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Current Date and Time: Late afternoon on November 5th, 1952PC

>You have 1 FR point

When the grand melee had started the interest in it had been mostly about how long it would last. Everybody was certain it would quickly narrow down to Alyce’s spellblade, Rayza, and Fenix’s warrior lord, Yarras. There had been some banter but the focus had been more on who was participating and their equipment. One of the merchants of Compagnon had been trying to calculate the cumulative wealth in the magical plate in the arena.

You joined the rest while keeping one eye on the actual battle but it seemed only Merce and Lynn were doing the same. The latter as she had no interest in politics and the former… well, she was keenly focused on your squire. When Finn darted forth and effortlessly felled two foes at once, she dropped her façade of accompanying Alyce and simply watched. It was her slight cry that drew the attention of the rest of the box when Finn was stabbed through the side of the chest by a spear.

>continued

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>>33384375
Nobody strayed much from watching the melee after that, as Finn dispatched all three of those opponents and then Lord Yarras. As Rayza faced him, a bestial look of hunger on her face, you wondered if your squire’s courage would waver in the face of such a blood knight.

It didn’t and you have a feeling he’s rather happy for that. Nothing else could stoke a warrior’s courage in the future than the touch of a woman, you think. Particularly not when they’re rewarding your courage. Then Moonblade surrendered, having engaged in a technically amazing battle with Vad, if unimpressive in contrast to the rest of the melee, and the event was over.

Stepping back inside after announcing the victor and a reminder of the main event starting tomorrow, you empower your hearing to catch the words of those around you. Unfortuantely, there’s several ongoing conversations and you’ll doubt you can hear all of them at once.

You listen in on…

>1. Fenix talking to the merchants of Compagnon on the ‘fairness’ of the fight.
>2. Merce talking to Alyce and Gnome about her worries over Finn.
>3. The Farun princess, Annette, talking to Lynn and Taira about the various battles in the melee (as well as Finn’s).
>4. Custom

Just a quick repeat of the note in the OP about this being a long session if people are interested. Further, I'll be taking a one hour break in about three hours.

>>33384394
>2. Merce talking to Alyce and Gnome about her worries over Finn.

Definitely interested in a long session.

>>33384394
>>2. Merce talking to Alyce and Gnome about her worries over Finn.

>>33384394
3
Might be a chance to sound her out

>>33384394
>2

>>33384394
>3. The Farun princess, Annette, talking to Lynn and Taira about the various battles in the melee (as well as Finn’s).

Kind of interested in annette's personality. We already have an idea of Mercenie.

>>33384394
>1
Savor his saltiness.

>>33384394
>2. Merce talking to Alyce and Gnome about her worries over Finn.

Elf Squire over Bitches

>>33384394
>>33384640

Actually switching to 3 since I guess we have to resolve the Termina situation soon

>>33384394
>2. Merce talking to Alyce and Gnome about her worries over Finn.
Seriosuly, is Finn actually just Wolverine?

>>33384394
>3. The Farun princess, Annette, talking to Lynn and Taira about the various battles in the melee (as well as Finn’s).

>>33384394
>3 The Farun princess, Annette, talking to Lynn and Taira about the various battles in the melee (as well as Finn’s).

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You know what, I'll just cover all three. I already wrote up Fenix's earlier and I've mostly written the Merce one.

>>33384756

Based QM

>>33384756

WORKS FOR ME.

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>all of them. Not worth a contentious vote over this.

You listen in on Merce, Alyce and Gnome.

“It can’t be safe for Tarfinn to be regenerating his body like that,” Merce is saying, her voice slightly shrill despite being kept low. “It must be stressing his body immensely. He shouldn’t be fighting like that.”

“He knows his body better than any of us,” Gnome says calmly. “If he choose to fight then it’s up to him, not us.”

“You say that like he had a choice in the matter,” Merce responds icily, glaring daggers at your familiar. “I can guarantee he was never consulted about whether he wanted his body converted into a shrine to pain and suffering.”

“He had a choice as to whether to fight, however. Talon even tried to talk him out of it,” Gnome says. “You heard his shouts from the arena – he’s desperately proud of his position. Will you deny him that?”

Merce and Gnome exchange harsh glares, both clearly concerned for your squire in their own ways. Alyce looks between them with a shake of her head.

“This is new,” she says simply. “Normally Merce argues for the hard-headed approach and Gnome talks about caring about the feelings of those involved. Finding a new niche, Gnome?”

You think a little on that last bit as you also consider the fact that Merce clearly cares for the welfare of your squire. Alyce is unreadable on the matter, however, and is no doubt concerned for larger politics than that.

>continued

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>>33384850
You then turn your hearing to Fenix and the merchants.

“It hardly seems fair to the other competitors that he can merely shrug off such grievous wounds,” one of the merchants was saying to King Fenix. “It didn’t matter if they were better warriors as they simply couldn’t harm him.”

“My good friend, fairness is limited to what is, and isn’t, proscribed by the rules,” Fenix says in return, his beard upturned slightly with a wicked smile. “The young lad put his talents where it mattered most – it’s not his fault that the others did not do so. The better warrior is the one who wins, not the one with the most sour grapes.”

Fenix at his truest, you think. It seems fitting that he would appreciate your squire’s efforts – he probably saw himself similarly in this world. Just as Finn was otherwise a frail and inexperienced elf compared to a legion of powerful and elite combatants, reliant on tricks and regeneration, so would Fenix see himself as a king with no magic or battle capability, reliant only on his own guile and cunning. You would need to make sure that no underhanded attempts were made to lure your squire away.

>continued

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Finally, you catch a conversation between Lynn, Taira and the princess of Farun, Annette, as you move to Undine’s side.

“It wasn’t just the magical regeneration that was impressive about him,” you hear Annette say, “but the way he fought. He fought with a lot of skill, even if it was more akin to that of a trained killer than a soldier.”

Taira laughs lightly. “Ah, so you saw that? I have a feeling that he wasn’t trained merely to be a soldier – even his status as an underdog doesn’t explain that. He’s a well-honed knife. What did you think about the other fights, princess?”

“The duel between the fox and the spellblade was interesting,” Annette says, pondering for a moment. “I get the feeling they weren’t serious, however.”

“They were serious,” Lynn says, her voice artificial through her helmet. “They just were more serious about not showing the other what they could do. They were showing the best of their technical skill without their magical.”

“And all the other warriors stayed clear of them for that reason,” Annette said with a small smile. “I wouldn’t mind being able to move like either of them – my own talents in the martial arena are insignificant in contrast to theirs.”

Hmm, so it seemed Annette was something of a warrior princess.

You noticed that Undine was indicating you should come with her to see Finn. On the other hand, it might be for the best to let your squire sort of his women troubles on his own. You still had some political matters to see to.

>1. Stay up here and talk.
>2. Visit Finn.
>3. Custom

>>33384982
>2. Visit Finn.

Elf Squire comes first

>>33384982
>>2. Visit Finn.

>>33384982
>2. Visit Finn.

Though I am worried about the Merchants getting so cozy with Fenix.

>>33384982
>2. Visit Finn.
Visit Elf bro

>>33384982
Politics will happen anyway, lets go stop finn from being mobbed.

>>33384982
>2. Visit Finn.

This is going to be a landslide

>>33385034

If I remember correctly, the merchants were losing because they couldn't hire enough mercenaries, with the shortage coming from the RSK-Magi League conflict.

Maybe the discussion is about that?

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>2.

You slip out of the box with Undine, moving swiftly to get to the special dressing area set aside for yours, the League’s and the RSK’s participants. You had wanted them to be able to relax afterwards without interruption from other competitors or the public.

You nearly crash into Vad as you enter, the fox deftly stepping aside to avoid being knocked down. It’s pretty clear why he’s beating a hasty retreat, however. Finn looks very lost as he both spellblades stand near him, engaged in what appears to be a catfight. You’d say he was lucky if you didn’t hear the actual argument.

“He’s only a boy,” Moonblade is saying, one hand resting loosely on her sword. You doubt it’s a threat so much as second nature to her. “I hardly think this is suitable.”

“He’s old enough to make his own decisions. If he can fight me on a battlefield he can fight me in bed,” Rayza says, giving Moonblade a lazy grin. “Besides, I thought you didn’t care for monsters?”

