You sigh, looking at what Frida had called the "Imperial balance sheet". Your expenditures over the previous year had placed you deeply in the red, running up a sizable deficit. Your government had been forced to issue IOUs to many businesses and contractors that it relied upon to supply it with labor and material. Your people were understanding, what with the current war, but you knew that their patience would run out eventually. You couldn't feed a family with pieces of paper and empty promises. Your thoughts are interrupted by a cry from the crib in the corner of your bed-chambers. You put down the ledger and move to comfort your youngest child.
Gilda is an adorable little fluff ball, beloved by her family and all the palace servants. Though, being an infant she can be a tad high maintenance. You'd given Gabriella the "day off", taking a turn watching over your youngest child even as you filled out the reams of paperwork needed to administrate the vast Empire.
As you look upon the innocent face of your child, you remind yourself what this war is about: the future. You spend massive amounts of treasure and send armies into harms way to ensure that the children of today will grow to see a better tomorrow.
Once Gilda has been soothed back to sleep, you return to your work, motivated and reenergized once more.
Martial: Gustav Kingfeather, once known as the hardest drinker and fighter in Griffonia, has sworn not to consume a drop of alcohol until the losses of Redstone Pass have been avenged, and the threat of the Shadow King dealt with once and for all. He's thrown himself into his work, seeking to ensure an end to this conflict that has already cost the Empire so many lives. (Two Actions Per Turn) One Action Locked
-The Peregrine Line-Watchtowers: You snagged a victory and prevented an invasion of your country by the skin of your beak, and it was a costly victory at that. You're not stupid enough to think that you've seen the last of that foe forever, and if you have to worry about another invasion you're going to need serious fortifications along your Southern Border. Your military leaders have drawn up a multi-year step-by-step plan to turn the Peregrine mountains into a nearly impassible fortress. The first step, much like the plan to fortify the Black Cliffs, begins with watchtowers. Well, technically they're watchtowers but they're more like miniature forts designed to act as signaling stations. The squadrons of soldiers assigned to these defenses won't be able to repel any significant assaults, but they'll discourage infiltration and raids into your territory, and give vital warning in the event of another border assault. And they will serve as the foundation for a much larger and more impressive set of fortifications. Cost: 1000. Time: Two Years. Reward: Southern Border Watchtowers built, removes possibility of surprise attacks, may discourage raids into core territory. Will Finish This Turn
[ ] Big Sticks: The mobile Ballistae proved instrumental in your victory at the Battle of Wingbardy. Clearly they are a valuable battlefield asset. Build a few more. Cost: 400. Time: One Year. Reward: +10 mobile Ballistae added to army.
[ ] Hans, Get the Flamethrower: The flame projectors proved to be one of the most important assets of the Winter War, being the only viable method of destroying the shadow-beasts, and serving as excellent counters to the abominations. Now that the Troll-Busters' contract has expired, it's probably a good idea to build a few more of these devices for yourself. Cost: 400. Time: One Year. Reward: +4 Static Flame Projectors
[ ] Army Artillery: The cannons have proven their effectiveness on the battlefield, and now that you have the foundries up and running, it's time to start cranking out some more of these explosive artillery pieces. Cost: 500. Time: One Year. Reward: +10 Cannons added to army
[ ] The West Wall-Watchtowers: You have neighbors to your West. Large, strong, and surprisingly fast neighbors that are used to living off the land and crossing great distances in a relatively short period of time. They don't seem hostile at the moment, but it couldn't hurt to take precautions. The Black Cliffs of Aquileia serve as a natural barrier, but one that could be crossed by the Yaks (or another foe) if they really wanted to. It only makes sense to fortify this barrier and make it more difficult for any Yak raiders or warbands to cross into your core territory. You can start with some watchtowers. These small posts won't be able to prevent any sizable force from crossing the border, but their vigil will prevent a surprise attack and give you some warning in the event of a hostile mountain crossing. Cost: 1000. Time: Two Years. Reward: Western Border Watchtowers built, removes possibility of surprise attacks, may discourage raids into core territory.
