How did it come to this? How did we fall so far? The world was ours; we were its masters, and look at us now. Look how we have been so denigrated and reduced. Like sand slipping through fingers, it is gone, lost, never to return. The sense of order and beauty and balance of this world dead, slaughtered by these barbarian’s unstoppable conquest. Nothing was spared from this annexation; their march, like the passage of time, was unstoppable. Their flags flew upon the ruins and rubble of our once mighty empires. One human caused this, small and terrified, fleeing the laws of his kin, flew into the chasm of the ancient mountain, Maar. Humans were a lesser race, a faulted design of the god Fanduil, a peoples that were unable to command the potency of magic. His small, emaciated frame slivered through the crack until he was deep within the core of the mountain. There, he found a giant with chunks torn from his flesh, suspended by chains of flames eternally gnawing at his blackened and burnt skin. Golden blood flowed from the giant’s wounds, creating vast pools of liquid gold. Falling to his knees before the great figure, the human submitted himself and swore fealty to the chained god. Two gifts were granted to the human for a price. The first: a long hollow tube, filled with an explosive powder and a sphere of lead. The second: knowledge to replicate the creation. The human returned to his tribe, gun in hand. After killing a soldier trying to apprehend him, his people shrunk into the shadows, fearing his supposed magic. He shared the invention gifted to him and became the prophet of the shackled god beneath the mountain. The price for these gifts were simple and fair for giving the humans a chance to free themselves of the ancient and magical races that dominated them. All the humans had to do is accept Aldur as their god and free him from his chains. With the new weapons they spread, marching out with gun and cannon, butchering those beings that used to prey upon them. Born from success, their land and number swelled. Not yet were they able to challenge the ancient elven empires, but the orcs, giants and minotaurs were felled in a hail of lead. The human race, united under the banner of Aldur, zealously worshipped their liberator god, and with their belief, his shackles shattered under his renewed strength. Vengeful, Aldur walked among his adopted people and led them to war. A wave of humanity flowed out, killing and torching everything in their path. Pleas slipped from the lips of many races to the gods, begging for the power to save them. But the gods were too slow, too disorganised, blinded by their own squabbles.
Finally, the gods came together, united as one against Aldur, joining the elves, the only peoples somewhat resistant to the armies of humans. But it was too late; the armies of the elves could not match the explosive firepower. Ancient cities predating the first human were engulfed in flames, and great warriors who spent millennia training their skills lay broken upon battlefields, killed by simple peasants. Aldur, exultant in his new power, slew his brothers and sisters, feeding upon their flesh and consuming their divine ichor. Some tried to flee to the very corners of the world, but all were found, all were killed. Victorious, the humans claimed the world for Aldur; there was no place that did not submit to his cold, ordered authority. With his victory and the cannibalistic consumption of his siblings, he fell into a deep contented slumber, which he has yet to awake from. Despite the triumph, there was one enclave that escaped total annihilation. A last kingdom of elves, defeated and without hope, begged for mercy and offering their obedience, submitting to their new human masters,>The underground kingdom of the drow, Ulthor >The island kingdom of the high elves, Anor >The woodland kingdom of the wood elves, Ranor
>>6023138>The Icy Kingdom of the Dark Elves, Nagor
>>6023138>The island kingdom of the high elves, AnorSniveling low-born wretches. All humans shall die for daring to revolt against their high-born betters. They’re barely better than the mutt cattle they breed and engorge themselves on.
>>6023138>>The island kingdom of the high elves, Anor
>>6023138>The island kingdom of the high elves, AnorSeems fun!
>>6023141+1 to this &/or to the DrowI'm digging the setup/lore right off the bat, a Promethean Titan raising up humanity through invention really makes sense on a lot of levels.
>>6023138>The island kingdom of the high elves, Anor Straight up ordinary high elves could be a refreshing change. Control the seas, never let them touch our shores, choose the field of battle, put the lessers in their place. Even if the humans outnumber us and have guns, controlling all the new territory, the many peoples, the different climates and dead faiths is not realistically possible, not forever at least, unless they went the full omnicide route. Even then, that just means they can't exploit the conquered peoples.
>>6023138>The island kingdom of the high elves, AnorOh I am the last of the giants....
>The underground kingdom of the drow, Ulthor
>>6023138>The woodland kingdom of the wood elves, Ranor
>>6023138>The island kingdom of the high elves, Anor
>>6023138>>The island kingdom of the high elves, AnorRacist Tyrion time
>>6023138>The island kingdom of the high elves, AnorTech vs Magitech
You were a lesser realm of elvenkind, controlling the twin islands of Anor, only separated by a small shallow sea. Being isolated from the mainland by the violent walls of water did not harm your clarity of thought; it was all too clear that these humans would not stop. They would claim all under the sun. The human’s ruinous crusade ravaged the continent for many decades, you sent your greatest warriors and your mages to fight alongside your kith and kin. Your mages called lightning bolts from the heavens, opened fissures, and conjured acid rain that melted flesh and bone. But it was not enough to silence the roaring cannon fire and the bark of muskets from the endless swarm of humans. The great forest kingdoms were set upon by axe and flame, leaving a tremendous dead plane of cinders, and the underground nations were crushed by great explosives.Anor remained when the other wonderous kingdoms and ancient empires fell, spared only briefly by the great ocean. It would have been put to the torch as well, it was already long defeated after spending its best to die in a failed war. But Anor sent diplomats to the humans grovelling for peace. Humans were tired of war, wanting to celebrate their total victory and mourn the slumber of their saviour and accepted your submission. Entering a festival of decadent delights, they allowed your survival at a small cost: the island of Lesser Anor is to be theirs in totality, you owe fealty and taxes to the great realm of man, no man in Greater Anor could be tried by an elven court.With heads bowed low, you accepted the delegation of the human host onto your kingdom. The force that accompanied the leaders of men went to your great library, barred the doors and set it ablaze. Millennia of study of the magic arts burned in the pyre, and with your best mages dead, any hope of future revival was dashed. The humans kept your kingdom around as an impotent gelded pet, a curious reminder of a time now gone. Soon, their people came to your cities, which you protested fiercely to no avail; wealthy merchants and their employees set up shop, almost as if to further mock your people for their newfound poverty.After years passed, the genocidal cause of the humans faded from memory, the unifying mission decayed and fragmented. Man, without any external enemy, fought against fellow man. New nations rose from the shattering of the unified empire. You watched on silently as they had their share of bloodlust. Your vassal state was inherited by the greatest human nation, the Republic of Moi. They hold Lesser Anor, now renamed to Sentinel, and claim the inheritance of the unified human collective and wish to reunite all humans under their banner.
Alone, you are the last elven monarch, your rule questioned by your discontented people. The humans that call Anor home mock your kind, calling them the Widows, laughing at the women who have lost their husbands in the great war the humans are already beginning to forget. Compared to the rich industrious human nations of the continent, Anor is poor and still wearing scars of war, the only income is generated by selling trinkets to humans and farming. Your mages are few and weak; only the knowledge of the simplest spells remains. Who are you?>You are the last King of Anor> You are the last Queen of AnorIf you want to come up with a name, you can, or I can make one if you can’t be bothered. Being a man you of course are stronger and more capable in a fight, while only women can be mages.
>>6023620>You are the last King of Anor, Ciryandil Anor.So our greatest advantage had already been lost, the situation is dire than I thought.
>>6023620>You are the last Queen of Anor
>>6023620>You are the last King of Anor
>>6023620>> You are the last Queen of AnorMage time
>>6023620>> You are the last Queen of Anor
>>6023620> You are the last Queen of Anor
>>6023620> You are the last Queen of AnoroofThat's rough.
>>6023620> You are the last Queen of Anor, Faelynwyth
>>6023620>You are the last King of Anor>Name: SilmarilNO MAGIC ONLY HARDCORE
>>6023620>You are the last King of Anor.We have time on our side! How many other non-humans strain under the yoke of Man? How many other Kings hide in secret?To survive, we must find ways to exploit the blind spots in Man’s vision, use his hubris against them…
>>6023620>Mage-Queen Aryaniel
>>6023620>>You are the last King of Anor
>>6023620>You are the last Queen of AnorLyssandra
>>6023620>KingI actually prefer a non-magic approach here
>>6023620>You are the last King of Anor.
Thanks everyone, no more votes.
>>6024007You should probably get a name/trip
You are the last Queen of Anor, Lyssandra the First. The crown should have never been yours; the line was clear, and in the better world, you would have only ever been a princess. After your father’s death at the Battle of the Elder Tree, your older brother ascended to the throne, carrying on the war in your father’s place. He, too, fell in battle, as have so many of your men. After a failed clash, your brother, Elros, regrouped within the ancient fort of Talahad. The forces of Aldur encircled the fortress, and cannons gnawed at the ancient stone walls, drilling into the rock with shot after shot. Finally, the humans breached the city, and blood filled the streets. Waves of humans charged into the citadel only to be culled by the elven defender. But with each attack, more of your men joined the litter of human corpses. After the biting months of repeated attacks, the swarm of man overwhelmed the last of the elven defenders.Haunted eyes filled with sorrow and pain turned to you, looking at the young girl who was not ready to assume all the heavy responsibilities that burden the head that wears the crown. A regency council was formed of your advisors, as they managed your realm as you grew with age and were moulded into the future queen of your people. The five of this council are: Ergon your marshal, Balfor your treasurer, Luthiel your magister supreme, Peren your chancellor and Tour your spymaster. They are all seated around a table with you at its head, with you finally leading this meeting unbidden by the constrains of the now-dead regency.They have failed, all of them. All of their discussions, debates and plans have amounted to nothing, the nation is still a sick animal waiting to be put out of its misery. An air of despair and disillusion lingers upon your streets, upon your very people, and your utterly impotent council has done nothing to dissuade it. Your crystal-clear sapphire eyes scan across each face, all gazing down towards the table or their fidgeting fingers trying to avoid your accusatory glare. A part of you wants them to suffer as the people did, to be stripped of their positions and wealth and thrown onto the streets joining the most desperate of elves. But they know too much you have yet to learn, and good service to you can resolve their past crime of sheer incompetence.
“Tell me of my Anor, tell me of the state it is in.” Despite your young, girlish appearance, your voice echoes with an iron, authoritative command.“My Queen,” Balfor starts, his words come quick and hurried as his cheeks redden with embarrassment and shame. “Our people are struggling, and the kingdom’s coffers are almost empty. We have scrapped together a little gold, but it won’t go far. I do have a few ideas, but they may not be palatable.”Next, it is Ergon’s turn to speak: “Pirates harass our trading ships that travel to Moi, plundering whatever they can get their hands on.”Tour adds to Ergon’s comment, “Human pirates, of course. I would not be surprised if they have the tacit consent of the Council of Moi.”Luthiel, the only woman of your advisors and the most potent mage of your realm, if not the world, blurts out impatiently, “We have lost so much knowledge, too much is forgotten, and it cannot be found on this island. We must search the ruins of the continent. I would have ordered a party to do so, but I did not have access to the gold required for such a task. Magic is our one strength over the humans; these other issues are simply a temporary byproduct of our weakened connection with magic. We need to reclaim what we once held above all.”“What we hold above all is our family and our people, funnelling our little money into an aimless quest will do nothing to help them.” Balfor roars, angered by an argument he has likely heard too many times. “We need to help our people first and foremost.” “Quiet,” Peren cuts in, interrupting the well-rehearsed quarrel. He turns to you with a deferential bow. “Queen Lyssandra, we have many issues that will take long to solve; what do you wish to tackle first?”You decide to…>focus on the pirates.>fix the finances of your nation.>reclaim lost books of forgotten magic.
>>6024088>reclaim lost books of forgotten magic.Then blast the pirates with nuke spells
>>6024088>>reclaim lost books of forgotten magic.
>>6024088>fix the finances of your nation.
>>6024088>fix the finances of your nation.The other tasks all require coin. Better to fix our problems at home before we turn to rotting books and distant reavers.
>>6024088>fix the finances of your nation
>>6024088>fix the finances of your nation.‘’The humans bested us with more magic than we may ever find once more, we need to be- more creative, magic alone won’t help us. Maybe we should also consider using the tools of the humans- and refine them.
>>6024088>MAGICK GUNZ>Diplomacy with other Non-Humans>Develop Trade with other Kingdoms besides Moi>Mage Skool with Mandatory Magiscription for every Womer
Really intrigued by this quest, always wanted to see the perspective of the rise of humanity from a magical race.>>6024088>fix the finances of your nation.Money is power in the new world. Books and pirates are very expensive, and our dire straits means that any investment could come with ruin. Shit's real bad.
>>6024088>>fix the finances of your nation.Money is truly magical
“The humans defeated us when we possessed more magic than we will ever be able to reclaim. This is a new age that requires new solutions.” You say to your council, leaving direction of solutions could be known but unsaid. Luthiel scowls in disagreement but wisely keeps her mouth closed. “Balfor, you spoke of ideas. I would like to hear them.”“Of course, my Queen. But as I said earlier, these may be… distasteful.” Balfor ends with a noncommittal shrug. In a softer, natural voice that belongs to a girl of your years, without the edge of command instilled by your crown, you dissuade his hesitancy. “We are all only talking; bringing up the idea will not create it in actuality. It is important for us to know all possible avenues if we are to judge our best path. Please let us know what you have thought of.”“Quite, my lady,” Balfor gives you a weak, forced smile and continues. “As you said, we need to look for new solutions. The only way I think we can compete in the market of today is if we copy the humans and replicate the gifts of Aldur. In my humble opinion, the greatest of these are the steam engines. Humans do so much with it, they use it for mining, textiles, and iron production. Of course, we do all these things already, but the quantities they produce are without equal. I have been to Moi, and they have created great works of construction and infrastructure with their abundance of iron.”Seeing a twinkle in his eyes, you feel a long sermon brewing. “Ok, thank you. I believe I understand what you are saying. Do you have any other ideas?”The excitement still resides in Balfor despite being interrupted. “Sure, and I understand the hesitance to use the humans’ tools. It was just an idea. And those that work in such factories suffer short lives, a price from Aldur for such productivity. Or we could open the royal gardens and grow the magical herbs at a greater scale, to sell to the human nations. There would be a high demand. But I do worry that humans that reside on Anor would try to steal these plants and sew them on the continent.”
You nod, and Balfor continues, “Humans have done well with constructing canals within their lands, allowing quick movement of large quantities of goods. This is something that would be fantastic, but I do not think it is the right project yet, we need more trade with the humans to make the most out of it. Finally, we could ask one of the prominent human merchants here to help us replicate human financial institutions. Frankly, I do not understand these things, but their results speak for themselves.”“What of this can we afford to do?” You ask as you ponder his suggestions. The idea of mimicking the humans revolts you, but if you ever want the freedom of your people, there must be sacrifices.“As I said, we have little gold; it is all I could save, considering our circumstances. We can afford to either: construct new gardens for the production of our sacred herbs, build new financial institutions with some human assistance, purchase agricultural tools to assist our farmers, or construct canals that would allow a freer flow of goods across our land. We only have the money for one of these projects, so you must choose wisely. What I would prefer is for us to set up our own iron mill. This would allow us to create so many amazing things, including more industry. But we do not have enough coin to set up the project. No human nation would sell us the required plans and equipment, so we’d have to work with a human merchant, which would add a premium to the steep price. There would need to be real concessions.”Closing your eyes, you consider all the options laid out before and the path best for Anor. Finally, as Balfor watches you eagerly, you decide to…>Create new fields of magical herbs.>Create new financial institutions with the assistance of humans. >Construct canals to ease the movement of goods through your kingdom. >Purchase agricultural tools to make farming more efficient.>Meet with a powerful human merchant about constructing an iron mill together.>write-in
>>6024629>Create new financial institutions with the assistance of humans.Running a big bank is a great way to become too useful to exterminate
>>6024629>Create new fields of magical herbs.Material wealth before usury.
>>6024629>Purchase agricultural tools to make farming more efficient.I'd go with the herbs if not for the risk of hummies stealling then and creating banks while we don't have enough material wealth or trade doesn't seem that good early on.
>>6024629>>Purchase agricultural tools to make farming more efficient.potato maxxing
>>6024650One thought is to make luxury foodstuffs/goods and pander to wealthy human markets. Basically, ultra-high quality cheese, wine, drugs?, things that we can produce via magic and therefore actually keep as trade secrets.
>>6024667I support this- make sure no one knows the full process outside of select individuals who are completely loyal.IE; have 10 books on the process in the manager office- but only the Queen have the cyfer to tell which is lagit and the manager don’t even know the cyfer- just that the blue one is lagit.
>>6024629>Create new financial institutions with the assistance of humans.We'll be like the [redacted]
>>6024629>>Purchase agricultural tools to make farming more efficient.Nature stuff
>>6024629>>6024667+1>>6024664unfortunately now is not the time for cucumberpilled potatomaxxing
>>6024629>Purchase agricultural tools to make farming more efficient.
How about developing method of covert communication in form of cute conjured birds?https://dune.fandom.com/wiki/Distrans
>>6024629Oh, the humans are 1800s tech, that explains the world conquest handily. If it was just handgonnes and stone shot then there'd be no way they could be a world beater. Lets hope they don't have rifle-muskets yet. Apparently they are also institutionally more advanced than us as well, which makes slightly less sense, but okay. With this in mind, yeah, we have to have a 'if you can't beat em, join em' attitude to tech advancement.>Create new fields of magical herbs.We need something to actually trade to get more money. If the humans steal our shit like the Europeans seeding American crops in their own lands, then so be it, it'll happen eventually anyways, whether we like it or not.Easing internal trade to make our domestic economy stronger or improving our agricultural/iron production won't mean shit when our industry is competing with Moi and the other humans, who have been at this longer and likely have stronger economies already.
>>6024629>Create new financial institutions with the assistance of humans.
>>6024912>Oh, the humans are 1800s techLate 1700s - early 1800s, and I am no historian so some things may be a bit jumbled. No trains yet, and no bessemer converters, currently wrought iron.>Apparently they are also institutionally more advanced than us as wellAldur is the lord of innovation, during his thousands of years of imprisonment the world stagnated across the board.
>>6024629>Sell Herbs as a Cash Crop(with a thorough inspection to be sure no seeds are shipped off)I'd rather we sell magick droogs than devolve into ratmen/goblins already.
Agriculture dominates the economy and employment in Anor, so it only makes sense to invest in your workers, making them more productive. It is a shame that so many of your people have become farmers, working in the muck. Before the war, magicians of the realm enchanted the fields, allowing your people to pursue more noble goals. But now is not then; your people must struggle in the fields to provide food for the realm. “We need better tools for our people, buy them the latest human instruments.”“As you command Queen Lyssandra. I will send out word to the human merchants of what we want.” Balfor tries to hide his disappointment, but his dreams of an iron mill to spur Anor’s industrialisation is dashed.“What is next to discuss?” You ask the room of familiar faces.“So much,” Chancellor Peren replies with a sigh of weary pain. “Our military is almost non-existent, and our navy is outdated. Lord Ergon will attest to that. We must endure the piracy for now unless we try something non-conventional. Our command of magic is weak despite Lady Luthiel’s best efforts. And our people are still melancholy, mourning all those we have lost. Childbirth is rare. Resentment is building between our people and the human immigrants. When crimes are committed against our people, they are tried in lenient human courts as per the peace accords. Anyway, most of these problems can not be solved without money, so let us hope we are rewarded for our investment in our farmers. Let us break for the day and reconvene another time, but before we do, I speak for all around this table when I say we are with you and will help you recover the glories of old.”“Thank you Peren. And yes, that sounds reasonable. Let us break for today and rejoin soon.” You flash your council a well-meaning practised smile.They shuffle out of the room; your heart aches to see the proudest and most privileged of your people looking so defeated. You begin to wonder what you will do with the remainder of the day as Peren halts by the door to share a parting word, “We won’t be able to spend any money for a while, maybe there are some social policies you can think of that would help our people in the meanwhile.”
Finding yourself in your garden, you are gazing at the still surface of a pond, your eyes focus on your own reflection. They see a young woman, her youthful face framed by her long gold hair, alone in her kingdom without friends or family. Brushing your hand against the water, ripples break the still image. It was common to find you passing the time reading easy books about princesses and knights, but they hold little lustre to you now. You are unable to enjoy them as you once did with the crown now firmly resting upon your head. Guilt strikes with every turned page. Instead, your main respite has become the practising the magic you can cast. That way you are practising, learning and bettering yourself instead of wasting your time in childish self-indulgence. Of the spellcasters in the realm, most have always been mages, now is no different. Mages are simple magicians who are able to do the easiest of spells and are best used in battle. Then there are the magisters, witches of substantial power, able to cast more potent spells and great rituals. Of these magisters, three are left in the kingdom of Anor, four if you include yourself in their ranks. Each of these magicians belongs to a school, a purview of magic that resonates with their soul. The path you belong to is…>Fire Magic, the most destructive of all of the schools.>Water Magic, a subtle path able to affect water and ice.>Earth Magic, which was used prodigiously to construct the fantastic structure of Anor.>Air Magic, able to conjure storms and lightning. >Nature Magic, able to change the bodies of living things including plants.
>>6025071>Fire Magic, the most destructive of all of the schools.Being a walking nuke might make up for our nation’s lack of military and such
>>6025071>Nature Magic, able to change the bodies of living things including plants.
>>6025071>Air Magic, able to conjure storms and lightning.
>>6025071>Nature Magic, able to change the bodies of living things including plants.If we're not going to fully industrialize, specializing in what amounts to biomancy could yield significant dividends.
>>6025103>>6025114I’d support this only if we devote our research to developing a magical plague to kill all humankind.
>>6025127We should consider the waring human nations- I bet you humanity is committing atrocities on each other and there are plenty who prefer sharing the world with the elves over whomever got the jackboot on there neck right now.
>>6025146My thoughts exactly - there have to be political revolutionaries who hate the current regimes and our best move is to fracture human political alignment even further. Would be fun to invert the trope of “beautiful magical elf queen with nature magic” and turn her into “bio weapons arms dealer seeking TOTAL HUMAN DEATH by any means necessary”.Killing the Titan of innovation before he wakes up from his nap would be a nice follow-up goal as well
>>6025127Inventing magic bioweapons and selling them to the humans is brilliant, we just have to avoid getting Iraq'd.
