Hence phasing-out (or switching to enemy-harrowing) might work better than a straight “no more Harrowing evar,” at least until we’ve got widespread theurgy going.
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Starvation everywhere. Funny thing is My Mara is following Andraste path in dragon age universe. She started with no army singing hippie songs and using a massive starvation propaganda and slave freeing. So basically I doubt my character would be fast to espread a way to void the beginning of the famine, In fact, I think starvation outside Shayard is the way to go 75 ot more percentage die in other provinces pluff… No more need blood magic and or slaving people to be cattle.
In character My pc really believes that break the cicle is more important than current generation.
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Not to mention it is where most of the industrial resources come from. Having to replace that by weak and easily disrupted trade links with other continents, either colonies or actual trade is a huge liability to badly needed industrialisation and even more so during wartime.
It also assumes Halassur will not have serious troubles of its own to contend with that might dissuade it by the time those “opportunities” come up.
Yep, that does seem to be the case. My mc may have had a huge crush on Gan once, but that was never truly reciprocated. I think I used the analogy that to him the mc was always more like a curiosity, a talking horse at best.
That said in both possible fates the mc and Ganelon can have it does serve as a catalyst to remind my mc that aristo’s are never to be trusted either directly…if we confront and kill the kid personally…or indirectly when my mc assumes Hector purged him just for being somewhat close to the mc. Either way Ganelon serves as a catalyst to considerably heighten his paranoia regarding the largely useless aristo caste and class.
The better option has already been presented, a large system of wetlands, lakes, canals, etc…on the Xaos border may provide adquate enough security while consuming only a fraction of the blood resources the current wards do…and yes, I know we’d take the 5-10% chance of a serious breakthrough each year, compared to 0% for properly fed wards…but that price may well be worth it.
Worst case scenario…switch to Hallassur style blood-collection and collect it from babies…who are a far more potent source anyway without the need for a large slave caste.
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you totally will kill more people and horses that my pc, lol.
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Well, the name of the second book is “Stormwright.” I choose to take that as a spoilery hint that we’re going to learn what’s causing the Storms, and thus possibly learn how to stop them.
Or use them ourselves. 
Well…let’s just say that if this game were made into a TNO style Paradox game mod with custom mechanics the unique leadership mechanic for my main mc would probably have to be a paranoia mechanic. 
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If the parents have theurgic powers this would likely be difficult and people are already heavily religiously against the idea. I can’t see this being popular. Although we do have an advantage over hallassur here as since the hegemony doesn’t know shrub yams increase fertility it’s likely hallassur don’t either.
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Retreating back to helot camps would present an ideal opportunity to build a Helot spy network.
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@Havenstone I know this has probably been answered somewhere, but where do you expect a character’s skill level in one of the primary stats will top off? Also, I vaguely remember some indication that hybrid builds would be viable. Do you have any concrete plans on implementation?
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6 is the top level of a stat. Upthread, there have been intense discussions on the meaning of 6 INT and 6 CHA. 
And hybrid builds will have more options, as well as probably some choices that call for multiple stats.
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Do spare/excess phials happen to be saved in highly guarded (and/or secret) aetherial blood banks, or will MC be limited to looting phials from captured/slain Theurges and Harrowing sites?
Game 3’s scarcity in resources (especially in blood) could force the Hegemony to dig deep in their hypothetical “backup reserve” blood banks, which could become vital raiding targets for our MC’s band (and other factions), correct?
Has any Theurge in history (and/or recent times) ever reached “Over the Hedge”/Quicksilver-levels of speed? (aka becoming fast enough to seemingly stop time and quickly/discreetly rearrange stuff in the background)
Hard enough to break Theurgically-enhanced armor pieces, too, correct?
Demographics-wise, what’s the most common armored animal archetype of choice for our tankier Abhumans?
Beetles, armadillos, turtles, porcupines, hedgehogs, conches, rhinos, crocodiles, some other animal(s), or a mix of some or all of the above?
Ah, I see. Then I guess I’ll have to consider applying that approach elsewhere; my aspiring inner Habsburg refuses to give up just yet!
