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>>6397138
>Month 1:

Following the conclusion of the competition for Yulia’s hand, it was thought that a sense of normalcy would return to Morfis. Many of the foreigners that had journeyed from far off countries such as Almyra and Sreng had all returned home, as did those from Fodlan who were not attached to the Knights of Seiros that were under the command of Cyril. The Morfisians had gone to great lengths to accommodate these guests, as well as the absurdity of Princess Yulia’s competition, and they were eager to see what the future held now that a suitor had finally been decided. Word had spread that you and Yulia would marry once her health improved. In the meantime, you would help govern the nation as her regent. Across the country, people wondered at the type of leader you would be. Almost immediately, you found yourself tested at great length.

The most important structure in all of Morfis was the Food Production Hub. Located in a key district of the city, the Hub was the heart of the country’s food supply. Because of Morfis’ arid and hostile desert climate, traditional farming methods such as what you were used to in Fodlan were mostly unsuitable here. But the mages of Morfis, using knowledge passed down to them by the Sorcerer King Xenophanes, had developed a method for creating food via the means of sorcery. It was through this ingenious arcane art, which was the envy of every nation, that Morfis was able to sustain and grow its population. The heart of this operation, which required extensive sorcery and equipment, as well as hundreds of working mages, was the Food Production Hub.

Almost immediately upon assuming power, an accident occurred that saw the entire Hub burned to the ground.

“I have our men sifting through the smoldering remains looking for any clues,” Bronte reports to you within the palace’s throne room, where you’d set up office. “So far though, their efforts have turned up nothing.”

>Bronte (Prime Minister)
>Level 45 Gremory
HP: 62/62
MAG: 37
SPD: 39
DEF: 12
RES: 35
>Spells:
Forseti (+20 DMG, 30% CRIT, Enemy attacks will miss you for 1 turn, 1 Use)
Thunder (+5 DMG, +10% Crit)
Fimbulvetr (+12 DMG, +10% Crit, Area of Effect, 3 Uses)
Bolting (12 DMG, 15% Crit, Long Range Siege Magic. 2 Uses)
>Skill: Flare (MAG% Chance to treat the target as if it has 0 RES for 1 attack)

>“Hasn’t that hub been around for over a hundred years?! Am I supposed to believe someone forgot to extinguish their cooking fire and now the entire country is going to stave?!”

“It’s suspicious, that much is certain, Bronte sighs in exhaustion. “If a culprit does exist, it is imperative that we find them. But more urgently, we’ll need to rectify this situation fast. The Hub was responsible for over half of the country’s food production. If something isn’t done soon, we’ll go through our reserves in no time. This is a national level crisis we have on our hands.”

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>>6397139
>“What’s it going to take to get those mages back to producing meals again? I don’t exactly get how this stuff works, but I know that it’s important. Can’t we just put them all up in another building or something?”

“It’s not that simple,” Bronte shakes her head. “The hub contained all the equipment and reagents necessary for that sorcery to even function properly. Not to mention the logistics to distribute it across the country. Getting production back up to even half of what it was previously is going to take a long time. As well as a boatload of gold.”

>“Of course. Why wouldn’t it? Everyone’s gotta get paid.” You grumble, annoyed at having to open up the treasury’s coffers. You’d just gotten your hands on them too! “What about the Royal College and those damn Sages? Surely they’re going to help get things back in order?”

“They claim they’re investigating the matter themselves, but given who we’re dealing with here, that’s dubious at best. Either way, we can’t sit around and hope they actually remain true to their word. The longer we wait, the worse things are going to get. Both for Morfis, and for you.”

>“Me? I just got here! What are you talking about?”

“Exactly,” Bronte says. “The people of Morfis are both furious and terrified. And rightfully so. But in the absence of a culprit, some pockets of them are beginning to blame you. After all, everything was going just fine until a foreigner came along and ascended to the highest seat of power. If this situation spirals any more out of control, you can be sure that you’ll lose popular support within the country.”

