[X] Lay out the plot you have uncovered and the details of the attack to the Emissaries (+1 White Sky favorability. Methods revealed, White Sky alerted to nature of assailant)
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
- They/Them
Incidentally, I wonder about how ethics and politeness/formality culture develop. As noted, to someone 4th realm with an Investigation focus, the mind and thoughts and so on of mortals are an open book. So etiquette about not reading it, or rather not spoiling the plot, seems like it'd be very necessary.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Turn 19 Arc 2-4
The benefits of secrecy simply weren't enough to outweigh the negatives, Ling Qi thought. For a while now, she had banked and benefited on the fact that few expected one of her cultivation to have such advanced liminal arts, but that had run its course at this point. It had already been an increasingly open secret and trying to hide it further now would be of little benefit. No doubt the White Sky would investigate themselves if she gave them so little and that merely opened up opportunities for them to end up at cross purposes, tripping over each other's efforts.
Organizing her thoughts, she pressed to the front an answer to Jin Tae. She understood. She would be returning to the hall to reassure the Emissaries now, unless he required further assistance with the aftermath.
"The Ministry has matters in hand. Inspector Cao would request a meeting post judicial debate, to discuss this event, however."
Of course, she would be there.
"Man, that guys got a bit of a spear up his…"
"Sixiang," Ling Qi said mildly, looking up at the colors radiating from her. "Thank you for today. I don't see anything wrong with these people. Do you see anything?"
The colors shimmered and pulsed, the impression of Sixiang humming thoughtfully.
"Guys head is aching something fierce, but its not more than a bad hangover or a whack to the head I think? You got in and out quick and stopped the spooky stuff from happening. You did good."
Ling Qi took a deep breath, looking around at the liminal field, glimpsing through the veil to the men outside. Work was stopped but there was no sign of trouble or conflict. "Well, then I need to get back and try to find a way to explain this all to Jaromila without setting off an incident with everyone."
"Haaaaaaaah, good luck with that partner. That's a fight I don't think I'll help much with. I think I make the icy folks kinda jittery."
Jaromila had seemed a little uncomfortable with Sixiang. She hadn't shown it much but that Ling Qi had noticed it all said something. "You're probably right. What will you do once we split up?"
"Lurk around the groundskeepers by the observatory? The Meng folks aren't too overwhelmed by me, even the low realm ones."
She supposed that made sense. With a nod, Ling Qi let her feet lift from the ground, and shot off, seeking the liminal shadow of the meeting hall.
And only then as she left him to move off and speak with Meng Deming, did she once again catch Jaromila's eye from across the hall. She stood with Rostam now and the cheerful man's face was set in a frown. She met the older woman's gaze and tilted her chin down, looking off the left side of the hall.
Jaromila nodded silently.
By the time she arrived by the third window from the hall's front, Dzintara had drifted over to meet them as well.
"Happy Days, eh, Emissary Ling Qi?" Rostam said, his expression smoothed back into a bright one. "It is a shame you had to miss all of the riveting chit chat on the exact fiddly meanings of the little eh…. Pre- Prop…"
"Prepositions, is the word you are searching, Emissary Rostam," Dzintara said flatly.
"Aha, yes, that is the word," Rostam said sheepishly, reaching up to adjust his fluffy hat. "But yes, you missed it, and I thought I caught a bad smell when you went. Emissary Ling Qi. I hope there was not too awful an accident in the kitchens?"
She met his eyes, and saw past the bumbling good humor. Which wasn't false so much as… not the full picture. Though like his wife, she found her new art skipping off of him, doing no more than enhancing her vision and hearing, for catching tells in tone and posture.
"Worry not, Emissary Rostam, I assure you the luncheon is intact. There was however a matter outside I had to attend too. As you will no doubt soon hear, there is a miscreant about seeking to interfere with our workers."
His eyes widened a little, his mustache twitched. "Oh? That is much worse. I see why you did not wish to interrupt everyone's very important debates just to deal with a prankster. Though… perhaps I am not giving it credit?"
