Format: Name of Player: House (Imperial Position)
Story goes here, sometimes with a name I give.

Thomas Berubeg: House Klorin (1st imperial Regent)
Lord Kawalen’s Speech for the Candidacy of Rengency (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=9971528&postcount=34)
Proproganda for the Imperium (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=9983369&postcount=96)
Charters of New Imperial Positions (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10022198&postcount=204)

Totone: House Naprous
The Old and the Sea/The Beauty and the Handsomest Beast (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=9986594&postcount=108)
Explosives in Assimov (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10058770&postcount=366)

HBar: House Sanctious'Als
Scepter COM Intercept (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=9994165&postcount=133)

Diamondeye: House Bossheaim
Apprehension (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10002296&postcount=144)

LDiCesare: House Tsedeq
The Old Man Part 2 (AKA waiting for the Update) (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10005551&postcount=159)


Blackbard: House Xicier
The Long Sand Tulong and Juno (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10007923&postcount=163)
Jeremiah the Butler (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10058911&postcount=369)

Adrogans: House Query
From the Mouths of the Serfs (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10010192&postcount=164)
Clark: Black Residence (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10056834&postcount=365)
New Recruits (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10037117&postcount=308)


Kyzarc Fotjadge: House Quin
Drillmaster Silliness (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10010603&postcount=170)

Darksaber1: House Thana
Motivational Song: Bash Thy Writers’ Block! (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10011293&postcount=171)

Ekolite: House Holy Gate (1st Chief(tess) of the Imperial Eye)
Black Roses at Dusk (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10043936&postcount=330)
Red (Roses?) in the Morning (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10053390&postcount=344)

Seon: House Koriate (1st Admiral of Imperial Fleet)
Double Feature!: : A Double’s Deception/Draconian Dream (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10048097&postcount=334)
First Case’s Lesson: Don’t Make Cases until all information is gained (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10066941&postcount=488)

Immaculate: The Pancreater
Fanart of the Empire (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10055219&postcount=348)

Terrance888: House Vanari
A Morning in the Towers of Romeni (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10065706&postcount=468)


Few things: Some stories go with diplo, some are spoilered, some aren't. Some are short and very long. They are all very good.
Also, what kind of 'Good' diplomacy and announcements should also go in?

New Trade Routes:

Tsedeq Mammon Clarke-Arrakis-Hubbard Run
1 VK-II-Class Freighter

Dock at Prospector’s spaceport on Clarke, load Prospector’s metals, Tsedeq and fisher’s guid fish and aquaculture. Jump to Arrakis. Land Xicier fiefdom, unload metals, load textiles, Jump Hubbard, land at Bossheim fiefdom, unload food, textiles, load metals, Jump Arrakis, land Xicier, unload metals, load tea, coffee, textiles, Jump Clarke. Land Prospectors’ port. Refuel. Unload tea, coffee, textiles, Repeat.

Value: 10MF (could be increased with spaceports at other jump-sites)
Tsedeq: 3 MF
Prospectors: 2MF
Fisher’s Guild: 1 MF
Xicier: 2MF
Bossheim: 1MF

Note that this trade-route brings a LOT of metals to a metal-hungry world, Arrakis, but dumps them all in Xicier fiefdom. As a result, metal prices there are still high for now because there was such a huge demand but will drop rapidly if the market for the metals is not expanded.






Also, House Tsedeq, Xicier, and Bossheim,

I had not yet increased your income from the new trade route. That has been done now. Your incomes have improved. I apologize for having overlooked this. Blackbard- this may solve some of the confusion you had referred to.

Ah yes. Found it. It's a bit meta, I think, but still. Click here. (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=8912071&postcount=645)

Ah yes. Found it. It's a bit meta, I think, but still. Click here. (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=8912071&postcount=645)



Seon's link points to an alternative reality- the first time we played this game. In this reality they did no such thing. Additionally the resources available to the houses then are different to what they have available now.

Just to make that perfectly clear for everyone.

Terrance, you missed this story of mine in your list:
How to compute coordinates for any world from any jumpgate (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10061951&postcount=404)
Admittedly, it's pretty late-night silly writing, was spoilered and mostly unnoticed.
Still, I like silly.

According to House Texier and the Authority information, it looks plausible that a virus was taken from the Regency research facilities and used against the Orthodox church. The close ties of House Sanctious'Als with the Orthodoxy may explain their being hit hard.
House Texier has obviously been targeted. The assassination attempt on the one hand, the serious plague outbreaks on the other hand, prove someone has tried to get rid of them. This is a bit puzzling since House Texier has always been neutral. It's as if someone had picked them because they looked like the softest target.

"Steak again, sister?"

The scepter crackled to life as Belgit set down her fork. She frowned the the holo of her brother. "You can check the accounts, Ophit. My indulgences are paid in full. And with shipping stalled, the price of food has dropped through the floor." She glanced at the bloody slab of meat on the plate. "Besides, this steak isn't going to eat itself. What news of the plague?"

Ophit's face darkened. "It's bad. Worse than you can imagine. Now that rumors are swirling that it was man-made, the houses are getting restless. There might be war, if anyone can raise an army or man the factories." He allowed himself a rare smile. "Then again, with the power out and the factories idle, we might stand a chance for once. The power of Faith is that it comes from within."

"Always a sermon with you. Keep your faith - I'd rather have a prayer and a lasgun then just a prayer. God arms those who arm themselves, you know."

"Belgit, I ... there's a reason for this call. Most of our garrison has succumbed to this plague. I still have the Templars, but bodyguards can't stop an army of heathens. Even if we are not attacked, it seems this plague can kill even the sceptre-bound, and barring that, there will be food riots that could engulf the continent. If I fall, I need to know that you will ... do what is necessary."

"Y-yes, brother, of course, but..."

The scepter went dark. Alone in her desert fortress, Belgit eyed the remains of her meal. "In the end, after all our plans and all our dreams, this is all we are," she muttered as she tossed the steak to a patiently waiting guard dog.

"...meat."

Nice one, hbar :goodjob:

House Koriate's intellect is dazzling. Might you help us find the pirate lord that has kidnapped our beloved Patriarch? We have our suspicions, but they are merely that. (I haven't been able to ask Immac yet about the heraldry colors and spider design.)

So far what we know is that there are only four noble houses with marauder legions, though this does not discount the guilds, Imperial Services and Church, namely: Query, Holy Gate and Kilgore. Of these three houses Holy Gate was hit, leaving Query and Kilgore.

House Koriate's intellect is dazzling. Might you help us find the pirate lord that has kidnapped our beloved Patriarch? We have our suspicions, but they are merely that. (I haven't been able to ask Immac yet about the heraldry colors and spider design.)

So far what we know is that there are only four noble houses with marauder legions, though this does not discount the guilds, imperial services and church, namely: Query, Holy Gate and Kilgore

I reject all of the noble houses as suspects. None of them have access to a Cricket class frigate.

If you remember back to a couple of years ago, you will notice that A JUMPGATE OVER ASSIMOV OPENED, BUT NO SHIP CAME OUT. However, the jumpgate was not activated in the only planet people could journey to Assimov from. So where was the jumpgate activated from? And why?

The ship that attacked Naprous was a Cricket Frigate. Let us think about who have access to the Cricket Frigate. The Imperium is an obvious choice, but you must remember that the Eye Commander was attacked as well. The Fleet's Cricket was occupied elsewhere. So it must have been a different, unknown third party. The Cricket is known to be used by the elves (Evvis). In addition, we do not know where the Elves come from, nor do we know where they live. But I am not done! The kidnappers demanded that the town callers shout "No tears for Ragel" in the Bazaar of Mammon. Who was spotted in the Bazaar of Mammon two years ago?

It was an elf. It was killed soon after, but it proves that the elves have a presence in the Bazaar.

I theorize that it was the elves who are comitting piracy over Assimov! They came from their planet, so no gate opened in Errovus Secundus. This theory explains all!

alternatively it could have been that one of the Guilds found a completely new different planet, colonized it, found a jump coordinate from there to Assimov, and then sent in a Cricket frigate to pirate the hell out of everything. But that's the boring solution.

(the following by the courtesy of Immac:) As you've theorized a cricket class frigate was also used. All cricket class frigates were busy fighting in the Imperial Fleet on Stigmata, thus it cannot be the Imperial Fleet. There are three factories capable of producing cricket class frigates, namely the Church's on Holy Terra Errovus, The Fleet's on E2 and the Society of Engineers on Leagueheim.
There were some pirates in the known world some time ago, but they have not been active for a while and little is known of them (thus they are a possibly, but unlikely perpetrator).

The Fleet is the only one with crickets, but was also busy fighting on Stigmata so it can't have been them.
The Church factory on Holy Errovus hasn't built any cricket class frigates (or any ships for the matter), and wouldn't do so for anyone but the Church. The SoE factory on Leagueheim has built two freighters, a league-type frigate and started an RKV, but no crickets.
That leaves only the Fleet factory on E2, or outside forces.

We agree it might very well be the damn elves up to mischief again.
The heraldry is similar to that of Query, but Query does not have the blue color in it. Anyway, they can't have done it as you've pointed out above.
Also, there were apparently only 5-6 Marauders attacking from the frigate.

The Fleet is the only one with crickets, but was also busy fighting on Stigmata so it can't have been them.
The Church factory on Holy Errovus hasn't built any cricket class frigates (or any ships for the matter), and wouldn't do so for anyone but the Church. The SoE factory on Leagueheim has built two freighters, a league-type frigate and started an RKV, but no crickets.
That leaves only the Fleet factory on E2, or outside forces.

Do we know what happens in Leagueheim?

For all we know, it could have been the Musters. But elves seem like the most likely suspect here. Yeah, it's the goddamn elves.

Curse them. CURSE THEM! (http://weremole.deviantart.com/art/Goddamn-Elves-178229881?moodonly=24)

OOC: ;D great one dude...

On the issue of the Regency, we once again bear witness to the character of Klorin house. If they wanted profit, surely they would just have taken us over by now.

Population Count (before the plague) of Errovus Secundus, not counting military personnel:

Freemen: 390 million
Noble Houses and Guilds: 40.91 million
Churches: 2.85 million
Imperial Branches: 36.4 million (of which 31 million are of the Regent)

Seraphina Abashideq breathed deeply.
She rose, and took another breath. It was so good. To just breathe. After...
She didn't want to think of it anymore, but it haunted her. It had been so... horrible.

She had been in the St Lugus of the Flames Cathedral when the first cases had been reported. The woman beside her during the mass had been coughing all the time.
Seraphina remembered thinking bad about the woman. Couldn't she be quiet in the holy place? How was she expectedd to listen to the priest with these ceaseless coughs beside her?
She had spent the rest of the day in the Orthodox district and then flown back home in her helicopter, in order to avoid the slums.
She wanted to avoid these because she knew the freemen were dangerous, whereas the Orthodox district! What danger could have been there?

Seraphina shook her head. She mustn't think about it. Spider. Think about the spider. Blue, black, silver. Spider. That was her quest. That was what she had to find. She moved to the shelf and put back the book. She took another one from the seemingly unlimited rows of the library.
There were so many noble houses. So many records, over so many generations. Some of the records dated back to Holy Errovus itself, if Marcus had to be believed.
But she would no longer see Marcus...

Back to the fiefdom, Marcus greeted her, asking her if she had a good trip. She said the Cathedral was grand, but how the mass had been slightly spoiled for her. She told him the anecdote of the coughing woman and, as she finished her tale, she coughed too. Marcus laughed at that. But she hadn't coughed to have fun. She already... And Marcus...

No! Blue, Silver and Black Heraldy, Spider Design! That was what she had to concentrate upon. Take the next book, the next old leather-bound vellum tome, bring it back to the table, sit down and read.
What was this one? Azure with seven sinople trees and a red bleeding man crowned in gold in the middle of the trees.
Weird. The legend said 'Eekin of the grove'. An Eekin offshoot house perhaps? There was an explanation below, but it was written in extremely archaic Old Errovian. How old could this book be? Seraphina tried to decipher the script. It didn't seem to make much sense. Apparently, this coat of arms was passed to the killer of whoever owned it before?
They really had some weird customs back then... but it's not a spider no matter what.
What's the next one? Sable with a golden cloud blowing wind onto a silver face!

She had not just coughed on Marcus. She had spit. He cleaned his face smiling, and jested about the whole thing. Then he had left.
Two days after that, she would lay in bed, sweating. She didn't know how long it had been. She had no idea how many nightmares she'd had. She knew she had woken up at last, suddenly her fever gone. She had felt exhausted, but healed. She knew it.
Marcus hadn't been that lucky. He had died five days after she came back.

She had killed him, and so many others, bringing back the disease that woman had, in the Cathedral, to House Tsedeq...

Seraphina straightened. She turned the page, and looked at the next coat of arms. Red and yellow stuff. Not what she was looking for. Blue, Silver and Black Heraldy, Spider Design. She must find it. She might be unable to do anything about the plague, but she might be able to find out who that other threat was.
Blue, Silver, Black, Spider...

From Mortimer Tormah Tsedeq
To House klorin
O Noble Klorin house.
We respectfully request that House Klorin help us in finding out whoever abducted Ragel Naprous. We believe piracy cannot be tolerated, and, even though it is only one of the many problems our worlds currently face, it should be tackled as fast as possible.
We are not requesting money, troops or actions. We would be asking the Regency if that was the case, but we are instead talking to the House.
We know that the pirates have blue, silver and black coat of arms with spider design. So far, our scholars have been unable to identify the origin of these arms. We believe that maybe they are extremely ancient and may belong to an old house or corporation, which could be hiding in a world accessible from Assimov jump-gate.
In order to find out if that is indeed the case, we would like to have access to the facilities of the great library of Amur, so our scholars could look for these symbols, which may give us some hint on who the perpetrators of this piracy act might be.

Sincerely yours,
Mortimer Tormah Tsedeq

To All Imperial Branches, Noble Houses, Churches and Guilds (but on a coded Imperial channel) from House Naprous

Regarding the Freighter ransom Errovus Secundus shipyards will be unavailable to construct the ship, and the Churchs finances will be busy preparing a relief effort for when the quarantine is lifted. Sadly the Authority Guild and Naprous House which are mainly and entirely based in Errovus Secundus are also crippled at the moment and unable to fund such an effort.
We will need to construct the ship either on Leagueheim or preferably Holy Errovus (it is the closest and the Church is most trustworthy) and we humbly request the help of the Imperial Eye, Fleet and Regency as well as those of the guilds and houses in aiding in the construction of this freighter. While this is a ransom it is also among other things a chance to once more observe the Assimov jumpgate for an asynchronous jump, and to reap the rewards that could come with it as we suspect Eevis.
We hope you will consider the potential profits of this venture for the betterment of the Noble Houses and the Imperium as well as the well-being of Ragel, his scepter and the two noble house yachts.

We believe that the plague is unrelated to the assassination attempt. No-one has any possible interest in both. We heavily suspect the Authority of the attempted poisoning, and we think it is almost inconceivable that they instigated the plague, for reasons they themselves gave.

We also think that House Bossheaim's suggestion about a link with the death of Michelos van Hersula is a complete red herring with no relevance whatsoever. The disease was tuberculosis, not the plague (ooc: and more to the point, it happened in Eko's story at his instigation, not in an update).

We await the Regent's response to all the matters discussed so far before we make any further statement on the issue.

We hope you will consider the potential profits of this venture for the betterment of the Noble Houses and the Imperium as well as the well-being of Ragel, his scepter and the two noble house yachts.
Yielding to pirates? So they have a freighter they can use to ferry troops or to earn money and build more frigates to attack more planets?
The ransom is only for Ragel, not the yachts, if the message is to be understood correctly.
The pirates should be dispatched, not paid, if you want my opinion. I don't think sending money at the pirates, in the shape of a freighter that can be used to make more money and to ferry troops from one world to another, would be a good idea.

Yielding to pirates? So they have a freighter they can use to ferry troops or to earn money and build more frigates to attack more planets?
The ransom is only for Ragel, not the yachts, if the message is to be understood correctly.
The pirates should be dispatched, not paid, if you want my opinion. I don't think sending money at the pirates, in the shape of a freighter that can be used to make more money and to ferry troops from one world to another, would be a good idea.

What if we add a certain hidden...failsafe?

We could rig the ship so that it explodes if certain signals are given.

What if we add a certain hidden...failsafe?

We could rig the ship so that it explodes if certain signals are given.

Better to track their movements instead. I'd rather burn the have than swat one wasp.

Better to track their movements instead. I'd rather burn the have than swat one wasp.

We could send a bat class yacht after them to follow them around. We might be able to find another Symbiote Free planet!

House Naprous has been in discussion with House Koriate. It was their idea to add a failsafe and ours to detail a bat-yacht. There will certainly be measures to lessen the risk and enchance the likelihood of a reward, but this cannot be done wholly without risk. As much as the perpetrators will expect us to attempt something they will not tolerate too much interference.
At any rate if we decline the offer to ransom Ragel we will be left with no ends towards discovering the perpetrators behind this and the asynchronous use of the jumpgate. It may be best to go along with it for now and begin construction at the very least as the perpetrators seem well placed enough to at least know whether their ransom is being constructed or not.

To add to the mystery, house klorin attempted to infiltrate imperial eye networks this turn. Could this in some way be linked to the attack of one of my sceptre holders, and the commander of the imperial eye above assimov? Perhaps a little far~fetched, but I would very much like to know what his spies were doing, if not gathering information on the location of my characters.

If somebody unravels this web of intrigue, I think it will be able to link Assimov and Erebus Secundus without the aid of a jump gate.

EDIT: And Jesus Christ how many people must use viral weapons?!

Enjoy! And happy Newyears everyone!
klang!

klang!

Klang!

KLang!

KLAng!

KLANg!!

KLANG!!!

