>>5843091
>A fierce admiral

Sociopathically Autistic Warlord quest go

>>5843091
>>A fierce admiral and notorious warhawk. When the emperor grew weak, you overthrew him. (+1 Military)

>>5843091
>The hero of the revolution. When the noble houses betrayed their oaths, you established an enlightened despotism. (+1 Happiness)
Enlightenment go.

>>5843091
>>The hero of the revolution. When the noble houses betrayed their oaths, you established an enlightened despotism. (+1 Happiness)

>>5843091
>A fierce admiral and notorious warhawk. When the emperor grew weak, you overthrew him. (+1 Military)
A starfleet with an empire

Locking the vote here.

>>5843104
>>5843106
>>5843114
>>5843170
>>5843203
You were one of the Empire's lead admirals and led its greatest warfleet. For years you kept pirates and alien raiders at bay, and what thanks did you get? What reward did you receive for all of your hard work? Nothing but a fat, jeweled blob in a crown telling you to patrol another sector.

The rebellion was swift and brutal. In a short eight years, the Empire you spent your life serving was conquered. Now you wear the crown and the armies of half a hundred stars have pledged their fealty to the new dynasty. Now, the hard part begins.

The Head Advisor didn't betray his emperor until the very moment your men stormed the palace. Good. If he did, you would've killed him for disloyalty. He senses a strong leader in you and is happy to be part of new dynasty. You sense a wise servant in him and are happy to take his help. The two of you should make a fine team.

"You have work ahead of you, my liege!"

He shows you The Ledger. This is the most important document in known space.

>The Empire:
>Territory: 3
>Economy: 3
>Military: 4
>Happiness: 3
>Population: 3

The Empire is on shaky footing after the mismanagement of the old dynasty. Its space has receded, its finances have shrunk, and its cities have stagnated. On the upside, its navy is in an acceptable position. Returning the Empire to its old glory will be a careful balancing act.

Shortly after your coronation, you face your first major decision as Emperor!

The naval officers and voidsmen that helped you seize the crown want their slice of the pie.

>The loyal men who stood by and fought for you will be richly rewarded!
>The treasury is a tad slim, so you'll levy a tax on the more stubborn noble houses.
>The economy needs time to recover. Explain that you'll reward them later.
>Forget the riffraff, you're the Emperor now and they'll be happy with what they've got!

>>5843234
Levy a tax, but frame it as punitive. Target nobility that supported the previous emperor and have been slow to bend the knee. Make the taxes burdensome but not so much that it would spark rebellion. State that we're leveling it not because we need money, but to punish those who have gotten in the way of our righteous coup. Give some of the proceeds to our supporters, but keep most of it for the new imperial treasury.

>>5843234
>>5843238
+1
use the money to help stabilize the economy

>>5843234
>>The treasury is a tad slim, so you'll levy a tax on the more stubborn noble houses.

>>5843234
Levy the tax - Septimius Severus rules; "Be harmonious, enrich the soldiers, scorn all others"

My plan is to go on the warpath as soon as we get the excuse. A neat little campaign somewhere, make us look nice and legitimate, distribute the spoils and keep the army happy behind us.

>>5843238
>>5843247
>>5843264
You decide to do some politicking to satisfy your men and stabilize the economy at the same time.

"A bold move, sire!"

>Roll 1d6+0 for selective taxation
>Best of one. Low is bad, high is good. As Admiral, you get +1 to Military rolls you're involved with.

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5843270
Here goes nothing

>>5843238
>>5843234
+1
Don't forget we will need go keep our men happy. They will eventually try ask the same question we did if we don't give threm something. This is an idea for when we stabilise the economy:
A retirement scheme with titles, money and other benefits would be a good idea. Of course if you served longer and the more important stuff you did while serving gives you a grander retirement for example:

-10 year contract gets money and for every 10 years longer in service you gain more money.

-For 50 years in service you gain land on newer settled worlds (a reasonable planet not a hellhole)

-100 years gives you the honerary title Centarian and lets your name be displayed on a holograpic screen during parades and the such. You also get granted a living place in the capital.

-every 10 years in the military you get a horizontal stripe tatoed on your fore head just above your right eyebrow.

Just dumping some longer term ideas here.

>>5843277
>Here goes nothing
but went everything

>>5843277
All our men will call their children after us. That's going to be a lot of money.

>>5843282
Seconded, it's important to keep our soldiers happy so we don't get overthrown in the same way we took over

>>5843282
Add to this cash rewards and elevation to nobility for heroic deed (medal of honor level deeds). People of higher rank of course get more money and more valuable/ larger land areas.

Medals don't give you anything afterwards, because people will be granting them to their friends and recieve them back in a hugely corrupt system.

>>5843277
In a brilliant masterstroke of propaganda and intrigue, you plunder the coffers of the last dynasty's supporters and convince everyone it is for their own good! Even better, you publicly reward the captains and soldiers who risked the most and make them known as war heroes! The army now considers you generous yet disciplined leader, and the population firm yet fair. In short, a huge improvement over the previous Emperor!

Everyone wins!

Except for the last dynasty's supporters, but what are they going to do without their fortunes, anyway?

"You're a genius, my liege! That couldn't have possibly gone any better."

You consult The Ledger. You're barely six months into your reign and it's already looking better.

>The Empire:
>Territory: 3
>Economy: 4
>Military: 4
>Happiness: 4
>Population: 3

This success has given you space to breathe and solidify your reign.

"What are your plans, my liege?"

>Invest in the Empire's infrastructure. New space-ports, mines, and factories will serve your goals well.
>Make some reforms to the Empire's military customs. You have a few ideas you'd like to implement.
>Formally purge the last dynasty's supporters! There's a chance this could cause a civil war and have you seen as a tyrant but it might nip future problems in the bud.
>Take the military on a proper campaign! You're in a strong position and can think of several juicy targets.
>Go and find yourself a wife! If you died today, your dynasty would end before it even began!

While you're making plans for the future and consulting star charts, your Head Advisor interrupts you.

"Sire, I'm sorry to bother you, but I don't believe you ever gave me a name to put on documents."

You scratch your chin and think. That is a very good question. You'd better answer it now before the paperwork builds up.

How should you and your dynasty be called?

>>5843313
Forgot the QM in the namefield.

>>5843313
Since we've just emerged from a civil war, I think that it would be best to develop infrastructure. After all, we need weapons and ships if we want to make war.

Also, for a name, I think something intimidating but not too evil sounding would be good. Nothing specific comes to mind

>>5843313
>Formally purge the last dynasty's supporters! There's a chance this could cause a civil war and have you seen as a tyrant but it might nip future problems in the bud.
Let's get this out of the way while the soldiers are happy and we don't have that much infrastructure to blow up anyway.

>>5843370
Also, for a name, I have a few in mind:
>Bogatyr
>Arkan
>Nikefor

>>5843313
>Make some reforms to the Empire's military customs. You have a few ideas you'd like to implement.
After that it will just be infrastructure building and wife finding. Want to do the reform early since we really military to stay loyal.

Name idea: Roland Fabien Accipiter (we throw away our real last name Clemens.)
Dynasty name idea:
Accipiter (hawk in latin)

>>5843313
>Go and find yourself a wife! If you died today, your dynasty would end before it even began!

Alphonse Heinrich : "Astronomican "

>>5843433
>Support
Gotta secure our dynasty

I'm busy so we'll need to wait a couple of more hours before I can update.

Currently, Alphonse Heinrich, nicknamed "Astronomican" for his skill as an admiral, is in the lead for your name.

>>5843324
>>5843370
>>5843376
>>5843385
>>5843433
>>5843536
You are Alphonse Heinrich, nicknamed “Astronomicon” for your finesse in handling fleets in void warfare.

There are many pressing concerns for the Empire. Its infrastructure is underdeveloped, the military hasn’t yet been reformed to your specifications, and there are numerous dissidents leftover from the old Emperor’s favoured noble houses…

But that can wait.

For the moment, you’re concerned about the future of the Heinrich dynasty. If you die suddenly, the Empire will fall into a second civil war and you will have fought for nothing. You need to find yourself a wife. The Head Advisor is visibly relieved by your ambition.

“A commendable goal, my liege! I shall send a missive to the eligible ladies of the Empire immediately!”

It takes very little time, a couple of months, before you have a wide selection of potential spouses. There are many families and women desperate to be a part of the new royal line. You and your trusted Head Advisor narrow down the tens of thousands of applicants to the top handful of genetic health. You review their documents and enclosed audio footage carefully.

>>5843752
Who should become the new Empress?
>Anna Soluton. A young future duchess with fiery red hair, emerald eyes, and a perfection of features cosmetics can’t match. House Soluton is one of the most prestigious noble houses, famed for its work on macro-architecture and starship engines, and marrying them would go very far to legitimize your throne. She has a quick smile and is quite excited by the prospect of marriage, but is nervous about court politics.
“I… I don’t know what to say. I just hope we can be happy together!”

>Rachel Bates. A graceful, dark-complected widow nearing her twilight years. Normally, someone of her age wouldn’t be considered but after her husband died in a tragic lathe accident, she was left a major shareholder of Amasoft Corp and offers it as a dowry. This would be a boost to the Empire’s treasury but there’s a risk her closing window of fertility and six pre-existing children could complicate succession. She’s a heartfelt romantic and desperate for affection, but you would always be her second man.
“My summer years may be behind me but I assure you, this old bat still has quite a bit of spring in her step.”

>Daria Rausch. A blonde-haired and sturdily built young woman that could shoulder and fire a plasma-mortar. Her father, Albin Rausch, fought under you as a courageous general, took several planets, and was one of the first to defect. Marrying into them would greatly please the top-brass of the military, but despite their long, distinguished history of martial service, they’re still a common bloodline and it would greatly annoy most of the noble houses. She’s direct and easygoing, but once strangled a noble dignitary for openly questioning her womanhood at a dinner party.
“Don’t see why we’ve gotta formalize things like this when we can get to makin’ a platoon instead. Can’t wait to see ya.”

>Hannah Nightshayd. A slim, black-haired heiress to House Nightshayd, one of the old dynasty’s closest supporters and infamous for its circle of spymasters. Marrying her would not only extend an olive branch to the previous dynasty’s supporters and calm the tension there, her assets would be yours. She’s blunt about this being a last-ditch effort to stay relevant by her family but insists she was aroused by the details of your career.
“I’ll be honest, my papa and staff are assassins and passing up on me’s going to end badly for one or both of us… but I want you to like me, for me, you know.”

>None of these women are worthy! You’ll continue the search abroad! Maybe there's a potential spouse beyond the Empire's borders?

>>5843755

>>Hannah Nightshayd. A slim, black-haired heiress to House Nightshayd, one of the old dynasty’s closest supporters and infamous for its circle of spymasters. Marrying her would not only extend an olive branch to the previous dynasty’s supporters and calm the tension there, her assets would be yours. She’s blunt about this being a last-ditch effort to stay relevant by her family but insists she was aroused by the details of your career.

Wrangler of nobles and spymaster are very useful to have.

>>5843755
Hmm, let's think about this logically
>Solution
Probably the best all around choice. No major drawbacks, several decent benefits, and a great choice if we intend to keep things calm and seek reconstruction.
>Bates
While the fortune is tempting, the existing children are a major nuisance. History shows we absolutely cannot afford to have so many royal-adjacent people. Out of the question
>Rausch
A good propaganda move for our military and the commoners, and bringing in an outsider with no annoying noble ties to deal with is a good choice. Plus, she's most likely to share our militaristic vision and pass that on to our kids. Great option if we want to head towards an immediate purge of the opposition immediately.
>Nightshayd
We lack an information network, a crucial thing for a royal to have, and Nightshayd could give that to us. We can also use her as an example to get the other old nobility in line. However, bringing an assassin into our household might be dangerous if we intend to purge her former political allies. Best choice if we intend to reconcile with the old nobility.

I think we should probably negotiate non-marriage related reconciliation with the Nightshayds and proceed with Rausch or Solution. We offer to save the Nightshayds from ruin if they agree to serve our family as an information agency: we can tell the populace that they were always on our side, traitors to the former crown and loyal watchdogs of the new empire.

>>5843755
>Rachel Bates
And we could go full Roman and use adoptive succession anyway.

>>5843787
Gimme the assassin

>>5843755
>>5843790
I could get behind this. +1 if we do go full Roman

>>5843755
>Rachel Bates
The money itself doesn't matger as much as having a foothold into the economy. As for her kids, "going roman" is a bad way to put it since the romans had no system of succession. I say we establish a sort of Curriculum Vitae in its original sense, the next in line having to go through other posts(in the military in our case) to be able to be chosen as emperor, this way we ensure that, until corruption really sets in, all of our leaders will be experienced men.

Also
>my papa and staff are assassins and passing up on me’s going to end badly for one or both of us
See this people? This is why we purge the old guard.

