- Location
- Minnesota
[X] Plan Calculated Pain
The Ymaryn: Succession
- Thread starter Redium
- Start date
- Original Fantasy Alt. History
Aranfan
Team Plasma Grunt
Gonna point out that cutting down the sacred forest is going to piss off the priests something fierce. Which is likely to be one of the things that will make future crises harder. I also notice that "investiture crisis" is one of the crises we could have.
So... yeah.
Also if we kill the priests to clear the forest there goes our vaccinations.
A reminder that we still had the Sacred Forest wonder in PoI, just at level one rather than Greater Sacred Forest.
So... yeah.
Also if we kill the priests to clear the forest there goes our vaccinations.
A reminder that we still had the Sacred Forest wonder in PoI, just at level one rather than Greater Sacred Forest.
- Location
- Southampton, Great Britain
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Redium has also stated that while picking will have some violence, all options will have some violence to them and we won't be killing off all or most of the priests. If we were, Redium would have said something when I brought that up . We won't be killing all of the priests just as we won't be cutting down all of the forest and I don't see the basis for taking this action resulting in us losing our vaccinations. The priests will still be there and I doubt that they will abandon people to the plague just because they are upset with us.
We will certainly have to appease them if we do this, but we won't be wiping out the whole priesthood and the priesthood isn't just going to shirk its core responsibilities just to spite us. Lesser responsibilities we will have to be wary of, but the priesthoods aren't going to destroy the Sacred Warding because we got rid of some of the Sacred Forest.
Aranfan
Team Plasma Grunt
I'm not saying that they will shirk the responsibility, I'm saying we might break the chain of expertise.
- Location
- Southampton, Great Britain
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I want to say this is unlikely and the QM would have mentioned it, but I am not actually sure so @Redium how likely is cutting down part of the Sacred Forest results in us killing too much of the priesthood to maintain the Sacred Warding?
- Location
- Hell
I do not think it will do so directly, but Redium already warned us that having a separate chain of power within our borders might bite us in the but. Potential loss, not by loss of knowledge, but by willing priests. One of the heroes already ran off with our Carrion Eaters.
- Location
- Hollister
[X] Plan Calculated Pain
- Location
- Sydney
The Ymaryn outnumbered the Nomads by thousands to one, possibly tens of thousands to one.
The Steppes is vast, but can only support so many Nomads. If they turn to agriculture to support a larger population then they stop being nomadic tribes.
Black Soil and irrigation networks were used by the Ymaryn to improve and expand agricultural land since the Stone Age. The Primary Focus of the first Lightning Round time skip was Infrastructure, which means the Ymaryn territory could support even larger populations.
Considering how quickly the Great Khan managed to conquer the Ymaryn just convincing the West to produce cannon is insufficient. He would have needed to raise Mass Levies from the traitor Ymaryn, and persuade some of the mercenary banner companies to defect.
For most of their history the Ymaryn people were not isolationist, but rather the complete opposite. There was constant interest and interactions with other nations. Vote-directed actions to other nations were rare, but when we started something (e.g. the Games) they persisted for some time. While the Games did end, that was still generations of regular diplomatic visits.
The Ymaryn ruling class was isolationist, and became even more isolationist during the early Lightning Round time skips. Not!Rome was settled, grew from a city into an empire, and collapsed in the time between the first and second L.R.
By the time of the Great Khan, the monarchy and parliament had probably even forgotten about the Khem. The lowest levels of the bureaucracy on the Ymaryn borders would be aware of the outside world, but as reports are summarised and passed upwards details are lost.
Pride in Acceptance was a core value of the Ymaryn, but as the Ymaryn population increased the impact of refugees and immigrants decreased. When Ymaryn villages started to spend generations without ever meeting someone from another culture the value lost relevance.
Thousands of people would have fled the collapsing Not!Roman Empire, but those refugees would have been a small fraction of the birth rate.
Considering the weighting assigned to the gunpowder vote (ignore the discovery was worth 5times invent gunpowder ourselves) it is clear that Pride in Acceptance had faded. By the time of the Great Khan that value had probably been lost completely.
Trade was a massive part of the Ymaryn civilisation, and the merchants were far from marginalised. In the last update before the Lightning Rounds the Trader faction was the third strongest, with more faction power than the Yeomen/Priests/Urban Poor. They were demanding Main Build Warships to protect the numerous Ymaryn merchant ships from pirates.
Internally the merchants purchase, transport and sell goods throughout the nation. The Patricians manage the state controlled part of the economy, not the entire economy. The Patricians set the quotas for products, and decide on the distribution of those items. Everything produced above the quota is sold, generally to the merchants.
The Trader faction is composed of hereditary merchant families, which are completely distinct from the (primarily) hereditary patrician families. Some of the merchants were very involved in the outside world, but only as a way of making money from other nations.
Ymaryn philosophers, doctors and priests are interested in the outside world, and as part of that interest they actively collect copies of written works from every surrounding nation and even some distant ones. (In the Lightning Rounds, the successor civilization used copies of old texts to spark religious conflict in not!Europe).
Profoundly unlikely.
As the priests increasingly take center stage, it's going to become obvious that they all don't have the same opinions. The Ymaryn's culture for religious debate is great for fostering religious peace, but it's not so good at religious orthodoxy or unity.
All of that is PoC canon, it's lifted directly from the lightning rounds. Outnumbering the Khan 30:1, the People's defenses collapsing within 6 months before they could activate the Mass Levy, etc. The premise of the quest just requires some of these things.
The Khan also didn't just depend on Steppe nomads. Hung engineer-slaves were explicitly mentioned as providing a significant component of his forces. The Ymaryn didn't really distinguish between "the Khan's men", foreign mercenaries, and slave-soldiers. It's quite possible that the actual steppe nomads only made up a portion of his forces.
The big thing that Greenshore allowed the Khan to do was in replacing lost supplies, they didn't provide soldiers. If they had been forced to, they wouldn't have betrayed the rest of the Ymaryn. (The reason they capitulated was to avoid casualties, they wouldn't have gotten that if the Khan forced them to fight.) That was simply a step too far unless you invent huge pre-existing grudges. They probably had reason to resent the Core as all peripheral territories due to some extent, but not enough to nakedly betray them.
Plus, Greenshore fighting alongside the Khan wouldn't have been enough. To me, Greenshore basically occupies a region equivalent to modern day Romania with population to match. It's big and respectable, but compared to places like Hyatha, Txolla, the Core, Forhutch, and Western Wall, it's small potatoes. Each of those regions is likely multiple to dozens of times the size of Greenshore on their own. If the Khan wasn't already an existential threat, Greenshore wouldn't have been enough to turn the tide. They're just not big enough relative to the rest of the Ymaryn.
AN told us that Purity was going to eliminate PiA near the end of PoC, so that's what I'm going with. The Traders declined as a result, leading to growing Ymaryn isolation towards the Lightning Rounds. It's canon the Ymaryn became isolationist somehow, so that's how I justify it.
A major issue that's going to come up for the Ymaryn is their relative fecundity, especially for nobles. Due to relatively high levels of healthcare, elimination of starpox, and utter lack of starvation, the population grew profoundly quickly, much more so than comparable historical civilizations. This led to a problem everyone's familiar with: the Second Sons. There are only so many possible upper class positions available in society and Patricians wanted their second sons to have the same quality of life they did.
So, what do you do? You can create sinecures or reduce working hours for those in high social classes (impossible for the Ymaryn due to your meritocratic values), kill some of them off (the Ymaryn avoid war, though they did what they could to find means of naturally decreasing the population), emigration (actually key, Stymyr sucked up so many people that had no prospects in the Kingdom) or invent new positions. You can get some of this from an increasingly dense civilization, but only up to a point. The Ymaryn still haven't managed the Agricultural Revolution yet so the carrying capacity of the land has topped out. No matter how much the Ymaryn focus on infrastructure, without modern technology, there's only so much the land can possibly support.
Instead, what you can do is knock someone else over the head and take one of their social positions.
