Choices and Chances

[Ailedhoo]

The Emperor requests this new pact's immediate expulsion of the Great Cult from its ranks. The Cult has long posed a threat to the Empire, and any further friendship with the Cult will lead to war between the Empire and this new Pact. The Emperor cites the Cult's expansionism and it's willingness to openly persecute otherwise docile religious minorities as reasons for the Cult to be openly opposed in every way. The Emperor will not stand idle while the Cult gains power and requests the Pact either pressure the cult into religious tolerance or face open war.

The purpose of the Pact is to ensure harmony, to ensure that the magical realms protect each other. We will not kick out a member so that you may war against them. We would suggest the Emperor reconsider war and instead recognise peace.

However we still will uphold the Non-Aggression Pact with you, as we do promote peace between you, us and the Pact of the Arcana.

 

[Danwar]

The purpose of the Pact is to ensure harmony, to ensure that the magical realms protect each other. We will not kick out a member so that you may war against them. We would suggest the Emperor reconsider war and instead recognise peace.

However we still will uphold the Non-Aggression Pact with you, as we do promote peace between you, us and the Pact of the Arcana.

You must misunderstand: The Cult is not worthy of peace or negotiations. Until something is done to curb its expansion, there will be no peace between us and the Cult. You think you have stopped a war, but you have merely escalated it.

The Emperor, for one, never formally agreed to said non-aggression pact, and now will not agree to it until our request is fulfilled. Further aligning of yourself in the Cult's favor will lead to war.

This war WILL happen: This pact has simply made it worse. We will give you one more chance to have peace.

Our request is the same as the last one.

 

[Tani Coyote]

Oh right.

4 players will get a 6th Hero unit this turn, usable this turn. Each stat must be a minimum of 5 XP, and you can allocate an additional 25 XP however you want across their traits. I choose the states receiving the extra Hero based on CP and chance.

Those states are:

Equestria
Basilea Konstantina
Dorado
Myxomyleza

To keep the game more simplified and updates faster, I am capping Heroes at 6 rather than the original 10. Once all states have 6, I will create an additional 7th Hero for 4 states... this will be based on CP. So we will have 100 Champions in total. Should a state drop, I will consider redistributing the Hero slots to keep us at 100.

 

[Ailedhoo]

You must misunderstand: The Cult is not worthy of peace or negotiations. Until something is done to curb its expansion, there will be no peace between us and the Cult. You think you have stopped a war, but you have merely escalated it.

The Emperor, for one, never formally agreed to said non-aggression pact, and now will not agree to it until our request is fulfilled. Further aligning of yourself in the Cult's favor will lead to war.

This war WILL happen: This pact has simply made it worse. We will give you one more chance to have peace.

Our request is the same as the last one.

Why do you strive the path of violence? You claim the Cult is evil but we would to know the evidence of these claims.

You did concur to a non-aggression pact. As of the time...

The Empress is pleased to declare we are to enter NAPs with both Basilea Konstantina and the Great Cult.

Then we opened to peace between you and now we still seek peace between you. The Cult has its right to expand as do you and we; why is their expansion aggressive and yours and ours not?

You realise the deterrence of the Pact is designed as such to Make war and you will be throwing yourselves into the dustbins of history.

Remember: the Pact also includes the CSA (which is a major military contender) and Myxomyleza: the DP is cross-linked. War is not just immoral here but it is also irrational for you to conduct. Please have reason and take the non-aggressive approach.

If necessary we are prepared to serve as mediator between Constantinople and the Cult.

 

[Danwar]

You did concur to a non-aggression pact. As of the time...

You *requested* it, but we never agreed to it. You may pretend that you did all you like, but it changes nothing. Attached is the entire conversation. and not once did I actually consent to the pact.

Then we opened to peace between you and now we still seek peace between you. The Cult has its right to expand as do you and we; why is their expansion aggressive and yours and ours not?

You realise the deterrence of the Pact is designed as such to Make war and you will be throwing yourselves into the dustbins of history.

Remember: the Pact also includes the CSA (which is a major military contender) and Myxomyleza: the DP is cross-linked. War is not just immoral here but it is also irrational for you to conduct. Please have reason and take the non-aggressive approach.

If necessary we are prepared to serve as mediator between Constantinople and the Cult.

Your feeble threats and paperthin diplomatic ploys will only get you so far, Magi. Remember this.

Moderator Action: While I don't see this as a major issue here, screencapping private correspondance is considered against the spirit of IOT and has generally lead to drama in the past. Simply stating you never agreed to a deal is enough.
-Tyo

 

[Tani Coyote]

Rule clarification:

Neutrals, under most circumstances, do not attack. They are each self-contained units.

