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Upon This Sword of Fire (CKII Quest)

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Nevill said:
What do you mean, Modifiers? Personal rolls don't get those... What even were the modifiers?
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Random events have modifiers. Specifically this was a piety random event, which benefits (or would have been malused if your score had been below average) from your piety score. Additionally, the choices you make in the turns has an impact on the chances of specific event chains. (For instance, the 'Bandit King" event is unlikely to happen even if you roll poorly on a martial random event because you've been so aggressive in hunting down bandits, instead it will some other event).
DarknessSmiles said:
could we instead do them one at a time? because the information we learn in one may very well impact what else we want/need to know.
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I considered several ways to have you guys ask the questions, because of that exact issue. However, I do want to keep a fairly tight timetable, so consider the questions more like "topics". Illona will ask follow-up questions and I'll be lenient with the exposition, but having them all ahead of time is the way I've decided to do it to keep it from being too fragments.
 
Crilltic said:
You rub the back of your head, "Yeah, about that..."

Asya pauses with the apple halfway to her mouth, "No."

"But I didn't even say anything!" You huff.

"Let me guess. You are certain about where the key goes this time, and you want me to go along with you. And my answer is No. You are not going." She pokes a finger into your chest. "How was that? Did I get it?"

"How?" You gape.

She sighs, "Because you always do this. First you say it is extremely important-"

"But it is extremely important!"

"-then you say you are certain-"

"But I am!"

"-Then you drag me along to make sure you do not get yourself killed." She crosses her arms, "You do the same thing whenever you get a new idea. Everytime. You have the self-preservation instincts of a suicidal gnat."
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Wow Asya really is one of Illona's closest friends. And I guess we now know why we haven't been experiencing assassination attempts. Illona regularly does things that should get her killed but her ridiculous luck makes her survive everything that by all rights should not be survivable.

Crilltic said:
You snort, "Please, when have I ever put my life in dang-"

"Last night."

"-er? Ok, besides that time."

"I do not know, when you hatched the egg?"

"Oh please, that was perfectly safe."

"You lit the entire room on fire, and burned a hole in the floor. The stone floor Illona."

You shrug, "It was fine, besides it's not like I got hurt."

Asya massages her temples, "That's not the point Illona. You could have been hurt."

You sigh, "Fine, I'll admit that maybe, I can on occasion sometimes get in a bit over my head. But this is different Asya, I feel like this is really is important."
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Wow. Yeah when looked at from that perspectice Illona really is reckless.
 
So I think:
Why did you leave? May be an important one,
Do you have advice to help my sisters and me with the problems and the future?
Maybe some questions on religious matters as well
 
Mannan said:
Wow. Yeah when looked at from that perspectice Illona really is reckless.
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Illona is formerly a sick child who fate decide to reward with stupid amounts of luck in a rather short period of time. Her hearts in the right place, but sometimes she puts a little too much trust in her instincts.

Her incredibly pious nature doesn't exactly. The Faith of the First Flame is fundementally a religion of action. If she had the Passionate trait it'd be even worse of course.
 
Mannan said:
And I guess we now know why we haven't been experiencing assassination attempts.
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Assassins are afraid to approach her for fear of being accidentally killed by one of her geniously suicidal schemes?

I know we are supposed to have multiple questions, but I can't think of anything.

[ ] What happened to you? (also, how come you look so young, teach me your secrets!)
[ ] What is the Gift we have and the Sight we have unlocked?
[ ] How can I help my sisters?
[ ] I am planning to look into this marriage thing. Any relationship advice? (also, where's dad?)

[X] ...what?
-[X] What happened to you, and why only reveal yourself to me?
-[X] Can you help me help my sisters?
-[X] Do you have any advice? About my Gift or the Sight I've unlocked? Or is this a warning about something?
-[X] I'm thinking of looking into getting married...do you have any advice on the practicalities or the- *blush* -details?

I can only imagine the raw horror on the guy's face when we tell him it might be time to meet our parents... :whistle:

Crilltic said:
If she had the Passionate trait it'd be even worse of course.
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Need to get it pronto.
 
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Nevill said:
Assassins are afraid to approach her for fear of being accidentally killed by one of her geniously suicidal schemes?

I know we are supposed to have multiple questions, but I can't think of anything.

[X] What happened to you? (also, how come you look so young, teach me your secrets!)
[X] Is there something big going on that I should know about?
[X] How can I help my sisters?
[X] I am planning to look into this marriage thing. Any relationship advise? (also, where's dad?)

I can only imagine the raw horror on the guy's face when we tell him it might be time to meet our parents... :whistle:



Need to get it pronto.
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These seem pretty reasonable, though I am a tad sleep-deprived presently.

[x] Nevill's Questions

@Crilltic, so it is the case that Illona has legendary piety, does she have any theological questions plaguing her that Mom could clear up? We might want to go for those to get a boost... also, does anything particularly neat happen at 35 or 40 in piety as it did for 20 and 30?
 
Kipeci said:
These seem pretty reasonable, though I am a tad sleep-deprived presently.