You sit back in your chair, contemplating your cousin’s words. This whole debacle seemed tailormade to drain your resources and weaken your position before you could even start gaining momentum as regent. Given the suspicious nature of this sudden fire, you couldn’t shake the feeling that the Sages had something to do with this. But would they really go so far as starving their own countrymen just to make you look bad? Perhaps this was the work of the Cult of the Serpent instead? Marek and his ilk that hadn’t defected were wholly devoted to eradicating Morfis. You were sure he’d be pleased with a catastrophe such as this. Either way, Bronte was right. Something had to be done. You had access to Morfis’ treasury, in addition to the substantial amount of gold given to you by Montblanc upon selling the rights to Shangri-La.

Current Gold: 143,800

>Choose One

>A): Spare no expense in getting the hub back up and running. You shall be known as Tristain the Magnanimous! (50,000g spent)
>B): Spare only what you can afford. (25,000g spent)
>C): Maybe you could but corners a bit and still look like you were helping… (10,000g spent)
>D): You needed this gold for your war against the Sages. Spend nothing and dip into the food reserves.
>E): Ask Fodlan for support.

>>6397140

>A): Spare no expense in getting the hub back up and running. You shall be known as Tristain the Magnanimous! (50,000g spent
Cultural victory option? Together with Morfisian Disney Land.

>>6397140
>>A): Spare no expense in getting the hub back up and running. You shall be known as Tristain the Magnanimous! (50,000g spent)

>>6397140
>A): Spare no expense in getting the hub back up and running. You shall be known as Tristain the Magnanimous! (50,000g spent)
Sucks for our pockets but yeah this ties very well with Tristanland for winning the hearts and minds. We gotta ease off the spending after this though.

>>6397140
>>B): Spare only what you can afford. (25,000g spent)
Idk man, fells like bait to me. There's probably some sick magic war machines that cost tons of gold which we will need in the coming mega war. (I'm chosing based on pure paranoia and on what the voices told me)

A wins, writing.

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>>6397140
>Month 2

>“Wow…these guys are pretty unimpressive…”

You watch dispassionately from a balcony overlooking a newly constructed training facility a few steps away from the Royal Palace. A Morfisian “soldier”, in reality a youth barely into adulthood, was dragging his sword along the ground as he struggled to lift the iron over his shoulder. Several feet away, about a dozen archers were firing at targets with aim so piss poor that it caused you to wonder if perhaps the desert sun were causing vision issues. Others were busy running a track that had been set up. Their endurance was failing, and what was supposed to be a brisk jog had morphed into the sort of leisurely stroll an elderly person would take after a modest lunch.

“Are you really so surprised?” Cuthbert asks at your side. “Fodlan may be in an extended era of peace, but we have hundreds of years of tried and tested warfare that we can look back upon for reference. Morfis meanwhile, hasn’t fought a real war in over a thousand years. The most these people do is patrol the desert for the Cult and fight off the occasional wandering Demonic Beast. Even then, much of that is handled by more specialized forces, like Hima’s Scorchers, the Warrior’s Guild, or the Yasha.”

>“See? I told you too much peace could be a bad thing.”

“Mmm. Peace is fine. But it’s no excuse to allow yourself to get rusty.”

>Cuthbert (Minister of War)
>Level 40 Sentinel
HP: 65/65
STR: 32
SPD: 31
DEF: 30
RES: 14
>Weapon: Silver Lance+ (+17 ATK) Killer Lance+ (+12 ATK, 25% Crit Chance)
>Skill: Rally Strength (Grant Ally +3 STR for one turn)

For all of Cuthbert’s bitching about having to be given a job to do, the man seemed to really enjoy working at a task that he was useful at. In order to better evaluate and address the needs of the military under your command, he’d whipped himself back into prime shape. The veteran standing next to you now was as close as ever to the spearman that fought as one of Empress Edelgard’s elite warriors.

>“I thought Hamilcar would have done a better job at training these guys. He seemed the type at least. But this is pretty shit.”

“Hamilcar is a man of the Royal Sages.” Cuthbert informs you. “They have their own army that answers to their command. One that I regret to inform you, also happens to outnumber the Royal Guard at least 4 to 1.”

>“Great. So he saves all the best stuff for him and his army?”

“Probably. But I wouldn’t dwell on it,” Cuthbert says, taking a long drawl from a smoking pipe. “Numbers are important, but it's tactics and skill that win battles. Hamilcar may show favoritism to his men, but he’ll still be dealing with a lack of fundamental battle knowledge that we Fodlanders have honed over centuries of killing each other. So long as we and Cyril’s Knights of Seiros can make up for the difference in skill, there’s a chance.”

