Torgamous
Aspiring Gynoid
- Pronouns
- She/Her
The story of Troy might not exist here, but the horse is still recognizable.
Who Needs Harmony?: An MLP Empire Quest
- Thread starter Questor
- Start date
Just what type of "Diplomatic Solution" do you think can even be reached here? House Storm won't stop now, not when they've "sacrificed" tens of thousands of people for victory. I doubt House White Star would be inclined to listen either at this point, they're probably too busy looking for a WMD to retaliate with. The only one's we can reach any sort of agreement with(besides the abolitionists) would be with the royal guard and that's probably just going to be military support to end this damned madness before it gets even worse.
Remember, House Storm is the militarist faction who's leader gained popularity based on his war against "barbarians". I believe that war against House Storm is an inevitability, and we've already seen an offensive committed on their terms. Maretonia under Pegicles would assuredly turn on either us or Canterbury after they recover from the war. An abolitionist victory would be preferable, and a White-Star victory would at least uphold the status quo.
Also, remember we aren't playing under modern politics. I'm not sure that anyone would really care if we attacked them even without Maretonia being a pariah state of slavers.
- Location
- Germany
Not sure what you are talking about.
- Location
- Somewhere
Link to the last time I did this.
Archival purposes: "Turn 26 Rumor Mill" (posted by QM on Friday, February 28, 2020)
OR
The Front Page as it appeared to me on Saturday, February 29, 2020.
Character Sheet (last edited by QM on Wednesday, February 19, 2020)
- Not Changed
Informational: State of the Nation (last edited by QM on Saturday, February 8, 2020)
- Not Changed
Informational: Diplomatic Relations/Persons of Interest (last edited by QM on Monday, February 3, 2020)
- Not Changed
Archival purposes: "Turn 26 Rumor Mill" (posted by QM on Friday, February 28, 2020)
OR
The Front Page as it appeared to me on Saturday, February 29, 2020.
Character Sheet (last edited by QM on Wednesday, February 19, 2020)
- Not Changed
Name: Garrick Golden-Feather
Age: 52
Titles: Emperor of Gryphus, King of Griffonia, Inheritor of the Imperial House of Gryphus, The Unifier, Great Winged Alpha, The Lightbringer, The Liberator, the King of the North.
Description: Before your wife got her talons on you, you were a fairly typical example of the Griffon species. An unmistakably masculine build, a strong, prominent beak, feathers and fur that seem to be perpetually well-groomed, and a pair of piercing amber eyes hiding a fierce intelligence. Not anymore though. Oh, you still have all those qualities, they're just overshadowed by the massive amount of muscle you've put on since you started your wife's "enhanced training regimen". Your wings can lift dumbbells, and your legs are like tree-trunks supporting a barrel chest rippling with abdominal muscles. In short, you have the build of a person who has been lifting heavy objects his entire life.
Martial: 9+2+1+2=14
Diplomacy: 14+2+2=18
Stewardship: 13+2=15
Learning: 16+2=18
Intrigue: 11+2=13
- Trait-Attractive: You are a very handsome fellow. +2 Diplomacy, better spousal relationship
- Trait-Genius: Smart doesn't even begin to describe you. +2 all skills
- Trait-Strong: Working out with your wife has done great things for your body. +2 Martial
Inventory:
- Blade of the King: an ornate and deadly sword you had forged for yourself after being crowned King of Griffonia. +1 Martial
- Runic Royal Armor: Serving to protect you as well as display your royal status to onlookers, this armor is both durable and aesthetically pleasing. With Merlin's assistance, it has been enhanced with runic magic, making it even more durable.
- Orichalcum Sword: A blade made of an extremely durable, magic resistant metal
- Sendak Manuscript: Recovered from the Archives of the Shadow King Sombra, this strange book is bound in the treated flesh of monsters and is written in numerous unknown tongues. It contains diagrams that seem to reference everything from the movements of stellar bodies to the biology of plants and animals to the complex physics of magical phenomenon. It's origins remain a mystery.