"It is certainly a bit more serious. One of our men is significantly injured, though we prevented anything further from being done, in cooperation with our Ministry. I apologize that you were not informed beforehand but…. We do not know exactly who our 'prankster' is hiding among."
"You did not trust us not to leak your plan to turn this on them," Dzintara said flatly.
"Not with so little time, and how vital it was to catch them by surprise. The person behind this is certainly a match for some of our Sovereigns."
Dzintara's expression twisted, looking horrified. Rostam blew out a heavy breath, and Jaromila merely frowned.
"We needed to be as certain as possible that we would be able to catch some trace of them," Ling Qi said. "However, I am now prepared to tell you what we discovered and how we defended against them."
"Well, that is neighborly of you," Rostam said neutrally, eyeing her from head to toe.
"I can understand your hesitance, but I am glad we can share this matter now. Please wait a moment. Dzintara, would you ensure no one is listening."
"Yes," the woman said, raising her hand, she gestured and the Crow lurking in the shadows by the doorway looked their way. Ling Qi felt the ripple of shrouding qi fall over them, a more powerful screen than she could have managed herself by far.
She inclined her head, and began to speak. "Our suspicion of the accidents began in the final weeks leading to the summit…"
Beginning with their suspicions, Ling Qi laid out what the Ministry had found. That they had determined the threat was spiritual, and seemed to seek disruption and break up of the summit. She spoke of the thought parasite she had found, and of what had almost hatched. The way the man in Zheng Fu's group had begun accusing White Sky workers of cursemaking and as many other details as she could muster. By the time she was done, all of them were looking somewhere between grave and furious.
"You have been honest with us, so I must be honest with you. It is not… impossible that there is some element in our nation who could seek to destroy this. We do not keep 'Sovereigns' as you do, but there are methods to direct and use their power," Jaromila said calmly, however…"
"That name… the taste is not right," Rostam said. "There are those who work in curses and dreams, but those are not their portents."
"If there were any bearing the stench of the deep marsh you would know them," Dzintara said stiffly.
"Hah, you are not wrong!" Rostam chuckled.
"I suspect the ith still, the enemies under our feet," Ling Qi said. There were other signs, but… her instinct was that the trapping of the Hui were cover, or at least… not original, a copy descending art. After all, this foe had layered trap upon trap. Why not one more. Bringing the Duchess here in wrath would also end this.
"The ones you asked of? Who sound akin to the maggot men of Nidavellr?" Dzintara grimaced. "I admit, I was skeptical…"
"It would be appreciated if you would collect the lore on the matter," Jaromila said coolly. The younger woman merely grunted in affirmation. "Emissary Ling Qi, please receive my thanks for sharing this matter. We will begin looking into it immediately."
"Thank you," Ling Qi said, remembering not to bow. "If it pleases you I would ask that you coordinate major actions through me, and I will inform our Ministry, so that we do not impede each other."
"Reasonable," Jaromila said. "What are your thoughts on immediate danger?"
"After being chased off so thoroughly, I cannot imagine they will return immediately. Such things as this are not trivial to arrange even for a Sovereign," Ling Qi said, remembering the precedence fleeing before Shu Yue's shadow.
"A few days at least then, with eyes open and plans afoot," Rostam said. "But I think our time is ending here."
The recess was coming to a close. "Then we will speak more later."
"Yes," Jaromila said. "Let us put this aside for now, and complete the meeting.Things have been promising today."
"I believe you have made an error, Baroness," Cao Chun said flatly.
The rest of the meeting had gone well. There were a hundred hundred details on which imperial and polar law differed, from inheritance to property to the way civic disputes were resolved, just to give a few answers. But things were being hashed out and grudging understanding made on each side and precedents to fill the gap being produced.
However with the days session ending, it was time to turn her attention back to this. Down in Cao Chun's office, she stood beside Zheng Fu, and behind Cao Chun was Jin Tae.
"And I believe it is the correct course. Nothing will be gained by our investigations tripping over one another," Ling Qi said coolly.
"We would not be 'tripped' by barbarian efforts," Cao Chun grumbled. "But it is done. I will simply have to take this into account."
