epidemiology | EVENT ▸ DIPLOMACY

EVENT ▸ DIPLOMACY

DIPLOMACY

As the skirmishes between wandering Mountain and Sea Clan groups continue in the Flowerlands, by this point enough attackers have been interrogated by Guild Ophelia to paint a compelling picture of unorganized chaos. Each time a skirmish is interrupted, both sides blame the other for starting the impromptu fight, claiming no knowledge of or participation in an organized cabal; the conflicts are entirely coincidental, they say, just a situation where enemies clash in neutral territory.

The Flowerlands are suffering, crops trampled and livestock traumatized, and more and more Mountain and Sea Clan people are terrified to leave their cities, lest they be set upon by warriors from the opposing clan. Under this type of political strain, Hanabira threatens to erupt into full-out civil war at any moment, with or without the sanction of the empresses.

Two weeks after Ophelia's arrival in the Empire of the Crashing Wave, Doro sends word: Empress Nama and Empress Youmi have agreed to meet and discuss the term of an alliance. Doro's castle will serve as a meeting place, but the difficult part is bringing the empresses there safely. You foreigners have already proven yourselves to be capable and invested in seeing the conflict to a peaceful conclusion, so Doro contracts Ophelia to act as escorts and guards.

This might just be the perfect opportunity to whisper proposed solutions to advisors or, if you're lucky, to the empresses themselves.

▸ THE RETINUE

Ophelia has a few different options if they choose to take Doro's contract: escort Nama or escort Youmi and/or guard the Flowerlands castle.

ESCORT ▸ EMPRESS NAMA.
It's a week's worth of travel to return to the Land of Celestial Mountains from the Empire of the Crashing Wave, so the sooner Ophelia starts out, the better. Skirmishes between clans still dot the forests and farms of the Flowerlands, and each time the retinue encounters one, they must decide if they have the time to interfere or if they must push on. After all, the longer there is no peace in Hanabira, the more dire the situation becomes.

When the group finally reaches the Land of Celestial Mountains, they'll find that the entire city is locked down. Guards bar the gates, but upon seeing Doro's seal, they'll let the guild members inside and explain the situation:

Mountain Clan rebels have stormed Heavenly Summit, cutting a large swath through the castle. Much of Nama's court and guards lay dead inside, with the rebels holding the remainder hostage -- including Empress Nama herself -- unless war is declared against the Sea Clan. The city guards are afraid to approach, worried that this will only anger the rebels further and cause Nama's death, and have directed all townsfolk to stay in their homes until the situation has been resolved.

The guards caution Ophelia not to try any rescue efforts themselves, and instead ask them to either find a building to barricade themselves in or leave the city. Of course, it's not like they're keeping a close watch on everyone.

Those who choose to slip into Heavenly Summit Castle will find guards surrounding it, trying to stop anyone from coming in as well as keeping arrows trained on all windows in case a rebel shows her face. Stealth is the name of the game, or at least enough brute strength to knock a guard out in one blow before she sounds the alarm.

Inside the castle, rebels stalk the halls of every floor, masked in the green color of the Mountain Clan. Some are heavily armored and some only wear peasants' clothes, carrying farmers' sickles; it seems as though the attack on the castle was planned very quickly, too quickly to evenly distribute armor and weapons. There are corpses left where they were killed, with splashes of bright red blood beside them; there are hostages huddled in the corners of rooms, wide-eyed but silent at the sight of foreigners ostensibly here to save them; and, in the heavily-guarded throne room, Empress Nama herself.

Fight through the rebel guards with Nama's help, or find a back door and snatch her up before the rebels notice. Either way, once Ophelia lays eyes on her, the magitek will project words in front of them that only they can see:

» EMPRESS NAMA
Leader of the LAND OF CELESTIAL MOUNTAINS. 23 years old. SPECIES: Human. MEDICAL CONCERNS: Lactose intolerant, recent blow to the head.

