360+ days to Kyros day of Swords?

[buraggio]

after entering first time Disfavored camp I did sleep for a few days before proclaiming an edict in the tent (I'm in new game+ and I want to unlock achievements) - now I have 363 days deadline until day of Swords

is it a bug or is it planned? technically edict shouldn't work until proclaimed...

[LHGreen]

That's a well known exploit to buy yourself more time. Lots of people do it, but frankly, it's not really necessary. And it makes the ending and achievement where you let everyone die from the edict a royal ♥♥♥♥♥ to try to get.

[buraggio]

Originally posted by LHGreen:

it makes the ending and achievement where you let everyone die from the edict a royal ♥♥♥♥♥ to try to get.

I wanted to unlock this very achievement :D

[fauxpas]

I think it was an oversight that the devs kept in because it's an amusing option for the Fatebinder to subvert Kyros' will while maintaining the letter of her law.

But yeah, all Day of the Swords is like saying June 3rd, in your case the Fatebinder simply waited until the 4th to enact Kyros' magic.

[fauxpas]

Originally posted by buraggio:

Originally posted by LHGreen:

it makes the ending and achievement where you let everyone die from the edict a royal ♥♥♥♥♥ to try to get.

I wanted to unlock this very achievement :D

The ending slide is worth seeing once as it hints at Kyros' plan and hints that see knew what the problem in the Tiers really was from the start, probably the reason she selected those two to lead the invasion in the first place.

[LHGreen]

Originally posted by fauxpas:

Originally posted by buraggio:

I wanted to unlock this very achievement :D

The ending slide is worth seeing once as it hints at Kyros' plan and hints that see knew what the problem in the Tiers really was from the start, probably the reason she selected those two to lead the invasion in the first place.

I'd say it shows ONE of Kyros' plans. Kyros seems to be one who likes a good Xanatos Gambit. Remember, the trick is not to choose the best path that leads to the most preferred victory, but to choose so that ALL paths lead to A victory. And it's definitely a lesser victory, in Kyros' eyes.

[fauxpas]

Originally posted by LHGreen:

Originally posted by fauxpas:

The ending slide is worth seeing once as it hints at Kyros' plan and hints that see knew what the problem in the Tiers really was from the start, probably the reason she selected those two to lead the invasion in the first place.

I'd say it shows ONE of Kyros' plans. Kyros seems to be one who likes a good Xanatos Gambit. Remember, the trick is not to choose the best path that leads to the most preferred victory, but to choose so that ALL paths lead to A victory. And it's definitely a lesser victory, in Kyros' eyes.

I agree, with the exception that I think it was Kyros' preferred ending, as the Fatebinder raising to power is messier than simply killing three troublemaking Archons and one proto-archon with a single stone and giving the Tiers to Turin.

[LHGreen]

Originally posted by fauxpas:

Originally posted by LHGreen:

I'd say it shows ONE of Kyros' plans. Kyros seems to be one who likes a good Xanatos Gambit. Remember, the trick is not to choose the best path that leads to the most preferred victory, but to choose so that ALL paths lead to A victory. And it's definitely a lesser victory, in Kyros' eyes.

I agree, with the exception that I think it was Kyros' preferred ending, as the Fatebinder raising to power is messier than simply killing three troublemaking Archons and one proto-archon with a single stone and giving the Tiers to Turin.

Lol, yeah, it's messier, but you can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs, right? That's every villain's favorite "the ends justify the means" line when they don't want to just outright say that they think the ends justify the means! Also, sacrifices must be made, ♥♥♥♥ happens, war is hell/messy/has no heroes; it's a saying that covers a wide range of situations.

[fauxpas]

Very true, which is why it's still a win in the end, whether the Fatebinder bends the knee or spits in Kyros' eye and is subsequently crushed by the full might of the Empire, as no matter what happens in the end Kyros wins, but the least amount of uncertainty the better, which is why I believe she would have preferred for the quick extermination of her headaches.

Also Kyros probably wasn't thrilled by another Exarch learning to cast Edicts, even a loyalist one.

