List of possible Throne-contenders

[Zaramis]

Hey everyone! I was thinking here, and realized that there are quite a few people who are thinking about or considering, or actually planning to, try to make a grab for the Scarlet Throne. I have a few in mind, but wondered if you guys had more. The obvious ones that I can think of:


Mnemon.


Sesus Nagezzer "The Slug"


Tepet Ejava


V'neef Bijar


Perhaps Ragara Bhagwei, if he thought he could have a chance to survive for a few more years.


Cathak Cainan? If he also thought he could live on a little longer.


Any more? .. I also note that a surprising amount of these mentioned are Wood-exalts.. Bhagwei, Bijar, Ejava, Nagezzer.

 

[Guest]

I'd  suggest Cynis Falen as another possible contender - with Sesus and Cynis growing closer together with every passing day, a very powerful doubleteam is in the works. Falen is the cold-hearted, scheming, sensible member of the House's ruling triumvirate, and if she was willing to do a deal with Nellens (some kind of guarantee of their continued existence as a house), she'd have plenty of funding for any bid she made.

 

[DeepFlowingRiver]

I would remove Sesus Nagezzer "The Slug" from the list, while he is ambitious he realizes that the dragon-blooded would never accept a crippled emperor. Though he might place his own choice in there, kind of like a puppet.

 

[Zaramis]

I thought he sort-of said that he was a contender? Maybe not as the figure of Emperor, but at least to single-handedly rule the realm? but Ill remove him as official candidate, then.

 

[Solfi]

As I see it, Nagezzer is more likely to try to find a good contender to put his backing behind... And a significant boost to that lucky bastards campaign it would be too...


... also, I find it highly unlikely that Tepet Ejava will manage to become a serious contender, in the near future at least, seeing as she's excommunicado...

 

[Guest]

Wasn't aware that the Immaculates were in the business of excommunicating people, really.


If you meant incommunicado, though . . . that ominous silence could well end up being caused by her quietly securing backing for a bid for the Scarlet Throne. She either needs to become Empress or make sure someone very sympathetic becomes Empress, or she's dead, so she has strong motivation.

 

[Solfi]

... excommunicated as in: 'fallen out of favour'... not to mention 'gone rogue'. She's hardly in a position to make any sort of political bid for power from where she is... Also she has been described as being inept at the games of power. She's a brilliant soldier, but not a powerbroker.

 

[Flagg]

She's hardly in a position to make any sort of political bid for power from where she is...

Really? Read up on Julius Caesar.

Also she has been described as being inept at the games of power. She's a brilliant soldier, but not a powerbroker.

Now that is a problem.


-S

 

[Samiel]

Don't forget Ragara himself. If he wasn't dying of old age (Something easily rendered for a starting circle with the right artifacts, or the right peaches in the case of Sids), he'd be a serious contender, what with his immensely potent house, and all.


As I mentioned elsewhere, this provides players with a great way to take over a house, fast. It could be as simple as asking one of the gods to bestow you with a peach, as long as there was something bigger in it for him..

 

[Aedryan]

Didn't Ragara himself die in the Locust Crusade scenario, not saying that it's canon pertaining to the current discussion. Cause god knows the Auto's change everything if you choose to include them.


Just wondering.

 

[Solfi]

She's hardly in a position to make any sort of political bid for power from where she is...

Really? Read up on Julius Caesar.

I have. I'm still of the opinion that, given her position geographically, and politically, she has no chance of consolidating a claim of the throne ... at this time, or the near future.


Her military acumen is unprecedented, and given her lack of political clout it's also the most realistic means to imperial conquest for her. But, she doesn't have nearly enough backing to pull such a campaign off... Not to mention that her situation in the Threshold is anything but certain.


A roaming renegade Realm legion is hardly something any of the Threshold kingdoms will find amusing. Of course, securing her aid would be a great boon to any of them, and she is in need of some sort of backing (the logistics of a legion is nothing to sneeze at).


My point is: Securing a powerbase to launch any significant campaign from might not be impossible, but it will be difficult, and will most certainly take time. Time she really doesn't have if she wants to contend for the throne.

 

[Persell]

She's hardly in a position to make any sort of political bid for power from where she is...

Really? Read up on Julius Caesar.

I have. I'm still of the opinion that, given her position geographically, and politically, she has no chance of consolidating a claim of the throne ... at this time, or the near future.


Her military acumen is unprecedented, and given her lack of political clout it's also the most realistic means to imperial conquest for her. But, she doesn't have nearly enough backing to pull such a campaign off... Not to mention that her situation in the Threshold is anything but certain.


A roaming renegade Realm legion is hardly something any of the Threshold kingdoms will find amusing. Of course, securing her aid would be a great boon to any of them, and she is in need of some sort of backing (the logistics of a legion is nothing to sneeze at).