The one exception I would foresee is if an action backfires in attempting to diplomatically annex them, in which case they could become aggressive or possibly form a temporary league with neighboring neutrals against the person who initiated the action (think the Hellenic League).

So... attempt diplo-annexation at your own peril.

Orders lock Thursday evening, PST. As before, generic orders for those who can't do the number crunching are fine.

 

[NinjaCow64]

The Chaldea Security Organisation confirms their membership in the Pact of the Arcana, if that wasn't obvious already.

CSO appreciates all those who sent tribute this turn. Please keep it coming!

 

[Tani Coyote]

Champion Movement Clarification:

For most actions, Champions have global reach.

When they conduct offensives, they are treated as one of those units. So if they are acting in the capacity of an Army or leading an Army, they will be restricted by Mobility tech the same as any other Army. This is to prevent absurd levels of !!stupid!! from sneak attacks.

When it comes to diplomatic annexation, each province a diplomatic action is made on consumes 1 Action, and one province can be attempted to be diplo-annexed only once per turn. This is to prevent "claim the whole world" insanity. This may sound like a bargain, but remember there are serious consequences to a backfire on diploannexation.

Time to revise the front page.

 

[Ailedhoo]

After consideration the Magi Empire has marked Morocco instead of Michigan as our 3rd claim to secure access to its phosphate.

You *requested* it, but we never agreed to it. You may pretend that you did all you like, but it changes nothing. Attached is the entire conversation. and not once did I actually consent to the pact.
View attachment 488177 View attachment 488178 View attachment 488179

Your feeble threats and paperthin diplomatic ploys will only get you so far, Magi. Remember this.

We had stated we were after Hispania in a separate chat. Was that not clear? Belgium's French expansion would have limited our intent to France; our main aim was to secure Hispania for the Magi Empire and commence access to the Medittearean for merchant purposes.

In private messages (OOC: I am not screencapping; please avoid screen-capping private messages) you have shown that you process a irrational hatred of magic that clouds your judgement. This may have affected your diplomatic ability.

Our mediation was to highlight the irrationality of your hatred towards the Cult and the falsehoods of your 'evidence.' Our 'threats' (if you could call them that) was to point that realpolitikal fact that the Pact would mean that any conflict would see Constantinople beyond outnumbered; a war would not just be Constantinople bringing violence against another but also witness it harming itself. If not reason than please acknowledge realpolitik; check the army production of the CSO and the navy production of Myxomyleza to know why war against the Pact would be beyond, if we are to be blunt, destructive of your power's survival.

Still: we will need to consult our partners, for the Pact is equal in its membership.

 

[Kinich-Ahau]

To: The Tankie Gang

Hellooo neighbor~~~ Words do not exist capable of describing how pleased we are that you’re so eager for union that you’ve landed on my shores en mass; fear not, your Understanding will commence immediately.

 

[e350tb]

Prepared Statement From The Imperial Admiralty

​

A division of our men have been captured by the foul convicts that run Tasmania. We fear they may be cannibalised. As a result, a second landing attempt will be made to save our troops from being eaten and to exact revenge upon the Vandiemonian Menace.

In the meantime, our control of the South Pacific must be reinforced. This calls for a massive construction program. We need ships.

Many ships.

​

Big ships.

​

Powerful ships.

​

Best ships.

​

wait hang on who put that in there?

Nevertheless, we have begun a massive expansion of the Imperial Fleet. Rest assured, the sea lines are protected by our steel battle line. There is nothing to fear in these waters.

 

[TheGryphonPrince]

(didn't have much time to prepare this, plus I have to leave in less than an hour for a walking trip)

Princess Flurry Heart rising

Spoiler Portrait :

(original picture)

Just 13 years old, Flurry Heart barely has had any time or maturity to consider her future, and being a princess isn’t a decision that can be lightly made. However, Flurry Heart, at this young age, has still managed to prove that she wants to save other ponies from harm, just like her mother, but instead of using raw strength, she is much more cunning, preferring to study the situation and use her wits rather than make a rash decision.

Flurry Heart must continue her education in the Crystal Empire with her crystaller Sunburst before she can decide on whether or not she really wants to be a princess. However, the future is looking bright for her if she does choose that path.

Regarding the current conflicts

The world seems to be particularly conflictive these days, with Constantina and the Cult, and the Myxomyleza and the Tankie Gang about to go to war. We are saddened by the threat of warfare arising, but nonetheless it is not our place to intervene in these conflicts. What we can do however, is open the Harmonic Union to refugees from these upcoming wars, and anymore that may arise in the foreseeable future.