Moonblade scowls slightly, glancing over at you. “Monster is a loose translation. My tenets apply to myself and not to you, in any case. I won’t allow harm to come to a boy.”

“I’m going to sleep with him, Moon, not abuse him,” Rayza says, looking a little annoyed.

Women troubles, indeed. You’re not sure if you should intervene here. Undine looks like she’ll do so anyway, though.

>What action do you take?

>>33385272
>Teach Finn the most important aspect of womanizing; knowing when to run away.

>>33385272
>back off, let Finn handle it

>>33385272

Let Undine take lead, maternal instincts activate.

>>33385272
"Finn you have an amazing ability to attract women. My advice is to be far away when the aftershocks from this ability happens."

>>33385272
Let him handle it. Man needs to learn how to say yes or no on his own.

>>33385272

Don't intervene and let Finn try to handle this.

Unless he's about to get raped, then probably step in

>>33385272
>Let Finn get some strange
>Joke about it with Undine

>>33385319
I thought the most important lession was "don't cource a woman, or even appear to cource them. Excellent way to get your throat cut, or strung up by a mob."

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VOTE
>1. Help Finn get away.
>2. Let Undine help Finn.
>3. Let Finn learn to handle his women by himself.
>4. Custom

>>33385272
Let undine deal with it

>>33385475
>3. Let Finn learn to handle his women by himself.

>>33385475
2

>>33385475
>Let Finn learn to handle his women by himself.

>>33385475
>2. Let Undine help Finn.

>>33385475
>>3. Let Finn learn to handle his women by himself.

>>33385475
>2. Let Undine help Finn.
have some confidence in our familiars judgement call.

>>33385450
*coerce
Why would Talon have ever learned that lesson? he's never had a reason to, and what he hasn't learned can't be passed on.

>>33385475
>3. Let Finn learn to handle his women by himself.

>Let Finn get handled by some women

>>33385475
3

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Option 3 it is.

Writing.

>>33385611
Talon's conmand friend has probably provided all the examples he ever needed

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>3.

You hold your arm out to stop Undine from charging forth and she gives you a look of surprise. You shake your head at her but she still doesn’t understand until Vad makes it clear.

“You’re really just going to leave him to the wolves?” he says from beside you, smirking slightly.

“If he wants to be the hero he needs to learn how to handle the consequences,” you say. You figure it should be fine no matter how it goes – he’ll either show some open courage and make a clear decision himself or he’ll let them steer them into what he wants. You’re pretty sure Finn will step up and stop them if it really wasn’t something he wanted – you’d argue his indecision right now comes from the fact he’s afraid of taking a side and angering the other woman. You can’t really blame him.

Still, it looks like he might have made his decision, judging from the look on his face.

[DC16 Finn’s Courage]

Rolled 12

>>33385752

Rolled 13

>>33385752
Do eeeet

Rolled 8

>>33385752

Bravest Squire in the World!

Rolled 12

>>33385752

Rolled 8

>>33385752

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Rolled 9

>>33385771
>>33385772
>>33385778

>>33385771
>>33385772
>>33385778
awww T.T

>>33385771
>>33385772
>>33385778
>>33385782
>>33385785

All of the nope.

Rolled 4

>>33385771
>>33385772
>>33385778
fucking a

>>33385771
>>33385772
>>33385778

I remember my first time talking to women. Went about as well.

>>33385752
"courage" indeed

>>33385771
>>33385772
>>33385778
kek, our rolls are finally being normal

>>33385880
>courage

Good name for a donger I guess.

Rolled 10

>>33385752
>DC 16

Poor finn.

>>33385990
dc 16 is approx 50%, I'd had expected DC 18-19 since Finn has literally zero experience with 3dpd

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>Target not met

Finn looks determined, you think. He looks set on saying something, though you don’t know what. Will your squire actually show himself to be a man?

Then Rayza, possibly seeing the change in her prey’s expression, says, “Why don’t we settle this the easy way and ask him?”

Then she bends over him, her mouth next to his ear as she firmly massages a part of him that a women likely hasn’t touched before. Finn’s face immediately melts at the touch and you see him nodding weakly. Moonblade huffs, looking away from the scene, her actions being replicated by Undine as Vad snickers.

Well, you guess your squire will still become a man in his own way. Rayza will either ravage and abuse him horribly, ruining him forever, or give him the best sex of his life, ruining him forever. You figure those are pretty good odds.

Rayza then stands upright, Finn instinctively standing with her, and turns to you.

“You don’t mind if I borrow your squire for the night, Imperator?” she asks impishly. “I’ll return him whole tomorrow. I hear he has an archery tournament to participate in.”

Finn stares at you in horror, clearly seeing you here for the first time. You don’t know if he’s horrified at you seeing him like this or at the prospect of you saying no. You say…

>1. “No.” Let Finn enjoy his night.
>2. “Yes.” Keep Finn away from Rayza for now.
>3. Custom

Rolled 8

>>33386012
>50%

With normal dice maybe. /tg/ dice are cursed.

Rolled 10

>>33386085
>>1. “No.” Let Finn enjoy his night.

The Dice Gods had their say

>>33386085
>3

"I rent my squire on a happy smile basis, if he doesn't come back with a happy smile, No one gets to have a happy smile."

Rolled 17

>>33386085
Let's let Finn decide, again.

>>33386085
>1. “No.” Let Finn enjoy his night.

Starting drinking now Aspirational you have some Elf smut to write.

>>33386085
"Up to Finn here. What he does in this subject is none of my business until it starts causing trouble."

>>33386115
This

>>33386140
This.
Hand wave it with a casual have fun.

>>33386115

I don't know why, but this comment set off my "Creepy Uncle" radar.

>>33386085
>2. “Yes.” Keep Finn away from Rayza for now.

>>33386140
Sure, this.

>>33386085
>Rayza will either ravage and abuse him horribly, ruining him forever, or give him the best sex of his life, ruining him forever. You figure those are pretty good odds.
aww, I don't want finn to be ruined.
are we going to roll to determine which?
can we give him some advice about escaping if its the former?

>>33386085
>>2. “Yes.” Keep Finn away from Rayza for now.

>>33386085
>>1. “No.” Let Finn enjoy his night.

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>1.

You shake your head. “It’s not my place to say what Finn can and can’t do in his own time.”

As Rayza leads your squire away with a triumphant grin you give him a casual wave, which he returns nervously, his face unreadable. Moonblade watches the two go with a grimace before turning to you.

“Should you really have let that just happen? Is he not under your protection?” she asks.

“You talk as though she’s going to kill him,” you say. “He’s his own man, he can make his own decisions as men do.”

“He may technically be a man but I know immaturity when I see it,” she says. “Good day, Imperator.”

With that the swordswoman gives you a curt bow and withdraws, leaving you alone with Undine and Vad.

“He’s doing pretty well,” Vad says.

“That’s assuming all goes well,” Undine says guardedly, unhappy over her ward being taken away like that.

Snorting, Vad replies, “Oh, please. Rayza’s just experienced and interested – Finn’s experience with her will be like mine with Taira. Unforgettable in the best ways.”

You nod before returning to where the other rulers are.

Finn FTB: http://pastebin.com/Tf06bkEC

This FTB will get written sometime over the next month (I hope).

QUICK VOTE
>1. Meet with the merchants of Compagnon tonight
>2. Meet with Princess Annette of Farun tonight
>3. Leave the private meetings aside for the night and instead talk generally with the other rulers.
>4. Custom

>>33386085
>>1. “No.” Let Finn enjoy his night.

>>33386370
>1. Meet with the merchants of Compagnon tonight

>>33386370
>2

>>33386370
>1. Meet with the merchants of Compagnon tonight

Meet with the warrior princess after Lynn does her thing

>>33386370
oh god, I can think of so many women that are going to be so jelly at not being the one to deflower him.

Rolled 9

>>33386370
meet with annette

>>33386370
>1. Meet with the merchants of Compagnon tonight

>>33386370
2

>>33386370
>1 Meet with the merchants of Compagnon tonight

>all these 1s
what do you guys want to talk to them about?

>>33386530

You do realize that we have to absorb them into our empire soon?

