Who Needs Harmony?: An MLP Empire Quest

[jwolfe_beta]

Their status as a buffer state is the only reason they still exist. Neither Kingdom can annex them without kicking off a war with the other. As for the ruler of Wingbardy, here's what the diplomatic survey had to say about him and his subjects.

Click to shrink...

Garibaldi Talonuelli is the current Duke of Wingbardy, the territory you share the longest land border with. His lands are fertile, his army is half the size of your own, and his other neighbor is your main rival of Aquileia. Naturally, being the buffer state between two kingdoms that are much stronger than themselves is an uncomfortable position that Wingbardy's inhabitants aren't too pleased with, but they take comfort in the knowledge that neither kingdom can hope to assault them without enraging the other.

It is therefore in their own best interests to preserve the status quo and prevent either of their neighbors from becoming more powerful than the other. As for their leadership's view of you…well they're somewhat relieved you don't appear to be a war-like leader that might plunge their lands into conflict, but aside from that you're just another neighboring king they need to keep an eye on, albeit one they feel a bit more comfortable negotiating with.

Click to shrink...

And he's probably getting more and more nervous about the developing situation. Both inside and outside his country.

Omake: Between the Talon and Beak​

To say that Duke Talonuelli had been having a bad few years was an understatement. On the upside Discord (may his name be cursed for all time) was somehow defeated. This meant that no-one had to worry anymore about the laws of reality being bent, broken and outright mangled daily for the monster's amusement. On the downside with the removal of said monster, Wingbardy's.....neighbors were beginning to flex their wings once again. He had already gotten word of Aquileia raising a naval force and Griffonia rapidly mobilizing the same in response. If things descended into outright war, his people would be ground between the two as they fought back and forth over the resulting ruins of Wingbardy.

Not to mention that by the kingdoms securing their lands, all the various monsters and raiders turned to a softer target; Wingbardy. Garibaldi and all his subjects knew that Wingbardy's only reason for existence was as a mere buffer state between the two powers; but it didn't mean that the fact didn't rankle in their crops. And because of said buffer state condition, he simply didn't have the standing forces to effectively defend his people as the sacked and burning villages across his land showed. Worse yet, all the good mercenaries had long term contracts with the Feathersians meaning he couldn't hire any talons that were worth the gold.

And so here he was, caught in the claws of an impossible choice: consolidate his forces to keep the most vital settlements and farms intact or spread their wings thin trying to stamp out all the fires. The former would be a betrayal of his people while the latter would likely lead to the destruction or maiming of the entire army. Asking the either of the two larger nations for help was right out of course because whichever said 'yes' would probably want to take as many beak-fulls of territory as possible without setting off their rival.

Maybe see if the Feathersians would be willing to lend some of their mercenary groups? Of course they would undoubtedly know the barrel he was over and squeeze every coin they could out of the deal, probably in the flavor of long-term 'loans'. Would probably near-bankrupt the kingdom but better that then being wiped out.

"M'lord?" A voice pried him from his ruminations. It seemed that lady Bronzebeak was trying to get his attention, a letter in her claw and a somewhat conflicted look on her face.

"More bad news I take it?" Not exactly the proper tone for a ruling duke but right now he didn't care for formality. Besides, Bronzebeak had been working for him for almost ten years now and most of the time they left formality aside when not in court.

"Potentially not sir. The missive is from Griffonia and if we play our cards correctly, not only should at least some of our raider problems get solved, Aquileia won't lose their minds over it."

"Sounds too good to be true, what's the catch?

"Well sir...."

Word count: 503
AN: As the action was labeled 'An Offer They Can't Refuse' and the rumor section, Windbardy is in a very bad spot right now. And they no doubt know they are the unclaimed gem sitting between two diamond dogs. Ergo they are going to be very careful about any deals they make with us/Aquileia.

 

[Neathbow]

Omake: The Oncoming Storm​

Garrick sighed internally as he listened to the noble speak, this one was discussing the results of a geological survey that indicated significant amounts of iron and copper on his lands and how a mine would be a source of great revenue for the kingdom. It was a nice idea, more money would allow for the supplementing of standing militias with mercenary forces, as the Diamond Dogs were able to increase their numbers now that Discord was gone and food sources that wouldn't burst into soap bubbles were readily available, but there were other factors to consider. First of course was that Garrick was personally familiar with the noble's land, it was good farmland, perfect for root vegetables and tubers, and with the state of the nation any available farmland would need to be maintained, and while a mine might bring in more tax revenue, it was still more cost effective to use the land for farming. Beyond that wastewater from the smelting process could pose a problem for other nearby agriculture as Archimedes' most recent ra- lecture had made clear.

Still it would to him no good to flatly deny a mining charter, showing the nobles that he'd be putting the good of the nation ahead of the wealth of the upper class would do nothing to help improve relations with them. He saw the solution to his issue approaching through the crowd however and gave the first genuine smile of the night, making sure to speak loudly he said. "It would do my heart good to see the fires of industry reignite, I shall have to consult my advisers of course but I'm certain that something can be done about getting you a charter." The noble who had been talking his ear off brightened considerably while further back in the crowd that noble's most prominent rival's face darkened, in the coming weeks favours would be called in, new surveys called for and general opposition to the mine raised and as a result nothing would ever come of this, all while he kept his beak clean and let others do his work for him.

His good mood left as quickly as it had come however as more and more nobles demanded his attention and wore away at him. Eventually however they drifted away and he was able to make his excuses and slip away, grabbing a mug from beside a noble who was rather engaged in trying to flirt with an uncomfortable looking servant, he'd had enough Garrick decided, the King made his way over to the corner where the crowd was thinnest before slumping onto a seat in a rather undignified manner. This was, he decided, the most exhausting thing he'd ever done, he'd rather cart another load of half rotted cabbage through the mountains then do this again. He downed his mug in short order when he realized that this would be a regular occurrence, perhaps the events in the future wouldn't be quite as large as this one but they would be a fixture of his life from this point onward. Letting out a sigh he rested his empty mug on the table before him and tried his best to remember why in the world he hadn't fled the moment he'd been made king.

