>>303276
Emba has the right of it.

>>303686
no
>>303276
yes

>The White Morgren looks like the leader, but are their any other strong looking Morgren in this motley crew. The White Morgren could just be a face of the actual ruler of this tribe, after all.

Unless even that respect strength over anything else bit is wrong, a face for someone else is very unlikely. And if that bit is wrong, we know nothing beyond how they look. He may still be already loyal to someone else, but I think those won't be among the present Mordren.

If it isn't wrong, being aged and in a leadership position means Silverpelt is strong and clever, cunning, wily. He likely is old enough to remember the Fall of Mosmordre. To remember how strength and strength born arrogance didn't protect Mosmordre from guile, from a sneaky attack. And since he kept leadership with age, he very likely learned from it.

Kyorto has shown arrogance. If Mordre follows up with force, I don't think we will get more than lip service and young idiots and troublemakers. Mordre should at least give the appearance of not liking Kyorto's greeting. If he doesn't Mordre loses points with Silverpelt. Also Kyorto willingly submitting to a light scolding/dismissing of her actions, will show Mordre is the higher power between the two of them.

Mordre should avoid showing flaws of the Empire in his actions, like the overconfidence in strength, while using him being of the Empire to claim legitimacy as successor for loyalty. I believe Silverpelt is testing Mordre as much as anything else in this conversation.

>I don't think dissing kyorto infront of the life golems is a good idea
Quite clearly we cannot use programmed obedience. We need to earn it, and if we treat them second-class from the outset, how likely will we get loyalty and obedience.

>>304166
>>304166
>>304166
>>304166
>>304166
>>304166

>>303234

Respond with "Why?" in our best super magic soul eatin army slaughterin nation conquering double anthama doom golem voice.

>>304166
If we do do this, or anything that slights Kyorto, use Phohn to briefly describe our reasoning to her. No sense letting her follow our lead and fostering us resentment.

>>303234

>a single Morgren-one I nearly mistake as a yeti with his age-whitened pelt-simply stands.

NOPE. Not a mistake. This is CLEARLY Trollzaru's handywork as his alias Jogda. I don't know HOW he did it, but he did. Unless the Morgren stole enough money from other villages to buy some copies of "Hooked on Phonomancy" from the nearest Mortal Coil outpost- "...No." shouldn't be in the Morgren vocabulary.

Honestly we should kill it, drink the blood iron, and feed the soul to Goran. That's just my opinion. I really REALLY do not trust this thing.

>>304588
That is just excessive paranoia. Like really excessive

>>304166
Also, This is accurate in my view.

Alternatively if Morgren loyalty depends in the scent of a Mosmordren then try to find the hair or bones of a dead true Mosmordren and use your master Curatiomancy to regrow the body or simply copy the traits that generate a person's scent onto your faux body or Kyorto's life golem body.

Anyway do some diplomacy for now, but WATCH YOUR MOUTH! These guys are too scatterbrained to reliably keep any secrets. Try to discuss matters without giving away anything that would potentially harm your Mage Mordre image. Like Mosmordren resurrections and such.

If hostilities prove to be inevitable, I propose we start combat by singing them the song of our people.

>>303259
I affect suppressing a chuckle, finally getting used to the idiosyncracies of organic existence, as I do what I can to inject warmth into my words-I'll never understand why people say I sound cold and imperious not matter what tone I seek to emulate, I replicate the phonic frequencies and variations of others defined as speaking warmly, so why-

I digress, a habit that has of late grown more frequently indulged, in no small part thanks to my composite faux-human body.
"Hah, well, that's progress-no, as Gialgorra would say, that's SCIENCE for you. Be honest, were you really expecting it to work that easily? Decade and change for their bindings to grow lax?"
The empty sack of skin veiled as a matronly elder turns to regard me, irritation plain on her artifical features. With my True sight, I see past her visage-and find myself unable to tell if she is looking at my Soul Eden or my Composite golem as she speaks. Interesting.
>[Kyorto]"||It was inscribed into their souls, part of the fabric that makes them Life Golems-they could as soon stop following it as they could stop breathing||."
"||So you say-yet here we are. Perhaps it is my turn?||"
>[Kyorto]"||Yes-they should recognize the consistency of my soul, my new form should not influence their obedience.||"
"||We shall see.||"

I step forward-

And have a minor existential crisis.

My pseudo human vessel steps forward-my mind fully guiding and occupying it-but my mind is ALSO in my Soul Eden, equally perceiving reality from it. So did 'I' step forward-or was the body moving the equivalent of moving a hand? Do I even have a corporeal identity at this point?
I set that rather interesting line of thought on tertiary processing as I turn back to the matter at hand, eyes sweeping over the ancient and weathered Morgren before me.
>>303262
"||You would deny not just a citizen, but a mage of Mosmordre-that-was? Interesting...||"
>[Morgren Chieftain]"||You use it's tools, associate with it's detritus-but I do not feel the taint of the empire on you-what are you?||"
>>303238
>>303456
>>303686
"||You think you have the right to question us?||"
>[Morgren Chieftain]"||I have the right to question anyone surrounded in the heart of our camp, here uninvited.||"
"||So you think a force of arms, MIGHT is what allows you to demand answers?||"
>[Morgren Chieftain]"||We know the strength of Soul Graves-your tool does not frighten us, mage.||"
"||That's rich-you think this a Soul Grave? I suppose that would have been true a few months ago.||"
At this the easy-going atmosphere I've been projecting begins to crumble-the mechanical smile behind my silvered beard fading as my brows draw down like a guillotine.
"||But most importantly, it sounds like you think you could MAKE us answer your questions-am I reading you correctly?||"

I hear hundreds, thousands of scraping sounds and mutters, as weapons are checked, knuckles popped, and feet spread-I can feel the wondrous song of violence pervading the camp-and I relish the thought of wielding such a ready weapon as these Morgren. Resistence or no, I will have them.

>[Morgren Chieftain]"||Are you then refusing to answer my question?||"
"||Quite the contrary-I think I shall answer your question IN FULL||"
My last words are spoken in harmony, my living lips matching the words rattling out of the Soul Eden-I see some of the Morgren jump-as at least one of the more trigger-happy individuals lets fly his spear, A leg-thick, twelve foot long siege weapon carving through the air towards my through.

And so I begin.

Phohn, I have some requests of you....

Inches before the spear reaches me, Burduko plies the connection between his soul and mine to instantaneously appear at my side amidst his private tornado, a hand flashing to grab the spear mid-flight-

As around me, every one of my Corporeal Deep Spawn flits into being, all stored and brought within Rutgur, quickly spreading in a circle about me, spawn by the hundreds being produced to serve as a buffer, Nidhogg circling overhead. The din from the Morgren at the sudden appearance of a demonic army in the heart of their camp is silenced with a gesture by their chieftain.
>[Silverpelt]"||Impressive as the service of Deep Spawn is, their kind are known to us-the cost would be heavy, but all could still be felled. This clan numbers in the tens of thousands-and spawn bother us far less than they do frail humans like you.||"
"||You think me human, how quaint. Beyond that, you misconcieve my existence that grievously? It will have to be corrected.||"
Phohn, ask Burduko to initiate the next step please-

As the sun vanishes behind the sudden bulk of the Ark Ascendant, floating a scant hundred feet above the ground, the mile-wide monstrosity like the physical embodiment of my might-and while his followers gawk at the sudden fleshy presence, its surface already shifting and writhing-

I reach up and forcibly rip out my Small Tomb braincase and spinal column, head coming free in my hands as I continue speaking as if nothing happened, Soul Eden marching up behind me.
"||To mistake me as a human is nearly an insult. You've slipped your Mosmordren leash? Fine.||"

My soul, every Soul Nexus in the Soul Eden and every iota of excess belief energy all swirl around the Blood magic of my Soul Eden as I script one single, massive spell, Restricting it to apply only to the ground shadowed by the Ark Ascendant, boosting the power even higher-

"||PROSTRATE YOURSELVES BEFORE ME, MONGRELS||"

Save for my own forces and the ground we stand on, sheltered from the spells terrible effects-

The entire plateau on which we converse sinks ten feet, rumbling as tents are flattened, fires snuffed by sheer weight, and Morgren flattened by one massive Gravimancy working. While the spell did not encompass the entire tribe, I snared several thousand-

And save Silverpelt, barely staying on a single knee, is the lone Morgren not forced prone to the ground.

I idly march over to him as I replace my head, rebinding the Stone Golem layers to the Small Tomb core, resealing my skin as I pretend to idly ruminate.
"||I wonder just how many have made the mistake to assume me human.... Well, not that I complain.||"

I stare into Silverpelt's eyes, watching his muscles heave and twitch as he continues to fight the astounding pressures I ply upon the area.
"||You will not follow me due to the Empire's bindings, having long since slipped free of them-fine, I accept that. So choose to follow my strength instead. I can see it in your eyes-you grasp that you miscalculated, that we could indeed snuff out this tribe you hold so dear. Join yourself to my strength, and any threat that comes against you would face my wrath, just as you would, should you persist in this foolishness.||"
>[Silverpelt]"||So... serve you... or die... at your hands?||"
"||You wound me, to accuse me of such heavy handed diplomacy-I simply wish you aware I came to these lands for a reason-I will unify the Morgren tribes into a single, implacable army-if you are not willing to spearhead this for me, I shall leave you be-but whichever tribe I DO pick will not be so kind.||"
I give silverpelt a few seconds for this to sink in.
"||So your real choice is this-give up some of you independence, and be guided to command every Morgren tribe-or retain every scrap of your freedom-and face what the future holds alone, as you have before.||"

I make the Soul Eden take a few more steps forward, and lean down to add it's gaze to that of my faux-body, Ruby eyes sparking balefully amidst the golden-orange fire that perpetually encircles my golden skull.

"||So what's it going to be?||"

Two minutes later, I've got my Deep Spawn returned to their respective duties, the Ark Ascendant back over Mordreden, and Silverpelt (whose name, is it happens, is Mar Grun Ram Mag Mon The Wise) officially is swearing the Stone Knuckle Tribe into my service.