Their war with Farun, their talk with Felix, possibility of absorbing them into our empire, etc.

>>33386370
2

>>33386560
their talk with felix we heard and was nothing out of the ordinary
absorbing them applies to the princess as well
they are not at war with farun YET
and sarah said it would really hurt vitria if we strike a deal with them to absorb them. so we basically need to either scare them into being annexed without any special deals. or conquer them.

We already had sarah split her control of vitria, we upset her with the vampire thing, we really should have her back on the compagnom issue.

>>33386620

>they are not at war with farun YET

I'm fairly sure this isn't true.

>and sarah said it would really hurt vitria if we strike a deal with them to absorb them. so we basically need to either scare them into being annexed without any special deals. or conquer them.

We discussed this last thread. Conquering them would be the most counterproductive thing ever.

The proper balance here would be absorbing Compagnon without pissing off too much of Vitria, which could mean economic concessions for them.

Also, I'm not really inclined to support Sarah 100% if it's a bad decision for the empire as a whole. We need to talk to the merchants to see what their situation is and evaluate our strategy.

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>1.

You tell Karise to ensure that some space is set aside in the main spire of Vitria for a private meeting and dinner with the merchants from Compagnon. You suspect that they’ll be very open to a deal that integrates them into your empire so it’s best to butter them up a bit. Some talk over a good meal, maybe with some of Taira’s desserts at the end as discussions become more serious, should enable you to make headway towards determining what they really want from you in return.

Before that you have a number of pleasantries to go through, including a promise to watch the archery tournament with Fenix tomorrow. Alyce is uninterested so it’s an innocuous time to talk – even if everybody in the room knows what is really happening. The same will apply when you watch some of the mage events with Alyce, so it’s obvious the two are simply keeping the peace with one another.

As you dress for dinner in your room in the spire, Sarah steps inside wearing a brilliant light blue dress. She has a frown on her face and it’s pretty obvious what she’ll want to talk to you about.

>1. Tell her that you want her with you to talk to the merchants.
>2. Tell her that you would prefer that she remain outside the meeting with the merchants.
>3. Let her speak her piece before making a decision.
>4. Custom

>>33386680
3

>>33386680
>>3. Let her speak her piece before making a decision.

If Sarah's going to sabotage the deal, then we don't want her in there.

>>33386680
>3. Let her speak her piece before making a decision.

>>33386680
>3. Let her speak her piece before making a decision.

>>33386680
3

>>33386674
Fyi, they are fighting with Termina, not Farun

>>33386747

All the more reason to absorb these three kingdoms quickly. I keep getting their names mixed up.

>>33386674
>Conquering them would be the most counterproductive thing ever.
That is some extreme hyperbole.
we have done many things that are much more counter productive. and conquering them has both benefits and drawbacks.

>The proper balance here would be absorbing Compagnon without pissing off too much of Vitria, which could mean economic concessions for them.
you mean economic concessions to vitria or compagnom?

>Also, I'm not really inclined to support Sarah 100% if it's a bad decision for the empire as a whole.
It isn't a bad decision for the empire as a whole, there are benefits and drawbacks to both conquest and diplomacy. For example, we have already been told by some of our allies that we need fewer allies and more vassals. We are out to conquer the world not to be a small king with many small friends.
Its also beneficial to keep our inner circle happy, beneficial to not backstabbing the person who is pretty much in charge of doing all the administrative work for our empire and who is running herself ragged and overworked due to the sheer amount of work to be done and the lack of competent people on her side.

>>33386680
Can't we just promise to invest in a good highway/canal system that will turn Vitria into the Magi league's primary port for both import and export?

>>33386680
>3 Speak her piece

>>33386680
wait, i just realized, 3 is a trap. we should have gone to 1 instead!

did we remember to tell her about this meeting beforehand? did we invite her?
it seems like we are going behind her back, sure we could, after she talks to us about that, try to smooth things over. but doubts could remain

>>33386817
>we have already been told by some of our allies
sorry, meant to say some of our cabinet.

>>33386817
we're going to need a good excuse to take their lands though if its by conquest.
either that or we need to use vamps/other good assasins and assassinate all their leaders asap an go in with a swoop to bring "order" to their country.

>>33386817

I am not seeing what the benefits of conquering Compagnon is besides enriching Vitrian nobles and strengthening their economic power over the empire.

Compagnon is a merchant republic, their wealth and usefulness is predicated on being a commercial hub. Invading them is likely to scare away the merchants and their money, which is likely to make our new territory less valuable as a whole.

Furthermore, rich merchants are powerful enemies and they could frustrate us for years to come as they become established in other nations.

>you mean economic concessions to vitria or compagnom?

Vitria since they'll be taking some of the hit

>For example, we have already been told by some of our allies that we need fewer allies and more vassals. We are out to conquer the world not to be a small king with many small friends.

Compagnon would be our vassal, we are absorbing them, not allying with them.

>Its also beneficial to keep our inner circle happy, beneficial to not backstabbing the person who is pretty much in charge of doing all the administrative work for our empire and who is running herself ragged and overworked due to the sheer amount of work to be done and the lack of competent people on her side.

Sounds like we need more competent administrators then, I'm sure Compagnon could provide some to help relieve some of Sarah's workload.

>>33386914
Aspirational isn't in the business of presenting trap options

>>33386934
Or just conquer them because we can

>>33386817
Why exactly do we care about vitria again?
I mean the only reason people actually care about its prosperity is the fact that it has Sarah in it.

>>33386947
>I am not seeing what the benefits of conquering Compagnon is besides enriching Vitrian nobles and strengthening their economic power over the empire.
You are confusing conquering with "burn it to the ground"
We are not going to destroy anything, we are going to get them to surrender, maybe kill some soldiers outside a city to get them to surrender.

And the benefit is that they join us without extracting serious concessions from us.

>>33386819
Looking a the map, I can easily see why it wouldn't work

>>33386934

This is a merchant republic, sort of like Vitria. We'll need to assassinate a lot of leaders for that plan to have any odds of succeeding.

It's also highly risky and sets an incredibly dangerous precedent. Assassinating rulers is generally frowned upon by other rulers for obvious reasons.

If we get caught, we'll become a pariah and diplomacy will become incredibly difficult.

Also, even if we don't get caught, the suspicion will likely fall on whomever takes over the land. Which will be us or Termina.

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I always hate when I write up a response and it's not that much larger than the word limit.

>3.

You give Sarah a nod but remain silent as you continue to dress. Her frown deepens slightly and she stands there for several minutes. You’d swear it’s almost like she didn’t actually come prepared to say anything.

Eventually, “You’re meeting with Compagnon?”

“I’m having dinner with the merchant representatives of Compagnon, yes,” you say, keeping your face expressionless. The topic is close to Sarah’s heart and you’re wary of setting her off.

“Do you know what they want?” she asks.

“No. That’s why I’m meeting with them,” you say, trying not to sound too childish. Sarah’s usually not so immature so it grates slightly when she is.

“But what are you prepared to give them?” she asks, pressing the matter.

>continued

Man Finn is gonna catch feelings I bet

>>33386978
Yeah because thats TOTALLY the best way to get the general population on our side and have no rebellions.

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>>33386999
You sigh as you finish dressing, turning your full attention to Sarah. “That depends on what they’re offering, what they’re interested in and what alternatives my trusted advisers offer,” you say.

Sarah scowls but you cut her off before she speaks. “Sarah, I trust you. You know that. If you second-guess everything I might do when meeting with other rulers out of fear it might harm Vitria then… I’m sure you can imagine how it looks. I may overlook it but there is a growing number of people around me who may not.”

Your new fox companions being the main ones in that number – both Karise and Taira had spent some time over the last month mapping out your weakpoints and had isolated Sarah as the biggest one. She was the heart of your administrative empire right now – if she showed signs of distrust towards you then it wouldn’t take long before your subordinates starting sniping at each other in an effort to protect you.

Sarah looks a little dispirited from that but you also feel you’ve put across your feelings towards her. You don’t think your words hurt her but they have at least made her think about her actions some more – and made you a little bit more confident that she won’t try to sabotage the meeting with Compagnon out of hand.

