Oliver_Twister
Idea-Man, He Who Shits Ideas
- Location
- West Africa
- Pronouns
- He/Him
And if they do, we have the Bai-Cai-ES-Xuan(depending on how SoD goes) alliance to push them back. Maybe the Zheng too, but you can't know with them.
Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)
- Thread starter yrsillar
- Start date
- Original Users' Choice!
Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Cao Chun will almost certainly act in good faith. He's an asshole, but everyone agrees that he's an honorable one. Jin Tae...it might be best to keep an eye on. I wouldn't assume he's terrible purely based on him being a Jin (I mean, look at Meizhen), but it is a reason to be concerned and observant.
Been doing some rereading for fun. Did we get this roll for completing the initial network?
We got the roll eventually but we fucked it up iirc.
Oliver_Twister
Idea-Man, He Who Shits Ideas
- Location
- West Africa
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Vote's over. It's been over since Thursday.
Edit: But don't worry. Nightmare of Final Conquest won.
- Location
- being near locations is my passion.
I am not a clever man.
Edit: Yay! My vote won. I contributed. Totally. Uh... Something something n-order consequences!
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Chaos is a Ladder
- Location
- United States of America
Chaos is a Ladder
Gently placing her various hair accessories into their appropriate cubicles, Ling Hunluan stretched her arms upward before letting them drop to her sides. Today had been exhausting. Twirling from one clique to another, introducing herself, smiling at their insipid insults, and then repeating with another group. It had been worth it though. The insults that they threw at each other when they knew she could hear exposed rivalries and fault lines in the groups. Possibly more informative were the plans and whispered greetings that people thought she couldn't hear. These parties were a morass of conflicting goals, relationships, grudges, and trysts. Such a contrast with what she was familiar with. Already she missed her family. The small treats great-grandma would leave behind in cornered shadows. The whistling joy of her cousin as he rode Yunyun between the clouds. The simple expressions of love and empathy that her younger sister would have every night. Warmth, joy, contentedness. All were sacrificed on the alter of opportunity. The opportunity to be a representative of the Ling in the courts of the Celestial Peaks.
Sighing, she stood up and walked to the window outlooking an incredibly manicured garden terrace. Flowers that were carefully selected and bred for beauty from before the inception of the Empire bloomed in specific locations and patterns, all to beguile the eye and senses. All of which were strictly ordered beyond the point of sense. She preferred her Uncle's gardens. Ordered just enough to provide purpose, but wild enough to let the natural beauty express itself. Slowly, Ling Hunluan began tapping at the window sill as she gazed upwards into the night sky. Stars twinkled angrily while the dreaming moon glowed softly. The Father's Hearth was still and tranquil. Then, with a quick tap of her fingers and a mirrored expression of qi, she dipped into the Dream, leaving a mirrored reflection still in the suite.
Ling Hunluan stepped lightly on a glassy surface, reflecting like a mirror the suite she had just left. Peering into the reflection, she could see her image begin to go through some basic physical exercises. Good, the technique was working.
"Fanshe," she called out into the silent world around her, "it's time to get to work."
"Of course, my lady," came a studious reply as the reflection beneath her feet rippled upwards, forming a silvery figure that took the form of a severe young woman. Their hair was in a tight bun, with spectacles resting comfortably on the bridge of their nose. "What would you like to review?"
"The latest party, if you would. There are some individuals I would like to inspect and catalog."
"As you wish."
With that the figure dissolved into a glittery mist, spreading out across the space. Where the mist passed, the scene being reflected changed to that of a frozen party. Not of the raucous parties that Aunt Sixiang was known to throw, but the still, careful, and refined party of the Peaks. Dresses and robes were carefully designed and accented to elicit desired responses. Posture and locations to achieve specific purposes. Everything calculated, like an equation.
"Thank you Fanshe, please display the time when Lord Zhu made his appearance."
