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[Harry Baldman]

"Well, there we have it. We have the God-Emperor, we have five other Kings to act as His faithful ministers - maybe in both senses of the word. We could pretty safely found a religion here and now and incinerate the entire lot of these sycophants to further our story."

Sammacle shakes his head, smiling as he regards the ceiling, making a sweeping gesture with his huge arm that accentuates his not-quite-human proportions, grinning a terrible grin.

"They thought to call demons to aid them! But the gods were listening, and sent upon them a great storm of fire, scourging the flesh from their bones! And from the storm the new God-Emperor came, to shepherd the Miragans into never making the same mistakes again. Or something like that, I'm spitballing here. Maybe we don't even need to incinerate these guys, though them knowing what's up is definitely a pretty big problem if we're going to dictate policy and morality in the fine city of Miraga. And it's kind of their fault they're in this position in the first place, so we might be better off wiping the slate clean to improve efficiency."

Sammacle looks back at Tlanextli, indicating him with a sharp clawed finger, then at the others.

"Anywho, that's a pretty fine option right there in that it keeps the power within our circle, we don't need the Empress and Tlanextli's really the only one who seems trustworthy and legitimate among us, and he's got a freaking angel to vouch for him. The hydra's not very personable, the little tattoo guy and the, what was it... wraith-thing are both so obviously evil and demonic it's not even funny, the fighter guy doesn't seem like he could be bothered to lead a bunch of civilians, and I look like I should live in the hills and not know how to conjugate a verb. We could spin a fun tale about how we're demons bound in a god's service to do His will, maybe cook up a fine myth or two. Who knows? There's so many ways we could let that story snowball. Of course, it does put our nascent God-Emperor in a position of obvious advantage, but to be perfectly honest I wouldn't mind working for him anyway as long as he doesn't screw me over for no reason like some other people I've known in my life."

[Demonic Spoon]

"Ministers still rule, and this King thing is clearly creating inflated expectations. Here's how the ministries work: we keep tabs on what the others are doing, which, let's be honest, we'll be doing anyway. I thought you wanted to get your own little piece of the city and be left to your own devices. This way you do! And if one of the others doesn't want to go in the direction you do, complain. Bitch them out. Call up the rest of us and tell us all about it! It's not a hard thing to do, just try not to act like a child," Sammacle explains frustratedly to the hydra.

"As for the Empress, she's better off doing something for us than sitting on her ass somewhere in a castle wasting all that perfectly good legitimacy. Legality's just as big here as it is down in Bloom. She - and by she I mean her and her cadre of advisors minus the one who suggested the fealty thing - has got knowledge on what we have around us. You don't. I don't. None of the others do, either, and who knows what the other assholes in this city have got up their sleeves. So why not let the Empress go head of state business, and we take care of the rest?"

"Bear in mind, of course, that if we don't make our rule legitimate, armies from all over are going to come along and take the place without repercussions, and let's face it, you can't really take down five guards, let alone an army. I mean, we can't really..."

Sammacle pauses for a moment as something occurs to him.

"... although, actually..."

He looks over at Tlanextli.

"Hey, god-man. Want to be the God-Emperor? You've got the credentials, right? Plus an angel to do all your heralding and public relations work."

"I have greater desire that the city be run effectively than I do to govern my own personal fiefdom, since it seems likely we'll lose the city otherwise. While keeping an eye on the activities of the other kings is a given, this system of ministries would broaden the scope of what has to be observed, and having our attention divided like that is something we can ill-afford when the city is apparently under siege. In addition, if we only notice one of the ministers is carrying out actions we dislike after he is already well underway with them, changing directions midcourse can have various consequences.

All the proposed system will do is likely to accomplish is promoting conflict between our number while the wolves circle waiting to attack.

There are two problems with retaining the empress for the legitimacy she can provide. First, that legitimacy can just as easily be used against us, making the Empress a potential weapon in the arsenal of our enemies if they should manage to get their hands on her, and second, such a puppet government isn't likely to be viewed as very legitimate at all when there are six demon kings working under the empress as her ministers.