>1. Tell her that you want her with you to talk to the merchants.
>2. Tell her that you would prefer that she remain outside the meeting with the merchants.
>3. Say something else. <write-in>
>4. Custom

>>33386989

I think you ignored the two paragraphs after that.

What good is Compagnon without merchants and their wealth? How dangerous would it be to make enemies of influential and powerful merchants? What if they start bankrolling our enemies?

Diplomacy is the preferred option here, conquest should be the option of last resort.

>>33387023
>1

>>33387023
>1. Tell her that you want her with you to talk to the merchants.

>>33387023
>>1. Tell her that you want her with you to talk to the merchants.

If she won't try to sabotage the meeting, she will be useful. Also useful to boost her trust.

>>33386988
1. that is reason enough
2. why do you care about compagnom? one merchant city is as good as the other

>>33386947
A. everything you said about "pissing off the compagnom merchants" applies equally to pissing off the vitria merchants
B. How would they get into other countries? you expect them to just pack up everything and leave just because the government changed hands? they are all still going to be around as the local nobles of compagnom. their shops, their factories, their apartment complexes which they rent, their mansions, their families, their friends, their connections, their co workers, their suppliers. everyone is still going to be there.

>>33386989
Absent a look at the continental river system we really can't though

>>33387023
>1. Tell her that you want her with you to talk to the merchants.

I'm sure someone will come up with a good for 3 though.

I had a feeling Sarah was beginning to hurt us though. Really why I had wanted that Admin Fox clan, but shoulda coulda woulda.

>>33386996
Let termina take some land than, once termina has taken the land, we can go "help" campagnon as well as having a good reason to attack termina

>>33387046
>What good is Compagnon without merchants and their wealth?
they are still there
>How dangerous would it be to make enemies of influential and powerful merchants?
equal to the vitria merchants, and we conquered vitria
>What if they start bankrolling our enemies?
then our spies find out, we confiscate their assets (factories, lands, mansions, storefronts, warehouses, goods, plantations, etc) which all happen to already be in our domain and try them for treason. (or make them disappear in the night)

>>33387089
this actually sounds like it might work
too bad we roll bad and will probably crit fail any attempts at assasination

>>33387089
this was actually a plan that was proposed a while ago
the plan was basically
step 1: annex farun (or conquer it if the king is not beloved by the people)
step 2: termina attacks compagnom
step 3: "rescue" compagnom. they join us, all they get in return is our protection (annexation)
step 4: conquer termina for attacking our allies.

wam, bam, done deal.

>>33387072
>>33387104

It doesn't apply equally.

There are several Vitrian merchant houses who've become much more powerful and wealthy as a result of our shaking up the food chain.

They will remain loyal so long as we give them sufficient economic concessions.

We don't have any such relationship with Compagnon merchant houses. They are likely to be much more hostile to our advances.

I'm not sure why we are rejecting the possibility of diplomacy for bloody conquests here.

>>33387089
I swear this was proposed before and lots of people agreed to it.

>>33386934
>we're going to need a good excuse to take their lands though if its by conquest.
the excuse is that the RSK, the magi league, and the mage guard have all given us their blessing to conquer them as an attempt to butter us up.

>>33387143
Seems like it'll work. Only issue is Farun in that

>>33387143

If diplomacy fails, I'd be fine with this option.

Straight up invading Compagnon seems dumb.

>>33387143
Do our spies even tell us anything about Farun?
I mean we don't even know if the king is liked by the general population there or not

>>33387089
That typically leads to the issue known as "What business is it if some random nation takes land from another?"

It's pretty blatant.

>>33387079
Point. Ahm basically has to be on or near a river, otherwise it would probably starve to death, much less become one of the three most important cities on the continent. If vitria could be connected to that river system by canal trade would boom massively. With this tech base it should be something like 10 times cheaper to ship things by cannal rather than over land

>>33387226
see
>>33387143
whether its overt or not is besides the point, as long as its good enough that the peasants believe in our bullshiters than its fine
All the real powers know the truth about our intentions anyways

>>33387162
Yet again literally everything you say can apply in reverse.
>There are several Vitrian merchant houses who've become much more powerful and wealthy as a result of our shaking up the food chain.
by negotiating with individual merchant houses in compagnom prior to conquest the same thing will happen there, the houses opposed to us will weaken, the houses for us will gain strength and wealth over them
>They will remain loyal so long as we give them sufficient economic concessions.
If we outright purchase compagnom, then we would have to give concessions that will severely disadvantage vitria and hurt it.
Vitria was given no such concessions compared to the rest of our empire, giving those to compagnom would hurt vitria and to a lesser extent the traders elsewhere in the empire. Which will cause resentment from everywhere but compagnom
>We don't have any such relationship with Compagnon merchant houses.
nothing stopping us from making some
>I'm not sure why we are rejecting the possibility of diplomacy for bloody conquests here.
Nothing bloody about it, I said we intimidate them into annexation without killing anyone OR we kill a few soldiers outside town to do so. I explicitly rebuked your notion that we would burn down their cities.
Furthermore, I gave a dozen different reasons. from sarah, to fairness to the vitrian nobles (who were conquered and who do NOT have such special concessions)
I also explained why I am rejecting it, in detail

>>33387226
Except we don't have the united nations around to tell us that conquest by force is immoral

>>33387143
>>33387089
I'll support this if diplomacy fails which with our rolls will probably occur

>>33387223
we sent spies in specifically to find out. we are still waiting on results

>>33387223

>Farun is cautiously optimistic about us. Supposedly the king is a good man, but I may be able to work with him if I leave his family with their wealth and power. Depending on how patriotic they really are, they may be stauncher about giving up their rule and letting us change how things work.”

>A small royalist nation north of Vitria, Farun is calm and boring. At Darlesia's peak more than 30 years ago it was a bloody battleground between Termina and Darlesia but since Termina relinquished its control over it Farun has embraced peace. It maintains a small military and has close ties to the Mage Guard to the north. Ruled by King Henry II, an obese but gentle ruler.

>>33387226
everyone knows its an excuse mate, only the fools think otherwise. We're just using it as an excuse since having a name of "randomly attacking people you are near" is bad publicity

>>33387226
That and thinking on it they have been in a draw for a pretty long time. So the odds of getting something notable enough to make the merchants turn over to us is pretty low.

>>33387257
Most peasants are going to see though that pretty easy. Honestly it works better if we take Farun first then share a border.

Though to me the best case is them joining us for some economic advantages and protection. Giving some government work or contracts to Vitria with the excuse it's closer to the heart of our empire. Then with them official under our control letting the Termina king start something.

>>33387273

I guess we'll have to disagree then.

I'll still support the diplomacy solution as long as it doesn't cripple the Vitrians. If not, I'll probably support this >>33387143

>>33387143
supported lurker here, this is my second post ever outside of voting

>>33387273
We also needed them at the moment because we had no land. They also where lead by noble houses not merchants who we could bribe easily. That and they got a archduchy out of it while these guys won't.

This is kind of like saying "Well since we kind of invaded this one place it's only fair we invade this other instead of talking to them. Otherwise it's unfair to the people we invaded." As if we have to deal everyone with a even hand.

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>1.

As Sarah accompanies to the dinner you have a brief run-in with Neir. Judging from the fact she’s already changed from her elegant black dress into more comfortable clothing you suspect she has intentions towards a quiet night with Maloric. Even so, she stops you as you pass for a short talk.

“I’d be careful about offering, or even appearing to offer, anything to these merchants, Talon,” she says quietly. “They may attempt to paint their situation as better than it is or their nation as more prosperous than it is – but if you note the way they react to the splendour of this city then you’ll see much more. King Lyyph of Termina may also give you some more to think about – Karise says that he’s not the fiery fool he appears to be publically. He may make you a better offer.”

And with that, Neir ducks off. You’ve got some food for thought as a result and Sarah’s interest is piqued. Stepping inside the common room adjoining the dining room you notice that the three merchants have already arrived, each wearing the same fine clothes as earlier. Undine and Lynn are both nearby, though the latter has exchanged her armour for the reinforced clothes you had made for royal guard, only keeping her sword. There’s no Compagnon mercenaries in sight, both here and earlier, meaning that they’re either very naïve or don’t see much point in bringing along soldiers when they’re under your protection. It’s not like they could stop you if you chose to forsake it.

