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The Embers Crackle (RWBY/CK2-AfterTheEnd)

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Don't worry King, I'll just make any sanity you had left in your writing slowly drain away.

It's already happened to me.
 
Seriously though, I'm begging people to vote no. I see very little opportunity for gain from extra violence, and a whole lot of ways we could lose out from it.
 
I'll call the vote in the morning tomorrow.

And believe me, I left sanity at the door about a year ago, when I wrote the first 40k words of The Torches Rise over the course of a week with minimal sleep and constant writing.
 
And voting closed, even though I'm quite a bit late. Well, it's morning somewhere in the world.

I'm going to need to break the upcoming turn up a few ways, since three events have been triggered. The events in question? Marriage, The Seeds of Rebellion, and Raiding.
 
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Slightly too late on this, but choosing to react more violently will likely jeopardize our attempts to be diplomatic elsewhere. Getting the Tarenti onside will be a lot harder if we look like radical, bloodthirsty zealots who inflict horrific punishments on humans just because they're human. We really don't have the muscle to intimidate people from not nipping a group of dangerous radicals in the bud, and potential allies are scarce enough as it is, we really can't afford to alienate the few we have through pointless brutality.

This will come back to bite us, mark my words.
 
CthuluWasRight said:
Slightly too late on this, but choosing to react more violently will likely jeopardize our attempts to be diplomatic elsewhere. Getting the Tarenti onside will be a lot harder if we look like radical, bloodthirsty zealots who inflict horrific punishments on humans just because they're human. We really don't have the muscle to intimidate people from not nipping a group of dangerous radicals in the bud, and potential allies are scarce enough as it is, we really can't afford to alienate the few we have through pointless brutality.

This will come back to bite us, mark my words.
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it was already losing battle i just voted out of insanity to stop insanity
Raiu said:
the White Fang who have a religious reason to make every human suffer, simply because their religion told them to.

I hope you weren't planning on being diplomatic with anyone who doesn't have a tail. I won't say it's impossible, but it will take quite a lot of work to reverse generations of closed minding thinking.
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Raiu said:
I'll answer it for you. You get the White Fang who have a religious reason to make every human suffer, simply because their religion told them to.

I hope you weren't planning on being diplomatic with anyone who doesn't have a tail. I won't say it's impossible, but it will take quite a lot of work to reverse generations of closed minding thinking.
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Already being at a diplomatic disadvantage does not justify further throwing away the precious few inroads and opportunities we have. Wasn't this why we made Colubra a cynic, so that we had the possibility of going against some of the Elders' bullshit, instead of throwing up our hands and going "Well, seeing as she's already predisposed towards genocide, we might as well roll with it"?

If @Raiu is making this quest half as tough as he claims it is, making deliberately insane choices for the memestm Is going to get us wiped out before Ikarus even starts giving our kid enough daddy issues for Pusha T to write a diss track about them.
 
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If nothing else, the tribe is going to like knocking the Schloss down a peg, including the Elders (because Faunus Superiority). Sometimes destruction sends a strong message, and I know of at least one tribe who will like what you're doing. Well, one for certain, and another which is very likely to enjoy your work.

I'll get to that during the Raid event's aftermath, but just from what I've already rolled, there's going to be a whole lot of pain for the Schloss.

Now, if this was a massive raid, then things would be different. As it stands, genocide isn't on the table. You can only strike one camp in a normal raid, and 248 Warriors are not equal to 1 to 2 thousand tribesmen. It's a raid, not a war. Colubra is just going to take advantage of an opportunity to really twist the knife. Who knows, perhaps politics works like prison rules. Stab the biggest guy in the room to show you're not someone to be trifled with.

Welcome to the Age of Grimm, where sanity and politics hardly mix. But have they ever truly mixed?
 
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The Prelude to a Bloody Spring, Turn Two Results (2-2)
  • Threadmarks
    • Italics represent options seen in this update.
    [Personal] Marry
    [Diplomacy] Contact [Tarenti]
    [Martial] Raid [Schloss](Liberate Slaves) Opportunity Interrupt Change!
    [Martial] Raid [Schloss] (Liberate Slaves/Weaken The Schloss)
    -Knowledge of the Before Times
    [Stewardship] Scavenge For Food
    [Intrigue] Assess [Crowe]
    [Learning] Conduct Religious Ceremony
    -Bless the Raid for morale purposes
    [Free] Elevate [Ikarus] to Adviser of [Intrigue]

    In the history of the Schnee Tribe, many Champions spent the first few months of their leadership securing their hold on power within the tribe. By tradition, those early months were seen as a chance for the Champion to clean up shop and ensure no Rival would challenge them. You decided to follow a much different path.

