Ancient Scholar
Amateur Editor/Beta
- Location
- United States
lol. You should check it out. Its just a manga or comic. Nothing really interesting has happen so far but their seems to be the start of a plot with Demons trying to attack the Angel.
Who Needs Harmony?: An MLP Empire Quest
- Thread starter Questor
- Start date
Crow gotta eat
That peckish, patriotic, Protestant passerine.
- Location
- United States of America
"It turns out, you will let your duties as Emperor take up every moment of your day."...Maybe it is time for some new flavor text
- Location
- USA
So heres something ive been thinking about but next turn we should take the action to let hoofbeard raid the treasure fleet of maretonia, we just got a crit on infiltrating it which means we now know who the trade partner is and gives that action and increase chance of success. We have been slowly beating down maretonia from the inside and now everyone is at each others throat there, this would be a lethal blow to them should it be pulled off and i think its time for that blow to come. Its time for them to learn why you never f**k with a griffion.
Ancient Scholar
Amateur Editor/Beta
- Location
- United States
We should probably fix that.
Anyway here is another idea. We currently have the Imperial Cult around right? It would be interesting how things change when we pass (unless some magical shenanigans occur). After all we have a dragon as a daughter to the Cult will always have a reliable source of information on The Emperor for generations. It should keep things from being too extreme I think.
- Location
- USA
To be fair she is still to young for anything at this point and probably still will be when we die, my guess is that they will just begin worshiping our son next when he takes the throne. And hopefully he will keep them in check, also on that note we should start seeing about letting him rule over something for a time hell even letting him run the empire for a year as a test run with us advising him when he needs it.
Ancient Scholar
Amateur Editor/Beta
- Location
- United States
I find it hilarious that even though we are stacked to be a Military focused nation our Intrigue units are amazing. Will we be getting a Spy Hero soon?
I was more thinking that when she was grown up the Cult would have books written personally by her that show the truth on the Emperor's rise to powers, deeds, and kindness.
This reminds me of this.
Maybe someone can use this to make an omake on the Imperial Cult holding Mass?
Last edited:
The Unqualified Ambassador
- Location
- Maryland
Light Step had lived an interesting life.
Born a slave in Maretonia, he had spent his foalhood in a near constant state of fear. Fear of the lash. Fear of being separated from his family. Fear of being sold to the owners of the strip mines, where slaves were worked to death. Fear of being killed by an overzealous overseer. As he grew, that fear had turned to anger and desperation. And soon those feelings translated into action.
It had started small. Stealing food meant for the master's table. Ensuring that documents regarding the sale of other slaves went missing. "Acquiring" medicine when his sister fell ill.
But then he went too far.
He'd tried to make it look like an accident. But when an entire storehouse full of cotton burns down, people tended to suspect the ones responsible for picking it. And so he'd been forced to flee, along with his family, into the wilderness. And then he learned what true fear was, as they were hunted like animals through the forests, never knowing if they would meet their deaths at the end of a noose or at the fangs of some slavering beast.
They'd managed to avoid both fates long enough for winter to come and threaten them with the inevitability of freezing or starving to death. At that point, he'd had no choice but to risk slipping into the city in hopes of acquiring food and shelter for himself and his loved ones.
That was how he'd met the abolitionists.
Slaves that sought to rebel against their so-called masters were a dime a dozen. But a slave capable of evading capture by trained search parties for weeks, all while keeping their family alive, and then sneaking into town despite having his face on wanted posters at almost every street corner? That was a much rarer find. And they were always on the lookout for new talent.
And so, they'd made him an offer he couldn't refuse: work for them, and they'd make sure his family stayed safe.
And he'd put his skills to good use. Whether he was assigned to act as a spy or smuggler, courier or thief, he excelled at every mission he was given by his handlers. And yet despite all he did for the cause, he still yearned to make more of a difference.
Then the Griffons had arrived, and everything changed.
Escaped slaves didn't need to flee from one safehouse or bolthole to the next anymore. Now they just needed to slip across a long and poorly-patrolled border to reach a land where they would be truly free, and live without fear.