The intensity of the hammer blows grew as Sergeant McKrim walked towards the spike driver. His tall, slim build and hooked nose suggested a connection to the Xicier’s, but that was not uncommon. Several of the workers looked up from their tasks and smiled as he approached. He had become a popular man during the project, twice spotting wild game and bagging them for meals of hot venison for all the workers. His now famous rifle “Cracker” hung as usual from his shoulder.
KLANG!!!
“Oy, Sergeant, any chance of joining us for some cards tonight?” yelled a burly construction worker from the seat of the spike driver. “I want to drink for free tonight!” he laughed along with many of the other workers. The sergeant, while respected for his skills with a rifle, was known to lose at card games with a regularity that ensured he could rarely afford to buy himself a drink past the first hand.
KLANG!!!
“Probably not tonight” he yelled back, adding “Got a training exercise to run with the boys.” It was also common knowledge, that while he and ‘his boys’ were poorly equipped, they sure as hell weren’t going to be out of shape or unprepared. And so, more often than not, Sergeant McKrim and his unit of Red Coats would be off training in the hills surrounding the workers. What many often found even more amazing was that even though they all wore brand new red jackets, once they got into the hills they still managed to disappear. No wonder some of the locals that had tried a bit of banditry at the start of the project called them ‘Red Devils’.
KLANG!!!
A wave was all the response the Sergeant got in return as the workers went back to work. He too had places to go and people to see. His commander awaited him beyond the ridge, and when he arrived a makeshift command center had been established. It was meant to be torn down in under a minute, but when up and in use, it was the center of a wasp nest’s worth of activity. The swirling business had become routine for the Red Coats, as they were fulfilling their primary duty before establishing more permanent quarters in this wild untamed land.
“McKrim, I need you and your unit to scour these coordinates.” The commander pointed to a spot on the map. “We have word that some warlord has decided he doesn’t want farms up in his territory. Need you to convince him it’s not his decision to make any more.”
McKrim raised an eyebrow at this last comment. He would do his duty, but like many Xicier citizens, there was at best a small difference between native Arrakeen and Fief dweller. His own grandfather was a dune breed man come to Xicier lands to fetch himself a wife, and had never left the city. The chance to make a better life for himself and his future family had been too great. McKrim understood the Arrakeen from these parts, no doubt why he and his unit had been chosen to undertake this mission.
He finished listening to his commander and with a final “dismissed”, saluted and left. He and his men left that very same hour after fully supplying themselves at the company trucks. There was no fan fare and no tear stained cheeks, simply the odd wave to an old friend before they disappeared into the hills.

..................................................

They each knew the other was there, but doing something about it was proving to be a major problem. McKrim’s unit had travelled that whole afternoon, before settling down to a fireless camp that evening. They had set out early the next morning but had stopped at the first signs of a large group of men nearby. They had cautiously stayed out of sight, but the Freemen of Arrakeen were no slouches to this kind of game either. Before any of the Red Coats knew what had hit them, small munitions rounds were peppering the ground around them. They scrambled into cover and began to lay down a suppressing fire.
“Max, get to that cover on the right!” “Eddy, toss a grenade over that tree stump now!” “Take cover!” Men were laying covering fire, throwing grenades and yelling when ‘Cracker’ sounded out for the first time.
CRACK!!
She always had a deeper cracking sound than most rifles had, and her distinctive sound along with the Sergeant’s skills reminded their enemy whom they faced. The gun fire started back up again when ‘Cracker’ fired again, silencing another enemy weapon.
CRACK!!
Suddenly all you could hear was someone over the hill yelling at his men to “cease fire.” Everyone except one man stopped firing, who finally stopping with a third “crack” of Sergeant McKrim’s rifle.
CRACK!!
The sudden silence was accentuated by violent cussing from beyond the hill.
“Tavor, second son of Alec McKrim…is that you?” The Arrakeen hills man shouted.
Sergeant McKrim started laughing. “Chin, you sorry excuse for a human! What are you doing leading this miserable excuse of a group, you sad pile of beetle crap?” He slowly lowered his rifle, but did not leave his position. His men took his lead and stayed behind their cover.

..................................................


“Yes Sir!” Sergeant McKrim remained at attention, while his commander shook his head in disbelief. “You mean to tell me that once that fella recognized the sound of your gun, he told his men to stand down?”
“Yes Sir!” again echoed through the temporary headquarters.
“And that once he knew he was related to you...how many times removed…he told his men to choose following him or going back to their eunuch of a leader in the hills. And they all chose to follow him? And what’s more, that we now have an entire village of men loyal to us…or more specifically you…with their wives and family ready to start a new life here along the rail line?”
He didn’t wait for an answer, but started to howl with laughter.
“Only you McKrim, only you!” he chuckled. “Get these men into uniforms and start training them. If they aren’t fit for duty, get them farming!”
“Yes Sir!”
“Dismissed” he paused and added “oh, and good work Sergeant!” he smiled and as McKrim walked away all he could hear were the renewed sounds of laughter from the command tent.

Just wanting to say this game is a really great read.
edit: Are there any available sides? I'm not experienced at writing stories, but if anyone has lost interest I've got that in plenty.

Ludenard admired the liquid inside the flask, and opened the cap. The liquid’s deep almond-like aroma filled the entire room. Ludenard carefully tilted the flask towards the decanter, letting the liquid fall into it. The color of the silken column as it descended into the decanter was…brown


The grey haired man smiled as he leaned on the tree. It was a beautiful night. People who could see him hiking alone in the Inceillian forest at winter would have thought that he was insane, suicidal, or both. But he was none of those. He was a survival expert, after all.

He heard the Snow Parakeets flutter in the branches directly up. Even in winter, the forest was full of life. He looked around. Yes, he thought. This was the spot. He took out his rifle and… listened…

Ludenard heard a loud crack. He frowned as he lost concentration. A bit of white spilled on the desk. He cursed as he immediately took a nearby rag and wiped it away. “What happened?” he yelled.

“Nothing, your majesty,” said Hades as he emerged from the next room. “One of the equipment overheated. It is being taken care of by technicians immediately.”

Ludenard grunted an acknowledgement. Hades bowed once and left Ludenard alone in the room again. Ludenard reached for another flask. This time, the color was… golden.

He didn’t like the blond one. She didn’t like him either. She struck out her little tongue towards him.

“Ludenard,” his father said, showing her to him. “This is Alexia Ashford. She will be staying here for a while.


They looked at each other. They both lifted their foot and simultaneously stepped on each other.

His father laughed.

Hades Jomon shook Ludenard awake. “Hmm? Oh no not again,” Ludenard muttered.

Hades Jomon laughed. “Here is what you requested none the less, sir,” he said as he plunked down a flask on Ludenrd’s desk. Ludenard mumbled a gratitude and popped it open. This time, no smell emerged from the flask. The liquid that poured out of the flask and into the decanter was white.

The stars emanated their white light as they glowed in the evening sky. “Alexia!” Ludenard shouted.

“Hey Ludie,” Alexia answered. “What’s up?”

“Dinner. Father called to get you…what are you doing outside?”

“I was watching the stars,” Alexia replied. She seemed deep in thought.

“Cool,” Ludenard muttered. There is silence. “So what are you thinking of?”

“Sorry?”

“I said what are you thinking of,” Ludenard answered.

“Ah yes. Of course. Well, I was thinking about evolution,”

“Evolution?”

“Yes, you know about the fossils that people dig up in Arrakis, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Well, none of those animals exist anymore. They evolved to become what life exists on Arrakis now. Perhaps the best indicator of this can be found in the isolated island chains of Clarke. Long time ago, those islands actually formed a single landmass which was dominated by a single species of birds. Then, the islands began to break away until the birds could not reach each other anymore. In addition, the islands had different environment. Different predators, different foods. The birds began to adapt to best suit the environment, and became so different that they are now completely unlike each other. Yet via genetic testing, we can determine that there are, indeed, much similarity between the birds.”

Ludenard nodded through the scientific explanation, reminded of having to talk to your father abot seeing whomever it was that thought it was a good idea to give a college level science book to bunch of twelve year olds. “Awesome,” you mutter.

“Awesome is right,” Alexia smiled.

“And what am I? Chopped liver?” Ludenard’s father yelled from the window. “Get back in here you little lovebirds!” “HEY!” they both shouted at Ludenard’s father. He merely laughed from the window…

Ludenard opened the skull and crossbones marked refrigerator and dug through it. Neatly lined to the side were the samples of all the deadly venoms of creatures in Inceillia. Next to them were rows of deadly deadly synthetic chemicals, right under the rows of less deadly deadly synthetic chemicals. From here, he pulled out a small test tube. He dug through the racks of viruses. From here, he pulled out a cheese cake.

He threw the cheese cake away into the incinerator and stopped near the decanter. He popped open the vial and poured the deep, deep…

There was a splash as Ludenard entered the deep deep blue water of Inceillia. He briefly wondered how Alexia did this almost every single day, and shook away the thought. It wouldn’t do well to appear weak, as Alexia jumped in straight after you.

The radio crackles to life. “Thanks for doing this with me, Ludie,” the voice rings out crisp and clear. “Of course,” you answer back. She has her underwater camera with her. “Come on,” she says. “We only have a couple of hours in our tank.” Ludenard obliged and dived into the deep dark sea after her.

When they finally emerged from the water, they found the captain awaiting them with darkened face. “Sir Akatas? He said cautiously.”

“Just Ludenard’s fine. I told you that, right?” Ludenard said.

“…Circumstance changed, my liege. Your father’s dead. You are the new duke.”

Ludenard froze. Alexia’s mouth dropped to form a little o. Maybe it was the wind, the world felt so much colder.

Ludenard stirred his coffee cup blankly. “Hoping that you have another good day!” was printed to the side of the cup. The bitter aroma wafted up and replaced the almond-like aroma in the air. “That’s better,” Ludenard muttered and took a little drink of the coffee. The coffee had a midnight black color…

Darkness. Ludenard felt as if there was a 10 ton weight upon his chest.

“…he took a bullet to the side, but it seems to have missed the vital organs,” a voice said.

“How did he get past the security?”

“The assassin is still at large…”

“…Get me more of Type A blood…”

“…at least she didn’t suffer.”

“Who would have thought of doing such a…”

And then a flood of light. The face of Dante Labis stared into Ludenard. “Thank the Pancreator,” he breathes a sigh of relief. “I thought I almost lost you!”

“Wha- how?” you mutter. Dante puts a reassuring hand on Ludenard’s shoulder. “Don’t move. There was an assassin. You were shot.”

“Her…how…” Dante seemed confused at first, but then understood what Ludenard was speaking about. He merely shook his head. Ludenard suddenly felt…so much colder.
Ludenard took out the handkerchief, embroidered with the House Koriate banner. The Gold Dragon on purple background. He dipped it into a container of purple liquid and ripped out the wet part. Then he set the piece on fire. The fire glowed an unnatural…

Purple.

Purple everywhere. And with purple, there were the symbols of dragons. This was the main court of the Koriate House. This place, normally bustling with courtiers, was currently empty. It currently only held Ludenard Akatas’s uncle and Ludenard Akatas himself.

“So, boy,” his uncle said. “I heard that you were hanging out with this Ashford girl…”

“What about it uncle?” Ludenard said. He didn’t like the fact that his uncle dismissed all of his courtiers.

“You are not thinking of marrying her, are you?”

Ludenard gave his uncle a shocked glance. He wasn’t expecting that. “Wh-what about it?” Ludenard managed to stammer. The ring that he hid in his front pocket now seemed like a glaring target sign.

“Oh no, as the duke, you have the right to do as you please,” the uncle mutters. It’s just that it would be a damn waste. You know that both her parents are dead because they went to Assimov to study local fauna, right? And I heard that she herself is pretty reckless. Besides, there are tons of potentially more politically powerful suitors. Don’t you think you should go after, you kno-“

“Shut up,” Ludenard said flatly. The uncle growled. “Are you disobeyi-“

“No, I am ordering you, uncle, to shut your mouth,” Ludenard growled back. They glared at each other for minutes before uncle finally rose and strode out of the room.

Ludenard busily crushed something in the plate. It was some kind of yellow herb from far away planet of Assimov. The bashing noise filled the entire room, and various flasks on the table vibrated with each strike. Finally, he tilted the pulp and allowed the liquid extract to fall into the decanter. The extract, unlike the plant it came from, was colored green.

Alexia and Ludenard stood in a clearing, green needle of pine all around them. The call of snow parakeets filling the air. It was a beautiful night, with all the Inceillian Moons glowing at the brightest. “I…have to tell you something, Ludenard,” Alexia said. “I am leaving for Assimov tomorrow.

“But I want you to stay, Alexia,” Ludenard replied. “And Ludie will do, as always.”

“I know, but your uncle…”

Ludenard paused. She turned away. “I can’t stay here anymore, Ludie,” Alexia finally said.

“Then I will follow you,” Ludenard replied. Alexia’s eyes opened wide. “What?! You can’t do that!” she yelled. “What about the people?”

“What about them?” Ludenard yelled back. “Dante Labis, I am sure, will make a fabulous leader. I am sure that Ubertino would do so as well, if he gets rid of that cowardly streak. Besides, Akatas family has been in power for too long! It’s time for us to step down. No, I am coming with you.”

They stared at each other for a moment before they embraced each other. “Don’t ever let go,” Alexia mumbled. Ludenard nodded. “Alexia?” he said. “Hmm?” “Will you-“

Ludenard never finished that sentence. There was a sharp crack and he felt something burning dig into his side. Alexia’s blood splashed hot against his face. He heard a soft footstep running away as well as shouts of panic from somewhere else. Then everything slowly went to dark…

Ludenard arose and angrily smashed the decanter into the desk. The toxic-colored liquid dripped down the desk and onto the white floor tiles of the laboratory. Ludenard heard Hades quickly break down the door and enter. “I, I shall call the cleaners immedia-“

Ludenard waved away Hades. He stayed, worried of Ludenard who buried his face into his palms and collapsed against the wall. Ludenard opened his eyes slightly and saw that Hades was wearing a sky-blue badge…

“And that’s the end of the story for today!” Alexia said to Limia, Dante’s granddaughter. Limia frowned and jumped off of her sky blue colored bed. “But we were just getting to the exciting part, Ms. Ashford!” she complained. Alexia laughed. “I promise I will tell you the end of it tomorrow. How does it sound?”

Limia’s eyes immediately brightened. “Thank you Ms. Ashford!” she yelled.

There was a knock on the door. Alexia opened it, allowing Ludenard and Dante to enter the room. “Grandpa!” Limia yelled as she rushed up to the 6 feet tall giant. “Little Limia! How have you been!” Dante beamed as he picked her up and hefted her by the shoulder. The little one giggled.

“Ludenard,” Alexia said. “I…have to tell you something.”

“I came…to ask you of something too. But first, I have a present!” he reached into a pocket and pulled out a small flask containing a toxic colored liquid. Alexia raised an eyebrow. “What in the name of Pancreator is that?” she said.

“Well, yeah, I admit that its outer appearance is not very impressive. But just you wait!” Limia and Alexia eyed the crystal flask critically as Ludenard took out two electrodes and inserted it into the flask. The flask immediately began to pulsate with light, beaming lurid glows of white…gold…blue…green…

Limia shrieked and clapped her hands. Alexia cupped her mouth. Even Dante looked impressive. “So, what are you going to name it?”

“Sorry?” Ludenard asked. Dante frowned. “Surely you must have a special name on the mixture. You discovered it by yourself didn’t you?”

“Well, I did, but I don’t think it merits a whole new na-“

“It does, trust me,” Alexia said.

“Well then, err… I shall call it…” Ludenard was not particularly gifted with any kind of naming sense. Alexia laughed. “We’ll have to work on that later.”

“S-sure,” Ludenard managed to mumble. “Hey!” Limia said. “It’s fading away…”

“Well, yes, of course,” Ludenard said. “There was only a little bit of the liquid in the flask. If I make it larger, it should last for a very, very long time.”

“Speaking for a long time, I know somebody who’s far past her bed time!” Dante declared. Limia groaned. “Can I keep the bottle, Mr. Akatas?” she said.

“Oh no,” Ludenard answered. “It’s actually highly poisonous too if ingested.”

Limia blinked. “What does…”

“Never mind that,” Dante said. “You guys have fun, wink wink.”

Ludenard and Alexia both glared at Dante.

“Will you be back tomorrow?” Limia said to Alexia.

“Yes, of course,” Alexia answered. Alexia and Ludenard turned around and began walking towards the forest paths. “See you tomorrow!” Alexia yelled. Limia and Dante continued to look at them, waving, until the pair finally disappeared into the black shadows of the forest.

Just wanting to say this game is a really great read.
edit: Are there any available sides? I'm not experienced at writing stories, but if anyone has lost interest I've got that in plenty.

I'll put you on the waiting list for now.


Blackbard, Seon:
Those were both really magnificent stories. Obviously the parallels between your sections (both of you) really drew the story together. Just beautiful! (Interesting that you used similar story-telling techniques on the same day)

Oh and happy 2011 everyone!

Unending Hatred

"Mrs Cathrinn, our projections are in."
She viewed the documents. It said a quarter of a billion freemen would die from the plague and a further thirty million would perish in the chaos. Estimates of surviving freemen varied from less than one hundred million to over one hundred and fifty, but the projections averaged out at one hundred and ten... One-ten out of three-ninty. But that was not all, for there were also eighty million serfs belonging to the various guilds, church sects, houses and imperial services. Of them twentyfive million were estimated to be snuffed out. But all of the capacity to feed that number would not recover. It could be estimated that twenty million of the freemen survivors would be let in over the first few years after the plague by various factions to make up their lost numbers. Alltogether there would be ninty million freemen left on Errovus Secundus.
The import market for food would collapse. The freemen would be belligerent at having been abandoned and their areas would remain a sink to invest in, but over time they would become more attractive. For a while they'd probably even present a medium-scale localized threat as they'd reorganize into a leaner and more competetive society. Eventually though they would breed till once again Errovus would overflow with human pestilence.
Recent events had brought Cathrinn in mind of her adventures a few years ago.
Perhaps God had brought this all upon them and taken away Ragel for straying from her old path.
She was not a person to hate with warmth, but coveted the cold, repeated pull of a trigger under sustained combat. Why had she convinced Ragel not to emphasize killing? This all was proof to remind her that all relationships, whether elven or human, were in the end balanced at the tip of a sword.

Certainly noone would be able to afford to feed ninty million freedmen, not even the Imperial services. But yet up to last month the now festering corpses of thirty to fifty million freemen and their still alive brethren had managed to scrape by. What they needed was infrastructure and leadership, but infrastructure could wait. Leadership could make the best out of what they already had. But they would never listen to her so soon after closing her doors and hiding Naprous' wealth and safety behind their walls and watching them die for their own and the wider planet's good to become fertilizer for the grass sticking out of the pavement.
So be it. The plentiful remaining freedmen would be saved by force. The preperations began behind the gates of Naprous' last fiefdom. Salvation for one hundred and ten million murderers, for already now unspeakable acts were perepetrated by all those who sought to survive in the grey jungles of Errovus Secundus.