At twelve thousand of them. Not a bad start.





Well, I've conquered one of I don't know how many tribes-what is my next move?
Do I want to keep flying tribe to tribe and force them into submission personally, or should I set Mar Grun Ram Mag Mon up with what he needs to begin a war of unification, just the same as the one Lorgk is finally wrapping up?

>>307881
Get one more tribe under your belt personally. Otherwise there will likely be heavy losses incurred from getting that second tribe subjugated.

Also, this is interesting. They say they can kill Deep Spawn, and they are free from the Mosmordre loyalty that was inscribed upon their souls? I predict that there are Soul Mages amongst this tribe.

>>307881
>Well, I've conquered one of I don't know how many tribes-what is my next move?

Find out. We do have issues with the state to take care of, but just get a quick run down of who's in charge, how many tribes there are, and what resources the Stone Knuckles can bring to bare. Inspect the camp.

>Do I want to keep flying tribe to tribe and force them into submission personally, or should I set Mar Grun Ram Mag Mon up with what he needs to begin a war of unification, just the same as the one Lorgk is finally wrapping up?
Mar Grun Ram Mag Mon seems quiet cunning and we haven't gifted ourselves to the Morgren in the same way we did the Premen. Have Mar Grun Ram Mag Mon get a army of conquest whipped up and march at the rear. See how these morgren match up without the training and such.

>>307881
It seems like it might be worth it to do a bit of reconnaissance. We don't need to know every tribe that's out there, just which ones the Stone Knuckle Tribe believes are the weakest and most easily absorbed. Then we can leave them too their business, well mostly. I think we could afford to detach our eyes to follow the fight, casting illusions from Orochoth if required. Keep the Amaranthine Annihilator on hold unless it is absolutely necessary, like if there was a vast miscalculation in the level of power one of the tribes possesses.

Well, your medium term plan for the Mogren should be to introduce them to Lubu. I have a feeling they'd get along...

We should work with Mar Grun Ram Mag Mon to unify the tribes, and each time we subjugate one, you should send it down to serve in Lubu's forces as mercenaries.

You should also ask the Mogren if they have any particularly interesting loot - powerful magical weapons, large gems, or Coloured Metals that you could use. You can make it worth their while (using Curiatomancy to upgrade them if they're willing).

Also, I suggest you spend a Pristine Soul to upgrade your ability to control multiple golems simultaneously. That way you can keep your Soul grave body backing up your Mogren tribes, whilst having your other body show its face in the State. Whilst doing this, you can tell the Mogren's neighbours that you have found a way to save them from their depredations - you have introduced them to a foreign ruler willing to sate their desire for bloodlust, and he's giving them another outlet. This peaceful resolution to a problem will augment our Philosopher-King Belief.

>Do I want to keep flying tribe to tribe and force them into submission personally, or should I set Mar Grun Ram Mag Mon up with what he needs to begin a war of unification, just the same as the one Lorgk is finally wrapping up?

This worked out quite nicely, didn't it? It is good that we don't have to go through tedious process of diplomacy every single time.
Why would we set MarGrun to start a war of unification? The war will bring only casualties and in the end we will have less force to command.
I say we do the same thing we just did, every time adding a thousand of the most Elite Morgen with us, till we have united every damn tribe in the region with MarGrun as our representative.

Okay, remember how we used Bobobo for mines in the state? We need to do the same with the Premen, and also find good places to open tunnels for the Deep Spawn cause that gets us stuff. The Premen are going to need these for when they start getting geared up to arm the Morgren with their budding industrial society. Can't have the state supplying their shit. Also, we should find the two most bad-ass Morgren missing an arm in the tribe. One gets a curatiomancy special, some sort of monstrously clawed arm with the electric thing bang has. The other gets a premen made prosthetic. Main purpose of this is turning them into rivals, because we know how good rivals are for soul growth. And send a couple into the Ark to train with the Apostles of Bang.

Now, aside from that, I agree we should do more or less the samething we did here to the next largest tribe, and start talking with Lubu about a moving the army into the LoD. And of course going over loot. Human sized weapons, money, gems, and things in general the Morgren can't use. Don't go taking their useful stuff though, cause they got war to start.

>>307881
first get a report from the silverpelted morgren on the surrounding tribes, if their the biggest then like the others sugested set them to the unification war after giving them a heap of technomagic weapons. if their not the major tribe then find the greatest tribe and hammer it into submision.

Dont forget to check what they have for loot and get the detail of how they unbound themselves from their servitude.

>>307906
I say relegate this to the Deep Spawn, and maybe Lorgk's people. We're probably going to want to send them down to Lubu eventually, but they should get to know/bond with the Premen, too. They're both going to be our 'ace in the hole' in case we need to switch from diplomacy to bloody (bloodIER) conquest.

Plus, I don't know if we want to associate ourselves with leading the Morgren, if anyone could conceivably find out about it.

>Sending Morgren to LoD
>Telling neighbouring countries that Morgren problem has been dealt with
NO!
Absolutely not!!!
Morgren are ace in our sleeve, just like Premen and the Ark.
We should not reveal our cards to anyone just like that.

If we feel that we need more power against anti-Lubu coalition. If our officers and spawn are not enough, then maybe we will use our other resources.


I say we indentify 4 of the strongest tribes and assimilate them the same way as we did with this one. After that it would be easy for them to unite the rest.

As was suggested previously, I think we ought to have the chief conquer the other Morgren. A trial by combat is an excellent test to ensure he's capable of leading this army, and they should respond more readily to a Morgren leader backed by unstoppable doom monster #1.

There's nothing wrong with providing a little support, but keep it one step removed. Weapons, healing, and enhancement are all fine but direct intervention would suggest that this tribe needs our assistance to win.

As to their purpose, we're never short of wars and it can wait.

Awesome update.

>>307885 has the right idea I think. However, remember: They havent subsumed the other tribes by themselves already, which implies that its going to be more costly for them than would be worth it. As such, SOME form of support would be necessary. Aid them in conquering the first of their enemies personally. This will give further chance to demostrate your potency, and once the ball gets rolling, it should snowball nicely.

>>307957
>Morgren are ace in our sleeve, just like Premen and the Ark. We should not reveal our cards to anyone just like that.
Agreed

I am with those who say that before deciding HOW we approach the conquest of the other morgreen we should ask the ones we just conquered for more info.

Hmmm. These guys ARE badasses, but perhaps we should subjugate one or two more tribes ourselves. Just to make sure they've got a head start.

Seriously, just think about it.
They have existed for 17 years after the Empires destruction. These are creatures made for war and they love fighting, it is justifiable to assume that they have established tribe, fought each other and made enemies (not unlike the situation with Premen). So after all these years they have stricken some kind of power balance, no tribe is ruling all other tribes and if one tries to go for complete dominance it does not have enough power to gain it.
It is safe to assume that sending Silverpelt with the instruction of uniting all the tribes will end in failure, he might have a powerful tribe but he will be going against other powerful tribes too.

Mordre needs to subjugate as much of tribes he can manage, big, small, medium, does not matter. Each time he could take the leader of the previous tribe and a group of the most elite soldiers from it with him to add points to his "argument"

We also should establish connection between our holding here and Premen lands, so that they can benefit from each other. Perhaps Premen could supply high-quality arms and weapons (somehow, I don't think that Morgren are fit for crafting equipment)

I think we should subjugate a few tribes ourselves. The reason our work with the prmen went over so well is because we built up a very good relationship with them before leaving them to there own devices. If we simply hand this guy the tools of conquest and say go at it, he may not stay loyal. We should build up our relationships with him some more before leaving them to there own devices, and the best way to do that is to conquer some of the neighboring tribes with him. Once the stone knuckle tribe is well established, and loyal to us we can leave them to finish up.

I support getting more intelligence on the other tribes and the lands from Mar Grun Ram Mag Mon The Wise.

Mordre also promised Mar Grun Ram Mag Mon that he would be our General of Morgren when we explained his choice between service and support on one hand and freedom and hanging on his own on the other. Act like it!
Ask Mar Grun Ram Mag Mon him to make a plan to conquer the other tribes. Then review it together with him, his war council(if he has one) and Kyorto for tough spots we can use our power to make go easier or faster. Ask what he wants or needs for his clan, he may think of something we can provide, but won't think of on our own.

We can offer armor and weapons made by Idoneus and perhaps the Premen. I don't think we should bring State products as large scale large Morgren sized armor and weapon production is kind of obvious. It makes our neighbors more nervous when we want them complacent and if someone sees the Morgren with new Morgren sized equipment, or even State specialties, the connection is too easy to make.

IIRC Bang spends time on the Ark with some regularity, which limits the Ark's involvement with the Morgren. Bang may tolerate the Morgren more as he is from the Despardos and their mindsets mesh. Nonetheless I am reluctant to get him involved after the show we just gave to the Morgren since we are still trying to keep quiet what Mordre really is.

I am also against sending Morgren to the LoD. The Mortal Coil has contacts and influence there, too. If our association with Morgren gets noticed in the LoD, the news will travel quickly north.

>>308248
The Mortal Coil doesn't have a presence there actually, that's the point of Lenryt's task, to have one there under her control. Which we really should ask Lubu about so we can finally get a hold of those two boons.

PS attempts: The suspected fragment of the Caged One originally manifested as a being of molten stone--perhaps, then, its skeleton (at least) is made of solid stone. Then, perhaps the stone in Moss a piece of the Caged One's bones? Then, as such, using that stone as a component to a metal would allow the resulting alloy to break Lortoxite.

Also, regarding the Curse, I would think that the Deep Spawn Scientomancers (if they created, or are able to modify, the System) would be so careless to deliberately set in commands that would so grievously damage the System with no gain. As Eldghodd mentioned that a tremendous amount of energy was released, presumably from the Caged One, perhaps the Curse is a desperation move; if the Caged One becomes close to obtaining its freedom from its cage, then the Deep Spawn Scientomancers probably will release planet-/continent-wide Curse, which would slow/stop the Caged One's growth temporarily.

