>>5668139
Unless otherwise stated, all votes in this quest use Approval Voting.

You may vote for any number of options. The selection that has the highest number of total votes wins.

>Nationquest Chapter I
https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2021/4960154
>Nationquest Chapter II: Rise of the Waves
https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2021/5009817
>Captainuest Chapter I
https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2021/5032045
>Captainquest Chapter II- Landfall
https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2022/5062211
>Nationquest Chapter III- The Return
https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2022/5293364
>Revolutionquest
https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2022/5344863
>Nationquest Chapter IV - World of Tomorrow
https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2022/5384661/

>>5668139
>The Noble
Time to play as the third sibling, and make her stop being a little bitch.
Like we have done with the other two

>>5668154

>The Noble

Hawaiian Revenge Quest is a go!

>>5668139
>The Activist
Welcome back QM!

>>5668139
>The Noble
Might as well be rich!

>>5668139
>The Activist

>>5668139
>The Foreigner

Sounds the most interesting ngl

Also, welcome back!

>>5668154
Tbh, same with the Activist. If he’s the same dude I think he is, holy fuck is he such a fucking flipfloper.

Just want to clarify, that you are allowed to vote for multiple options if there is more than one you like.
I ask because everyone seems to be picking one. Which is fine if each player only likes one option, but you are allowed to vote for more than one.

>>5668742
I'll say that my pick would be either the foreigner, because it seems the most interesting or the noble to complete the family drama
The activist would let us see what goes on inside such an enigmatic mind.
The captain is somewhat of a safe choice I guess.
I would rather the Loas strike me down then be the politician.

>>5668139
>Kamehameha
Bejita tanked that

>>5668139
Three total votes for the Noble, two for the Actvist two for the Foreigner. The Noble wins. Update within 24 hours.

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>>5668139
>Art: Herb Kawainui Kāne
>Alt-text: The Pu'ukohola Heiau at sunset the moon and a mountain in the background. Several native Hawaiians stand on the slope of its hill.

The seaspray stings your eyes as the fleet pulls to shore. Your parents always gave you shit for that “Ours is the tribe that knows the sea” and all that, but they’re locked up and you’re free, so who's really the smart one?

“Finally, land! Someone get me a drink.”

Nizax: You’re not a chief anymore, Makana. You’re here to serve The Great Peace, not party.
“I’d be a lot more peaceful with a few in me. Speaking of...”

The telltale smells of Kalua Pua’a fill your nostrils as soon as hit the beach.

Nizax: Ambassador Lani, thank you for the celebration. Not all of the fleet are Ahi but this feast will be welcomed all the same.
Lani: Of course. My tribe was shown the true way of the Loa, it is my duty to spread it to the others.
“And to build yourself a pretty nice temple while you're at it. “
Lani: The Moku ʻole Heiau brings honor to us and The Loa! This place was barren of their blessings before we came.
“And how much of our Dreamdoor did you sell to pay for your pleasure place? Last I checked we were here for their weapons, not your vacation."
Lani: Insolent-
Nizax: That’s enough Makana. Lani was chosen for her faith. Spreading The Great Peace can’t be done with trade alone. We’ll need to change hearts and minds here as well.
Lani: My thoughts exactly. Come with me Captain, there is much to discuss
Nizax: You can say it here. I can’t lead a crew if I’m keeping secrets from them.

You give the ambassador a smirk as she begrudgingly accepts

Lani: This Not-Island looks at peace, but it is a sick one that is fraying. They have no chiefs or even laws. Money and bloodshed are the only powers here. The wealthy band together in “Guilds” each selling a different necessity as if the human life was something to be carved like a swine.
Nizax: No chiefs? But last I was here we saw a ruler and the Anyaten...
Lani: Are a cult of death worshippers from across the sands. Raises from youth to kill in some perverse vision of “mercy.” The Guild that controls all water pays them in weapons and slaves to indoctrinate. In return, they kill the guild's enemies.
Nizax: Slavery, death cults... maybe this place does need the Loa's blessing.
Lani: It has it. The tides of rebellion are forming, I’ve spoken with those who seek change. Change we can bring.

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>>5670033
>Art: Herb Kawainui Kāne
>Alt-text: An abstract representation of the goddess Pele’s Voyage to Hawaiʻi. She wears a golden ʻAhu ʻula that spread out to cover her sky. Merging with the cloak's glow is her flaming hair and shining crown made from kau-no'a. She holds an egg containing the naked Hiʻiaka in her hand. Beneath her, native Hawaiians sail a double-hulled waʻa kaulua


Looks like your brother was right after all. This place is an opportunity to:

>Reclaim Power on the Island
Your siblings and their allies are in charge on The Island. Your parents are prisoners. You have no political future there, but if you can build a base of support in the Fleet or with the foreigners, you can return to The Island and take your rightful place as a leader.

>Establish Power Here
Money, scheming, politics? You’ll fit right at home here. While your brother squabbles with the petty politics of your homeland, you can get what you deserve right here. It’s unstable, perfect for you to worm in and take your spot.

> Live the High Life
You’re tired of war and politics and death. This a whole new world to eat, drink and screw your way through. You can care less about ruling, your goal is to get a life of luxury and keep it.

{Vote for what Makana's Goal is. You may choose more than one. The option with the highest total votes wins.}

>>5670049
>Establish Power Here

>>5670049
> Live the High Life

>>5670049
>Establish Power Here
> Live the High Life
I’d be interested in see Makana return normally- or even with a bunch of loyal men and women- but I’m uncomfortable with the idea of doing it with the intent to overthrow her family- even if I think it would be interesting and kino after a fashion.

>>5670049
>Establish Power Here
> Live the High Life

Tied up, gonna wait a little bit more for a tiebreak.

>Establish Power Here

Locking for Establish Power Here. Update within 24 hours

>>5670547
Just to clarify, *how* exactly she reclaimed power on the Island would have been based on several votes so it could have been everything from playing up her oversees heroics to win an election, getting rich and influencing Island Politics like Crassus, or as you implied returning with a conquering army.

In the spirit of good tidings I can count your votes as one for all three options, though mathematically that's the same as not voting at all. Either way, I am pretty sure Build Power Here wins

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>>5670049
>art: Bart tyraknifesaurus. Kēlen language & concepts: Sylvia Sotomayor.
>Alt-text: A Mexica- style map of a Peninsula with an Island in the upper left. Snowmelt from a Mountain pours into irrigation gears, producing a river network that flows through a city and into grassland villages. To the right a large desert stretches off the map, dotted with settlements. Words written in Kēlen label five regions and the ocean.

Your parents ruled The Island before you. Masters of politics and intrigue, Chiefs across your tribe paid them respect and dues. When The Island unified, they were at the core of a faction that kept the young nation together. Until they weren’t.
The swaying tides of opinions are the real masters of your homeland. You tried riding those waves. It didn’t work out.

“If this place is as bad as you say, we need to do something about it.”

Nizax and Lani give you stares of disbelief.

“You know, for the Loa.”
Nizax: Um..whatever action we take, it's important we know what we’re getting into. Lani, what’s the situation here?
Lani: This land like ours is divided, each of its five realms has its struggles each an opportunity to bring glory and honor to a people without any.

>The Binding
Formerly a barren island where outcasts and “criminals” were sent, rumor tells the Seeker’s Guild has turned it into a shipyard and is using its prisoners as slave labor in an attempt to reproduce our fleet.

>The Mountain
The Mountain is home to the Great Machines that provide water to the lands below. The workers there have long been exploited and some say an uprising is imminent. The water is how the Fountain Guild keeps its power over this land, if it was disrupted their regime would be severely weakened.