"You know I don't think I've ever seen anyone as morose as you at a party, what's the matter, too much to drink?" Garrick nearly jumped out of his seat when he heard a voice coming from the spot next to him, turning to see who had spoken he saw that it was a rather striking female Griffon. Dark gray head feathers that made her small smirk take on a slightly roguish quality, a dark blue formal gown edged with lightning done in gold leaf and clouds stitched from fine black cloth. He didn't recognize any noble crest, but he was still getting used to the vast number for crests and symbols used by the nobility, but with the quality of her gown there could be no doubt that she was nobility herself. He blushed slightly when he realized that he had been staring for slightly longer than was appropriate, before proceeding to clear his throat slap on his trademark "political smile" and do his best not to make a complete ass of himself.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that, if anything what's getting me down is a distinct lack of drink. Parties like these, they do wear on one a bit." The woman let out a soft noise of agreement. "Yes, I suppose they can. All the empty words, meaningless gestures, and dreadful lack of intelligent conversation can make them difficult to get through. Though there is something to be said for the challenge of the whole thing, navigating the tangled web of vacuous comments, backroom trysts, and self-interest, challenging though it might be when you maneuver things just right the feeling is quite rewarding." She smiled softly as if remembering something pleasant, before it shifted back to the small smirk that seemed to be her default expression. "That being said, real emotion, like what I see here is quite refreshing, like water in a desert."

"Well I can't say you're wrong about the rewards of succeeding in court, but I do believe you have a higher tolerance for intrigue than I." He thought for a moment, desperately racking his mind for something to say before latching onto what he knew best, trade. "So what do you think of the recent construction of a road from Raven's Roost to Griffon Stone? It should help with the transport of timber for sale abroad, and with the new export tax the revenue generated should be enough to fund the construction of several new dry docks. The intriguing woman examined her talons for a moment, taking her time to compose a reply before vocalizing it. "I do agree, it should increase the amount of exported timber threefold, though I do wonder what effect it might have on Beaksburge, most of the town's revenue comes from traders making the stop along the way to the coast, with the road allowing traders to bypass it they will either be forced to pivot on what they provide or disperse." Garrick scratched his chin thinking. "Well, there are a few things they could do I suppose, they could look into mining in the surrounding area, really need to get around to that national survey by the way, or maybe they could cut down the nearby forest. I know the trees they have there aren't large enough for good lumber, but they could work to produce charcoal."

They spent the rest of the night like that, discussing the various effects of recent infrastructural developments, Garrick provided many examples drawn from his own experiences of how trade would be effected along with ideas for the sorts of improvements that would further the economic development of the nation. His companion on the other hand brought a new viewpoint to the table, providing insight on the various political ramifications such moves could bring, what nobles might feel slighted if a permit was given to one and not another, or whether anti-crown sentiments might be inflamed in the local populace due to lost business. Garrick was so enraptured with the conversation that he didn't even notice the party winding down until his companion stood up rather abruptly, "dreadfully sorry but it is late and I should be going, we should do this again soon though." He watched her walk away, her steps making the hem of her gown look like a rolling thunderstorm, a force of nature that yielded to no one. By the time he thought to ask for her name she had disappeared into the crowd and his eye twitched when he realized that if he wanted to see her again he would need to throw another one of these ancestor damned parties.

 

[Somebodynobody10]

Omake: "YOU?!"

Year DISCORD SEASON Balderdash:


Garrick couldn't stop himself from sighing for an umpteenth time as he waited for the caravan guards he had contracted to actually arrive.

His day had begun like normal: waking up in a in, finalizing the packaging of his caravan.
Then, the wait for the hired muscle.

Problem: The hired muscle were late.
By two hours.

'Finally', Garrick scowled as a motley crew of mercenaries he had contracted approached his caravan. 'Maybe we can finally get... going...'

Twitch
Twitch twitch

"Hallo, booooss. When's we leaving?"

-----

At the root of at mountain, within a nearby mercenary camp, a griffon hen sharpening their claw squawked in alarm as a godly echo shattered the calm.

"WHY ARE YOU DRUNK?! - ARE YOU DRUNK?! - YOU DRUNK?! - DRUNK?!"

She blinked, shrugged and got back to the task at hand.
You newer knew when you needed to be ready for a scuffle, after all.

-----

Approximately half an hour later, Garrick was having a heart-to-heart with a local.

"Which is the nearest group of reliable caravan guards available on a short notice, to replace your previous recommendations?" The irate merchant hissed through their peak at the innkeeper, who scowled back with only a slight quiver in their form.
If they were some other species, the owner of the establishment would be shaking in their boots - but both were griffons. He would do his best to hide his terror when looking at he bloodshot, crazed eyes of Garrick "I will make a necklace out of your plucked feathers" Golden-feather.

"Look, I already returned the full amount you gave me for the contract -"

"THAT..!"

Garrick began, but then seemed to reconsider.
Taking a deep breath, he calmly continued.

"That doesn't help me get my goods through Nonsense Country."

The mention caused both griffons to shudder.

While Discord had indeed brought things into total pandemonium, there were still areas that were either less or more dangerous to be in. If everything was equally dangerous after all, it would be all the same, the horror.
What this meant specifically was that certain areas were more dangerous to go through than others.

Of course, it wasn't chaotic enough to have different zones: they had to move all over the world on their own whims while they were at it.

A clear path with only a slight risk of migratory drop-bears could next morning be replaced by zones filled with homicidal, self-propelling lawn ornaments with soap bows. Or an area where the laws physics were only minimally affected could instead have such beautiful characteristics as inverted gravity, causing all of your belongings to rocket to the stratosphere while you desperately tried to untangle yourself from all that you owed.