The scene rippled again, changing to the specific event requested. Lord Zhu stood above everyone else on a dais as he entered the party being held in his honor. Something about doing particularly well in the latest dungeon delve. The reason, this time, didn't matter. What mattered were the reactions of others to the lord's appearance. Peering into the frozen crowds, Ling Hunluan brought out a small black notebook from the secreted depths of her storage ring and began making notations. Who wore careful masks of indifference, who seemed to worship the ground Lord Zhu walked, who was whispering to who, and so on. Slowly, the likely relationships of the party-goers were cataloged and compared to previous notes from prior events. And, like many things in the Peaks, a pattern finally emerged.
"Thank you Fanshe. Please hold the image for a few moments longer. Zui, let's get to work."
From the thousand shadows cast by the attendees of the party came a thousand whispers. Each one was such a small thing, easily ignored, but as they coalesced the whispers became something larger. Soon a figure appeared, a dark wind taking the form of a salacious lady with a dress so form-fitting as to be on the edge of impropriety.
"Truly, my lady," Zui began with a pout, "you are a slave driver. Work, work, work. Will you do anything fun?"
"Thank you, Zui, for your concern, but I do think you'll find the work fun. What were you able to pick up from Lady Ai when Lord Zhu graced us with his presence?"
Slowly raising their hand in front of their face, Zui pretended to inspect their nails. "Oh," she began after a moment, "you know, the usual. Pride, mainly, and an unhealthy amount of propriety. But these types never are any fun, always keeping a tight leash on what they are feeling at these parties."
"Zui…"
"Fine, fine. Right when Lord Zhu was introduced and Lady Ai caught sight of him, there was a spike of lust and vindication. That particular blend of emotions in particular probably means that she is trying to, and perhaps succeeding in, having a tryst with Lord Zhu. Likely for the purpose of breaking up the betrothal between Lord Zhu and Lady Nuwang."
Ling Hunluan took a moment to digest this before following up. "How likely is her plan to succeed?"
"Not at all," Zui responded with a dark smile. "Lord Zhu is stringing the poor girl along just because he can. Once she makes her move, he'll dump her like a sack of rotten potatoes."
"And if we take the initiative to discuss this matter with Lady Nuwang before Lord Zhu can spin it in his favor?"
Zui laughed gaily as she spun, "Oh, it would be chaos! Knowing Lady Nuwang's temper, she'll try to butcher Lord Zhu. Regardless of the outcome, the betrothal would be shattered."
"Forming a rift between the two factions that were nominally allied." Making a note in her notebook, Ling Hunluan nodded decisively. "We'll angle this for a position closer to Lady Nuwang then, and move up from there."
"Are you sure, my Lady?" Came the encompassing voice of Fenshe. "The chaos this will cause can, and will, be pinned on yourself, elevating your threat level in the eyes of the Peak scions."
"I should be able to handle the increased scrutiny, Fenshe. Especially with your assistance. Regardless, though," Ling Hunluan said with a sharp smile and a conviction resonating with the world, "chaos is a ladder, one I intend to climb."
A/N @yrsillar another omake for the omake throne! I hope you all enjoy reading this one just as much as I had fun writing it!
Gently placing her various hair accessories into their appropriate cubicles, Ling Hunluan stretched her arms upward before letting them drop to her sides. Today had been exhausting. Twirling from one clique to another, introducing herself, smiling at their insipid insults, and then repeating with another group. It had been worth it though. The insults that they threw at each other when they knew she could hear exposed rivalries and fault lines in the groups. Possibly more informative were the plans and whispered greetings that people thought she couldn't hear. These parties were a morass of conflicting goals, relationships, grudges, and trysts. Such a contrast with what she was familiar with. Already she missed her family. The small treats great-grandma would leave behind in cornered shadows. The whistling joy of her cousin as he rode Yunyun between the clouds. The simple expressions of love and empathy that her younger sister would have every night. Warmth, joy, contentedness. All were sacrificed on the alter of opportunity. The opportunity to be a representative of the Ling in the courts of the Celestial Peaks.