>continued

>>33387438
how many archduchies do we even fucking have?

>>33387341
>I guess we'll have to disagree then.
>I'll still support the diplomacy solution as long as it doesn't cripple the Vitrians.
1. I like how you are dismissing my plan as "blood conquest and NOT a diplomatic solution" when it was explicitly "intimidate them into being annexed without giving them unfair concessions without killing a single person". last I checked that is very much diplomacy
2. what if it "merely" severely disadvantages vitrian (and other merchants too) but doesn't outright cripple them?

Even if we do manage to find a way to give vitria enough dosh to make up for the lossess of what we give to compagnom.
what about farun (once annexed)? what about darlesia? what about taour? there are a lot of cities and the more we play favorites the more bad blood it will make.

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>>33387466
“Imperator Talon, we must thank you for your kind hospitality,” says the leader, one Derek. His companions echo his greetings though you learned in your short exchange with them at the melee that Derek was the only important one of note. He claims to be the richest merchant in Compagnon, meaning he’s likely the one with the most power in the nation.

“You can thank me after the meal, Lord Derek,” you say. “Then your satisfaction will be genuine enough for me to enjoy it.”

There’s a slight chuckle from them before you go through a few pleasantries. You have a few minutes alone with them before the dinner. You…

>1. Do as Neir suggested and observe their behaviours.
>2. Engage in talk with them about the war between the RSK and League, trying to determine their stance on it.
>3. Talk to them about relations with the Mage Guard. They’re technically under its protection but how do they feel about that?
>4. Custom

I'm going to start my one-hour break now. I may answer questions, if slowly.

>>33387488
>1. Do as Neir suggested and observe their behaviours.

>>33387470
>how many archduchies do we even fucking have?
one, vitria is an archduchy under the archduchess sarah
if farun gets annexed peacefully then their king will become the archduke of farun.
darlessia and taour are both directly ruled by talon himself with not dukes in between. he appoints a government official which is his employee rather then a noble to manage each district, who has no bloodline ownership to the title

we decided that we would dangle dukedom as a carrot for those who would willingly let themselves annexed

>>33387471
being an emperor is such hard work

>>33387471

I don't count intimidation as a bargaining in good faith. Maybe that's what I should have wrote since intimidation is diplomacy.

If it severely disadvantages Vitrians, then it's a maybe. It would depend on the net-benefit to the empire and whether Sarah can think of other concessions the Vitrians would want.

Let's bargain in good-faith first before we break out the big sticks.

>>33387488

>1. Do as Neir suggested and observe their behaviours.

>>33387538
watch us critfail and start a war

>>33387488
>1. Do as Neir suggested and observe their behaviours.

Leave for 5 minutes and place blows up. Christ.

>>33387556

If the Dice Gods demand it, then so be it I guess

>>33387488
1

>>33387538
Diplomacy is all about intimidation. Unless you're like the us and UK talking about some minor tarrif

>>33387488

>1. Do as Neir suggested and observe their behaviours.

>>33387488
not a vote but
>3. Talk to them about relations with the Mage Guard. They’re technically under its protection but how do they feel about that?
made me laugh since the mage guard explicitly told us we can conquer them without it interfering. I wonder if THEY know that yet... haha

it is actually best they don't know, then they call on them for help and whoops, non arrives...

although in retrospect this could be a setup by the mage guard to get cause to war on us

>>33387557
welcome to quests where hivemind is weak.

>>33387488
>1. Do as Neir suggested and observe their behaviours.

>>33387624

B-but I just said intimidation is diplomacy.

>>33387488
>1. Do as Neir suggested and observe their behaviours.

>>33387538
its not bargaining under good faith, but it is diplomacy
and let me remind you, this is a feudal world that is constantly at war.

By the by, wasent their ment to be some sort of inquisition stopping by at some point in our lands?

>>33387701
there was, it was a conman though

>>33387701

Yeah the Inquisitors.

We met them last thread briefly, Harry.

>>33387538
>If it severely disadvantages Vitrians, then it's a maybe.
only a maybe?
for me its a definite no, also for medium disadvantage
maybe is reserved for a light disadvantage that is easily mitigated with other building up so that overall our people all benefit.
We can't go around selling out our people to get more people

also, i am not just worried about the super rich noble merchants, there are also the various middling and small merchants to think about

I can't believe most of you haven't realised that diplomacy is an extension of warfare.

>>33387728
no my friend, warfare is simply an extension to diplomacy

>>33387701
Weren't we supposed to have an Inquisition?

>>33387701
we refused their request to have a full blown inquisition of our mage towers, claiming that we will police them ourselves.
they sent a lone inquisitor to snoop around on this event, who is a conmen that knows us from before and claims to intend to go around womanizing, drinking, and eating the entire week then submit a report saying he found nothing of note.

however, my paranoia suggests that this might be a con, a conmen is an excellent inquisitor if he convinces people he is not a real inquisitor. He might be pulling a con on us with the conmen routine
i would rather he be watched closely

>>33387520
>dangle dukedom

If we are idiots maybe. Most are just going to be able to keep their local laws while having the taxes/trade/road laws set by our local administers.

Dukedom is something that shouldn't be given out unless the person proves to be Sarah tier loyal and even then rarely.

>>33387728
>>33387751

You make me think of a certain Lord Rust quote in Jingo.

>>33387751
Meh, I'd care to disagree.

>>33387781
Promise nothing and offer nothing until we get an idea of their positions.

>>33387725

I suppose I'd rather see the numbers first.

I'd also like to maintain more than one economic powerhouses in the empire. Stacking all our eggs in Vitria seems dangerous.

Of course, I also don't want us to just move all the eggs in Compagnon and forget about Vitria either. A healthy balance would be ideal.

>>33387758
well, there were votes to CALL it an inquisition, but we clarified to aspir that we don't mean "kidnap people over flimsy evidence and torture them" but benign and lawful police. with a multi branch organization that includes a secret order of internal affairs spying, open auditing of books of the powerful to ensure they are not doing something untowed, and a police force similar to vimes from diskworld.

and we did start on this in a previous thread.

>>33387763
>i would rather he be watched closely

I thought he was?

>>33387781

I expect that's what's needed to get Termina to be absorbed diplomatically, probably not needed for Farun or Compagnon.

That's not to say that we should do either of those things.

>>33387781
that is a fair point, we should minimize the number of dukes and get most to properly integrate into our empire

>>33387827
Sooo the short answer is yes but no?

>>33387488
>>1. Do as Neir suggested and observe their behaviours.

>>33387857

>As for the intelligence unit, I think I’ll moderate it to act mostly as an anti-corruption force that operates separately to Neir’s spies. She might be able to help me with the specifics of setting that up.

>So it looks like you guys want more of an aboveboard police force (which I personally envisage as being like Vimes' Watch from Discworld) than a secret police

>>3. Have both your intelligence and internal affairs work under a supraunit that controls both before reporting to you.

Is what I could find from the archives. We also called them auditors instead of inquisitors.

>>33387813
>I'd also like to maintain more than one economic powerhouses in the empire. Stacking all our eggs in Vitria seems dangerous.
Annexing compagnom without giving them undue concessions will create a pair of economic powerhouses, vitria and compagnom.
Giving compagnom serious advantage over all other merchants in the empire (including vitria) will be putting all our eggs in one basket, the compagnom basket.

>Of course, I also don't want us to just move all the eggs in Compagnon and forget about Vitria either. A healthy balance would be ideal.
So, we agree on the principle, we just disagree on the specifics

Here are a few points to you
1. vitria's trade suffered greatly from the protracted civil war.
2. vitria's capital took damages during our conquest
3. vitria's armed forces took losses during the civil war, when we conquered them, and again vs taour.

vitria is already disadvantaged compared to compagnom. even if we don't offer a single concession, compagnom will have a slight edge from the above.
Every single concession we give increases the gap and makes it more so that compagnom is basically the only city that matters.

>>33387915
>We also called them auditors instead of inquisitors

But where's the fun in that?

>>33387827
I also think we should have some kind of higher tier ass kickers who can do raids when they need to. It's always nice to have a group you can rely on when you need someone taken out with no evidence.