>The Spring
This city of sin is the headquarters of both the Guilds and the Great Anyaten Temple. As well as Freetown, a community of the formerly enslaved that has started a campaign against the scourge of bondage. Resentment is building in the Guilds themselves as the advisors who actually run them see the wealthy Guildmasters sink into debauchery. And who knows what motives the Anyaten have.

>The Plains.
The rivers controlled by the Great Machines water the farms the people live on. The farmers are in eternal debt to the Fountain Guild who charge them everything they own in exchange for the water. I have been preaching the way of the Loa among them, and although the advisor of the Guild hates it, they cannot move against me because the Guildmasters are addicted to the sacred Dreamdoor I have been shamefully ordered to sell.

>The Desert
The Great Sands are home to countless people the Guilds have long exploited. The Fountain Guild send the Anyaten to raid their cities. Those not killed are enslaved and sold to the Kitchen Guild, who grow wealthy trading them across the river system. The City claims dominion over the whole of the desert, but it stretches beyond the horizon and holds societies as ancient as the sand itself.

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>>5671645
>art:flat-icons.com
>alt-text: A flat icon of a globe with several arrows pointing in a wheel from its center

At any time, players can vote to Move to Another Region or to Achieve the Goal in addition to their other votes. When “Achieve the Goal” wins, the quest moves to its endgame where Makana will try to Establish Power Here.
Success isn’t guaranteed. Each region will provide opportunities for allies, alliances, and other assets that together, will make the final adventure of the quest more likely to succeed.

>>5671645
>The Plains
First move: drug-trafficking into religion-spreading into political dominance. Just like the Inca did with beer!

>>5671660
Support- I like the historical parallel you brought up

>>5671386
I just want to see them reunite and make up sometime in the future.

>>5671645
>The Spring
I'm voting this solely because I want to see the MC from Revolutionquest

>>5671660
Locking for The Plains. Update in about an hour.

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>>5671645
>Art: Thessalonica Ma'ae-Lam Yuen (Lonica Photography & Poly Designs)
>Alt-Text: A tanoa (Samoan ‘ava bowl) alongside a trimmed ‘ava root, and ipu tau ʻava (‘ava cup) and a fau (strainer.)

“Send me to The Plains.”
Nizax: Send you?
While you folks play diplomat here, I can get involved with the people. Staying low to the ground, getting in touch with the little guys. You handle the big-picture politics, then when you make your move, you’ll have more support.
Nizax: Makana, I appreciate your enthusiasm but I don’t think you’re qualified to-
“When was Kaipo born?”
Nizax: What?
“Kaipo, your navigator. He was born 30 years ago in Third month. Has two kids, only likes one. Has a drinking problem he thinks a secret.”

You look around, pointing at various crew members as they unload the fleet

“Ayai’s the best message runner here, but only cuz her dad kept her from being a musician. Jaya’s dating Vijay, but they haven’t made rain in a year and Vijay keeps sending messenger birds to Dara’s wa’a kalua after hours. Indah bribed their Chief to get this job. Musa has a foot fetish-
Nizax: That’s enou-
“ You and my brother and Ms. Loa-lover of the year here might know politics, but I know people. I know what someone says three cups deep in the middle of the night tells you more than a thousand speeches they’ll give to a chief. I know what folks are like in the dark, where honor and secrets spill out like yesterday’s ti beer.”
Nizax: You’ve made your point. You can take a small squad to The Plains, and gather knowledge, but ONLY gather knowledge. The situation here is sensitive.
“Whatever you say boss-māhū.”
Nizax: And to make sure everything goes smoothly, you’re taking a partner with you.

>The Captain (+River Navigation, + Experience in the Not-Island, -Strict Rulefollower)
>The Activist (+Charisma, ?Wildcard)
>The Politcian (+Diiplomacy, +Charisma, -Racism)
>The Foreigner (+Local Language, + Experience in the Not-Island, + Combat Skills,-Not a Member of the Fleet)

>>5672917
>The Foreigner (+Local Language, + Experience in the Not-Island, + Combat Skills,-Not a Member of the Fleet)

>>5672917
>The Foreigner

Locking for the Foreigner. Update tonight.

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>>5673767
>Art: Anonymous carvers of the Mortuary Temple of Hat-shepsut.
>Alt-Text: A carving of sailors from the 18th Dynasty of Kemet rowing a boat

“I want Stoneface with me.”
Nizax: Absolutely not.
“They’re the best bodyguard I could have and they know the language and area.”
Nizax: They’re a killer who can’t be trusted. I’m keeping them with the main fleet where I can watch them.
Stoneface: One problem with that. Me.

The master warrior walks into your group, standing as if to dare anyone to tell them to leave.

Stoneface: River with danger, river with death.

They throw a dagger in an arc. Four palm saplings lose their heads

Stomeface: No danger.

“See, I’m in good hands. And between you and me, I don’t think it’s up to you."
Lani: You should let them go together, Captain. Wild dogs should be kept from the camp.
“I’d smack you for that line if I didn’t agree with you.”
Nizax: No one’s smacking anyone.

Nizax stares at Stoneface and turns to you.

Niax: That...machine killed a dozen of us. They’re more dangerous than anything you can expect out there.
“Which should KEEP anything I can expect out there away from us. Besides, I’ll have a squad with me.:
Nizax: *Sigh* Stay safe.
“Of course. Though it would be funny if you had to tell your boss you got his sister killed.”
___
This RIver Network is amazing. Nothing like the Muli back home.
That’s like getting dead drunk, a straight-up rush you feel in the morning, this one’s more like a Dreamdoor trip.
A twisty mess of experiences that keeps you from telling what’s up.

“Good thing we have a local.”

Stoneface’s been staring into the water since you got on the river.

“Hey! Just how much of Our Language do you know?
Stoneface: Enough.

The wa’a keeps sailing into a muddy field. Strange plants grow from the muck as your boat almost slows to a stop.
Stoneface raises their hand, then immediately ducks as a makeshift arrow sails past their head.


The Warrior raises a hand, just as you come close to a smaller boat with five people on it

Stoneface: Catching-Boat!
“What, like pirates?!”
Stoneface: Down!

You get tackled to the floor of your craft as the enemy ship approaches.
It's as slapdash as their weapons, more of a raft really and its crew looks like it hasn't had a good meal in days.
Stoneface takes out their daggers and stares calmly at the pirates.

>Let Stoneface attack the pirates (Advantage: Stoneface’s combat skills)
>Try to communicate with the pirates through Stoneface (Advantage: Makana's Charisma
>Run Away (Advantage: Faster ship)

>>5674115
>Try to communicate with the pirates through Stoneface (Advantage: Makana's Charisma)
Maybe we can start getting some forces that are loyal to us

>>5674115
>Try to communicate with the pirates through Stoneface (Advantage: Makana's Charisma

>>5674115
>Try to communicate with the pirates through Stoneface (Advantage: Makana's Charisma

Locking for Communication. Update today.

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>>5674115
Art:Elroy Juan &Georgia Sartoris. Kelen Langauge: Sylvia Sotomayor.
Alt-Text: Several hue wai pawehe (native Hawaiian decorated water gourds).

“Stop!” You don’t need to go all hack-and-slash yet. Ask them what they want.

Stomeface puts a bit, like a barfly who's been waiting for their drink too long.

Stoneface: Ñarra jaxōsa jakēñ?!
Lead Pirate:Antēnni ē jacāla!
Stoneface: Money and valuables.

You take a look around your wa’a. You made sure to stash away several ipu filled with Dreamdoor, no way you’re going into unknown lands *without* heavy drugs.
But Soneface and your squad are also properly armed. These pirates attacked you with what looked like junk. Your squad has fine wood and stone weapons, and Stoneface’s weapons are made from Ebbikele, the most badass material there is.
Then again, you could always figure out something else to offer them.
What do you offer the pirates?
>Dreamdoor
>Stone and Wood Weapons
>Ebikele Weapons
>Write-in

[You may vote for any number. The option with the highest total votes will win.]

