Topic: Clout: Round One, Turn 3 - The Philosopher King (Read 13692 times)

Iituem · « **Reply #180 on:** March 29, 2013, 04:47:52 am »

After weeks of negotiation, a detente emerged among the greater powers of Albion; both Phantoni and Primeria still had the political wherewithal to act, but neither was willing to do so unless the other struck first. It soon bame apparent that neither side would intervene, so the vultures swept in upon the ripe and ready carcass of Sitra.

With Spring 1082 came the fall of Sitra. A traitor within the walls of the holy citadel opened the gates one dark evening and raiders washed into the streets in a flood of slaughter and fire. Half the inhabitants of the city were taken as slaves, other half raped and killed - man, woman and child. Some were cut down by blades, others impaled upon stakes and left to writhe, still more burned alive while cowering in their homes. The old, wise men of the Conclave itself were mutilated and strung up in a grotesque mockery of their holy sign, stitched together and left to die in full view in the cathedral square.

Finsteran carls sacked the treasuries and banking houses of the church, pillaged warehouses and workshops of everything worth carrying. Yon'daer khans and riders took slaves and looted the cathedral of Sitra while Jonasburg shieldmen helped themselves to the many galleries and reliquaries of the Conclave. Almost unnoticed was the garrison of Harkers, ever opportunistic, who moved in to secure the armouries and barracks of the empty city and claim the burned-out shell for themselves.

Fifty thousand citizens were slaved or slain in the Sack of Sitra. When the fires finally died out the only souls remaining were those of the Harker soldiers protecting their new prize and a handful of scavengers not yet left with the rest of the raiding parties for home. The atrocity, shocking as it was to the rest of the world, was hailed as a great victory within Finster itself and the Jarl celebrated as a hero-king.

Quote from: Events

Finster grants 5.2 Wealth to Primeria.

With all forces willing or able to intervene in the Sitran conflict gathered at the border of Finster in detente, the conflict is considered resolved and looting begins.

Finster spends 2 Might to loot 2 Economic Infrastructure, gaining 12 Wealth.
Yon'daer spends 1 Might to loot 1 Social Infrastructure, gaining 6 Wealth.
Jonasburg spends 2 Might to loot 2 Economic Infrastructure, gaining 12 Wealth.
Jonasburg hires 1 Might at a cost of 0.6 Wealth.
Hark spends 1 Might to capture 1 Military Infrastructure from Sitra.

Sitra has been utterly destroyed!
Sitra, having no social infrastructure, is unable to exert pressure upon Finster. Finster's unrest status returns to normal.
Finster has achieved an optional objective and gains 8 Political Capital!

The conflict in Finster will be considered resolved unless the detente is broken.

A Note from the GM: Phantoni still has 4.8 unassigned Influence if they wish to make use of it this turn. The Wall still has 2 unassigned Influence.

Any remaining orders before the turn comes to an end?

Urist_McDrowner · « **Reply #181 on:** March 29, 2013, 10:08:27 am »

Wait, didn't Sitra have 3 social infrastructure? And why does losing their social infrastructure make the influence they've applied in the past null and void?

mcclay · « **Reply #182 on:** March 29, 2013, 10:11:05 am »

"Raise the armies, when they come to our gates they will find us ready!
Raise one unit of Might in the Wall.

Urist_McDrowner · « **Reply #183 on:** March 29, 2013, 10:31:45 am »

GIve 3 Wealth to The Wall, conditional upon them spending 3 influence on improving the Red Baronies opinion of me. Give 2 wealth to Mecklen for one influence to improve the Red Baronies' opinion of me

Ardas · « **Reply #184 on:** March 29, 2013, 10:57:46 am »

Quote from: Urist_McDrowner on March 29, 2013, 10:08:27 am

Wait, didn't Sitra have 3 social infrastructure? And why does losing their social infrastructure make the influence they've applied in the past null and void?

Because they got destroyed and ceased to exist as an independent entity capable of exerting or maintaining influence.
For example, Verona was a powerful city and influenced lot of places, but it ceased ot make an impact once it got devastated. Influence is fluid and need constant application.

Urist_McDrowner · « **Reply #185 on:** March 29, 2013, 11:11:19 am »

I can understand people no longer having positive opinions of Sitra because they don't exist, but for unrest, I see it more like just spreading dissenting ideas. The Sitran religion isn't dead, for example. Or if a plutocracy was doing it, they'd be spreading the ideas of capitalism, which don't die with the destruction of the state.

Sheb · « **Reply #186 on:** March 29, 2013, 11:20:58 am »

GM do the rules, GM is right.

Urist_McDrowner · « **Reply #187 on:** March 29, 2013, 11:25:20 am »

Quote from: Sheb on March 29, 2013, 11:20:58 am

GM do the rules, GM is right.