Sighing, she stood up and walked to the window outlooking an incredibly manicured garden terrace. Flowers that were carefully selected and bred for beauty from before the inception of the Empire bloomed in specific locations and patterns, all to beguile the eye and senses. All of which were strictly ordered beyond the point of sense. She preferred her Uncle's gardens. Ordered just enough to provide purpose, but wild enough to let the natural beauty express itself. Slowly, Ling Hunluan began tapping at the window sill as she gazed upwards into the night sky. Stars twinkled angrily while the dreaming moon glowed softly. The Father's Hearth was still and tranquil. Then, with a quick tap of her fingers and a mirrored expression of qi, she dipped into the Dream, leaving a mirrored reflection still in the suite.
Ling Hunluan stepped lightly on a glassy surface, reflecting like a mirror the suite she had just left. Peering into the reflection, she could see her image begin to go through some basic physical exercises. Good, the technique was working.
"Fanshe," she called out into the silent world around her, "it's time to get to work."
"Of course, my lady," came a studious reply as the reflection beneath her feet rippled upwards, forming a silvery figure that took the form of a severe young woman. Their hair was in a tight bun, with spectacles resting comfortably on the bridge of their nose. "What would you like to review?"
"The latest party, if you would. There are some individuals I would like to inspect and catalog."
"As you wish."
With that the figure dissolved into a glittery mist, spreading out across the space. Where the mist passed, the scene being reflected changed to that of a frozen party. Not of the raucous parties that Aunt Sixiang was known to throw, but the still, careful, and refined party of the Peaks. Dresses and robes were carefully designed and accented to elicit desired responses. Posture and locations to achieve specific purposes. Everything calculated, like an equation.
"Thank you Fanshe, please display the time when Lord Zhu made his appearance."
The scene rippled again, changing to the specific event requested. Lord Zhu stood above everyone else on a dais as he entered the party being held in his honor. Something about doing particularly well in the latest dungeon delve. The reason, this time, didn't matter. What mattered were the reactions of others to the lord's appearance. Peering into the frozen crowds, Ling Hunluan brought out a small black notebook from the secreted depths of her storage ring and began making notations. Who wore careful masks of indifference, who seemed to worship the ground Lord Zhu walked, who was whispering to who, and so on. Slowly, the likely relationships of the party-goers were cataloged and compared to previous notes from prior events. And, like many things in the Peaks, a pattern finally emerged.
"Thank you Fanshe. Please hold the image for a few moments longer. Zui, let's get to work."
From the thousand shadows cast by the attendees of the party came a thousand whispers. Each one was such a small thing, easily ignored, but as they coalesced the whispers became something larger. Soon a figure appeared, a dark wind taking the form of a salacious lady with a dress so form-fitting as to be on the edge of impropriety.
"Truly, my lady," Zui began with a pout, "you are a slave driver. Work, work, work. Will you do anything fun?"
"Thank you, Zui, for your concern, but I do think you'll find the work fun. What were you able to pick up from Lady Ai when Lord Zhu graced us with his presence?"
Slowly raising their hand in front of their face, Zui pretended to inspect their nails. "Oh," she began after a moment, "you know, the usual. Pride, mainly, and an unhealthy amount of propriety. But these types never are any fun, always keeping a tight leash on what they are feeling at these parties."
"Zui…"
"Fine, fine. Right when Lord Zhu was introduced and Lady Ai caught sight of him, there was a spike of lust and vindication. That particular blend of emotions in particular probably means that she is trying to, and perhaps succeeding in, having a tryst with Lord Zhu. Likely for the purpose of breaking up the betrothal between Lord Zhu and Lady Nuwang."
Ling Hunluan took a moment to digest this before following up. "How likely is her plan to succeed?"
"Not at all," Zui responded with a dark smile. "Lord Zhu is stringing the poor girl along just because he can. Once she makes her move, he'll dump her like a sack of rotten potatoes."
