have broken one way or another. If the conflict remains local, it could mean only minor trade disruptions and price fluctuations; but if it expands, drawing in the other families, it could be a major disruption indeed.
The Goryemkin have since developed an intense and often-violent rivalry with House Yusopov, their fellow vassals. It is in part a leftover of the bitter rivalry with the Yusopovs' predecessors in House Petrov, and in part due to their fundamental disagreements as the two most powerful vassals of House Rurikovich. When their political sniping and intrigues fail, the two have often come to blows - and when a weak Rurikovich sits the Emerald Throne, those blows can be immensely destructive.
Yeah, just checked and I... think we have Duke Yusapov as our Diplomatic Advisor. So we probably do not want to pick his son. Which leaves the person with foreign political concerns. Fun. We'll definitely want to reach out a bit to the Goryemkin however as I don't think we've done anything to make nice with them.
Also @inquisition Just want to know if you'd updated the Information Sheets with the results of Turn 3? Because for example, I was just looking through them and saw that the Preobrazhensky Guard was listed under the Demesne Military tab. And whilst you are at that if you haven't, maybe add in Turn 4? XD
Also because I didn't say this before, very happy to see this update! Hoping you can manage a more frequent update pace soon, but no pressure as I'm just happy it's still active.
Turn 5 Early 2675 Shahzad The first skirmishes of the Falkenhafen-Sakir revolt ended in bloody stalemates. One side has yet to gain an advantage in the conflict.
Social Report
Love: 2(1) (3-3+2)
Fear: 8(1) (5+3)
Fame: 49
See a detailed report HERE.
Report on Finances
Current Reserves: 19,477 (24,477 if Felix is chosen)
Income per Turn: 99,302
See a detailed report HERE.
From the Ministry of State (DIPLOMACY)
Choose ONE:
[ ] Wedding Bells - Most Eligible Bachelorette: It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a lord in possession of a good demesne, must be in want of a spouse. Whatever your personal feelings on the matter, there are dynastic and political concerns. You yourself have Massarde blood from your maternal grandmother Jacqueline, and the temporary alliance this secured proved vital for your grandfather and your mothers' reigns. Lord Pyotr will scour the width and breadth of the Empire for eligible bachelors.
Cost: 5,000 dinars
Difficulty: DIP difficulty 35
Time: 1 turns
Reward: A list of potential marriage candidates for your perusal, potential Fame increase
[ ] Trade Agreements - House Al-Mufti: Trade already exists between Houses Rurikovich and Al-Mufti, though with your regime recognized and accepted by your neighbor, we can attempt to expand trade agreements with the lords and corporate forces of Al-Mufti territory.
Cost: 10,000 dinars
Difficulty: DIP difficulty 45
Time: 1 turns
Reward: An increase to trade income from House Al-Mufti.
[ ] Trade Agreements - House Massarde (II): Trade already exists between Houses Rurikovich and Massarde, though with your regime recognized and accepted by your neighbor, we can attempt to expand trade agreements with the lords and corporate forces of Al-Mufti territory.
Cost: 10,000 dinars
Difficulty: DIP difficulty 50
Time: 1 turns
Reward: An increase to trade income from House Massarde.
[ ] Embassy Matters - House Al-Mufti: Establishing a more secure political presence on Damascus would improve our relations with House Al-Mufti immensely and open further options when dealing with the House.
Cost: 10,000 dinars; embassy upkeep of 500 dinars/turn
Difficulty: DIP difficulty 40
Time: 1 turns
Reward: An increase to relations with House Al-Mufti; new options
[ ] Embassy Matters - House Massarde: Establishing a more secure political presence on Seine would improve our relations with House Massarde immensely and open further options when dealing with the House.
Cost: 10,000 dinars; embassy upkeep of 500 dinars/turn
Difficulty: DIP difficulty 40
Time: 1 turns
Reward: An increase to relations with House Massarde; new options
[ ] Shaking Hands - Other House: With relations reestablished with your immediate neighbors and with the Cult, the next step would be reaching out to the wider Empire. Some may reach out to us of their own accord, but if there is a House we would like to interact more with, we can reach out first.
Cost: None
Difficulty: DIP difficulty 25
Time: 1 turns
Reward: Diplomatic relations opened with the specified House, potential Fame increase
[ ] Write-In:
From the Ministry of War (MARTIAL)
Ongoing:
[3] Repairing Fleet Manufacturing - Traditional Methods: The destruction of Moskva's orbital shipbuilding during the battle was an unfortunate necessity - and now you have to deal with the aftermath. The best way to do it, while it is much more expensive, is to simply build new shipyards - the old ones were damaged far beyond repair.
Cost: 50,000 dinars (5,000 dinars per turn while building)
Difficulty: MAR difficulty 45
Time: 4 turns
Reward: Orbital shipbuilding infrastructure will be repaired, allowing for the removal of the Orbital Damage status; +1 to Military Shipyard in Moskva
Choose ONE:
[ ] Modernization - R&D: It might be possible to use this disastrous loss of ships as an opportunity to modernize. The Ministry of War can draft a few options. Specify the class of ship you'd like to plan out. (Dreadnought, Battleship, Battlecruiser, Heavy Cruiser, Light Cruiser, Torpedo Destroyer, Frigate, Cutter)
Cost: 5,000 dinars
Difficulty: MAR difficulty 40
Time: 1 turn
Reward: A list of potential designs for your perusal
[ ] Repairing Fleet Manufacturing - Seizing the Means of Production: The destruction of Moskva's orbital shipbuilding during the battle was an unfortunate necessity - and now you have to deal with the aftermath. You will, instead of pouring valuable cash into building new shipyards, seize and convert civilian facilities. It might be far less popular, but it will be far cheaper and notably quicker.
