Just cause I like the RP value over stats. Sure, I could see him bro-ing it out with sebastian too, and he'd probably wind up being happy there, but I also think he'd be happy going out and seeing the world beyond the walls, especially since I feel it'd be what he'd want to do.
Man do I have an omake idea I want to do really badly...
I realize there are already two other tallies on this page, but because the last tally was taken yesterday. I'm posting this one now, so we don't get some clutter in a different tally.
Adhoc vote count started by Marlin on Dec 27, 2019 at 6:00 PM, finished with 188 posts and 56 votes.
[X]Diplomacy: As his friendship with Ki Seong has shown, Gawain has no difficulty bridging cultural divides and forging connections with individuals of differing backgrounds; valuable skills for a head of state and diplomat alike. Gisa could always use another helping talon managing the growing number of foreign delegations and embassies she has been placed in charge of. Gawain should fit right in.
[X] Learning: As a former student of Archimedes, Gawain already possesses all the necessary attributes of a scholar and researcher. What better place to have him work than alongside his former mentor in the act of benefiting the Empire's knowledge base?
[X] Piety: They say that suffering builds character, and you can't think of a more character-building activity for your son than placing him at the head of the Council of Faiths. In all seriousness though, with the growing prominence and importance of religion in the Empire, having your son in a place to learn about and influence the numerous faiths in Gryphus may be a wise decision.
[X] Intrigue: When you began your rule, you had no idea just how important your spies and intelligence agents would become to the security and functioning of your domain. If Gawain is to one day become an effective ruler, he must have first-hand experience with the Empire's...less obvious means of influencing events.
[X] Martial: Gawain shall be given a commission and a position of authority within the military. Exactly what role he will play is as of yet uncertain, but your military command could always use another effective leader to carry out operations, both logistical and combative in nature.
[X] Stewardship: While he does not have the business instinct borne of years of experience that you do, Gawain still has a head for sums and an eye for opportunity. Besides, the whole point of this exercise is to give him a chance to learn and grow.
Gisa Eagleclaw kept her eyes closed, trying not to focus on the rocking of the ship as she awaited the completion of her journey.
It had been nearly a month since she had been tasked by the Emperor with building upon the foundation Light Step had created in establishing official relations with the Minotaur Republics, as well as finding out as much about them as she could. Ordinarily she'd have jumped at the chance to learn about a new culture, especially one that seemed as diverse as that of the Republics.
But maritime travel had never agreed with her. That was the entire reason why, when serving as a lowly interpreter in the diplomatic corps what seemed like a lifetime ago, she had chosen to work with the nomadic Clans in YakYakistan, a posting that many of her colleagues had seen as far less exciting and prestigious than a position in the court of the Dragon Emperor of Neighpon.
She'd have said that the joke was on them if her promotion to the Emperor's council hadn't come with responsibilities that included taking a long journey across the ocean.
The fact that she was a guest aboard a Minotaur vessel was both a blessing and a curse. If she'd travelled by Caravel the journey would have taken a fraction of the time it had. Still, at least she could pass the time learning their language...whenever she wasn't making a run to the side of the boat to vomit.
Though her eyes were closed, her ears could pick up the whispered conversation between Light Step and the Lady Gold Heart, the occasional feminine giggle punctuating their conversation. Despite her queasiness, she couldn't help but smile a bit at that. It was good to see those two getting along...and not just for the obvious reasons of it being a good indicator for any future diplomatic relations between their peoples.
—————————————————————————————
After almost two weeks at sea, just as she was starting to get used to the constant rocking of the boat, the marble roofs and stone walls of Labyrinthian came into view on the horizon.
As the ship moved into port and Gisa found herself escorted through the crowded streets of the city towards the hill where she was to meet with representatives of the local government, she couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. Despite her time to prepare, both prior to the journey and aboard the ship itself, she was uncertain if she was really ready.
By the Ancestors, she was about to handle the first contact negotiations for an entirely new culture! If she did anything to mess things up...