And all this 'use legitimacy to prevent conflict' talk is moot, since once again we are currently under siege if what I've managed to decipher from the babbling of this lot is correct. It's too late for trying to boost our perceived legitimacy to prevent an outbreak of conflict."

"Well, there we have it. We have the God-Emperor, we have five other Kings to act as His faithful ministers - maybe in both senses of the word. We could pretty safely found a religion here and now and incinerate the entire lot of these sycophants to further our story."

Sammacle shakes his head, smiling as he regards the ceiling, making a sweeping gesture with his huge arm that accentuates his not-quite-human proportions, grinning a terrible grin.

"They thought to call demons to aid them! But the gods were listening, and sent upon them a great storm of fire, scourging the flesh from their bones! And from the storm the new God-Emperor came, to shepherd the Miragans into never making the same mistakes again. Or something like that, I'm spitballing here. Maybe we don't even need to incinerate these guys, though them knowing what's up is definitely a pretty big problem if we're going to dictate policy and morality in the fine city of Miraga. And it's kind of their fault they're in this position in the first place, so we might be better off wiping the slate clean to improve efficiency."

Sammacle looks back at Tlanextli, indicating him with a sharp clawed finger, then at the others.

"Anywho, that's a pretty fine option right there in that it keeps the power within our circle, we don't need the Empress and Tlanextli's really the only one who seems trustworthy and legitimate among us, and he's got a freaking angel to vouch for him. The hydra's not very personable, the little tattoo guy and the, what was it... wraith-thing are both so obviously evil and demonic it's not even funny, the fighter guy doesn't seem like he could be bothered to lead a bunch of civilians, and I look like I should live in the hills and not know how to conjugate a verb. We could spin a fun tale about how we're demons bound in a god's service to do His will, maybe cook up a fine myth or two. Who knows? There's so many ways we could let that story snowball. Of course, it does put our nascent God-Emperor in a position of obvious advantage, but to be perfectly honest I wouldn't mind working for him anyway as long as he doesn't screw me over for no reason like some other people I've known in my life."

"Problematic. This would give one of the kings an undue increase in influence when compared to the others. I can't say I'd support such a move.

And even if the cult manages to kick off in the city, it's unlikely to be viewed well abroad, especially as it is my understanding that Tlanextli's religion heavily involves blood sacrifice. If anything, this would probably just incite even more nations to attack Miraga to stamp out such a dangerous, probably demon-worshipping, cult that seems to have managed to gain dominion over a city.

Religions that have had a few centuries to mature and solidify their influence have much more legitimacy, not to mention clout and authority, than any cult we can build up in the next few years, and would probably bring a considerable amount of that power to bear to crush any upstart competition. Going the theocratic route will likely just multiply our enemies. I am against it.

While I understand that Tlanextli wants to build up his flock of worshippers, it is my belief that it would be better to do so at a slower and more steady pace, rather than making any large waves that will stir sleeping dragons."

Considering Sammacle's repeated musing on whether to either kill most of the people in the room, or have them fight in deathmatches, Markosl thinks it prudent to check whether any of them are trying to escape the chamber yet.

[micelus]

"Well, there we have it. We have the God-Emperor, we have five other Kings to act as His faithful ministers - maybe in both senses of the word. We could pretty safely found a religion here and now and incinerate the entire lot of these sycophants to further our story."

Sammacle shakes his head, smiling as he regards the ceiling, making a sweeping gesture with his huge arm that accentuates his not-quite-human proportions, grinning a terrible grin.

"They thought to call demons to aid them! But the gods were listening, and sent upon them a great storm of fire, scourging the flesh from their bones! And from the storm the new God-Emperor came, to shepherd the Miragans into never making the same mistakes again. Or something like that, I'm spitballing here. Maybe we don't even need to incinerate these guys, though them knowing what's up is definitely a pretty big problem if we're going to dictate policy and morality in the fine city of Miraga. And it's kind of their fault they're in this position in the first place, so we might be better off wiping the slate clean to improve efficiency."

Sammacle looks back at Tlanextli, indicating him with a sharp clawed finger, then at the others.

