Game time

[Anastasia]

"Yes," Zaaman Rul says, "The Water Lord makes my skin crawl."

[Corwin]

Seira smiles at him, saying, "Wish us luck, then."

Let's go do this thing with Barachiel and Donald and Amaryl.

[Anastasia]

Awesome. Any prep needed?

[Corwin]

No.

[Anastasia]

The represenative of the Water Lord is an elemental. A human sized one, pure water and nothing else. "Seira," it greets in a voice that is not quite its own. "Barachiel, Amaryl, Kascha. Speak."

[Corwin]

"The Abolition War has been going well for us, especially on Fire," Seira leads with, to get straight to the point. "Imix and the Grand Sultan were sent back in defeat, and Eblis has rejoined Celestia's ranks. The Sultan's closest advisers are reaching for the knives and he knows it, too. We feel the time has come for a decisive move against Fire."

[Anastasia]

"You desire my aid," The elemental says, " A bludgeon to enforce compliance."

[Corwin]

Seira nods. "This is a situation where mutual benefit can be derived from working together. Water has waited for a chance to make the most impactful entrance into the War, one which would benefit Water the most. Barachiel and I believe the moment is now. If you enter the fight on our side, that very act may well be enough to leave Fire lessened and our enemies signing a peace treaty under our terms. In that case, you suffer no losses, gain the prestige of acting presciently and Celestia and the Cauldron would gladly support our friends of Water who made this all possible."

[Anastasia]

"We will," Barachiel agrees, "Celestia and the Cauldron stand together in this matter, and wish for you to stand with us as well. If you have waited for this chance, you will not come to a better one, a chance to be the third and decisive factor to end this war to all of our victories."

To this the elemental listens and replies after, "What would those terms be?"

[Corwin]

"We would demand that all slaves are freed and slavery itself is outlawed in the Efreet Empire. That alone would incur massive financial losses to the efreet, and eliminating some of the die hard nobles who refuse to comply would likely be necessary, further weakening the empire. Imix's recent loss and Eblis's departure from Fire means Fire itself is undergoing realignment, and the efreet accepting our terms means that this realignment will continue at an accelerated pace. The devils will be shut out of Fire further, as Fire loses its traditional allies. All of this would inevitably shake Fire up, destabilizing and thus weakening Fire's ascendancy while it figures out its path. While not permanent, it would take time, and you would be best placed to take advantage of it. With our support provided freely and happily, things will only go more smoothly for Water, so the relative power balance will shift far more than any conventional analysis would suggest."

[Anastasia]

Give me Diplo here, would you? -20 circumstance penalty, no getting around it regardless, but you at least got your foot int he door for a check.

[Corwin]

18:53 <Seira> roll 1d20+85-20
18:53 <Kobot> Seira rolled 1d20+85-20 --> [ 1d20=19 ]{84}

[Anastasia]

There is but a moment's pause at this, "Words are as free as rain in the jungle," The elemental says, "Deeds are as precious as rain in the desert."

[Corwin]

"My deeds speak for themselves, and my word is my bond," Seira responds. "If there is a specific deed you require to decide favorably for us, however, please tell me what it is."

[Anastasia]

"Bring me knowledge and proof of what game the devils play here and why," The Water Lord commands. "Events move in curious eddies and strange currents."