#1: Given how the Laconniers are crazy obsessed with bloodlines, perhaps a female MC (either as a “forged bloodline helot” or as an “aristo of exaggerated lineage”) could be well-positioned to become Abelard’s queen-consort.
Alternatively, might Abelard be accommodating enough to let female MC jump straight to queen regnant (while he settles for king-consort), if she’s greedy/ballsy enough to claim the most prestigious “secret heiress” missing link on the Laconnier totem pole of succession?
Or would it instead be more productive for female MC to start out as queen consort, gradually earn Abelard’s respect/trust across several games, and then shift into becoming a more equal co-monarch?
Or, if female MC is ruthless/untrustworthy, maybe she first waits to bear Abelard’s child/children, later arranges for Abelard to die from an ‘accident’ (or Uriah Gambit on the front lines), and then claims her role as queen regent, allegedly ruling on behalf of her gullible, “mom can do nothing wrong” puppet heirs/heiresses.
#2: On another note, is the Leaguer philosophy flexible enough to allow (and occasionally outright embrace) marriage alliances as useful political tools?
Or would such dynasty-building (or in general, any long-term consolidation of power amongst a few select families) threaten to revert any hypothetical koinon back into a “hegemony in all but name”?
My current hunch is that the Leaguers’ current membership are divided between two prospective paths: pursuing either an aristo-leaning oligarchic koinon or the dream of a more inclusive, democratic koinon (with the latter probably being the key to reconciling the aristos with helots and yeomen, especially the Cabelites).
The Leaguer oligarchs would perhaps be the ones most receptive towards my aristo MC’s suggestions about altar diplomacy, while on the other hand, the Leaguer democrats might perhaps be the preferred target audience of my helot MC (who’s in disguise and employing Simon/Suzanne as his ‘plus one’/intermediary).
#3: (Cont. from above)
And do we know yet which side of the oligarchy/democracy spectrum Teren favors at the start of Game 2?
Or is she sufficiently undecided for the MC to tip her in either direction?
(especially since my “puppeteer” helot MC views Teren as a potential key ally/co-conspirator)
#4: How much political fallout/lost goodwill would be triggered by MC’s hypothetical marriage alliance with Diadoche Phaedra?
For a leader MC who built up their Game 1 reputation (by declaring their intentions to defeat the Hegemony and Thaumatarch), such a relationship might probably trigger a “are you trying to take down, or sell out to the Hegemony?” rebuke from MC’s more paranoid followers.
(unless a Cosmo/Compassionate MC with sufficiently high CHA could spin the marriage as either…
A: ‘Pardoning and then re-educating your former enemy into your new world order counts as defeating them’
B: OR ‘Most (if not all) of our long-term best interests will be met by reforming the existing Hegemony, not by completely dismantling it’)
#5: And another note, how many benefits would MC’s marriage alliance with Phaedra yield? (when compared to a alternate playthrough MC who has a friendly, but platonic relationship with Phaedra)
More specifically, prior to XoR’s present day-plot, approximately how many rebel Theurges (and by extension, their phials of blood) did Sarcifer and Phaedra successfully (and/or secretly) invite into their Karagon splinter faction?
(Theurges and blood which could later be donated (or loaned) to MC’s cause)
Are we talking about additional Theurgic manpower in the dozens, hundreds, or thousands here? I’d like to get a better sense of the scope involved, if possible.
#6: And on yet another note, how complicated will it be to incorporate post-Hegemony Karagon as a member state of MC’s koinon (or as a province of his Shayardene Empire)? (regardless of MC’s platonic or romantic relationship with Phaedra)
Can MC appeal to Phaedra to convince her Karagond survivors to comply with MC’s “all member-states are (or eventually will be) limited to self-sacrifice theurgy and looted blood phials, so no more Harrowing (or at least have an actionable plan for phasing out Harrowing)” policy?
