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

Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
I know a, let's say, more profitable method.
Let's start a news agency, and release a newspaper all over the Emerald Seas!

People would pay not only to read it but to get into it as well!
 
Turn 14:Arc 3-2
"Let's lean into it shall we?" Ling Qi mused. "I'll have to double check with Renxiang, but I think it will be fine."

"Really?" Sixiang asked, tilting their head. "That seems a little bold to assume."

Ling Qi nodded slightly her eyes moving rapidly as she scanned through the rest of the letter and began to open the next. "It's a little strange, but every other province has their pride, don't they?"

"I dunno about that, seems most like the ruling family has their pride," Sixiang chuckled. "But I guess I have to wonder where the line on that is."

Ling Qi paused in breaking the seal on the next, from a courtier in the southern Meng lands. "I… think it's hard to tell, and I'm not sure family is the right word for that."

Thinking of what she knew of the Bai and had picked up from context with Meizhen calling even the White Serpent branch alone a family seemed comically farcical to her. Maybe that was why she was doing this, something about people choosing to build a connection this way appealed to her.

"Stone for your thoughts?" Sixiang asked, their frame shrank and blurred, and quickly Ling Qi found draped over her shoulders a thin cat with shimmering multihued fur and a waving tail that trailed off into smoke.

"That's a new one," Ling Qi deflected.

"It's all just bending light," said the cat, licking a paw. "Gotta practice. No wiggling out."

"You could just read them if you'd like," Ling Qi said.

"Saying stuff out loud helps though," said Sixiang peering down at the letter. "Fashion advice huh?"

"I'm not familiar with the region, and I need to know for Hanyi's dresses when she performs," Ling Qi said distractedly. "What are you asking about anyway."

"Your thinking deep thoughts, spill 'em," Sixiang gave her the sort of unimpressed look that only a cat could manage.

Ling Qi reached up and flicked the cat-xiang's nose making them recoil. "I've just been thinking about what family really means, with everything going on. Everyone treats the connection as important- even our doubters grudgingly acknowledge that some ancient marriage gives us a veil of legitimacy. That tapestry we found is going to sell for enough to fund the start up of a whole town. But you know from talking to my friends, watching people, not a lot of people seem to value it. A clan, especially a big one, isn't a family. It might have families in it."

"Seems a bit harsh," Sixiang purred, amused. "What's that got to do with this?"

"I feel like its not really different?" Ling Qi said. "We all organize ourselves by family, but family isn't necessarily blood. It isn't even really exclusive. I consider Meizhen like a sister, and even if she won't admit it, she feels the same, but her aunt never would. You can be part of several families and they can only sort of overlap."

"Ah, that thing you were thinking about with the folks at your house," Sixiang said wisely.

"Right, those people are important to my Mother, but… I won't pretend they mean that much to me, but I care a little anyway because of her," Ling Qi said with a frown, rapidly reading through the letter and setting aside the next. This one of her own design, Wang Lian had been prompt about getting back to her now that they had a site in mind for settlement. A branch would come off the road the Sect was building soon.

"So you're thinking of this as people choosing to connect up to a bigger family?" Sixiang wondered. "Most of 'em will never meet though."

"Isn't that fine?" Ling Qi said quietly. "I can't do that. I don't think like that. But I don't really think its a bad thing."

Each person only cared about a small number of others really, in her experience, but those groups overlapped, and when enough did you got a community, the trouble came with people who fell into no or very few circles, and places where there was no overlap, and thus no understanding.

Was it really such a bad thing, for there to be a story that many people could invest in? The Empire was that already in some ways she supposed but…

"Well I can see why you'd not want to say that out loud," Sixiang drawled. "But I'm sorry for distracting you. Are you actually going to reply to each of these by hand? There's a ton of 'em."

"I was thinking of involving mother for some of the merchant and ministry people," Ling Qi said. "I think she'd like having more to do."