[x] Nevill's Questions

@Crilltic, so it is the case that Illona has legendary piety, does she have any theological questions plaguing her that Mom could clear up? We might want to go for those to get a boost... also, does anything particularly neat happen at 35 or 40 in piety as it did for 20 and 30?
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Human stat caps are 35. And no, nothing interesting happens there. You can raise the stat cap, but that necessitates giving up some humanity to become more. Which is A) extremely difficult B) Comes with as many drawbacks as benefits.

As for theological questions, not really. She is interested in hearing such things as where her sisters fit into the direct hierarchy. And she also has a litany of nitty-gritty theological arguments she wants definitive answers to (How many deevs can fit on the head of a pin et al)

This is probably not the time to ask those questions though.
 
[X] First off, WHAT!?
[JK]Second, can we postpone this? I need to go rub this in the faces of my sisters!
 
Shouldn't one of our questions be about how to better get a hand on the whole "Burning eyes" thing?
 
[ ] Can you give me some advices about how to be a good ruler?
[ ] What do you know about magic? Is magic connected with First Flame?

We must know more about magic.
 
Is our father a remotely relevant figure in all of this, @Crilltic? Because if so I have SO MANY QUESTIONS.

Well, one. But if asking that question would waste it (maybe IC Ilona knows that he quietly died a few years ago even though he's never been mentioned to us specifically), I'll ask another.
 
Ok, seriously, guys.

So far I have seen five question types, 4 of which I suggested myself.

[ ] What happened to Ash Maiden?

Where has she been? Why did she leave? What does she mean, 'her time here is limited'? What is she up to? She clearly still loves her daughters if she watches them from the sidelines that require two crits to notice, but why does she go to such lenghts to hide?

I assume it is a part of the test, she wanted to see if we are cut out to be rulers. But is that all there is to it?

[ ] Any advice, for us or our sisters?

Ok, we get it, she can't provide help directly. That's the name of the game. But she still cares for her family and does not them to come to harm, right? And given how she has been observing us, it is not that big of a conjencture to think she knows what is going on in every Queendom. She may not be able to intervene, but we totally can! So if she knows about something we can do to help them, now would be the time to tell.

[ ] Anything big we should know about?

These assassins who stole the Book mentioning Ash Maiden from before she was even born, her disappearance, sudden threats everywhere... perhaps these are all signs of a plot that is bigger than us? Maybe there are prophecies and divine powers at work?

[ ] What is the Gift we unlocked?

Our power, where does it come from? Is it blood that grants it? How come we know several elements, not just Fire? What did we unlock with the key, how to develop it? The inscription spoke about 'the right key to open all things', what's that? How do we achieve ULTIMATE POWAH?

[ ] What is that thing you call love?

The idea of 'Lona asking her sisters for advice was raised before, but one of them is unmarried with no kids, and the other in a loveless marriage. The Border Princes are decadent, the fairytales have no happy endings, and Illona's closest friend is a djinn in love with battle and slaughter. And her only positive example, the parent who has been with a single man for 20 years without being bound by any external political or social ties is missing... oh wait, no she isn't!

This is our once-in-a-lifetime chance to ask for a parental advice from someone who lived a very fulfilling life. Also, a chance to learn about our stealth-dad.


Any other ideas?
 
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Illona almost never actually saw her mother, so the emotional connection is a bit attenuated, and overshadowed by religious awe. So clearly asking why she left is a pretty obvious starter question.

And since marriage is on her mind, it might not be a bad spot to clear an old personal question and clear up whether or not Illona and her sisters even had a father (or fathers). Probably best left as an indulgence at the very end of the chain.

In between I'd suggest is a good spot to inquire about what the Ash Maidan wants to see from Illona and her sisters. That could be seen as advice but also a request for guidance from God on Earth. A status that incidentally probably makes the last question a tad embarrassing.

Asking about the Gift which she shares with Elita (at least) would probably be a good third question.
 
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Eh, bugger it.

[X] ...what?
-[X] What happened to you, and why only reveal yourself to me?
-[X] Can you help me help my sisters?
-[X] Do you have any advice? About my Gift or the Sight I've unlocked? Or is this a warning about something?
-[X] I'm thinking of looking into getting married...do you have any advice on the practicalities or the- *blush* -details?

Should cover Father questions whether or not Ilona knows about him.
 
Asking about God's love life might be a tad presumptuous, though I would expect that not knowing whether she has a father or was immaculately begotten of her mother had some impact on her childhood.

That said it is striking how all four sisters seem to be like an aspect of their Mother. Her children look like her Prowess, her Cunning, her Wisdom, and her Faith. We may not like the answer here...
 
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Our Mother is not, and was not a God any more than we are. She is a daughter of a God (making us his granddaughter). I see no reason to look at her with fanatical reverence.

I mean, we put a great deal of emphasys on being a mortal and not equating us and Ohrmazda, and I fail to see why that would not apply to our mother as well.
 
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I think the 'brands' are obviously very important and would focus some questions in that direction. They pretty clearly act as either some seal or limit on the magical power of the princesses, perhaps with good reason, and knowing their relation to the key and the person who had the key is kinda crucial.

It is also probably important to ask about our God, just because 'god' can mean a lot of things.
 
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Hm. Maybe we ought to ask Mom if there's anything in particular we ought to go about doing for maintaining the clear divine favor we've ended up with? She has a rather closer connection with the divine regardless of whether or not she is one, and you really can't beat a direct mandate from her for something to be done to whip up the faithful.
 
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