Given the birth of World Parasites, whose appearance have been established as marking the end of the sleep of Planet Gods, the consequences of the above (particularly the loss of all the souls caught in the Curse) may explain, in part, why the Deep Spawn desire living mortals: those traded mortals are souls held in storage for re-population of the lands affected by the Curse.

Of course, if the Cursed Lands are any indication of what happens in a full-fledged Curse, most of those released mortals won't live long (which might be designed, as that would ensure continued influx of souls to the System).

Anyways.

On the Morgren, get them started on a war of unification; however, care should be taken so that your name (Mordre, Mage Mordre, etc.) won't be mentioned in association with the war and/or Morgren; while the Morgren are not monitored quite that closely that the general populace would known of this meeting unless the big players decide to release the info; a war of unification would be noticed (if only because of the reduced number of raids), and warrants investigation.

Also, when things with the Morgren are set in motion and back in someplace secure, consult with Kyorto and your Deep Spawn on how to Restrict or otherwise more firmly gain the loyalty of the Morgren to you.

Then, an idea on how to create a Mask: your Faith Soldiers are already Belief Constructs, could a Faith Soldier's body be shaped to conform to the Mask's (so the Faith Soldier more readily possesses the Mask) and Soul Magic used to write the algorithms that governs the capabilities of the Mask (particularly how they sustain their existence: the Faith Soldier should be made to be able to draw upon the Golden Mask's Belief, as well as the Belief that it exists)? Bang's little collection of Masks should provide sufficient basis. And, if the above method allows the creation of a Mask, maybe the creation should take place in the Ark, where Bang, with his Mask (and the information that his Mask empowers him), have predisposed the populace that Masks empower people, which would provide a replacement/supplement to the Desparden Mask Belief.

>>307902
>loot
Yes, see if the Morgren are willing to part with any of the loot from their raids since the Empire's destruction. Kyorto stated that Morgren generally don't care much about keeping what they get, but, as one of the bindings (hmm, not restrictions, but bindings: given the dealings with the Deep Spawn, Restrictions upon one's soul in Mosmordre should be in the vein of Deep Spawn Restrictions, I would think, which cannot be easily removed, but bindings in the vein of Weinsho's on Dulu, based on Soul Magic... Yeah, like >>307884 says, someone's using Soul magic.) have been circumvented, what shes recalls of the Morgren of her time may not hold true for the Morgren now. So, yeah, probe for the willingness to part with loot that you are interested in: precious metals, gems, tomes on magic, etc. If they are willing to just hand their ill-gotten gains over without fuss, that's good; if not, find out the price, pay it if it is not too much, go on with your day if it is.

>Pristine Soul
No; I think it would be best for Mordre to discover the limits of this ability without the use of a Pristine Soul. Of course, work must be done on testing the ability: particularly, the multi-tasking capability--perhaps the Soul Eden's boosted thought processing could be used to assist control of the Mage Mordre body or have the Soul Eden off fighting somewhere while Mage Mordre works in the State, for example?

>>307884
...I wonder, if but one tribe is... sufficient to my needs.

>>307885
I idly turn back to the one I call Silverpelt, Mar the Wise, and begin asking questions.
"||So-how many tribes are there in need of unification?||"
>[Silverpelt]"||Ten more, War God.||"
"||Ah, catchy title-but don't forget my name-further, anything of note you could mention about the other tribes would be useful.||"
Still treating my 'flesh' body as my primary, I am lucky enough to see the comparatively towering Morgren bowing double in genuflection as he offers words.
>[Silverpelt]"||Of course... War God Mordre. Of the tribes nearest to us, only one is truly a threat: The Iron Head Clan, lead by Gorth the Unyielding, is one of the strongest clans. It's absentee leader, Gorth the One-Named, is the greatest warrior to walk these planes.||"
"||Is that a fact? And where can I find this Gorth?||"
>[Silverpelt]"As is oft the case, he is not present-he travelled south two years ago, leaving his whelp, [b][u][i]Gorr Rup Mar The Destroyer. Even a shadow of the fighter his father is.. none can match him. His power, and that of his fathers, has crushed countless plans over the years.||"

This I am finding more and more intriguing-Mar Grun Ram Mag Mon has struck me from the start as one to lead with his mind, not his arm-whereas this Iron Head clan sounds quite the opposite. ...Two tribes, one lead by cunning, one lead by brawn... two complementary clans against nine.... yes, I could see this working.
>>307895
I flit about the camp, asking questions as I don't bother walking, simply floating from place to place on amounts of magic that would ignite the fat of a mortal mage.... organics, they are just not built to last...

Quite possibly the most important thing I learn is the clan's history-truncated or no. One of the oldest clans, Silverpelt has been leading them since the fall of the empire. Originally they were part of military forces in the swamps south of where the Empire once was-when the last Mosmordren fell, they eventually found their way west, settling here. A few years passed-and those contingents of Morgren on the eastern front made their way here as well, following talk of other Morgren. Marmon, Sporth and Calro were the first three tribes to form. From there... nothing but constant faction friction, squabbles, clashes and strife.

I take a seat atop a worn stone in the center of the camp, presumable the leader's seat of authority as I muse on a couple subjects, watching the Morgren slowly start to warm to Kyorto-who seems to be genuinely enjoying demonstrating the fact she is no longer human.
"||This Iron Head clan.... does it share a border with you?||"
>[Silverpelt]"||The Iron Head Clan is at the heart of this land, bordered on all sides by foes-yes, they share a border with us, as they do with everyone. They are the hub of the Morgren wheel.||"
"||I see-and which direction are they?||"
>[Silverpelt]"||West and South, War God Mordre.||"
"||I find it interesting you call me War God when I didn't kill any of the tribe members. In fact I haven't killed anyone today...directly.||"
>[Silverpelt]"||Even were it not for the.... the death I can feel about your metal guardian, I would know you as what you are.||"
"||How? Several have commented on this but I do not know what they are percieving.||"
"||...Life-it holds meaning to everyone and everything that draws breath-all share the fear of eternal sleep, of never acting again-but for you, life.... does not seem the same. Looking in your eyes is like looking in the eyes of a mountain after it crushes those who lived on it: It does not matter to the mountain that some mourn an event, the mountain simply does what its purpose dictates it should do.||"
"||An interesting description-so I don't value life the same way as mortals... makes sense, all things considered.... well-||"
>>308016
"||A question, then: Should Gorr be removed from the picture absent his father, could you conquer the Iron Head tribe?||"
>[Silverpelt]"||In half a day, if I knew when he was to be removed. If we did not know in advance, so as to strike hard and fast... I do not know. Perhaps.||"
"||Capital!||"
>>308070
>>308214
>>308248
I check with Phohn-blast, Bang is back in the Ark Ascendant now-had I acted ten seconds earlier... ah, well, no point now, he'd be suspicious if I asked him to vacate. ...My Deep Spawn are likewise restored to their earlier posts. I leave Kyorto... and my Soul Eden with the Stone Knuckles clan, and pop into the air with forceful application of Kinetomancy and Gravimancy-who needs to use Aeromancy for flight when you have enough magic force to scoff at your own total mass? Besides, I would presume most anti-flier wards and magics to target Aeromancy-not using it could turn out most beneficial.
>[Silverpelt]"||..War God Mordre, do you wish us to start marching on the Iron Head clan?||"
"||Immediately-I shall deal with Gorr-have fun with his followers, would you?||"
>[Silverpelt]"||The Stone Hands clan will not let this chance fall from our grasp.||"

As I fly into the air, I watch the camp exploding into motion, Silverpelt issuing orders like a stage master cracking his whip, disorder becoming functional mayhem in seconds. I smile at the sight, at more living weapons slaved to my name as I turn to face South-West-

And continue on my way.

Through my Soul Eden, I inform Kyorto that we both are there only as support, not as fighters or offensive mages-this is to assess the clan's competence, not our own-something she seems to have already puzzled out.

I enjoy my moment of solitude, inhabiting this body that outwardly looks so.... [i]fleshy[i/], beard streaming out over my shoulders like a massive salt and pepper scarf-as I see the lean-tos and tents beneath me begin to shift. Gone are the rock clusters I now recognize as symbols of the Stone Knuckles Clan-and in their place, are lumps of iron-some even passably shaped into skulls. I would venture a guess I am over the Iron Skull's territory now.

I scan the landscape below, watching, seeking.... if I were a strength based leader of a Morgren clan, where would I-

I see a Morgren head and shoulders taller than any other present, so laden with muscle he's bulkier than my Soul Eden even WITH overarmor on-he looks as big as an Alchemical giant!

That would be Gorr, then.

From slightly about a mile about ground level, I climb. Two... three.... four miles up, I stop and consider.

I lash together my magic, wishing I could replicate the impressive Blood Magic of my Soul Eden in this form, weaving Pyromancy, Gravimancy and Kinetomancy together. I script a column of fire to burn away the air before me-I script a gravimantic weight to bring me earthward faster-and I script a Kinetomancy net to push me down even as I am pulled. My magic finalized, I link it all to a single restriction-

As I begin my descent.

Four miles.

I cover it in one second.

Yet instead of charging straight into battle with the massive Gorr-or even using that incredible force to leave a smoking crater in his camp, every bit of magical and kinetic energy simpy vanishes the moment I touch down-so that to any eyes but those, perhaps, of Bang, I appear to have simple materialized.

In the middle of their camp.

Ten feat before their leader.

I see Gorr thinking, mouth opening to react to my presence-and I speak over him, counting down. Fifteen...

"||I have come here to challenge the Iron Skulls chieftain to a trial by combat, to determine who is strong enough to lead.||"
Seven seconds....
"||Do you accept?||"
Five seconds...

Instead of words, a consonent-less roar rattles out from his barrel chest, as Gorr throws a fist larger than Keddic my way, with all the finality of an executioner's axe.

The fist closes.
One.....

And the trigger is met, my hand rising to meet his.

From an outside perspective, unversed or unaware of the intricacies of magic, I'm certain this looked quite impressive. The diminuitive, frail-seeming old man, standing to face the towering titan of muscle-and doing what I do.