Cost: 35,000 dinars
Difficulty: MAR difficulty 40
Time: 2 turns
Reward: Orbital infrastructure will be seized from the private sector, much quicker than rebuilding it yourself - allowing for the removal of the Orbital Damage status; +1 to Military Shipyard in Moskva; Love penalty; Ongoing -1000 to income for economic costs
[ ] The Armies of Rurik - Rank and File: The casualties from the brief civil war have been high. Recruitment and training are necessary to replace the heavy losses suffered during the battle.
Cost: Variable
Difficulty: MAR difficulty 45
Time: 2 turns (Repeatable)
Reward: 1-3 legions of your choice (please specify); potential Personal Combat-specialization or Command-specialization Hero Unit recruited
[ ] Recruitment: Spend a variable amount of dinars to construct a specific number of legions. Costs and upkeep are below.
Cost: Variable
Difficulty: MAR difficulty 20
Time: Variable
Reward: Variable
[ ] Write-In:
From the Ministry of the Exchequer (STEWARDSHIP)
Choose ONE:
[ ] Fighting Corruption - Top-Down Audits: The biggest task that Egonova expects you to complete is to fight corruption in the Moskva government and bureaucracy. That's not to say she's requesting this out of the goodness of her heart - she likely expects her own corruption to be ignored - but it will still have a positive outcome. At the moment, the priority in this task will be to conduct a massive audit of the whole government to determine just how bad it is, starting with the Exchequer itself.
Cost: 10,000 dinars
Difficulty: STE difficulty 40
Time: 2 turns
Reward: You have an understanding of how bad the corruption in Moskva has become. Additional options.
[ ] Fund Construction: Spend a variable amount of dinars to construct a specific facility, on land or in space. See the Demesne Screen's "Summary of Installations" for more information.
Cost: Variable
Difficulty: STE difficulty 20
Time: Variable
Reward: Variable
[ ] The Butcher's Bill - Rubble: Posadka was hardest-hit during the short sharp shock of a coup, but other cities across Moskva have suffered severe infrastructural damage. At the very least, it is necessary to remove some of the worst of the rubble in preparation for repairs and improvements.
Cost: 10,000 dinars
Difficulty: STE difficulty 40
Time: 1 turns
Reward: Small increase to Love, +2 building slots on Moskva, open other STE actions
[ ] Write-In:
From the Okhrana (INTRIGUE)
Choose ONE:
[ ] Chistka - Purge the Administration (Paranoid): Someone dropped the ball somewhere. What was supposed to be a simple investigation has spiraled off into an open uprising by the Guard. Does this mean we have traitors in the administration itself?
Cost: 10,000 Dinars
Difficulty: INT difficulty 60
Time: 1 turns
Reward: Major increase to Fear, penalty to Love, the Administration's loyalties are assured for now
[ ] Chistka - Purge the Military (Paranoid): The Guard isn't the only threat. There are traitors in the ranks of the Army too - and this cannot be tolerated. Unleash the Okhrana's military police sections to scour the ranks and liquidate ay traitors.
Cost: 30,000 Dinars
Difficulty: INT difficulty 60
Time: 1 turns
Reward: Major increase to Fear, penalty to Love, the military's loyalties are assured for now
[ ] Chistka - Purge the Senate: While the Senate sided with you for the most part, a number of high-profile members were part of the original conspiracy. Investigations here will be far more difficult, as Senators (both Lords and Commons) are granted special powers and privileges that mean your agents will have to tread carefully.
Cost: 20,000 dinars
Difficulty: INT difficulty 60
Time: 1 turns
Reward: Increase to Fear, the Senate's loyalty is assured for now, at least -2 to PR with Dame Egonova
Intelligence Post Actions
Note: These actions can be taken in any fief with a functional Intelligence Post.
[ ] Infiltration: Information is power. Agents of the Intelligence Post will attempt to glean political, economic, and military information on the current rulers of the fief in question. Requires at least a Listening Post in the system.
Cost: 1,500 dinars
Difficulty: INT difficulty 45
Time: 1 turns
Reward: Receive a report on the current situation in the fief in question. This will include military, political, and economic. May open up other INT options.
[ ] Recruitment: Recruit another Intelligence Post, a Hit Squad, or a Listening Post in the fief in question.
Cost: Variable
Difficulty: INT difficulty 35
Time: 1 turns
Reward: An Intelligence Post, a Hit Squad, or a Listening Post as specified
[ ] Sabotage: Agents from the Intelligence Post will attempt to wreak destruction upon a specified industry or location in the fief in question. Specify Political, Economic, or Military.
Cost: 5,000 dinars
Difficulty: INT difficulty 55
Time: 1 turns
Reward: A part of the victim's infrastructure is damaged or destroyed. The effect this has depends on the situation.
Hit Squad Actions
Note: These actions can be taken in any fief with a functional Hit Squad.
[ ] Abduct: The Hit Squad will be "spent" to capture an individual alive and bring them back to friendly territory. The difficulty of this action will be modified by the extent of Infiltration in a fief, the number of Intelligence Posts, and the status of the person in question.
Cost: 5,000 dinars, 1 Hit Squad
Difficulty: INT difficulty 65 (with modifiers based on the individual)
Time: 1 turns
Reward: Person in question is abducted. Potential increase to Fear.
[ ] Assassinate: The Hit Squad will be "spent" to neutralize an individual with lethal force.
