Dice [Exalted] O Brave New World (OOC)

[Random Word]

And do you want Hazel and John to have been part of the discovery process for the Manse, or have them arrive well after you've settled in to attempt to unlock more of its secrets?

 

[jaydude]

At the moment, I'm kinda inclined to go with the second option, just because I think it'll be a bit simpler to implement. I mean, I certainly like the idea of the three of us working together to find the thing, but then we'd either have to do the societal transition thing, or we'd need to do another timeskip for that. Plus, I also like the idea of Hazel and John arriving at the place only to find out that a load of other people got there first.

Thanks for helping me sort all this out, by the way.

 

[Random Word]

We're here to tell fun stories, not boring ones. If you ever want to revisit the past to find out what went on there we can always jump back in time in flashbacks.

So now the question is, what sort of story are we telling about Atusa and her well established oasis-manse settlement in the desert? Political intrigue is presumably out for now. A slice of life about an idyllic desert commune? A horror story about things in the deep that should have been left undisturbed? A war story of invading Raksha? An adventure story of following up on clues in the Manse to find more treasures lost to the desert? There are a lot of directions you could go as a ruler of a small but prosperous settlement - though a lot of them admittedly involve politics. What sort of story would you like Atusa to have next?

 

[jaydude]

We're here to tell fun stories, not boring ones. If you ever want to revisit the past to find out what went on there we can always jump back in time in flashbacks.

So now the question is, what sort of story are we telling about Atusa and her well established oasis-manse settlement in the desert? Political intrigue is presumably out for now. A slice of life about an idyllic desert commune? A horror story about things in the deep that should have been left undisturbed? A war story of invading Raksha? An adventure story of following up on clues in the Manse to find more treasures lost to the desert? There are a lot of directions you could go as a ruler of a small but prosperous settlement - though a lot of them admittedly involve politics. What sort of story would you like Atusa to have next?

I'll have a think. Currently involved in a game of Wildermyth.

 

[D. Rex]

Well, before you get carried away in the decision of the manse. Do keep in mind that it was I who purchased it.

And if this manse is the fruit of this initial part of Hazels (and by extension Johns) adventure, then it would only be appropriate for at the very least be an optimal resolution and satisfying taste of said fruit rather than simply getting seconds.

 

[Random Word]

I suppose Atusa could find it in an inactive state, and it takes Hazel to figure out how to turn the damn thing on. Even almost entirely offline it isn't hard to believe it would make an excellent location for a settlement. The Hematti might not even know there was a manse, thinking it just an ordinary oasis with some ruins.

 

[jaydude]

I was more concerned about having to shell out for the Manse myself, but D. Rex brings up an equally valid issue. Personally I'm inclined to go with something close to what Random Word suggested; the Hematti stumble across the Manse and settle there/nearby without realizing what it is, or being able to repair it.

What are the details behind the manse again? Just because I was thinking of writing up my skip myself, thereby saving Random the trouble.

 

[jaydude]

So now the question is, what sort of story are we telling about Atusa and her well established oasis-manse settlement in the desert? Political intrigue is presumably out for now. A slice of life about an idyllic desert commune? A horror story about things in the deep that should have been left undisturbed? A war story of invading Raksha? An adventure story of following up on clues in the Manse to find more treasures lost to the desert? There are a lot of directions you could go as a ruler of a small but prosperous settlement - though a lot of them admittedly involve politics. What sort of story would you like Atusa to have next?

I'm admittedly looking to play Atusa as a bit of a power fantasy. Namely, a renowned and charismatic warrior queen who can protect her people and win the loyalty and respect of those around her, and who ultimately becomes one of the most important, influential and powerful figures in the region.

At the same time though, I don't want to just indulge in shallow wish fulfilment. I'd like to interact with the other PC's and explore how those interactions might play out, the different opinions that each character may form, as well as how we might all help and hinder one another. I also want to use Atusa as a vehicle/tool to explore and play with the setting you've created; interacting with factions like the Ur-Pharaoh and the Sassarian Principate, among others.