OOC: a 13 hour train ride, and this is what I come back too? :p

IC:

From Mortimer Tormah Tsedeq
To House klorin
O Noble Klorin house.
We respectfully request that House Klorin help us in finding out whoever abducted Ragel Naprous. We believe piracy cannot be tolerated, and, even though it is only one of the many problems our worlds currently face, it should be tackled as fast as possible.
We are not requesting money, troops or actions. We would be asking the Regency if that was the case, but we are instead talking to the House.
We know that the pirates have blue, silver and black coat of arms with spider design. So far, our scholars have been unable to identify the origin of these arms. We believe that maybe they are extremely ancient and may belong to an old house or corporation, which could be hiding in a world accessible from Assimov jump-gate.
In order to find out if that is indeed the case, we would like to have access to the facilities of the great library of Amur, so our scholars could look for these symbols, which may give us some hint on who the perpetrators of this piracy act might be.

Sincerely yours,
Mortimer Tormah Tsedeq

Dear Friend,

You Shall have full and complete access to the Great Library. These Acts of Piracy must not be allowed to continue.

Lady Embra

To add to the mystery, house klorin attempted to infiltrate imperial eye networks this turn. Could this in some way be linked to the attack of one of my sceptre holders, and the commander of the imperial eye above assimov? Perhaps a little far~fetched, but I would very much like to know what his spies were doing, if not gathering information on the location of my characters.


To House Holy Gate.

The Klorin Eye's duty is to protect house Klorin interests. If they, at times, feel that this means attempting to infiltrate other houses that they KNOW are doing the reverse, then, so be it. However, Kidnapping or Assassinating would be so far beyond thier prerogative, that I cannot imagine it happening.

To the Regent
From House Texier

We ask that at least some of the virus be passed on to the Apothecaries for their investigation, especially as we have consulted them and they seem to be willing to investigate for free.

In fact, we would rather take them a sample in our own yacht, of course strictly quarantining it when it reaches the Apothecary base on Assimov (with no-one whatsoever disembarking), and of course with a guard of ships from the Imperial fleet, especially if there is some sort of wierd conspiracy of silence going on in the Regency facilities, if the evidence received by Houses Bossheaim and Texier is accurate.

We hope that you will accede to this our request, seeing as it is both a reasonable one and one that it would be extremely suspicious for you to refuse.[/QUOTE]

To All:

Samples of the Virus may be taken by all (though... to be honest, I'd rather they weren't taken off E2 unless there is a very good reason. Spreading the plague to other worlds would not be good.)

Any who can work on a cure or vaccine are welcome.

As for the Accusations that the REGENCY is involved in releasing this plague? Pure slanderous Drivel. What possible purpose would we have to do such a thing? The Regency is an office which exists for the Rule and governance of people. Should all the people be dead, then the Regency would rule over ghost-worlds, soon overrun by the symbiots.

House Koriate's suggestion that the elves are behind this is one we do need to look into. As we know, they have agents operating within Imperium territory, and that they have a very advanced Knowledge of Biotech.

Dain Kawalen, Imperial Regent.

OOC: many have asked what Dain Kawalen was doing this turn: simple, he was overseeing the development of the RKVs... Development of new designs requires a Character Action.
OOC2: I think I addressed everything... remind me if I didn't.

Here is what the coachmen offer as alternative trade routes to what existed previously. If you are cool with it, then confirm by PM, e-mail or in thread. If you don't want to participate, then say so.

If you would like to participate and aren't on the lists, then explain to me how you are going to get your goods to port/dock-site/landing site for cheap and how there is a market for your goods... and we'll talk... maybe.

Note it also includes the new freighter they launched (with the help of some investors) this turn.

Coachmen 1st Merchant Fleet Clarke-Incellia-Leagueheim Run
1 VK-VIII freighter, 1 OK-IV freighter


Clarke (Irva Querry Orbital Spaceport): Unload Furs, manufactured products, some grain. Load aquaculture and fish from Tsedeq, Fishers, and Eekin, metals from Eekin.
Jump Incellia (use OK-IV freighter to touch-down at Cappricidia, Koriate): Load grain from Holy Gate. Load Furs, Fish form Thana
Jump Leagueheim (dock at Reeves Orbital Spaceport): Unload grain, fish, aquaculture, metals, furs. Load manufactured products.
Jump Incellia (use OK-IV freighter to touch-down at Cappricidia, Koriate): Load some small grain from Holy Gate. Load Furs form Thana. Unload manufactured products.
Repeat

Value: 18 MF
Eekin: 2MF
Tsedeq: 1 MF
Holy Gate: 2MF
Thana: 2MF
Koriate: 1 MF
Querry: 2MF
Reeves: 3MF
Coachmen: 5MF

Coachmen 3rd Merchant Fleet Arrakis-Hubbard-Leagueheim Run
1 VK-II-Class Freighter


Arrakis (land directly at Xicier fiefdom): Unload manufactured products, load Vanarii oil, ceramasteal, load Killgore oil, weapons, load Xicier textiles, tea, coffee, Hyppean grain
Jump Hubbard (land Killgore fiefdom): unload some textiles, some weapons, some grain, load metals
Jump Leaguehiem (dock at Reeves Orbital Spaceport): unload textiles, tea, coffee, grain, metals (both Bossheim and Kilgore), oil, ceramasteal. Load manufactured products.
Jump Hubbard (land Bossheim fiefdom): unload manufactured products, remaining weapons, load some metals but keep most for return to Leagueheim.
Repeat.


Value: 14 MF
Xicier: 2MF
Vanarii: 1 MF
Killgore: 1 MF
Hyppean: 1MF
Kilgore: 1 MF
Bossheim: 1 MF
Reeves: 3MF
Coachmen: 5MF

Coachmen 4th Merchant Fleet Leagueheim-Incellia-Clarke-Arrakis-Hubbard Run
1 VK-II-Class Freighter


Leagueheim (dock at Reeves Orbital Spaceport): unload remaining fish, aquaculture, coffee, tea, most textiles, oil, metals, Load manufactured products.
Jump Incellia (land Cappricidia planetary spaceport): Unload some manufactured products, remaining metals, remaining oil, some textiles, load Holy Gate grain, Thana furs
Jump Clarke (dock Irva orbital spaceport): unload some manufactured products, remaining grain, some furs, remaining textiles, Eekin metals, aquaculture, Tsedeq fish
Jump Arrakis (dock Hyppean planetary spaceport): unload remaining manufactured products, some fish, some aquaculture, load Hyppean grain, Sanctious’Als fruit and nuts, Querry oil, Xicier textiles, coffee, tea
Jump Hubbard (land directly at Killgore fiefdom): unload some fish, some aquaculture, some grain, some fruits and nut, some textiles.
Repeat.


Value: 16 MF
Reeves: 1MF
Hyppean: 2MF
Querry: 2 MF
Koriate: 1MF
Holy Gate: 1MF
Thana: 1MF
Eekin: 1 MF
Tsedeq: 1MF
Sanctious’Als: 1MF
Xicier: 2MF
Killgore: 1MF
Coachmen: 2MF

(note 1: This trade-route includes payment to those who invested in the freighter.)
(note 2: Some of the values are little high since this route takes so long to travel its circuit but I don’t want to work with numbers less then a whole integer.)


I'm assuming this is a go unless someone says otherwise. I am changing your incomes right away.

Also, Merciary: you have until january 3rd to post, PM, or e-mail me.

Great story, Seon :) Seems like it's time for a couple of my own...

Alexis exited the small tent, and the cold gust of wind immidiately struck against her. She closed her eyes in a moment of quiet joy at the marvel of nature and let the wind whip back her otherwise always flat hair. Could anyone have seen her in that moment, she would have looked like a witch of the old times, a teeming intelligence and the epitome of oneness with nature. But no-one were there to see her; she was camped near the peak of a tall mountain on Assimov, surrounded by a dozen other tents, those of her personal guard and a few trusted scientists, none of who were yet awake. The sun had not yet appeared on the horizon, and the sky was only slowly changing from its murky black into the revolutionizing palette of dawn.

She headed towards the large tent in the middle of camp; it was well isolated when closed off, and inside was the field laboratorium. She entered, lighted a lantern, and by the feeble light of it, she submerged herself in study of the moss that they had already been studying for days; much of Assimov's flora was unsuited for use on Hubbard, but in these mountains, they had finally found something of interest. She thought of the boring, white-green, mold-like plant that was probably trodden underfoot by hundreds of people every day without being noticed. Yet, this had the potential to revolutionize mountainland farming.

Finding a excuse to put words to her thoughts in forms of the single representative of House Quin who had joined them on the expidition, a bright and curious man by the name of Asmilliam, she slowly explained her thoughts on the plant to the man who quietly entered to sit with her.

"The saltmoss does what most other mountain plants do, only much more effectively so. It nourishes itself with the spare water that falls here, but also with the minerals that are so plentiful in the hard and rocky soil beneath it. This particular area must have a very salinated soil to provoke such a powerful feature in so common a plant."
The man nodded in silent understanding, adding a few words of his own "It is said that the soil in this region holds a former burial place for an ancient species, now extinct."

Alexis nodded. "It may be minerals from their corpses - bones, most likely. Whatever the cause, this moss has such potential as would impress any horticulturalist. It is a natural terramorpher. Grown outside this area - while not sustainable for long - it can completely drain the soil of a certain type of mineral salt. As you know, an abundance of almost any kind of salt makes planting much harder due to malnutrition and absorption of rootwater. This moss has the capacity to remove all such hurdles of mountaineous agriculture."

"But only for one type of salt, I'm afraid? I find it unlikely that Hubbard - another planet, completely independant of this one - will have huge tracts of land spoiled only by this particular salt?"
Alexis again nodded in agreement. She quite liked the quick and progressive thinking of this Asmilliam. "Yes, that's where experimental science enters the picture. Wading out into the open terrain and digging up a miracle is not what I expected, and yet I have found much more than I had hoped for. If my theories are right, altering this moss so as to absorb a different mineral will not be beyond our faculty." She stroked the rough surface of the saltmoss sample. "Although, making use of different minerals, there is no saying what the plant will look like or what properties it will have. It may be hard to adjust to certain salts. But not impossible."

"The question is, which of the species will be worth it? I don't want my farms overgrown with a moss that produces noxious, deadly fumes, or one that nourishes thousands of poisoneous insects. We must proceed with caution should we try and put this discovery to its full use."

They both sat in silence, Alexis obviously done talking, yet she had not returned to the study of the plant. She sat, watching the man attentively. Would he disappoint her, or had he seen the same connection that she had. Finally, Asmilliam broke the silence.

"Forgive me for saying so, but this sounds much like the description I have heard of the Symbiotes, and yet you speak of it with unbridled... Fascination."
Alexis suppressed a smile; he had only just evaded using a much stronger word, she was sure of it. She nodded patiently, caught his eyes, and explained.
"Indeed. I can see that you, like most other scholars in the service of Noble Houses, have been taught some... If not untruths, at least, exaggerations, about the Noble House I originate from."
The man blushed slightly, and his gaze faltered. "My apologies, Madame, I did not wish to-"
"It's fine," Alexis cut him off, instantly recapturing his gaze with her own powerful presence. "You are right, I am fascinated by the Symbiote. How can I, as a devout horticulturer, not be? The Symbiote effectively put to use everything, not just the tiny fraction of minerals and materials that we do. It is no wonder to me that we need the joint ressources of many of our planets just to maintain an uneasy stalemate against a single Symbiote planet... And on top of that, it does not seem like the Symbiote ever struggle internally. You could almost think of the entire Symbiote population as one single entity, a streamlined design that serves one purpose, of a quality that only Nature - and the Pancreator, of course - could produce. Yes, it fascinates me."
The young man looked at her, his feelings mixed between a fascination for such a vivid passion and a nagging moral uncertainty; certainly, what he was hearing was heresy? Cautiously, he ventured a question;
"But it seems to me that this... How you speak of the Symbiote. It is more than just fascination?"

A nerveous silence followed the question, and Alexis let the static fill the air for a second, knowing the nagging uncertainty it would conjure in the man before asnwering.

"No, you're wrong. I may be more... explicit... in my ways of formulating it, but it is only fascination; it is fascination of something which most others consider... diabolical, I know, but it is not unnatural, on the other hand, it is very natural. Secretly, I think many others are as fascinated as I am, but that this fascination is reined in by stronger emotions, such as guilt, fear, hate... Or blind devotion to something that averts their thoughts of such sinful paths."
The young scientist was silent, sweating nerveously. He felt as an adolescent boy discovering something unholy which he would always need to keep secret and never share - something sinful. Alexis continued.

"Think of it as the fascination of the first tribal warrior who witnessed gunfire. It may be a tool in the hands of an enemy, bringing great strife and harm to his own people. Yet still, it fascinates him. Am I not right?", she asked him, slowly standing up.
He, too, rose slowly, still dizzy. "Yes, yes, you're right," he muttered to her back as she left the tent. He reached out and supported himself against a table, realizing that he might have discovered an equal fascination, both incredibly drawing and with that feeling of doing something that was wrong, but felt right. As he exited the tent, it was not the cold gust of wind that reddened his face.

The sun had risen and shone on the small camp and the magnificent beauty of the panorama that surrounded them, oblivious to the much darker events that had taken place on several of the ships out there with the clouds, so far from the pastimes and passions of the microscopic people on the surface.

To the Regent
From House Texier

There was a shootout in your facilities. Not anyone else's. What was going on? The secret to the origin of the plague lies with you, and you alone. It is your facilities that need investigation to determine the origin of the plague.

Holy Gate regretfully agrees with Texier. These facilities should be closed immediately and not reopened until a full investigation has taken place.

The Shootout in the lab was a policing response to a rogue project: We obtained evidence that some of our scientists were working on Symbiot samples. Being Heretical and highly dangerous (indoctrination/infection by the symbiots), this had to be shut down... Violently. and with Fire. All symbiot Samples have been destroyed.

Edit: I Just received this info

OOC: we don't want these walking around E2, eh?:
http://images.wikia.com/masseffect/images/8/8a/Husk.png

yummy story diamondeye! i like the 'flirting with heresy' idea...

The Shootout in the lab was a policing response to a rogue project: We obtained evidence that some of our scientists were working on Symbiot samples. Being Heretical and highly dangerous (indoctrination/infection by the symbiots), this had to be shut down... Violently. and with Fire. All symbiot Samples have been destroyed.

So you reported to the Church when you discovered the project?

I destroyed the project. Didn't feel there was a need to inform the church.

Regent, you still have not given adequate details of where the virus originated, and how much was stolen. If there is more yet out there, we need to know in case it was taken off-world.

Our safety lies in full disclosure.

Aleksander looked up as the door to his cellar room opened. In came the owner of the "Crow's Nest". During this last years, great changes had shaken both men. The innkeeper had lost weight, and his face was drawn by lines of constant fear and by the advent of poverty and hunger.

Aleksander's body had changed in a different way; his raw and untamed strength had grown into a somewhat disciplined might, and his body had won a certain agility and dexterity. What had a year ago reminded the innkeeper of a furious bear now seemed much more like a preying cheetah. Even Aleksander's movement as he stood up betrayes this newfound and strong tranquility. The innkeeper spoke.

"You look... Well, Aleksander. I was told what to expect, but this exceeds my expectations. You look like someone ready to avenge us."
"I am."
"That's why I've been sent... I have to tell you something. Michelos Van Hersula is dead. Natural causes, it seemed. I didn't know sceptre-holders could even suffer from that."

Aleksander turned and walked to his table.
"I know. It's not really why you're here, though."
"What- What do you mean, Alex?"
"You said I look like someone ready to avenge us. Do you know what you look like?"
"Uh...", the innkeeper answered, then fell into silence. After a couple of seconds, he realized that Aleksander was still waiting for a reply. "No?", he tried.

Aleksander turned around. In his hand, he was holding a rifle.
"You look like someone about to break."
"Aleksander, no! I'd neve-"
The shot echoed through the cellar room, but was absorbed by the soundproofing between the room and the rest of the building. A splatter of red on the floor carpeted the body of the fallen innkeeper; where his left eye once was, the entry point of the bullet could be seen.

yummy story diamondeye! i like the 'flirting with heresy' idea...

Thanks! I started out with wanting to do a story on Alexis' research on Assimov, and I've had an urge to try and explain her view on the Symbiote for some time. Along the way, those two just melted together (and to top it off, flirtatious undertones :p).

Regent, you still have not given adequate details of where the virus originated, and how much was stolen. If there is more yet out there, we need to know in case it was taken off-world.

Our safety lies in full disclosure.

what do you mean? I'm confused.

House Texier has determined that it is not capable of taking samples of either virus off planet this turn, because of the need to focus all our attention on minimising the effects of the plague, and so, unless someone else, such as the Regent, is willing to transport the samples to Assimov and Incillia, we will not be able to allow anyone else to examine the two samples this turn. Perhaps the Imperial Eye is willing to take samples for it to investigate on E2, and then it could carry the samples to Assimov and Incillia so that it can be analysed by the Eye and Apothecaries on Assimov and the Houses Thana and Koriate on Incillia?

House Texier has determined that it is not capable of taking samples of either virus off planet this turn, because of the need to focus all our attention on minimising the effects of the plague, and so, unless someone else, such as the Regent, is willing to transport the samples to Assimov and Incillia, we will not be able to allow anyone else to examine the two samples this turn. Perhaps the Imperial Eye is willing to take samples for it to investigate on E2, and then it could carry the samples to Assimov and Incillia so that it can be analysed by the Eye and Apothecaries on Assimov and the Houses Thana and Koriate on Incillia?

NPC DIPLO

We of the Wranglers guild are set to make a visit to Assimov for our own purposes. We will be traveling there via a rented League Double-V-Class Frigate so as to provide ourselves protection against piracy. If we could defray part of, or even most of, the cost of the our frigate rental or operations on Assimov by collecting and transporting this viral sample, we would be willing to do so.

Our price, considering the danger to our resources, is 12MF. We hope that because we are outsiders with no interest in Errovus Secondus, you will consider our offer not only financially fair but politically fair as well.

Alexandar Haskatdlar, Wranglers guild

To the Wranglers
From House Texier

Thank you. We will consider your proposal. We suppose that includes taking it to Incillia too?

To all other Houses on Errovus Secondus, the Regent, the Imperial Offices, any bodies among the freemen, and the Authority
From House Texier

In light of that diplomacy, is anyone willing to contribute to defray the large cost of this? The suspicious origin of the poison is not merely of danger to us, but to all of you too, and taking the poison to the Apothecaries is extremely necessary for the well-being of all of our fiefdoms.

The Eye is preferable.

To the Authority
From House Texier

If a vaccine or cure is produced, are you willing to distribute it across the planet?