So caught up in her anxiety was she that she barely even noticed when her party of diplomats arrived at the top of the Pynx, as the locals called it. According to Ms. Gold Heart, this hill held both spiritual and political significance, being the place where leading citizens gathered to discuss and vote upon legislation, as well as conduct yearly religious ceremonies. Waiting for them atop the hill sat a trio of Minotaurs in the cloth tunics and cloaks that seemed to be the norm when it came to local garb, seated upon stools around a large table covered in plates of food and pitchers of different beverages.
The Minotaurs sure loved wining and dining their guests.
After the initial pleasantries and greetings, and as she and her colleagues began to tuck into the offered food and drink, Gisa began to seriously consider exactly what she wished to talk about with their hosts...and what sort of questions she wanted to ask them.
What Questions does Gisa ask?
[ ] Write-Ins
Apologies if this seems a little rushed. I was eager to get this out quickly and keep the Quest rolling along. As before, you get to ask five questions, though if I see a lot of really good questions I might expand the number. Any relevant lore or valuable information not covered in the coming update will be made available as the result of future Diplomacy and Intrigue Actions.
Also, as a side note, the vote on Gawain's job posting stands at 24 for diplomacy and 23 for learning. In light of that, I'm leaving the vote open for just a bit longer in hopes of a clearer majority.
On the subject of the queens death. Huh. It's really odd for me.
As far as we know, she was a decent leader of her people, though had tension with the noble class. I suspect no more vices than one would associate with Romanesque cultures.
I think the royal guard is innocent, or rather, as innocent as they can be. Traitors maybe, but they wouldn't poison her.
A single cup of wine? Silver or glass? It is actually important depending upon the poison.
Only a handmaiden or slave could have had the access required, as I'm sure she had a taste tester, or someone similar to test her food. Someone who would not be missed or found odd. A guard would be too obvious, to open, a noble too conspicuous. So a slave or servant with access to the queen. And the desire and will to frame us and sow mass Discord in Maretonia. But for what reason?!?
If it's a war with Griffonia then that failed, the houses are too divided to be a threat. Likewise, they could have left some mark, or forgery to implicate others.
So either the target is only Maretonia, in which case who ever wins the war will be in danger if they are not the culprit, or it's a larger threat.
With that thought in mind, could it possibly be some extremist of the Abolitionist groups that were sick of how slow the process was for change in the society and wound up deciding that since Griffonia was lending aide if the civil war started now then Griffonia would bumrush the south? I mean it could be plausible that someone was disllusioned enough yet retaining just enough hope that they thought that by murder of the Queen it'd turned this slow cold process into a hot fiery one.
Unless we've got some unknown crazy faction that we've not been made aware of that is some type of I don't know Murder-Death-Kill cult that has been embedded in the old Maretonian pantheon and longs for the old days when Maretonia had gone out and Got Shit Done. Sort of like an Ares or Mars that went bad or has seen how decadent the Maretonians have gotten in recent years.
Gisa Eagleclaw kept her eyes closed, trying not to focus on the rocking of the ship as she awaited the completion of her journey.
It had been nearly a month since she had been tasked by the Emperor with building upon the foundation Light Step had created in establishing official relations with the Minotaur Republics, as well as finding out as much about them as she could. Ordinarily she'd have jumped at the chance to learn about a new culture, especially one that seemed as diverse as that of the Republics.
But maritime travel had never agreed with her. That was the entire reason why, when serving as a lowly interpreter in the diplomatic corps what seemed like a lifetime ago, she had chosen to work with the nomadic Clans in YakYakistan, a posting that many of her colleagues had seen as far less exciting and prestigious than a position in the court of the Dragon Emperor of Neighpon.
She'd have said that the joke was on them if her promotion to the Emperor's council hadn't come with responsibilities that included taking a long journey across the ocean.
The fact that she was a guest aboard a Minotaur vessel was both a blessing and a curse. If she'd travelled by Caravel the journey would have taken a fraction of the time it had. Still, at least she could pass the time learning their language...whenever she wasn't making a run to the side of the boat to vomit.