>>5843755
>solution
Sounds good
Would like to marry the military daughter if she was not so belligerent

>>5843755

>Daria Rausch. A blonde-haired and sturdily built young woman that could shoulder and fire a plasma-mortar. Her father, Albin Rausch, fought under you as a courageous general, took several planets, and was one of the first to defect. Marrying into them would greatly please the top-brass of the military, but despite their long, distinguished history of martial service, they’re still a common bloodline and it would greatly annoy most of the noble houses. She’s direct and easygoing, but once strangled a noble dignitary for openly questioning her womanhood at a dinner party


Been waiting for one of these to show back up, the planetary governor quest left me thirsting for this type of question

>>5843755
>>Anna Soluton. A young future duchess with fiery red hair, emerald eyes, and a perfection of features cosmetics can’t match. House Soluton is one of the most prestigious noble houses, famed for its work on macro-architecture and starship engines, and marrying them would go very far to legitimize your throne. She has a quick smile and is quite excited by the prospect of marriage, but is nervous about court politics.
Starships you say?

>>5843755
>>Anna Soluton

Sounds like a good option

Locking the vote here. The vote was very close this time...

>>5843755
>Daria Rausch. A blonde-haired and sturdily built young woman that could shoulder and fire a plasma-mortar. Her father, Albin Rausch, fought under you as a courageous general, took several planets, and was one of the first to defect. Marrying into them would greatly please the top-brass of the military, but despite their long, distinguished history of martial service, they’re still a common bloodline and it would greatly annoy most of the noble houses. She’s direct and easygoing, but once strangled a noble dignitary for openly questioning her womanhood at a dinner party.

Rolled 5, 6, 2, 3 = 16 (4d6)

>>5843787
>>5843789
>>5843790
>>5843791
>>5843862
>>5843885
>>5843907
>>5843938
>>5843942
>>5844091
You think long and hard on this choice. Every one of them has merit in their own right but you can only choose one. Your first instinct is to choose Hannah to appease the Nightshayd but on second thought, she was so cavalier about the assassin threat you aren’t sure she would be safe to have in your court. Daria would be an excellent choice but her aggression and lack of noble connections leave her at a loss.

That leaves Rachel and Anna. If you married the Bates, the Empire’s economy would reach new heights and you could lay down a foundation for the future… but if her children tried to claim the throne, the Empire would have no future. By a very narrow process of elimination, that leaves Anna. Though she isn’t as exceptional as the others, her pedigree is impressive and would exalt the Heinrich name.

“A fine choice, sire! I shall inform the Solutons immediately!”

According to reports, she cried tears of joy upon hearing the news. While the reaction of the Solutons was more subdued, you can almost swear the royal staff are now a split-second faster to salute.

You have a traditional military marriage on your flagship. Most of the noble houses attended, with a few notable exceptions, including the Nightshayd. Every one of the Empire’s major military officers was there as well. The wedding was well-received, though most think your motives were political. Anna herself is stunning and you think your Head Advisor was correct. This was a fine choice.

Later that chronological night in the admiral’s quarters, you find it was a fine choice indeed…

“Oh Emperor, this is like a dream come true!”

Come the next (again, chronological because you're in space) morning, you have a decision to make.

>Go on a honeymoon to bond with your wife for a year.
>Attempt to extend an olive branch to the Nightshayd.
>Begin a formal purge of the last dynasty’s supporters.
>Return to the normal administration of the Empire.

>>5844196
>Attempt to extend an olive branch to the Nightshayd.

>>5844196
>Attempt to extend an olive branch to the Nightshayd.
we can't root them out, because we are not strong enough.

>>5844196
>Attempt to extend an olive branch to the Nightshayd

Make a pact to marry one of their scions to the imperial heir, once said heir has proven themselves in the crucible of war of course. The decadence of the previous imperial line shall not come to infest the Heinrich dynasty

Also, if we haven't already, we should come up with our imperial insignia/coat of arms. Something out soldiers would be proud to fly

>>5844198
>>5844200
>>5844201
House Nightshayd is dangerous. You should act swiftly to negate them as a threat to the Empire, and the surest way to defeat them would be to make them your allies.

But how?

>Lavish them in expensive gifts and a generous tax rebate.
>Promise to marry one of their scions to the imperial heir.
>Give them freedom to operate and spread their infiltrators.
>Attempt to negotiate a mutually beneficial arrangement.

>>5844232
>Promise to marry one of their scions to an imperial heir.
Not THE imperial heir, but one of them. (^:

>>5844232
>Promise to marry one of their scions to the imperial heir.

But as the heir apparent must earn that position, their promised must too prove their worthiness to wed them. No shitters in our bloodline

>>5844232
>>Attempt to negotiate a mutually beneficial arrangement.
self serving bastards will be self serving bastards

>>5844201
I like this, we can even formalize this policy. Basically annexing every possible rival house into the imperial throne while also encouraging them not to rebel because they know "there turn" is just a generation away.

>>5844650
Support!

Also this quest is fantastic OP. You do a great job of offering meaningful and interesting choices using concise dialogue.

>>5844243
>>5844268
>>5844344
>>5844650
>>5844652
After your marriage, you send a missive to House Nightshayd commanding an audience of their current patriarch.

Soon, Gerardo Nightshayd, rumoured to be the old dynasty’s Master of Assassins, is sitting across from you at a meeting table. Both of you are surrounded by bodyguards and you’re just as sure you’re talking to a body-double with a two way transmitter on him as he is that your fleet will bombard Nightshayd’s estate to ashes if you were to suffer an accident.

He is displeased by your decision to marry the Soluton over his daughter but you have a mutual understanding. Despite your different methods, there is a certain, professional respect for what each other are capable of.

You explain your terms.

In exchange for House Nightshayd’s support, you promise that you will marry their next scion to the imperial heir. The caveat that the imperial heir won’t be formalized until they’ve proven themselves in battle, and that the scion must meet your standards.

This is essentially a sworn oath to take House Nightshayd into the imperial fold. A very generous proposition, especially toward a former enemy. The only question is how deeply Gerardo supported the old dynasty, the opulent House Vonduul…

There is a deep suspense.

>Roll 1d6+2 for negotiations. +2 [Generous Terms]

>>5844652
I'm glad you're liking the quest this much so far. I want to see if a civ-like quest is possible to keep engaging when most of the fluff and mechanics have been stripped away. Not freeform, but minimalist with nothing left to take away.

Rolled 6 + 2 (1d6 + 2)

>>5844754

>>5844774
Man, our boy astronomican was born for this line of work on space god.

>>5844774
Good lord we're absolutely cracked

>>5844754
Also, what's our general age and physical description? I'd be interested in making a quick sketch of our space emperor

>>5844775
>>5844777
At this point, I suspect the Advisor was right about you being a genius.

>>5844779
I've been imagining the Emperor as a gruff, clean-cut military man. The no-nonsense, professional type that's most comfortable staring at hologram projections and making split-second decisions on the bridge of a battleship. Since he had a long career but is still physically capable, he was somewhere in his mid thirties when the rebellion began and is now in his early forties. Alphonse Heinrich is the most German-sounding name possible so he's probably blonde, blue or gray eyed. He might or might not have some scars as medical technology is advanced but not miraculous in most cases. Before he launched the rebellion the Heinrichs were a very minor noble house so he would've risen through the ranks from a regular pilot.

>>5844774
The suspense thickens as Gerardo stands from his seat, removes his hidden earpiece, and crushes it underfoot. The room is more silent than the void as he falls to his knees and lifts his fist in a violent salute. He shouts with furious passion.

“HAIL to the Emperor! HAIL to the Heinrich line!”

Even you are shocked as he bows his head low.

“After serving that effete slug for decades, stooped under the shame of my House reduced to the attack dog of a rotting palace for centuries, I had begun to think there was no strength left in the noble lineage. You, Alphonse, are strong! I see it in your deeds, taste it in the words you speak!”

“Finally, the Empire is in worthy hands!”

“I am honoured to call you my liege, may you reign Eternal! My blade is yours! So long as I live, Nightshayd shall lay sheathed in your dynasty’s scabbard.”

He stands and wipes the sweat from his forehead.

“Enough pomp and ceremony. I’ll transfer our unabridged databanks to your court terminals the moment I’ve returned. I look forward to a long, fruitful relationship.”

You acknowledge his fealty with a nod.

“I as well.”

>House Nightshayd have become Close Allies to the Heinrich dynasty! Its spy and assassin network is now at your disposal!

>>5844817
You are incredibly pleased with how well your reign has been going. If being Emperor is this easy, you should’ve tried to seize the crown years ago.

You know you can’t rest on your laurels, but the reversal of Nightshayd’s support has taken a huge burden off of your shoulders.

This has given you some breathing room.

>Go on a honeymoon to bond with your wife for a year.
>Throw a grand feast to celebrate an excellent start to your reign.
>Use the Nightshayd to remove lingering Vonduul sympathizers.
>Return to the normal administration of the Empire.

>>5844818
Alright, getting fancy here.

>go on a honeymoon to bond with our wife, but publicize and broadcast portions of it, to deeper entrench ourselves in the hearts and minds of the common people, and invite our favored generals, their kin, and any up and coming officers to share in our matrimonial joy, and hopefully some of our popularity

Now this is too both appease Lady Soluton nee Heinrich, and increase public awareness and happiness, but the broadcasting is actually a gambit yo distract from a series of accidents soon too be fall the old dynasties lingering loyalists

>Use the Nightshayd to remove lingering Vonduul sympathizers

>>5844818
>Throw a grand feast to celebrate an excellent start to your reign.

File: CCC59BA5-58F8-4DAA-8C58-F(...).png (430 KB, 1640x1901)

430 KB PNG

>>5844779
>>5844801
Noted! Before that, a quick drawing of the queen. Put her in a body suit because I have no clue what she wears

>>5844865
Fan art already? Op, you’re doing well.
>>5844817
>Go on a honeymoon to bond with your wife for a year.
As much as I’d like to support >>5844828, I think we’d be more likely to try diplomacy rather than pull the assassination card (at least at the start). Let’s give the stubborn houses a chance, at least.

>>5844818

>Return to the normal administration of the Empire.

Can't fall into decadence like our predecessor, there's work to be done.

>>5844818
>>5844828
+1
not a full year, that's too long

>>5844865
getting shego vibes

https://youtu.be/VyVuuXUR7Lc

Some Filk that seems fitting for Our boy

>>5844865
>this quest is barely 50 posts in
>it's already gotten fan art
I don't even know what to say. Thank you anon.

>>5844828
>>5844830
>>5844974
>>5844979
>>5845004
You reason that a honeymoon is worth having, but it could be to your advantage. As a propaganda piece for the masses and distraction casting smoke over the Nightshayd's dark work. For now, they'll only target those actively planning sedition. That could change in the future.

It grates on you to spend an entire year without doing anything but the Head Advisor assures you there's a reason for it. Due to the incredible amount of space an Emperor needs to travel and the time they're at work, there's a chance they won't be present for the birth of any one child. The honeymoon ensures an Emperor will be on the same planet and continent as Empress for their firstborn and can attend the birth.

You suppose that's sensible. Many admirals have been known to take their families with them on campaign. Perhaps you could start a trend?

You decide to honeymoon on Licciri, a tropical world terraformed in the past to paradisical specifications. Your reasons for this are several. First, it is frequented by many noble houses and your wife will be familiar with it, helping her anxiety. Second, it is very nearby the Throneworld on Mars, first planet to be terraformed and most able to fill the gap after the fall of the 3rd dynasty and shattering of Earth.

Here, you'll be able to coordinate with royal propagandists and Nightshayd agents without arousing any suspicion. You would've preferred somewhere more rustic yourself, possibly a cabin on a frontier world, but this planet is nice enough. Anna, at least, is delighted.

>Roll 1d6+0 for broadcasting success.
>Roll 1d6+2 for Nightshayd. +1 [Military Skill], +1 [Spy Network]

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5845377
rolling for broadcast success

>Due to the incredible amount
title of your sex tape

File: iseeit.jpg (290 KB, 1920x1080)

290 KB JPG

>>5845432

Rolled 3 + 2 (1d6 + 2)

>>5845377
Rolling for nightshayds

>>5845451
I mean… it’s not BAD by any measure… right?

>>5845452
You're making us all look mid.

>>5845432
>>5845451
The first few days are idyllic but the constant pressure of media attendants angers you. After an argument with the lead holo-film producer, you take over the directing yourself.

You have no background in film, no sense of pacing, or scriptwriting, or dramatic tension. By every right, this should've ended in disaster.

Instead, your lack of experience led to a total subversion of the standard for reality film. Instead of an airbrushed and perfect piece of art, you produce a raw and unfiltered stream of your marriage, with all of its romantic ups and very few downs caused by the public demands of your position.

It is a masterwork of holo-film and catches on like wildfire. Billions of families watch you pour your heart into a direct, flawed documentary, and they love it. On top of your previous reputation as a firm but fair ruler, you're now seen as a down-to-earth family man who has to make sacrifices for his Empire, and is happy to do it, no matter the cost.

Anna herself becomes something of a celebrity and her infrequent, shy appearances on holo-film only enhance public perception. Your in-laws in House Soluton are pleased by the prestige and she's fallen head over heels for you. More importantly, she's become pregnant.