>>5675823
>Dreamdoor
We can try to ambush them when they get close too, but for now, let's try to get the locals hooked on our goods.

>>5675825
Although Dreamdoor was what we used to trade for the bronze, wasn't it? It might be too valuable to waste on pirates.
But arming bandits feels like very counterproductive.

>>5675823
Trade offer!
They get:
>To live
We get:
>To continue on our journey

We aren't offering them shit, we're just giving them a chance to avoid a bloodbath, because we're nice.

Bit of a deadlock. I'll wait a bit more for other folks to trickle in, or for folks to recommend their friends play .

>>5676483
I'll switch to support the other anon.
My plan was to get tem close to ambush and kill them anyway.

>>5675823
Sorry about the wait- if it won’t exhaust our Dreamdoor inventory, I’d getting them hooked on some. Otherwise, I’m fine with >>5675839 and letting Stoneface handle this.

>>5675823
>Stone and Wood Weapons
Who knows? Maybe arming them will get them on our side for something later.

>>5676579
Locked for Dreamdoor. Update today.

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>>5675823
>Art: Patricia Martin Morales. Kelen Language: Sylvia Sotomayor.
>Alt-Text: “6 Knife” written in Maya Glyphs.

You pick up an ipu of Dreamdoor and hold it for the pirates to see.

“Tell them this is Dreamdoor. They can sell it to the rich jerks up North or take it themselves to forget how shit their lives are.”

The warrior grunts at you. You don’t know if they’re annoyed with your tone or disappointed they can’t go on a killspree.

Stoneface:Pa jāo ancāla. Anwīþþēñi tō ankērrāoni.

The Pirates keep their distance, suspicion in their eyes. Stomeface raises their knife...

Stoneface: La liēn Anλāten.

...And closes the deal. You float several Ipu down the river to the pirate raft. If they wanted anymore, the fear you see leaking out their pants won't let them.

“Good job, Stoney, murderer AND drug dealer. We’ll add pervert to the list by the time we’re done, just you see.
Stoneface: Wak Etzʼnabʼ.
“What?”
Stoneface: My name. Wak Etzʼnabʼ. Your language meaning: “6 Knife.”

>Acknowledge Stoneface’s true name.
>Keep calling them Stoneface.

>>5677337
>Acknowledge Stoneface’s true name.

>>5677337
>Acknowledge Stoneface’s true name.
We should try to be somewhat polite... At least towards our allies

>>5677337
>Acknowledge Stoneface’s true name.

>>5677337
>Acknowledge Stoneface's true name
Wak Etz'nab', you've evidently been vital to us so far. You deserve at least this respect.

>>5677488
Locking for respecting the name.

Update later today. With these short posts I may be able to do two updates a day.

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>>5677337
Photo: Kin Enriquez
Alt-Text: Overhead picture of the Xochimilco chinampas.

“6 Knife it is! Leave it to the supersoldier to have a real name more badass than 'Stoneface.'”
6 Knife: Not a soldier. Servant of freedom.
“Yeah, I’m sure those knives are real liberating.”

As the pirates sail off, 6 Knife points at them.

6 Knife: Poverty. Starvation. Greed. Suffering.

They slide their dagger through the air in front of their neck.

6 Knife: Freedom.
“Riiiight. Well, I’ll stay nice and unfree over here if you don’t mind. Just make sure we’re on the right path.”

As the sun drops low in the sky you can’t help but be amazed by the river network.
Yes, it's slow as shit, full of mud, and has insects thirstier than a triad on a wedding night, but taking an entire force of nature and forcing it through a country, is something you only thought possible in stories.

6 Knife: Here.

You stop at the edge of a mud patty filled with neat rows of some plant. In the distance modestly dressed people come carries sacks.

“What are they holding?”
6 Knife: Payment for water.

It seems when people show up in a fancy boat with weapons and three-muku-tall murder fetishists they assume you’re in charge.
Now how should you play this?

You can pass yourself off as the authorities and collect what you want, it also would let you start building a power base if they think you’re already in charge of something.
Though something is to be said for honesty, opening up to these people and their hardships may endear them to you, especially if they're as hard-strapped as they seem.

> Collect the Taxes
>Refuse to collect the Taxes.
>Write-in

>>5677779
>Refuse to collect the Taxes.
We want to create our own powerbase, not ride the coattails of the local ones.
And the people are reading for a rebellion, aren't they?

>>5677779
>Refuse to collect the Taxes
Let's maybe not impersonate officials before we have our foothold in order? We all know what'll happen when the local government finds out.

>>5677779
> Collect the Taxes
What a wakcy cultural misunderstanding! Haha. Ha. Haaaa.

>>5677780
Locking for refusal to collect the taxes. Update today.

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>>5677779
>Art: Anonymous Artist(s) of the 19th Dynyasty of Kemet
>Alt-Text: Potion of the wall-painting of the tomb of Sennedjem, showing him and Iineferti, harvesting grain, sowing seeds, plowing with an ox cart and pulling flax in fields surrounded by water.

One of your squad greedily reaches out for a sack of the goods before you smack it away.”
“Let’s not get executed on our first day here, eh? Besides, something tells me the real deal aren’t that popular around here. 6, can you tell these people who we are?

6 Knife: Ñalta jañicālte jē anwīþþēñi tō ankērrāoni.

6 Knife points at you and your squad.

6 Knife: Sāim rū anekiēni ja la sū anmārwi kiē.

A villager drops their sack of produce and sighs in a mix of relief and sadness

Villager: Selte jatēpa ŋō. Ñalta jañicālte wā.

6 Knife: Poor people. No trades.
“Hard to afford drugs when you’re broke just paying for water.”
6 Knife: Plants too. Payment to Fountain Guild for Water. Payment to Garden Guild for seeds.
“So they spend all year farming crops, just to give away those crops, so they can afford to do it all over again next year?”

The warrior scoffs.

6 Knife: Life’s Wheel of Pain
“Just a barrel of laughs aren’t you? Well, I’ve been out here long enough, where’s the nearest bar?”
___
No matter where, no matter how poor or how foreign, where you find people, you’ll find a place where they down their sorrows. This shack can’t be more than four anana across but it’s the biggest building in this village. At least they have the right priorities.
6 says The Plains are all like this. They’re desperate for help. Or a change in management. Though if these Guilds are the real power here, perhaps they’re the ones you should be talking to.

>Wait for the Guild Paymasters to arrive so you can talk to them
>Give Away goods to the villagers (Write-in)
>Ask to talk with the Farmers

>>5678523
>Ask to talk with the Farmers
Give away? No. Buy, sell, and trade at more reasonable rates? Well then...

>>5678523
>Ask to talk with the Farmers
We'll need to speak to the Paymasters when they show up, but there's things about this land we'll only know if we learn them from the smallfolk. Not to mention they can warn us about any lies the Guilds might try to feed us.

>>5678523
>Ask to talk with the Farmers
Yeah, the authorities are definitely hated here.
Time to start co-opting any rebellions.

Locked for talking with the Farmers. Update today.

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>>5678523
>Art: Anonymous ( During 18th Dynasty of Kemet)
>Alt Text: A painted limestone stele of a Syrian mercenary drinking wine or beer through a long lead straw next to his wife. A smaller person holds the straw.

“Hey 6, are there any farmers here? I wanna talk with them.”
6 Knife: Ñamma jakexōsa tō jatāena nīkan māxtōn.

Several of the bar guests look nervously around, but everyone stays seated.

