>>5374855which ones (if any) would try to make a run at the Cord now that Shu’s well on her way to finishing things, which ones would help her, and which ones would simply hold back to see how things unfold?
I'll need have to split this answer multiple parts.
>RusBoth Anastasisa and Ivana will make a run at the Cord but will beeline towards Shu specifically as they see her as the kingmaker that will end their feud.
Ivana will looking at Shu as a potential thrall/power-up to kill/consume or a willing vassal power.
Anastasia will be looking at Shu as an ally/rival but has a laundry list of concessions from the other side that she demands must be met (and make many other regional power players upset) in order to secure her cooperation. Spurning her demands after securing her cooperation to kill Ivana will have her wage war against everyone and have her do her damnest to cause as much collateral to render Shu's potential victory in stopping the Cord a Pyrrhic one.
Both daughters will constantly be at each other's throats. Neither side will accept any compromise, until it ends with one side dead. Choosing one side will prompt the other to wage war and/or make a run for the Cord as they see the throne atop the cord as the desperate trump that will force their belligerent rival/nemesis (as well as the defiant) to bend knee.
>ChinaAs stated before in the previous vein, Empress Shun will make a run for the Cord while beelining towards the Defiant as the higher priority, but the trigger for her move is mainly due to the presence of (Sathriel/Shufen Yi) and Peng Ching wandering about in "Shu's Domain". Her first priority will be to secure Sathriel and Peng and inquire the reason why they left her, then make a play at the Defiant for either diplomacy or a duel to see who is "worthy of Heaven's throne." Of course Sathriel and Peng will also get involved, so expect political/philosophical debate and personal drama on this angle. It's possible to secure Shun's cooperation as an ally if Shu plays her cards right. Failure will either prompt a personal duel or result in Shun leaving in a huff to show Aunt Peng and Sathriel that she is worthy of "Heaven's throne" (even if Shun knows she'll hate it.)
>Middle EastRoxelana will help Shu in her endeavor, but like any other power player, but like any political game, there are strings attached to the deal. The Sultana offers access to her region's resources as well as her aid (indirectly in the form of Nectar shipments to the settlements affiliated with Shu and associated trade deals from other regions) in Shu's quest to end the Crucible. Shu on her end will have to offer the Sultana...well...an opportunity for the Sultana to "taste the family's exotic flavors (this includes Amara)" as well as Shu's guarantee that Roxelana is ensured as the ruling sovereign of the region post-Crucible. The terms of the deal are negotiable of course on who she gets to "taste", but she won't budge on the Sovereignty demand.