Wife: Gabriella Golden-Feather
Opinion of You: 10/10
Age: 51
Martial: 15+1+2=18
Diplomacy: 11+1=12
Stewardship: 8+1=9
Learning: 13+1=14
Intrigue: 10+1=11
Trait: Strong - Born stronger than most. (+2 Martial)
Trait: Experienced - Has been a mercenary for several years, ranging across the lands of the former Empire. Knows much about the world. (+1 All Stats)
Son: Gawain Golden-Feather
Age: 21
Martial: 14+2+2+1=19
Diplomacy: 13+2+2+2=19
Stewardship: 14+2=16
Learning: 10+2=12
Intrigue: 11+2=13
Status: Designated Heir. Will become player character in event of Parent's Deaths.
Trait: Strong-Born stronger than most. (+2 Martial)
Trait: Attractive-A handsome fellow. (+2 Diplomacy, better spousal relationship)
Trait: Genius-Smart doesn't begin to describe him. (+2 All Stats)
Trait: Game Master-Years of playing games of strategy and wits with members of the Imperial Court has honed his sense of strategy and taught him how to read others. (+1 Martial, +2 Diplomacy)
(Adopted) Daughter: Gwyndlyn Golden-Feather
Age: 17
Martial: 15+4-5=14
Diplomacy: 9-5=4
Stewardship: 6+2-5=3
Learning: 8+1-5=4
Intrigue: 9+1-5=5
Status: Adolescent-Malus to all stats
Status-Designated Regent: In the event that no heir is capable of taking the throne, or in the event the rightful ruler is otherwise unavailable, she will take control of the kingdom until the situation can be resolved.
Trait: Dragon-A fire breathing reptile. (+4 Martial)
Trait: Gardener-Years of studying and caring for plants has taught her much in the realm of botany, and has instilled in her an understanding of how hard work and patience can yield great dividends. (+2 Stewardship, +1 Learning, +1 Intrigue)
Daughter: Gilda Golden-Feather
Age: 14
Martial: 8-5=3
Diplomacy: 11+2-5=8
Stewardship: 11-5=6
Learning: 7-5=2
Intrigue: 6-5=1
Trait: Beautiful- A stellar example of feminine grace. (+2 Diplomacy)
Status: Teenager-Malus to all stats
Daughter: Gleaming Pearl
Age: 15
Martial: 7+2-5=4
Diplomacy: 10+2-5=7
Stewardship: 12-5=7
Learning: 5+2-5=2
Intrigue: 8-5=3
Status: Teenager-Malus to all stats
Trait: Beautiful-A stellar example of feminine grace. (+2 Diplomacy)
Trait: Studious-Knows her way around the written word. (+2 Learning)
Adopted: Permanently last in the line of Royal Succession.
Crystalmancer: A prodigy in the arcane art of Crystal Manipulation, able to turn a few pebbles into a forest of glittering spires. (+2 Martial)
Informational: State of the Nation (last edited by QM on Saturday, February 8, 2020)
- Not Changed
Informational: Diplomatic Relations/Persons of Interest (last edited by QM on Monday, February 3, 2020)
- Not Changed
Torgamous
Aspiring Gynoid
- Pronouns
- She/Her
A gift that had soldiers inside? There's no way White Star is going to trust us to send a bunch of people into their territory without an ulterior motive, and sending resources without people is a great way to have them spent on the war instead. So what form do you envision humanitarian aid taking here?
To be fair, they not exactly in a position to turn such much needed aid, especially if they still want a chance against House Storm.
Don't look a gift horse in the mouth as the saying goes. They wound't be totally wrong about ulterior motives, again, they in a poor position more than ever.
The aid in question, I think mostly, food, building materials, that kind of stuff. No weapons. Maybe information about House Storm troop movements to even the odds.
