Choice of Rebels: Uprising — Lead the revolt against a bloodthirsty empire!

One of the time honoured traditions that even my mc will take part in. Although my mc would prefer state provided housing for disabled veterans and their families or something like that as a new purpose for the current palaces. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Shayard, being the largest or Erezza, being the most crucial of the provinces would make more logical sites for the location of their largest bases…so the de-facto HQ could be in either of them.

On the hand the people who can make such changes would be severely limited in any case, so this could be part of the solution but not the whole solution, in keeping with the theme that there is no single, easy solution. It’s not change my mc would be particularly keen to make to his own anatomy however.
Likely gonna need a combination of factors, cecum engineering, crop tinkering, soil remediation, etc, etc, and of course mass starvation will probably still happen. :thinking:

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Oh, absolutely. Doing this at scale wouldn’t be possible in time to avert famine anyway.

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Wow!

I’ve been pretty busy, but this might be the motivation I need to get my other guides up (the Pacifist Prophet and the Savage Warrior).

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1- Then my Laconnier MC might be eager to return the favor to the palace of Aekos (if he finds proof that Phaedra betrayed him or is soon planning to betray him).

2- And are there any other de Syrnon/Laconnier “symbols of old” that have found their way into the “hey, look at all these cultures we’ve subjugated/nearly wiped out over the years!” trophy walls of Karagond collectors? (e.g. the Thaumatarch’s palace in Aekos)
If we wanted to further demonstrate how much richer the Laconniers are (in comparison to the Leaguers), perhaps the Laconniers might have a “recover lost relics/artifacts” bounty system in place? (for the MC to profit from via the occasional Indiana Jones-inspired sidequest here and there)

Is gryphon a selectable Abhuman transformation? (assuming that Laconnier MC might see PR value in establishing his legend as both the figurative AND literal Gryphon of Shayard)
And yes, MC is fully prepared to accept the consequence of being called a birdbrain (by Calea and other detractors).

By the way, beyond the recruits that can be trained from scratch, how many (potential) Secret Theurge NPC recruits will end up on MC’s doorstep over the course of this series? (with said NPCs having dabbled in Theurgic self-study on their own time (similar to MC), but then ended up on the run, because they were less careful/discreet than MC was at hiding their talent/knowledge)

And unless I’m wrong, I vaguely remember somebody on this forum suggesting the possibility that Calea’s Secret Theurge offscreen shenanigans (once exposed) is what motivates her to ask MC for protection/shelter (thus creating yet another opportunity for Calea to gradually warm up to the idea of one day fully joining MC’s rebellion in earnest).

Is it because flying Theurges having possession of the high ground? (And because area of effect Theurgic techniques can easily punish clumped together groups of cavalry?)

Intriguing. And on another note, have you ever heard of/seen the Netflix animated show, Inside Job? (FYI, in a nutshell: the story is a dramedy about a corporation named Cognito Inc, which operates most of the world’s conspiracies/“Deep State” functions on behalf of a cabal known as the Shadow Board)

Is there enough scope in XoR’s narrative options for the Syntechnia (under MC’s leadership and/or takeover) be re-organized into becoming the post-Hegemony public face of the Kryptasts? (via a “Cognito Inc”-inspired pact)

And furthermore, is a Kryptast-dominated surveillance state (with 1984-inspired tools and tactics that would make Orwell blush) within MC’s power to achieve by Game 5?

And FYI, below listed are the other factors that inspired my above suggestion(s):
1- In general, I just recently remembered that the term “corporate espionage” existed.
2- In recent modern times, corporations (like Amazon, Google, and Facebook) have gotten in trouble for privacy-related controversies (with regards to obtaining, sharing, and selling customer data), which gives me plenty of thoughts here and there about how a Kryptast-Syntechnia merger/alliance could possibly work.
3- XoR’s many trade routes and connections (which exchange goods and services) are also useful for spreading intel (both legitimate and misinformation), right?

And is there such thing as a bamboo sword in the XoR-verse? (e.g. M’kyar and Erjan’s choice of sparring weapons while training COM-specializing MC)

Glad to hear it; keep up the good work!

If the “Laconnier-Kryptast connection” theories have any credence, then I find it more likely that Shayard (rather than Erezza) is where the true Mystikon is currently located.

Well, Ch 1 got long enough that Quicktest is choking on it, so I’m splitting it into two .txt files. That’s a bit of a faff, but it’s one of the very last things I need to do before rolling it out for playtesting. :slight_smile:

No, it’s not. Properly transforming into any animal won’t really be on the cards until later on in the series.