>>6025161Plan B was Elf Switzerland with James Bond’s villen intentions
>>6025161Adolf Elfler Quest
>>6024912We cannot let our one monopoly go into human hands without first setting up a monopoly system to cash in and sell the flowers at a premium. We should save those until we are in a good position and bred the weakest flowers we got then introducing better yields later for control of the market.>>6024899I played Civ 5 and the main thing you should always work on is food. A country is worthless if you can't even feed yourself for a day. >>6025127Wipe out the human filth its either bioweapons or become the bankers and have human nations kill each other for fun and profit. >>6023637We will just have to get more insidious. While we lost magic we can instead focus on becoming Venice. Control markets, create spy wings across the word, and use human propoganda to make them all view their nation should be the one to rule and have them tear into each other as we will never have the manpower to fight but we do have the centuries to plan. We can cause wars and conflict for entire human lifetimes in one century. Make these pigs butcher each other for our amusement.
>>6025071>Nature Magic, able to change the bodies of living things including plants.>>6025246Except this time we won't fail or at the very least we send Humans to the dark age with the black death, small pox, and whooping cough. Target them all until only the superior aryan race stands.
>>6025179We become Umbrella selling cosmetics and drugs to the poor and wealthy as we sell weapons to nations while accidentally letting some product to get "lost" during transit. Create werewolverines, STDs, Winter Flu, and the bat cough.
>>6025251>Elf VeniceNow you’re cooking with gas, anon. Dirty tricks of all types and kinds should be deployed to destabilize the nations of man!
>>6025253>Unstealable magic consumer goods for profits>Unhealable magic WMDs for revenge
>>6025071Well, not what I hoped for, but the agricultural revolution preceded and enabled the industrial revolution for a reason. Not the worst choice in the world for the long game. It's just that if we wanted to make rapid progress, we would require money immediately and constantly. I doubt increasing our food supply will earn us said money, but it'll prevent us from starving at least, fuel population growth. Though mechanizing farm labour could cause social issues on its own.>Earth Magic, which was used prodigiously to construct the fantastic structure of Anor.The best elemental path in practically every setting. Particularly if it is capable of affecting a similar area to air magic. Useful for architectural and battlefield engineering purposes, especially given the modern times. Though blowing up human powder stores or causing rainstorms to render their powder useless would be cool too.
>>6025256Also we need a soft power campaign kin to, well first thing to come to mind is Anime and Blue Jeans.
>>6025256First we acquire the food for our elven people.Next once we are not hungry we can reform the tax system to get the exchange rates going.Third now with a bit of gold we either train an elven merchant marine or build some oil drums and detonate them when the ship gets near with the elves carrying lifevests until another ship comes by and executes the rats and rescues our people.Fourth we rename the city venice now that we got food and a clear route.Fifth wait a few years to build trade routes and become proper venice.Sixth train many and many spy rings across the world or at least near us first. Making them fucking hero tier units to handle the bullshit we are going to give them.Seventh now the fun starts as by this time we should have infrastructure and money.Use our herbs to make magic drugs use proxies to sell it when humans come looking for a fix. Begin smoozing with merchants that can move our product and we can cut off if they ask too many questions. Start investing in biowarfare but sell it to the big nations first so any product that gets "lost" and into the general public will have them get the blame when revolutionaries get their hands on it. Begin making whooping cough 2.0 and infect the outskirts to get the poor angry at the working class. Make more varied and stronger drugs for the rich to spend and make instead of helping the people. Sell the revolutionaries guns and c-4 at discount to cause more damage. Proxy hire a merc band to pillage rich people land drug shipments to further strain their economy. Propaganda another minor warring states to join together and hit the biggest human country to burn each other's manpower and wealth more. Using the human mercs have them join a battlefield and have some elven spies activate mustard gas on our meatshields to make it look like the big human entire wanted to cower the other three and propoganda it as them demanding everyone to submit to their rule or get gassed. Start a world war as the elves begin industrializing magic like in youjo senki. Do this for every major human nation a few times until either they break from the war or when they have enough and nuke themselves.
>>6025278I need a map, I need nations GPD, what is the demographics of the human nations, how long to elves live, what is the human average lifespan, what is the resources of our island, did humans find crude oil yet, is it all steam? I need more data to evolve the plan.
>>6025071>>Air Magic, able to conjure storms and lightning.Ship sinkin.
>>6025071>>Air Magic, able to conjure storms and lightning.
>>6025071>Nature Magic, able to change the bodies of living things including plants.I have a suggestion if we are going to fight unfairly. Make a species of drug-producing plant which only affects humans. Make it addictive, but not more so than heroin. And then introduce it to the human populations in other nations. Additionally, if one wants to play it a bit more risky, there could be a cure or treatment, like nicotine patches. And only we can provide those. As it needs something like a very small amount of still living elven blood in the process which we keep a state secret. That would give us massive potential wealth, at the risk of suspicion.Of course, if we were to make it only affect humans, then it might encourage wrath from the large human nations who suspect foul play. But there are many ways to throw them off like using plants not native to our island and making the "discovery" of the plant seem like something ancient discovered once again from an old cave.What better way to destabilize other nations than by introducing massive drug problems?
>>6025071>Water Magic, a subtle path able to affect water and ice.
>>6025438The Old Sassoon ShuffleYeah, let's British Empire these Mongoloids.>Nature MagickCrops + Droogs + Plagues
A rose bush catches your eyes, the one your mother planted long before your birth, its petals are beginning to wither and age as winter approaches. With a carefulness to avoid the sharp thorns, you place your hand upon the plant. As you pour your energy into the bush, the flowers begin to brighten and restore themselves to their summer beauty. The bold, vibrant red of the petals stands out against the drabness of the dreary day as grey clouds hang high in the sky. For your effort, you take a single rose head, planning to place it in your room.Making your way back to your chambers, you study the castle you reside in. It is beautiful, that is undeniable, even the staunchest elf hater would admit to it. None of it was constructed by hand, only the imagination of the magisters of old. Each room is its own marvel, sculpted as works of art. But there is something wrong with the castle, there is no life within the walls. The only living beings you see are your guards, who stand stiller than the statues surrounding them. There is no merriment to bask in, no private conversations to overhear, no loud children playing with one another. You are alone in your gilded cage.Placing the rose you hold into a glass vase beside your bed, you work further magic upon it. The flower grows larger, not enough to become a garishly large freak, but a decent size. Taking your diary out of a locked drawer, you write of the meeting that transpired. You don’t know why you write in your diary; it isn’t for anyone to read, but it is a ritual that is deeply engrained at this point. Finishing the entry, a long sigh escapes your lips as you look around your room, not knowing how to entertain yourself. An idea sprouts in your mind as you gaze into the mirror, seeing your own reflection. Calling once again upon your powers, your face’s features begin to alter. Staring back at you is a mask you’ve created, not wildly different from your natural appearance but enough so that the guards will believe you are a maid. The effort fills you with fatigue equal to running the perimeter of the castle grounds; your body aches as you regain your breath. In the past, other mages could make themselves male or female, elf or human; some could even become giant now-extinct monsters, but not you, not yet.
After pulling a few faces in the mirror, you smile through your fake face, proud of your ability; you saunter off to your wardrobe and wear the blandest, unassuming garb you have. You pass through the grand halls and long passageways until you exit the castle itself, with no guards stopping you or demanding to accompany you. The salty sea air wraps you in its cold embrace, shivers run through your body, but all you can think of is the taste of freedom in the air. The freedom to talk to people as an elf, not their monarch.Goose pimples coat your skin as you embrace yourself with a hug in a futile attempt to warm yourself. Walking through the wind, your dress violently flaps, and you realise that you don’t know what you want to do with this brief freedom. Sitting on a public wooden bench, you watch as regular elves pass through the streets in heavy clothing, living their lives, while trying to ponder what to do next.You…>want to talk to the regular elves of your kingdom, finding out how they feel and how they are.>want to talk to the men of your military and see what they are honestly thinking.>want to see the humans, how they live on this island, and what they think of your elves. >write-in
>>6025285>I need a map, I need nations GPDI might be able to cook something up in paint, but it'll look like shit.>what is the demographics of the human nationsThey vastly outnumber you, if you've ever played warharmmer think of them like skaven to you.>how long to elves liveFew thousand years.>what is the human average lifespanDepends on the nation and class and job, but roughly 50.>what is the resources of our islandNatural resources haven't been surved yet as there hasn't been money placed into such things. Before the war the mages did the mining which then was very safe.>did humans find crude oil yetNo>is it all steamYes
>>6025564>want to talk to the regular elves of your kingdom, finding out how they feel and how they are.Specifically, we need to know things like level of education, their opinions on the government, and the extent to their loyalty towards the elves as a collective and our regime specifically. I'd also like to chat with some humans too to see if it might be possible to get our hands on some turncoats for things like engineering or agricultural manpower if the human supremacist ideology is outweighed by a desire for coin, influence, or potentially elven brides (which wouldn't be too bad for them since in the terms of an elven lifespan, an entire human marriage is like a one year fling)
>>6025564>want to talk to the regular elves of your kingdom, finding out how they feel and how they areElves we may be, but if the humans have embraced the spirit of representative government then we too must ware of popular sentiment
>>6025564>want to talk to the regular elves of your kingdom, finding out how they feel and how they are.
>>6025564>want to talk to the men of your military and see what they are honestly thinking.
>>6025438>sequel coming soon to local theaters: elf breeding farm
>>6025564>want to talk to the regular elves of your kingdom, finding out how they feel and how they are.We should focus on quality-of-live upgrades first - we need our people’s trust and loyalty for what comes next.
>>6025564>want to talk to the regular elves of your kingdom, finding out how they feel and how they are.We should focus on quality-of-life upgrades first - we need our people’s trust and loyalty for what comes next
>>6025564>>want to talk to the men of your military and see what they are honestly thinking.
>>6025564>>want to see the humans, how they live on this island, and what they think of your elves.
>>6025564>humiesThen>military
A billion hours in paint, let me know if it is acceptable or if there's a better tool I could use.
>>6025795Perfect for now, maybe just throw in some titling later if you have time?
>>6025572>potentially elven bridesI'm sure conscripted elven brides would be very popular with the citizens.
>>6025146>>6025161>>6025179>>6025251>Infiltrate and subvert the nations by amassing a monopoly of highly sought after goods, then pit the competitors against each other from the shadowsI like the way you guys are thinking. I think a good longterm goal would be to infiltrate and climb the economic ladder by establishing trade routes and producing a coveted resource.
>>6025889Woah, who said anything about conscripts? I was thinking about creating a system wherein vetted (no history of prostitution or general promiscuity, meets a certain standard of physical beauty, etc) individuals can apply in exchange for social and monetary benefits, as well as the possibility for a noble title or government position proportional to the degree of their contribution to the cause after their 'service'. Kinda like spies deep undercover, minus a lot of the subterfuge
>>6025936This is really only feasible after we develop a professional spy service and fix our demographic problems anon, we can’t send untrained women out into the world for nebulous benefit
>>6025564>>want to talk to the regular elves of your kingdom, finding out how they feel and how they are.
>>6025936Terrible idea, just going to end up with half-elves & hasten Elven extinction. Unless we're only sending infertile outcast women who are a drain upon society.
>>6025795What are the nations by color?
We should also consider “elven repatriation” in order for us to improve our (probably terrible) demographics. There are probably lots of elves off-island in horrible conditions and we should consider taking these “undesirables” out of the Man nations
>>6025950>>6025966In case you guys forgot, right now we have a severe imbalance between men and women in our population due to the war to such an extent that the humans mock us as an island of widows; what we need in the short term is capital and especially manpower- diluting the gene pool and creating semi-loyal half elves, while not ideal, is a tradeoff we may have to make in order to survive long enough for the pureblood population to recover to some extent. Although ig it depends on things like elven reproduction rates and thoughts on polygamy
>>6025980Right, we need to be importing male elves, I don’t think we need to lower ourselves to breeding with the human oppressors - an inferior half-elven caste will only cause problems later. Nature magic might also be helpful with our fertility problems…
>>6025980>Create half elves >Lose magical potency, losing the only theoretical economic edge we might have>Half elves and normal elves will almost certainly have different social experiences, creating social strife>Half elves and pure elves will have different political rights and desires, creating political strife Don't forget, these are the same humans that just genocided ALL of the mainland elves, who ravaged Anor itself, and who have special legal rights on our own island. I (and very likely elven society at large) honestly prefer population decline.
>>6026003>>6026007Solid points regarding potential consequences to the policy- if we have other outs, like bringing in male elves from other places somehow, then I wouldn't be opposed to that. What I am saying, though, is that we shouldn't allow our pride from making the choice to potentially intermix with humans on a controlled scale should such a thing become necessary. Bowing our heads to and putting up a facade to appease the humans is certainly humiliating, but it's better we do that then allow the elves to burn out in an attempt to rage against the impossible. We need to focus on subtly fitting our way into the new world in order to hopefully set ourselves up as a homeland for the elves, both full and partially blooded, in order to hopefully brave the storm and gain a spot among the kingdoms of man
You want to get to know your people; you want to know how they feel and what their hopes and desires are. It isn’t your goal to just reclaim independence from Moi but also for your citizens to have hope and happiness once again. Getting to your feet, you resolve to walk deeper into the city, off the main streets, into the residential areas. It is curious how the roads are so wide, and the buildings are so numerous compared to the number of people you spot. Taking your time, you find there is something in this solitary walk through the quiet streets as the cold air embraces you, which resonates with something deep within your soul. Instead of finding more life and passion, it is deader than commercial areas. Old houses lay vacant with plant life crawling up the walls, trying to consume the vacant buildings. There is a beauty to it, how nature is wrapping the elven-made structure combining into a synthesis. Not all of the houses are vacant; there are windows which glow orange from warm fires inside, and the light seeps out into the street, letting you know that you aren’t totally alone. You had no idea that the war managed to depopulate Anor to this degree. After walking aimlessly, you spot a group of young elves around about your age. They watch you with curious eyes as you approach, a young man maybe five years older than you greets you with a pleasant voice but a confused frown. “Miss, are you alright? It must be cold to walk around in that.”As he reminds you, the chill bites at your bones. “Yes, I am fine, thank you. You can call me Lyssandra.”Your name brings a smile to his lips, “Like the Queen? I am Biour, sadly my name is not quite so noble.”“Biour is a strong name, and maybe one day you could make it a noble one. And yes, I was born the year after her, given her name by my mother.”“So, Lyssandra, what are you doing here? Fresh faces are a rare sight.” The boy-turning man exudes an aura of pleasant confidence, which you find strange from a commoner.
Scrambling your brain for a reason, you answer with the first thing that comes to mind: “I moved into the city with my mother from the countryside and decided to explore the area. I’m curious about the people here and what the mood is like.”His jovial face falls at your last words, replaced with a fire in his eyes, “I can tell you how we feel; we are a living anachronism. A dead people out of our time, we kneel to the humans on the continent and allow them to live within our cities. The older generations that lived through the war are soulless puppets without hope and vigour, passively accepting our slow, humiliating annihilation. Those of us born during the war carry our parent’s extinguished fire, the fire that will bring the changes we need. Even if the Queen quakes at upsetting the humans.”Biour stops his words; his face flushes with embarrassment at the passion he is speaking with. “Sorry, Lyssandra, I get riled up when thinking of this; please forgive me…. If you are new here, I can show you around. I know the city rather well.”Hours have passed since your escape from your castle, and there is a good chance your staff has noticed you missing. You decide to…>let Biour show you the city.>vist(write-in)>return to your castle.
>>6026018For me, it's less about survival as a polity. We can either go the way of Japan when the Westerners came, or the way of the Hawaiians when the Americans came.
>>6026021>let Biour show you the city.We have to know. I do feel bad about the fact that our only plan forward will probably necessarily involve bending the knee to some extent to the various human nations, but we have to do whatever it takes to survive
>>6026021>let Biour show you the city.We need the full picture here.Channeling the enthusiasm of the youth seems be an easy way to build political support though. A young queen with new ideas…
>>6026021>let Biour show you the city
>>6026021>>let Biour show you the city.Might has well. The staff and the court, will not cause a ruckus since we are the last royal. They would be insane to do that with the current kingdom conditions.Should have probably said it to someone trusted, before leaving. I am sure we could have told our guards no people in our room for the whole day or something. Walking bomb Lyssandra !
>>6025980"If you worship your enemy, you are defeated. If you adopt your enemy’s religion, you are enslaved. If you breed with your enemy, you are destroyed.">>6026018Walk with him, get the common Mer's perspective.
>>6026028We can make some allies probably, use intrigue, influence and diplomacy for keep at bay the worst. Beyond that our army and navy probably needs to go modern, if nothing else because the skill and mastery of our people can no doubt be deadly even with new weapons and tactics probably.Mercenaries can be also used once we make money both for protection, training our military and in case of wars. Money is what they answer for, nothing else. While they take cash, they multiply our military power and can suffer casualties that can be easily replaced in comparison to our military.
>>6026042Hiring human mercenaries to train our military in the use of human technologies is a great idea.
>>6026042I think that, should we militarize too quickly, the humans will probably use that as an excuse to invade and annihilate us. What we really need to do is develop our economy, modernize our infrastructure, and position ourselves between enough major powers through unique exports or valuable resources in such a way that none can invade us without provoking the others. Until we get to a point where we can feasibly win a war against a small to medium human nation, we shouldn't even think about militarizing. We could maybe get away with bolstering our navy in the name of subjugating pirates, but even then we'll have to be delicate about it
>>6026048If we develop our economy without improving our military, we will get annexed by the Republic of Moi (which already annexed lesser Anor).
>>6025810>>6025967Still working on them.Some info: Moi and Wrenland fought a long war, which Moi slightly won but at a cost. Larman was created as a buffer state between the two nations and contains major magical ruins that mutates living beings (magic chernobyl). Har-Hut wants to conquer the poor icy nations of the north, but Moi would strike at any opening Har-Hut leaves to reintegrate them. High Castle is a mountainous state that withstood Moi's invasions during the disunification of humanity. The rest I have yet to think up.
>>6025795knawledge *drooling sounds*Pangea continent is a surprise but makes the Venice plans easier. Okay when we get a surplus of food we need to make food trade to the black and dark grey nations as judging by their borders they don't have enough land to grow their food or they have a mountain range. Easily making some profits on those countries. We can aim to attempt to buy light brown and light purple waste vegetation products to act as fertilizer for our farms or feed for livestock. We will have to take the scraps of humans and turn them into elven gold until we can wipe out the raiders. The island nations might boost our trade but they will be major competitors as they are better than us in every way. I need more time to guess their GDP status and city positioning to make better guesses later.Next with no major rivers we in the future can offer reduced caravan fees for express shipping but change the locations every months so humans don't kick up a fuss on us undercutting their routes.With no major river networks we can do long distance shipping across the world and use those trade envoys to gather plant samples across the world for the herb drug projects.With the lack of males we can use our trade barges and have humans pay us to move the undesirable elves to our country. We need to improve the standard of living a lot to help motivate people with a 8 child policy to recover our numbers. Then we have introduce human education focusing on rapid learning and adaptation as we need fast on the field agents working with our long term planners to keep up with human bullshit.With oceans so big we can use the polar regions to hide under sea bases for spy and bioweapon infiltration but that is a very far future project.>>6026021>let Biour show you the city.We need knawledge of the people and to see if we made the right choice giving them tools first.
>>6026053Okay so Moi pirates are strong in skill and naval doctrine compared to our very weak. So that will take a bit more to fight than we expected so we need about two naval level upgrades to push out the raiders.12 might still be exploitable but 13 will be more resistant as they have river access. But 9 wow what happened to them? They should be our first start on the Venice route to dip our toes in human commerce and gain practice. With their non-existent navy we can offer cheaper shipping routes and absorb their trade companies.
>>6026058I just realize a future major problem that will rise if we stabilize. We will have 50 or 100 year old elves as our main work force and might be too slow to learn human adaptability. If it takes them hundreds of years to become an adult then we have to assume our useful manpower will always be low and accept our current adult population is the only adult population we will have for centuries.Also we can expect to live till 5k as royal so we can start 50 100 year wars between human nations to grind them down. Use the peace recovery to rebuild the nations sowing Communism, Order, and Freedom and other minor parties to divide the people as they look for answers to end the wars under a new banner.
>>6026053Once we have enough influence we should try to unite the Northern Realms into an alliance against Har-Hut as well as pit Moi against the Har-Huttites. Moi is our greatest enemy ultimately, but once we have enough influence to do anything significant it would be foolish to invade them. We should prioritize becoming the pre-eminent naval power ala Britain once we've grown enough not to be crushed for trying to build up a fleet, use Yinon Plan strats on Moi, & only invade lands we can keep indefinitely via naval prowess such as High Castle, 11's Archipelago, 3's Islands, maybe 8, & of course Lesser Anor.More short-term, we should prioritize having Elves & other Fey/Demi-Humans/Elder Races repatriated to Anor.
>>6026021>let Biour show you the city.
>>6026048We don't need to be spending a river of money on military immediately. But when we have money we need to get a military going, the current status if left going would only invite disaster and further stagnation.Currently we realistically cannot fight even pirates or a militia of human civilians probably. Any elven army and navy would still need mercs because the enemy on the other side is too numerous.Also we should develop it regardless because :1 - At least we have a military training, and not stagnating and in mourning2 - Any human states that is small or average is likely still far more strong than us, since they are human 3 - We need at least a bare minimum for keep our land safe and we clearly don't have it.Mercenaries are one of the best tools for aid us in matters of war. Magical Ruins expeditions with so few of us sound like a disaster waiting to happen, human prospectors would avoid elven casualties instead.>>6026070>might be too slow to learn human adaptability. It seems more they lack motivation at the moment and that there is widespread depression. By their description they don't seem slow, overly proud perhaps. And overly clingy to past traditions and societal norms, that are probably becoming more of a dead weight than an actual reassurance and the security they where in the past.>If it takes them hundreds of years to become an adultI think Lyssandra was just living her life has a royal before, Elves simply didn't have to change that much and their technological progress was probably slower than humans (still there no doubt. you don't get to knights, fortresses, libraries, kingdoms and empires without some progress). Their past armies are described with mastery and skill, and if they can be called that i think its an advantage for learning because they are able to reach great heights with the passing of time.
>>6026021>>let Biour show you the city.