His family would be among the first escaped slaves to settle in the Empire, building new lives that they could never have dreamed of when they were still in bondage. But Light Step did not go with them. For while his family was now free, there were countless others still suffering at the hooves of cruel masters. His work was not yet done.
He would take part in Operation Winged Freedom, helping to free dozens of Griffons, Dogs and Ponies alike. His skills would leave a favorable impression upon the Imperial agents he was tasked to work alongside.
That was what would eventually lead to his greatest achievement, that would propel his name into history.
When the lady Ambrosia told him that the Griffon Emperor himself had requested one of her best spies to perform a dangerous mission, he'd leapt at the chance to pay back his debt to the land that his family now called their home.
That was how he'd found himself stowed away aboard a vessel carrying more gold than he'd ever seen in his life, on route towards a mysterious land inhabited by an even more mysterious people, taking meticulous notes on the path of the ships and their defensive complements, as he'd been requested to do when he'd volunteered for such a dangerous assignment.
He didn't know what he would see when the treasure fleet reached its destination, or what he would do when the crew began to empty out the hold. But he felt he was prepared, and ready for anything.
—————————————————————————————
He hadn't been ready for this.
He'd managed to sneak off the ship aboard a crate (staying aboard simply wasn't an option while the cargo was removed and replaced), slipping away into the busy harbor of this strange city, using the alleys and drainage ditches to avoid the prying eyes of its inhabitants.
And what interesting inhabitants they were! Bipedal, dual-horned, and almost universally garbed in clothing of an unusual fashion. A shame he wasn't a linguist, for, judging by the smatterings of conversation he'd managed to overhear while creeping through the shadows, they spoke a language entirely unknown to him.
He had just managed to find an unoccupied room in the back of a boarded up business to use as a refuge to catch his breath and plan his next move when he noticed, to his shock, that the treasure ships of the Maretonian fleet were already pulling out of the harbor!
How!? How could they unload and load their cargoes so quickly? The masts of the ships disappearing over the horizon yielded no answers, but one thing was clear: he was now stuck in a foreign land with no way home.
But Light Step had been a slave. He knew better than to give into despair, or wallow in self-pity. He carried on with his appointed task of observing the locals, sleeping at his makeshift safehouse in the day and foraging in the urban jungle at night, surviving off of the kitchen scraps and refuse of the city's inhabitants. Thankfully their diets were compatible, else he'd have likely starved.
He lived like this for two weeks before he was forced to reveal himself.
As it turned out, he wasn't the only being that liked to prowl the city streets at night. But these locals had much more nefarious intentions, as he discovered when he stumbled across a young female in expensive-looking clothes being mugged at knife-point by a pair of thugs. She couldn't have been much older than his sister...
Before he even realized what he was doing, both assailants were on the ground with distinctive hoof prints on the backs of their heads, and the female biped he'd saved was staring right at him, her face betraying a strange mix of emotions.
Realizing that he'd probably made a mistake revealing himself, he turned to flee back into the shadows...only to be stopped when the would-be victim grabbed hold of him and refused to let go.
Try as he might, he couldn't free himself from her grasp, not without hurting her. The two struggled with each other for a time (she was surprisingly strong, and days of eating scraps had left him just a bit weak and malnourished) before the city guard arrived to take him and the two criminals into custody.
That was how he'd found himself in a cell in the local guard headquarters. He was almost too busy berating himself for being so stupid to realize that his cell was much more comfortable and well-furnished than the one the two muggers had been placed in.
It wasn't long before he was escorted from his cell to what he assumed was some sort of interrogation room, where a pair of official-looking locals were there to greet him.
To his mixed relief and fear, one was an interpreter, as evidenced by his greeting Light Step in perfect Maretonian. The other remained silent, quietly observing with an unreadable expression.
When the obvious question of who he was and why he was there was asked, the Earth Pony tensed up. For despite his great skill at infiltration, Light was a terrible liar, and he knew it. Even if he hadn't, he wouldn't have known what to say.
So he did the one thing no one would expect a spy to do. He told the truth. All of it. His status as an escaped slave, the abolitionist movement, the Empire of Gryphus, and how he'd been sent to discover who the Maretonian's mysterious trade partner was.
