Who Needs Harmony?: An MLP Empire Quest
- Thread starter Questor
- Start date
Turn 31 Results
- Location
- Maryland
Martial: Redbeak has been in good spirits lately. After having the threat of Pegicles finally removed as a concern, you can't blame him. But your military advisor has plenty of other possible dangers to the Empire to worry about. Between Storm Country and the revelations of potentially hostile Dragons to the South, he has a lot of contingency plans to draw up.
-Knights of the Frontier: Cost: 500. Time: Two Years. Reward: New Knightly Order Established to guard Kestrella.
Kestrella, though the youngest and least developed province of your Empire, is still a vast stretch of territory inhabited by countless Imperial Citizens, not to mention it's importance both as a supplier of raw materials to fuel the nation's industry, but as a gateway to Yakyakistan. And while the great hunt several years ago succeeded in culling the area's monster population, many dangerous beasts still inhabit the region, threatening the lives and livelihoods of the people. After so many years of putting the issue on the back burner in favor of more pressing concerns, you can deny Kestrella's need for it's own Order of Knights no longer.
Funds are set aside for the construction of a new citadel as architects, surveyors and stonemasons are gathered to begin preparations. Meanwhile, the Grandmasters of the other Orders begin scouting their own contingents for Knights suitable to form the core of a new order, even as they simultaneously begin recruiting Squires and Griffons-at-Arms from the local population to form the backbone of the new force. It will be some time before these labors bear fruit...but soon Gryphus' fourth province shall its own dedicated protectors. Will Finish Next Year.
-Security Runes: Cost: 1500. Time: Two Years. Reward: Strategic Fortifications reinforced with Anti-Scrying and Teleportation Runes.
The Maretonian Campaign, more than perhaps anything else, demonstrated to you how the application of magic can turn the tide of a battle. With the aid of Merlin and a scant handful of skilled mages, the aerial citadel of Mare-a-Thon was reduced to a flaming ruin, its defenders slaughtered from afar by enemies that they could not even see. You do not wish for your own troops to ever find themselves on the receiving end of such a tactic. Thankfully you have the knowledge, resources and expertise to ensure that such a thing never comes to pass. Merlin is all too happy to begin work on a series of Anti-Scrying and Anti-Teleportation runes suitable for your Empire's fortifications and other strategic locations, which he and your other magical advisors see to inscribing upon the walls of the Imperial Palace, the various Citadels of the Imperial Knightly Orders, and the Hardbeak Line, just to name a few. Naturally with so many locations to worry about it will be some time before they can be considered truly secured against magical observation or incursion...but you're already better off now than you were before.
Will Finish Next Turn.
Diplomacy: Gisa, though disappointed that the Maretonian situation necessitated your personal armed intervention, is pleased that peace, however tenuous, has returned to your Southern neighbor. This does not mean she does not have concerns regarding the situation South of the border however, and she has a few proposals she wants you to look over in regards to how you should approach the issue.
-The Iron Steppe: Cost: 1500. Time: Three Years. Reward: Yak-Storm Border Fortified, Improved YakYakistani Relations.
After the expenditure of several fortunes and countless hours of labor on the parts of thousands of Griffons, Dogs, Ponies and Yaks, the Great Wall of Yakyakistan is finally complete. Although initially projected to take more than three full years to finish, with the aggressive investment and wholehearted support of King Rutherford the elaborate series of border fortifications has been completed in a fraction of the originally projected timespan. Watchtowers and sentries now observe every inch of land along the border between the Yak Kingdom and Storm Country, and cannon-armed hill forts garrisoned by Yak troops stand ready to repel any potential incursions into the territory of your oldest ally against the forces of darkness and chaos. The border to that untamed wasteland is now as secure as it is ever likely to get.
While the Yaks carried a greater than expected share of the burden to construct this marvel of military engineering, it is clear to all but the most stubborn amongst the steppe dwellers that none of it would have been possible without Imperial funding, industry and expertise. As such, King Rutherford, his court, and the general population of Yakyakistan as a whole have expressed their gratitude to you and your people in their own unique, roundabout ways, be it through blunt letters from Yakistown addressed to your palace or gestures of respect and acknowledgment to the Imperial surveyors and engineers offered up by common Yakistani citizens as they pack up their belongings and return to Gryphus. You think it's safe to say that you've garnered a good deal of good will from your hardy western neighbors.
Yakyakistani-Storm Country Border now Fortified against any Incursions or Invasions. +.5 Yakyakistani Relations.
-Emerald Isles Trade Delegation: Cost: 400. Time: One Year. Reward: Trade Agreement with the Emerald Isles, New Source of Income. Chance of Success: 75%
Required: 25. Rolled: 18+18=36
The Emerald Isles have always been of interest to you and your people. It is the only other land you know of inhabited by Diamond Dogs, and the only nation governed by them. And while you have gone out of your way to establish cordial relations with the island dwelling canines, you have yet to seek closer economic ties with them, as the Neighponese have done. Still, you suppose that late is better than never. Gisa wastes no time assembling a team of diplomats and dispatching them to the court of the Emerald King, who receives them with grace and hospitality.
The team of Griffons and Imperial Dogs are quick to notice the visible signs of Neighponese influence on the smaller island nation: both the port city their ship docks in and the capital are teeming with sailors, soldiers, merchants and diplomats, and the sight of a Qilin, Kitsune or Tanuki on the subterranean road to the underground Stone palace is not an uncommon one. The Dragon Emperor's investment into his neighbor seems to be bearing fruit for him.
Trade talks with King Rex and his advisers last for weeks as details are hammered out and tariff rates agreed upon by both parties, but from the beginning it is clear that the negotiations will conclude in a satisfactory manner for both parties. The Emerald Isles has experienced the growth and advancement that international commerce can bring, and it is eager to gain access to another corner of the world market; at at present Gryphus represents the largest and most lucrative corner of all.
Within a matter of months merchants ships bearing the flag of Gryphus become a common sight off the coast of the Emerald Isles, and yet another source of revenue is gained for the Imperial coffers as wealth flows along the new trade route.
+150 Trade Income.
-Equestrian Trade Delegation: Cost: 600. Time: One Year. Reward: Trade Agreement with Equestria, New Source of Income. Chance of Success: 70%
Required: 30. Rolled: 78+18=96 (Art. Crit!)
Commerce appears to be a theme in the diplomatic corps this year, as even as a trade delegation travels across the ocean to the Emerald Isles, another band of merchants and diplomats makes the long overland journey to Equestria for a similar purpose, albeit under much different circumstances. After all, the Emerald Isles had already been experiencing close ties and lucrative trade with Neighpon…but with the exception of the relatively isolationist Buffalo, Equestria has never had a neighbor to open trade with, and the more economically minded of your diplomatic staff are practically salivating at the potential of a first-mover advantage in a large and untapped foreign market.
