Choice of Rebels: Stormwright (XoR2 WIP)

Likewise, I certainly hope that we’ll get to meet this guy face-to-face!
If he’s the handler responsible for training Breden (into the skilled orator and spy that we MCs know and love (or love to hate)), then he’ll be a vital asset for training (aristo-friendly) MC’s new generation of post-Hegemony spies!

@Sowe : I think Havie’s statement from 15 days ago (see above quote) is the answer you’re looking for.

What’s your gut feeling on which of the noble factions (Laconnier, Leaguer, or opportunistic fence-sitter) Ismene leans toward?

So far, all (the most significant facts) that I remember about Ismene so far is that she’s a tax cheat and that she was a former acquaintance (or friend) of aristo MC’s mother.

I’m currently thinking Ismene’s going to be a perpetual fence-sitter whose loyalty will be sold to the highest bidder. (rather than being motivated to fight for Homelander/Cosmo causes)

What evidence do we have that Sojourn has ill intentions towards our MC? (or is too unsavory/immoral of an ally to work with?)

If Sojourn is still a (relative) blank slate of a faction (at the G2 point of XoR’s narrative), then I think it would be far wiser to give Sojourn as much benefit of the doubt as possible (rather than antagonize Sojourn into becoming a “self-fulfilling prophecy” boogeyman/enemy).

And then later down the road, if MC’s faction is sufficiently lucky/powerful, here’s to hoping that Sojourn will accept MC’s offer to get annexed by Shayard!

And how does Cerlota intend on reconciling her disobedience (towards MC’s (potential) order to NOT to drop a WMD on the City Ward) with her earlier (potential) oath to swear fealty towards non-Theurge MC?

(along with reconciling her potential “decision to take unilateral action” with her earlier mentioned “Theurges should be advisors/enforcers, not executive decision makers!” stance)

I’m suddenly reminded of an iconic quote from the MCU version of Nick Fury: “I recognise the council has made a decision, but given that it’s a stupid-ass decision, I’ve elected to ignore it.”
Is this quote the logic that Cerlota has in mind for justifying her (potential) disobedience/disagreement with MC?

FYI: Personally, my MCs still feel very inclined to ally with Cerlota (and give her the benefit of doubt, in general), but my “devil’s advocate” side is still curious.

What happens when a recently deceased Theurge is turned into a Plektoi? Do they retain any of their former Theurgic prowess?
(And might the Unquiet Dead have plenty of insight on this Plektoi-Theurge hybrid necromancy process?)
The template/source of inspiration that I have in mind are the Banshees from Mass Effect.

Or is the question moot, since (maybe?) only creatures (who are still alive) can be reshaped by Plektosis?

But on my current vision, only by late in Game 4 will the Hegemony be in an advanced enough state of crisis for “big dog” rebels to really be able to start acting like a regional power and get to pick at least one of the major Shayardene cities (Grand Shayard, Corlune, or Aveche) as your base of operations. (Or be a less big dog and operate out of the Rim, laying claim to just enough of the agricultural land in the Southriding or Westriding to feed your population while the other factions fight over the rest.)

Similar reasons to London, Beijing, Moscow, and Washington (non-central capitals in our world): it was the launchpad of a successful campaign of conquest.

@Havenstone In relation to the potential “MC fakes their death at G2’s ending” subplot we discussed earlier, perhaps this subplot could open the doors (or at least provide enough justification) for MC to pick a (very remote) non-Shayardene location to be their new base of operations?

E.g. I think it would be very funny/amazing for the (formerly smug) Hegemony to discover too late that the rebel captain they supposedly killed ended up resurfacing “in the middle of nowhere/Xaos” (outside of the Hegemony’s borders) to form an “expanding eastwards” empire (with Vigil-powered Sojourn as its capital).

And by the way, on a separate note, how resistant is Sojourn’s population? (towards MC’s suggestions of one day becoming/leading a continental empire in its own right)

Under Herne’s current leadership, Sojourn is leaning towards a “stay content as an isolated pocket of paradise” direction, so I’d like for MC to later find opportunities to start encouraging Herne to think bigger (particularly in the “grow/conquer bigger” direction).
(While also dreaming up of ways to convince Herne to declare MC his protege/heir, or ways to outright usurp Herne as Sojourn’s newest ruler)

Erezza would be much happier to offer economic privileges in exchange for military support.

