Approaching the Caliph
A number of potential tactics were devised! Let's review them and add a couple that Dorian has come up with himself.
There are a number of issues complicating even obtaining contact with the Caliph. Chief among them is Dorian's virtually nonexistent reputation, as compared to 'already established' and recognized alchemists, apothecaries, and astrologers who profess the availability of their cures. Here, distilled based on your earlier input, are Dorian's methods of addressing the issue of obtaining an audience with the ruler, or else curing him, as well as several other issues.
[ ] The Erudite's Court - An idea as simple as it is utterly brilliant in principle: come into town as if nothing were amiss, find its most affluent open-air market, and open a stall or cart among the costermongers.
And then, do nothing less than sell the people of Senumrah miracles for cheap.
As a reality warper and Visceralist, with the doctor as a consultant, Linneas as an assistant, and Japhris there to stabilize the outcomes with Barakah-based Arcanism, you can cure virtually any ailment, and your incredible charisma should be able to sell the image as innocuous enough. Meanwhile, the doctor himself as an adept electrician, can look into overtures of introducing the miracle of electricity into the world. Given the relative technological stasis of this world, Dorian predicts its 'narrative' resists scientific advancement; fortunately, this entire event should produce nothing short of an explosion of Barakah, which'll allow you to drive a more staying change with a bit of luck.
This'll allow each of you to develop both individual identities, as well as a group identity, and it'll almost certainly quickly draw attention from the Caliphate's ruler...
*A sane, centrist approach.
*Dorian will restrict the creepier uses of Viscerality, as to avoid setting off warning alarms or narratives of being a secret eldritch abomination. Healing, not modification.
*Highly benevolent, and offers everyone a chance to flex their skills and spread their wings, being good for your cohesion. This work might even prove somewhat enjoyable.
*Your team universally approves, as will the commoners. Even the Lions are content, able to act as bodyguards and showpieces.
*Lots of Barakah: even a pessimistic estimate states that Dorian, as the centerpiece of this scheme, should come out with at least a thousand fates, if not more. Five thousand is possible if exceptionally successful. The others will likely receive at least half as much as Dorian, if not nearly as much.
*The facetime your masks - especially Crimson King, already a more primal and uncivil mask - shall accumulate will likely be immense, albeit its tenor could be somewhat unpredictable. The Crimson King might outright refuse to aid this endeavor, if not forcefully wrested into it, which could alter its development path, or even adversely affect it.
*Become Nyarlathotep. Perhaps that's where Crimson King is headed?
*Once you're introduced to the Caliph, it'll take some careful diplomacy to not seem like a crazy opportunist when you ask him to support your bid for Surirah's crown. Dorian believes he can prevail, but there are always some risks.
[ ] The Grand Entrance - An alternative, much bolder tactic aiming to exalt Dorian's fellowship into people of a more inherent import. Circle around the outskirts of Senumrah and employ your supernal skills to hunt down various ifrit and djinn bandits, as well as other villains of a similar nature, and forcefully conscript them into working for you. Djinn are essentially spirits made of living Barakah; you can compel them into using their art of Wishcraft to create immense material wealth, aid your reputation's spread, and overall grant yourself a more princely stature which'll draw the Caliph's attention. Naturally, you can also wish for Barakah directly.
It'll also act as a form of community service. Not every djinn is dysfunctional within the tapestry of human civilization, and you'll even find some who are of a heroic disposition, but the ones you'll task yourself with hunting will solely be nuisances to the social fabric.
*You'll need to actually fight and subjugate the spirits in question; most djinn and elementals have Barakah of at least several thousand fates, sometimes even tens of thousands, although anything over fifty thousand is considered legendary, and almost certainly wouldn't be found here.
*The more Barakah, the stronger the opponent, but also the stronger the wishes you can extract.
*It could make sense to focus on hunting down only a couple of select, high-quality specimens over attempts to tame an endless morass.
*A bit skeevy insofar as forcing people to work for you. Your friends could become somewhat worried, although this is unlikely to alienate them on its own, especially with sufficient diplomatic input. That said, almost anything is justifiable in the name of eventually dealing with Drethir.
*Gives you a chance to develop supernal techniques for taming; your aptitude is already beyond the human.
*With Viscerality and your assembly of masks, controlling the djinn shouldn't present much of an issue, especially if you crafted masks for each to make them more pliant...
*High chances of gaining the Caliph's attention and developing a positive repute, as well as proper reasoning for why he should support your bid for power.
* As someone who quite literally tames djinn, it seems conquering Surirah's within your destiny - of course he'll support you!
*This way, you might not even have to offer cures: violence prevails.
*You can also enter some martial competitions with the local heroes and villains to test your might.
*Great estimated Barakah growth; not inferior in numeric parameters to Erudite's Court, although with more focus on violence and conquest, which are already the bread and butter of your kit.
[ ] Scout the Source - There is always a third secret route, no matter the nature of the task. It's time for Dorian Croft to once more take on the mask of the guerilla rebel and dive deep into the innards of this governmental leviathan, to find out what makes it breathe and think. The Caliph is allegedly a man possessed of a dark and brooding mind; benevolent but haunted. What happened to him? What manner of trials did he undergo? Could the selection process of the Caliph have something do with their doom?
*An unpredictable path with a moderate chance of complications. The Caliphate might not appreciate people digging into its secrets.
*This could well be a dead end and lead you nowhere. Surely if the people responsible for selecting a Caliph knew how to cure this malady, they would've already?
*You'll need to stretch out skills you haven't used in a long time, and mostly relied on masks and allies for: espionage and investigation. A combination of tactics old and new. But surely with a mind as sharp and ingenious as yours, you'll be able to prevail?
*Could yield significant secrets on the nature of Barakah, as well as how to best employ and gather it - what if you could replicate the process, and yourself become a sort of Caliph, hopefully without the Sword of Damocles hanging overhead?
-[ ] Assign Task - You could instead choose to chiefly pursue one of the other paths, and hoist this off on either the Nameless Mask or Linneas, potentially even Japhris. This'd deny them some of the rewards and involvement in the other route, also lowering its success rate, but might allow you to pursue this end as well.
[ ] Write-in (You can choose another main strategy)
