Decision quests

Workers Decision

This decision quest would trigger once the player reaches a certain population threshold.

Wading in

Waders fish for advice

New opportunities mean choices to make, so many choices… Some wilful Waders unsure about their paths in life knock on your door for advice. They don’t want to be a bother, but since you‘ve got it all figured out, they’d hoped you could point them in the direction of someone who, like, knows stuff? Who will you send the Waders to study under?

The Smith gives good advice	The Mercator is looking for an intern	Ben-Baalion could tutor him
The Smith runs a tight shop; every scrap of metal finds a use. The Waders can’t quite find the knack for metalsmithing, but take the lessons on effiency to heart. Peat Cutters temporarily produce Mud as a byproduct!	The Waders have a hard time keeping up, since the Mercator delivers advice while handling product and making sales. One nugget sticks with them, though: « to get paid twice as much, work three times harder ». That seems a little drastic, but they’re willing to try a half measure. Limestone Quarry productivity and maintenance costs increased temporarily!	Ben-Baalion’s lessons on Greek philosophy and imperial power go completely over the poor Waders’ heads. Being gracious souls, they gift him some of their finest cockles as thanks for his time. Quite a lot of cockles, actually… You gained 10t of Cockles.
[Option locked if less than 50 Smiths live in the settlement]	[Option locked if less than 50 Mercators live in the settlement]
[Buff fluff] The Waders can glean some efficient wisdom from the Smith.	[Buff fluff] The Mercator will encourage the Waders to ask for a little more and work much harder.

Fire Incident Decision

This decision quest would trigger when a small Fire incident would escalate into an Inferno.

Rite of the Brand

A matter relating to the fire requires your attention

Unwilling to become Governor of a Pile of Ashes, you’d like your people to drop all current affairs to fight the flames. But your citizens insist this blaze bears all the marks of a divine omen and calls for a not-so-forgotten ritual – the Rite of the Brand. Will your Emperor-representative authority bless the celebration and provide them with the mandatory offering of wood? Or defy the gods by watering their auguries?

Nurture the spark of faith	Deny their request	Carefully back out of the conversation
Fires rise high and so do your citizen’s spirits. Some more houses burn in the process but things, after all, are only things. They’ll start rebuilding as the festival ends, the memory of the rite still burning. And they’re done in record time, thanks to your generous gift of timber.	Their disappointment will linger long after the embers have cooled, but the ritegoers begrudgingly put their efforts into quashing the blaze.	Neither endorsed nor prohibited, the rite ends up going nowhere. A few try gathering burning brands, but largely end up putting out more fires than they start.
[Buff fluff] Your citizens’ sense of Belief will be nurtured with the flames. Until the Rite of the Brand ends, nothing new can be built.	[Buff fluff] Your citizens’ resentment will affect Happiness for a while.	[Buff fluff] Until the Rite of the Brand ends, nothing new can be built.

Fire Incident Decision 2

This decision quest would trigger when a small Fire incident would escalate into an Inferno.

One Way Out

A matter relating to the fire requires your attention

Dire tidings from the fire: Ben-Baalion was just informed that a Notarius from the Eternal City, here on an official visit, was last surveying the very area where the combustion started. They haven’t been seen since and could very well be trapped in one of the burning buildings! Can, and will, you afford to divert attention away from firefighting effort to rescue them?

Rescue them!	Come up with an inventive solution	Don’t waste time searching
It takes quite a lot of effort, but your citizens rescue the Notarius from the blaze. Shaken but grateful, the Notarius decides to stick around and work with your citizens to ensure this never happens to anyone else ever again.	One of your citizens remembers that water and heat tend to go up and not down. They enter the city’s cloaca minima under the fire and disjoint some stones to carve a hatch. On their way away from the blaze, the Notarius is impressed by the great craftwork of your sewers, and decides to stick around and work with your citizens to ensure this never happens again.	While your citizens fight the blaze, the Notarius manages to extract themselves from the building, their precious toga horribly charred. Someone hears them grumbling about the wet weather here not being even good for preventing fires as they depart for the Eternal City to never come back.
	[Option locked if the player has less than 5 Knowledge]
[Buff fluff] Your workers will be exhausted from staging a daring rescue This choice will reward you with a Specialist	[Buff fluff] This choice will reward you with a Specialist

Fire Mitigation Decision

This decision quest would trigger sometimes during a small, usual Fire incident in the player’s city.

Burning Down The House

A matter relating to the fire requires your attention

Most unattended fires eventually die out on their own, but in the meantime nothing really gets done. Who will you send out to combat the blaze?