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>>6397682
>“You think you can whip these guys into shape that quickly?” A drillsman down below blows a whistle, signaling that it was time for lunch. The soldiers breathe a collective sigh of relief before sauntering off to collect their meal. “I mean, a fight could break out at any moment.”

Cuthbert smirks. “I learned from the best tactician of the Unification War. Hubert Von Vestra was a strategist sent from hell itself. He knew how to bring out the best of his men, and more importantly, how to maximize their effectiveness without wasting them. If I apply what I picked up from those days, it should be no problem. These whelps have had it easy for too long. They thought they could just lay around and do a bit of napping without ever having to use those blades. Well it’s high time that changes.”

As if to demonstrate, Cuthbert leans over the railing and begins screaming at the throng of soldiers below.

“HEY! YOU PIECES OF TRASH! GET YOUR ASSES BACK OUT THERE! NO LUNCH UNTIL THOSE TARGETS ARE SO FULL OF ARROWS I CAN’T SEE THE PAINT! AND I WANT 25 MORE LAPS! NOW!”

The soldiers, cowed into submission, offer Cuthbert no resistance as they scatter back out onto the training field.

>“Alright, you’re the vet.” You wince. His screaming hurt your ears. “Just don’t break them too hard.”

“It’ll be necessary,” Cuthbert says. “We need to break them so we can remake them. That’s how you make a soldier. They’ll struggle, but they’ll hold the line. And the ones that rise above? They will be our ace in the hole. Our hammer that breaks the enemy’s spine. Elites to rival those back home.”

>“Elites, huh?”

Cuthbert was right. It wasn’t enough to whip these soldiers into fighting shape. You needed fighters that could rise above the norm. Specialists that were several grades above the standard. With hundreds of years of Fodlan military doctrine at your back, combined with knowledge imparted to you at Garreg Mach’s Officer Academy, such a core was well within your reach.

>What specialist unit will you create?

>A): Heavy Infantry (Tanky. Easily mow down enemy infantry)
>B): Archers (The bane of most mages.)
>C): Cavalry (Specialists in regards to hit and run tactics. Destroys archers and can flank enemy infantry.)
>D): Mages (The specialty of Morfis, but with a Fodlan twist. Useful in various battle situations, though not durable.)

>>6397687
>>C): Cavalry (Specialists in regards to hit and run tactics. Destroys archers and can flank enemy infantry.)

>>6397687
>C): Cavalry (Specialists in regards to hit and run tactics. Destroys archers and can flank enemy infantry.)
Most of their shock forces are gonna be infantry and if they outnumber us 4 to 1 hit and run tactics are gonna be the way to go.

>>6397687
>C): Cavalry (Specialists in regards to hit and run tactics. Destroys archers and can flank enemy infantry.)
Most versatile and if they outnumber us by that much hit and run is the way to go

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>>6397967
Whoops apologies for the double post, thought I'd fucked up the captcha earlier

>>6397687
>>B): Archers (The bane of most mages.)
Tough call. I think it would be nice for Tristain to have his own Elite Archer unit he could lead. Plus Mage Killers against the College or Cultists and other wacky stuff. On the other hand everyone loves a good cav charge and Tristain can fly over as well.

>>6397687
>Cavalry (Specialists in regards to hit and run tactics. Destroys archers and can flank enemy infantry.)
We just have to turn them into Paladins and then they'll be able to handle mage attacks. This'll totally work, unless they all turn in to Dark Knights.

Also Tristain should get down there on the field to truly inspire these schmucks to give it their all. Y'know, crack a target in half with a powered bow shot (and angrily give them pointers on how to hold and draw a bow), run 50 laps before the soldiers do 10, obliterate a target with Earthsplitter. Really wow them with our skill and get them to strive to become strong aswell.

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>>6397687
>Cavalry (Specialists in regards to hit and run tactics. Destroys archers and can flank enemy infantry.)
Between either this and archers but the sages will probably have some sort of anti-archer tech.

>Start of second to last thread
The end hurts me already

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>>6398151
Also cackling at Tristain and Bronte both putting all their magical eggs into one basket. Bet back in Rusalka Blair is just shaking her head.