To Thana, Texier, All

The Imperial Eye is prepared to transport material to Assimov, as it may be that a cure lurks in its miraculous flora and fauna, which have often been found to have medical applications. However, due to the pirate threat, we will require a sufficient escort for our transport ships. We wouldn't want the material to fall into the wrong hands (OOC: although it might be a humourous way to deal with the pirate threat ;)). The commander of the Eye is on Assimov so its funds can be used to help serahc for a cure.

We welcome the researchers of House Thana to join us on Assimov, but we will not allow material to be transferred to Inceilla. Inceilla is a populous planet, and we cannot allow any risk, however small, that the virus could escape there. We should minimise the number of planets that we move samples to, and Assimov is by far the better choice.

To Houses Eekin, Koriate, and Holy Gate
From House Texier

Can not the division under the command of Eekin be used for the purpose and deal with the general pirate threat afterwards?

We understand and agree that taking the sample to Incillia might be dangerous, but we point out that Houses Thana and Koriate have unique research facilities on Incillia. Surely it would be best to have as many scientists working on the matter as possible? The risk seems negiligible, and the presence of Thana scientists on Assimov would not be as effective. Besides, if scientists from Incillia work on the project on Assimov, a yacht will have to carry them there and back, not to mention that there is a similarly small risk of them getting infected on Assimov and then taking the virus back with them to Incillia. Nevertheless, it is your call.

To the Authority
From House Texier

If a vaccine or cure is produced, are you willing to distribute it across the planet?

We will do as best we can with our ravaged infrastructure.

cough,
Garren Grimkill

The Regency suggests the establishment of a lab, under Joint jurisdiction, to be set up on assimov for the express purpose of developing a cure and containment policy for this disease.

That isn't what we need. We need every specialised lab available and as many scientists as possible to be looking at these samples and comparing them and analysing them and researching cures for them immediately, not just a single new lab. A new joint lab to co-ordinate the process would be useful, but only in addition to the research that should be carried out at the labs of the Eye, the Apothecaries, the Thana, and the Koriates.

To Houses Eekin, Koriate, and Holy Gate
From House Texier

Can not the division under the command of Eekin be used for the purpose and deal with the general pirate threat afterwards?

We understand and agree that taking the sample to Incillia might be dangerous, but we point out that Houses Thana and Koriate have unique research facilities on Incillia. Surely it would be best to have as many scientists working on the matter as possible? The risk seems negiligible, and the presence of Thana scientists on Assimov would not be as effective. Besides, if scientists from Incillia work on the project on Assimov, a yacht will have to carry them there and back, not to mention that there is a similarly small risk of them getting infected on Assimov and then taking the virus back with them to Incillia. Nevertheless, it is your call.

We shall gladly welcome the opportunity to study and develop a vaccine for the Plague.

That isn't what we need. We need every specialised lab available and as many scientists as possible to be looking at these samples and comparing them and analysing them and researching cures for them immediately, not just a single new lab. A new joint lab to co-ordinate the process would be useful, but only in addition to the research that should be carried out at the labs of the Eye, the Apothecaries, the Thana, and the Koriates.

That is a surefire way to ensure contamination of other planets. What we need is to first control this disease, and second cure it. Holy Gate will not stand for this disease being brought to Inceilla.

I will not have it.

The research will be conducted on the isolated, and sparsely populated planet of Assimov, who's plants and animals are known to have medical applications. If any other Houses want to help then fine, I encourage them to, but the research will be done on Assimov.

And I will repeat my call for a stronger blockade of Seccundus. This plague has killed enough of the empire's citizens already, we cannot allow it to spread elsewhere.

Are there no facilities adequate for the research to be done that would not require the transport of this deadly plague? House Xicier requests that if at all possible, we not spread this plague elsewhere. Does this plague have the ability to spread to animals? Are we considering moving it to a planet that could see countless species of animals perish due to our good intensions? I ask all houses involved in this endeavor to consider carefully the implications of their actions.
T. Xicier

If the plague is brought to Assimov for research of a cure, I assume that Lady Alexis Gabella would be more than willing to help examine the virus and put her scientists and her own talents at herbology to use in creating a cure.

Tebryn Arbandi XII, thru sceptre.

I would find it preferable that the disease was researched on E2, but I was under the impression that most if not all facilities were in lock down and movement and communication between them was impossible. It would also be difficult to transport researchers and materials to E2.

Finally, the Eye will have a biotech level of 7 next turn. This is higher then Thana's, and I believe the highest of any house or guild. Our labs are on assimov and so conducting the research there seems like a good idea. The Apothecaries exist solely on Assimov as well, and hopefully they will agree to help us.

A key point has been raised, and that is that virsues have no cure. As Immac is, as I recall, a biologist specialising in viruses this is likely to be a very important point. As such we are now looking for a vaccine, not a cure.

many viruses have cures.

Really?

I think it is time for...SCIENCE with Immaculate


EDIT: Not always cures that work 100%... but acyclovir, as an example, causes viruses to misincorporate faulty nucleotides into their DNA and cease replicating. (with regards to this game, the six-nucleotide analogue drugs that work against the 'complex form symbiots' works on a similar principle, and effectively prevents their regeneration or shape-changing and forces them to abandon the more complex structures like ion cannons and space-flight (which in turn suggests that there is six-nucleotide genetic material out there for them to parasitize).

Another example: Interferon treatment if very effective against many viruses because it causes cells to stop producing proteins which viruses need to replicate and 'grow'. Aslo interferon causes the maturation of the immune system and recruits it to the site of infection by assisting in antigen (pieces of the virus) presentation to the immune system.

Another Example: the HIV cocktails that greatly slow down virus progression and dissemination (though not a cure)

many viruses have cures.

Really?

I think it is time for...SCIENCE with Immaculate

Hahaaa okay well I'll take it from the expert. Seon you were obviously mistaken :p.

We are looking for a cure, and if possible a vaccine.

The Apothecaries have already said they are willing, and, as we said before, much as we think you are wrong, it is Holy Gate's call where they take the samples, of which we shall expect both to be picked up from our fiefdom next month. :)


Also, we should point out that you must not just dump any medicine somewhere on the planet. Use the Authority distribution networks. If you don't, the infected will merely swarm to wherever they think you've put it.

House Quin would be proud to help cure this plague in any way we can. Speaking as the majority of Asimov's population and industry, this world is willing to take the risks inherent in the transfer of such a disease. If while you are moving the disease and/or any cures for it you happen to eliminate these pirates and kidnappers then all the better.

maps are up.

I think I regret ending that last story on that note. Now I am REALLY TEMPTED to continue that storyline to its only logical conclusion absolute end of everything :(

what do you mean? I'm confused.

As far as I can tell, you haven't even admitted if this plague came from you laboratory. The only details you gave regarding the shootout were that it dealt with symbiot experiments, and even those details were sketchy.

If this virus did come from your holdings, how much was stolen? Is the metal canister involved in the attack on House Texiter related? Was there enough material stolen for a second or third attack?

I shudder to think what would happen if this plague and the lab shootout is related and the plague is a freaking SYMBIOTE plague.

It seems rather too coincedental that the ''rogue project'' studying symbiot cells and the outbreak of a mysterious disease are not related. We can only hope that the diseased are not connected to the hive mind of the symbiots, allowing them to control the afflicted citizens.

Well, as far as we Know (though it may take time to confirm it) this project had nothing to do with the plague (as house Texier Info stated, the shootout happened after the outbreak of the plague, and so can have nothing to do with it)

Well it could be that by the time the shootout occured, it was already too late and the symbiot material had already been released by the scientist (either knowingly or accidentally). But that's just a theory, maybe there is no connection.

Interesting. So we still don't know the origin of the plague, its nature, or the intent. However, we do have convincing evidence that the plague and the canister are related. Our intelligence services recently brought this to my attention:

He tells of how a man who seemed quite unpious had entered one of the many minor orthodox churches throughout the freemen lands and therein placed a small metal canister roughly the size of a man’s thumb under one of the pews. The man did not realize he was being watched and behaved quite suspiciously. And so our friend, the follower, went to investigate and as he picked up the device it burst in his hand sending a wet aerosol into his face and eyes. This was very suspicious and so the follower followed the suspicious man who ended up disappearing into an busy market area. Unfortunately that is as far as he was able to follow him. The next day our follower sickened, coughing up blood and convulsing. By the second day he was dead.

Note the canister, and the targeting of the Church. Also, the agent did not seem calm, as one would expect of a highly-trained infiltrator. It seems the attack on E2 was carried out by someone far less skilled in espionage.

The canister is irrelevant. Even if it were the same sort of canister, it might be coincidence, but this is a completely different sort of canister, given that ours is different, as it did not break like that and may well be of a different size.

That Church needs shutting down and investigating forensically. We advise that the Eye sends in a unit of Glass Scalpel commandoes to carry out the job immediately.

Just how many character actions do you think the Imperium has, spry...

Enough, probably, and anyway, it's important, isn't it? If there aren't enough character actions, then perhaps the Church might investigate, or perhaps you could put the operation under the command of one of the several nobles on E2? One of Tebryn Arbandi XII, Belgit'Al, Mortimer Tormah Tsedeq, or Guy Fye might be willing and available to command the operation.

maybe you need to 'deputize' some commanders?

maybe you need to 'deputize' some commanders?

I already did that for this turn, and I feel I still need one more to completely make sure.

We are going to need to do a lot of them onthe future too, I guess.

To Fleet Commander Ludenard Akatas

We thank you for nominating us to head the task force being formed to target the Pirates and eliminate them. We ask that we be allowed to use this task force to search for Lord Ragel of House Naprous, who was ambushed and kidnapped in conjunction with our main goal of eliminating the Pirates.

Our own Fleet, Fist of Baelius is willing to start this turn and I guarantee you that will have the Pirate threat neutralized by the end of the year.

Yours sincerely,
Lord Hellwin Eekin, of House Eekin

From Dante Labis, the Imperial Admiral
To House Eekin

We thank you for your support of Imperial cause in using your own fleet to exterminate the rabble. A Destroyer and a dropshipfull of Grimson legion should be able to deter the attacks by the pirates.

Meanwhile I have authorized the use of Nobility of Man to enact a complete blockade over Errovus Secundus. All flights to and from Errovus Secundus will need to notify the Imperial Fleet before they do so lest they suffer the cleansing flames. The contagion must be stopped here.

Tebryn Arbandi is willing to accept any position of responsibility that the Imperium deems necessary to bestow upon the nobles remaining on Errovus Secondus, since his planned return to Hubbard has been foiled by the quarantine already.

To Tebryn Arbandi:

Would you be willing to oversee the funds dedicated to relief and containments efforts on E2?

To Tebryn Arbandi:

Would you be willing to oversee the funds dedicated to relief and containments efforts on E2?

As long as I receive a proper briefing beforehand, I see no reason not to do my utmost to help the people of the Empire. Please provide me with the necessary information in due time that I may fulfill this task without err.

Tebryn Arbandi XII

Acting on behalf of House Bossheaim, Alexis Gabella agrees to enlighten the House Quin to the specifics of the Death Guard troops, in particular, the technology behind the devices usually called "marks".

The conditions of this agreement is that the House Quin will not share the secret with any other houses or organizations without explicit permit from House Bossheaim, and that the House Quin will provide the Lady Alexis Gabella with her own unit(s) of rangers that she may safely travel in and study the forests and jungles of Assimov during her stay.

We hope that this generous offer will also serve to further strengthen relations between our two houses, since we are of the belief that internal strife between the people of the Empire should be avoided at all costs in this perilous time.

Does House Quin accept the conditions of our offer?

OOC: Wont that be usually sent via PM?

Very well. House of Thana belives that we could serve best at our own facilities, but understand the concerns about the escape of this plague. As such, we will send scientists to Assimov, but recquire that the space be made secure first.

-Matriach Rodwen Thana, House of Thana

Acting on behalf of House Bossheaim, Alexis Gabella agrees to enlighten the House Quin to the specifics of the Death Guard troops, in particular, the technology behind the devices usually called "marks".

The conditions of this agreement is that the House Quin will not share the secret with any other houses or organizations without explicit permit from House Bossheaim, and that the House Quin will provide the Lady Alexis Gabella with her own unit(s) of rangers that she may safely travel in and study the forests and jungles of Assimov during her stay.

We hope that this generous offer will also serve to further strengthen relations between our two houses, since we are of the belief that internal strife between the people of the Empire should be avoided at all costs in this perilous time.

Does House Quin accept the conditions of our offer?

We will gladly accept this offer.

Meanwhile I have authorized the use of Nobility of Man to enact a complete blockade over Errovus Secundus. All flights to and from Errovus Secundus will need to notify the Imperial Fleet before they do so lest they suffer the cleansing flames. The contagion must be stopped here.
Scepter & Trident (Errovus Secondus) (guard E2 orbital space)
2 Raptor-class Frigates, 2 Rabid-class destroyers, 1 White-Sky Class Cruiser, 2 Damsel-Class Dropships, 4 companies Scarabeidae
House Tsedeq seriously questions the use of Nobility of Man to such ends when the Scepter & Trident is already there and already has the duty to guard E2 orbital space.
Nobiliity of Man should be used to fight the pirates or the Symbiots.
It's fine to allow the Eekin leader to look for the pirates, but not even giving them ships to do so seems exaggerated. I certainly hope you financially compensate them for doing your job.

House Tsedeq would also like to point out that the plague is deadly within days.

A total blocade is one thing, but a quarantine would work equally well.

OOC: Wont that be usually sent via PM?

OOC: It was arranged thru PM, but I don't see any problem in directing everyone's attention to the fact that Quin can now hire Death Guard soldiers (since otherwise only those who thought of looking at the first page would know).

On vacation until next Monday - if you have diplo, send it but be concise, and don't expect a reply until Tuesday.

Happy bug-hunting!

Another Look At Magic

For ease of gameplay, magicks in the Fading Heavens Universe is divided into three type. These are theurgy, thaumaturgy and heresy. Theurgy refers to the liturgy and ceremonies of the Church of Celestial Light that result in some change to the universe. Thaumaturgy refers to mystic spells and incantations which invoke no god(s) and which result in some change to the universe. Heresy refers to ceremonies, blasphemy and sacrificial offerings which result in some change to the universe. Any of these actions (ceremony, spells, etc) that are performed without causing some change to the universe is not 'magick'. Instead the proper term for them is 'playing pretend' and is only limited by the power of a child's imagination and laughter. In the heart of a loving parent, its the most powerful magick of all.

In a wide divergence from the earlier FFH NES and from the fall from heaven universe and most fantasy games, theurgy and heresy magicks are NOT granted by the gods. While these magicks might be taught by the servants of St. Oghma (for example), the magicks of the ritual ceremony do not actually originate from Oghma (or the pancreator); the source is elsewhere. An accomplished theurgist who falls out of favour with his or her patron will still be able to cast all the theurgy they could prior to falling out of favour.

Generally magicks, in all their forms, are extended rituals in this universe, not the mere waving of hands and the uttering of a few words. Most rituals consume massive quantities of magical reagents (sacred star dust, squirrel blood, scented candles, cheap sandalwood incense from the dollar store), days of chanting or prayer and some sort of pentagram written on your mother’s back porch in colored children’s chalk.

High end magick may or may not incorporate technological artifacts. There is a rumor of a cult of heretics who through dangerous soul-wrenching technologies have learned to share the very blood of life, machines pumping it from one needle in one man’s arm into a pumping device and then onto the next individual and so on in a wide circle. These men and women who share their very physical blood have managed to cast new and dangerous heretical rituals previously unknown. (The rumor also suggests that one man’s syphilis ended in the downfall of the entire sect).

There is no set list of what magic can actually perform. All magicks are described by one statistic similar to your army quality or intrigue. The type of magic your faction practices is merely ‘sauce’ and doesn’t affect your stats.

Each rank in ‘maggicks quality’ allows your noble house to use a new type of mana. Whenever you gain a new rank in magic quality, you should state what sort of mana you would like to use.

Metamagic: The magic of magic. Dispels, understanding ley-lines, etc. The Brothers battle use metamagic to interfere with symbiot cells.
Elemental Magic
Fire
Water
Earth
Air
Ice
Divination Magic
Spirit: this is stuff like courage and blessings, etc
Law: binding, buffs, enforcement, summoning, making people obey (making people passive and obedient, not outright control), bravery as opposed to courage
Sun: Brilliance, also dispelling illusions
Mind
Life: healing
Creation: creating new things, something from nothing, creativity personified, potentially the strongest magic but results vary.
Necromatic Magic
Chaos
Death: creepy undead stuff
Entropy: demonic summons, also rusting spells and stuff like that.
Shadow: illusions
Dimensional: breaking bonds between people, places, and various other nouns. Teleportation and interplanar movement (not interplanetary transport until very high levels). Lots of summoning
Alteration Magic
Body; Lots of buffs, hastes, etc
Enchantment: Buffs for inanimate objects, also for making magic items
Nature
Force: creating and strengthening bonds between people, places, and nouns. Enforcing contracts, building relationships, hippiemancy, Midi-chlorians, and other such stuff.


When you design a magic unit, you should take into consideration what sorts of mana you would like them to command. Stronger units will require more training (be more expensive) and more expertise (require more maggicks quality). The type of magic they command is limited by the mana types you have at your disposal (based on your magic quality). A unit that can call on a wider range of mana will be more expensive then a more specialized unit. Magic units are one of the only units that are not dependent upon your ranks in the three technology branches.

Maggicks come from the ley-lines of planets. The further you are from a planet, the weaker your magic will behave. Some planets have very weak ley-lines, Errovus Secondus and Leagueheim in particular and on those planets your magic will behave much more weakly. Other planets have stronger ley-lines, such as Assimov, and on those your maggicks will behave with unexpected strength.


Maggick is NOT meant to be required to develop a nation in this game and if you want to ignore it, i don't think it will weaken your faction. The idea is that the worlds are magical... somethings use magic. You can to, but you don't have to. Technology is generally stronger and cheaper but maybe magic is more diverse.


EDIT: Thanks Kyzarc.

Law: binding, buffs, enforcement, summoning, making people obey (making people passive and obedient, not outright control), bravery as opposed to courage
Creation: creating new things, something from nothing, creativity personified, potentially the strongest magic but results vary.
Dimensional: breaking bonds between people, places, and various other nouns. Teleportation and interplanar movement. Lots of summoning
Force: creating and strengthening bonds between people, places, and nouns. Enforcing contracts, building relationships, hippiemancy, and other such stuff.

the magicks of the ritual ceremony do not actually originate from Oghma (or the pancreator) (bolded by me)

Heresy!