The moment our flesh makes contact, the second of two Restrictions is met.

1-Fifteen seconds after touching the ground is the only point at which the stored magic can be discharged.
2-The discharge can only be made body-to-body, and as such the spell has a touch-range.

Pretty persnickety Restrictions... and when you pile them on top of all that magical energy I built up-

Instead of being crushed by a fist several times my size (the result most were expecting) the crisp, salty air is filled with a cacophony of resouning cracks and creaks-

As Gorr's arm twists and breaks and implodes in on itself, hit with such a vicious force his own formidable strength is ignored-

And the multiton leader of the Iron Hands clan, who rules by strength-

Is overpowered and sent flying by a puny 'human', twirling and tumbling viciously through the air to crash into his own tent.

With but one finger.

....Why was it that I did not use Restrictions on my magic before, I no longer recall.

In any event, as Gorr, now pulling himself free of the wreckage of his own tent, stares at me, I note I have the eyes and ears of every Morgren within eyeshot.







Now.... what to say, given at this very moment the Stone Knuckles tribe is invading with everything they've got?

how about something along the lines of, huh I really thought he would be stronger than that. Try and come off as disappointed in the strength of your foe, that'll do fun things to the iron skulls morale.

>>308516
haha! I loled. definitely do that.

mmm, you could use your teleporting deepspawn to whisk him away to your soul eden and either execute him for his soul.... or hold him captive for the duration of the fight while assessing the effectiveness of your new fighters.

I just love the idea of getting all the morgreen to think of you as "War God Mordre"... that would be some nice boost in your faith power too.

Of course, mordre is not quite up to god standards yet... And even when he finally ascends this means much much more interaction/competition with elder "gods" like the wanderer and the critic and the fan.

"My, they don't make Morgren like they used to."
walk over to him, as he's getting up, and force him to his knees. "I am the War God Mordre, and you will kneel before me. I take your clan, and all your people, under my banner. if you ever act against me again, whatever soul you may have is forfeit, and you will sleep forever. Are we clear? Stand down your men!"

Using phonomancy, call to Silverpelt that you have been victorious.

I'm really liking Mar.

>>308533
'War God Mordre' does have a certain ring to it, even if it might be unwise to spread our name around as 'leader of the morgren'.

"So do I, War God Mordre, claim you as mine. Iron Heads, even as we speak the Stone Knuckles come to meet you in battle. Let us see which of the mightiest clans emerges victorious, shall we?"

Then during the ensuing monster mosh pit, use your body and saw rings to heal the fallen while simultaneously lowering their blood pressure to induce unconsciousness. Or can you force them into a hibernation-like state?

Anyway, lets see how they do, shall we? Perhaps the victor's Chief shall become Overchieftain under you, or perhaps they shall rule jointly and you just want to see some blood sports.

>>308516
>>308533
Countermand both, insults will only incite the rest to anger and possibly swarm tactics. And I want to take this big'un alive.


Instead, calmly observe that despite your aged appearance, you've had ample opportunity to prove otherwise in personal combat, and apologize for not having enough time to make that known beforehand so he could be more prepared for what he was going up against. Afterward, inquire if he'd prefer to yield, so that the loss of an arm would be the immediate end of things, as opposed to being further mangled if the match becomes prolonged.

Ok, i suggest building different bodies for use when you are dealing with people better not associated with 'Mordre'.

In the case of mordren, maybe a life golem- like one, but in many other cases, yet again different kinds.

this will really help secrecy.

Walk up to Gorr Rup Mar. Offer him your hand. “Join with me, and I will mend your arm, and lead your tribe to great strength. Resist, and you will lose another limb.”

>>308516
>>308533
>>308534
No, no, no and no.

>....Why was it that I did not use Restrictions on my magic before, I no longer recall.
true, we need to use them more. Much more, heck, if done properly pretty much every spell could be put under a restriction.

I don't think Gorth is going to give up so fast.
You could say "This is but a fraction of my strength, bow down to me and I might spare your life!"

Spell restriction ideas:
You could predict again when he is going to strike you and restrict you spells that way
Spell that works only against Morgren (or giant creatures)
Spell that works only at this time of the year/day
Spell that works when you are on ground/air
when enemy is on ground/air
Spell that works only on touch/only when enemy hits you/only when hit on certain area.
Spell that works only on living being
Spell that can be only cast by non-living beings
Spell that works only during the song of our people
etc

>>308598

>Restriction-based spells

DEADLY DIRGE

Remember the Dirge back from when we burned souls alive? We have some ability with phonomancy, so let's Restrict it.

The basic spell is that it amplifies the Dirge to injure people. Include the following Restrictions:

>It only works when more than four hundred individuals are within a mile of Mordre.
>It only targets individuals you designate, no one else.
>It only works during the day.
>It only works during x season (The one you plan to go to war during)
>It only targets the eardrums of those you designate.

The result? During a summer war, you can point at a guy and make him deaf when you use the Dirge.

...Bang's back in the Ark? Shall we presume that he and his father were successful in their mission to save his mother?

Also, when did Mordre gain Gravimancy and Aeromancy as options? Did those stem from the influence of the part of Mordre's soul that came from Nidhogg's and the Ark Ascendant's souls?

On what to do, I like Guile's idea of letting the two clans fight for a while, though Mordre should inform them that he has taken control of both the Stone Knuckles and Iron Heads. The idea of using Curatiomancy (with the saw rings to bypass the Combat limitation) to prevent casualties/fatalities sounds good as well. Letting them fight also has the benefit of allowing Mordre to harvest any Morgren Blood that spills during the fighting; as Morgren have innately magical blood, this should be a good opportunity to work out the benefits of adding Morgren Blood Iron to the Soul Eden alloy. (Also with the harvesting Morgren Blood suggestion, get what can be salvaged from Gorr's destroyed arm.)

>>308551
>multiple bodies
This sounds like a good idea, especially if Mordre manages to gain effective multi-tasking; though, I worry that magical effectiveness of each individual body would decrease too much for Mordre's current ability if magic has to be used from multiple bodies simultaneously. For the Morgrens, could the Life Golem be made from a hybrid Morgren/Rageglut/War Hound base, saturated with World magic from being made in a Leyline Geyser? Hopefully the LoD influence would suggest a Morgren who went south and then returned to conquer and unify the clans; adding another set of camouflage to disguise 'Mage Mordre's' influence. Kyorto's and Bobobo's aid should be used to disguise the look of Mordre's soul to look like a Morgren's, as well (possibly based and Restricted to the Morgren-interface body).

I'd like to remind people that we are not here to conquer the iron skull's ourselves, we are using them to test and bloody the stone knuckle tribe. we are killing the leader of the iron skull tribe to give the stone knuckle tribe an easy win. changing the plan mid battle would be a bad idea. to get the morgen under us, we need mar both loyal and respectful.

>>308691
...We're not killing Gorr; he is much more valuable as a warrior and leader than as a dead soul giving the Soul Eden an ability, however potent it may be.

>>308608
Kinda disagree on the restriction used.

Why not make the opposite- a sound made to boost the moral of our troop instead?

i feel it goes better with the whole 'soul eden' schitck.

>>308547
Agreed. And this test was really more to get the Iron Skulls and Stone Knuckles both rolled into our army. If we want to test either one, Im sure there will be Morgren Tribes who refuse to join.

If necessary, continue to mangle limbs if he does not yield.

Outright insulting there clan should be reserved for if they are belligerent. Our goal, again, is to join the two clans, and as many others as possible, under our banner.

>>308356
Yes, but that only means there are no Mortal Coil schools in the LoD. Individual mages of the Mortal Coil are there or have holdings there, see Lenryt and Weinsho. There is also communication between LoD mages and Mortal Coil members simply because Mortal Coil controls most of the research in the North.

>>308516
>>308533
>>308534
No insulting. We want the Iron Skulls to be absorbed by the Stone Knuckles. Insulting doesn't help.

Our goal is to remove Gorr from the Iron Skulls as his presence is what prevents an absorption.
>>308547
Similiar to this, but don't apologize. Use Gravimancy restricted to the area under his body to keep him prone and advance slowly. I do not think he will yield yet, if he even can and the challenge wasn't implicitly to the death in Morgren culture. As suggestion:

"You only see this old and frail body. You think, how dare this puny figure challenge you. You are mighty, but you are sadly lacking in Strength. Let me show you Strength."

If he survives, we can't leave him there without setting up a conflict between Gorr and Silverpelt to later interfere with our army. So play up our War God impression with the Stone Knuckles. Give Gorr a task or a godly curse (turns out to be boon once you learned the lesson it shall teach you).

If he doesn't survive, get the Soul Eden there and eat him. Then see if you can turn the body into one of your extras as >>308551 suggests.

I am not sure which option I prefer, keep in mind we are using our fleshy body and a little error can cost us this fight. Better concentrate on winning first and keeping Gorr alive second.


>>308608
>>308698

Actually I am against restricting the effect of the Dirge. The Dirge already has effects and if we continue to use it, Believe Magic will enhance the Dirge with time. In general time restrictions like day, night or season are to be treated with caution.

>>308616
>...Bang's back in the Ark? Shall we presume that he and his father were successful in their mission to save his mother?

Bang hasn't left yet. That is still 05 Game Days in the future.

>>308698
Or instead of making enemies deaf (which kind of defeats the purpose of the dirge) make them shit and fear in horror. Unspeakable terrors will haunt their wakened minds as long as they can hear it.

all interesting ideas, though we might want to move discussion on how to best weaponize the dirge to the discussion thread.

>>308543
I stride forward, enjoying the abrupt increase in respect afforded to my diminutive frame. Eyes, once mocking, now watchful and wary stay glued to my every move.

