[LP CYOA] Epic

[TOME]

m4davis A1
TOME B
Azira A1
Helly C
Storyfag Baltikan
Esquilax Esquilaxian
Bloodshifter A1
Newcomer Esquilaxian Tigranian
Tigranes Esquilaxian Tigranian
Arpad Tigranian
Baltika9 Baltikan


A1 - 3, B - 1, C - 1, Baltikan - 2, Esquilaxian - 1, Tigranian - 3

 

[Baltika9]

TOME, there is only one Baltikan suggestion and that is A4. Or the Baltikan A3, if you will.
I just put it under another number, for comfort.

Edit: fine, Baltikan A3.

 

[Stygian Lurker]

A3

 

[TOME]

Stygian Lurker, which A3? There is Baltikan, Esquilaxian and Tigranian A3 at the moment. And you are welcome to come up with your own A3 too.

 

[TOME]

Baltika9, we need to use same naming principles to every proposal. I think you should make a new proposal, just so that it can be named for Baltikan II. It would have clearly a superior name compared to Tigranian and Esquilaxian.

But anyway, since B isn't going to win, I might just well cast my vote to the best deal. Flopping to Baltikan A3.

 

[Esquilax]

Marrying him of to tamurian princess will give power to him, not us. We may get little credit for pulling it off, but that's it.

We have no idea what is inside the labyrinth and no idea why Zhang wants to go there. I'm still not convinced that we should deal with him. He said he has other ways he could try to open the door but would he really tell the truth if we were his only hope? And even if he has other ways, well, look at the option A2. I don't think treave put it there just to tempt us and then turn us down, that is the price Zhang is willing to pay.

So if you guys really want to deal, you should come up with something good. Getting our 'buddy' laid and and sending a couple of spies to neighboring country, not even to Concordiat, is a really bad deal.

First, there is no "shard" business. The memory we had recently was a false one, so it's quite likely that the various people claiming to be Ean aren't Ean at all. Second, it will give him power, but one hand washes the other. He is our close ally at the moment, and he's naive, so any help/power we provide him will be greeted warmly. You are right that Zhang could be lying, though. treave, did Dio notice anything off when Zhang claimed that he had other ways of getting into the Labyrinth?

You're also correct that we should ask for as much as we could reasonably take. However, I still believe that asking for the secrets of Chinese weaponry is too much and they won't go for it. It also doesn't solve the problem of nullifying Tamur as a threat - they'd still attack Shin'ar with Baltika's plan. However, I do think that some sort of compromise is in order. How about this something like this?

Esquilax-Baltika Concordiat: Ask for the invasion to be halted. But also, ask for Zhang to smuggle in a shipment of Concordiat firearms into Ankida with the help of your connections with the Merchant's Guild and the city's underground. You would use the weapons to bolster the Soldier's (what is this dude's name?) forces and give the Empire an edge against the rebellious cultists in the northern parts of the Empire. With the border secure against Tamur, you could focus more on internal threats.

Your position was still insecure. Thankfully, there was a big opportunity for you to secure it in the coming weeks – your contact in the Ankidan Merchant’s Guild has confirmed an incoming shipment of opiates from the Concordiat to Hatti.
...
1. After coming to Ankida, you have managed to make some contacts amongst certain less reputable members of society, by proxy of course. Let him think you would leave for now. Tonight you would arrange for Aodh to meet with an accident; a very permanent accident.

 

[Baltika9]

Goddammit, now I am confused. The first one was just suggesting the idea. For now, there isn't a Second Baltikan Initiative.

 

[Baltika9]

Esquilax: I think the plan should be called the Esquilax-Baltikan Concordiat.

 

[Storyfag]

FFS, so many flipflops.

Flopping to Esquilax II, as it has the greatest chance of success. Editing previous posts be damned!

 

[TOME]

Esquilax, there is some "shard" business. We don't know what it is yet, but still something is going on and the soldier is one of the players.

You will also need to find out more about the players in this game you find yourself in if you're to survive. You need information. There were several people you were particularly interested in at the moment, and who you think you could approach for help.