(as a gesture of good faith (to the rest of MC’s allies/subjects) that demonstrates how Phaedra’s Karagon is truly reformed and won’t repeat the nightmarish habits of “daddy’s old regime”)
I was especially fascinated by @Ramidel’s earlier mention about Phaedra’s “biotech crop genetics project” (and how it could potentially be the best possible solution for a kind-hearted MC who’s eager to find an out from the “Harrow some of his faction’s citizens to feed the rest, or let his people starve” dilemma).
But anyways, I digress; similar to our earlier Q&A (about the Keriatous potentially being pardoned (or instead being given mitigated punishments) by my aristo MC), I suspect that the helots in particular will be the most skeptical/angry towards any decision of MC that courts/invites Karagon into the fold (unless MC squeezes his CHA potential (and/or Eclect status) to the fullest here, and then manages to convince everybody about the merits of Phaedra’s biotech).
And is it feasible for MC to create/maintain a post-Hegemony world order that includes both Karagon and the Abhumans as fellow member-states/neighbors?
(or do their ideological differences make their respective recruitments mutually exclusive?)
For a male MC who fancies Abelard and the Laconnier cause (thus wishing to both figuratively AND literally jump into bed with them), how exactly can the male MC balance his attraction to Abelard with the Laconnier’s obsession with bloodlines? (since male MC and Abelard can’t naturally produce kids, for obvious reasons)
The following possibilities come into mind:
a. Male MC and Abelard are the ones who get officially married (on paper), but to produce an heir, they discreetly enlist a noblewoman to be their intermediary “womb donor”?
b. (similar to bullet point a, but with a crucial difference, if the above-mentioned noblewoman is not content to play the side mistress/womb donor)
Male MC, Abelard, and the noblewoman marry each other to form a polyamorous triad (with all three participants being treated as co-equal spouses/monarchs/oligarchs), unless the Shayardene Codex frowns upon (or outright prohibits) such unusual arrangements?
c. Instead of marrying Abelard, male MC is instead officially inducted into the Laconnier royal family as their newest long-lost bachelor relative (starting out as either as a prince submitting to Abelard’s kingship, or as a king who commands ‘prince Abelard’).
Both MC and Abelard then agree to settle for being occasional friends with benefits, while then working together to pragmatically setup political marriages for each other (“because two marriage alliances are better than zero”).
d. Does Abelard happen to have any sisters and/or cousins?
In practice, how does this dismissal of ‘monogamous lifelong pairing’ manifest for the average Abhuman?
Are we talking about a high relationship turnover rate? (e.g. frequent (but amicable) ‘divorces’ between Abhuman couples)
Or in place of breakups, do we instead see tons of ongoing open relationships amongst the Abhumans?
How do you pronounce ‘Brauracha’?
My current hunch is “brow-rasha”.
Will there be any G2 (and beyond) opportunities for a Calea x male helot MC relationship to meaningfully evolve into something genuine and lasting, beyond the initial heat-of-the-moment (or more devious “keep your friends close and enemies closer”) fling?
Surely, there must be more to Calea’s character than just lust, greed, self-interest, and backstabbing, right?
If Calea is taken outside of her luxurious comfort zone and is then forced to confront unusual challenges (which MC can extend a helping hand with), might Calea be prompted to reconsider her childhood upbringing worldview?
(shifting from “helots are only good as expendable muscle/boy toys” to “maybe I was wrong to look down upon/mistreat helots”)
More specifically, could a Homelander male helot MC (combined with CHA 2 or 3, AND has just recently bailed Calea out of trouble) be able to persuade (a romanced) Calea to realize that she was in the wrong for horrifically mistreating her fellow Shayardmen in the past?
(and thus, she shouldn’t waste her second chance at life - aka “how about you make amends by surrendering almost all of your personal wealth to the helot families you’ve wronged, and then find a meaningful new career in my nationalist rebellion as our aristo mouthpiece/figurehead, (kept under close watch 24/7) spymaster, and poisons expert?”)
Ultimately, my helot MC’s goal here is to influence Calea into becoming a “still devious, but now genuinely antiheroic (and somewhat remorseful) instead of treacherous” member of his rebellion, by appealing to both their personal relationship and *Calea’s nationalistic spirit.