"Anywho, that's a pretty fine option right there in that it keeps the power within our circle, we don't need the Empress and Tlanextli's really the only one who seems trustworthy and legitimate among us, and he's got a freaking angel to vouch for him. The hydra's not very personable, the little tattoo guy and the, what was it... wraith-thing are both so obviously evil and demonic it's not even funny, the fighter guy doesn't seem like he could be bothered to lead a bunch of civilians, and I look like I should live in the hills and not know how to conjugate a verb. We could spin a fun tale about how we're demons bound in a god's service to do His will, maybe cook up a fine myth or two. Who knows? There's so many ways we could let that story snowball. Of course, it does put our nascent God-Emperor in a position of obvious advantage, but to be perfectly honest I wouldn't mind working for him anyway as long as he doesn't screw me over for no reason like some other people I've known in my life."

Behind the mask, Tlanextli was still in a bit of shock at how quickly events had progressed. Yes, it had taken many millenniums to get to this point toiling for demons and their ilk, but now here true godhood was being offered to him on a plate. Of course, he knew very well that he could not truly rule in the way of a despot. This position would be a first-among-equals...in private anyway. Sammacle was right in that the public would have to think the others were his servants.

"No chance of that. Unless one of you happen to jeopardise our general rule of the city, in which case I would have to think of a punishment. Although I would not be alone in administering it, I hope."

Looking out to the crowd, Tlanextli rambled without thought, lost in his ruminations. He whispered them to his fellow kings. "In my homeland, blood was used to empowered the gods. We all know that summoning us required some blood. See those cowards who kneeled? Sacrifice them and we can call them martyrs or saints later. Maybe erase the memories of a few and use them as prophets...Perhaps the Empress could be made a high-priest? Many many possibilities."

"Problematic. This would give one of the kings an undue increase in influence when compared to the others. I can't say I'd support such a move.

And even if the cult manages to kick off in the city, it's unlikely to be viewed well abroad, especially as it is my understanding that Tlanextli's religion heavily involves blood sacrifice. If anything, this would probably just incite even more nations to attack Miraga to stamp out such a dangerous, probably demon-worshipping, cult that seems to have managed to gain dominion over a city.

Religions that have had a few centuries to mature and solidify their influence have much more legitimacy, not to mention clout and authority, than any cult we can build up in the next few years, and would probably bring a considerable amount of that power to bear to crush any upstart competition. Going the theocratic route will likely just multiply our enemies. I am against it.

While I understand that Tlanextli wants to build up his flock of worshippers, it is my belief that it would be better to do so at a slower and more steady pace, rather than making any large waves that will stir sleeping dragons."

Tlanextli felt a swelling of anger, having this incompetent lizard dare disagree with his rule when it was so close was almost traitorous to the god-turned-demon. Controlling himself, he spoke dismissively. "The blood sacrifices would be withheld until a more adequate time. I can wait. I can wait another eon; I have already. As for yet more attackers, I believe your fears of yet more enemies to be of little concern. Miraga is already dead; they would not have summoned us otherwise. A few more hated enemies will make little difference. Besides, loyalty to a god is more easily given than to a demon. My angel will see to that."

"As for my supposed power...we are still the six kings and even though I would have another title, we all know that it is simply a ruse to keep the mortals loyal. The fruits of worship will be shared equally to all. Would that suffice?"

[Demonic Spoon]

"No chance of that. Unless one of you happen to jeopardise our general rule of the city, in which case I would have to think of a punishment. Although I would not be alone in administering it, I hope."

((I'm not sure what you are referring/responding to here. Requesting clarification if that's fine? It's been clarified by the edited in quote))

[micelus]

((Oops. That was in response to Baldman.))

[Demonic Spoon]

Tlanextli felt a swelling of anger, having this incompetent lizard dare disagree with his rule when it was so close was almost traitorous to the god-turned-demon. Controlling himself, he spoke dismissively. "The blood sacrifices would be withheld until a more adequate time. I can wait. I can wait another eon; I have already. As for yet more attackers, I believe your fears of yet more enemies to be of little concern. Miraga is already dead; they would not have summoned us otherwise. A few more hated enemies will make little difference. Besides, loyalty to a god is more easily given than to a demon. My angel will see to that."