"That you don't want to write them all's got nothin to do with it of course," Sixiang laughed. Their feline form twisted, reshaping back into a fairy sized Sixiang perched on her shoulder.

"The true sign of a good leader is the ability to trick everyone else into doing the work, while taking all the credit," Ling Qi said primly.

"Don't let your boss hear that."

"I know, I already listened to her deconstruct the whole work that line came from," Ling Qi said with a grimace. "It was just a book of funny little sketches about the ministries, I had no idea she'd take it so seriously."

Sixiang gave her a look. Ling Qi looked away first. "...Okay, that one is on me."

In the silence that followed, more letters were read, and Ling Qi sketched out further notes of her own in a lazy hand, organizing what information was relevant and what would need to go into the responses.

"This all still feels overwhelming you know," Ling Qi said absently, tucking another finished letter into storage, her ring was beginning to look like that Hui's on the inside. "Building communication with so many people, no matter how surface level most of it is."

Sixiang blew out a sigh. "Yeah, I gotta admit, this is not what I picture when I think of spymastering."

"I guess its a a lot like soldiering that way," Ling QI said. Hou Zhuang's notes had put it succinctly. Intrigue was ninety percent simple pleasant conversations and correspondence, and only ten percent daring escapades.

"Still, I should probably pick a place to focus on building a network first."

"What's this accepting a limit," Sixiang laughed. "Have you abandoned your pursuit of the heavens cultivator?"

Ling Qi huffed. "I have too many things to do. I'm thinking that building contacts in the southern Meng lands is best, it will help Hanyi's concerts gain greater penetration. What do you think?"

"What would I know?" Sixiang asked innocently.

"I know you've been paying attention, even if you don't look it," Ling Qi replied.

"Central valley would be my bet," Sixiang shrugged. "It's in the name, its central, almost everything going down in the south goes through there at some point. Might take longer to see results though."

"You're not wrong, it might be better in the long term to start there," Ling Qi sighed. "Ugh, is it tomorrow yet?"

"Looking forward to going out with Su Ling and me that much?" Sixiang said with a grin.

"Compared to this, definitely," Ling Qi said, placing down the newest letter and rubbing her temples. "There's just… so much there to see."

"I get you," Sixiang said. "But business first, yeah?"

They then paused, dawning horror on their face at the words they had spoken. Ling Qi let out an unladylike snort of laughter. Truly, she had corrupted her spirit with the impurity of this base earth.

[ ] Focus your network building efforts on the Foundations (+1 to region rep on completion of the Hou Zuang's gift project, Improves effect of Hanyi's concerts on Meng projects)

[ ] Focus your network building effort on the Central Valley (+1 to region rep on completion of the Hou Zhuang's gift project. 50% chance on completion of gaining a +1 rep boost with Thundering Hills or South River Jing region)
 
[X] Focus your network building effort on the Central Valley (+1 to region rep on completion of the Hou Zhuang's gift project. 50% chance on completion of gaining a +1 rep boost with Thundering Hills or South River Jing region)

This one yields more benefit long term and makes it easier to access the other places, it's the hub for a reason.
 
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[X] Focus your network building effort on the Central Valley (+1 to region rep on completion of the Hou Zhuang's gift project. 50% chance on completion of gaining a +1 rep boost with Thundering Hills or South River Jing region)

Not sure what those two regions are yet, but likely ones will be dealing with.
 
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Mmm, focusing on the Meng would help keep a degree of narrative focus on our cultural angle and work there, and we're going to be having arcs on that anyway so it helps to keep things focused maybe?.
 
This info should probably be added to the end of the Update:
Celestial Hills: -2
North River Jing: -1
Western Fens: -1
Eastern Plains: 0
South River Jing: -1
Foundations: 2
Thundering Hills: 1
Central Valley: 1



Key
Red=Celestial Hills
Blue=North Jing River Valley
Brown: Western Fens
Green: Central Valley
Orange: South Jing River Valley
Yellow: Eastern Plains
Purple: The Foundations
Black: The Thundering Hills

Hearty Thanks to @Inferno Vulpix
Foundations are Wang and southern Meng, so basically the neighbors to our new fief. Meanwhile, the Central Valley is in the most important long-term position.
 