This is what happened over time. The Patricians and the Guilds worked together to freeze out the Traders, demoting them while taking more and more of the Ymaryn economy under state control. The Traders simply couldn't oppose the largest and second largest faction over time. It wasn't immediate, but the distance between the end of PoC and beginning of the Lightning Rounds was a thousand years. Some scraps thrown to the Yeomen to placate them was all it took to seal the Traders' fate, especially as the priests increasingly decoupled from the secular state to focus on sacred concerns. All of that ended up becoming a large part of the reason the Ymaryn stagnated and turned inwards.
Voting is Closed!
Calculated Pain is victorious.
I didn't have a chance today since I was busy, but I'll begin writing the update when I wake up.
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Ghostdevil
The Devil of Ghosts
- Location
- United States
Turn 1: Out With The Old
Turn 1: Out With The Old
1620 AGF, Reign of Ydrys the 170 King ofAll Ymaryn
[X] Plan Calculated Pain
-[X] Parliament's Choices
-[X] Yes
-[X] Dyfan has called for refugees to help resettle Western Wall, push everyone you can onto him (2, Provides 1 Favour with WW)
-[X] Cut down large sections of the Sacred Forest to turn over to croplands. (3)
-[X] 5
-[X] Patrician (Highly politically connected, multi-disciplinary, profoundly skilled)
-[X] Guild Master (Technology and industry focused)
-[X] The Heir (The next King. Selected by Parliament, tends towards being competent.)
-[X] King's Wife (Tend to vary profoundly in ability and loyalty.)
-[X] Governor's Appointee [Txolla] (Provides a key way to address local issues)
To the Ymaryn, trees were life. When one of the People was born, a tree was planted in celebration. At major milestones in life, marriage, graduation from the Academy, becoming a recognized Master in your guild, a tree was also supposed to be planted. Each occasion was special and merited its own particular tree; oak at birth, jasmine trees for marriage, hardy apple to represent guild mastery, and birch to celebrate graduation. Even at death, the People were buried under trees of yew.
At least… that was the theory Ydrys had always heard. Only people located in the most remote areas in the Kingdom had the ability to plant trees in celebration any more. He'd heard once from his grandfather than his grandfather's grandfather remembered it happening when he was a boy. For Ydrys, the only trees that had been planted for him was the elm he planted with his bare hands as part of his coronation.
Even then, that had meant cutting down someone else's memorial. If the tree had been for anyone else other than a king centuries dead, it would've meant violence. Sporadic most years as King and Crown always stamped down harshly on civil disorder, but everyone knew what went on in the backwoods. Only the recent King's decree of 1298 AGF — which limited urban neighbourhoods and rural villages to only planting one celebratory tree each year — had really stemmed the rising discord.
When Ydrys had announced the policy of cutting down sections of the Sacred Forest, he had rightly feared the worst. People were angry, but Rhys had helped him with framing the issue just so. Cutting down trees would mean that more could soon be planted. The King's Decree restricting planting might even be lifted if things went well! People were then only too happy to help!
If several rows of wheat, beans, carrots, turnips and other foodstuffs were planted in between trees, well it was just sensible use of space! After all, it would take years for the trees to grow enough to occlude sunlight from the ground. If the only seedlings available happened to grow into trees happened to bear apples, walnuts, pears, peeches, cherries, hazelnut, or pine nuts, what could be done?
Not all had been pleased.
The Ngolyst sect of Mylathadysm had rioted, requiring a heavy-handed response, but that was unavoidable. To a Ngolyst, cutting down a tree, for any reason, was sacrilege. They refused to use wood for constructing or heating their homes and utterly disdained it in all utensils and furnishings. Nearly all of them refused to so much as step on a wooden floor! Most even refused to use tools forged with charcoal, preferring more environmentally friendly coal-fired tools.
Ydrys wondered what they would have done had they seen the Office of the King. Not the official one near the Hall of Stars where private audiences were held, but his true office. Everything was wooden, grown into shape in ways that must have taken master arborists decades to achieve.
Still, even after repression, relations with the sect were not as poor as they had been in the distant past. Their refusal to use wooden-shafted billhooks and crossbows had effectively barred them from military service and conscription in the Mass Levy. They'd eventually found a niche as slingers, scouts, and skirmishers. They were obviously inferior to Blackbirds, but tended to be better than average.
"'Re'ye certain this's needed?" Rhys asked, looking over the most recent orders Ydrys had drafted. "There's'n way this can'e be made less bitter."
"By ten-in-ten." Ydrys sighed. "The Laws Unwritten state that every administrative division within the Kingdom needs to store enough food on hand to survive seven years of complete famine." It had always been difficult, even for Ydrys to manage it, but seeing what unfolded before him every day made the new King endlessly grateful to the People who had established the Law so old that it's codified form was now lost. "After the Great Khan's Time of Blood, our stores are gone in most of the country. Even the herds necessary to sustain the Sacred Warding have been largely carried off."
"The o'ly places untuch'd are Hyatha and southern Txolla," Rhys acknowledged.
And Greenshore. Ydrys knew enough not to mention that, however. Running his hands through his hair, he had to suppress as grimace as it came back covered in hairs. It had started years back, during the war, but Ydrys had noticed that there seemed to be more and more hair coming free each time.
"Hyatha is having enough trouble feeding itself, right now," Ydrys said. "With Txolla and all the refugees we have in the Core, I suspect we only have four years before the foreign disease starts to truly set in."
"Starvation." The word brought an ugly grimace to Rhys' face. It was a foreign word in a foreign tongue — the People not quite having an equivalent — but to Rhys who'd spent time on the borders of the Kingdom or in the company of traders, that obscure piece of knowledge must have been commonplace. "It't'as everywhere. But, not here."
Until now.
"Anything less than the most drastic of actions will not be enough. On average, each man, woman, and child in the Kingdom will eat one tonne worth of food each year. Within the city of Valleyhome itself, we're stuffed to bursting with as many as 700,000 refugees on top of the regular population. We have maybe 2 million tonnes worth of supplies stored right now, barely enough for a year and a half. Some places — especially in Txolla — might be better off, but not by much, and most aren't."
"The people w'n't be 'appy," Rhy said simply.
"What can I do?" Ydrys asked. "Before the Khan came, the Kingdom was host to 160 million souls based on what we know from the old Census. As best I can guess, we lost a few tens of million in the fighting and to the Khan's deliberate slaughters, but losses weren't even. Aside from the nobility, it was mostly frontier farmers in Western Wall and Thunder Plateau that paid the price. Some of our most productive farming regions, laid to waste." Ydrys couldn't even be sure if his estimates of their losses were correct. Tens of millions died, they were certain of that, but entire provincial administrations were utterly wiped out. So many people were dead that there often weren't enough left around to count the bodies.
In Western Wall, it was worse. Every Ymaryn hated the Khan and his nomads, but the Wall had lost so much more. For them, their feelings on nomads were psychotic, rooted only in blood and fury. If they hadn't been so utterly devastated by the war, Ydrys was sure they would've proclaimed war against Greenshore for their vile treachery.
Still, before that was even the remotest possibility, they would need to rebuild. A lot of people were motivated by Dyfan's offer for a farmstead if they came to settle. Having your own land to tend and a guarantee that your sons will be able to inherit a plot of similar size and your grandsons after? It's an intoxicating dream. Life was normally precarious; to have a guarantee that you would not be dispossessed, your children and grandchildren? It was stability, safety, and sanctuary in an uncertain world. Something so unlike the cut-throat nature of the Ymaryn.
It was a dream that Ydrys knew he'd nearly been swallowed by in his youth. The Stymyr were always eager to take in immigrants from the Core, especially those who'd graduated from an Academy like he had. A Philosopher on top? He was guaranteed a title of nobility and a large grant of land that would be his if he wanted it. Land was often the least of what they were willing to offer. Still, he wasn't one to abandon the Ymaryn. To leave the People… it would be painful for all involved.
Turning back to the orders written before him, Ydrys affixed his sign and seal. "It's not enough," Ydrys said. "We have too many mouths to feed here and it seems Dyfan up in the north needs them. Speak to your contacts among the naval captains and see who would be available to assist in the relocation. The army will be keeping order."
There would be riots over this, all Ymaryn would resist expulsion from their land to the point of death. It had been one of the few things that had slowed the Khan down when he marched through the Kingdom. When fighting on their land, with the families at their backs, the People's army had been unbreakable. Even the lowest conscripts, the gutter trash pulled half-drunk from city sewers, had fought to the bloody end by tooth and nail. There was no retreat.