"||Well-I could continue tearing you apart limb by limb-but that seems largely pointless.||"
Gorr begins tearing himself free of the wreckage, a wagon's worth of herbs in his good hand, munching away.
"||Instead I'd point out the Stone Knuckle tribe is currently attacking your clan with everything they have."
His arm struggles to repair itself, but the mangled mess is so far gone whatever he consumed does little for him. It dangles at his side as he comes to a sudden start, just as he began to charge.
"||I have no motivation to lie-no reason to find combat against you something I need to have stopped. I would be more entertained watching your two clans struggle, and you would be best served moving to prove your clan's dominance in the struggle.||"
I can feel the bloodlust radiating off his body like heat from a furnace-yet Gorr continues to restrain himself. He looks to one side, eying a Morgren in a crude watch tower-as his response confirms my story, the Iron Skulls temporary chief says but one word.
>[Gorr]"||Why?||"
I smile that smile of mine, one I staunchly defend as being intended as fond, while dissenters continue to label it 'demonic', words pouring from my mouth.
>>308616
>>308702
"||I need an Army, Gorr. I need one that is cunning, and powerful. Your clan shall provide the power-the Stone Knuckles the cunning. The question is, of the two once-seperate forces, who will be left dominant once the dust settles?||"
>[Gorr]"||A test?||"
"||Precisely-I shall be acting to minimize casualties during this venture.||"
My Soul Eden, amidst the Stone Knuckles, begins enforcing bleedout deterrence as fighters drop to the ground.
"||In fact I'm already doing it. I'd suggest you hurry, if you wish to prove your own worth here.||"
Again, a long, slow stare-that raging heat subsiding, as he looks past me. He comes to a decision-and rushes past me, leading every one of his clansmen into battle. I follow along, and from both centers of the now raging battle, I act to mitigate fatalities, while I assess what I hope to be the seed of the coming Pan-Morgren Army.

The Iron Skulls are without a doubt, warrior for warrior, larger, stronger, and more durable as a whole. They also outnumber the Stone Knuckles by a very slim margin of a few hundred bodies. Despite this, the Iron Skulls are losing-and it's because they don't seem to grasp the difference between a brawl, and war. Each Iron Skull fights their own fight-and while each are mighty warriors, against three or more foes they fall easily enough. Gorr himself is a classic example of his clan-even with one arm useless, he fells dozens of the largest and most powerful warriors amongst the Stone Knuckles-all of them of a size with my Soul Eden. In terms of raw physical might, he does quite well, his blows unblockable, only avoidable. But his power is as unfocused as his clan-and having had some time to organize first, the Stone Knuckles were able to prepare themselves well enough that they never lost their initial momentum, and firmly establish the battlefield's flow as under their control. The Iron Knuckles are dropped, one by one-and because the warriors take so long to fall, and all are blessed with wondrously resilient forms, I'm able to prevent a great many deaths-out of perhaps twenty five thousand individuals, one thousand, eight hundred seventy individuals perish-all added to my Soul Eden during the battle-all in all, a rather bloodless affair. Gorr himself continues to fight after the last of his clansmen has fallen, several hundred Stone Knuckles simply piling on him to restrain him. Mar strides up to the raging yet immobilized enemy chieftain.
>[Mar]"||Where is your clan?||"
Half-blinded by his own blood, Gorr blinks, looking around-and sees his clan broken, beaten around him. The fight in his eyes dies, and he slumps like a puppet with hiss strings cut.
>[Mar]"||Will you serve as Field Pariah, and fight on under... War God Mordre's banner? Or will you choose death?||"
>[Gorr]"||That name of little one?||"
>[Mar]"||Yes, Gorr son of Gorth.||"
>[Gorr]"||....Then, choose to live, fight on.||"
>[Mar]"||An excellent choice.||"

I continue to attend to the wounded, restoring them to health as those already healed or largely unharmed set to collecting together, as I issue forth an edict to one and all of them, Phohn aiding me by whispering it into their each and every mind.
"||What I want is simple-I want your two tribes to conquer every other. To do that, you will need to become a single, unified force, one those broken before you can bow to. Do not feel obligated, at this point, to cling to as much territory as you can-use all your resources to gear for war, and unify your people. If you prove yourselves to weak to accomplish such-then I shall find those who can. Beyond that-I leave to you the methods to use. I shall be watching.||"

With that-Phohn summons Burduko and Rutgur, my Soul Eden, my Faux-Body and Kyorto are all brought back to the Azelhaedran state. Upon our return, still within the warded teleportation room, Kyorto speaks.

>[Kyorto]"...I find you remind me of someone."
"Would that someone be a Chaos-mage? A Legendary one, perhaps?"
Kyorto looks at me sharply, her illusion cracking for an instant before being repaired.
"Oh yes-I know who you speak of."
>[Kyorto]"...You're like him, in that way-he could either sway others to his way with words-or failing that bend them to his will with power."
She seems for a moment as if she has more to say-but our return is not unnoticed, as Arkus, having wheedled the information from Phohn, immediately begins bombarding us both with the backup of duties from our little outing. ...While not as exciting, this forms the conclusion of my day.

[ [DAY 206: DAY 6 OF CYCLE 3 OF MONTH 7]
[Lorthday of the Third Cycle of Malanius]

A new day dawns-and it seems Dregas has requested an early-day council meeting. He includes a note that he has both good news-and urgent news. Seeing no reason to reject him, I make my way to the meeting, running into Carkiano and Eisenhardt on the way.
>[Carkiano]"You know what the hubbub's about?"
>[Eisenhardt]"The good news is likely that we finished acquisitions of the Mahnlea trading company-I have some friends there that wrote me-but I'd hardly call it urgent. I don't suppose you know, Mordre?"
I merely quirk a bristled eyebrow at the lean old man, who heaves a long-suffered sigh.
>[Eisenhardt]"Well, I suppose it isn't like I expected differently. Incidentally, where did you go yester... you wouldn't answer that either, would you Prime Councilor?"
>[Carkiano]"Not like he has to."
>[Eisenhardt]"...Yes, there is that. I still find myself chuckling, thinking what the me of just a few months ago would think, seeing me here now."
>[Carkiano]"Hah-I know the feeling?"
>[Eisenhardt]"Do you?"

As we arrive at the council room, their conversation dies, as we all enter. Dregas, patiently waiting, seals the door as the last member enters and begins speaking even as he walks to his seat.

>[Dregas]"Originally today I was going to be telling you that we finished acquiring ownership of fifty two percent of Mahnlea shipping companies-but a new problem has arisen. It seems that some two thirds of our trade partners are looking to opt out of contracts early, citing warnings from the mortal coil as their reason. It would seem our entire nation is being economically blacklisted as of this morning-I only have this news thanks to how we trade."


Every set of eyes in the room turns towards me.







What should I say or do?
What else should we discuss at today's meeting?

Hmmm. This is bad. Some bugger is trying to destroy us economically, since both magic and force failed. This is starting to test our patience. First that bastard steals a Soul Grave, then that little bugger pops in during a classified meeting, and NOW they pull this bullshit.

Perhaps it's time we inform the Mortal Coil that we are NOT AMUSED.

The Mortal Coil is personally intervening with the recovery of a war-torn nation. Any further interruption will be seen as an act of war and dealt with as such.

WE ARE FUCKING TIRED OF THIS SHIT.

Chuckle. "I see. So the Mortal Coil wants our attention so badly they would resort to trade embargo? Surprising; not how I thought they would move at all. That's a move I might have expected of Castilliathen. And economically troubling until we move further afield in search of business partners. Still, our particular brand of trading means it is far harder to stifle us; long-range trading is still as swift as trading with the next country over."

"Actually, this does provide the impetus for expanding our economic grasp, something I've been hesitating to do with the easier trading contacts close at hand.

"I am curious, though. Dregas, see what 'warning' the Mortal Coil is offering about us, would you? I'll see if I can get in touch with the various people I know within the Coil itself."

Read: go cap in hand to Lenryt again.

Mmmm... the mortal coil is ruled by a council, the head of said council is lynret who is on OUR side. However, she choses to not be a dictator and allows the other arch mages to retain their political power. So, the question is, which of the individuals on the council (IIRC there are 5 besides her). has voted for this measure, and what can we do to sway them or kill them such that this verdict is overturned.

Recall that hte mortal coil is not a country by a guild of mages. Furthermore recall that our job for lynrett, one worth TWO boons, is to open a branch of the mortal coil in the LOD. As such exterminating the mortal coil is totally unacceptable. Furthermore lenryt will see it as a direct attack on her own property and holdings and the paradox knights will reveal our identity and attack us. Some of our followers, probably eisenheardt and maybe cinko and harkburton will also likely turn on us if we attempt to merely slay them. And we will be beset upon by jack and the epic time mage king as well as others.

Attacking the mortal coil directly is about the worst possible thing that can happen to us.
So, what we need to do now is call lenryt, find out who is who. And start working on getting the arch mages on our side from those most open to the idea to those least. (via wordplay, bribery, work, threats, or outright violence).

In fact, we COULD find the least popular archmage and slay him/her and take their seat as lenryt did. We are already an honorary master mage... but we should not jump the gun here... Also its quite possible that an archmage is powerful enough to slaughter us. There are still many beings more powerful than us around.

Ask Dregas how much the embargo will hurt us and if it will make us regress or will just slow us down.
Get the status on the treasury.

Not sure how we do it, maybe Dregas can fill in the details, but make it so that it is economically nonviable for them to stop trading with us. Literally making them slack behind us and our partners.

We have a great hold on many resources, we can still expand to thousands of precious metal and gems deposits, we have huge terrain for food production, our technological base is growing at exponential rates.
The only problem still is to repair everything and make them going.

I know we took a "loan" out of Premen lands, but I think this call for another hefty withdrawal for rubies.
Hmm, the Morgren lands should also have bunch of deposits, so we should look into that took.... and Morgren themselves are great workforce to use... but I guess we will have to wait.

Are we trading with ALL the nations on this continent? The Mortal Coil reach cannot possibly encompass all of it, right? If there are places where we still haven't established trades, tell Dregas to get on to it.


