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Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)

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Man this is a tough choice. I gotta say, the defensive route seems wisest. We need to actually do our job and our job is to defend this section. Also the benefits we usually get from having ZG nearby won't be applicable w/ the other option. GX is more suited towards the aggressive route, maybe she's the one who should deal with that? If the coming attack is more than just restless spirits (which seems likely, story-wise), then the people here are more likely to be overwhelmed by threat. I'm sure ZG and GX can keep casualties and damage down but our abilities are more defensive in nature. That's why I think we'd likely keep damage and casualties down to almost nothing. GX seems more likely to get caught up in the heat of battle and have more disregard for the villagers and their farms. She cares more about winning. I know she's matured a bit but I can't see her defending the village as well as us. Going out and killing things, though? Very Gu Xiuilan.
LotusPocus said:
risk of being obstructed by our allies.
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Why would our allies obstruct us? We can include allies in our effects, friendly fire is not really a concern.
 
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The main downside to the aggressive posture is the possibility that there will be an attack we haven't spotted, like another group of barbarians. I'll note that the message sent for us vanished, possibly we just passed it, but that's not a good sign. The agitated spirit at Cloudbreaker Peak is almost certainly being used as a diversion, whether it's a diversion for just the raids to the northern villages or for something else remains to be seen.
 
I am also leaning aggressive, actually. The barbarian force is a concrete and fairly large threat, and Qi will be very effective against them. There is a fairly sure chance that we'll get an uptick in spirit troubles coming from the south, but between Zhengui's defensive prowess and Xiulan's flamethrower I think they will be fine.
 
Six being called auntie is kind lol worthy.

Going with Aggressive. We kind dont know if this is a trap or not, so it is really a choice if we want to to be passive or active. Both might have traps/something we misses.
 
Hrrm.
As I understand it, going off this update alone though, the real danger is we're on our own.
Given the advantage these guys have is mobility-they don't look like they've the power to smash defenses, so they'll be more looking for targets of oppertunity/hoping the Storm spirit they riled up is enough of a diversion, if I understand it right?
So I'm leaning towards [] Defensive posture
 
[] Aggressive posture
-Spirits are problematic to be sure, but nothing that the people here cannot handle. The wards are strong, you've checked them yourself. However, the barbarians could be dangerous. Using your superior mobility, go north and aid the closer of the other villages.
[Aggressive approach, retains initiative, leaves Xiulan and Zhengui to defend this village, lessens safety but supports other villages.]

Yeah, aggressive is probably the way to go.
Send word north that there is trouble brewing, then go out to deal with it while leaving forces to defend the village.
Yes, if things go bad, we might get criticized for not defending our assigned village, but even if we did stay, there would be criticism of not sending aid, probably from the exact same people.

Though part of me is paranoid that the barbarians might be a feint.
 
We know the raiding force is at LEAST second realm but that is the floor. It is unlikely they would send so weak a force even if they do tend to leave after a show of force. However I am suspicious of their recent behavior and fear they will rope a dope the Imperial forces and go outside their playbook.

I'm for defensive
 
My first instinct was to go for an aggressive posture but I find it deeply suspicious that they would target both northern villages and that both groups were spotted before they started their attack.
 
Mr Apollo said:
My first instinct was to go for an aggressive posture but I find it deeply suspicious that they would target both northern villages and that both groups were spotted before they started their attack.
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I mean, the scouts we saw earlier where scattered by Zhengui. Could be that they are going after softer targets, could be a trap to lure people out. We dont know.
 
It seems like they knew there was an issue in the south. Did they trigger it and try to draw us north for some reason? Is a big raid or something else planned?
 
I think it's important to go aggressive, so that the village doesn't get surrounded if the raiders make it past the villages to the north.

That said, I think we should also trust Xiulan to hold the fort while we're gone. We haven't really interacted with her recently, but I have a feeling she's dedicated more time to training than we have.
 
Lena27 said:
Why would our allies obstruct us? We can include allies in our effects, friendly fire is not really a concern.
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We can include allies but it cost Qi to do so for each allie and there is a lot of them, plus there is also the villagers. And if we need to detonate the mist we can't because most soldiers are low level. Remember, each time we fought along side lots of people ( 2nd and 3rd thunderdomes) the Qi cost was high. Most of Lind Qi fight were with few allies, 4 being the highest outside of the thunderdomes.
 
The northwestern village didn't ask for reinforcements because they felt like it, they appraised the situation and decided they needed it and we should assume they are competent in that. It could still be a distraction but it looks more like the tribesmen took an opportunity with the spirit to the south and we can still scry Xuilan to see if our village comes under a surprise assault before we engage. Not sending aid when our neighbors are under attack on the off chance it's a diversion isn't how a military garrison is supposed to work and would reflect poorly on our willingness to aid the empire. If it's a cunning strategy by a Green barbarian Xiulan and Zhengui will hold them off until we get there.
 