B. The young recruit who had just repulsed the madman's attack was the same recruit that had captured the cultist at Korinthos. He was now known as a hero, and having him as an ally would be beneficial to your public image.

Esquilax-Baltika Concordiat is a good plan, but I still have doubt about giving the weapons for the soldier. He might just be playing nice buddy while we build him a power base. We shouldn't trust him blindly just because we chose to approach to him. But if we give the weapons to someone else, who preferably is on our leash, then I would vote for it.

 

[treave]

You don't think Zhang is lying about having other ways.

 

[Baltika9]

Editing previous posts be damned!

Flopping to the Esquilax-Baltikan Concordiat, editing previous posts be damned!

Which makes it three in favor, nullifying our previous proposals, and tying us with the Tigranian and A1 blocs.

Esquilax:

Baltika Concordiat is a good plan, but I still have doubt about giving the weapons for the soldier. He might just be playing nice buddy while we build him a power base. We shouldn't trust him blindly just because we chose to approach to him. But if we give the weapons to someone else, who preferably is on our leash, then I would vote for it.

Give it to the scholars, they should worship us for that.

Second Coming of Ean Shulgi, indeed.

 

[TOME]

I might just as well. Flopping to Esquilax-Baltikan Concordiat including possible revisions which might or might not come while I'm sleeping.

 

[Baltika9]

And that puts us in the lead. However, we'd better have a couple of guard squads standing by when we open the damned thing and the palace on high alert. There's a million and one ways this can go wrong.

Now that we've settled the important things, everyone ready to start discussing tentacle sex?

 

[Bloodshifter]

Flopping to Esquilax-Baltikan Concordiat

Using our Contacts in the underground to give the Empire an edge seems well enough we can only hope that our silver tongue is well polished to pull this off...

 

[Baltika9]

Flopping to Esquilax-Baltikan Concordiat

Using our Contacts in the underground to give the Empire an edge seems well enough we can only hope that our silver tongue is well polished to pull this off...

Pity the Emissary isn't female. Thre's a certain negotiation I am dying to try out.

...fuck, I hope Sek isn't dead. Say it ain't so, treave. Say it ain't so.

 

[oscar]

Esquilax-Baltikan Concordiat

 

[Tigranes]

Rule: The Latest Proposal Always Wins.

That said, it sounds reasonably good and with more immediate practical ends, so I won't oppose the EBC Wagon.

 

[treave]

Just to make it clear...

Ask for the invasion to be halted. But also, ask for Zhang to smuggle in a shipment of Concordiat firearms into Ankida with the help of your connections with the Merchant's Guild and the city's underground.

This will be the exact request given to Zhang, and the wording he will be most likely to accept.

Dio will say, "I would like King Tamur to be restrained from doing anything rash for the forseeable future, especially if the Concordiat is going to help him with his endeavours. I am sure peace and trade are more important to our countries than his petty ambitions. Furthermore, I would be most pleased if you would agree to help me arrange a shipment of Concordiat firearms for my personal use. This will be kept secret, of course. Nothing can be traced back to you. I believe that this will help enrich our friendship greatly. If you agree to this... the door will be opened for you."

 

[Esquilax]

Yes, that's what I envisioned.

 

[treave]

Well, the voting this time is a bit messy, but I do think your proposal has it. Voting is locked in, I will try to have the update out within 12 hours. By the way, there is a small flaw in the proposal's original wording that might not get you what you expected. When dealing with such agreements... it's always better to be as specific as possible.

 

[Baltika9]

Was about to say: specify the amount and quality of the damned things.

 

[treave]

Still not specific enough by far. Hint: The Shinar first encountered Concordiat firearms about 90 years back.

 

[Baltika9]

Look, any way to amend that part? Send two hundred modern rifles?

Do you want me to shut up about Sek for a couple of updates? I'll do it. Want me to stop paging you every couple of posts? Done.

Want me to suck...yeah, that's just going too far.

Edit: Fucker's about to give us some stowaway shit a hundred years old. Fine, make that twenty modern Gieloth rifles.

 

[treave]

So you guys just want me to give the very best deal Zhang can offer regarding guns?