There's no shortage of places the Council die can go. Personally though I'd replace Sara on the Shepherds Expedition. Alternatively, we take her off Shepherds for Corpses and accept that we'll have to use a Militia die for the Fall expedition. There's a lot of interesting actions available to her. My preference would be on one of the actions we've unlocked Turn 9 or self-improvement. Training from Failure, for example, sounds like it could boost her die pool, which should help out with our Silent Blades situation.
Also, I'd do Barrels over fishing gear. I suspect being better able to preserve all of our food will be better than improving our fishing yields. While we can probably do the former Fall, this is important enough that I don't want to delay.
I agree with this, especially since we want commercial relationships with the new neighbors, the Shepherds and the Mistmen... And being able to move our merchandise is pretty essential...
Given how craftsmen can be about their tools, you might be underestimating the issue here.
Just because your pair of pliers isn't better than my pair of pliers doesn't mean you won't have strong feelings about whose are whose and that I shouldn't mess with yours.
I don't think we need to worry too much about Tool Ownership until we have tools worth differentiating (in other words Masterwork tools), and I don't think we should do that this turn. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have the extra Craft AP, but I think we need to prioritize Lordskin Clothes. I want the entire militia equipped with them come Winter, and there's pretty much no way we're doing that without doing Lordskin Clothes this turn. I think you might be doing it already, but I can't be sure as the plan and explanations differ.
There's no shortage of places the Council die can go. Personally though I'd replace Sara on the Shepherds Expedition. Alternatively, we take her off Shepherds for Corpses and accept that we'll have to use a Militia die for the Fall expedition. There's a lot of interesting actions available to her. My preference would be on one of the actions we've unlocked Turn 9 or self-improvement. Training from Failure, for example, sounds like it could boost her die pool, which should help out with our Silent Blades situation.
Or, if we can somehow pry the Son off of Path of the First, we can have them do the Awake Circle together. I think the benefits of getting that done outweigh those provided by having the Son hunt for the First. The First probably knows some of that stuff, but I have to imagine that the Awake's knowledge has improved in the centuries since the First. I'd still have two dice on the project though, mostly because I suspect that it might only be the first action in a chain.
If other people are willing, I'd be willing to trade out Master Tools for getting the Lordskins made. Right now I believe we have two Winter Clothes and need 5 (which might be increased to 6 if we end up adopting a significant amount of refugees.) We can get a Winter Clothes and a Lordskin this turn, and a second Lordskin next turn, which should mean the whole militia is outfit in armor that's also good for keeping warm in the Winter.
I very much don't want Sara to be taken off the Shepherds Expedition (that is to say, the diplomacy one.) I think she's uniquely suited to that diplomacy due to her Hope allowing diplomacy bonuses with the dead and to a lesser extent the living. And we already know from OldShadow's word that the Shepherds consist of both dead and living members. I suppose if we're fine delaying tools again, then I could put a Council Die onto the Shepherds expedition instead, since IIRC at least one Council Die counts as a Native Die for things like this in terms of knowledge and experience. Still, I'd rather deal with the Tools issue when tempers are cool and it isn't a major dispute than when they're hot and people start having Strong Opinions on it.
I want to hold off on Awake Circle until we have Sara's A Voice Stronger, A Soul Mightier bonus, which I plan to get next Winter. Then we could do a Spring Warrior's Son + Sara on Awake Circle in the Spring, before the Burn the Lesser Pit in the Fall. IIRC, we also wanted to have the Warrior's Son be part of the search because we thought he might gain something at the end of that...Come to think of it, something similar to that is a good use of my Question.
@OldShadow Using my Winterverse in Europa Universalis 4 Omake, I have a question. When we got the Warrior's Son, he was described as a Hero with a strong growth potential. But while we've benefitted from him turning a Generic Die into two Follower dice, we haven't seen much growth from the Warrior's Son personally. No increase in bonuses per dice (unless he's working alongside his Followers) or additional dice.
With that in mind, what sort of actions should we pursue in order to take advantage of the Warrior's Son's high growth potential. Now obviously, the Awake Circle is definitely part of it, but what else? We've been assuming that having him help the search for the First Walker will end up having either a mechanical or narrative effect, but is that true, or are we barking up the wrong tree? And are there other actions that could lead to the Warrior's Son's growth that we haven't realized would do so yet?
And now, back to replies.
Also, I'd do Barrels over fishing gear. I suspect being better able to preserve all of our food will be better than improving our fishing yields. While we can probably do the former Fall, this is important enough that I don't want to delay.
Unfortunately, I'm not sure we can afford to do Strike Down the Node. We have a lot of stuff worth doing in the Wilds. It would mean not doing "Kill the Pests" this turn, but the Buried King is a Patron. As such, he should be fairly patient with us, especially given how much we've already done in that area, and how consistently we've been doing it. The Native die currently on it can be used for the Path of the First, the Colonist one can be used to work on some other Gunpowder action. I suspect that just Charcoal alone won't be enough to reduce the amount of AP we need for gunpowder production. The action mentions "will help reduce the number of dice" not "reduces the number of dice by x" after all.
As for Forest Gardens, I'm in favor of them over Further Out. Further Out might help out with Gathering Food and Herbs, if it doesn't just open up more plant options after we've exhausted the current ones. If we can use the plants right away instead of needing to research. Forest Gardens, meanwhile is a sure thing. What's more, it's a sure thing that gives us a solid amount of both Food and Herbs every turn. The sooner we get this done, the better.
Sure, I can swap from Fishing Gear to Barrels. I was doing Fishing stuff initially with the thought that we could maximize efficiency by first getting the gear, then doing Fishing Actions, but it's not really necessary. And I suppose we might as well make use of all this wood.
Eh...the thing is, we haven't actually been doing that much in terms of "Kill the Pests" recently, and certainly not in a consistent manner. We did initially, doing the initial Hunt the Vermin Action and the Find the Irredeemable action on Turn 3, but 2nd year year after that all we did was hunt a Lord (singular, albeit a big one), and start but not complete the Wider Hunt on Turn 7 (so two turns of doing absolutely noting in that regard.) This year all we've done so far is complete A Wider Hunt.
I could see us delaying a turn on taking out a Node, but I think we need to start seriously purging the various Vermin from their homes in the Wilds. Especially now that we have children in them. Additionally, Purging the various Vermin from the Wilds I think is going to be an important thing to get done before the Tribute-Taker assault. "Ways to Kill Pests" sounds like new weapons or defensive measures, which could be used to seriously take the Tribute-Takers by surprise. They'd be expecting Razorweed and after our raids, probably guns, but whatever the Buried King has to offer is unlikely to be anything they'd have prior knowledge about.