(while also showing just enough ‘merciful tough love’ to Calea, so that he doesn’t hemorrhage too many of his original G1 helot followers)
(FYI, concerning *Calea’s nationalistic spirit: the Keriatous are implied/confirmed to be Laconnier supporters, correct?)
Okay, I see now that I was previously comparing apples with oranges here.
But just to make sure we’re now on the same page, would an oikumene be a plausible G2 arrangement between the “Archimandrite-led orthodox faction” and MC’s Inner Voice denomination? (or might MC instead find better luck forming the oikumene with the secret heretics instead?)
Okay then, new plan(s).
MC will then seek to reframe the discussion (from debating abstract/differing theologies to the topic of dealing with the more immediate, practical, and worldly needs): “even if we still can’t agree about which deities should and shouldn’t be worshipped, shouldn’t we at least pragmatically work together to keep our populations fed and to keep the resource trade still flowing?”
And what about the age-old option of identifying a common enemy for the Abhumans and Xthonists to team up against?
E.g. “instead of fighting amongst yourselves, you should focus your anger/resentment towards the (obviously compassionless) Hegemony regime, the equally despicable Halassur Empire, and the lurking Unquiet Dead which seek to consume us all!”
Finally got around to the business of testing out @HughMyronBrough’s “Savage Goete” playthrough, and yikes, Ganelon ended up as unanticipated collateral damage during Ch 3’s “raiding the wealth of the Keriatous”. 
I mean, my helot MC still congratulated Kala to keep up appearances as a ruthless leader, but deep inside, I’d like to think that he’s privately mourning his ex-benefactor.
Now that I’ve learned my lesson (from that whole “braintrust” metaphor turning out to be literal), I now have reason to suspect that you’re also hinting at a literal crackup.
I’m guessing earthquake or volcano.
Random idea: might it be within MC’s power to later bluff about his overall faction/army size at some later point?
(so that he could potentially intimidate certain opponents into prematurely surrendering)
And conversely, can an MC with a huge faction size have the option of deliberately downplaying their true numbers? (to pull off flanking/encircling maneuvers)
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My theory, meanwhile, is that the helots and yeomen are not likely to object to aristocratic rule if their needs are met - hence, my main arrogant aristo is busy cozying up to the rest of the aristocracy while Robin Hooding a bit for the love of the commoners.
I should note that the Laconnier’s issue with bloodlines cuts directly across the Xthonic creation myth’s idea that each person has their very own destined soulmate, as well as the Karagond concept of adoptive lineage for homosexual or infertile couples. There’s a reason that adultery is seen as a serious crime even among helots (who are supposed to be breeding as much as possible according to Karagond policy). So polyamory would have serious challenges for a devout MC or one who wants the priests’ support. (Of course, you can always decide that a real kenonist shouldn’t base his romantic affairs on doctrines put out by Karagond theologians…)
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(Looking back at Alya’s accomplishments from your 2017 post) Holy crap, I did not realize that there was one more tier above the “most priests abhor you, but a portion are starting to recognize your MC for their reputation of personal devoutness” description.
But if you’re a 'prophet of the common Angelic voice", shouldn’t that have taken a severe toll on your relationship with the priests? (particularly since the Ecclesiasts are not feeling particularly keen on sharing/surrendering their religious authority to the commoner masses)
Last I remembered of my version of @HughMyronBrough’s “Pacifist Prophet” playthrough, my choice to go Inner Voice (apparently?) ended up setting my relationship back to “the priesthood dislikes your MC for his impious offenses”.
Exactly how much did you donate in Ch 4 to get back in the priesthood’s good graces?
Ok, so as long as the aristo-led oligarchic koinon is responsive to helot and yeomen needs, they’ll go along with it; that’s quite the relief to hear.
Also, even though your 2017 post did a very clear and concise job of identifying a good majority of helot needs, there are a couple more follow-up questions that come to mind.
#1: To feed the citizens of Alya’s new world order, who’s going to be Harrowed in place of the helots?