“I got this. NEXT ROUND’S ON ME!”
6 Knife:Semirne anhēŋŋi lā!

Cheers erupt through the bar as guests swarm you.
A storm of words you assume are thanks wash over you until something familiar catches your ear.

Ōra: Thanks unto you.
“Hold it, I recognized those words. Who are you?
Ōra: Ōrekīra. With shortness: Ōra, the eight kin of...
“I don’t need the backstory, why do I understand you?”
Ōra: The word of the Loas from the North. The word of freedom from Lani the High Priest. The sacred language on my tongue and through my lips.
“Lani’s been doing more than building dreamhouses I see. How many more of her little fans are there?
Ōra: In this village? One. Myself. In others across The Plains? Unknown.
“And what exactly were you told?”
Ōra: Guildless Peace from the North. From the Way of the Loas.
“Not much of a loyal customer, are you.”
Ōra: Poor people with rich fields. Non-grain farmers with many farmed grains. Unjust wealth, starving food makers.
“Remind me to introduce you to a gal named Kaori next time you’re halfway across the ocean. She’d really dig your whole “power to the people” vibe.
Ōra: Your words. Known to me, yet..unknown?
“You might be speaking my language, but you’re not “speaking my language” if you know what I mean.

A blank stare. So much for cultural connection.

“I’ll cut to the chase, where and when do these Guild guys come?
Ōra: The Fountain Guild from the Northeast, in two days. The Garden Guild from the Northwest, in one day.

You grab a vase of the grainy sludge that passes for alcohol around here and slam it in front of the farmer.

“Thanks, Oh-ra. Enjoy the booze.”

The Fountain Guild is the richest here, if they have any muscle with them it’s probably going to be the toughest.
Good to know in case things get messy.
The Garden Guild will probably be similar if a bit scaled back. Less weapons, less authority, less stuff. Probably still dicks.
You could also lay low here, take in some local color and wait for the tax collectors to come to you.
Of course, meeting them in the village means anything you do or say with them would be public.
Finally, there is the eternal option: Fucking off.

> Meet the Fountain Guild tax collectors on the road
>Meet the Garden Guild tax collectors on the road
>Stay in the village until the tax collectors arrive
>Go to another region (write which)

>>5680391
What's the play here, anons? I'm thinking...
>Meet the Garden Guild tax collectors on the road
See about getting them hooked on and importing dreamdoor in exchange for seeds and money, use those seeds to start ingratiating ourselves to the locals, and then use dreamdoor to manipulate both into a better working relationship and solidarity against the Fountain Guild.

>>5680391
My first thought is:
>Stay in the village until the tax collectors arrive

This gives us time to do some odd jobs and ingratiate the villagers to ourselves. It also means that anything the collectors do or say TO US is public, and I can't imagine these villagers would look too kindly on anyone who attacks a welcome guest, especially one who's been helping out. If something goes belly-up during the talks, a revolution might start just to avenge us.

>>5681040
Hm, smart. I can support this.

>>5680442
Changing to support the other anon.

>>5680391

Locking for Stay in the village, update today.

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>>5680391
>Art: Sintija https://www.deviantart.com/sintija. Kelen Language and Concepts: Sylvia Sotomayor.
>Alt-Text: A gold coin spattered with blood. A leaf and skull are emblazoned on its face.

It makes sense to stay here. If the Guilds and their scrotum carriers try anything, you’ll have an entire village of witnesses.

“6, tell me about the Garden Guild. They’ll be here first.”
6 Knife: Under their control? Every plant west of The Desert. Rivals of the Fountain Guild. Water in all farms? Garden Guild money in Fountain Guild pockets.
“And I bet they don’t like the Fountainers shaking down farmers when THEY could be doing that.”
6 Knife: Life’s Wheel of-
“I know, I know. ‘Life is pain.’ If I wanted cringe religious poetry I’d talk to Oh-ra. At least they have booze. The important thing is the Gardners might be open to me suggesting a change in management.
6 Knife: Temme money pē ke from the Fountain Guild to us Servents of Freedom. Fight with them? Fight with us.
“I don’t know what means, but you don’t seem happy about it.”

6 closes their lips tight. Like an ocean of hate is being held behind their teeth.
They pull out their dagger and for a moment, you regret talking to them alone

6 Knife: This? Freedom. Not... employment. Soiled knives inside bodies not for peace, but for profit. Wealth and slaves in the Sacred Temple, shining trinkets and weapons under our vaults instead of hils of grateful corpses. Makers of Death because of rich men’s orders instead of in pursuit of Universal Liberation.
“I think I preferred ‘Life is Pain.’”

6 calms down a bit and sheaves their knife, your crappy humor DE-escalating a situation for once.

“How many of the ... Servants of Freedom think the way you do?”
6 Knife: *sigh*. Not enough.

They walk off, the deadliest warrior you’ve ever known sulking like a dumped teenager. But the intel is good.
The Gardeners probably won't have kill-happy super soldier backup, but the Fountain Guild may.
And your interpreter bodyguard has some political positions that could prove interesting. In the meantime, you have a day before the Gardners get here. What do you do?

>Write-in

>>5681983
So 6 Knives feels gis Freedomkillers have become decadent and complacent, and is pretty on board with overthrowing the social order as long as we serve more than just profit? Did I understand right?

Hm.

>Ingratiate ourselves to the locals and touch upon our ideas of changing management if they seem receptive

>>5681983
>Help the locals with any problems their own experts can't take care of, and learn more about 6 Knife's specific goals
If we want these people on our side, we can't ignore them, but we can't infantilize them, either. As for our friend here, big ideals are important, but knowing what the plan is in the here and now might help us in our own planning.

If no one argues I would sum up the common thread of these write ins as

>Offer to help out the villagers to ingratiate ourselves to them

>>5682697
Fair.

>>5682697
Works for me!

Locking for
>Offer to help out the villagers to ingratiate ourselves to them

Sorry for the wait
Update today

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>>5681983
> Art: Mr. Junet (https://www.danaswari.com/product/rice-field-painting-dsw18-0002/)
>Alt-text: An painting of a wide Rice Field with farmers harvesting rice. A river and a small hut are visible.

You run after the sulking killer.

“Hey, 6! Could you ask around, see if anyone around here wants any help?”

They seem irritated but still honor your request if only to get you out of their hair. They yell into the bar.

6 Knife: Sema jakīñen ien jalūha mo māxtōni lā!

6 shuffles out the bar and a low growl follows them. That slowly grows into a roar. A horde of farmers swarm you.
Luckily, it's not the first time a dozen people wanted a piece of you.

“Hold on, hold on! Oh-ra! Are you still here?”
Ōra: Faithful from the Sea...
“Makana is fine, thank you. I can tell you’re on some rough times, so me and my crew are here to help. What do you need?”
Ōra: Time for the second mud-planting!
“Ah, shit.”
____
“‘Join the fleet’ he says. ‘Restart your political career’ he says. ‘You totally won't wind up yanking grass out of the mud so you can walk it 20 ananas to plant it in even MORE mud’ he says!”

Your work field is the bar, the halls of power, and occasionally the bedroom, not knee-deep in mud, dirt, and...

SHPLORP!

“What the hell is this?!”
6 Knife: Flying animal manure.
“Careful now! Any closer to a smirk and you’ll ruin your badass mystique. How are you so good at this anyway?"

6 plants the grass rapid-fire into the muck, almost like he’s stabbing the planet to death.

6 Knife: Before my service to freedom, sele a farmer.

They only slip out your language when they’re upset, seems that was a rough memory for them.