@Havenstone If/when MC’s faction manages to become a naval power in its own right, can a (hypothetically more successful) version of Napoleon’s Continental System be instituted? (to blockade/exclude MC’s rivals from international trade)

"If Napoleon wanted to make the Continental System successful, he had to tolerate the economic effects on France (and the political pressure from those who lost in this deal) and create a truly pan-European system. Russian raw materials could be used, for example, to fuel industrialization throughout Europe. European manufacturing would have replaced British products. It would still not be enough to cause Britain to rethink its policies towards France, but at least it would lock them out of a large market.
But as it happened, Napoleon adopted a very Francocentric policy, made the Continental System a one-sided relationship, and waged expensive wars when his trade partners resumed trading with the British.
"

If we replace “Napoleon” with MC, replaced “Francocentric” with Shayardcentric, and replaced “the British” with (insert the name of MC’s enemies/rivals), then is the above-mentioned Redditor quote applicable for MC coming up with a better execution of the Continental System? (in the context of XoR’s eventual post-Hegemony setting)

And as a potential bonus, there’s a very reasonable chance that Bleys “has go-to contacts/connections amongst G2-G5’s organized crime factions” :slight_smile:

1 Like

I’ve made my peace with it. The character I’m roleplaying finds kidnapping children and holding them hostage too much of a hassle and unpleasant altogether.

Let me clarify a few things.

Probably not. Mikal de Rose is from Rim Square, and can help an aristo-friendly revolt out by leading Phalangites and a Theurge out into the Great Brecks, away from the hunt in the Whendward. They seem to be a poor house, with an estate in disrepair, deep debts to the Keriatou, and a taste for the Shayardene Codex. If anything, they’re the kind of House the aristos would expect to get a Kryptast.

You’re probably getting him confused with Breden’s old masters from the Coast, before coming to the Rim (quotes adapted for clarity):

"A story from my old masters. Back in the Souther Coast. “They loved puffing themselves up as if they would fight the Karagonds one day. Probably half the things they said were inventions. But if this one were true… For the Phalangites to believe it, only one of us can try saying it. Otherwise they’ll wisen to the game and kill us all. And it should be you. You should have that chance.”

“That’s…a Kryptast code. Surely. How could your masters have learned something like that?”

"They fancied themselves rebels. I took all kinds of ideas from them. I don’t know where they got them all.

“How did your old masters die, Breden? How did things end for them, and their seditious talk, and their plans of rebellion? You’ve never told us. Was that for a reason?”

“They were killed, of course.” You’ve never seen so transparent a look of loss as the one wringing their face now. Despite yourself, it reduces you to silence. “They all died. But I thought I’d keep their ideas alive. I thought it might not always have to end that way.”

They’re the heart of Breden’s history, the Origin. If anyone is going to have ties to the Kryptasts, or be killed by Kryptasts, it’s Them.

Some speculation below the cut:

About Breden's old masters

So in the Xaos-lands, after meeting Cerlota, you can swap jokes and songs with your companions, and while Breden’s story is clearly built around the punchline – ‘The Thaumatarch is too busy swiving the Canon of Xthonos to pay any notice to the free folk of the realm. The Archon has drunk herself to sleep on what she’s stolen from the yeomen, and the future of Order Victorious is full of shit.’ – an interesting detail is that the protagonist of the story is coded to match the MC’s assigned gender. There is a causal link there.

This could be nothing; but it could also suggest that Breden is referring to a specific unknown person, who has the trait of matching our gender: that is, a gender that Breden is attracted to. And judging by how dysfunctional the rest of the family is, this protagonist would be the one best primed for rebellion a few years down the road: competent and innocently aware of the flaws of the Hegemony.

They, of all people, might have had the greatest influence on Breden.

About Kryptasts and traitors

Those who argue Breden is a Kryptast would point to Mikal de Rose as evidence: they are among the first Rim houses to actively aid a rebellion, and they could be heretics. Now, I’ve never been on board with Breden being a Kryptast, mainly because I’d expect Them to be less suspicious and more dangerous. And I think this chapter offers more evidence against Breden, or any of our other potential companions (Kal, de Firiac, and Ciels – all of whom have at one point been suspected of being a Kryptast, as a fun fact) being Kryptasts.

Firstly, none of them try to betray us, even when they easily could (e.g. in our sleep) and no one would be the wiser, even after we violate their alleged prime directive (“Scouring the realm for any sign that the secret is spreading is at the heart of the Kryptasts’ task.”) and then promptly abandon the Theurge who might’ve defended us. From Cerlota:

"I have seen Kryptasts at work, and should be better able than any of your other comrades to detect them before they strike. And there is a system by which the Hegemony’s Theurges authenticate messages.