“If you wouldn’t mind, that would be great.” Biour’s face lights up at your acceptance.“Great,” He exclaims, then Biour turns to his friends and tells them that he will meet them later.Biour leads you through the streets, walking close beside you. This is the first time you’ve been alone with a man your age, with that realisation a wave of nervousness comes over you. A brief silence takes hold, and you have no idea of how to break it. Right now, you are not Lyssandra the Queen, able to control any situation with a cold air of authority, but Lyssandra the girl. Words come to mind to shatter the silence, but as soon as you think them up, they sound wrong and awkward. Thankfully, Biour begins to speak, “What brings you and your mother to the capital from the countryside? I’ve always thought it would be nice to live there, surrounded by animals and life, if you aren’t a farmer working those long hours, of course. And I don’t think you are a farmer.”“What makes you think that?”Biour gently takes your hands in his and exposes your palms, “These are no hands of a farmer, too soft and delicate. More so, you are far too pretty to be wasted in some field.”Those words turn your pale cheeks a hot red; while you have caught plenty of stray eyes gazing at you in the past, you have never been complimented so forwardly. Taking your hands back, you glare away into the nondescript buildings, not wanting Biour to see your embarrassment. After several moments pass, you continue, “My mother wanted to move. She thought there would be opportunities for us in Joriel.”He nods slowly at your words, “I am sorry to say there is not much here; there is no money in Anor except within the hands of the human merchants and the crown. The Queen and her council seem content with hoarding what taxes we provide and burying the wealth under that blasted castle.”“Is everyone here unhappy with the Queen?”“No, our elders, the ones who lived long before the war, are happy to allow her careless rule to continue. The monarchy is too deeply rooted in their minds. But not us, born of parents who went to war, we can see the failings and aren’t bound by rigid tradition. Our generation isn’t a small one, our parents feared when our fathers went to the mainland, they would not return causing a boom in children.”
Passing through an alleyway between a row of houses, the city opens up onto the violent sea. “This is the port of Elerious, this is where trade flows from us to the rest of the world.”Large, brutish ships adorned with canon sit next to smaller, sleek boats. It is clear what ships are human and what are elven; many of their trading ships seem able to dominate the outdated elven warships. You need to modernise your navy, it can no longer rely on mages being their sole armament. But there are so many other things you also need to do. Biour notices another shiver, and a tremble quaking your body, and removes his jumper, trying to pass it into your hands.“Please take it,” Biour requests earnestly, a look of concern plain on his face. “I am not cold. Thank you very much,” you stubbornly reply through chattering teeth. “Lys, please, your lips are blue.” A retort comes to mind, but you have no energy to verbalise it. Defeated, you put it on over your dress; you are sure you look stupid in the combination, but it does bring a welcomed warmth that makes you forget your protests.“Over there,” He points to a collection of new wooden houses far west of the docks that seem bustling with life. “That is the human enclave. Joriel is a safe city, despite the poverty, we aren’t humans. But I wouldn’t walk the human streets unless I were carrying a sword, one I intended to get bloody.”Biour continues the tour, the streets you pass through are much like the ones you found when you met Biour, every second house looks abandoned and lifeless. “Why are so many houses vacant?”“We lost so many men in the war, and we haven’t recovered; too many women have been made widows. Some homes lost all their occupants, while some widows moved in with other family members. Not able to stomach living alone after the thousands of years of companionship.”Arriving at the final part of the tour, you are close to the castle, the wealth of the area apparent by the size of the city mansions. None of the houses are deserted, yet it remains quiet. “Here lived many of our best men and greatest soldiers; of course, when the call for men came, they quickly volunteered. And, of course, most of them are now dead. The women they left behind hide in their grand houses, trying to keep their homes clean and pristine as if waiting for their husbands to return. And that’s it, end of the tour, Joriel doesn’t have much going on, it’s a dying city.”
“Thank you for showing me around Biour. It was very nice of you to do. I appreciate it.” You speak as you try to take off his jumper. “It is still cold. Please wear it. Don’t think anything of it.” Biour stops you as you struggle to remove it. He wishes you well and then begins to walk off. Turning back to face you for a final time, he ends with, “Return it to me the next time you come to visit."Days have passed since your adventure, and Peren has made an apparent show of his unhappiness with it. A loud knock wraps at your chamber’s door…>it is Luthiel, wanting to discuss the kingdom’s magic reserve.>it is Peren, wishing to talk about the future of the monarchy. >it is Ergon, he desires to speak to you about the kingdom's armaments.>it is time for a council meeting you have called to discuss(write-in)
>>6026497>it is Peren, wishing to talk about the future of the monarchy.Now we need to hear of the concerns of the nobility.The elvish immigration program is sounding increasingly like a good idea - we have spare housing, some limited financial resources and are investing in agriculture - we’ll need labor in the fields.I wonder if we might elevate families (both new immigrants and current citizens) to lesser nobility based on the number of children they have together. We’d provide direct remuneration to these families from our Royal holdings - basically directly converting our wealth into demographic growth. We’ll make the money back over decades as our populations grows.
>>6026497>it is Peren, wishing to talk about the future of the monarchy.It sounds like we're going to need constitutional monarchy ASAP because of the post-war youths
>>6026526Yes, my exact thoughts - the “having kids to become lesser nobility” thing would dovetail nicely with the creation of a constitutional House of Lords type structure.
Oh and one other clever idea -Offering free public education to our human citizens, for the express purposes of turning them into our allies. Humans have a short lifespan - within two generations, we could have a population of human loyalists.
>>6026497>it is Peren, wishing to talk about the future of the monarchy.
>>6026497>>it is Peren, wishing to talk about the future of the monarchy.
>>6026524Based Hungarian Family Plannning Policy Anon>MANA STOCK
As you go to your door, another impatient series of knocks come from the hall. Opening it, you see Peren standing before you; unlike his typical relaxed demeanour, he wears his lingering irritation poorly hidden. He bows low to you in a deferential mechanical process instead of the relaxed familial style you are used to. Peren leads you into your council room to have this discussion; it would not be proper for him to enter your sleeping chambers even if he were meeting with you to discuss important matters. Servants prepare chairs for the two of you and then exit the room, leaving the two of you to converse in private.“So, my Queen, I wanted to discuss the state of the monarchy with you. And two matters about it, really. Firstly, Anor is not doing well. It hasn’t been doing well for a very long time, as you know, and some of the people are not content, and rightfully so, if I may add, we want people who desire the changes you are working towards. But these discontented people have not yet understood your devotion to them. They see you, the representative of the crown, as an obstacle in the way of their national rebirth.” Chancellor Peren pauses, allowing time for his words to sink in.“Can you tell me about this section of the population? Who are these people?” You ask impassively. A multitude of feelings roil in your stomach: outrage, pain, hope, and despair. You heard similar things from Biour but hearing them from Peren becomes much more physical.“Of course, these are the younger generation. They feel dispossessed and that no one but them will fight for change. Not witnessing the war, they do not understand the horrors we suffered trying to fight off the humans, they overestimate our strength as a people in their current form. But this isn’t all doom and gloom; you can win these people over, if show them that you are the Queen of the people, their champion, and they will follow you to the ends of the world. But if you fail, if Anor becomes worse or even continues its stagnation, they will fight for political reform, for a nation without a monarchy.”“What is it you suggest?”
“As I see it, we have three options. Continue as it is, try to win them over with your actions and trust we make no major blunders or cause large upsets. Or we can reform first; this is by far the safest option for the monarchy, if we allow the citizens to vote for candidates for parliament. With powers and responsibilities deferred to elected officials, they will not see you as the sole arbiter of the nation. Now, with this, you would still be able to control the government, but you will need the approval of these members of parliament. Lastly, and the worst option in my eyes, is to crack down on these dissidents; they do not make up the majority of the population, and we could bring force to bear and create large civil spy networks.”“I do not want the power of the crown to diminish after thousands of years under my rule, I won’t fail my ancestors.” You angrily protest the idea of losing authority to the rabble.“I understand and agree with the sentiment, but we must determine what is best for Anor and what will allow the monarchy to survive this turbulent time. Moving on to the second item I wanted to discuss, we have no line of succession. If you never appeared from your disappearing act, there would have been no one to put upon the throne; in response, the nobles would muster their forces and fight for the vacant crown. The island would flow with blood. All would forge false claims of ancient forgotten heritage. You need to think about continuing the bloodline. I know this may seem abrupt, but I would like you to consider the idea of taking a husband, and if this is something that interests you, I can create a list of candidates for you within the week.”Regarding dealing with the disaffected youth…>you will continue as an absolute monarchy, if the situation gets worse you can alter your decision.>Anor will become a constitutional monarchy.>you will build a spy network to detain those spreading anti-monarchist ideas.Regarding taking a husband…>you would like to take more time to think about such things.>you are outraged at being pressured into considering marriage.>you wouldn’t mind seeing a list of suitable potential bachelors.
>>6026859>Anor will become a constitutional monarchyWe have to do something. I REFUSE to do anything that diminishes the national spirit and pride of the Elven people. >you wouldn’t mind seeing a list of suitable potential bachelorsMeh, it has to be done.
>>6026859>Anor will become a constitutional monarchy.It basically must be done - in time, we’ll realize that this was the best course, even it is a bitter pill to swallow today.>you wouldn’t mind seeing a list of suitable potential bachelors.I’m actually not that interesting in getting hitched immediately but we want to create the rumor that we are husband-hunting and looking only for the best possible match. This creates the impression that we are forward-thinking.I’m already thinking that we might announce some sort of “Husband Tournament” to give lesser nobility a fair shake at getting our attention. Of course, a major festival would also draw the attention of the youth…
>>6026859>Anor will become a constitutional monarchy.I don't like losing the absolute ability to make decisions, especially since we may have to make some humiliating concessions to the humans later, but we absolutely cannot afford any sort of internal strife. We just have to try to hold onto as many cards as we can during the negotiations- ideally, we want to be like post magna carta England rather than the current UK, since if we become too democratic we essentially guarantee subversion and manipulation from interested (human) third parties.>you would like to take more time to think about such thingsThis might be a super important card to play later, especially if we want to unite with a historically adversarial group of demihumans like (presumably) beastmen, drow or, gods forbid, dwarves
>>6026869>if we want to unite with a historically adversarial group of demihumans like (presumably) beastmen, drow or, gods forbid, dwarvesAn interesting possibility if any of them are still alive
>>6026871>if any of them are still aliveYeah, that's my biggest worry regarding our odds- since we lack the reproduction rate of humans, we absolutely need more manpower, and the only way to feasibly do that without inviting even more humans (Which we cannot abide if we want Anor to be in any way democratic) is to bring in other races with similar resentments. However, if every single other demihuman race is also dead, our odds of a truly independent non-human state go from long to essentially nil. For now, though, we have to work on improving the economy, defeating the pirates (I have warmed up to the idea of naval improvements) and increasing the status of Anor to the point where any would be immigrants feel secure enough to risk coming here.
>>6026871>beastmenThere are some across the continent but in small scattered groups hiding in the deepest of forests. They have a large presence in Larman situated in the magical ruins.>orcsSame as beastmen when it comes to Larman but nowhere else.>drowThey are thought to be dead, maybe some hid in smaller deeper tunnels but all the great cities are destroyed.>dwarvesThey were the first to see the writing on the wall and tunneled so deep that no one has heard of them since. It is said they tunneled so far they fell through the bottom of the planet.
>>6026859>you will continue as an absolute monarchy, if the situation gets worse you can alter your decision.I don't wanna put us on a leash so soon and while the spy network is tempting, we really haven't done much yet to prove the dissenters wrong and the spies would just give them more reason to hate us.>you wouldn’t mind seeing a list of suitable potential bachelors.let's see our options, we can go with none if no suitable man appears.
>>6026871One would imagine that there are pockets of non-humans who are either locked into bottom-caste societal position or lurking on the fringes of the civilized world, but I’m sure QM is thinking about this as well.>>6026869Agree with your thinking, getting married too early would be a mistake. A hidden benefit of constitutional monarchy might be that we can write ourselves into the constitution in some way so that we retain power even when there is a “King”
>>6026875>dwarves disappearingFuckers are probably building their own Titan as we speak
>>6026875God, what I wouldn't give to recruit some drow or dwarves
>>6026859>Anor will become a constitutional monarchy.This shit sucks we barely started the first turn and the youth already hate us. We are going to pull out teeth if every elected politician is a youth. We can at least focus on internal matters like trying to provide food and jobs to their families to curb the war hawks but we should make a spy ring to cause accidents or "negotiations" with the politicians.>you wouldn’t mind seeing a list of suitable potential bachelors.Make at least ten kids so we can start the repopulation efforts. Also send our kids to R&D or island inspections to find more problems.
>>6026895That would be long range scout and mining missions which would take years to even attempt. So it is far from our capabilities for now.
>>6026897New lines of questions. What magic level does the elves have access to? Just cantrips or tier 1 spells? If just cantrips that will open up a lot of possibilities using combination magic. Also what magic type is there like dnd type or a different magic system in this setting? Are elves sterile after hitting an age threshold or are they always fertile? Do half elves exist? What is the average trash tonnage and locations where humans dump material. Bronze, rust, broken weapons we can scavenge material and recast it if we get iron mills going. Where are the mass graves of our family? We can at least bring their bodies back and let them rest in elven soil. Does necromancy exist? Is there magic healthcare or do the skaven only use penicillin and antibiotics to treat infections? Are there any feral monsters in the world like krakens, giant octopus, or jellyfish? Are there hurricanes, tornados, and earthquakes?
>>6026859>REMAIN AN ABSOLUTE MONARCHYRepublics are ruled by the wealthiest. We ARE NOT the wealthiest.>See a list of Suitors>Create a Spy Ring among the disaffected youths to monitor the humans/Lesser Anor
>>6026859Perhaps had we chosen fire or air magic and opted for a quick pirate squashing campaign our people would not doubt us so. As is, we'll have to figure some way to appease the warmongers, like a release valve for the pressure. Going all out before we are ready is foolish.>Anor will become a constitutional monarchy.Eh, constitutional monarchy has many forms. If we retain a veto on legislation or have extra weight in our vote for appointments then we can still strongly direct the kingdom and prevent subversion. The guiding hand, rather than the iron grip. Give the people someone else to blame.>you wouldn’t mind seeing a list of suitable potential bachelors.We should consider deferring the decision to later after reviewing the candidates though, marrying some noble from some fallen elven kingdom or something may make it worth holding off.
>>6026859>Anor will become a constitutional monarchy.>you will build a spy network to detain those spreading anti-monarchist ideas.>you wouldn’t mind seeing a list of suitable potential bachelors
>>6026859>>Anor will become a constitutional monarchy.eh maybe it can help in dealing with humans too, we need to change things around the traditions of old have mostly failed. Better try new things>you wouldn’t mind seeing a list of suitable potential bachelors.needed
>>6026859>you will continue as an absolute monarchy, if the situation gets worse you can alter your decision.>you wouldn’t mind seeing a list of suitable potential bachelors.
You bite your lip as you think about the monarchy and the people. A powerful desire explodes in you, calling for you to publicly crucify those that would seek to destroy an ancient elven tradition that has served the people well for thousands of years. How can they distrust you this much? But you do not allow your anger, outrage and upset to rule your thoughts and brush it from your mind. So much damage has been done to Anor that the people are right to worry, you must give them something. As the anger fades and pain remains, the answer is clear: you must give up some of your power and allow your people to vote for officials. Hopefully, this can lead to a renewed faith in the monarchy and buy much-needed goodwill.“Let us become a constitutional monarchy. I fear you may be right; this could be the only way for the monarchy to survive in this climate. By doing this now, before the situation becomes untenable, we can make less concessions. This parliament of the people should have two layers, one that citizens elect and the other which comprises the nobles and magisters. We cannot forget them and create enemies there.” Your words come softly with mournful respect for what you are passing into history. Avoiding a glance at Peren, you focus on the patterns inscribed on the table. “Of course, any laws they propose must be accepted by me, and I would need their acceptance for taxation. In actuality, it could act as a second council with little power over my decisions; I would just have to limit bypassing it to give it an air of legitimacy.”“Perfect, my Queen, let the people believe their elected officials hold more power than they do.” Peren gets up and puts his hand on your shoulder, giving a little squeeze of reassuring support. “You are going to become a great Queen for these people Lyssandra, and they will recognise it with time.” Words come hard to your lips, so you say nothing, instead look up at him and give him a pained smile. It feels as if your stomach has been ripped from your body. Finally, after finding your voice, “Peren, you are also right about continuing the line of succession. I should at least consider taking a husband, even if nothing comes from it. I wouldn’t be opposed to looking at a list of suitors.”
Days pass, and preparations are being put in place for the creation of a constitution and elections. The people have yet to hear of the news, you are planning to make a grand reveal of it when the first shipment of farming tools arrives. Peren knocks at the door and hands you a list of suitors; he wears a wry, happy smile and tells you if any of them catch your eye, he can arrange matters so you, by chance, happen to bump into them. Taking the list, you thank him and retreat to your room to go through it in private, a nervous excitement runs through you as you jump onto your bed and begin to read.Yor: Once a commoner who managed to achieve despite his birth, he dominates the fishing industry. Your father rewarded him with a title to fit his prominence in your society. Yor is one of the few elves who has good relations with the humans on the island owing to his trade with them. This has made him unpopular with some elves. He is young at 689 years old.Findel: A great elf of 1845 years, a hero of the war and loved by the people. Born a son to a Count, he has since inherited the position. He is known to have a zealous hate of the humans and is highly ranked in the military. Wyll: A man of 94, only a few decades older than you. He belongs to one of your dukes that controls a large swath of farming land. He has not earned much of a reputation owing to Wyll being so young.Of them…>you find Yor interesting.>you find Findel interesting.>you find Wyll interesting.>none suit you, you are looking for an elf that is (write-in)>Maybe later, you will meet with one, but it is best to keep your options open for now.
Elves reach full adulthood by 70 which roughly equates to a human of 20, Lyssandra is 53. War was 40 years ago and lasted 34 years. Elves don't age after 70 until they hit the old age of two thousand ish and then age slowly.
>>6027312>you find Wyll interesting.
>>6026916>MagicStill partially up in the air and willing to take suggestions. There are two types of magic, spells and rituals. Spells can be cast freely but drain your enegy, it is not unheard of mages passing out in large battles. Rituals are powerful spells that last weeks, and their effects can be large. I am thinking about there being magical nodes in the world which can be harvested into gems to power these rituals. Mages can cast cantrip type spells while magisters are able to cast more potent spells. >Are elves sterile after hitting an age threshold or are they always fertile?Women can reach ages where they are no longer fertile, typically 2500ish years.>Do half elves exist?Yes, but they are rare.>What is the average trash tonnage and locations where humans dump materialNever thought about it.>Where are the mass graves of our family? There is a small family plot.>We can at least bring their bodies back and let them rest in elven soil.No, so many elves died and the war was filled with hateful vitriol.>Does necromancy exist? Yes, it is one of the three forbbiden magics. The others being blood, which involves a lot of sacrifices, and the last being time. These magics areoutlawed because they can fuck the world.>Is there magic healthcare or do the skaven only use penicillin and antibiotics to treat infections?Mages can heal immediate wounds but only magisters can heal longer term issues.>Are there any feral monsters in the world like krakens, giant octopus, or jellyfish? Sure, but the land ones are extinct outside Larman.>Are there hurricanes, tornados, and earthquakes?Yes, but Anor isn't affected by them.
>>6027312>Maybe later, you will meet with one, but it is best to keep your options open for now.
>>6027312>none suit you, you are looking for an elf that is (write-in)A veteran but not too old. Pleasing to look at and with desirable genetic material. Brings something unique to our court.
>>6027312All else equal Yor would interest me, but we cannot afford to pick an unpopular husband. Findel, while popular, might accelerate conflict with the humans too early. And Wyll is literally just a guy, I would consider him if he were that duke's heir. >none suit you, you are looking for an elf that is (an heir to a significant aristocratic family, or otherwise exceptional for their understanding of human institutions)
>>6027312>invite all three of them to “court you” but provide no further specifics Basically, we want to start creating the PR about our husband-hunt. As Queen, we can and should play “very hard to catch”. We want the public to catch wind of these courting attempts as well.Unfortunately, as Queen, we don’t have the luxury to marry for personal fulfillment, we need to marry for political stability.
Alternatively, a husband with very high magical potential/ability would be desirable. Magic Eugenics...
>>6027542>breeding super mage elf daughtersThere’s probably a whole bunch of elf eugenic-type stuff that we could do with Nature Magic
>>6027312>>you find Yor interesting.Self-made young stud in his prime easy choice. Someone mentioned luxury goods which his industry produces a lot of.
>>6027312>Maybe later, you will meet with one, but it is best to keep your options open for now.>none suit you, you are looking for an elf that is (An elf of noble blood that understands the precarious position we are in, and the need for balance between modernizing and asserting ourselves both at home and abroad, with the skills to match. Someone that wants to restore our former glory and destroy the humans but isn't so overzealous and impatient so as to overplay our hand. Has to be socially adept enough to be respectable when challenged, though popularity is not required and is in fact unlikely. Personal knowledge, skills and lineage preferred over wealth, land, and retainers, age, and looks. Someone who can be trusted and who can protect us, must be content with merely being king consort.)
>>6027312>you find Findel interesting.
It occurs to me that Findell might try to assume control if he becomes king…
>>6027312>Yor:Especially given some of the choices we'll have to make, we cannot afford to marry a man with pro-human sympathies. We need our people to be certain that we hold the best interests of the elves at heart>Findel:On the other end of the spectrum, we can't afford to have someone with such a radical pro-war, anti-human stance as a consort either. Not only that, we can't be sure that such a distinguished, independently popular and powerful figure won't try to usurp our power>Wyll:No major drawbacks, but a complete and total waste of the powerful political tool that is marriage. I'd pick him if I had to pick something, but ultimately none of these options are particularly compelling.>none suit you, you are looking for an elf that is (Accomplished and popular but lacking in ambition.)Or, alternatively, hold off on the prospect of marriage entirely
>>6027419>>6027542>>6027553+1 to all of thisDo we have full Elf woman mage conscription yet? We can frame it as mandatory healer training.
>>6027312I don’t doubt that Peren did his job, but its quite likely this isnt everything about the marriage candidates. Wyll info is basically very bare minimum.A deeper search of them and other candidates is required, shooting them down immediately is not exactly a good idea. There are not a lot of important elves left.Our search shouldn't be demoralized if we cant find a "perfect husband", people have good aspects and edges about them. And they will have a different vision than us has king consort, even if he is a good match and close to how Lyssandra see things.Politically speaking the nobility has been butchered like us and the people. They likely don't hold their traditional power anymore. Is safe to say we are the only one with actual power in the kingdom. Findel while popular is still in our military, and that popularity is only of so much help. There is nothing to take hold of, and war even against human militias of civilians that live in our Islands nevermind the pirates is suicidal.>Request to Peren a further search/study of Yor, Findel and Wyll lifes. And begin another search of other candidates be from the nobility or other elfs like Yor, accomplished be for a reason or another.
No update tonight, passed out and just woke up, going back to sleep.