>>6398151
>>6398153
Hot damn anon thats quite nice! Very smug Tristain. I like the background details on the golems and Brotne's jewelry a lot.

>>6398162
>>6398151
Extremely cute! Thank you so much anon. It's bittersweet coming this close to the end, but if it's any consolation, with how slow /qst/ is that's still months away lol.

Captcha is finicky tonight, but let's see if I can post this update. Cavalry wins.

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>>6397687
>Month 3

Cassius saunters into the throne room, humming a jovial tune. The dark mage appeared to be in a good mood, and he had a pep in his step that you hadn’t seen before. In his hands was clutched a letter.

>“What’s got you in such a good mood?” You inquire.

“My long-distance friend sent me a letter!” As if to prove the point, he shakes the parchment in the air.

>“Your…long-distance friend?” You frown. “Who’s that?”

“Prime Minister Ferdinand von Aegir,” He grins. “To think that I would become fast friends with such an important figure in Fodlan politics. Meeting you truly was the greatest thing to ever happen to me, Lord Tristain!”

>Cassius (Minister of Foreign Affairs)
>Level 40 Druid
HP: 50/50
MAG: 38
SPD: 33
DEF: 12
RES: 36
>Spells:
Flux (+7 ATK),
Swarm (+4 ATK, -4 SPD on enemy)
Mire (+4 ATK, -4 DEF on enemy)
Ruin (+4 ATK, 50% Crit)
Dark Spikes (+13 DMG, Eff. against cavalry)
Quake (+8 ATK, AoE, 3 Uses)
>Skills: Summon+: Summons a powerful phantom soldier

Cassius had become your man in charge of all foreign diplomacy, the majority of which he’d naturally chosen to focus on Fodlan. Given his obsession with your country, that was to be expected. But that was fine with you. So long as he took his job seriously and ensured that Morfis remained his priority, you would let the man indulge in his fascination.

>“What does the letter say?”

“Well, he’s been telling me all about life in the capital lately. Saint Seiros Day is coming up soon. It sounds like a grand celebration! I’ve always thought Morfis could use more holidays.”

>“Get to the point!” You shout, your knuckles turning white as you grip the arms of the throne you sat upon. “I didn’t hire you to exchange love letters with Ferdinand von Aegir!”

“Ahh, right, business,” Cassius mutters, unfurling the letter. “Prime Minister Ferdinand once more congratulates you on your ascension to the throne. He says all of Fodlan is proud of your accomplishments. He has also proposed a finalized trade deal, which has been the subject of much of my work these last few months.”

>“Trade deal?” You mutter. “I don’t remember us discussing a trade deal?”

“I tried going over the specifics with you, Tristain. But you quickly grew bored of my efforts, and went outside to watch ‘beetle fighting’ with May.”

>“Did I do that…? Doesn’t sound like me…”

Cassius clears his throat. “In any event, Ferdinand has sent me back terms. Fodlan is willing to part with a generous shipment of iron and steel. Half of it would be finished already in the form of specialized armaments for your soldiers. The other half would be raw, meant to help strengthen infrastructure. More specifically, repairing the damage done to the Food Production Hub.”

>“And what do they want in return?” You inquire, already dreading having to open your already ailing treasury. No one told you ruling a country required so much spending.

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>>6398284
“They’re being fairly reasonable,” Cassius says. “They’ve requested an assortment of spell tomes, much of which contains sorcery that would reach Fodlan’s shores for the first time. They’ve also asked for some historical artifacts dating back to Xenophanes’ era. The items in question are nothing special. Mundane objects, in actuality.”

>“If they’re so mundane, why do they want them?”

“Ferdinand says it’s a request from Queen Byleth herself,” Cassius says. “The Queen and her husband, Seteth, have apparently taken a great interest in Morfisian history, and wish to learn more about our country’s origins,” The mage smiles, a tear forming in his eye. “To think they’d hold the same admiration for my country as I do their own. Diplomacy truly is wonderful!”

>“I suppose that is all reasonable. Getting the Hub back up and running ahead of schedule would be great. Not to mention those weapons and armor. All the ore in this country is pretty crappy.”