 

[Random Word]

Can do. I can see how having a liege crimps that narrative. My mistake was thinking we were telling the story of how Atusa came to unite and lead the southern clans. With Presence 4 + Charisma 5 + a few Solar Presence Charms, plus Dex 5 + Melee 5 + a MA up to the Form, I figured you'd persuade your way into leadership in short order, and kill/subdue anyone who wouldn't fall into line. Atusa can overcome any mortal's Resolve effortlessly, especially if it's a subject she believes in strongly, so it's only a matter of time before she persuades any group of anything she pleases, and she can win just about any naval engagement or defeat any mortal crew in boarding, so she can overcome some serious disadvantages in conquest. You were more reserved with your superpowers than I expected, so things were going to be a bit more of a slow burn, but I was fine with that. Keeping a low profile has advantages - like not attracting unwanted attention from powerful things before you're ready to take them on.

We can absolutely instead have you be absolute and beloved sovereign of your own domain. Do you still want to aspire to ruling over all the southern clans, or are your aspirations limited to leading your people to prosperity and happiness? What does Atusa's path to becoming such an influential figure look like?

I think Renna and Morrolan have large scale conquest in mind, so war is in the cards no matter which path Atusa takes, but her role in the war could vary significantly.

 

[jaydude]

Can do. I can see how having a liege crimps that narrative. My mistake was thinking we were telling the story of how Atusa came to unite and lead the southern clans. With Presence 4 + Charisma 5 + a few Solar Presence Charms, plus Dex 5 + Melee 5 + a MA up to the Form, I figured you'd persuade your way into leadership in short order, and kill/subdue anyone who wouldn't fall into line. Atusa can overcome any mortal's Resolve effortlessly, especially if it's a subject she believes in strongly, so it's only a matter of time before she persuades any group of anything she pleases, and she can win just about any naval engagement or defeat any mortal crew in boarding, so she can overcome some serious disadvantages in conquest. You were more reserved with your superpowers than I expected, so things were going to be a bit more of a slow burn, but I was fine with that. Keeping a low profile has advantages - like not attracting unwanted attention from powerful things before you're ready to take them on.

In fairness, looking back on it, I did indicate that I wanted Atusa to unify the Faqari clans under her banner, that being the command the Unconquered Sun had given her upon her Exaltation. It just felt like a "Zenith" thing to do for me.

I think the problem with giving Atusa a Faqari liege there - which I don't think I realized at the time - was that she and the Hematti would inevitably end up rebelling against said liege, and I want to try and play her as a Lawful Good ruler. Thus, regardless of what the Unconquered Sun might have said, I wouldn't want her to rebel without an honourable, justified, non-selfish reason.

I didn't realize you thought I was being reserved with my powers. Looking back again though, yeah, I probably could have resolved the business with Aejej and her beau without spending a fate point, but I think that back then I was losing interest in the Bintanath plotline, and feeling a bit ineffectual after Atusa's narrow victory against Acekara and her getting her butt kicked by that guardian.

We can absolutely instead have you be absolute and beloved sovereign of your own domain. Do you still want to aspire to ruling over all the southern clans, or are your aspirations limited to leading your people to prosperity and happiness? What does Atusa's path to becoming such an influential figure look like?

I think I'd like to stick to my original goal of unifying the clans not following the Ur Pharaoh, simply because it was my initial plan. As for Atusa's path, my current intention for the timeskip is to have it so that the Fayum Clan descends into violent civil war, with some or all of the brothers ending up dead, and the Fayum power bloc ultimately collapsing and dissolving. This would leave the Hematti and the other surviving vassal clans independent, and from there they'd go on to settle the area around the manse. Obviously it could use a little more detail than this though.

I think Renna and Morrolan have large scale conquest in mind, so war is in the cards no matter which path Atusa takes, but her role in the war could vary significantly.

Okay. Who exactly are they going after again?

 

[Random Word]

Okay. Who exactly are they going after again?

As far as I understand, the answer is, 'Yes' or 'All of the above'. I think Sherwood and Psychie expressed an interest in conquering literally everything and ushering in a new Solar+Lunar empire, but I will leave it to them to clarify.