I don't question that he's right and that such are the rules. I'd just like to know why.

Emral282 · « **Reply #188 on:** March 29, 2013, 11:30:14 am »

Wait, I thought I used my influence making Yul like me more.
If I really still have influence, I put it all into Trilania to make them like me more

Ghazkull · « **Reply #189 on:** March 29, 2013, 11:34:42 am »

Urist causing dissent and growing unrest needs work. Lots of work, especially somewhere where you are supressed or are under threat of dying if you rise up. The Influence used to stir up unrest were Sitras agents in my lands preaching against me rallying the people and organizing resistance. However once they are gone all those guys who organize shit are gone to, the masses are without leadership and quickly disperse again.

Urist_McDrowner · « **Reply #190 on:** March 29, 2013, 11:36:43 am »

Whatever, it isn't important enough to start a Cavemen vs. Astronauts debate.

Iituem · « **Reply #191 on:** March 29, 2013, 04:26:52 pm »

Quote from: Urist_McDrowner on March 29, 2013, 11:11:19 am

I can understand people no longer having positive opinions of Sitra because they don't exist, but for unrest, I see it more like just spreading dissenting ideas. The Sitran religion isn't dead, for example. Or if a plutocracy was doing it, they'd be spreading the ideas of capitalism, which don't die with the destruction of the state.

I'll give you the mechanics justification and the RP justification.

Mechanics: Sitra's destabilisation campaign has two effects. The first is to push Unrest closer in Finster to the flip point - open revolt. The second is to reduce the PC available to the ruler on the next turn. Influence stems from social inf, which must a) exist and b) be funded. Since Sitra no longer possesses either the wealth to fund its social inf or the social inf proper, the influence it exerts is reduced accordingly (i.e. to 0). Therefore it ceases to have a game effect. One could argue that perhaps the unrest it caused should persist until the end of the turn, but personally I favour establishing the precedent that wiping out an enemy's social inf can destroy their influence as well.

Roleplay: Sitra sent dozens if not hundreds of missionaries to Finster in an organised campaign of destabilisation and propaganda warfare. The conclave was coordinating those various cells, supplying them with food, money and fresh orders on how to run their campaign. With the heads of the organisation dead and their headquarters burned to the ground, the various missionaries were suddenly cut loose without support or guidance and forced to try and operate individually. A few might have succeeded, but for the most part the rest either fled their posts, stop being listened to or were actively hunted down and executed by the authorities.

The faith of Sitra may well live on, but the political organisation masterminding that faith is no more. The dissentful ideas they spread still circulate, but without agents provocateur to organise dissidents into action they do little more than cause minor grumbles.

Sitra had 3 Social Inf, 1 Mil Inf and 2 Econ Inf. Finster looted the Econ Inf, Hark captured the Mil Inf. Yon'daer razed one Social Inf, Jonasburg razed two Social Inf. In both cases they made off like bandits from their plunder.

Urist_McDrowner · « **Reply #192 on:** March 29, 2013, 04:36:45 pm »

Thank you. I dunno when Mcclay gets on, but I know he has something he wanted to post.

Iituem · « **Reply #193 on:** March 30, 2013, 03:51:29 am »

Quote from: mcclay on March 29, 2013, 10:11:05 am

"Raise the armies, when they come to our gates they will find us ready!
Raise one unit of Might in the Wall.

Quote from: Ghazkull

Build 2 Might

Quote from: Urist_McDrowner on March 29, 2013, 10:31:45 am

GIve 3 Wealth to The Wall, conditional upon them spending 3 influence on improving the Red Baronies opinion of me. Give 2 wealth to Mecklen for one influence to improve the Red Baronies' opinion of me

Quote from: Diplomatic Note

Based on how the Wall is assigning influence this turn, I assume this means that you're paying them to spend 1 Influence for 3 turns in this manner.

Mecklen accepts the offer, willing to sustain it for 2 turns.

Quote from: Events

The Jarl of Finster spends 1 Influence gifting and treating his carls and lesser jarls. They are impressed, though it will take more for their loyalties to be truly affirmed.

Finster spends 1.2 Wealth hiring 2 Might.

The Bentanii grant the Wall 3 wealth and Mecklen 2 Wealth for services to be rendered.

Mecklen assigns 1 Influence to shifting the opinion of the Red Baronies in favour of the Bentanii, promising to keep it assigned for at least the next two turns.

The Wall assigns 1 Influence to stirring Unrest in Finster and 1 Influence in favour of shifting the opinion of the Red Baronies in favour of the Bentanii.

The Pleasure Lands assign 1 Influence to stirring Unrest in Finster.

The remaining 0.8 Influence in Phantoni has gone toward Improving Relations with Trilania.