- Location
- Germany
Just ask the Royal Guard to name any route we are to take if we wanna engage in friendly talking with them - a diplomatic corridor both literally and figuratively.
After that we can hammer down the specifics of the humanitarian aid in a way everyone involved can trust the parties ENOUGH to not immediately brandish swords.
Torgamous
Aspiring Gynoid
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Sure they are. If they were in such a bad position that inviting a likely invading force in looked like a good idea they wouldn't still be a factor in the war. It'd just be Storm, the Abolitionists, and the Royal Guard.
I think you're overestimating how much influence the guard has. They have symbolic significance for validating a given faction's status as a successor and material significance as a professional military force, but they're not actually in charge of anything outside that brown circle on the map.
- Location
- The state of Paranoia
This seems like a good choice for our overall strategy if we go to war. I'm a bit iffy on the naval landing though, since it might be possible for Pegicles to hit our ships with a storm that would wreck our ships. I would consider a stealth naval landing though, if we can get support from Neighpon. They could have their tanuki and kitsune use illusions to prevent our ships from being seen until they've all landed.
Edit:
Also, we should definitely try to get Canterbury to invade, adding another front to the west.
Last edited:
- Location
- Germany
Trust me, people tend to look to official political entities when asking what to do next. The RGs symbolic power can get us far if used correctly.
Torgamous
Aspiring Gynoid
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Competing official political entities don't.
- Location
- Germany
The Royal Guard are the Kingmakers in this conflict...that has gotta count for something.
Markala
Hannor & Polycho Shipper
- Location
- At the Junction of Angst and Fluff
Eh, not really it seems? I mean sure, they've stayed outta the civil war conflict so far, but they have little influence if at all and far less teeth than any of the other factions and so far just trying to weather the Civil War until it passes and haven't really been doing anything else. The Royal Guard are nominally relevant at best, but I highly doubt they have enough pull to Kingmake or enforce said Kingmake unless White Star manages to make a comeback and both them and Storm somehow kill each other equally.
Last edited:
- Location
- Germany
I am simply trying to think of a way to make some kind of talks with them feasible
Markala
Hannor & Polycho Shipper
- Location
- At the Junction of Angst and Fluff
Fair, it would be interesting to have possible action options that involve the Royal Guard (if they're relevant by then), since we haven't had any so far. And since they've only appeared in the background so far.
EDIT: But unless we suddenly decide to throw our weight behind them, which may take more actions than they're worth, I highly doubt they'll make a sudden jump in relevance unless they ALSO manage to asspull a MWMD in the next turn or so. TBF I think I'd rather throw our lot in behind Canterbury, since we've already been building that for a while, and they are our allies in the firing sights of Maretonia once the civil war boils over.
Last edited:
Torgamous
Aspiring Gynoid
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I don't think it does, unless you want them to actually make a king out of this. As far as I can tell, their role in providing legitimacy is more along the lines of Emperor Xian or the conch from Lord of the Flies than the Vatican.
Talking to the Royal Guard is easy. We don't need this whole humanitarian thing for that. If there's a path through the investigation that gets them on our side without sacrificing Canterbury, do that. If not, look into White Star's superweapon, dump that on them, and try to get them to align with the only faction not set on burning down the entire fucking country.
- Location
- Germany
What I want is essentially the folllowing:
- have Pegicles/Storm bleed for that WMD
- improve Gryphonian standing among the Maretonian populace by providing humanitarian aid
- transform post-war Maretonia into a more benevolent polity (I´d be totally okay with it ceasing to be a slavering bunch of arrogant warmongers, but them becoming subservient to us like a protectorate or similar would be ACE)
- asking Canterbury about the circumstances of Mareias assassination
- generally steer the whole situation away from the total fuckup it´s right now.
My biggest worry is that if we don't hit the warmongering Pegasi with a nice big stick over this, they will be More then willing to do it again, especially with pegaclea and his soldiers at the helm.