The Alicorn Sisters greet your envoys with enthusiasm upon their arrival, as excited as your own people to initiate an exchange of goods across national borders. The Princesses are generous hosts, housing your emissaries in spare rooms of their castle and encouraging them to see the sights and mingle with the nobility and common ponies in and around the capitol, an offer that your people are take them up on as they take advantage of the opportunity to play tourist in a foreign land. The locals are naturally quite curious about your people, the first non-ponies any of them have ever met, and by all accounts the diplomats make a good first impression on them.
By an astonishing coincidence, it appears that a number of wealthy nobles and merchants had arranged to host some manner of business meeting in the capitol at the same time your diplomats were present for their own meeting with the Princesses…and it just so happened that both of the aforementioned groups had deigned to visit the exact same tavern at the exact same time one night.
To make a long story short, the wealthy Equestrians were smart enough to spot the opportunity that was being waved in front of their faces, and your diplomats were more than ready to hype the idea of doing business with the Empire. By the time your diplomats leave with a trade agreement in hand, the wheels of commerce are already turning on both sides of the border, and once goods and gold begin to flow, the amount of revenue gained from tariffs and tolls is significantly more than initially expected. The Empire has gained another lucrative trade partner, and Equestria has gained access to the wider world market.
+250 Trade Income
Stewardship: Frida's recent successes in modernizing the nation's infrastructure can be plainly seen from any window in the Palace after dark, as hundreds of Gaslamps burn brightly through the night, illuminating the Capital. Despite performing what many would consider the crowning achievement of their careers, your Steward shows no intention of taking it easy, putting forward yet more plans to improve the lives of your people and invest in the Empire's development, though at the moment much of her focus is currently upon the construction of the Empire's first College of Magic.
-Arcane College: Cost: 2500. Time: Two Years. Reward: Imperial College of Magic Constructed. New Options Unlocked.
After many months of hard work on the parts of Merlin and the rest of your magical advisors, along with the efforts of Frida and countless laborers and architects, the Imperial College of Magic is finally complete. A massive campus capable of housing and educating hundreds of people at once, with a curriculum to rival any similar institution abroad and with a faculty of experts drawn from Canterbury, Neighpon, Maretonia, and even the recently encountered Equestria, you have every confidence that the arcane academy will be more than sufficient to provide a higher form of education to the Empire's growing population of Ponies, Hippogriffs, and other magically inclined races.
You personally preside over the opening ceremonies, welcoming the college's first batch of students to their magical academia. More than a mere center of higher education, the College will be as much a center of research as it will be a home to countless scholars and aspiring mages. You are certain that it will prove instrumental to the development of new branches of arcane science in the years to come. New spells and runes may only be the start. You look forward to seeing what the Empire's brightest minds can accomplish when they put their heads together.
Imperial College of Magic Completed. Higher Magical Education Now Available to Imperial Magic Users. May Now Train Mages. New Options Unlocked.
-Supplying a Demand: Cost: 600. Time: One Year. Reward: Boosted Linen Exports, Additional Trade Income. Chance of Success: 65%
Required: 35. Rolled: 70+15+10(Back in Marethon omake by @Firebringer2077)=95 (Art. Crit!)
You and your advisors have invested a great deal of time and funds into the cultivation of the Empire's textiles industry. For years it has been your hope that Imperial Linens would be able to compete with Neighponese Silks as a valued trade good in international markets. Steel, food, cannons and alcohol are all well and good, but you know that Gryphus needs to diversify its exports if it is to maintain its economic growth in the long term. And so, in an attempt to drum up demand for the product you're looking to sell on a global scale, you subsidize mills and farms to lower prices, fund expositions, print promotional materials, and have samples of fabric sent to tailors and other interested parties in Neighpon, Canterbury, and the Minotaur Republics.
The response was greater than you could have hoped for.
Virtually overnight, demand for Gryphus-made linens explodes, tailors and entrepreneurs from across the world racing to get ahold of the new material. New uses for the fabric are invented by the day as clothes, pillowcases, bags, tablecloths, bedsheets and furnitures upholstery are churned out by workshops and factories that begin springing up in cities across the Empire and beyond. Farmers throughout Gryphus soon find themselves encouraged to plant additional fields of flax to meet the surging demand which shows no sign of abating. By the end of the year, you've more than made back you're initial investment, and secured your nation's place as a renowned supplier of textiles to the wider world. Not too shabby, if you say so.
Gryphus now rivals Neighpon in the Global Textile Trade. +350 Trade Income.
Learning: Though Archimedes has passed wizened and is now nearing ancient, he remains the greatest Scholar in the Empire, with Genevieve not far behind him. From what you hear, your son's friend Sebastian has made quite an impression upon the two with his sudden deluge of research notes and prototype inventions, some of which may even have Empire-wide applications.
-Paddle Steamers: Cost: 250. Time: One Year. Reward: Designs for Coastal/Riverine Steam Ships.
Archimedes already has the design for a maritime steam engine. Now he just needs a boat to install it into. As your chief scientist and engineer has exhaustively explained to you, existing ship designs meant to incorporate the use of sails as their primary means of propulsion are poorly suited to accommodate his latest invention. The fact that these vessels will be operating primarily in the shallow waters of the Empire's rivers and coastlines only lends additional weight to his argument that an entirely new class of ship will be necessary. A panel of shipwrights and naval architects is quickly assembled and, working with Archimedes, Genevieve, and an enthusiastic Sebastian, they quickly put together, and subsequently reject, multiple proposals before finally settling upon a finalized design.
It's clear to all that look at the schematics that the vessel is clearly not designed to traverse the open ocean. Truthfully it more closely resembles a river barge than a proper ship, but the panel of experts assures you that this is the best design for their needs and the ships intended purpose. You suppose it doesn't matter too much exactly how the thing looks, only if it works as you all hope it will. All that remains now is to actually build the thing and see how it fares in the water.
Steamship Design Developed. New Actions Unlocked.
-Airships-Commercial Refinement: Cost: 1000. Time: One Year. Reward: Designs for Commercial Airships. New Options Unlocked.
Even as they work to develop a new form of maritime transport, your scholars are also hard at work creating an entirely different kind of cargo vessel. Though the commercialized version of the newly developed airship is a very different beast from the steamship project, it proceeds in much the same way: a panel of experts proposing numerous designs which are gradually whittled down until only one, ideal version remains.
The proposed design is very similar in many ways to the militarized version, albeit with more focus on range and cargo capacity than armor and weapons. You believe that this was intentional on the part of the design team, hoping to simplify the assembly and maintenance processes on all future airships. Now, with the designs for both civilian and military models of these new airborne transports, you are ready to start constructing an aerial fleet.
Commercial Airship Designs Acquired. New Actions Unlocked.
Intrigue: Ravenburg remains one of your busiest advisors, constantly keeping you informed of happenings and dangers inside and outside of the Empire. Between the rumblings in Canterbury, the developing Maretonian situation, maintaining security at home and keeping an eye on other developing situations abroad, your spymaster has his talons full. Thankfully he has Rose to serve as his assistant and advisor in matters of espionage...though the Changeling can at times be as much of a curse as she is a blessing.