I wouldn't want her to rebel without an honourable, justified, non-selfish reason.

I understand. That's mostly what the civil war was about. The obvious suffering inflicted by the civil war, the weakness and immorality of the Fayum, and the possible death of one or all of the heirs would give Atusa lawful good justification for taking over by simply persuading everyone to swear fealty to her instead. That surreal moment when you're standing on the deck of a burning ship, the air thick with the scent of blood and burning flesh, and filled with the screams of the dying, and you realize you're all one people, sisters and cousins butchering each other for nothing, only serving to keep each other too weak to throw off the yoke of the Principate, and you decide no more. Or your spectacular success against the Fae in a crusade could cause a power bloc to form around Atusa as a messiah, with her adherents pushing her to take over to end the threat of the Fae once and for all. You can be Lawful Good and still break unjust rules to start a revolution to bring about a better world! The deck was also stacked in your favour in a few ways, including the thunderbirds are obsessed with all the ceremonies happening during daylight/sunset/sunrise and draping things in gold because they're lawful good emissaries of the UCS kicked out of Achaea by REDACTED, returned to restore justice to the land, and would flip to your side if you were outed as a Solar, leaving Chumiren high and dry.

What about, "Under my enlightened rule the clans will be safer, happier, and more prosperous. The Fae will be brought to heel, the pointless wars between the clans will end, and we will force the Sassarin to give us better trade terms by negotiating as a bloc. Plus Chumiren's kind of a dick." Sometimes you have to rebel because the Unconquered Sun didn't tell you to sit around and wait for the opportune moment to make everyone's life better, he told you to get it done. The laws of mortals aren't the laws of the Unconquered Sun, and the law isn't always just. Feudalism achieves its goals of collective defense and enriching the elite, but it's awful for everyone on the bottom.

All that being said, Atusa's internal conflict over whether to act for the betterment of her people if it means breaking their laws is great drama fodder, and could lead to character growth if PCs/NPCs help her develop a new perspective.

feeling a bit ineffectual after Atusa's narrow victory against Acekara and her getting her butt kicked by that guardian

Sorry about that. Because Exalted combat is so heavy, I usually hesitate to roll JB for easy opponents and just declare a roll-off or let you narrate how you win if you're obviously superior, like with the crews assaulting your ship before Acekara. The Guardian has serious weaknesses - its excellency is keyed off of the severity of the laws the opponent has broken, and it's lawful to a fault, so there are ways to make it way easier to fight or even have it serve you by messing with the tablet of laws, but it was indeed designed by its creator to prevent even a handful of Exalted from being able to easily enter the armoury behind it without permission. It's a dangerous enemy. I shouldn't have had it abuse the falling damage mechanics against you, though - they're a bit broken in 3e. I should have reserved that for if Renna and Morrolan joined you in fighting it.

Acekara is tricky. It wasn't my intent to demoralize - 3e combat is a tricky beast to tune, but I should err on the side of making combat too easy, especially if you're fighting alone. I wanted to establish the Fae as a credible threat and I figured the Cataphract stats were dangerous but not overwhelming. If all five of you were there, obviously Acekara wouldn't last two rounds. One rule of Exalted combat is, against an enemy like a Raksha that doesn't have an Excellency and thus doesn't really depend on motes, it's really important to go big or go home. Full excellencies on everything until you run out to try to take the enemy down fast is generally the key, because enemies like Raksha that don't have excellencies or much in the way of expensive Charms will outlast you in a long fight. Wound penalties are brutal, and typically the first one to inflict them wins. The need for max excellencies is especially true for a Martial Art like yours, where net successes on your hits are extremely important for triggering your best effects. Against a strong opponent you basically need 18 hits on your attack roll to pull out your best tricks, which is why the MA is considered one of the weaker ones, and best at absolutely crushing foes you already outclass, or enemies that have high soak but low defences, where you might need a mere 9-12 hits. I'll make sure Atusa faces more enemies that are low defence, high something else to make sure you have a chance to pull off your more powerful attack Charms. Cleaving through large but undisciplined battlegroups like massive zombie hordes is a good example of something Atusa would excel at.