“Oh-ra, you do this all day and some dicks from the north just take all your hard-earned food?"
Ōra: Even outside harvest season, like now. Garden and Fountain Guilds with most of our stockpiled grain.
“This Guildless Peace must be real attractive to you, huh?"
Ōra: To all people.
____
You damn near pass out in a small shack they let you stay in.
You’re covered in mud and you’re basically sleeping on the floor, but after all that work, this feels like a warm bath.

“Fuck, farming is hard. How many plants did I do? Twelve? Thirty?"
6 Knife: Three.
Makana: Eat a dick, Knife. Don’t wake me until noon. I have a lot of thinking- sleep to do.

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>>5684076
>art: Anonymous wal carvers of Kemet c.1422-1390 BC
>Alt-text: Wall scribed in Kemet measuring and recording a grain harvest

The next day, you, 6 Knife, and your squad crawl out of bed, scrape the dried mud and shit off your skin and follow Ōra and the rest of the farmers down the road.
The Gardener Guild come down the river in a boat nowhere near as good as yours, but still better than the garbage the pirates were sailing.
It’s five people, one looks like the boss and three seem to be workers. The last one holds a stone axe. They must be the muscle.
But you can see in their eyes, violence is just a gig for them. Not a way of life like with 6.
They might be able to fuck up a farmer or one of your squad members, but they’d be no match for your “Servant of Freedom.”

Gardener: Sirnelne jacālāe kā.

One by one, the farmers haul sacks of hard-worked grain and start walking them over to Gardener.

What do you do?

>Offer to make a deal with the Gardeners
>Tell the Gardeners they aren’t getting any payment
>Let the farmers pay the Gardeners.

>>5684086
>Offer to make a deal with the Gardeners

>>5684086
>Offer to make a deal with the Gardeners
Time to put our diplomatic chops to work. We didn't do all this just to do nothing, here at the crucial moment. It's time we strike a better deal for the farmers, or kill some Guild goons trying.

>>5684086
>Offer to make a deal with the Gardeners

>>5684098
Lockin for making a deal. Update in an hour or so hopefully

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>>5684086
>Model: Keau Fey. Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino. Wardrobe: Loewe at Ala Moana Center.
>A native Hawaiian woman wearing a kalo-shaped leaf top.

“Okay, time to get this over with. It’s too late in the day for me to be this sober. 6, judging by the way they’re staring you down and trying not to go shishi, I think you translate for me. Tell them I wanna make a deal.”

6 Knife: Ñi sāen rū λi jalīra. Sema jakīñen ien semirne anñēīki.
Gardener: Ñarra jaxōsa jakēñ?
6 Knife: Your proposal?

>I’ll pay the fees instead of the farmers.
>Let me join the Garden Guild.
>Let the farmers skip paying, and you can have the Fountain Guild’s larger payment instead.
>Let the farmers join the Garden Guild.
>Write in.

[Reminder: You may always vote for multiple options. The option with the most total votes wins]

>>5684570
I'll put it on preferences
1)
>Let the farmers skip paying, and you can have the Fountain Guild’s larger payment instead.
2)
>Let the farmers join the Garden Guild.
It would make the conflict between the guilds greater, which would let us capitalize on it.
2)
>I’ll pay the fees instead of the farmers.
It would make the farmers more loyal to us, which would allow us to build up a power base
3)>Let me join the Garden Guild.
It would allow us to integrate with local power structure, with all the benefits and drawbacks thar it comes with. Maybe even combine it with paying for the fee ourselves?
4)
>Let the farmers join the Garden Guild.
I think it would result in something similar like the first option, but less likely to work and giving less opportunity for ourselves.

>>5684617
On no, I forgot to delete
>Let the farmers join the Garden Guild.
When I moved it to my last preference

>>5684570
>Let the farmers join the Garden Guild.

>>5684570
At the moment, I'm thinking:
>I'll pay the fees instead of the farmers

I think this will get us the most PR points with the farmers. Then again, I could be wrong.

>>5684617
My assessment of these votes is

>I'll pay the fees

Locking today

As the consensus update today.

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>>5684570
>Art: Marie Taveapont
>Alt-Text: A white leather keychain with two multicolored sections of Northern Ute beadwork.

“Tell them I’m paying instead.”
6 Knife: Semirne jacālāe.

The workers just snicker but the Gardener pauses and gives an interested look.

“Yeah, I could tell from those fancy clotheses you’re a townie. Which means you know what this is.”

You pull out an ipu of dream door.

“One ipu of the good stuff and you leave these people alone for the year.”
6 Knife: Semirne ñi anwīþþēñi tō ankērrāoni. Sema jakīñen ien il jīstū ān ñi riēþ mapēxaē.

The Gardener smiles

Gardener: Jahē lā!

The seed-seller walks over to take their prize, but 6 takes one step and the Guildmember freezes in place

6 Knife: Sirnelne la janīsae pa anīwūra kā.

The Gardener looks unhappy with whatever 6 said, but they clearly aren’t brave enough to disagree.

Gardener: Manīsanen!

From the back of the crowd of farmers, a small person scurries towards the river, carrying a sack of beads.
They rapidly string together two identical cords handing one to the Gardener and one to you.

6 Knife: Proof of deal.
“Ugh! Business even makes drugs boring. Just take the stuff and get out.”

You toss the Ipu to the Gardener who grabs it greedily, holding it like a newborn.
The crew sail back up the river, the farmers standing vigilant until the Gardener is out of site.

“Wanna bet they kill each other over it?
6 Knife: No.

The Master of Death walks away, leaving you with Ōra and the other farmers.

Ōra: Your valuables unto them? Why?

> ”Now you owe me.”
>” It was the right thing to do.”
>” I’m a child of the Loa, it’s my job to take care of the unenlightened.”

>>5685793
>” I’m a child of the Loa, it’s my job to take care of the unenlightened.”
>>But it's a lie, it's actually so they feel indebted

>>5685793
>” I’m a child of the Loa, it’s my job to take care of the unenlightened.”
>The ways things are here are just wrong, when one takes they have to trade for it.
Our tribe are merchants, right.

>>5686109
The Ahi tribe has a near monopoly on oceanic products such as Coral, Sea Salt, various oceanic fish and vegetables and most Obsidian.
Because of trade in these products to the other tribes (which have no direct access to the ocean) the Ahi tribe is tied for the richest Tribe on The Island.

They also constructed all the ships on the Great Fleet (though the Dreamwood used to build them was purchased from the Illa tribe)

>>5685793
>"It was the right thing to do."
This sounds less patronizing, and will be technically correct even if we reveal that we were using these people all along later on - because then it was STRATEGICALLY the right thing to do.

>>5685793
Locking for
"I'm a child of the Loa"

Update in a minute or two

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>>5685793
>Art:Jacques Enguerrand Gourgue
>Alt-text: A Painting of Loa spirits. One loa with a fishtail holds a bird text to a table with a brush and mirror. Another shaped like a tree with a cow head and multiple arms breathes fire while holding a knife and playing the drums. Other Loa dance naked in flames. In the distance, a river flows from a mountain. Two more fish-tailed loa lay alongside it, one picking fruit from a plant while looking in a mirror. Large jugs surround everyone.

“I’m a child of the Loa, it’s my job to take care of the unenlightened. The ways things are here are just wrong, when one takes they have to trade for it.”

Ōra smiles and turns towards the other farmers.

Ōra: Sennesse anerēλa pē ke la sāeþ malanōnien jē luaen mo le rēha lā!

While a couple look back at you with smiles you recognize a few dirty looks.
You should, they’re the same ones you gave every time some stuck-up kahuna lapaʻau came by to rant at you about the Loas.
Your muscles are sore, you woke up at NOON today.
You really want to get drunk, sober up long enough to oof someone, and repeat, but if you want to be all “responsible” about it, there are other things you could do until the Fountain Guild shows up.