Cost: 5,000 dinars, 1 Hit Squad
Difficulty: INT difficulty 65 (with modifiers based on the individual)
Time: 1 turns
Reward: Person in question is killed. Potential increase to Fear.
[ ] Transfer: Move a specified Hit Squad to another location in the galaxy. The location must have either an Intelligence Post or a Listening Post.
Cost: None
Difficulty: INT Difficulty 0
Time: 1 turns
Reward: Hit Squad is transferred to the specified location.
[ ] Write-In:
From the Ministry for Sciences (LEARNING)
Choose ONE:
[ ] Distant Stars - Rediscovering the Periphery: The Rurikovich have always relied on the Periphery for many things, and with the conflicts in the Core heating up, perhaps it is time to leverage that. The Ministry will send out diplomatic and exploration ships to locate old allies and adversaries.
Cost: 5,000 dinars
Difficulty: LEA difficulty 50
Time: 1 turns
Reward: Possible new opportunities regarding Periphery planets and entities. Potential small Fame increase.
[ ] Research - Military: The military will always need new designs and technologies to stay afloat in this era of constant warfare. Task the Ministry for the Sciences with finding new avenues to pursue.
Cost: 10,000 dinars
Difficulty: LEA difficulty 40
Time: 1 turns
Reward: Research options are provided for the military.
[ ] Research - Civilian: As with the military, the civilian sector is always in need of new research options. This Action will open up new avenues to pursue in this vein.
Cost: 10,000 dinars
Difficulty: LEA difficulty 40
Time: 1 turns
Reward: Research options are provided for the civilian sector.
[ ] Slipstream Research - Nasarov's Folly: Your Lord Minister for the Sciences has made it the purpose of his later life to study and uncover the secrets of the enigmatic Slipstreams that make travel across the galaxy and the existence of the Empire feasible. Greater minds than him have tried to understand them, of course, but who knows? Perhaps the answer lies out in the Periphery,.
Cost: 25,000 dinars
Difficulty: LEA difficulty 60
Time: 2 turns
Reward: ?
[ ] Khrabrost III - Dig Deeper (II): Discovering the secrets of this enigmatic Vault is of paramount importance. Lord Nasarov is practically beside himself, and has taken this discovery to be a confirmation of his long-held beliefs: that humanity is not the only, or even the oldest, interstellar intelligent race. Whether he is right or not, the Vault is certainly interesting.
Cost: 5,000 dinars
Difficulty: LEA difficulty 60
Time: 1 turns
Reward: ?
[ ] Khrabrost III - Three Sisters: A trio of Periphery star systems - Sopron, Nimfa, and Arrowhead - have been marked by a barely-deciphered starmap recovered from the Khrabrost Vault. It is notable that all three have long and often detailed records of "ghost stories," even if the Ministry of the Sciences and the Imperial Astronavigation Bureau (IAB) are skeptical of most claims. Though the Ministry has just enough time and personnel to pursue one of the so-called "Khrabrost Sisters" at a time, it is out of Minister Nasarov's financial and equipment capabilities to pursue all three. Please choose ONE:
- [ ] Sopron is the only inhabited star system, with Imperial records noting it as being discovered in 1727 Shahzad, and its first permanent settlement on the primary terrestrial - Sopron IV - was incorporated in 1992. Sopron IV has never been more than a backwater, its population primarily consisting of wolframite miners and tungsten refinery workers, as well as their families. Sopron IV has an eerie reputation, with the mines themselves reportedly home to "ghostly beings" found in the deepest reaches of the mines - and miners are known to disappear without a trace if they delve into the depths alone.
- [ ] Nimfa is a red dwarf system with no inhabited planets or space stations outside of the occasional temporary mining concern. It is the most recent discovery, first mapped by Aristarkhov explorers in 2621 Shahzad. However, its sixth body - a superjovian known colloquially (and sacrilegiously) as "Primus's Left Nut" or just "The Nut" - has several unusual properties. Most prominently, it has a much greater mass than a gas giant of its size and type should, and its magnetosphere is stronger than most other superjovians - an impediment that, up until this point, made it much too inconvenient to survey in much detail. Perhaps this was deliberate on the part of the mysterious progenitors...?
- [ ] Arrowhead was named for the unusual rock formation on its scorching innermost terrestrial, the eponymous Arrowhead Peak - a chevron of basalt rising two hundred meters into the air. Though by all accounts it appears natural, with scans revealing a tectonic fault beneath the rocky surface that could plausibly have created the anomaly, its unusual conformation has caught on with superstitious Periphery miners, leading to legends of lost ships and ghostly IFF signatures in and around the orbit of Arrowhead I.
Cost: 5,000 dinars
Difficulty: LEA difficulty 50
Time: 1 turns
Reward: ?
[ ] Write-In:
From the Grand Bishopric of Moskva (PIETY)
Choose ONE:
[ ] Bioticist Heresy - Who are the Bioticists?: The Temple of the Immortal Cell, more commonly known as the Bioticists, are a new but rapidly-growing religion in the Periphery who, from what you understand, worship life itself and reject the divinity (and the existence) of the Primus. Grand Bishop Panin has asked you if it might be possible to send representatives to Mikhail and Norilsk, where they have established large congregations, to further understand this new threat to the hegemony of the Cult.
Cost: 1,000 dinars
Difficulty: PIE difficulty 50
Time: 1 turn
Reward: Information on the Bioticist Cult and its members; other options.
[ ] The Augurs - Request Funding: Now that you've achieved basic diplomatic relations with the Cult's leadership council, you have a number of new options available for your perusal. With enough persuasion, you might be able to convince the Cult to open its coffers and provide House Rurikovich with some funding - but you should be careful to use at least some of the money to invest in religious affairs.