Nama doesn't ask questions, recognizing the foreigners of Ophelia as those who were meddling after the festival attack and trusting they're here to help her escape. Longbow in hand, she leads the group through secret passageways in the castle, insisting they rescue the nobility on the way out. From there, Nama suggests stealthily escaping the castle and quickly riding out of the city to the safety of Doro's castle, unsure who she can still trust in her own empire.

With Empress Nama and her surviving courtiers added to the retinue, it's time to ride back to the Flowerlands -- and hope you aren't chased by rebels along the way.

ESCORT ▸ EMPRESS YOUMI.
It takes half a week to travel from the Empire of the Crashing Wave to Doro's castle in the Flowerlands. Youmi and two advisors ride in a carriage, with an entourage of royal guards on horseback in front and behind; those in Ophelia who choose to escort this group will either be on foot or must find a mount themselves.

The journey is peaceful, allowing for time to make camp by forested hot springs and in farmhouses (in which case Ophelia might need to sleep outside, depending on the size) along the way. The Sea Clan guards are open to idle chatter with the foreigners, curiously discussing cultural differences and indulging in quick lessons in archery.

Everything seems to be going smoothly until the entourage enters Flowerlands territory and is confronted by a winged spirit of the forest, angered by all the recent bloodshed in his home. There is no time to talk; the spirit does not wish to negotiate, only to stop the crew from moving any further into his territory by any means possible.

The spirit calls the creatures of the forest to his aid, controlling them as if they are under some sort of spell. Ogres, imps, bears, and wolves are the most worrisome among his helpers. His own attacks come from the sky, diving down to slash at his victims with exceptional speed. Those archery lessons will come in handy here, because ranged weapons are most effective against him as long as he remains in flight. He can take an astounding amount of hits, and once he is weakened, will land on the ground to fight in close quarters.

Once he is finally defeated, his spell on the forest animals is broken, and even the most aggressive of them scatter. His feathers are black, but up close, seem iridescent in the light, differentiating them from a common bird's. Youmi's guards suggest everyone take a feather to prove they felled a legendary beast.

GUARD ▸ FLOWERLANDS CASTLE.
Until the empresses and their escorts arrive, it's very uneventful at Doro's castle. It's a smart idea to keep an eye out in case someone hears about the summit and tries to interfere, but so far, things seem to be peaceful. Take the time to bolster defenses, relieve a guildmate of guard duty, or explore the castle.

▸ THE SUMMIT

Youmi and her entourage reach Doro's castle first, her royal guards immediately making a sweep of the castle and the grounds to ensure there is no danger lying in wait. Once the castle is cleared, Doro and Youmi disappear into a guarded room to begin discussions. Youmi's advisors are left out of this initial meeting, making now the perfect time to start some discussions of your own.

Days later, Nama's retinue arrives, and Doro and Youmi (and the rest of her entourage) meet her at the castle gates. The two empresses step cautiously forward to meet each other, bowing politely. Moments later, Doro steps forward to gather Nama into a hug, which she gladly returns, giggling like the young girl she is. She's had a rough time, which she quickly explains to Doro, and asks if she can first have a bath and a moment to breathe. Doro and Youmi are more than willing to give it to her after hearing her experience.

Doro tells Ophelia they have their run of the castle until dinner tonight, when Doro, Youmi, and Nama will all be together in the same room with the team. Sounds like the perfect time to propose a plan, so you'd better finish up discussions about what to do! There's a bit of a time limit.

▸ OOC NOTES

If you have questions about this log or the overall mission, please ask them on the dossier. Questions about Futurology in general should be directed to the FAQ.

▸ Up now:

Proposal submissions and voting, due 21 February 23:59 UTC.
Uniform Design Contest, submissions due 28 February 23:59 UTC. Gamewide voting will be in March.

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Formal proposal arguments begin 22 February.
March calendar on 24 February.
February AC begins 1 March and lasts through 5 March. Please review our activity requirements to ensure you have the correct amount of proofs!

▸ Bounty Board ▸ Items Page ▸ General Plotting ▸ February Calendar

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yeah, our mission is to solve the problem they have right now. The “two rulers with equal claim to one place” problem. I mean, what are Youmi and Nama supposed to do while their siblings get married? Their people are killing each other.