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Under this conception, the lower clans of the Emerald Seas could be divided into eight geographic and cultural regions. The Celestial Hills, a thin slice of the far north on the border of the capital, who saw themselves as little different from their neighbors a few score miles north in the Peaks. Below them the North Jing river valley, most of the Bao lands, which abutted the part of the great continent cutting spanning river until it flowed into the Thousand Lakes. Then there were the Western Fens, the core of the Meng's territory, where the Red Jungle met the woodlands of the Emerald Seas. The Central Valley Region where the Diao reigned, whose southern edge she had visited with Hanyi, was the heartland of the province. East of that was the Southern Jing river region, where the Jia clan was concentrated in what had been the lands of the Chu before Ogodei. Beyond that was a long stretch going from the Celestial Peaks down to the Wall in the south, the Eastern Plains, the dry and grassy plains where the Emerald Seas bordered the Golden Fields province. Last was the Foundations, the still sparsely settled lands in the south where she had spent the last year, encompassing the Wang territories, the Argent Peak and Blue Mountain Sects and the southern gains of the Meng, and a small region marked out as the Thundering Hills after its many waterfalls, as well as the site where Ogodei had died, which caused a great deal of extra rainfall in the region. It was the other half of the Jia Clan's territory, along with the Rushing Cloud Sect.
Hmm, so Southern Jing River and Thundering Hills are Jia territory.

Seems to be vaguely like this, though the map also doesn't really align with the description here? @yrsillar seems to be putting the Jia as more central than they were in this map, and the Wang as covering more of the southern border...

Though hmm, just looking at the map can be misleading, as distance along the river is in practical terms much shorter than distance on land...
 
At the very least the chance to bring the South River Jing to neutral should give us a clear shot to start things up without direct interference from any of our immediate neighbors.

Going all in on the Foundations isnt a bad approach either since I imagine that chances to push any relationships past two are few and far between. And that would be the beginnings of a local power bloc, something the Meng would surely appreciate from us.
 
[X] Focus your network building efforts on the Foundations (+1 to region rep on completion of the Hou Zuang's gift project, Improves effect of Hanyi's concerts on Meng projects)

Sixiang has been so terribly corrupted. I love them to bit.
 
Mmm, in terms of narrative focus and direction, this could also maybe be read as a culture vs. trade direction vote as well?

The southern Meng stuff is about our cultural outreach and politics, while the concern for the Southern Jing is down to trade routes.
 
I'm probably gonna chill here and wait until the threadgoers with the wrinkly brains explain this vote in a way my slipnslide smoothbrain ass can parse, but tbh I wonder if CRX might be a little peeved at us using our spy network to help out little sis' career. It kinda feels like the thing she doesn't really like
 
If we vote Foundations we end up with
1. A level 3 rep where we live
2. A slight push for more Meng to become Weilu Reformers (which is basically us)

So we'd have the Wang, Meng, and our neighbors love us. That creates a very strong base of operations that would be pretty hostile towards anyone trying to do intrigue against our holdings as well as having a bunch of people who would be willing to help out in case of a disaster.

If we vote Central Valley we end up with
1. A level 2 rep for Diao lands
2. Either a level 2 rep for Jia lands or we get rid of a -1 rep

Now remember, the Diao are officially opposed to our project. They want us to fail and may have already taken actions to sabotage us. Trying to win over contacts in Diao lands could at least give us warnings next time they try something.

More generally Central Valley gets us to the point where people might start to trust us with their problems, which in turn allows us to pick up allies in strange places by forwarding requests to Renxiang or dealing with them ourselves.
 
Hmm, so Southern Jing River and Thundering Hills are Jia territory.

Seems to be vaguely like this, though the map also doesn't really align with the description here? @yrsillar seems to be putting the Jia as more central than they were in this map, and the Wang as covering more of the southern border...