"Thank you for your understanding, inspector," she was glad he was not pushing back too hard on this, the relative successfulness of the operation must have put him in a good mood. "But getting to business, may I ask if you have found anything useful with the parasite I have procured?"
"It is both an immensely complex construct, as ephemeral as dew," Cao Chun said, clasping his hands together, his brows furrowed deeply. "I would know how you managed to acquire it."
Thinking of Shu Yue briefly, she met his eyes. Perhaps he could dig it out of her head. He would not. "On that, I must invoke the right to my personal methods," Ling Qi demurred.
"And here I thought you were the one encouraging everyone to share," Jin Tae said.
"Eh, what's that? You wanna let me have a look at your pretty formations for a bit?" Zheng Fu laughed. "Come off it."
"I merely.."
Cao Chun held up his hands. "Enough. The privacy of one's clan techniques will not be infringed. Knowing you have the capability of retrieving such deeply planted objects is enough. The 'parasite' is not constructed to last, even with your method it will not remain stable for more than a few days. However, there are signs of its maker to be gleaned."
"Still Waters Deeping, Archivist of the Reviled," Ling Qi said quietly, letting qi enter them, echoing the feeling of slime and acrid stagnant water that made them more than mere syllables.
Zheng Fu glanced at her, his eyebrows visibly climbing even under his headscarf.
Cao Chun was more reserved, but he did observe her in silence for a long moment. Jin Tae looked at his mentor and back to her, frowning.
"Those words are part of it. There is more time of manufacture, location, some deeper traces of its maker," Cao Chun said.
"And what about what you dealt with here, some kinda curse on the soldiers?" Zheng Fu wondered.
"Indeed, a form of artificial disease spirit, deeply implanted," Cao Chun said. "It would have begun inducing paralysis and causing transformation of flesh into wood. It seems designed to cause panic and suspicion based on a layman's observation of the polar barbarians' cultivation methods."
Xia Ren would not have had any patience for that.
"However, being able to observe and extract the process immediately… there are the same marks as this parasite. And the subject of this… is not of their kind."
"You are certain of that?" Ling Qi asked. "I felt there were some signs of Hui arts, but…"
"It is an aping of them, at most. The Hui are dead, but this does not mean their knowledge died with them entirely. It is possible some methods were preserved or… lost."
He glanced down pointedly. Ling Qi's eyes widened. Of course with all of the Emerald Seas out for their blood, the old ducal clan had scattered and gone to ground to be hunted down in the proceeding decades. If some had simply kept running…
"I am surprised you would admit that barbarians might co-opt imperial methods."
"The beasts underground are truly… consummate scavengers. The Ministry has begun to sift through their methods, and finds there is significant danger of technique theft by their foul arts," Jin Tae said lightly. "As expected of ghoulish corpse eaters."
"We have passed the advisory to the Argent Peak Sect already, to destroy the bodies of the fallen on site if they cannot be recovered," Cao Chun grumbled. The old man looked like he had bitten into a lemon. "But while this is possible, there is another culprit to be considered."
"Who?" Zheng Fu wondered.
"The Meng, or rather, some rogue within them," Cao Chun said bluntly. "I am confident that it is not backed by the clan overall, but there are some markers which make me wary, and if there were manywhere in this province where some recollection of Hui arts were preserved, it would be the western marshes. Those names you spoke point in that direction."
Ling Qi frowned deeply, crossing her arms. She didn't wish to believe that. She had been making strong inroads with the Meng, and yet…
And yet she knew she was divisive, that the Meng clan was strongly divided internally, and where she was friend to Meng Diu and those who followed her, that made her the enemy of others.
Yet would they really take such a risk, just to spite her and her project, when it could potentially draw the eye of the Duchess. It sounded insane in her mind.
Yet, Shu Yue's words on grudges drifted in her mind.
"I see. We will need to investigate both possibilities then?" Ling Qi asked after a long moment.
"We will. I have spoken to Meng Deming, but if he is involved, then I doubt my casual perception would reveal him. But for now I need more time to dissect your evidence."