"If it is as you say, would we not be better off abandoning the city entirely if it is already lost? Your assumptions are baseless until we have further information. It could very well be that the power we can bring to bear will be sufficient to turn the tide and break the siege, but that it might be insufficient when faced with a crusade called by some religious leader or other who didn't like the cut of our jib. Certes, a lack of blood-sacrifice will reduce the risk of such happening, but a new religion just popping up is bound to attract attention. If, after some research on the topic, we come to the conclusion that the major religions in the area do not pose a threat to us, then we can revisit the matter of turning Miraga into a theocratic state."

"As for my supposed power...we are still the six kings and even though I would have another title, we all know that it is simply a ruse to keep the mortals loyal. The fruits of worship will be shared equally to all. Would that suffice?"

"The point I was driving towards, is that as god-emperor you would be the one being worshiped, giving you much more power over the populace than any of us could exert. As to the fruits of worship, theological matters are not my forte so I'm somewhat vague on what those are, and you'd probably get more use out of them than any of us so that seems a poor solution."

[micelus]

"Good points. What do the rest of you think?"

[Harry Baldman]

Sammacle spins in place, feeling quite light from his imaginings, addressing Markosl. This token, fleeting amount of freedom is really quite intoxicating for him, clearly.

"Well then, if Miraga is under siege, the Empress is mostly illegitimate anyway, so that weighs the scales even more toward the God-Emperor plan. And if we can save the city with our actions, why, it'd be a miracle! In the case of a bonafide miracle, people wouldn't be so quick to attack us, I would hope. At least not without sending some emissaries first. A demonic takeover is one thing, but the appearance of a god quite another, wouldn't you say? Demons are to be fought, gods are to be tested - testing is more in our favor overall."

"But really, do you have a better plan? I'd like to hear it. Are we about to be democratically elected demon presidents of the new state of Miraga? Swear actual fealty to the Empress? Sell these people out to the invaders in order to leave the rest of us alone to govern as we wish? Establish a demon-run state outright and hope nobody minds? Do you think any of those will work? Or is it that you just want to put off addressing the problem until a better solution magically unveils itself? It seems a lot like the last one to me."

[Knight Otu]

Phor Yevell impatiently cracks his knuckles to keep his hands occupied. Bloom's sewers, these people just loved hearing themselves talk. "You are dividing the elk's meat as its carcass is stolen by wolves. If you keep discussing this out, chances are you'll introduce our god-emperor or whatever to an empty city with no power to back it up."

[Demonic Spoon]

Sammacle spins in place, feeling quite light from his imaginings, addressing Markosl. This token amount of freedom is really quite intoxicating for him.

"Well then, if Miraga is under siege, the Empress is mostly illegitimate anyway, so that weighs the scales even more toward the God-Emperor plan. And if we can save the city with our actions, why, it'd be a miracle! In the case of a bonafide miracle, people wouldn't be so quick to attack us, I would hope. At least not without sending some emissaries first. A demonic takeover is one thing, but the appearance of a god quite another, wouldn't you say? Demons are to be fought, gods are to be tested - testing is more in our favor overall."

"But really, do you have a better plan? I'd like to hear it. Are we about to be democratically elected demon presidents of the new state of Miraga? Swear actual fealty to the Empress? Sell these people out to the invaders in order to leave the rest of us alone to govern as we wish? Establish a demon-run state outright and hope nobody minds? Do you think any of those will work? Or is it that you just want to put off addressing the problem until a better solution magically unveils itself? It seems a lot like the last one to me."

"I was hoping to gather more information before coming up with a final plan. There are too many unknowns. I am generally inclined to us being shadow-rulers with no actual official presence in the government. Being openly demon ministers is no better a solution than openly ruling the city as demon-kings.