Plus, one of our re-rolls explicitly only applies to Wilds combat actions, so to get the most mileage, we're gonna want to do a combat action in the Wilds every turn.
And very much no on trading Charcoal for something else. The thing is, we don't need to produce Gunpowder right now. The point is, in my mind, to steadily build up the Gunpowder production infrastructure each turn, so that by the time we do need to produce more Gunpowder, we have the industry already set up. Charcoal goes first because it provides a benefit beyond just the gunpowder production, converting Wood to Fuel more efficiently, which will help us this coming Winter. Unless we plan on producing some Serpentine on Turn 11, I don't see a reason to do one of the non-Charcoal options on Turn 10. (Sidenote, as part of this, Turn 11 we probably build up Sulfur Paths, since that will start building up a stockpile of Sulfur so it's available for when we start needing to making powder.)
Forest Gardens I'm tempted on, but Further Out isn't just for improved Gathering, it's also because it provides an early warning system in case the Tribute Takers start poking around again. Furthermore, it's a significant part of preparations for Burn the Lesser Pit. Not only will it help the raiding party get in and get out, but it will also almost certainly be a big help in our diversionary raids, since they'll have to cross land if we want to enlist the help of the Sun-Loving Woods. Though I suppose we could just do Forest Gardens Turn 10, Further Out Turn 11.
I very much don't want Sara to be taken off the Shepherds Expedition (that is to say, the diplomacy one.) I think she's uniquely suited to that diplomacy due to her Hope allowing diplomacy bonuses with the dead and to a lesser extent the living. And we already know from OldShadow's word that the Shepherds consist of both dead and living members.
She'd definitely be useful, although there's enough living Shepherds that I don't think she'd be vital.
What about taking Sarah off of the other Shepherds action? That would mean no Dead Die Turn 11, but that was always a coin flip, even with an omake. Plus, "Welcome to Union. Go kill these guys" might not be the best way to start our relationship with the new arrivals from a narrative perspective.
I want to hold off on Awake Circle until we have Sara's A Voice Stronger, A Soul Mightier bonus, which I plan to get next Winter. Then we could do a Spring Warrior's Son + Sara on Awake Circle in the Spring, before the Burn the Lesser Pit in the Fall. IIRC, we also wanted to have the Warrior's Son be part of the search because we thought he might gain something at the end of that...Come to think of it, something similar to that is a good use of my Question.
Yeah, I'm pretty iffy about delaying an action because of a reward we might select for surviving Winter. History has demonstrated that we usually get offered better (or at least more desirable) rewards for surviving Winter than an added die, more anctions in a category where we already have more than we know what to do with, and a +5 bonus. If it's a choice between that and the one where we can no-sell one of Winter's actions, I know which one I'm going to pick. 2d100+15 isn't all that much better than 2d100+10 after all, and I don't think A Voice Stronger would have much in the way of narrative effects for this. If memory serves, the Awake Circle expedition is affected more by our decision-making than by rolls anyways.
As for the Warrior's Son, we might be able to get some benefit from him finding the First Awake. However, we know that he will benefit greatly from the Awake Circle, and indeed, I wouldn't be surprised if there's overlap between the two rewards. Awake Circle's rewards are almost certainly greater for him though. I can't see a narrative bonus outweighing a significantly more tangible yet otherwise similar one to that degree. Maybe if the Warrior's Son was hunting the First alone the entire time or just with his Skirmishers, but neither of those were practical options.
Plus, I think we both agree that Winter will be going fairly heavy on the Knowledge stuff turn 12. I think obtaining centuries worth of Awake lore would be pretty darn useful for handling that, not to mention the potential for magical weapons and items. Sure, we could still do it turn 11, but I'd really like a turn to digest it and do whatever follow up actions are most appealing. Plus doing it turn 10 means less likelihood of one or both of them going into Winter injured if we get unlucky.
Eh...the thing is, we haven't actually been doing that much in terms of "Kill the Pests" recently, and certainly not in a consistent manner. We did initially, doing the initial Hunt the Vermin Action and the Find the Irredeemable action on Turn 3, but 2nd year year after that all we did was hunt a Lord (singular, albeit a big one), and start but not complete the Wider Hunt on Turn 7 (so two turns of doing absolutely noting in that regard.) This year all we've done so far is complete A Wider Hunt.
And very much no on trading Charcoal for something else. The thing is, we don't need to produce Gunpowder right now. The point is, in my mind, to steadily build up the Gunpowder production infrastructure each turn, so that by the time we do need to produce more Gunpowder, we have the industry already set up. Charcoal goes first because it provides a benefit beyond just the gunpowder production, converting Wood to Fuel more efficiently, which will help us this coming Winter. Unless we plan on producing some Serpentine on Turn 11, I don't see a reason to do one of the non-Charcoal options on Turn 10. (Sidenote, as part of this, Turn 11 we probably build up Sulfur Paths, since that will start building up a stockpile of Sulfur so it's available for when we start needing to making powder.)
I didn't mean you shouldn't do Charcoal, quite the opposite. What I meant to say was that it would be wise to do another Gunpowder action alongside Charcoal, especially since we didn't do any last turn and it will probably take more than one to reduce the Wild AP cost. I'd like to get Serpentine production practical ASAP so we can save our proper gunpowder for when we really need it (i.e. raids and Winter). Sorry for the confusion.
Forest Gardens I'm tempted on, but Further Out isn't just for improved Gathering, it's also because it provides an early warning system in case the Tribute Takers start poking around again. Furthermore, it's a significant part of preparations for Burn the Lesser Pit. Not only will it help the raiding party get in and get out, but it will also almost certainly be a big help in our diversionary raids, since they'll have to cross land if we want to enlist the help of the Sun-Loving Woods. Though I suppose we could just do Forest Gardens Turn 10, Further Out Turn 11.
@OldShadow Using my Winterverse in Europa Universalis 4 Omake, I have a question. When we got the Warrior's Son, he was described as a Hero with a strong growth potential. But while we've benefitted from him turning a Generic Die into two Follower dice, we haven't seen much growth from the Warrior's Son personally. No increase in bonuses per dice (unless he's working alongside his Followers) or additional dice.