-Equestrian Investigations: Cost: 500. Time: One Year. Reward: Intelligence on Equestria, Potential to Unlock New Actions. Chance of Success: 60%
Required: 30. Rolled: 71+13+15(Regional Flag omake by @Firebringer2077)=99 (Art. Crit!)
The Equestrians are, by all accounts, a decent and friendly people, and their rulers seem to be as committed as you are to pursuing peace and stability as you make your way into the future and seek to distance yourselves from the age of Discord. But if your time as Emperor has taught you anything, it's to be wary...and the revelation of the Changeling Conspiracy in Canterbury (and possibly beyond) has only served to reinforce that lesson. And so, as your diplomats and merchants make their way over the border into Equestria, your spies and infiltrators follow along with them to gather intelligence on your new friends. As it turns out, there's quite a lot to report.
For starters, while everything that the Alicorn Sisters told your son regarding their history is proven to be accurate, it seems that they were somewhat overstating the unified state of their realm. Oh, the various dukes, counts and barons all swear fealty to Celestia and Luna, who categorically forbid any open hostility between their vassals, but that hasn't stopped the more ambitious among them from plotting against each other or waging economic warfare against their rivals. Blackmail, bribery, tax dodging and the occasional magical duel are not uncommon occurrences in the noble courts of Equestria, though it is clear that all those involved take great pains to conceal their activities from their monarchs.
This is not particularly surprising to you. Members of the nobility scheming against each other for more wealth, power and influence seems to be a common trend in nearly all of the nations you have thus far encountered. The fact that your agents had to go digging to find evidence of such activities is actually a point in Equestria's favor; in Maretonia and pre-Imperial Gryphus such things often happened right out in the open, the perpetrators confident that they would face no consequences for their actions. At any rate, the fact that you now have some inkling of the illegal activities some of Equestria's leading citizens are up to gives you a potential opportunity to leverage such information to your advantage.
More interesting to you is the reported discovery that there is apparently another subspecies of Pony that you and your people were hitherto unaware of.
Although bearing some resemblance to the more common Pegasi, these Thestrals are nocturnal, bat-like, and perhaps most importantly, obligate carnivores. This last detail, combined with the fact that their batlike nature was apparently a curse inflicted upon their ancestors by Discord, has led to them being faced with a certain level of discrimination and being pushed to the edges of Equestrian society for much of their race's history, occupying their own secluded settlements far from those of their herbivorous brethren. The only exceptions to this are the soldiers of Princess Luna's Night Guard, who are the only Thestrals to reliably live and work within the major cities of Equestria. It seems that the Lunar Princess has taken it upon herself to attempt to rehabilitate the image of the chiropteran equines, and has made numerous attempts to try to bridge the gap between them and the rest of the Kingdom, though she has thus far made little headway in the endeavor. Still, by all accounts the Thestrals themselves adore the Lunar Princess for her attempts to protect and assist them, so clearly her efforts have had some positive results for her.
And finally, there is one final piece of information that is passed along to Ravenburg. More of a rumor, honestly, but an interesting one. Apparently, some of the more knowledgeable and long-serving staff in the Castle of the Two Sisters have claimed (usually under the influence of alcohol) that the magics used to bind Discord in stone were not purely the product of the Alicorns themselves. Supposedly, they managed to achieve the feat only by using a series of ancient arcane relics known as the "Elements of Harmony". What little information could be found on these fabled objects makes them sound quite similar to the Crystal Heart. This may bear further investigation.
Equestrian Intelligence Gained. New Actions Unlocked.
-Etymological Studies: Cost: 600. Time: One Year. Reward: Intel of Canterbury/Phalanx. Chance of Success: 60%.
Required: 30. Rolled: 86+13+10(It's Raining Storm omake by @Markala)=109 (Art. Crit!)
The recruitment of the Changeling Gyne known as Ruby was a major intelligence coup for Gryphus. You can think of few more powerful information gathering assets than a mole within the Hive of Queen Pharynx. And the return of your newly flipped infiltrator to Canterbury comes at an opportune time. The declaration of an Errantry War to wipe out all of the beasts and monsters within the borders of Canterbury comes as a great surprise to all those in the know regarding the Changeling conspiracy and the sinister true purpose behind the Kingdom's chronic infestation of murderous beasts. Why would the shapeshifters seek to order the extermination of one of their greatest assets in maintaining their grand facade of a religion? You needed answers...and Ruby was more than willing to provide them. Through a series of pre-arranged dead drops and coded messages, all of which are collected by Rose, your spy hidden amongst a race of spies conveys what information she has been able to gather.
Contrary to some of the theories that you and Ravenburg had been formulating in the absence of facts, it seems that Queen Pharynx was indeed the originator of the order to cleanse the realm of dangerous creatures, which was passed along to Queen Chevaline as a command from the Lady. According to Ruby, this change of plans was brought about by Canterbury's greater exposure to other nations. Before, the beasts bred by the Changelings were used to sow fear, to reinforce the importance of unity against a hostile outside world. Apparently the Changeling Queen is of the opinion that it's easy to deceive and manipulate people when you are promising to deliver them from a genuine threat to their lives and loved ones. But now, with Storm Country virtually next door and increasingly powerful neighbors threatening to surpass the strength of the Theocratic Kingdom, Canterbury can no longer afford to be weakened from within. Clearing the dark forests is to the the first step towards making Canterbury a stronger Kingdom, capable of truly standing alongside the likes of Equestria, Gryphus and Neighpon.
Unfortunately, this raises the possibility that the boogeymen that Queen Chevaline intends to rally the inhabitants of Canterbury against will come from outside of its borders...and that you and Gryphus may be counted amongst them. You will have to be watchful going forward.
Canterbury/Hive Pharynx Intelligence Gained. New Actions Unlocked.
Piety: The revelation of the true nature of the Church of the Lady of the Lake has brought new relevance to the issue of faith in your Empire.
-The Imperial Creed: Cost: 100. Time: One Year. Reward: Lectitio Divinitatus published.
Your personal opinion of the so called "Imperial Cultists" has always been rather mixed. While it's true that most of them do not actually worship you as a literal god, their unquestioning praise of your every action makes you more than a little uncomfortable. It was bad enough when people felt the need to bow and scrape to you just because you wore a crown. You've publicly denied your supposedly divine nature on multiple occasions, but this has done absolutely nothing to curb their belief in you. Apparently "only the truly divine deny their own divinity." You almost tore your own head feathers out the first time their representative on the Council of Faiths had offered up that rationalization.
Still, you can't deny that they are a force for good. At the end of the day, they are patriots, utterly devoted to the Empire and it's people, and acts of charity and community service are common amongst their small but tightly-knit congregations. And with the revelations concerning the true nature of the Church of the Lady of the Lake, they are no longer the religion you are most opposed to. Compared to that subversive conspiracy masquerading as a faith, almost any belief system is a preferable alternative.