    Rather than focusing on your Rivals, you turned your attention away from your people and towards the world outside the wall. The Schloss were the greatest tribe on the Mantle Highlands, each of their camps an equal to your tribe and far more entrenched. The Schloss represented the greatest obstacle to your tribe in the fight for dominance over the Mantle Highlands, and the liberation of the Faunus people. The Tarenti, a small Human tribe conquered by the Schloss two years ago, serve as a chink in the armor of the Schloss. If you were to turn the Tarenti against the Schloss, you would doubtlessly gain a much needed advantage against your people's greatest foe.

    But before you could sound the drums of war, there were a few matters which needed to be tended to. The first was raising Ikarus as the official leader of your scouts, moving him from a two-bit player in tribal politics to a contender on the stage. While you can't claim any insight into the future, elevating your lover will doubtlessly cause your other Rivals some distress.

    You only wish you could have seen Diamant's face when she heard Ikarus accepted his new position with Silberstaff on full display.

    Ikarus is now Colubra's Intrigue Advisor. Intrigue Actions Increased by 1. Ikarus' Intrigue is now added to the Tribal Attributes.

    [spoiler = Assess Crowe]
    55 + 10 (Coulbra) + 20 (Ikarus) = 85
    82 + 2 (Crowe) = 84
    Crowe Angelus Plot Revealed.
    [/spoiler]

    With Ikarus serving as a very useful sneak, you had a tool ('A pun? The people from the Times Past avoided them, so they must be a curse...') to answer a few pressing questions. While you knew Diamant planned to banish you from the tribe if she took control, how she planned to do so was unknown to you. Given her growing closeness to the Elders, finding out what the Elder's pet zealot's goals were would no doubt shed some light on your former friend's plans.

    Crowe turned out to be a difficult nut to crack. Ikarus's attempts to approach her were met with cries of "Away disbeliever" and other zealous phrases involving Grimm and damnation. Your companion hadn't found much success with the direct approach, and made quite clear his displeasure towards the scarred 'angel' during the night. The indirect approach, however, proved to be much more fruitful.

    While Crowe was much the symbol of scarred and righteous purity, some of the Elders were much more talkative. In short order, your lover charmed two matronly Elders, much to your annoyance when you found out. Jealousy aside, Crowe's plans were revealed.

    "She wants to make a weapon entirely out of Dust." Ikarus said as he entered your tent.

    His blunt statement made you pause, freezing you for a moment before you had the wits to respond. "What?"

    "As I said, Crowe wants to make a weapon entirely out of Dust. I don't know what she plans to do afterwards, but given the fact the entire tribe worships Dust, it'll place her in a very good position with the entire tribe."

    Ikarus' theory was worrying, especially since you couldn't deny he was right. Having an object with Dust woven in was a sign of high status in the Schnees, and those were only a few strands of Dust. If she made a weapon out of Dust...

    "Is Diamant working with her?" You asked, placing aside one set of worries. If the women were working together, then you would have something concrete to fear.

    Ikarus shook his head. "I don't know just yet. I had to rely on the gossiping of Elders to learn of her plan. I don't know if it is just Crowe, or all the other Rivals. I'll need more time. She is some ways from completing her project. Making such a weapon would take more Dust than we currently have, but it'll be something to keep in mind."

    Crowe Angelus Plot Revealed: Craft a Dust Weapon, Crowe Angelus Trait Revealed: Pious (+1 Martial, +1 Learning, -1 Relation with Cynical)

    13 + 11 - 5 (Attraction to Weak) = 19

    Before you could begin the secret meeting with the Tarenti, there was another matter which you needed to attend to. In the long history of the Schnee tribe, very few Champions stayed unwed for long. Perhaps the lonely nature of the Champion's tent was a subtle way to enforce the tradition. It wouldn't surprise you, given your knowledge of the games the Elders play.