>What do you do?

[Write-ins are acceptable. Just like with every other vote, you may vote to leave to go to any other region or to try to Achieve the Goal and start the endgame of the quest]

>>5686946
>Talk to the people
Maybe we can build some more influence on the cheap.

>>5687828
This update only got one vote, but it's been over 24 hours. So you think I should wait for the others or lock the votes and write the next update?

>>5686946
This has taken some thinking, but I think we should:

>Get a better sense of the town's infrastructure.
If the Fountain Guild decides to get nasty, we'd best know how to defend this place.

>>5687949
>>5687828
Supoorting. Defensive and ECONOMIC opportunities should be investigated. These folks have any leverage, any unique sevrices or goods beyond farming?

>>5687946
Aye- sometimes we’re all just busy, we can take our time.

>>5687946
Couldn't make up a plan, sorry.
So I've been letting other anons take the reins on this one.

>>5688355
>>5688401
Sall good. Just want to make sure I am going at the pace of the readers and not rushing or dragging.

Locking for Getting a Better Sense if town instructure. Update today

>>5688401
>>5688355
>>5688120
>>5687949
I forgot my laptop on my retreat so the next update may not come until Sunday.

So given we have this intermission, please feel free to give feedback and also to ask in and out of universe questions.

How does folks think things are going so far. Is there anything you would like to change ? Want more of? At the end of the day I want to make the best experience for all of us, so I intend to listen to you .

>>5689364
I like it quite a bit, though I fear I am struggling to keep up and contribute meaningfully to our political strategizing. Aside from dreamdoor and HOPEFULLY the gradual accrual of popular support, do we have any leverage? Maybe other anons have a better idea of how we can bargain once we run out of drugs.

>>5689430
Introducing new cultural ideas will be our main leverage- a system of slavery stifles innovation and cultural progress, so we would be able to leverage a new cultural understanding to send shockwaves though this civilization.

>>5689364
Okay, so - related to >>5689430 , how much Dreamdoor DO we have left? Likewise, how many of our other resources do we still possess? Finally and least relatedly, how much trouble are we likely to face from back home once word of any shenanigans on our part gets back? How much do they care about this area, that is to say?

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>>5686946
Art: Arvind Dani (https://pixels.com/featured/rice-farming-arvind-dani.html)
Alt-text: Watercolor painting of three people farming rice in a large field. Three shacks and a mountain range are visible in the background

You have a day to prep for the Fountain Guild coming tomorrow.
You just have to make a quick stop by your hutt, take a little power nap, and...
___
You have half a day to prep for the Fountain Guild coming tomorrow.
If these guys are really the hot shit everyone says, if they like beef you should be prepared.
It’s time to take a tour of the village and see what they can offer if shit went down.
_
The Bar: Shockingly not the worst place you’ve drunk in. It’s still barely more than a shack and its walls look like it would fall to a light breeze. Drinks are so weak you needed three of them just to stay jag.
_
Āŋa’s farm: A few run-down small shacks for sleeping in and storing grain, the rest is just mud and grass as far as the eye can see.
_
Īra’s farm: A few run-down small shacks for sleeping in and storing grain, the rest is just mud and grass as far as the eye can see.
_
Kīla’s Farm: The exact same fucking thing. You swear the moment you get your own place you’re burning down every blade of grass in sight.
_
“So Oh-ra, what leverage do you have in The Plains against these irrahz Guilds?
Ōra: Besides farming? Nothing. No wealth, no weapons.
“No power.”

For the first time, Ōra DOESN’T smile back at whatever came from your mouth.
They put a hand on their chest and gesture to the other farms.

Ōra: We ñiēþ power.

It may just be the hangover kicking in, but you think you actually understand.

“Yeah. You ARE the power.”
_
You spend the night going over all possible scenarios. Just like Papa Kāne taught you back in your hanabata days.
The drop-off point is bare-ass naked. No trees or hills for any cover.
The Fountain Guild is so rich they show up with TWO boats to fill with shit and they always have an Anyat... Servant of Freedom with them as muscle.
The village has the numbers advantage.
But if they try anything, even if the death cultist bodyguard doesn't gut ALL of them like fish, the Guild can always cut off their water.
How the hell did your family deal with shit like this all day? Oh right, drugs. Just a little bit of dreamdoor to ease the nerves and...

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>>5691515
>Art: Lawrence Wu & Andrew Baker
>Alt-Text: A four-armed warrior wielding four swords, clad in golden armor including a face mask, headdress, and neck rings.

Crewmember: Makana! The Guild is here!
“What? What the... Fuck!”

You follow the line of sad sacks carrying ...sacks until you’re back at the river clearing. What you see makes your jaw drop.
You've met your share of wealthy traders back home and the Garden Guild clearly had wealth, but these guys, they ARE wealth.
The boats are loaded with so much jewelry they can barely float.
The Guildmatser’s robe is so ornate and pristine they look like they’re about to take a dip in the hot spring.
They’ve been sailing down muddy water for who knows how long and they look PRISTINE. They're just lounging in the canoe like they’re the most fuckable person on the planet, and here, they might be.
And next to them, the Deathmaster. Three anana tall, muscles on muscles, and four huge arms carrying four huger blades.
They wear a mask that burns the sunlight right into your eyes, but you don't need to see their face to know. This is a living weapon.

“6, a friend of your- Holy shit are you... nervous?"
6 Knife: 4 Blade. So-called because...
“Yeah, I think that part’s fucking obvious.”
6 Knife: No. Of all the Servants of Peace, me? The Sixth greatest knife. Him? The Fourth Greatest Blade.
“They’re not even talking. Like just standing there is a demand.”

Ōra walks past you, hands heavy under twice as many bags as yesterday.

Ōra: The Guild with water, the Guild with power.

And what power do you have? Six ipus of Dreamdoor, even one is worth a fortune here. You have a crew of five warriors if a scrap happens.
Though you can’t guarantee what 6 would do. And the villagers, Ōra is probably ready to go, but for the rest you may as well be rolling the u-lu.

>Offer to make a deal with the Fountain Guild
>Tell the Guild they aren’t getting any payment
>Let the farmers pay the Guild.

>>5691084
We have 6 Ipus of Dreamdoor left, one ipu fo which is very valuable. (One Ipu was able to cover the village's Payment to the Garden guild for the rest of the year.)
You have enough stone and wood weapons for a crew of five people.
6 Knife has an undisclosed number of knives made from Ebbikele, far harder and sharper than stone.
Makana doesn't know if she'll get in trouble for giving away Dreamdoor or cutting deals with the Guilds and villages ad frankly she doesn't care.
She knows Captain Nizax is a stick in the mud for rules and wants the fleet to focus on peaceful trade and cultural connection. She also knows they personally loathe the land's use of enslavement, probably fears and hates the Servants of Peace for killing a bunch of their crewmates, and resents the oppression of the Guilds.

>>5691521
Holy shit, a legit mutant/nonhuman? Or are two of the arms fake? Hmm...

>Let the farmers pay the Guild.
>Make a separate deal for Dreamdoor, contingent on them having a nice conversation with us

These guys aren't to be provoked... At least not until we better understand them. if we focus on getting better terms with the Garden Guild, the farmers will already be better off than they were; if we form a power block here and can get the Garden Guild on our side, we can leverage them against these Fountainous Fuckers.

Best I could come up with for a strat

>>5691521
I'm not sure whether to offer the Fountain Guild a deal for some Dreamdoor or just let the farmers pay them. These guys mean business, and we don't know if all of us combined can take 4 Blade, never mind whoever the Guild will send if the Paymaster bites it.