Edit: We can also look at making some house ruled modifications to buff it a bit. Maybe lowering the thresholds to 1.5x and 2x defense instead of 2x and 3x.

 

[jaydude]

As far as I understand, the answer is, 'Yes' or 'All of the above'. I think Sherwood and Psychie expressed an interest in conquering literally everything and ushering in a new Solar+Lunar empire, but I will leave it to them to clarify.

So they're basically the Big Bad Duumvirate from Atusa's perspective. Fair enough.

In a meta sense, I am a little nervous about going up against Psychie and Sherwood , simply because they seem to have more experience with the game mechanics than me, and thus are likely to end up with far better character builds when our characters get to fighting. I could possibly beat them by unifying everyone else in the region against them, but there's emphasis on "possibly".

Hmm. If I can't nip them in the bud, the idea of trying to join them as a powerful vassal's starting to sound appealing.

I understand. That's mostly what the civil war was about. The obvious suffering inflicted by the civil war, the weakness and immorality of the Fayum, and the possible death of one or all of the heirs would give Atusa lawful good justification for taking over by simply persuading everyone to swear fealty to her instead. That surreal moment when you're standing on the deck of a burning ship, the air thick with the scent of blood and burning flesh, and filled with the screams of the dying, and you realize you're all one people, sisters and cousins butchering each other for nothing, only serving to keep each other too weak to throw off the yoke of the Principate, and you decide no more. Or your spectacular success against the Fae in a crusade could cause a power bloc to form around Atusa as a messiah, with her adherents pushing her to take over to end the threat of the Fae once and for all. You can be Lawful Good and still break unjust rules to start a revolution to bring about a better world! The deck was also stacked in your favour in a few ways, including the thunderbirds are obsessed with all the ceremonies happening during daylight/sunset/sunrise and draping things in gold because they're lawful good emissaries of the UCS kicked out of Achaea by REDACTED, returned to restore justice to the land, and would flip to your side if you were outed as a Solar, leaving Chumiren high and dry.

What about, "Under my enlightened rule the clans will be safer, happier, and more prosperous. The Fae will be brought to heel, the pointless wars between the clans will end, and we will force the Sassarin to give us better trade terms by negotiating as a bloc. Plus Chumiren's kind of a dick." Sometimes you have to rebel because the Unconquered Sun didn't tell you to sit around and wait for the opportune moment to make everyone's life better, he told you to get it done. The laws of mortals aren't the laws of the Unconquered Sun, and the law isn't always just. Feudalism achieves its goals of collective defense and enriching the elite, but it's awful for everyone on the bottom.

All that being said, Atusa's internal conflict over whether to act for the betterment of her people if it means breaking their laws is great drama fodder, and could lead to character growth if PCs/NPCs help her develop a new perspective.

When you put it that way, I'm actually going to reconsider dropping the whole civil war plotline. It certainly ties in with my ambitions for Atusa.

Sorry about that. Because Exalted combat is so heavy, I usually hesitate to roll JB for easy opponents and just declare a roll-off or let you narrate how you win if you're obviously superior, like with the crews assaulting your ship before Acekara. The Guardian has serious weaknesses - its excellency is keyed off of the severity of the laws the opponent has broken, and it's lawful to a fault, so there are ways to make it way easier to fight or even have it serve you by messing with the tablet of laws, but it was indeed designed by its creator to prevent even a handful of Exalted from being able to easily enter the armoury behind it without permission. It's a dangerous enemy. I shouldn't have had it abuse the falling damage mechanics against you, though - they're a bit broken in 3e. I should have reserved that for if Renna and Morrolan joined you in fighting it.

