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[Ixarys]

Sorry for the long hiatus, here we go back again!


You announce to Eldunak that you welcome him in the city of Gedur, should he finds a place to live there. Given his peculiar height, you are pretty sure he will not have much trouble finding a job.
The giant nods in gratitude and soon leave the throne room.

Summer, 307 AC

"A drought, a drought my lord !"

Your steward just came back from a meeting with farmers’ representatives. With a drought in full effect for this summer, the plants are dying and, even worse, the food supply for the city itself is threatened.

A) "This is surely a punishment from Ged. Fetch the priests for a ceremony!"
B) "Maybe we could appease these river spirits from the Namorrians?"
C) Let’s ask for help from our allies, they may have some food surplus."
D) "I’m sure we will be fine!"

[NUKE9.13]

Ok, so.

Stability: ++
Army: -
Treasury: +
Population: =

We don't want to lose population if we can help it. We could afford to buy food from our allies, but managing finances is not one of our strengths, so it'd be better to keep a surplus if possible. The logical stat to dump here is Stability.

The safest option would be to pray to Ged. That would be the expected course of action. However, Ged is not the best god to ask for agricultural assistance.
River spirits, on the other hand, sound like exactly the sort of supernatural entity who could help resolve a drought. It would not be a popular course of action, and could really upset the priesthood, but it seems to me the most likely to save lives.

I can see arguments for every option bar D. For now, though, I'm gonna vote for the unpopular-but-probably-effective option. Maybe we can create a syncretic religion if things go well.

B

[Prophet]

A

[Maximum Spin]

B

I kinda want to syncretize these, I dunno.

[King Zultan]

B

[Ixarys]

You order a messenger to be sent to Tell Anak, so their Namorrian priests can act as middlemen between you and the river spirits.
To say your own priests are unhappy with your decision would be an understatement.

Late Summer, 307 AC

While you uncomfortably trudge in the river, you hear behind you the Namorrians singing in their foreign langage, and the offered tray of food floating and sinking to your right. After a few trying minutes, you find yourself in a precarious situation, water waist-high with a strong flow.
As you fear you are about to be carried away, the water suddenly ease up, as a zone in front of you bubble and raise up in a column of water.
A dozen of seconds later, you find yourself in front of an humanoid shape. A water with human form, a Haaknar, as they call it in Namorrian. Unlike the last time, however, you are close enough to notice their face. Undoubtedly feminine, the Haaknar nonetheless has sharper features than human’s, with eyes as deep and pale as a pair of stars.

"I heard your cry and your pleas. It is in my power to bring water and life to this land, but this service does not come without a cost."

She stares at you silently, expecting an answer.

A) "I’ll give you riches!"
B) "We will celebrate you every five years from now on!"
C) "I will raise a temple in your honor inside my city!"
D) "Actually I thought the food would be enough, sorry for the trouble."

[King Zultan]

B

[NUKE9.13]

"A ethereal being will take up residence in this very place. Woe to the blood of the one who would chase it. This is all I have to say."

While I don't think this river spirit is what the prophecy refers to, it can't hurt to be cautious about giving them 'residence' in our city. But a regular thanksgiving celebration shouldn't cause too much trouble. Hopefully.
Not to mention that going straight for an actual temple would be reckless with regards to keeping the local priesthood from toppling our regime. Maybe in a few decades, once folks have gotten used to the benefits of the Haaknar.

B

[ctsun]

C) "I will raise a temple in your honor inside my city!"

[Maximum Spin]

B

[Ixarys]

Once you made your promise, the river spirit recedes in the water with a humming sound.
"Do not fool us, mortal", states the voice, coming from somewhere underwater.

Two days later, water pours the shore and mild raining spray the fields. People rejoice while the priests led ceremonies of atonement in the temples.

Early Autumn, 307 AC

Joyous news, your daughter-in-law Elahe has gave birth to a healthy young girl, Naldan! Naram-gez proudly presents you your granddaughter. A worthy addition to the family!

Autumn, 307 AC

"Apologies, my lord, for the delay. We… met our fair share of troubles while coming back to Gedur". It take you some time to remember who are those diplomats: they were sent far in the south east to find a good marriage prospect for your daughter Aruki.

"We traveled until we found the coast. There, we met the king of Sundaher, a major power in the region, although weaken. They claim their kingdom extended further in the east, until a great disaster rose the sea and engulfed their former capital."

The diplomat extends a scroll written half in classic Kalkanic, your langage, and half in a foreign writing composed of large arabesques.

"The Sundaher king Shursipazi offers the hand of his nephew Melkadahar to Aruki, daughter of Gezhugimiluk, Tyrant of Gedur."

A) "Sounds fine for me."
B) "On a second thought, I would prefer a closer match for my daughter."

[ZBridges]

A

[NUKE9.13]

Uh. Does this marriage proposal come with any other features? An alliance? Trade deals?
We ain't playing matchmaker out of the goodness of our hearts.

[Ixarys]

Uh. Does this marriage proposal come with any other features? An alliance? Trade deals?
We ain't playing matchmaker out of the goodness of our hearts.

Alliance is implied yes, I should have clarified that.

[NUKE9.13]

Mm. So, these diplomats left Early Spring, 306 AC. Meaning it took them more than a year and a half to make the round trip. Now, to be fair, they probably spent a fair amount of time searching for suitable partners and whatnot, and they claim to have been waylaid on their way back. Even so, the travel time between us and this prospective ally must be over a month.
For another thing, they were powerful, but are now reeling from the loss of their capital. Powerful nations that are suddenly weakened tend to attract many enemies, meaning an alliance between us would likely mean us giving them more military support than vice versa.

But, a trade partner with access to the sea could be valuable. Valuable enough to marry off our eldest daughter, and probably have to send troops or supplies to fight in a distant war? Debatable.

When we sent the diplomats off, the goal was to find an ally that could help us surround Nenubilanur. Now, I'm not so foolish as to think the peace we signed with them will last forever, but it does reduce the urgency of finding allies against them.

My vote will be for no. Our daughter is still young, a better opportunity might arise at some point. Maybe if she's still unmarried in a few years, we can reconsider.

B