While you were managing the broadcast, you coordinated Nightshayd operatives and your most elite shock troopers in total secrecy. The loudest sympathizers of House Vonduul are quietly removed and disenfranchised without a word of your involvement. Everyone with ties to Nightshayd is coopted or executed.

Some paranoid nobles without ties to the Nightshayd may remain, but your reign has been secured.

Anna gives birth to a healthy baby girl with a full head of red hair. Fatherhood feels even heavier than ruling as Emperor. Now, you have a dynasty to look after. Part of you was hoping for a son to call heir, but there's plenty of time.

What will you name your firstborn daughter?

You return to the normal administration of the Empire. Somehow, The Ledger is looking even better than before.

>The Empire:
>Territory: 3
>Economy: 4
>Military: 4
>Happiness: 5
>Population: 3

The people love you, which gives you a lot of political capital if you need to make any unpopular moves. Your Head Advisor is impressed.

"If this continues, sire, you'll be the greatest Emperor in a thousand years!"

That you will.

You need to decide on a direction for the next few years.

>Invest in the Empire's infrastructure. The Solutons will be more than willing to help.
>Make some reforms to the Empire's military customs. This will be easy and well-received by the troops.
>Bring the great noble houses into the fold. A united Empire will be stronger.
>Attempt to formalize diplomatic relations with some of the foreign states and territories. Most of them are incompatible with the Empire, but some may be willing.
>Take the military on a campaign! Your navy is strong and there are plenty of targets.

>>5845487
I want to assess our military and economic assets: do we have enough to engage in a military campaign without severely hindering the safety and resources of our empire? If so, we should make war, if not, we should focus on infrastructure

>>5845487
>What will you name your firstborn daughter?
Angelica

>Attempt to formalize diplomatic relations with some of the foreign states and territories. Most of them are incompatible with the Empire, but some may be willing.
internal stability achieved, external stability next

>>5845521
Your military and economy are both in a healthy state. In the scaling system of The Ledger, 1 is on the brink of total collapse, 2 is weak or impoverished, 3 is struggling, and 4 is roughly average, 5 is better, and 6 or above are in great condition. Before you rebelled the Empire was regressing but you've improved your position in a very short time.

If The Ledger gets imbalanced it can lead to problems. If one gets low, it's bad, but if one gets dramatically higher than the rest, it's good but may have complications. If you launch a campaign and suffer a crushing defeat, it will have consequences but in some situations, sacrifices can be made to prevent heavier losses.

>>5845487
>Invest in the Empire's infrastructure. The Solutons will be more than willing to help.
Before we can begin the campaign to restore the Empire's borders, we need an industrial complext to support it.

>>5845487
>Invest in the Empire's infrastructure. The Solutons will be more than willing to help.

Money -> troops -> conquer -> repeat

>>5845487
>>Invest in the Empire's infrastructure. The Solutons will be more than willing to help.

>>5845487
Freyja

>Make some reforms to the Empire's military customs. This will be easy and well-received by the troops.

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>5845526
>>5845606
These were the only two votes for your daughter's name, so I'll flip a coin between them. 1 Angelica, 2 Freyja.

Rolled 3, 4, 3, 4 = 14 (4d6)

>>5845521
>>5845526
>>5845554
>>5845568
>>5845586
Conquest is valuable for the resources it gains. If a planet is a barren waste with no strategic or symbolic importance, it isn't worth fighting for.

If your planets have a robust industry, you can exploit resources that otherwise wouldn't be worth the effort. The treasury is useless if it isn't being spent.

You dedicate the next five years to improving the economy. You spend most of them traveling. Hundreds of documents are signed, thousands of hands are shaked, and millions of credits change hands to effect billions of people.

This requires almost all of the liquidity you gained from taxing the nobles. Unfortunately, you have to spend money to make money. Normally, there'd be no guarantee that most of the projects would be finished or that the profits would go to the Empire, but the Soluton name opens many doors and keep the traps shut.

You'll see a profit. Eventually.

Your daughter, Freyja, is growing at a healthy rate. According to her tutors, she has a rare talent for numbers and takes after her mother. Interesting.

You don't have much time to spend at court with all of this business, but you make the time. Your wife grows pregnant again.

>>5845620
Your wife gives birth to another healthy baby girl, much like the first. A second daughter? You're confident you'll get an heir sooner or later. In any case, you treasure the time you can spend with your family.

Your wife names her Angelica, after her grandmother.

You continue to run the Empire. The Ledger is a bit poorer than it was. Your Head Advisor is as enthusiastic as ever.

>The Empire:
>Territory: 3
>Economy: 3
>Military: 4
>Happiness: 5
>Population: 3

"Only a couple more decades, sire, and your investments will bare fruit! If not, I'll arrange for an audit on those merchants and governors."

You suppose things could be worse. Impatience is a dangerous quality for an admiral to have.

You turn your attention to other affairs.

>Double down on the economy and purchase some stocks. Things will be lean for a while, but it'll pay dividends.
>Get around to those military reforms. The officers and troops under them are the most important part of your Empire.
>Bring the great noble houses into the fold. You are in a good position to negotiate, and this is arguably just a different kind of conquest.
>Attempt diplomacy with the foreigners. Maybe you could work out a trade agreement or alliance.
>Go on a campaign! You've been dealing with paperwork for too long!

>>5845631
>Get around to those military reforms. The officers and troops under them are the most important part of your Empire.
After this it is war and diplo

>>5845631
>Get around to those military reforms. The officers and troops under them are the most important part of your Empire.

Lets get ready to rumble.

>>5845631
>Attempt diplomacy with the foreigners. Maybe you could work out a trade agreement or alliance.
We have achieved a pretty high level of domestic stability and the loyalty of two powerful houses. I think shoring up or local power would be better done by shoring up our economy through trade.

I would go for the economy but I don't know how long those lean times will last, the trade deals will be a even mix between cost and benefit.

>>5845631
>Get around to those military reforms. The officers and troops under them are the most important part of your Empire.

>>5845639
>>5845653
>>5845678
>>5845688
Further improving the Empire's economic situation is enticing, but as a former admiral, the military will always be the most important to you.

As Emperor, you have an immense amount of power to make decisions but reforms aren't easy. It isn't enough for edicts to simply be made. They have to reach the Empire and be implemented, and that requires supervision. This will take years but it's important to lay a foundation down for the future.

You have a few ideas but really, anything is possible. The military are devoted to you and the masses love you.

This is a rare chance to sculpt a martial tradition spanning generations.

What reforms do you want to make? These are a few possibilities.

>Implement a retirement scheme rewarding number of decades served and instituting periodic parades.
>Require military officers and soldiers to have a black bar tattooed over their righr eyebrow for every decade at arms.
>Create a new set of medals and rewards for exceptional service in battle. The current system is too arbitary and informal.
>Fly your own Heinrich coat-of-arms. The old Vonduul insignia, an openhanded golden gauntlet on a black field, is gone, but nothing has replaced it.
>Grant the most loyal and competent of your military officers formal nobility, to reward their contributions.
>Make a new uniform and distribute it, to separate your dynasty from the old, now obsolete customs.
>Unify the voidsmen and soldiers instead of keeping them distinct, to centralize power under your dynasty.
>Create a distinct royal guard drawn from your most dedicated and proven men rather than rely on the army directly.

There's no real limit to what you can do to alter the Empire's military organization.

>>5845708
>Implement a retirement scheme rewarding number of decades served and instituting periodic parades.
>Create a new set of medals and rewards for exceptional service in battle. The current system is too arbitary and informal.
>Grant the most loyal and competent of your military officers formal nobility, to reward their contributions.

File: Heinrich flag.png (68 KB, 1024x613)

68 KB PNG

>>5845708
>Implement a retirement scheme rewarding number of decades served and instituting periodic parades.
How many years do people live? 5 decades of service and your family is set for life, including grandchildren.

>Create a new set of medals and rewards for exceptional service in battle. The current system is too arbitary and informal.

>Fly your own Heinrich coat-of-arms. The old Vonduul insignia, an openhanded golden gauntlet on a black field, is gone, but nothing has replaced it.
I've always like this flag, but not everyone does.

>Grant the most loyal and competent of your military officers formal nobility, to reward their contributions.
First to the Rausch, so they can marry into our family.

>Make a new uniform and distribute it, to separate your dynasty from the old, now obsolete customs.


>Create a distinct royal guard drawn from your most dedicated and proven men rather than rely on the army directly.

>Sell off old equipment to private collectors after so many years of service and reinvest into new equipment and armaments
No point in keeping old equipment if the new stuff works better and costs less to maintain. Maybe open a museum for historic prosperity.

>Implement a stricter record keeping and communications system
Have to keep them honest. Spymasters and assassins are one thing, but the military shouldn't have too many secrets. Wouldn't want a rebellion to happen.

>Have noble houses send a least one heir apparent until retirement and a quota of men directly proportional to their relative strength/wealth serve in the military
They probably already do and feel it's an honor to serve the empire, but maybe make it even more official.

>Revise the training programs for bigger, faster, stronger, smarter troops better able to deal with space warfare.
>Open a new military academy eligible to any Empire citizen
Better stock of troops for future campaigns

>Allow more entries for engine systems, ship schematics, and equipment from the private and public sector to earn investment opportunities.
We probably already have dedicated scientists working on equipment, but some guy in his shed always makes the best stuff.

What do you guys think?

>>5845733
I'll support

>>5845708
>>5845733
Support this anon's reforms

Just found this quest, it's pretty fun

>>5845733
Personally I think giving titles to military officers right now is the wrong thing to do. They'd be in conflict with the 'Old Nobility' with long bloodlines, upstarts who only got titles because they sided with us during the rebellion. However, if we begin a reconquest of old Imperial territories, we can install the most competent leaders and bravest fighters as nobility in the recaptured territories instead. It'll soften the blow to the older houses if the newer ones are relegated to border worlds and aren't competing with them in core imperial territory.

We're also running a pretty high Happiness meter right now, so we should levy that and attempt to run some propaganda campaigns to instill a patriotic/nationalistic spirit in the general population to up loyalty to the Empire and increase recruitment across the board. We should also speak with Gerardo about implementing parts of the Nightshayd spy tactics into the miltiary intelligence branch.

>>5845765
That sounds fair, but give the first five houses to help, as well as Rausch, a core world territory, taken from the former sympathizers of House Vonduul.

Better spies would make it easier to infiltrate other enemies and species' worlds.

>>5845765
I think we should institute a new, military specific noble rank if one doesn't already exist (equivalent to a knighthood in more conventional feudal systems). Then, those knights can be promoted to higher ranks of nobility based on valor, performance, and loyalty to the imperial throne. However, to appease the old nobility, we keep the territory requirement for nobles beyond knights- if you want a title of count, you need a county to govern

>>5845708
>>5845733
Support this, but also agreeing with >>5845765 to ignore the nobility part of it (at least for now)

>>5845765
>>5845825
Nobles care about nobility, soldiers about money and glory.
We should institute a war hero status so it's worthy of respect but not infringing on nobility, though marcher noble titles will certainly be interesting once we get to conquering.
Like the romans did, promise the army the land they conquer for themselves and they will serve with a smile fighting like madmen to fill the greed in their heart.

Now that House Vonduul has been overthrown, there are five major noble houses. Six, if Nightshayd is counted but they’re very covert and conceal themselves as one of the dozens of minor noble houses. I’ll list them here so you can make more informed decisions.

>House Soluton. Young by the standards of the great lineages, Soluton is immersed in heavy industry, particularly of large-scale construction and sensitive starship components. Some say their founder was the most brilliant man to have been born outside of Earth’s gravity well, but others argue his talents lay in branding, as the Soluton name is nigh-synonymous with quality in and out of the Empire. They are allied to the Heinrich dynasty, and pleasantly surprised by your skilled politicking.

>House Rothsford. A name feared by many, Rothsford holds a controlling share of many planetside companies and a soft monopoly on the rare gas collection necessary for certain key manufacturing procedures. Despite their best efforts, Amasoft Corp remains out of their direct control. They are cautious toward the Heinrich dynasty following the steep taxes for their support of House Vonduul, but have high hopes for future business.

>House Arthen. Noteworthy for its code of honour, Arthen is distinguished for their emphasis on defense-in-depth and the unmatched skill of their pilots. In the whole of their history, they haven’t once betrayed the reigning Emperor. They are belligerent toward the Heinrich dynasty for your rebellion and gave the hardest fighting in the war by a significant margin, but surrendered as soon as the palace was taken and show no sign of continued hostilities.

>House De Croize. Considered to be the beating heart of imperial culture, all manner of artists and researchers are patronized by the De Croize. As the stereotype goes, they’re transgressive toward established norms and on the cutting-edge of deviancy, but they were the first to retaliate against the Xenocult uprising and the last to stop the search when their final core nest was eradicated. They are cautious toward the Heinrich dynasty and wary of potential censorship.

>House Ustong. Little can be said for good or ill of Ustong, as they prioritize light industry, namely the tedium of ore-extracting, mass-agriculture, and astro-pioneering, and engage only occasionally with other noble lines. Notably, they’re the only great House to have reached its position through gradual, planned growth rather than taking it through war or putting an Emperor on the throne. They are neutral toward the Heinrich dynasty and saw no reason to involve themselves in the rebellion for one side or the other.