>>6027312>none suit you, you are looking for an elf that is (write-in)Find magistrate candidates to help boost our future heirs. And invite the other three candidates to attempt to court us.Yeah better to let the island know we are courting and maybe we will get better offers in the future. Also we could pen Yor as a travel advisor so we know what to focus trade on and Findel on pirate extermination when we get our navy back in order.>>6027553Become Albert Wesker and break our future husband's pelvis to make super elves. Start rumors that no man can handle a very active queen that appears to be trying to repopulate the elven race herself. With nature magic we can give experiments to each of our kids to become better. Plus with magic enhanced kids we can put them in important positions of power to make sure things get done.Also damn the skaven have magic too so we can't go for magic plagues or controlled krakens. Maybe we can nature magic the rats from a tales plague to rip apart human outposts instead?
>>6027686Where did the QM say there are Skaven?
>>6027748I am calling the humies the skaven because they have bullshit tech and multiply way too fast. Plus they are pests compared to the glorious elven superior race.
>>6027753Speaking of the elven superior race, I'm curious about the physical appearance of us specifically and high elves in general. Obviously there are the long pointy ears, but are there other differences? There's the popular conception of high elves (pale skin, blue/green eyes, silver/blonde hair, etc), but what about beyond that? Are elves particularly tall? Are they beautiful in the conventional sense or are they a bit more uncanny and doll-like? Are the men capable of growing beards or gaining obvious, bodybuilder-esque musculature? Do the men look like women? A lot of these factors may play into how we play our cards against humans- if we're too lanky and alien, it'll be easier to avoid slave raids but harder to leverage beauty against human nobility,and vice versa
>>6027762Considering half elves are rare then we might not be all that beautiful from the lack of elven slaves or humans really hate half elves too and just throw the babies to the wolves. We might actually be too dollish and alien for the humans to stomach.
>>6027753Basado y rojapilled
>>6027312>you find Yor interesting.Has grass roots, entrepreneurship and people hate him cause they ain't him.Our problem with magic is knowledge based not lack of talent. Having control over fish will help keep power politicly. He probably has ties to pirates and privateers could be a way strengthen our navy. Labeling all humans as enemies cuts of a huge amount of manpower that can benefit us.
>>6027312Invite everyone to court us and match with men who can provide us with elf supersoldier children
Looking at the list, nothing jumps out, telling you to meet with any of these men, not that there is anything wrong with them. There may also be a need for you to use marriage to quell a situation. There is no immediate rush to find a man, so not hurrying into anything is best. Furthermore, when picking your partner, you must consider whether your children would inherit your strength with magic. For now, it would be good for Peren to let the nobles know that you are considering taking a husband, let them come to you and attempt to woo you.Finding Peren, you hand the list back and tell him your thoughts, after you add that there was quite a lack of information on Wyll. He tells you no one really knows much about him; he doesn’t make a scene of himself and is a quiet heir to his father’s Dukedom. You point out the line on the list describing Wyll, which does not say he is the heir to a Duke. Peren witnesses his mistake and flushes, something you’ve never seen from the man, and profusely apologises as you try not to giggle. In the following days, Balfor approaches you, informing you that he has made a reasonable deal with some humans, and agricultural equipment will soon set off from Moi to Anor. You enthusiastically thank him for overseeing the agreement as you struggle to contain your excitement. This is the first real act you will achieve as Queen, and it should change farming in Anor. With Peren’s and Balfor’s help, you begin constructing a speech to deliver when distributing these tools to the people and informing them that Anor will become a constitutional monarchy. Within the Magister quarters, you sit in an enclosed chamber of glass, but you cannot see the transparent crystal. Every inch of this pod is coated in plant life, and the floor is covered in short blades of grass peeking out of the dirt. This is a place to meditate, to study and contemplate nature magic. Locked within a glass sphere, the structure keeps the essence of nature concentrated to an almost physical that you can touch. So much knowledge has been lost, and you will need to rediscover those spells and rituals that were once common. The three other magisters are doing their part. Luthiel, their leader, commands power over water. Of the other two, one similarly shares the same path of water as Luthiel and the last has an affinity with Air.
Contemplating your current powers, you list them: Spells:Ironwood Skin – You can temporarily enchant a group of people giving them flesh as hard as Ironwood bark.Heal – The spell can save those from grievous battle damage.Giant Warriors – A squad of soldiers affected by this spell double in size. Poison Touch – Your touch transmits a potent poison.Vine Arrow – You can shoot an arrow wrapped in vines from your hand. After impact, the vines wrap the target in a strong grip.Rituals:Awaken the Trees – A dozen trees come to life and will permanently serve you.Nature Overgrowth – Nature reclaims an area, overtaking any environment.Gift of Knowledge – Any living being is gifted with a keen intellect, and you can communicate with them.Horde of Rats – Rats appear around you and then rush out to consume all the food in an area.Greater Heal – You can banish long term illnesses and diseases.You have spent long hours studying over the years, and finally, you manage to rediscover…>Spell: Mask – You are able to change your appearance freely to anyone you have seen or can imagine, this includes giving yourself human features.>Spell: Mass Withering – You cause a large group of people to become permanently frail.>Ritual: Awaken Woodland Spirits – You enchant a forest causing the spirits to come alive, they prey upon those traveling alone or in small groups.>Ritual: Gift of the Wild – You permanently imbued the recipient with the strength of nature, making them stronger, faster and quicker. This comes at the cost of becoming more bestial in both mind and body.
>>6028176>Spell: Mask – You are able to change your appearance freely to anyone you have seen or can imagine, this includes giving yourself human features.This is worthwhile for the espionage/subterfuge benefits alone, especially if we can later teach this to other mages. We could essentially body-snatch and replace key human figures and the geopolitical benefits would be incalculable It would be tremendously helpful if we can adapt this to use on other people as well.
>>6028176>Ritual: Gift of the Wild – You permanently imbued the recipient with the strength of nature, making them stronger, faster and quicker. This comes at the cost of becoming more bestial in both mind and body.Will need new armors and clothing for conceal their forms, we can expand upon this ritual with technology.All useful spells, but we should not dream of making big steps already with them. This spells and rituals where used in the past, at the apex of power of our race and humanity won when it was far less numerous, experienced in war and technologically advanced than today.
>>6028176>Spell: Mask – You are able to change your appearance freely to anyone you have seen or can imagine, this includes giving yourself human features.>>6028180Yes but we need to spend years learning about our target to avoid our body snatchers from being outed by friends and family. Or we can start rumors of changelings somehow being an old god project trying to kill humans and send out recruits to practice in human villages so we learn how to better blend in a low stake environment.
>>6028229Turning our elves into furries with diminished intelligence is too much of an ask. We should take steps now for the espionage route. War casting already failed us but espionage magic is the new frontier as we might never have the manpower for a real brawl.
>>6028176>Spell: Mass Withering – You cause a large group of people to become permanently frail.
>>6028175>>Spell: Mass Withering – You cause a large group of people to become permanently frail.
>>6028176>Spell: Mask – You are able to change your appearance freely to anyone you have seen or can imagine, this includes giving yourself human features.Being able to takes notes on the humans of Anor itself in the guise of one of their own would be valuable.
>>6028176>Spell: Mask – You are able to change your appearance freely to anyone you have seen or can imagine, this includes giving yourself human features.
>>6028239>Turning our elves into furries with diminishe-Who said using elves ? It says recipient, you could use anything for it. Who has large numbers.This is not a new species, this is clearly made for create stronger but disposable mutated beings to throw in war which could be a sentient race soldiers or perhaps even animals. I didn't made the option and it was clearly written for military purpose and nothing else.>already failed usWrong, none of this spells failed us. Us it didn't, because we have yet to use one and we aren't waving around that we are powerful mage.It failed our ancestors.All magic schools failed them, all kinds of our mages where sent in the wars against humans. And wars can be fought in many ways. This spells where all known before, we are just learning them slowly. You think humans didn't have to deal with spies that masked themselves with the faces of others ? Or with the spirits of the forests suddenly assaulting them ? They likely did. Probably the whole reason of burning our kingdom giant library was because they where very fucking tired of dealing with all our spells and magic schools.Now personally i don't feel like our queen should risk anything beside the diplomatic field and this ritual doesn't put on her any risk of going to war, intrigue instead, spies can do it. And don't fall in a simple mistake. We aren't them even if we wear their faces, there is a ton of things we aren't educated or trained for if we take the face of someone else (their mannerisms, knowing their little things, their behavior, their friends, what they like etc... i can keep going. We are a queen not a spy)
>>6027762>Obviously there are the long pointy ears, but are there other differences?Apart from magic and ears they are a good few inches taller on average, Lyssandra is sadly shorter than usual. They can't grow beards nor can they get jacked like a guy taking dbol, elves are leaner with their muscle. Male elves don't look like women. Since the human victory and the purging all traces of the elves from the contient, a lot of humans don't view elves in the same existential threat anymore and the hate is fading in some states. Now a lot of humans seeing neighboring nations are greater threats. Of course a lot still want every single elf dead. And elves are conventionally very beautiful to humans combine with their rarity and, to humans, eternal youthful; elven women are now highly sought after by many powerful men.
>>6028234>we’ll need to case our subjects for yearsTrue, but as elves, time is on our side!>>6028381OP seems to confirm that elvish women are hotly desired by powerful human men, so already, we’ll have an easy way to infiltrate human society.1) arrange for magic spy elvish wife to go to powerful man2) elvish spy learns the mannerisms of her “husband”3) assumes husband’s identity when ready, keeps him locked in basement or murdered or whatever4) new elvish wife transported to take old wife’s place.5) elvish body snatching team identifies next target.In 20 years, we can be ruling the nation of Moi in secret
>>6028392Well only you are currently able to cast this spell. There are no other nature magisters for you to teach this too. You would have to further study this magic so you could infuse it in an item.
>>6028176>Spell: Mask – You are able to change your appearance freely to anyone you have seen or can imagine, this includes giving yourself human features.In these early days we may well have to handle spycraft ourselves.
>>6028395Well, one thing at a time I guess
>>6028392Solid idea, & the only angle I can see actually being valuable when it comes to sending off widows besides getting more Elves back from the continent. That said, the passive guerrilla warfare disrupting trade is too hard to pass up:>Ritual: Awaken Woodland Spirits
>>6028176>Spell: Mass Withering – You cause a large group of people to become permanently frail.We need some way to deal with pirates, right? If we can teach this to even a couple of elves, we might be able to safely transport goods again
Looking down at your hands, you watch your flesh flow like a river; under the skin, tissue and muscle expands and contracts. It feels easier than before than when you snuck out; it drains less of your energy and feels more natural. Furthermore, you can feel a greater range of alteration you can oversee to your body. Leaving the pod, you search for a mirror to observe the changes you can make. Finding one, you look at your normal face, wiggling your ears, and then they begin to shrink to be replaced with the rounded ears of a human. Your face structure becomes less poised and feminine as you take on the appearance of a human version of yourself.Concentrating this time, you grow taller than your usual figure, your body becomes more muscled, and your face becomes masculine. Your chest disappears, and your lower half alters; looking back through the mirror is Peren’s face wearing your dress. Worried you may have stretched it, you quickly transform back into your natural form and check there is no damage to your clothes, also that this truly is your regular form, and something is not wrong. After reassuring yourself, the magnitude of what you have achieved hits you, you have fully rediscovered the spell Mask, allowing you to alter your appearance at will. This is a great achievement that you have conducted, hopefully one of many to come.You order new clothes of different sizes and not just for women but also for men’s. While changing your appearance is a great thing, you will need clothes to match these new forms you wield. Peren gives you a confused look at your request but asks no questions; you tell him of the reason as you watch his bemused face dawn with realisation. He muses out loud that you could become an excellent assassin, now able to wear anyone’s skin, and your very touch can imbue lethal poison. Balfor requests a meeting with you about the incoming agricultural tools. He wants to discuss the distribution of the tools the crown has purchased. Showing his typically honest deference, he courteously bows and thanks you for your time. He informs you of the tools that have been procured, mainly new ploughs that require fewer beasts of burden to pull and these things called seed drills. Along with these tools, notes are created with a list of human practises that increase the efficiency of the agricultural process, thankfully your people are highly literate unlike the humans.
Finally, Balfor brings up how you wish to distribute these new tools. You could simply give them to your people at no cost, which will mean you do not get reimbursed at all for them. Or you could sell them to the nobles with large swathes of land and many workers, which will quickly generate the nation money. If you wanted to, you could keep them under your ownership permanently and allow farmers to rent them off you; Balfor tells you that this is the best method for long-term wealth generation for the crown. Lastly, you could allow the farmers to use them, and those that do are taxed until reaching the worth of the items, which then becomes theirs. Balfor watches you, waiting for your decision; you decide to…>give away these tools for free in an attempt to win the people’s affection.>sell these tools to your nobles for quick gold.>rent them out to the farmers.>allow the farmers to take them, in return, they will be taxed until the sum is paid back.>write-in
>>6028771>sell these tools to your nobles for quick gold.
>>6028771>allow the farmers to take them, in return, they will be taxed until the sum is paid back.This is the best means to engender trust. Set the taxes and fees at a low-moderate rate. We want our people to understand that we are fair, but not a saint - we will fight for our people but that means they must fight for themselves too
>>6028771>allow the farmers to take them, in return, they will be taxed until the sum is paid back.Invest in the people- a nation is only as strong as its populace is willing to work.
>>6028771>>give away these tools for free in an attempt to win the people’s affection.
>>6028771>allow the farmers to take them, in return, they will be taxed until the sum is paid back.
>>6028771>allow the farmers to take them, in return, they will be taxed until the sum is paid back.I think it would have been better to sell 70% of the tools to the nobles so we can start up the efficiency of the economy and rent the 30% to individual farmers. Just so we have the money to start other projects like the iron project but I guess we have the time to slowly set things up and get fast civilian action.
>>6028771Cool thread OPI want to do two things if possible;>sell these tools to your nobles for quick gold.Then with the cash reinjection, buy more farming equipment for farmers:>allow the farmers to take them, in return, they will be taxed until the sum is paid back.Lend-lease seems ideal. Farmers become motivated to work more effectively to own their gear that requires work to pay off faster.That way Wyll's Duke father and other nobles keep a good relationship with us, in addition to improving the lot of the commoners.
>>6028771>>allow the farmers to take them, in return, they will be taxed until the sum is paid back.
You do not want to keep these tools and rent them out to your people working the farms. It would generate a continual revenue stream, and those who do not wish to rent them would be outcompeted, causing them to either change their mind or wallow in poverty. This approach would cause much resentment and distrust amongst the poorest. It will not lead to the national rebirth and uplifting of elvenkind you are trying to enact; maybe it would make Anor and the crown richer. But it would ignore that the people are more than wealth-generating units. While some necessary changes may be painful, this does not have to be one. For this reason, you also decide not to sell the tools to the nobles so they cannot enact what you are avoiding.Giving it to your people for free is something you ponder; it would win many hearts, but you will not be a soft leader to your people; you will be the queen who is intelligent and pragmatic, not a desperate pleaser hungry for love. You will care for your citizens, but as you work and sacrifice for a better future, so must they. These tools will be given to those who desire them, and in return, they will be additionally taxed until they pay off the cost you incurred bringing them tools to Anor. The tax will be fair; you are not seeking to exploit your people or bring new burdens, so it will take time for you to recoup your expenses. “Balfor, I am thinking of giving these tools to the people, and in return, they will pay an extra tax to reimburse me. This tax should be a fair one; please decide the amounts, I am not good or interested in working out such rates. Do you see an issue with my decision?” You speak with the voice that belongs to the Queen aspect of yourself.“Your decision is a wise one, in my humble opinion; I will work on it immediately. If this is successful, we should be able to expand the national farmland and produce enough for a growing population or be able to sell it back to Moi, considering our lower labour cost. If only we were allowed to sell to other nations instead of being locked within Moi’s economic sphere, we could sell to the Northern Colonies or High Castle for a much higher profit.” Balfor laments at the blocked opportunity. “I want to say again that I know mimicking the humans is demeaning and humiliating, but you are doing the right thing. We have to change to fit their world now.”
Frowning, you are unsure if that was an insult or if Balfor was simply too honest. Looking at his solemn face you decide it is just his poor way with words. He, of all your council, is the one that is most enthusiastic about working with humans and taking on their discoveries. After he leaves, you pass through the castle to the highest point and look over Joriel as the rain beats down from the heavens, lashing at your face. The sea violently rages with water churning in the dark swell, the recently moored ships dance to the waves, bobbing up and down in sequence. One day, you will free Anor of its human contamination, forcing them into the ocean. As your eyes roam the capital from such heights, they gravitate to the new human settlement, a tumour on the elven city. Most of these houses are small wooden things, quickly put up as the humans were dumped on the shore by the forces of Moi, the only exceptions are the mansions owned by the prominent merchants. For now, the human population in Anor is just located in Joriel, within their enclave, and their population is small, but what if Moi enforces that you must accept more of their people? What could you do other than accept their demand? You have no way to fight them off, not now, not yet.You want to meet the humans, you want to understand them better, you decide to…>walk amongst the human population, see how they live and what they feel.>meet with their elected mayor, and try to discern his goals.>talk to the powerful merchants who hold influence over the mayor.>write-in
>>6029301>talk to the powerful merchants who hold influence over the mayor.We need to understand the economics of the human presence so we can systematically remove these incentives. We won’t have the power to deport these people for a long time, but if we make their lives harder, some may choose to willingly depart for the mainland.Plus, maybe we can find a way to smuggle our agricultural output to the other countries as Balfour has just described
>>6029301>meet with their elected mayor, and try to discern his goals
>>6029301>MerchantsThe mayor is downstream of them, & likely has political goals against us. Merchants can be bargained with & rarely care for anything besides personal enrichment.
>>6029301>talk to the powerful merchants who hold influence over the mayor.As the anon above has noted, the greedy mercantile class is often the weakest link in the enemy.
>>6029301>>talk to the powerful merchants who hold influence over the mayor.Mayors don't have real power as its the merchants that control the economy. Plus if we get a greedy merchant to use as our proxy to sell low cost goods then that will be swell.
>>6029301>meet with their elected mayor, and try to discern his goals.bring guards as the commoner elf said the streets could be a bloodbath
>>6029301>talk to the powerful merchants who hold influence over the mayor.
>>6029301>>talk to the powerful merchants who hold influence over the mayor.
>>6029301>>walk amongst the human population, see how they live and what they feel.
>>6029301>walk amongst the human population, see how they live and what they feel.
I'm thinking we get a factory to support agriculture/fishing later to be converted to military manufacturing built next turn anons
>>6029632Probably our best short-term play is identifying the dumbest merchant lord on the island and replacing him with the Mask ability at the soonest opportunity.We’d immediately gain access to money, a shipping fleet and plausible cover to import/export whatever we want, and probably quite a bit of intelligence in the process.
>>6029640My concern is that we run the risk of being found out (because we aren't human, don't know how to act human, and can't afford to permanently take the place of a human), and "Elven shapeshifters have been replacing humans of note" will get Anor invaded and razed.As a less radical alternative, perhaps we could temporarily take the place of a merchant and get an order for factory materials "accidentally" shipped to Anor?
>>6029646Small steps are wise, I agree. We have the advantage of relative immortality, so IC, we’d probably be totally fine with plans that take decades to blossom
People do as directed, they are shepherded into paths decided by those with power, and most do not know it. This power can be charisma, duty, gold or something else, but when it comes down to it, the people are wielded by those few with strength. It is the same for elf or man. Here on Anor, humans are influenced and guided by the merchants. These merchants employ the humans, paying them the gold they use to buy homes and bread. Furthermore, these merchants slip their gold into the pocket of the elected mayor; this mayor is more beholden to his wealthy patrons than the people who vote for him. If you want to know what the humans are going to do, you need to know what the merchants want.You could invite all four of the great human merchants that reside in Joriel to meet with you, turning it into a formal interaction, closing off their true feelings and goals from you and their peers. So, you decided to invite a single of these prominent humans to meet with you, without pomp or authority, posing the invitation as something unofficial and done more so from curiosity. The invite was sent to Master Hugo, not due to any special status he holds within one of the four, but out of randomness. Sitting in one of your studies, you chose it as the room is a more relaxed and familial than most that fill the castle. You hear a knock at the door, and after you tell them to enter, you see the face of the human you guess is Hugo. His face is not elven, there are many similar features to elves, but there is that slight brutish difference. The merchant is dressed in his most opulent outfit, with golden trinkets adorning his figure, trying to show off his splendour. It is plain and straightforward he is not doing this to try to claim his worth is above yours, the rooms around the castle contain many magical items that put him to shame, but to show that Hugo has some value.“Queen Lyssandra, it is truly an honour to meet with you.” He tenderly kisses your hand as you fight back the urge to snatch it back and strike him. “Excuse me for saying so, but I must say that I have never set eyes on someone so utterly radiantly beautiful. How can I be of service?”“First of all, thank you for meeting with me. I know you are a busy man,” You welcome him with a fake smile, and the pair of you sink into silk-soft seats in the warm, cosy room. Wooden shelves adorn the walls, and flames crackle in a fireplace. “I do not know much about humans; I have seldom met one on the rarest occasions. I am curious about you, especially considering there is a population in Joriel. Sorry if this is a strange line of enquiry, but I was wondering if you could tell me about your people here.”
“Of course, my Queen, I am humbled you would give me the honour of providing you with an answer. Most of the humans did not want to be here initially and were forcibly relocated to this island by the government of Moi. But now they’ve spent decades here, they have grown fond of the place. The biggest issue is that they do not interact often enough with the elven population. This causes misunderstanding and distrust to grow, sadly. Most of them work for me or the other merchants, we ferry elven goods from Anor to Moi and Sentinel. Typically, curiosities, knickknacks or clothing, people on the mainland who have never seen elves will pay decent prices for a token of Anor. Also, if you have surplus goods, we sell them to those in Moi.”“The waves are awfully treacherous; it is impressive that you can navigate the ocean with such ease. You are braver than I; I struggle with boats.” You continue your show of false smiles and sip at your drink. “Do you know the mayor? What is his opinion of us?”“He does not care about you or Anor. He wants peace and gold, nothing more. And if I may be honest, I provide him with a measure of that gold; he is not as honourable as yourself. I do this as it makes life and business so much smoother. The mayor wants the world to spin quietly without trouble as he enjoys the baser things. Whereas us merchants are constantly hunting for more gold.” He ends, then steals a glance at you full of desire, then quickly averts his eyes, noticing you caught his gaze. “If I may ask you a question, Queen Lyssandra, I have heard you are able to cast magics. Is this true? If it is not an issue, I would love to see such things with my own eyes.”An excited smile comes to your face as you bounce to your feet, all of the enthusiasm is utterly false. “Of course, Hugo, for you, it is no trouble at all.”