Put the Waders to work on the fire	Summon the Smiths to staunch the blaze	Marshal the Mercators to deal with the flames	Let the citizenry fight the flare on their own
Waders assemble, bringing any buckets they can get their hands on. Most of said buckets are full of mud rather than water; but if the fire’s out, hard to complain overmuch. The Waders promise to clean up after themselves.	The Smiths fearlessly set to work. When you’re used to the heat of the forge, a humble house-fire has all the threat of a warm hearth.	The Mercators take interest in your proposal. Fires are terribly bad for business; but the aftermath? People standing around looking concerned? A captive market? Therein lies opportunity. They march forth to this bright future!	The firefighting effort remains quite muddled. Some enterprising souls put their hearts, minds and buckets into it, but they’re less efficient as scattered individuals than a collective body.
[Option locked if less than 100 Waders live in the settlement]	[Option locked if less than 50 Smiths live in the settlement]	[Option locked if less than 50 Mercators live in the settlement]
[Buff fluff] The Waders will be busy getting stuck into firefighting. The duration of the Incident will decrease.	[Buff fluff] The Smiths will be busy dismantling the fire. The duration of the Incident will decrease.	[Buff fluff] The Mercators will be busy putting the fire in check. The duration of the Incident will decrease.

Emperor Tribute Decisions

These decisions will trigger every once in a while, depending on the player’s economical situation.

First tribute

A Treasured Visitor

An Imperial Envoy arrives with a contract…

An envoy from the Treasury has arrived bearing a contract. The long and short of it is, the Emperor would like some tribute. The Empire has given you so much; isn’t it time you gave something back? All you have to do is sign, and a cut of your earnings will be diverted into the imperial coffers. You can negotiate terms or refuse, of course, but the Emperor won’t be happy…

Sign the tribute contract	Amend the contract	Refuse to sign
Signed and sorted. Of course, this won’t be the last of it; a long line of tax negotiations and renegotiations awaits. But you’re off to a good start: the Emperor does like those who willingly fall in line.	You negociated a slightly more favourable rate. Any tax is better than no tax at all in the eyes of the Treasury. Still, the Emperor does demand a certain degree of respect, and won’t take kindly to repeated testings of the margins. You negociated a slightly more favourable rate.	Suit yourself! Don’t sign anything! But remember; you are just one governor, and the Empire is vast, broad, and full of heavily-armed soldiers. Sooner or later, someone will pay.
[Buff fluff] You will pay exactly what tribute is asked of you. The Emperor will like this.	[Buff fluff] You will only pay slightly less Tribute than was expected while your relationship with the Emperor sours a little.	[Buff fluff] You will lose Reputation with the Emperor.

Regular tribute

Emperor Tribute

An Imperial Procurator arrived, bearing a message from the Emperor.

The Emperor would like to reward you for your hard work with a new tax contract. The terms are, of course, more punishing than the last. You may try to negotiate for a better deal; but the Emperor won’t like that. You could also refuse to sign, keeping your old contract; but the Emperor will like that even less. What terms of taxation will you agree to?

Accept the new tax rate	Compromise to intermediate terms	Keep paying at the old rate
Good, nice of you to agree. The fruits of your labour will keep the Empire well-fed.	Well, a middleground is better than no tax at all. This way, everyone is slightly upset, and so the world continues to turn.	If you insist. You will not increase your payments this time. But note well that the Emperor can’t be expected to take kindly to those who don’t follow orders. The inflexible stick soon breaks.
[Buff fluff] The amount of Tribute paid to the Emperor will increase. The emperor will like this.	[Buff fluff] You will only pay slightly more Tribute while your relationship with the Emperor sours a little.	[Buff fluff] The amount of Tribute you pay will not increase but you’ll lose Reputation with the Emperor.

Irregular tribute

Emperor Tribute

An Imperial Procurator arrived bearing good news.

The Imperial Treasury has noticed you’re having a hard time and has some mercy in store for you. You may temporarily (and only temporarily!) reduce your tribute payments until you’ve got yourself on sound economic footing. Of course, the Emperor dearly appreciates your tribute and would hate to see it reduced, so you will gain some favor if you keep paying your current rate.

Stick to your current contract	Take the temporary contract
As they say in the far provinces, pride goeth before destruction. The Emperor loves tribute, but destests failure. Bonam fortunam!	Your economic burden is lightened. Don’t get too complacent, for this arrangement is only temporary. Limited time. For now. Only for a short period. And so on.
[Buff fluff] You will gain Reputation with the Emperor.	[Buff fluff] As an exceptional act of mercy, this will decrease your Tribute obligations for some time.