One of the few things that need not change is that we can still paint Halassur as the mortal enemy hellbent on conquering and enslaving everybody. 
Except instead of what justifications the Hegemony propaganda currently uses they’ll be the reactionary and anti-revolutionary great enemy.
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Even the skeptical attempted rationalism that I tend to adhere to can and has led to the starkest of fundamentalism. One of its first great flowerings was so enlightened that they had to invent a more efficient means of cutting people’s heads off en masse.
Not that a bunch of kenonists being led by a charismatic demagogue would ever do any such thing, of course.
It’s almost like religions, be they divinely or humanly inspired and theistic or atheistic, are made up of fallible human beings.
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Oooh i forgot it was against the rules, sorry
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Actually the guillotine was adopted during the reign of King Louis the revolutionaries just used it a lot.
interestingly the purpose of the guillotine was to be a more humane way of executing people
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Details 
And it is actually pretty humane in terms of reduced pain, not to mention reliability (since a botched axe-beheading or hanging can leave someone in minutes of agony before giving up the ghost). It’s also spectacular, which is why it became “our new idol of freedom,” to quote We: the Revolution. And its reliability and ease of use made it perfect for the steady stream of revolutionary executions.
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Which is ironic, because a guillotine kind of scares me more than other methods of execution, and I don’t even really get why. Maybe because it’s impersonal? Involves decapitation?
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Considering Bleys’ level of knowledge and firsthand experience (when it comes to graft/corruption), does he happen to have any go-to contacts/connections amongst G2-G5’s organized crime factions?
(thus, giving MC a head start/“character witness vouching”, with Bleys acting as liason between MC and the organized crime bosses)
Duly noted, and another quick question:
If Game 1 INT 1 MC upgrades to INT 2 during Game 2 (thus reaching the threshold to start learning Theurgy for the very first time), will it then be possible for that MC to undergo a “Secret Theurge” path for Game 2? (getting similar or better bonuses, when compared to Game 1’s “Secret Theurge” path)
I am of course assuming that the stat increase happened during’s MC’s trip to the Xaos-lands (where MC is practically in the middle of nowhere, and is thus presumably outside the reach of any spies (e.g. “Game 1’s unconfirmed traitor”) who could potentially report MC’s newfound Theurgic prowess to the Hegemony).
How much customization is available for the ventisputori?
(e.g. instead of rifles, maybe MC might instead specialize in pistols or shotguns?)
Or do pistols and shotguns cross into the “way too modern to be considered plausible for XoR” awkward territory?
And could ventisputori eventually be outfitted with “anti-Plektoi” bullets? (similar to the anti-Plektoi spear that aristo MC received from Abelard in Game 1’s Jailbreak route)
Hopefully, that hypothetical Talisman-wielder is somebody whom my MC can implicitly trust not to immediately seize power as the next Thaumatarch on the spot (as soon as Kleitos is killed or is defeated by other means).
Might the MC have a chance in influencing which subordinate/allied Theurge gets to occupy that role (e.g. nominate Cerlota or Yebben), or is the Talisman-wielder always going to be the same character in every playthrough?
Considering how fascinating I found @Azthyme’s past comparisons (e.g. Elery-Cabel, Yebben-Sarcifer, Breden-Laconnier) to be, that was what got me thinking about how many other “seemingly ‘starting out as small fry’ Game 1 characters” are being setup for (potential) greatness in the overall grand scheme of XoR’s narrative.
As you can see, that train of thought culminated into my imagined “Alaine becomes MC’s appointed governor of Nyr” scenario (which unfortunately, has now fallen apart in the face of @Havenstone’s cleverly picked analogy). 
Oh well, back to the drawing board! 
If Alaine isn’t a suitable governor for Nyr, then what about Jevahir, G2’s Nyrish spy?
As you can see in this article, it’s not uncommon for real-life intelligence officers to later transition into politicians. (with the most notable examples, in my opinion, being Bush Sr and Putin)
Since G1 establishes (or at least suggests) that most Whends are both…
#1: Devout (e.g. if Horion and Linos are killed by MC, MC’s Whendish members will get upset at MC’s egregious violation of Xthonic guest right/hospitality),
#2: and Cosmo (e.g. Korzsata, Bjel, and their ex-Phalangite buddies are the rewarded recruits for MC achieving a sufficiently high reputation for Cosmo)
Could MC rely on Whendish Xthonists as the (potential replacement) backbone of his religiously tolerant Xthonic denomination?
(if the hardline Shayardene Xthonists decide to revolt en masse in G5, thus “cracking up Shayard” in the process)
Or, might it be wiser for MC to proactively sideline the hardline Shayardene Xthonists during earlier games?