 

[Ailedhoo]

Her Imperial Majesty, Modeste Aai, has issued a imperial degree forming a new guild to serve as bastion for the Magi Empire's trade in tropical agriculture. With our holdings in Brazil set to see our development in the farming of banana, cocoa, sugar and other tropical agricultural goods the trade must band together in the name of Her Magnificence! Henceforth the Empress has declared the formation of the Imperial Tropical Agriculture Guild, to be headed by imperial appointment as guild-master the elven noble and elementalist Arglwydd Gwyrdd. Lord Gwyrdd's task will be towards bringing forth our new found farming, both to feed our populace with more diversity on the plate and to bring further joy to our treasury as we enhance our trade. May both our bellies and vaults be full!

 

[Tani Coyote]

Orders lock in about 24 hours. As previously mentioned, more generic directions are valid for those who are unable to crunch the numbers.

 

[Kinich-Ahau]

“What have you done?” The odd knife-eared humanoid ‘Elf, that’s right. That’s what it called itself,’ said, in a tone that carried a hint of fear. How curious.

“What she asked me to; your party arrived to foster friendship and further Understanding between Paveterra and myself; why wouldn’t we Understand you all?”

These... diplomats, yes, had arrived on a trading ship just that morning. Their leader- Vaeri Shadi, she called herself- was swathed in an enticing aura of magic. Once she opened her mouth and spoke of her mission- to bring Myxomyleza into a magical alliance devoted to defense, cooperation, and learning- every cell of Myxomyleza, from those at the very tip of the sporangia of Site Goddess 1 to those inhabiting the craniums of Understood traders, and from the tissues in the networks of the captured and built ships to those seiving nutrients from the Congo River, experienced a rapturous joy unlike any the supraorganism had felt before. It’s efforts had borne fruit at last- here was a massive organization that was not only willing, but dedicated to Understanding.

Never one to deny a singlemind who sought Understanding as much as it did, Myxomyleza of course immediately began the process of Understanding; curiously, this Vaeri seemed to react in much the same way humans who’d been forcefully Understood did- perhaps this reaction was not resistance, as previously hypothesized, but simply the natural response of humanoids to Understanding. Her conciosuness was overwhelmed, made greater than it could ever have been alone, and incorporated into Myxomyleza.

“This is not friendship... this is somethings else, something else entirely...” the seemingly fearful elf said. Several of the Paveterran party had tried to run when they saw the Understanding, but the slime had blocked off their escape routes. ‘It would appear that elves have commitment issues, too; they’re all about Understanding at first, relentlessly teasing me, but when the time comes to merge, they get cold feet. This must be how a bride left at the altar feels.’ In short order, the diplomats were Understood.

As their memories were incorporated into the collective, the real purpose of their visit became evident. ‘What cruelty; what utter sadism and cruelty- they were not harbingers of true friendship and Understanding. No, these bullies sought to string me along and then deny me, to peddle a false Understanding, a lesser one, an Understanding not worthy of being called such. What have I done to make these Mages torment me so? Why would these teases promise true Understanding and then seek to evade and escape it- and to think entire nations were in on this plot!? Oh, how black the hearts of singleminds can be!’

Still, the situation was not yet unsalvageable; Myxomyleza brushed the tendrils of its mind against that of the face, the traveller Wat duFoque. Wat had been created for occasions just as this, and the slime ordered the lesser consciousness to Paveterra. It was to deliver an official complaint to the Empress, to demand answers, discover why they’d play this cruel jape on Myxomyleza. In the meantime, the great slime would work to soften the hearts of the Arcane Pact, to make them realize the error of their ways, apologize for their deceit, and maybe, just maybe, convince them to submit to true Understanding.

———

*Some time later*

The warlock’s brain remained curiously magical; the network’s signals would occasionally make it pulse with power; the remnants of Vaeri’s conciousness would wax and wane in time with these pulses. How intriguing! Perhaps through experimentation, Myxomyleza could further refine the Understanding process as it relates to magic users and magic items.

‘So if we do this, manipulate that pathway, signal there... hello, what’s this...?’

New Hero: Mobile Arcane Node 1 (MAN1), AKA Slimy Vaeri
Created through experimentation on the brain of the warlock diplomat Vaeri Shadi, MAN1 is a fusion of fractions of Vaeri’s old personality with the values and worldview of Myxomyleza. MAN1 has a limited magical ability, which is used to further the cause of global Understanding.