At any rate, helping your most ardent supporters publish their holy book to spread the tenets of their faith and draw the numerous disparate sects closer together seems harmless enough in your eyes. It only takes a few politely worded letters and a few bags of gold to gain the attention of a few publishing houses that are both willing and able to print off a few thousand copies of the Lectitio Divinitatus, and by the end of the year copies of the sacred text can be found in homes, churches, libraries and bookstores across the Empire, purchased by devout believers and curious potential converts alike.
One of Several Illustrations within the Lectitio Divinitatus
Your most faithful subjects are quite pleased to finally possess their own scriptures, and are even more happy to see their congregations swell with new members in the wake of their distribution across the nation. Most pertinently for you, the surge of new converts has caused them to overtake the Church of the Lady in terms of membership, now leaving them as the second smallest religious organization in Gryphus while the Changeling-inspired cult is forced firmly into the minority. You can be happy about that at least.
+.5 Imperial Cult Influence. New Actions Unlocked.
Personal: You refuse to let your duties as Emperor take up every moment of your day.
-A Gesture of Friendship: Cost: 500. Time: One Year. Reward: Rune Sword gifted to Emperor Ryuō.
Ever since you first met him, the Dragon Emperor Ryuō has always been counted amongst your circle of friends and allies. He and his people moved to assist you and yours in the war against Sombra for no other reason than because it was the right thing to do, and ever since you have been able to count upon the Eastern Dragon to support you and Gryphus should you ever have need to call for their assistance once again. More than that, your fellow Emperor has been a sort of confidante to you. You and he have exchanged many letters bemoaning the bureaucracy and paperwork that accompanies your respective positions and sympathizing with each other's familiar burdens of leadership. Your Imperial penpal even provided crucial knowledge and advised you on what to expect raising a young dragon, advice that has served you well as you have watched Gwyndlyn grow up into a fine young lady of the Imperial Family. You don't think it an exaggeration to state that you owe your friend a great deal...and you think it's high time you did something to repay that debt, and you believe your Draconic daughter's imminent journey to Neighpon is exactly the occasion to do so.
And so, you summon Merlin and a team of some of the Empire's finest sword-smiths to create a blade worthy of your fellow Emperor. Expensive reagents are gathered as the Archmage begins drawing up several unique runes befitting for such a masterwork blade, and the finest ore is sourced from the Empire's mines to provide the purest steel for the blade as the Griffons and Dogs gathered to craft the weapon propose numerous different designs, both Neighponese and Imperial. Seeing as how his own weapon incorporates many of the design philosophies you seek to emulate, Grandmaster Hardbeak is brought in to consult on the process, adding his own considerable experience and valued input. Several blades are forged and tested by the Hero of the Empire before being rejected for one reason or the other; the gift intended for a foreign head of state needs to be as close to perfect as is possible. The final design approved by Konrad is a distinctly Griffonian-style. Surprising perhaps, from one fond of Neighponese style weaponry, but you suppose, as he does, that it suits the sword's dual purpose as a symbol of Gryphus's friendship. Merlin then sets to work inscribing multiple arcane symbols upon the blade, runes meant to increase the weapon's durability and sharpness while reducing it's weight joining a series of sigils intended to make the sword double as a focus for the Celestial Dragon's own inherent magic.
The result is a masterpiece, a wholly unique weapon that is as much a work of art as it is a tool of war. You are certain that Koryu will appreciate his new gift.
To be Continued in "Eastern Sunrise"
-The Land of the Rising Sun: Cost: 300. Time: One Year. Reward: Gwyndlyn visits Neighpon. Potential for rewards and other developments.
To be Continued in "Eastern Sunrise"
-The Prince and the Lady: Cost: 0. Time: One Year. Reward: Gawain asks Isabelle a Very Important Question. (Does not cost an action. Cannot be chosen in the same turn as Gotta get with my Friends)
To be Continued in "The Most Important Question"
Carracks Constructed This Turn: 3
Random Event Rolls:
78 (Pass)
55 (Pass)
100 (To be Continued in Rumor Mill)
Took me some time to get this out due to IRL obligations (currently in the middle of the long and complicated process of moving house), but am pretty happy with how this came out. Informational Posts will be updated tomorrow.
-Knights of the Frontier: Cost: 500. Time: Two Years. Reward: New Knightly Order Established to guard Kestrella.
Kestrella, though the youngest and least developed province of your Empire, is still a vast stretch of territory inhabited by countless Imperial Citizens, not to mention it's importance both as a supplier of raw materials to fuel the nation's industry, but as a gateway to Yakyakistan. And while the great hunt several years ago succeeded in culling the area's monster population, many dangerous beasts still inhabit the region, threatening the lives and livelihoods of the people. After so many years of putting the issue on the back burner in favor of more pressing concerns, you can deny Kestrella's need for it's own Order of Knights no longer.
Funds are set aside for the construction of a new citadel as architects, surveyors and stonemasons are gathered to begin preparations. Meanwhile, the Grandmasters of the other Orders begin scouting their own contingents for Knights suitable to form the core of a new order, even as they simultaneously begin recruiting Squires and Griffons-at-Arms from the local population to form the backbone of the new force. It will be some time before these labors bear fruit...but soon Gryphus' fourth province shall its own dedicated protectors. Will Finish Next Year.
-Security Runes: Cost: 1500. Time: Two Years. Reward: Strategic Fortifications reinforced with Anti-Scrying and Teleportation Runes.
The Maretonian Campaign, more than perhaps anything else, demonstrated to you how the application of magic can turn the tide of a battle. With the aid of Merlin and a scant handful of skilled mages, the aerial citadel of Mare-a-Thon was reduced to a flaming ruin, its defenders slaughtered from afar by enemies that they could not even see. You do not wish for your own troops to ever find themselves on the receiving end of such a tactic. Thankfully you have the knowledge, resources and expertise to ensure that such a thing never comes to pass. Merlin is all too happy to begin work on a series of Anti-Scrying and Anti-Teleportation runes suitable for your Empire's fortifications and other strategic locations, which he and your other magical advisors see to inscribing upon the walls of the Imperial Palace, the various Citadels of the Imperial Knightly Orders, and the Hardbeak Line, just to name a few. Naturally with so many locations to worry about it will be some time before they can be considered truly secured against magical observation or incursion...but you're already better off now than you were before.
Will Finish Next Turn.
Diplomacy: Gisa, though disappointed that the Maretonian situation necessitated your personal armed intervention, is pleased that peace, however tenuous, has returned to your Southern neighbor. This does not mean she does not have concerns regarding the situation South of the border however, and she has a few proposals she wants you to look over in regards to how you should approach the issue.
-The Iron Steppe: Cost: 1500. Time: Three Years. Reward: Yak-Storm Border Fortified, Improved YakYakistani Relations.