The magicks originate from the universe which originate from the pancreator!
The Pancreator created All, as its name implies. Therefore, the pancreator created magick, and everything originates from the pancreator.

Repent, heretic, or thy soul shall burn eternally in the flames of Hell!

zealotry suits you.

I found this on the internets and thought it could be stolen without credit and reprinted here… so that’s what happened. Somehow.

Politics

Politics as they exist today, do NOT exist in the Known Worlds. There is no such thing as democracy, or equality under the law. Such notions died in flames at the end of the Second Republic, as the Ten great Noble Houses brought to an end that decadent, sinful episode in human history. In the era of the Empire of the Phoenix Throne, the masses have no voice in their government. The only voting that takes place is among the elites, when agreement on a course of action cannot be reached through consensus or force of arms.


The Nobility and Feudalism

The dominant political system of the Known Worlds is feudalism, a decentralized form of government in which public power is held in private hands. There are no political parties, and leaders do not need to campaign for the support of their subjects. Power is passed down through a hereditary nobility. At the summit are the five Royal Houses that remain. The Querry, Koriate, Klorin, Holy Gate, and Hyppean have survived countless years of cutthroat war and diplomacy. They are often considered the uncontested rulers of the Known Worlds, though others might contest this.

Below the Royal Houses are the minor noble houses, who have managed to hold onto some part of their land and power. They often exist at the whim of one of the Royal Houses, to which they are often tied through a labyrinthine web of alliances, treaties, and feudal obligations. The minor houses, some of which once numbered among the Ten, yearn to attain the status of a Royal House, and most of their political schemes are focused on that goal.

Within the noble houses, political savvy is a prized talent. Those who possess skill at diplomacy and the art of alliance are keenly sought after, and such individuals often rise far. Who you are as a noble is often based on who your allies are, within and without your House. The Emperor Vladimir owed his throne to his political ability and the alliances he made within House Eekin and with the other factions, including the Church and League.

For all its power, the Nobility makes up only a tiny fraction of the populace of the Known Worlds. At the bottom, making up 90 to 95 percent of the population, are the serfs. Between the serfs and the nobility are the freemen, who retain some small freedoms compared to the serfs, but are usually quite poor. Standing out from that social structure are the Universal Church of the Celestial Sun and the League of Merchants.


The Church

Members of the Church are made up of second and third children of the noble houses, and freemen who were fortunate enough to gain entrance to the seminary. Yet whether freeborn or noble, the clergy enjoy many privileges above those of the common man. Church members are protected from some of the excesses of the nobility, and enjoy greater freedoms than the average freemen. The Church itself has lands--fiefs with serfs--that it owns and administers.

Generally, the church is much more compassionate to its serfs than the Nobility, but not always. The Church itself, under the direction of the Orthodoxy, plots to increase its prestige and temporal power. Sometimes at the expense of the flock's spiritual needs. It is no secret that Patriarchs have in the past sought to create a Theocratic dominance of the Known Worlds.


The Guilds

The League of Merchants, heirs to the dubious economic legacy of Second Republic corporations, maintain a precarious balance within the political structure of the Known Worlds. The majority of Guild members are freemen. There are a few escaped serfs slaves who find shelter in the Guild. Noble-born members of the guild are an extreme rarity, as few care to forsake their noble privileges under the law, and those that do are seldom trusted.

The leaders of the Guilds scheme to increase their clout in the Known Worlds, and some of them even plot to someday bring about the overthrow of the nobility. Yet such scheming is carried out in absolute secrecy, as advocating the rise of a Third Republic is a sure way to have your head removed from your body by a noble, or be enveloped in flame by the Holy Inquisition. Talk of Republicanism is a serious crime in the Known Worlds. Punishments include imprisonment, severe penance, death or banishment.


Republicanism

For the Nobility, Republicanism is anathema, and nobles will go to brutal extremes to destroy republicans. A Third Republic would likely cost the Nobility all it has. The Church rejects Republicanism on the basis that democracy defies the Pancreator's Descent of Grace, responsible for the decadence of the Second Republic and even the the Fading of the Suns. Their teachings are widely accepted by the majority of freemen and serfs in the Known Worlds, who have never known political power anyway.

To All. (inc. Church, Guilds, others)

The Imperial Eye is devoting all of its funds in an attempt to find a cure for the disease of E2, and I will also be contributing using some of my own funds. However, this is not going to be enough. As such, I am asking for contributions to be made payable to the Imperial Eye to help fund this project. Anything you can give is appreciated, but please give generously. The longer this disease has no cure, the more we put at risk our own planets from contamination. Even with the blockade, there is the risk that something could get through.

I am also possibly looking for scientific help. I can provide transports that can evade the pirates to bring scientists to Assimov, so if any house with reasonable biotech levels wants to help then please do. My level is 6, so I will accept help from 5's and 6's, but anything lower is of no use so sorry about that.

I am particularly looking for help from Thana, because genetics will be an important factor if the disease is linked to the symbiot-cell project from Klorin's labs, and the Apothecary who are excellent at developing drugs.

I will be extremely offended by any attempt to profiteer from this dire and tragic situation.

Holy Gate

I am also possibly looking for scientific help. I can provide transports that can evade the pirates to bring scientists to Assimov, so if any house with reasonable biotech levels wants to help then please do. My level is 6, so I will accept help from 5's and 6's, but anything lower is of no use so sorry about that.



Since the Fist of Baelius will be heading in the same direction hunting for the pirates, all transports and yachts are free to join our convoy for protection if they do not desire to travel alone.

Since the Fist of Baelius will be heading in the same direction hunting for the pirates, all transports and yachts are free to join our convoy for protection if they do not desire to travel alone.

Indeed that is a wise proposal. H. Naprous has paid for forgetting to do so. It was our mistake to plan for escorting a passenger liner, but not our yacht.
Regarding the passenger liner under construction on Leagueheim, we have just sold two 10% shares to Remillard who now owns 70% of it. As H. Naprous is in need of funds for Errovus Secundus, we are willing to sell the remaining three 10% shares for 7MF each.

Furthermore, we wish to announce that there is no interest in the Known Worlds community for ransoming Ragel Naprous. This is a pity, yet we shall still announce 'No Tears for Ragel Naprous' at the St Mam Bazaar as this will give him and the investigation more time, and perhaps in that time some clues can be uncovered or a lesser ransom can be arranged (one option could be to ring off the Bazaar and check everyone, although that might offend the kidnappers).

From House Tsedeq
To House Naprous
Greetings.
Our scholars report that investigating the library of Amur to find clues of who the pirates might be proves to be a task beyond their limited abilities. They would require a solid leadership in order to look thoroughly and in an organised way the annals, and unfortunately we don't have such leadership on Incellia. We believe that finding out who is behind the spider heraldry design could lead you to find out the culprits and maybe simplify the issue. We wish we were able to assist, but with the situation on Errovus Secundus, it seems unlikely we can spare the leadership as our yacht will be grounded on E2.

OOC: I don't have an ACC on Incellia, and even then I might want to use them for something else, but you might want to consider this line of enquiry.

I am afraid to say that your ship will be unable to leave Seccundus this turn.

Holy Gate can possibly provide an ACC on Inceilla, with traits which might be useful too. However what I can't provide is any funding for such a project because I'm focusing on finding a cure for the disease this turn.

However I agree that the spider heraldy is probably the key, so if someone can pay for the project, I am prepared to lead it.

House Bossheaim might be willing to lend funds to this project, depending on the task that has been given Tebryn Arbandi (who is still needing a briefing and a budget, by the way).

OOC: Diamondeye, I'll talk to you later... it's just hectic with classes starting again.

In light of the fact that Merciary has not posted in this thread since December 5th, answered to my private messages or e-mailed me, I am going to make the decision to replace him. I have invited Northen Wolf to join us. I know that I have Matt0088 as next in line for a reserve but unfortunately, since the Hyppean are such a major player and I know that Matt0088’s schedule is often already full, I’ll save the next minor house drop-out for him.

Thank you all for your understanding. If you have diplomacy with the Hyppean or the Imperial Garrison, please address it to Northen Wolf.

Welcome Northen Wolf!

Welcome, Northen Wolf!

Welcome, Northen Wolf!

Thanks, glad to be on board.

If anyone has any deals or something worth mentioning to me, feel free to PM me.

I can also be found on #Nes (nes-chat.tk). Just join the chatroom (use whatever nick you want). Then in chat type in "Nor", press tab and then enter (pressing tab will auto-fill my username). - I get alert only when Northen_Wolf is written in chat. Of course this only works when I'm online, but I usually am :)

Typing in Northen, Northen Wolf or simply North does not give me an alert.

It'll take a day or two for me to re-read through the this thread.

Having received a short briefing on the task of organizing the relief efforts on Errovus Secondus, I would like to know whether there are any others who will donate funds for the project, that I may better assess the ressources I have to work with. If you intend to financially support the weak and meek of E2, now is the time to speak up.

Once I have given people a bit of time to notify me, I will construct the rough budget for House Bossheaim for the coming year, including how many funds - if any - we can afford to lend whoever is leading the library binge to find out about the pirate attackers and their spider-livery.

Tebryn Arbandi XII

Sadly due to all of the issues hitting us at once the Query have decided to dedicate those funds we can to trying to find a cure for the plague.

Alex Black

Better to track their movements instead. I'd rather burn the have than swat one wasp.

OOC: Just a note, if we pay the random, then attach bugs in the gold and follow their ships with our own. Just an idea, Out of character.r

Format: Name of Player: House (Imperial Position)
Story goes here, sometimes with a name I give.

Thomas Berubeg: House Klorin [1st imperial Regent]
Lord Kawalen’s Speech for the Candidacy of Rengency (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=9971528&postcount=34)
Proproganda for the Imperium (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=9983369&postcount=96)
Charters of New Imperial Positions (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10022198&postcount=204)
Proposal to Move to Icellia (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10140630&postcount=874)
Pheonix Guard (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10146062&postcount=930)
Suicide of the Mad Regent (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10147048&postcount=945)
Dreams of the Clan of Ember (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10174408&postcount=1203)
Family Time in Klorinhiem (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10177857&postcount=1227)
Humorous Outcry (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10306305&postcount=1612)
Image of the Imperial Fleet (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10313883&postcount=1630)


Totone: House Naprous
The Old and the Sea/The Beauty and the Handsomest Beast (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=9986594&postcount=108)
Explosives in Assimov (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10058770&postcount=366)
Unending Hatred (”http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10069780&postcount=529”)
Rhodes Bertrand Naprous (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10161533&postcount=1097)
Long Live the Patriarch! (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10171990&postcount=1181)
Channaoe Proparsic Naprous (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10179136&postcount=1236)
Plans for the Future (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10181310&postcount=1258)
Known Fiefdoms of the Empire: Turn 4 (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10207491&postcount=1435)Continued (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10207503&postcount=1436)
Religious History of Narprous (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10213272&postcount=1490)
Lord Iggy: House Naprous
Scion of Naprous (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10407891&postcount=2086)


HBar: House Sanctious'Als
Scepter COM Intercept (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=9994165&postcount=133)
ScepterCOM “Speak Again Sister?” (”http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10068040&postcount=507”)
Heresy Alert! (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10156294&postcount=1060)
A new challenger approaches: Bishop Miral Akbar'Al (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10163642&postcount=1104)
Flame On (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10337023&postcount=1840)
Origins of the Sanctious Twins (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10534309&postcount=2225)
The Pilot's Story (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10537990&postcount=2237)


Diamondeye: House Bossheaim [2nd Chief of the Eye]
Apprehension (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10002296&postcount=144)
Saltmoss and Symbiots (”http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10070406&postcount=532”)
First Blood ( http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10070462&postcount=540”)
On Saints and Shirkers (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10143121&postcount=899)
Consolation (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10148155&postcount=969)
Duty (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10185276&postcount=1268)
Coming Down from the Mountains (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10188922&postcount=1280)
Consulting the Oracle (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10306275&postcount=1611)
True Devotion (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10324881&postcount=1680)


LDiCesare: House Tsedeq
The Old Man Part 2 (AKA waiting for the Update) (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10005551&postcount=159)
How to compute coordinates for any world from any jumpgate (”http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10061951&postcount=404”)
Do spiders nest in books? (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10068619&postcount=514””)
Curious Grandson (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10143271&postcount=902)
The Sinking Rock Monastery (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10165630&postcount=1127)
Sunsight on Clark (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10193260&postcount=1342)
After the Hunt (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10337166&postcount=1846)
Image: Mortimer the Overseer (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10386915&postcount=1969)


Blackbard: House Xicier
The Long Sand Tulong and Juno (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10007923&postcount=163)
Jeremiah the Butler (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10058911&postcount=369)
Sergeant McKrim (”http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10069092&postcount=525”)
Vertinari: House Xicier
Treaty of the Great Nomad War (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10400669&postcount=2036)


Adrogans: House Query
From the Mouths of the Serfs (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10010192&postcount=164)
Clark: Black Residence (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10056834&postcount=365)
New Recruits (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10037117&postcount=308)
Query Fief, E2: Sergeant Ferros (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10081899&postcount=605)
The Past: A Battle against the Evvis (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10141418&postcount=877)
Fleet in Transit to E2 (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10156661&postcount=1068)
E2 – Query Fiefdom, Central Construction Office (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10159689&postcount=1081)
Council about a New House (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10175928&postcount=1209)
Stirling Compound: Arrakis (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10183128&postcount=1267)
Black Residence: E2 (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10186809&postcount=1273)
Military of the Query (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10196266&postcount=1355)
Swordmastery of Lord Guy and of Lady Alex (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10263433&postcount=1569)
Defecting Destoryer (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10325788&postcount=1711)
Scouting the Remnants of the Authority (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10327864&postcount=1736)
The Dream (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10337406&postcount=1849)
Family Matters (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10420440&postcount=2118)


Kyzarc Fotjadge: House Quin
Drillmaster Silliness (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10010603&postcount=170)
Payment for Doing (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10149598&postcount=978)
Jungle Prophet (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10239056&postcount=1562)


Darksaber1: House Thana
Motivational Song: Bash Thy Writers’ Block! (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10011293&postcount=171)
Shock [and Time Compression] (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10153573&postcount=1032)
Shock Trooper (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10166309&postcount=1141)
The Dead can Feel Just Pain (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10328331&postcount=1766)
The Shepard of Wolves (The Empty Hole Part 2) (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10337974&postcount=1865)
Image: Sybiotic Sample (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10361097&postcount=1920)
Suicide By Heresy (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10527118&postcount=2183)


Ekolite: House Holy Gate [2nd Imperial Regent](1st Chief(tess) of the Imperial Eye)
Black Roses at Dusk (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10043936&postcount=330)
Red in the Morning (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10053390&postcount=344)
Election Platform for Archibald Tarsenusis, Holy Gate (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10162813&postcount=1100)


Seon: House Koriate (1st Admiral of Imperial Fleet) [3rd Regent of the Imperium]
Double Feature!: : A Double’s Deception/Draconian Dream (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10048097&postcount=334)
First Case’s Lesson: Don’t Make Cases until all information is gained (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10066941&postcount=488)
Flash backs in the Laboratory (”http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10069597&postcount=527”)
A New Secretary: A Sad Serf (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10168443&postcount=1158)
secret secret transmission logs. Don't read! (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10171787&postcount=1180)
Last received Transmission From Grimson "Black Adder" Squad, assumed KIA (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10177044&postcount=1223)
Some Time Ago: Just for fun! (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10286163&postcount=1587)
Glass Scalpel Diary (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10407132&postcount=2083)
Now For Something Completely Different (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10409235&postcount=2104)
Old Man Emmerich (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10428886&postcount=2123)
Speech of Ludenard Akatas, Third Regent of the Imperium (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10545987&postcount=2282)


Immaculate: The Pancreater
Fanart of the Empire (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10055219&postcount=348)
Another Look at Magic (”http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10077286&postcount=586”)
A “Stolen” History of Politics (”http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10077904&postcount=590”)
Lord Mikal of Query (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10159721&postcount=1082)
Symbiots Eat Nuke! (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10160229&postcount=1087)
Average Temperatures (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10207595&postcount=1439)
Pancreators Son! (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10211122&postcount=1475)Behold Ye Glory! (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10214086&postcount=1491)


Terrance888: House Vanari
A Morning in the Towers of Romeni (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10065706&postcount=468)
Hadrel Aries:Experimental Algae Food (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10145731&postcount=919)
My Dear Lady! (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10166408&postcount=1142)
Gordden van Gar: A Battle in the Basement (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10179516&postcount=1241)
Gordden van Gar: A Day of Citadel Management (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10192835&postcount=1334)
Hadrel Aries Brothers: Draft and Seperation (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10193458&postcount=1347)
Mark Hadrel Aries: A New Adventure (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10199892&postcount=1367)
Jonas Hadrel Aries: The Present is a Gift (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10205171&postcount=1420)
Gordden Van Gar: Engineers Show off Greasy Guns (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10209773&postcount=1472)
Mark Hadrel Aries: Reaching for the Future (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10234659&postcount=1560)
Jonas Hadrel-Aries: The Long Haul (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10324842&postcount=1679)
Gordden Van Gar: On the Ground (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10337325&postcount=1848)
Fate of the Nomads (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10408489&postcount=2095)
Rise of the Churl Class (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10538567&postcount=2240)
Analogy of the Dessert Crisis (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10552274&postcount=2340)


Germanicus12: House Eekin[Admiral of the Fleet: Turn 2]
Sir Hellwind and His Fleet (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10180393&postcount=1243)
Hellwinds First Victory over Stigmata (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10325276&postcount=1696)


Spryllino: House Texier[3rd Admiral of the Fleet]
Vaccines and Migration (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10143049&postcount=897)
The Manifesto of Jyut Texier for his election to the Regency of the Phoenix Throne (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10162962&postcount=1101)
The Truth of Nuetrality (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10180032&postcount=1242)


Northen Wolf: House Hyppean[3rd Generalissimo of the Garrison]
We are Shepherds. We are the Sword of the Pancreator and the Shield of The Empire. And You are my brothers (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10164537&postcount=1108)
Pages from Diary of Tenith Erona (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10171518&postcount=1178)
Image: Arrakis Globe (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10362457&postcount=1929)
Beginning of the Dessert Crisis (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10551969&postcount=2324)
Analogy of the Dessert Crisis (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10552181&postcount=2330)


mgsmuhammad: House Reminard
Anger and Peace (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10142942&postcount=896)
A Hunt For a Hunter (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10406281&postcount=2078)


Kentharu : House Killgore
The Slave (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=10293373&postcount=1605)


Few things: Some stories go with diplo, some are spoilered, some aren't. Some are short and very long. They are all very good.
Also, what kind of 'Good' diplomacy and announcements should also go in?