With that in mind, what sort of actions should we pursue in order to take advantage of the Warrior's Son's high growth potential. Now obviously, the Awake Circle is definitely part of it, but what else? We've been assuming that having him help the search for the First Walker will end up having either a mechanical or narrative effect, but is that true, or are we barking up the wrong tree? And are there other actions that could lead to the Warrior's Son's growth that we haven't realized would do so yet?
Anything related to the old Awakes will help the Son (So seeking the First Walker, yes).
Combats and slaying things will help his growth (if you look at the turns results, the Son was not implicated in any of your majors hunts or raids beyond Winter, not against the Lord and he was not sent when Tribute-Takers actions were raided).
More simply, your hunter hero need XP, send him kill things.
Also, he literally is in constant contact with his dead father, more spiritual actions will help (especially now that Whispers from the Grave has been unlocked).
Hey @OldShadow since nobody has asked this question how many guns did the unchained have cause it did say they had some muskets in there stats in the raid option last year.
-[]Escapee [Raid] [???]
Moors and unknown natives, setting up a settlement next to a Spanish shipwreck. A shipwreck probably filled with steel and gunpowder. Potential Loot : gunpowder, steel, potentially prisoners
Know Defenses : Lightly armored and armed warriors, a few using muskets. Stakes perimeters.
Hey @OldShadow since nobody has asked this question how many guns did the unchained have cause it did say they had some muskets in there stats in the raid option last year.
I know won't be much but ten to twenty muskets is still ten to twenty muskets against winter.
Not enough to count as an unit of musket (about 10), but the Unchained had enough weapons in general to had 1 unit of Steel Weapon to Union.
So you will need less crafting to fully armed with steel the militia.
Because the Voices of the Blood-Loving Woods are not Pests.
There are not bound to a place they have left, they are not without function in the Wilds.
As such, the King cannot perceive them as Pests, only at worst as rebelious subjects or a malfunctioning system.
She'd definitely be useful, although there's enough living Shepherds that I don't think she'd be vital.
What about taking Sarah off of the other Shepherds action? That would mean no Dead Die Turn 11, but that was always a coin flip, even with an omake. Plus, "Welcome to Union. Go kill these guys" might not be the best way to start our relationship with the new arrivals from a narrative perspective.
Well, Sara's Hope helps with diplomacy with the living as well, not just the dead. Generally speaking, diplomacy is a specialty of hers, so we should send her on the diplomatic mission.
Could maybe pull her off of the Shepherds for Corpses though.
Yeah, I'm pretty iffy about delaying an action because of a reward we might select for surviving Winter. History has demonstrated that we usually get offered better (or at least more desirable) rewards for surviving Winter than an added die, more anctions in a category where we already have more than we know what to do with, and a +5 bonus. If it's a choice between that and the one where we can no-sell one of Winter's actions, I know which one I'm going to pick. 2d100+15 isn't all that much better than 2d100+10 after all, and I don't think A Voice Stronger would have much in the way of narrative effects for this. If memory serves, the Awake Circle expedition is affected more by our decision-making than by rolls anyways.
As for the Warrior's Son, we might be able to get some benefit from him finding the First Awake. However, we know that he will benefit greatly from the Awake Circle, and indeed, I wouldn't be surprised if there's overlap between the two rewards. Awake Circle's rewards are almost certainly greater for him though. I can't see a narrative bonus outweighing a significantly more tangible yet otherwise similar one to that degree. Maybe if the Warrior's Son was hunting the First alone the entire time or just with his Skirmishers, but neither of those were practical options.
Plus, I think we both agree that Winter will be going fairly heavy on the Knowledge stuff turn 12. I think obtaining centuries worth of Awake lore would be pretty darn useful for handling that, not to mention the potential for magical weapons and items. Sure, we could still do it turn 11, but I'd really like a turn to digest it and do whatever follow up actions are most appealing. Plus doing it turn 10 means less likelihood of one or both of them going into Winter injured if we get unlucky.
No, it's Sara's personal expedition into the Dreamlands that's choice rather than roll-based. The Awake Circle is absolutely roll-based (3 rolls to be precise). And of the tests, two of them are more the Warrior's Son's specialty than Sara's, so I think we want to have the Son actually developed enough (2 dice) before we take that option.
If we had two Warrior's Son's dice, I'd consider doing it. But we don't, so I'm reluctant in the extreme.
For the Awake Circle, you should know that it is still hidden, so you will have to deal with the Awakes spirits and not threats from Winter.
There will be 3 Trials to succeed to get the most rewards, with a DC going from 30 to 100 depending on the dice used. A die already used for a Trial will have a malus if used for another. Sending non-Winter Walker in this expedition will make it more difficult (about 5-10 more on the DC) but will upgrade the results, since it will mean Awakes spirits recognize all of Union as kin and worthy of their guidance and secrets.
The Trial of Knowledge : Finding the Circle, and escaping various traps set by the Awakes. The best for this is the Warrior's Son, but Native or Council die can do the trick, and Failure could help. This trial will be easier with more lore from the old Federation (like the dream expedition of Sara or more contact with the Freed)
The Trial of Bounds : Prove to the Awake that you are a friend, and not a foe or a tomb-raider. Again, the Warrior's Son and Native could be useful, but Sara and Death-Singer can also do the trick. In general, upgrading Death-Singing and getting as many natives to vouch for you is your best bet.
The Trial of Might : Prove to the dead Awakes that you can protect their secrets. A duel with an Awake undead. The Prince or the Warrior's Son are perfect for this, but any die may do, since you have quite a good militia. Interestingly, Sara or the Mourners could just sing into submission their opponent in the duel. Efficient, but somewhat cheating. Increasing the capacity of your fighters will make this Trial easier : training, weapons, armors...
From this, I think before we do the Awake Circle, we want at least one unit of supernatural armor (Lordskin Clothes) and Death-Singing to have been leveled up. Also having Sara contact the Shepherds first, since they're former Winter Walker Federation members.
The Eyesvines is the most straightforward : don't naturally roll below a certain threshold (around 20 for generic dices and 10 for dice like the Skirmishers or the Blades), and do about 150-250 progress per actions.It would take about 3 projects to end most Eyevines issues near you.
Hmm, since I already spent the omake on this, how well would the Militia do at anti-Eyevine and other Pest-Killing work? Since they weren't mentioned while the Blades and Skirmishers were.
I didn't mean you shouldn't do Charcoal, quite the opposite. What I meant to say was that it would be wise to do another Gunpowder action alongside Charcoal, especially since we didn't do any last turn and it will probably take more than one to reduce the Wild AP cost. I'd like to get Serpentine production practical ASAP so we can save our proper gunpowder for when we really need it (i.e. raids and Winter). Sorry for the confusion.