After the expenditure of several fortunes and countless hours of labor on the parts of thousands of Griffons, Dogs, Ponies and Yaks, the Great Wall of Yakyakistan is finally complete. Although initially projected to take more than three full years to finish, with the aggressive investment and wholehearted support of King Rutherford the elaborate series of border fortifications has been completed in a fraction of the originally projected timespan. Watchtowers and sentries now observe every inch of land along the border between the Yak Kingdom and Storm Country, and cannon-armed hill forts garrisoned by Yak troops stand ready to repel any potential incursions into the territory of your oldest ally against the forces of darkness and chaos. The border to that untamed wasteland is now as secure as it is ever likely to get.
While the Yaks carried a greater than expected share of the burden to construct this marvel of military engineering, it is clear to all but the most stubborn amongst the steppe dwellers that none of it would have been possible without Imperial funding, industry and expertise. As such, King Rutherford, his court, and the general population of Yakyakistan as a whole have expressed their gratitude to you and your people in their own unique, roundabout ways, be it through blunt letters from Yakistown addressed to your palace or gestures of respect and acknowledgment to the Imperial surveyors and engineers offered up by common Yakistani citizens as they pack up their belongings and return to Gryphus. You think it's safe to say that you've garnered a good deal of good will from your hardy western neighbors.
Yakyakistani-Storm Country Border now Fortified against any Incursions or Invasions. +.5 Yakyakistani Relations.
-Emerald Isles Trade Delegation: Cost: 400. Time: One Year. Reward: Trade Agreement with the Emerald Isles, New Source of Income. Chance of Success: 75%
Required: 25. Rolled: 18+18=36
The Emerald Isles have always been of interest to you and your people. It is the only other land you know of inhabited by Diamond Dogs, and the only nation governed by them. And while you have gone out of your way to establish cordial relations with the island dwelling canines, you have yet to seek closer economic ties with them, as the Neighponese have done. Still, you suppose that late is better than never. Gisa wastes no time assembling a team of diplomats and dispatching them to the court of the Emerald King, who receives them with grace and hospitality.
The team of Griffons and Imperial Dogs are quick to notice the visible signs of Neighponese influence on the smaller island nation: both the port city their ship docks in and the capital are teeming with sailors, soldiers, merchants and diplomats, and the sight of a Qilin, Kitsune or Tanuki on the subterranean road to the underground Stone palace is not an uncommon one. The Dragon Emperor's investment into his neighbor seems to be bearing fruit for him.
Trade talks with King Rex and his advisers last for weeks as details are hammered out and tariff rates agreed upon by both parties, but from the beginning it is clear that the negotiations will conclude in a satisfactory manner for both parties. The Emerald Isles has experienced the growth and advancement that international commerce can bring, and it is eager to gain access to another corner of the world market; at at present Gryphus represents the largest and most lucrative corner of all.
Within a matter of months merchants ships bearing the flag of Gryphus become a common sight off the coast of the Emerald Isles, and yet another source of revenue is gained for the Imperial coffers as wealth flows along the new trade route.
+150 Trade Income.
-Equestrian Trade Delegation: Cost: 600. Time: One Year. Reward: Trade Agreement with Equestria, New Source of Income. Chance of Success: 70%
Required: 30. Rolled: 78+18=96 (Art. Crit!)
Commerce appears to be a theme in the diplomatic corps this year, as even as a trade delegation travels across the ocean to the Emerald Isles, another band of merchants and diplomats makes the long overland journey to Equestria for a similar purpose, albeit under much different circumstances. After all, the Emerald Isles had already been experiencing close ties and lucrative trade with Neighpon…but with the exception of the relatively isolationist Buffalo, Equestria has never had a neighbor to open trade with, and the more economically minded of your diplomatic staff are practically salivating at the potential of a first-mover advantage in a large and untapped foreign market.
The Alicorn Sisters greet your envoys with enthusiasm upon their arrival, as excited as your own people to initiate an exchange of goods across national borders. The Princesses are generous hosts, housing your emissaries in spare rooms of their castle and encouraging them to see the sights and mingle with the nobility and common ponies in and around the capitol, an offer that your people are take them up on as they take advantage of the opportunity to play tourist in a foreign land. The locals are naturally quite curious about your people, the first non-ponies any of them have ever met, and by all accounts the diplomats make a good first impression on them.
By an astonishing coincidence, it appears that a number of wealthy nobles and merchants had arranged to host some manner of business meeting in the capitol at the same time your diplomats were present for their own meeting with the Princesses…and it just so happened that both of the aforementioned groups had deigned to visit the exact same tavern at the exact same time one night.
To make a long story short, the wealthy Equestrians were smart enough to spot the opportunity that was being waved in front of their faces, and your diplomats were more than ready to hype the idea of doing business with the Empire. By the time your diplomats leave with a trade agreement in hand, the wheels of commerce are already turning on both sides of the border, and once goods and gold begin to flow, the amount of revenue gained from tariffs and tolls is significantly more than initially expected. The Empire has gained another lucrative trade partner, and Equestria has gained access to the wider world market.
+250 Trade Income
Stewardship: Frida's recent successes in modernizing the nation's infrastructure can be plainly seen from any window in the Palace after dark, as hundreds of Gaslamps burn brightly through the night, illuminating the Capital. Despite performing what many would consider the crowning achievement of their careers, your Steward shows no intention of taking it easy, putting forward yet more plans to improve the lives of your people and invest in the Empire's development, though at the moment much of her focus is currently upon the construction of the Empire's first College of Magic.
-Arcane College: Cost: 2500. Time: Two Years. Reward: Imperial College of Magic Constructed. New Options Unlocked.
After many months of hard work on the parts of Merlin and the rest of your magical advisors, along with the efforts of Frida and countless laborers and architects, the Imperial College of Magic is finally complete. A massive campus capable of housing and educating hundreds of people at once, with a curriculum to rival any similar institution abroad and with a faculty of experts drawn from Canterbury, Neighpon, Maretonia, and even the recently encountered Equestria, you have every confidence that the arcane academy will be more than sufficient to provide a higher form of education to the Empire's growing population of Ponies, Hippogriffs, and other magically inclined races.
You personally preside over the opening ceremonies, welcoming the college's first batch of students to their magical academia. More than a mere center of higher education, the College will be as much a center of research as it will be a home to countless scholars and aspiring mages. You are certain that it will prove instrumental to the development of new branches of arcane science in the years to come. New spells and runes may only be the start. You look forward to seeing what the Empire's brightest minds can accomplish when they put their heads together.
Imperial College of Magic Completed. Higher Magical Education Now Available to Imperial Magic Users. May Now Train Mages. New Options Unlocked.
-Supplying a Demand: Cost: 600. Time: One Year. Reward: Boosted Linen Exports, Additional Trade Income. Chance of Success: 65%
Required: 35. Rolled: 70+15+10(Back in Marethon omake by @Firebringer2077)=95 (Art. Crit!)