Even if not now, then the next ruler down the line or somesuch. Compounding that, pegacles now holds territory on a coastline, he won't need to do the march to the sea again. HE can just send out fleet and hurricane coastlines when he has a chance. Very dangerous combination.
Even if not now, then the next ruler down the line or somesuch. Compounding that, pegacles now holds territory on a coastline, he won't need to do the march to the sea again. HE can just send out fleet and hurricane coastlines when he has a chance. Very dangerous combination.
- Location
- Hell, or at least the closest place to it
So, in summary, we need a conference with all sides as well as our allies, we need to begin war preparations just in case, and we need to not cause anymore chaos and discord that is not entirely necessary to the potential abolishment of slavery or at least an armistice/ ceasefire while we figure out what the hell is going on.
Meanwhile, we need to prepare a counter spearhead directly to Pegacles logistical and chain of command arteries, and figure out both how the spell matrix works and if we can disrupt it, and who exactly killed the Queen and what to do with that information.
Welp, a regular Saturday.
Meanwhile, we need to prepare a counter spearhead directly to Pegacles logistical and chain of command arteries, and figure out both how the spell matrix works and if we can disrupt it, and who exactly killed the Queen and what to do with that information.
Welp, a regular Saturday.
Torgamous
Aspiring Gynoid
- Pronouns
- She/Her
- Yes.
- I question the plausibility of doing that while the war is happening, but sure. We can at least help out afterwards and maybe found a Red Cross analogue for next time.
- I'd rather they didn't become a protectorate, both for the practical reasons I mentioned earlier and because I don't want this to become a habit. Ambrosia is a perfectly serviceable ally.
- Sure
- The time to do that was between the Great Escape and Mareia's assassination. The only way out now is through, and if we can't figure out how to shut this all down quickly or at least bomb the colleges things are going to get a lot worse.
- Location
- Germany
Again, turning them into a protectorate (let alone annexing them outright) is more a victory lap to me - nice, but not really aimed for.
That being said, us peacefully integrating Ambrosias territory (with her as our spokesperson of course) would be totally doable from a sociopolitical standpoint since the Abolitionists there will be very familiar with how Gryphons truly are versus what Maretonian propaganda tells them. Also, I expect a county that close to a frozen tundra like our Protectorate to be rather unimportant and unpopular to the nation as a whole, meaning that Maretonia wouldn´t mind parting with a province that belligerent and hard to manage.
To say nothing of course that having "Ambrosium" a genuine province of the Gryphonian Empire might give us leverage for an official annexation referendum about the Crystal Protectorate. I´m not explicitly aiming to keep conquering more land, but if the opportunity presents itself in a pragmatic and feasible manner, I am not complaining.
- Location
- Hell, or at least the closest place to it
Talk of a protectorate with Maretonia is all well and good, and might just be a amazing feather in our cap, but I'd prefer to focus just ending the civil war, and worry about the aftermath later. Now, onto the super weapon and how to effectively disarm house storm. Such a spell must require a powerful ritual, a catalyst, and a cadre of powerful mages. Affecting the weather to such a degree must take a lot out of them, so it's probably limited in its usages. Also, such a spell must require a delicate and precise control as to just not spend a hurricane in a random direction or all directions. A stash of orchiclacum at the ritual site may just disrupt the matrix to such a degree that the power may just explode in all directions.
- Location
- Germany
...I repeatedly said that annexation is just *one* of my musings about the whole shebang and explicitly to be treated as "a cherry on top", not the be-all-end-all of our endeavours. Sry, but everyone getting hung up on that point alone when responding to me is starting to annoy me.
FictionPack
Monochromatic Ursine
- Location
- Tennessee
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I want an Intrigue option to forge Ambrosia' s genealogy to show her as the legitimate successor to the monarchy. Then the kingmakers will be on the Abolitionists side unequivocally to serve their new queen.
I also now want someone to call Pegicles a blowhard.
I also now want someone to call Pegicles a blowhard.