“There is one slight potential problem,” Cassius informs you. “Word has spread of this trade offer, and there’s a faction of notable mages who oppose the deal. They believe that our advantage in sorcery is the only thing that gives us an edge over Fodlan, and that if we part with our secrets, we shall lose that advantage. They worry handing over some of the inner workings of our arcane arts will make us an easier invasion target for Fodlan. Evidently they’ve gotten it in their heads that this Queen Byleth might fancy herself a conqueror.”

>“That’s a bit preposterous, no?”

“She did unify three countries and take them over,” Cassius shrugs. “She also has foreign troops embedded here in the Knights of Seiros. And no one is forgetting that a Fodlan noble is set to marry the princess. Rumors are beginning to spread amongst this faction that you intend to sell out the country to this foreign queen, whom you still hold loyalty to.”

>“This sort of gossip never ends, does it?” You groan. “So, what happens if I accept the trade deal?”

“Then it goes as planned,” Cassius answers. “We have ships ready to depart at a moment’s notice. This particular faction of mages will likely be further emboldened against you though. They’re a hardline group that aren’t exactly friends of the Royal College, and right now they remain neutral. But if we go through with this, their loyalty will shift to that of the Sages.”

>A): Accept the trade deal. Morfis needs that iron, and it pays to have friends abroad.
>B): It may be better to have friends closer to home instead.

>>6398286
>>A): Accept the trade deal. Morfis needs that iron, and it pays to have friends abroad.
the food crisis is a priority, we can manage killing a hundred more dudes a few months from now

>>6398286
>A): Accept the trade deal. Morfis needs that iron, and it pays to have friends abroad.
Tristain? Bowing to a bunch of mages? Absolutely not.

....and we need to keep Byleth sweet if we want to keep our bow.

Really wondering what the hell Byleth is wanting though.

>>6398286
>A): Accept the trade deal. Morfis needs that iron, and it pays to have friends abroad.
Byleth is crossing fingers the mysterious foreign mage nation isn't actually another fucking agarthan stronghold in disquise.

>>6397687
The ghost of yours truly shall guide Cuthbert

>>6398286
>>A): Accept the trade deal. Morfis needs that iron, and it pays to have friends abroad.

>The Queen and her husband, Seteth, have apparently taken a great interest in Morfisian history, and wish to learn more about our country’s origins.
Okay maybe don't give them ancient snake people artifatcs, or they might get an idea that this country is some sort of a snake stronghold. A crusade is unlikely, but still.
>>6398286
>>B): It may be better to have friends closer to home instead.
Secures us more allies for hyperwar with sages. Or at least robs the sages of extra allies.

>>6398286
>B): It may be better to have friends closer to home instead.
Never trusted the frog of Fodlan.

>>6398286
>A): Accept the trade deal. Morfis needs that iron, and it pays to have friends abroad.

Especially since all of Tristain's buddies have gone home? Arios is probably still around but have we lost Saorise and Uriyan too? Or are they sticking around with the orders to get an in with the new king?

>>6398162
>I like the background details on the golems and Brotne's jewelry a lot.
Thanks! I admit I was flip flopping a lot on whether to give her a fully black feather cloak but thought that might be a little too on the nose kek

>>6398286

My Tristain will commission the papers depicting them as The Chud Mages, afraid of the attractive warlike women of the exotic dark continent, contrasted by our gallant hero Big T with many companions.

>A): Accept the trade deal. Morfis needs that iron, and it pays to have friends abroad.

>>6398584
Mmm fashion is really hard to decide at times. I think you made the right choice. I wonder how peacock feathers would have looked.

>>6398584
>Especially since all of Tristain's buddies have gone home? Arios is probably still around but have we lost Saorise and Uriyan too? Or are they sticking around with the orders to get an in with the new king?
As far as you know, Saoirse and Uriyan have returned to their respective countries.

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>>6398286
>Month 3 (cont.)

“Tristain, so good of you to come see me.” Nadia says sweetly.

The basement of the Royal Palace had undergone drastic changes ever since Nadia moved in. Gone were the boxes of storage and kegs of wine that had once taken residence here. In their place, an assortment of strange sorcerous machinery had sprung up overnight. Dark objects of dubious origin whose sole purpose was to play some part in the extraction of quintessence. Nadia sauntered over to one such device. Fiddling with its surface, the machine began to whirr loudly as unseen gears turned within. Your heart was caught in your chest as you watched it hum to life, waiting expectantly for the contraption to reveal its goal. Eventually, a smoky dark liquid shot down in a stream, filling a vessel that had been placed underneath its spout.