That would be my recommended order, although not at the cost of the Awake Circle.
Getting the dice for both a 2nd die on gunpowder Infra and another for Forest Gardens will be difficult though.
Although...if we already accept we won't be finishing Shepherds for Corpses, I could take the Mourner Die there and swap out the Colonist Die studying the Mindless Ones for that. Mourners get a bonus for Death actions anyway.
Anything related to the old Awakes will help the Son (So seeking the First Walker, yes).
Combats and slaying things will help his growth (if you look at the turns results, the Son was not implicated in any of your majors hunts or raids beyond Winter, not against the Lord and he was not sent when Tribute-Takers actions were raided).
More simply, your hunter hero need XP, send him kill things.
Also, he literally is in constant contact with his dead father, more spiritual actions will help (especially now that Whispers from the Grave has been unlocked).
Although...if we already accept we won't be finishing Shepherds for Corpses, I could take the Mourner Die there and swap out the Colonist Die studying the Mindless Ones for that. Mourners get a bonus for Death actions anyway.
I would rather not discard Shepherds for Corpses, our weakest point in these past winters is clearly knowledge and spiritual defenses, and Shepherds for Corpses give us knowledge, extra spiritual defenses, and a dice that we can use to get even more knowledge...
Hmm, since I already spent the omake on this, how well would the Militia do at anti-Eyevine and other Pest-Killing work? Since they weren't mentioned while the Blades and Skirmishers were.
For the Militia, you need to not roll below 15 in most cases. Using the Militia die mean calling up the Militia for a few weeks, so quite good (especially if number give an advantage) but less than the truly specialized fighters. (Warrior's Son, Skirmishers...).
For the Militia, you need to not roll below 15 in most cases. Using the Militia die mean calling up the Militia for a few weeks, so quite good (especially if number give an advantage) but less than the truly specialized fighters. (Warrior's Son, Skirmishers...).
Hmm, so probably best at Many-Limbed Devourers (more hands to crush centipedes.) Woodflesh Spiders they'd also probably be okayish at (more eyes to search, eyes are battle-hardened veterans.) Not quite as good for the Eyevines Node though I think (that's the one that most relies on either Wilds movement knowledge or the Silent Blades having no eyes to steal.) But they would still presumably be passable si ce we can probably draw up a few veterans if we put them on it.
Well, Sara's Hope helps with diplomacy with the living as well, not just the dead. Generally speaking, diplomacy is a specialty of hers, so we should send her on the diplomatic mission.
My thinking is that Sara is somewhat overkill for this. The Shepherds are a group who have a common language and cultural background with our Winter Walker citizens, with no reason to be negatively inclined towards us. On the contrary, judging by the "A Feast and a Meeting" turn, they are likely to be positively inclined towards us.
No, it's Sara's personal expedition into the Dreamlands that's choice rather than roll-based. The Awake Circle is absolutely roll-based (3 rolls to be precise). And of the tests, two of them are more the Warrior's Son's specialty than Sara's, so I think we want to have the Son actually developed enough (2 dice) before we take that option.
If we had two Warrior's Son's dice, I'd consider doing it. But we don't, so I'm reluctant in the extreme.
Getting the dice for both a 2nd die on gunpowder Infra and another for Forest Gardens will be difficult though.
Although...if we already accept we won't be finishing Shepherds for Corpses, I could take the Mourner Die there and swap out the Colonist Die studying the Mindless Ones for that. Mourners get a bonus for Death actions anyway.
I'm not exactly enthusiastic about abandoning Shepherds for Corpses like that, seeing as it's a Mandate whose deadline is approaching without much progress. Might be worth it to do some other action that would help us out with completing it though. With all the actions we unlocked last turn, there should be at least one that qualifies.
Maybe replace Sambankoli instead? We have more than enough wood for now and the Voices should give us more wood as our relationship improves (aka as the Blood-Loving stop being an option). I'd take Forest Gardens over that.
Alternatively, have the second Silent Blades die help out. Forest Gardens should involve enough mindless labor for them to be useful, but not so much as to be tiring. They won't get as much rest in, but having Sara improve should hopefully help counter that.
If not, my ardor for your Turn 11 Silent Blades vs Devourers plan has rather cooled since the reveal of the Son's need for xp. What about siccing the Son and his Skirmishers on the Woodflesh Spiders instead? Their bonuses should mostly counteract the "can't find them" thing. Three dice should give us a sizable amount of progress. Hell, if we're lucky and only need 200 progress, we could finish it all in one go. That ought to impress the Buried King.
I was originally hoping to use the freed up Son's Skirmisher dice, but I understand you think killing Pests is more important. I think you're underestimating how patient the Buried King is, these projects are big and dangerous enough that averaging one a turn is laughable, and our Allies, less patient than Patrons, aren't that impatient. I think so long as we do some big Expedition this year, we're good. Still, no way to know for sure unless we're willing to spend an OOC question, and I'm not at that point yet.
That being said, perhaps swapping out that Colonist Die might not be the worst idea. What about having Failure do it instead, with the Colonists handling the trees, or Natives if you think the narrative outweighs the die bonus? Patching Wounds sounds like relatively mundane tree doctoring. I don't think Failure's knowledge outweighs his lack of physical strength in this particular situation. If we were doing the herb burning action, then using him would be a smarter play, but we aren't.
Should I be wrong, well, we're already doing the two actions that we know will Heal the Wounded the best. A bit of inefficiency on a lesser action won't be the end of the world, especially since this sounds like more of a marathon than a sprint.
I would rather not discard Shepherds for Corpses, our weakest point in these past winters is clearly knowledge and spiritual defenses, and Shepherds for Corpses give us knowledge, extra spiritual defenses, and a dice that we can use to get even more knowledge...
What? Shepherds, far as I can tell, just gives us a Dead die. Now, an additional die would be pretty darn useful, no denying that, but judging by the Silent Blades, using it without taking a Morale hit would be fairly situational.
My thinking is that Sara is somewhat overkill for this. The Shepherds are a group who have a common language and cultural background with our Winter Walker citizens, with no reason to be negatively inclined towards us. On the contrary, judging by the "A Feast and a Meeting" turn, they are likely to be positively inclined towards us.
Maybe, but I'm also wondering if Death-Singing might be a way to get past the issues the Shepherds have distinguishing men from animals and vice-versa, and so provide an additional narrative boost to not just the action, but the results from establishing contact.