(e.g. he focuses on his Whendish Xthonic power base sooner during G3, and then later gives the hardline Shayardene Xthonists a good old dose of “Reassigned to Antarctica”)
Even though I’ve made a recurring habit of showering Cerlota’s characterization with praise on this forum (and generally treat her long-term intentions with the benefit of doubt), I will now play devil’s advocate with the following “time capsule” prediction of her “potentially sinister true intentions”:
If we assume that Cerlota herself is a master at navigating constant/lethal political wrangling, then perhaps we should consider the possibility that her “Theurges need to learn how to share (or outright surrender) political power with everybody else” stance is a smokescreen for her ‘true agenda’:
e.g. Theurges should cast aside (or decline) all public roles of power in favor of disappearing from the public eye to rule from the shadows (via puppet rulers who can be easily manipulated), thus becoming the éminence grise (or Illuminati) of the post-Hegemony continent.
The biggest point(s) of evidence that supports this theory (in my opinion) are:
#1: how Cerlota’s worldview is largely inspired from reading Sarcifer’s notes, and
#2: how it’s been mentioned in past forum posts that Sarcifer would prefer to puppeteer (rather than publicly usurp) MC.
How very interesting that you mention such prowess!
(Certainly makes me wonder why Erezza hasn’t yet fully tipped the balance of power in the Hegemony’s favor, in the context of the Hegemony’s war against Halassur)
Quick question: if several of Erezza’s mountain mines are already (and fully) mined/hollowed out, could they function as useful fallout shelters/replacement headquarters for MC’s faction?
Oh gosh, if the Hegemony-wide continent is the counterpart to Westeros (from Game of Thrones/ASOIAF), then it just now occurred to me that Erezza is the Westerlands, while the average Erezziano is a Lannister. 
Superior to both Karagon AND Shayard’s traditions?
Then I’d very much like for Cerlota to put her money where her mouth is.
Random follow-up idea: if MC were to host a singing/poetry contest, and it came down to Carles and Cerlota in the finals, which of the two finalists would win?
Currently, as of Game 1, my Cosmo Devout Aristo Theurge MC (closely adhering to @HughMyronBrough’s Backcountry Plot playthrough) regularly holds himself accountable to his band’s assembled apella (but also confessed to Horion about his ambition to one day build a new reformed Hegemony to replace the old one).
(Interpretation #1)
MC’s possible goal here (at least according to my POV) is to become (an elected) Holy Shayardene Emperor, with his apella serving as an Imperial Diet.
(FYI: instead of being a legally binding parliament, the Diet is at most an advisory body meant to determine the general opinion within the realm. The Emperor still gets final say and is in no way shape or form obligated to abide by their decision, but if he ignores the apella’s wishes one too many times, then his re-election may be prevented.)
(Interpretation #2)
MC’s “Hegemony Lite” is merely a Hegemony in name only (merely keeping Hegemony in the title for promotional purposes), instead acting more like a koinon in practice (with the apella serving as a legally binding parliament, while the Emperor acts more like a President than Hegemon).
If Cerlota takes MC’s above-mentioned past governing style, MC’s post-Hegemony ambition, and the two MC interpretations into consideration, what would her reaction be?
If governorship isn’t her cup of tea, then there’s alternative job offer I’d like to make to Cerlota: Archwisard of the “Defenders of the Codex/Innocents”.
Surely, the organization’s politically independent nature (and its goal of keeping leaders accountable/honest, while deposing the leaders who aren’t) would appeal to Cerlota’s ideology, correct?
Or would she immediately realize the “co-opted by the corrupt forces they’re meant to keep in check” potential drawback (that you pointed out earlier), thus rejecting the idea on the spot?
Erjan has a sister? How fascinating.
Is she a pirate, smuggler, spy, different role, or (classified until game release)?
New idea (for sustaining such an “outside threat”): periodic “Scooby-Doo monster hoaxes” of the week/month/year.
And let’s not forget the Unquiet Dead/“White Walkers” too!
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If I remember rightly it was a violation of the whendish native religion not Xthonthism that they were objecting to there.
Although hardline religious factions can provide a powerful unifying factor especially after a revolution see Iran and Oliver Cromwell
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Anyone know if it’s possible to keep some of the bane forged spears you get from the high priest relationship if you fight? Or if there’s other bane forged items you can get in general
If I recall correctly those are the only ones obtained in the first game and this next bit I think is true but I’m not 100% on been a while lol but it should be possible to not half to use them.
It’s not that Wiends as a group are particularly cosmo or homelander, it’s that they’re not attracted to a leader who is a Shayardene homelander. Which, uh, makes sense.
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If you lose the final battle there’s a way to get a bane forged sword
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Huh you think that would be a reward. Neat, thank ya!
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we’ve talked a lot about what a 6 int and 6 cha build will look like but what would a 6 com build look like
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Napoleon Musashi.
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Thanks for the corrections/clarifications; here’s to hoping that my MC’s “Eclect of all nations” promise continues winning over the Wiends!