The two bipeds listened quietly, speaking only to ask for clarification on certain aspects of his story. Then, once he'd finished recounting the events in the alley with the female and the two criminals, the interpreter thanked him for being so forthcoming.
Then he was returned to his cell.
He wasn't sure how long he was made to wait there, unable to make out the muffled conversations through the walls as his captors discussed what he'd told them...and what to do with him no doubt.
He didn't have a way to keep track of time in his cell, but when the guards took him back out and began escorting him through the city streets, the first rays of morning sunshine were peeking through the city skyline.
He didn't know where he was being taken. The fact that he wasn't in chains or bound in rope was a good sign...though it wasn't like he had anywhere to run to. A few civilians on the streets gave him and his escorts strange looks, but none dared to impede their journey.
Eventually, they reached the steps of an ornately decorated building, festooned with gold and silver fixtures, it's roof held up by pillars of carved marble. This wasn't a good sign to Light Step. Such a thing was either the manor of a powerful and rich family, or a government building. It proved to be the latter as, upon ascending the steps, he found himself in the center of a chamber inhabited by dozens of male and female locals, each dressed in formal robes and seated atop raised steps of carved stone, looking down at him.
Wait no, not at him...at the official standing atop a raised platform that placed him at eye-level with the assembled attendees of this...meeting. Light Step recognized the speaker as the silent observer from the interrogation room.
As Light Step entered the chamber, flanked by twin guards of the city, the speaker motioned to him as he continued speaking...clearly they were talking about him.
Shortly after his arrival, the speaker atop the raised platform seemed to conclude his presentation, and bowed to his audience, who began whispering amongst themselves.
Light Step shifted nervously, his heart racing. Was this some sort of court proceeding? Was he on trial, this jury of locals deciding his fate?
After what felt like forever, the hushed conversation ceased, a single male rising from his seat to deliver what Light Step assumed was the their verdict.
Then the speaker atop the dias motioned for the Earth Pony to step forward. He did so with heavy steps, certain he was about to meet his end.
The speaker stepped down from the platform and reached into his robes, grasping a hidden object. Light Step closed his eyes and braced himself...
Only to open his eyes in confusion when he felt an unfamiliar object placed atop his head.
He blinked at the gilded laurel wreath that he was now wearing...and stared when every one of the chamber's inhabitants bowed to him.
What.
—————————————————————————————
Ravenburg's eye twitched.
"All that just to make you a citizen? With all the pomp and circumstance you'd think they were making you their new king."
Light Step nodded, smiling nervously at his superior as he gave his report.
"I almost thought that myself sir. Thankfully Silver Speech, the um, interpreter, managed to clear things up for me."
The Imperial Spymaster opened a drawer in his desk, prying loose a bottle and a pair of drinking glasses.
"So you inadvertently save the daughter of one of the city's most influential citizens and he petitions the local government on your behalf to grant you citizenship...seems like an odd method of expressing gratitude."
Light Step shrugged as he accepted the glass passed his way.
"I asked about that. Apparently it's got something to do with Minotaur culture. They can't stand the thought of being indebted to someone. That's also why Gold Heart, the uh girl I saved, tried to stop me from running off."
Ravenburg uncorked the bottle. Light Step's nostrils flared at the potent smell of alcohol as it burned his sinuses. The Griffon didn't even blink, pouring himself a shot.
"And the fact that you were an escaped Maretonian slave didn't stop them from granting you citizenship?"
The Earth Pony shook his head in the negative as Ravenburg poured the potent liquor into his glass.
"No sir. If anything, it only encouraged them."
Ravenburg gave his spy a questioning look.
"They aren't scared about offending their trade partner?"
The stallion smiled.
"Maretonia's not their trade partner anymore. Not after they found out about Maretonian slavery."
The spymaster blinked, surprised.
"They didn't know Maretonia practiced slavery?"
The emancipated Pony waggled a hoof in a so-so gesture.
"Well...they kind of knew, but not really. From what I could gather, it was a sort of translation error. Apparently those translation spells aren't perfect."