You walk over to a vase holding a freshly cut bouquet of flowers, and they grow from your touch. Magic flows into the plants, and they expand to an almost comical size, looking utterly fake. Hugo’s eyes widen as he watches you with astounded amazement. Finally, he finds his tongue and speaks, still awed his words are whispers, “You are utterly incredible.”A shy, girlish laugh escapes your lips, and you stop as you bring a hand to your mouth and call upon your magic to cause your cheeks to flush red, “Thank you for your kind words. What about you? What do you think of Anor?”“It is a land of wonder and, for us humans, freedom. There has been nothing that has enraptured me so, and I have seen much of this world.” You spend time talking, trying to glean more details out of the merchant. Finally, after enough time has passed, you reluctantly tell him that there are duties that require your attention. “Before I leave you, Lyssandra, is there anything you want of me? Your wish is my command. And if there is nothing, please remember of my humble offer if anything changes.”Answering, you…>write-in>thank him and end your meeting.
>>6029711>Ask Hugo how we could go about getting other wealthy humans to invest in Anor's industry. >Ask Hugo of more profitable methods of exporting Elvish culture Rose-tinted glasses or not, it's clear that Anor and Elves in general wield a lot of soft power by way of supernatural beauty, rarity, refinement, and magic. We should try to use that without becoming beholden to human interests. >We're basically post-war JapanL M A O
>>6029711>Ask Hugo how we could go about getting other wealthy humans to invest in Anor's industry.>Ask Hugo of more profitable methods of exporting Elvish cultureHmm, freedom so people didn't get paid to be here and just got thrown at us. Damn then more future humans will get shipped to us if Moi needs to get rid of dissidents.I do think asking Hugo about other human investments runs the risk of getting more humans into our lands so we have to make the plantations out of elves only and low-ball salaries. Elves will hate working under a human but its better than risking humans being hired so we can grab the jobs to push them out and starve.
>>6029743>so we have to make the plantations out of elves only and low-ball salaries. Elves will hate working under a human but its better than risking humans being hired so we can grab the jobs to push them out and starve.I agree. Elves won't like working "for humans", but pulling human assets into the country without corresponding human workers is optimal.
>>6029720>>6029743I mean, this is good logic - Hugo is practically falling over himself to hand us the keys to his kingdom.One addition ->promise to meet me here again, teehee. Keep it a secret!We need to learn Hugo’s ways and then replace him - should be easy to do after a year of secret meetings with him
>>6029711>Ask him of the pirates, whether they strike his ships or cargoes? How has he dealt with or avoided them?>Ask Hugo of more profitable methods of exporting Elvish culture >Ask Hugo how we could go about getting other wealthy humans to invest in Anor's industry. Maybe a line like, "My elven people struggle to find a quality of life now after the war. The farmers toil for meagre output, and I have just sought to furnish them with improved tools. If the people could do more with better tools and less effort, surely merchants such as yourself could trade more goods and earn more income. I come to you and share that news in hopes we could form a more.. direct partnership."Wrap him around our finger.
>>6029743If the invitation is left open for more investment, I suspect Hugo will monopolise the opportunity for himself. Natural greed means he's unlikely to actually invite other humans to the venture.
>>6029720The soft power uses I can see are either become a circus so we can travel and hear on the ground data and rumors. Idols like opera or dance event but risk assassination. Or the humiliation option of a high class brothel or selling elven spy bribes. We have the market but we need a lot of prep, training, research, and those willing to give up their bodies for the cause. But we will definitely need a lot of trust to get that idea though parliament or black project it.>>6029761We could have the parliament take the fall for that to gain capital at the cost of voter anger while we stay safe.>>6029775Not one year. We need several and frequent meetings to get him down and fool any family. Hopefully we string him along with payments and try to avoid him taking us on public dates. Don't want the humans to think they can be suitors too.>>6029821+1Sounds great and he might credit us mercenaries or cut a deal on protection for product.>>6029825Nice if he rushes orders and his monopoly to try and impress us at our frequent meetings then we will have a great trade infrastructure when we replace him and take over.
>>6029934>operaThat's a pretty good idea, putting Elvish high culture on display for Humans of status. It's a great excuse for traveling through areas that might contain lost artifacts or elvish remnants...
>>6029720+1
Wonder if we can make an army of human simps to preserve the elf population numbers
Going to take the day off, Im quite busy today.
>>6030197No worries QM, see you tomorrow
>>6030197selp op and pay your bills
>>6023137I like how the setup is essentially the Gods, Nature, & Nobility of the Blood against Ahriman, Lesser Races, & Degeneration through Technology. Very much a parallel of the Kali Yuga.
Your face turns pained, and your eyes avoid him in shame. “My people have struggled since the war. We still bear the marks of the pain and are struggling in this human world. I have spent much of the kingdom’s gold on new human farming tools, but this is nowhere close enough to bring Anor out of poverty. I am not sure what more I can do. Is there anything you could help at all?”Hugo’s face saddens at your hurt, and he wraps you into a firm hug. It takes all your will not to explode into violence. After a pause and a squeeze filled with affection, he gazes into your face while you are still trapped in his arms. “Of course. If you grant me a charter to work within the elf lands of Anor, I can set up businesses. While the rich of Moi won’t invest in Anor or elven-run business, they would invest in a company I run within your land. I don’t believe Moi will allow me to import anything that will begin industrialisation. Not yet, but if they see human and elf working closely together, I think with time, their minds will change.”Cheeks burning a hot red in outrage, you swallow venomous insults that you want to unleash upon Hugo. How dare he hold you in such a manner? His ugly human face is far too close to yours. If any of your guards witnessed the scene, they would rightfully rush over and remove his head from his shoulders. “What could we do to win those in Moi over?”Hugo gives a deep sigh, “The average citizen will be hard to persuade; they are zealous in the belief that the world is theirs, according to Aldur’s decree. Their faith is all they have. There are some who do not feel this way, but are outnumbered. Those with power are typically more open-minded and would be easier to sway. I could create a theatre company, showing off elven operas and dances, letting them see you, see that you are not their enemy. Or as unsavoury it may be, if there were an establishment where humans of importance could pay to spend time with an elf, it would win to greater cooperation.”It is a revolting thought, your people being debased and humiliated to advance your position.You reply, “All this would take a lot of planning, a lot of us working in a very… close partnership. It would be best if the frequency of our meeting is kept secret; if not, many troublesome issues may arise.”
“I could think of worse thing than spending time with you.” Hugo shines a delighted smile at you from his barbaric face and gently strokes your cheek. “Another thing that Anor needs is more people, sadly money is a numbers game. I could get those that want to leave Moi and take them here. They would be loyal and good workers to Anor, not Moi. And you have many women without men; maybe they could cure their loneliness and further increase the population.”If you go ahead with any of these ideas, you will be making Hugo a very mighty man; it is fortunate, if not disgusting, that he desires you above all else. Of his ideas, you decide to…>do none of them, you won’t lower yourself to working with humans.>allow Hugo to start businesses in Anor to gain investments from Moi.>have Hugo create a theatre company in Moi to perform for the elite.>create a brothel in Moi to win over the powerful and listen to whispers.>have Hugo repatriate new humans to work in Anor.Vote for as many as you want.
>>6031434>have Hugo create a theatre company in Moi to perform for the elite.Of the bunch, this one screams out as being most opportune. For one, it requires no investment on our part, really, and number two, it will automatically place our people in close proximity with powerful human men. Even we don’t have a crack-squad of face-dancing assassins just yet, we could DEFINITELY put together a “Honeypot School” where elvish loyalist women gain control over VIPs through seduction, blackmail, etc etc
>>6031441Oh and to finish my thought - by gaining “facetime” with Moi political figures, we can directly influence their policies and perhaps even get Moi to directly fund elvish resettlement in Anor.
>>6031434>allow Hugo to start businesses in Anor to gain investments from Moi.I don't love it, but one man/company (who simps for elves, assuming any of this is genuine) with outsized economic power is manageable. One day, nationalization...>have Hugo create a theatre company in Moi to perform for the elite.As the anon above said, this is relatively little investment for relatively significant gains.>The average citizen will be hard to persuade; they are zealous in the belief that the world is theirs, according to Aldur’s decree. Their faith is all they have.So the human masses are both impoverished and zealous. In that case, it seems like the best thing we can do to destabilize Moi is entrench ourselves with human elites to discredit them.
>>6031434>allow Hugo to start businesses in Anor to gain investments from Moi.that or the theatre seems to be the only doable options. and this guy is a total simp for us.>>6030999you... kinda have a point, anon. Had to google who ahriman was but it checks out. btw is there any "evil gods" or specific demons commanding people in kali yuga ? I know the surface info about it but only that.
>>6031446Agree with your thought about starting a peasant uprising against the elites, but we’d have to be tremendously careful to direct the mob away from elvish hatred and Anor itself. The problem with starting these kinds of fires is that they can burn out of control…
>>6031434>allow Hugo to start businesses in Anor to gain investments from Moi.>have Hugo create a theatre company in Moi to perform for the elite.We seduve him. When he dies, we'll inhetet his fortune siiiiiimp!
>>6031454>we’d have to be tremendously careful to direct the mob away from elvish hatred and Anor itselfI agree, but it would be damned funny if kick off a second human civil war and set back their development by a few decades.
>>6031434>>have Hugo repatriate new humans to work in Anor.
Are we sure we want to work with him? Just because he is a simp for Lyssandra doesn't mean he won't use the power we give him in ways we don't want.
>allow Hugo to start businesses in Anor to gain investments from Moi.>have Hugo create a theatre company in Moi to perform for the elite.>create a brothel in Moi to win over the powerful and listen to whispers.
>>6031627Legitimate concern but we can literally assume his position with the Mask spell once we know him well enough, which is basically my plan in the short term. Once we control his shipping empire, there’s quite a lot we can do.
>>6031449Not to derail the thread, but I'm not aware of the texts mentioning any specific deities. That said, any entity associated with mercantile & debased material interests, degeneracy, entropy, disrupting the natural order, etc. would fit the bill. If you want specifics that apply through observation, look into Ahriman further both in the Theosophist/Rudolf Steiner understanding & the Persian/Zoroastrian sense, Molech/Moloch/Remphan & the connections such as Carthage & the 1933 Chicago World's Fair not to mention Bohemian Grove, Abraxas, Baphomet & the sexual symbolism involved, Saturn/Kronos & black cubes/hexagrams, etc. Most of these IMO can be accurately amalgamated into a single destructive egregore concept as the practices associated with them correspond heavily with each other.
>>6031434>Theatre Company>Businesses in AnorShipping humans to Anor is just going to hasten our extinction, as is a brothel which will also rapidly crush the remaining spirits of our people.
>>6031434>>allow Hugo to start businesses in Anor to gain investments from Moi.>>have Hugo create a theatre company in Moi to perform for the elite.
One other idea and perhaps this is obvious but we should work with Hugo to preferentially employ elves in his Anor-based businesses.
>>6031434>allow Hugo to start businesses in Anor to gain investments from Moi.We require coin and Moi might demand us to open our markets so they can let in their business. So having Hugo to monopolize it first we can control and limit human encroachment.>have Hugo create a theatre company in Moi to perform for the elite.Start drumming up high class and tourism for elven culture to the wealthy elites. No cost and sets up contacts for the future brothel as we are not ready to pop the brothel without a lot of trust built up with the elves.>>6031441Yeah our opera singers get first hand experience with humans of the upper class and gives us an excuse to root around human nations for artifacts or elven survivors.>>6031627Yes the stronger position we put Hugo in the better future position we get when we spell mask him and take over. Better to have Hugo expand his business as that is more economic power we get when he dies.>>6031647Eventually he will expect us to put out as we let him touch us without complaint. So he will control our economy enough to suggest "gifts" but hopefully we can delay it for five years as we get him to teach us human economics. If worse comes to worse we can pop spell mask and hope we got all his knowledge learned or give our virginity to one of our elven advisors just to avoid having a human be our first.
>>6031794>bestiality with HugoSurely we wont need to lower ourselves to this, no doubt even the suggestion that we let a h*man defile us would end our reign. We’ll have to think of some other solution, probably involving transforming a human prostitute using Mask once we figure out how to use it on others
“That theatre company sounds like an excellent idea, do you think it would be hard for you to set up?” You ask with a sweet smile.“Should be very easy when I have the performers, as soon as you point me to them, I will start making arrangements. And they will get paid fair wages for their work. When they come back, they will be rich.” “That sounds fantastic, and about you starting businesses here to get investment from Moi. Is that something you would want to do? I would not want to burden you, Hugo.” “It would be no burden at all. It would benefit Anor and myself. More so, it means we will have an excuse to keep meeting with each other.” Hugo wears a large grin as he imagines the pair of you together. Finally, Hugo leaves after regretful goodbyes. All alone, you fume at the interaction. Every second, he looked at you with hungry, lustful eyes, wanting to make you his. Hugo’s filthy human arms embraced you. You would have preferred spending time with him if he were calling for the genocide of your remaining people. You would have had more respect for him. Despite it all, you have achieved much with this meeting, and you can suffer through interactions with him until you have him in the right spot. Then, you can end him and take his built up assets.The tools from Moi arrive, and you make your speech to your people, they hoard in mass for one of the rare times you openly address your citizens. They take the news of these new tools and the elections you will implement well, or so it seems, from up high, looking down on them. Anor is changing, and you are at its helm. Hugo has been spending much time with you, finding any excuse, any small detail to meet with you. It is not utterly awful, it is like having an obedient pet follow at your heels. As the first elections of Anor take place, your agents meet with many of the new people’s representatives without alerting them to the real purpose. They report back, and you find out that this parliament thinks very highly of you, but in a democracy, things can change very quickly.
Winter is here, and your people haven’t been able to use the new tools just yet. It feels like the whole nation is waiting with bated breath for spring to arrive. Hugo has moved very fast and created the theatre company, which is very popular, earning good coin and reputable customers. His primary focus is on the construction of a bank in Anor, the idea is for it to be a refuge for those that want to hide gold from the government of Moi. You are unsure about it, but he seems to have high hopes for it and has received a number of investors from Moi. There has not been a focus on your search for a husband; you worry about what could happen with Hugo and a suitor. But as the world waits for the new season, you feel bored and impatient; you want to do something; you are a person of action, not stagnation. You decide to…>host a ball, it could be an excellent way to socialise and maybe find a good man.>accept Hugo’s offer to take you to Moi and show you the opera your people perform.>ride around Anor on horseback, explore your kingdom.>write-in
>>6031842>>accept Hugo’s offer to take you to Moi and show you the opera your people perform.Can off-handedly mention that you are being "pressured" into finding an elf husband. It'd be fun to keep stringing Hugo along, and furthermore I think he'd be too enraptured with the idea of stealing away an elf queen from her dour elf husband to question anything we do
>>6031842>accept Hugo’s offer to take you to Moi and show you the opera your people perform.Might as well start learning the names of the simps or idiots so we can target them for future plans if the opera and banking deal come through. Also we really need to get Hugo to teach us economics so we can either convert his bank to elven hands or make a separate banking system.> the idea is for it to be a refuge for those that want to hide gold from the government of MoiOH my fucking god we became the swiss already. Kek. We kinda skipped our Venice phase and going full swiss now. Anyway with the banking system, investments from Hugo, and our upcoming harvest we should have enough money next year to either fund the iron mill or hire Hugo's mercenaries to fight the pirates.>>6031813Either string him along with money, rush spell mask learning, or actually offer him elven mistresses as we are saving ourselves for the right time. That or give him an accident.
>>6031842>>host a ball, it could be an excellent way to socialise and maybe find a good man.
>>6031842>ride around Anor on horseback, explore your kingdom.We should know our country well before we venture out. Also, a human bank for criminal money in Anor - stealing from criminals is genius! Perhaps Hugo will earn himself a painless death
>>6031842>accept Hugo’s offer to take you to Moi and show you the opera your people perform.
>>6031842>ride around Anor on horseback, explore your kingdom.
>>6031842XPLORCould find some mages who fled into the wilderness & could prove to be useful, some rare plants worth cultivating, lost gods or spirits, who knows.
Trip to Moi is a good way to get elfnapped/implicationed. Let's stick to our kingdom for the time being.
>>6031842>ride around Anor on horseback, explore your kingdom.>>6031903Fair point, changing my vote to the above.
>>6031903This is a good point - we should maybe only travel to the human world once our personal security is impregnable
>>6031903You rightI change my vote from >>6031854to >>6031865Better safe than sorry plus we can hear about our elves and any more problems they might have or visit Biour.
>>6031842>ride around Anor on horseback, explore your kingdom.Bonding with the locals, nobles and just generally being seen. Great idea.
>>6031842>host a ball, it could be an excellent way to socialise and maybe find a good man.
You want to see your realm, but not from the view of a monarch but as a citizen. Life is comfortable for you, perhaps too much so to your detriment, you want this to be an adventure you embark upon alone. Anor is a safe nation, crime is rare, and you have the power to defend yourself. Peren and Ergon both come to you on multiple occasions asking you to consider bringing along some guards, but you reject their repeated advice. They worry too much, you aren’t hated, and the magic you command is enough to evade or defeat a bandit. Taking your horse, a beautiful creature as white as snow, you ride from your capital. The first place you reach is a small farming village. You don’t announce that you are their Queen, instead you converse with them as a peer to find out how they live. They are pleasant, simple people who hold their family above all else. Noticing some of the new tools you purchased, you ask what their thoughts on them are. The people seem cautiously excited about the tools, looking forward to putting them to use in the coming season. The second place you stop by is a town; this time, you come as Queen. People flock to you, excited to see you for the very first time. An older elf, well beyond the age of two thousand, informs you that he is the town mayor and would be honoured if you joined the village in a communal feast. A tent is hoisted in the town square, and under it, rows of tables sitting everyone from the town. It is a noisy, raucous event with loud conversations, children playing and a lot of dancing. Very different from the feasts you host within your castle, but there is a certain charm to these freer people and their openness.At one of your stops, you find yourself in the city of Safolk. They seem to be happy to receive you, but not like the towns or villages, Safolk appears to be closer to the colder capital of Joriel. Safolk is a city, but unlike many others of Anor, it isn’t a coastal one; due to this, the population isn’t as large. You wonder if it is a city thing or just a random pattern. Many people come to you with gifts; you politely reject them all, saying that they should save their gold for themselves. Passing through along the roads through small settlements. You enjoy the countryside with the animals, forests and the fewer people. The communities seem more communal, everyone knows each other and all goings on. On your journeys, you alternate between telling them of who you are and being a regular citizen of the realm. There seems to be a slight hope in the air, at least from the people you have met. They, too, feel things are changing, and it has to be better than the years since the war.
Something happens on your travels that is not to plan…>you awake to a figure standing over you.>you find something as you walk along a river.>your horse startles at something as you pass through a forest.
>>6032298>you awake to a figure standing over you.Hopefully we do not sleep in the nude
>>6032295>>you awake to a figure standing over you.Damn elven ghosts haunting us.
>>6032298>you find something as you walk along a river.
>>6032298>you awake to a figure standing over you.
>>6032298>>you awake to a figure standing over you.Elven sleep paralysis demons
>>6032298>your horse startles at something as you pass through a forestThis is clearly the Arch-Druid pathway, you guys are missing it!
>>6032298>HORSEY
>>6032298>>your horse startles at something as you pass through a forestbased and horsepilled
>>6032298>>you awake to a figure standing over you.I like danger
>>6032298>your horse startles at something as you pass through a forest.I also want to pick the PRECIOUSSSS option, but I fear that option 1 and 2 will bring us a Gollum stalker.
Your bed is warm, as is your face, which peaks out from your mattress. The warmth of the room’s fire permeates through the air making the room feel perfect. Through your closed lids, you sense no brightness of a risen sun. It seems it is still night, and you want to fall back into slumber, uncaring about the reason why you are now awake. Of the heat that flows into you, trying to seduce you back to sleep, there is something cold that touches your flesh that is ruining the resumption of your slumber. With resignation, you open your eyes to see what disturbs you so, doing this knowing that the action will make the return to sleep close to impossible.A shadow looms over you; the light from the gibbous moon streams through the opened window surrounding the shadowed figure. You go to move, but an arm reaches out, pinning you to your bed, and with the figure’s other hand, you feel the coldness brush along your neck with a silent threat. Knowing what it is, a blade, that is inches from ending your life, you freeze like a paralysed deer. If the shadow of a person wanted you dead, they would not have woken you; the knife would already be buried deep within your neck as your white sheets turn a dark crimson. “It is amazing how well a Queen of an enslaved people can sleep. I would have thought the nightmares of guilt and despair would have robbed you of that.” A male voice speaks, shattering the silence. You do not respond, you do not know what he wants to hear so your mouth stays shut, allowing the man wrapped in shadow to continue his words, “Lyssandra, Queen of Anor, I come here to speak with you in private. To relay a message from my allies. I represent a faction that believes no action should be off limits in the pursuit of humbling the humans. Not even the three forbidden schools of magics.”The figure pauses, allowing the words to seep in as your eyes adjust to the light. Above you is a male elf, you can tell this by his voice and large ears, albeit smaller than yours. Of all the things that takes you by surprise, the shade of his skin is the one of greatest amazement. It is not pale like the elves of Anor or the human settlers but a dark blue bordering on a rich purple. He is no high elf but a drow, one of those that colonised the great caverns of the underground. “My allies want to know, do you have the heart to fight for your people using tools that your ancestors outlawed or are you happy to rot in this hellscape designed and dictated by the humans? We have one of our people that can harness the power of death, if you are capable, perhaps she could teach you such things if you desire. All we want is a new home free of humans within Anor, where we can regrow our numbers.”
As you wet your lips to answer, the blade is retracted from your throat, “Assuming you do not attack me, you shall live; the knife was only to get you to listen to me. Do not concern yourself with the answer you think I want to hear; we want honesty, not a false promise agreed upon under the threat of death.”It seems this drow represents a group of dark elves that has a magister within their cohort that has studied the forbidden tomes of death magic. There were no tales of the living dead or endless armies of skeletons rising to fight the humans, so you deduce that this group came across such secrets after the war. Looking up at your cousin elf, you decide…>to accept their friendship, curious about their death magic.>to falsely accept their friendship, they meddle with power long forbidden by those far wiser than them. Agree to meet with them and then put them in chains.>to allow them to live within Anor if they renounce necromancy.>to decline the offer, you will not take in necromancers, nor are you one to dishonourably break your word.>write-in
>>6032873>to accept their friendship, curious about their death magic.The only length I refuse to go to in destroying the humans is destroying the elves too. But unspeakable crimes forbidden by the ancestors? Sure. As long as we can prevent them from being too hasty, I'm happy to invest in their work.