Though hmm, just looking at the map can be misleading, as distance along the river is in practical terms much shorter than distance on land...
I'll never get over how weird those rivers look splitting off going south and up into mountains.
 
Quick reminder on the "Numbered Like System"
-2: Mildly Disliked- Members will be mildly biased against you with some individuals being more so. Mild institutional notice
-1: Negative Notice- One or more individuals within the organization have taken a disliking to you and will likely bend their resources toward damaging you.
0: Unnoticed: The organization has no significant awareness of your existence
1: Notice: One or more individuals within the organization have taken a liking toward you and may seek to aid you in minor situations
2: Mildly liked- Members will be positively biased toward you, with some individuals being moreso. Mild institutional notice
3: Liked- Members will be generally well disposed toward you and the organization may actively support you

and the involved parties are
South River Jing: -1
Foundations: 2
Thundering Hills: 1
Central Valley: 1

So let's talk for a moment about the Diplomatic Summit:
We will likely not be establishing large trade routes at this time. There's an active war, our fief isn't equipped for traffic/trade, we don't have the ability to take much advantage of any trade, and there's an active war going on. This is the first contact and we'll need to be establishing some cultural learning initiatives, and likely some amount of goods exchange (for the purposes of learning what the other can provide).

To that end, I believe that the difference between 1 and 2 is greater than the difference between 2 and 3. 2 allows us to have a generally positive bias in the region, which will assist our ability to spread the cultural exchange and better reassure these regions that the White Sky have virtues worth consideration. The absolute high roll is getting the +1 Thundering Hills alongside the +1 Central Valley, gaining a level of positive bias amongst the lower nobles of two groups that we have no current connections with.

A 2, 2, 2 of Foundations, Thundering Hills and Central Valley is the majority of the lower nobles in 3 out of 6 Counties. That's huge.

Even without that high roll though, I believe Sixiang is correct. The Central Valley is the Central Valley. If we can open it up to any sort of cultural exchange project, they're in a much better position to spread such exchanges than the Foundations are. A 2 among the Lower Nobility administered by the Diao will give us a generally positive bias with those the Diao work most closely with. That can only help us in our desire to improve Diao relations.

[X] Focus your network building effort on the Central Valley (+1 to region rep on completion of the Hou Zhuang's gift project. 50% chance on completion of gaining a +1 rep boost with Thundering Hills or South River Jing region)

I think that solidifying a powerbase in The Foundations is good. I think solidifying a network in Central Valley has synergy with the "Garden of Sinners" Quest we'll be going on, and reinforce our diplomacy efforts with the Diao. Central Valley has more value to me, as it pertains to our Diao contact questline, as well as having a potential to high-roll into Jia or Luo lands.
 
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Yeah that makes better sense

Mmm, focusing on the Meng would help keep a degree of narrative focus on our cultural angle and work there, and we're going to be having arcs on that anyway so it helps to keep things focused maybe?.
I was initially split as we have the Meng lady to help us with that area but don't have anybody in Jia/Diao lands but I think narratively you are correct we should pick a focus instead of meandering. Also Gan might have contacts in that area while he surely doesn't have the same level we do in Meng lands.
 
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Focus your network building effort on the Central Valley (+1 to region rep on completion of the Hou Zhuang's gift project. 50% chance on completion of gaining a +1 rep boost with Thundering Hills or South River Jing region)

@yrsillar, when you say 50% chance of +1 rep, do you mean that the boost is certain but which region receives the boost is a coin toss? Or that there is a 50% percent chance of gaining a boost and so each region has a 25% chance of exclusively getting it?

So the choice is about doubling down in our strengths or shoring up our weaknesses?

Foundations are the Wang and the southern Meng. Basically all our direct neighbours and closest and most public allies.
Beyond helping with Hanyi's concerts, this would be a great push to our Neo Weilu movement by increasing our Meng allies influence in that region.
And since any commerce in the initial phases is going to be sporadic and low scale, our primary customers are going to be the great clans closest to us.