Your earlier 2018 “Eternal Thaumatarch” post mentioned that Harrowing will still be an active practice of Alya’s government (with district-specific royal courts having exclusive right over Harrowing), so I imagine you’re mainly targeting criminals and other known “enemies of the state”.
But if a significant majority of your people are law-abiding citizens, wouldn’t your blood intake (from the Harrowed criminals) be too small for your Koinon’s Theurgic needs?
Where exactly are you getting your remaining blood quota from?
#2: What concrete assurances/guarantees (beyond mere words) can Alya promise to the Cabelites as a show of good faith? (Since the current Cabelites still feel very bitter about Ester’s generation having previously been betrayed by the nobility)
@Ramidel I tried google-searching “crown-commons alliance against the nobility”, and haven’t found any specific historical examples so far; could you please share with me your top favorite(s)?
And on another note, in your opinion, how would you compare your envisioned “Thaumatarch-level bureaucracy” with my long-ago suggested “Defenders of the Codex” watchdog group? (in terms of effectiveness in the long run)
Would Alya’s bureaucracy be more (or less) susceptible to the “get taken over by the corrupt forces they’re meant to keep in check” issue that @Havenstone pointed out earlier?
Just to make sure we’re on the same page (language-wise), “cuts directly across” means overlapping and intersecting, correct?
From my current understanding, the Laconnier stance on bloodlines is…
#1: Accommodating to gay/infertile couples
#2: And is compliant with the Xthonic church’s doctrine-based “monogamous lifelong pairing” rule
@Havenstone, what exactly are the Xthonic priesthood rules/procedures concerning divorce? (if one or both of an estranged couple have good reason to believe that they no longer qualify as each other’s “destined soulmate”?)
And how much stigma from their peers would a divorcee expect to face in both Hegemonic society? (and pre-Hegemony Shayard society)
How very intriguing; does this mean Abelard himself (and his predecessors) are not necessarily biologically related to the original Laconnier founder/ancestor?
If so, this scenario reminds me of a quote from Varys (Game of Thrones): “Power resides where men believe it resides.”
In the case of the Laconniers, it’s the shared belief in the story/symbolism of the Laconnier legend/bloodline/core values that represents true power, not necessarily the hard facts concerning the bloodline/DNA itself.
So the more I think about it, the Laconniers (as an overall faction) feel less like a conventional royal court, and feel more like a “Canterbury Tales”-inspired group of pilgrims and performers.
(a group that hosts a storytelling contest, with the prize being a “free meal at the Tabard Inn”, or in XoR’s case, a “set-for-life meal ticket, aka the Laconnier throne”)
Here’s an age-old question for us to consider: “Who watches the watchmen?” 
In the same fashion that HYDRA infiltrated/corrupted SHIELD across decades (in the MCU), perhaps the Laconniers were adaptable enough to have learned from their previous Kryptast-related defeats, and then eventually beat the Kryptasts at their own game?
(And have thus evolved into a shadowy cabal that discreetly functions as the current de facto leadership of modern-day Kryptasts)
And as for why the Laconniers haven’t yet overthrown the Hegemony on their own (despite now controlling and being the Krypasts), here’s what I think they’ve been doing prior to Game 1:
#1: In preparation for their (eventual) uncontested rise to power, they’ve taken advantage of the Kryptast’s basic purpose/mission statement (luring and then wiping out budding rebellions) to ruthlessly sell out any competing rebels who are unlikely to pledge loyalty to the Laconnier cause (e.g. Ester Cabel’s yeomen uprising) (while secretly faking the deaths of aristo-sympathetic rebels, in order to bring them and their friends/families into the fold).
And because the Laconnier-led Kryptasts are technically producing results as intended (killing anti-Hegemony rebels), the Hegemony leadership complacently assumes that the Kryptasts are merely doing business as usual (and are thus being lulled into a false sense of security).
#2: To cover their tracks and confuse investigators, the Laconniers periodically spread the “Kryptasts and Laconniers were and still are natural enemies” half-truth.