Ravenburg slid the drawer shut.
"When you say translation error..."
Step winced.
"Ok, don't freak out but...the Minotaurs sort of have slaves too."
Ravenburg gave the younger male a look that would have made a lesser pony wet themselves. Light Step held up his forehooves in a calming gesture.
"I mean, the Minotaurs call them slaves, but they're not...they're more like indentured servants. Most of them voluntarily enter service contracts in order to pay off their debts, and they're still considered full citizens, protected under the law."
Ravenburg frowned, tapping a claw against his desk. Light Step continued.
"To the Minotaurs, the idea of being born into slavery, or spending one's whole life in bondage without any possibility of regaining one's freedom, is abhorrent. Had they known the whole truth, they never would have done business with the slavers."
Ravenburg picked up his glass, swirling the contents thoughtfully.
"So the Maretonian trade route has been shut down."
Light Step grimaced again.
"Uh, not exactly sir. The Minotaur Republics are divided into numerous independent city states...each of which does some business with the Treasure Fleet. That's actually how they were able to sail away so quickly: they were only loading and unloading a small amount of cargo before sailing to the next port further down the coast. Labyrinthian, the uh, city I infiltrated, won't be doing business with them anymore, but it will probably take some time before word can spread to the rest of the Minotaur lands...and even if all the other city-states learn the truth, they might decide to trade with Maretonia anyway just to make a profit."
Ravenburg sighed, downing his shot and placing the glass back down.
"Well...all in all, I'd say you had a successful mission...though at this point I think you're better suited to diplomatic service than spy work."
Light Step's heart sank. Was he being fired?
Ravenburg clearly saw the look on his face, because he raised a placating talon.
"This is not a demotion, merely a transfer. If it were up to me you'd stay on as one of my best infiltrators, but I feel that you'd be of more help to the Empire as a diplomat."
He snorted.
"The Lady Eagleclaw would kill me if I told her that the first Pony Citizen of a Minotaur City-State was going to be sneaking into slave-owner's manor houses."
Step nervously took a sip from his glass...and almost spat it out, coughing at the strength of the liquor. Ravenburg grinned.
"Besides, I'm sure Ms. Gold Heart would like to see her rescuer more often."
He gestured towards his office window, where one of keen vision could make out the masts of a trio of Labyrinthian ships, docked in the harbor of Aukland.
"She came all the way across the ocean with you...I dare say she's not going to be letting you get away from her anytime soon."
Ravenburg's smile widened at his younger subordinate's continued spluttering.
Yes, Light Step lived an interesting life alright.
Maretonian Trade Route/Partner Identified, Contact made with Minotaur Republics
In case it wasn't clear, Minotauria's aesthetic is based off of Ancient Greece. Togas, pillars, democracy, etc.
I think this is the longest non-results post I've made that wasn't a battle scene. I might have let it get away from me, so let me know if there's anything I may not have made clear or needs elaboration.
The four smaller labels on the map are the four primary city-states of the Minotaur Republics. While there are over a dozen of them, those four are the largest, and most of the others tend to follow their lead. At present you only really have contact with Labyrinthian, the city that Light Step infiltrated, though that will change.
Born a slave in Maretonia, he had spent his foalhood in a near constant state of fear. Fear of the lash. Fear of being separated from his family. Fear of being sold to the owners of the strip mines, where slaves were worked to death. Fear of being killed by an overzealous overseer. As he grew, that fear had turned to anger and desperation. And soon those feelings translated into action.
It had started small. Stealing food meant for the master's table. Ensuring that documents regarding the sale of other slaves went missing. "Acquiring" medicine when his sister fell ill.
But then he went too far.
He'd tried to make it look like an accident. But when an entire storehouse full of cotton burns down, people tended to suspect the ones responsible for picking it. And so he'd been forced to flee, along with his family, into the wilderness. And then he learned what true fear was, as they were hunted like animals through the forests, never knowing if they would meet their deaths at the end of a noose or at the fangs of some slavering beast.