"I can'e 'ver'ee it all, my King," Rhys said softly. "We need supporters."
"Alright," Ydrys finally said. It was the one part of his Kingship that he'd been putting off. Advisors. One might as well clutch a viper to their chest and try soothing it with soft nothings. Politics in the Core had been vicious since before recorded history. Outside of the structures provided by the Crown, there was little in Ymaryn society to offer the chance for advancement and gainful employment. Failure to attain either was grounds for Half-Exile and the Crown needed only so many administrators, soldiers, and other officials. For those of Patrician stock unlucky enough to fail their Examinations, there were precious few options. Without a career, you were a leech, a criminal, useless, fit only for Half-Exile. Drudgery was all you were good for, nearly everything better would be taken by someone else. Better speak with the priests so your shame could be dealt with.
Unless you could sabotage someone else, destroying them and taking their place.
"There was a reason I decided to take up a Gentry career," Ydrys sighed.
Rhys looked at him strangely. "'Ruly?" He sighed. "I 'th'ved on it."
The Patrician Advisors
[ ] The Officer
One of the few remaining officers of the Old Army, the Officer served primarily as an administrator, ensuring that provisions, arms, and other resources were always accessible to the army. His knowledge on military matters and combat are mostly theoretical, but they are systematically and deeply studied. He was one of the key players in the Great Khan's war, even if he normally would never have risen to prominence. What is most troubling about his candidacy is his professed loyalty to Dyfan and the remnants of the Banner Companies. The Officer was never a member of those illustrious bodies, but as Chief Quartermaster, he worked closely with them and had clear loyalties.
Primary Strength: Administration
Secondary Strength: Diplomacy, Military
Known Loyalties: Dyfan
Ambitions: Remake the Army
[ ] The Refugee
Formerly located within the administration of Blackmouth, the Refugee has had to start over from virtually nothing. He'd been an exciseman before the war, tracking harbour fees and other taxes, ensuring that every copper penny and pound of flour were accounted for. It wasn't glorious work, but it needed doing. After the war started and Blackmouth fell, he had been swept up into the army fighting against the Khan. His career there was not distinguished, but it was not lacking either. He is clearly a compromise candidate suggested by different factions of Parliament. He is straightforwardly competent and offended no one's sensibilities.
Primary Strength: Administration.
Secondary Strengths: Diplomacy,
Known Loyalties: Western Wall
Ambitions: Create a stable home and future
[ ] The Banker
The current Master of the Royal Ymaryn Mint, the Banker carries profound influence by virtue of his position. At some point in the past, the Master of the Mint was little more than a glorified civil servant, counting coppers and ensuring that all Ymaryn coins were of the highest quality, but it slowly grew in power. The ability to take coins out of circulation was an extremely powerful tool in adjusting prices and controlling the flow of trade. Regions that displeased the Mint often found their coins suddenly worth nothing at all by the mere expedient of the Mint unleashing its endless reserves of gold and silver. It is practically tradition at this point to consider the Master of the Mint for a position on the King's Council. It was perhaps one of the few positions in Ymaryn society more prestigious, but less powerful. An easy way to force an influential man to curb their own power.
Primary Strength: Wealth
Secondary Strengths: Intrigue, Trade, Diplomacy
Known Loyalties: Himself and a Patrician Clan.
Ambitions: He seems to have had it all?
[ ] The Professor
The Professor is one of the foremost teachers of Redshore Academy. Fiercely intelligent, he has managed the education of the Ymaryn elite since before Ydrys was born. He could remember meeting the Professor before, in passing, while he was still in the Academy. The man had a passion for Natural Philosophy and the study of the physical world. Even with the whisper of scandal still clutching at his coat heels, the man had been a force of nature teaching the mysteries of numbers and accounting. The fact that he'd taken a Sabbatical from teaching at the Academy to study alongside smiths' apprentices? To weave sailcloth alongside shipbuilders? All of that was nearly forgotten by the time of Ydrys' own study.
Primary Strength: Learning
Secondary Strengths: Administration, Intrigue
Known Loyalties: The Academies.
Ambitions: Break the Academies.
The Guild Master Advisors
[ ] The Smith
The Smith is an… unusual character. According to reports, the man is strange, talking and laughing to himself while he works or is simply alone. Such things are not unheard of, but there's an unusual depth to his peculiarities. Regardless, the man is a talented metal worker beyond comparison. He, personally, forged the Regnal Sword that Ydrys received to commemorate the start of his reign. Not quite as long as a traditionally Ymaryn two-hander, it seems to fit perfectly in hand. Made of blued ripple-steel and inlaid with gold, amber, citrine, and garnets, it appears to encapsulate the light of a growing dawn. While the Smith has little of the skill in mass production that are so common among the People's great grandmasters, his skill at individual-level artistry is beyond comparison.
Primary Strength: Industry
Secondary Strengths: None
Known Loyalties: Traditional Guildsmen.
Ambitions: Create a masterwork among masterworks.
[ ] The Architect
The Architect occupied an extremely important position within Ymaryn society and previously worked as the city planner for Redshore. The various megaprojects and environmental works the people engaged in required extensive planning and organization to undertake. It was often one of the few fields where people could truly show off without running afoul of the People's various sumptuary laws. While not a member of the Guilds traditionally, architects often work with them hand-in-glove in order to make the People's vivid dreams a functional reality.
Primary Strength: Administration
Secondary Strength: Industry
Known Loyalties: Redshore City
Ambitions: Craft a Wonder
[ ] The Shipmaster
The relative importance of the navy has declined dramatically during the Great Khan's war, slipping from being an anti-pirate fleet to a true afterthought, making the position of Shipmaster increasingly irrelevant. Most lost their career and were forced into Half-Exile when they could not find an acceptable career, but this Shipmaster managed to avoid those purges. Formerly of Trelli and Hyathya, the Shipmaster was chief grandmaster of the city's docks, responsible for the production and upkeep of all Ymaryn navy vessels in the Syffryn ocean as well as the Yllthon Mor. Forced out by the traitors of Greenshore, the Shipmaster has come back to the Core, burning to restore the Ymaryn navy into something that the People can be proud of.
Primary Strength: Industry
Secondary Strength: Navy
Known Loyalties: The Navy
Ambition: Create multiple world-class navies.
[ ] The Glassmaker
The Glassmaker is a master, but in a field where the craft has mostly stalled. Moving against the prevailing orthodoxy that Ymaryn glass is the finest in the world (and literally perfect), he has spent substantial time and effort attempting to improve it. While he has often walked close to the line of embezzlement (or perhaps gone over, none has just been proven), the man has managed to keep up with demand while diverting scarce resources to personal projects. A project that was vindicated shortly before the Great Khan's war as he unveiled a stained glass of brilliant Tyrian Purple, a shade that was once thought impossible to craft.
Primary Strength: Industry
Secondary Strength: Learning
Known Loyalties: Guild Radicals
Ambition: I'll Show Them All!
The Governor's Appointee
[ ] The Nephew
With disgust, you'd nearly thrown this appointment aside before reading it. How could one be so blatantly nepotistic to put forward their literal nephew? It happened everywhere in the Kingdom, but you gave the Governor some slight benefit of doubt. His nephew was . . . competent, skilled even. If it wasn't for the fact that he was the Nephew of a Governor, it is virtually certain that he would be picked up by someone as promising young talent. With such a relationship, however, his career could easily stall. Too many would (perhaps justifiably) doubt his loyalty. If you were to select the young man, it would be easy to mould his career, shaping him to your needs. If you could overcome the risk he would work to benefit his family.
Primary Strength: Administration
Secondary Strength: Intrigue, Industry
Known Loyalties: His family, governor of Txolla.
Ambitions: Advance family interests?
[ ] The Yeoman
A rough scrabble young man, the Yeoman rose to prominence during the Great Khan's War by organizing local gentry and whipping them into fighting shape. Using the famous fast firing longbows of the Ymaryn countryside, the Yeoman proved exceptionally effective in countering the swift-moving cavalry archers of the Khan's army. Now that the war is over, the Yeoman must be rewarded for his valiant service and the Govenor has forwarded his name directly to you. It's likely that this will offer you both a competent commander as well as removing a newly active political figure who has managed to collect an astounding number of life-debts.