My point is: Securing a powerbase to launch any significant campaign from might not be impossible, but it will be difficult, and will most certainly take time. Time she really doesn't have if she wants to contend for the throne.

In addition you gotta say that the vermillion legion is perhaps battle proven but with the reputation it carries I'd say it is underequipped when it comes to first age technology and dragon blooded which makes conquest not very likely.

 

[Zaramis]

Actually, if you check out Tepet Ejava's stats, she surely doesn't lack political power or the means to get political power.


Bureacracy 4, high Connections-backgrounds, a high mentor ( Tepet Arada, who is on the Imperial Isle ), good attributes. She has many backgrounds related to political power, and Tepet Arada says that he suspects her to want to try going for the throne, because she has 10.000 loyal troops, unlike anyone else on the island, who only have bought troops or troops who are loyal because their officers belong to a house or such. In the Vermillion Legion, every soldier knows that their general wants to keep them alive, according to the descriptions.


So.. I'd give her a better chance that most say.

 

[Solfi]

... Tepet Arada is also the one claiming her to be inept at powergames. And as I said, I think she has more pressing problems in the Threshold right now. And even if she solves that, an external threat will quickly consolidate a splintered country...


... not to mention that her "high level mentor" is also in the doghouse ATM.

 

[Silence In Daylight]

Any given House has at least two or three people who potentially have the capability to rally their House behind them, the political knowhow to broker deals with other Houses to back them, AND a way to arrange for military power.


 If a true civil war erupts, considering how factionalized the Empress made the Realm, it is entirely possible that the future Emperor/Empress (assuming the rest of Creation doesn't intrude) is not a player yet, or even born.


 Look at how dynasties change in various empires...the various Chinese empires, for instance.

 

[Kyrn]

What about alliances between houses?  I mean, it's stated that Mnemon is the most powerful candidate for the throne, but for precisely that reason she'll never sit on it.  No one likes the bank, so House Ragara wouldn't be able to directly seize the throne.  Either House could support another House with less public ill-will in an attempt to seize power.  Tepet would be a good choice, as they are currently weakened and in need of support.  Nellens could also work very well.

 

[Silence In Daylight]

And to complicate things, think about the possibility of alliances between various factions of Houses.


 There's no guarantee that any given House will remain a cohesive whole once the paper hits the shredder. Toss in how intermarried all the Houses are, and chaos is all but impending...

 

[Silence In Daylight]

Oh, by the way, welcome to the forum, Kyrn.

 

[Kyrn]

Ooo...and with various factions supporting other factions supporting other factions...do you think the fall of the Great House structure might be in order?  Or at the least the foundation of new Houses from the product of the new Emperor's loins?  And I do hope it will be an emperor.  Males get so little love in the Realm.

 

[Silence In Daylight]

Oh, they get plenty of love...except they're usually on the bottom. =)


 The eventual re-shaping of the Realm would depend a lot on who wins, and what they did in order to win. If the civil war concluded fairly early on, with some bargain struck to crown a puppet and divvy up the Realm between the 'victors,' not too much will change. If the civil war degenerates into one of attrition...the survivors may have a lot less opposition to whatever system they decide to set up.

 

[Kyrn]

What system do you see arising from the turmoil?  And what would be the results of a unified Realm?  Is Creation too far gone for the DBs to have a chance of saving it from the Deathlords, Malfeans, rampant fae, Alchemical invaders, and rampaging barbarians?

 

[Flagg]

Is Creation too far gone for the DBs to have a chance of saving it from the Deathlords, Malfeans, rampant fae, Alchemical invaders, and rampaging barbarians?

I think that's the intent of the developers.


-S

 

[Kyrn]

Yeah, but I like the little buggers.  I think they really could handle a lot of these problems through teamwork and magitech wonkiness.  Just not all at once.

 

[Silence In Daylight]

Somehow, I always pictured Creation as Mr. Burns--with the Three Stooges syndrome...

 

[Zaramis]

I dont agree that the intent of the developers is that Creation should just crash and burn if the DB's remain in power. I, on the contrary, see many signs that could indicate that the Db's might manage, if they just unite under one banner again..


But then, Im extremely partial towards the DB's. I dont believe in a few lone heroes reshaping an entire realm. Bringing it down, certainly, maybe grabbing the emperor seat, surely, but having a bigger chance to save creation than the realm itself? I dont like it


No, in my chronicle, its a lot more complicated, but Ive made sure that the biggest burden of all living creatures is on the shoulders of the dragon blooded, because their power is needed to save creation. That way, solars cant do it alone, and maybe not DB's either, but through enough work, they can at least sort-of manage.