"And if we take the initiative to discuss this matter with Lady Nuwang before Lord Zhu can spin it in his favor?"
Zui laughed gaily as she spun, "Oh, it would be chaos! Knowing Lady Nuwang's temper, she'll try to butcher Lord Zhu. Regardless of the outcome, the betrothal would be shattered."
"Forming a rift between the two factions that were nominally allied." Making a note in her notebook, Ling Hunluan nodded decisively. "We'll angle this for a position closer to Lady Nuwang then, and move up from there."
"Are you sure, my Lady?" Came the encompassing voice of Fenshe. "The chaos this will cause can, and will, be pinned on yourself, elevating your threat level in the eyes of the Peak scions."
"I should be able to handle the increased scrutiny, Fenshe. Especially with your assistance. Regardless, though," Ling Hunluan said with a sharp smile and a conviction resonating with the world, "chaos is a ladder, one I intend to climb."
A/N @yrsillar another omake for the omake throne! I hope you all enjoy reading this one just as much as I had fun writing it!
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- Location
- USA
As opposed to Ling Qi's 'Chaos is a slide that I stumble onto and find myself screaming down to power and notoriety.'
Ling Baelis- I mean Petyr Hunlu- I mean Ling Hunluan putting in the work though.
Ling Baelis- I mean Petyr Hunlu- I mean Ling Hunluan putting in the work though.
Oliver_Twister
Idea-Man, He Who Shits Ideas
- Location
- West Africa
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Six, to LQ, when Hunluan is born: This one- this one is a good seed. I'm adopting her in the name of the Moon.
I cannot deny that after reading The Crucible I want to see the Cloud warriors fuck up the Imperials but good at least a few times (and kill Xia Ren, pretty please), but even before that I had some concerns. The Imperials don't seem to harbour the slightest doubts that they will win, and while it could just be arrogance, my impression is that the Cloud don't have any khans above the sixth realm. And both Sun Shao and Cai Shenhua are headed for the front.
Right now I don't feel like there's enough narrative tension, like the Cloud have anything to stop two eight realm cultivators from just running over them.
There's the possibility of the Ith'ia of the seven cities whipping up a god that can check either of the Whites, but that would leave the Cloud utterly dependent on them...I dunno. I know the tribes can be pretty assholish with the raiding and whatnot, but I don't like the imperials expanding into the wall, colonising the home of Father Sky's children. I don't like them sneering about "barbarians," stealing children and "civilising" tribes like the Wang do. It's...how did Edward Said put it again?
I've reached the point where I want Ling Qi to prosper bigtime...but at the same time I want the larger polity she belongs to to go fuck itself. It's a weird feeling.
All empires are evil.
Edit: I want a true Seventh Sky to arise. Not necessarily for wreaking great ruin upon the Imperials, but simply so the Cloud will be taken seriously by the other polities. Between the Celestial Empire, the Ith'ia and the Polar Nation the children of Father Sky seem by far the weakest, and in the long run at their mercy. They need a White of their own. And while I'm asking for a miracle, a Sublime Ancestor.
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The Cloud tribes are awakening their star ancestors as we have seen but even then and even with the help of the Ith, they can't match up to the might of the empire now that the emerald seas is under competent leadership. Ogedai only got to do as much damage as he did because the incompetent/malicious Hui were in charge and refused to help. Perhaps the nomads would have had a chance if they kept quiet and slowly rebuilt themselves and awoke their stars, but unfortunately the ones aligned with the Ith insisted on attacking first, and also forced the 12 stars to show their hand way too early at the caldera. Now it seems like the best solution for them is to join up with the White sky where most of their traditions will respected and (if everything goes well at the summit) they will be unmolested by the empire.
The Ith aligned nomads really fucked up by awaking the sleeping giant too early.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I have to disagree with you here. Here's the thing. This isn't like an island state sailing to lands that had not met them before, did them no harm, etc.