We’ll see – I don’t have an answer to that yet.

You can’t charge someone who’s flying. And even if the cavalry aren’t massed, it’s trivial for a Theurge to cripple a running horse. Theurgy forces armies to adopt tactics focused on dispersion, cover, and concealment, much as modern weaponry did in our world. Horses are still useful for transport and rapid raiding combat against non-Theurges, since there are usually only a limited number of magi in the battlespace – but cavalry tactics just aren’t the same as they were in our world.

I don’t think we’re going to see the Syntechnia turn into a new Mystikon, and I think it’s unlikely that you’d be able to end the game with a state whose repressive capacities exceed that of the Hegemony–but we’ll see.

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Yay (and thanks) for progress!

Dispersion, cover, and concealment? Noted.

And on another note, could forming an international assassination guild/agency be another potential Game 5 goal/direction for aspiring mercenary MCs to pursue? (regardless of the endgame levels of anarchy, since even peacetime leaders may occasionally wish to see their political rivals (and other obstacles) discreetly disposed of in "unfortunate accidents")

And considering that the post-Hegemony Karagond Theurges (who go into hiding) sort of count as “Nazis in Argentina,” there’s (presumably) going to be plenty of bounties for assassin guildmaster MC to claim, right? :slight_smile:

If MC actively works at keeping his rebellion at a low profile/low anarchy levels, could Game 2 plausibly end with a “nothing to see here folks, move along!” response from the Thaumatarchy? (or perhaps even go to great lengths to fake MC’s death, if MC wanted to drive down his Notoriety level and give the Thumatarchy a false sense of security)

@Havenstone, if self-change is considered Goety, doesn’t Kleitos’ own self-transformation (into his current inhuman/god-like form) count as breaking his own rules?

This could be quite an interesting case of “rules for thee, not for me” hypocrisy to point out in anti-Kleitos propaganda, right?

Then again, how many people have witnessed Kleitos’ true appearance? (AND have lived to tell the tale)

FYI Reddit comment I saw on this thread:
“It’s the classic issue with all dictatorships. Once you’ve purged all competency and willingness to tell you uncomfortable truths from your government, all you’ve got left are corrupt yes-men who know how to always tell you what you want to hear, so your decisions become steadily more disconnected from reality.”
How has the Thaumatarchy been able to cope with this classic dictatorship flaw over the centuries?

@Havenstone

By the present day, how much vacant Shayardene land/acres is not yet owned/cultivated by its native citizens? (Or by the Hegemony)

Could this vacant land be a useful asset for binding foreign allies/immigrants to Shayard’s banner/cause?
(Similar to King Alfred of Wessex’s bargain with Ubbe and Bjorn, the Viking sons of Ragnar Lothbrok)

Or would MC first need to evict (and/or kill) some of Shayard’s current landowners to create the vacant land for his scenario?

Do the “ashigaru vs samurai” archetypes qualify as fitting comparisons between XoR’s yeomen (the “peasant soldier” ashigaru) and aristo (the “elitist warrior” samurai)?

Does Stezyc still have any lingering Shayardene cultural ties/echoes (e.g. Shayardene-Whendish intermarriages) from its old days of being assimilated by Shayard? (Similar to Avezia/Aveche)

Homelander MC is considering forming his G3 (and beyond) Whendish power base around two groups: Wiendrj’s ethnic Shayardene minority (especially those living in Steswick), and Shayardene-Whendish cultural syncretics (assuming of course, that this hybrid demographic does exist in the first place?).

You mean to tell me that Kleitos doesn’t have his own personal, floating “Eye of Sauron” that occasionally scans each province for an approximate count?

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Ho, ho, ho. A very happy Xthonosmas to you all!

I’m not going to close this thread, as it will continue to be the natural place for people to share their thoughts or ask questions about Game 1.

But for all gameworld, Game 2, or future game discussions… please head on over to the new thread. :slight_smile:

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So is it possible Breden is a double agent who’s playing both sides and isn’t sure who’s side she’s really on at this point?

I think she’s sabotaged the band but then again her sabotage never seems to be such as would be fatal to the movement as a whole. Maybe she wants the movement to not fail completely but also wants to give her handlers enough to keep them happy?

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Kryptasts usually don’t want the movement to fail. It isn’t the Kryptast’s job to destroy the movement - that’s for the Phalangites and Plektoi. A rebellion that falls apart before the army gets there doesn’t glorify the Hegemony.