All remaining minor nations assign any unassigned influence to improving internal relations.

The Turn has ended! New turn incoming!

Iituem · « **Reply #194 on:** March 30, 2013, 04:30:07 am »

Round One, Turn Two

Quote from: The History of Albion

1079 - The Jarl of Finster arrives, sacking the City of Verona and establishing his own Jarldom in Albion.
1081-2 - The Sack of Sitra:
- During this conflict, several minor nations switched sides in treachery to the Kingdom of Primeria.
- The Conclave of Sitra was destroyed following a detente between powers over the invasion of Finster.

Spoiler: Map (click to show/hide)

The Sack of Sitra was a close-run thing, and though lauded for his victory the Jarl of Finster soon found himself facing deep internal opposition from how close the war had come to failure and their own destruction, to say nothing of foreign agents stirring up the thralls in his lands. Meanwhile, Primeria found itself with four vassals of dubious loyalty to juggle and the potential ire of their former masters to reckon with.

The trade links of Verona continued to collapse in the years following Sitra, even as the Benetsiyan League struggled to prop them up in Verona's absence. After the recent years of war, many hoped for a time of peace and rebuilding before conflicts stirred once again. Only in Phantoni did trade begin to flourish again, as the duchy and their allies the Imperial City negotiated fresh treaties and sealed their alliance with bonds of commerce and friendship.

Quote from: Notable Effects

The standing 2 Unrest in Finster (after peacekeeping) has reduced the PC available to its ruler by 2 this turn. The Jarl starts the turn with 10.6 PC instead of 12.6.

Relations between the ruling Plutocrats of the The Imperial City of Yul and their ally the Duchy of Phantoni have improved as a result of several recently agreed trade concessions between the city and duchy. The ruling body of Yul is very Pleased with their allies and more likely to be generous in future negotiations.

Unless reassigned, invested Influence will be applied at the end of turns.

Primeria: (-) Your stewards are too busy consolidating your new alliances to trouble you. All is quiet in Primeria.

Bentanii: (-) After the recent debacle you are too busy handling the complaints and bickering of the aristocracy to pay much attention to petty crises or opportunities. You have two turns left to acquire 2 Economic infrastructure or a new minor ally.

Finster: (Major Crisis) Your recent endeavour was ballsy, but ultimately successful. Even so ruling over a nation of vikings is dangerous and unstable at the best of times, particularly given the foreign agitators still active in your lands. There have been grumblings a-plenty among your carls and a few of the braver named men gaze enviously upon your throne. Many of the warriors who travelled with you aren't entirely after a life of danger and glory, they just want to loot enough to buy a plot of land and some sheep and pay Olaf's bride price for his daughter (Olaf has a lot of daughters). At the same time those who do lust for killing and victory find their deeds increasingly empty without some way to frame it as heroism over slaughter.

You have three turns to either build or capture 2 Economic or Social Infrastructure, settling restless warriors on fresh grazing land or else rebuilding the old hero cults of the distant homeland to give meaning to your men. Failure will result in a civil war as new Jarls declare themselves and vie for your throne. You may acquire 1 Economic and 1 Social infrastructure to satisfy the conditions, it doesn't have to be one or the other.

Phantoni: (-) The artisans are happy, the fields are productive. Relations with Yul are better than ever and by the next turn you expect them to be solid and reliable allies. Nothing more needs be said here.

Iron Wall: (Minor Crisis) The recently disastrous war was less than ideal for morale and you have lost a great deal of prestige among your nobles. You need to do something impressive this turn or else you will lose face and your relationship with the aristocracy will suffer. Your advisors suggest the creation of a Grand Army (at least 6 Might) or perhaps the erection of a new cathedral (1 Social Infrastructure) would settle concerns in the minds of your petty lords.

You have two turns left to capture economic infrastructure or acquire a new ally or vassal for more political capital.

Ferdicis: (Minor Opportunity) A small cabal of enterprising craftsmen and bankers (all minor cousins of the family) have approached you with an offer. In light of recent events the land formerly claimed by Sitra has become lawless and unclaimed, but before the shattering of the Conclave Sitra was famous for its rich claybeds and pottery. The cabal has already laid claim to one of the best claybeds and has the artisans and experience to work it, but lack the tools and wealth to establish kilns and a glazing works. In exchange for the right to run the clayworks thereafter, this cabal will reduce the PC required to construct your next 2 Economic Infrastructure by a quarter. You'll still have to pay the full 4 Wealth, but you need only spend 3 PC/Inf to do it. This only applies to the next two Economic Inf you build.

In addition, you have two turns left to acquire 2 Economic Infrastructure to prevent dissolution of your assets.

Spoiler: Ardas: Kingdom of Primeria (click to show/hide)