Ogedei's invasion devastated the southern Emerald Seas. Recall the historical reenactment test given to Gu Xiulian and Ling Qi where we saw Ogedei obliterate an entire city. And I'm sure that was neither the first time or the last. The older leadership figures in the provinces lived through that time, or its aftermath. Or, like Cai Shenhua, the Thousand Wings Incursion, which, if not on the same scale, was pretty nasty and the breaking point for her and many with the Hui. Or that at least one confederation has allied with the ith'ia and their city destroying terrorism plots.
The fact is, we can deplore the Imperial conservative cultural chauvinism or Xia Ren calling children 'resources' while acknowledging the Cloud Tribes - the ones in the north of the Wall at least - are a major, legitimate security threat to the Emerald Seas province. And that the orthodox culture of the Cloud Tribes is hostile to peaceful co-existence with the Emerald Seas.
As Elsecaller pointed out, the White Sky and the summit offer a path forward that can resolve all these issues, but the die-hards under Galidan and the ith'ia will most likely have to be broken hard before they go fleeing for asylum.
Aliya
Someone I might become
- Location
- Kazakhstan
- Pronouns
- They/She/It
I suspect that these two particular White realms will be stopped by each other. The Butcher thinks that The Radiant Tyrant has to be made a non-problem, and killing is one way to do it. Unfortunately for him, The Tyrant is The Revolution at heart, and, as such, has a better way match-up than he thinks she does. Also, I suspect that the Red Goddess is ordering him to infect Xiangmen, whom she also thinks weak due to its non-dominating nature. The Jungle is wrong, but it won't be pretty either way.
Oliver_Twister
Idea-Man, He Who Shits Ideas
- Location
- West Africa
- Pronouns
- He/Him
If Shao and Shenhua fight, I imagine a large part of the Wall will become uninhabitable, partly due to two White realm cultivators fighting, party due to Shenhua's scouring light, and partly due to "Fuck. The Jungle is here now. Kill it, quarantine it, burn it to the ground"
What is the nature of said sleeping giant/star ancestor? I mean, if it's a Sublime we could be looking at Grave of the Sun Mk. 2: Mountain Boogaloo here.
Ogodei happened because the Imperials butchered his family. Twice. The Cloud invasions are in response to the Empire continuously expanding into their lands, as one would expect of a polity founded by that monster Qin.
They are striking back at the people who've been trying to destroy them for thousands of years. They are a major security threat...of the empire's own making. The Diviner enforced a border truce in his day. But then the imperial-appointed Xi broke it.
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Lady and the Brute 3
"Gah! I just don't get these people!" Zheng Lei roared, air whipping through her hair as she descended from the apex of her jump, bringing down her stone mace in a two handed smash.
The carved stone met the thin stem of a smoking pipe with a faint click, and Zheng Lei's world turned into a blur as she was flung sideways to crash into the reinforced wall of the training hall. As she slid to the ground and groaned, her Master, Zheng Shu, remained where he sat, lounging on a pile of silken cushions and returned his pipe to his lips to take a long drag from the smoke of the fragrant burning herbs within.
He was tall as almost all Zheng were, though less broad than average, and wore his crimson hair in a series of braids woven through beads and metal rings. His beard ran down to his chest, smooth and flowing. He chewed his pipe for a moment, whiskers fluttering with his breath. "I'd say so, if frustrations made you so sloppy, girl. Raptor Descends is a feint to be used with a clone you daft girl."
"I just wanted to thwack something," Zheng Lei grumbled, rubbing the back of her neck. "Couldn't you have let me hit ya? Not like it'd have done more than hurt my hands."
"Feh, I spoiled you little rascals too much," Zheng Su sighed, tapping out his pipe into a bronze dish at his side. His plain brown and white robes, made of roughspun cloth rather than silk clashed with the luxurious cushions beneath him. "Spill it then, what's your trouble, since you obviously ain't gonna get any useful training out while it's on your mind."
