>>6104361<span class="mu-r">"For a King, it is always a good policy to assume the worst. Ye shall seldom be disappointed."</span>
Was that your own thought? Or was that King Lot's? Or perhaps you are in tune with your Namesake, in harmony with the 'music of the spheres' that Seneschal Hanbei blathered about and sharing the same opinion on the situation.
In addition to faithful vassals, there's you. The powers from being Blessed by Avalon and the favor of the Gods is at your command. Or at the very least, one Goddess who greatly favors you.
And there's King Lot of Lothian and Orkney.
<span class="mu-r">"And Camelot."</span>
You almost laugh at the insistence of tacking on Camelot to the list of titles.
"Well old man Lot, any good ideas?"
You ask wondering how the Namesake will respond. Would he propose? So far the only alternatives you can think up is to eject the Romans which could result in war. You aren't keen on that idea. The other is submission to demands from the Romans which is a recipe for future impoverishment and your ego might not survive the humiliation.
<span class="mu-r">"Delay, temporarily put off the Romans while Camelot is strengthened. A weak Kingdom is meat for the strong. Mayhap we can on more equal terms with the invaders."</span>
That sounds like a bad idea that will piss off the Romans. History only shows that the powerful can only be put off for so long with delaying tactics. Heck, you only have to read what happened to the Tokugawa shogunate in history to know how untenable such a tactic is.
And yet... It wasn't as if the former regime in crisis was idle and doing nothing productive during the delay. New technology, new weapons, reforms were enacted to strengthen the country resulted. It formed the base for the later Meiji Revolution for Japan and did overturn the Unequal Treaties.
The question is how to delay things.
"The Guild elections... I can tell the Romans that nothing can be done until the elections are over. If I hint to the participants to proceed slowly in selecting a Baphomet..."
You don't know much about the Roman Empire but you do recall they had elections for positions. If you tell them the election season is ongoing, they might accept and delay serious negotiations and demands for a little while.
Can you gain enough power and resources to fend off ships of avaricious Romans by then? You don't have a lot of time to do so, but it might just be enough. It doesn't hurt to try.
You walk over to your Relics and stare at the motley collection. A Black Mask, Cellphone and charger, Tea Bowl and 2 Survival Booklets.
2 Survival Booklets.