>>6032873>>to accept their friendship, curious about their death magic.>Write in: "I will need to time to add this to my plans. Find the right places for on the field experiments, containment zones to keep live subjects, and expeditions to find more secrets."I was hoping to get more time and magic practice before investing in bioweapons. But yeah we were heading here anyway we just need to let create plans and point them to areas to make sure they stay alive, and that we are not discovered.
>>6032873>to accept their friendship, curious about their death magic.
>>6032920Supporting this logic
>>6032873>>to accept their friendship, curious about their death magic.To be the fair face of the beast beneath is not a hard thing.
>>6032873>to allow them to live within Anor if they renounce necromancy.
Bit under the weather, not going to write now. I might also skip this evening's post as well. Will 100% get an update out tomorrow.
>>6032873>AcceptAlthough we have to be cautious when it comes to High Elves leading these forces & painting a larger target.
>>6033310No worries OP, you’ve done very well so far.
>>6032873>>to accept their friendship, curious about their death magic.But lets establish certain rules like no open practicing, secrecy being utmost priority and no mass casualty events being engineered for magical rituals
>>6033310Don't worry OP
>>6033384I mean, we should probably keep necromancy as a “state secret”. The last thing we want is for this kind of knowledge to fall into human hands.
>>6033412Ye. We have to meet with their leader and set up our ground rules first. They help the nation's mining industry, do not put Anor in danger, and we give the final order for execution missions. In exchange we will fund their research, pick locations for field testing, and send out expeditions to recover more magic.Depending on what the drow want to do we can work to support it. Our first option is for them to catalog the theories of their magic usage. Try to figure out if time can be made into super bombs for human capitals, create blood diseases or magical illnesses to infect the poor, or figure out the reach of necromancy and create chimera beasts to break trade routes, plunder the wreckage, and have them roam the Lamar nation. A new spells they find will make us adjust our plans accordingly but are well worth their weight in blood to make the pests suffer.
>>6032873How do humans view Drow? Is this something we need to ask a human, or can this sword-mad lad answer? Will the humans act if they see Drow and High Elves together, or are all elves similar to the humans?>to accept their friendship, curious about their death magic.Reiterate conditions supported by other posters. No overt behaviour that would bring down the military on this island.
>>6032920>>6032873+1 support.
>>6033843As far as humans know they assume the drow got buried alive and wiped out. If they see us having drow they will demand us to show them the drow homes so they can be conquered and sent to the mines which will be bad for us.Humans know drow with their purple skin should not exist near high elves as they fought multiple wars to shatter their underground tunnels. And since these drow need a home then they aren't active enough for the humans to notice their presence.
>>6033843>How do humans view Drow? Is this something we need to ask a human, or can this sword-mad lad answer? Will the humans act if they see Drow and High Elves together, or are all elves similar to the humans?They see all elves as similar beings. They did have a special hatred of the drow during the war, due to the tunnel warfare.
You nod your head, still looking up at the man looming over you. “I can give you a place in Anor, and I am interested in your magic; I agree that we should not limit ourselves in this age of man. But you shall not use any of your magics until I allow it. There was a reason why death magic was banned, and I want my people safe while exploring it. I won’t allow my people to be harmed in accidents.”“That sounds reasonable, Queen Lyssandra. We accept. I will tell my people that they have a new home.”“How many of you should I expect?”“We are a group of two hundred people.” His words disappoint; they are a tiny group. You were expecting thousands of hidden drow returning to the world, but it seems not to be so.“It should not be hard to find you a place to live in that case, there is one thing I need to impress upon you before you go. Those of your people that wish to come to Anor and live here will be citizens of Anor, under the rule of the crown. I am no tyrant, nor do I seek to dictate your lives, but you will not be allowed to create a new kingdom within Anor. I will be your people’s Queen.”The male drow looks at you, studying his would-be Queen. “I… I will tell my people, and those who come will have accepted your decision. It will take us a month to arrive; we will have to cross the ocean by boat, avoiding the human pirates.”With his final words, he slips out of your window into the dead of night. You spend the rest of the early morning awake, your heart beating too fast for you to fall back asleep. As you pace around your room, you conjure up the mental images of death magic, trying to imagine its powers. As the sun rises and the day begins, you set off; it is time to return to your capital. Unlike before, when you were taking long routes around Anor, you directly ride to Joriel at a greater speed than before. Returning, you spot no sign of any significant incidents as you ride through the streets of Joriel; life is how you left it. People recognise you and flock around you like birds to crumbs, unlike in the villages you have passed through. They sing your praise and beg you for a multitude of things, whether it is a moment of your time or for assistance. You smile at them and wish them well despite not stopping to listen to their words. Finally, you arrive back in your castle, which has sheltered your family for thousands of years; at last, you are home.
A servant spots you and bows deeply, then quickly darts off. Presumably, to inform someone that you have arrived, you mentally sigh, knowing whatever is coming will bring you nothing but stress. You walk through the labyrinthine castle, not waiting around for whoever wishes to meet you. They can come to you. Reaching your room, you strip your clothes off and take a quick welcomed shower, now feeling refreshed and cleaned of the grime you picked up whilst riding. A knock at your door alerts you that whoever is waiting for you has finally found you. After towelling off, you pick out a new dress to wear, then go to your door.Peren and Ergon stand before you, both dishevelled and wearing worry in their eyes. Ergon speaks in his deep voice, “Queen Lyssandra, we have an issue. Two nights ago, five humans raped an elven woman. An elf named Findel, one of your generals, found this out before any authorities, human or elf. He went to the humans in question and slew two of them, and was about to execute the rest. Our forces managed to restrain him and brought back the remaining humans to our dungeons.”Peren takes the opportunity to take over, “As you know, we have no jurisdiction over the humans on Anor as part of the peace treaty. And as Findel is one of the nation’s generals, letting the remaining humans go free would create a diplomatic incident with Moi, seeing this as an action done by Anor, not by a single elf acting alone. The human guards are currently searching for these missing humans after finding the corpses of the other two.”You blink as you try to take in the magnitude of the issue at hand. Whatever needs to be done, it must be quick and quiet. There are three humans in your dungeons that could cause a war between Anor and Moi. It would be a quick one that would spell the destruction of the last elven stronghold. You decide to…>meet with Findel.>meet with the humans.>kill the humans and release Findel.>release the humans and hand Findel over to the human authorities.>meet with Hugo, see if he can pull some strings.>write-in
>>6034275>meet with Hugo, see if he can pull some strings.This is a perfect opportunity for Hugo to show us what a “badass” he is. I’m sure he’d fall over himself to help us out.
>>6034275>meet with Hugo, see if he can pull some strings.We already know why findel did it and I don't think we can leverage something with the humans, so to our simp we go.
>>6034275>Kill the humans, hide all evidence>Imprison Findel for some made up reason, to be dealt with later>Purge any and all evidence of our government's knowledge of the affairWe can't let the humans go, but we also can't allow knowledge of this to leave our people.
>>6034275>Kill the Humans>Find an Elf Criminal Patsy to be Turned Over>Free the General>Swear all involved to Silence
>>6034275>>meet with Hugo, see if he can pull some strings.
>>6034275>meet with Hugo, see if he can pull some strings.
>>6034275>>6034385something like this is better than giving Hugo blackmail material or actual leverage over Anor.
>>6034308+1This is a better play. We cannot let any info leak so we have to hope that the case goes cold and the govt stops investigating it.Going to Hugo will seal the deal and give him economic and elven blackmail to claim us for himself. We do not have enough time to mimic him with spell mask and we cannot send an elf patsy as he will squeal, and the humans will investigate further. So unless you guys are confident in the queen masking or willing to bow to him then we should avoid giving Hugo leverage.
>>6034308+1
>>6034275>>6034308Support this. The general should have known better than to seek his own justice. It was his forces that were broken in the war and he will not be the only one to bear the consequences from Moi for this vigilantism.Also>strip him of his rank, he no longer represents the crown
>>6034308We could also try to implicate a mugging or ransom not-no why would they get ransomed? Maybe a human trafficking ring and make it seem another nation tried it? No we don't have the politic capital for it. We need to do something to make the human investigation stop wait. We could mask as a human noble not Hugo go to the mayor and bribe him into dropping the case. With the opera and business gold we should scape together enough to cover this up. What you guys think?
>>6034705My concern with Findel is that, assuming it's the same guy who was marriage prospect, he's EXTREMELY popular. We have to be careful with his punishment.
>>6034725Considering he got revenge for a raped elf he will be even more popular if the truth is known.
>>6034705I mean, do we really think he did anything wrong? Do we even give a shit about h*man laws? Honest question
>>6034738Killing human rapists is good, doing so and risking the existence of the Elven people is not.
>>6034738He didn't do anything wrong but he put the safety of our entire nation at risk without bothering to even have a plan to hide the bodies or hide the fallout. If he came to us in person and ask for help we could have disappeared them and torture these human pests now we are stuck on cleaning up this mess. Like we are planning on bioweapons and terrorism and national destabilization but need time to get it up and cannot risk impulse actions.
“Kill the remaining three humans, do it in a way that makes it seem as if they killed each other in a squabble. I’ve got an idea, put them all into a cell, give each human a knife and tell them that one of them can walk free if they kill the other two. The victor should also die of blood loss, no one walks away from a knife fight unharmed. If they refuse, kill them.” You speak with a hateful mirth, these humans defiled one of your people. They raped one of your women, she will remember the pain and humiliation for generations of humans to come. How dare such lesser beings do that to your kind. “After they are all dead, plant them somewhere the human patrols will find them and place a bag of gold next to them.”Then you think of Findel, his actions are complicated. In a better world where Moi did not rule Anor, you would have applauded his actions, but that is not the world you live in. By defending this woman’s honour, knowing that the human court would forgive these rapists, he put the Kingdom of Anor in jeopardy. “Keep Findel imprisoned for now, I will decide what is to be done with him later. Remove any evidence of our knowledge of the events, we cannot be tied to this. And I am sure you have, but just to be clear, make sure everyone who knows the truth will not repeat it, it could spell the end of our people.”As Ergon and Peren scurry to quickly put your orders into action, you walk through your massive twisting castle. Finally, you arrive in your dungeon, the cavern is subsumed in darkness that clings to every surface. Only the flickering torches fight the encroaching void, keeping it at bay until they burn out and darkness reigns. You allow the darkness to swallow you as you silently pass by the cells, not alerting anyone to your presence. Stopping before the cells containing the humans, you sit patiently and wait for your orders to be turned into reality.A few of your men enter your dungeon, clad in silver armour turned orange by the torches placed upon the walls. They shepherd the humans into a shared cell, they argue with anger in their voices at the soldiers from which they are separated by iron bars. You watch, ready for what is to come. One of your men chucks three daggers into the cell and lies to them that one of them can go free if they kill the others. Curious, you wait to see how the humans react. Will they refuse out of brotherly kinship, or are they so desperate for the continuation of their lives that they will slaughter their friends?
One human goes to the gate, spitting insults at your soldiers. Flecks of spittle fly from his mouth as his face goes red with anger, outraged by the offer. Interrupting his tirade, one of the other humans plunges a knife into his neck, silencing him forevermore. You suppress a laugh as you continue to watch your show, seeing the dying human’s face contort in pain and shock. These humans are scum, lower than animals, and you will enjoy their deaths for violating that poor elf. It seems to be human nature to destroy all that is beautiful out of jealousy.The remaining two circle each other with knives in their hands, feinting strikes, weary of the other’s razor-sharp blade. It takes some time until they move into range to land a decisive blow, knives flash wildly and bury themselves repeatedly into human flesh with ease. Both of them are painted in the slick red of their own blood, and one of the two falls. The one able to remain on his feet, dives onto his fallen comrade and hacks at his head. Now, only one remains; he staggers around the cell as if drunk, all the while more of his blood spills from his numerous wounds. The guards leave him as he rails against the bars with diminishing strength. You decide to walk up to him, saying not a word and open the barred door to his freedom. It tries to speak, but the words are heavily mumbled as he staggers towards the light emanating from the stairs leading to the castle above.The human stumbles out of the cage, wobbling towards the light of freedom, each step a battle. His legs give way, and he falls to the stone floor with a thump, you watch as he struggles on the floor. Finally, he stops moving, and you kick him over to get a look at this human. Lifeless eyes gaze up at you, unblinking as more blood spills from the corpse. His skin is a ghostly pale speaking of his lost blood. With satisfaction, you leave your dungeon and let your men continue their good work as you resume your day. Days pass, and the humans find the dead rapists, declaring them thieves that killed one another out of greed. A burden is lifted off your shoulders as Anor is in the clear for their deaths. You also hear rumours of a girl travelling on a white horse, spreading her kindness village to village; some say she is you, which she is, others call her the spirit of elven hope. Soon, your people will go to the fields and begin a new season with modern tools; sadly, your new taxes will arrive during harvest season, as will the abundance of produce. While you wait for the arrival of the drow, you…>meet with Findel and decide his fate.>spend time focusing on magic research.>meet with Biour to gauge the feelings of the people.>meet with Hugo and discuss the bank he is building.>write-in
>>6034784>meet with Findel and decide his fate.
>>6034784>>meet with Findel and decide his fate.Okay that turned out better than expected making it look like a backstabbing than a kidnapping. For Fidel while we covered up the murders we absolutely cannot allow him to cause another incident with his position and can't let his actions be known to the elves. We rip away his general rank, drum up an excuse of him insulting us, never to speak of this, and in exchange he can hunt down other human enemies but under our orders only. There will be more future crimes against elven kind but he must understand we cannot stand against the humans yet.
>>6034807I was thinking we put his hate of the humans to better use. He fought in the war, so maybe we could put him to work preparing an anti-human task force?
>>6034824Depends on his patience and skill level. We will have to retrain him from a warrior into a guerilla/assassin to handle deep strike operations like hitting a mayor or haunting Lamar. Also on how to use magic guns when we get our R&D up. Anything is better than killing him since we don't disagree with his motive just his planning.
>>6034784>Meet with FindelWe should persuade him to "retire," which will really mean overseeing black projects that are only reported directly to us. We need him on a short leash though.Hierarchy:Us > Findel > Drow Leaders > Necromancers/Warlocks/AssassinsThen there will still be the regular Army of Anor & our eventual reformed Navy, plus the Magisters & Maiden Mages.
>>6034847This is a great idea -“You fucked up bad enough that I need to put you in charge of Black Ops. Win my trust and you’ll be reinstated.”
>>6034881I’m voting for>meet with FindelIf that wasn’t clear
>>6034881"Morally what you did was right, objectively you almost damned our entire race and didn't even bother with a plan to cover it up. You will be under a tight leash. Also congrats on your demotion to vagabond, your new post will open in a month helping the drow create anti-human magics and strategies."
>>6034784>meet with Findel and decide his fate.>>6034847>>6034738support, this is basically my earlier simple comment made into an actionable plan. We cannot afford vigilantes upsetting the current status quo and bringing hell and extermination back to the Elves.We care about the human laws in the same way anyone in real life cares about laws. They're enforced at the barrel of a gun and it's too late lamenting your actions when it's aimed at your head.
>>6035153Well said
>>6034784>>meet with Findel and decide his fate.
Got a lot of things I need to do today, moving country for work in a month and going out this evening, so unsure if I will be doing an update.
>>6035200Unfortunate, but don't let us stop your migration plans.
Hope all goes well, keep us updated or let us know if you're taking a hiatus before thread 2.
>>6034784>spend time focusing on magic research.
>>6035200We demand child support for abandoning us in this trying time. Call it existence tax.
With the passage of time, however brief, your mind calms from the worry onset by the possible political catastrophe. It is a good time for you to decide what is to be done with Findel. Once again, you find yourself in your dungeon; the ground is covered in tiles constructed by the mages that shaped this castle; they would not allow the floor to be a boring, flat rock sheet. Between the tiles, there are stains of old and new blood; you even recognise the latest additions. Arriving at a cell, you see a male elf, utterly naked; the lean yet potent muscle is visible under his skin. His once bright blond hair is now darken from grime and veils his face. Hearing your footsteps stop by the entrance to his prison, he gazes up at whoever decided to visit him.You can see why Findel was suggested for you as a husband. Even under his condition, he is a very handsome man who could accidently win the hearts of many. He inclines his head in a slight bow and talks in a voice that is hoarse and pained, “Queen Lyssandra, it is an honour to meet you. I hoped to do so earlier, under far different circumstances.” “I have never wanted to meet with anyone under this situation. Explain yourself.” Your voice is harsh and authoritarian, absent of the dispassion within his inflection.“Of course, my Queen. I make no excuses and accept your judgment without any defence. I was walking through the streets of Joriel as I usually do, I do not like to spend too much time in my home after work. Melancholy and despair gnaws at my brain; I feel the extinction of our people growing closer with every day, and there is nothing we can do to abate this fate. On this particular evening, I hear horrific screams and weeping, reminiscent of many sounds I heard during the war. As I approached the scene, a distraught woman with tears streaming from her eyes and ripped clothes came to me. She told me what the humans did to her. Hearing her words, reason left my mind, and I drew my sword. I started to kill them, and while trying to finish the job, the guards pounced on me.”Findel speaks with detachment, no energy or vigour in his words. This elf is defeated, not by the war but by the peace. He would rather death on the battlefield than the slow acceptance of oblivion. Thoughts enter your mind with what to do with the elf. You could give him death, but would it not be a waste? He still has the kindling within him, ready to be reignited, driving him to fight for elvenkind. This fervent fire could be sparked, but might cause you even more trouble in the future. Findel could be an agent of yours, working for you directly as the commander of your black projects; or you could set him free on the continent to kill as many humans as possible until death finds him.
Looking at the naked prisoner, you decide to…>execute him.>release him onto the continent.>allow him to resume his role as general.>keep him as a covert agent of yours.>write-in
>>6035429>>6035219>>6035563I do plan to do updates its just that I'm not going to be as frequent. I've known since the start of the quest, I've been lazy and need to get the ball rolling now I have less than a month.
>>6035921>keep him as a covert agent of yoursThe war is not yet over, your duty not yet at an end.
>>6035921>keep him as a covert agent of yours.
>>6035921>keep him as a covert agent of yours.But try to explain the importance of your new strategy: head to head confrontation can't work at the moment, just like it failed in the past. In order to beat back the humans and regain our sovereignty, we'll need to deceive them, and decisions like the ones he made to end up down here, no matter how noble, will ultimately lead to our downfall
>>6035921>keep him as a covert agent of yours.“While the execution of the humans was just, your rash action has endangered all elves, threatened the security of our kingdom and placed your Queen in a precarious situation. You have incurred a debt to the Crown, and you must earn your absolution.”“I therefore charge you with an impossible task - to assist me in throwing off the shackles of our oppressors, to save our kingdom and our people, and finally, to shatter the power of humanity forever.”“I charge you to cast aside whatever notions of honor, forgiveness and mercy that might restrain your actions against the humans. They deserve none of these. These gifts are now reserved for elves alone.”“I charge you to cast aside your apathy, your depression, your misdirected rage. I charge you to serve your Queen, Findel, and do the impossible with me.”
>>6035967+1
>>6035921Have sex with him
>>6035918why is he naked ?>>6035921>keep him as a covert agent of yours.
>>6036150>why is he naked ?Humiliation and dehumanisation.
>>6036399Truly, the beneficence and justice of Anor's government surpasses all the nations. I really like how Lyssandra's behavior and thoughts are colored by the anon's attitudes. A menace to humanity in the making!
>>6036404Glad you are enjoying it.
>>6036399Wait, so the humans were naked as well ? Damn
>>6036418I know you’re meming - but could we de-humanize humans? Could we turn an elf into a man permanently or vice-versa? What if we solve our population problem by literally making more elves with nature magic?
>>6035921>keep him as a covert agent of yours.>>6036404The elven race are destined to inherit the stars as the last true race left behind by the human's total conquest.
>>6035921>keep him as a covert agent of yours.>>6035967+2
>>6036418No, people didn't know what to do with them so they chucked them into a cell and waited for authority to decide the matter. They are not the usual inmates here.>>6036438No, you could alter the apperance, but a man is a man and an elf is an elf behind the cosmetic change.
He looks at you as you ponder his fate with a stone face, giving nothing of your thoughts away. You do not want to kill him; you are glad the humans are dead, and you can understand the reasoning behind his actions. Despite his good intentions, he could have caused devastation to befall Anor; there needs to be punishment, but one where he can be put to use. After deciding his fate, you allow the moment to stretch as your gaze bores into him.“What should I do with you? Do you believe you deserve mercy?” You ask Findel with accusation in your tone.“No, I should not have endangered Anor and have done a great misdeed to you and our people.”“I agree, while the execution of the humans was just, your rash action has endangered all elves. You have incurred a debt to the Crown, and you must earn your absolution. I therefore charge you with an impossible task - to assist me in throwing off the shackles of our oppressors, to save our kingdom and our people, and finally, to shatter the power of humanity forever. We have failed in the past; we need new strategies and tactics to uproot humanity, we need to move subtly and quietly. No longer will you be a general, you will be my Black Hand, you will do the tasks I would not dirty my own hands with. You will cast aside any notions of restraint against the humans, you will use any means necessary to achieve our ascension no matter the dishonour or cost.” As your words end you unlock his cell, giving him freedom for service.Findel kneels before you in his dirty cell, zealous fire in his crystal-clear sapphire eyes. “Your will is my command.”As you leave, you do something as a young woman of fifty-three, not the Queen of the realm. You steal a glance at Findel, curious of the anatomy of a man and what they possess. Speaking to a servant, you tell them to bring him clothing and bathe him; he will need to talk to his troops, letting them know of his voluntary resignation. Not allowing the truth of the matter to come out to common knowledge or whispering rumours about the reason for his dismissal to imagine up fanciful answers or probing questions, you think this is the best choice.You stand by the shore, the sky is an ominous black with clouds obfuscating the stars in the heavens. Angry waves claw at the coast, trying to drag Anor under its depths. Besides you stands Findel, garbed in armour with a black handprint painted onto the metal. It is the night that the drow promised to arrive. The cold gale running over the surface of the ocean batters you, trying to throw you from your feet. Finally, you see the ships in the darkness. Four small vessels sail towards you, shuddering from the violent seas; you wonder how they managed not to get devastated by the swelling waves.