Note that she even says “before they strike”, and she does have credibility: not only is she a Theurge, and so was effectively co-workers with Ennearch Thaïs, who controls the Kryptasts, but she also grew up in Old Moncesano, where there’s a war in the shadows between Kryptasts and Halassurq infiltrators.

Of course, even if they’re not a Kryptast, they could still be a traitor. But I’ll leave that as a separate matter.


Ismene seems to lean Shayardene homelander, albeit subtly and with a deep pragmatic streak. And there’s depth to her character that we haven’t yet uncovered; these traits are all present in one of her more telling scenes, where her facade cracks just a little:

Quotes

“At least the price comes now. Not over the long years of swallowing insults from the great families, fearing that you’ve unknowingly offended a Karagond, trapped into a marriage with the wrong person….” Your voice cracks unexpectedly, and Ismene gives a curt, pained nod—even though, as far as you know, she’s never married. Clearing your throat, you conclude, “And the reward, cousin: in this game, there’s everything to play for.”

Likewise, we see this when talking about the aristo MC’s mother:

“You know she loved the idea of a free Shayard.”

“So she did…the old songs, the old tongue. She talked as if we had never been other than free.” Lady de Galis regards you for a few moments without expression. “And you think your banditry will usher in so happy an outcome?”

She was family; she loved her as such “For the love I bore your mother, I spare your life. This once. And for her sake, I’ll grieve when the Hegemony kills her ${daughter}. But I’ll rejoice at the end of your damnable rebellion. And if I see you again, I’ll run you through with my own sword. Begone!”

That said, dreaming of a free Shayard is hardly controversial. It doesn’t match Ismene directly to any of the Grand Shayard factions all on its own, but it does show that there’s an emotional foundation beneath any pragmatic action she takes.


I suspect that this is the case. We can actually see, in trance, what it looks like for something to die.

He flinches and writhes each time you bring your attention to a Change. But he does so silently, eyes fixed on yours in desperate hope. You flinch yourself each time, groan an apology, and keep trying.

Until at last the bubbles stop appearing on Zvad’s lips, and the blur around him dissipates into something far more recognizable: blended earth, fire, water, air.

Without life, or whatever it is that binds our consciousness and body together — the soul, aether, egye, whatever — it’s just matter to our untrained eyes. And maybe there’s a way to reattach that life to an empty vessel, or otherwise control it in a way that seems lifelike: the Unquiet Dead have to work somehow, after all. But this might not be plektosis, changing a body: that instead is more like breathing life into inert objects.

The Unquiet Dead sure seem to retain their magical powers, though…


Somehow I think this is what’s going to happen in Grand Shayard anyway. The Thaumatarchy likely decided that even if you survived the Xaos-lands, by the spring you’re probably Storm-touched and locked out: and considering how we’re likely to continue lying low in the coming chapters (and years), it’s possible we’ll see a revelation where the Thaumatarchy discovers too late that the rebel captain is not only alive, but has resurfaced in the heart of Shayardene power and is about to swive things up.

Bear in mind that Sojourn only has, like, 160 people at most right now. That’s smaller than Rim Square alone. Conquest of the Hegemony is out of the question.

His vision isn’t also limited to the city of Sojourn itself, but it’s limited by the practicalities of where people can shelter from the Xaos-storms:

Quotes

The Cape has fewer Storms than the rest of the Xaos-lands, thanks to the gulf and the narrows. So we’ll begin by wiping out every reiver band remaining in these hills, put every settlement under our protection, and build hiding places that the Storms cannot directly touch. Then we’ll pass to the far side of the narrows, alongside the Red Kestrel, and do the same with the hill range there—the one they call the Reiver’s Reach. It’s the other place where you have lots of sheltering ravines but relatively few Storms. There’s no reason we should leave that to the bandits.

you’re not going to lose sight of the fact that Herne spent decades as an Alastor. You’ve yet to meet any long-serving enforcer who was innocent of extortion, theft, and brutality. And how different were the outlaws and smugglers he hunted from you and your band? “What of the settlements that don’t want to be part of your realm, kurios Alderway? Or the nomad tribes that want to remain as free folk?”

“When we free them from the threat of reivers, they’ll support us,” Herne replies, after a moment’s uncomfortable pause. “If they don’t…they can continue to fend for themselves, as long as they don’t shelter or succour any reivers.”