You and your advisors have invested a great deal of time and funds into the cultivation of the Empire's textiles industry. For years it has been your hope that Imperial Linens would be able to compete with Neighponese Silks as a valued trade good in international markets. Steel, food, cannons and alcohol are all well and good, but you know that Gryphus needs to diversify its exports if it is to maintain its economic growth in the long term. And so, in an attempt to drum up demand for the product you're looking to sell on a global scale, you subsidize mills and farms to lower prices, fund expositions, print promotional materials, and have samples of fabric sent to tailors and other interested parties in Neighpon, Canterbury, and the Minotaur Republics.
The response was greater than you could have hoped for.
Virtually overnight, demand for Gryphus-made linens explodes, tailors and entrepreneurs from across the world racing to get ahold of the new material. New uses for the fabric are invented by the day as clothes, pillowcases, bags, tablecloths, bedsheets and furnitures upholstery are churned out by workshops and factories that begin springing up in cities across the Empire and beyond. Farmers throughout Gryphus soon find themselves encouraged to plant additional fields of flax to meet the surging demand which shows no sign of abating. By the end of the year, you've more than made back you're initial investment, and secured your nation's place as a renowned supplier of textiles to the wider world. Not too shabby, if you say so.
Gryphus now rivals Neighpon in the Global Textile Trade. +350 Trade Income.
Learning: Though Archimedes has passed wizened and is now nearing ancient, he remains the greatest Scholar in the Empire, with Genevieve not far behind him. From what you hear, your son's friend Sebastian has made quite an impression upon the two with his sudden deluge of research notes and prototype inventions, some of which may even have Empire-wide applications.
-Paddle Steamers: Cost: 250. Time: One Year. Reward: Designs for Coastal/Riverine Steam Ships.
Archimedes already has the design for a maritime steam engine. Now he just needs a boat to install it into. As your chief scientist and engineer has exhaustively explained to you, existing ship designs meant to incorporate the use of sails as their primary means of propulsion are poorly suited to accommodate his latest invention. The fact that these vessels will be operating primarily in the shallow waters of the Empire's rivers and coastlines only lends additional weight to his argument that an entirely new class of ship will be necessary. A panel of shipwrights and naval architects is quickly assembled and, working with Archimedes, Genevieve, and an enthusiastic Sebastian, they quickly put together, and subsequently reject, multiple proposals before finally settling upon a finalized design.
It's clear to all that look at the schematics that the vessel is clearly not designed to traverse the open ocean. Truthfully it more closely resembles a river barge than a proper ship, but the panel of experts assures you that this is the best design for their needs and the ships intended purpose. You suppose it doesn't matter too much exactly how the thing looks, only if it works as you all hope it will. All that remains now is to actually build the thing and see how it fares in the water.
Steamship Design Developed. New Actions Unlocked.
-Airships-Commercial Refinement: Cost: 1000. Time: One Year. Reward: Designs for Commercial Airships. New Options Unlocked.
Even as they work to develop a new form of maritime transport, your scholars are also hard at work creating an entirely different kind of cargo vessel. Though the commercialized version of the newly developed airship is a very different beast from the steamship project, it proceeds in much the same way: a panel of experts proposing numerous designs which are gradually whittled down until only one, ideal version remains.
The proposed design is very similar in many ways to the militarized version, albeit with more focus on range and cargo capacity than armor and weapons. You believe that this was intentional on the part of the design team, hoping to simplify the assembly and maintenance processes on all future airships. Now, with the designs for both civilian and military models of these new airborne transports, you are ready to start constructing an aerial fleet.
Commercial Airship Designs Acquired. New Actions Unlocked.
Intrigue: Ravenburg remains one of your busiest advisors, constantly keeping you informed of happenings and dangers inside and outside of the Empire. Between the rumblings in Canterbury, the developing Maretonian situation, maintaining security at home and keeping an eye on other developing situations abroad, your spymaster has his talons full. Thankfully he has Rose to serve as his assistant and advisor in matters of espionage...though the Changeling can at times be as much of a curse as she is a blessing.
-Equestrian Investigations: Cost: 500. Time: One Year. Reward: Intelligence on Equestria, Potential to Unlock New Actions. Chance of Success: 60%
Required: 30. Rolled: 71+13+15(Regional Flag omake by @Firebringer2077)=99 (Art. Crit!)
The Equestrians are, by all accounts, a decent and friendly people, and their rulers seem to be as committed as you are to pursuing peace and stability as you make your way into the future and seek to distance yourselves from the age of Discord. But if your time as Emperor has taught you anything, it's to be wary...and the revelation of the Changeling Conspiracy in Canterbury (and possibly beyond) has only served to reinforce that lesson. And so, as your diplomats and merchants make their way over the border into Equestria, your spies and infiltrators follow along with them to gather intelligence on your new friends. As it turns out, there's quite a lot to report.
For starters, while everything that the Alicorn Sisters told your son regarding their history is proven to be accurate, it seems that they were somewhat overstating the unified state of their realm. Oh, the various dukes, counts and barons all swear fealty to Celestia and Luna, who categorically forbid any open hostility between their vassals, but that hasn't stopped the more ambitious among them from plotting against each other or waging economic warfare against their rivals. Blackmail, bribery, tax dodging and the occasional magical duel are not uncommon occurrences in the noble courts of Equestria, though it is clear that all those involved take great pains to conceal their activities from their monarchs.
This is not particularly surprising to you. Members of the nobility scheming against each other for more wealth, power and influence seems to be a common trend in nearly all of the nations you have thus far encountered. The fact that your agents had to go digging to find evidence of such activities is actually a point in Equestria's favor; in Maretonia and pre-Imperial Gryphus such things often happened right out in the open, the perpetrators confident that they would face no consequences for their actions. At any rate, the fact that you now have some inkling of the illegal activities some of Equestria's leading citizens are up to gives you a potential opportunity to leverage such information to your advantage.
More interesting to you is the reported discovery that there is apparently another subspecies of Pony that you and your people were hitherto unaware of.
Although bearing some resemblance to the more common Pegasi, these Thestrals are nocturnal, bat-like, and perhaps most importantly, obligate carnivores. This last detail, combined with the fact that their batlike nature was apparently a curse inflicted upon their ancestors by Discord, has led to them being faced with a certain level of discrimination and being pushed to the edges of Equestrian society for much of their race's history, occupying their own secluded settlements far from those of their herbivorous brethren. The only exceptions to this are the soldiers of Princess Luna's Night Guard, who are the only Thestrals to reliably live and work within the major cities of Equestria. It seems that the Lunar Princess has taken it upon herself to attempt to rehabilitate the image of the chiropteran equines, and has made numerous attempts to try to bridge the gap between them and the rest of the Kingdom, though she has thus far made little headway in the endeavor. Still, by all accounts the Thestrals themselves adore the Lunar Princess for her attempts to protect and assist them, so clearly her efforts have had some positive results for her.