[ ] Into the Frost and Snow: You have the Army back up to pre-war levels, and you now have reliable intel on your enemy. The Shadow King has been weakened from his defeat at Redstone Pass, but destroying him will require one more push, a strike against his own lands. Gather your army and march South, to victory or death. Cost: 0. Time: One Year. Reward: Crystal Empire Invasion Arc.
Diplomacy: Elva's department has been receiving a lot more attention as of late. The much-appreciated assistance from the Yak Clans has emphasized the importance of a dedicated foreign office, and the invasion from the Southlands has made the public anxious to find allies against the monsters and warlords of the world. If Elva has begun to feel any pressure from the increased attention, she doesn't show it, carrying on as she always has. (One Action Per Turn)
[ ] Steepe Trade Caravans: Establishing trade with Nomads is a difficult prospect, though a potentially lucrative one. Elva proposes sending a few caravans of enterprising Merchants out into the Steepes to show off their wares and gauge interest. The Yaks will get a look at the goods we have to offer, and hopefully we'll get a look at whatever they consider valuable enough to barter with. Of course, these caravans will require guards to protect them, and translators to help them strike deals with any potential customers. Cost: 400. Time: One Year. Reward: Information on Yak Markets and Trade Goods, Potential for Trade Income. Chance of Success: 70%.
[ ] Asking for Assistance: The Yaks aided you in the fight against the Shadow King once before, at great cost to themselves. Now you face the prospect of launching an invasion into the very heart of the evil itself. You'd feel a lot better about your chances if you could elicit a promise from the Yaks to support you in the endeavor. But that might be a tough sell. The Yaks only moved to support you because the Shadow King's invasion threatened their homeland, and the casualties they took at Redstone have undoubtedly made them weary of another battle so soon after the last. Still, you have to try, as the weight of a Yak charge could decide the fate of a a battle. Cost: 200. Time: One Year. Reward: Promises of Yak Assistance in Invasion of Crystal Empire. Chance of Success: 40%
[ ] Eastern Expedition: You don't really know anything about them, but they haven't done anything to harm your people, which already places them a league ahead of your Southern Neighbor. Send a ship and some volunteer diplomats to make contact and establish some sort of diplomatic relations. At the very least, it would be nice to know that you don't have to worry about a war on two fronts. Cost: 300. Time: One Year. Reward: Contact made with Eastern Neighbors. Chance of Success: 80%
Stewardship: Frida has arguably been the least impacted by the war. Mind you, she's still had to deal with labor shortages in some areas after the militia suffered such horrendous casualties, but that's been the extent of it. Despite everything, she has retained her upbeat and optimistic demeanor, something you can really appreciate these days. (Two Actions per Turn) One Action Locked
-Steam Pumped Land Drainage: Due to the mountainous and heavily forested nature of the Griffonlands, arable land is often at a premium. If one wishes to establish a farm, one must clear the land of trees (and the beasts that live among them), or risk trying to farm on rocks. There are a handful of places in the Empire that would be prime farmland were they not flooded or otherwise too wet to plant crops on. Ordinarily these lands would be impossible to drain, but Archimedes' new Steam Pump offers a new potential option for land drainage. It'll be expensive and time consuming, but the extra agricultural output just might be worth it. Cost: 500. Time: Two Years. Reward: Water-logged areas cleared, additional farming income. Will Finish This Turn
[ ] I'm a Lumberjack and I'm OK: Were it not for the fact that they were infested with monsters, the forests of your kingdom would provide a nearly inexhaustible supply of lumber. That's not to say that your people don't cut down trees, it's just that they've never really done it on a large scale for fear of angering the things living in the woods. If your kingdom is going to grow and prosper, you'll need that timber. Gather some soldiers and have them assist with the construction of water-powered sawmills and woodcutting camps. Cost: 150. Time: One Year. Reward: Logging income. Chance of Success: 70%
[ ] Imperial Brew: This is something that could be...controversial. Archimedes' shroomshine has been exceedingly popular with the Imperial Citizenry. However, given it's relatively recent invention, all the people brewing it are doing so on a small scale. Someone in Rosewing's Department raised the idea that, instead of having a bunch of independent brewers making a bunch of wildly disparate concoctions in their basements, the government could contract them and arrange the sale and distribution of the alcohol itself, ensuring consistent quality and netting a tidy profit in the process. Of course, some people might not approve of the government selling alcohol, or taking control of the market in such a fashion. Cost: 400. Time: 1 Year. Reward: Government Controlled Breweries. Gain Alcohol Sales Income. May raise Peasant Opinion. May lower Peasant Opinion. 50% chance of either outcome.