However, the miracle idea is appealing to me if we can pull it off well enough. If we can manage to break the siege in an impressive enough fashion we should be able to spread the religion like wildfire, allowing our influence to spread far beyond the walls of Miraga.

But the requirement is the capability to break the siege, and to do so very flashily. I'm talking rain of blood, lightning being thrown around like candy, type stuff. The miracle must be very clearly miraculous for such a scheme to work.

I think it's still something of a gamble though, and we may want to consider a more conservative strategy."

Phor Yevell impatiently cracks his knuckles to keep his hands occupied. Bloom's sewers, these people just loved hearing themselves talk. "You are dividing the elk's meat as its carcass is stolen by wolves. If you keep discussing this out, chances are you'll introduce our god-emperor or whatever to an empty city with no power to back it up."

"I find myself agreeing with Phor. We're just talking in circles until we know more."

[Harry Baldman]

"Well, we do happen to be experiencing a siege, apparently. And if so, there's really nowhere for anyone to run to. We're in the middle of an enormous waiting game. A stalemate. Or at least that's what I think a siege was. Am I entirely wrong?"

"And I must say it'd probably be quite difficult to cover up the six of us being in the city and doing things in a shadow government kind of way. And it would require the strict cooperation of the Empress in the role of head of state. And we'd also have absolutely no status to protect us from whatever further indignities the nobility of Miraga feel they need to throw at us, aside from complaining to our own Empress who these people are also beholden to, though I get the odd feeling she wouldn't respect us for having gotten into such an arrangement."

"Lastly, we're not about to achieve anything without a strategy, profound as Mr. Phor's fruity metaphor may appear. As I said, these people have nowhere to run to, no one to turn to and are probably not very likely to let invaders execute them, burn their city and steal their property wholesale."

"And, of course, there's still the matter of nobody in this room quite agreeing what we are, what's about to happen and what this summoning implies for its witnesses, and whether they are, indeed, of any merit as stipulated in the entirely verbal contract. So indeed, let us find out more."

Sammacle for the first time in a while turns to the other people in the room with an appeal.

"Now, it may seem that my repeated suggestions to brutally murder you all in the name of some form of greater plot imply an otherwise unresolvable level of contempt. That's really the wrong impression. I just hate sycophantic appeals to one's better nature, and you lot haven't really brought anything else to the table. Nothing personal, really. In fact, now's your chance to shine and prove my assessment of you wrong! Anybody who can add something to our discussion, raise your hands and we'll go through your suggestions one by one. Don't say a word before you are called, or you will be immediately brutally murdered. Let's get some orderly mortal opinions and facts in here. Oh, and each of you (who has something to actually say, I'll remind you) gets fifty words to express yourselves. Try to make them good, hold the flattery, toadying, begging and pleasantries, and try not to go over the limit. And hey, if you are very informative and useful, you might have a nice place in the new regime, whatever we decide that to be. We accept critiques, advice and relevant acts. With how long and loudly I've been speaking, you've surely had enough time to ruminate on my ideas."

Set down some procedure for these mortals and begin the questioning, picking people who've raised their hands (if there's several) at random. Make good on promises of brutal murder of offenders if the procedure is violated. Disrespect, naturally, is completely tolerated, as well as all other forms of free speech.

[Knight Otu]

"Why exactly did you think I called that shut-mouthed guard over, Sammacle? Small talk, perhaps? Or maybe my questions to him were inspired by our definite and obvious need to form a strategy?"

[Harry Baldman]

"I wouldn't know, Mr. Phor, as I'm not privy to your thought process, but actually questioning someone is indeed a good idea - hence why I'm about to try it myself on the nobles in a systematic, if maybe inefficient way."

[Vacio]

((I'll be posting after work around 4pm Est. Time))

[Vacio]

"I for one, am against the idea of a god-emperor, but would concede if I was given control over matters of the hidden variety, I would be the shadow of the Emperor. I am fully aware that my appearance would be counter intuitive to the whole god-emperor cult and would not work as the figure head. Finally, I can at most tolerate this "Empress" as an equal but not as a superior, as she has yet to earn my respect. His dark whispers directed toward the other Kings.