Nonsense Country was one of such zones: a mobile sector which had one simple rule: never say anything that makes sense.
Whatever you did, you had to talk nonsense no matter the cost. Better yet would be to say nothing - a silent trip was the best outcome for any caravan, but Nonsense Country demanded it.

All were forced to ignore common sense there, in some cases even required to play stupid word games with discordian creatures.
The more sense you made, worse the retaliation.

This meant that all participants inside the zone had to be as professional as possible, able to react, prepare, defend and move forward with enough discipline to handle any of the normal challenges... without the ability to communicate.
Something a bunch of drunken or hangover guards could never achieve.

Unfortunately, Nonsense Country had just a few days ago relocated to block the only safe-ish path to his destination.

"I have an agreement to deliver these goods to Featherstone. I needed the guards hours ago - if I fail to deliver the goods on time, my reputation will suffer!
And believe me - if my reputation suffers, I will make certain every merchant I've ever worked with will know who to thank for it."

The innkeeper mulled at this, their mind going through a list of available mercenary companies and reliable freelancers.

The list was short.

"I know of one mercenary company that is currently available. Don't know much about them, came here from one of the merchant republics that-a-way," vague hand-waving ensued ,"about a week ago, give or take a day."

"Are they reliable?" Garrick slowly tok'd his table with his claw-tips.

"Honestly, they seem rough and tumble to me, like the kind that goes looking for good scraps instead of looking to minimize the risk of getting into them." The griffon sneered. "I wouldn't recommend them."

'The greatest endorsement ever given.'
Garrick gave a suffering smile to hide his thoughts.
"It seems I'm out of options."

-----

"You want to leave immediately?" Gabriella - or Greda as she was known by her current company - was baffled as the merchant she and her small detachment were currently working under immediately ushered them to make ready. "We need time to gather supplies -"

A sack of travel rations was thrown out of the trade cart.

"... other than food or drink. We need acquisition arrows from the rest of -"

Second sack.

"... bandages and other healing supplies?"

Third sack.

Greda stared at the merchant, who stared back and preempted her next question.

"Yes, the cost of these items was included in the contract, as was agreed with your captain."

The hen threw her claws to the heavens, huffed and turned around.


Garrick chuckled. That mercenary had been a funny diversion.

-----

The travel itself almost ended up being extremely anticlimactic, with almost nothing happening during the trap.

However, it all went to shit when one mercenary accidentally clonked another with their unslung helmet.

*Clang*

"OW , be more careful!

Garrick and Greda were both within hearing range.
Both cursed loudly.

Multiple things happened at once:
The ground began to rumble.
Garrick gave a loud squawk as Greda practically rammed herself to his side, throwing both away from the rest of the caravan.
The mercenary that had accidentally hit his friend, turned and said, "sorry about tha-"

The ground burst upward, throwing griffons and merchandise all around as a demented mix of skunk, elephant and dictionary book hopped out and dropped right on top of the two mercenaries that had brought its ire, turning them into paper mannikins and stuffing them into its thesaurus mouth to the fanfare of loud paper shuffling noises.

'Oh, lucky: the mellowed out response. It should return to the ground after it has had it's fill.'

Garrick's thoughts were sidelined as the mercenary griffoness stood up, pulled her sword out and charged.

If this was a normal situation, maybe there would be a great story to describe the resulting battle as the griffoness threw herself at the monster - but this was a discordian creature with skunk in it.

As the caravan limped out of Nonsense Country, Greda turned toward the rest of the caravan who were currently standing very far away.
Also, upwind.

"You will tell no one of this."

Garrick had to cough to hide his smile.

-----

Present day:

To meet the hen that could end up becoming your lifelong partner was in a way very stressful.
Garrick wasn't certain if it was less or more so than most of his trips through Discordian wastes.

'At least the zones popped out for good when Discord disappeared.'

When the door opened, Garrick braced himself and...

"Wait -/What -"

"YOU?!/YOU?!"

 

[Neathbow]

Questor Well I had hoped to get this out there before the obligatory first meeting chapter but I just wasn't fast enough. Still, I am not letting all this go to waste so here it is.

When Heron met Swift-y (Yes I did choose to go with a terrible bird pun)
​

Gabriella looked her husband to be over as if inspecting the form of a recruit as they fought in the training pit, to be honest she was a little disappointed. True there was nothing wrong with him, he carried himself well, his walk confident and his stride even, he carried a blade at his side of fine craftsmanship and while it was a bit ostentatious Gabriella could see that he had not sacrificed the weapons utility for the sake of aesthetics. That alone elevated him far above most nobility, and the fact that he wasn't wearing some ridiculous get up put him firmly in the top 1% of nobility, but he wasn't a warrior, he looked like he could fight if need be but there wasn't that tension to him that said he was ready to spring into action at a moments notice, he wasn't unconsciously sizing up everyone around him, seeing how to best take everyone in the room if need be. Finally, and she felt a bit silly for this even being a concern, he wasn't…. well he wasn't ripped, sure he was fitter than most, but he wasn't the Adonis she'd always fantasized about running off with. There was something familiar about him though, like she'd met him before but that was ridiculous, she'd never met any member of the royal family or their branch houses, but something wouldn't stop tickling at her brain.

And now she just felt silly, 'Oh no, poor Gabriella. Your betrothed is only conventionally attractive and isn't some heavily muscled dreamboat with legs like tree trunks. How will you ever survive?' She thought to herself sarcastically. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she very nearly missed his formal introduction, and hurriedly gave her own hoping that she hadn't made too much of an ass out of herself. There was a brief pause, oh ancestors what had she done wrong, had protocol changed while she'd been with the company? She'd never hear the end of this from her father, and other noble ladies would be ready with snippy little comments designed to be just tasteful enough that she wouldn't be able to punch them right in their smug little beaks. "So, would you like a tour of the castle? I wouldn't mind learning how to make it more defensible." She blinked rapidly for a moment, was he mocking her? She searched his tone for any sort of sarcasm, some hint that he was secretly making fun of her, like when the other noble daughters would invite her to watch a tournament and talk about how "manly" the participants were while knowing full well she intended to fight.