The current score is

>Let the farmers pay the Guild.
2 votes
>Offer to make a deal with the Fountain Guild
2 votes

>>5691521
>Offer to make a deal with the Fountain Guild

>>5691521
>Tell the Guild they aren’t getting any payment
Call me crazy

If I’m being honest though, I don’t know what the play is. Limited Dreamdoor mean we need to be smart with it, so what are we getting from this village in exchange for the equivalent of 1 year of extortive taxes? We only have 6 Ipus- not enough to spend it so frivolously, so what’s the play here without burning our previous bridges and making us look like a jackass?

Locking for making a deal, update today.

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>>5691521
>Art: Alexander Hodges
>Alt-Text: A tanned white-haired woman wearing an expensive robe lounge confidently in the sunset. Flowers are beside her. Behind her, a body of water separates two mountain ranges.

“Hey, townies!”

The Guildmaster’s head snaps toward you, they’re not scared, no. It’s like they’re shocked you dared to speak up.

“6, same as before, tell them I want to make a deal.”
6 Knife: What deal?

>I’ll pay the fees instead of the farmers.
>Let me join the Fountain Guild.
>Let the farmers join the Fountain Guild.
>Let the farmers skip payment, or my people will stop selling Dreamdoor to the Fountain Guild.
>Write in.

>>5693852
>Let the farmers skip payment, or my people will stop selling Dreamdoor to the Fountain Guild.
>I’ll pay the fees instead of the farmers.

>>5693852
>Let the farmers skip payment, or my people will stop selling Dreamdoor to the Fountain Guild
Now or never, people. Let's hope this works.

>>5693852
>Let the farmers join the Fountain Guild, or my people will stop selling Dreamdoor to the Fountain Guild.

>>5693894
>>5694103
Anons, might I persuade you to consider taking the "go big or go home without drugs" approach?

>>5694113

>>5694188
I kind of wanted to try and set up the farmers as a third party, instead of getting them to become part of one of the guilds.
Get different villages together to start trading between themselves, with us managing that trade of course, form something like Freetown 2.

>>5693894
>>5694103
>>5694113
>Let the farmers skip payment, or my people will stop selling Dreamdoor to the Fountain Guild.
3 votes
>I’ll pay the fees instead of the farmers.
1 vote

Locking for the Ultimatum, Update today.

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>>5693852
Art:kalisami (https://www.deviantart.com/kalisami/art/Shine-in-Yourself-562494864)
Alt-text: A Dark-skinned girl with shining white hair and freckles that sparkle off her face like stardust.

“That’s it! I’m tired of these stuck-up assholes and this hammajang land! Tell coconut hair over there, if they don’t back off these farmers, The Fountain Guild won’t get a drop of Dreamdoor from my people.”
6 Knife: Ē-
Fountainer: Save your breath, Deathmaster. I heard the poor creature.
“You can talk?! Wait, did you just call me a-”
Fountainer: Your angry chittering is as amusing as it is pointless. Lani controls the Divine Wine trade, not you. Now step aside and let me harvest my livestock before I have this brute send you back home in a jar.

4 Blade flexes their arms, making a sound like a jingling bell. If a bell could brutally murder you.

[ROLL D6 TO BLUFF: A 5 or higher is a successful roll. Every player gets one roll, the highest roll among all players will be the final value. You have at least 24 hours to make your rolls. After that, I may lock and write the update.]

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5694400
>Lani is an ambassador of the great fleet, the very one that has returned for it's second voyage, and the very one whose captain has assigned me to this place.
>I'm equal to her in position, and different then here where your guilds bicker, the tribes of the island work together. If I stop the trade, then she will stop the trade. If you hurt me, then you hurt her, and the entire fleet.

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5694400
>If you kill me, it will not just mean the end of the trade. When the great fleet hears of my death, it will be war, and that is assuming the villagers do not kill you themselves.

Time to see how good our hand is.

>>5694400
Well, I'd roll, but >>5694516

Well there we go. Feel free to suggest dialogue until the next update hits.

>>5694400
>In fact, I should be demanding tribute for allowing you the favor of possibly opening up the Dreamdoor to your guild- your insolence won’t be easily forgotten.

Might as well go ham with it- maybe she’ll give us ‘double our normal tribute’ to make amends, with other concessions ;^)

Maybe we get honorary Guild status? I’d also settle for the Guildmaster apologizing to us personally in our tent- now THAT would be a power trip!

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>>5694400
>Art: Anonymous Wall Painters of Kemet ( circa 1420-1411 BC)
>Alt-text: Menna, Overseer of Fields of the Lord of the Two Lands, records the garain harvest of some farmers.

"Shoots, maybe I am bluffing about cutting you off. What I'm NOT bluffing about..."

You move between 4 Blade and the farmers.

"Is that you're not taking their food without a scrap. And sure, your pet nutcracker'll probabaly turn us into fish bait, but not without me slapping the shit out you, and not without having an army of pised off warriors crossing the ocean in things you can't IMAGINE to make you pay for it. My name is Makana. Chief of Ke Awa, Speaker of the Ahi, Wrecker of Shit. So if you want to dodge a black eye and having to explain to your Guild why their city's on fire, you'll turn your milky little head around and leave with your inflated ego intact."

4 Blade clenches their hands around their weapons. 6 Knife and your crew do the same. You clench... something else.
The farmers look on in fear and...

Fountainer: Heh. Very well crea- Makana. This village is yours. Lenλātōn!

With a flick of the Fountainer’s head, 4 Blade sets their weapons aside and walks back to the boat.
The laborers follow and carry the merchant on board, keeping even a drop of mud from touching he expensive robe.
As they sail off, the person who could have started a war smirks back at you.

Fountainer: I look forward to seeing you again, Shitwrecker.

A heavy silence fills the air until Ōra breaks out in a cheer!

Ōra: La þīrn jērānīw lā!

The chant takes over the crowd and soon, many farmers are joining in. You don’t need to speak the language to know this is a win.
Your response?

>The Loa say don’t be dicks. They were dicks, so I ran them off, no big deal.
>You are all under my sacred protection!
>The Loa, and no one else, rule these farms!

>>5696645
>You are all under my sacred protection!
>The Loa, and no one else, rule these farms!
It's a compact, see? So long as the Loa rule the farms, we will protect the people with their blessing. if the people decide to cut us and/or the Loa out...

>>5696645
>You are all under my sacred protection!
>The Loa, and no one else, rule these farms!
And so, another one of the siblings become a holy ruler.
It runs in the family.

>>5696645
>The Loa say don’t be dicks. They were dicks, so I ran them off, no big deal.
Sorry, this is too funny not for me to choose. I like the other choices though.

>>5696645
>The Loa say don’t be dicks. They were dicks, so I ran them off, no big deal.
Let's stay humble for now. This is just one village. We can go mad with power when we have actual power around here.

Glad to see everyone playing. Gonna wait a little bit for another player to vote.
Don't feel the need to change your vote to move things along. If we go without a tie break vote for TOO long I have a plan.

>>5696645
>The Loa say don’t be dicks. They were dicks, so I ran them off, no big deal.

>>5698294
Locking update today.

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>>5696645
>Art: Anonymous Kemet painters. ca. 1410–1370 B.C.
>Alt-text: Wall painting of an Ancient Egyptian banquet

“The Loa say don’t be dicks. They were dicks, so I ran them off, no big deal.”
Ōra: Dicks?
“Fun when invited, pain in the ass when not. Anyway, we’re good now. Aurite?