    Regardless, you needed someone to help you uphold the tradition, and you searched the tribe for a worthy husband. As the Champion, you couldn't marry merely anyone in the tribe. Your husband would need to be of a high status, meaning a prominent member of the tribe. In the past, Champions would have found mates from the Tier tribe as well, but due to the... isolation your tribe has created for itself, your pool of potential husbands is small.

    In the end, you found three people who could serve as your husband. While you had hoped for four people, Ebon had found you to be... Less than attractive ('Ouch,') when you tested the waters with him. You weren't very surprised, but your hopes of turning another Rival into an ally were dashed.

    While small, you did have a few choices. All which remained was to choose one... Or none, if they displeased you.

    [] Ikarus: Your lover and personal sneak seemed like an obvious choice. After all, he spent most nights in your tent, much to your pleasure. However, his soaring rise in influence has already become a popular topic of gossip in the tribe, and you're not sure how your tribesmen would react to him rising further.

    [] Stroitel: Stroitel is the leader of the Builders, a group of tribesmen who handle much of the construction and maintenance of the tribal wall. Given the small size of his workers, you're not sure if you should refer to them as Builders or builders. Stroitel is very much in the Builders camp, and makes frequent use of his fiery temper as well as his hard earned muscles to convince others. Very frequently. Known Traits: Wroth, Brawny. Goat Faunus (Impressive Beard).

    [] Weise: Being an Elder is as much a measure of respect as it is a sign of age. A tribesmen can only become a member of the Elders through an invitation, meaning it is not a group which is easily entered. There are some tribesmen who are older than some Elders, and Weise is an example of a young Elder. Young, of course, is relative, as he is more than double your age at 42. Despite his age, Weise has a pragmatic mind mixed with the piety of Elders. While you would be taking a risk marrying an Elder (who is old enough to be your father!), Weise remains an option. Known Traits: Pragmatic, Pious. Owl Faunus (Feathered Hair).

    [] Hold off on Marriage: Your pool of potential suitors is small, and none of them seem to be a good fit as a Champion's companion. You will deal with this later. Ends Marriage Event. Allows Marry to be taken again.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • I already have enough to deal with in terms of events. I'm not going to divide the update up further by having each Event have their own update. That would be insane.
     
    [X] Ikarus: Your lover and personal sneak seemed like an obvious choice. After all, he spent most nights in your tent, much to your pleasure. However, his soaring rise in influence has already become a popular topic of gossip in the tribe, and you're not sure how your tribesmen would react to him rising further.

    Get him solidly on board is the plan.
     
    In the CK2 system, there are a few good reasons for making your lover your spouse. Having a spouse-lover combo means fertility is multiplied by 1.5, rather than the 1 of spouse or .5 for lover or concubine alone. In terms of Colubra and Ikarus, that's a jump from 9% to 27% (rounding up). It's a significant jump, for sure. (You may have noted those are pretty low numbers. That's because the fertility of both are multiplied together, being 35% for Colubra (40% (Age) - 5% (Weak)) and 50% for Ikarus (50% (Age)). The result is then multiplied by a fertility modifier, as mentioned above. I then multiply the result by 100 to get the percentage result. Yes, that means for a short moment, the result is a percentage-percentage. Isn't math fun?)

    Spouses also add half of their stats to your character (which is represented in Tribal Attributes), rounded down (I'm rounding down currently, as I'm not sure how the game handles it. I'll change it if it is actually a round up system). Spouses who are Advisors, however, only add half their stats rather than the full of one stat. They are, after all, only counted once. For most choices, this can lead to small boosts in all stats rather than a large boost in one stat, and a net loss in attribute points. It's really a case by case thing. It's up to you to do the math. Round down.

    Also, marrying someone does not automatically make them loyal. (I should know, my wives plot to kill me pretty frequently.) It does open up easier ways to interact with them rather than the Diplomacy (Befriend) action, however. It just depends on the amount of time you want to invest in your life partner.
     
    Well it helps with loyalty at least. Shared interest and all.
    Not that your spouse is much riskier than spymaster
     
    [X] Ikarus: Your lover and personal sneak seemed like an obvious choice. After all, he spent most nights in your tent, much to your pleasure. However, his soaring rise in influence has already become a popular topic of gossip in the tribe, and you're not sure how your tribesmen would react to him rising further.
     
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