(It’s also worth noting that finding a Whiskered Hawk bone token adds followers to the Sojourn faction under the hood, suggesting that they may ally with Herne as the Red Kestrel did - again, suggestive of Herne’s ambition of eradicating the reiver threat entirely)

5 Likes

Oops, my bad! :sweat_smile:
Thanks for the correction!

On a separate note, building off of the current Laconnier-Kryptast theory train (that you and I are having fun spreading), I wonder if there might be any plausible reason to believe that the Leaguers, too, (as another coastal Shayardene noble-led faction) may be thematically connected/similar to the Mystikon/Kryptasts?

(since the “of the nobility/for the nobility” parallel that connects the Kryptasts and Laconniers could also reasonably connect the Kryptasts and Leaguers, right?)

On the other hand, maybe my question is moot, since the Leaguer faction is a very fresh/newborn (and severely underfunded) movement that only recently started with Horion (thus potentially being deemed “not worth the Mystikon’s time/energy/money”)

And a long while ago on Discord (forgot the name/source), somebody suggested that the Leaguers are a front/pet project of the Hegemony (in the same fashion that the Halassurqs are propping up the Laconniers as their lackeys/puppet rulers); your thoughts?

A very important distinction, thanks! If we’re discussing who could be a non-Kryptast traitor, I’d like to point the finger at dear old dad!
Last I checked, MC’s dad has…
1- Never believed in MC’s chances of successfully rebelling from beginning to end,
2- Was constantly eager to save his own skin (and in general, is portrayed as overly mean-spirited and self-interested)
3- And was constantly eager to disassociate himself from MC’s rebellious actions (e.g. aristo dad tries to simultaneously flatter Horion and throw aristo MC under the bus)

If this quote is referring to the resentment felt towards the snobbier and wealthier Southriding/coastal Shayardene families (and accurately captures what Ismene is feeling), then Ismene might also be a good early candidate to recruit! (for MC’s future Earlund separatist movement)

And on a separate note, I’m curious if the Earlund movement (or merely the threat of unleashing said movement) can be re-purposed into MC’s devious ploy/bluff to re-integrate into, stay with, or dominate Shayard (on Earlund’s terms).

And as a price of rejoining (or staying), MC might demand that the Southriding/Coast (aka Brimlund) evenly share wealth and political power with the Rim/Westriding (aka Earlund); or, if Brimlund is significantly weakened/depleted (at the time of negotiation), MC might feel ambitious enough to force Brimlund to sign an unfair treaty that ensures Earlund will be the dominant member of the new ‘partnership’ (for generations).

Alternatively, instead of creating a cycle of endless revenge (with the unfair treaty), maybe it’d be a safer ploy to marry off MC’s top Westriding aristo representative to the Gryphon claimant (with a behind the scenes treaty stipulating that the Westriding spouse will be a truly equal co-monarch, and not merely a junior royal/trophy spouse).

Hopefully, once my MC forces (or coaxes) his aristo and helot allies to mingle and work together (on a larger scale beyond MC and de Firiac’s involvement in Game 1), there will be even more opportunities to demonstrate the softer/human sides of Shayard’s aristo community (or at least the aristo minority (and eventual remnant) that are willing to take a chance on MC’s rebellion).

One way or another, MC will find a way to rehabilitate the aristo community’s image! (from brutal/apathetic/hedonistic regime collaborators into “noblesse oblige” practitioners who are worthy of the mantles of leadership)

Oh my goodness, a new idea just occurred to me: what if Gaesh is the only truly sentient/independent-thinking member of the Unquiet Dead? (with all the other “members” being the hollow, reanimated puppets of his former loved ones and friends)

This potential “loneliness plot twist” could certainly add some much-needed depth/tragedy to Gaesh’s characterization, right?

I don’t particularly.

The Laconnier Order and Kryptasts are established as enemies from the start: two Shayardene Pretenders were brought down by Kryptasts assassins. This is one of the first piece of information about the Laconnier Order that the game deems relevant to tell us; whereas Horion firmly casts the Alastors and the traditionalists as his (and thereby the Leaguers’) enemies.

It’s also reasonable to think that the Laconnier Order (those who safeguard the Sovereign Bloodline, if it still even exists) and the traditionalist Laconnier political faction aren’t necessarily one and the same. Secrecy and all that. Opens the door for fun plot twists.