I'm not exactly enthusiastic about abandoning Shepherds for Corpses like that, seeing as it's a Mandate whose deadline is approaching without much progress. Might be worth it to do some other action that would help us out with completing it though. With all the actions we unlocked last turn, there should be at least one that qualifies.
Maybe replace Sambankoli instead? We have more than enough wood for now and the Voices should give us more wood as our relationship improves (aka as the Blood-Loving stop being an option). I'd take Forest Gardens over that.
Alternatively, have the second Silent Blades die help out. Forest Gardens should involve enough mindless labor for them to be useful, but not so much as to be tiring. They won't get as much rest in, but having Sara improve should hopefully help counter that.
Replacing Sambankoli is possible, but for me it's not just setting up sustainable wood, but also doing fertility stuff now that we have poultry. It also seems like the sort of thing that might help out the Voices. Then again, we are already doing the Wicker Man...
I suppose the Silent Blades could work in the Forest Gardens, though that might come with morale issues from the Wildsmen getting worried. But if they're gardens we regularly harvest from, they should be close enough to Union to not tire Sara too much.
If not, my ardor for your Turn 11 Silent Blades vs Devourers plan has rather cooled since the reveal of the Son's need for xp. What about siccing the Son and his Skirmishers on the Woodflesh Spiders instead? Their bonuses should mostly counteract the "can't find them" thing. Three dice should give us a sizable amount of progress. Hell, if we're lucky and only need 200 progress, we could finish it all in one go. That ought to impress the Buried King.
I was originally hoping to use the freed up Son's Skirmisher dice, but I understand you think killing Pests is more important. I think you're underestimating how patient the Buried King is, these projects are big and dangerous enough that averaging one a turn is laughable, and our Allies, less patient than Patrons, aren't that impatient. I think so long as we do some big Expedition this year, we're good. Still, no way to know for sure unless we're willing to spend an OOC question, and I'm not at that point yet.
My plan was always to do Son's Skirmishers + Warrior's Son on the Woodflesh Spiders on Turn 11. It's just important I feel to also do Devourers, because it's been implied that all of the various Vermin keep each other in check. So once we start pushing back one, we should at least do the initial options to hit the other two soon after, to prevent them from gaining strength by growing in the others' former territory.
The Devourers in particular seem to reproduce fast, and the initial project to take care of them isn't that risky so long as we use the right dice.
And another reason to push hard on the Pests is that for each one we finish off fully, we get additional bonuses beyond approval from the Buried King. It's awkward though, because the group that would be the easiest to take out imo (unless it turns out that overkill on one node leads to progress on another), the Woodflesh Spiders, seem to have the slowest growth rate.
That being said, perhaps swapping out that Colonist Die might not be the worst idea. What about having Failure do it instead, with the Colonists handling the trees, or Natives if you think the narrative outweighs the die bonus? Patching Wounds sounds like relatively mundane tree doctoring. I don't think Failure's knowledge outweighs his lack of physical strength in this particular situation. If we were doing the herb burning action, then using him would be a smarter play, but we aren't.
Should I be wrong, well, we're already doing the two actions that we know will Heal the Wounded the best. A bit of inefficiency on a lesser action won't be the end of the world, especially since this sounds like more of a marathon than a sprint.
Yeah, Failure might have a better idea of how the dead work anyway compared to the Colonists. And less likely to cause morale loss from "skeletons are creepy."
What? Shepherds, far as I can tell, just gives us a Dead die. Now, an additional die would be pretty darn useful, no denying that, but judging by the Silent Blades, using it without taking a Morale hit would be fairly situational.
Well, I think that the Dead would have less of a chance of causing Morale loss than the Silent Blades. From what I can tell, what especially scares people about the Silent Blades isn't just how they're undead, it's how uncanny they are, completely mechanical in their every motion despite their humanoid shape.
And now he was terrified. You see, as one of low birth, he could adapt. Learn to accept that monsters would come in the Winter. Accept that the trees would sometime strike back when he hewed them down. But the Silent Blades were different.
At first it was another weirdness. Bring the skeletons to the giant's sick trees. Supervise them and cut the trees. And the skeletons were like silent ox, needing to be guided.
But then they never stopped. They did not tire, rest, or eat. If asked to cut down a tree, they would cut and cut days and nights until it was down. They would restlessly cut the branches, turn the wood into plank like living sawmills and prepare them to be moved by water. All in utter silence, with only the rhythmical sound of blades striking wood, even in the depths of the night as he tried to sleep.
It was strange, it was both alien and near enough human work to unsettle him deeply. But it was quite effective.
Ensouled dead would presumably be less mechanical in their motions and so less frightening, especially after the recent work we've done getting the people of Union used to the Dead.
What? Shepherds, far as I can tell, just gives us a Dead die. Now, an additional die would be pretty darn useful, no denying that, but judging by the Silent Blades, using it without taking a Morale hit would be fairly situational.
Actually hold on, here's a thought. @OldShadow does overkilling one Node of the Eyevines spill over to the others? Or do we need to do the action three separate times?
[X] Plan Nothing to See Here
-[X] Keep the ship under distant, careful observation by native scouts. Sara will lead the Silent Blades into the Place of Death tunnel, just in case the visitors come to Union itself. Send a delegation of the Council (primarily Colonists), accompanied by Prince Andreas, the Warrior's Son, Sara and a fairly representative escort of militia. Greet the seafarers at the water and explain that we are the survivors of the Johnstown colony, banded together with a tribe of the natives to survive the terrible winters of this land. Andreas introduces himself as a shipwrecked mariner. Warn them that winter is extremely harsh and monster-haunted in this region, and that there is a tribe, the Tribute-Takers, who like to give attractive gifts that turn out to be illusory and turn into terrible curses after being accepted. Warn them away from Deadtown if they express intention to venture there, saying that it is haunted.
-[X] Sara will avoid taking the lead in conversations so she doesn't forget to use spoken words by mistake. Should the visitors insist on coming directly to Union, she will have the Silent Blades go into the Place of Death tunnel, so as to not alarm them.
-[X] The overall objective is to establish contact with these visitors and find out what they're doing here (and hopefully gain more friends, allies, or at least potential trading opportunities), but avoid attention to either the more occult practices and allies that Union has picked up, or the rare and potentially extremely valuable materials that are in our section of the New World, which would draw in treasure-hunters and fortune-seekers by the shipload, exactly the sort of people that the Tribute-Takers could easily take advantage of. Instead we will appear as though we are the still-loyal-to-the-King survivors of the Johnstown colony, whose quirks may be odd, but well within acceptable parameters.