They'd managed to avoid both fates long enough for winter to come and threaten them with the inevitability of freezing or starving to death. At that point, he'd had no choice but to risk slipping into the city in hopes of acquiring food and shelter for himself and his loved ones.
That was how he'd met the abolitionists.
Slaves that sought to rebel against their so-called masters were a dime a dozen. But a slave capable of evading capture by trained search parties for weeks, all while keeping their family alive, and then sneaking into town despite having his face on wanted posters at almost every street corner? That was a much rarer find. And they were always on the lookout for new talent.
And so, they'd made him an offer he couldn't refuse: work for them, and they'd make sure his family stayed safe.
And he'd put his skills to good use. Whether he was assigned to act as a spy or smuggler, courier or thief, he excelled at every mission he was given by his handlers. And yet despite all he did for the cause, he still yearned to make more of a difference.
Then the Griffons had arrived, and everything changed.
Escaped slaves didn't need to flee from one safehouse or bolthole to the next anymore. Now they just needed to slip across a long and poorly-patrolled border to reach a land where they would be truly free, and live without fear.
His family would be among the first escaped slaves to settle in the Empire, building new lives that they could never have dreamed of when they were still in bondage. But Light Step did not go with them. For while his family was now free, there were countless others still suffering at the hooves of cruel masters. His work was not yet done.
He would take part in Operation Winged Freedom, helping to free dozens of Griffons, Dogs and Ponies alike. His skills would leave a favorable impression upon the Imperial agents he was tasked to work alongside.
That was what would eventually lead to his greatest achievement, that would propel his name into history.
When the lady Ambrosia told him that the Griffon Emperor himself had requested one of her best spies to perform a dangerous mission, he'd leapt at the chance to pay back his debt to the land that his family now called their home.
That was how he'd found himself stowed away aboard a vessel carrying more gold than he'd ever seen in his life, on route towards a mysterious land inhabited by an even more mysterious people, taking meticulous notes on the path of the ships and their defensive complements, as he'd been requested to do when he'd volunteered for such a dangerous assignment.
He didn't know what he would see when the treasure fleet reached its destination, or what he would do when the crew began to empty out the hold. But he felt he was prepared, and ready for anything.
—————————————————————————————
He hadn't been ready for this.
He'd managed to sneak off the ship aboard a crate (staying aboard simply wasn't an option while the cargo was removed and replaced), slipping away into the busy harbor of this strange city, using the alleys and drainage ditches to avoid the prying eyes of its inhabitants.
And what interesting inhabitants they were! Bipedal, dual-horned, and almost universally garbed in clothing of an unusual fashion. A shame he wasn't a linguist, for, judging by the smatterings of conversation he'd managed to overhear while creeping through the shadows, they spoke a language entirely unknown to him.
He had just managed to find an unoccupied room in the back of a boarded up business to use as a refuge to catch his breath and plan his next move when he noticed, to his shock, that the treasure ships of the Maretonian fleet were already pulling out of the harbor!
How!? How could they unload and load their cargoes so quickly? The masts of the ships disappearing over the horizon yielded no answers, but one thing was clear: he was now stuck in a foreign land with no way home.
But Light Step had been a slave. He knew better than to give into despair, or wallow in self-pity. He carried on with his appointed task of observing the locals, sleeping at his makeshift safehouse in the day and foraging in the urban jungle at night, surviving off of the kitchen scraps and refuse of the city's inhabitants. Thankfully their diets were compatible, else he'd have likely starved.
He lived like this for two weeks before he was forced to reveal himself.
As it turned out, he wasn't the only being that liked to prowl the city streets at night. But these locals had much more nefarious intentions, as he discovered when he stumbled across a young female in expensive-looking clothes being mugged at knife-point by a pair of thugs. She couldn't have been much older than his sister...
Before he even realized what he was doing, both assailants were on the ground with distinctive hoof prints on the backs of their heads, and the female biped he'd saved was staring right at him, her face betraying a strange mix of emotions.
Realizing that he'd probably made a mistake revealing himself, he turned to flee back into the shadows...only to be stopped when the would-be victim grabbed hold of him and refused to let go.