[LHGreen]

Originally posted by fauxpas:

Very true, which is why it's still a win in the end, whether the Fatebinder bends the knee or spits in Kyros' eye and is subsequently crushed by the full might of the Empire, as no matter what happens in the end Kyros wins, but the least amount of uncertainty the better, which is why I believe she would have preferred for the quick extermination of her headaches.

Also Kyros probably wasn't thrilled by another Exarch learning to cast Edicts, even a loyalist one.

The greatest threat to a dictator is always the people they rule, though, not their corrupt and authority-abusing subordinates. Those guys are usually satisfied with all the privileges and perks they grab up, and as long as they serve loyally and keep themselves useful and out of trouble, things will be good for them. This is even alluded to in several of the backgrounds you can choose in character creation. Even when the occasional power-lusting ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ gets too greedy and decides to aim for the top spot, and even when they get enough traction to be a serious or even major threat, it's always secondary to the citizenry. Revolution trumps deposition, every time.

[fauxpas]

Sure, but that's not really relevant to the discussion, remember that the end side explicitly states that when the edict kills everyone, peace reigns under Kyros' rule as opposition simply... ends.

[LHGreen]

Of course it's relevant! That slide just isn't realistic!

Seriously, that little slide does give me trouble, true, because that's just not the way things have, historically speaking, generally gone down. Fear alone (either of the government, or what it would be like without the government) never props up those governments; a level of respect, and even love, on most people's parts is always necessary. But Kyros already has that from most of the subjects, so I guess it would just be a case of the fear lasting long enough for the respect to start sinking in. I highly doubt that's the be all and end all of the story, though, because even that respect will stagnate and start to erode. The way that system is set up, people will become discontent without eventually having some kind of enemy or threat to be pointed towards. But I suppose that, from a narrative standpoint, it wouldn't work to look that far ahead. Still, I wish that the slide had instead said something like "it was very a long time before anyone again thought of rebelling against Kyros". The finality of the slide that was there just doesn't feel like it fits in very well.

I don't remember it saying that peace reigned, though. Just that opposition ended. It's been a while, though. But it made me laugh when I saw that I could get an ending by doing that, and I guess that's what counts.

[fauxpas]

You are of course assuming that her subjects don't generally love her (low key); a lot is made out about how Kyros' peace works that we can apply to areas where everyone is covered by it instead of only an invading army. And even the merchants aren't entirely unhappy with the trade regulations, seeing how it also bans tolls, at least once they understand that they have to have them and how to work the system.


And since each Archon is pretty much free to rule their area as they see fit; the government isn't nearly as centralized as most dictatorships which also provides Kyros with a needed release valve for her disgruntled citizens, as the ruling Archon is the face they see and can associate with their unhappiness instead of a distant ruler that no one can picture as anything that isn't abstract.

[LHGreen]

Originally posted by fauxpas:

And since each Archon is pretty much free to rule their area as they see fit; the government isn't nearly as centralized as most dictatorships which also provides Kyros with a needed release valve for her disgruntled citizens, as the ruling Archon is the face they see and can associate with their unhappiness instead of a distant ruler that no one can picture as anything that isn't abstract.

Ooo, yeah, that's a very good point. Revolting against an archon is still a problem, though. And while giving them a figurehead to focus any negative feelings on is a good tactic, it still only provides one step of removal, so if the revolt is big enough, they may not be fooled by it.

And we don't have to only go by the mechanics of Kyros' government that they tell us about in order to extrapolate how it works in a territory Kyros has ruled for a while; we also have the Fatebinder backstories to go by. As well as the backstories of some of the companions, and a few interludes throughout the game, like the one where we find out that more of the continent is afflicted by the edicts than not. It doesn't sound great, and personally, I get feeling that even the loyal subjects aren't entirely happy about it. If they didn't have some external enemy or mission or disaster to focus on (or marginalized group of people to hate), I think they'd start turning their attention towards things that Kyros really doesn't want them to.