>>5845063
I didn't notice this earlier but this is a banger. Reminds me a bit of the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

>>5845733
The average lifespan varies widely. Those with access to the medical technology of nobility often push past 120, while most commoners tend to live 60 years, or 80, if in good health on an Earthlike world. Most of the Empire's planets aren't ideal for human habitation but were colonized long ago for their advantageous location, rare resources, or Earthlike gravity and terraformed afterward.

>>5845825
Knighthood exists but over the last handful of dynasties, knights have been relegated to a ceremonial role in preference for commoner mercenaries working under contract and noble-blooded, untitled professionals, like yourself. This is partly to suppress individual ambition, but partly the result of few knights being able to privately supply their own warships and material for muster as power and manufacturing have became increasingly centralized. Most noble Houses do maintain a number of them in their personal retinues.

If you have any questions I would be happy to answer them. I'm very surprised to see the quest get this much engagement, but I'm really enjoying running it.

>>5846170
>I'm very surprised to see the quest get this much engagement
It’s a good quest, well written in a minimalistic style and really feels like a biography of a space emperor. I’d recommend, though, leaning into the sci-fi aspect of it a little bit more, since it reads like it could be written like a fantasy emperor quest with minimal changes. Not that that’s a bad thing, and if that’s what you were going for then by all means don’t change anything. I’m definitely enjoying either way, keep up the good work.

>>5846170
In that case, I would like to amend/add to anon's proposal above to make the new warrior nobility knights, sworn to the Emperor and funded by the throne. It will be more acceptable to co-opt an existing ceremonial role for our purposes.

>>5846170
>The average lifespan varies widely. Those with access to the medical technology of nobility often push past 120
So we can expect Alphonse to have at least another fifty years at the helm before old age forces him to retire. That should hopefully let him lead at least one campaign to restore the Empire's borders. Maybe even see our own children lead their own Battlegroups, though Freyja looks more like she'd fair better as an Administrator if she takes after her Mother's timid and withdrawn nature. Maybe Angelica will be more the more energetic type, perhaps we should devote some time to her as she's growing up to see if she'd make for a good soldier, just in case we don't end up having a son.

>>5843091
SpeedQM? Is that you?

>>5845733
Support with
>>5845765
Amendment to making frontier nobles and land grants in conquered territory for veterans.

>>5846272
There's going to be plenty of sci-fi elements. For now, you've mostly been politicking with noble houses, which is very fantasy-adjacent.

>>5846479
If something doesn't happen, that's most likely. Once Alphonse gets to be in his 80s you'll start to roll to continue your reign if you don't choose to retire.

>>5846494
Sadly, no, but I was heavily inspired by his work.

This update is huge but mostly fluff, with a few more decisions to make.

>>5845722
>>5845733
>>5845756
>>5845758
>>5845765
>>5845810
>>5845825
>>5846006
>>5846093
>>5846293
>>5846479
>>5846697
You invest a large amount of thought into reshaping military traditions.

You institute a new retirement scheme rewarding members of the military for decades served, with five offering a generous, multigenerational pension and ten guaranteeing a permanent place of honour, including a home in the capital and a place on the list of names.

There is some concern over the retirement scheme. Should it also apply to soldiers who served the Empire under House Vonduul?

>It will only apply going forward. Your current soldiers will be recognized for their works in other ways.
>It will retroactively apply to the soldiers who fought for your side of the rebellion. Loyalty must be rewarded.
>It will retroactively apply to every soldier, regardless of their side in the rebellion. All served the Empire.

You implement periodic parades on the major cities of all planets. These are carefully spaced to avoid losing novelty or straining the budget. This should encourage a sense of patriotism in the broader population.

You also implement a series of medals with specific criteria to meet and rewards, either symbolic or financial, to be received upon earning them. Ideally, this will have men fighting harder and earn them more respect for their accomplishments.

The Vonduul coat-of-arms has been cast down. It is only reasonable that you raise up the Heinrich coat-of-arms in its place.

Soon, purple flags with a white-fringed, black cross and fourteen-pointed black sun on a white disc are flying over every imperial garrison. This solidifies the image some have of your dynasty, for better or worse.

>>5846983
You consider the officers under you who’ve done the most for your cause. There are many of them, tens of thousands, but three stand above and beyond. You consider them now.

>Albin Rausch: A courageous general who was one of the first to defect and seized a full six fortified planets for your dynasty during its eight year rebellion. He’s a fiery orator and bold tactician, but insists on fighting at the front and is quicker to action than words.
>Scott Phillips: A stubborn admiral who managed to hold the fleets of House Arthen at bay during the siege of Mars, suffering ruinous casualties but delaying their advance until the war was won. He has a will of steel and a knack for using tried, tested strategies well, but is often unwilling to compromise.
>Oskar Schafer: A methodical admiral who dismantled a detachment of the imperial armada piecemeal, while losing only a handful of frigates. He’s a thoughtful strategist and unambitious, but insists on plans and plans within plans over improvisation.

All of these men you know well, and of the many who fought, they are the most deserving of proper, noble titles. For now, you grant them and many less incredible but no less dedicated soldiers knighthood. This recognizes their achievements without undermining the noble houses.

If you manage to reconquer some of the Empire’s old territory, you’ll grant them proper, heritable titles and establish their families as lesser, martial houses loyal to your own dynasty. This may annoy entrenched nobility but with their new territories not being part of the Empire’s core, won’t impact their allegiances toward the crown.

Even better, it’s an excellent excuse to wage war!

But such things must wait. You still have reforms to make.

The aesthetic of your new martial forces has yet to be defined. During the reign of House Vonduul, the military uniform consisted of black fatigues with golden trim to symbolize their rule. When you rebelled, you kept the fatigues but removed the trim in a symbolic rejection of the crown.

Currently, you’ve kept them but they were born of rebellion against the established order, and you now are the established order. It is time for change. To look forward, into the future.

What should the new uniform design be? (I’ll try to doodle it, but make no promises for quality.)

So far, the army has been able to meet your security needs but as Emperor, you require redundancy.

You carefully select a core of your most loyal, disciplined, and competent men to serve as a new Royal Guard. They’ll defend your dynasty from all threats, internal and external. A very prestigious position. Your descendants will have to ensure their quality is maintained. You feel the added protection is worth the possible risks.

>>5846985
You conclude that, as the retirement scheme needs funding and your military needs to be as up-to-date as possible, it makes sense to solve both problems at once. Instead of being mothballed, old equipment is now sold to private collectors, who are for the most part mercenary companies and minor noble houses.

There’s some concern that this could lead to a better-armed rebellion in the future, but this also means any subjects you need to call for muster will be better-armed.

Besides, all munitions and vessels sold will be below the imperial standard. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be sold.

Considering that you seized the crown through a military rebellion, you know exactly how one is coordinated and could have been countered, if the Vonduul weren’t bloated by their own sense of superiority.

You implement a strict record-keeping and communications system. Now, where every piece of war material should be is charted, all strategic discussions between rank officers are scheduled and recorded, and what’s left of the preexisting military intelligence department is expanded, in secret, to keep tabs on possible dissidents.

While you’re implementing these changes, you can’t help but think that planning your own rebellion around them would’ve been a bitch.

The various noble houses all have some military elements, not all loyal to the Empire, and certainly not to your dynasty. That must change. You can’t touch their private retinues without risking a civil war, but you can institute a quota.

From now on, each house, major or minor, must send an heir to enlist as an officer and contribute a number of men equivalent to their size and influence. A slight question arises. Should the soldiers of the noble houses be kept together?

>Yes. You’ll do what you can to group soldiers of the same noble house together, and have heirs commanding their own subjects, if possible. This will make this “tax of men” go over much smoother and take advantage of predetermined loyalties. If the noble houses are kept loyal, their strength will be made your own.
>No. You’ll intentionally spread soldiers of the noble houses around into mixed units, and have heirs commanding as few of their own subjects as possible. This will greatly frustrate the noble houses and see a negative impact to cohesion at first, but ensures that any infighting or factionalism isn’t likely to be on noble lines.

>>5846987
The current training programs have been in place since before Vonduul took the crown. They’re satisfactory and forged you into the man you are today, but they can be better.

You refine them to emphasize versatile soldiers of mental and physical fitness, rather than focusing on pure athleticism and rote memorization in the lower ranks and instructing officers. You also ensure that every soldier will be drilled on zero-grav combat and boarding operations.

The rebellion lost too many skilled and loyal ground soldiers to confusion that could have been avoided. You will not repeat past mistakes.

Almost all of the facilities for training soldiers are held by the noble houses or mercenary companies. This is not an acceptable status quo. You decide to create a new military academy open to all citizens of the Empire.

If someone can meet the standards of mental and physical health, they are welcome to enlist and fight for the Eternal Empire. Rather than centralize this academy to a single location, you have them built in capitals across the Empire, to ensure that no loyal citizen will miss the opportunity to serve.

You hope that these training revisions and the military academy (name pending, by default the Heinrich Military Academy, nicknamed “Heinrich's School of Hard Knocks”) will lead to a stronger military for future generations of the Heinrich dynasty.

Last, you decide to open the Empire to new innovations. Any designs or schematics may be submitted for review and, if deemed worthwhile, can be invested in to improve the Empire as a whole. This raises another concern. Should macro-architecture and starship designs be relegated to House Soluton?

>Yes. All innovations in these fields will contribute to the wealth of House Soluton, and inventors will be married into the family or employed under them. You will please House Soluton as they are your in-laws. This will slightly increase the influence and loyalty of House Soluton.
>No. All innovations in these fields will be the Empire’s purview first and foremost to be expanded on by the imperial dynasty, for the enrichment of the crown. You will not grant House Soluton any preferential treatment. This will slightly weaken and severely offend House Soluton.

As you’re finishing planning up with these military reforms, there’s some discussion of improving the military more directly.

>Invest the Empire’s funds into building more warships and arming more men. This will reduce your financial liquidity even further but with investments impending, it should be fine. Probably.
>Issue a call for conscription across the Empire to swell your ranks with more combatants. At the moment, your military is an all-volunteer force but there are only so many volunteers before reforms are put into practice.
>Ignore the temptation to weaken the economy or offend the public for a stronger military. Your reforms will be enough. This military won you a rebellion and it will win you more.

>>5846987
>Yes. You’ll do what you can to group soldiers of the same noble house together, and have heirs commanding their own subjects, if possible. This will make this “tax of men” go over much smoother and take advantage of predetermined loyalties. If the noble houses are kept loyal, their strength will be made your own.
For those who are being levied/taxed into it.
>No. You’ll intentionally spread soldiers of the noble houses around into mixed units, and have heirs commanding as few of their own subjects as possible. This will greatly frustrate the noble houses and see a negative impact to cohesion at first, but ensures that any infighting or factionalism isn’t likely to be on noble lines.
For those who stay on willingly.

>>5846983
>It will retroactively apply to every soldier, regardless of their side in the rebellion. All served the Empire.

Remove the fangs of any nobles who would bare them towards house Heinrich

>>5846985
The uniform should be the inverse of our flag, white with purple trim

>>5846987

>Yes. You’ll do what you can to group soldiers of the same noble house together, and have heirs commanding their own subjects, if possible. This will make this “tax of men” go over much smoother and take advantage of predetermined loyalties. If the noble houses are kept loyal, their strength will be made your own.


>>5846988
>Yes. All innovations in these fields will contribute to the wealth of House Soluton, and inventors will be married into the family or employed under them. You will please House Soluton as they are your in-laws. This will slightly increase the influence and loyalty of House Soluton.

>Ignore the temptation to weaken the economy or offend the public for a stronger military. Your reforms will be enough. This military won you a rebellion and it will win you more.

>>5846993
Oh I forgot everything else
>>5846988
>It will retroactively apply to every soldier, regardless of their side in the rebellion. All served the Empire.
Don't want to disenfranchise good men.

I don't think the generals are a vote, so ignoring them.

>Yes. You’ll do what you can to group soldiers of the same noble house together, and have heirs commanding their own subjects, if possible. This will make this “tax of men” go over much smoother and take advantage of predetermined loyalties. If the noble houses are kept loyal, their strength will be made your own.
For those who are being levied/taxed into it.
>No. You’ll intentionally spread soldiers of the noble houses around into mixed units, and have heirs commanding as few of their own subjects as possible. This will greatly frustrate the noble houses and see a negative impact to cohesion at first, but ensures that any infighting or factionalism isn’t likely to be on noble lines.
For those who stay on willingly.

>Inbetween. Offer everyone the same investments for employ under The Crown, but drop the Solutons a line whenever something pertaining to their purview comes up and give them a chance to hire them on before the crown takes them up.
This way we still give them preferential treatment, but we don't at least LOOK like we are.

>Ignore the temptation to weaken the economy or offend the public for a stronger military. Your reforms will be enough. This military won you a rebellion and it will win you more.
We aren't going on the offensive... yet.