Try as he might, he couldn't free himself from her grasp, not without hurting her. The two struggled with each other for a time (she was surprisingly strong, and days of eating scraps had left him just a bit weak and malnourished) before the city guard arrived to take him and the two criminals into custody.
That was how he'd found himself in a cell in the local guard headquarters. He was almost too busy berating himself for being so stupid to realize that his cell was much more comfortable and well-furnished than the one the two muggers had been placed in.
It wasn't long before he was escorted from his cell to what he assumed was some sort of interrogation room, where a pair of official-looking locals were there to greet him.
To his mixed relief and fear, one was an interpreter, as evidenced by his greeting Light Step in perfect Maretonian. The other remained silent, quietly observing with an unreadable expression.
When the obvious question of who he was and why he was there was asked, the Earth Pony tensed up. For despite his great skill at infiltration, Light was a terrible liar, and he knew it. Even if he hadn't, he wouldn't have known what to say.
So he did the one thing no one would expect a spy to do. He told the truth. All of it. His status as an escaped slave, the abolitionist movement, the Empire of Gryphus, and how he'd been sent to discover who the Maretonian's mysterious trade partner was.
The two bipeds listened quietly, speaking only to ask for clarification on certain aspects of his story. Then, once he'd finished recounting the events in the alley with the female and the two criminals, the interpreter thanked him for being so forthcoming.
Then he was returned to his cell.
He wasn't sure how long he was made to wait there, unable to make out the muffled conversations through the walls as his captors discussed what he'd told them...and what to do with him no doubt.
He didn't have a way to keep track of time in his cell, but when the guards took him back out and began escorting him through the city streets, the first rays of morning sunshine were peeking through the city skyline.
He didn't know where he was being taken. The fact that he wasn't in chains or bound in rope was a good sign...though it wasn't like he had anywhere to run to. A few civilians on the streets gave him and his escorts strange looks, but none dared to impede their journey.
Eventually, they reached the steps of an ornately decorated building, festooned with gold and silver fixtures, it's roof held up by pillars of carved marble. This wasn't a good sign to Light Step. Such a thing was either the manor of a powerful and rich family, or a government building. It proved to be the latter as, upon ascending the steps, he found himself in the center of a chamber inhabited by dozens of male and female locals, each dressed in formal robes and seated atop raised steps of carved stone, looking down at him.
Wait no, not at him...at the official standing atop a raised platform that placed him at eye-level with the assembled attendees of this...meeting. Light Step recognized the speaker as the silent observer from the interrogation room.
As Light Step entered the chamber, flanked by twin guards of the city, the speaker motioned to him as he continued speaking...clearly they were talking about him.
Shortly after his arrival, the speaker atop the raised platform seemed to conclude his presentation, and bowed to his audience, who began whispering amongst themselves.
Light Step shifted nervously, his heart racing. Was this some sort of court proceeding? Was he on trial, this jury of locals deciding his fate?
After what felt like forever, the hushed conversation ceased, a single male rising from his seat to deliver what Light Step assumed was the their verdict.
Then the speaker atop the dias motioned for the Earth Pony to step forward. He did so with heavy steps, certain he was about to meet his end.
The speaker stepped down from the platform and reached into his robes, grasping a hidden object. Light Step closed his eyes and braced himself...
Only to open his eyes in confusion when he felt an unfamiliar object placed atop his head.
He blinked at the gilded laurel wreath that he was now wearing...and stared when every one of the chamber's inhabitants bowed to him.
What.
—————————————————————————————
Ravenburg's eye twitched.
"All that just to make you a citizen? With all the pomp and circumstance you'd think they were making you their new king."
Light Step nodded, smiling nervously at his superior as he gave his report.
"I almost thought that myself sir. Thankfully Silver Speech, the um, interpreter, managed to clear things up for me."
The Imperial Spymaster opened a drawer in his desk, prying loose a bottle and a pair of drinking glasses.
"So you inadvertently save the daughter of one of the city's most influential citizens and he petitions the local government on your behalf to grant you citizenship...seems like an odd method of expressing gratitude."