Acekara is tricky. It wasn't my intent to demoralize - 3e combat is a tricky beast to tune, but I should err on the side of making combat too easy, especially if you're fighting alone. I wanted to establish the Fae as a credible threat and I figured the Cataphract stats were dangerous but not overwhelming. If all five of you were there, obviously Acekara wouldn't last two rounds. One rule of Exalted combat is, against an enemy like a Raksha that doesn't have an Excellency and thus doesn't really depend on motes, it's really important to go big or go home. Full excellencies on everything until you run out to try to take the enemy down fast is generally the key, because enemies like Raksha that don't have excellencies or much in the way of expensive Charms will outlast you in a long fight. Wound penalties are brutal, and typically the first one to inflict them wins. The need for max excellencies is especially true for a Martial Art like yours, where net successes on your hits are extremely important for triggering your best effects. Against a strong opponent you basically need 18 hits on your attack roll to pull out your best tricks, which is why the MA is considered one of the weaker ones, and best at absolutely crushing foes you already outclass, or enemies that have high soak but low defences, where you might need a mere 9-12 hits. I'll make sure Atusa faces more enemies that are low defence, high something else to make sure you have a chance to pull off your more powerful attack Charms. Cleaving through large but undisciplined battlegroups like massive zombie hordes is a good example of something Atusa would excel at.

Edit: We can also look at making some house ruled modifications to buff it a bit. Maybe lowering the thresholds to 1.5x and 2x defense instead of 2x and 3x.

It's safe to say that I'm still getting used to the combat system of this game. And that with the benefit of hindsight, it might have been better for me to either pick a different martial art, or go with Melee Charms instead and use the extra 4 background points for something else. Back then though, I think I was just looking to experiment around and try something new, seeing as I already had a Melee-based fighter in Kuaidao, and I didn't look to see how Steel Devil Style held up in an actual fight.

I think that for the time being, I'd like to stick with this version of Atusa. I wouldn't be entirely comfortable with changing her build simply because it's not working out for me.

 

[jaydude]

Random Word
Heya. Have you been waiting on me to post again? Because the truth is that I'm feeling fine with continuing the civil war plotline, under the assumption that its purpose is to set up the plot point of Atusa deciding enough's enough and rallying the clans to her.

 

[Random Word]

Yes, I was. You had said you wanted to set your own next scene, and hadn't indicated you no longer wished to do so, so I assumed you were saying you had changed your mind about what sort of scene you wanted to set.

Alright, so would you like me to skip forward to the presumptive end of the civil war and the point where Atusa reaches her breaking point, and fixes all the things?

 

[jaydude]

Yes, I was. You had said you wanted to set your own next scene, and hadn't indicated you no longer wished to do so, so I assumed you were saying you had changed your mind about what sort of scene you wanted to set.

Alright, so would you like me to skip forward to the presumptive end of the civil war and the point where Atusa reaches her breaking point, and fixes all the things?

Ah, yeah, sorry about that. I was actually indicating that I wouldn't mind if you wanted to do the next scene, i.e continue towards the civil war starting in earnest. But I can understand if it wasn't quite clear.

That said, having given you the wrong impression for a week, I feel that I should make it up to you by doing the skip myself, thus saving you the work. Assuming it's okay with you, I'll go to some point after all of Chuma's children are dead, where Atusa's gathering the surviving Fayum vassels in preparation to sway them to her side.

 

[Random Word]

No need to apologize - misunderstandings happen. I can see how you thought I'd read it that way. If you'd like to handle the skip you're welcome to.

For flavour, Sakhomet has found a way to carve his name on the tablet without the permission of the djinn, so during the chaos he'll claim the grudging loyalty of the Fayum Djinn and thus nominal command of their sandships, but committing a grave transgression against tradition in the process that makes him a lot of enemies. Kotahmun will claim the loyalty of around half the crews and a handful of thunderbirds, but have no ships for them to fly without the djinn. Chumiren will suddenly have half a navy with no ships, so will scramble to have the thunderbirds sort out a way to power his ships without djinn. They'll figure it out, but not be particularly good at it.

After all is said and done, Chumiren will have half the Fayum fleet with slow ships but deadly kites, Sakhomet will have half the Fayum fleet with regular kites and no crews, and Kotahmun will have half the crews and very few slow ships. If Sakhomet and Kotahmun come to an agreement, they'll be able to shore up some of their weaknesses for as long as they can manage to hold the unstable alliance together. Regardless, all three will be heavily dependent on which and how many of the vassals they can call to their banner.

This split was designed to make sure the Hematti fleet was going to be a decisive contribution no matter which side it landed on - even if that side was opposing all three.