>>33387916
>Annexing compagnom without giving them undue concessions will create a pair of economic powerhouses, vitria and compagnom.
oh, not to mention the possibility of farun being one too, and darlessia being one after it is rebuild
and taour is getting major population shift to the aboveground city that is being built, leaving a lot of empty tunnels that we are using to attract dwarfs so that would make it a major manufacturing hub too. AND we are building up harrowmont

so all in all, a lot of places are being built up.

And all of them could be hurt by giving compagnom an unfair disadvantage in negotiations over all other trades in the empire

Of course. some concessions might not be the "disadvantage others" kind but the "build something nice here" kind
like maybe building an additional magic factory in their town or some such.

>>33387916

>Annexing compagnom without giving them undue concessions will create a pair of economic powerhouses, vitria and compagnom.
Giving compagnom serious advantage over all other merchants in the empire (including vitria) will be putting all our eggs in one basket, the compagnom basket.

Just to clarify, I never actually said that I wanted to give Compagnon undue concessions.

What I envisioned was bringing Compagnon into the empire without giving them any special privileges.

So when I said I thought Vitria would suffer disadvantages, it was based on the structural advantages of Compagnon versus any real concessions.

I don't think we actually disagree on anything to be honest since our analysis is basically identical.

>>33387916
Honestly I say it depends a lot on what they want. vitria is right next to harrowmont so we should be able to get away with some advantages. Just because in general we are going to be buying and the likes from there. Just because we don't want shipping from that far away.

Giving too much though leads to issues. We need to strike a balance.

>>33387996
ok, that explains our major miscommunication.

From everything our advisers told us, they would demand concessions that would give them an unfair advantage.

So if I take your idea to be
>Refuse their demands for unfair concessions and just convince them to join up peacefully anyways
this will be GREAT if we could do it, but I doubt we could (maybe a nat 20 on diplomacy)
other ideas floating about are
>Intimidate them in to joining up without giving them unfair concessions. nor undercutting them in any way
>Conquer them via defeating their army outside of town and then intimidate them into joining up without damaging any of their infrascture
>Let termina attack them first, then rescue them, their "concession" for joining would be the defeat of termina and the return of the claimed lands

>>33388038
Also Vitria is an archduchy which gives some advantages in that they can set a lot of their own laws. Which is something Talon would never give to Compagnon.

The key thing I think is to give just enough but not enough to damage the long term economy of vitria.

>>33388038
harrowmont is a tiny insignificant customer.
Both are trade ports that do export/import with another continent
as well as serving as a major stop for magi league RSK trade (since the two are at war, merchants have to go around, through vitria or compagnom)

>>33388081
If I remember right the main reason they are limited is the mage guard giving them limits. If they shift protection to us then we probably won't have those limits to start with. If they don't go our way though I can see the other methods.

>>33388081

Yup, it's an idealistic solution to be honest.

I guess intimidation would depend on striking the appropriate tone and message. I wouldn't be too keen on intimidation that suggests that we would attack them.

I would be down with intimidation that points out that the King of Termina has also been eager to talk with us and that we are well aware of their shortage of fighting men and mercenaries.

Basically, more of a "Join us to survive" rather than "Join us or die" type of intimidation.

The third option is probably preferable after intimidation fails since we can claim popular support and kill two birds with one stone.

>>33388123
Which is also the heart of our empire and should grow with us. Though in general so long as we don't cripple on side I'm fine either way.

>>33388167
it just occured to me, we don't even have to be the one to threaten them
instead of intimidating them with
>i will conquer you if you refuse peaceful annexation
we can go with
>termina will conquer you and then bleed you to fuel their kings ambitions if you don't join up with me for protection
>mage guard can't protect you, they are barely holding against lord ember.

Although, I would rather that for once we actually speak to all sides before committing to one. We haven't even spoken to the king of termina nor the king of farun.

Two other things we could play up but I am not sure if we should are the threat of shropam and the fact the mage guard gave us the go ahead to conquer them

>>33388243
>Which is also the heart of our empire and should grow with us.
Maybe so, but it will take decades at best to make it be a significant factor in terms of trade income

I think you guys are forgetting the side point of the Tourney was so we could speak with all parties.

Let's cool our jets on anything crazy right now. After all is said and done we'll get a write up of it, consult everyone, then make decisions. As is typical of Talon

>>33388269

No one even gawked at the idea of rebuilding a Fox population in centuries. Decades are nothing.

>>33388285
that is very atypical of talon actually
we usually meet only one faction, then immediately ally with it without ever talking to the other factions

>>33388308
for talon they are nothing
but for the people of vitria and compagnom they are lifetimes
the conversation was whether or not vitria gets an economical advantage over compagnom for being closer to our capital.

>>33388285

Well, we are not committing to anything with the merchants right now, so I'm sure we'll have the chance to meet all 3 parties.

I just hope we don't fall for the Beauty Trap strategm. Let's be be cautious in our dealing with the Princess.

>>33387392
Nothing wrong with that, newfriend.

>>33388366

Sarah in particular might be vulnerable to us falling for the Beauty Trap.

>Third, other females at court, motivated by jealousy and envy, begin to plot intrigues further exacerbating the situation.

> both Karise and Taira had spent some time over the last month mapping out your weakpoints and had isolated Sarah as the biggest one. She was the heart of your administrative empire right now

Not to say we shouldn't go after Princesses, but that we should be careful about it and think of what their agendas might be.

>>33388308
i missed that thread, i was kinda unhappy with the way we treated our new spymaster there

her demands were completely reasonable, more then reasonable actually.
the "i will accept military volunteers" was... an acceptable exception but we could have presented it in a nicer manner
and the condition of "no doing the own clan stuff" was ... well, she explicitly said its her very last priority after the well being of her people and we acted like it wasn't which was insulting and disrespectful of her.
we also failed to acknoledge just how eminently reasonable her requests are, to explicitly approve of them, or to offer her additional stuff to further help her people grow (food was mentioned)

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Next post will be slightly delayed further - should be in about 30-35 minutes from now. Had a mishap in the kitchen so things were delayed a bit.

I don't think there's any question I missed. Vote as clearly for 1.

>>33388463

I think it was mostly an issue of tone, but I think Talon being direct and slightly abrasive at times is acceptable enough.

We'll treat the foxes with respect since they are our favorites anyway.

>>33388404
Honestly all Talon really did there was mention to not build too early and she is ultimately his subject now. I think he did pretty good there. They don't really need anymore then citizenship and help with the move. If there is any issues she knows she can bring them up.

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>>33388470
>Mishap in the Kitchen

Did your dog set your kitchen on fire?"

>>33388525
What if it's the reverse? The kitchen set the dog on fire?

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>>33388525
Nah. I just slipped when chopping onion and dug my knife into my thumb - luckily it got stuck in my nail so I just needed to wrap it up.

>>33388525
Eh, I'm sure it's not that bad.
I mean, unless he's got AC-guy over or something.

>>33388557
did you regenerate

>>33388557
ouch. gotta be careful with that

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>>33388596
I usually am. I think this is the first time I've cut myself while cooking in years.

SURPRISE ROLL

>1.

You decide to let Sarah take the lead here, preferring instead to monitor the merchants’ behaviour.

[DC12 Perception]

>>33388557

Just activate Wondrous Body, you'll be fine.

Rolled 12

>>33388618

>>33388557
That shit fucking hurts like a bitch man. A while back I slammed my thumb into a hard object and cracked my nails wide open. So I know how bad things like that can hurt if it hits deep enough.

Rolled 10

>>33388618

>>33388573
>AC-Guy comes over
>Aspie lets him in
>AC sets a single foot inside
>Aspie's hoise explodes

Rolled 14

>>33388618

Rolled 3

>>33388618
Fucking dice gods. Die already.

>>33388573
what AC guy?

Rolled 3

>>33388680
The most unlucky SOB to run a quest on 4chan. I honestly think he is cursed by a gypsy at some point.

>>33388680
The living embodiment of the Curse

>>33388736
>>33388755
really? tell me moar?

>>33388774
all the 1s you can handle and more

Rolled 6

>>33388774
Imagine a guy who God himself hates to see run a quest and you pretty much get the picture. If I remember right his Houses electrics have caught on fire more then once.