Light Step shrugged as he accepted the glass passed his way.
"I asked about that. Apparently it's got something to do with Minotaur culture. They can't stand the thought of being indebted to someone. That's also why Gold Heart, the uh girl I saved, tried to stop me from running off."
Ravenburg uncorked the bottle. Light Step's nostrils flared at the potent smell of alcohol as it burned his sinuses. The Griffon didn't even blink, pouring himself a shot.
"And the fact that you were an escaped Maretonian slave didn't stop them from granting you citizenship?"
The Earth Pony shook his head in the negative as Ravenburg poured the potent liquor into his glass.
"No sir. If anything, it only encouraged them."
Ravenburg gave his spy a questioning look.
"They aren't scared about offending their trade partner?"
The stallion smiled.
"Maretonia's not their trade partner anymore. Not after they found out about Maretonian slavery."
The spymaster blinked, surprised.
"They didn't know Maretonia practiced slavery?"
The emancipated Pony waggled a hoof in a so-so gesture.
"Well...they kind of knew, but not really. From what I could gather, it was a sort of translation error. Apparently those translation spells aren't perfect."
Ravenburg slid the drawer shut.
"When you say translation error..."
Step winced.
"Ok, don't freak out but...the Minotaurs sort of have slaves too."
Ravenburg gave the younger male a look that would have made a lesser pony wet themselves. Light Step held up his forehooves in a calming gesture.
"I mean, the Minotaurs call them slaves, but they're not...they're more like indentured servants. Most of them voluntarily enter service contracts in order to pay off their debts, and they're still considered full citizens, protected under the law."
Ravenburg frowned, tapping a claw against his desk. Light Step continued.
"To the Minotaurs, the idea of being born into slavery, or spending one's whole life in bondage without any possibility of regaining one's freedom, is abhorrent. Had they known the whole truth, they never would have done business with the slavers."
Ravenburg picked up his glass, swirling the contents thoughtfully.
"So the Maretonian trade route has been shut down."
Light Step grimaced again.
"Uh, not exactly sir. The Minotaur Republics are divided into numerous independent city states...each of which does some business with the Treasure Fleet. That's actually how they were able to sail away so quickly: they were only loading and unloading a small amount of cargo before sailing to the next port further down the coast. Labyrinthian, the uh, city I infiltrated, won't be doing business with them anymore, but it will probably take some time before word can spread to the rest of the Minotaur lands...and even if all the other city-states learn the truth, they might decide to trade with Maretonia anyway just to make a profit."
Ravenburg sighed, downing his shot and placing the glass back down.
"Well...all in all, I'd say you had a successful mission...though at this point I think you're better suited to diplomatic service than spy work."
Light Step's heart sank. Was he being fired?
Ravenburg clearly saw the look on his face, because he raised a placating talon.
"This is not a demotion, merely a transfer. If it were up to me you'd stay on as one of my best infiltrators, but I feel that you'd be of more help to the Empire as a diplomat."
He snorted.
"The Lady Eagleclaw would kill me if I told her that the first Pony Citizen of a Minotaur City-State was going to be sneaking into slave-owner's manor houses."
Step nervously took a sip from his glass...and almost spat it out, coughing at the strength of the liquor. Ravenburg grinned.
"Besides, I'm sure Ms. Gold Heart would like to see her rescuer more often."
He gestured towards his office window, where one of keen vision could make out the masts of a trio of Labyrinthian ships, docked in the harbor of Aukland.
"She came all the way across the ocean with you...I dare say she's not going to be letting you get away from her anytime soon."
Ravenburg's smile widened at his younger subordinate's continued spluttering.
Yes, Light Step lived an interesting life alright.
Maretonian Trade Route/Partner Identified, Contact made with Minotaur Republics
In case it wasn't clear, Minotauria's aesthetic is based off of Ancient Greece. Togas, pillars, democracy, etc.
I think this is the longest non-results post I've made that wasn't a battle scene. I might have let it get away from me, so let me know if there's anything I may not have made clear or needs elaboration.