-[X] If they are here for trade, then it would be good to trade for European goods, but with the caveat of trading with mundane goods only (things like the mundane beaver furs), lest the reveal of more supernatural or valuable resources spark a flood of fortune-hunters who would be easily manipulated by the Tribute-Takers (or let their greed lead them to attack us.) If there are those who wish to settle permanently, we ought to ascertain how willing they will be to cooperate with us and others first, and properly warn them of how dangerous it will be.
By the will of the Assembly and Council, scouts are sent to watch, hidden amidst the tree, the ship, and a delegation prepared, to be led by Colonists Councilmen, those that shall not attract suspicion or unwanted curiosity from the visitors, and know how to deal with the powerful of the old World.
Aled Caddel, who once served a petty noble in Wales, Jessica Clarke, widows of the Governor's secretary and the most accustomed of us with the people who sent us there, Jacque Leboiteux, who served in the King's army, Alexandre Haris, once a merchant.
With them, will come Militiamen, well armed and vigilants, led by the Warrior's Son and Andreyas Sarsas, to represent the other parts of Union and protect them if our old countrymen hold ill intentions.
None gainsay the decisions to lie to our visitors, for no Colonists remember well those who sent us to die in the New World and oppressed them in the Old, the Winter Walkers do not trust strangers that did not prove themselves against Winter, and the Unchained still remember being chained below the deck of europeans ships.
When scouts brought word that some of the visitors had made landfall, and camped now a small distance from the Deadtown, the expedition left.
Below Union, her Blades around her, Sara watched her fellows through the eyes of floating spirits. And she watched the newcomers through piercing, dead eyes, whispers of the fallen in her ears.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When the expedition came near the camp of the newcomers, guided by their scouts, they purposely made as much noise as possible, to prevent any…hasty actions due to surprise.
They heard shoots and the sound of people gathering from the camp below them, hidden by bushes, until they emerged from the trail into the beach, militia around them and scouts hidden in the trees above ready to act.
In it, weapons in hands, were a motley group of people.
Sailors gathered around a man in once richly colored clothing, now faded, ready to shoot.
A mob of fifty poorly dressed and malnourished men, women and children, armed with a few shoddy tools.
And three men dressed in black, gathered around a thin man in robe, covered in sweat and looking like he had a fever. The Colonist's blood turned cold when they recognised those men, and the knife they all had at the belt. The Huntsman, the finger cutters off the King. All children of the Dual Monarchy knew their story, how once, long ago, bowmen had risen against the kings, were crushed, and their middle finger cut, how thousands of fingers had been nailed and left to rot on the wall of London. The King's Dogs were here.
Still, violence needed to be prevented, and dialogues launched, so Alexandre Haris forced himself to smile, and with a beaming voice filled with a joy he did not feel, he spoke.
"My friends ! What a joy to see people of the homeland again, fellow christians !"
Now, to repeat it in French, and then, down to business.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Warrior's Son was not good with words, but he knew the faces of men. So he watched without a word the negotiations, knowing that many did not control their faces and body as well as their voices.
He left speaking to the Councilmenbers and to the Prince, or "Andreyas, Merchant from the South" as he had presented himself to the newcomers.
As far as he could understand, things were going well. The newcomers believed them when they said the old settlement of Sara's people had been destroyed, and they had moved further into the lands, and joined with other peoples to survive, but each had understood something different from the tales.
The captain of the ship, a man named David Strongarm, looked both like a slimy liar and a man desperate for an escape, reminding him at the same time of the Tribute-Takers and their victims. He did not ask any questions about how and why the old settlement had been destroyed, and seemed to only show interest when people spoke of what Union had and what Union needed. This man only wanted goods, nothing more.
He first said he was from those that had sent Sara's people to this land, without answering questions about what those powerful backers were doing, and said he transported supplies and people for the colony, before immediately shifting to asking what was Union "contribution" for their backers. I recognise a greedy slime who lost his support when I see one. This…creature only wants goods to save himself from those he has given promises for wealth. He would do anything for this. You should pay attention, my son, if he could, this thing would trade you for a barrel of powder and use you as a trade good.
His Father was clearer now, with more advice and less complaints. Perhaps his Father had grown calmer. Or perhaps he feared Sara too much to not be helpful. The Son could understand, sometimes he feared Sara too.
And his Father was right. The Son remembered how the merchant had watched him and the Prince. Like precious goods to be traded.
Nevertheless, as greedy as he was, the captain offered powder, steel and clothes for furs and some of the gold and silver goods scavenged by Sara's people from the old settlement.
He also had offered to bring back people to the "Dual Monarchy", with a greedy smile. He seemed surprised when none discussed his offer, beyond the idea of sending messengers to Sara's homeland. He probably could not understand the idea of not abandoning others to save one's hide.
The man in black, the "Huntsman" named Jean Bladworth, showed only one thing : suspicion.
The "Normand", as were called those that ruled over the "Anglois", those of Sara's people that spoke neither "French" or "English" but something in between, had the eyes of a man who saw traitors and threats everywhere.
He had come her to watch over the captain "for he has made friends with traitors, and must now answers to the King" and to see and bring news of Sara's people in this land, or has he said "Bring words to the King on the state, strength and loyalties of His Subjects in the New World."
From his questions, the Son could understand he did not believe the stories of Winter and monsters, but he did believe the existence of Tribute-Takers, saying there were "a mix between Barbary pirates and Jews" whatever those were. This was a man who tough only in terms of battles, warriors and weapons, and the Son could feel when the gaze of the man in black was on him that he was judged not as a man judged another man, but as a warrior evaluating a weapon.
This man did not care for goods or exchange. He only wanted to see Union, the warriors protecting the town, and make a rapport to his chief, the King, for the writing of a "charter". This man is not a man, but a dog who only finds joy in the hunt and in obeying his masters. Those not of his breed are either threats to be killed, or things to be used. Show him what he wants or kill him.
The people that looked badly fed were much like Sara's people once were, people who had nothing awaiting them in their homes. They had come here seeking a new life, and found a burned town. They had paid for their travel with much of what they had, and only had a few tools, some seeds and the clothes on their backs. Nothing awaited them in their old homes but starvation.
So if some wanted to return to the "Dual Monarchy" after hearing tales of Winter, many still wanted to try for a new life, now matter how much they were warned of the dangers awaiting them.
Amongst them were some of the kin of Sara's people, family of those who had come first to those shores. They had come because, like they kin they had no hope, and because they did not hear of their family in two years.
