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.

▸ Coming next:

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

You're right, I do. Because your plan can still be solved by a treaty, because they would be allies, and Youmi could still volunteer some of her resources if she doesn't want a war. I think this will only make the chances of a civil war higher.

[She holds up her hands, ready to let it go. Sometimes things need to change to be made better for the future, and she doesn't think that these women should be forced to make this decision to stop a war. A peace treaty give the two clans time to learn from each other their own way, rather than forcing it on them in a way that will only cause more resentment.]

If this is how the vote goes then I'll back the play. But I don't agree with it - I think you're passing over a much simpler solution that could work.

I'm against a solution that involves radically changing things in order to offer Doro way more power than he needs or wants. People want to reward Doro for his assistance. I get that. But this world is still a matriarchy, and all your talk about change involves demanding people to respect his rule on the same level as the two Empresses.

Which is just not okay. But whatever, it's fine. We'll see what happens.

Edited 2018-02-19 06:23 (UTC)

This isn't that radical a change. Doro isn't just a man, he's a man with daughters, who can easily take over when they come of age. He's also a member of the Mountain Clan which means he respects their traditions and values, and he's someone that the Sea Clan is willing to work with. He's probably already holding that appointment in the Flowerlands for one of his daughters already, all we would be doing is giving them - all of them - a fair seat at the table.

Every proposal we make is going to involve some kind of change. At least this one won't make the Mountain Clan feel like they're being forced to change themselves. Their culture will still be their own.

Yes, but assuming Doro and his daughters deserve to be in power like that means that we're undermining the Empresses. We can't do that.

I think you're emphasizing that this is a change for the Empresses because their worlds, unfortunately, got thrown together. Whatever solution isn't going to be tidy, but we didn't end up here just because they were two nations set at odds. There were supernatural things that brought them to this place.

Then fine, it doesn't have to be Doro or his daughters. He was convenient because he was already there. If it works better they can appoint someone new that they both agree on to hold the area. But I'm saying in my experience, that with anachronisms like this one, you can't just be confined to the boxes of their culture. There's nothing in their cultural protocol that's prepared them for something like this.

They woke up one morning to find that there was a whole other empire across the way from them and you, an outsider, want to tell them that they're the same when culturally speaking they're not. Combining the two empires together right this moment is like lighting a powder keg. They need room to breathe. Maybe they'll come together on their own later, but right now, I think it's a recipe for disaster.

Here's the thing: they aren't that dissimilar. When I looked into both of their ways of creating laws and their marriage traditions, I expected them to be completely contradictory. But they're not. Yes, one nation is artistic in its leanings and the other isn't, but that's not to say the two spans of land need to suddenly be overlapped. There can be unique, individual cities and cultures within one nation. I don't see why it's so bad to celebrate that.

Having the Empresses marry is a fine way of doing that. They would be respecting and honoring each other's cultures. They would be making a firm declaration on where they stand with one another. Naturally, this is assuming they go for it, but the Empresses need to stand together. Nama lacks the power to do it without a bold statement. It's unfortunate that that's true, but it is true.

[She inhales a breath and releases it.]

You said something about your experience. Are you saying you've burst into countries like this before and demanded that they change their ways according to your whims...?

[She takes a breath, and does the same, before shaking her head.]

No. Back home we have what are called anachronisms, and it's not ... two worlds being forced to meld together or anything like that but there are ... these sink holes in time. Things fall through them and those things can be people or weapons or something similar and it changes the course of history as a result. My team and I have a time machine, so we go backwards or forwards in time and fix them so history doesn't drastically change. Right before I got here, we basically had to convince Leif Erikson that he should probably go back to Norway and not turn America into Vikingland.

[She's not going to mention that it was because the DCTV equivalent of a Furbie fell through a hole in time and space and they were worshiping it as a god, but that's ... what happened. In the end he was actually being manipulated by his sister, so there's that.]

Look, are you from Earth? Twenty first century?

[Ah, the wonders of CW television in a nutshell.]

Yes.

Though if you're going to follow that question up with discounting my knowledge just because of where I come from, I'm not here for it.

[A little touchy and defensive? Maybe.]