“Coffee?” Nadia asks, offering you the cup.

>“Oh. No thanks.”

>Nadia (Minister of Research and Development)
>Level 41 Necromancer
HP: 45/45
MAG: 36
SPD: 38
DEF: 7
RES: 32
>Spells:
Aura (+12 ATK, 20% chance to Crit)
Nosferatu (+1 ATK, Restores HP based on DMG)
Seraphim (+4 ATK, super effective against Terrors)
Heal (Restore HP by MAG + 10)
Restore (Cures status effects)
Barrier (Adds +8 RES to Ally)
>Skill: Rally Magic (Grant ally +3 MAG for one turn)

“Come, there’s something I wish to show you.”

Nadia leads you into a room filled to the brim with dead bodies, each one laying atop a metal table. This wasn’t your first time here, so you were already used to the grim site. You knew that these corpses were not truly dead. Rather, they were waiting to be activated. To be infused with quintessence so that they may fight for you. It was a process that required an incredible amount of work, but you figured that Nadia had already made a dozen of these. You knew these creatures well, and had a feeling Nadia didn’t call you here just to see them again. Your hunch proving correct, she leads you into a back room, where another body is strapped to a metal table. Only, unlike the others you’d seen before, this man was alive.

>“Hey Butch.” You greet the unconscious brute. “Man, after three months I thought he would have wasted away into skin and bones. How did you keep him from losing muscle mass?”

“I infuse him with quintessence each day to ward off decay,” Nadia answers. “Enough to keep him strong. But not enough to rouse him from his slumber.”

>“Why haven’t we woken him up yet again?” You inquire

“I had a hunch it would be a bad idea,” Nadia says, sipping from her coffee. “Turns out I was correct. In my probing of this man’s essence, I’ve discovered something most strange. That I am not the first person to do so. Someone has beaten me to the punch. Poor Butch has been morphed into a Terror.”

>“Really? The guy was a beast for sure, but he doesn’t look like a monster to me.”

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>>6398662
“I’ve seen these imprints before,” Nadia says. “In the Terrors we used to capture and study in Ithaca. The ones that were created by the Cult of the Serpent. Butch’s aura exhibits much of the same traits that those monsters back then did. In fact, I’ve seen it gradually morph to something closer resembling the aura of those Terrors ever since we brought him down here. I suspect that whoever did this to him intended for Butch to be something of a timed explosive. To have him enter Morfis under the guise of the competition, morph into a Terror, and wreak havoc upon the city.”

>“Could one Demonic Beast really do that?”

“A Terror’s strength is often directly proportional to what they were before they were turned,” Nadia explains. “Butch has a Crest and a Hero’s Relic. If he were made into a Terror, he’d likely be the strongest the country has ever seen. Letting something like that loose in the epicenter of Morfis would spell disaster. Fortunately, whoever did this to him did not envision Butch going up against Homer, who possessed an anti-Terror weapon. The wounds inflicted by Homer have slowed the process to a crawl.”

>“Marek had told Butch that he was to be the Cult’s Champion. Seems like that was a load of bullshit, though that had been obvious from the start. So, what do we do with our friend here? Are you going to let him turn into a Terror and control him?”

“Tristain,” Nadia laughs, shaking her head. “I reanimate corpses. Controlling a Terror though? Let’s be a bit reasonable here.”

>“Oh, right.”

“Butch is progressing further into his final form,” Nadia explains. “I’d rather not let it get to that point. Euthanizing him now would be the easiest option. Otherwise, with enough time and resources, I can undo the changes Marek has made to Butch’s body.”

>“Oh! Well then, why don’t we do that?”

“It’s a liiiiiiiiiiitle expensive…” Nadia clasps her hands, taking on the guise of a teenage daughter begging her father for some gold to buy a dress.

>“How much are we talking here?”

“15,000 gold.” She whispers.

>“What?! Why?!”

“Do you want me to bore you with the magical and scientific explanation?” Nadia pouts. “Will a shopping list truly sate your curiosity? Or do you want me to deliver you an indebted Hero Relic wielder?”