>>5847003
>I don't think the generals are a vote, so ignoring them.
They aren't, I should've been more clear there. They're just the most noteworthy high-ranking officers of the rebellion.

>>5847012
We should name our sons after them, if we have any

>>5846983
>>It will retroactively apply to every soldier, regardless of their side in the rebellion. All served the Empire.

I say just go with purple trim on the uniforms.

>>5846987
>>Yes. You’ll do what you can to group soldiers of the same noble house together, and have heirs commanding their own subjects, if possible. This will make this “tax of men” go over much smoother and take advantage of predetermined loyalties. If the noble houses are kept loyal, their strength will be made your own.

>>5846988
>>Yes. All innovations in these fields will contribute to the wealth of House Soluton, and inventors will be married into the family or employed under them. You will please House Soluton as they are your in-laws. This will slightly increase the influence and loyalty of House Soluton.

>>5846983
>It will retroactively apply to every soldier, regardless of their side in the rebellion. All served the Empire.
Soldiers simply followed orders.

>>5846987
>No. You’ll intentionally spread soldiers of the noble houses around into mixed units, and have heirs commanding as few of their own subjects as possible. This will greatly frustrate the noble houses and see a negative impact to cohesion at first, but ensures that any infighting or factionalism isn’t likely to be on noble lines.
fuck factionalism in armies.
>Yes. All innovations in these fields will contribute to the wealth of House Soluton, and inventors will be married into the family or employed under them. You will please House Soluton as they are your in-laws. This will slightly increase the influence and loyalty of House Soluton.
We do have to watch out not to give them too much power.
>Ignore the temptation to weaken the economy or offend the public for a stronger military. Your reforms will be enough. This military won you a rebellion and it will win you more.
No need for conscription yet. Conscription is a good idea during a defensive war.

>>5846983
>It will retroactively apply to the soldiers who fought for your side of the rebellion. Loyalty must be rewarded.
Houses and men made a choice. They chose wrong.

>>5846985
We should definitely promise these three nobility in their lifetime. Their children deserve the best. And I think they should still get a core world territory each after they become nobility.
>>5846996
I like this guy's idea for the uniform, but silver, for a blend of black and white, double breasted suit, 3-5 buttons each side, loose pocketed pants, and white gloves. BIG hats.


>>5846987
>No. You’ll intentionally spread soldiers of the noble houses around into mixed units, and have heirs commanding as few of their own subjects as possible. This will greatly frustrate the noble houses and see a negative impact to cohesion at first, but ensures that any infighting or factionalism isn’t likely to be on noble lines.
In the military, you serve the Empire. On the battlefield, you are one.

>>5846988
>...Heinrich Military Academy, nicknamed “Heinrich's School of Hard Knocks”
lol We should rename it Astronomicon Military Academy, but if it loses the nickname, keep it the same.

>Yes. All innovations in these fields will contribute to the wealth of House Soluton, and inventors will be married into the family or employed under them. You will please House Soluton as they are your in-laws. This will slightly increase the influence and loyalty of House Soluton.
Happy wife, happy life.

>Invest the Empire’s funds into building more warships and arming more men. This will reduce your financial liquidity even further but with investments impending, it should be fine. Probably.
Battletime! We'll win back the money conquering.

Tsk, I just thought of more reforms: no drinking the first year of assignment, harsher penalties for disobedience, no women.
Ah well. Next time.

>>5846983
>It will retroactively apply to every soldier, regardless of their side in the rebellion. All served the Empire.
>>5846987
>>No. You’ll intentionally spread soldiers of the noble houses around into mixed units, and have heirs commanding as few of their own subjects as possible. This will greatly frustrate the noble houses and see a negative impact to cohesion at first, but ensures that any infighting or factionalism isn’t likely to be on noble lines.
>>5846988
>Inbetween. Offer everyone the same investments for employ under The Crown, but drop the Solutons a line whenever something pertaining to their purview comes up and give them a chance to hire them on before the crown takes them up.
Let's compromise with our in-laws on this and not grant them a monopoly on innovation in perpetuity.
>Invest the Empire’s funds into building more warships and arming more men. This will reduce your financial liquidity even further but with investments impending, it should be fine. Probably.
We're about to go conquering, let's make sure this goes as smoothly as everything else has been.

>>5846996
I support anon's idea of white uniforms with purple trim.

>>5847129
>Support

File: Eternal Empire Uniform.png (32 KB, 2000x2000)

32 KB PNG

I bid you Private Winston of Patrol Fleet Nine, enjoying shore leave on Gegantu, a luxurious 20% oxygen, 0.96 G frontier world!

Rolled 1 (1d2)

Breaking the tie on military investments.
>1: Ignore the temptation
>2: Invest the Empire's funds

>>5846996
>>5847003
>>5847053
>>5847072
>>5847129
>>5847143
>>5847515
You retroactively apply the retirement scheme to every soldier, including those who served House Vonduul. Many fought out of greed to preserve their unearned positions, but many, if not most, were born on the wrong planet and didn’t have any dissenting voice to the lies that were fed to them. All served the Empire.

As Emperor, they are your subjects and it is your duty to care for them. Some may be undeserving, but you won’t disenfranchise good men.

This is a popular move among the masses, although one that strains your treasury.

You institute a new uniform design: The opposite of your flag, white fatigues with purple trim. Officers have a more complex design, albeit adhering to the same design principles. It is a stark departure from the previous dynasty.

Like before, most soldiers on the ground will wear body armour or camouflage appropriate to the terrain, but aspects of the design remain present.

The quota of heirs and voidsmen from the noble houses will be dispersed throughout the military as widely as possible. Allowing the noble houses to establish factions in the military loyal to them over the Empire is unacceptable. Lack of cohesion can only lead to rebellion.

On the battlefield, the men of the Empire shall fight as one force, under one throne, for one cause.

You’re tempted to make under the table dealings for House Soluton, but decide not to. They are your wife’s family, by law, your family and you will give them the first pick at inventors and schematics of the knowledge they’ve held close to themselves for generations.

You cannot decide whether to invest the dwindling treasury in up-arming your men, so you flip a coin and trust in fate.

…

Heads. You scowl and stamp your foot, but don’t challenge it. Improvements to the military will need to wait for your reforms and infrastructure to catch up. Perhaps you can do a little campaigning in the meantime...

Rolled 3, 2, 1, 3 = 9 (4d6)

>>5847649
With all of these reforms planned and decisions made, you start the long, boring process of supervising your subordinates as they put them into action.

The construction of the Astronomicon Military Academy begins in earnest. You’re amused to hear the men on the ground almost immediately start calling it Heinrich’s School of Hard Knocks, and don’t censor the nickname.

Over the course of the next five years, the reforms go over quite well. You should be seeing the results of improved training standards in a good decade or so.

The population at large is mildly supportive of your decrees, but you’ve gone even higher in the eyes of your men.

You’re beloved by your troops and respected by most others. There’s a higher likelihood of them killing each other over a misinterpretation of your orders than attempting sedition.

This degree of glorification is a heavy burden to bear.

Back in court, your family has continued to grow.

Your daughter Freyja is patient, clever, and has near-perfect marks from her tutors, but is quiet and shies away from most confrontations. The spitting image of her mother, Anna.

Your daughter Angelica is growing at a healthy rate. Unlike her elder sister, she has a rebellious temperament and demands to know the reason for everything her tutors ask her to do. In that respect, you suppose she takes more after her father.

You haven’t had much time to come home, but you’ve done what you can. They're always happy to see you. Your wife has grown pregnant again. She's surrounded by the best medical care the Empire can provide, but there's always a slight nervousness.

>>5847653
Your wife has given birth to a healthy son! It's impossible to tell what kind of man he'll grow into, but you feel like a changed man. Now, the Empire has an heir.

If he proves worthy to wear the crown.

What will you name your firstborn son?

In time, you're forced to admit to yourself that you've done all that you can for your reforms.

You return to the normal administration of the Empire. It strikes you that you’ve already been Emperor for a decade. It feels like your reign has barely begun. The Ledger is in good condition.

>The Empire:
>Territory: 3
>Economy: 3
>Military: 4
>Happiness: 5
>Population: 3

The treasury was strained by the retirement scheme and founding the Astronomicon Military Academy but by selling off obsolete equipment, you’ve just barely managed to avoid a loss.

“Things are looking up sire! A few more years, and all of your hard work will pay off!”

You hope that your Head Advisor is right.

Your reign won't last forever, but you still have many years to go.

>Bring the great noble houses into the fold. Your decision to institute a quota will have incensed most of them and it may be best to mend bridges.
>Spend some time with your family and be a part of the lives of your children. Besides that, you hate to admit it, but your wife isn't getting any younger and only one heir is a dangerous proposition.
>Formalize relations with some of the Empire's neighbours. There haven't been open hostilities but they likely aren't biased in your favour.
>Take the military on a campaign! Either you'll be victorious and stronger than ever, or your reforms can be tested replacing the fallen!

>>5847662
>What will you name your firstborn son?
A traditional german name: Kai-Uwe

>Formalize relations with some of the Empire's neighbours. There haven't been open hostilities but they likely aren't biased in your favour.

serious name though: Thomas

>>5847662
>Firstborn son's name
Albin Heinrich. Honor the general who threw his cards in with us when we were starting out, and have him be present during the naming.

>Bring the great noble houses into the fold. Your decision to institute a quota will have incensed most of them and it may be best to mend bridges.

>>5847861
Support

>>5847662
>What will you name your firstborn son?
Potential names for male heirs, since we're Alphonse the Turbo Germanic Emperor:
>Friedrich/Fredrik/Frederick
>Gustav/Gustaf
>Karl/Charles
>Erik/Eric
>Valdemar
>Kristian/Christian
>Kristofer/Christoffer/Christopher
>Franz/Francis/Ferdinand
>Wilhelm
>Oscar
>Leopold
>Joseph
>Albert
>Maximillian

Some of the more repeatedly used male names in Prussian, Austrian and Scandinavian royal houses.

>>5847662
>Spend some time with your family and be a part of the lives of your children. Besides that, you hate to admit it, but your wife isn't getting any younger and only one heir is a dangerous proposition.
>Bring the great noble houses into the fold. Your decision to institute a quota will have incensed most of them and it may be best to mend bridges.
Combine these two if possible.
Spend time with Angelica, see if she can develop some tactical acumen by playing chess or war games with her, perhaps, and teach her how to handle herself in a fight. Maybe we can groom her to a life of command if possible and even if she doesn't make the cut for a military life, we'll at least get some experience in parenthood for when we'll begin prepping our son for the throne.

With Houses Soulton and Nightshayd already in our fold, we should invite the other four houses to send their own male scions to the Imperial Palace to spend time with us and our family. We have two daughters that will be of marrying age sooner than we'd like, so this will be an opportunity for each House to put their best foot forward and take the chance to become part of the Imperial Family. I don't know if we should scrutinize them as hard as we will the scion from House Nightshayd, but we shouldn't let any bottom-of-the-barrel dreg join the Imperial Family even if they are from a noble house, though as long as they meet our standards we should let any romance develop naturally.

I don't know if this is enough to placate all the Noble Houses, but it's a start at incorporating them.

>>5847662
>Spend some time with your family and be a part of the lives of your children. Besides that, you hate to admit it, but your wife isn't getting any younger and only one heir is a dangerous proposition.

>Albrecht for the name

>>5847662
>>5847933
Support this combination of actions, abstain on the name.

>>5847933
If we could spend time with our family by meeting other noble houses, that would be great, but it doesn't feel like so much spending time with the family as it does bringing them into the family business.

>>5847852
>>5847861
>>5847902
>>5847933
>>5847976
>>5847981
After much contemplation, you name your firstborn son Albin. Albin Rausch is honoured beyond words.

You decide that bringing the noble houses into the fold is important, but so is your family. This is the beginning of a new dynasty. You cannot afford to take any risks.

For that reason, you'll stay in court for the next decade, to take care of the Heinrich line and do what you can to appease the noble houses.

Your focus will be divided between your work and your family.

Therefore, you can only choose one noble house to reliably sway to your cause. The others you'll have to maintain your current relation toward.

Which of them is the most important to the Empire?

>House Rothsford. Their finances could prove useful to the ruling dynasty.
>House Arthen. They are arguably the noblest, with a deep martial tradition.
>House De Croize. Their intellectuals may be a deceptively valuable asset.
>House Ustong. They aren't flashy, but are foundational to the stability of your reign.
>None. Each is important in its own way, so you'll try to please them all. This is dangerous.

When you aren't discussing business with their dignitaries in your court, you have time to spend with your family. Not only taking the chance to directly raise your children, but also to make more of them. You're glad you married Anna. After dealing with noble politics, seeing her smile is a breath of fresh air.

>Roll 1d4 for potential heirs

Rolled 2 (1d4)

>>5848115
>House Rothsford

The arthen have never betrayed a reigning dynasty, so they're safe to leave at their current relationship, and the ustong are neutral, while the de croiz is cautious like the rothsfords, they're just scared of censorship. The rothsfords fear the tax man, so they'll be harder to ally with later than the de Croize, and the benefit to allying them now would be really good

>>5848115
>>House Rothsford

Rolled 1 (1d4)

>>5848115
>House Ustong. They aren't flashy, but are foundational to the stability of your reign.