"Then, for now, I will focus on the meetings ahead," Ling Qi sighed.
They were not done with this.
Next, please Vote for the factions to focus on in the final leg of legal negotiations. Select two.
[ ] Emerald Seas Nobility
[ ] Polar Theocracy
[ ] White Sky Confederation
Organizing her thoughts, she pressed to the front an answer to Jin Tae. She understood. She would be returning to the hall to reassure the Emissaries now, unless he required further assistance with the aftermath.
"The Ministry has matters in hand. Inspector Cao would request a meeting post judicial debate, to discuss this event, however."
Of course, she would be there.
"Man, that guys got a bit of a spear up his…"
"Sixiang," Ling Qi said mildly, looking up at the colors radiating from her. "Thank you for today. I don't see anything wrong with these people. Do you see anything?"
The colors shimmered and pulsed, the impression of Sixiang humming thoughtfully.
"Guys head is aching something fierce, but its not more than a bad hangover or a whack to the head I think? You got in and out quick and stopped the spooky stuff from happening. You did good."
Ling Qi took a deep breath, looking around at the liminal field, glimpsing through the veil to the men outside. Work was stopped but there was no sign of trouble or conflict. "Well, then I need to get back and try to find a way to explain this all to Jaromila without setting off an incident with everyone."
"Haaaaaaaah, good luck with that partner. That's a fight I don't think I'll help much with. I think I make the icy folks kinda jittery."
Jaromila had seemed a little uncomfortable with Sixiang. She hadn't shown it much but that Ling Qi had noticed it all said something. "You're probably right. What will you do once we split up?"
"Lurk around the groundskeepers by the observatory? The Meng folks aren't too overwhelmed by me, even the low realm ones."
She supposed that made sense. With a nod, Ling Qi let her feet lift from the ground, and shot off, seeking the liminal shadow of the meeting hall.
***
The atmosphere at the meeting hall was good, Ling Qi observed as she strode back in, as if nothing at all had happened. The recess had begun, and several of the scholars were still debating under their breaths with those on their own sides, but while there was tension, it was not a bad one. Spirited debate rather than violent ones. She stopped briefly by Cai Reniang, to say a few brief words and promise further explanation. She passed Cao Chun, and shared pleasantries and as she clasped her hands and bowed, she transferred the frozen thought parasite from her storage ring to his.And only then as she left him to move off and speak with Meng Deming, did she once again catch Jaromila's eye from across the hall. She stood with Rostam now and the cheerful man's face was set in a frown. She met the older woman's gaze and tilted her chin down, looking off the left side of the hall.
Jaromila nodded silently.
By the time she arrived by the third window from the hall's front, Dzintara had drifted over to meet them as well.
"Happy Days, eh, Emissary Ling Qi?" Rostam said, his expression smoothed back into a bright one. "It is a shame you had to miss all of the riveting chit chat on the exact fiddly meanings of the little eh…. Pre- Prop…"
"Prepositions, is the word you are searching, Emissary Rostam," Dzintara said flatly.
"Aha, yes, that is the word," Rostam said sheepishly, reaching up to adjust his fluffy hat. "But yes, you missed it, and I thought I caught a bad smell when you went. Emissary Ling Qi. I hope there was not too awful an accident in the kitchens?"
She met his eyes, and saw past the bumbling good humor. Which wasn't false so much as… not the full picture. Though like his wife, she found her new art skipping off of him, doing no more than enhancing her vision and hearing, for catching tells in tone and posture.
"Worry not, Emissary Rostam, I assure you the luncheon is intact. There was however a matter outside I had to attend too. As you will no doubt soon hear, there is a miscreant about seeking to interfere with our workers."
His eyes widened a little, his mustache twitched. "Oh? That is much worse. I see why you did not wish to interrupt everyone's very important debates just to deal with a prankster. Though… perhaps I am not giving it credit?"
"It is certainly a bit more serious. One of our men is significantly injured, though we prevented anything further from being done, in cooperation with our Ministry. I apologize that you were not informed beforehand but…. We do not know exactly who our 'prankster' is hiding among."