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Here’s my guess about what a Kryptast can do. Since Carlota said a Theurge can track someone and listen with the wind and through walls and crap. They’re basically a lock-on for a Theurge to orient themselves to listen in and note down the conspirators or rebel leadership for the purge.

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Is it posible? Sure maybe but im firmly entrenched in my belief that they betrayed everybody before not to mention all that occurred that was bad if you kept them around basically doesnt happen if you give them the boot right at the start. Making survival that much easier for all your people during that winter and which ever path you choose to end on.

Thats the short answer lol

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All I know is that I’m team Breden. He is my husband and I will support him to my dying breath, period.

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True, that’s how I lean too. Just trying to see if there’s any other way to see the evidence. It’s all circumstantial evidence but there’s just so damn much of it. I haven’t been able to come up with a good alternative to “Breden poisoned the food”.

I don’t find Breden’s alternate accounts of how the food got poisoned remotely convincing and of course it doesn’t happen if shes not in the band. Plus her recommended raids always have more casualties.

The way they call out the MC’s name also makes no sense except as a denunciation if the MC doesn’t intervene in the Harrowing. Or how they don’t kill Breden.

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I the “Brenden is a kryptast” theory is true then the purpose seems to be to foment a rebellion that can be kept in check and subsequently harvested.

This tracks with what we learn of Sojourn/the City’s history as well.

@Havenstone another thing I was surprised didn’t come up is the religious choices of Game 1. Perhaps its ill advised but, I’d the dedicated evangelical would at least try to spread the good news of the elect/inner angles/kenon.

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A simple, though somewhat flimsy, explanation is that the traitor won’t attempt to perform any sabotage without a fall guy (being a gender-netural indicator). Breden is that guy, if the MC shows that they’re ruthless enough to extra-judicially get rid of him (via Zebed), then the traitor would most likely be more circumspect.

Of course, Breden could still likely be the traitor, but this shows how excellent the writing is that there is no definitive answer.

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Happy Xthonsmas, indeed! As I’ve indicated on your new thread, I’m having so much fun with my “Carmilla” playthrough!

@Havenstone
By the way, is the ability to issue bounties restricted by the exact same criteria needed for XoR’s individuals/factions to receive/pay loans?

@Havenstone After taking into account what Cerlota is planning to do (unleash a Xaos-storm “dirty bomb” onto Grand Shayard’s city-ward), I’d now like to very much retract my earlier question. :frowning:

@Havenstone
Okay, so apparently Kleitos is still mostly (outwardly) human-looking; it’s instead mainly his day-to-day behavior that’s become inhuman, right?
If so, then I’ll retract my earlier mentioned question about the self-change hypocrisy implication.

@Havenstone
On second thought, having god-like powers is a very easy way of avoiding the consequences of your own actions (up to a certain point, as G4/G5 will demonstrate). So I guess the question already answers itself?

Oh my goodness, we’re reaching Metal Gear Solid-levels of complexity here, aren’t we? :slight_smile:
I’d certainly love for Breden to have her own Revolver Ocelot subplot!

But if we’re instead using Star Wars analogies, I also think that Sam Witwer’s analysis of Darth Maul (in the “post-Phantom Menace era animated TV shows”) could very much apply to the “Breden doesn’t actually know the truth about what she wants” theory:

"When you’re a liar, a person of low moral fortitude, really any explanation you need to be true can be true. Especially if you’re smart enough. You can figure out a way to justify anything. Part of Maul thinks, “Yes, I would like to reclaim my spot as the apprentice and I want to prove why I deserve that.” And then there’s another side that’s like, “Screw Palpatine. I’m the master now. Savage is the apprentice, and I’m going to show him how it’s done, and if he has a problem with that, I’m going to take him out.”
The Sith training is nothing short of torture, so there’s always a great deal of hatred built-in to the master-apprentice relationship, an intense animosity. We see that between Vader and the Emperor in the original trilogy.
So he may want both things, depending on what he needs to desire at any given point.

I think there’s a potential discrepancy here. If Breden is indeed a Kryptast (or previously received Kryptast training), and Theurges are trained to lock onto their assigned Kryptasts, then how is the Hegemony (or their assigned representative/commander in Game 1’s “Make an Accounting” scenario) stupid enough to mistake MC for Breden?

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How do you romance Calea?

From Havenstone’s earlier posts: She’s attracted to male helots, that’s all we know, because her romance only become available in later games.

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I see. thanks for the info. I saw her name on the list and wondered how to get that content.

Anyone know how to become a good magic healer? Trying to go for a full skilled mage run but this game is more complex than a labyrinth.