Primary Strength: Martial
Secondary Strength: Diplomacy
Known Loyalties: Rural gentry.
Ambitions: To shine brightly.
[ ] The Bodyguard
The Bodyguard is a killer, one of the best killers that Txolla's governor has ever seen. Brash, arrogant, and forthright, he fought a score of duels in a single day, winning them all without serious injury. The grandson of a nomadic woman who settled in the Kingdom, his loyalty was obviously in doubt and his honour questioned during the Khan's War. How could the Ymaryn know he would stay loyal, or would blood finally out? As the war wound down, the Bodyguard has started to grow restless and the families of the men he defeated, resentful. While the Governor could use his services against military threats in the south, the Governor feels it is not worth the risk of civil strife.
Primary Strength: Prowess (Hero)
Secondary Strength: None
Known Loyalties: His own ego.
Ambitions: A life of endless fights.
[ ] The Spicer
Profoundly wealthy, the spicer has cornered control over spices, silks, and other luxury goods produced in Southern Txolla. While the Ymaryn Kingdom officially denies the concepts of personal and private property, some Patricians have managed to make their control over certain resources nearly unquestionable. The Spicer is one of these magnates. While the Spicer would normally have enough influence in his own right to be a Patrician advisor, the fact that he is put forward by the Governor indicates a desire from the latter to remove the Spicer from his center of authority, allowing the slight possibility of reform.
Primary Strength: Wealth
Secondary Strength: Agriculture, Trade.
Known Loyalties: Himself, the Txolla agricultural consortium.
Ambitions: He seems to have it all?
The Wife
[ ] The Rebellious Daughter
The Daughter is the youngest child of the Last King of the Ymaryn. Normally, the children of Kings live extremely precarious lives, trapped between their powerful fathers and any rivals in Parliament who would seek to exploit their connection and extort their patron. Great things are expected of the children of great men and the expectations laid are crushing above and beyond what is normally expected. Despite all of that, the Daughter managed to thrive . . . in her own way. Rebellious, rude, angry, and forthright, the Daughter gained fame by pretending to be a man and fighting actively in the Great Khan's war. She managed to win minor acclaim in her own right before she was revealed. Still, even with that bit of scandal, marriage to her would tie Ydrys tightly to the undisputed Last King, bolstering legitimacy.
Primary Strength: Martial
Secondary Strength: Intrigue, Legitimacy
Known Loyalties: The Old Guard and Last King's extended family
Ambitions: Win Glory
[ ] Guildsman's Girl
The Girl is the eldest child of Gylys, the ruler of Hyathya. While she is still young enough that it would be advisable to delay the marriage by a year or two, she represents an immense opportunity to build ties between the Core and Hyathya through its leading ruler. Of the girl herself, you know frankly little about her. She's said to be extremely quiet, shy, which is unusual for one of the Ymaryn who normally pride themselves on their audacity. She is known to be perceptive and anticipatory, seeming to find solutions to problems before those problems are even apparent. Gylys' wife is a Patrician of moderate means and would likely be able to afford the finest tutors for their child.
Primary Strength: Ties to Gylys, ???
Secondary Strength: ???
Known Loyalties: Gylys and Hyathya
Ambitions: ???
[ ] The Prophetess
The war brought to the People by the Great Khan was for many the end of their days. Some have begun to consider it a true End of Days. A number of fractious cults have begun to establish themselves, providing for and preaching to the discontent of society. The Prophetess is the leader of one of the more popular cults, wielding people to her cause by the strength of her vision as well as the candor of her words. While a risk to marry someone who is only barely considered a Patrician, the Prophetess has established a significant following in only a few years.
Primary Strength: Religion, Diplomacy
Secondary Strength: None
Known Loyalties: Religious Fanatics
Ambitions: Reform Society
[ ] The Manganate
The Manganate is the granddaughter of the most powerful noble family in the Kingdom. (Ydrys and Rhys believe so anyway, but the People's politics are profoundly opaque and unstable so this could easily change.) Based on an extensive web of familial connections, the Managante's family has managed to acquire unsurpassed ability to oversee and control the apparatus of the Crown inside the Core and even surrounding the splinter states. While all of this power is officially unofficial, all true political power is officially unofficial. The King is absolute ruler of the Crown, but in practice he is one man that cannot oversee everything. There would be obligations with marrying so highly, but it would bring with it immense power.
Primary Strength: Intrigue
Secondary Strength: Diplomacy, Learning
Known Loyalties: Extended Family
Ambitions: Empower the family
[ ] The Cousin
Inviting someone into your bed is literal in the case of marriage, but also more metaphorical as well. It implies trust, a bond, that surpasses all others. Instead of marrying a virtual stranger, Ydrys will look for someone he knows will be loyal to him by going through his own extended family. There's certain to be an appropriate second or third cousin of the correct age and skill set that he can marry. It will not expand his ties to others, but it will also not web him into untoward obligations.
Primary Strength: Random (Probably Administration or Diplomacy)
Secondary Strength: Random (At least 2)
Known Loyalties: You
Ambitions: Increase familial power
[ ] A Foreigner?
Instead of seeking a traditional wife, Ydrys has made a supremely . . . unorthodox decision and has decided to seek a wife from abroad. While such a decision is unprecedented in recent history, this is now the time in history to seek possible marriages abroad and bring the People out from their long isolation.
Delays marriage vote for now, will provide a new slate of candidates on turn 2.
AN: My apologies for falling off the wagon. I initially launched this quest about a month before I wanted to since it looked like Aranfan's was dying. Now that I'm done with my other projects, I'm able to actually devote the time I intended to it.
1620 AGF, Reign of Ydrys the 170 King of
[X] Plan Calculated Pain
-[X] Parliament's Choices
-[X] Yes
-[X] Dyfan has called for refugees to help resettle Western Wall, push everyone you can onto him (2, Provides 1 Favour with WW)
-[X] Cut down large sections of the Sacred Forest to turn over to croplands. (3)
-[X] 5
-[X] Patrician (Highly politically connected, multi-disciplinary, profoundly skilled)
-[X] Guild Master (Technology and industry focused)
-[X] The Heir (The next King. Selected by Parliament, tends towards being competent.)
-[X] King's Wife (Tend to vary profoundly in ability and loyalty.)
-[X] Governor's Appointee [Txolla] (Provides a key way to address local issues)
To the Ymaryn, trees were life. When one of the People was born, a tree was planted in celebration. At major milestones in life, marriage, graduation from the Academy, becoming a recognized Master in your guild, a tree was also supposed to be planted. Each occasion was special and merited its own particular tree; oak at birth, jasmine trees for marriage, hardy apple to represent guild mastery, and birch to celebrate graduation. Even at death, the People were buried under trees of yew.
At least… that was the theory Ydrys had always heard. Only people located in the most remote areas in the Kingdom had the ability to plant trees in celebration any more. He'd heard once from his grandfather than his grandfather's grandfather remembered it happening when he was a boy. For Ydrys, the only trees that had been planted for him was the elm he planted with his bare hands as part of his coronation.
Even then, that had meant cutting down someone else's memorial. If the tree had been for anyone else other than a king centuries dead, it would've meant violence. Sporadic most years as King and Crown always stamped down harshly on civil disorder, but everyone knew what went on in the backwoods. Only the recent King's decree of 1298 AGF — which limited urban neighbourhoods and rural villages to only planting one celebratory tree each year — had really stemmed the rising discord.
When Ydrys had announced the policy of cutting down sections of the Sacred Forest, he had rightly feared the worst. People were angry, but Rhys had helped him with framing the issue just so. Cutting down trees would mean that more could soon be planted. The King's Decree restricting planting might even be lifted if things went well! People were then only too happy to help!
If several rows of wheat, beans, carrots, turnips and other foodstuffs were planted in between trees, well it was just sensible use of space! After all, it would take years for the trees to grow enough to occlude sunlight from the ground. If the only seedlings available happened to grow into trees happened to bear apples, walnuts, pears, peeches, cherries, hazelnut, or pine nuts, what could be done?
Not all had been pleased.