"You did not trust us not to leak your plan to turn this on them," Dzintara said flatly.
"Not with so little time, and how vital it was to catch them by surprise. The person behind this is certainly a match for some of our Sovereigns."
Dzintara's expression twisted, looking horrified. Rostam blew out a heavy breath, and Jaromila merely frowned.
"We needed to be as certain as possible that we would be able to catch some trace of them," Ling Qi said. "However, I am now prepared to tell you what we discovered and how we defended against them."
"Well, that is neighborly of you," Rostam said neutrally, eyeing her from head to toe.
"I can understand your hesitance, but I am glad we can share this matter now. Please wait a moment. Dzintara, would you ensure no one is listening."
"Yes," the woman said, raising her hand, she gestured and the Crow lurking in the shadows by the doorway looked their way. Ling Qi felt the ripple of shrouding qi fall over them, a more powerful screen than she could have managed herself by far.
She inclined her head, and began to speak. "Our suspicion of the accidents began in the final weeks leading to the summit…"
Beginning with their suspicions, Ling Qi laid out what the Ministry had found. That they had determined the threat was spiritual, and seemed to seek disruption and break up of the summit. She spoke of the thought parasite she had found, and of what had almost hatched. The way the man in Zheng Fu's group had begun accusing White Sky workers of cursemaking and as many other details as she could muster. By the time she was done, all of them were looking somewhere between grave and furious.
"You have been honest with us, so I must be honest with you. It is not… impossible that there is some element in our nation who could seek to destroy this. We do not keep 'Sovereigns' as you do, but there are methods to direct and use their power," Jaromila said calmly, however…"
"That name… the taste is not right," Rostam said. "There are those who work in curses and dreams, but those are not their portents."
"If there were any bearing the stench of the deep marsh you would know them," Dzintara said stiffly.
"Hah, you are not wrong!" Rostam chuckled.
"I suspect the ith still, the enemies under our feet," Ling Qi said. There were other signs, but… her instinct was that the trapping of the Hui were cover, or at least… not original, a copy descending art. After all, this foe had layered trap upon trap. Why not one more. Bringing the Duchess here in wrath would also end this.
"The ones you asked of? Who sound akin to the maggot men of Nidavellr?" Dzintara grimaced. "I admit, I was skeptical…"
"It would be appreciated if you would collect the lore on the matter," Jaromila said coolly. The younger woman merely grunted in affirmation. "Emissary Ling Qi, please receive my thanks for sharing this matter. We will begin looking into it immediately."
"Thank you," Ling Qi said, remembering not to bow. "If it pleases you I would ask that you coordinate major actions through me, and I will inform our Ministry, so that we do not impede each other."
"Reasonable," Jaromila said. "What are your thoughts on immediate danger?"
"After being chased off so thoroughly, I cannot imagine they will return immediately. Such things as this are not trivial to arrange even for a Sovereign," Ling Qi said, remembering the precedence fleeing before Shu Yue's shadow.
"A few days at least then, with eyes open and plans afoot," Rostam said. "But I think our time is ending here."
The recess was coming to a close. "Then we will speak more later."
"Yes," Jaromila said. "Let us put this aside for now, and complete the meeting.Things have been promising today."
***
"I believe you have made an error, Baroness," Cao Chun said flatly.
The rest of the meeting had gone well. There were a hundred hundred details on which imperial and polar law differed, from inheritance to property to the way civic disputes were resolved, just to give a few answers. But things were being hashed out and grudging understanding made on each side and precedents to fill the gap being produced.
However with the days session ending, it was time to turn her attention back to this. Down in Cao Chun's office, she stood beside Zheng Fu, and behind Cao Chun was Jin Tae.
"And I believe it is the correct course. Nothing will be gained by our investigations tripping over one another," Ling Qi said coolly.
"We would not be 'tripped' by barbarian efforts," Cao Chun grumbled. "But it is done. I will simply have to take this into account."
"Thank you for your understanding, inspector," she was glad he was not pushing back too hard on this, the relative successfulness of the operation must have put him in a good mood. "But getting to business, may I ask if you have found anything useful with the parasite I have procured?"