And finally, there is one final piece of information that is passed along to Ravenburg. More of a rumor, honestly, but an interesting one. Apparently, some of the more knowledgeable and long-serving staff in the Castle of the Two Sisters have claimed (usually under the influence of alcohol) that the magics used to bind Discord in stone were not purely the product of the Alicorns themselves. Supposedly, they managed to achieve the feat only by using a series of ancient arcane relics known as the "Elements of Harmony". What little information could be found on these fabled objects makes them sound quite similar to the Crystal Heart. This may bear further investigation.
Equestrian Intelligence Gained. New Actions Unlocked.
-Etymological Studies: Cost: 600. Time: One Year. Reward: Intel of Canterbury/Phalanx. Chance of Success: 60%.
Required: 30. Rolled: 86+13+10(It's Raining Storm omake by @Markala)=109 (Art. Crit!)
The recruitment of the Changeling Gyne known as Ruby was a major intelligence coup for Gryphus. You can think of few more powerful information gathering assets than a mole within the Hive of Queen Pharynx. And the return of your newly flipped infiltrator to Canterbury comes at an opportune time. The declaration of an Errantry War to wipe out all of the beasts and monsters within the borders of Canterbury comes as a great surprise to all those in the know regarding the Changeling conspiracy and the sinister true purpose behind the Kingdom's chronic infestation of murderous beasts. Why would the shapeshifters seek to order the extermination of one of their greatest assets in maintaining their grand facade of a religion? You needed answers...and Ruby was more than willing to provide them. Through a series of pre-arranged dead drops and coded messages, all of which are collected by Rose, your spy hidden amongst a race of spies conveys what information she has been able to gather.
Contrary to some of the theories that you and Ravenburg had been formulating in the absence of facts, it seems that Queen Pharynx was indeed the originator of the order to cleanse the realm of dangerous creatures, which was passed along to Queen Chevaline as a command from the Lady. According to Ruby, this change of plans was brought about by Canterbury's greater exposure to other nations. Before, the beasts bred by the Changelings were used to sow fear, to reinforce the importance of unity against a hostile outside world. Apparently the Changeling Queen is of the opinion that it's easy to deceive and manipulate people when you are promising to deliver them from a genuine threat to their lives and loved ones. But now, with Storm Country virtually next door and increasingly powerful neighbors threatening to surpass the strength of the Theocratic Kingdom, Canterbury can no longer afford to be weakened from within. Clearing the dark forests is to the the first step towards making Canterbury a stronger Kingdom, capable of truly standing alongside the likes of Equestria, Gryphus and Neighpon.
Unfortunately, this raises the possibility that the boogeymen that Queen Chevaline intends to rally the inhabitants of Canterbury against will come from outside of its borders...and that you and Gryphus may be counted amongst them. You will have to be watchful going forward.
Canterbury/Hive Pharynx Intelligence Gained. New Actions Unlocked.
Piety: The revelation of the true nature of the Church of the Lady of the Lake has brought new relevance to the issue of faith in your Empire.
-The Imperial Creed: Cost: 100. Time: One Year. Reward: Lectitio Divinitatus published.
Your personal opinion of the so called "Imperial Cultists" has always been rather mixed. While it's true that most of them do not actually worship you as a literal god, their unquestioning praise of your every action makes you more than a little uncomfortable. It was bad enough when people felt the need to bow and scrape to you just because you wore a crown. You've publicly denied your supposedly divine nature on multiple occasions, but this has done absolutely nothing to curb their belief in you. Apparently "only the truly divine deny their own divinity." You almost tore your own head feathers out the first time their representative on the Council of Faiths had offered up that rationalization.
Still, you can't deny that they are a force for good. At the end of the day, they are patriots, utterly devoted to the Empire and it's people, and acts of charity and community service are common amongst their small but tightly-knit congregations. And with the revelations concerning the true nature of the Church of the Lady of the Lake, they are no longer the religion you are most opposed to. Compared to that subversive conspiracy masquerading as a faith, almost any belief system is a preferable alternative.
At any rate, helping your most ardent supporters publish their holy book to spread the tenets of their faith and draw the numerous disparate sects closer together seems harmless enough in your eyes. It only takes a few politely worded letters and a few bags of gold to gain the attention of a few publishing houses that are both willing and able to print off a few thousand copies of the Lectitio Divinitatus, and by the end of the year copies of the sacred text can be found in homes, churches, libraries and bookstores across the Empire, purchased by devout believers and curious potential converts alike.
One of Several Illustrations within the Lectitio Divinitatus
Your most faithful subjects are quite pleased to finally possess their own scriptures, and are even more happy to see their congregations swell with new members in the wake of their distribution across the nation. Most pertinently for you, the surge of new converts has caused them to overtake the Church of the Lady in terms of membership, now leaving them as the second smallest religious organization in Gryphus while the Changeling-inspired cult is forced firmly into the minority. You can be happy about that at least.
+.5 Imperial Cult Influence. New Actions Unlocked.
Personal: You refuse to let your duties as Emperor take up every moment of your day.
-A Gesture of Friendship: Cost: 500. Time: One Year. Reward: Rune Sword gifted to Emperor Ryuō.
Ever since you first met him, the Dragon Emperor Ryuō has always been counted amongst your circle of friends and allies. He and his people moved to assist you and yours in the war against Sombra for no other reason than because it was the right thing to do, and ever since you have been able to count upon the Eastern Dragon to support you and Gryphus should you ever have need to call for their assistance once again. More than that, your fellow Emperor has been a sort of confidante to you. You and he have exchanged many letters bemoaning the bureaucracy and paperwork that accompanies your respective positions and sympathizing with each other's familiar burdens of leadership. Your Imperial penpal even provided crucial knowledge and advised you on what to expect raising a young dragon, advice that has served you well as you have watched Gwyndlyn grow up into a fine young lady of the Imperial Family. You don't think it an exaggeration to state that you owe your friend a great deal...and you think it's high time you did something to repay that debt, and you believe your Draconic daughter's imminent journey to Neighpon is exactly the occasion to do so.
And so, you summon Merlin and a team of some of the Empire's finest sword-smiths to create a blade worthy of your fellow Emperor. Expensive reagents are gathered as the Archmage begins drawing up several unique runes befitting for such a masterwork blade, and the finest ore is sourced from the Empire's mines to provide the purest steel for the blade as the Griffons and Dogs gathered to craft the weapon propose numerous different designs, both Neighponese and Imperial. Seeing as how his own weapon incorporates many of the design philosophies you seek to emulate, Grandmaster Hardbeak is brought in to consult on the process, adding his own considerable experience and valued input. Several blades are forged and tested by the Hero of the Empire before being rejected for one reason or the other; the gift intended for a foreign head of state needs to be as close to perfect as is possible. The final design approved by Konrad is a distinctly Griffonian-style. Surprising perhaps, from one fond of Neighponese style weaponry, but you suppose, as he does, that it suits the sword's dual purpose as a symbol of Gryphus's friendship. Merlin then sets to work inscribing multiple arcane symbols upon the blade, runes meant to increase the weapon's durability and sharpness while reducing it's weight joining a series of sigils intended to make the sword double as a focus for the Celestial Dragon's own inherent magic.