The ships sail to shore and run aground. Crew and passengers disembark, two hundred pairs of feet finally touch ground after a perilous journey. They huddle together, using each other’s company as a ward to fight off the chill. Studying the faces of your new citizens, you notice the shade of their faces and the length of their ears are not uniform. Some have ears rivalling your own, while others have smaller ears like the drow that ambushed you in your sleep. The ones with shorter ears also have paler skin, not the dark purple of the others.Two figures approach you, one their matriarch and the other you recognise from your first meeting. They kneel as they meet you, showing deference to their new Queen, and with that, they tell you their names, Scitilla and Amas. Scitilla, their matriarch and the magister of death magic, tell you their story. They survived the war in a small collapsed passage between cities; after the war, they went to the surface to find a new home with the undercities ruined and annihilated. On the surface, they were captured in the Kingdom of Har-Hut, their men were slaughtered, and the women were made brides to human lords. The drow with short ears and paler skin are children of the union between human men and elven women. After decades of enslavement, they managed to escape and were chased across the continent. During this chase, they found a tome of death magic in the ruins of a destroyed city. Their knowledge of the craft is limited, and Scitilla does not understand many of the writings contained within the book. This is a disappointment but understandable, you have faith that with time, the mysteries in the book will become unravelled. You praise their bravery and tenacity, and now it is time for you to decide where to settle them…>within the empty houses of Anor’s cities.>create a new hidden village apart from Anor.>write-in
>>6036979>create a new hidden village apart from Anor.It is best for them to stay hidden for now.Not sure what to do about the half-breeds, for now. Do want to contaminate our bloodlines with human stock? I doubt it.
>>6036979>within the empty houses of Anor’s cities.
>>6036979>create a new hidden village apart from Anor.With Hugo's business and opera Anor might get more tourism and runs the risk of Har Hut discovering us. Better to keep them hidden so they can rebuild.Though the half breeds are a weird question since they chose to follow us rather than the humans so they might have been raised on drow values. So while half breeds will dilute the blood we can just add a stipulation that true dark elves need to make at least 8 kids and half breeds can do two so we can rebuild the bloodlines.
>>6036979>create a new hidden village apart from Anor.As discussed before, humans can see the visible differences, so they need to be hidden. If the island kingdom has disused mines, then they can labour to establish their own cavern town. If not, then>create a new hidden village apart from Anor.
>>6036979>>create a new hidden village apart from Anor.
>>6036979>New Hidden Valley RanchThe half-breeds should be trained with glamour spells to infiltrate human lands.
>>6036979>>create a new hidden village apart from Anor.drow naruto
>>6036979>create a new hidden village apart from Anor>>6036984In this case, they are a genetic drop in the bucket. Better to let the matter lie I say.
>>6036979>create a new hidden village apart from Anor.
>>6036979>>within the empty houses of Anor’s cities.
Your people were never particularly friendly with the drow; the war turned you into allies of convenience, but there was no love. Despite that, it is utterly sad to see these elves so broken. Too many of their number are half-breeds. If these are the last of the drow, their line is tainted, and their people will never be whole again. Hopefully, more of their kin will appear and join them on Anor as your new subjects. The best thing you can do for them, as well as the safest for Anor, is to create a new village for them. Perhaps near to an old mine, where they won’t get subsumed into the high elf gene pool and disappear from the world.It is spring, and many of your people are now in the fields, tending to the livestock and sewing the fields with seeds. You are within a strange building, strange not because of its architecture or colouration, but due to the fact it is a new construction. Large letters of royal purple sit above its grand entrance: RBA. These letters are an acronym of its name, The Royal Bank of Anor. Sitting across from you is a pleased-looking Hugo with a glass of wine in hand. Today is the official opening of the bank you jointly own. “To us,” Hugo grinning as he toasts to the pair of you. “This is a great step forward for Anor and shows what humans and elves can accomplish together.”“To us,” You reply, hiding the feelings you hold about the words. “So, is the bank finished? How does this bank make us money?”“No, not at all,” Hugo chuckles gently at your words. “This bank has only just opened. We have a few good customers, but we want many more. We want to expand the bank and make it into the commercial bank of the rich and powerful across the world. To do this, we need to show that we can hold their money safely and that they can trust us; this will take time, stability, and charisma. Good thing I have all three.”“So, the gold we are holding is only the start?” Your eyebrows raise with incredulity. Hugo has shown you the amount RBA is currently storing, and it is more than you could envision this venture would stock.
“I’m not just a pretty face,” Hugo smirks and slips onto your sofa, putting his arm around your waist, giving you a playful squeeze. “And for the gold we hold, we get paid a storage fee to keep it safe. That’s all we need to do: hold it until they withdraw it. We can also become a market for sellers and buyers wanting to do business in a covert manner. With the money we make together, we can invest it into Anor and bring industry here.”“You know so much more than me in this area. I’m glad I have you.” Your words falsely tease of a second meaning. You need to keep him thinking that there is something between the two of you after allowing Hugo to accumulate hefty power within Anor. “And I could not have done it without you, we make an excellent duo. The theatre in Moi is doing well. A fair number of men want to come over and meet with the women of Anor. Good men, powerful and rich. They want to spend time with them or to take them home as wives. We could create a resort for such things, earning good coin, friends, investors and also allowing us to hear the most private secrets or to gather blackmail material.” Hugo looks at you with eyes full of awe and lust, wanting nothing more than to make you his lover right here within these private walls. His suggestion makes sense if you look at the world in a cold, cynical way. But Hugo’s true desire behind the idea is to create a normalisation of such relations so that one day you and him could become something openly.You reply, telling him…>that the idea is a distasteful one, he should stop bringing up such suggestions.>that the idea has some merit, he should construct one where powerful humans can meet potential brides. >that the idea has some merit, he should construct one where powerful humans can spend time in secret with elven women.>write-in
>>6038003>that the idea has some merit, but for now you'll decline while our people aren't friendly with one anotherthat guy is a classic case of vice rationalization.
>>6038027Supporting. We need time to train up our spy-core before we build our Honeypot Center. We have to prioritize training other mages the Mask spell so we can get moving on the blackmail/intrigue dimension
>>6038003>that the idea is a distasteful one, he should stop bringing up such suggestions.We have to draw the line somewhere. Enabling what will amount to prostitution or the sale of brides sounds about right.Practically speaking, I don't think the sale of elven wives will genuinely improve Anor's position. It is a form of exploitation that only makes sense if these men will their assets to their Elven brides- an unlikely outcome in a human state like Moi.
>>6038003>>that the idea has some merit, he should construct one where powerful humans can spend time in secret with elven wommaybe a system thats more like courtesans of elven artists to play music, dance and entertain rich human nobles. No current selling of elven women though
>>6038003>that the idea is a distasteful one, he should stop bringing up such suggestions.Get a man quick so we can have a permanent excuse not to do this
>>6038003>that the idea has some merit, he should construct one where powerful humans can spend time in secret with elven women.The problem lies in the pragmatism vs moral weight of each option. If Elves were allowed to breed into powerful human groups it would potentially make many humans despise their leaders and their interspecies origin. It would also after a few generations have many of them be sympathetic to our situation. But on the other hand, it would make a lot of bastard children that our people would not accept, and we (as the queen) likely wouldn't accept either. The best outcome would be to have pure elves be the ones who would rule. I am personally very torn. But I think letting the nobility indulge in elven women would lead to many scandals within human empires already.
>>6038102The problem is that we’re not actually equipped to exploit the prostitution angle just yet.We don’t have female spies trained in deception or a spy network that would let us manage them effectively.Setting up a “geisha resort” for wealthy men would be both extremely distressful to Anorians and could possibly threaten our rule. It would be much better for us to place shapeshifting agents in “marriages” upon the mainland.Also, we should have spies on Hugo so we can learn his mannerisms outside of our presence. We’re going to have to take his place sooner rather than later.
>>6038127I think if we don't have the spy network to make a high-end brothel for the human nobility, we probably wouldn't have enough for a marriage agency either. And the marriage option would still be just as stressful for the populace as a brothel would. Since all they see from their perspective are rich humans taking away elven women :/And Hugo? If we were to kill him, it would pose too much work and have too high of a risk of being found out by other humans who are wary of elven sorcery. If we were found out, that would make EVERYONE with power afraid of interacting with our kingdom. Since we legitimately flesh puppeteer'd a person who supposedly was an ally to the elves. I do have a thought on how to hook him in though.We could shapeshift another elf to look like us and have said elf bear his kid in secrecy without him knowing about the switch. He will believe it is ours, and in exchange for him "not telling others" about "this potential scandal for a monarch" He will bear the controversy of letting a kid he will claim is from "an elven mistress"(implying whore) become the legitimate heir of his wealth.When he dies of old age, the child will essentially replace Hugo. Which to keep their power more easily we give them a minor noble title. That way when Hugo lies on his deathbed, he will believe he was lucky and had a kid with royal blood. Something many merchants can only dream of doing. Which will probably make him heavily invested in said royal blood.
>>6038156We could shapeshift another elf to look like us and have said elf bear his kid in secrecy without him knowing about the switch. He will believe it is ours, and in exchange for him "not telling others" about "this potential scandal for a monarch" He will bear the controversy of letting a kid he will claim is from "an elven mistress"(implying whore) become the legitimate heir of his wealth.If we could get away with this, I like the plot.
>>6038156Could we just shapeshift a pure elven child to look half hugo half us? We would only have to make him look kinda like hugo occasionally and just say elven genetics win out as he grows older
>>6038165>>6038178I mean, we could do the shapeshifting on a human child to make them look elven, there’s no need to actually create a h*alf-elf with such a disgusting creature.
>>6038178>>6038206potentially? But that also is with the expectation that there doesn't exist or aren't in use any anti-magical tech to potentially undo an illusion or Biomancy like what is being suggested. If we were to take over Hugo's position or transform someone else to look like his kid, it might very well be that the person would turn back into their respective race as soon as someone takes them through a TSA-like anti-magic checkpoint. Which i see there a high likelihood of. After all, elves and other magical beings were likely doing these acts during the war too. And the humans would've likely made countermeasures. Otherwise, nearly every leader during the war could have just been a magical being in disguise. While if an actual child was born from someone whose pure form at least looks mostly like our MC there isn't likely to be any alarm unless Hugo explicitly finds an ancestry test for the kid. Which I don't think he's paranoid enough to do. We can even use Biomancy to make ourselves seem like the mother's progress whenever we visit him. It just seems a lot safer to me this way.
>>6038003>that the idea has some merit, he should construct one where powerful humans can spend time in secret with elven women.
>>6038027+1, solid rationalization that shouldn't be an outright snub, & we shouldn't sell our people for a hypothetical advantage on the distant horizon.
>>6038003>that the idea is a distasteful one, he should stop bringing up such suggestions.We don't need to make red light districts for humans to save our people.There is a difference between progressive change for freedom and debasing ourselves. Our people will lose any faith in us if they see us selling the bodies of our women to human men.
>>6038027+1We could add in that we will try to find some elven women that are open minded as the war left many traumatized and will take us a while to find volunteers. Letting Hugo know we would go with it but have to decline it as Anor is still recovering. Buying us at least some time to see the feasibility of the brothel mission as elven bribes would get sold off into the black market. At least with the brothel we can get Hugo to put protection in to avoid kidnappings.>>6038233I agree we can't rely on masking to keep up the lie in case they pass through a magic sensor. Zealot humans probably have a list of our magic capabilities if they were smart enough to torch our grand libraries. Better to make half elves to keep the lies going than hoping we never run into a zealot human mage.>>6038206Because of the drow's crippled blood we have to have a softer hand on half bloods as these ones were raised right and know the inferiority of humanity. >>6038156This is a great idea we just need more magic research and human understanding to avoid outting our plan.
It is a revolting thought, the coupling between elf and human, but this could bring Anor much influence and harm Moi. Competing thoughts fight within your head, opening such a resort would allow you to hear the most guarded of secrets spilled at the head of a pillow. Still, the mental images these thoughts conjure are repugnant; this would require lowering women to such debasement and supporting these relations even if limited and kept hidden. While you sit in silent contemplation, Hugo is quite happy to study you, thoroughly enjoying having you within his arms.Finally, you decide that now isn’t the best time to make a final decision on such things. “Anor is still hurting from the war, while the idea does have merit, it isn’t the right time. Finding those to accept the role might be a hard task. Let’s leave it for now. But in the meantime, I will see if there are women openminded enough and suitable to be part of the idea.”Hugo practically glows at your words, only hearing that you will look for women to work in such an establishment. He pulls you close into him, “That sounds excellent; if we do put this to plan, it will really work to strengthen Anor. Talking about strengthening Anor, I’ve learned a bit about the pirates. It comes down to Executor Hannon, he is the lord of Sentinel, or lesser Anor. He uses the ships under his command to target elven ships travelling the seas, which is why he’s not touching my vessels. Hannon is going beyond his remit, but not to the point that the Council cares. His father fought in the war, leading a campaign, and seems to have inherited the hatred of elves.”“Oh,” You exclaim, surprised at his words. Human politicians and generals and governors are not something you care to know much about; and your spies are not able to pierce the veil that separates you and humanity. “Do you have an answer to this?”“More of my ships can take over from elven ships; my fleet is growing anyway, allowing your goods to reach Moi unmolested. But if we solve this, I do believe Hannon will find another way to inconvenience Anor. He needs removing if possible, or I guess you could wait him out if you really wanted to. We humans are not blessed with your immortality.” His good mood is undampened by the news he is breaking.More words are shared about a variety of things, be them about Anor or banal everyday occurrences. Hugo seems especially animated tonight, born from the discussion about opening a resort. You suffer in his grip, feeling uncomfortable from his touch and Hugo’s eyes that are mentally undressing you. He has become too adjusted to your presence, thinking there is no issue with how he touches you so casually. Hugo desires more, a reward for his continued service and, what he believes, an expression of your shared affection for one another. With a hand, he cups your chin, tilting it towards him as he moves his face closer to yours. He desires to kiss you.
You…>kill him here, right now.>slap him, stopping him in his tracks.>allow him to kiss you.
>>6038464>allow him to kiss you.One more indignity suffered for the people. We need to deal with him when we're coolheaded and have figured out an exit plan.
>>6038464>allow him to kiss you.Obviously we are hyper disgusted but as Queen, we must tolerate things that we would never ask of our subjects. That being said, this goes no farther - Hugo must die soon, perhaps once the Hannon problem has been resolved.
>>6038464>Have him kiss our hand insteadc'mon guys, we're not selling ourself now
>>6038497I mean, I think we are selling ourselves a little bit.But so far, we’ve gotten a bank, access to a shipping fleet, great intel about our next target of assassination, and we haven’t finished with this guy just yet. By the time he’s dead, we’ll have reversed our power decline entirely and will be on the upswing
>>6038464>Hand>Cheek if he insists further>No Lips"Courtship among Elves is very thorough, nothing is ever rushed, you understand."
>>6038464>>allow him to kiss you.>>6038558There isn't a write-in option so we have to pick. Plus one kiss is worth the humiliation if we keep Hugo in our control but after we really need to get the mask spell up and replace him.
>>6038464>allow him to kiss you.The man has proven useful and continues to do so. While we shouldn't debase the royal bloodline by actually getting together with him that we wouldn't be able to come back from. But otherwise, we've gained much from Hugo.To be the Adult ruler the realm needs, this is the exact kind of shit a ruler must do. After all many elves have suffered far worse. Including rapes, forced marriages and beheadings of male family members for nearly no gain other than just to survive. Who are we as a queen to feel queasy as a queen from a kiss when we've met people who've themselves had to live in slavery to survive? Our job is to save those elves. As long as it gets the job done and we aren't pulled into any scandal then it doesn't matter."Get a fucking grip Lyssandra, this is a singular kiss. Many others had to experience far worse than you to survive. Losing this small dignity is minuscule compared to the debasement many others are going through still to this day"
>>6038464>>slap him, stopping him in his tracks.
>>6038464>allow him to kiss you.
>>6036984>Not sure what to do about the half-breeds, for now. Keep them. Humanity is everywhere anyway. Separate them from the elves population if needed.There are probably 10 times more half elves around than elves in the whole world. Even with purges and wars.In fact we are probably going to rely on using humans (allies, mercenaries or humans under our control. Doesn't matter) and half elves for war, when it happens. Numbers wise elves cannot afford to go to war on their own, beside staying behind many lines commanding or keeping elite soldiers. Hugo growing fleet and company alone in terms of crews, sailors and bureaucrats probably dwarfs our own navy by several magnitudes.
>>6038464>Have him kiss our hand instead
>>6038464>Allow his kiss to the hand only, maybe forehead/cheekIt's a sign of respect>>6038558supportIs Sentinel within reach of travel by land, or by sea only?I think we send a food gift with some slow-acting poison in his fancy food that cause acute diarrheoa, like puking your guts up bad. As the humans seem to have firearms and not medicine, they would not be equipped to deal with this.
>>6038869>Is Sentinel within reach of travel by land, or by sea only?Only sea
>>6038869Solid idea, but we need to make sure everything will fall into our laps before he dies.
>>6038869That is an awful idea. Giving elven food to the one guy that hates us and him mysteriously dying from poison at the prime of his life is just asking for our nation to burn to the ground. Shipwreck his boat, make a mugging gone wrong, or anything else than painting a target on our back with elven gift baskets.
>>6039278>Shipwreck his boatFindel needs to put together the Elvish Navy SEALS to get rid of him
>>6039285>The three other magisters are doing their part. Luthiel, their leader, commands power over water. Of the other two, one similarly shares the same path of water as Luthiel and the last has an affinity with Air.We can try to create air bubbles using air affinity and bouncy spells from the water tribe. Findel can practice ship sabatoge and we can cast ironwood skin and vemon touch weapons to allow floating, air bubbled, and armored seals to float to the ship in the dead of night and either set up a bomb to sink it or assassinate the ship during a rough storm. We just need to delete or eat the human bodies to avoid any evidence of weapon deaths from leaking out and allow the storm to take the blame. We can bring in Hugo to make him an accomplice and promise our hand after he runs for governor of Sentinel. With him in power and a union of elven lands we can tell him that will be enough for the elves to accept him and on the day after his coronation we mask him. From there we can slowly let corruption, disease, and missing food shipments to bleed the humans to leave. However this will damage the royal bank and pull out funding from his business so the best thing we can do is making someone else take Hugo's place and work to deter future human immigration as we slowly push the pests out with price hikes in rent and food.
>>6039291>We can bring in Hugo to make him an accompliceI would rather off him in the same moment. If we could get them both on the same ship (for negotiations?), it would be a golden opportunity.
>>6039296Well the Sentinel leadership will be empty so we can put Hugo into that running so we can get control of the island and kill Hugo later. Or at least have Hugo control the money of Sentinel so we have soft control of the island if we don't control it and kill him then. Or do the same merchant trick in Sentinel again but a bit faster and smoother as we get use to handling pests. Then kill them if they push too hard and mask them. Basically we can't afford to kill Hugo without a follow up plan to Sentinel.
>>6039291We're Elves, we aren't going to eat the human filth, even they aren't that low.
Rolled 24 (1d100)>>6038464>>slap him, stopping him in his tracks.
>>6039291>>6039296>>6039301I’m thinking along the same lines - install Hugo as Lord of Sentinel, promising him marriage once this achieved, making him an accomplice to kill Shannon, etc.Then we have soft control over Sentinel, which is arguably better than open control - we don’t want to spark attention from the mainland. Hopefully by this time we can have someone bodyswap with Hugo
>eat the human bodies Are we turning in a half-elf, half-anaconda? If we want to kill the governor wouldn't shapeshifting to get close to him and then use our poison touch spell be the smart way?
You freeze, you don’t know what the correct action is. You want to kill him right here, but doing so would endanger so much of what you have set up. If you hit him with a well-deserved slap, it would spurn Hugo for attempting such things, but you could make a scorned enemy with the human you’ve helped rise to power. As your brain whirls, trying to scramble for an answer, Hugo comes ever closer. The human’s lips meet yours, and you fight the natural urge to rip yourself from his grip. You passively accept Hugo’s passionate kiss, which is full of the intense feelings that he has held in for too long.Leaving the room, you vigorously wipe your lips as if such an action could undo what has been done. Stopping by a plant pot, you spit into it until your mouth is dry and you are able to produce no saliva. Your face burns with a mix of red rage and humiliation as you march back into your castle. Moving Hugo’s actions to the side, you found out something very useful: the pirates are due to a human named Hannon, the overseer of Lesser Anor. If it isn’t Moi policy but just one human with power making Anor suffer, you can do something about it.Once again, you are in your council room, and your councillors surround you. You relay the information you received off of Hugo. They accept your words and sit in silence, internalising the information and coming up with well-thought-out ideas. Peren is the first to speak, “How sure that the information you received is reliable? Could there have been deception in any part of its acquisition?”Ergon shrugs, “Maybe, but it makes sense. The ocean is a large place, and with piracy being so regular, Lesser Anor would be an excellent place for the pirates to be based. And who better than Hannon to know about the piracy? At the very least, he condones it if not orders it. I’m inclined to trust the source.”“We could petition Moi about it?” Peren asks more than states. “I’m not sure if they’d care, but if we kick up enough of a fuss, there could be some action.”“Or we could kill him, our Queen has excellent skills to do such a thing without any knowledge. She can change her appearance to disguise herself as anyone.” Luthiel adds, you wouldn’t be opposed to such a thing. With Hugo’s violation of your lips, you have been needing a way to vent.Balfor proposes the idea, “We could use that human merchant Hugo. He seems to be an ally of ours. Pay him for protection, increase his fleet, and use it as our de facto navy.”