I don’t think Halassur sees the Laconniers as puppet rulers, but instead more like a wedge to break Shayard off from Erezza and Karagon, where their real interests lay: reconquering their old territory (and mineral-alchemical resources) in Erezza, and cracking open Aekos like a nut to get the juicy Lykeion secrets within. Halassurq suzerainty over Shayard could be nice, but it makes more sense to me if supporting the Laconniers is a means to an end rather than an end in and of itself.

Consequently, I don’t see affirmative evidence for the Thaumatarchy using the Leaguers as a front, especially considering the movement seems to be Horion’s brainchild.


If I were to guess Ghaesh’s depth/tragedy, I’d go with seeing his home annihilated without a trace by the Thaumatarchy :mountain: after his people wouldn’t listen to him, then witnessing the Thaumatarchy persist despite his efforts to decapitate it :stuck_out_tongue: but that’s just vibes triangulating a whole bunch of loose threads, and it awaits falsification a few years down the line.

3 Likes

I haven’t gotten to Ch. 2 yet, but is there a faction that goes, “Why not both?” to the two types of livelihoods in the Xaoslands?

Also, I don’t necessarily see it as “rehabilitating” the aristos, more like exposing the aristo pretenders. I don’t see where it’s written that aristos are defined by excess cruelty and brutality. I’m roleplaying a reformist and my argument is simple, “Even if some people have to die to protect everyone else, hospice is a thing.”

1 Like

Pretenders 1 and 3 were the ones brought down by Kryptast assassins, if my source is correct.

I’m very curious to find out why Pretender 2 needed to be beaten conventionally (aka military intervention), instead of being assassinated (just like Pretender 1).

And when we consider the sequencing of the Pretenders’ cause of death (as a whole), something feels… off:
From my POV, it feels as if the Laconniers became smart/equipped enough to become Kryptast-proof (by the era of the second Pretender), but then later became stupid/vulnerable enough to repeat the Kryptast-related downfall of the first Pretender (by the era of the third Pretender).

Below listed are my additional thoughts (on further speculating upon your original “Laconniers ARE Kryptasts” theory):
The first Pretender’s death was a genuine victory for the Hegemony, but the third Pretender was an expendable pawn who was sacrificed to give the Laconniers an opportunity to infiltrate (and eventually hijack) the Shayardene branch of the Mystikon (by capturing and then subverting the assassin(s) into becoming the Laconnier’s double agents).

Oh crap, isn’t Herne an ex-Alastor?
Hopefully, that prejudice won’t be too much of an obstacle in MC’s plans to ask for the Leaguers’ help with incorporating Sojourn into the (future) koinon!

I find it very interesting that you left out the (potential) G4 conquest of Nyryal from that list of real interests; is Nyryal really so secondary/inconsequential in Halassur’s eyes? (compared to Erezza and Karagon)

Oh, I like the way you think! :smiley:

How exciting/possible might it be to auction away Aekos’ secrets to the highest bidder?
(or better, keep the most powerful secrets for MC’s faction’s exclusive use, and then auction off the rest to the XoR world)

That mountain emoji! Are you suggesting that Gaesh was a former Nere? (who witnessed Nyrnakan get crushed by one of Hera’s mountains)
By the way, I do find it to be an interesting coincidence that both Nyryal and the Unquiet Dead are skeptics!

At the end you meet a group comprised of both village and nomad types (and a few others) that seeks to upend the entire paradigm of Xaos-lands life. It’s not so much “both” as “neither”, but I’d say it’s the closest to what you’re looking for.

7 Likes

She is a Shayarin homelander, but not specifically loyal to any faction and largely not supportive of any rebellion yet. She’s working with you for pragmatic reasons, by which I mean she wants to cheat in the tax game.

2 Likes

On a related note, today we did a brief poll of the XoR Discord Server, on whether people prefer Cosmopolitan or Homelander rebellions.

7 voted Cosm against 2 Home. Weirdly, nobody cited metagaming as their reason for choosing Cosm (the stronger attribute). They all chose it for lore/theme reasons.

—-

I myself prefer Homelander because of the added gameplay challenge, the romance of reviving an indigenous tradition, and because it’s simply a more straightforward and obvious reason a Noble would be annoyed at the current state of affairs.

4 Likes

Make it 8 with me :smile:

1 Like

Since the new demo is out, why not a bars poll. Why not three!

  • Ruthless
  • Compassionate

0 voters

  • Skeptical
  • Devout

0 voters

  • Homelander
  • Cosmopolitan

0 voters

As a bonus:

  • High Anarchy
  • Low Anarchy

0 voters

8 Likes

Here’s one for “metagaming,” or at least pragmatism.