Cost: None
Difficulty: PIE difficulty 40
Time: 1 turn
Reward: Gain at least 50,000 dinars, more for a critical success; -2 to relations with the Cult, with the risk of more if it is not spent on religious initiatives.
[ ] The Augurs - Request New Staff: Now that you've achieved basic diplomatic relations with the Cult's leadership council, you have a number of new options available for your perusal. With these relations, you have the opportunity to request staffing support from the Cult, either on an individual level and on a bureaucratic level.
Cost: 10,000 denars
Difficulty: PIE difficulty 50
Time: 1 turn
Reward: Gain a new religious-focused Hero Unit. With a critical success, +1 Piety initiative available per turn.
[ ] The Augurs - Pilgrimage to Windhoek: Now that you've achieved basic diplomatic relations with the Cult's leadership council, you have a number of new options available for your perusal. In this case, you can make a pilgrimage to Windhoek, the ancient holy city where Solomon Buthelezi penned the First Codex. It is a tradition for the devout, and one that could improve your relations with the various religious authorities of the Empire.
Cost: 5,000 denars
Difficulty: PIE difficulty 50
Time: 1 turn
Reward: Bonus to relations with the Cult. Potential increase to Piety. Potential increase in PR with Bishop Panin.
[ ] Write-In:
Personal Actions
Choose ONE:
[ ] Supervise a Ministry: Choose one Ministry this turn and apply your full stat to the roll instead of half.
Cost: None
Difficulty: None
Time: 1 turn
Reward: A much better chance at success.
[ ] Change Focus: Your Focus is currently set to Stewardship. You can spend some time shifting your priorities elsewhere. NOTE: This personal action cannot be selected for five turns once taken.
Cost: A few sleepless nights of studying (but what else is new?)
Difficulty: None
Time: 1 turn
Reward: Lose your current Focus trait and replace it with the one specified.
[4] Go Recruiting: The Empire is a vast place, and you are always in need of talented individuals to assist you in your bid to… well, you don't know yet. Choose one of the six stats, and depending on the roll you will receive a Hero Unit. The specialization will be random. NOTE: This personal action cannot be taken for five turns once successful.
Cost: Variable
Difficulty: 40 difficulty in specified stat
Time: 1 turn
Reward: A random Hero Unit specializing in the stat indicated
[ ] Secrets of the Tsarina: Clearly something was going on behind the scenes. Ivan may have been a greedy, treasonous, conniving little shit, but he was a puppet of someone your mother expected to be an enemy. She made some cryptic remarks in that vein before she died - perhaps there is something else going on. NOTE: Successfully completing "The Trial of Ivan Rurikovich" will lower the difficulty of this Action.
Cost: 1,500
Difficulty: LEA difficulty 50
Time: 1 turn
Reward: ?
[ ] Improve Relations: More than anyone else, you rely on the members of your court and your advisors to provide good advice. If they are unhappy, you might have problems down the line. Spend some time improving your relationship with one character in your demesne.
Cost: Variable
Difficulty: DIP difficulty 40
Time: 1 turn
Reward: +3 or more to PR with the selected character.
[ ] The Augurs - Replace Panin: Now that you've achieved basic diplomatic relations with the Cult's leadership council, you have a number of new options available for your perusal. With this comes the opportunity, should you so choose, to petition for a replacement of your Grand Bishop. This is a power reserved exclusively for the Cult's leadership, but with the right incentive, the Cult has been known to "accept recommendations." Of course, there is no guarantee that the Augurs will be willing to listen - Panin has a powerbase of his own, and even in a best-case scenario, you have no control over his successor's appointment. Tread carefully.
Cost: Variable (10,000 base, +5000 to lower the difficulty by 10)
Difficulty: PIE difficulty 80 (Can be lowered to a minimum of 30)
Time: 1 turn
Reward: Panin is removed. Large penalty to PR with Panin. A successor will be appointed by the Cult. You can make a recommendation, but there is no guarantee that they will be appointed.
[ ] Write-In:
Hero Actions
[ ] Major Tatiana Chernova - Write-In
[ ] Commodore Pyotr Chekhov - Write-In
[ ] Colonel Daria Varyanova - Write-In
Decisions
Recruitment
Your attempts to gain a diplomatic advisor have borne some fruit, with the choices down to two promising candidates: Felix Yusopov and Baselios Metaxas. Both have benefits and drawbacks, but you will only be able to choose one.
Personal Combat Skill: 6 (6) Attraction Opinion: 15 (9+5+1)
Relationship: 5(1)
Bio: Felix Yusopov is the son and heir of your Minister for State, Duke Pyotr Yusopov. You have known him to one degree or another since you were both children, as he was a common guest at your mother's court, but you and he were never truly close friends in the same way Tatiana is. His father, having learned of your desire to hire a dedicated diplomat, has none-too-subtly been pushing Felix - as both a diplomatic advisor and, rather awkwardly, as a potential marriage candidate. Accepting him would come at no monetary cost, but politically it will tie you ever closer to House Yusopov, and possibly give the Duke the wrong idea.