"I just don't understand why everyone keeps saying the opposite of what they want," Zheng Let grumbled petulant as she stood up. She gave the wall behind her an appreciative glance. Not a single crack. Peaks folks at least knew how to build, she'd give them that. Although the training room in the manor allotted to them was kind small and kind of boring, it was as sturdy as anything at home.
Her Master considered her silently, packing a pinch of fresh leaf into his pipe. It was only as she began to fidget that he spoke. "You're not talking about the court at all."
Zheng Lei felt heat in her cheeks from being seen through so easily. "...It's not like the rest are much better, even if the Bai are worse.
"Aye, that they are," Zheng Shu agreed, blowing a glittering blue smoke ring. "It's because of Yao."
"Eh?" Zheng Lei said, tilting her head.
"Think about it girl. You don't need a secret history to see the truth," Zheng Shu. "Just connect the dots. Imagine a man who would do what he did, become what he did."
She mulled that over. "Shouldn't they be more impulsive then? He went for what he wanted, combed the continent for the deadliest spirits, killed kings and conquered on a whim."
"That's the thing isn't it. The Fisher was the supreme killer of men, even our Zhi probably would have had a hard time matching him. He was a stubborn fucker, who set his mind on a target and didn't stop till he had what he wanted, whether it was a wife or a corpse to be. But you know…"
"You know…" Zheng lei said, drawing it out. The old man liked to waffle.
"He was a shit teacher, or rather his lessons were shit for anybody tryin to live with others. Look at what happened first thing when he went and ascended, the snakes started killing each other the second he left, 'cause they were all like him. We brawl a lot, sometimes things get carried away, but we Zheng have never warred each other, not like that. Think girl."
Zheng Lei crossed her arms over her chest, face screwed up in thought. "You're saying that they wind themselves so tight so they don't go killing everything that irks them?"
"That's the gist of it girl. They've built themselves to stab with words and schemes so that they don't go stabbing with spears so much. The old fisherman'd be horrified I'm sure," Zheng Shu said easily, puffing out a steady stream of increasingly complex smoke shapes. "And well fer better or worse, we ceded ground in the old days, kept to ourselves, let others shape this big old tottering house of cards called an Empire after the Sage showed his real colors."
"Why'd we join it in the first place then," Zheng Lei said.
"Ask Gramps if you like, see if you get a better answer than the rest of us," Zheng Shu snorted.
She made at face at her Master. Like that was going to happen. But she sighed then. "Look… Master, please just tell me what I did wrong."
Zheng Shu considered her for a long moment. "Trust. I tried to pound this into yer thick head girl, but when your bedding outsiders you gotta understand what it means to 'em. Especially a Bai girl. I just told you how wound up they are, how they don't let anyone in at all, 's why they're all nutty. Think, if you had no bond siblings, no friends, no lovers, just folks you watch to see when the knives come out, where does that leave you when you let your face slip?"
"It wasn't…" Zheng Lei said with a frown.
"If it wasn't like that, why are you still so twisted up?" he snorted. "If you didn't care, you wouldn't be so bent out of shape by being blown off and needled and prodded by snide little words. Those things can't hurt you if they're comin from strangers."
Her master stood, and spun his pipe between his fingers. The cushions and silks dissolved into mist. "Figure yourself out Zheng Lei, you went in not knowing your own mind or your partners and it brought you here. When you know yourself again, you can ask me for advice."
Zheng Lei frowned as her master took a step and disappeared. Damn old man, always leaving her to figure things out on her own.
Know her own mind, huh?
The carved stone met the thin stem of a smoking pipe with a faint click, and Zheng Lei's world turned into a blur as she was flung sideways to crash into the reinforced wall of the training hall. As she slid to the ground and groaned, her Master, Zheng Shu, remained where he sat, lounging on a pile of silken cushions and returned his pipe to his lips to take a long drag from the smoke of the fragrant burning herbs within.