Though her eyes were closed, her ears could pick up the whispered conversation between Light Step and the Lady Gold Heart, the occasional feminine giggle punctuating their conversation. Despite her queasiness, she couldn't help but smile a bit at that. It was good to see those two getting along...and not just for the obvious reasons of it being a good indicator for any future diplomatic relations between their peoples.
—————————————————————————————
After almost two weeks at sea, just as she was starting to get used to the constant rocking of the boat, the marble roofs and stone walls of Labyrinthian came into view on the horizon.
As the ship moved into port and Gisa found herself escorted through the crowded streets of the city towards the hill where she was to meet with representatives of the local government, she couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. Despite her time to prepare, both prior to the journey and aboard the ship itself, she was uncertain if she was really ready.
By the Ancestors, she was about to handle the first contact negotiations for an entirely new culture! If she did anything to mess things up...
So caught up in her anxiety was she that she barely even noticed when her party of diplomats arrived at the top of the Pynx, as the locals called it. According to Mrs. Gold Heart, this hill held both spiritual and political significance, being the place where leading citizens gathered to discuss and vote upon legislation, as well as conduct yearly religious ceremonies. Waiting for them atop the hill sat a trio of Minotaurs in the cloth tunics and cloaks that seemed to be the norm when it came to local garb, seated upon stools around a large table covered in plates of food and pitchers of different beverages.
The Minotaurs sure loved wining and dining their guests.
After the initial pleasantries and greetings, and as she and her colleagues began to tuck into the offered food and drink, Gisa began to seriously consider exactly what she wished to talk about with their hosts...and what sort of questions she wanted to ask them.
What Questions does Gisa ask?
[ ] Write-Ins
Apologies if this seems a little rushed. I was eager to get this out quickly and keep the Quest rolling along. As before, you get to ask five questions, though if I see a lot of really good questions I might expand the number. Any relevant lore or valuable information not covered in the coming update will be made available as the result of future Diplomacy and Intrigue Actions.
Also, as a side note, the vote on Gawain's job posting stands at 24 for diplomacy and 23 for learning. In light of that, I'm leaving the vote open for just a bit longer in hopes of a clearer majority.
Bwhuuuuuh, I have no idea on what to really ask aside from the usual stuff. Culture, practices, what kind of deals were you interested in, what about your faiths and the like. Would you perhaps be interested in a trade deal with Griffonia, what about research grants because you look like a naval power and we got some really neat ideas on boats you could use if you have something really good.
Maybe ask what their main imports and exports are?
What are the threats to Labyrinthia? Monsters, pirates, any evil moving fog covered screaming islands?
Locations they know of that we don't?
The main tenets of their culture? Or something like that. Belief system?
What do they want most out of an alliance with us?
Only three questions I think of is ask about their religion since the meeting is taking place in a important spot and if there are others kingdoms/culture that they are in contact with that is not Maretonia and if they can tell us about, and maybe about the other minotaur city states.
[X] what are the rights, duties and requirements for citizenship in your kingdom/city?
[X] what magic abilities do your people possess (if any)?
[X] do you know anything about Discord's defeat?
[X] diplomacy
I'll add/mix and match questions from the other posts tomorrow.
@Questor there are likely going to be problems if the vote from the last threadmark continues after the new one. People who vote for questions without repeating the Gawain vote won't have it appear in any new tally (it only counts the last vote).
We also need to specify that the tally has to count votes from that threadmark, and not from this one
A far as I'm concerned the Learning option is both best from a game play and role play perspective. Gawain actually has experience and history with learning while he has none with diplomacy, also the likelihood of him being used as an actual ambassador are really low so he won't earn any reputation that way. But he can earn a reputation with technology, as our current advisors have. Also as a non magical species, a cornerstone of our power lies in being more technologically advanced than our neighbors, so advancing our nation that way would do wonders to earn him respect, especially since while Garrick has done diplomatic work himself, he's never worked with technology so this would better allow him to differentiate himself from his father.