The Ngolyst sect of Mylathadysm had rioted, requiring a heavy-handed response, but that was unavoidable. To a Ngolyst, cutting down a tree, for any reason, was sacrilege. They refused to use wood for constructing or heating their homes and utterly disdained it in all utensils and furnishings. Nearly all of them refused to so much as step on a wooden floor! Most even refused to use tools forged with charcoal, preferring more environmentally friendly coal-fired tools.
Ydrys wondered what they would have done had they seen the Office of the King. Not the official one near the Hall of Stars where private audiences were held, but his true office. Everything was wooden, grown into shape in ways that must have taken master arborists decades to achieve.
Still, even after repression, relations with the sect were not as poor as they had been in the distant past. Their refusal to use wooden-shafted billhooks and crossbows had effectively barred them from military service and conscription in the Mass Levy. They'd eventually found a niche as slingers, scouts, and skirmishers. They were obviously inferior to Blackbirds, but tended to be better than average.
"'Re'ye certain this's needed?" Rhys asked, looking over the most recent orders Ydrys had drafted. "There's'n way this can'e be made less bitter."
"By ten-in-ten." Ydrys sighed. "The Laws Unwritten state that every administrative division within the Kingdom needs to store enough food on hand to survive seven years of complete famine." It had always been difficult, even for Ydrys to manage it, but seeing what unfolded before him every day made the new King endlessly grateful to the People who had established the Law so old that it's codified form was now lost. "After the Great Khan's Time of Blood, our stores are gone in most of the country. Even the herds necessary to sustain the Sacred Warding have been largely carried off."
"The o'ly places untuch'd are Hyatha and southern Txolla," Rhys acknowledged.
And Greenshore. Ydrys knew enough not to mention that, however. Running his hands through his hair, he had to suppress as grimace as it came back covered in hairs. It had started years back, during the war, but Ydrys had noticed that there seemed to be more and more hair coming free each time.
"Hyatha is having enough trouble feeding itself, right now," Ydrys said. "With Txolla and all the refugees we have in the Core, I suspect we only have four years before the foreign disease starts to truly set in."
"Starvation." The word brought an ugly grimace to Rhys' face. It was a foreign word in a foreign tongue — the People not quite having an equivalent — but to Rhys who'd spent time on the borders of the Kingdom or in the company of traders, that obscure piece of knowledge must have been commonplace. "It't'as everywhere. But, not here."
Until now.
"Anything less than the most drastic of actions will not be enough. On average, each man, woman, and child in the Kingdom will eat one tonne worth of food each year. Within the city of Valleyhome itself, we're stuffed to bursting with as many as 700,000 refugees on top of the regular population. We have maybe 2 million tonnes worth of supplies stored right now, barely enough for a year and a half. Some places — especially in Txolla — might be better off, but not by much, and most aren't."
"The people w'n't be 'appy," Rhy said simply.
"What can I do?" Ydrys asked. "Before the Khan came, the Kingdom was host to 160 million souls based on what we know from the old Census. As best I can guess, we lost a few tens of million in the fighting and to the Khan's deliberate slaughters, but losses weren't even. Aside from the nobility, it was mostly frontier farmers in Western Wall and Thunder Plateau that paid the price. Some of our most productive farming regions, laid to waste." Ydrys couldn't even be sure if his estimates of their losses were correct. Tens of millions died, they were certain of that, but entire provincial administrations were utterly wiped out. So many people were dead that there often weren't enough left around to count the bodies.
In Western Wall, it was worse. Every Ymaryn hated the Khan and his nomads, but the Wall had lost so much more. For them, their feelings on nomads were psychotic, rooted only in blood and fury. If they hadn't been so utterly devastated by the war, Ydrys was sure they would've proclaimed war against Greenshore for their vile treachery.
Still, before that was even the remotest possibility, they would need to rebuild. A lot of people were motivated by Dyfan's offer for a farmstead if they came to settle. Having your own land to tend and a guarantee that your sons will be able to inherit a plot of similar size and your grandsons after? It's an intoxicating dream. Life was normally precarious; to have a guarantee that you would not be dispossessed, your children and grandchildren? It was stability, safety, and sanctuary in an uncertain world. Something so unlike the cut-throat nature of the Ymaryn.
It was a dream that Ydrys knew he'd nearly been swallowed by in his youth. The Stymyr were always eager to take in immigrants from the Core, especially those who'd graduated from an Academy like he had. A Philosopher on top? He was guaranteed a title of nobility and a large grant of land that would be his if he wanted it. Land was often the least of what they were willing to offer. Still, he wasn't one to abandon the Ymaryn. To leave the People… it would be painful for all involved.
Turning back to the orders written before him, Ydrys affixed his sign and seal. "It's not enough," Ydrys said. "We have too many mouths to feed here and it seems Dyfan up in the north needs them. Speak to your contacts among the naval captains and see who would be available to assist in the relocation. The army will be keeping order."
There would be riots over this, all Ymaryn would resist expulsion from their land to the point of death. It had been one of the few things that had slowed the Khan down when he marched through the Kingdom. When fighting on their land, with the families at their backs, the People's army had been unbreakable. Even the lowest conscripts, the gutter trash pulled half-drunk from city sewers, had fought to the bloody end by tooth and nail. There was no retreat.
"I can'e 'ver'ee it all, my King," Rhys said softly. "We need supporters."
"Alright," Ydrys finally said. It was the one part of his Kingship that he'd been putting off. Advisors. One might as well clutch a viper to their chest and try soothing it with soft nothings. Politics in the Core had been vicious since before recorded history. Outside of the structures provided by the Crown, there was little in Ymaryn society to offer the chance for advancement and gainful employment. Failure to attain either was grounds for Half-Exile and the Crown needed only so many administrators, soldiers, and other officials. For those of Patrician stock unlucky enough to fail their Examinations, there were precious few options. Without a career, you were a leech, a criminal, useless, fit only for Half-Exile. Drudgery was all you were good for, nearly everything better would be taken by someone else. Better speak with the priests so your shame could be dealt with.
Unless you could sabotage someone else, destroying them and taking their place.
"There was a reason I decided to take up a Gentry career," Ydrys sighed.
Rhys looked at him strangely. "'Ruly?" He sighed. "I 'th'ved on it."
The Patrician Advisors
[ ] The Officer
One of the few remaining officers of the Old Army, the Officer served primarily as an administrator, ensuring that provisions, arms, and other resources were always accessible to the army. His knowledge on military matters and combat are mostly theoretical, but they are systematically and deeply studied. He was one of the key players in the Great Khan's war, even if he normally would never have risen to prominence. What is most troubling about his candidacy is his professed loyalty to Dyfan and the remnants of the Banner Companies. The Officer was never a member of those illustrious bodies, but as Chief Quartermaster, he worked closely with them and had clear loyalties.
Primary Strength: Administration
Secondary Strength: Diplomacy, Military
Known Loyalties: Dyfan
Ambitions: Remake the Army
[ ] The Refugee
Formerly located within the administration of Blackmouth, the Refugee has had to start over from virtually nothing. He'd been an exciseman before the war, tracking harbour fees and other taxes, ensuring that every copper penny and pound of flour were accounted for. It wasn't glorious work, but it needed doing. After the war started and Blackmouth fell, he had been swept up into the army fighting against the Khan. His career there was not distinguished, but it was not lacking either. He is clearly a compromise candidate suggested by different factions of Parliament. He is straightforwardly competent and offended no one's sensibilities.
Primary Strength: Administration.
Secondary Strengths: Diplomacy,
Known Loyalties: Western Wall
Ambitions: Create a stable home and future
[ ] The Banker
The current Master of the Royal Ymaryn Mint, the Banker carries profound influence by virtue of his position. At some point in the past, the Master of the Mint was little more than a glorified civil servant, counting coppers and ensuring that all Ymaryn coins were of the highest quality, but it slowly grew in power. The ability to take coins out of circulation was an extremely powerful tool in adjusting prices and controlling the flow of trade. Regions that displeased the Mint often found their coins suddenly worth nothing at all by the mere expedient of the Mint unleashing its endless reserves of gold and silver. It is practically tradition at this point to consider the Master of the Mint for a position on the King's Council. It was perhaps one of the few positions in Ymaryn society more prestigious, but less powerful. An easy way to force an influential man to curb their own power.