She was surprised when she couldn't find a single trace of anything but genuine interest in his voice, her eyes narrowed. She wasn't sure if he was being sincere, he might have been better at hiding his disdain than the others, but if he wasn't well, it would be nice to show off, just a little. Cracking her neck she took a good look around the room, pretending to only now have started really taking it in when in reality she'd been sizing the place up since she flew in, and with a smirk she began. "Well the first thing that comes to mind is the fact that I am seeing little in the way of spots where boiling oil or other similarly punishing substances can be poured from at strategic chock points, now I see that you've done that with the double gate at the front, they breach the first one and while they work to get through the second you scald them, but you'll want them spread throughout the castle. Second your guards here, I know mobility is important, but when you're in an enclosed space like this protection is more important so those wings need to go armored, a heavy blow from something like a hammer will still break the wing but it'll provide much needed protection from knives and if their lucky crossbow bolts, speaking of which." And so she continued for well over two hours, at times nearly forgetting that anyone else was there as she described in sometimes graphic detail, just how this castle was weak and how she would take it, going through numerous possibilities, collapsing part of the wall by tunneling underneath, starving them with a prolonged siege, diverting the river to make the population rely on wells that could be poisoned by infiltrators, catapulting the rotting dead in to spread plague. Anything and everything she could think of was mentioned.

---

Garrick stared at the griffon as he approached with his guards, unlike him she had come without an escort, a move that said as much about her confidence in her ability to defend herself, as it did about her desire to get away from the family who he suspected were pushing her into the marriage. She'd flown here a whole week early with a small group, including one very put upon lady in waiting who seemed to be there for the sole purpose of confirming Gabriella's identity and who seemed to want nothing to do with this whole mess or his bride to be from the look of things, and after that the rest or her coterie had gone into the first alehouse they could find. There was an air of confidence about her, like the Griffon he'd met at the party, but it seemed to originate from a different place, the one from the party had been confident in a way that spoke of total control over a situation, of knowing how everything worked and how to control it. Gabriella on the other talon projected an air that spoke of long hours fighting and spilling blood, of a complete assurance that if she wanted to she would be able to kill everyone in the room. Garrick wasn't quite sure what it said about him that the same part of him that had found the party goer's confidence so fascinating felt the same way about Gabriella's and, not wanting to think about it any more than he already had, forced that part of him to the back of his mind. There was something else about her though, something in the curve of her beak and the way her feathers were groomed, it was so damn familiar, but he just could not place it.

When the guard on his left began to speak, announcing who he was he forced himself to hold back a groan. He thought he'd made it clear that he didn't want them to do the stupidly long formal introduction, a short one worked just as well and didn't waste everyone's time, or maybe they could just count on people to realize he was the king, he wore a crown, and his face was on the coinage for crying out loud. He was surprised when she seemed to take it in stride, stoically listening to his guard and when his guard had finished she proceeded to give her own introduction, not nearly as long as his own but still including many impressive titles of her own. He was stunned for a minute by this, he hadn't actually expected proper formalities from this hen, and now he felt like an ass for assuming he would be marrying some sort of barbarian. He desperately wracked his brain for something to say that would go over well and after a moment he found it, "so would you like a tour of the castle? I wouldn't mind learning how to make it more defensible." Perfect, he would be able to engage her in a subject she knew well while using his own knowledge of- wait why was she cracking her neck like that, and just like that she took on an almost Archimedes like aspect as she started talking about how she would go about systematically killing everyone in the castle.

After about five minutes staring at Gabriella in shock Garrick managed to compose himself enough to send one of his guards out to get a quill and parchment, some of her suggestions weren't possible at this time due to resources being utilized for other projects but others like the altered armor for guards serving inside the castle could be implemented quickly and he wanted to take note of as many as possible. About two hours later as he walked behind her scribing everything she said he wondered how he had become the one getting a tour, part of him wanted to take back control of the tour, it was his castle after all, a larger part of him however was to enraptured with her legs as she walked detailed explanation of how to improve his castle. Walking outside the castle she made note of everything from the size of the individual stone blocks to the type of mortar used to seal them together before suddenly falling silent. Garrick strode forward to get a look at what had made Gabriella fall silent and say that she was looking at the range where further testing was being done of the bolt throwers, looking at her face he saw that her eyes were wide. "Garrick, what are those?"

---

Gabriella was having the most fun she'd had since she'd fought that Diamond Dog tribal chief in single combat a year ago, having spent so much time of the road and in encampments she'd forgotten how much fun assessing a fortress' defenses could be. Her mother had always had the guards take her back to whatever lesson she'd skipped or family event she'd ducked out of when she'd tried doing this at home. She had just finished analyzing the basic soil structure and was about to start listing off tips for maintaining the foundation of the wall during the rainy seasons to come when she say them, the most beautiful weapons she was sure hade ever existed. They resembled massive crossbows in shape but she could tell they were so much more, they sent bolts as thick as a support beams singing through the air before punching clean through a tree in a crescendo of wonderful destruction. These were siege weapons, artillery through and through, though a different sort than a catapult of trebuchet, those were war hammers, inaccurate but truly devastating when they hit, this miracle of engineering was a dagger, a knife to be driven right into the enemy's heart.

"Garrick, what are those?" He stood next to her, when had he moved there? No not important, focus on what he was saying. "These are our new Bolt Throwers, fresh from the workshops of our greatest minds. Over the next few months these will spread all over the kingdom, placed on fortresses, mobile artillery platforms to use against dangerous and difficult to put down foes like dragons, mounted to ships, providing us with accuracy far greater than any catapult, I've even heard talk of using them against gr-" She cut him off, her excitement carrying her away as she realized what he was about to say, "ground forces, they wouldn't be good against targeting anything specific, but they'd be perfect for breaking apart charging forces, making forces vulnerable for counter attacks, true it wouldn't be useful against griffon forces but if we came up against forces like the Earth Ponies, if Discord didn't turn them all to granite or something for a laugh, they could make all the difference."