It was a sad thing to see them ask for their family, name after name, only to be answered : dead, dead, dead.
But, in a twisted way, those who had kin alive were worse. For they wanted to see their kins, and if they did, they would see how they had changed. How would an aunt react to see her niece cared for by Winter Walkers ? How would a cousin react to his kin having become a Mourner ? Worst of all, amongst those poor folks was one Jonahtan Smith. Sara's uncle.
Those desperate people, ready to do everything now for a chance at life and for being with their kin again, will they be so pliant in the future ? The Son could see the fear in their eyes when they looked upon him, the Prince or even others pale folk. They feared what they did not know, and they knew little of this land. Those people are men. Desperate one, but men. And some are now our distant kin. We must treat them as such.
And finally was the "scholar", speaking big, complex words will sweating abundantly under his "robes". This "Alexandre de Montfaucon" had come here, he said, to learn of the lands, to "map those coasts and there resources in the name of Jean the First of House Plantagenet, King of England, France, Wales and Ireland, Duke of Normandy, Burgundy…" and many other words.
But his big words could not hide his face. On it, well hidden but still visible, there was Fearr.His gaze jumped from one point to the next without rest. When he watched the old settlement, his face turned almost blue. When he watched the Son, his gaze drifted above him, seeing something invisible above the Son's head.
This "scholar" wanted to come to Union to "learn of the lay of the lands and its plants and…", but it was not the real reason. This man can see the spirits. Bring him to the dark-skinned teacher and the girl who can speak with the spirits. They shall know what to do with him.
But no matter the people he watched, the Son realized that all those people were not like Sara's people.
Not alike in dress, for even as he had begun to wear "shirts", Sara's people had patched their clothes with leather, replaced their shoes with moccasins and wore jewelry in the style of his people.
Not alike in speech, for when they spoke, they sometimes used Winter Walkers or Unchained words that the newcomers could not understand, and between them they used sign language, the newcomers looking with confusion as the people of Union spoke with hands and fingers.
But more deeply, not alike in how they acted. All the people of Union were watchfull, ever ready to fight against threats, they were united, able to one without planning or words, they all had the same hard light in their eyes, no matter if they were Sara's, his or the Prince's people.
The newcomers were…like children, ready to bicker, walking and acting as if they had nothing to fear, as if the soil under their feet was the floor of the town hall, with strong walls around them. They have never faced Winter. If some stay with us, they shall learn or die.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
David Strongarm, the merchant, wants to trade goods to save his hide. He brings goods from Europe, but will ask for a steep price, since he knows you are desperate, especially for weapons.
Here what he want and what he offer, with a value in points :
David's Goods :
1 Unit of Gunpowder (max 4) : 2
1 Unit of Tools (max 2, can be used as Mediocre Steel) : 1
1 Unit of Muskets (max 1) : 3
1 Unit of Fabric (max 3) : 1
A few cats from the ships : 1
Carrying messenger back to the Dual Monarchy : 2
Union's Good :
Remaining coins and precious jewelry from Johnstown : 1
1 Unit of furs and leather (1 in stocks) : 1
1 Unit of beavers furs (2 in stocks) : 2
[][Trader] Trade with David
-[] Goods bought
-[] Goods sold
[][Trader] Don't trade with him
[][Trader] Strongarm David, he has 20 sailors, we have a militia and guns pointed at him from above. He should lower his prices.
-[] He should make a gracious donations of the followings goods to Union :
–[]Goods taken
[][Trader] Write-In
Jean Bladworth, the Huntsman, wants to tour Union, to test its loyalty and its use for potential war.
[][Huntsman] Invite him before the Council
[][Huntsman] Make him tour the walls and inspect the Militia
[][Huntsman] Refuse
[][Huntsman] Pretend to invite him, and ambush him and his men.
[][Huntsman] Write-In
The newcomers colonists, about 50, are desperate to join Union and want to see their surviving kin again, unaware of how they have…changed
If they join, they will add 1 Colonist die to Union, however, since they have not been exposed to the dangers of the New World and of Winter, those new Colonists will be Unhardened and will not have Union's bonus until they have survived one Winter.
Of course, Unhardened die are more vulnerable during WInter.
[][Colonists] Refuse. We will not expose anyone else to Winter.
[][Colonists] Make them visit Union and their kin before they make a choice.
[][Colonists] Those that come to Union will not be allowed to leave until next Winter has passed.
[][Colonists] Invite them in, hiding the supernatural in Union…until the ship leaves.
[][Colonists] Write-In
Alexandre de Montfaucon, the Scholar, says he is here to learn and map the New World. However, he can clearly see the supernatural, and is terrified by what he is seeing.
[][Scholar] He is not invited to Union.
[][Scholar] Invite him, but only as a scholar.
[][Scholar] Invite him and drag him before Sara and Failure. They shall know what to do with him.
—---------------------------------------------------------------
1 day moratorium
Edit : vote by plan please.
Scheduled vote count started by OldShadow on Jan 28, 2024 at 5:09 PM, finished with 121 posts and 23 votes.
[X] Plan Gentle Encouragement and Meetings -[X][Trader] Strongarm David, he has 20 sailors, we have a militia and guns pointed at him from above. He should lower his prices.
-[X][Huntsman] Make him tour the walls and inspect the Militia -[X][Colonists] Make them visit Union and their kin before they make a choice.
--[X] Have their kin help ease them into the changes that have occurred in Union, though keep the supernatural stuff hidden for now. Introduce them to members of the Winter Walkers and Unchained that they have befriended, who have helped them, etc. The more explicitly supernatural aspects of Union can be introduced gradually, and after they have been reassured that their families haven't sold their souls to demons. However much Winter has changed us, we are still their kin, and they are still ours. -[X][Scholar] Invite him and drag him before Sara and Failure. They shall know what to do with him.
--[X] The Silent Blades should not be present. To avoid...misunderstandings.
[X] Plan Just the Meetings -[X][Trader] Trade with David
--[X] Goods Bought: Cats (1 point), 3 Fabric (3 points)
--[X] Goods Sold: Coins & Jewels (1 point), Furs and Leather (1 point) 1 Beaver Fur (2 points)
-[X][Huntsman] Make him tour the walls and inspect the Militia -[X][Colonists] Make them visit Union and their kin before they make a choice.