[ ] Settling the Western Frontier: While the Western Steepes are largely inhospitable and unsuitable for permanent settlement, a significant portion of the land beyond the Black Cliffs is quite similar to your core territory. The Yaks don't appear to have any claims on these stretches of forest, and they may hold resources that could add to the economy. Even if they don't, it would be nice to have some settlements outside of your heartland to make interaction with the Yaks easier, or as a buffer should they prove hostile. Subsidize the construction of a few towns and encourage some of your people to establish homesteads on the unsettled land. Cost: 1000. Time: Two Years. Reward: New Western Settlements Established, Additional Income.
[ ] Tax Hike: Military spending has sent your Empire into debt this past year, and given the existential threat you face along your Southern Border, this is hardly unexpected, nor unjustifiable. Still, if you don't find a way to drag yourself out of this financial hole you've dug yourself in to, the economy could start to falter, and you might find yourself unable to supply a proper war effort. The simplest course of action would be to raise taxes. Of course, doing so is likely to upset more than a few citizens. Even in times of war, no one likes having to fork over their hard-earned money. Still, it may be the price that must be paid for victory and long-term fiscal stability. Cost: 0. Time: One Year. Reward: Additional Tax Income, Lowered Peasant/Noble Opinion.
[ ] I Have Altered the Deal: When the Feathersian League integrated into your Empire, you promised that they would be subjected to a lower tax rate than other cities. Since the League was made up primarily of rich cities that managed to supply as much revenue as settlements under the regular tax laws even with these reduced obligations, this wasn't seen as a problem. But now you and your people face an existential threat that wishes for your complete destruction or enslavement, and you need all the funds you can get. Subjecting the formerly independent city-states to the same tax rate as the rest of the Empire will rake in some much needed revenues, but it will also be seen as a betrayal and a failure to keep your word. Still, this is likely to upset fewer people than an across the board tax hike would. Cost: 0. Time: One Year. Reward: Additional Tax Income, Greatly reduced opinion amongst the former Feathersian states.
Learning: Archimedes and Genevieve continue their work as the Empire's top scholars, Archimedes focusing on improvements to the Imperial War Machine while Genevieve focuses on more Domestic improvements. This does not mean that the two do not collaborate and share information, merely that the two Griffons divide the work between them. (Two Actions per Turn) One Action Locked
-Coke-Fired Blast Furnaces: Iron and Steel are the lifeblood of your economy, constituting everything from tools to building materials to weapons. However, they are difficult to produce in vast amounts. The only reason your people have been able to do so thus far is because of the sheer amount of ore available to you in your mountains, and the number of mining and smelting operations currently underway as a result. Genevieve has come up with a potential solution to allow for greater production of these metals. Using coal that has been treated in much the same way wood is treated to produce charcoal, a new form of dense, cleaner-burning fuel can be used to heat a new kind of massive, vertical smelting furnace the size of a building with a much greater output of metals. Naturally, this will be expensive, but Genevieve states that the increased metal production will be necessary to allow for greater innovation and widespread implementation of new devices, not to mention the smelting of this new "Orichalcum". Cost: 600. Time: Two Years. Reward: Increased Iron/Steel Production, Discount on troop recruitment, new Learning Actions Unlocked, Can now Smelt Orichalcum. Will Finish This Turn
[ ] Cannon Ships: Archimedes' new cannons are much more powerful than the old bolt-throwers, if more volatile and expensive. Unfortunately, small scale tests have shown that your current Cog designs are not suited for the weight of the new weapons, or the force of their recoil. You'll need to design a new class of ship from the ground up to accommodate these new weapons. Cost: 100. Reward: New Ship Class Designed.