"It is both an immensely complex construct, as ephemeral as dew," Cao Chun said, clasping his hands together, his brows furrowed deeply. "I would know how you managed to acquire it."
Thinking of Shu Yue briefly, she met his eyes. Perhaps he could dig it out of her head. He would not. "On that, I must invoke the right to my personal methods," Ling Qi demurred.
"And here I thought you were the one encouraging everyone to share," Jin Tae said.
"Eh, what's that? You wanna let me have a look at your pretty formations for a bit?" Zheng Fu laughed. "Come off it."
"I merely.."
Cao Chun held up his hands. "Enough. The privacy of one's clan techniques will not be infringed. Knowing you have the capability of retrieving such deeply planted objects is enough. The 'parasite' is not constructed to last, even with your method it will not remain stable for more than a few days. However, there are signs of its maker to be gleaned."
"Still Waters Deeping, Archivist of the Reviled," Ling Qi said quietly, letting qi enter them, echoing the feeling of slime and acrid stagnant water that made them more than mere syllables.
Zheng Fu glanced at her, his eyebrows visibly climbing even under his headscarf.
Cao Chun was more reserved, but he did observe her in silence for a long moment. Jin Tae looked at his mentor and back to her, frowning.
"Those words are part of it. There is more time of manufacture, location, some deeper traces of its maker," Cao Chun said.
"And what about what you dealt with here, some kinda curse on the soldiers?" Zheng Fu wondered.
"Indeed, a form of artificial disease spirit, deeply implanted," Cao Chun said. "It would have begun inducing paralysis and causing transformation of flesh into wood. It seems designed to cause panic and suspicion based on a layman's observation of the polar barbarians' cultivation methods."
Xia Ren would not have had any patience for that.
"However, being able to observe and extract the process immediately… there are the same marks as this parasite. And the subject of this… is not of their kind."
"You are certain of that?" Ling Qi asked. "I felt there were some signs of Hui arts, but…"
"It is an aping of them, at most. The Hui are dead, but this does not mean their knowledge died with them entirely. It is possible some methods were preserved or… lost."
He glanced down pointedly. Ling Qi's eyes widened. Of course with all of the Emerald Seas out for their blood, the old ducal clan had scattered and gone to ground to be hunted down in the proceeding decades. If some had simply kept running…
"I am surprised you would admit that barbarians might co-opt imperial methods."
"The beasts underground are truly… consummate scavengers. The Ministry has begun to sift through their methods, and finds there is significant danger of technique theft by their foul arts," Jin Tae said lightly. "As expected of ghoulish corpse eaters."
"We have passed the advisory to the Argent Peak Sect already, to destroy the bodies of the fallen on site if they cannot be recovered," Cao Chun grumbled. The old man looked like he had bitten into a lemon. "But while this is possible, there is another culprit to be considered."
"Who?" Zheng Fu wondered.
"The Meng, or rather, some rogue within them," Cao Chun said bluntly. "I am confident that it is not backed by the clan overall, but there are some markers which make me wary, and if there were manywhere in this province where some recollection of Hui arts were preserved, it would be the western marshes. Those names you spoke point in that direction."
Ling Qi frowned deeply, crossing her arms. She didn't wish to believe that. She had been making strong inroads with the Meng, and yet…
And yet she knew she was divisive, that the Meng clan was strongly divided internally, and where she was friend to Meng Diu and those who followed her, that made her the enemy of others.
Yet would they really take such a risk, just to spite her and her project, when it could potentially draw the eye of the Duchess. It sounded insane in her mind.
Yet, Shu Yue's words on grudges drifted in her mind.
"I see. We will need to investigate both possibilities then?" Ling Qi asked after a long moment.
"We will. I have spoken to Meng Deming, but if he is involved, then I doubt my casual perception would reveal him. But for now I need more time to dissect your evidence."
"Then, for now, I will focus on the meetings ahead," Ling Qi sighed.
They were not done with this.
Next, please Vote for the factions to focus on in the final leg of legal negotiations. Select two.