Traits:
Attractive: Felix has the traditional dashing good looks of a Yusopov scion and the charming personality to match. He has attracted the attentions of men and women, and often returns them - he has a reputation as a fantastic lover, and while he is no fighter, sometimes charming the right person is more important than the most glorious battlefield victory. (+2 Diplomacy, +5 Attraction Opinion)
Hedonist: Felix has an unfortunate addiction to the "finer" things in life. While this might make him slightly fun to be around at parties, it is also expensive - and he might eventually run the risk of becoming too inebriated at the wrong time, or taking the wrong courtier to bed. (+1 Diplomacy, +1 Attraction Opinion, -2 Stewardship)
Kind: Felix is a genuinely amicable and pleasant fellow, rarely with a mean word to say to another and always willing to offer a shoulder to cry on. It may leave him vulnerable to the machinations of a more underhanded individual, and gives him a distaste for the skullduggery that often characterizes the nobility, but damned if he isn't likable for it. (+2 Diplomacy, -2 Intrigue)
Subject of the Rurikovich: +2 to Martial and Intrigue, -2 to Diplomacy and Stewardship
Personal Combat Skill: 4 (4) Attraction Opinion: 15 (12+3)
Relationship: 5(0) - Acquaintance
Bio: Baselios Metaxas is a trained diplomat of no small reputation, having spent all of his career playing the games of the Great Houses on Terra and in the salons and courts of the galaxy's palaces. He was most recently a Metaxas attaché to the Court of House Armitage, though the most recent election of a new Archon on Olympus has left him out in the political cold. He has thus offered his services to you for a commission of 5,000 dinars, no small sum for a single man, and his motives and ultimate goals may be suspect - but he has experience, connections, and a positive reputation diplomatically. Is he worth the risk… and the cost?
Traits:
Agnostic: -3 Piety
Court Veteran: +2 Diplomacy, +1 Intrigue
Gregarious: +3 to Diplomacy, +3 to Attraction Opinion
Subject of the Metaxas: +2 to diplomacy and learning, -2 to martial and stewardship
Worldly: +2 Learning, +3 Diplomacy
The Revolt of 2674
The early months of the Falkenhafen-Sakir rebellion are inconclusive. Several border skirmishes - resulting in high casualties - have been recorded, but neither side has a particular quantitative advantage over the other. Though the Falkenhafen are known galaxywide for their powerful war machine, they are hampered by political fragility - and the Cult's forces are by no means insubstantial, bolstered as they are by the wealth and manpower of the Sol System. As it is unlikely that the conflict will be fought to an existential conclusion for either side, there is no clear frontrunner just yet. How should House Rurikovich respond?
[ ] Pursue a policy of non-intervention and make no public comment..
- [ ] Make no attempts to embed any agents into any combatant. This is not our business.
- [ ] Attempt to infiltrate one of the combatants. (Will establish Listening Post in the Iserlohn, Aten, Cepheus, OR Stark systems; costs are 2,000 dinars. Requires INT check of 60.)
– [ ] Iserlohn System (House Falkenhafen)
– [ ] Aten System (House Sakir)
– [ ] Cepheus System (House Maryam)
– [ ] Stark System (Imperial Cult)
[ ] Denounce the rebels, offering support to the Emperor and the Cult.
- [ ] Keep your response purely diplomatic - send a diplomat to Winter Throne to monitor the situation. (Requires DIP check of 45.)
- [ ] Send clandestine support to the Cult and House Maryam as well as sending a covert representative. (Cost: 20,000 denars, requires INT check of 50.)
- [ ] Send open material support to the Cult and House Maryam, making them happy but likely putting you on the Sakirs' and the Falkenhafens' shitlists for a long time. (Cost: 30,000 denars, requires DIP check of 45.)
- [ ] Declare your intent to openly commit Rurikovich forces to the defeat and destruction of the rebels. (Costs and checks will be determined after the declaration of intervention.)
– [ ] Optional: Designate a Hero Unit to oversee the campaign.
– [ ] Optional: Declare that you will lead Rurikovich forces personally.
[ ] Support the rebels in their goal.
- [ ] Keep your response purely diplomatic - send a diplomat to Brandenburg to monitor the situation. (Requires DIP check of 45.)
- [ ] Send clandestine support to Houses Falkenhafen and Sakir as well as sending a covert representative. (Cost: 20,000 denars, requires INT check of 50.)
- [ ] Send open material support to the rebel houses, gaining their support and friendship but likely wrecking your relationship with the Cult and thus the Emperor. (Cost: 30,000 denars, requires DIP check of 45.)
- [ ] Declare your intent to openly commit Rurikovich forces to the revolt. (Costs and checks will be determined after the declaration of intervention.)
– [ ] Optional: Designate a Hero Unit to oversee the campaign.
– [ ] Optional: Declare that you will lead Rurikovich forces personally.
[ ] Other?
___
There will be a moratorium on voting for 24 hours. Feel free to discuss in the meantime.
The biggest questions this turn are who to take as our Diplo advisor and what to do regarding the Revolt, if anything.
Picking Felix as our advisor is cheaper and we have better relationship with him, but it also ties us closer to one of two rivalry houses, and Baselios has better diplo stat.
The biggest questions this turn are who to take as our Diplo advisor and what to do regarding the Revolt, if anything.
Picking Felix as our advisor is cheaper and we have better relationship with him, but it also ties us closer to one of two rivalry houses, and Baselios has better diplo stat.
Honestly, I'm going to vote for Baselios I think just because I want to avoid provoking the other house more than them being the outsiders of our inner circle already does. Especially because they still have living memory of the last time they tried to revolt and thus aren't too happy with us. The fact that we've been pretty bloodied between the Coup and the Putsch thus leaving us weaker than normal is making me worried about their relative quiet so far.
My big questions are which of the Sisters do we want to explore first, and between the Corruption Check and Rebuilding, which one do we have the Admin department manage and do we assign a Hero to do the other? Because we want to get the Rebuilding over and done with, but purging the serious corruption issue we have is what we used to get support to defeat our brother's coup so easily. So we need to get started on that ASAP now that we're no longer in 'catch as many hot potatoes as possible' mode.