She looked at him with new eyes, he wasn't an Adonis yes, but he was preparing for potential future foes, from the way he talked about the places the Bolt Throwers and the few comments he'd made during the castle inspection he was good with logistics, with just a little molding from her he had the makings of a good general. Plus he'd actually paid attention to what she had said, he'd actually been interested, had any other noble ever shown this sort of interest? No, no they had not. Well, if she was honest she hadn't expected this but it seemed that this was how it was going down. Turning to Garrick's guard she spoke in her best commanding officer voice to get him to obey. "Tell me where the nearest magistrate's office is." "On the corner of Feather Quill and Shatterstone ma'am!" Good, she'd spotted those streets on the way here, maybe five minutes away if she got him moving at a good marching pace, grabbing Garrick she said. "Come on then let's go get married now." "Wait what!"

 

[Neathbow]

@Questor here's an omake for the 'I Work Out' personal action. Please put any bonus from this towards that action.​

Training Day
​

Garrick stretched rigorously, he didn't know exactly what he and Gabriella would be doing out here beyond the fact that it would be rigorous exercise. It hadn't been easy to swallow his pride and ask for her help with this but there really wasn't any better option for a trainer than his wife, she'd been with a mercenary company for years, not only fighting but also getting new recruits into shape. Plus it would be nice to spend some time with his wife in a more casual setting, the past few months with her had been a whirlwind of military reorganization, the training of dedicated naval officers and the numerous logistical concerns behind getting the Lion's their own citadel and organizing recruits alone had generated a figurative mountain of paperwork and as you- "Stop your daydreaming maggot and drop and give me twenty." Garrick very nearly jumped out of his feathers as his wife started shouting right in his ear, turning to her with wide eyes he said. "Gabriella wha- urk." He was cut of again when Gabriella grabbed his beak and forced it shut, leering at him with a look that sent a tingle racing up his spine. "I said, drop and give me thirty."

"But you just said twenty." "Forty." "What is-" "Fifty." "Yes ma'am." Dropping to the ground he started doing push ups and started to think. From what he could tell his wife had fallen into training sergeant mode as soon as they'd gotten here, he supposed this was what he asked for, and if he was being honest he'd never seen Gabriella so at ease, in the court or even in closed chambers talking with generals she always seemed slightly uncomfortable, like there was an itch just faint enough that she couldn't justify scratching it. Out her with him though, she seemed entirely at ease, and that tiny shift just made her, well, glow for lack of a better term, very nearly forgot to go back down when he got caught up looking at her once. This really wasn't so bad, in fact he could see himself really growing to like these- oh dear sweet ancestors his back, craning his neck back he looked to see Gabriella sitting down on his back. "Don't worry sweetie I just saw that these were a little to easy for you so I decided to add a little extra weight." Nope never mind this was hell.

Finally, when he'd finished all fifty of his push-ups he stood right back up feeling his spire crack ominously as he did so. Turning to his wife with betrayal in his eyes, she met him with a beatific smile and said in a peppy voice, "okay now that the warm up is done let's get the real training started. There's two training swords over by that tree go get one and we'll get started sparring." Well okay that wasn't so bad, he'd done plenty of sparring with the Knight Lion and he'd managed to hold his own fairly well against them after a few months. So, he ambled over to the tree she'd indicated grabbed them and walked back, passing one over to Gabriella as he walked back, he took a proper stance and waited for the spar to begin, he grew slightly nervous however when he heard his wife tut. "What did I say, go grab a sword, not go get us a sword. Always do your best to make sure a fight isn't fair, because a fair fight is one where your opponent has fair odds of killing you, but don't worry sweetie I'll be sure to help break your bad habits." The next few hours were a whirlwind of pain, learning, and sarcastic quips, and he honestly could remember few things that made him as happy as seeing how much fun his wife was happening, sigh, well he supposed he'd have to make this a weekly thing then.​

 

[Somebodynobody10]

Omake: Daily struggles of Aquileian diplomatic messengers

Art of inked feathers.
Battle of words.
Constant struggle of ideals.
The stepping stone between war and peace.

All of these things can be used to describe the delicate process of diplomatic outreach between realms.

Tact. Patience. Thought. Consideration.

Things that any competent leader should use when commencing on the subject.

But when your only tool-set was that of thousand hammers...
Well, everything might not look like a nail, but just trying to use a hammer like a screwdriver ends with accidental hammering.

-----

'Why?!' The poor messenger screamed internally as the doge read his missive, his feathers slowly turning red as their talons pierced it in ever-tightening grip.

-----

To Doge Griffesco Foscari of Feathicia,

The growing relations between the Griffonian pretender and the city state of Feathicia has been noted with growing distaste. As one of your most trusted trading partners, Aquileia expects understanding from their fellow griffons that amiable relations between us would be preferred over our rivals.

While feathesian neutrality is an accepted truth, it should be noted that certain acts shift the balance from power in sufficient ways to give question on if their involvement is strengthening a side.
As it is, your actions have noticeably aligned trade toward our opposition when we had grown to understand that our mutual trade agreement was made before the rise of the new monarch of Griffonia.

In this regard, we shall insist on naturalization of the status quo existing before the new Griffonian-Feathician agreements, be it in the form of immediate nullification of the trade agreement in question, or the offering of concessions on the equivalent Aquileian-Feathician agreements.

In that regard, we wish to offer the protection of trade routes via our newly expanded navy which even as we send our correspondence patrols the waters most Feathician shipping currently uses for trade. Good relations between our two people's is paramount for peaceful waters and we hope you realize this fact.

We shall be waiting for your swift response keenly,
King Brochard of Aquilea.

-----

'Why?!' The messenger stood before a Griffoness wearing a coat with dozens of dazzling diamonds and rubies woven across it, her eyes widening in disbelief at what she was reading.