>>5848115
How are our current relationships with the various houses? I think that if we already have a stable relationship with Arthen and Rothsford, we might actually want to go with De Croize. Just like how Agustus used various poets as a propaganda machine, if we can swing the same deal we might be able to get away with unpopular reforms and recruit more soldiers if necessary

>>5848224
Every noble house is greatly frustrated by your decision to break their troop tithes and prevent them from building power blocs in the army. Apart from House Nighrshayd, who are pleased by it, as it makes it much easier to disseminate their agents across the Empire.

House Nightshayd are close allies as their current patriarch hated the old dynasty and has a deep respect for your methods. Your promise of a marriage to the imperial heir has largely ensured this positive opinion will outlive him.

House Soluton are allies as your honeymoon propaganda films improved their prestige and you've made concessions toward them. They aren't close allies due to the troop breaking but they are firm supporters.

House Rothsford are cautious, leaning toward belligerent as you've broken their troops but they're less impacted than most, as they rely heavily on mercenaries. They're surprised by your focus on infrastructure and reform, and see you as much more restrained than expected from a rebel warlord.

House Arthen are on the brink of hostile, as they see you as a traitor to your duties and the troop breaking as spitting on their traditions. They see some of the reforms you've made as common sense and have done them in their space for generations, but feel you've taken them too far. They will not openly rebel, but may refuse to militarily cooperate if pushed any farther.

House De Croize remain cautious as you've broken their troops, but they're delighted by your encouraging innovation and moving on from the stagnation under the old dynasty. They have no opinion on the military reforms.

House Ustong is cautious as you've broken their troops and are worried you may be attempting to supplant the great houses, but feel it's not worth the risk of rebellion. They are pleased by your infrastructure and reforms, as they found the excesses of the old dynasty unsustainable.

Rolled 1 (1d4)

>>5848115
>House Rothsford. Their finances could prove useful to the ruling dynasty.

>>5848115
>House Arthen. They are arguably the noblest, with a deep martial tradition.
They are the only one which can threaten us in military term.
They are also as said here: >>5848272
The most hostile towards us and do know shit in military term. we need them also in times of war, because if there is war we need to be able to call upon all houses and a martial house staying home can try to usurp us the same way we did.

Rolled 4 (1d4)

>>5848307
>>5848115
Forgot roll

Rolled 4 (1d4)

>>5848115
>House Arthen
If House Arthen is on the brink of outright hostility we need to focus our efforts on them. While they have never taken up arms against a ruling Dynasty in Imperial History, they're at a point where they are likely to sit out if there was a hypothetical rebellion against us now. They fought us until the end when we overthrew House Vonduul, I want them to fight just as stubbornly for us.

>>5848320
Supporting

>>5848115
>>5848305
I've reconsidered, switch to Arthen

Rolled 3 (1d4)

>>5848335
>>5848329
>>5848320
>>5848307
Supporting. I wanted House Ustong, but we're going to war soon, hopefully, and need Arthen by our side.

>>5848122
>>5848168
>>5848219
>>5848305
>>5848307
>>5848309
>>5848320
>>5848329
>>5848335
>>5848363
The vast treasure vaults and remote gas refineries of House Rothsford are enticing but you think back to the rebellion.

Over two-thirds of the navy turned to back your cause within the first two years, including examples from every noble line, except for House Arthen.

You remember the hellish warfighting on the frontiers of Arthen space, the knights that held on for months of bombardment without resupply, and the constant, vicious pressure they applied to your flanks.

Even today, their coat-of-arms, a red bear's head on a field of white, fills you with caution.

It's safe to say that if House Arthen sat by, you would've won the rebellion in four years with half of the casualties. If Scott hadn't intercepted their crown fleet en-route to the throneworld, willing to lose two gallons of blood for every one of theirs, House Vonduul might yet still reign.

They fought you to the end. Even as enemies, you had a deep respect for their resolve. No amount of credits can match the worth they proved on the battlefield, time and again.

It's decided.

You extend an invitation to welcome the scions of House Arthen into your court. You make it known that none other received this invitation. Against your expectations, a shuttle bearing the most recent branch of their family arrives.

You commence a welcoming feast.

Both of your families mingle, with remarkably little arguing. You notice even their youngest are drilled and disciplined.

As you watch them by the fireplace, you are met by Lughan, the liege of House Arthen and former Grand Admiral under House Vonduul.

He is old and stooped, well into his eighties, but no less imposing than in his prime and looks at you with a disgust no less cold than when your rebellion began.

You reach to shake his hand but he doesn't acknowledge it. For the first time in years, you feel a sense of danger.

"Don't think we saw Emperor Jukka as anything other than what he was. Spoiled. Weak. A stain on Mankind..."

"Yet we were bound by our oaths. Our ancestors swore they would defend the Eternal Empire against all enemies, just as yours did."

"A failure of an Emperor will pass in time. He had no ambitions of conquest, no sweeping designs. He would've died and left the Empire no worse than he found it, but the consequences of your betrayal will remain for centuries."

"Eight-hundred million commoners died for your ambition. Incinerated from orbit, starved in embargoes, shot in the streets. Not one of them bled any less red than you or I."

"What do you have to say for yourself?"

You take a moment to find your thoughts.

>"House Heinrich swore to defend the Empire, not the Emperor."
>"I saw the chance to win eternal glory for House Heinrich, and I took it."
>"Under House Vonduul, humanity would have never reclaimed the stars."
>"If not me, another would have in my place. In the end, I could only trust my own intentions."

>>5848384
>"House Heinrich swore to defend the Empire, not the Emperor."
>"Maybe we lost 800 million in those 8 years, but how many more would we lose by getting fractured and snuffed out by external powers who feed on a rotten corpse.? A few generations more of the old dynasty would have caused that."

>>5848384
>A week crop does not produce resilient seed. The next emperor of the Voldun line would've been of the same breed as his progenitor, if not of a yet fouler strain of degenerate.
>Corruption and decay does not vanish with the death of one men. Under their rule, the emperor I and my ancestors loved and bled our red blood for was suffering
>they had become a disease, and like any disease, treatment must be given less it consume the host
>I simply chose to cure what ailed the eternal empire, instead of allowing its vitality to be drained away until it expired
>or another power put it out of its misery.
>We are not the dominant force, the zenith of galactic life, there are wolves at our doors, waiting for the first sign of weakness
>Heinrich can strengthen the empire where Voldun weakened and debased it
>that is my belief, history may not be so charitable to my memory, but everything I have done and everything I strive to do, is for the good of the empire and her people
>The casualties of our brother war yet weigh heavily upon my mind, more crushing than the crown upon my brow
>but I shall not allow the eight hundred million dead to have perished without purpose or meaning
>I dream of an Era of ascendancy, prosperity and pride to honor their sacrifice
>and I dearly hope house Arthen can to envision this better tomorrow
>I shall waste no time Saber rattling or speaking hollow words, I have stated my reason and intent, and can only hope you understand why I have taken the dark role of usurper

>>5848399
*Under their rule the empire...

Should've spell checked myself

>>5848384
>>"House Heinrich swore to defend the Empire, not the Emperor."

>>5847599
>"House Heinrich swore to defend the Empire, not the Emperor."
Foreign and domestic

>>5848399
>>5848394
Supporting this line of thinking and reasoning.

>A few generations more of the old dynasty would have caused that.
>and can only hope you understand why I have taken the dark role of usurper
Except these parts.

>>5848430
>>5847599
Just noticed this guy. Looking sharp.

>>5848384
>"House Heinrich swore to defend the Empire, not the Emperor."
Support the general gist of anon's reasoning, though not that specific wording

>>5848394
>>5848399
>>5848424
>>5848430
>>5848436
"House Heinrich swore to defend the Empire, not the Emperor."

The Arthen patriarch stiffens with rage, but you continue.

"A week crop does not produce resilient seed. The next Emperor of the Vonduul line would've been of the same breed as his progenitor, if not of a yet fouler breed of degenerate."
"Corruption and decay does not vanish with the death of one man. Under their rule, the Empire I and my ancestors bled our red blood for was suffering."
"They... Their debauchery, had become a disease, and like any disease, treatment must be given lest it consume the host."
"I simply chose to cure what ailed the Eternal Empire, instead of allowing its vitality to be drained away until it expired..."
"Or another power put it out of its misery."

His gaze pierces through you but he does not interrupt.

"Maybe we lost eight-hundred million in those years, but how many more would we lose by getting fractured and snuffed out by external powers, eager to feed on a rotten corpse?"
"We are not the dominant force, the zenith of galactic life. There are wolves at our doors waiting for the first sign of weakness."
"Heinrich can strengthen the Empire where Vonduul weakened and debased it."
"That is my belief. History may not be so charitable to my memory, but everything I have done and everything I strive to do, is for the good of the Empire and her people."

The lord of Arthen interjects.
"Good? Millions dead, billions in disarray is good?"

You steel yourself and shake your head.
"The casualties of our brother war yet weigh heavily upon my mind, more crushing than the crown upon my brow. I shall not allow those eight hundred million dead, whose blood now stains my hands, to have perished without purpose or meaning."
"I dream of an era of ascendancy, prosperity and pride to honour their sacrifice, and I dearly hope House Arthen can envision this better tomorrow."
"In the end, all I wanted is for the Eternal Empire to be strong again."
"I shall waste no more time sabre-rattling or speaking hollow words. I've stated my reason and intent."

Lughan stares you down for a minute, then grunts. "Hmph."

He leaves you standing there in silence. The rest of the feast is pleasantly sparse, with a lack of the formalities most of the older noble lineages insist on.

According to your courtiers, after your discussion Lughan drank himself into a stupor in a rare breach of etiquette and retired to the palace's guest quarters without another word.

The next morning the Arthen shuttle leaves, Lughan onboard, but most of its passengers, the brunt of their household's future, are left behind in the Heinrich dynasty's care.

You aren't sure what to make of this but your strategic instincts tell you that could've gone far worse.

Rolled 4, 6, 2, 4 = 16 (4d6)

>>5848534
Over the next couple of years, your wife continues to bear you children.

It is always a monumentous occasion, even more when you know it shall soon be her last.

Rolled 1, 4, 2, 1 = 8 (4d6)

>>5848537
Your wife has given birth to a third healthy baby girl!

You aren't sure if you should weep with joy or grief.

What do you want to name your thirdborn daughter?

Shortly after, Anna grows pregnant for the fifth time. There has been much rejoicing and friendly teasing among the women of House Soluton.

You're just glad that you're here to help raise your family.

>>5848537
Man, Heinrich the 1st Is fruitful

>>5848541
Your wife is scheduled to give birth to a fourth, healthy baby girl!

Unfortunately, complications arise during the process...

For the first time in a decade, you're genuinely terrified.

>Roll 1d6 for Anna to endure

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5848543
You're not dying on me! Not today.Please don't go.

>>5848541
Clodagh Rose Heinrich

>>5848541
>What do you want to name your thirdborn daughter?
Silvia.

>>5848559
Support if the we can name the fourth daughter Clodagh Rose Heinrich

>>5848542
I'm just shocked you've kept rolling daughters on the genetic dice. This is almost certainly going to be the last of Alphonse and Anna's children.

The earlier 1d4 was a Bo1 and I should have specified it. I'll explain the mechanics on dynasty expansion some more.

By default, when an Emperor is working across the Empire, he can visit the Empress often enough for 1 pregnancy, which can result in anywhere from 0 to 3 (unlikely) children, but almost always 1. If the Emperor is away from the Empire, campaigning, exploring, or negotiating, he won't be able to visit home at all.

If an Emperor stays in the imperial court for a decade, he can spend more time with his family, including the Empress, and can help raise his children directly instead of leaving it to the Empress and their tutors. The only downside to this is that the Emperor isn't able to actively reign.

>>5848547
Luckily, nobody was hurt. That could've been a tragedy.

>>5848563
I'm guessing even was girls and odds were boys?

1= no children
2-3= 1 child
4-5= 2 children
6= 3 children
?

>>5848547
You pace the halls outside of Anna's chambers. The nurses tell you that she's having serious complications.

All of the guns in the Empire can't help you now.

You are a tireless wreck for hours, until a servant finds you standing in a corner. She's pulled through. You don't listen to the rest and sprint to see her.

She and the infant both survived, in good health. You are ecstatic. If she'd died...

You don't want to think about the hell you would've wreaked on the core worlds of the first raiders to catch your attention.

You cradle the girl in your arms and hold back tears of gratitude.

What do you want to name your fourthborn daughter?

>>5848578
Clodagh Rose Heinrich

>>5848578
You know, we've been having good rolls this whole quest. Blessed thread.

>>5848578
>What do you want to name your fourthborn daughter?
Marie.

>>5848578
Adelheid

>>5848569
It's a little more complex than that, but not by too much. There's a simple system for genetic inheritance but I won't reveal the exact mechanics yet. I will tell you that the first dice is to determine how well the actual childbirth goes.