I also want to retry Infiltrating Moskva system for more information, but then there's not much else I'm willing to do in Intrigue right now... We probably want to do some of the purges eventually, but first we need more information. After all, nailing someone we want gone because they're disloyal during a corruption purge is less likely to have people nervous about us than if we nail them using a Secret Police Loyalty Purge. It also doesn't go against the 'follows the law and is just' impression we've been giving.
My big questions are which of the Sisters do we want to explore first, and between the Corruption Check and Rebuilding, which one do we have the Admin department manage and do we assign a Hero to do the other? Because we want to get the Rebuilding over and done with, but purging the serious corruption issue we have is what we used to get support to defeat our brother's coup so easily. So we need to get started on that ASAP now that we're no longer in 'catch as many hot potatoes as possible' mode.
I also want to retry Infiltrating Moskva system for more information, but then there's not much else I'm willing to do in Intrigue right now... We probably want to do some of the purges eventually, but first we need more information. After all, nailing someone we want gone because they're disloyal during a corruption purge is less likely to have people nervous about us than if we nail them using a Secret Police Loyalty Purge. It also doesn't go against the 'follows the law and is just' impression we've been giving.
I'm of the opinion we finish The Butcher's Bill - Rubble as admin action, maybe even put our personal action there to ensure it gets done, and either start tackling corruption next turn, or assign Tatiana to that. She has only 7 STE, but that is still something when the DC is 40. We could also put Daria Varyanova to do that (STE 11) but she could also continue modernizing our fleet, and with trying to infiltrate Moskva again being our only real INT option this turn, Tatiana doesn't really have anything to do.
@inquisition
You haven't updated Daria Varyanova's stats. With her 'Shipwright' -she should have STE of 11, not 9.
Honestly, I'm going to vote for Baselios I think just because I want to avoid provoking the other house more than them being the outsiders of our inner circle already does. Especially because they still have living memory of the last time they tried to revolt and thus aren't too happy with us. The fact that we've been pretty bloodied between the Coup and the Putsch thus leaving us weaker than normal is making me worried about their relative quiet so far.
At your questioning look, Kiril chuckles mirthlessly. "The Duke Vasily Goryemkin's fleet," he explains, gesturing to the tactical display. "Bidding us a not-so-subtle good-bye."
"They're doing nothing?"
"And that is a statement in itself, Ladyship. They're waiting to see who will win the conflict, but they've shown that they disapprove of young Ivan's actions."
"Not that I'm complaining, but I am surprised. They could, if not defeat us, then damage us to the point where our plan will fail. And if we do fail, then Ivan may not be happy with them."
Kiril scratches his thin beard. "Perhaps, Your Ladyship. But no matter what, the winner of this fight will be weaker for it - and that means the Duke will face little consequences from the Throne." He smirks. "Or, in as many words…"
"They're only too happy to pit us against each other," you finish bitterly.
It is going to be a balancing act, yes, and we'll likely have to throw the Goryemkins a bone -- likely by supporting the Imperial Cult in the upcoming conflict -- but they have made their statement, and it might be the time to make ours.
...that, and I very much dislike "uncertain loyalties" in a diplomat. Only a spymaster could be worse in terms of potential harm it can bring.
Just caught up with this quest, real intresting world.
So, taking a look here, given all the constant revolts and infighting and the new explosive situation with the wider empire, I think it might be prudent to actually figure who these enemies the MC's mother was talking about our, especially given the lengths to which she went to hide her evidence.. It's probably prudent to actually take the Secrets of the Tsarina action to actually figure out what going on there. Probably shouldn't be put off forever, atleast.
Also, given our mandate has been to reduce corruption in the majority of our states branches lest we make enemies of the people who put us in power, it might be worthwhile too actually start assessing what we're even dealing to unlock the actions to start cracking at that problem here given we're about a quarter of the way through the deadline.
Also, given our mandate has been to reduce corruption in the majority of our states branches lest we make enemies of the people who put us in power, it might be worthwhile too actually start assessing what we're even dealing to unlock the actions to start cracking at that problem here given we're about a quarter of the way through the deadline.
[X]Plan Corruption Check
-[X] Trade Agreements - House Massarde (II): Trade already exists between Houses Rurikovich and Massarde, though with your regime recognized and accepted by your neighbor, we can attempt to expand trade agreements with the lords and corporate forces of Al-Mufti territory.
-[X] Modernization - R&D: It might be possible to use this disastrous loss of ships as an opportunity to modernize. The Ministry of War can draft a few options. Specify the class of ship you'd like to plan out. (Dreadnought, Battleship, Battlecruiser, Heavy Cruiser, Light Cruiser, Torpedo Destroyer, Frigate, Cutter)
--[X]Torpedo Destroyer
-[X] Fighting Corruption - Top-Down Audits: The biggest task that Egonova expects you to complete is to fight corruption in the Moskva government and bureaucracy. That's not to say she's requesting this out of the goodness of her heart - she likely expects her own corruption to be ignored - but it will still have a positive outcome. At the moment, the priority in this task will be to conduct a massive audit of the whole government to determine just how bad it is, starting with the Exchequer itself.
-[X] Infiltration: : Information is power. Agents of the Intelligence Post will attempt to glean political, economic, and military information on the current rulers of the fief in question. Requires at least a Listening Post in the system.