Alright, both options have their strong points. I'm going to analyze both, because I think both are valid choices.

Defensive:
Pros:
-very well protected village
-if there is another secret attack, or anything else this pretty effectively shuts that down.
-Zhengui shine?
-can lead to a good next step, if we can create a good defensive position, either for a counter attack or to take in refugees from other villages ahead.
Cons:
-lose initiative, don't think I have to elaborate how bad that is.
-could be easily bypassed.
-not supporting others of the sect.
-locks us down to one spot that we need to stay close too.
-could be a bad match for Barbarian fighting style? (Not too sure but if we are a stationary target and they just keep hitting and running away we will get tired)
-not sure it's best to start completely defensive.

Aggressive:
Pros:
-gaining initiative, allowing us to chose with more flexibility and react more efficiently.
-direct support to fellow sect members.
-could lead to more plot, or allow us to kind of play Lone Ranger. Like going around and investigating into what's actually happening, and maybe being more effective then.
-we can fly, so mobility is always good for us, and it allows us to more directly combat and match the Barbarians
-unexpected? Like they aren't expecting attacks like our when they are raiding defensive settlements.
Cons:
-could leave us open to a trap/is a diversion.
-abandoning our location?(not sure if it counts)
-support not needed, a waste of a move.
-not full strength, we need to leave some people/spirit(Zhengui) behind.


Overall, defense is the safer move to take with but with less reward. At best we establish a good counterattack or recovery space, and we keep our strength up.

Overall, aggressive is more risky, but with higher reward. Allows more connection to plot, give us more flexibility and choices. Could lead to a protecting the front line or a direct attack if we find someone or something important enough.

Either ones good, but I'm probably going to vote aggressive.
 
I want to go aggressive as a token of trust in Xiulan's and Zhangui's abilities. Nigh immovable tank with cc and healing and hellishly punishing ranged caster - there are few more perfect combinations our there.
 
A possible way to lessen the risk of offensive is if the village needs help then Zhengui can flare and we can use the soaring charm to get back quicker.
 
So here's a bit of an analysis of the situation:
  1. Barbarians have been testing defenses, should be pretty usual after a shift change. In the southern village they got chased away by an angry Xuan Wu. We don't know if the norther villages got probed but we know the two appraisal officers were assigned there.
  2. Icebreaker Mountain to the south is the assigned area of Liao Zhu; they're trying to set up a new mine and expected problems with local spirits. Looks like those concerns came true and they're now dealing with a pissed off mountain or something. This does likely mean more local spirit activity spooked by the fighting.
  3. The barbarians are likely using the opportunity to mount a raid, and here's what we can expect:
    "The typical raid is a quick affair, a half dozen or so low ranking cultivators swooping down to smash homes, destabilize quarries or mines, and steal livestock and metals.
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  4. IMO they're going for the northern villages because they're perceived as easier targets, given a very visible Zhengui in our area.

So, unless there's a major raid brewing taking special pains to hide itself, I expect what we're seeing is pretty much what it is; a group of barbarians planning to take advantage of a fortuitous distraction to do a smash-and-grab on what they think is an easy target.

In terms of responses:
  • Going defensive means leaving the Appraisal officers to fend for themselves, and let's face it; they're not as badass as we are, but we're definitely ready for whatever comes for our village in the wake of fighting.
  • Going for aggressive means the raiders are walking into a blizzard of our making, meanwhile Xiulan and Zhengui might get some angry spirits but probably no raid just yet. If they do we're trusting them to hold the line while LQ returns with backup.

Overall Aggressive looks like the right approach.
 
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I do think letting Zhengui and Xiulan take care of things would work.
The thing is... do we know for sure that Xiulan won't decide to go on the offensive as well?

I am afraid of bumping with her while going up north, and there being the typical situation of "I thought you had stayed behind! Then who is defending the village?"

On the other hand, if we stay back, Xiulan might huff at us stealing the protagonism and defeating her adversaries.
 
Yeah, our backline is strong, and Ling Qi's disengage game is top class, especially after getting and slotting ENM, she's probably one of the only ones who can actually move fast enough to do an intercept here, and if it turns out to get too hot, she can probably disengage from anything short of a Formation level Cultivator--and her odds aren't bad even then if they don't specialize in perception.

Plus, you know, it's the right thing to do here? The safe choice is to bunker down, but it leaves others to get fucked, and we've already resolved that we're trying to be better, you know?
 
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