>>5848580
Alphone's apparent talent for intrigue caught me by surprise. Hopefully it also translates to external conflict.

The next couple of updates will be of a more minor scale than previous, focused on the Emperor's family instead of the Empire, but will likely have a massive impact on the Empire's future.

>>5848585
I'll support this name

>>5848589
I can't only imagine how historians will describe the beginning of the Heinrich rule. A cunning tax policy, earning the loyalty of dangerous assassins after snubbing their proposal, and then this surprise genius general turned emperor turning his honeymoon into reality tv and the people just fucking eating it up.

Our neighbors will think it's propaganda

>>5848563
>implying we won't have another 10 kids

>>5848783
And only one son

File: IMG_0591.png (878 KB, 2550x3300)

878 KB PNG

>>5844865
Gotten kinda distracted with other stuff but here's the sketch. Let me know if I should change anything if/when I finish

>>5848803
My man Alphonse looking like a twig out here. Broader shoulders, manlier chest, more leg muscles! He didn't become Admiral of the largest Imperial Fleet by being scrawny!

>>5848812
I mean, he probably could've. Especially if he spent a lot of time in the void

>>5848803
Really fantastic face, hair, and clothes. Especially the cape and eye scar.
Maybe just a tad bit bigger, to help fill out the clothes.

>>5848812
>>5848817
>>5848834
Yeah these are all fair, you can really tell that I mostly draw girls

>>5848777
>trips = checked
At this point, there's a good chance your descendants won't believe everything went that well for you. The holo-film series, on the other hand, is near-universal in the Empire and will be for the foreseeable future of the Heinrich dynasty.

>>5848783
It's definitely possible.

>>5848784
No, scratch that, probable.

>>5848803
This is excellent and now my mental image. Most of the more martial noble houses demand constant physical training and sparring when older, and dueling is of course rampant. That might be where he got that scar, or it could've been from his rebellion or his career as an admiral beforehand.

The only (legitimately) murderous people I've known were all around 130-160 lbs/59-72 kg so that's not at all incongruent to me but I could definitely see him having a little more muscle mass. Not huge or hulking, but the athleticism you see with a swimmer or male ballet dancer. The most dangerous thing about Alphonse are his strategic mind and willingness to take risks, and his apparent genius at noble intrigue and amateur film.

>>5848817
The Eternal Empire, and most other human factions for the record, have discovered artificial gravity that can be applied to certain materials and mimic the real thing well enough to avoid health issues in the short-term, but can cause wear-and-tear in the joints and a gradual loss of muscle mass in comparison to a natural gravity well. The most popular solution is to have artificial gravity somewhat weaker than natural, around 0.8-0.9 Gs, and to do regular exercise to maintain a healthy physique. This is most of the reason that Alphonse didn't take Anna with him while he was at work.

Normally, assassins would be a problem best solved by keeping his loved ones in a fortified palace staffed with trusted, vetted security, but... Most of the Empire's best are on his payroll. It's in large part to keep up appearances. For many noble houses, the relative lack of luxuries on the ship are a problem but Anna's never been fully comfortable with opulence or being served. She acts almost more like the wife of a successful merchant toward the imperial staff than an Empress.

>>5848897
Nothing to worry about. Any kind of art is awesome and yours is great. I've got a lot of respect for people who can draw. It's impressive but I don't have the talent for it, or the time to invest to get gud without it. At least for now.

Rolled 2 (1d2)

The name for your third daughter is divided between Clodagh Rose and Silvia, because nobody else weighed in it. To move on with the quest and be fair, I'll break the tie at random and lock Adelheid in for your fourth daughter's name.

>1: Clodagh Rose
>2: Silvia

>>5848541
>>5848543
>>5848578
Anna names your thirdborn daughter Silvia, after her mother.

You name your fourthborn daughter Adelheid.

After the incident, you and Anna agree it would best to focus on the children you already have instead of making more.

The next five years are a dramatic departure from your routine. You’ve spent your entire adult life either in the military, leading it to conquer the Eternal Empire, and administrating the dozens of stars you’ve conquered to improve their future infrastructure, both economic and military.

The closest thing you’ve had to a vacation was your brief honeymoon on Licciri, and most of that was spent producing holo-films and coordinating Nightshayd assassins when you weren’t enjoying your time with your wife. Even then, you and Anna were alone.

Now? You have nearly half a dozen children, an Empire that’s been managed, and no distractions. As much as you might find reason to dislike this, you don’t. Being a father fulfills you like only victory in rebellion has before.

You get to know your family. You were always fond of them and affectionate when you could meet, but close proximity awakens familial love and a bond deeper than the abstract awareness of your genetic relation.

Despite her shyness, or perhaps because of it, Freyja turns out to have a real talent for making deals that satisfy both parties. Between this and burgeoning skill at mathematics, you suspect finance could be in her future. As she grows older, you’re increasingly aware that you’ll need to find her a decent husband soon. The thought keeps you awake at night.

You try your best to connect with her, but you have so little in common your conversations tend to break down into her asking about records of your previous battles to be polite. She’s always relieved when they’re over, but you know she means well. On the other hand, she and Anna are practically joined at the hip.

Angelica is the opposite of her elder sister and only gets bolder and louder the more she ages. Luckily, you’re here and can channel her rebellious nature into less disruptive, more competitive ends. You play the types of games the others aren’t interested in together, chess, hex and chit, the rare holo-simulation, and do not go easy on her.

You’re careful not to antagonize your daughter or push her too far, but always show her what mistakes she made. Losing repeatedly is the only way she’ll get any better. It’s how you did. She has a real talent for strategy but lacks patience, all of her best gambits have come from misdirection or early blitzing. Though you never lose, every time you repeat the same game, winning takes slightly longer.

>>5848966
If she received a formal, military education she might one day be able to lead a fleet of her own, but… sending your own daughter into a warzone? You can’t imagine! It might be best to steer her away from this interest in the battlefield, but would that not be a waste of her talents? You try not to dwell on it.

Silvia and Adelheid both start very closely to Freyja and seem to have the same knack for numbers she has, but the similarities end there.

Silvia is rebellious like Angelica but rather than argue with her tutors, prefers to trick or lie to them. This is easily corrected but indicates a scheming mindset.

Adelheid is mostly silent and seems to over-analyze everything. You aren’t sure if that’s good or bad, but she’s the only one of your five children to inherit your blonde hair.

The young scions of Arthen, Arlo and Donagh, are so close you’d assume they were brothers if you hadn’t been told they were cousins. They spend their time sparring or running around outdoors and have as little to do with the members of your House as possible. You suspect that’s more due to the gender ratio and their age than any learned bias. They’ll likely be strong one day, and set to inherit leadership over much of the retinue and territories of House Arthen.

It’s your son, Albin, that concerns you. It’s not that the boy is dimwitted or performing poorly at his tutelage, it’s that he isn’t exceptional. There’s no innate drive or interest in things an Emperor needs to know. He applies himself because he wants to make the rest of the family happy, but he doesn’t seem to care about letters and numbers outside of how they can be applied to zoology.

Reading about animals. Counting different animals. Talking about animals.

This isn’t the heir you’ve envisioned. Anna tells you not to worry as he’s still only a young child but the future of the Empire could be at risk...

You tell him about your space battles with raiders from the blasted expanse, and he asks about how the creatures are on their home planets.

You explain the aliens that fought the Empire in the past and what they’ve done to wrong humanity, and he asks about how they’re different from humans.

You describe the different weapons the Empire has used in the past and he asks about what kind of animals they’ve been used to kill, and how.

You suppose that’s a start. Still, you can’t imagine any young boy showing so little interest in warfare, but this is your boy!

This is a problem!

Worse is that his temperament takes after his mother. He’s nervous and slow to speak among you and close family. But around strangers? He’s silent! This is dangerous for a possible future Emperor! Very dangerous!

What should be done?

>This is likely just a phase. Let him progress naturally.
>Restructure his education to appeal to his interests.
>Send him to boot camp, like your father did for you.
>This is too risky. Try for a second son with Anna.

>>5848968
>This is likely just a phase. Let him progress naturally.
However get him to accompany us on our imperial duties so he can get some first hand experience and maybe improve his confidence.
Also where did his love of Zoology come from? My only guess is autism but I could be wrong.

>>5848968
>This is likely just a phase. Let him progress naturally.
>Get him professional aid in learning about public speaking. (theatre or reciting speeches).

>>5848972
Maybe he just really likes zoology.

Some people just… like things? No need for any medically diagnosed reason.

>>5848968
>Restructure his education to appeal to his interests.
You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. We have to meet him halfway and apply the lessons in a manner he'll enjoy.

>>5848968
>Restructure his education to appeal to his interests.
It does sound like autism. How difficult would it be to change the succession laws and have one of his elder sisters inherit?

>>5848968
>Restructure his education to appeal to his interests.

>>5849222
As an autist myself: fuck you.
As an autist myself: Yeah, advisory role is indeed something autists are better at. We are on average not the best leaders

>>5849226
Anon, I'm an autist too. It's why the signs looked familiar, my fascination as a kid was dinosaurs. I don't think there's anyone around here who's not at least mildly autistc.

>>5849222
In theory, as Emperor your will is absolute and your decrees are ironclad law. In practice, having an Empress take the throne would disquiet most of the noble houses, enrage some, and risk civil unrest. As Alphonse is revered by the military, loyalty to its dynasty is near-guaranteed for as long as he's in living memory among the men.

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5848972
>>5848980
>>5849172
>>5849222
>>5849223
An unconventional problem like this requires an unconventional solution.

You restructure Albin's education to incorporate his interests. Within reason.

Rather than shift the superficial aesthetic of his lessons, you have him taught proper, basic zoology if he does well at his more standard learning. After all, the Empire won't theme itself around beasts to keep his attention.

He becomes more interested in his work, and no longer has to be forced into it.

You enlist the aid of professional speech therapists to run him through a regimen of conversational skills. Albin dreads it but tries for your sake.

It quickly becomes apparent that the child is just naturally anxious, rather than lacking the instinctive fundamentals.

It's too soon to be sure how this will work.

You hope for the best.

>Roll 1d6+1 for Albin's tutelage. +1 (Emperor at Court)

Rolled 2 + 1 (1d6 + 1)

>>5849422
Genius roll, GO!

Rolled 5 + 1 (1d6 + 1)

>>5849422
I believe in our favourite son

Rolled 2 + 1 (1d6 + 1)

>>5849422
He talk good.

>>5849431
lol

>>5849424
He... tries. To his credit, his interests soon expand to include more than animals as he grows, but this fixation remains a core part of his personality.

He's able to have normal conversations with others, as well as read, write, and do mathematics at an above-average level for his age. You would hope so, with the Empire's best tutors instructing him.

Over time, it becomes clear that he has a degree of kindness toward others that would be cause for concern in courtly politics, if you weren't likely going to marry him to a scion of House Nightshayd.

He's chiefly concerned by the plight of commoners and, bizarrely, of the "ignorant, inferior" alien species living without the enlightenment of the Eternal Empire. The boy's expressed an interest in terraforming and xeno-linguistics, neither of which his curriculum has advanced enough to incorporate.

Albin lacks any particular genius or innate ability like his sisters. The boy is ultimately, around average. You aren't sure what this bodes for the future of the Empire.

Five more years pass.

Angelica and her strategic competence continue to grow. You're finally forced to make a difficult choice.

>Have her enrolled into the Academy on Mars. She may not be able to compete with most men physically but what admiral does? She has your military mind and it would be tragedy to squander it.
>Promise to find her a martially-inclined husband. You've grown close to her over these last ten years and don't want to hear about her vessel being depressurized. It might be best to find her a man who can keep up.

Silvia and Adhelheid continue to mature at a healthy rate and are progressing well in their studies. There haven't been any other developments worth mentioning.

Both of the Arthen boys have come closer to your dynasty, particularly Angelica, who teases them relentlessly. They aren't able to find any real common ground with Albin but your son's convinced them that the three of them need to hunt the death-spiders of the Unope moon when they've come of age. That could end poorly but might make a man of them. You have neither vetoed or endorsed the idea.

>>5849510
Your eldest daughter, Freyja, has reached maturity. It pains you to admit it, but your precious girl has grown into a woman in her own right. Nearly the spitting image of Anna at her age. You can't keep her in court any longer without doing a disservice to her and House Heinrich. There are a handful of worthy suitors.

Who should she marry?

>Theo Lochstrum. A stocky man in his early thirties and member of a minor house renowned for its work as mercenaries. Apparently, a rare financial genius who in a decade managed to corner the steel market on his frontier homeworld as well as a quarter of Amasoft Corp's assets in the system, almost from scratch, and made House Soluton a tidy profit in the process. Not ambitious enough to dare reach out to the dynasty, the in-laws brought him to your attention.
>Reuben Schafer. An athletic man who's just reached his twenties, and firstborn son of your admiral, Oskar Schafer. An intelligent tactician, sworn patriot, and result of the Astronomicon Military Academy, he's visited the palace and met her, along with the rest of your dynasty in the past. He's no true nobility but they seem to like each other well enough.
>Myron Rothsford. A formal, dignified, and unfortunately soft man in his late twenties who just so happens to be third in line for the throne of House Rothsford. Like almost all of his line, he has a mind for business and the finer things in life. You met him, once, during your infrastructure building. Your impression of the boy was that he knows his way around a fancy dinner table but would cringe from the recoil of an old kinetics gun.
>Allow her to choose. This takes matters out of your hands and is a very slight breach of the usual custom, but she and your wife will appreciate the thought.