--[X] Moskva
-[X] Khrabrost III - Three Sisters: A trio of Periphery star systems - Sopron, Nimfa, and Arrowhead - have been marked by a barely-deciphered starmap recovered from the Khrabrost Vault. It is notable that all three have long and often detailed records of "ghost stories," even if the Ministry of the Sciences and the Imperial Astronavigation Bureau (IAB) are skeptical of most claims. Though the Ministry has just enough time and personnel to pursue one of the so-called "Khrabrost Sisters" at a time, it is out of Minister Nasarov's financial and equipment capabilities to pursue all three. Please choose ONE:
--[X] Nimfa is a red dwarf system with no inhabited planets or space stations outside of the occasional temporary mining concern. It is the most recent discovery, first mapped by Aristarkhov explorers in 2621 Shahzad. However, its sixth body - a superjovian known colloquially (and sacrilegiously) as "Primus's Left Nut" or just "The Nut" - has several unusual properties. Most prominently, it has a much greater mass than a gas giant of its size and type should, and its magnetosphere is stronger than most other superjovians - an impediment that, up until this point, made it much too inconvenient to survey in much detail. Perhaps this was deliberate on the part of the mysterious progenitors...?
-[X] The Augurs - Request New Staff: Now that you've achieved basic diplomatic relations with the Cult's leadership council, you have a number of new options available for your perusal. With these relations, you have the opportunity to request staffing support from the Cult, either on an individual level and on a bureaucratic level.
-[X] Supervise a Ministry: Choose one Ministry this turn and apply your full stat to the roll instead of half.
--[X]Stewardship
-[X] Major Tatiana Chernova - Assist with Fighting Corruption - Top-Down Audits.
-[X] Commodore Pyotr Chekhov - Modernization - R&D: It might be possible to use this disastrous loss of ships as an opportunity to modernize. The Ministry of War can draft a few options. Specify the class of ship you'd like to plan out. (Dreadnought, Battleship, Battlecruiser, Heavy Cruiser, Light Cruiser, Torpedo Destroyer, Frigate, Cutter)
--[X]Light Cruiser
-[X] Colonel Daria Varyanova - The Butcher's Bill - Rubble: Posadka was hardest-hit during the short sharp shock of a coup, but other cities across Moskva have suffered severe infrastructural damage. At the very least, it is necessary to remove some of the worst of the rubble in preparation for repairs and improvements.
-[X] Baselios Metaxas
-[X] Denounce the rebels, offering support to the Emperor and the Cult.
--[X] Keep your response purely diplomatic - send a diplomat to Winter Throne to monitor the situation. (Requires DIP check of 45.)
Total Dinar Cost: 65K (if I'm counting correctly.)
Reasoning:
Trade with Massarde: Going for this because I'm more tempted by the idea of improving on what we've already got than starting something new with Al-Mufti. I can be persuaded to switch pretty easily.
Modernization: I would've liked to go for The Armies of Rurik, but we need more money first. Light Cruisers and Torpedo Destroyers because we seem more likely to use them than Dreadnoughts, Battleships and Cutters (what do Cutters even do?) and we've already Modernized Heavy Cruisers and Frigates.
Top-Down Audits: As was pointed out, we're a quarter of the way through our time-limit on this project and we haven't even started on the first part of it. Let's get on with this.
Infiltrating Moskva: Not really anything else for the Ohkrana to do right now, so let's try this again.
Nimfa: I suspect there's something in that Gas Giant, and I want to know what.
New Staff: More Actions are always helpful, and a Piety focused Hero would be even better right now.
Supervise Stewardship: I do not want to fail on Fighting Corruption.
Tatiana: I don't really know what to do with her right now, so I'm throwing her on Fighting Corruption to hopefully increase the chance that it succeeds.
Varyanova: Chekhov already failed dismally at Rubble, so let's give Varyanova a chance and hope she rolls better.
Baselios: He has better Diplomacy than Felix, and I don't want to give Duke Yusopov the wrong idea.
Denounce the Rebels (Pure Diplomacy): Seems like a safe way to get more favor with Panin and/or the Cult in general. Sakir is on the other side of Al-Mufti from us and Falkenhafen is on the other side of the Core from us, so I don't see them being able to retaliate against us if they wanted to, and frankly, I doubt they'd bother with anything serious anyway as long as we stay out of their way.
I won't vote for it due to it not including the uncovering secrets action which I think probably even has to do with the corruption but I'm glad people are in favor and I think it's a good plan over all.
[X] Plan: Digging to the Stars
-[X] Trade Agreements - House Al-Mufti
-[X] Modernization - R&D
--[X] Torpedo Destroyer
-[X] The Butcher's Bill - Rubble
-[X] Infiltration: : Information is power.
--[X] Moskva
-[X] Khrabrost III - Dig Deeper (II)
-[X] The Augurs - Request New Staff
-[X] Supervise a Ministry: Choose one Ministry this turn and apply your full stat to the roll instead of half.
--[X] Aid Major Tatiana Chernova with Fighting Corruption - Top-Down Audit
-[X] Major Tatiana Chernova
--[X] Fighting Corruption - Top-Down Audits
-[X] Commodore Pyotr Chekhov
--[X] Khrabrost III - Three Sisters: A trio of Periphery star systems
---[X] Nimfa
-[X] Colonel Daria Varyanova
--[X] Modernization - R&D
---[X] Light Cruiser
-[X] Felix Yusopov
-[X] Pursue a policy of non-intervention and make no public comment..
--[X] Make no attempts to embed any agents into any combatant. This is not our business.