Alya, while she’s of pre-Karagond noble stock, was initially neutral on cosmopolitanism - but she decided that if she wanted to lead all of the Hegemony, she would need to be a leader of all nations, so she koinized her name and embraces people of any culture who will stand with her.

Though thematically, after Chapter 1, she’s going to embrace cosmopolitanism even further after the revelation of how and why the Halassurqs Harrow as they do. Assuming she can sell that to her people - especially Cerlota, who both has a very defined opinion on the subject, and who Alya has chosen as her erasta. (It’s official: Alya has a MILF kink. :smiley:)

4 Likes

Homelander will always be the best imho.

8 Likes

Honestly not surprised. Both have some reasonable benefits. Angel worship is big enough that it offers great benefits if you believe in it and skepticism is something equal across the whole world.

1 Like

Happy Holy Homelander Helots.

Some people probably see Cosmopolitan as like being able to set up shop for your rebellion in all the regions, but I’m willing to bet Homelanders can do it, too (in a more Shayardene image), and Cosmopolitans will spread themselves too thin too early. Also, is the rebellion to end all rebellions not starting in Shayard? Is a little deference too much to ask for?

5 Likes

@Havenstone Will we meet any Pelematou in later games? If so, will there be a possibility for a (i guess not full fledged one, like in xaos lands) romance with Lydia?

3 Likes

Another poll just for the halibut:

  • Helot
  • Aristocrat

0 voters

6 Likes

Welcome to the copium den.

The Ashyk Cape is almost entirely north of the gameworld’s Arctic Circle. Imagine a smaller version of the Taymyr, without the nickel mining. Even if you could push out the Ward there without being nabbed by the Dead, there’s nothing that even the northern Nyr pastoralists are all that excited about.

Oh, just a dip, not a complete switchover.

Good point! :slight_smile: I’ll see if there’s a good way to work that in.

Turns out he helped Kayene Perigord escape from the mines of Graiqal, and fell in love with her in the process. It was never mutual, but Agerain’s newfound devotion gave an extra edge to his ongoing rivalry with Atrix d’Loriad (who of course couldn’t kill him after he’d saved Kay). For her part, Kay became a priest, was recaptured during the party’s near-death (at the hands of ninjas and sea fey) in Orokin, and just before her execution triggered the historic moment when all the Imperial priests simultaneously lost the blessing of the One and the only clerical magic in the South was that of the Dragon Path rebels…

Anyway, good times. :slight_smile: The Blood Raven nomads were also part of that game (with their lone representative, the arch-necromancer Z’kaatra, popping up in centuries-old myths and stories before finally appearing in person as a late-game antagonist) and Caragon, Shayard, Corlune, Scarth, Aegre, and “Myryal” all appeared on that gameworld map, along with (of course) Rim Square.

Yes, in G3. I don’t think the de Rose make the trek to Grand Shayard for the Season in G2. The Pelematou definitely will, but in response to your later query, I don’t think romance with them is going to be on the cards.

Sure – they can’t do anything about it at that point except stop giving you more weapons. How much trust you’ll have lost, in Erezza in particular, if your rebellion is known to be a Halassurq client, is another question.

I’ll write some dialogue with Cerlota in later chapters of G2 about the Dead. The Xaos-storms don’t hit the Bloodless Reach – Wiendrj is in the way.

The MC will be able to ask her then.

As you and others guessed, you can’t make dead things into Plektoi. No mindless zombie armies in this game. Ghaesh is not a lonely lich surrounded by mindless former friends/family (though I agree with you that there’s tremendous pathos in that image).

I’m afraid the plot won’t be sending you back to Xaos any time soon – and while you’ll have the chance to visit plenty of remote locations, I can’t let you base yourself there, or I’d have to write a(n even more) ridiculous amount of variation into the game. Settling properly into a single base of operations will be a G4/G5 dynamic.

No, I don’t think that’s feasible. The Halassurqs and Qalsa (corsairs) have too many trading options that are beyond your power to interdict; you couldn’t even cut them off from the Abhumans (though you could add friction, as Napoleon managed), let alone their trading partners further east on their own continent. And if you were thinking of Erezza or Nyryal as rivals, they’ve got a northern ocean you won’t be able to control with one or both of them as rivals. The only nations you could plausibly cut off from trade would be the landlocked ones, Wiendrj or Karagon, and obviously that wouldn’t involve naval power.

Good question. :slight_smile: I guess we’ll see.

9 Likes