>>33388782
can you tell me what the quest was called?

>>33388782
Wouldn't it make more sense if it was couldn't handle?

>>33388782

I still remember the time someone calculated all the 1s and figured out the average was like 10 percent chance of a 1 or something.

>>33388633
>>33388650

Thank you dice gods

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>>33388782
You make it sounds like he's the one who sits atop the One Throne.

>>33388841

12% I think? It makes sense since a 1 overrides all results except a 20.

>>33388874
Isn't that Cosgrove?

>>33388912

That's not Fouldrinker

>>33388912
Honestly Cosgrove had the advantage there in that crits are pretty common when you have a range that large.

I still remember code geass quest. Where we added up the chances of a crit range of 1-3 on a 1D100 as about 7 percent.

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/33352302/#p33364483
>He only hid the fact he was an elf because he was worried about being kicked out of your army at first.
huh, is it common for human empires to not allow nonhumans to serve or display prejudice against them?
I am wondering how many recruits we are missing out on because of that, i would love to be more inclusive

>>33384850
>“This is new,” she says simply. “Normally Merce argues for the hard-headed approach and Gnome talks about caring about the feelings of those involved. Finding a new niche, Gnome?”
interesting, alyce was just reading a book that stated
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/33352302/#p33364770
>He also believes that pure elementals, knowingly or unknowingly, change their thought patterns and behaviours to compliment their master's (thoguh this is different to agreeing with them all the time).

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>Target met

You’ll give Derek and his friends credit for at least trying to be subtle but the same perceptiveness that has kept you alive on the battlefield aids you here.

These three men are extremely uncomfortable around so much wealth. It’s not that they dislike the splendour of the furnishings of the room, the exquisite art of the paintings or the fact that Sarah’s dress is probably worth as much as their entire wardrobe. No, they like wealth, they desire it. But as they admire it they always do so side-on and not merely to be polite. It’s more akin to how an ordinary citizen might always turn away from a noble – they’re fearful that they’ll be thought of as thieves.

Neir’s words are apparent to you, now. Compagnon’s merchants are capable. They’ve built their own nation and are ruling it admirably. Yet their wealth is insignificant compared to the great nations of the world. The merchant nobles of Vitria had the resources to undertake a massive reengineering project that create the great spires of the city – a sight that rivals even Ahm’s majesty. If Lord Derek couldn’t imagine himself competing with such wealth… that meant that what any one merchant offered of Compagnon would be less than any one noble house of Vitria. How would that scale to the city itself? The behaviour continued into the meal itself. The chefs in your employ were some of the best in Vitria and their food clearly impressed.

>continued

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>>33389100
Ultimately, you realised the big difference between Compagnon and Vitria – Vitria was a city that had been desperate to compete with the RSK and neighbouring nations such as Ahm. It had built up great wealth and had deployed it as best as possible to attract their commerce – and succeeded. The wealth of Vitria didn’t surprise you too much but that was because you were used to looting royal kingdoms on behalf of the RSK or visiting Ahm. Even the best chefs here were a pale imitation of the ones in Fenix’s royal court.

Compagnon had instead chosen to try to compete with Vitria. A second-tier copycat in a world of great power and wealth.

As you and your guests melted from pleasure at some of Taira’s pastries, your mind considered your approach to the negotiations in light of this.

You start the talks…

>1. Aggressively. You have a lot more to offer Compagnon than it does to you. You can afford to push them.
>2. Passively. Let the merchants do the talking and merely probe them for information as necessary.
>3. With Sarah. Let her probe them for what they want and what we may offer them.
>4. Custom

Now that's out of the way the intention is to run for 6 hours or so without break if you guys stick around.

>>33389100
oh, now that is unexpected.

>>33389119
>!

>>33389119
>3. With Sarah. Let her probe them for what they want and what we may offer them.

>>33389119
3

Let sarah take the lead here

>>33389119

>1. Aggressively. You have a lot more to offer Compagnon than it does to you. You can afford to push them.

I'm torn between 1 and 3, but the insight provided by the dice roll indicates that we can afford to be aggressive here

>>33389119
1

Come out hard.

>>33389119
>3.

>>33389177
you raise a good point

>>33389052
I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this.

>>33389213

Woah there Anon that's after the meeting.

>>33389119
1

>>33389119
>1. Aggressively. You have a lot more to offer Compagnon than it does to you. You can afford to push them.

>>33389242
It isn't necessarily true, its just an untested hypothesis.

also, even if it is true, its not certain that this is why gnome took that side of the argument

I am not even sure if alyce actually was drawing this conclusion, or just sniping at gnome a bit

>>33389141

Yeah, although I think it's good for us.

It means they won't adversely affect Vitria as much and we can aid some capable merchants/administrators to our bench.

Maybe we should ask Sarah why she's so worried if Compagnon is relatively insignificant?

>>33389119
>3
Play bad cop and badder cop with them.

>>33389286
>It means they won't adversely affect Vitria as much and we can aid some capable merchants/administrators to our bench.
oh, hey. that is an idea.
Poach them as administrators for our empire

>>33389286
Think of them as China 30 years ago.
Now imagine them now.

>>33389286
>Maybe we should ask Sarah why she's so worried if Compagnon is relatively insignificant?
its not insignificant, its just doesn't generations of hoarded wealth at the hands of nobles
however, it is significant as the major competitor for the flow of trade

>>33389341

I can see that, but I wish there was a way to get this information from a disinterested party like Taira or our spymaster.

>>33389286
>>33389341
PS. sarah also might be misinformed about them

also, if we do get an agreement with them, we should ask to hold off for a bit on making any announcement. I would rather not tip our hand to termina's king when we try to ascertain his character

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>1.

“I’m not the sort to dance around a topic so I’ll make this blunt,” you say, leaning back in your chair and giving the merchants opposite you a lazy look. “The York Empire has expanded to occupy most of the former Darlesian Kingdom’s territory. Termina was considered the next step then and it still is now. I’m interested in the possibility of the two of us forging ahead through cooperation rather than intimidation. How about you?”

Derek looks slightly thrown by the bluntness of your statement and looks to his companions for support – only to find them looking at him for support themselves. He grimaces and turns back to you, taking a sip of the dessert wine in his glass to stall for time as he thinks.

“Whilst the council of Compagnon is interested in how we might work together to better both nations, I’m not sure I appreciate the way you mean for us to cooperate,” he says carefully, staring just over your shoulder at Lynn rather than meeting your eyes.

“I mean that I want you to cede to my empire voluntarily and with minimal bloodshed,” you say, continuing the blunt theme. “Hence the alternative being ‘intimidation.’ I understand what Compagnon is and what is has to offer. I also understand even better my own empire. The question is merely how we’ll do this – I have a particular case in mind but I’m keen to hear yours as well.”

[DC12 Intimidation]

>>33388463
I figured out what grated me about it

>I am offering fealty first as a sign of good faith, and then giving my conditions. i hope you will choose to accept them.
>talon: speak honestly then, what are your conditions
>they are XYZ
>Talon: I will permit XY, for Z we will do this instead

he just declared exceptions to her conditions, conditions he would have accepted had they been ACTUAL conditions which she would have refused the work without. And he didn't even try to justify it with "i like your conditions, but I think we could both agree that an exception can be made to X for Y reasons" and then get her approval. instead he just dictated "this is my decisions, this is how it will be!".

Rolled 11

>>33389450

Rolled 10

>>33389450

Fear Me for I'm the scariest imperator

Rolled 8

>>33389450

>>33389461
>>33389465
>>33389469
so damn close.

>>33389450
You know, I don't think people realized you meant "intimidation" when you said "agressive".

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>>33389461
>>33389465
>>33389469

>Derek's face when

>>33389461
>>33389465
>>33389469

Well at least the guy has a spine?

>>33389461
>>33389465
>>33389469

Quick someone come up with something good for bonus points!

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I am so goddamn tired of this shit son

Rolled 6

>>33389461
>>33389465
>>33389469
Yep, shoulda let Sarah be the one negotiating
rolling to see how it would have fared.