You walk to a foodbag

“You guys make booze out of this, right?”
Ōra: With time and water, yes.
“Well you can make a lot more now, let’s get PROPERLY jag.”
Ōra: Anhēŋŋi nā lā!
That one ALL the farmers cheered for.
_
It took you four ipus of the crap, and your belly’s about to burst. But after a week in this muggy wasteland you are finally, truly fucked up. Now to enjoy a peaceful blackout-
6 Knife: Makana..
“Ugh. Sorry 6, I don’t oof my employees. Waay too creepy.”
6 Knife: Gross.
“Ha, so the kill machine has a sense of humor.”
6 Knife: From you to them: restraint. Not rulership.
“You sayin’ I went soft? Maybe I just didnt wanna be stuck running this hamajang dump.”
6 Knife: Good. Too many rulers here. Not enough fighters.
“Don’t go preaching now, Wakky. I kept a jizz-topped buggah from cockroaching food. Doesn’t mean I’m joining your kill club.”

6 scoffs and...smiles? Shit must be better than you thought, you must be hallucinating.

6 Knife: You? Not a chance.

The warrior walks off as the sounds of celebration lull you to sleep.
_
Makana is now {Accomplice of The Plains}:
Due to your aid, the people of the Plains see you as an accomplice against the oppression of the Guilds. Word of your support spreads through the regions.
What next?

>Go to The Binding
Once a barren island where outcasts and “criminals” were sent, the Seeker’s Guild is using slave labor to make it a shipyard in an attempt to reproduce The Great Fleet.

>Go to The Mountain
Home to the Great Machines that provide water to the lands. Its workers have long been exploited. Some say an uprising is imminent. The water is how the Fountain Guild keeps its power, if it was disrupted their regime would be weakened.

>Go to The Spring
This city of sin is the headquarters of both the Guilds and the Great Temple of the Servants of Peace. As well as Freetown, a community of the formerly enslaved that has started a campaign against the scourge of bondage. Resentment is building in the Guilds themselves as the advisors who actually run them see the wealthy Guildmasters sink into debauchery. And 6 Knife has shown you friction is building from Servants of Peace who detest The Temple’s alliance with the Fountain Guild.

>Go to The Desert
Home to countless people the Guilds have long exploited. The Fountain Guild send the Servants of Peace to raid their cities. Those not killed are enslaved and sold to the Kitchen Guild, who grow wealthy trading them across the river system. The Guilds claim dominion over the whole of the desert, but it stretches beyond the horizon and holds societies as ancient as the sand itself.

> Attempt to Achieve Your Goal
Try to establish your power in this foreign land.

>>5698617
>Go to The Binding
If we let them make an equal to the Great Fleet, who knows what the Guilds will get up to?

>>5698644
Hmm, sounds risky. But if we can get in on the ground floor and be a PART of how they make and maintain this Second Fleet... Well, it uplifted our brother's station, yeah?

>>5698617
>Go to The Binding

>>5698617
>Go to The Spring
I thought I already voted

>>5698617
>Go to The Spring
If stuck in tie, you can rescind by vote if you wish.

>>5698644
>>5698753
I’d vote to cuck them of the chance and institute a slave revolt ngl, simply because if they ever achieve that feat of a replicated Great Fleet, it’d be disaster for our home.

Granted, I don’t think it’s achievable- that island had no wildlife and little food to begin with, putting a whole bunch of slaves there is gonna be a huge resource sink, for what’s likely limited gain on a fleet of inferior design that they have no concept or institutional knowledge on how to build.

Like, Makana could build a better, more numerous fleet at half the cost and a sliver of the workforce, and that’s probably what I’d vote for just to dunk on their attempt.

>>5699523
In fact, if and when we do go there later it’ll probably be a great idea to build a personal fleet just to gobble up any other islands we can get our hands on- and potentially have the option to go Pirate Queen in our back pocket if everything goes to shit.

>>5698644
Breaking the tie by cutting the last vote, per >>5699523
wishes

The Binding is next.

Update today

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>>5700724
>Art:AnellHappyWatercolor
>Alt-text: Water Color painting of half a coconut, a small pool of coconut milk in its bottom

“Ughhhhh”
Your head feels like a volcano’s going off in it.

6 Knife: Life...

“I swear to the Loas, 6, if you say “Life’s Wheel of pain,” I’ll shove that wheel up your ass.

They hand you a cup of coconut water.

6 Knife: Life Among Peace: Second Tenant of The Service.

You stare the killer in the eyes as you sip the hangover cure.

“Don’t think with all my preaching I haven’t noticed yours.”

6 Knife: Life Among Knowledge: Third Tenant-
“Enough!”

You shove the empty cup in the killpriest’s hands.

“We’ve been here long enough, it’s time to move on.”

Lani said there’s an Island offshore where the Guilds are trying to make some bootleg Great Fleet.
That’s something you need to stop or get in on, depending on who's in charge there.
You can sail your Kakaka to the ocean and reach The Binding directly, or you can go North first to meet with Captain Nizax.
Meeting with the rest of The Fleet would let you resupply and bring in crew members more suited to the next mission, but you have to explain to Nizax exactly what happened down here, or at least make up a convincing lie.
If you go straight to the Binding, you’ll only have your leftover supplies and what you brought from the village, and being gone for so long without checking in might get you in MORE trouble with the Captain if you eventually meet up.

>Go Straight to The Binding
>Meet up with Captain Nizax first
>Write-in

>>5700744
>Meet up with Captain Nizax first

>>5700744
>Meet up with Captain Nizax first

>>5700744
>Go Straight to The Binding
Nah, we got this. How are we supposed to build our own powerbase if we loop in brother's helpers?

>>5700888
I mean, I don’t mind either way- I mainly want to save the real fireworks the Spring for our finale desu. Man, the look on Nizax after that will totally be worth it!

>>5700745
Locking for meeting with Captain Nizax. Update today.

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>>5700744
>Photo: Christopher Johnson
>Alt-Text: An aerial view of a single outrigger canoe making its way up the Hanalei River. Dense forest is on either side of the water.

“Let’s move upstream, people gotta resupply!”

Rowing against the waters will be hard, but digging your crew out a week-long party was harder.
Good thing you have a warrior with choke muscles to herd the rats for you. Gives you time to close some loose ends.

“Ohra, I mean...Ōra, everything cherreh now?”
Ōra: Guildless peace on the horizon? Of course.
“Good. I’m looking out for you folks, talk story 'bout it.”

You share a warm smile, one heavy with the honeyed hope of a brighter tomorrow.

“Okay assholes, party’s over. It’s a lot of rowing to kiss Nizzy’s as!!”
____

And a lot it was. Your hands haven't been this tired since Kaimana’s last birthday.
By the time you got back to the masturbatory monument Lani call’s a temple, your blisters had blisters.
You sent a pigeon right before you came, so Captain stick in the mud themself was there to greet you.

Nizax: Makana, you’ve been gone almost a month. What happened?

>Tell the truth
>Lie (Write in for the specific lie, dice will be rolled for its success.)

>>5702401
>Tell the truth

>>5702401
>Tell the truth
I'm voting this mostly because I can't come up with a believable lie, never mind one that would be in-character for Makana to tell. I don't think Captain Nizax will /believe/ us, but we might as well be honest.

>>5702401
>Tell the truth
We did nothing wrong. >:)

>>5702401
Locking for Tell the Truth. Update will be on the first page of the next thread. Which I will try to have up before this one closes.

In the meantime, please give your feedback on the first part of War of Storms.

>>5703509
I like it a lot! The expansion/ elaboration of the setting with the local guilds and multi-armed mutamts (unless it' an elaborate costume?) is cool. Makana is a fun MC. The pace is slower than expected for the title, but probably because we went primarily diplomatic and passed our bluff/intomidate, which is fine.

>>5703572
>>5703509
>>5702409
>>5702402
>>5701675
>>5700931
>>5698753
>>5698294
New Thread

>>5703597