Tour, your quietest advisor, speaks, “Or we could allow it to continue. If we claim his actions aren’t Moi’s actions and we are Moi’s loyal servants, we could use this opportunity to put troops on Lesser Anor. Chase the pirates to shore, and then move troops onto land. As Hannon’s men defend the pirates, they attack us, which means we are allowed to defend ourselves under our peace treaty. Of course, this requires us to rebuild our military first and could go very wrong, but this could be a method to reclaim Lesser Anor.”You decide to…>send diplomats to Moi demanding something to be done.>assassinate Hannon.>hire Hugo’s human ships as security and increase the strength of his fleet.>work with Tour’s plan.>write-in
>>6039789>assassinate HannonThe time is not yet right to activate our military. However, there’s something that we can do that’s even better than simply killing Hannon - we must replace him using the Mask spell, perhaps for several months. It’s not enough to remove the piracy - we need the pirates to work for us!This accomplishes several goals:1) gives us time away from Hugo.2) gives us control over a pirate fleet. Some of these ships can be directly passed to the Anorian navy, but others we should maintain control of. All piracy proceeds would obviously go to Anor.3) as Hannon, we can use our criminal contacts to post a “bounty” for live elves, preferably women and children. Criminals and pirates will do our work for us and bring elves to Sentinel and then to Anor.3) when the time is right, Hannon will “get sloppy” and begin piracy on Moi vessels. The mainland will want to replace him and then we can work with Hugo to make sure that he is installed on Sentinel instead.4) from there, Hugo is at a safer distance and we can continue our “romance” through love letters, etc
>>6039789>work with Tour’s plan.We still need more time for Anor to rebuild the economy to support the new army and we still needed to retrain them all under human weapons or we will get sweeped by Sentinel's militia. Also a straight up invasion will just trigger Moi to ignore the treaty and counter invade us as we want to control Sentinel through soft power so this is a bad idea.>send diplomats to Moi demanding something to be done.It is Moi and they will either be killed by zealot peasants or ignored making this a waste of time. Bureaucracy is never fast and our people will get ignored or threatened especially since Moi never before listened to our complaints. So this is a waste.Write-in: Four prong approachStep 1 send in and follow elven spies to try and find the face of any pirate captain for crime set up. Step 2 Hire out Hugo's human ships as security and increase the strength of his fleet and cut down on piracy targetsStep 3 then plan Hannon assassination. Infiltrate the Hannon manor using disguises of maids or guards to get to Hammon and poison touch him. Leave half a half of gold to make it look like Hannon tried to pity bribe the pirate. Tear everything apart in the room to make it look like a massive brawl and scatter the gold on the ground and take any ledgers of piracy logs for future targets. Leave the manor but let a guard see our face disguised as a pirate captain looking beaten and bloody with ledgers running from the crime scene.Step 4 preset up the escape area with rocks, potholes, uprooted roots, anything to slow the humans down and either meet up with an elven team to cast air bubbles and water buoyancy spells to escape into the sea or turn a corner and mask into a dock worker and enter a bar to enjoy dinner.Step 4 hope Hannon's successor is not anti-elf or we have to do this shit all over again or put Hugo on it but he will definitely know we killed Hannon.
>>6039789Do the pirates use firearms? Assumption is yes.Earlier Hugo suggested that he run the freight on his own ships. Lets use that, save our ships and keep them around any fishing ships only. We will need a naval presence around our own island to ensure the pirates don't make landfall to Greater Anor any other way.>>6038875Appreciate that, thanks.>>6039278I was originally thinking that the elven gift baskets were in reality our laden transport ships. I didn't make the joke clear, also it seems likely that the common pirate would consume whatever delicacies were being transported, and it wouldn't make its way to Hannon.
>>6039806>Write-in four prong approach>>6039794We can't mask Hannon we know nothing about him and people will notice the anti elven mayor acting strangely. Hell we can't mask Hugo yet and we met with the pest for months now. Pirates will notice Hannon giving ships to Anor, bounties can turn into pirates raiding our fleets or coastlines as we don't have a military anymore, and but yeah installing Hugo is a good idea.
>>6039809Well I would argue that Hannon is probably not in daily contact with his captains, so we’d have time to interrogate him, kill him, fake a concussion, and then take his position. In terms of pirates noticing us giving away their ships - we could have Findel and his wetworks squad ambush the ships at pre designated locations. I doubt the pirate captains have complete knowledge of each other’s naval groups and I don’t think this setting has radio or a magic equivalent, but maybe I’m wrong…>>6039806I’m not opposed to this plan either but I do think we should consider replacing Hannon for a short time or otherwise trying to take command of the pirate fleet.
>>6039789>>assassinate Hannon.
>>6039808>Do the pirates use firearms? Assumption is yes.Everyone is using firearms, there's a slow adoption in Anor's army but they are of poor quality and need focused training. The military needs investment to turn into a modern force.
>>6039789>>6039806+1, but could we PLEASE keep Hugo out of our assassination plots? I want to avoid giving him dirt to leverage against us and make sure that when it's time to off him he's completely unprepared.
>>6039839Hugo does seem to be a total moron, so there is an argument that he’d just fuck it all up as a conspirator too
>>6039789>assassinate Hannon.
>>6039828>investmentA very big investment and reformation. From past posts the situation is very stagnant in every aspect of the kingdom, and counting on a army or navy composed only by elves would be mad thinking. Tour must have drink too much today.The future army should look something like this :- 50% human mercenaries : well paid men, that bring actual experience and numbers making us combat capable against our neighbors. We would have 0 issues recovering their losses- 40% half elves : regulars, standard soldiers. We have less issues recovering their ranks than elves. Middle ground between us and humans.- 10% elves : elites troops, from day 1 we can put them through training and drilling and keep going for decades. Recovering elves losses is very difficult and causes mourning while waiting.- Officers & Commanders : elves, much like elite troops we can put them from day 1 in learning, studying, commanding and training themselves. We can also add some human veterans from the mercenaries has leaders, since they would have actual experience in the new warfare.>>6039806>>6039789support this
>>6039789>work with Tour’s plan.
>constitutional monarchyWeak FAGGOTS all of you, to be expected from those who voted to be a woman.
>>6040146They also are more then willing to consider breeding with the humans.fits desu, there isn't much we can do. We don't have the numbers.
>>6040146Constitutional monarchies are literally superior in all ways.>>6040153I would literally never vote for bestiality with h*man scum, anon. We’re just leading Hugo on to get out of our historically desperate situation. Once we have a little power and authority we won’t need to defile ourselves this way
>>6039839Okey lets keep Hugo out of it and just visit whoever is the new sentinel leader and see if we can set up trade routes to make money. If its a zealot then we go back to the drawing board.>>6039819Still has a lot of risk masking the Hannon while we are far away from our kingdom. If we could teach someone else to mask and cast gift of knowledge then it could work but we don't have our mage core.>>6039846True, he is letting us earn a lot of money and did not demand anything from us so far.>>6040157Hopefully when we tries to push for more after hannons death then we can kill him and mask to take his entire empire. We just need to know more about economics for a smooth transition.
>>6040146I agree, it is a shame, but nobody is eternal even the long lived elves and maybe the next ruler after the gentle tactics of Lyssandra will bring back autocracy (the best form of government ever invented) and be a chad warrior king, but we will >>6040102need a military first.
“Let us begin by hiring the merchant Hugo’s ships to shield our vessels. As Hugo is obedient to Anor, we could travel with his armed merchant vessels without us paying him, but if we do, he will be able to purchase dedicated warships. These human warships will be far advanced than our current vessels, and we could not purchase such things. The new ships would be the foundation of Anor’s modernised navy.” When you discuss this with Hugo, you will make sure much of the crew, if not all of it, are elves. “Tour, are you able to send spies to Lesser Anor?”“It would be a hard thing to do. We easily stand out from the humans, so sneaking around is hard. But yes, I can send some of the best. What would you want them to do?”“Find a pirate captain, preferably one with a poor relation with Hannon. Once we find one, I shall infiltrate Hannon’s manor and kill him. After it is done, I will stage the room to look as if Hannon tried to bribe the captain and walk out wearing the captain’s face. With Hannon replaced, hopefully, the new human in charge should not cause us such issues, and if he does, then we can find a way to deal with him as well. And we will have the beginning of our new navy able to contend with human forces.”Peren speaks, worry evident, “Are you sure it is wise for you to do such a task? What if you get caught or killed?”“I will be fine, I am best suited to this due to my magic. There is no one who can equal what I can do. And I can escape these situations much easier than anyone else.” To punctuate your point your face changes to Peren’s then back to your own, settling the point. With the meeting over, your council begins to shuffle out of the room.You find yourself in the Magister Quarter, a large hall with many places to study and books lining every wall. Tall glass pods of concentrated essence hang from the ceiling with a psychic hum that only those possessing the gift of magic are able to pick up. It was a struggle to decide what to work upon for these last months, but you have made much progress at an extremely fast rate. It is encouraging; you can feel progress is coming in all aspects, and Anor is about to begin a change if you keep fighting for your people.
You learn…>Spell Upgrade: Mask – You can now create masks that change the appearance of the wearer. It is a slow process, and the user can’t change their sex.>Spell Upgrade: Mask – Your flesh and bones are malleable, you are able to create weapons and armour from your body.>Spell: Mass Withering – You cause a large group of people to become permanently frail. >Ritual: Awaken Woodland Spirits – You enchant a forest causing the spirits to come alive, they prey upon those traveling alone or in small groups. >Ritual: Gift of the Wild – You permanently imbued the recipient with the strength of nature, making them stronger, faster and quicker. This comes at the cost of becoming more bestial in both mind and body.>Learn the basics of death magicEach spell/ritual can only have one upgrade.
>>6040539>>Spell: Mass Withering – You cause a large group of people to become permanently frail.
>>6040539>Spell: Mass Withering – You cause a large group of people to become permanently frail.
>>6040539>Spell Upgrade: Mask – You can now create masks that change the appearance of the wearer. It is a slow process, and the user can’t change their sex.I have to vote for this pivotal element of the Elven Spy Corps. Death Magic next...
>>6040539>>Spell Upgrade: Mask – You can now create masks that change the appearance of the wearer. It is a slow process, and the user can’t change their sex.This or withering as an emergency trump card
>>6040537>When you discuss this with Hugo, you will make sure much of the crew, if not all of it, are elves.Eh settle down Lyssandra, full crews of elves is too much especially if it's a sizable navy, officers are a good idea for now. Wars don't happen a few times, they can happen multiple times. Losses will happen be in victory or defeat.
>>6040539>Spell Upgrade: Mask – You can now create masks that change the appearance of the wearer. It is a slow process, and the user can’t change their sex.I mean, this is invaluable for the espionage alone.With 10 of these masks, we can start to rebuild.Also, we should eventually develop an “elf locator” spell. There’s probably more elves and drow hiding out in the mainland.
>>6040552Peren: "Your majesty this is dangerous and our spies will have a hard time sneaking around."Queen learns wearable masks.Peren: "Okay then yeah we can get your intel and a back up team."We could easily delay the execution plan for a week or two to have converted spies for back up in case things go wrong or get them to wear other pirate captain faces to further sell the rebellion idea and have them all targeted by Sentinel's navy.
>>6040539>Spell Upgrade: Mask – You can now create masks that change the appearance of the wearer. It is a slow process, and the user can’t change their sex.
>>6040539>Spell: Mass Withering – You cause a large group of people to become permanently frail.We need to start setting up the foundation for our bio-warfare disease. More then guns or direct spells, illness will be the greatest cause of human death.
Sorry guys, don't think I have the free time to write an update until sunday.
>>6040911No worries, QM
>>6040911ok see on on sundeaNow guys what should be our next goal? harvest, tax, and opera season should arrive soon to give us the next batch of gold for the next project. I say we go into the iron mill so we can start trying to recreate and innovate on gun research with elven magic. Water bullets to cause water implosions in soft targets, air magic to guide sniper shots, and nature for paralitic poisons.
>>6040911okie dokie
>>6040928Solid ideas, I'll support. Once better harvests are reaped we can support a larger population, meaning we can introduce NSDAP/modern Hungary style initiatives to incentivize larger families via giving away homes and land. The opera should serve multiple purposes: income, intel, & diplomacy, but also an underground railroad for helping Elves & other non-Humans on the continent. I like the idea of using half-Elves in the infantry if there are already quite a few, but I wouldn't go so far as to encourage more such unions or to make them a large plurality of forces; otherwise, they'll rise up against us as a new race/third party with separate interests & too much military force.
>>6040939Ye, have the food to support and iron industry to start industrialization so we can start modernizing. Half drows will need a few at least ten decades to get their next generation up and running and I kinda doubt any other place has enough half elves to be a supplementary force. We could use mask agents and infiltratite har tur to find more half elves or go to lamar to find more magic secrets.
>>6040939>the half-elven problem Probably the best long term solution is to treat them like normal subjects and encourage intermarriage with pure elves, we don't want to create a unruly racial underclass. Over generations, we can carefully weed out the human genetic elements with arranged marriages and nature magic, I'm guessing.
>>6040539>Spell Upgrade: MaskThe potential of this is too large to ignore
The biggest issue I see is our low population and low maturation rate. If we don't find a solution then we've only got one battle in us and then we are on the decline.
>>6041336We just have to start making babies to set an example
>>6041345After the harvest and tax money comes in, we set up new iron jobs then institute anons idea of family tax benefits for every elven child they make. We should aim for 8 kids for each marriage to multiple the population and only need to wait 70 years to get Lyssiara age level manpower.
>>6027333>magicDid you know about dominions magic by chance? I like it very much despite not being into the game
>>6040539>upgrade mask into making masksI finally caught up... the quest is great. The wither spell seems strong but it doesn't imply it KILLS the affected, only that they are aged. Dominions has a similar spell that ages units. Affected units get nerfs and the spell only stops after death, so men that survive the battle age 300 years and then die from old age. So this spell is a good attack but it doesn't stop retaliation...
>>6042727Yeah, somewhat.
Each spell or ritual is like a poem; it can be altered and modified, changed in pitch and tone. But if those alterations are poor and ruin the verse, then the change will fail, and the magic will not be cast. You spend countless hours whittling away at wood, carving it into a mask, all the while singing to it. As you have done this, you’ve used your singing to imbue the mask with magic, pouring some of your power into your creation. Each time something has been wrong, slightly off, the resonance of the mask tells you of your failure. That is until today, where you’ve finished another wooden mask, but this time it feels right, it feels complete. The mask you hold so proudly in your hand is featureless, a blank elven face carved into the light bark. If one was to look at it, they’d see nothing special, but those who can feel the magic currents of the world can sense the specialness of the bland item. You call a servant and hand her the mask, telling her of its powers. She looks at it cautiously in her hand, then back at you, hoping you would change your mind, that she doesn’t have to test your new creation, but of course, you remain firm and tell her to put it on. Testing a new magic item on yourself isn’t the smartest thing as Queen of Anor, so why not use a servant?She places the mask on her face, and it begins to sink into her flesh. Like an island being consumed by a rising tide, it falls deep into her face until her flesh swallows it as if it never existed. It was quite a disgusting sight, and the servants’ cries for help didn’t make the view easier. After your maid calms down, you order her to use it, and slowly, over twenty minutes, her face shifts into yours. Very pleased with your creation, you ask for it back, a task she is not able to complete. It seems this mask embeds itself within the face of the wearer, never to be able to be removed. Or maybe it dissolved, who knows? You will have to make sure to wear your royal diadem, which you are only very rarely parted from, so your people know it is you rather than an imposter.
You tell your doubleganger to come with you, as you walk to Tour and Findel, dragging the nervous girl behind yourself. Gathering the four of you into a room, you tell them of your new creation. Each month, you can create a new mask. The magic it requires to create the mask is a powerful drain upon you and something you must do over time or cause injury to yourself. Tour and Findel are both delighted at the news, knowing that this is an excellent asset to the nation of Anor. But now you will have to decide what to do with this new ability that you can gift your spies.Tour recommends that you give it to elves who will become servants for powerful humans. After they spend enough time around their target so that they are able to mimic them successfully, they will kill said target and replace them. Tour wants to send the spies around the world rather than overly focus on Moi, while Findel wants to put them all within Moi. As both Tour and Findel are here, you can also order them to build up and train your spies in other ways.You choose to…>send your spies to Moi.>spread your spies around the nations of the world.Regarding other plans to use spies not given masks, you decide to…>write-in.>leave things as
>>6042991>send your spies to Moi.This is most critical, not to mention that if we infiltrate Moi’s spy service, we’ll hopefully get all of their intelligence as well. >leave things asSimply put, we don’t even have enough intel to know which Moi officials are susceptible to typical intelligence gathering activities, and elves are pretty noticeable. Better to keep our non-masked folks at home until we have some more typical targets.Also, seems like we’ll need to develop an anti-mask spell as well. I’m not sure that anyone wants to be a sweaty h*man for the next thousand years.The maid looking like us also solves our Hugo problem - we have a body-double for him to conceive a “prince” with, now.We need to indoctrinate the maid about her role ASAP
>>6042991>>6043013+1
>>6042991>send your spies to Moi.I would like to focus on the rest of the world, but our position requires us to focus on the stronger power.
>>6042969Hot. I like the nemedians and fomorians
>>6042991>send your spies to Moi.Focus on Moi to break the chain first then we can move to the wider world.>write-in: begin training non-mask spies into honeypot traps in case we have to open the resort.>The maid situation begin training her to act like us and treat her as a sister offer incentives to her or her family if she is willing to help Anor.
>>6043031>>6043029>>6043013Guys we still have Hugo resort to worry about so we can at least staff it with non-mask spies to get blackmail on the bankers.
>>6043090I mean, I thought we soft-declined on that and there’s no plans to open a resort in the near-future?
>>6042991>send your spies to Moi.>leave things as
>>6043013>anti-mask spellJust give them a new mask what can go wrong. >>6042991>>>Moi>>>leave as is
Sorry I wasn't clear, the masks still allow the user to take on different forms. The way the item differ from the spell is it is much slower at changing the user apperance, they have to be the same sex and they have less control over their bodies. This maid isn't stuck being you, the mask item is stuck within her.
>>6043183Oh, so you’re saying that the Mask item permanently gives face-dancing powers to the recipient? If so, that’s even better than I had hoped.Now we just need to identify other nature mages to crank out enchanted masks
>>6043183Ah thank the spirits we didn't permanently disfigure our spies by being stuck as only humans.>>6043216We must find a husband and begin the 8 child policy plan.
>>6042991>spread your spies around the nations of the world.>leave things as
OP ?
>>6044228Sorry lot of moving stuff and a bit of writers block, think I'm going to finish the thread with the next post.
>>6044232No worries, QM. Real life must take priority
You side with Findel; it is more important to see Moi's inner workings than to discover what's happening with the rest of the world. The masks you can create are limited, and they are best focused on key areas of infiltration. From now on, making these masks will be a part of your day-to-day life; over a period of a month, you will spend an hour here and there to fashion the magical artefacts. The process is a slow one, and there will be times when it feels like so much work for so little, but you can make twelve a year, which is a sizeable increase to a pool of shapeshifting spies. Days turn to weeks, which blend into months. It is soon harvest season, and with the extra produce created, as well as the tax your farmers will pay you, it should be a profitable one. Your agents have snuck onto Lesser Anor and have found the target of blame for Hannon's coming assassination. It will soon be time for you to set off and return to the island you used to own. Your spies could do it without you, but it is something you want to take part in; you want your first taste of revenge against the humans that desecrate your birthright.Returning from a ride around your royal park, a servant waits for you at the entrance of the stable, she tells you that the council urgently requests your company. You go to your council chambers and hear the raised voices and outrage through the door. Steeling yourself with a deep breath, you open the door to see your council locked in a heated argument. Sitting idly by ignoring everything around it is a letter on the table. Your council falls to silence as you join them within the hall.
"Why have you summoned me?" You ask, not hiding your frustration, you do not like being summoned by your council. Silence grows until Peren speaks, "We have received a letter from the Republic of Moi, it contains an order." "And the order is?" You spare a half glance at the letter then return you glare to your councillors. "They want the destruction of the Anor!" Roars Ergon."Stop being hyperbolic, Ergon. We can work around this." Balfor groans, his frustration with his peer blatant."We should not have to work around this, this is an insult and an attack on our nation." Ergon retorts, the fire still very much burning within him."What do you suggest we do? Refuse the order and have them march their army across the seas to raze the last elven kingdom?" Luthiel sides with Balfor, shouting at your marshal."Quiet!" you demand in a hiss. You will not let them have this seemingly important discussion while you remain clueless. "What did the letter contain?"Ergon avoids your eyes and spots something on the council table that he has taken a sudden interest within. Peren looks around for someone else to break the news to you; seeing no one willing to take on the burden, he signs and accepts his role. "Queen Lyssandra, the government of Moi congratulates you on your growing openness to working with humanity. They expect great things to come to Anor with greater cooperation. In light of this, they feel that the collaboration between man and elf should be represented at the top of Anor's society to spearhead the change. They have ordered you to find a husband, a human husband; if you do not find one suitable within the year, then they will find you one befitting your status."
Thread done and archived catch you later. Hope you enjoyed it and look forward to the next one.
>>6044262What tremendous fucking cunts. Fuck. Alright, we need to replace Hugo with an elf before the year is out. Preferably Findel, since he’s already been disappeared. God, I hate those fucking savages on the mainland
>>6044262>Replace Hugo with a spy within a year>Marry "Hugo" >???>ProfitThis is so fucked, but at least we have a ready-made solution. If only we'd married sooner...
>>6044278>>6044266Good thing we set up the masks, Hugo economic zone, and getting ready to wipe out Hannon. I do think Moi might send in more illegals into Anor so next step is getting a disease spread throughout the elves to deter rapes. Or since we sent all our spies into Moi we can intercept their mail and change letters into something else to avoid another "marriage" offer.
>>6044262>find a human husband>give any elf a mask>???>profitas >>6044278 says, we should "marry" "Hugo" and profit... of course this is a secret no? HOWEVER, think on the outrage that this will cause our people, because elves can not know the truth...
>>6044299>Have children with "Hugo">They come out pureblooded elves>Obviously this is a consequence of royal elven genes, securing the monarchy3000 IQ
>>6044301Exactly my thought - we can throw a big party, make the savages on the mainland think they’ve won, invite lots of powerful people to the wedding for intel purposes and we marry Findel in a Hugo suit. But how can we signal to our kingdom that we’re in control? One thought is to have our “fiancé” tour our new Parliament but reveal subtle hints that he is actually Findel in disguise
>>6044262I wonder who's behind that idea
>>6044319The banker. When is it not
Findel will not tolerate the charade and its not as easy as making it an open secret... having purebreed is a must but all the politics are not in our favour.Maybe marry an elf NOW and pretend it happened before the letter arrived?
>>6044329Findel will do the right thing if he gets to be King for thousands of years afterwards, anon. Pretending to be a human shitbag for 20 years might be tolerable with such a payoff
>>6044377Marry elf!Hugo and take control of his empire and have a close casket funeral after twenty or even ten years of marriage as he dies from some human disease and either remarry to findel or another high elf to avoid this situation again. If Moi demands us to marry another human then we do the Hugo strat and pick another human to mask and take their empire.
>>6044301that or we have still-"births" using our shapeshifting powers if we can manage or it simply never bares fruit.>>6044304question is how well we can manage this baking trickery we can easily outlive hugo but not the political upheaval as it would signal a clear death keel of the elf race with us being a symbol
>>6044264Thanks for running OP. Any ETA for the next thread?
>>6044510We will see, really depends on how stressful work is when I move.
>>6044475We can magically plug his balls too
>>6044377>>6044379>>6044301I don't know why all of you are so content with having kids, or marrying long term.Marry him on the twelfth month, after we've had a spy shadow him for the last 11th and take his place, perfectly replicating his position for us. Marry, have no kids, have him tragically die in a couple years, with another "human" who is more then willing to take up his assests. After he "tragically" dies, we marry and actual elf.the end.