How many of the “old guard” Archimandrites do you estimate that Alya will be able to win over to her cause? (or will she seek to completely overhaul the current Xthonic leadership, stacking it with her lackeys/“yes-men”)
And in a game which rewards committing to your chosen ideology (e.g. more troops/lieutenants), why bother pursuing a Ruthless/Compassionate balance?
Are you deliberately handicapping Alya to prevent her playthroughs from becoming too easy, or is there some sort of “counter-intuitive” advantage that you can get from a balanced reputation/trait allocation?
Will Alya…
#1: loot the Phaedran biotelos from Phaedrx’s cold, dead, and stubborn hands,
#2: keep Phaedrx alive, but instead copy Phaedrx’s homework with good old fashioned espionage,
#3: or will she instead jump into uncharted territory by establishing (some form of) alliance with Phaedrx, albeit at the cost of alienating most of Alya’s previous followers?
Random idea on how Alya can keep the peace with the helot firebrand minority (e.g. Radmar, Kalt/Kala, and their followers) who may have been expecting to have received social mobility from her: distract them with periodic gladiator tournaments, which would…
#1: Channel their aggression/fighting talents in a constructive/recreational manner
#2: And give the helots’ most accomplished warriors an opportunity to make a living (as potentially rich (or at least becoming a new middle class) gladiators) during times of peace
FYI, bought the entire 14-audiobook collection on Audible; and now it’s in the upper-middle part of my audiobook to-listen list. Wish me luck!
The Laconniers are infamous for having survived multiple Kryptast purges in the past (and may or may not have BECOME the current generation of Kryptasts, if my theory turned out to be correct). I’ll certainly be curious to see what Alya does differently (compared to the Hegemony) to properly stamp out the Laconniers this time around.
As you may have seen from my previous posts, I happen to be rather fond of Alaine Leybridge. How high would Alaine rank in Alya’s post-Hegemony government?
(or would Alya prefer to leave Alaine alone to her own “small town merchant” antics?)
I’m very curious about what qualifies as your definition of “useful idiots”.
Is there enough “window dressing” to trick the Leaguers into thinking that Alya is bothering to share power with them? (or did you have a different form of manipulation in mind)
And given how Machiavellian and competent Teren has been described in the past, is Alya still employing Teren (in her post-Hegemonic world order), or is Teren too intelligent/independent-minded of a subordinate to keep alive?
On another note, where is Alya’s royal capital going to be located?
A: Grand Shayard
B: The acres of her old family estate
C: Aekos (directly building a new ground level palace over the ruins of Kleitos’ floating palace, to symbolize Alya’s victory over him)
D: Aveche
E: Somewhere else entirely?
New idea for an XoR enemy type:
Could insectoid (or crablike) Plektoi become enlarged/customizable enough to become mobile Harrowers?
@Havenstone Will there be any named achievements for uniting all three G1-mentioned historic rebellions under MC’s banner? (or loose coalition)
Random thought: for a Shayardene Homelander MC who successfully creates (and then maintains) a peaceful new world order, what would be the proper achievement title -
Pax Shayardica, Pax Shayardena, or some other phrasing?
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If they join her, she’ll probably keep them as-is. She’s getting a significant amount of support from the lower clergy, and I imagine that enough of the old Archimandrites will join her to help significantly ease the transition for the folks who more-or-less want business as usual. There’ll be plenty of vacancies she’ll need to fill, of course.
A little of both. I don’t want her to be too compassionate, but the decisions she’s making tend to be along the lines of “restrained force” and “not causing too much Xaos.” Also, I don’t really need the morale boost from maxing the meter.
Favoring 3. Alienated followers are easy to replace and Phaedra gives her legitimacy for replacing the Thaumatarch, as well as neutralizing a probable rival. If I can’t recruit Phaedra, though, then she’s a threat to Alya’s new rule. You can probably figure out Alya’s attitude toward threats.
Depends on how much support Alaine was willing to contribute. She might be able to manage an aristarchy or something on that level if she proves herself.
Alya doesn’t know Teren yet and hasn’t really made plans for him. If he’s useful, he’ll be a good subordinate.
As for the Leaguers, they share a lot of ideals - cosmopolitan, mostly pro-aristocracy but wanting to lighten the yoke on helots a little. Where they disagree is on the shape of the power structure at the top, which means that they can work together for a good stretch of the way but Alya is likely to have to discard them later.
Aekos if she deems it a workable option. If not, Aegre and Avezia are both possibilities. Grand Shayard is out - it’s way off to the side of the Empire, and it’s a symbol of a Shayardene Empire rather than a new Thaumatarchy that erases such distinctions.
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For the kenosis achivement can you get it with the help of brenden with one charisma
Nope. Kenon is for the charismatic only.
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Did Shayardenes always say “Xthonos” or did they use other terms before the conquest for their deity?
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