[ SO CONFUSED ??? ]

Let them reside in each clan alternating as they raise their heirs, and let the people know what is to be done once they come of age.

Don’t you think you’re putting the cart before the ... cart... puller?

[ multiverse lesson #384748: choose your idioms wisely ]

Nama and Youmi still have to deal with false empress riots, and they can’t keep going on for eighteen years like this.

Why wait that long?

[Who the hell needs to be eighteen here?]

That’s how old Nama was when she took the throne. Besides, the merging only happened a few months ago and they’re already on the brink of war. You see how the people react to the Empresses’ announcements.

That doesn't mean they must be. Even a babe ought be able take the throne if they have a regent.

Then how do you propose it be done, because one imperial marriage is not terribly different from another.

Nama and Youmi marry each other, if they agree to it. We know that same-sex royal marriages are a thing, and we know appointing heirs is a thing. If they decide they want their empire ruled by a baby they can work out the details later, but we need a solution now.

It is their heir that would then be the problem. How are you people not seeing this?

The empresses’ situation is a problem right now! We have right now problems. They need to combine their abilities and resources so their whole country doesn’t disintegrate. We don’t have time to prioritize... hypothetical future baby problems.

If you patch a dam shoddily, it will only cause more damage later when it bursts. A marriage of the siblings still stands as a symbol of cooperation, of bonds as kin.

Fine. Pitch it to them and we can have two weddings at once.

[ whatever!!!! ]

We’re going off of what we know Hanabiran empresses do here. You’re making assumptions about how these people feel about something that isn’t that big a deal, according to their history. We don’t know that they’d see it the way you’re saying they would.

This entire thing is happening because neither clan feels the other has the right to the lands, and you stand there saying I am the one assuming the people would be displeased to see an heir chosen from the other clan?

The whole point of the empresses marrying is to unify Hanabira. They’ll be equally powerful, equally legitimate, and better at keeping the peace. Right now, people being ‘displeased’ means killing each other and committing arson between two empresses who can’t stop them on their own. If we can fix that, then we won’t have this huge heir problem you keep talking about.

[ overly optimistic? perhaps ]

Their siblings do the same- what do you think princes and princesses are for?

I am longer entertaining naive comments about how a single marriage will "fix" this land and its people.

Their siblings don’t rule Hanabira. If we get them married without fixing the real problem, what makes you think people won’t still be pissed off because no matter where you’re standing, one of the heir’s parents is a “false Empress’s” sibling?

If that is what you are concerned about, then marring a "false Empress" is even worse, is it not?

They can’t object to who their Empress marries. What she says goes, but Nama and Youmi are having trouble pulling that off on their own. If they’re together, they can make up for each other’s weak points, keep things under control, and gain their people’s trust. Then their siblings can have an heir who’s a blood relation of both clans, and no more loopholes. Everybody’s completely legitimate.

They can and have been objecting.

But do not mistake me, I care not if they wish to be married themselves. Let it be done. But it will be far better to have blood heirs down the line.

So what’s the problem? They can do both. Look, Youmi said she’d kill her people if they caused any more problems and they did it anyway because they felt like it. I don’t think they care if there’s a royal baby or not right now. I’m just saying we should focus on who’s actually ruling.

We all want the same thing here, right? We want a peaceful solution, and the empresses need each other’s help.

Why they must marry for them to help each other I have no idea, but my problem is only with ignoring the problem of heirs just because it isn't the problem this very moment.

So suggest it to them.

Maybe work on your pitch first.

[ MAKE IT NICER PERHAPS... ]

I have no need of your opinion on my character.

You're missing a critical point in all of this. Heirs aren't that important. The Empresses are young. And people among our group are opposed to having two kids marry against their will, and you know what? I'm not with that, either. The Empresses can enter this arrangement of their own will, and we can show we respect their cultures by not demanding they need sperm to legitimize their rule.

Or did you forget we're dealing with a rather forward-thinking matriarchy?

You miss my point.

Heirs are not important right now. Do some forward thinking yourself.

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