He was tall as almost all Zheng were, though less broad than average, and wore his crimson hair in a series of braids woven through beads and metal rings. His beard ran down to his chest, smooth and flowing. He chewed his pipe for a moment, whiskers fluttering with his breath. "I'd say so, if frustrations made you so sloppy, girl. Raptor Descends is a feint to be used with a clone you daft girl."
"I just wanted to thwack something," Zheng Lei grumbled, rubbing the back of her neck. "Couldn't you have let me hit ya? Not like it'd have done more than hurt my hands."
"Feh, I spoiled you little rascals too much," Zheng Su sighed, tapping out his pipe into a bronze dish at his side. His plain brown and white robes, made of roughspun cloth rather than silk clashed with the luxurious cushions beneath him. "Spill it then, what's your trouble, since you obviously ain't gonna get any useful training out while it's on your mind."
"I just don't understand why everyone keeps saying the opposite of what they want," Zheng Let grumbled petulant as she stood up. She gave the wall behind her an appreciative glance. Not a single crack. Peaks folks at least knew how to build, she'd give them that. Although the training room in the manor allotted to them was kind small and kind of boring, it was as sturdy as anything at home.
Her Master considered her silently, packing a pinch of fresh leaf into his pipe. It was only as she began to fidget that he spoke. "You're not talking about the court at all."
Zheng Lei felt heat in her cheeks from being seen through so easily. "...It's not like the rest are much better, even if the Bai are worse.
"Aye, that they are," Zheng Shu agreed, blowing a glittering blue smoke ring. "It's because of Yao."
"Eh?" Zheng Lei said, tilting her head.
"Think about it girl. You don't need a secret history to see the truth," Zheng Shu. "Just connect the dots. Imagine a man who would do what he did, become what he did."
She mulled that over. "Shouldn't they be more impulsive then? He went for what he wanted, combed the continent for the deadliest spirits, killed kings and conquered on a whim."
"That's the thing isn't it. The Fisher was the supreme killer of men, even our Zhi probably would have had a hard time matching him. He was a stubborn fucker, who set his mind on a target and didn't stop till he had what he wanted, whether it was a wife or a corpse to be. But you know…"
"You know…" Zheng lei said, drawing it out. The old man liked to waffle.
"He was a shit teacher, or rather his lessons were shit for anybody tryin to live with others. Look at what happened first thing when he went and ascended, the snakes started killing each other the second he left, 'cause they were all like him. We brawl a lot, sometimes things get carried away, but we Zheng have never warred each other, not like that. Think girl."
Zheng Lei crossed her arms over her chest, face screwed up in thought. "You're saying that they wind themselves so tight so they don't go killing everything that irks them?"
"That's the gist of it girl. They've built themselves to stab with words and schemes so that they don't go stabbing with spears so much. The old fisherman'd be horrified I'm sure," Zheng Shu said easily, puffing out a steady stream of increasingly complex smoke shapes. "And well fer better or worse, we ceded ground in the old days, kept to ourselves, let others shape this big old tottering house of cards called an Empire after the Sage showed his real colors."
"Why'd we join it in the first place then," Zheng Lei said.
"Ask Gramps if you like, see if you get a better answer than the rest of us," Zheng Shu snorted.
She made at face at her Master. Like that was going to happen. But she sighed then. "Look… Master, please just tell me what I did wrong."
Zheng Shu considered her for a long moment. "Trust. I tried to pound this into yer thick head girl, but when your bedding outsiders you gotta understand what it means to 'em. Especially a Bai girl. I just told you how wound up they are, how they don't let anyone in at all, 's why they're all nutty. Think, if you had no bond siblings, no friends, no lovers, just folks you watch to see when the knives come out, where does that leave you when you let your face slip?"
"It wasn't…" Zheng Lei said with a frown.
"If it wasn't like that, why are you still so twisted up?" he snorted. "If you didn't care, you wouldn't be so bent out of shape by being blown off and needled and prodded by snide little words. Those things can't hurt you if they're comin from strangers."