[ ] Emerald Seas Nobility
[ ] Polar Theocracy
[ ] White Sky Confederation
Emerald Seas Nobility: 4 (+2 Ducal Support, +2 Personal accomplishments, +1 Historical Proofs, -1 Incomplete Hall)
White Plumes: 2 (+1 Satisfactory security, +1 Heron General's Patience)
Ministry of Integrity: 1 (+1 Satisfactory Security, +1 Imperial Support, +1 Judicial Concessions, +1 Investigation progress, -2 Ignored Interests, -1 Uncivilized Mingling)
White Sky Confederation: 6 (+2 Completed all three familiarity actions, +2 Leadership Support, +1 Historical Proofs, +1 Shared Evidence)
Polar Theocracy: 1 (+1 Satisfactory Security, +2 Historical Proofs, -1 Incomplete Hall, -1 Unstable Outsiders)
Modifiers:
Next Polar Theocracy Roll +20% Success Chance
All Xia Ren Rolls +5% Success Chance
White Plumes: 2 (+1 Satisfactory security, +1 Heron General's Patience)
Ministry of Integrity: 1 (+1 Satisfactory Security, +1 Imperial Support, +1 Judicial Concessions, +1 Investigation progress, -2 Ignored Interests, -1 Uncivilized Mingling)
White Sky Confederation: 6 (+2 Completed all three familiarity actions, +2 Leadership Support, +1 Historical Proofs, +1 Shared Evidence)
Polar Theocracy: 1 (+1 Satisfactory Security, +2 Historical Proofs, -1 Incomplete Hall, -1 Unstable Outsiders)
Modifiers:
Next Polar Theocracy Roll +20% Success Chance
All Xia Ren Rolls +5% Success Chance
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Yeah, the first section has gone rather well. Theocracy and Nobility seem like the people to follow up with.
One other important thing is this. It suggests we can get additional Favorability out of the Ministry without having to make more concessions.
Alectai
Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion
We'll still need to be careful not to offend them, because the MoI takes particular umbrage to being poked from what we've learned (They take -2 to any "Ignored Interests" while other people might take a -1), but we're currently in a good spot between all our prep and making what seem to have been the right choices in the Investigation phase.
Well I think we definitely have to take ES nobility, given building rep with them is one of our primary goals here and we haven't really looked in on them yet.
Then I'd probably also do White Sky to wrap things up there. Similarly, we took a look at the Theocracy and they aren't our priority anyway. They're primarily Jaromilla's concern.
Then I'd probably also do White Sky to wrap things up there. Similarly, we took a look at the Theocracy and they aren't our priority anyway. They're primarily Jaromilla's concern.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I honestly think we shouldn't try to raise rep with Polar Theocracy right now. As we saw when we first chose them they are not a good fit to talk legal stuff about.
Emerald Seas and White Sky I say. We have good reputation with both but we want great reputation with them.
Emerald Seas and White Sky I say. We have good reputation with both but we want great reputation with them.
- Location
- Washington
We've got that +20% chance, might as well use it, I think.
Oliver_Twister
Idea-Man, He Who Shits Ideas
- Location
- West Africa
- Pronouns
- He/Him
It's only natural to continue with thr ES after the talk about the Meng. It works narratively, for one, and we can inform our side too.
I think the theocracy works too, since we can maybe coordinate or discuss things with the Crows and Dzintara, if they want more info about the sabotage, our arts, or the fact that Still Waters Deeping is a Sovereign. Pretty sure the latter will come up.
I absolutely love this. Everyone is shocked and want to know how we plucked such info out. Foundation Moon arts + Grinning Moon + [Communication] + LQ cat shenanigans and intuition is a deadly combo.
Keep note that these are two ducals (1 is part of the other 3, the other is super rich) and the Senior MoI Secretary of the South Emerald Seas who are surprised and curious here. Thief of Names is GOOD.
I think the theocracy works too, since we can maybe coordinate or discuss things with the Crows and Dzintara, if they want more info about the sabotage, our arts, or the fact that Still Waters Deeping is a Sovereign. Pretty sure the latter will come up.