 

[jaydude]

No need to apologize - misunderstandings happen. I can see how you thought I'd read it that way. If you'd like to handle the skip you're welcome to.

For flavour, Sakhomet has found a way to carve his name on the tablet without the permission of the djinn, so during the chaos he'll claim the grudging loyalty of the Fayum Djinn and thus nominal command of their sandships, but committing a grave transgression against tradition in the process that makes him a lot of enemies. Kotahmun will claim the loyalty of around half the crews and a handful of thunderbirds, but have no ships for them to fly without the djinn. Chumiren will suddenly have half a navy with no ships, so will scramble to have the thunderbirds sort out a way to power his ships without djinn. They'll figure it out, but not be particularly good at it.

After all is said and done, Chumiren will have half the Fayum fleet with slow ships but deadly kites, Sakhomet will have half the Fayum fleet with regular kites and no crews, and Kotahmun will have half the crews and very few slow ships. If Sakhomet and Kotahmun come to an agreement, they'll be able to shore up most of their weaknesses. Regardless, all three will be heavily dependent on which and how many of the vassals they can call to their banner.

This split was designed to make sure the Hematti fleet was going to be a decisive contribution no matter which side it landed on - even if that side was opposing all three.

Thanks. I should be able to post during the weekend. Barring another sudden urge to mildly redesign her, I reckon I'm just about done with regards to Kasumi.

 

[jaydude]

Random Word
Heya. Just letting you know I'm still working on my post, but between other stuff and anxiety, I haven't made as much progress as I would have liked. That being said, here's what I've got at the moment.

Spoiler: Post so far

Some time later...​

In time, Atusa thought, scribes might describe that faithful explosion as the spark. One which grew into a firestorm that consumed the Fayum Clan, with the bad blood between Chuma's children being the kindling.

Whether Chumiren's planned war with the Fair Folk had been a gambit to try and eliminate his political enemies, or a genuine effort to deal with a foe that existed outside the scope of clan politics, his hopes were lost that day. Kotahmun and Sakhomet both ended up siding against him, with Kotahmun claiming the loyalty of roughly half the Fayum vassal clans, and Sakhomet somehow managing to have carved his name onto the tablet in place of Chumiren's. This move earned him the reluctant allegiance of the Fayum Djinn - and thus the means to power the clan's sandships - but it also enraged many of the Fayum vassals, most of whom subsequently sided with who they considered to be the rightful Nomarch. Chumiren ended up in command of about half the fleet and half the vassal clans, with the rest banding together under Kotahmun and Sakhomet after the two brothers decided to become reluctant allies.

After months of small skirmishes and larger battles between the clans - most of whom were as happy to try and resolve old rivalries and blood feuds as they were to fight for their preferred Nomarch - the armadas of both sides had met each other in a ferocious clash upon the desert sands, one which featured enough death to create a whole new Shadowland, and would claim the lives of all of Chuma's children. Hasani and Sakhomet were the first to die, and according to one eyewitness, Chumiren and Kotahmun had sunken into a pool of quicksand while trying to strangle each other to death. Many non-romantics saw this as dramatic embellishment, but whatever the case, the corpses of both men had been among the many others found after the battle.

Alone in her bedchamber onboard the Manzil-Hematti, Atusa whispered another silent prayer for Sakhomet, expressing a hope that he would have a comfortable afterlife. The Nomarch of the Hematti had ended up declaring for him in the early stages of the civil war, their old friendship and her disdain for Chumiren winning out over any feelings of loyalty and obligation she had towards her supposed liege. Not that that meant much now that all of Chumiren's sons were gone from this world, she thought with a hint of bitterness. In the end, the civil war had been nothing more than a pointless conflict; any riches and glory that had been won by the Hematti meaningless against what they'd paid in blood and ships. It was no doubt the same - if not worse - for the other clans who'd taken part.