 

[Tani Coyote]

Orders locked. Late orders will be accepted provided they do not involve military action against other players, with an exception for any player who has relevant leaked plans.

(Word beyond the forum has reached me of Terran Empress' leaving the game, and with that in mind...)

As the moldy tendrils of Myxomyleza extended southward, eager for a quick Understanding over the Tankie forces, they were left disappointed, or whatever the hive mind equivalent would be. The Tankie troops were gone, much of the population gone as well.

South Africa was quickly understood by Myxomyleza, though the puzzle remained as to the Tankies’ sudden disappearance. Had they been understood by some other hive mind being?

The answer would come soon enough. Telegrams. Radio broadcasts. Television broadcasts. The tinpot dictator Joseph Stalin had been cast into the frigid waters of the Antarctic, the madman Khruschev having successfully seized control of the continent with his secretly-amassed army of cornmen. Khruschev’s all golden teeth during his televised victory speech indicated he had injected himself with some of the corn DNA, and was turning into a cornman himself.

Trotsky and his Piplup quickly enough departed for Argentina, setting up a rival government, though it did not amount to much. Comrade Pingu disappeared into the hordes of Antarctic penguins, presumably intending to wage a guerilla campaign on the behalf of his late Premier.

The bulk of the Tankie Gang’s economy and military fell under Premier Khruschev’s control. But he did not share Stalin or Trotsky’s global ambitions. He just wanted to make the desert bloom. With corn. Lots and lots of corn. Excessive agricultural production crippled capitalism before, it could do it again!

The Tankie Gang has been dissolved. Antarctica is now a Cradle of Civilization.

 

[e350tb]

The Imperial Foreign Minister barges in, sweating profusely.

With the collapse of the Tankie Regime we now claim Peru and Chile for us at some point okay bye.

He exits quickly, nearly tripping over a chair on his way out.

 

[Ailedhoo]

The Imperial Foreign Minister barges in, sweating profusely.

With the collapse of the Tankie Regime we now claim Peru and Chile for us at some point okay bye.

He exits quickly, nearly tripping over a chair on his way out.

Under notice that the Magi Empire will lay domain over the southern Argentien province so we can a secured base for Pacific merchant shipping.

 

[e350tb]

Under notice that the Magi Empire will lay domain over the southern Argentien province so we can a secured base for Pacific merchant shipping.

This is acceptable to us.

 

[GenMarshall]

​

Sombra walks towards her desk. Sainding right next to her desk are Widowmaker and Admiral Orlock. Orlock, in his right hand, holds a bulky folder of the dossier of the situation of the world. She calmly sits at her desk. "What's the situation of the world right now? I didin't know that this game is actually going to go live".

"Yes, these, 'Imperium Offtopicum' Games tend to. Die prematurely" Widowmaker said in response "Just like competition games in Overwatch when there's a leaver before the match even starts".

"Indeed" Orlock said in response before turning to Sombra "here's the situation of the world. First of course, is..."

Widowmaker then interrupts as she sees Orlock holding in his frustration "Just spill it out, it's no secret that Nationalist Coruscant hates anything related to 'My Little Pony' and the brony fandom. No need to hold in the tilt and the salt".

"Right" Orlock adjusts himself and continues "The Union of the Principality of Equestria and the Crystal Empire......" his emotions goes from annoyance, to disgust "....a nation run by ponies".

"Zey are still a thing?" Widowmaker says, inquisitively "I thought that fandom died off years ago"

"I'm just happy when I Google myself, I just find me and not some Pony character" Sombra said with a tint of laughter in her voice. "Of course, I can hack Google to make it show results with pictures of just me". Sombra then laughs a little before going back on topic "So long as they keep their distance, we do the same".

"Of course Autarchess" Orlock, then mumbles under his breath "Even if the pile of diabetes inducing ponies is affront to us".

Widowmaker sighs and rolls her eyes "Just go play Fallout 4 with enemies modded to look like ponies so you can shoot them to get it out of your system".

"I refuse to" Then Orlock crosses his arms

Widowmaker then places her hands on her hips and looks at Orlock straight into his eyes "And why not?"

"I don't want that cancer to ruin the purity of my game" Orlock said in a gruf.

Widowmaker then shrugs her arms "Let's just move on, it's clear you're tilted by the mere existence of ponies.

"Yes" Orlock said as he recomposes himself "Let's move on before I blow a blood vessel". He then flips through the pages in the dossier. "The Confederacy of Independent Systems. Were an old, very old enemy of the Republic. The Old OLD Republic. Long before the days of the Republic of Coruscant. Yet on a delusional quest to continue the fight against the Republic. Little do they know is that we do have some connections with both the so called Force Alliance and the CIS, historically"

"Ze historical connections are so far remote that we shouldn't consider them a threat Madam Sombra" Widowmaker added.