Final Cost: 61 500 dinars
First, we did trade agreements with House Massarde last turn, so this turn we should do House Al-Mufti, since we need more money and we should treat both of them equally. In MAR continue the modernization, and get Daria Varyanova to do that as well, since she's especially good at that. Doing light cruiser and torpedo destroyer this turn. In STE, both The Butcher's Bill - Rubble and Fighting Corruption are very important, so putting the administration to do the Rubble, while we and Major Tatiana start fighting the corruption. This makes the bonus to Rubble +20, and to Corruption +26. We can start digging into Tsarina's secrets next turn, after we get that corruption checking ongoing. Also trying to infiltrate Moskva again to learn what is really going on, and in PIE trying to get that Piety hero again for more actions and bonuses.
In LEA, first, we should dig deeper Khabrost III, to get deeper into that vault. In the same vein, since Commodore Pyotr Chekhov has pretty good LEA and he is a spacer, sending him to check out one of the new star systems we found from there, starting with Nima. As for our new DIP-hero, I'm really not sure, but I think we should go with Felix Yusopov. He's more loyal and cheaper, and loyalty is something Tsarina Anastasia needs right now, especially with her Paranoid streak. And finally, what to do with the rebellion. We don't have the resources to send any material or monetary help (our current crises and distance give us at least a reason why we aren't doing anything substantial), but we should at least let our opinion out. It will at least make us look cool and earlier we do it the better we look. We could also stay quiet until/if it becomes more relevant to us, but I don't think the rebels have any chance of actually winning, supporting the Emperor and the Cult would be easy brownie points.
Edit.
Changed our reaction to revolt into staying out of it, for now. We're far away and busy with the aftermath of our own revolts, so we have a reason.
Okay, very important question we need answered: @inquisition Did we improve trade last turn with House Massarde or Al-Mufti? Because the vote and info-blurb for the action says Massarde, but the results themselves say Al-Mufti...
As for what we should do about the rebellion, right now I'm in favour of keeping quiet. Because I feel like this has the possibility of becoming 'The Big One' which will see a full blown civil war break out. Because the Cult has been extremely pushy lately, up to and including conquering House Sakir's homeworld. That has to have made the rest of the Great Houses rather nervous about them. And just who is currently fighting on both sides is very interesting.
For the Imperial Cult, we have House Maryam. This is absolutely no surprise because a lot of House Maryam is part of the Imperial Cult, and the elders are staying very close. Even if the younger, more pragmatic members of the House have started to wonder about things.
Meanwhile on the other side we have Houses Sakir and Falkenhafen. House Sakir is utterly pissed off at the Imperial Cult. If they've decided this is a good chance, then this war is likely to be more destructive than normal because they're going to do all they can to reclaim the Primus' Rest system from the Cult. An action which the Cult is very unlikely to allow happen, or let the war end with them still controlling it if House Sakir manages it. House Falkenhafen meanwhile is not who I would have expected to fight. Because they've got massive loyalty issues with their vassals, so either they're still dealing with that in which case they probably shouldn't have declared war on the Imperial Cult or allied with someone very likely to do so... Or they've managed to get all their vassals to follow them, in which case House Falkenhafen is going to be rather dangerous and also not wanting to let this war die out without them pulling off at least a symbolic victory to help anchor their vassals' new sense of loyalty with.
So I'm wanting to stay quiet this turn because we don't have our Intrigue heroes free. Next turn we're either going to find out a lot more about how serious this revolt is going to be, or it's still murky. In which case we'll want to infiltrate the Iserlohn System to find out how things are going on inside House Falkenhofen. That'll tell us how this war is likely to go.
Okay, very important question we need answered: @inquisition Did we improve trade last turn with House Massarde or Al-Mufti? Because the vote and info-blurb for the action says Massarde, but the results themselves say Al-Mufti...
Roll: 52 (37+5+10) - Success Result: A blitz of political and financial canvassing has proven effective in expanding your economic reach to the territory of House Al-Mufti. The Sultan, in your last meeting with him, appeared to be quite pleased with the idea, and the well-oiled efficiency of the Al-Mufti political classes means an increase in well-stocked, well-protected freighter convoys arriving in Moskva's orbit. +1500 base trade income with House Al-Mufti.
Right there in the results. The choice in the 'Winning Vote' list says Massarde. The Info-blurb describing what action was taken says Massarde. But the info-blurb for the actual results outcome says Al-Mufti.
Right there in the results. The choice in the 'Winning Vote' list says Massarde. The Info-blurb describing what action was taken says Massarde. But the info-blurb for the actual results outcome says Al-Mufti.
After thinking it over, @Pyro Hawk has a point, it could be better to stay fully out of the fighting for now, so changing that in my plan. We'll know more next turn, and with our distance from fighting and having gone through multiple revolts our own, we have a good reason not to interfere immediately.
[X] Plan: Digging to the Stars
-[X] Trade Agreements - House Al-Mufti
-[X] Modernization - R&D
--[X] Torpedo Destroyer
-[X] The Butcher's Bill - Rubble
-[X] Infiltration: : Information is power.
--[X] Moskva
-[X] Khrabrost III - Dig Deeper (II)
-[X] The Augurs - Request New Staff
-[X] Supervise a Ministry: Choose one Ministry this turn and apply your full stat to the roll instead of half.
--[X] Aid Major Tatiana Chernova with Fighting Corruption - Top-Down Audit
-[X] Major Tatiana Chernova
--[X] Fighting Corruption - Top-Down Audits
-[X] Commodore Pyotr Chekhov
--[X] Khrabrost III - Three Sisters: A trio of Periphery star systems
---[X] Nimfa
-[X] Colonel Daria Varyanova
--[X] Modernization - R&D
---[X] Light Cruiser
-[X] Felix Yusopov
-[X] Pursue a policy of non-intervention and make no public comment..
--[X] Make no attempts to embed any agents into any combatant. This is not our business.