Her master stood, and spun his pipe between his fingers. The cushions and silks dissolved into mist. "Figure yourself out Zheng Lei, you went in not knowing your own mind or your partners and it brought you here. When you know yourself again, you can ask me for advice."
Zheng Lei frowned as her master took a step and disappeared. Damn old man, always leaving her to figure things out on her own.
Know her own mind, huh?
Oliver_Twister
Idea-Man, He Who Shits Ideas
- Location
- West Africa
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Ogodei happened because the Li killed his wife. The Li killed his wife because the Cloud nomads keep on raiding them and killing and destroying villages.
Now *that* happened because of the Xi's expansionist policies and kill-y nature, IIRC, but then you can also blame it on the cloud nomad arrogance and how they kept raiding the Emerald Seas still, except, not as kill-y. Like most wars, it's a messy situation with both sides at fault. It's just that the Empire and Emerald Seas are winning the war *for now*, so they look like the bad guys. Go back a 1000 years or so and the Cloud nomads will be the bad guys.
And a Prism star child is super deadly already.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
The "war" between the ES and the cloud tribes is older than the empire.
Like ... so old, no one can say when it started.
The Origin is probably that some sky tribes way back when integrated with the hill tribes and settled down.
But some of their neighbors did not settle down and continued their old way of raiding ...
Fast-forward 20000 Years and we are where we are.
The empire, being as it is, does not help, but the cloud tribes are not innocent.
I really wonder what's up with that. The thing in the cracked stone at the caldera ambush was already creepy enough, and there's a seventh realm version running around to boot?
Definitely not innocent, but I'm still going to put the lion's share of the blame on the empire. They don't even consider foreigners human.
The White Sky don't have that fucked up cultural issue, and what do you know? They're busy integrating tribes like nobody's business.
And this, children, is why having an RPG protagonist murderhobo for a founding father is not a good idea. Yeesh.
Oliver_Twister
Idea-Man, He Who Shits Ideas
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- West Africa
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I'm not referring to the Cyan-realm star child. I'm talking about the Prism starspawn that appeared in the Caldera. Unless you're talking about that, then yeah.
Combining the power of a prism with the world-melting cancer powers of a star is terrifying.
And while the Empire is bad, the Cloud Tribes jave toxic cultural issues too. Don't forget that they basically feed babies poison and only keep the ones that survive. Or that their entire culture is based on raiding others and stealing their stuff.
And while I love the White Sky, I do think they have their own issues too, and that we'll find out more once we learn about them. I mean, I'm pretty sure that whole story Jaromila told us is a hint, but I really don't remember what the actual story was about so my mind might be messing with me.
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I think if Yrs would write a side story about one of the uncountable young green barons that died trying to defend his young family holding from a random Sky Nomad raid because they had cattle and crops ... the picture will be different.
Nomad Raiders are not the best of neighbors, and them having the superior mobility means a defensive battle will always be at a disadvantage.
Jaromila's mom married a man her family considered of too low station. There are laws saying people are allowed to marry whoever they want, but her family were a bunch of rich dicks so they eventually had the guy whacked.
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Why? The Xuan have been perfectly willing to peacefully trade with other lands. There's no official Imperial policy (cultural rhetoric, yes, but it doesn't count here) on the matter, save that provinces make their own decisions as best fits the situation. As Wang Chao explained, the whole concept behind their integration policy is that the Cloud Tribes are people, they just need to be shown a better way.
And the underlying creed behind Cai Shenhua's big campaign isn't "the Imperial cultivator's burden", it's "one way or another, we are going to end the Cloud Tribes as a threat."
The summit is, in good part, our chance to pitch the White Sky's way as a feasible alternative to an all-out military solution.
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- Spain
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Let's see... the best thing about the culture of the cloud nomads is the theme of killing dragons... Because many of the dragons are arrogant as hell and despise all the weakest