(with terminally ill Laconniers volunteering/sacrificing themselves as decoys to maintain the ruse)
#3: What if the Laconnier-led Kryptasts were the ones responsible for setting Hera up to be assassinated? (outsourcing the job to a proxy/ally who was given the precise tools needed to kill Hera, in a similar vein to how aristo MC received anti-Plektoi spears in G1)
But because the Hegemony then suddenly “turned inward” (e.g., possibly keeping the home base location of future Thaumatarchs (the floating palace of Aekos) a long-held secret from almost everybody), the Laconniers were not able to capitalize on Hera’s death, and thus found themselves having to continue working in the shadows as the Hegemony’s nominally loyal Kryptasts across the ages.
The Laconniers patiently bided their time, went through the Kryptast motions, collected more aristo members over the years (e.g. the Keriatous), but never did seem to find reliable intel about Kleitos’ location.
That is, of course, until new intel arrived from an unlikely source, a blind spot in Kleitos’ security: Kleitos’ own heir, Diadoche Phaedra (who uncovered the truth about the Laconnier takeover in her own spare time, but then maintained their secrecy, since she decided that they would be useful allies in helping her depose ‘dear old dad’).
The Laconniers and Phaedra then worked out the following deal: the Laconniers would see all of Shayard’s former borders and royal sovereignty restored; while in return, Phaedra would get an accelerated ascension to the Thaumatarch throne (instead of waiting for decades and possibly centuries for her dad to eventually die off), and then continue ruling the Hegemony’s remaining non-Shayard provinces.
And to maintain plausible deniability, Phaedra will deliberately let herself get injured as collateral damage in Kleitos’ assassination, so that her seemingly weakened self has a convenient pretense of “being forced at gunpoint to sign a treaty ratifying Shayard’s independence.”
(which also conceals the true extent of her ‘indirect kinslaying/treachery’)
Anyways, I digress. Now that this above-mentioned hypothetical deal has been negotiated between our unlikely allies, the Laconniers next decide to return to their old tricks (e.g., enlisting and empowering a proxy to eventually rebel against and assassinate the Thaumatarch).
That proxy happens to be an outspoken helot/aristo (aka our MC) who has recently gained infamy for successfully stopping (or failing to stop) the Rim Square Harrowing.
At the encouragement of Breden and/or Abelard (our Laconnier & Kryptast liasons/spies), MC is then inspired to lead the budding rebellion that we see and control in Game 1.
Meanwhile, since the Laconniers don’t entirely trust Phaedra to uphold her side of the deal (while also suspecting the possibility that Phaedra might actually be Kleitos’ double agent, tasked with flushing out the Laconniers), they act quickly to establish an insurance policy: a secret alliance with Halassur, the only available major faction who could possibly keep the Hegemony in check (in case Phaedra gets any funny ideas about one day retaking Shayard, OR if Phaedra turns out to still be loyal to the Hegemony).
Anyways, that’s the full extent of my current Laconnier theorizing (for the time being 
); I sincerely hope that the Laconniers turn out to be as complex and fascinating as anticipated! (even if most of these predicted details don’t make it into the final draft of XoR’s lore)
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holy shit this is a dark setting. When I think about the place I cant imagine any sunny moment, wtf where did the sun go? is everything dark all the time?
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It does, but that can be overcome. As you noted, the secret is to bribe the shit out of the priests.
It’s 50 drachems per point of credibility, plus 10 credibility for having Diakon Edwer when you bribe. “some credibility for your devoutness” is 200, “on the side of the angels” is 300. In other words, I believe I spent about 8000 drachems on the priests (will have to play through again to check), to both boost myself back into the stratosphere and compensate for my heresy and Goety.
NB: My current plan for Alya is the Eclect route, not the Common Voice, and she’s going for a medium Ruthless/Compassionate meter.
I haven’t finished that part of the plan - I have to see what the logistics of the situation are first (and we didn’t have as much information back then - the plan from 2017 is seriously out of date). Tentatively, the first part of the plan is to reduce blood use through Phaedran biotelos and through dropping every Ward except the Erezzan one. If I can’t get rid of Harrowing, I’ll try things like standardizing and raising the age limit, or possibly adopting the Halassurq method (though Alya is seriously about natalist policies, because compulsory heterosexuality is heresy. Also, eww, Harrowing children).