The four smaller labels on the map are the four primary city-states of the Minotaur Republics. While there are over a dozen of them, those four are the largest, and most of the others tend to follow their lead. At present you only really have contact with Labyrinthian, the city that Light Step infiltrated, though that will change.
DevilsAdvocate
Always follow the golden rule.
Huh, so these are pretty Athenian Minotars... Nice.
Ancient Scholar
Amateur Editor/Beta
- Location
- United States
So if the minataurs are Greek are we the Romans?
- Location
- his hidden lair
So the million dollar question is what trade goods do these Minotaurs have that justifies shipping entire holds full of good to purchase? Not finished goods, not processed materials like iron or what have you. Just gold bullion. Some greek stereotypes might be marble, pottery, wine... I'm sure I'm missing some but the alternative is that the Minotaurs are merely middlemen for goods from even further afar like say Saffron, Silk, Coffee, or Porcelain.
We're actually closer to the not Germans/the Holy Roman Empire from what it looks like. It's just that we succeeded in centralizing and getting all our various sub-cultures to buy into an Imperial ideal.
- Location
- Maryland
The standard First Contact Q/A you mean?
That can be arranged, yes.
- Location
- USA
Pretty much yes since we now met these new people. Can't wait to ask them some things. Hell maybe even invite Ms. gold heart to meet the family. Haven't done that since Neighpon. They seem nice enough to allow it. Maybe actually make our translator feel useful for once.
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- Location
- The state of Paranoia
Ravenburg: This is known as Carl's Stash. I started keeping this rather large collection of spirits ever since a certain mission during the war against Sombra. It finds quite a lot of use.
I think that we are more like the Empire of Man from Warhammer, or like the Holy Roman Empire irl.
lockingbane
If you're crazy and you know it clap your hands!
- Location
- Waxahachie tx
So, I am curious as to what they are trading. I mean, if they are paying such massive amounts to them.... What exactly are they paying FOR?
And I wonder if it is possible for us to take those contracts and leverage the position of being the better trading partner to get them to stop trading with the maretonians and then use the newly collected mystery goods to force maretonia to do some changes....
And I wonder if it is possible for us to take those contracts and leverage the position of being the better trading partner to get them to stop trading with the maretonians and then use the newly collected mystery goods to force maretonia to do some changes....
- Location
- USA
Well based on their reaction to slavery I would say at least most of the cities will hopefully stop trade when they learn of their practice. Not all but enough for them to feel the hurt.
Evaunit02mark1
S-s-smell the Prey, S-s-start the Hunt.
Never underestimate the lengths men in preindustrial civilizations will go to for spice.
The shit men did for nutmeg alone would give you nightmares.
- Location
- The state of Paranoia
So we found Athens. It's possible that that all the other city states also only have watered down types of slavery, but also maybe not. Irl, Sparta had a slave population bigger than their citizen population...
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On the other hand, Athens also didn't have many people irl who were citizens, so idk.
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On the other hand, Athens also didn't have many people irl who were citizens, so idk.
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Early Rome, probably.
...Although, we were having problems with our sewers. Could we do an Aqueduct project? Inefficient but as a status symbol.
Citizens and slavery were a bit weird in Greece, IIRC. I think they had the whole range of "you are a slave" to serfs to indenturement and so on.
lockingbane
If you're crazy and you know it clap your hands!
- Location
- Waxahachie tx
Eh, this is MLP Greece so I expect it is mostly indentured servitude rather than true slavery.So we found Athens. It's possible that that all the other city states also only have watered down types of slavery, but also maybe not. Irl, Sparta had a slave population bigger than their citizen population...
Edit:
On the other hand, Athens also didn't have many people irl who were citizens, so idk.
Vaguely worried if this version also has the idea that any underaged male is expected to be the butt boy of anyone of higher status or is in the military/above them in the military/above them in the government.
- Location
- SF Bay Area
Guys... Maretonia is Rome. The slaves, the legions, the Empress, the patrician classes
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lockingbane
If you're crazy and you know it clap your hands!
- Location
- Waxahachie tx
Nah, they are the french remember?
- Location
- NJ
I thought it was the other nation with the Knightly Orders that were French?