Primary Strength: Wealth
Secondary Strengths: Intrigue, Trade, Diplomacy
Known Loyalties: Himself and a Patrician Clan.
Ambitions: He seems to have had it all?
[ ] The Professor
The Professor is one of the foremost teachers of Redshore Academy. Fiercely intelligent, he has managed the education of the Ymaryn elite since before Ydrys was born. He could remember meeting the Professor before, in passing, while he was still in the Academy. The man had a passion for Natural Philosophy and the study of the physical world. Even with the whisper of scandal still clutching at his coat heels, the man had been a force of nature teaching the mysteries of numbers and accounting. The fact that he'd taken a Sabbatical from teaching at the Academy to study alongside smiths' apprentices? To weave sailcloth alongside shipbuilders? All of that was nearly forgotten by the time of Ydrys' own study.
Primary Strength: Learning
Secondary Strengths: Administration, Intrigue
Known Loyalties: The Academies.
Ambitions: Break the Academies.
The Guild Master Advisors
[ ] The Smith
The Smith is an… unusual character. According to reports, the man is strange, talking and laughing to himself while he works or is simply alone. Such things are not unheard of, but there's an unusual depth to his peculiarities. Regardless, the man is a talented metal worker beyond comparison. He, personally, forged the Regnal Sword that Ydrys received to commemorate the start of his reign. Not quite as long as a traditionally Ymaryn two-hander, it seems to fit perfectly in hand. Made of blued ripple-steel and inlaid with gold, amber, citrine, and garnets, it appears to encapsulate the light of a growing dawn. While the Smith has little of the skill in mass production that are so common among the People's great grandmasters, his skill at individual-level artistry is beyond comparison.
Primary Strength: Industry
Secondary Strengths: None
Known Loyalties: Traditional Guildsmen.
Ambitions: Create a masterwork among masterworks.
[ ] The Architect
The Architect occupied an extremely important position within Ymaryn society and previously worked as the city planner for Redshore. The various megaprojects and environmental works the people engaged in required extensive planning and organization to undertake. It was often one of the few fields where people could truly show off without running afoul of the People's various sumptuary laws. While not a member of the Guilds traditionally, architects often work with them hand-in-glove in order to make the People's vivid dreams a functional reality.
Primary Strength: Administration
Secondary Strength: Industry
Known Loyalties: Redshore City
Ambitions: Craft a Wonder
[ ] The Shipmaster
The relative importance of the navy has declined dramatically during the Great Khan's war, slipping from being an anti-pirate fleet to a true afterthought, making the position of Shipmaster increasingly irrelevant. Most lost their career and were forced into Half-Exile when they could not find an acceptable career, but this Shipmaster managed to avoid those purges. Formerly of Trelli and Hyathya, the Shipmaster was chief grandmaster of the city's docks, responsible for the production and upkeep of all Ymaryn navy vessels in the Syffryn ocean as well as the Yllthon Mor. Forced out by the traitors of Greenshore, the Shipmaster has come back to the Core, burning to restore the Ymaryn navy into something that the People can be proud of.
Primary Strength: Industry
Secondary Strength: Navy
Known Loyalties: The Navy
Ambition: Create multiple world-class navies.
[ ] The Glassmaker
The Glassmaker is a master, but in a field where the craft has mostly stalled. Moving against the prevailing orthodoxy that Ymaryn glass is the finest in the world (and literally perfect), he has spent substantial time and effort attempting to improve it. While he has often walked close to the line of embezzlement (or perhaps gone over, none has just been proven), the man has managed to keep up with demand while diverting scarce resources to personal projects. A project that was vindicated shortly before the Great Khan's war as he unveiled a stained glass of brilliant Tyrian Purple, a shade that was once thought impossible to craft.
Primary Strength: Industry
Secondary Strength: Learning
Known Loyalties: Guild Radicals
Ambition: I'll Show Them All!
The Governor's Appointee
[ ] The Nephew
With disgust, you'd nearly thrown this appointment aside before reading it. How could one be so blatantly nepotistic to put forward their literal nephew? It happened everywhere in the Kingdom, but you gave the Governor some slight benefit of doubt. His nephew was . . . competent, skilled even. If it wasn't for the fact that he was the Nephew of a Governor, it is virtually certain that he would be picked up by someone as promising young talent. With such a relationship, however, his career could easily stall. Too many would (perhaps justifiably) doubt his loyalty. If you were to select the young man, it would be easy to mould his career, shaping him to your needs. If you could overcome the risk he would work to benefit his family.
Primary Strength: Administration
Secondary Strength: Intrigue, Industry
Known Loyalties: His family, governor of Txolla.
Ambitions: Advance family interests?
[ ] The Yeoman
A rough scrabble young man, the Yeoman rose to prominence during the Great Khan's War by organizing local gentry and whipping them into fighting shape. Using the famous fast firing longbows of the Ymaryn countryside, the Yeoman proved exceptionally effective in countering the swift-moving cavalry archers of the Khan's army. Now that the war is over, the Yeoman must be rewarded for his valiant service and the Govenor has forwarded his name directly to you. It's likely that this will offer you both a competent commander as well as removing a newly active political figure who has managed to collect an astounding number of life-debts.
Primary Strength: Martial
Secondary Strength: Diplomacy
Known Loyalties: Rural gentry.
Ambitions: To shine brightly.
[ ] The Bodyguard
The Bodyguard is a killer, one of the best killers that Txolla's governor has ever seen. Brash, arrogant, and forthright, he fought a score of duels in a single day, winning them all without serious injury. The grandson of a nomadic woman who settled in the Kingdom, his loyalty was obviously in doubt and his honour questioned during the Khan's War. How could the Ymaryn know he would stay loyal, or would blood finally out? As the war wound down, the Bodyguard has started to grow restless and the families of the men he defeated, resentful. While the Governor could use his services against military threats in the south, the Governor feels it is not worth the risk of civil strife.
Primary Strength: Prowess (Hero)
Secondary Strength: None
Known Loyalties: His own ego.
Ambitions: A life of endless fights.
[ ] The Spicer
Profoundly wealthy, the spicer has cornered control over spices, silks, and other luxury goods produced in Southern Txolla. While the Ymaryn Kingdom officially denies the concepts of personal and private property, some Patricians have managed to make their control over certain resources nearly unquestionable. The Spicer is one of these magnates. While the Spicer would normally have enough influence in his own right to be a Patrician advisor, the fact that he is put forward by the Governor indicates a desire from the latter to remove the Spicer from his center of authority, allowing the slight possibility of reform.
Primary Strength: Wealth
Secondary Strength: Agriculture, Trade.
Known Loyalties: Himself, the Txolla agricultural consortium.
Ambitions: He seems to have it all?
The Wife
[ ] The Rebellious Daughter
The Daughter is the youngest child of the Last King of the Ymaryn. Normally, the children of Kings live extremely precarious lives, trapped between their powerful fathers and any rivals in Parliament who would seek to exploit their connection and extort their patron. Great things are expected of the children of great men and the expectations laid are crushing above and beyond what is normally expected. Despite all of that, the Daughter managed to thrive . . . in her own way. Rebellious, rude, angry, and forthright, the Daughter gained fame by pretending to be a man and fighting actively in the Great Khan's war. She managed to win minor acclaim in her own right before she was revealed. Still, even with that bit of scandal, marriage to her would tie Ydrys tightly to the undisputed Last King, bolstering legitimacy.
Primary Strength: Martial
Secondary Strength: Intrigue, Legitimacy
Known Loyalties: The Old Guard and Last King's extended family
Ambitions: Win Glory
[ ] Guildsman's Girl
The Girl is the eldest child of Gylys, the ruler of Hyathya. While she is still young enough that it would be advisable to delay the marriage by a year or two, she represents an immense opportunity to build ties between the Core and Hyathya through its leading ruler. Of the girl herself, you know frankly little about her. She's said to be extremely quiet, shy, which is unusual for one of the Ymaryn who normally pride themselves on their audacity. She is known to be perceptive and anticipatory, seeming to find solutions to problems before those problems are even apparent. Gylys' wife is a Patrician of moderate means and would likely be able to afford the finest tutors for their child.
Primary Strength: Ties to Gylys, ???
