Ending discussion - Best choice for the Empire

[deserthamster]

Which ending would most likely guarantee the resurrection of the Empire?

I am guessing that if the PC becomes god, he will not be able to have as big a reach as Agathot or Balzaar. He also seems like he would be more concerned with cult of personality then doing actual work to advance the empire (after all you are a frail mortal that has become a supreme being with all the limitations that come in a primitive society such as this).

Balzaar also seems like he would not do much to restore the empire to its former glory since he is worse then PC when it comes to self aggrandizement.

That leaves good old mr Thot. If i remember the ending slides correctly, by helping House Darathan, you expand the empire beyond its former borders. Since the others do not mention anything like that, the amazing little megalomaniac seems to have the furthest reach. I can only imagine that he would be ambitious as well when it comes to great works of science and technology. Am I correct in that assumption?

Then there is the amazing Miltiades. He seems like a compassionate guy that truly cares about the people that he works with and he always leaves them better off, even to his own detriment. That is at least the impression i got from him since his face inspired a lot of confidence and he had a way with words - he just had a bit of bad luck with all those people wanting to kill him for various reasons. I feel that putting him on the throne would shame all of the others mentioned before. Or at least that is what the official proclamations of Emperor Miltiades would be.

[-Na Shagul-]

I agree with you completely on both points about the PC becoming a god as well as Balzaar; although if I’m being quite honest Balzaar’s ending isn’t too terrible, after all there are many perks to being the favorite of a living god.

But to answer the question in all seriousness, I feel as though Lord Gaelius and house Aurelian having made peace with the Imperial Guard as well as welcoming the Ordu into the fold will make a long lasting Empire once the fires and tempers have completely cooled. Of course, that’s assuming everything works out as planned, which leads me to what I believe may very well be my favorite, and most stable, ending to the Age of Decadence. This may be a bit of a long post, but bear with me.

Long story short, it’s the Commercium storyline siding with Meru at the end, but the devil is in the details~ or should I say gods?

Let’s start with the PC, a charismatic grifter currently working under the name “Janus” who has a good bit of lore knowledge under his belt and is always eager to learn more as to best scam unsuspecting merchants as well as talk himself out of any holes he might find himself in if confronted by legitimate loremasters. His friend, Petras, tips him off about the creed of Gannezar and Janus’ curiosity and interest is piqued; after all, religious zealots were often the most gullible. Janus doesn’t have to go far to see the reach of the Creed with his own eyes, for just outside of the Inn is a preacher attempting to ply a crowd who simply isn’t interested… save for Janus. Janus wants to see just how easily manipulated these religious nutjobs were and, wouldn’t you know it, he managed to convince the damned fool that he was “The Chosen One” Oh dear, if only he’d known then just how much his life was going to revolve around that one spur of the moment source of entertainment.

Fast forward to the end of the game and this little lie has taken on a whole life of its own. Janus, Athanasius, Petras as the Prophet, and Miltiades have Gannezar on lockdown. Meru is… indisposed, but more on that later. As the First Acolyte, Athanasius controls the city as Magistrate while Janus continues to parade around town as the Chosen One, giving sermons and maintaining a watch over the city as a whole. Miltiades was always a bit of a rival, but he proved to be a capable ally in keeping the rabble of lowtown in check once Hector and Pancratius were taken out of the picture; he was always good at shaking down merchants after all, and Athanasius knows how to control men like him if they ever get uppity, not that his lofty position as a “priest” with access to spoils will give him any reason to act up. The Imperial Guard, now the Templars, protect all who follow the creed, but Janus and Dux Paullus had a bit of an agreement that it’s certainly not in anyone’s best interests if the “Gods” actually came back and had Al-Akia purposefully destroyed; Janus was educated in lore, after all, and learned firsthand that the gods Meru wanted to bring back weren’t all they were cracked up to be.

This crushed Meru, who attempted to seek out the ancient holy site in an attempt to commune with the gods but was left wanting and fell into a heavy depression that took its toll on his overall health, he wasn’t long for this world. With Meru out of the picture, permanently more than likely, Petras could shed his act as the Prophet and become a more prominent priest in the upper districts of Gannezar, allowing Janus, the Chosen one, to go on a holy mission to bring Maadoran into the fold. A daunting task, if he hadn’t already had people on the inside.

When working for Strabos in the past, Janus learned a lot about the man. Primarily that he was a fat piece of crap who was too callous and disrespectful for his own good. Perhaps if he had been nicer, Janus could’ve found the leverage necessary to give him the full position of Magistrate rather than to his rival, Lady Lorenza. No matter, the noble woman was very appreciative and offered Janus a reward. Not lacking for money or notoriety, Janus asked for something far more valuable than both~ a favor from a noble of such high status as herself. A favor he was now going to cash in. Maadoran was a mess. Gaelius was dead, House Aurelian was in shambles, and the sudden spreading of the Creed saw chaos in the streets as the noble class fought to maintain relevance and control. It wouldn’t be long before the Creed faithful overran them, and so Janus came to Lorenza, who had longed to have Maadoran returned to her family’s power, with a deal that she would be foolish to ignore. Lorenza must take the plunge and willingly and publicly strip herself of her noble heritage and dedicate herself to the Creed; in doing so, Janus, “The Chosen One,” will reward her eagerness and dedication by making her High Priestess of Maadoran. She, with the backing of The Chosen One and the Templars, will storm the palace and oust the final vestige of House Aurelian and repurpose the palace as a Grand Temple, a temple where the High Priestess will live with her supplicants and… govern her faithful congregation. She regains control of the city, and the Creed takes full and absolute hold over the area, adding to the Temple’s overall power and wealth. Not that Maadoran doesn’t benefit, of course. The Templars police the streets that are now unified with a lack of class warfare and shared religion with the steep wealth of the Commercium being absorbed as it was in Gannezar now able to be redistributed to where it’s needed most rather than lining the gilded pockets of the elite. Maadoran turns a new leaf with hope that it might return to its former glory fresh in everyone’s mind.

This just leaves Teron, a minor obstacle to be sure. At this point, Antidas has already jumped the gun and began slumming it up with the other faithful in an attempt to save his hide and his house, but it has yet to be seen If he truly means it. The Chosen One extends to Antidas the same deal he offered Lady Lorenza, one that would no doubt be accepted. Dataran is absorbed, which also includes the Blue Steel mines, further benefiting the Templars.

The Templars themselves see a spike in recruitment as well as being able to be funded directly by the Temple’s increasing wealth rather than relying on spoils of war, which also still exist. This only allows the Templars to expand even more and provide security to the wasteland they had only dreamed of doing in the past.

But what of Agathoth? Well, similar to Balzaar in Al-Akia, Janus wasn’t about to take any chances with this “god,” neither. Knowing he couldn’t possibly go toe-to-toe with the monster, he… well, blew up the entire Temple. It was a miracle he lived through the explosion, but he was a good runner. Athanasius wouldn’t have approved, but what he didn’t know won’t hurt him. The temple remained “lost”, but it wasn’t necessary. With the success of the Creed in Gannezar, and no doubt Maadoran and Teron to follow, and the Templars to protect them all, a new empire may be founded. An Empire that bowed to no man but the gods… gods that now had no chance of ever materializing in the physical world, but the plebs didn’t need to know that. But who would lead this empire? Well, The Chosen One, of course. The Chosen One and his entourage of very, very capable and intelligent friends and associates who had everything to gain and everything to lose if this ruse ever fell through.

[Свет во Тьме]

if the Empire is up for something "big" then Miltiades is the obvious choice