[ ] Gun-Cotton: Black Powder weapons are powerful, but they have some flaws, one of the most significant of which is the massive amount of smoke they produce. Archimedes believes he may have stumbled upon a solution. When paper or cloth is soaked in aqua fortis and sulfuric acid and then dried, the resulting material produces more than three times the force of a similar volume of blackpowder with much less smoke. Of course, finding a way to mass produce the stuff and apply it to your cannons is a difficult task, one that Archimedes will need time and funding to perform. Cost: 300. Time: One Year. Reward: Gun-Cotton developed, +5 to all Cannon Rolls.
[ ] Scatter-Shot: One of the engineers at the new Cannon Foundry has raised an interesting idea. What if, instead of firing one large projectile, the cannons could be made to fire many smaller projectiles all at once? A simple idea, but a potentially effective one if the technical difficulties surrounding it can be addressed. Cost: 100. Time: One Year. Reward: Scatter-Shot developed, Bonus to certain Cannon Rolls.
[ ] Flying without Wings: The fragment of the ancient design you found, while sparse on details due to its decay, has given both of your scientific advisors ideas. Big, big ideas. Of course, in order to make those ideas reality they'll need equally big amounts of funding and time. Just for starters they're going to have to figure out whether they can even build such a contraption with the materials they have available, and what other steps will need to be accomplished before they can even start to build this "flying machine". Cost: 200. Time: One Year. Reward: Viability of Airships explored, additional Learning Actions Unlocked.
Intrigue: Ravenburg is as stoic and calmly professional as ever. If he's been at all affected by the War, he doesn't show it. Apart from his sudden fixation upon potential happenings south of the border, he's the same as he ever was. You actually find that quite reassuring. (One Action Per Turn)
[ ] S is for Sabotage: You might not be ready for an invasion of the Southlands, but Ravenburg's spies have thus far had no trouble traversing the landscape without being detected. And now that you know the locations of several mines within enemy territory, you have a chance to disrupt the enemy's war machine. Have Ravenburg equip some of his agents with explosive charges and incendiary devices and see if they can't cause some havoc behind enemy lines. Cost: 300. Time: One Year. Reward: Crystal Mines destroyed, production disrupted. Chance of Success: 40%
[ ] Yakity Yak: The Yaks showcased their strength when they fought alongside you and yours at the Battle of Redstone Pass. They proved to be great allies...but they could also become a powerful enemy if things were to go wrong. The war has stirred up the Yaks' cultural and political landscape. You need to know what exactly is going on in the lands of your Western
neighbor, and whether you should be concerned. Cost: 300. Time: One Year. Reward: New Intel on Yak Clans and the Fallout from the Winter War, possibility of new Intrigue Options. Chance of Success: 60%
Personal: You refuse to let your duties as Emperor take up every moment of your day. (Two Actions per Turn)
[ ] Plans for the Princess: You have another daughter, another potential ruler, another child whose future and education must be planned out and prepared for. You know the drill by now. Cost: 0. Time: One Year. Reward: Quality Time with Family, Plans made for Gilda's future upbringing and education.
[ ] Overtime: Your advisors can only do so much, and sometimes that's just not enough. If it's truly necessary, you can sacrifice some of your otherwise free time to carry out an additional action from another category, provided said action has a duration of only one year. The costs and chances of success for that action remain the same.
[ ] Combing the Archives: Your last trip to the Archives proved a fruitful endeavor that reintroduced long-lost technology to the Empire. Who knows what else you could find buried amongst the piles of faded parchment? Cost: 0. Time: One Year. Reward: Chance to gain information and knowledge from Pre-Discord Records.
There will be a three hour moratorium to allow for discussion and plan-crafting.