-----

To Griffelda Diamond-Gleam of Ether-Peak,

We in the kingdom of Aquileia have grown to know of the riches of your beautiful settlement and the mineral veins giving it's wealth.
On that manner, we would also be willing to begin trade negotiations with your great city to open trade between us both.

However, we have also come to understand that you are currently trading much of your excess gemstones to the Griffonian Pretender - a sad state of events that we wish to rectify.

Before now, our well-equipped and masterfully trained griffons have been keeping away from your borders, leaving many beasts and bandits still roaming the countryside and remote hiding sport.
With put a single command, these forces could spread across the surrounding areas of Ether-Peak and shatter any resistance standing before civilized trade between our nations.

We hope that this will be taken as a sign of our decisiveness on dealing with all problems that may exist between us, showing that as closer neighbors we would be much prefered trading partners to the far away Griffonia.

We wish to soon meet you in person in effort to show our conviction for closer ties between our people,
King Brochard of Aquileia.

-----

Omake end: 569 words

OOC: Now, how much of this is King Brochard not knowing how to speak without eating his own boot instead of him trying to pressure the trade cities with thinly failed threats of force, is a question left for GM - and his for-now secret stats' interpretation.

 

[jwolfe_beta]

In regards to mushroom cultivation, I think the biggest shift for the griffins would be not so much finding which are good to eat but how to farm them. Assuming that MLP griffins are omnivores (though no doubt preferring meat) and that the setting is medieval, mushrooms would be part of the normal diet.

Kept in the dark and fed on...​

While King Golden-Feather made sure to limit the amount of time Archimedes was allowed to present his research findings (to retain his and now his wife's sanity/not put the entire court asleep) in council, that just meant the under-sized academic had gotten very good at delivering large amount of information quickly.

"...still examining other potential sources, but currently we have finalized the farm design and completed test growth run of both Portobeako and Ovumtreatus fungi and can...."

There were also running bets among the councilors on the longest period of time he could continue talking on a subject before he had to inhale. Ravenburg had been making a mint off it.

"All this is....very nice, very through, councilor Archimedes." Interrupted Claus Rosewing, apparently trying to hide a headache from the sheer information overload that the researcher had been pouring out. "But how can any of this improve Griffonia? You've demonstrated that you can grow rot. What more?"

This blunt statement actually made the academic stop for a moment with a rather odd expression on his face. It seemed like he considered Rosewing to be saying the rough equivalent of 'what is the point of the written word' or something equally nonsensical.

"My good griffin, we eat them of course. As clearly outlined in my treatise 'Common Agaricomycetes species of Griff-' "

"On which I must remind you Archimedes, it is highly likely that none of the griffins present have ever seen this treatise, let alone read in full." interjected the king, bringing up an oft-repeated point. While Archimedes was one of (if not the) greatest minds in Griffin lands, he constantly overestimated how popular his various publications actually were among the laybirds.

"I-never-well, of course your majesty. If everyone may recall the hearty soup the kitchens served to us earlier today?" Seeing the nods he continued. "The nut-like flavor along with the strips of 'meat' present were in fact Ovumtreatus used in the recipe. Though uneducated griffins call them tree oysters. The two species I have grown have often been served as part of our meals, it is just until now they have been semi-rare additions gathered by claw from the wild."

Rosehip began to look more interested as he quickly flipped through his notes. "...So that's what you were up to. And I know for a fact that herd beasts will eat some of those things and others are used for treatments along with herbs. You said your 'farm' can produce mushrooms all year round?"

Archimedes puffed up his (admittedly small) chest in mild indignation. "Of course! Who do you take me for? While we are still ironing out small issues with growing the less commonly used species, producing food and animal fodder is child's play."

"Good. Meet me after the meeting so we can go over the details." As he said this, Rosehip turn to the king with a wide grin on his beak (and Garrick would swear he saw dancing gold coins in his advisor's eyes). "I'll have a report with the costs and benefits of building Archimedes's new creation written up for you by tomorrow, your Majesty."

AN: The two mushrooms Archimedes grew were the MLP versions (named by griffins here) of Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster) and the Pleurotus ostreatus (common/portobello). Both of these are dead simple to cultivate as long as you get the growing medium right (pasturized/cooked straw, the right logs etc). A constant and assured supply of fresh (albeit limited in type) foodstuffs during winter? That is huge in a medieval society.

 

[Adventwolf]

The Best Laid Plans Of Mice and Griffons​

You are the Lord Ravenburg spymaster of the Kingdom of Griffonia. You have been charged by your liege to prepare for the war that seems destined to come. You are saddened by this as you know the King is as well. While the new King Is no master of intrigue he is intelligent and has funded the expansion of Griffonia's espionage services. With these new assets and a decree from the King it is up to you to acquire the battle plans of King Cyril Brochard of Aquileia.

You have known this war was coming. During the establishment of the new spy schools you kept your eye on several of the most promising students. These were the natural smooth talker, the ones that slipped into the background without notice, the forgettable. You needed the best ready for what was obviously going to be your first and most dangerous assignment. Despite this you were worried it would not be enough.

So you took personal control of training these assets. They did not receive the general training of the rest of the students. No these ones would be sent into Aquileia itself so that is what you focused on. They were taught everything there was to know about Aquileia culture and society. The students were drilled in the language and accents by the diplomatic core relentlessly to help hide their Griffonia origins. The military drilled into the minds of the spies every little detail about Aquileia's own military doctrine and structure. The merchant guilds was brought in to aid in the creation of numerous covers needed to get around the enemy kingdom unmolested.

By the time the training was over this class was nearly indistinguishable from native born Griffons of Aquileia. When the time came to deploy them each was given several missions. Many of the missions were duplicates because even with all the training and preparation not all would survive. There needed to be enough sent that some would live to return with the bounty. The spies were informed that this was vital to the security and prosperous future of Griffonia. While this was true and they understood they did not realize just what it would fully entail. Each operative was give a fast acting poison that was to be taken in the chance that capture was inevitable.