The more she'd thought about it since the battle, the more she'd realized that the war would have been meaningless even if one of Chumiren's children had survived it. It had been a struggle for power, equivalent to a fight between siblings over a chest of toys or a bowl of sweets, only on a much more destructive scale. And how many of these wars had been waged by the Faqari before Atusa had been born? How many would take place in the future as long as the status quo remained? The Sassarid Principate certainly didn't do much to try and stop them; if anything, the infighting was a convenient way of keeping the Faqari divided and weak, and thus making them easy to keep in line. And as for Acekara and the rest of that wretched Court of Bleached Bone, the fighting prevented the Faqari from becoming more than a weak source of prey, and it no doubt provided a source of amusement for them.

Atusa was almost tempted to defect to the Ur-Pharaoh, but even if he was able to keep his vassals in line, she couldn't help but distrust the powers he wielded. Besides, she thought, in the vision she'd experienced during her Exaltation, the Unconquered Sun himself had tasked her with unifying the Faqari. Most of the Hematti might have been ignorant or unsure about him, but Atusa had done her research on the greatest of the Incarnae, seeking out scholars from other lands who could tell her more about the god in question, and searching ancient tombs for lost knowledge when the lore of the present day was insufficient. And after everything she'd learned and experienced, being subservient to anyone but another Celestial Exalt no longer felt right, or even in her nature.

I am done with serving others, she thought. From now on, I will work only for my clan and myself. And I will not perpetuate the madness that has afflicted our people for so long. Instead, I will become what I was meant to be; a beacon that will unify the Faqari. Against the Principate and the Ur-Pharaoh, if necessary.

She was a Zenith. She was meant to unify and rule. Thus, that was what she was going to do. She had wasted enough time doing otherwise.

[Giving Atusa a brand new Defining Principle: "Never again will I be subservient to another Faqari".]

Later still...​

The mesa of Apporuna Rise was a popular spot in the area for when the Faqari wished to end disputes through negotiations.

One good thing that had come out of the Fayum civil war, Atusa had to admit, was that with all Chuma's heirs now dead, the Fayum Clan had effectively collapsed as a faction. Thus, for the last couple of weeks, the Zenith had spent her time sending messages to the various Nomarchs who had fought under Kotahmun and Sakhomet, as well as the more reasonable ones who'd been under Chumiren's banner, calling upon them to meet here to discuss the future of the Faqari. And as her own small fleet of sandships sailed towards the mesa, Atusa found herself pleased with the turnout.

 

[Random Word]

No worries. We're in no hurry. Take as long as you like - after all, it took me months to post again.

 

[jaydude]

Random Word
Heya. So I'm finally feeling ready to start working on Atusa's unification speech. So far in my post, she's gathered a few dozen of the clans who fought in the civil war - most of them on her side - and she's starting to address them. For the moment, I'm thinking of having her try and set herself up as a "first among equals"; she won't try and openly declare herself their Nomarch - given how that might sound a bit hypocritical of her - but she's hoping she can come off as the most influential and respected among their number once she's gotten them to band together, a de facto ruler if you will.

Her speech is going to reflect this, and I'm planning on making use of her Presence Charms (Listener Swaying Argument, Harmonious Presence Meditation, Tiger's Dread Symmetry and Impassioned Discourse Technique) along the way, but I'd just like to clear a few things with you before I get started:

1. With your permission, I'd like to give Atusa two new Defining Intimacies based on the thoughts she's had in the time since the civil war's end: "Never again will I be subservient to another Faqari" and "I am the woman most suited to rally and rule the Faqari". I'm admittedly hoping to use these with Impassioned Discourse Technique (2-4 bonus dice on Persuade rolls when arguing from a held Principle).
2. What level of Task would the other clans consider unifying under Atusa to be?
3. In general, how would you prefer to resolve this moment? Sum up with a single powerful Persuade roll, or treat the crowd as a nontrivial social entity that can't simply be won over in this manner? I reckon I'd be fine either way.

Also, I'm thinking of changing Atusa's current goal to "Unify the former Fayum vassals", given the new direction we're taking her story. If you're fine with that, her next goal will most likely be something like "Increase my Resources Merit to 5", as she seeks to build up her power and assets.

