Erfworld

Chicken/egg question.

(Mind Rape magic aside. And Arkenpliers as an extraspecial case.)

Even the pliers don't enforce perfect loyalty. Decrypted units can turn.

That's really one of the interesting things - the whole "Orders" mechanic brings free will into question, except that it IS possible, at least in some circumstances, to act against your ruler - in particular, by Turning to an enemy side. There's also the "sense-of-Duty-overriding-orders", at least for some units. Is that only for units with leadership? I do remember that Chief Warlords can give orders to Rulers if they feel the side is at stake.

Bear in mind that turning stuff is only for the higher type units, not the masses. But yeah, it's not as simple as mind control, yet its also not as simple as each individual making their own decision. How each individual makes a choice must seem so complicated that few people try to figure it out. It throws the whole concept of "crime" into an entirely new light.

Yes, but they're still running different from just a regular resurrection.

At popping, units come with a random but formed personality, which includes their Duty and Loyalty stats. So it's numerical reflection of their personality or their personality intrinsically reflecting their numbers.

However when Decrypted, their new loyalty is not just a reflection of "they brought me back from the dead, I owe it to them", it writes more dedication and loyalty into their numbers and personality.

I've been assuming the decryption mechanics work like this: Most of the time, when a unit Turns, their loyalty stat takes a huge hit. One has to offer a pretty good deal (build the loyalty stat back up) in order prevent them from just Turning again at the first opportunity. Decryption, however, preserves the existing loyalty stat- so they're exactly as loyal to Wanda as they were to their former side. That doesn't mean their loyalty can't be reduced after that- see Ossomser- but there's a reason one typically restricts that sort of thing to high value targets, and decrypted seem to have some build-in resistance to Turnamancy.

Something related just occurred to me.

When Ossomer turned, Wanda and the pliers were absent and this had just been mentioned right before he turned.

If it was the absence of the pliers which rendered him able to be turned, what does this mean for every decrypted unit in the MK right now?

True, this was brought up as a possibility. But Ossomer's hex was filled with other Decrypted units, warlords and infantry alike, which did not turn. The Decrypted in the MK have no reason to turn to a bunch of casters who hate them and will probably vivisect them.

Every decrypted unit in the MK amounts to Artemis, an archer or two, a Rhymeamancer and I think two archons, one of whom has already expressed great Loyalty to Parson on top of Wanda. I get the feeling I'm forgetting someone but that's about it for survivors. You should be more worried about the Decrypted that are actually in the field since no one is actually using the Arkenpliers right now.

Going by this picture, it looks like three regular soldiers of uncertain type (probably archers), three Archons (including Lilith), Artemis, the Rhyme-o-mancer, and Wanda herself.

Just because it's possibly for them to Turn doesn't mean that's an imminent danger, anymore than it is for regular units.

A new one. Did Bonnie already tell GMtTA everything in that last panel? GMtTA are willing to go that far and alienate rest of the casters? All this seems fishy to the bone.

I'm worried.

Charlie can intercept and eavesdrop on that conversation, a fact even Bonnie doesn't know about. So the second the "Peace" spell goes through, he can just send a bunch of Archons through, unaffected by the spell, to shoot Wanda as soon as she's near the GK portal.

Are we sure Bonnie doesn't know? She was pretty high-ranked. And Charlie is still at sub-par efficiency.

I think it's close to 95% that she doesn't. Charlie is paranoid enough that most rank and file Archons (of which Bonnie was scraping the top of the barel, but still) don't know his physical appearance. He wouldn't want any of his field Archons, who can be captured, turned, or mind controlled, to know THAT juicy bit of intel.

If she did, I think she'd have been insisting GK do all high security negotiations by hat, and she's been doing her negotiating with Bunny and Victor over Thinkagram, so I think she doesn't.

Failing that, I don't think she'd want to risk Charlie snooping on either conversation (which he did) on the off chance even with sub par efficiency he stumbled accross either.

edited 11th Jun '16 8:07:38 AM by Earnest

If Chsrlescom still has unrestricted access to the MK, I would be surprised.

She's been negotiating with Roger Clarence. I think we're supposed to be kind of suspicious.

edited 11th Jun '16 8:37:57 AM by Arha

Are you implying that Charles is setting this up? Because he wants to capture Wanda instead?

No, or at least not necessarily. Just that if we were supposed to trust this offer completely it probably would have come through Isaac.

She's speaking with all the GMTA, they know that Charlie can eavesdrop, the spell probably is a constant effect on the entire magic kingdom, so a Charlie invasion seems unlikely.

However the spell probably effects all prisoners in the magic kingdom, including Charlie's people who are being held for trial.

Nobody posted the update yet?

I'm invested in the Transylvitan internal politics at this point so I was a little disappointed at this update for switching to focus on a character I don't really like.

Charlie doesn't have any people being held for trial, unless you're counting Ivan.

Yeah I'm counting Ivan, also Claud (that the name?) might try and make a break for it.

Newpage. Not much happens, but the setup for something interesting.