The operatives took the poison and their assignments and left the capital in every direction. They would travel through distance areas and enter Aquileia from every side. They would scout out every camp of mercenaries, every large supply point, the mustering points for the army and navy, and the movement of the King. If Griffonia was to weather the storm to come it would need every advantage it could acquire, and like they say "Knowledge is Power, Guard it Well".

You are the Lord Ravenburg spymaster of the Kingdom of Griffonia. You have trained the greatest crop of spies and operatives of a generation. You have created the foundation for a powerful espionage order for your King and Country. And, you have sent most of them all to die. You hope it is worth it for this will weigh heavily on your soul for evermore.

@Questor Here is my omake for the spies. Please add any bonus to the Espionage actions against Aquileia.

 

[Neathbow]

A Dog's Purpose​

Spot looked over the dogs feasting, the last raid had been the most successful yet, seven whole farms had been stripped bare, their livestock slaughtered, vegetables taken, and farming tools taken to be used as crude weapons. He should have been jubilant, he should have been reveling with the others, but he couldn't, all he felt was dread. Every dog he saw was a warrior, a strong and proud fighter, some were members of Spot's original tribe, but many others were new, drawn to the tribe by tales of their recent success and the promise of plentiful food. This was an army, and like any army they marched on their stomach serving whoever could promise them food, and right now that was the savage warrior that was Buddy. Buddy had led the tribe for years now and had reaped a great tally in griffon lives as his necklace of beaks showed, leading them to victory after victory against the flyers. With all that in mind he should have been confident in the future, but he knew it was unsustainable. The last raid had been the exception not the norm, with the griffons recovered from Discord's reign villages and towns were becoming more and more fortified, militia better armed, and when the actual military showed up they had to flee in the face of the better equipped and organized forces. There was a way out, but it was one Buddy would never take, he couldn't see that sometimes to win you had to surrender, and so Spot steeled himself, the groundwork had already been lain, there could be no going back now.

Stepping in front of the feasting Buddy he drew his Griffon forged short sword and shouted out his challenge. "Buddy, Lord Fang of the Dust Fur Tribe, Hundred Gryph Slayer, and vanquisher of the Discorian Fleas, I Spot challenge you for leadership of the tribe on the grounds that you have become to weak to do what needs to be done to make the tribe prosper. Do you accept the challenge, or will you concede your position to me in acknowledgement of you faults?" A hush fell over the tribe all at once, the sheer absurdity of what was happening stunning them into silence, here was a young dog, having been a pup less than five years prior challenging a warrior with two decades of combat experience and more than double his mass in muscle, it was lunacy, but here it was. Buddy stood, grabbing his stone maul and looking at Spot with an expression of fury on his face. "You come here and dare to accuse me of being to weak to lead while acknowledging my triumphs while you have none to your name? If you weren't challenging me I would have to commend you audacity pup, but you've gone to far in challenging me, I will see you dead by my paw. With that Buddy leapt over the table he'd been using and swung his maul at Spot, but the younger dog was already moving out of the way, overturning a table in his bid to put some space between himself and the larger dog.
'No more than a few minutes now before it takes effect, I just have to wait for him to slow down enough for it to take effect.' He thought to himself as Buddy once more charged him, this time doing his best to deflect the maul to the side with a makeshift shield made from a small bedside table taken during the raid. It shattered of course and Spot winced as numerous splinters embedded themselves in his flesh but bore it without making a sound, he had challenged his leader by calling out weakness, it would not do to show any now. The next few minutes were a blur, sometimes it seemed that time was passing by in slow motion, at others he could barely keep track of his own movements everything was moving so fast. Eventually though Buddy began to slow down and Spot tried not to smirk, right now Buddy's vision would be starting to blur, his guts would be screaming, and his muscles would be feeling like lead. His confidence started to wane however when Buddy didn't seem to slow down anymore, Spot cursed himself for not realizing that he should have upped the dosage, the prisoners he'd tested the poison on had all been far smaller that Buddy, there was no guarantee that the amount he'd had slipped into Buddy's food would do anymore than it already had. His momentary distraction cost him however when Buddy managed to clip his left side, even the small blow sending him sprawling, this was bad, he'd need to start getting reckless.

He climbed back to his feet, hastily raising his sword in a defensive position, Buddy slowly stalked towards him and almost lazily raised his maul up to strike him down, and in this Spot saw his chance, it would cost him, but such a small sacrifice was no price at all. Buddy swung down and instead of dodging out of the way he blocked it with his hand, pushing it to the side even as the bones in his arm shattered pushing their way out of his arm. Taking advantage of Buddy's shock at his actions he drove his sword through the chieftain's throat, blood spayed over Spot as Buddy slumped to the ground. He had done it, he'd plotted meticulously, preparing for months, and now that he was here, he could barely even believe it, what was supposed to come after this again?

He couldn't quite remember, and he stood there for a whole minute before the other dogs hoisted him up shouting his praises, proclaiming him their new lord. Right this was why, the unsustainable nature of their culture and ways, ensuring that his people had a future, the methods would be unpalatable to many of the dogs, many would be unwilling to bow to the griffons even if it was to ensure that they had food even during the winter months. He would need to remove them, but he'd already taken steps to remove some of the elements in this tribe that would prove troublesome, a blade in the back during a raid here, ensuring a tunnel collapse there, but there would be more. But he would kill as many as he needed to, to ensure his peoples prosperity, paving the path forward with skulls if need be, still that was a ways off, for now he would need to keep up the raids, attract more dogs before he moved to attacking other tribes to absorb their populations, get enough people that it would be worth it to the griffons to take them in. He winced as his arm was jostled, but smiled through the pain, not long now, not long at all.

---

Okay this didn't come out as fast and I'm not totally happy with it but I promised an Omake and I shall deliver.

 

[Thedudeman400]

Here my attempt at an Omake a little over 1k words.