EDIT: New Stories, please use it. Old Chart will be spoilered.

Query Fief, E2

Sergeant Ferros marched along with his unit down the avenue watching for signs of the plague and asking passersby how things were going. The responses were jovial overall even though they were all tinged with wariness. That was easy to understand since the fief had so far dodged the nuclear warhead that had caught most of the rest of E2 and the Query were doing their best to try and prevent ever getting hit with it. Sergeant Ferros recalled how the increased patrols were very negatively viewed the first few weeks and then how quickly the serfs decided the increased patrols and the ruthless measures enacted to stamp out the few flare ups were actually good things since hearing what the other fiefs and freemen were going through.

A private came at double time, stopped quickly, and saluted. “Sergeant, no reports of plague in this block.” He reported.

“Good, we will continue with this patrol as scheduled.” Ordered Sergeant Ferros; who then returned the private’s salute. The patrol formed back up and then continued south to the next block listed on the patrol route. As they moved into the new block a young woman came screaming towards them, Sergeant Ferros signaled a halt while got out to discover the issue.

“Soldier! Help! There is a man with the plague in that alley!” Sergeant Ferros quickly called in the biohazard containment unit while he placed the buildings in question and the alley under quarantine.

The Biohazard containment forces came driving up so fast Sergeant Ferros guessed they must have pushed the vehicles to their limits. The men arrived in the bright orange full containment suits and went into the alley and the two buildings on either side. They began to lock up all exits and informed all residents that they had to remain there for the incubation period to make sure no one else was contaminated.

Sergeant Ferros stood mutely by while he watched them carry out the body of the infected man. He was in a black bag containing the corpse and more importantly its plague. They carried it to the back of a truck and loaded it up. Finally the Biohazard unit’s commander, a Lieutenant First Class Rigel approached him. He saluted and it was returned quickly. “Well Sergeant it appears we have this contained and so far no one else is showing any symptoms here, but we cannot take any chances. You and your men continue the patrol and we are glad you spotted this so quickly.” Sergeant Ferros simply nodded as the officer continued. “My men will control the quarantine here. We need you to remain behind as part of the quarantine since we cannot be sure, but we will set you up in a special bivouac area here so as not to expose you to the residents.” Sergeant Ferros nodded again and sighed, Mrs. Ferros was going to be might upset the roast she promised for his birthday would be wasted. This would be the third time he had been through this and he was sure like before he and his men would be cleared.

Five days later only one more person had come down with the plague. The woman who had discovered the body. Sergeant Ferros had no idea why God allowed this to happen but he was simply grateful it wasn’t worse.

This is really petty and stupid, but Charles could you delete the ''(Roses?)'' that you've added in the title of one of my stories please?

Sorry, but it just sounded right. My mistake. I had to make up lots of titles.
I thought: Black Roses at dusk, Red Roses in the Morning, but it is your story.

I have a spare ACC on Incillia anyway, so I'll go through the library for the appropriate heraldry.

To All,

From the Imperial Eye

As you know, we currently face many grave and terrible enemies which we must overcome. There are the symbiots, there are the pirates, and of course, there is the plague of Errovus Seccundus.

As a leader in biotech technology, the Imperial Eye has taken responsibilty for leading the fight against this terrible enemy of ours, before the disease has a chance to spread further afield. However at present we lack sufficient funds to develop a cure this turn. For this reason I have asked for donations from the other Imperial Houses and Offices.

Many Houses have already graciously donated a few gold pieces to the effort, and for this I thank them. To those who have yet to do so, I hope that a similar donation is on the way. Anything at all that you can spare would be very much appreciated, even if it's as little as 1 or 2 MF, but of course larger donations are appreciated.

Many of the major houses have already made generous donations. However, I appreciate that the minor houses have lower incomes then we do, so anything at all that you can spare would be greatly appreciated. Remember that we must develop a cure for this disease quicky, because the longer we leave it the more likely it is that it will spread to those remaining fiefs that have held out against the disease, or indeed other planets which could be decimated in the same way as E2 has been.

The Imperial Eye, and House of Holy Gate will take note of those who charitably donate to the cause, and those who refuse to contribute at all, either with funds or by offering other forms of aid. These names will be passed on to the other Imperial Offices and Universal Church.

Again, I thank the kind souls who have already pledged funds to this effort.

Helena van Hersula, Imperial Eye.

On behalf of the Council of Minors:

We are currently voting on this, but I can almost guarantee unity behind the idea already: The Council of Minors are willing to coorporate to produce twenty-five million Imperial Firebirds for the project of finding a cure against the Dark Plague of Errovus Secondus.

May our efforts to create such a cure not be in waste, and may this initiative save the lives of hundreds of thousands men, women and children in the coming years.

Due to these difficult times we hereby officially request the Regency to annull the treaty granting the Authority guild maritime supremacy so that the various clean houses may trade with each other during the awful plague. We believe some compensation should be offered to them, however they are unwilling to accept so out of their own free will so we request that the Regency dictate some sort of agreement to annull that properly compensates the Guild.

In
Light of the tragedy that has struck E2 and Authority holdings, we feel
it would be in the best interests of all of the Safe havens (of which
the authority have very few) of the planet to be able to trade and
support each other. While, normally, we would not dream of removing the
monopoly you hold on shipping on E2, The circumstances are beyond those
normally expected. As such, though we realize that this is a gross
betrayal of the treaty that has been struck with the authority, we feel
that it is necessary to ensure the survival of the people on E2.
However, we invite the Authority to open negotiations with the houses
and the Regency to ensure thier continued dominance.

From Garrim Grimkill of the authority

Any naval vessel sailing the seas of E2 will be doing so in violation of the treaty signed by the Emperor Vladimir and will be considered a declaration of war against "The Guild Authority"

I received a notice from someone who was concerned about my buying sheep from the regency for house Klorin, stating that they were afraid I was taking advantage of my position. Rest assured that I paid an appropriate price for the sheep.

From Garrim Grimkill of the authority

Any naval vessel sailing the seas of E2 will be doing so in violation of the treaty signed by the Emperor Vladimir and will be considered a declaration of war against "The Guild Authority"

What a horrible attitude. Very well, we shall resort to air freight.

The regency proposes to all the safe havens on E2 to trade by air, so as to allow for trade between uninfected areas.

But this is a much less effective mode of transportation! The Authority clearly cares for nothing but itself, even in this time of crisis!

To: House Eekin
From: House Klorin

As you are the house that is going to be handling the pirates this turn, we need to confirm that we are working together to establish who is responsible. Lady Embra will be going through the Library of Amur, and other records, to establish who that crest belongs too. We are looking forward to working with you to Save Lord Naprous as well as makeing the space of the Imperium Safe.

To: House Eekin
From: House Klorin

As you are the house that is going to be handling the pirates this turn, we need to confirm that we are working together to establish who is responsible. Lady Embra will be going through the Library of Amur, and other records, to establish who that crest belongs too. We are looking forward to working with you to Save Lord Naprous as well as makeing the space of the Imperium Safe.

To: House Eekin
From: House Klorin

As you are the house that is going to be handling the pirates this turn, we need to confirm that we are working together to establish who is responsible. Lady Embra will be going through the Library of Amur, and other records, to establish who that crest belongs too. We are looking forward to working with you to Save Lord Naprous as well as makeing the space of the Imperium Safe.

It is confirmed that we will work together, any information as to the potential location of the Pirates or even Lord Naprous himself would be greatly received and responded to.

Regarding E2: House Naprous is designing a biohazard unit and producing tens of thousands of biohazard infantry and modifying several brigades of light tanks to go out this year and help the serfs organize their society to alleviate the suffering of the 70% and help organize the surviving 30% as well as assist the Church.
We're willing to take this risk upon ourselves to go forth and shine the Pancreator's light upon the masses, despite the great expense. If a cure is researched we will also be in the field to aid in its distribution. We would appreciate any donations towards this goal, as we have already aquired as much loans from the Reeves as they can extend us.
Any amount would be appreciated, though greater amounts are of course more useful. We stress this action may save tens of millions of lives.

We also appeal to the Guilds, Imperial Services and the Church in particular to help with contributing funds to this effort.

The Imperial Eye suggests that all trade between safe fiefs on E2 continues to be halted unless deemed absolutely vital. Transport of goods will cause the plague to spread because then if one fief falls, then all will.

This is why you would institue a quarantine of the goods for 5 days to make sure the plauge is dead.

From Cardinal Claude Remillard, Archbishop of the Penitential Order of the Universal Flame,
To The Imperium, Guilds and Nobles of the Known Worlds,

Servants of the Universal Light, you have asked the Church of Universal Light Repeatedly for our assistance in the matter of the Demonic Red Cough that plagues Errovus Secondus. Do not think that the Church has forgotten the suffering of those who grace the second cradle of man.

Let it be known the Curia have met and agreed to send the legions of the Penitential Order to assist in bringing order to the chaos unfolding on this planet under command of myself, Cardinal Claude Remillard. When order is restored, we hope that we can all work together to rebuild from this madness.

Additionally, High Protector and Cardinal Leonid Mirmah will be commanding the Patriarchal Fleet and in so doing assist in enforcing the quarantine of Errovus Secondus.

Walk in Celestial Light





From Cardinal Leonid Mirmiah, High Protector, Commander of the Patriarchal Fleet, Patriarch Legions, and Red Guard
To the Imperium, Guilds and Nobles of the Known Worlds,

Ships of any kind may travel to Errovus Secondus but the Patriarchal fleet will fire upon any ship attempting to leave Errovus Secondus to any destination save for those ships travelling to Assimov under the direct command of the Imperium and carrying the Imperial seal. We hope that no violence will be required to maintained the quarantine and know that you all understand that our guardianship is for the better good of the known worlds.

Walk in Celestial Light

From Cardinal Claude Remillard, Archbishop of the Penitential Order of the Universal Flame,
To The Imperium, Guilds and Nobles of the Known Worlds,

Servants of the Universal Light, you have asked the Church of Universal Light Repeatedly for our assistance in the matter of the Demonic Red Cough that plagues Errovus Secondus. Do not think that the Church has forgotten the suffering of those who grace the second cradle of man.

Let it be known the Curia have met and agreed to send the legions of the Penitential Order to assist in bringing order to the chaos unfolding on this planet under command of myself, Cardinal Claude Remillard. When order is restored, we hope that we can all work together to rebuild from this madness.

Additionally, High Protector and Cardinal Leonid Mirmah will be commanding the Patriarchal Fleet and in so doing assist in enforcing the quarantine of Errovus Secondus.

Walk in Celestial Light





From Cardinal Leonid Mirmiah, High Protector and High Commander of the Patriarchal Fleet, Patriarch Legions, and Red Guard
To the Imperium, Guilds and Nobles of the Known Worlds,

Ships of any kind may travel to Errovus Secondus but the Patriarchal fleet will fire upon any ship attempting to leave Errovus Secondus to any destination save for those ships travelling to Assimov under the direct command of the Imperium and carrying the Imperial seal. We hope that no violence will be required to maintained the quarantine and know that you all understand that our guardianship is for the better good of the known worlds.

Walk in Celestial Light

From Dante Labis, the Admiral of the Imperium.
To the Celestial Church

On the behalf of the Imperial Fleet, I give you our thanks

From Cardinal Claude Remillard, Archbishop of the Penitential Order of the Universal Flame,
To The Imperium, Guilds and Nobles of the Known Worlds,

Servants of the Universal Light, you have asked the Church of Universal Light Repeatedly for our assistance in the matter of the Demonic Red Cough that plagues Errovus Secondus. Do not think that the Church has forgotten the suffering of those who grace the second cradle of man.

Let it be known the Curia have met and agreed to send the legions of the Penitential Order to assist in bringing order to the chaos unfolding on this planet under command of myself, Cardinal Claude Remillard. When order is restored, we hope that we can all work together to rebuild from this madness.

Additionally, High Protector and Cardinal Leonid Mirmah will be commanding the Patriarchal Fleet and in so doing assist in enforcing the quarantine of Errovus Secondus.

Walk in Celestial Light





From Cardinal Leonid Mirmiah, High Protector, Commander of the Patriarchal Fleet, Patriarch Legions, and Red Guard
To the Imperium, Guilds and Nobles of the Known Worlds,

Ships of any kind may travel to Errovus Secondus but the Patriarchal fleet will fire upon any ship attempting to leave Errovus Secondus to any destination save for those ships travelling to Assimov under the direct command of the Imperium and carrying the Imperial seal. We hope that no violence will be required to maintained the quarantine and know that you all understand that our guardianship is for the better good of the known worlds.

Walk in Celestial Light

The Regency thanks you.

To the Imperial Eye

Naprous air freight should be allowed to continue transporting goods, for we will modify our air crew for biohazard duties.



To All Imperial Entities
Naprous is initiating a large relief effort on Errovus Secundus. We ask for donations.
We expect this mission will save millions of lives, perhaps tens of millions of lives as it will also serve as a distribution network if a cure is found. Help us shine the light on those who are dying and save those who have no food, water, shelter, sewage and distribution network! The return we expect is favor with the Pancreator (2 points of Piety) and any donations will probably result in you gaining favor with the Pancreator (1 point of Piety).
Even a mere 2 Million Firebirds in donations (or the help of your airforce and what spare food supplies you have) will allow us to deploy four thousand biohazard soldiers and save hundreds of thousands of lives! These soldiers will not be operating without heavy support in the form of both tanks and air power and airborne supplies. House Naprous is going to the fullest extent possible to alleviate the suffering of the dying of Errovus Secundus and lessen the numbers who will perish, but we need your help! Please keep in mind our efforts, along with those of the Church, will alleviate the pressure on all houses as the hungry hordes of freemen will diminish greatly. There is enough food on Errovus Secundus to feed the starving masses and House Naprous has the lives, the will and the money to sacrifice to aid the masses, but we can do more with your help! With the Pancreator as my witness, I will not forget your kindness (and nor will the freemen)!
- Cathrinn Naprous Klorin

On a related note we suggest someone take a similar initiative on the eastern continent as it is outside our reach.

To Cathrinn Naprous Klorin

The Regent has granted a budget of 40 MF for relief funding for the victims on Errovus Secondus for me to distribute as is judged best. I see no reason not to share these materials with a likeminded actor who has only the good of the people in mind.

Will a support of 15 MF out of this relief fund be enough to bolster your efforts? Mind you, we will be initiating our own relief efforts as well, and that requires at least a moderate budget, but we would be grateful for any assistance when it comes to the ways of actually providing the best relief to the poor victims for what funds we do have ready.

Furthermore; Are you willing to share the design of the speciallly designed biohazard units you have mentioned? I believe it would do a great deal to help us provide aid to the people safely.

Tebryn Arbandi XII

To Cathrinn Naprous Klorin

The Regent has granted a budget of 40 MF for relief funding for the victims on Errovus Secondus for me to distribute as is judged best. I see no reason not to share these materials with a likeminded actor who has only the good of the people in mind.

Will a support of 15 MF out of this relief fund be enough to bolster your efforts? Mind you, we will be initiating our own relief efforts as well, and that requires at least a moderate budget, but we would be grateful for any assistance when it comes to the ways of actually providing the best relief to the poor victims for what funds we do have ready.

Furthermore; Are you willing to share the design of the speciallly designed biohazard units you have mentioned? I believe it would do a great deal to help us provide aid to the people safely.

Tebryn Arbandi XII

To Tebryn Arbandi XII

Actually we are merely modifying our existing Infantry IV for 2MF per division and replacing the existing divisions with new ones (making them 2+3MF per piece) as otherwise we would have to wait a year to complete such a design and by then we expect most victims to be dead and the city but rubble. However we are of course more than willing to share our modification plans and future experience in modifying and using our Infantry IV units.
15 MF would be perfect! It is roughly the sum necessary to boost our coordination of security from the metropolitan headquarters on the central continent to including the primary uburbs as well as it will boost our forces from 50,000 troops with tank and air support to 80,000 troops with aforementioned support unchanged. We are once again in debt to House Bossheim's piety!
We also look forward to discuss our relief efforts with you, as hopefully we will be able to coordinate together (we may intersect on the central continent, and perhaps you will need some security).

As for the biohazard design it would merely be a 5MF redesign of Infantry IV with air circulation suits and basic biohazard tools and a slightly strengthened reliance on flame-based weaponry. We estimate these infantry units would cost 4MF per 10,000 troops/division. Their purpose is not one of expertise, such as dealing with symbiots, but rather more mundane occurances of plague. If you wish for this design immediately (next year that is) we would not be amiss to taking 5MF from out 15MF for that purpose and sharing it with you when it is finished, albeit we think a better design could be accomplished if we give ourselves time to learn from our present modifications of existing Infantry IV units.

Cathrinn Naprous Klorin

(ugh, saying 'for the love of' twice was screechy... but that's what you get with an introvert trying to be dramatic ;P *changed*)


Blessed be the names of Houses Bossheim and Tsedeq for their charitable contributions! (I expect both will gain piety points ;))

I hope you don't set the city on fire, Naprous...

I hope you don't set the city on fire, Naprous...

I don't understand. Anything flammable is probably already on fire with the riots ensuing from 30-50 million dead in just one month. Unfortunately we can only release the operational details of our strategy and tactics to fellow aid distributors as we expect there is probably at least one party that wanted this, but we will not be more violent than is necessary to keep the peace.
On the other hand we thank you for your comment. We will be in touch with the Regency, Church and other Imperial entities for more accurate maps of the urban landscape on the central continent. There are undoubtedly many hazards that can be avoided by gathering such intelligence.

To House Naprous:

I am insulted that you assume your efforts are the only way to do good in these times. I have pledged support from the Query to finding the cure or vaccine to this dreadful plague. This has been stated on numerous occasions and I for one do not take kindly to your attitude that you are superior to the other nobles as if you have some monopoly on the moral highground.

The Query have done well for their serfs and we will continue to at least keep our fief clear of the plague until such time as we have discovered a cure or vaccine, at which point we will begin administering it.

So because of our loyalty to our subjects and the Query dedication to the eradication of this plague not merely the bandaid covering it you have chosen to insinuate that this is not a good thing.

I hope you reconsider your attitude.

Ichabod Sterling, Scepter Holder, The Query

We're very positive to your efforts House Query, as well as to those of all houses contributing to a variety of efforts. It is simply that our initiative was being ignored and that distribution and the protection of lives and infrastructure and research and production are two sides of the same coin, as both are necessary. As such we decided to speak up with a decidely theatrical and pious flair, and we apologize for the seeming arrogance we employed as we did not mean to criticize the existing efforts but to aggressively highlight the need for ours. We have taken the liberty to modify our message though we are happy to see that it has been most successful. We wish you the best of luck on your side of the relief efforts.

