Name: Beyond Walls Difficulty: Long Participants: Astrid Venier Story: Since establishing and being placed in charge of the Office of the Auditor, Senator Astrid Venier has already begun carrying out the mass siphoning of funds throughout much of Fiore under the guise of "auditing" the cities that are not Oak Town and Hargeon, effectively pulling Fiorian Government funding from areas viewed "non-essential" and sustainable by the cities themselves. One city, Orchidia, has been providing extreme pushback to Astrid's proposed budget cuts, citing the very survival of the city as the justification. Unable to reach a compromise, Astrid has chosen to travel to Orchidia and see for herself the validity of such a wild claim. She comes to realize that the city has created a massive defensive wall, intent on using it to keep itself safe from threats that plague the North, a notable one being large Titans that still plague the North despite the efforts of Paradise Dawn once upon a time. Despite the reasoning, Astrid does not expect to leave Orchidia without having gotten exactly what she wanted. The only question is how difficult the city aims to be in their resistance. Rewards: Legendary Objective: Astrid Venier travels to Orchidia in order to settle matters relating her to Office of the Auditor. In her effort to siphon from the funds available to the city, she encounters significant pushback from Orchidia which views the funds as essential for its defense. The task is singular in nature; make sure that her initial efforts are successful and the "waste" of Orchidia's budget is claimed by the Office of the Auditor. How the city is affected by this does not matter, so long as the funds are secured. Lore Impact:
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Name: Setting Shop Rank: A Type: Bad Summary: Having established Phantom Lord's Guild Hall as her primary base of operations outside of Crocus, Senator Astrid Venier aims to take advantage of the Fiorian Senate's long recess to push further agendas without being impeded by the political gridlock that comes from pushing legislature through the Senate. Despite multiple options available throughout Fiore, Astrid and her assistant Sia settle on resolving a matter taking place in Northern Fiore in Orchidia. Non Player Characters:
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Name: The Long Road Rank: A Type: Bad Summary: Astrid and Sia make the long trip to Orchidia. Along the way, Sia informs Astrid as to the greater details surrounding the situation in Orchidia, beyond that of the brief synopsis provided initially. Despite the authority granted to her as the Office of the Auditor, Orchidia's local government has refused to accept proposed budget changes. Talks have stalled to the point where a face to face meeting is required, or more drastic measures will have to be taken, including severing all Government aid to Orchidia. Non Player Characters:
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Name: Welcome Party Rank: A Type: Bad Summary: Arriving in Orchidia, Astrid and Sia are met by a contingent of Orchidia politicians, including its leader. Wanting to waste no time and see to a quick resolution, they invite the pair to a meeting and explain the "waste" that Astrid is looking to have cut from Orchidia's budget are related to its massive defense program; huge walls erected with incredible artillery support. The city's leader claims that any amount of defunding towards this could be disastrous to Orchidia's overall survival. Intrigued by this, Astrid requests a chance to see this defense program firsthand. Non Player Characters:
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Name: Armament Rank: S Type: Bad Summary: The next morning, Astrid and Sia are provided a tour of the massive defense program that Orchidia constructed. Huge, imposing walls that separate Orchidia from its unkempt borders. Numerous cannons, rails, munitions, and other essentials required for a prolonged defensive stand are littered atop the full length of the walls, capable of repelling an invading force for countless days straight. When Astrid tries to understand the need for such a showing of firepower, the military leaders explain the threat of the Titans, creatures that once plagued the North but had been largely wiped out. Orchidia had seen a resurgence in them recently, thus spending had aggressively increased in order to sufficiently combat that threat. Although Astrid believes such a belief is a foolish one, the leaders indicated that regardless they had sent out a small expedition force to survey the lands further out, hoping to see just how accurate that sentiment may have been. Once they arrive in the next day or so, they'll know who is right. Non Player Characters:
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Name: Any Second Now Rank: A Type: Bad Summary: As night comes, Astrid and Sia wait impatiently in their private quarters for news of the Orchidia expedition to return. The duo discuss the situation in Orchidia, with Astrid also expressing an update on a different, private matter that she wanted Sia to look into. Sia will provide an update as to that secret matter as alarms echo throughout Orchidia, indicating that the expedition team has returned. When Astrid and Sia join those who eagerly await by the entrance through the walls, they come to see that most of the expedition force was wiped out. Non Player Characters:
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Name: My Plan Instead Rank: S Type: Bad Summary: The next morning, the leader of Orchidia tries to argue the necessity of the walls and defensive situation, as shown by the state of the expedition force that returned last night. Astrid argues against this, claiming that the walls weakened them, citing not only their failures in addressing the growing threat, but also the rampant rise of the Midnight Cult that took place not too long ago, saying that if they were trained to stomp out invading forces, they would have actual success stopping a threat, instead of allowing it to fester. The duo go back and forth, until Astrid, using the power of her Eye of Makima, suggests that they attempt to lure out a Titan and try to take it on themselves. It would be the best way to see if actual combat would work better than simply defensive tactics. Under the influence of the Eye, the leader agrees to this suggestion, stating that he will reach out to the military leaders and arrange something. Non Player Characters:
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Name: What I Want You to See Rank: S Type: Bad Summary: The next day, Astrid and Sia meet with several military leaders and the Orchidia leader atop one of the walls. They express significant doubt as to the viability of this idea, and try to stop them from going forward. Utilizing the Eye of Makima again, Astrid convinces them that despite what happens, regardless of casualties suffered, the operation will seem like that of a massive success, showing that the walls are no longer needed. United in their line of thinking, the leaders have the mission carry out, but with massive casualties suffered, deemed a failure under any normal circumstances. However, manipulated by the Eye of Makima, they agree that Astrid's proposal is the best approach, agreeing to terms discussed that will significantly defund the Orchidia's defensive program. Astrid confides to Sia to see to that territories just outside of Oak's borders are annexed, citing what she calls an eventual need for excess food production, making note of where Orchidia's farmlands are heavily located. Non Player Characters:
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