Secondary Strength: ???
Known Loyalties: Gylys and Hyathya
Ambitions: ???
[ ] The Prophetess
The war brought to the People by the Great Khan was for many the end of their days. Some have begun to consider it a true End of Days. A number of fractious cults have begun to establish themselves, providing for and preaching to the discontent of society. The Prophetess is the leader of one of the more popular cults, wielding people to her cause by the strength of her vision as well as the candor of her words. While a risk to marry someone who is only barely considered a Patrician, the Prophetess has established a significant following in only a few years.
Primary Strength: Religion, Diplomacy
Secondary Strength: None
Known Loyalties: Religious Fanatics
Ambitions: Reform Society
[ ] The Manganate
The Manganate is the granddaughter of the most powerful noble family in the Kingdom. (Ydrys and Rhys believe so anyway, but the People's politics are profoundly opaque and unstable so this could easily change.) Based on an extensive web of familial connections, the Managante's family has managed to acquire unsurpassed ability to oversee and control the apparatus of the Crown inside the Core and even surrounding the splinter states. While all of this power is officially unofficial, all true political power is officially unofficial. The King is absolute ruler of the Crown, but in practice he is one man that cannot oversee everything. There would be obligations with marrying so highly, but it would bring with it immense power.
Primary Strength: Intrigue
Secondary Strength: Diplomacy, Learning
Known Loyalties: Extended Family
Ambitions: Empower the family
[ ] The Cousin
Inviting someone into your bed is literal in the case of marriage, but also more metaphorical as well. It implies trust, a bond, that surpasses all others. Instead of marrying a virtual stranger, Ydrys will look for someone he knows will be loyal to him by going through his own extended family. There's certain to be an appropriate second or third cousin of the correct age and skill set that he can marry. It will not expand his ties to others, but it will also not web him into untoward obligations.
Primary Strength: Random (Probably Administration or Diplomacy)
Secondary Strength: Random (At least 2)
Known Loyalties: You
Ambitions: Increase familial power
[ ] A Foreigner?
Instead of seeking a traditional wife, Ydrys has made a supremely . . . unorthodox decision and has decided to seek a wife from abroad. While such a decision is unprecedented in recent history, this is now the time in history to seek possible marriages abroad and bring the People out from their long isolation.
Delays marriage vote for now, will provide a new slate of candidates on turn 2.
The Patrician Advisors
[ ] The Officer
[ ] The Refugee
[ ] The Banker
[ ] The Professor
The Guild Master Advisors
[ ] The Smith
[ ] The Architect
[ ] The Shipmaster
[ ] The Glassmaker
The Governor's Appointee
[ ] The Nephew
[ ] The Yeoman
[ ] The Bodyguard
[ ] The Spicer
The Wife
[ ] The Rebellious Daughter
[ ] Guildsman's Girl
[ ] The Prophetess
[ ] The Manganate
[ ] The Cousin
[ ] A Foreigner?
[ ] The Officer
[ ] The Refugee
[ ] The Banker
[ ] The Professor
The Guild Master Advisors
[ ] The Smith
[ ] The Architect
[ ] The Shipmaster
[ ] The Glassmaker
The Governor's Appointee
[ ] The Nephew
[ ] The Yeoman
[ ] The Bodyguard
[ ] The Spicer
The Wife
[ ] The Rebellious Daughter
[ ] Guildsman's Girl
[ ] The Prophetess
[ ] The Manganate
[ ] The Cousin
[ ] A Foreigner?
AN: My apologies for falling off the wagon. I initially launched this quest about a month before I wanted to since it looked like Aranfan's was dying. Now that I'm done with my other projects, I'm able to actually devote the time I intended to it.
Before the Khan, the Ymaryn Kingdom numbered about 160 million people. It was about 60% bigger than China at this point in history. After the Khan, it's unknown; the Census is turbo fucked right now (which is also why you are unable to call the Mass Levy). As best as Ydrys is able to estimate tens of millions of people died, but he can't really narrow it from a 20 to 50 million range. So many people were slaughtered (or starved/died of disease) and so much administrative capacity lost that in most places there's just not enough manpower to count all of the bodies. You may never know depending on how things shake out.
This quest isn't going to be fantasy like you're probably thinking of. 'Magic' is mostly going to be non-standard physics; I want to capture the feel that AN originally had and brought forward in PoI. If you keep your eyes closed, you won't find anything magical.
Aranfan
Team Plasma Grunt
Sorry.
- Location
- New York
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Plan Balance
-[X] The Professor
-[X] The Shipmaster
-[X] The Spicer
-[X] The Rebellious Daughter
I tried to get a good spread to cover as much as possible. The shipmaster is the only one I think is indispensable, I expect maritime trade and the navy to be important in the future. The wife, I'm really tempted by the intrigue girl and especially the foreigner, but I decided to go for legitimacy, and she's got martial skill too. If I swapped her out I'd want to change the others around too.
P.S. Was quiet for a while I made it a full vote.
-[X] The Professor
-[X] The Shipmaster
-[X] The Spicer
-[X] The Rebellious Daughter
I tried to get a good spread to cover as much as possible. The shipmaster is the only one I think is indispensable, I expect maritime trade and the navy to be important in the future. The wife, I'm really tempted by the intrigue girl and especially the foreigner, but I decided to go for legitimacy, and she's got martial skill too. If I swapped her out I'd want to change the others around too.
P.S. Was quiet for a while I made it a full vote.
Last edited:
Ghostdevil
The Devil of Ghosts
- Location
- United States
So special light/color notmagic that embues special abilities and gifts. I did like that, less magic and more nonstandard physics and technology.
From what I think we need the support of leadership positions so I think we need something to bribe at least one province of the Old Empire so I would think:
[X]To Our Sea
-[X] The Professor
-[X] The Shipmaster
-[X] The Yeoman
-[X] Guildsman's Girl
This is going to go for a Hathyta reembrace.
[X] A Merchant's Embrace
-[X] The Banker
-[X] The Shipmaster
-[X] The Yeoman
-[X] Guildsman's Girl
In case we need our Medicis to help us finance our wars and buy more mercenaries since our armies may have died or no longer as they were before.
[X] Plan Balance
[X]To Our Sea
-[X] The Professor
-[X] The Shipmaster
-[X] The Yeoman
-[X] Guildsman's Girl
This is going to go for a Hathyta reembrace.
[X] A Merchant's Embrace
-[X] The Banker
-[X] The Shipmaster
-[X] The Yeoman
-[X] Guildsman's Girl
In case we need our Medicis to help us finance our wars and buy more mercenaries since our armies may have died or no longer as they were before.
[X] Plan Balance
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CedeTheBees
Probably high right now
- Location
- Somewhere
- Pronouns
- They/Them
[X] Plan Making Changes
-[X] The Professor
-[X] The Glassmaker
-[X] The Spicer
-[X] A Foreigner?
-[X] The Professor
-[X] The Glassmaker
-[X] The Spicer
-[X] A Foreigner?
In order to get discussion going, I'm going to post a list of current values for the Ymaryn as of the beginning of the quest. These have changed since PoC.
Values of the Ymaryn as of 1620 AGF
Honour Values
Swords and Ploughshares (Lv. 3)
Farmers can fight in wars, the marching of armies can pound out roads, and axes are good for splitting both skulls and wood.
Pros: Gain bonus Martial from Econ.
Cons: Damage to Martial carries over to Econ.
Divine Glorious Elites (Lv.4) (Under Strain)
A well lead life is one of excellence in all things at all levels, from the stitch of cloth to prowess on the battlefield to skill in oration. The best and finest is thus demanded of and by all to show their virtue and honour, in the knowledge that those that rise to the top will be supported by excellence below.
Pros: Increased Martial, allows raising elite unites. Bonus to Culture and Tech for certain actions.
Cons: Increased risk to own Martial score, increased social stratification, increased costs.
Lord's Loyalty (Lv.1) (Under Strain)
The ties between the People bind tight, increasing the obligations of the superior while also making the subordinate more likely to listen.
Pros: Can support more subordinate states, subordinate states less likely to break away.
Cons: Minimum level of support required to be given to subordinates is elevated.