Nadia’s preference was clear. Any excuse to practice forbidden sorcery was good enough for her. You ponder your options. Butch was a true bastard, but he had his own weird set of morals. He’d agreed to fight alongside you back at the Tower of Illusions, and all you did was give him some lunch. If you saved him from being a Terror, and then pointed him in the direction of the culprits who did this to him, he’d probably cooperate. And a Hero’s Relic wielder was worth an entire division of soldiers.

>Current Gold: 93,800

>A): Have Nadia restore Butch (15,000g).
>B): Euthanize him.
>C): Leave him be.

>>6398664
>>A): Have Nadia restore Butch (15,000g).
uuuuugh, our gold... i don't wanna leave butch on the shed though. we'll just have to cut our stat booster intake

>>6398664
lol must be one menacing looking coffee machine

>A): Have Nadia restore Butch (15,000g).
Free my digga Butch. I like his style.

Although it would be really funny to let him go to town on the College if it could be contained to it. Or trap him in the Tower for use later. What if he could be happy as an attraction in Morfis Disney land?

>>6398604
Fun will befall thee!

>>6398664
>A): Have Nadia restore Butch (15,000g).

>>6398664
>B): Euthanize him.
He's a loose cannon through and through - that "probably" is doing a lot of heavy lifting. Besides who knows what other sleeper enchantments the Sages who examined him or Mark have stuck in him.

That and we really gotta conserve our gold since there's 100% going to be more sabotage in our future

>>6398664
>B): Euthanize him.

15K gold is so, so much to spend on one man when we know a crisis approaches. Think of the goodwill we could garner by returning his relic to Fodlan!

>>6398664
>A): Have Nadia restore Butch (15,000g).
We're really burning through our gold here, but Butch was fun and brought out the best in Tristain.

>>6398664
>B): Euthanize him.

>>6398664

>A): Have Nadia restore Butch (15,000g).

>>6398664
>A): Have Nadia restore Butch (15,000g).
We never got to fight him man to man.

>>6398664
>B): Euthanize him.
They're bleeding us out of all our cash... Sorry old pal.

>>6399202
I believe May's counterattack of who we can steal money from, aka Taxes, will ensure our prosperity

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>>6398664
>Month 4

“Boss! We’ve got trouble!” May barges into the throne room, bumping into a serving maiden who was taking away a plate that once housed a considerable serving of lamb. Before the plate can smash on the ground, May deftly catches it. The thief breathes a sigh of relief, before handing it back to the impressed woman. Your companion had always been dexterous, but like Cuthbert, she had been taking her new duties with a degree of seriousness that you’d been unaccustomed to when she’d travelled with you.

>May (Minister of Finance)
>Level 40 Assassin
HP: 42/42
STR: 25
SPD: 41
DEF: 18
RES: 15
Weapon: Peshkatz (+9 Attack, Can attack from range, always crits), Caltrops (block a path for 1 turn)
>Skills:
Unnoticeable: Less likely to be targeted by enemies
Steal+: Can steal non-equipped items. Can steal equipped items if STR is at least half of foe’s

>“May! What’s wrong?” And here you were looking forward to enjoying a post-meal nap. There was always something going wrong! Was ruling a country really supposed to be this stressful?

“It’s our taxes!” May cries, falling to her knees in absolute anguish. “Several wealthy mages are refusing to pay them!”

>“WHAT?!”

You nearly rip off the arms of your throne in fury. Taxation was supposed to be the selling point of ruling a nation! The entire reason anybody actually put up with the job! If you weren’t being paid ludicrous amounts of gold to sit on your ass and “rule,” then what was the point of all this headache?!

“Tax collection season is here,” May sniffles. As your party’s thief and Morfis’ new Minister of Finance, she was taking the lack of flowing gold harder than anyone. “But we’ve only been able to collect a meagre amount of tribute from some of the less affluent mages in the city. Meanwhile, a lot of the big shots are refusing to pay! They’re coming up with all sorts of excuses to avoid filling up the bag. So, I did a little bit of snooping, and apparently, they’re saying that because you haven’t actually married Princess Yulia yet, they don’t want to pay up.”

>“What?! My marriage status aside, that doesn’t give them any right to avoid their financial obligations to the nation!”