- Cathrinn Naprous Klorin

PS. Someone should initiate a similar effort on the eastern continent so that we may avoid seeing fiefs wholly overrun by a maddened population while the cure is under development.


To the Regent Dain Kawalen Klorin from Cathrinn Naprous Klorin
Regarding relief efforts, the naval treaty granting the Authority Guild an exclusive monopoly to the seas must be modified immediately, please! I have come to the conclusion that air drops are an insufficient source of resupply for the scale of the humanitarian operation (may it be blessed under the aegis of the Pancreator) and freight trucks expose our fiefdom due to the necessary return trips. As the seas are empty of infected freemen vessels I ask on behalf of the dying that the treaty be modified to only grant the Authority Guild military control of the E2 oceans, while allowing all but the freemen (as many of them are infected) free access to commercial shipbuilding as this source of supplies will be vital for relief efforts by enabling coastal resupply while air drops handle the interior.
While I would greatly prefer it if you made a wholesale modification to this treaty, a temporary moratorium on the commercial aspects will also suffice, though I remind that this guild has so far refused to amend treaties during crises and responds to MPP requests with 'you may become a subguild' to a house it considers a friend.

PS. I'd forgotten until now with this mess, but we are scheduled to announce our MPP this year. ^^

Hey, ya'll, my computer decided to go ballistic, and bluescreens every time I attempt to do anything, and so... I'll be out of commision for a while, while I try to get it fixed... (i'm on my girlfriend's computer now, but she's leaving for home tomorrow, so... can't use it)

Sorry for the inconvenience.

'm sorry to hear that. Good luck with your PC!

This is off-topic, but those who are interested in strategy games in a setting like EFS (and in games like dominions) might be interested in this (http://76.26.38.52/forum/index.php). For those who want to discuss what a game in a setting similar to this NES (magic aside) might be, I think it's worth looking at.

Lurker: What is that? A NES type thing? It's hard to find information...

No, it's a computer game being developped by a guy who uses empire of fading suns as an inspiration, with some dominions thrown in. Better explanation in this FAQ (http://76.26.38.52/forum/index.php?topic=3.0)

A note to Players:


Remember that your orders are due the 11th.

also:
1) New troops cannot be used to attack. New troops can only be used defensively.
2) Policies generate a bit of research or money if your orders are in line with your official policy. If you have changed the direction of your nation away from your policy to some new role (or had that role thrust upon you for whatever reason), and you have a spare character, it may be worth changing your policy to reflect your new direction of growth. Some players are receiving up to 5 research points or 2-3MF per turn and that adds up.

Orders Sent.

So THAT'S where those research points came from! Hmmmm, I thought I'd get a boost to one of my main stats after several rounds. I think I'll change my policy to improving the military or focusing on commerce to gain from our Profit 6.
Anyway, I've finished orders~ ^^
--------------------------------------------

Noble House Naprous hereby officially enters into a pact of mutual protection/defensive alliance with Noble House Klorin.
~ Cathrinn Naprous Klorin

Damn sorry Immac meant to email orders, was in a hurry and PM'd them instead.

Damn sorry Immac meant to email orders, was in a hurry and PM'd them instead.

its cool

thanks for e-mailing them.

I.

Orders should be in tonight.

I'm really sorry but I'm in no state to send orders right now hahaaa. first thing tomorrow I promise :)

:smoke:

I guess maybe it wasn't clear but the armor that marauder, grimson and phoenix legions (and their derivatives) wear is space-worthy. they can survive in space for 30-90 minutes easily enough.

Orders Sent.

confirming receipt.

Orders will be sent tomorrow. That's still within the deadline, I hope.

@Northen. Okay, let's just agree that you are freeing up my orbital station so that I can orbitally bombard a hive. Okay?

do people need a one-day extension to get this sh*t together?

EDIT; and yeah, thats fine seon. i don't want to make this impossible for peeps.

Again, a repeat... It'd be nice to have as many as possible on an IM service, be it Skype, AIM, or MSN (or hell, even Facebook)

Skype and FB:
Thomas Berube-Giguere
AIM:
Thomasberubeg
MSN:
Thomasberubeg@live.com

I love peeps. They are crusty.

Sigh. As you know, Immac. This sh*t you speak of is at least a freaking mile deep. We need the patience of an expert welder and a shovel the size of Atlantic Ocean, and the same number of seconds as the number of molecules in said shovel.

But I don't really think one day extension is necessary. Here we come, not at all prepared for the tomorrow. Work harder not smarter. Huzzah. :woohoo:

I agree with Seon... Unless someone specifically asks for an extension, don't grant it ;)

k.

just go on #NES for IM. its easy for everyone.

just go on #NES

Sorry to be Noob, but... Link, please?

http://nes-chat.tk/

http://www.gayakuman.com/uploads/2009/10/mass-effect-2-inferno-armor.jpg

This is how I imagine the Phoenix Guard. Am I wrong, Immac?

You know, for some reason, I always envisioned Phoenix guards as having a really elaborate armor, perhaps even slightly Romanesque in design. Their head-piece in particular, I thought, would look vaguely like a phoenix head.

do people need a one-day extension to get this sh*t together?

EDIT; and yeah, thats fine seon. i don't want to make this impossible for peeps.

My orders will be in by todays evening-night.

Seon: Agreed

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/mediawiki/images/9/9b/The_Emperor.jpg

This better? (though with a full facial helmet?)

Though, to be honest... The Phoenix guard should be without too many bells and whistles. Grimly efficient

i think the second is closer in my opinion but with a retractable visor for hostile environments (and symbiot acids)

Actuallly a one day extension would be brilliant. I went back to uni the day before yesterday and things have been hectic ;)

By hectic do you mean full of booze?

That's exactly what I mean :p

House Klorin hereby officially enters into a mutual protection pact/defensive alliance with Noble House Naprous
-Dain Kawalen Klorin, Imperial Regent, Patriarch of House Klorin

Klorin-Naprous Pact of Mutual Protection of 2303, signed on Errovus Secundus
~ signed and sealed by Cathrinn Naprous Klorin and Dain Kawalen Klorin


Noble House Naprous hereby officially enters into a pact of mutual protection/defensive alliance with Noble House Klorin.
~ Cathrinn Naprous Klorin
House Klorin hereby officially enters into a mutual protection pact/defensive alliance with Noble House Naprous
-Dain Kawalen Klorin, Imperial Regent, Patriarch of House Klorin

Northen- i e-mailed you answers to your questions.

Thänks!

Orders are due Tuesday, January 11th, 2011.
Orders received from:
Texier
Xicier
Thana
Vanarii
Tsedeq
Quin
Naprous
Query
Bossheim
Klorin
Remillard
Klorin
Koriate



:) so far so good.
if you ain't on the list, i ain't got no orders from 'ya

Orders sent. By PM and totally in contrast to the orders template, but at least they're sent :p

how hammered are you?

So hammered he gave orders to be absorbed by The Query. So I have 6 scepter holders now :p I offered him a bottle of scotch.

well... for a bottle of good scotch, who wouldn't?

I don't recall saying good...:mischief:

I don't recall saying good...:mischief:

I believe what he did was give Ekolite a bottle of scotch, as opposed to an actual bottle filled with scotch.

Not to completely derail the thread, but... (well, I am :p)

but, I'm not fond of Scotch, honestly (though, obviously it is an acquired taste.) Much more of a good wine person. Or port.

I just sent my orders, does everything meet your requirements?

Orders sent. Sorry to the few who's diplo went unanswered; long vacation and a busy workday make hbar a dull boy.

Not to completely derail the thread, but... (well, I am :p)

but, I'm not fond of Scotch, honestly (though, obviously it is an acquired taste.) Much more of a good wine person. Or port.

Not a fan of scotch?! Well, wine's nice and all (just finished my nightly glass when I should have been finishing KnightNES' update), but booze just packs so much more kick.

Not a fan of scotch?! Well, wine's nice and all (just finished my nightly glass when I should have been finishing KnightNES' update), but booze just packs so much more kick.

Well, I hate Liquor with a passion, (not for any reasons of principle, just that I hate the strong taste of alcohol) but I love good beers and good wines... Scotch, unfortunately, falls too much into the Liquor part of the spectrum.

Ahh, that is where we differ. I will take liquor over wine/beer any day.

Do you drink for the taste? or the sole purpose of getting drunk?

Edit: damn, sorry Immac

I like some beer, some wine, and some liquor. Just depends on my mood. I drink for taste fyi.

Guy Fye, Scepter Holder of The Query

I don't drink because unlike you people I'm an upstanding good Christian man. God fills my heart with enough Spirits to keep me content.

Do you drink for the taste? or the sole purpose of getting drunk?

Edit: damn, sorry Immac

The taste, actually. I can get drunk off of wine just as well as I do with liquor (and in fact quite enjoy it when I am having dinner with my girlfriend and her mum). I just like the biting bitterness of most liquors. Except tequila and spiced rum. Those two are disgusting.

edit: Sorry, immac!

I really like the burning sensation of the alcohol pulling out the oxygen, but that's pretty much it, though I also like port coz it's strong and sweet, and I'm fond of fruit mixes.

Also, I like waking up without remembering how I got home or why the insides of my head feels like a shattered glassbowl. Can someone tell that the last time I drank anything turned out pretty messed up? :p

I drink beer mostly although I'm quite picky about which kinds I like. Other then that its spirits. Mainly Vodka or Archers. Usually I just drink to get drunk though so its beer, or trying to drink cider without wanting to hurl hahaa.

IE not american piss beer? A good proper dark beer?

I drink beer mostly although I'm quite picky about which kinds I like. Other then that its spirits. Mainly Vodka or Archers. Usually I just drink to get drunk though so its beer, or trying to drink cider without wanting to hurl hahaa.

Try mixing vodka, beer, (cheap) red wine, rum and coke. How did I ever get talked into that.

IE not american piss beer? A good proper dark beer?

Yay for not living in the States (I'm only 20, so there's another good reason on this topic).

IE not american piss beer? A good proper dark beer?

Ahaa no actually I prefer the piss kind :lol:. I drink fosters mainly, or sometimes Kronenberg. Although to my credit neither of those are American.

...Anyway,

So Chamber of Minors, did you vote to give me the money for the plague or not?

We did. 27MF we think will be coming to the Eye from the various clans.

Above and beyond the call of duty!

... also, my diplo was late. Oops :blush:

Bloody hell. Forgot to give that money from house Klorin... (Though, I did give the releif effort money)

We did. 27MF we think will be coming to the Eye from the various clans.

In which case, on behalf of the Eye, the Regency, and the people of Errovus Seccundus I thank the Chamber of Minors for their generosity. That is a very considerable amount.

We think that the Regent would show yet more greatly exemplary action by unforgetting and revising his orders. :p

We think that the Regent would show yet more greatly exemplary action by unforgetting and revising his orders. :p

I am Providing technical Knowledge drawn from the Library of Amur, as well as provided a large sum for relief efforts on E2 itself :p

Ah so you didn't forget: you made a prudent decision in matters of your House's spending, by accident. :p

Ah so you didn't forget: you made a prudent decision in matters of your House's spending, by accident. :p

Well... I forgot to allocate money to that. I did mention it in my ACCs :p

enough about my moral inadequacies: I'm a dark Beer person, Coffee stouts are the best, IMHO.

I like cider... and fresh blueberries with cream.

Dark beer in the winter, gin and tonic in the summer, and whiskey when my wife's not around.

My take on frigates, whichever class:

http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/013/8/3/frigate_by_thomasberubeg-d374hxe.jpg

http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/013/4/1/friagte_topside_by_thomasberubeg-d374i6m.jpg

http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/013/2/d/frigate_underside_by_thomasberubeg-d374i3g.jpg

It's... pretty~ (the first picture)


To Bossheim, Texier and Remillard: Please join/be present in the CoM...?

Law: hard to explain- I’ll leave it to better players than I.


Law Magic is generally devoted entirely to agreements and (obviously) Laws. It seeks to hold subjects to the Law of their ruler, and to any promises or accords they may have made.


Creation: again, hard to explain- someone help me?


This is a tough one, but I believe it generally has to do with the creation of New things, of crafting growth out of nothing. I'm honestly not too sure how to explain this one.


Dimensional: again hard to explain… Thomas? Seon?


Simply, it is magic of the connections between all things.

Dimensional allows for things like teleprtation and summoning of beings from worlds unlike and unknown to this realm. It may also be used to break apart bonds between people.

Creation is opposed to nature in the way that it's unnatural creation; As Seon said, forging something out of nothing (opposed to nature, where you merely "help nature along").

To all:

As Regent, I have done nothing but my best to put the interests of humanity forward. As such, if you would all oblige by sending me a (private) review/critique of my term so far, so I can address such general issues you all my have.

Thank you
Dain Kawalen Klorin, Imperial Regent and Patriarch of House Klorin

I am present in the Council, Toteone. The list only lists ten out of thirteen members, and the people who haven't been online in a while go to the bottom of the list so you can't see them. I was either asleep or at school when you looked.

(thanks)
House Naprous, in service to the Imperium and after discussions with the Regency regarding the vulnerability of Hubbard, hereby presents:


Survey of Hubbard Military Resources

Modern Elite: 2 Thaumaturgy Covens, 1560 Grimson Troops, Extensive Eye Agent Network

Elite: N/A --- Suggestion: Provide regular elite batallions (glass scalpel, rangers, etc.) to spearhead general infantry tactics and police antiquated inf and civilians during emergencies.

General Infantry: 130k Modern Infantry (- art., squad weapons), 480k Death Infantry, 240k WWI Inf., 510k Medieval Inf.

Heavy Support: 8 Vengeance Batteries, 60 Boar MBT, 420 King Tigers, 270 Panzer IVs, 13 Panzer Is

Navy: 1 Battleship, 2 Destroyers, 3 Submarines

Air Force: 2 Dauntless CAS, 12 Fighters, 4 Bombers
2 Stinger Aerospace
Space Fleet: 1 White-Sky Cruiser, 2 Rabid Destroyers, 2 Raptor Frigates

Major Defensive Structures: Aerospaceport, Barracks, Academy, Faction Walls
Shuttle Traffic: Yachts 0-3, Freighters 1-1, Rabid Destroyer 1
Nukes (Affirmed) - Suggestion: Symbiot infested areas would, in an absolute emergeny of symbiot takeover, have to be nuked.

Civilians/Inf I liability? - Civilians definitely. Inf I suggestion: Upgrade to Inf III or IV or a modification of either with flame weapons and/or biosuits (available next year as modified and finished design by 2304)
(Most likely anything below Inf III (preferably Inf IV) is worthless or even a liability against symbiots)

Divided Command Liability (Regency, Garrison, Fleet)


Our assessment surprised us. It appears Hubbard could damage with its space fleet, perhaps even destroy one if by an adeptly executed ramming (a bad one would mean the loss or perhaps even leisurely conversion of the ship). Its freighter and yacht traffic however should always be protected to avoid giving the symbiots a free ship. The ground forces are insufficient to handle anything but a damaged carrier, though it is sufficient, if properly commanded, to fight a holding action the symbiots and converted civilians and Inf I from an undamaged symbiot ship.

Nukes are a gamechanger against symbiots from a single ship.

Suggestions may vastly increase combat capabilities of Hubbard. Suggestions: Law/Funding to upgrade?

Perhaps it would be prudent for the Church to move some of its orbital bombardment-capable fleet into orbit around Hubbard in case the unthinkable happens, and more of the purifying fire is needed.

As Hubbard goes, so go we all.

It is also Naprous intent to design Infantry IV, modern infantry with artillery (or seperately as art. batallions) and squad weapon support rather than see our underequipped infantry divisions without sufficient squad weapons or allow the high-end Vengeance batteries a monopoly on the artillery market. (We're also making biomods to existing units this year that will be for sale soon and are designing a regular and advanced biodesign the year thereafter.) Proper equipment multiplies the force of modern infantry units in particular, and while insufficient against advanced symbiots are better able to provide backup for heavy and elite units to finish the job.
We are looking for investors.

What are the perks for 'Investers?'

Okay, lay out the costs and the reward, which I imagine is sharing in the design and being able to make use of said unit.

any idea when the update will be up?

Arrakis, Ryavan

Ichabod Sterling walked through the storage facility with its manager Keith Sterling, Ichabod’s son, cataloguing the items of importance stopping occasionally while they decided if an item was needed at all. This was the sort of thing Ichabod thrived on working towards a grand goal and doing it while teaching his children. He had lived far longer than he had a right due to his scepter but still he found creation to be the most interesting thing ever. He thought to himself of all the wondrous new things he had discovered over time and the new College set up with his friends from House Thana well that was just…

“Father, I know you like to let you mind wander but I have asked how many of these prepared cube homes we should have before the end of next year ready.” Keith said in a somewhat irreverent tone directed to one’s parent, but Ichabod really did deserve it and he knew it to be true so he never held it against Keith.

“Specific numbers are not really the problem; it’s the transporting limits and the answer to that we must figure out. Besides if we make too many they can easily be used here on Arrakis if they get left behind.” Ichabod responded.

Keith shrugged and decided to let it drop for now. “I know you really just want to hang out at the College you are still working on, but I really wish you could focus more here and now.” Ichabod chuckled and waved his son to continue. Keith was by far his favorite as much as he was unlike Ichabod himself. He was brilliant when it came to engineering and construction, but was much more serious minded than Ichabod himself. But like the entire Sterling family they all abhorred violence except in self defense. It was so pointlessly destructive.

Several hours later the pair of them sat on the porch of a nice restaurant, Trevor’s, sipping iced tea. They also both preferred to stay away from alcohol unlike Guy Fye who was famous for his drinking. It was always a source of amusement that The Query had two very opposite leaders who were also great friends. Of course given how long Those two and Alex Black even longer had been the real rulers of The Query it was no surprise they either all liked each other or else hated each other. Fortunately for The Query it was the former.

“So father how many more years will this take?” Keith asked offhandedly as he finished ordering.

“Well we already lost a year due to this Plague on E2, but we estimate it will still be four years or more before we are ready to complete this effort.” And by that time thought Ichabod, Keith would likely have the scepter while Ichabod would spend the remainder of his years teaching in the College. God willing it was a glorious future for The Query and Humanity.