>>5849510
>Have her enrolled into the Academy on Mars. She may not be able to compete with most men physically but what admiral does? She has your military mind and it would be tragedy to squander it.

>Allow her to choose. This takes matters out of your hands and is a very slight breach of the usual custom, but she and your wife will appreciate the thought.

but put in a good word for Reuben. He may be named after a sandwich, but he's good people

>>5849524
Support
I think the sandwich man has a good shot

>>5849524
+1
Btw sorry for the first "bad" roll.

>>5849530
Hey worse comes to worse, Angelica can be our heir. Nightshayd would be overjoyed I imagine

>>5849510
>Promise to find her a martially-inclined husband. You've grown close to her over these last ten years and don't want to hear about her vessel being depressurized. It might be best to find her a man who can keep up.
Someone from Arthen preferably.

>>5849512
>Reuben Schafer. An athletic man who's just reached his twenties, and firstborn son of your admiral, Oskar Schafer. An intelligent tactician, sworn patriot, and result of the Astronomicon Military Academy, he's visited the palace and met her, along with the rest of your dynasty in the past. He's no true nobility but they seem to like each other well enough.
She might end up choosing Myron or Theo.

>>5849524
Support

>>5849222
>>5849226
Freyja or Angelica both seem to be better options for heirs, with Freyja having a slim lead.
And since we are thinking about marriage, we can execute the Nightshayd deal and Ask Freyja if there is anyone in that house she would be down to marry, Nightshayd is so loyal they would go along with whatever we pick, hell she could even pick some relatively low ranked member of their court and then we could promote them to the head of the house after the current leader dies.

>>5849524
+1

>>5849620
You have a point there anon. I favour Angelica personally, but her being the second born in addition to being a woman is a civil war in the making. Empress Freyja, with Angelica as her Grand Admiral and Albin as the chief scientist seems like the best use of all our kids' talents.

The Nightshayd deal complicates things though. If Angelica marries someone then she disqualifies herself from succession. We need to make a choice now, before our elder daughters are both married and Aldin becomes Emperor by default.

>>5849635
Well if Aldin becomes emperor Freyja can be one of his chief advisors. He’s not bad or anything just average so I think he will do fine.

>>5849524
>>5849527
>>5849530
>>5849560
>>5849599
>>5849620
>>5849622
>>5849635
As the Emperor, you can't let Angelica risk her safety but as her father...

You have no choice.

The same ferocity that drove you to lead your fleet to rebel against the Empire, outnumbered twenty-to-one in those first weeks, burns in her heart.

Leaving her to play games and find a husband to live through vicariously would be a betrayal. You have her enrolled in the Astronomicon Military Academy. Not for a medical role, as is common for the daughters of some noble houses, but the path of an admiral.

Your name alone clears any hesitation on the behalf of the faculty. You instruct them to push her like they would any man. Angelica is stoic at the news and immediately begins packing her bags. Just like you were.

Your wife has her misgivings, to say the least, but you know your daughter better than anyone else. She'll make the cut or she won't. It's in her hands, now.

You're about to follow through on Freyja's marriage arrangements, but a sudden, nigh-treacherous thought comes to mind.

Should she be married?

If Freyja was wedded, under the current law, she would join her husband's house. If she wasn't, that would give you the chance to declare her heir to the dynasty, marry her to the Nightshayd's scion, and then...

Declare her Empress instead of leaving your life's work in the hands of Albin.

This is an audacious path.

Dangerous, even.

Is it worth considering?

>Perish the thought! Albin is no prodigal warmaster, but he is your firstborn son, and heir by every right. Betraying him like this, at the very dawn of the 20th dynasty, would be a slap in the face to everything your men have fought for. At the very least, it would spit on the legacy of Albin Rausch.
>Damn tradition! Freyja is no bolder than your son, but she is the eldest child and a brilliant investor. She shall be Empress and Albin will be happier without the responsibility, and if anyone would contest it, your fleet stands ready. There's no predicting the fallout of this.

>>5849660
>Perish the thought! Albin is no prodigal warmaster, but he is your firstborn son, and heir by every right. Betraying him like this, at the very dawn of the 20th dynasty, would be a slap in the face to everything your men have fought for. At the very least, it would spit on the legacy of Albin Rausch.

Angelica shall be his lance, ain't gonna dog our homeboy like that. Rausch was HIM

>>5849660
>Perish the thought! Albin is no prodigal warmaster, but he is your firstborn son, and heir by every right. Betraying him like this, at the very dawn of the 20th dynasty, would be a slap in the face to everything your men have fought for. At the very least, it would spit on the legacy of Albin Rausch.
We can do more changes in the future. Boy will become an above average emperor true, but surounded by very good sisters in advisory role.

>>5849660
>Perish the thought! Albin is no prodigal warmaster, but he is your firstborn son, and heir by every right. Betraying him like this, at the very dawn of the 20th dynasty, would be a slap in the face to everything your men have fought for. At the very least, it would spit on the legacy of Albin Rausch.
Freyja shall be a good right hand woman for Aldin in the future.

>>5849660
>Damn tradition! Freyja is no bolder than your son, but she is the eldest child and a brilliant investor. She shall be Empress and Albin will be happier without the responsibility, and if anyone would contest it, your fleet stands ready. There's no predicting the fallout of this.
She is better than him. If she wasn't a woman, we'd be glad to have her as an heir. New dynasty, new rules.

>>5849660
>Perish the thought! Albin is no prodigal warmaster, but he is your firstborn son, and heir by every right. Betraying him like this, at the very dawn of the 20th dynasty, would be a slap in the face to everything your men have fought for. At the very least, it would spit on the legacy of Albin Rausch.
Frejya is timid so she's unlikely to hold any ambitions that she'd follow through on, and I hope Angelica is happy enough with grinding out promotions in the Navy that she won't do anything rash. If both his sisters stand by him, Albin will be an adequate figurehead with some oddish habbits, backed up by excellent advisors. Stability is a needed for now, we can rock the boat down the line after a few generations when our House have solidified our legitimacy.

The irony that we put the old ruling dynasty on blast for being of poor stock just after we roll the most mediocre heir with noticable autism isn't lost on me.

>>5849694
If Albin is a disaster, I expect the superstitious will begin whispering of "Voldun's dying curse"

>>5849694
>>5849702
Cmon guys Aldin ain't that bad. He may have autism but he can still run the empire smoothly once he takes charge and his older sisters will be good advisors, not to mention his younger sisters when they grow up.

On an unrelated note, do we send a notice to our Nightshayd pals on Aldins hobbies so they can better prepare themselves?

>>5849713
IF. if

>>5849660
>Damn tradition! Freyja is no bolder than your son, but she is the eldest child and a brilliant investor. She shall be Empress and Albin will be happier without the responsibility, and if anyone would contest it, your fleet stands ready. There's no predicting the fallout of this.
I love wildcards.

>>5849664
>>5849669
>>5849676
>>5849681
>>5849694
>>5849732
Perish the thought! Even aside from the insult it would be to your men, Freyja is no more assertive than Albin.

The noble houses would eat her alive.

No, she would be better for the Empire, and likely happier herself, in an advisory role.

You decide to never speak of the decision you almost made to anyone.

In a surprising gesture, you allow Freyja to choose her own husband. She and Anna are delighted!

Your personal preference is for Reuben, despite the culinary connotations of his name. If he's even half the man his father was he would make an excellent husband and you tell Freyja so, but don't attempt to pressure her in any one direction.

Freyja sits in consideration for a week. Finally, she makes her decision.

Theo Lochstrum.

You're stunned by the choice. House Lochstrum is no less floored by their sudden adjacency to the imperial dynasty. Their minor house is primarily characterized by the suicidal recklessness of its mercenaries, and their tendency to massively succeed or fail miserably, with minimal in-between.

According to your sources, when the man himself received the news, he fell to his knees and tore his tailoured suit in half in a fit of apelike passion.

Their wedding was lavish, jointly financed by House Soluton and Theo himself.

After the marriage, they immediately departed Mars for Theo's homeworld, Vidryke. This all takes place in a mere two months.

You're utterly bewildered by her choice. Anna is no less surprised than you are. You can't begin to imagine why she would've chosen him of all suitors, until you receive the news.

The new couple has taken a substantial, low-interest loan from House Soluton and soon after, made a sprawling heap of investments in the frontier.

You realize then what your daughter's plans are. She intends to build a financial empire of her own. With Theo as her face and co-conspirator, and the Heinrich and Soluton names opening doors that Amasoft Corp wouldn't dare to close.

...

It seems that Freyja had a bit of her father's ambition in her after all.

You wish them the best.

>Roll 1d6+1 for Angelica's training. +1 [Military skill]
>Roll 1d6+2 for Freyja's investments. +1 [Financial skill], +1 [House Soluton's backing]

It will be years before the long-term ramifications of your choices here become apparent.

Rolled 6 + 1 (1d6 + 1)

>>5849750
Do not disappoint me daughter

But man, Freya my girl, so proud even if you didn't choose sandwich man. Maybe start including him in the letters we right Angelica

Rolled 2 + 2 (1d6 + 2)

>>5849713
Yeah, we should ask the Nighshayds if they have a cute autistic girl that would like to become Empress.

I hope to god his fascination with animals does not end up with him as a furry

>>5849754
Heh, the luck continues. Hopefully for both daughters

>>5849750
rolling for Angelica

Rolled 5 + 2 (1d6 + 2)

>>5849750
>>5849754
Jezus. Astronomican 2.0.

>>5849754
That'll do Angelica, that'll do. I'll leave Freya to another anon.

Also, had a thought. What do you think about making it tradition that the bodies of Later Heinrich emperor's are given solar burials. Aka we fire them into the fucking sun

>>5849756
>rolling for Angelica
Meant Freyja, should be obvious.

>>5849757
Fuuuuu, should've waited

>>5849756
>>5849757
Still a good roll.

>>5849760
Simple fact can't always roll bs.
Though two 7's would indeed have been crazy.

>>5849750
God, I love Freyja. She used her mind to put the family and herself above her feelings.

>>5849750
proud of our girls
>>5849754
I think the Sandwich man may be a bit too old for Angelica.
>>5849756
I don't think 2 autists is a good idea
>>5849759
I am more partial to the idea that the Skeletons of the Emperors get to be kept around in the throne room like Gargoyles.

>>5849759
Like it more that a capital ship has a small tomb to an emperor. Like a standard bearer.

>>5849775
That'll work for a little while, but eventually there's going to be too many skeletons and it'll start looking a little too french/ 40k

>>5849776
This is pretty cool. Could also make it so the emperor's tomb is placed in an area of his interests, like a Zoo or wild life preserve planet for Albin

Or we could do the tomb on a ship idea, then launch them into the sun when they've become crippled/ unrepairable in battle

>>5849776
A museum ship, former battleship, orbiting Mars to serve as the mausoleum of House Heinrich sounds dope.

>>5849754
>>5849756
Now that your eldest daughters are taken care of, you focus on enjoying your time with your wife while you still can.

Eventually, she reaches menopause. You wish she could've given you a stronger son but you're proud of your daughters and full of hope for the future. Your love for her burns hotter than ever.

Before you know it, you're sixty years old.

Depending on your plans to retire, this is either the midpoint of your reign or the start of your twilight years.

In either case, you're filled with a sense of urgency. As you make your plans for the Empire, there is one last concern. Your heir has reached eleven years of age and has shown only modest improvement.

What will you do with him?

>Let him pursue his passions. You suppose terraforming and xenology aren't entirely useless.
>Enroll him in the Astronomicon Military Academy. No firstborn son of yours will be a peace-clutching dove!
>Take him with you, to witness the burdens of an Emperor firsthand. If the tutors haven't, you'll teach him yourself!

>>5849787
>>Let him pursue his passions. You suppose terraforming and xenology aren't entirely useless.

Maybe Angelica can figure out how to use his zoos as a weapon

>>5849787
>Let him pursue his passions. You suppose terraforming and xenology aren't entirely useless.
Let's do some conquering while we still can and let him rebuilt whatever we break in the process.

>>5849787
>Take him with you, to witness the burdens of an Emperor firsthand. If the tutors haven't, you'll teach him yourself!
>Let him pursue his passions. You suppose terraforming and xenology aren't entirely useless.
We bring the boy on campaign as a midshipman in our ship. Only for a short(ish) campaign. He can learn a bit about new planets and xenology of the places we (re)conquer.

>>5849787
>Take him with you, to witness the burdens of an Emperor firsthand. If the tutors haven't, you'll teach him yourself!
He is going to be the second Emperor of a new dynasty and we kinda need him capable of keeping the Empire alive before we die.