(V)(;,,;(V)
King Cyril Brochard
​

You are Cyril Brochard, King of Aquileia. A serving maid pours you a glass of red wine, one of the few luxuries you allow yourself to have. From your balcony you watch clouds drift by as the blue skies serve as serene backdrop. You take a sip of your wine, your mind drifting back to dark times. It was not long ago when the skies were with blotted by pink clouds and the land was left in the shadows of floating mountains and flying fishes.

Before the plague of Discord, the Empire of Gryphus stood tall and mighty, the beacon of the northern mountains. Your eyes dipped below watching your people drudge about around broken ruins of what were once great monuments, oh how the mighty were brought so low.

This would not stand, one day the Empire will rise again, and it will do so under your leadership. However right now, standing in your way of united empire is some upstart merchant persisting on being a thorn in your backside.

A knock rapped against my door a large gray colored griffon entered, he had scars littering his body everywhere but his back and prominent one across his neck, it was Ghiraheim your Military Advisor, "My King, your councils have all gathered in the throne room, we await your arrival."

"I will be out momentarily" You replied.

You placed down your glass of wine and snapped your talons and the servants begin to fit you in your armor and hand you your blade. You have long day ahead of you.

You entered the throne room and sat upon your throne, your advisors stood at the ready bowing their heads.

"Report" You commanded your advisors assembled before you.

"Mercenary recruitment is going well tens of mercenaries have already arrived, I expect we'll have hundreds at our disposal by years end." Ghiraheim reported stoically, but you knew him enough to know when he was holding something back.

"Were there any complications?" You asked.

"No, it is nothing but the stubbornness of mercenaries. One would think they would leap at the opportunity for employment now that the era of discord has ended, yet they remain steadfast in their steep prices."

"Not unexpected from low lives such as them, the treasury will supply coin as needed so long as they spill the blood of our enemies." You huffed.

Then a sleek Griffon strutted up, he was handsome, beautiful even as he could easily be mistaken for a female from afar and maybe even up close. This was Wilhelm Silvermane of house Silvermane, your Diplomatic advisor.

"Your highness," he bowed.

I take the scowl on your face means those merchants refused to cooperate"

"Indeed my king, the responses from the Feathersian League have been less than favorable. All of them have refused your demand to embargo Griffonia and are steadfast in their neutrality. It seems they have taken the letters as an insult. We are fortunate that their neutrality means they will not directly oppose us in the upcoming conflict."

"Unfortunate, I should have expected the merchant king to be in good terms with merchant cities" You grit your beak, an oversight you will not make in the future. "Will they still be willing to sell arms and armor to us?"

Wilhelm raised a brow and smirked, "I don't see why not, they are merchants after all, profiting off war is what they do" he chuffed. "In fact, I believe a few merchants have already trickled in."

Next was plain look griffon, his only notable feature was his handlebar mustache, this was your Steward Wulfred.

"We will not have to worry about feeding the army, your highness, the farmers may grumble about the 80% tax on their harvest but will do their duty."

You nod in acknowledgement. Fairly standard.

After Wulfred gave his report, a thin red griffon stepped up bowed and then adjusted her half-rimmed glasses. This was Headmistress Karlia your Research Advisor.

"The development siege engines are going well, some have already begun their testing phase. As long as the crown continue it funding you will your siege engines ready by the end of next year."

"You will have your funding; those siege engines may be the key to our victory." You said.

Your last advisor approaches you, she was dressed in dark navy robe with a hood obscuring all noticeable details showing nothing but her beak from under the hood. This was Nightingale, your Spy Mistress.

"My spies have reported that Golden-Feather is preparing for war, he has begun restoring the Knights Lion's order and procured himself a dragon egg."

Your brow raised at this news. You stroke your chin feathers in contemplation. Dragons are a force to be reckoned with, however it is common knowledge that they're maturity rates are notoriously slow, unless they are fed and exorbitant amount of treasure but in doing so it would lead to an uncontrollable rampage by the dragon.

"So, the merchant king thinks he can raise dragon against me? A foolish endeavor from foolish king. Even if he desires to accelerate the dragons growth all he would accomplish would be emptying his coffers and his own dragon laying waste to his own Kingdom in want of more." You scoff at the idea. "As for his knights they will drown in a sea of our forces."

Wulfred then spoke up, "Your Majesty, the people have been gathered in front of the castle, awaiting your speech."

You nod and followed him out front to the elevated steps of your castle. Standing before you are the people of Aquileia.

"People of Aquileia, I am your King! A scant few years ago we were a broken people under the terror of Discord! When his reign of terror ended, I rebuilt our nation! I have brought us Wealth! I have brought us Prosperity! And I have brought us Might!" You exclaimed to the crowd.

"But, it is not enough! Look at the ruins around you! Look at how mighty we were! When Discord invaded us, we fought back! But the other nobility turned tailed and fled, fracturing our armies! If it was cowardice then it is one thing, but they turned against emperor! Turning what was once a Mighty Empire a few Mewling Fiefdoms! We could have repelled the like of Discord if it were not for them! The great beacon of the northern mountains TARNISHED by their TREASON!" You spat.

"It is the likes of the Feathersian League, Wingbardy, and Griffonia, that lead to our downfall! They get their due, I promise you this! I am King Cyril Brochard! And I will unite the Griffons! And reclaim the Empire's glory!" You reach your talons up to the sky as if to grasp the very sun itself.

Your people chant your name as you deliver your passionate speech. No merchants, dukes, or kings will stop you. You will make the Empire great once more.

(V)(;,,;(V)​

I tried to make this Omake as canon compliant as possible the only really issue I have with this is the Siege Engines with Brochards Learning Adviser.
@Questor are siege engines something Brochard would have his learning adviser research? If not I could change it to something else. How about the rest of the Omake? Is it canon compliant?

Edit: minor edits and spelling mistakes
Edit2: fixed contitnuity mistake, ponies changed to treason.
Edit3: changed Wilhelm demeanor when delivering bad news, cleared up dragon egg issue.