I absolutely love this. Everyone is shocked and want to know how we plucked such info out. Foundation Moon arts + Grinning Moon + [Communication] + LQ cat shenanigans and intuition is a deadly combo.
Keep note that these are two ducals (1 is part of the other 3, the other is super rich) and the Senior MoI Secretary of the South Emerald Seas who are surprised and curious here. Thief of Names is GOOD.
NoxOfUmbra
Shadow of the night
- Location
- Colombia, South América
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
[X] Emerald Seas Nobility
[X] Polar Theocracy
[X] Polar Theocracy
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- Pronouns
- He/Him
Excellent results. I hadn't realized that the MoI literally don't know about Shu Yue, not sure exactly how small the lost of people who were told is, but it's pretty damn small. The Crows know and presumably have told White Sky people, but not the federal agents. So Qi gets to look even more ridiculous as she "accomplishes" something utterly beyond her cultivation.
And yeah, ES Nobles because they are a primary target for favorability and lagging behind White Sky, and Polar Theocracy so we can take advantage of the roll bonuses.
And yeah, ES Nobles because they are a primary target for favorability and lagging behind White Sky, and Polar Theocracy so we can take advantage of the roll bonuses.
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I suppose the obvious suspicion to bring up is "What if it's not the Meng, but somebody trying to cast suspicion towards the Meng?" Or perhaps, "Somebody is using the Meng as a cat's paw; convincing them to cause trouble in ways that would be deniable for the Meng".
It could be elements within the Empire. Old grudges and rivalries kicking in. It could be elements trying to cause trouble within the Empire; making use of the known grudges and rivalries and attempting to get people to set fires using them and to then get everybody pointing fingers at each other because of that.
It could be elements within the Empire. Old grudges and rivalries kicking in. It could be elements trying to cause trouble within the Empire; making use of the known grudges and rivalries and attempting to get people to set fires using them and to then get everybody pointing fingers at each other because of that.
- Location
- United States of America, Michigan
missed space between many and where
While I think +1 is good enough for the Polar Theocracy we still have that +20% mod to improving it so might as well pick them.
That 20% bonus seems like it will last until the next roll with them so no need to use it early. White sky and nobility seems like good fits for legal matters.
- Location
- Spain
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Emerald Seas Nobility
[X] Polar Theocracy
[X] Polar Theocracy
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I don't think it's actually possible for the MoI to not know who Shu Yue is, Shenhua publically announce that they were going to be backing us up during this summit. I'd have to double check, but I think the we first met Shu Yue and Cao Chun at the same party.
- Location
- The Space Between
[X] White Sky Confederation
[X] Emerald Seas Nobility
Nice.
Let me make the argument for White Sky Confederation:
we saw that we could have a roll with Emerald Seas Nobility to avoid a -1 with them and we rolled successfully. This means that certain times, if we have enough positive rep, we can avoid -1 if we roll well enough. Getting even higher opinion with Emerald Seas and White Sky (the ones with buy-in for the project after the Feds are contented) will help retain high opinion with them. We have to play a delicate balancing game for when and where the Feds gain power over this (feds being the Theocracy and MoI), but we're also going to have to balance Emerald Seas and White Sky interests.
I suspect the negotiations are going to be easier if we're already at good relations. We met with the Theocracy once already, do we really want to see them again so soon?
[X] Emerald Seas Nobility
Nice.
Let me make the argument for White Sky Confederation:
we saw that we could have a roll with Emerald Seas Nobility to avoid a -1 with them and we rolled successfully. This means that certain times, if we have enough positive rep, we can avoid -1 if we roll well enough. Getting even higher opinion with Emerald Seas and White Sky (the ones with buy-in for the project after the Feds are contented) will help retain high opinion with them. We have to play a delicate balancing game for when and where the Feds gain power over this (feds being the Theocracy and MoI), but we're also going to have to balance Emerald Seas and White Sky interests.
I suspect the negotiations are going to be easier if we're already at good relations. We met with the Theocracy once already, do we really want to see them again so soon?
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