Another, more dangerous and harder, alternate trading option would be to discover a new continent and make a Burduko connection to it.
Hmm... since the planet rotates and since Burduko once too us to space it is possible that the point where he has been doesn't rotate along with the planet and stays on the same place. meaning that he could teleport there and find himself over different part of the planet....
Although, thinking of it, I doubt it, because if the spaces he gets to do not move along with the planet they would be wedged in specific point in the universe and left behind as the planet moves around the sun, the solar system moves around the galaxy core and the galaxy moves around the Universe.

But he could still get up there, wait till planet rotates a bit and drop on another continent.
The only problem is Broggammek... fortunately he doesn't reign over this continent only, he travel above entire planet. So we could just wait till he is half-way across the planet and then make out move.
To achieve this, we basically need to put the Soul Eden on a mountain and have it observe the skies for a while.
When the coast is clear, we order burduko to space, where he last left, calculate the which new landmass will take him the least amount of time to go to and make a landfall there. If Broggammek appears in 100 mile radius, Burduko is to abort the mission and return. He can try again where he last left after the way is safe again.

Hopefully, the new continent would not be as alien (both in environment, culture and governments) as Dionepa and we could set up relations with them and start trading with them.
This would effectively be a huge FU to Mortal Coil since they cannot do shit about it.

>>311629
I agree with this wholeheartedly. Aptly put, Guile.

We cannot attempt blustering and Threats to the Mortal Coil. That will yield to us nothing good. Remember, via Lenryt, we are officially RECOGNIZED by the Coil, but Lenryt is our only real sponsor. The Coil is a dominant force in this entire area of the world, and Lenryt's interests reside there as well: If we cement ourselves as their absolute enemies, then we make her life harder, which in turn will feed back to us again, making OUR life harder.

Those who are trying to opt out of contracts should be informed there needs to be a damn good reason for reneging on a binding agreement.

As for what we should do about the Coil, we've only been denying them because much of our personal research has the potential to cast our nature in questioning light, though not outright expose us. Their constant attempts at browbeating us and blatant lack of respect have only exacerbated that.

Simply put, at this point, we need to get into actual negotiations with them. No more demands from either party, no more bluster from either party. Mutual cooperation to some degree has to happen. Simply put: They want access to our research, they need to scratch our back, then we'll scratch their's in proportion.

>>311717
Sorry, addendum:

I agree with Guile's points made, SAVE for the "Going to Lenryt and asking her to fix this for us"

We should go to her simply for hte sake of arranging the negotiations. That sidesteps the more unreasonable mages attempting to StoneWall us.

So... how exactly are the Coil enforcing this? Will they withdraw services in retaliation or just turn into a mafia and threaten all of our trade partners with kneecapping?

Our network is essentially portal based so they can't muck with anything in transit without actually attacking the network on either end.

>>301616
If you can spare a moment for an earlier multipost that got passed over. We should create Ignitract.

>>311718
mostly agreed... i agree that we should go to her to arrange negotiations, but not just for it. We also ask her for intel on the mortal coil actually opposing us.

I would agree with you that we don't just say "fix this please". We need to fix this... besides which considering all the deals we have going with er its obvious that she opposed it politically and lost, and certainly will not be willing to slay the other council members of the mortal coil.

I could be mistaken, but didn't there used to be 5 archmages, and then Lenryt killed two?

Also, do trade agreements between nations come with escape clauses?

>>311718
I suppose I didn't word that right. I meant, 'Go to Lenryt to find out what's going on'.


Anyhow, we can do this two ways, I figure. One, we do as Emba suggests and both groups put aside their childish bullshit and come to an agreement like adults. We do have Arkus's runic golem control research we can crib, though we'll also need some concessions in exchange for it if we give it up at all. This would have the benefit of making them think we have fucktons of energy we can squander to use it 24/7, despite the runic configuration being an energy hog. The downside is that these other nations might see this as us backing down to the Coil, which simply allows them to repeat the process the next time they want our attention.

The other is the 'fuck you guys, I'm going home' approach. We don't come to the negotiating table, and simply tap other markets. The LoD is the size of all the States put together; Desparden is an as-yet untapped economic resource (as far as I know) and that's not the whole of the continent. We just keep moving outwards, bringing profitable trade wrapped around an blootz steel fist.

Honestly, both sound pretty interesting to me.

Although both of these may be based on an imperfect understanding of the Coil's objectives, depending on what 'warning' they gave out about us.

a possibility is that it's more of a move against lenyrt because they believe we are her puppet than a move against 'mordre', so going to lenyrt might only crerate more trouble.

Clearly, the way is to make our own international mage organization, but with more blackjack and hookers and science.

And or spread that knowledge fuckin' everywhere.

I'll add one voice to find out what the warnings about us are.

While I think the desire for Mordre supposed long range golem control is one reason for the embargo, I don't think it's the only one.
The Mortal Coil finances their member's research to a great part through the school fees prospective mages pay at their schools.

Now the State with its research outposts is probably the biggest, best organized other organization doing magic research and education. In the past they had a excellent reputation and produced new applications and processes. Now it is run by Mordre, a mage recognized for accomplishments in research by, but not part of, the Mortal Coil.

In the Mortal Coil there is probably a rightful worry of the State taking the students from them and drying up their source of money.

So lets check up on Kaisara, how her education goes and if perhaps she shared news about her schooling with others. Also inquire how many of our employed mages at research outpost have apprentices or otherwise provide education. Then see if we can get it organized. For one it gets us something more to negotiate with. For another it implies we knew about that and let it rest but the Mortal Coil's recent behavior moved us to action.

If it comes to a fight with the Mortal Coil, we cannot fight it with might. Instead we will have to take the bread out of their mouth by taking their students and replacing them. Lenryt probably would tolerate this kind of fight, since we can offer her a similar management position in our replacement organization.

On Council business, it may be time to start a review of the research outposts. You know, get the status of current research projects, material resources, including library contents, human resources and unfilled needs.

Another Council business, the State's foreign and counter intelligence services. IIRC they don't exist as such yet. Create them.

>>311822
>Tap other markets
>Ask lenryt
Great ideas, lets do both.
Also... the cribbing research idea... lets actually try more seriously to gain political power in the mortal coil. Our aim should be to become an archmage of the mortal coil to fill the empty seat of the second one that lenryt killed, as well as becoming allies of at least enough of the other archmages to have a majority.
This will work in our favor when we expand the mortal coil to the LoD as per lenryt's contract. And we could further do small favors for her by casting our vote her way... plus being that the mortal coil is the most powerful mage guild this side of the world...
Heck, maybe we could ease up restrictions on "non evil" soul magic, and so on (much harder to prove someone is using soul magic for human sacrifice type rituals then it is to prove that he simply uses soul magic).

>>311876
The Mortal Coil, to my knowledge, aren't the ones who ban Soul Magic. It's individual places, and threat of War keeps the ban in place. Also, we've got access to Mortal Coil libraries just as a Master Mage. So we've got little reason to join a group and have to follow their rules. Especially one as nosy as the Mortal Coil seems to be. We don't want to be an Archmage, we want to have enough individual clout that they don't matter to us anymore.

Also, since we have access to their libraries, let's go ahead and read all their books, improve those we can, and then publish them all for cheap. Teach them a lesson about trade-blocking us.

>>311944
Right, let's go talk to the Mortal Coil and have our minions observe their libraries. However, we really shouldn't publish their secrets on the cheap. There is a line between bloodying their nose and causing a cataclysmic magical war that lays waste to the entire damn hemisphere. Let's just yell at them first, THEN kick their ass.

>>311952
Mordre has access to the library, not his underlings.
Besides, due to his nature, Mordre can remember EVERYTHING with perfect clarity, so he could read all the books and replicate them. Even if his minions get access, they cannot do the same.

>>311944
Second.
And then we pull a trollface
"Problem Coil?"

We should start a research into printing press too.

>>311944
>Also, since we have access to their libraries, let's go ahead and read all their books, improve those we can, and then publish them all for cheap. Teach them a lesson about trade-blocking us.
I'm not sure that's a good idea- it's a serious escalation of the situation. Publishing all the Mortal Coil's works would be an aggressive attack against the very base of their power, and they would be forced to act against us with everything at their disposal. Powerful though we are, I don't know that we can take them in a straight-up fight right now.

>>311981
That's we start with just one series of books. Let them know we can play this game too.

>>311690
I agree with looking for other continents.

I have a refinement to this plan though. Burduko should take some of your Eye-spawn with you, teleport into orbit, and then teleport around drop off eye spawn above clear spots that aren't covered in storms.

>>311944
And down voting any other 'mess with the Coil' suggestions too. Look, that's just being pointless. They sent out a warning regarding us, making us appear as a threat is just gonna have The State turned into the same Cursed Lands as Mosmordre. We don't do this.

What we should do is talk to the nations that have stopped trading with us and simply ask what warnings were they told. Because, remember, even if they say they've been told by the Coil, this could be a false flag operation run by one of the Planet Eaters, the Time King, or Lubu's Enemies.

That is why I suggest doing >>311718 first before we look into other markets. Ask the Coil and Lenryt what just happened, and then talk with them before we go jumping to conclusions. If it's because we haven't come to their call yet, tell them that we are trying to run an empire at the moment and we would have come to them the first moment we had, and sending an angry massager to our door was not the best way to ask 'are you ready yet'.

>>311981
Instead of immediately publishing all their secrets, we could just hold the threat of doing so over their head. They aren't exactly playing nice at this point.

Or we could just find out what that little bugger who barged into our meeting some time ago wanted. This situation might have something to do with the fact that we teleported their supposedly "official" envoy several hundred miles away after refusing to hear him. Not that it wasn't totally worth it. Oh, and let's NOT try and blackmail the collective of amoral wizards. That will NOT end well.

On other council business, how is taxation currently going? I have the suspicion we are all over the place in taxation. THe old State controlled lands are under the State system. The personal fiefs, like around our or Kierson's research outposts, likely have each their own tax system. We should strive for some normalization in all of the State. That prevents internal strive caused by big regional differences.

Another issue is education. With trade we are currently working toward our Empire goal by making others prefer and later rely and depend on our trade system for their supply. We should try the same with education, and not just magical education either. Make the State the general brain trust, where others send their young bright and talented to learn a trade. If implemented properly they will go with a first class education and an impression how wonderful, advanced and good the State is.