But we can't dismiss the importance of the central region. It's an important commerce hub of Emerald Seas. As Sixiang said, it's a longer term benefit, but a relevant one.
And let's not forget that the Diao are currently split. Gainning reputation here will strengthen the faction that supports us.
We have had exactly zero contact we the Jia. This is a rare chance to either get out of the negative or improve an already positive rep in one of their region without spending Actions in it. A less immediate and harder to see benefit.

I'm quite torn in this vote. I'll have to read the debate and sleep on it.
 
Edit: Ups, I was sure someone else would have posted something in the time it took me to write this.
Sorry for the double post.

To that end, I believe that the difference between 1 and 2 is greater than the difference between 2 and 3. 2 allows us to have a generally positive bias in the region, which will assist our ability to spread the cultural exchange and better reassure these regions that the White Sky have virtues worth consideration. The absolute high roll is getting the +1 Thundering Hills alongside the +1 Central Valley, gaining a level of positive bias amongst the lower nobles of two groups that we have no current connections with.

A 2, 2, 2 of Foundations, Thundering Hills and Central Valley is the majority of the lower nobles in 3 out of 6 Counties. That's huge.

I don't quite agree with that statement.

It's absolutely true that getting a 2, 2, 2 rep is huge. Specially as it gives as a firm grip in the entire center-south region of the Emerald Seas. Even if the boost went to the South River Jing we would still get a 2, 1, 2 rep and get rid of a negative region in the south. Neutrality is the best we can aspire to with the Peak aligned for now.

But a +3 reputation means that they won't just approve of our project, but will actually start to actively support it, however shyly at first. That's a huge difference.
Specially so since we have to continue with that Road Renovation Quest we picked up at Hanyi's concert.
Not only that, but (if I remember correctly) the Western Ferns are still at -1 rep with us. With the Meng being out primary ally in this cultural venture, that is concerning.
Even if it isn't said explicitly, the immediate bonus is for Fundations, I'm convinded that the Hanyi bonus in Meng projects will translate in an improved rep there.

I find that more valuable that the random chance of the other choice.
 
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"The true sign of a good leader is the ability to trick everyone else into doing the work, while taking all the credit," Ling Qi said primly.
While true, there is more nuance to it. You not only have to trick everyone else into doing the work, but you also need to make them feel like it is an honor that will accelerate their career. Additionally, while taking all the credit you need to shovel off all the blame to either your nominal superiors (so you can be promoted after they fall) or to your underlings (so you can cut off the ambitious young-ins below you).
 
Edit: Ups, I was sure someone else would have posted something in the time it took me to write this.
Sorry for the double post.



I don't quite agree with that statement.

It's absolutely true that getting a 2, 2, 2 rep is huge. Specially as it gives as a firm grip in the entire center-south region of the Emerald Seas. Even if the boost went to the South River Jing we would still get a 2, 1, 2 rep and get rid of a negative region in the south. Neutrality is the best we can aspire to with the Peak aligned for now.

But a +3 reputation means that they won't just approve of our project, but will actually start to actively support it, however shyly at first. That's a huge difference.
Specially so since we have to continue with that Road Renovation Quest we picked up at Hanyi's concert.
Not only that, but (if I remember correctly) the Western Ferns are still at -1 rep with us. With the Meng being out primary ally in this cultural venture, that is concerning.
Even if it isn't said explicitly, the immediate bonus is for Fundations, I'm convinded that the Hanyi bonus in Meng projects will translate in an improved rep there.

I find that more valuable that the random chance of the other choice.
This is a good question. I was gonna ask--does the '50% chance to get a +1 rep mean...if we fail the dice roll, we don't get anything? Or is it 50 percent chance of Thundering hills, 50 percent chance of South Jing River?

If its the former, I was gonna suggest that this option necessitate omake points... but yeah I'd like some clarification, @yrsillar
 
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