“Well…” May trails off. “A lot of them seem to have this crazy idea that you’re uhh…not gonna be around in a few months. Stuff like this would happen back in my village. If you knew someone was about to die, you’d try borrowing money from them. That way you can play dumb about paying it back. This is like…the opposite of that. They don’t think they have to pay you since you won’t be around soon to enforce the collection.”

>“And just where do they believe I’m going?” You grate your teeth.

“Hell, mostly,” May offers. “But some also think you’ll call it quits. I even overheard one mage saying-” May puffs out her chest, and does her best impression of a stuffy noble.

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>>6399279
“I’m not paying that red bastard! It’s because of him the House of Silk burned down! You think my wife is gonna do half the stuff those other women did?! Tristain d’Rusalka should go ahead and die!”

To emphasize the matter, she spits on the floor of the throne room.

You sigh deeply, massaging your temples to relieve your irritation. Evidently, these prominent figures were under the impression you’d be deposed soon, and that their obligations would vanish along with you. It was clear to see that their loyalties were aligned with the Royal Sages, whom they were probably hoping would come along and get rid of you any day now. Had things really fallen into such disarray already?

>“So, May, as my Minister of Finance, what do you suggest we do about this?”

“That gold’s rightfully yours, boss! And no one steals from you!” May says indignantly. “I say I go back and get it, but this time with a whole platoon of soldiers behind me. I’ll take the gold from them by force! It ain’t stealing if I’m just taking what belongs to you in the first place.”

>“Something like that sounds like it would piss off a lot of people…”

“Aren’t you and I pissed off?!” May cries. You’d never seen the thief this spirited before. It was actually a bit heartwarming to witness.

May was right. That gold did rightfully belong to the Royal Palace. And it was needed now more than ever. Ruling was expensive, and you were churning through your treasury like a Peshkatz through butter. These mages that May was describing were fence sitters. They would likely not openly support the Royal Sages, in fear of drawing your ire. They would simply sit to the side and hope that the Sages emerge victorious without any cost to them. There was some use in that. It meant there was one less enemy you’d have to fight. And if you won, which you intended on, they would quickly fall in line. If you came in and took their gold by force though, that would quickly change. Another enemy to add to the pile.

>Current Gold: 78,800g

>A): Give May a large group of soldiers to support tax collection efforts (+25,000g)
>B): You’d have to be satisfied with what May had already managed to collect (+8,000g)

>>6399280
>>A): Give May a large group of soldiers to support tax collection efforts (+25,000g)
moneeeey

[i]how it works[/i]

>>6399280
>>A): Give May a large group of soldiers to support tax collection efforts (+25,000g)
Need to make irs

>>6399280
>B): You’d have to be satisfied with what May had already managed to collect (+8,000g)
Let's not make any addtional enemies. When we're still around in a few weeks we WILL make them pay EXTRA due to trying to dodge taxes. We'll get the money, it'll just be a bit delayed.

>>6399280
>B): You’d have to be satisfied with what May had already managed to collect (+8,000g)

>>6399280
>B): You’d have to be satisfied with what May had already managed to collect (+8,000g)
We've already pissed off the anti-fodlan mages. We'll just have to take their taxes with interest after.

>>6399280
>>A): Give May a large group of soldiers to support tax collection efforts (+25,000g)

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>>6399280
>>A): Give May a large group of soldiers to support tax collection efforts (+25,000g)
If they resist we can kill them legally, also very convenient that now's Mays turn to shine because I just got a commission back from my artist friend depicting May enjoying her new luxuries that being a Minister brings.

>>6399280
>B): You’d have to be satisfied with what May had already managed to collect (+8,000g)
Best not to make any more enemies, I guess...

>>6399280
>B): You’d have to be satisfied with what May had already managed to collect (+8,000g)
Consider this compound investment, when we beat the shit out of the sages we will collect double from the traitors. Or just kill them and take all their property. But we'd best do it after we truly cement power so we don't push more people into the camp of the sages before the actual civil war.

>>6399280
>>A): Give May a large group of soldiers to support tax collection efforts (+25,000g)
GIVE ME HARDER BATTLES.

Either that or say "Pay up or get an exemption for doing charity."
>>6399442
Nice art!