>>311615
"Perhaps it is time to inform the Mortal Coil how... displeased we are with their actions."
>[Dregas]"So... do you want me to draft a return letter stating-"
>>311629
"Hah. So, the Mortal Coil wants our attention so badly they would resort to trade embargo? Surprising; not how I thought they would move at all. That's a move I might have expected of Castilliathen."
>[Dregas]"Respectfully, while a mage collective they still monopolize the supply of Arcane texts and reagents-they are every bit a trading empire as they are a mage collective."
"Hm. Perhaps I am too used to thinking of things in magical terms."
>[Dregas]"That... is your perogative, is it not?"
"Perhaps-but it changes nothing about the situation. This action of theirs is irritating-and economically troubling until we move further afield in search of business partners. Still, our particular brand of trading means it is far harder to stifle us; long-range trading is still as swift as trading with the next country over."
>[Carkiano]"What, you're not gonna confront them about this?"
>[Dregas]"Actually, this may be the wisest move-as far as I can tell, the Mortal Coil still is not fully aware of how.. versatile our trading is-and I know they are unaware of our acquisitions in the Mahnlea mountains. Refusing to confront them could allow us to quietly strangle them economically."

"A thought I share. Actually, this does provide the impetus for expanding our economic grasp, something I've been hesitating to do with the easier trading contacts close at hand. "
>[Eisenhardt]"Are you sure this is wise? They are largely a bunch of twats, I do not deny this-but some of their number..."
"I am quite aware. ...I am curious, though. Dregas, see what 'warning' the Mortal Coil is offering about us, would you? I'll see if I can get in touch with the various people I know within the Coil itself."
>[Dregas]"As it happens, I have a copy of one of their requests-though before I read it, I will note that the individual I got it from believed they sent personalized letters to each trader. ...Ahem: Factor Manigam, the Mortal Coil writes you to hope all is well, and that one of our preferred traders is still having acceptable business. We also enquire as to whether you have gotten entangled with the trouble begalling the Azelhaedran State-we fear it's new ruler too turbulent for safe trading... past there it goes into references to past deals that, per my agreement with the trader that provided it, I will omit for his privacy."
>[Carkiano]"Well that's a load of bull-not even telling people outright to not trade, but doing it all squirrelly like that?"
>[Eisenhardt]"Say hello to the official face of the Mortal Coil-why do you think I left?"
>>311652
"Is there any indication of which of the Grand Elder Mages supported this?"
>[Dregas]"Not in the letter, no."
"Eisenhardt?"
>[Eisenhardt]"Best guess? Probably Tiluwatt the Sculpter-he doesn't like ANY new possessors of power, political, magical or otherwise-and Erinythis The Puppeteer-she usually votes the same way as Tiluwatt, when it comes to matters that are external to the Mortal Coil's structure. Beyond that... I couldn't begin to fathom how Lenryt would vote-nor Deregoro The Aged. ...As to the fifth member-I must admit I do not know who they are, and could not comment."
>>311690
"I see. Dregas-presuming we do expand towards other, more distant trading partners-the Gialgorran Isles, Desparda, the Land of Dragons-what will be the end result to us, from a financial point?"
>[Dregas]"Hard to say-I do not have anywhere near the full capacity of trade going with any of those nations, so at best I could offer you a largely unfounded guess."
"An estimation then-I will not hold you to it."
>[Dregas]"...Probably a thirty percent hit to net income for a month until I have fully adapted our trade to work around the embargo."
Thirty percent... not enough to destroy our ability to rebuild and grow-but nevertheless a heavy hit.
>>311717
"Hm. Send word to all those with existing contracts that we will need an EXCELLENT reason why they would try and renege on established agreements-the merchants this does not apply to need not be bothered, as they themselves are not responsible for this."
I start having the Soul Eden vocalize, at a decible below any audible to human ears: 'Lenryt, I wish to speak with you on official matters-it will not take overly long' over and over, presuming the Planet Eater to be fully capable of percieving the utterances-and move on.

Or try to-until I note a ripple in the air, a spasm of color made solid, scintillating in the air-that resolves into Lenryt, this time seated on an austere chair wrought of solid gold, relying on its substance not decoration to convey it's quality. With my past experience with her, it is easy enough to see past the disguise as she makes her body move, lips and vocal chords at work despite her lack of need for such.

>[Lenryt]"You seem to have something to say to me."
"I do-I am curious if you could assist me in arranging a formal meeting with the Grand Elder mages that chose to support this move? I fear if I request it myself..."
>[Lenryt]"As you suspect, you would be rebuffed."
And as you may have surmised, despite my personal capabilities, I do not have as much political power as I would like-hence why I tasked you with the duties to the south. Concerning which-you may wish to make time to visit Lubu once more.
I give no sign I got her mental telegraph and continue with our verbalized conversation.
"Would you be willing to ask them?"
>[Lenryt]"I will ask-as we are a board of equals, I can make no promises they will accede."
It took the deaths of two of their number, but they are finally grasping how to resist me in such a fashion it would be more inconvenient to force them than to accept their resistance. I truly can do no more than ask, lest I risk unraveling the Mortal Coil itself-and as entertaining as you are-you are not yet worth such.
...Yet?
>>311822
I glance at Arkus.
"Were documents detailing aspects of remote Golem Control provided in the form of a thesis-would that help entice them to meet? They have hounded me for such."
>[Lenryt]"It could at that-I will bring your request to them."
Until Arkus can be more adept at hiding his... irregular magical capacities, I would not recommend he go anywhere near the Mortal Coil-nor should Kyorto, for similar reasons. Eisenhardt is a persona non gratis amongst our ranks thanks to how he and Weinsho left-so that means you must bring the documents to them yourself, if you wish to travel this path.
>[Lenryt]"Please do so."
Without another word, Lenryt vanishes-and the rest of the room lets out the breath they had been holding-even Eisenhardt was sweating. ...What would it take for me to be regarded that highly, I wonder...
>>311855
"...Arkus-your apprentice-has she made mention of her tutelage to anyone?"
>[Arkus]"...Sorry?"
"Has she spoken to anyone about the arcane training she can recieve here-possibly comparing it to that available from the Mortal Coil?"
>[Arkus]"..Ah. No, she has not, as I have kept her as busy as... well, me."
>[Eisenhardt]"She won't be talking to anyone soon, then."

From there, the conversation drifts back to more 'normal' topics-the dropping crime rate, the continued improvement to the state's livining conditions, and ever more people coming in the hopes of learning magic-precious few of them already learned in the subject. The meeting is ended shortly thereafter-

And two minutes out of the council room, I am gifted with a response.

As was expected, a formal meeting was declined-but Erinthys and Deregoro both are willing to speak with you privately, and discuss whether an informal solution to this can be found. Personally, I would recommend speaking with Erinthys, as swaying her could lead to Tiluwatt likewise siding with you. Deregoro, however, was willing to meet BEFORE I mentioned your willingness to discuss publication of findings. Both parties are ready to meet right now, and I can take you to either-be aware that you will only be able to bring your faux-body-there is but one Soul Grave allowed to enter the Mortal Coil's Central holdings, and yours is not that one. Your response to this?

This is why I like working with Lenryt-secretive as she can be, she gets things done.






What is my response?
What kind of direction should negotiations go in, whoever I meet with?

Well, it's not a soul grave anymore, for starters.

I'm somewhat wary of meeting them in "person". They're big mages after all, what if they see through the fake body?

Eh, I guess we could just write it off as a security measure.

soul grave? as far i know, our only soul grave was stolen

>>314987
Our Eden-hood is not exactly public or easily discerned knowledge. Precious few people are experts in Soul Graves.

We could have the meeting in person, and explain away any strangeness of our body away as personal modification towards closeness with the golem and personal reasons - anyone who asks beyond that would be overstepping bounds.

Personally, I think you should meet with Erinthys. Ask Bobobo about her before going - really, en route (and we should take a slow route if possible) ask him about the names you've learned.

Remember: Knowledge is power! The more you know, the better.

As for Lubu, we should head over there FIRST THING after things are settled at the meeting.

Also, is there any way you could empower your 'normal body' with Heroic souls from the Eden? Look into this.

>>314987
[Just because it is not technically a Soul Grave anymore does not mean the Mortal Coil would let you bring it-that was what she was trying to convey by calling it such.]

Ah, Lenryt. Such a good friend to have.

>>314936
That would only further our reputation of skill with this power, that we can remotely control not just our golem, but a life golem left intentionally empty for us.


I wonder if that Soul Grave so allowed is the Caemlo Repository, or Lenryt's. No matter.

Anyway, this is intriguing. If we win over Erinthys, her ally comes with her, forcing a tie (I'm under the impression there are six seats currently filled in the MC, but I may be mistaken there; six isn't a very good number for a ruling council). But Deregoro sounds more likely to become a true ally.

So of course, we must meet each individually, preferrably without the other knowing.

In the Erinthys meeting, try to come off as that glove of diplomacy wrapped around a hand of steel. Be polite, but ensure that she understands that we are a very poor enemy to make; we are still accumulating power and allies at a swift rate and if necessary, we could - in time - provide an alternative to the Mortal Coil. Their latest move was slipshod, heavy-handed. It puts us in a reactionary frame of mind, and the State is not without its resources.

The trick, I think, is to give her incentives; making us an enemy will not accomplish the MC's ambitions. If we were truly allied with the Mortal Coil, we could send our more adventurous sorcerous students (the ones who do not wish to remain in the State all their lives) on to the MC, and in return we have a fair amount of sovereign land in which to conduct experiments. Both could benefit if one chooses to meet the other halfway.

In fact, to cement this alliance, we might try to plant the idea of our becoming that seventh Archmage seat, if Erinthys and her ally think we'd be on their side. It seems to me that their Archmages have a wide degree of autonomy, while still reaping benefits of the support network.