The result is a masterpiece, a wholly unique weapon that is as much a work of art as it is a tool of war. You are certain that Koryu will appreciate his new gift.
To be Continued in "Eastern Sunrise"
-The Land of the Rising Sun: Cost: 300. Time: One Year. Reward: Gwyndlyn visits Neighpon. Potential for rewards and other developments.
To be Continued in "Eastern Sunrise"
-The Prince and the Lady: Cost: 0. Time: One Year. Reward: Gawain asks Isabelle a Very Important Question. (Does not cost an action. Cannot be chosen in the same turn as Gotta get with my Friends)
To be Continued in "The Most Important Question"
Carracks Constructed This Turn: 3
Random Event Rolls:
78 (Pass)
55 (Pass)
100 (To be Continued in Rumor Mill)
Took me some time to get this out due to IRL obligations (currently in the middle of the long and complicated process of moving house), but am pretty happy with how this came out. Informational Posts will be updated tomorrow.
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ConfusedCanuck
Where did it all go wrong?
- Location
- Neverland
A good turn I'd say that we'll need to keep a renewed eye on the Changeling situation since that's on the move. And perhaps for our military action we see if we can't build steam warships or something.
Why hello there future beloved citizens.
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- Location
- I think somewhere. I might be nowhere though
Ey, the thestrals really do exist here! On one hand, that's good because they're adorable and awesome (when they're not committing warcrimes in Zebrica...). On the other hand, the mention that they're carnivores calls into question any knowledge I have of them from EaW. Ah well, at least they're here.
Did my eyes deceive me? We passed the entire random rolls and even score a nat 100? Congrats to those who made the sacrifices!
- Location
- I think somewhere. I might be nowhere though
I'm hoping it means things are working in our favor in Maretonia personally. Would be nice to see the gamble of holding off a turn pay off and actually get something worthwhile from our investment in the region.
Thestrals would be good adds, a nocturnal flyer in their size category has a million applications, and we already have the infrastructure to support their diet.
Ok we have the magic school, the tech school, do we have a war college? What about history and library sciences?
Proposal: Ask the knightly orders if they think adding library protection to their duties would be good idea.
Also we know Ruby and Gyne are proto-queens, what's the process for getting them started on making their own hives? Imperial changelings seem like the obvious counter to enemy changelings.
Ok we have the magic school, the tech school, do we have a war college? What about history and library sciences?
Proposal: Ask the knightly orders if they think adding library protection to their duties would be good idea.
Also we know Ruby and Gyne are proto-queens, what's the process for getting them started on making their own hives? Imperial changelings seem like the obvious counter to enemy changelings.
- Location
- Germany
Where did you find that?
One of Several Illustrations within the Lectitio Divinitatus
I kinda doubt there are real MLP-themed medival illuminated books out there.
Edit: Also it looks like it's a tapestry, rather than a book?
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fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
Doesn't really make sense librarian and Knightly order are very different skill sets. I could see going for it if we thought they were going to be lacking in work in the near future and need a remolding, but we have more than enough problems looming on the horizon to keep them busy.
- Location
- I think somewhere. I might be nowhere though
Eh, it technically could be included as one of their duties in the case of sacred texts historically, what with the Catholic Church hoarding a lot of ancient information to themselves. That said, we wouldn't really need them to do such a thing at this point.
I do like the idea of a War College though. We could expand their citadels into full colleges and make college towns around them to support it (or convert existing towns into college towns). It'd be too expensive an idea (both in cost and just plain actions) to do everywhere right now, but I could legitimately see it being a natural advancement of the Knightly Order citadels.
fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
Mostly they would be good at jobs griffons are doing, but night shift. Considering that we are quickly moving into a industrial revolution that is a godsend.
FictionPack
Monochromatic Ursine
- Location
- Tennessee
- Pronouns
- He/Him
The Emperor of Commerce strikes again!
Good timing after the money sink we did last year.
As well as the greatest spies on the planet.
Canterbury looks to be preparing for a holy war.
Luckily nothing in Equastria is too off if we only found feuding nobles, that's rather predictable.
I hear wedding bells! The guest list is gonna be massive. Friends, family, subjects, foreign dignitaries and leaders, a (former)pirate, etc. We will need ALL the security.
Think we can figure out scrying broadcasts before the big day?
Those nobles better hope they had stopped snubbing the bride to be a while ago.
Good timing after the money sink we did last year.
As well as the greatest spies on the planet.
Canterbury looks to be preparing for a holy war.
Luckily nothing in Equastria is too off if we only found feuding nobles, that's rather predictable.
I hear wedding bells! The guest list is gonna be massive. Friends, family, subjects, foreign dignitaries and leaders, a (former)pirate, etc. We will need ALL the security.
Think we can figure out scrying broadcasts before the big day?
Those nobles better hope they had stopped snubbing the bride to be a while ago.
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They're already nearly outcasts with Luna as their only real advocate. If she does go Nightmare Moon having a friendly nation that would be glad to take them in when the Equestrians inevitably push them out even harder would make for a damn good starting point.
Pretty sure the Citadels count for that.
Garrick, interrupted during matters of state: "Gisa! Warm up the Harmony emitters, it's assimilation time!"
I have a question who's closer to the changeling Kingdom us or the sisters? I'm just wondering if we could have them deal with it because I'm sure they had to have fought at least one hive before.
AldariSiradla
Knight of the Fountain Pen
Good rolls...
Good outcomes.
The Random Event rolls just made me smile...
And what is this?
The most important question?
I'll prepare the champagne...
Good outcomes.
The Random Event rolls just made me smile...
And what is this?
The most important question?
I'll prepare the champagne...
...
Not as librarians, as a regular security detachment. The idea is to show the importance of libraries, and give them a generally low stress assignment rotation that gets them out and among the common citizens.
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fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
They are already doing that. Securing the realm is their mission statement in general. There is no reason we need to tell them to secure a specific part of it.
- Location
- Texas
So would recruiting Thestrals fall under the Immigration Campaign action? It's one I've wanted to do for awhile since I want Yaks, Qilins, Kitsunes, Tanukis and Oni in our ranks for some time, but we were dealing with overpopulation for awhile so that was a no. Though I do think it's fine to do it now.
- Location
- florida
Yooooo good news!
- Location
- his hidden lair
I just love the imagery of our gift ever since we saw the Equestrian perspective of our culture. A gift of peace and friendship? Only the finest weapon, forged by the best artificers both mundane and magical and taking advantage of all the lessons of war the Empire has learned. What greater statement of peace can there be in arming another?
Like imagine a point where we're just giving the Princesses a pair of Runeswords as a gesture of peace.
Like imagine a point where we're just giving the Princesses a pair of Runeswords as a gesture of peace.