No, I'm not. I'm just making sure we have the same reference point.

[She's not about that, Veronica definitely sounds like she's done the research, but she wants to try and reframe this in a different way that might make her understand where Zari is coming from.]

Think of it this way: The Sea Clan is Israel. The Mountain Clan is Palestine. The Flowerlands is the Gaza Strip. They don't have car bombs or anything like that but one day the other clan just showed up. They're not really that different, but they're different enough to rub the other the wrong way. And maybe they both have the right to be there, but I don't think a one state solution is going to work until they've learned how to coexist together.

While not wrong, your example is shaky because of the lack of perceived history and outside influence behind all of it. Still, I get your point.

["Outside influence" = international interference. Their guild doesn't even compare to the United States' involvement in that conflict, for instance.]

The problem is, up until that festival attack, both nations were ... not happy with one another, per se, but not at odds, either. There were rumblings of dissent, but it was because they were afraid of this radical, supernatural change. They were trading, though. They crossed cultures economically. They could sell to one another in peace and benefit from the end result.

But then the festival attack happened, and people began to demand that their Empresses act upon their fears. The reason why I'm opposed to elevating the Flowerlands is because it just ... remains the same in the end. It remains independent. It is a point of contention, sure, but I think Doro's earned the opportunity to maintain his independence. The real issue is that these two Empires are still filled with numerous people who are unhappy, and that's because they want their Empresses to do something big. And not "I'm clearly not opposed to her" big.

[She has a point about outside influence and Zari will nod in agreement, but at least there is that bit of commonality there now. And she listens to the rest, and she understands that too. She still doesn't like it, but she understands it.]

If someone planned the festival attack in advance to try and stir up dissent, then who is the third party that's interfering? Is it just some kind of ... random noble who's not happy, or is it something else entirely?

[She's used to the answer to that being "something else" but maybe someone else figured out the answer to that already.]

From everything we've learned so far, no one planned it. We just happened to show up at the zeitgeist of the conflict. People are just upset and acting upon it, because they're scared. I think that's why I'm less concerned about what comes after they get married. They were afraid because of inaction by the Empresses in either direction.

Fear is a powerful motivator, but ... I don't know if a wedding is going to be the thing to soothe it.

[Some things aren't that simple. At the same time, she also thinks the magitek needs a data bank app because not enough of this information was getting around.]

Maybe not. But let me ask you something: is your own fear clouding your judgment here?

[Maybe it's unfair to make this about Zari, but Veronica goes for it just the same. Looking at personal biases in all of this feels important.]

Consolidating power has never done anyone in history any favors.

[So maybe it's not her fear, but it's her experience that is cutting into this, looking at the people of the Flowerlands who remind her all too much of the metahumans and religious that she helped back home, who's existence had been outlawed by an organization with too much power in favor of "keeping the peace."

America's democracy may have been supremely flawed, but at least the people felt like they had a voice and freedoms. Once that was gone, they had nothing.]

It may not go bad now, or five years from now or ten years from now, but eventually someone's going to come into power who's going to take advantage of it and people are going to suffer. So it's entirely possible this wedding is only going to delay the inevitable and the civil war will still happen. Either way, the pattern's the same.

I would caution you against "never." I'm no historian, but it feels like a fairly bold statement to make when political marriages were quite common for centuries. Some of those did, in fact, work out. [Veronica just doesn't have a European history book to pull out.]

We may be stalling the inevitable. Or we may be offering a stop gap solution. But the only alternative right now is projecting our views onto this world, which is another historical habit that hasn't done anyone any favors.

For the ruling party, maybe. Not necessarily for the people.

[Societies focused on class sucked for the little people too.]

I'd also argue that if they weren't looking for an alternative point of view, then why are we here to help them?

You know there's a way to help people without imposing your views on them, right?

[There's a hint of disbelief in her voice.]

Yes.

[Wow that is not what she meant by that at all.]

I'm saying that there was no directive in our mission that we had to work strictly within the lines of feudal matriarchal Japan. So we could suggest something that might work out better for everyone in the long run rather than just right now. But anything I would offer would just be a suggestion, just like anything you would offer.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

EVENT ▸ DIPLOMACY

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