Alya does not consider the Cabels her allies. She’s extremely cosmopolitan (they’re homelanders) and generally would rather yeomen not exist (she may re-evaluate this depending on the economics of Phaedran biotelos, but right now she’d rather have helot laborers working on plantations). With that said, one thing she can show is the loyalty of the Rim’s yeomen (because the yeomen love her for stealing and selling their mules and giving them a share of the take - which I’ve jokingly referred to as “socialism” in the past), and if she can prove that she’s protected the interests of Shayard’s yeomen, she might be able to use that as a bridge.
But she really wouldn’t mind having the entire faction serve her in the form of nice little phials of aetherial blood.
In English history, I actually am not finding the examples I thought there were. Mea culpa. Anyway, the idea is that a powerful class of commoners (specifically merchant bourgeoisie) could be harnessed to weaken the power of a feudal class of nobles, as merchants and industrialists have very different needs compared to landowning aristocracy.
If you’re familiar with the Honor Harrington series (which I recommend; it’s kind of Horatio Hornblower in space), one event that happens later on is an alliance between the Commons wing of the Liberal Party and the Centrist-Crown Loyalist coalition, and one of their goals is to break the stranglehold of the House of Lords on politics (in part because Baron High Ridge’s aristocratic coalition is interfering with the defense of Manticore). The Crown of Manticore wants to transfer the power of the purse to the Commons to ensure that another gang of unelected reactionaries doesn’t hamstring the government again.
A historical example might be Napoleon III, who broke the back of the monarchists by being elected on the strength of the French farmers and then launching a coup to kick out the Party of Order.
The Defenders are sounding like one form of a bureaucracy. Either has the issues of watchdogs being captured by the corrupt.
Alya’s own planned countermeasures include, A, being an absolute monarch able to bring down the hammer when necessary, B, targeting the Kryptasts against noble conspiracies, and C, greater inclusion of the merchant class and a nonlandowning officer class in the government and Theurges. As above, this weakens the aristocracy some, but it also means a shift in power and economics away from agriculture. As agriculture is theurgy’s primary economic use, this helps with weaning the Thaumatarchy away from the idea that blood is the only important metric of power, which is part of what’s causing the current system to seize up.
If the Laconniers accept the Xthonic metaphysics of love, and the consequent acceptance of homosexuality and adoption, then yes.
Alya has little patience for the Laconniers either, BTW, and she’ll consider the Leaguers to be useful idiots. You probably figured both of those out already, though.
Better to light a candle than curse the darkness. If you want there to be light in the setting, then make it yourself.
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deep
I think he’s talking about a potential civil war. After a revolution things are always unstable as the new state faces threats from counter revolutionaries who want to put things back the way they were as well as radicals who don’t think you’ve gone far enough.
As my MC want’s to take everything the noble’s have and give it to the helotry and yeomanry I’m more concerned about the former.
you could always try bribing the priesthood into not caring about the issue that much with position and newly liberated wealth. stuff their mouths with gold so to speak.
there’s every reason to think they would as the religion it’s from was Shayardene before it was Karagond.
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They accept the religion, sure. That said, I’m not ruling out the possibility that they have different views on lineage (I’m not saying they do or don’t, I’m saying we’ll see).
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@Havenstone Out of curiosity, how much of Shayard’s available land is actually under cultivation? As even with the noble latifundia and the various yeoman farmsteads scattered around, it seems like the country is far too big to be fully exploited by just 20 million helots.
Somewhat related, but in my fugue state for the past couple days, trying to deal with my life being a shitshow, I worked on another map.
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Got busy with Sir Brante and Monster Sanctuary, not sure when I’ll be around to finish my minmaxed Pacifist guide lol.
HOWEVER, I have already recorded the strategy on the Discord, so I won’t have to do any cognitive work to write it.
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