You consider addressing Bulk with a sense of superiority, then quickly dismiss the idea as fucking stupid when you remember what he said earlier.
You ask about many elements of general politics and whether there exists a nonchaos, nonorder faction. Before he answers, you add that you'll want to take the merchant ship. He suggests he answer your questions during the voyage. It's not as if you'll lack for time, you agree, and you walk to the dock without incident, avoiding a couple of Inquisition patrols Bulk sights. You notice they're putting up Wanted posters with comically inaccurate black-and-white line depictions of you and Bulk, complete with written descriptions that none of the peasants here could read if they even had the time to stop and look.
At the dock, the merchant names his price for your benefit. You decide, your heart veritably tearing itself in two at the act, to pay the merchant his asking price of 30 silver, dropping your 48 coins to a mere 18.
He has a grizzled-but-professional-looking sailor show you to your cabin. On the way there, he lectures you about the horrible tortures that you will experience if you do anything against them as well as the lesser but still severe tortures that you will experience if you get in the way. You pay more attention to nibbling at the last fourth or so of the bread Bulk brought you earlier. At the room, he leaves you and Bulk to your devices. You and Bulk throw your belongings into a trunk as you realize he's probably charging you to stay in some sort of cabin he keeps for dignitaries and other important guests that wasn't occupied this particular voyage, which pleases your Princely Sensibilities if not your coinpurse.
Over the voyage, he explains the political climate of Europe, both in context of mundane diplomacy and Order-Chaos disputes.
There are no present crusades against the peoples of the southeast desert. You suspect this is related to the increasing number of mages there who are studying how to wield Chaos without becoming a Chaos devotee there.
France is largely left out of international conflicts these days; the British Empire dares not attack for they would have to land in the region of the Great Forest, and most others are simply afraid to do anything that might disrupt the efforts to fight the - Bulk Vanderhuge confirms as definitely Chaotic - Great Forest. Besides, most nations in this area are now dependent on the Sanethathatero Logging Company....
Iberia's goblin tribes (Chaotic) and the Basque dwarves (unaligned) are always at each other's throats, naturally.
The Germanic lands are too divided to be considered a legitimate political entity, but they often skirmish with their neighbors.
Italy has steadily been taking the land south of Germany recently, he informs you, with strange creations powered by the boiling of water to turn clockwork. They can do such strange things as spinning the axle of wheels with the steam, allowing massive metal boxes to move almost as fast as a horse at a full gallop. Additionally, they seem to have made up for their historic lack of mages with a number of mercenary companies who harnessed Cathayan Black Powder in a way never before seen in Europe, using alchemically hardened metal tubes packed with black powder to fire projectiles.
Speaking of Cathay, he adds, though they may be the Eastern lands' strongest Order power with their expansive bureaucracy and great power, he would not object to assisting them in their war against the northern Tsarist faction. He would very, very much not object to that.
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Topic: The King Is Dead! (Read 24075 times)