For Deregoro, be more friendly. Judging by his name, I imagine him to be a part of the 'old boys club'; play up our own similar breadth of experiences, play up our personal power and connections (not Lenryt, perhaps, see below) and our economic clout, but downplay our military might. Paint Erinthys and her ally as reactionary and short-sighted. Young'uns today, and all that. Ask him what we need to do to resolve this without meaningless loss to both sides.

In both cases, do not mention Lenryt at all if you can help it. If we can get Deregoro and the other two individually on our side, Lenryt wouldn't even need to push our case, meaning we can hide the extent of our own alliance until we can sweep the entire board.

Given her title of Puppeteer, it seems pretty obvious what her motivation is here. The ability to puppet golems or such at distance has got to set her to salivating.

Deregoro, on the other hand, is a puzzle.

I would accept both invitations, personally, with a preference towards Deregoro.

Eh
Not going with my suggestion to discover new continent?

I still stand by it. Mordre doesn't even need to give his personal attention for it.

I'd recommend using your Huge Soul Eden body, as you should rightly be paranoid against such a dangerous and already-shown-to-be-treacherous organization such as the Mortal Coil.

There is also the potential that your wizard body may be uncovered as a bot if you use it there. You said yourself, you don't even use aeromancy to fly, you just run absurd amounts of magic through it to levitate, in such a way as to explode normal wizards.

no, that would be like showing up to a meeting with a head of state holding a heavy machine gun. lets use the small human body. though we might want to take care to try and hide its nature.

ok, so they do not allow your "soul grade" into their holdings and they agreed to meet. But they didn't specify that they want to meet in their office in the mortal coil itself.

So meet them in a "private location" that ISN'T in the mortal coil itself. Build a hovering platform of stone, place nice furnishings and finger food on it. Teleport it into the air somewhere scenic and use soulgrave to hold it aloft. Put it outside your state, perhaps somewhere far away, offer your aid in teleporting there (or lenryt's aid) if they are unable to get there themselves. Phrase it like "I am sure a mage of your caliber would have no trouble in accessing said meeting place, but if you need assistance either me or lenryt can teleport you there".

Oh, do consult with lenryt and those amongst your advisors who know them (ex: eisenheardt), ask if said archmages would be offended by any of the above and modify as needed.

>>316061
we are not going into a fight, if it looks too much like were expecting one we may get it and these guys could probably kill or criple us whit or without the soul eden. so general downvote to anything other than "meet at a neutral location"

I strongly doubt we get to choose the place of the meetings if we take Lenryt up on meeting them now. The Grand Elder Mages probably have trust issues just like we have. I am also reasonably sure we will be safe with our little body. We can still channel more magic than any natural body and AFAIK we can switch between bodies without problem.

>>314996
I think Deregoro has the byname 'the Aged' more because he is really old. He may be one of those immortality seekers you get every so often. He may see a kindred spirit, maybe even a successful fellow seeker. Remember Harmonious Discord is mostly people who some way or other managed to end up discorporated and taking over a golem body. They are keeping quiet, but there should be rumors about the possibility.
Mordre's supposed remote control could look like a cover for a another fellow who cheated death.
Alternatively he could know something about the history of Soul Grave we occupy and wants to talk to us in regard to it.

I prefer meeting with Erinthys first because we have a better handle on her motivation from her byname and the favorable reaction to offering our findings.
Send a message to Deregoro if he's willing to wait till after our meet with Erinthys or if he prefers to set up a new meeting time.

>What kind of direction should negotiations go in, whoever I meet with?
I support Mordre working toward taking a council seat from >>314996.
Make clear you are disturbed by, and annoyed with, their lack of manners and generally discourteous conduct toward your person, with Lenryt being the exception.
A necessity is lifting the trade embargo. I would be willing to offer either a first offer option for the Mortal Coil or mutual discounts, as Azelhadren charges the MC less for transport and the MC charges less for reagents.
I'd allow a Mortal Coil academy in the capital, but they have to keep out of the research outposts.

"It it times like this I wish I had favored your presence in my mind over the intrusion of others. I thank you humbly for your assistance Lenyrt and I will make the crafting of Yeti hats a singular goal for you. Mhm, should speak with Lorgk about that. However, to my response. I will meet with Erinthys by myself as, ahem, myself. As for Deregoro forgiveness on my part for appearing later, if I can still speak with him." Now, get ready to leave. Craft a small puppet out of wood or, if that's a bit too hard, quickly buy one. Then, to negations.

>What kind of direction should negotiations go in, whoever I meet with?
Restrained ham.
Apologetic but aloof about that lad who barged into your meeting: "By the way, what did that Tractomantic ruffian want, anyway? I was right in the middle of a meeting, and not even an ounce of courtesy! I'm quite sure if a proper mage came to me, but kids today with their tractomancy and their disrespect for their elders and their loud music and their hair styles, and their clothing, and their pierced I don't know what and they're oh soul magic is a curse and their fancy pancy 'oh, look at me, I'm so powerful'...wait, where was I?"
Continued Trading.
Attempt to actually find out what our honorary rank means, and actually start using it.
Socialize and attempt to make friends as best we can.

>>314936
>>314987
>>315049
>>316061
No to bringing the Soul Eden in any fashion. This is something we were explicitly told not to do and trying to question or manipulate the wording of the order doesn't sound like a smart idea considering who issued it.

I'm still not convinced that we should play ball with them.

Would be better to economically strangle them. Develop new markets or find new ones entirely (new continents).
The cat-thief (forgot her name) working for us, has traveled between continents and could help us with choosing the right one.

>>317937
The problem with that is that all of the people holding a seat could most likely turn us to vapor even if we brought the Soul Eden with us. We have to play ball with the Mortal Coil for now. Economically strangling them will piss them off, and pissing off legendary mages is not a great plan as of now.

I dunno, something about Deregoro strikes me as odd. To be called 'the Aged' at his rank seems kind of generic if it;s just his age. After all, lots of mages spend years and years to learn the arts. I may be wrong,but I think our buddy Deregoro may have dabbled in Chronomancy or some really dangerous stuff. Perhaps, magic strong enough to cause him to prematurely age?

Still, I say we go with him first. He's wanted to see us for reasons unrelated to the thesis. There is a good chance he can be a very good ally even when we have to face the Mortal Coil.

As for trying to trick them? In terms of the mercantile and governing business, they have a lot more experience when it comes to playing the political game and since with someone with the nick name "puppet master" being one of the top dogs, it would likely be wise to keep our swords sheathed until we either have the skill and power to deal with them outright, or a strong enough hold to deal with the more dangerous elements.

We know already that names have power and 'Puppet Master' sounds like one big red flag when it comes to making friends. Both in terms of her specialty, and what she likely does with the mortal coil. We don't want another Jak.

>>317937

Aside from >>318027, actually strangling them will get other enemies with available resources, like the King Arcturo Fissykus, to pick up the pieces they like and let the rest fall by the wayside.
As it is the Mortal Coil has its own interests and anyone wanting to use the MC has to work with their interests. Short to medium term it is to Mordre's advantage if the MC remains independent and largely unchanged.

Long term Mordre should want to take over and absorb the MC into his empire. My suggestions toward economic threatening the Mortal Coil are more to show just like they can make life difficult for Mordre, Mordre can make life difficult for the MC and there is more advantage to be had by being on good terms with Mordre.

>>318107
I don't think anyone proposed making friends of Erynthis. It's more that we have a better grasp of her than of Deregoro since we only have his byname.

Well, lets ask Bobobo for a quick overview of Erynthis and Deregoro. Things like first appearances, where they originate from, major publications and research fields, how they got and how long they hold their Council seat.

>>318107

There could be another Deregoro. Maybe there's Deregoro The Aged and Deregoro the Younger. Two different people, both with the same first or surname (or even the same complete name, they could be relatives).

>>319295
in that case its younger or elder. aged does not fit.

Eh, not really against any of the plans so far, but I'd like to downvote any attempts at joining the council or becoming an actual member of the Mortal Coil. I just don't think joining someone else's club and having to play by their rules is something he should restrict himself to.

Yeah, let's not join em. Look at how much Lenryt got screwed over. She's powerful enough to EAT the planet, and yet she has to work through the bureaucracy and send out random champions to bitchslap the world into shape. We should still MEET with them, though.

Regardless of our intent towards joining the Mortal Coil as a full-fledged member, which I should note is not really relevant at the moment, we should go ahead with both meetings with the following as our goals:

1. End the "advice" to our business partners
2. Gain additional allies among the Mortal Coil

Focus on the first goal with Erynthis, since she's obviously a first-class manipulator, and having her on our side for that might well sway the rest of them. For Deregoro, though, given his seeming interest in us, it might be more worth it for us to pursue a more personal association between the two of us - whether that is a friendship, strategic alliance, or otherwise. On the other hand his name suggests he is an Immortal of some kind, so he has a wealth of experience and knowledge and, while we may gain something from that, we should be wary that he might suspect we are Anathema.

Yeah,may have been a bit too hasty saying that one part, and I apologize. Though, I may have an idea that could help us with various rolls at the cost of a deep spawn core and maybe a PS.

(Blank) Embodies the concept of Moving Images in the form of Orbs and Illusions.

If done right with the proper restrictions, we would basically have our own TV network among other thing. For example: Use Orbs as a sort of deep spawn camera and have the image beamed in front of the watcher in a sort of hologram using a connection similar to Phohn. Maybe having a restriction that to see the image, you need a properly tuned crystal(with better gems giving a better picture and size perhaps)to the appropriate orb.

Aside from giving us visuals of battle fields and such, we can use them for conference calls, better surveillance(security cams or even scouts), means to preform extremely long range strikes without needing a marker, and best of all, as a way to gain a shit ton of faith.

I mean, imagine all of Mordre's followers WATCHING him fight for them. Hearing it second hand is one thing, but seeing our soul eden leader kicking ass and taking names will be another thing entirely.

While I am not sure I did my best with this, I hope this concept seems reasonable. Afterall, the sound of Mordre TV sounds too good to squander.

uh, is this thread still being used?

Hiatus while Gun for Hire runs a bit. Will update again afterwards probably.