 

[Random Word]

There are a few ways one can look at it. Typically a unification of this kind is really a combination of persuasion, bribery, and threats. An appeal to values, an offer of rewards, the threat either from you or an external threat if they don't unite under you, etc. I'd say they'd need a Major tie towards you to swear fealty if given an enticing offer and plenty of autonomy, and a Defining to swear fealty unconditionally. You've had a whole war to build those ties in your allies and enemies alike through your conduct and speeches, and the social influence system is largely there to determine whether you succeed right now for the purposes of this scene, not eventually. Given enough time you will succeed given your massive dice pools and Charms, even if you have to exhaust every one of their opposing intimacies with new approaches. If the civil war ran long enough, you had that time and can consider those intimacies already present, usually in the form of ties of respect, loyalty, admiration, etc. Your closest allies, those who you did the most for, probably saving their lives and the lives of their clan, can be considered to have Defining ties. Your peripheral allies and enemies likely still have Minor or Major ties of Respect for your conduct and abilities, leaning Major for any you put effort into courting. The issue is your enemies and even some allies may also have Minor or Major negative ties towards you, depending on what you've done to them, or their jealousy at your success, religious differences, etc. Those you would have had to focus effort on eliminating if you want them to embrace your rule without significant concessions, but again Atusa is more than capable of doing that given time.

If you include in your stunt how you built up positive ties towards you from allies and enemies alike you can assume those ties exist at Major, if you include how you went above and beyond for some and earned their loyalty you can assume those ties exist at Defining, and if you include how you reached out to those who fear, hate, or mistrust you and bridged the divide you can assume negative intimacies towards you are no stronger than Minor where they exist.

Getting to Resources 5 is a big deal. It's basically a logarithmic scale, so there's a big jump from 4 to 5. That's a share in the wealth of empires right there. There aren't many in Creation outside the Dynasty with Resources 5. The Despot of Gem, probably. The Ur-Pharoah and the most powerful of Sassarin princes. If Atusa captures and takes a sizable tribute from all of the trade in the southern desert, plus significantly enhancing the wealth of the desert somehow by adding new industries/extracting new valuable resources, probably through help from your sorcerously and scholarly inclined friends, I'd say that would justify Resources 5.

 

[jaydude]

Getting to Resources 5 is a big deal. It's basically a logarithmic scale, so there's a big jump from 4 to 5. That's a share in the wealth of empires right there. There aren't many in Creation outside the Dynasty with Resources 5. The Despot of Gem, probably. The Ur-Pharoah and the most powerful of Sassarin princes. If Atusa captures and takes a sizable tribute from all of the trade in the southern desert, plus significantly enhancing the wealth of the desert somehow by adding new industries/extracting new valuable resources, probably through help from your sorcerously and scholarly inclined friends, I'd say that would justify Resources 5.

Hmm. When you put it that way, I'm probably going to stick to boosting my Resources to 4, at least for the time being.

 

[jaydude]

Tbh, I'm thinking of having it so that this upcoming speech is Atusa's first deliberate attempt at building up positive ties/eliminating negative ones. If she did any of that beforehand, it would largely have been by accident. During the civil war she would have largely been loyal to Sakhomet; it's only after the deaths of him and his brothers that she'd have had a think to herself and gone all "I'm a Zenith, fuck all this infighting and fealty bullshit".

 

[jaydude]

FINALLY. FUCKING FINALLY.

After all this time, I've finally gotten around to posting again, and actually getting started on the kind of story I'd prefer to do with Atusa.

And yeah, I could probably have expanded on the speech a bit, but I think I've already delayed posting for far too long, and any more time spent on it right now would sap my soul. Quite frankly, I'm wondering if I should just spend some exp on increasing my Influence and Resources Merits to get Atusa into the position I want her to be in.

Edit: apologies if you're not enjoying reading this, anyone. I'm just feeling so frustrated and angry at myself for not being able to post when I said I would, and I can't help but want to vent about it.

 

[Random Word]

Those commitments aren't set in stone! You're never required to play a game. It's just for fun, and there's no need to beat yourself up about it. 'Soul-sapping' is definitely not the adjective we should be aiming for on a game, so anything you do to avoid that is a good idea.