--[X] Have their kin help ease them into the changes that have occurred in Union, though keep the supernatural stuff hidden for now. Introduce them to members of the Winter Walkers and Unchained that they have befriended, who have helped them, etc. The more explicitly supernatural aspects of Union can be introduced gradually, and after they have been reassured that their families haven't sold their souls to demons. However much Winter has changed us, we are still their kin, and they are still ours. -[X][Scholar] Invite him and drag him before Sara and Failure. They shall know what to do with him.
--[X] The Silent Blades should not be present. To avoid...misunderstandings.
[X] Plan: Goods and Deceit -[X][Trader] Strongarm David, he has 20 sailors, we have a militia and guns pointed at him from above. He should lower his prices. -[X][Huntsman] Pretend to invite him, and ambush him and his men. -[X][Colonists] Make them visit Union and their kin before they make a choice. --[X] But keep the supernatural in Union hidden for now. After they have spent some time with their thought-lost kin, then we can decide how to hopefully ease them into things. -[X][Scholar] Invite him and drag him before Sara and Failure. They shall know what to do with him.
[X] Plan Gentle Encouragement and Accidents -[X][Trader] Strongarm David, he has 20 sailors, we have a militia and guns pointed at him from above. He should lower his prices. -[X][Huntsman] Pretend to invite him, and ambush him and his men.
--[X] Invite the huntsmen to view on of the great threats to the union, the monsters and advice on how to deal with them. Bring him to them and the other huntsmen try to manuver the situation to get the main huntsmen killed while one of the other one surives. Bring them straight back to the ship after -[X][Colonists] Make them visit Union and their kin before they make a choice.
--[X] Have their kin help ease them into the changes that have occurred in Union. Introduce them to members of the Winter Walkers and Unchained that they have befriended, who have helped them, etc. The more explicitly supernatural aspects of Union can be introduced gradually, and after they have been reassured that their families haven't sold their souls to demons. -[X][Scholar] Invite him and drag him before Sara and Failure. They shall know what to do with him.
--[X] The Silent Blades should not be present. To avoid...misunderstandings.
[X][Trader] Trade with David -[X] Goods bought 2 --[X] Cats! 1 --[X] Gunpowder 1 -[X] Goods sold --[X] Remaining coins and precious jewelry from Johnstown : 1 --[X] Unit of beaver fur (2 in stocks) : 1
-[X][Trader] Trade with David --[X] Goods bought 2 ---[X] Cats! 1 ---[X] Gunpowder 1 --[X] Goods sold ---[X] Remaining coins and precious jewelry from Johnstown : 1 ---[X] Unit of beaver fur (2 in stocks) : 1
We don't have enough tobacco for trade yet I assume?
Though if the merchant guy is going to be making return trips then maybe we should look into developing some trade goods, since we would be able to buy stuff from the mainland.
The cats are more important to get then the muskets as they hunt and kill the smaller vermin and not taking the send messages options will probably reduce morale
I think trading the beaver furs for clothing would make the trader happy and we where planning on turning those into clothing anyway
Actually hold on, here's a thought. @OldShadow does overkilling one Node of the Eyevines spill over to the others? Or do we need to do the action three separate times?
We don't have enough tobacco for trade yet I assume?
Though if the merchant guy is going to be making return trips then maybe we should look into developing some trade goods, since we would be able to buy stuff from the mainland.
provinsial stuff I came up with but god damm we had some truly foul folk come to our shores
So ngl the warrior son father is actually being pretty helpful here!?! Who would have thunk he would not be a huge PoS actually really glad for it to cause he giving some great advice for the situation here
[][Trader] Trade with David
-[] Goods bought 2
--[] Cats! 1 --[] Clothes 1
-[] Goods sold
--[] Remaining coins and precious jewelry from Johnstown : 1 --[] Unit of furs and leather (1 in stocks) : 1
So with the trader we buy a few things just to satisfy him but also to make him think it not too worth it to come back here in the future since pickings are slim. We buy some clothes to help cloth the millita and some cats causse people really want it
[][Huntsman] Pretend to invite him, and ambush him and his men.
This man is not a man, but a dog who only finds joy in the hunt and in obeying his masters. Those not of his breed are either threats to be killed, or things to be used. Show him what he wants or kill him.
we are not of his breed to be blunt and him finding out the true scale of the union supernatural power and how far we have gone will only bring diaster on us in the short and long term. The new world is a dangoueres place let us dispoe of the filfth while we still can. Also we could loot them then
[][Colonists] Invite them in, hiding the supernatural in Union…until the ship leaves.
I don't love this option but we can't let word of the supernatural going on and how how far we have diverged come back to the ship so if we accept we must hide the supernatural until the ship leaves
[][Scholar] Invite him and drag him before Sara and Failure. They shall know what to do with him.
Not alike in speech, for when they spoke, they sometimes used Winter Walkers or Unchained words that the newcomers could not understand, and between them they used sign language, the newcomers looking with confusion as the people of Union spoke with hands and fingers.
unrelated but I adore how commucation in the union is with us forming a pidgeon lauage of such widely different lanuage groups and then throwing in sign lanuage into the mix it be fascinting to behold irl and is a delight to read about
Maybe, but I'm also wondering if Death-Singing might be a way to get past the issues the Shepherds have distinguishing men from animals and vice-versa, and so provide an additional narrative boost to not just the action, but the results from establishing contact
I don't think the Shephards have that issue so much as the Unionists do. Moreover, said issue shouldn't be much of a problem. All our expedition needs to do is to talk with those who appear in charge regardless of shape, and treat everyone they meet as a citizen until proven otherwise.
My plan was always to do Son's Skirmishers + Warrior's Son on the Woodflesh Spiders on Turn 11. It's just important I feel to also do Devourers, because it's been implied that all of the various Vermin keep each other in check. So once we start pushing back one, we should at least do the initial options to hit the other two soon after, to prevent them from gaining strength by growing in the others' former territory.
The Devourers in particular seem to reproduce fast, and the initial project to take care of them isn't that risky so long as we use the right dice.
And another reason to push hard on the Pests is that for each one we finish off fully, we get additional bonuses beyond approval from the Buried King. It's awkward though, because the group that would be the easiest to take out imo, the Woodflesh Spiders seem to have the slowest growth rate.
You just convinced me not to support Cutting the Node at this time. Doing so will almost certainly disrupt that careful balance you mentioned, as swaths of Eyevine territory are cut off. Doing that without handling the vermin most likely to multiply is a bad idea imo.
Well, I think that the Dead would have less of a chance of causing Morale loss than the Silent Blades. From what I can tell, what especially scares people about the Silent Blades isn't just how they're undead, it's how uncanny they are, completely mechanical in their every motion despite their humanoid shape.