Social Values
Personal Stewards of Nature (Lv.4) (Under Strain)
Through the blessings of the spirits and the efforts of the People in individual and whole, the land is reshaped, and its management and protection is a good above all others. No effort is to great when it comes to the stewardship of the land, and many pursue their own little projects where it does not conflict with the symphony of the whole.
Pros: Unlocks extra land management actions, bonus fighting on own terrain, bonus Econ and Stab when completing land management Megaprojects. May spend Stab to boost megaprojects and defensive wars.
Cons: Heavy strife by deliberate environmental disruption unless it is for the benefit of the land or losing territory to others.
Greater Justice (Lv. 3)
Justice exists for the greater good of all, protecting the community from the depravity of those who would harm it.
Pros: Justice is a community objective served through careful punishment.
Cons: The needs of the many can outweigh the needs of the few.
Spiritual Values
Joyous Symphony (Lv.3) (Under Strain)
All have their part to play in this world, be it their interaction with each other, their neighbours, or with the spirits. When all the parts of a group are moving in peaceful accord, the result is greater than the sum of the parts, and transcendental to behold.
Pros: Bonus to collective action and to concerted efforts. Gain +1 Stab when a defensive war successfully ends.
Cons: Disharmony must be corrected. Require casus belli to declare war.
Die But Do It (Lv.2) (Growing)
For the most important tasks, the ones that are most worth doing, they must be completed at all costs, with everyone giving it their all, even if it would mean their death.
Pros: Warriors fight harder and workers work more intensely, losses in battle or accident are less disruptive.
Cons: Dying a good death is socially righteous.
Principia Philosophiae (Lv.4) (Under Strain)
Through intellect and careful testing of the world, the People have developed a love of knowledge and learning, and everyone is expected to follow suit. The intellect is exalted and all are expected to engage and contribute.
Pros: Profoundly improve the use of study actions and innovation, improved leader skill sets.
Cons: Questions social foundations, invites factitious discord.
Purity (Lv.2)
Only through physical purity can spiritual purity be attained. There can however be no mercy for those who would contaminate the pure.
Pros: Bonuses to resisting disease and foreign influences
Cons: The impure and unclean must be eliminated
Values marked 'Under Strain' are currently at risk of degradation. Those marked 'Growing' have the possibility of leveling up in the near future.
Known Synergies
The Man Without Fear = Swords and Ploughshares + Personal Stewards of Nature + Die But Do It
Effects: Gain 'Unbreakable' in defensive fights on own terrain.
Army of All = Swords and Ploughshares + Divinely Glorious Elites + Joyous Symphony
Effects: The army is the beating heart and soul of your civilization, a perfect blend of everything that makes you great.
Clarity of Essence = Greater Justice + Joyous Symphony + Purity
Effects: Heavily stifles innovation and social reform
Karoshi = Divinely Glorious Elites + Principa Philosophiae + Die But Do It
Effects: Only death can stop your efforts to succeed.
For everyone else: the vote is open.
Values of the Ymaryn as of 1620 AGF
Honour Values
Swords and Ploughshares (Lv. 3)
Farmers can fight in wars, the marching of armies can pound out roads, and axes are good for splitting both skulls and wood.
Pros: Gain bonus Martial from Econ.
Cons: Damage to Martial carries over to Econ.
Divine Glorious Elites (Lv.4) (Under Strain)
A well lead life is one of excellence in all things at all levels, from the stitch of cloth to prowess on the battlefield to skill in oration. The best and finest is thus demanded of and by all to show their virtue and honour, in the knowledge that those that rise to the top will be supported by excellence below.
Pros: Increased Martial, allows raising elite unites. Bonus to Culture and Tech for certain actions.
Cons: Increased risk to own Martial score, increased social stratification, increased costs.
Lord's Loyalty (Lv.1) (Under Strain)
The ties between the People bind tight, increasing the obligations of the superior while also making the subordinate more likely to listen.
Pros: Can support more subordinate states, subordinate states less likely to break away.
Cons: Minimum level of support required to be given to subordinates is elevated.
Social Values
Personal Stewards of Nature (Lv.4) (Under Strain)
Through the blessings of the spirits and the efforts of the People in individual and whole, the land is reshaped, and its management and protection is a good above all others. No effort is to great when it comes to the stewardship of the land, and many pursue their own little projects where it does not conflict with the symphony of the whole.
Pros: Unlocks extra land management actions, bonus fighting on own terrain, bonus Econ and Stab when completing land management Megaprojects. May spend Stab to boost megaprojects and defensive wars.
Cons: Heavy strife by deliberate environmental disruption unless it is for the benefit of the land or losing territory to others.
Greater Justice (Lv. 3)
Justice exists for the greater good of all, protecting the community from the depravity of those who would harm it.
Pros: Justice is a community objective served through careful punishment.
Cons: The needs of the many can outweigh the needs of the few.
Spiritual Values
Joyous Symphony (Lv.3) (Under Strain)
All have their part to play in this world, be it their interaction with each other, their neighbours, or with the spirits. When all the parts of a group are moving in peaceful accord, the result is greater than the sum of the parts, and transcendental to behold.
Pros: Bonus to collective action and to concerted efforts. Gain +1 Stab when a defensive war successfully ends.
Cons: Disharmony must be corrected. Require casus belli to declare war.
Die But Do It (Lv.2) (Growing)
For the most important tasks, the ones that are most worth doing, they must be completed at all costs, with everyone giving it their all, even if it would mean their death.
Pros: Warriors fight harder and workers work more intensely, losses in battle or accident are less disruptive.
Cons: Dying a good death is socially righteous.
Principia Philosophiae (Lv.4) (Under Strain)
Through intellect and careful testing of the world, the People have developed a love of knowledge and learning, and everyone is expected to follow suit. The intellect is exalted and all are expected to engage and contribute.
Pros: Profoundly improve the use of study actions and innovation, improved leader skill sets.
Cons: Questions social foundations, invites factitious discord.
Purity (Lv.2)
Only through physical purity can spiritual purity be attained. There can however be no mercy for those who would contaminate the pure.
Pros: Bonuses to resisting disease and foreign influences
Cons: The impure and unclean must be eliminated
Values marked 'Under Strain' are currently at risk of degradation. Those marked 'Growing' have the possibility of leveling up in the near future.
Known Synergies
The Man Without Fear = Swords and Ploughshares + Personal Stewards of Nature + Die But Do It
Effects: Gain 'Unbreakable' in defensive fights on own terrain.
Army of All = Swords and Ploughshares + Divinely Glorious Elites + Joyous Symphony
Effects: The army is the beating heart and soul of your civilization, a perfect blend of everything that makes you great.
Clarity of Essence = Greater Justice + Joyous Symphony + Purity
Effects: Heavily stifles innovation and social reform
Karoshi = Divinely Glorious Elites + Principa Philosophiae + Die But Do It
Effects: Only death can stop your efforts to succeed.
For everyone else: the vote is open.
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- Location
- Hollister
[X] Plan Aranfan
Xantalos
Turtle-Speed Writing
Hmm. Would you be willing to show the values we had at our last point in PoC? Just for easier cross-comparison.
Found here:
The big things are:
Honourable Death -> Die But Do It
Philosopher Kings -> Principa Philosophiae
Divine Glorious Elites was never really degraded because the Ymaryn never damaged themselves deeply enough to pry the value lose. Principa was an attempt by people to try to alleviate the effects Divine Glorious Elites by pushing forward semi-universal education. It didn't really work since it just made the People more snobbish and elitist. Die But Do It is a strict level up over Honourable Death, mostly along the same lines, but emphasizes he nature of 'nothing should stop you', even if death is possible. Honourable Death just leaned on the fact that some deaths were better than others.
The big things are:
Honourable Death -> Die But Do It
Philosopher Kings -> Principa Philosophiae
Divine Glorious Elites was never really degraded because the Ymaryn never damaged themselves deeply enough to pry the value lose. Principa was an attempt by people to try to alleviate the effects Divine Glorious Elites by pushing forward semi-universal education. It didn't really work since it just made the People more snobbish and elitist. Die But Do It is a strict level up over Honourable Death, mostly along the same lines, but emphasizes he nature of 'nothing should stop you', even if death is possible. Honourable Death just leaned on the fact that some deaths were better than others.