Who wants to split an Aircraft carrier with me? Kol, you're in england. you're best placed to get it :p (http://www.edisposals.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/WFS/Disposals-Public-Site/en_US/-/GBP/ViewProductDetail-Start;pgid=MieqQ4wkQg8000ArvQ_8K1sp0000UkSsWE7U?Pr oductUUID=38jAqBIQwVwAAAEsaApaBWLN&CatalogCategoryID=VaLAqBELPagAAAED8GeasfoP&JumpTo=OfferList)

Sure, she's a fixer upper, but... still

Edit:
I'm so sorry... I feel like i'm the greatest source of spam this game has. I'll try to stop.

Who wants to split an Aircraft carrier with me? Kol, you're in england. you're best placed to get it :p (http://www.edisposals.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/WFS/Disposals-Public-Site/en_US/-/GBP/ViewProductDetail-Start;pgid=MieqQ4wkQg8000ArvQ_8K1sp0000UkSsWE7U?Pr oductUUID=38jAqBIQwVwAAAEsaApaBWLN&CatalogCategoryID=VaLAqBELPagAAAED8GeasfoP&JumpTo=OfferList)

Oh what in the...

You guys can discuss drinks or whatever else. it doesn't bother me as long as it doesn't bother others.



any idea when the update will be up?


Still waiting on Ekolite.


Also... probably awhile... my sister is in town and my wife is 8 months pregnant. I've started some work on it but there's a lot to do. I hope to push hard on sunday night- its my next chance to write but i don't know how much i can get done then either. HOpefully early or mid-week.

Ekolite- you have to get your orders in soon- stop drinking for a bit and push send.

Ah, no worries. Personal life is most important... Hope everything goes well for you :)

but, you know... if there were to be a preview, nobody would say no

One of the section titles is:


Doppelgänger Assassin Strikes at Regency; House Klorin Loses Patriarch!


JOKES

OOOHHHH-Awwww, no real news.

And I looks like you're too late on the Aircraft Carrier-Some Chinese Buisnessman wants to buy it to make it into a school. Me, I'd probably try to build Rivet City if I had one. (You know, without the mutant crabs/turtles).

What are the perks for 'Investers?'

Okay, lay out the costs and the reward, which I imagine is sharing in the design and being able to make use of said unit.

To answer some questions Terrence has sent me that might be of general interest, yes, Infantry V would have a good number of mortars and other weapons for short to medium range indirect fire.
Artillery Batallions would be medium-to-long range and depending on the design might double as flak, another poorly developed branch.
Biochem Infantry IV would be regular infantry with biosuits, while Biochem Infantry V will probably be brigade or batallion sized have ceramics armor against infection, flame weapons and other antisymbiot equipment. I would base this on a series of developments I have begun this round by modifying existing Infantry IV to learn from any mistakes made.

As for costs and rewards, yes it would be fairly standard. I will field 40% of the cost of the designs, while other parties contribute 60% and share in the designs while Naprous keeps the rights of production to entities that did not share in the development.

The designs would cost about 5 for Infantry V, 10 for Artillery, 5 for Biochem IV and 10 for Biochem V.
At the moment I think we're looking at Naprous providing 12mf while three interested houses (so far) provide 6mf each.
We are dedicated to modernizing and specializing the militaries of the Known World at an affordable cost.

Me, I'd probably try to build Rivet City if I had one. (You know, without the mutant crabs/turtles).

OOC: D'aww...

But then where is the atmosphere of the place? :sad:

OOC: D'aww...

But then where is the atmosphere of the place? :sad:

Well, he could use tons of starved rats as an replacement.

Immac I sent you my orders on tuesday by pm.

Resent them now in case you didnt get them the first time.

Oh- i got them now- sorry Ekolite.

OOC:
Based on several discussions and things noted of player actions I ask beginning to wonder if most of you can even comprehend how nobility think and that few of you have bothered to try and understand and really place yourself in the mindset of this world. The one thing none of these nobles should want is to give away a single ounce of your perquisites, duties, or rights as nobles and here you are just handing the keys of the bus away to be npc'd. Seriously can any more than just a couple of you even pretend what this world is like? It is a world on inequality and the average person wants that inequality. The nobility would not even contemplate the actions you all have just proposed (excluding perhaps two houses). In addition I think you are all misreading piety as dedication to the church. Immac I have been viewing piety scores more as belief in whatever the house believes as opposed to loyalty to the Church. Just like I view profitability score as how experienced, mercantile a house is as opposed to loyalty to the guilds.

This would mean for instance that one could be pious without being loyal to the church itself.

Emails/PMs will be sent to those concerned in this recent madness.

I was thinking, how NPC are ACC. Like, they do have their views, but do they use them and go against owners wishes? say religious ACC would like to vote more religious house onto regency position than what was inthe orders?.

OOC:
In addition I think you are all misreading piety as dedication to the church. Immac I have been viewing piety scores more as belief in whatever the house believes as opposed to loyalty to the Church. Just like I view profitability score as how experienced, mercantile a house is as opposed to loyalty to the guilds.


In this case piety is merely your reputation vis-a-vis the church, how well liked you are by the Church. It does not actually mean your loyalty to the church or your religious views- though they may be related. The church, in this worlds, as you alluded to in your post, has its own political agenda and they are very much interested in temporal power.

The same is true of profitability. It is not how experienced and mercantile your house is (though that helps)- it is a function of how well liked you are by the guilds. It is also, partially, your credit rating.

Adrogans; You really should speak up if any of that is aimed at me... Apart from the Piety rating; I was clearly referring to the "Popularity" ratings. If those do not represent your relation to the Church, what does?

Popularity with the serfs/average person. Not the Church.

IC (Pending Response from Mod):

The Query Implore the minor nobility to step back from all this folly. We tried to work with you to prevent this Major vs. Minor attitude from taking hold, but in your haste for power and desire to control you would take away the very purpose of the nobility to give it to the Church, or the way you are going how long before you offer the Fleet to the SoE? We cannot and will not condone this course.

I personally am begging the Church to respond in such a way as to clear the heads of the muddled nobility in this Council. They have obviously forgotten that it is our, the Nobility's god given purpose in life to lead and protect the physical life of all Humanity while it is the Church's purpose to shepherd the souls of Humanity in the right direction. While The Query are faithful and believe in the Church as a source of spiritual guidance the Church consumed with the need to take care of the spiritual side of Humanity does not have the time or resources to cope with taking care of the Physical aspect of all of Humanity as well.

These plans to try and by votes with Imperial positions as if they are mere tokens in this time of tragedy and conflict instead of giving them to the most able among us to perform the tasks needed doing. As The Query proposed initially by offering the fleet, garrison, and eye to those with the skills for them regardless of their affiliation.

Apparently in 3 years since the death of our Emperor the Imperial Charter has become nothing more than a joke to most of the nobility. They apparently see it only as a tool for their own wants, desires, or as a source of fear in the possibility of domination or being the one dominating instead of using the Regency and Imperial positions to defend and guide Humanity to the right course as these positions were intended to do.

The Query are finished. We will not entertain any offers unless they are just and fair. We will not vote for anyone who is going to use the Regency to change the Imperial Charter. We will not support anyone who uses the Imperial posts as mere vote buying tools. This disgraces the memory of our Emperor and his purpose. This disgraces the plan of God for all Humanity.

Until sanity is regained by the Scepter Bound we must stand against this perversion of the natural order ordained by God.

Alex Black, Guy Fye, and Ichabod Sterling, Scepter Holders of The Query, in accordance with the wishes of The Query.

I don't think you understand...

# Reputation:

* Popularity: 4
* Noblesse: 5
* Piety: 7
* Profitability: 3


I am referring to the bolded part (used my own stats).

OOC:

I can be Pious without belonging to the Church. Are you saying the Lutherans are less pious because they didn't follow the Roman Catholic line?

OOC:

I can be Pious without belonging to the Church. Are you saying the Lutherans are less pious because they didn't follow the Roman Catholic line?

OOC: No, piety as a rating does not mean anything in this game then how friendly one is with the Church. For example, read DE's stats and you'll see that one is labelled as being a known "heretic" and also "has friends in the Church." he is impious as one can be, yet has friends in the Church which makes him have high piety rating.

Meanwhile, I would like to direct your attentionto the fact that Barbatos, in the original FFH game, is the name of an evil and powerful lich.

In this case piety is merely your reputation vis-a-vis the church, how well liked you are by the Church. It does not actually mean your loyalty to the church or your religious views- though they may be related. The church, in this worlds, as you alluded to in your post, has its own political agenda and they are very much interested in temporal power.

The same is true of profitability. It is not how experienced and mercantile your house is (though that helps)- it is a function of how well liked you are by the guilds. It is also, partially, your credit rating.

Dear Noble Houses/Players: I refer to Immac's post above and my private dealings with NPCs through him. Popularity is our standing with the plebs, Piety with the Church and Profit with the Guilds.

Furthermore:

Archbishop General (3 star) Judy Sleeping: Born into soldiering, Judy’s father and all her brothers were killed figting the symbiot. Judy Sleeping is a uniquely uncomplicated person and wields her political power with the sole goal of defeating the symbiots and ridding their curse from the known worlds. Archbishop General (3 star) Judy Sleeping is a scepter holder and has in the past commanded the imperial garrison.
The good Emperor Eekin found Miss Sleeping an acceptable Garrison commander sometime before the offices were shuffled after his death, so as such we must politely inform that the statement by Query is erroneous, both in regards to the Church's wants and capabilities.

Yes I know she did, but the point is that she is currently already leading a fighting force and we need not deprive it of leadership. We need to use the Nobility to rule the temporal side while the church leads the spiritual side.

OOC: She was reshuffled because the nobility do not want to open the door to a theocracy, but by all means if you want to NPC the government then go ahead. Your plan to hand the church back temporal power will as players limit yourselves. You as players are in essence choosing to weaken your own power and give it away. This is a dumb idea and runs counter to nobility's own sense of purpose and reason for existence.

Your own IM from Immac simply validates what I was saying about Piety.

In this case piety is merely your reputation vis-a-vis the church, how well liked you are by the Church. It does not actually mean your loyalty to the church or your religious views- though they may be related.

So for some reason the church likes a heretic. That does not mean everyone else should like them when they know, not suspect, but know they are a heretic and have been for a very long time.

IC (Pending Response from Mod):...rant...

Keep in mind that some of us (read: me) have absolutely no idea what you are ranting about. Either state specifics or conduct this communication in private with whom it is relevant.

Also, everyone please remember the roots of my house. It was the exiled branch on Arrakis that survived the purge, so we have a far different outlook on the role (and mortality) of noble houses than most.

OOC:

Yes but as you are apparently not involved with or even being told of the negotiations then it is immaterial.

Had you or Holy Gate been the ones to propose it I would have understood in an IC fashion. But as apparently you are not even in on the discussion...

These are good points Query and we acknowledge them even as we believe Bossheim's former piety cannot have consisted merely of connections.
We state however that promoting Sleeping Miss Sleeping was not our idea, though we find it to be a good one. All in all it seems to some of us that maintaining good relations with the Church may be worth sharing power. On the other hand you are correct that the domain of imperial offices should be firmly within the hands of the Noble houses. We defer to your wisdom and hope that others will do so as well. We ask that if you find the suggestions of some houses improper or simply inadequate that the Royal House of Query provide its full wisdom.
(The five major houses are Royal according to Immac.)

OOC:

Yes but as you are apparently not involved with or even being told of the negotiations then it is immaterial.

Had you or Holy Gate been the ones to propose it I would have understood in an IC fashion. But as apparently you are not even in on the discussion...

The "negotiations" have occurred in the last 18 hours, so I have just finished reading them. We should all keep in mind that these are preliminary talks, testing the waters, so to speak, and that we should all attempt to keep our tempers under control.

That said, we of House Sanctious'Als are offended at Query's implication that heretics are beyond redemption. It is the core idea of our house that the deeds of the past do not determine the actions of the future. If you are so offended at the idea of a Bossheim in a seat of power, I can only imagine how you feel about us.

No what we said was:

They are on the right path, but they need more than a couple of years to change their reputation.

As you have long since given up your Heresy and proven over many decades your truth to the faith we have no issue with you.

The Heretic in question has openly been a Heretic for so long it will take many years to begin to overcome that reputation not 2 or 3.

It does not actually mean your loyalty to the church or your religious views

I'll decide what my characters are feeling, thank you very much.

I hate to take on this tone, but I feel like you are trying to teach us how to play the game. That is not a good way to make the game better, in fact it obviously makes it much less funny, not only for us but for everyone.

I don't want to let this impression ruin in-game negotiations, I just wanted to state once and for all that stepping on the toes of other players and "teaching them how to play" should not be done. At all.

It is Naprous' feeling that a couple of years might be a bit short to some parties though we personally feel it is sufficent due to the extenuating circumstances, but five years should certainly be enough to please anyone.
What is another four years? Most of us, especially those less fortunate than the Royal houses, are but glad to serve the Empire by patience.

Edit: These tentative conversations appear to have been taken too seriously by Query. While many of us are fond of Bossheim and the Church, we were not demanding anything. We thought this would be obvious by our multiple and variable suggestions. Regardless, we understand this is a time for tempers to cool and we shall withdraw from further conversation on the matter. Perhaps others will do so or not, and we wish you good luck if you do.

OOC:

Then can you understand how many of us find the abrupt change in a well known heretic to be less than convincing as it has only been 2 years? That is nothing to the scepter bound who can literally live as long as they are bound.

It is a matter of scale. Either way I am awaiting answers from the mod and my House in any case is sick of the several 'this is how it is' pm's I have been getting from a minor house. The tone is insulting, the content is disagreeable, and it seems instead of negotiating they have been demanding.

You go and demand from "Royalty" as Toteone has said and see what response you get.

You may not in your council have intended to make them demands but they have been delivered as such and the Query are done with it we do not do demands.

OOC:

Then can you understand how many of us find the abrupt change in a well known heretic to be less than convincing as it has only been 2 years? That is nothing to the scepter bound who can literally live as long as they are bound.

Yes, I can understand why you are surprised. Why your characters are surprised. Not why you're telling me this is the wrong way to play.

Who knows what motivations are behind by behaviour? I am not an erudite, even if you have had that impression.

It is a matter of scale. Either way I am awaiting answers from the mod and my House in any case is sick of the several 'this is how it is' pm's I have been getting from a minor house. The tone is insulting, the content is disagreeable, and it seems instead of negotiating they have been demanding.

I would like to say that I am not among the people who have been sending these PMs. I am not responsible for how demanding other players may have been on my behalf - I believe I know how to play my position. If you have a differing impression of how other people are acting, so be it.

You go and demand from "Royalty" as Toteone has said and see what response you get.

You may not in your council have intended to make them demands but they have been delivered as such and the Query are done with it we do not do demands.

Assuming for a moment that the underlying conclusions you are working with here are true (ie: The Council votes and negotiates all together), I would say demanding a single Imperial Office, perhaps even two are in order. We command eleven sceptres, not counting Toteone's lost one. As I recall, every major house (with a "mere" 3 sceptres) were given an Imperial Office last election.

None of this answers my original remark, though, which was: You are being derogative, not only in-character (which would be completely forgivable), but also out-of-character, which is where I feel like stepping off and just not play with you. Is asking for an apology too much? This is just a game, after all.

Ah but you demanded all three not the two offered. I selected people based on their skills not their ability to get me votes and I have not changed my position. Every pm I have been getting (and now it seems he was not an official messenger from your council so my anger is slowly being redirected to them in particular) Has been give us more and now they are just shy of f you do what we say.

This is why we decided to go public with our anger as 1 - we were under the impression these were official messages from the entirety of your private council and 2 - the tone went quickly from negotiation to demanding to as I said essentially 'do it'.

The OOC part is because I see this too often in NESing...and its a personal peeve sorry for making it personal to you. But given set of circumstances A people try to force their real life values into it instead of trying to instead imagine themselves in situation/mindset A.

3 offices were never demanded, merely 2. Furthermore a lot of the candidates were based on skill. Lastly we were merely passing on the opinions of a number of council members in the hope that we might reach consensus.

The house referred to by Query is Naprous. We feel we represented the tone of other minors fairly well, while adding some personal suggestions. It was our responsibility that we choose to take private initiative, but we felt it would be helpful as elections were not far away.
The 'demanding' language in question probably refers to the lack of flowery prose and 'if you so desire'. Being a rather mercantile house we thought Query would understand our asking that a majority/some minors would like this or that were merely suggestions. Some of it is undoutedly our mistake, though we must emphasize that at the end of the day there is a consensus that the minors should be able to demand something of a candidate and that Query does not share this belief.

We stand by that we acted as a messenger and portrayed the opinions accurately. We have also been open with our actions in council and suggested in council that a speaker be elected, but until such it is necessary for someone to take initiative. If House Query dislikes our language for their own reasons that is fine, but we insist that despite the lack of official messenger status we did our task well, coagulating opinion both actively and facilitating communication. We sincerely doubt negotiations could have become focused otherwise, though perhaps another house would be more suited to speak with Query.

Adrogans; You really should speak up if any of that is aimed at me... Apart from the Piety rating; I was clearly referring to the "Popularity" ratings. If those do not represent your relation to the Church, what does?

It is not aimed at you as a player. Sorry for that impression.

The house referred to by Query is Naprous. We feel we represented the tone of other minors fairly well, while adding some personal suggestions. It was our responsibility that we choose to take private initiative, but we felt it would be helpful as elections were not far away.
The 'demanding' language in question probably refers to the lack of flowery prose and 'if you so desire'. Being a rather mercantile house we thought Query would understand our asking that a majority/some minors would like this or that were merely suggestions. Some of it is undoutedly our mistake, though we must emphasize that at the end of the day there is a consensus that the minors should be able to demand something of a candidate and that Query does not share this belief.

We were not going to name names as that is not our way, the tone was set because instead of operating from a position of give and take you devolved it to a position of take and take. This is not negotiation.

We believe a good compromise is one that leaves all sides disappointed but not angry.

Ah but you demanded all three not the two offered. I selected people based on their skills not their ability to get me votes and I have not changed my position. Every pm I have been getting (and now it seems he was not an official messenger from your council so my anger is slowly being redirected to them in particular) Has been give us more and now they are just shy of f you do what we say.

This is why we decided to go public with our anger as 1 - we were under the impression these were official messages from the entirety of your private council and 2 - the tone went quickly from negotiation to demanding to as I said essentially 'do it'.

The OOC part is because I see this too often in NESing...and its a personal peeve sorry for making it personal to you. But given set of circumstances A people try to force their real life values into it instead of trying to instead imagine themselves in situation/mindset A.

Thank you for the apology. I can't answer for the rest of your queries - no pun intended.