Then Orlock interjects "But given that we field Galactic Empire naval hardware. We should be cautious" The he flips through the pages "They've already taken a stand against the Chaldea. There's no telling how they would react seeing an Imperial-Class Star Cruiser flying the Dorado flag".

"For now" Sombra says, as she balances a holographic copy of Orlock's reports on her finger "Our policy is to keep a wide buffer between the CIS and ourselves. We have no desire to be incorporated into, what you old Coruscantis call, ancient rebel organization. Granted our goals are similar in nature, returning back to the cosmos" She then leans to one side in her chair "Plus, I like the idea to maintain our sovereign rights than to piss them away". Then she looks towards Orlock "The thing with Chaldea, they're just looking for free crap or have 9000 axemen at your doorstep if you don't compy".

"I'd still be weary of them" Widowmaker interjects as Sombra finishes her sentence "These Confederates look down on, what they call 'slugthrowers'. They'd look at us as primitives dispute our armory having the AER7 Modular laser weapons system".

"Look, the worst we'll get is that they would see us as a melting pot of all of my husbando's fandoms" Sombra said as she starts to count from her fingers "Not only we have Star Wars, but also Killzone, Overwatch, Fallout..."

D.Va then sticks her head into the office "Don't forget Warhammer 40k". Then everyone looks at her with confusion as they're not expecting her this early in the game. "I'll come back when Tani announces that we can have a new hero" she said as she slinks back into the hallway.

Widow then closes her eyes half closed "That, was random". Everyone else nodded in agreement with Widowmaker. "So, do we call the CIS's robots 'Omnics' or Droids?"

Everyone but Widowmaker simply said in agreement "Just call em droids".

"Next up on the list are The Tankie Gan...." Orlock said, just before realizing that they no longer exist "...never mind, they've disappeared into a minor nation. Moving on". He then tosses the paper into the shredder. "Next up on the list is the Basilea Konstantina. They consider us a neutral power yet has no interest in helping us eather".

"Well, I guess when the poop does hit the fan, they won't lift a finger" Sombra said, sarcastically "As expected. When the poop his the fan in their direction, we won't lift our finger". Then she reads up on the Basilea's religious policy, then passes the note to Widowmaker. "They are certainty making a name for themselves for being anti-Cultist".

"I hate to know what they would think of the concept of the Cult of Personality" Orlock said as he glances at the two Nationalist Defense Squad guards posted by the elevator doors."Though for now, they see us as non hostile entities. But that may change if their Emperor sees our party rallies, Cult-like." He then puts on a smile "Ironic how this Neo-Byzantine Empire had roots in the old Roman Empire that had a cult of personality".

"I already read up that there is tensions between Basilea and the cults" Sombra said as she leans back in her chair "Historians will call it The Great Cult War. For now, we stay on their good side".

Sombra's Words to the World
​

To: The Confederacy of Independent Systems
From: Nationalist Republic of Dorado
Hola.

It's admirable you'd offer a pledge of non-interference. Given the ancient history (From our perspective in time), we extend that we have no quarrel with the CIS.

To: The Pacific Empire
From: Nationalist Republic of Dorado
Hola.

We, can't help but notice that you're claiming Peru and Chile. I do hope that you keep out of Central America, including Mexico.

To: The Force Alliance
From: Nationalist Republic of Dorado
Hola.

It's quite unusual to run into a nation that's a blast from the past, even your current flag resembles the old Republic of Coruscant's flag before a change in government. But allas, the so called "Force" is all but a dead religion. Set aside as mythologies akin to the Earthian mythos of the Greeks and the Romans.

To: The Magi Empire of Pavetterra
From: Nationalist Republic of Dorado
Hola.

Given that we notice that you're heading to South America. We hope that you keep your focus out of Central America

To: The Chaldea Security Organization
From: Nationalist Republic of Dorado
Hola.

Since you desire free stuff....



...have a hacked Pachimari plushie.

To: Basilea Konstantina
From: Nationalist Republic of Dorado
Hola.

We can't help but overhear the tensions between Konstantina and The Great Cult. The Nationalist Party wishes any information in regards to psychological effects the cult has caused your citizens fear for the next party congress to determine if the Grand Cult's religion is a threat to our national security worthy for the party's Nationalist Defensive Squad to suppress and reeducate should it's influence come to Central American shores.