>>33389507
well... there is the fact that all 3 surrounding major powers, the mage guard, the magi league, AND the RSK are trying to butter us up and all 3 explicitly told us they approve of us taking termina region.

and/or, we could throw the bone that with the recent dethrowning of the vampire rulership of taour, and their ravaging of darlesia, both regions are desperately in need of administrators so there is much for them to personally gain. Although that isn't exactly intimidating.

>>33389568

Goddamn it Sarah

>>33389465
>>33389469
>>33389461
Can we write in for a partial success? Mentioning what almost happened to Farun with the Fae because the mage guard abandoned their obligations might help with intimidation

>>33389575
we did kill the vampire general in single combat, bring that up in some manner

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>>33389562
Me too anon, me too

>>33389562
>>33389575
>>33389450

We could also point out that the King of Termina may make a better offer.

We know how weak militarily they are. We know that they can't hire mercenaries because of the RSK-Magi Guard conflict. We know the Mage Guard won't interfere because they have their hands full with the Crazy God like dude.

Would any of this push us to 12?

>King Lyyph of Termina may also give you some more to think about – Karise says that he’s not the fiery fool he appears to be publically. He may make you a better offer.”

>>33389610
if we are doing that, there is also the fact that we have a 9 tailed fox, 3 strongest pure elementals, a source... the question is basically how many secrets are we willing to reveal.

>>33389627
oh, now THAT is an excellent one.

AND that the mage guard cannot afford to honor its obligation to them (again termina) due to its difficult fight against the insane lord ember

>>33389627

Shit, I meant to say RSK-Magi League conflict

>>33389666
its probably best to just call the "guard" and "league"

Oh, and the arcane archers. can't forget those

then there is the deal with shropam but personally i would rather we not reveal this.

Rolled 19

>>33389450
guys why do you all suck with the dice so much?

>>33389627
>We know that they can't hire mercenaries because of the RSK-Magi (League) conflict.

This is probably the best point to use. Conflict won't work, hell even if it did, they'd drain themselves dry trying to fight us.

I just imagined something

daywalker fox

>>33389754
actually, it occured to me that we are asking for an ALTERNATIVE to bloodshed and intimidation. aka, we are asking them for negotiations in a positive manner INSTEAD of threats.

The intimidation is a meta intimidation. we are intimidating them about the prospect of intimidation

so maybe the thing to do here is to sweeten the pot with how beneficial it would be to them rather then pile on the scary?

>>33389759
Don't think that would work.
Vampirism only seems to affect Humans.

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Do note that this wasn't a case of shaking your fist angrily at them or threatening with your sword - it was simply the implication of force over diplomacy.

>Target not met

Derek maintains his composure even as you can almost see his mind racing to keep up with what’s happening. His mouth runs with little of value for almost a minute before he moves onto business, acting almost as though nothing happened. An interesting way to blather your way past an issue, you suppose.

“Well, we sit underneath the Mage Guard’s protection,” he says, clearly meaning to use them to try to ward off your suggestion of force. “For all the good it offers there are problematic restrictions. I would put to you that without these restrictions we would be much more than your current understanding puts us as.”

“You mean the fact you cannot trade with Pharos?” Sarah asks, her face neutral.

“Among other things. The arbitrary inspections of ships. Some mages being unwilling to navigate ships into our ports. The list goes on,” Derek says, recovering rather adeptly from your offensive earlier. “If we were to maintain a similar level of military protection but not have those problems then Compagnon might very well rival Vitria.”

>continued

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>>33389839
“I’m asking what you can offer my empire, not what you can move around it, Lord Derek,” you say flatly. “I hope your proposal isn’t for military protection from me so that you can shift wealth and trade from Vitria to Avinou.”

Derek and his companions chuckle nervously as they trade glances, clearly unnerved by the sharp rebuke.

“No, no, Imperator,” Derek says. “That may very well happen, just as focus of the world shifts from one city to another, but you would still be gaining Compagnon and all it has to offer as part of such an alliance. Is it not better for us to aid you than another?”

You hold back a snort. Derek was attempting to turn this back on you, convinced he had thwarted your threat of force with the idea of Mage Guard protection. You couldn’t even begin to fathom who he was implying would back his nation than you, however.

>1. Imply strongly that the Mage Guard aren’t about to test their strength against your own, particularly given recent events. You won’t tell him the message from them, as it may cause diplomatic issues.
>2. Call his bluff. Ask him who else he might aid.
>3. Shift the topic to his issues with Termina – Mage Guard protection clearly didn’t mean much there, particularly with the restrictions on their hiring of mercenaries with the ongoing RSK-League war.
>4. Custom

>>33389856
>2. Call his bluff. Ask him who else he might aid.

>>33389856
>>3. Shift the topic to his issues with Termina – Mage Guard protection clearly didn’t mean much there, particularly with the restrictions on their hiring of mercenaries with the ongoing RSK-League war.
>2. Call his bluff. Ask him who else he might aid.

>>33389856
2

>>33389856
>2. Call his bluff. Ask him who else he might aid.

>>33389856
can someone explain 3 to me? what issues with termina?

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>>33389935

COMPAGNON

A country run by a merchant council. When Termina relinquished control over its provinces a group of wealthy merchants took over. They run the country reasonably well and certainly benefit from the natural wealth near them. Currently being destabilised by Termina but the lack of available mercenaries due to the war between the League and RSK prevents them from fighting back.

>>33389935

Termina is going to invade their ass

>>33389935
>>33389949
>>33389955
oh, I mixed up farun and termina for a moment there.

In that case, any chance of combining 2 and 3?

>>33389856
some custom ideas
>You said yourself, under your current arrangement you are plagued with profit draining restrictions. Joining me would eliminate those restrictions.
>how "free" and "independent" are you really when your patron outright restricts your trade

>>33389856
>2. Call his bluff. Ask him who else he might aid.
kek these small timers

>>33389856
>4. laugh at him

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>2.

You stare at Derek silently. He returns your gaze quizzically and grows more and more nervous with each passing second. After glancing at the others in the room, most of whom return his look placidly, he turns back to you with a puzzled expression.

“I’m sorry, Imperator. Is something supposed to be happening?” he asks.

Your eyebrows shoot up and you spread your hands apart in a questioning gesture. “I was waiting for you to say something, Lord Derek.”

“I… I just did, Imperator,” he says.

“No, what you did was indicate there was some other party involved and then stop talking. I was waiting for you pick that line of thought back up and tell me who this mystery person or nation that might back you against me is,” you say.

There’s a series of coughs from the other side of the table as they all reach for their wine almost simultaneously. Bluntless can work wonders on composure, you think, reaching for some wine yourself.

“Well, Imperator,” Derek starts off slowly, “there is the Mage Guard, of course. Surely you recognise the need to have our resources for yourself rather than for them?”

“The Mage Guard,” you say flatly, receiving a series of nods in return. “You literally just told me that they place restrictions on your trade that prevents you from competing with Vitria. If that is your idea of a competitor, then I think you have some rather significant problems at hand.”

>continued

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>>33390325
The room falls silent as Derek desperately tries to think over a response. You give him some time, pouring yourself some more wine. Yet you keep your gaze fixed on him, letting him sweat. Eventually he holds up his hands, clearly indicating for you to take the initiative.

You sigh. “As I said earlier, I am not one for games, Lord Derek. Compagnon has bountiful natural wealth. It also has a number of skilled merchants who may be able to aid me. I want the land and I want the people in my empire – preferably with as little damage to them as possible. I don’t want the baggage. Now I want to hear what you and the merchant council want from any arrangement.”

Aggravatingly, Derek doesn’t respond. Even his blather has dried up. He instead looks at his companions before clearing his throat several times.

“We’ll need some time to think about this,” he says. “We had expected talks over a merger but I’ll need to speak to my peers on the council to determine how they might approach a more… piecemeal offer. There had been… assumptions made, having considered your approach to Vitria earlier this year.”

It’s clear that you’ve thrown Derek off a little too much in your negotiations. The main thing you’ve gained is an understanding that Compagnon is vulnerable – they want out of their arrangement with the Mage Guard. You might need to wait to hear back from him before you know of any potential willingness on the part of the merchants to join your empire.

>Any last words or questions for Derek?

>>33390341
"how goes your "issue" with termina btw?"
just to piss them off

>>33390341

I'm good.

Actually I think this worked to our advantage.