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[RT][HF] A Practical Guide to Evil: Book 4: Interlude: Giuoco Pianissimo
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Author: u/Zayits *
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URL: https://practicalguidetoevil.wordpress.com/2018/10/03/interlude-giuoco-pianissimo/
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Score: 69
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Created: 2018-10-03T04:03:05
Post:
Comments:
u/cyberdsaiyan [+28] (2 hours later)
I always love it when regular Callowan people's perspectives are shown. It's so fun to see how they see things and how they live their lives.
u/None [+10] (7 hours later)
To quote TFS!cell: I have so many questions!
Does this person know who hakram is, and is lying to Hakram? That seems pretty ballsy, but that’s the only thing that really makes sense here. Like, if they’re a poor refugee in a medieval world, in a city with crushing housing prices, as a single parent, how the hell can they afford to give away meat to a random org? Like, poor people in modern countries have difficulty supporting kids as a single parent; add in all the above and it boggles the mind. That despite losing their home and livelihood they have 0 complaints whatsoever and are super stoked despite, in there eyes, and orc being in charge only seems to work if they recognize hakram and don’t want to be seen as diesloyal, but that just raises further issues.
u/cyberdsaiyan [+13] (7 hours later)
He did say that he was almost sold out for the day, Hakram made a note of this too. I think he just wanted to be on the good side of the Legionnaries.
u/sparr [+5] (13 hours later)
Could be respect, could be fear.
u/None [+1] (20 hours later)
Meat is expensive. That being said, I don't really get how his business model functions in the first place considering how expensive meat was, how expensive space is there, and how poor everyone in callow is, so I guess whatever explains that could plausibly also cover this.
u/cyberdsaiyan [+4] (23 hours later)
Hakram noted that he most likely didn't pay the dues for this space, and it's rabbit meat so he might have hunted it.
u/leakycauldron [+3] Imperium of Man (a day later)
the Story needed Hakram to see that he has friends in the town - not everyone fears orcs, even if they fear the Deadhand. A free feed of a strip of meet is a Good way to make him feel welcome in the city.
didn't the refugees from the edge of Callow just bring all their animals into the capital? If there's ever a time to give away gamey meat to someone who just had a friendly chat to you, it's now.
if she is a refugee, she's new to the city too. Seems like Callow is the type of place where cheap meals might be shared between friends. The exact economics of callow is obfuscated and kept deliberately in flux.
There's a lot of unbelievable stuff in the story, that isn't one of them.
u/Ardvarkeating101 [+9] Father of Learning (10 hours later)
They're not a single parent, their husband is just in the Army of Callow, which does pay their soldiers.
u/None [+2] (12 hours later)
Callow can’t pay its soldiers, though, Malicia destroyed their currency and they were floundering before that.
u/Ardvarkeating101 [+9] Father of Learning (13 hours later)
Callow can't pay it's soldiers in the long term (well, before the Dwarven deal they couldn't) but it wasn't an immediate problem.
u/None [+2] (20 hours later)
Citation needed? I was pretty sure juniper complained about that multiple times. of course, considering the fact that I have no idea where callow gets the soldiers it needs to pay either...
u/Ardvarkeating101 [+2] Father of Learning (21 hours later)
Several suborned legions and recruitment camps Juniper set up
u/None [+2] (a day later)
No, I mean where it gets the people for those camps. I'm still looking for the faceless mook generators
u/Ardvarkeating101 [+2] Father of Learning (a day later)
You mean the famous Callowan “down here in the mud it’s us who hold the line”?
u/None [+2] (a day later)
I do mean them. Callow is a preindustrial farming nation, with massive chunks of their farmland burnt down, their biggest trading city in ruins, their economy in tatters, and their military has horrific casualty rates, but instead of the citizens having to be forced into the military and the kingdom of callow starving, they're... just fine, apparently, and everyone is totally behind the black queen who caused literally all of this. If this were to happen in a comparable country multiple hundreds of years more advanced in tech, you would have widespread food shortages and mass starvation, even without having to feed a massive training army being taken from the population of farmers at a critical time; most states from comparable tech levels would have collapsed completely.
u/Ardvarkeating101 [+2] Father of Learning (a day later)
The Black Queen, from their perspective, solved all of this, their farmland is not burnt, just a bit of it near the blessed isle is abandoned, and when you're a refugee with a cultural boner for resisting invasion, well, what job are you looking for when you don't have anything left?
u/None [+3] (2 days later)
Uh. Summer invasion? Liesse? Some parts during will's rebellion? Their farmland is definitely burnt, and large chunks of it to boot.
u/None [+1] (a day later)
[removed]
u/None [+1] (a day later)
What?
u/AreYouDeaf [+3] (a day later)
DO YOU THINK WHEN THE GUY CAME UP WITH THE IDEA TO INVENT A BONG, A BLACKLIGHT POPPED UP OVER HIS HEAD?
#– MITCH HEDBERG
u/Jarwain [+3] (a day later)
I didn't think Malicia destroyed the currency yet, however she has the ability to
u/CouteauBleu [+9] We are the Empire. (13 hours later)
I don't think it's too implausible that a random commoner would be feeling some good will towards Legionaries.
It is a little strange that every time the story shows a civilian, they're almost always sensible, cool-headed, and sympathetic to the crown.
u/None [+1] (20 hours later)
I mean, I would think that the third would preclude the first
u/Ibbot [+1] (4 days later)
It's that Callowan spite. She might be a monster, but she's their monster, and they'll put up with a lot for someone who's making Procer feel the pain for once.
u/None [+1] (5 days later)
They were invaded millenia ago, their grudge makes very little sense, but yeah, I suppose that explains some of it. Still waiting for the reveal of some massive mind effecting spell on callow or *something to explain this rediculous grudge holding.
u/Ibbot [+1] (5 days later)
I was pretty sure there was a much more recent Proceran invasion of Callow than that. In any case, it’s like that chapter start quote says
The question of who the most vindictive people of Calernia are has long been debated. Some say it is the Arlesites, who will duel to the death over the use of the wrong adjective in a verse. Others say it is those of the Free Cities, where the moving of a border by half a mile will spawn a war lasting three generations. Others yet say it is the Praesi, who indulge in political assassination the way other nations enjoy a cup of good wine. I would humbly put forward, however, that the answer is the people of Callow. Steal an apple from a farmer of the Kingdom and fifty years later his grandson will find yours on the other side of the continent, sock him in the eye and take three apples back.
u/Schuano [+6] (a day later)
Do you think poor beggars in India refuse to pay when corrupt cops shake them down?
Seriously, watch responses from people in authoritarian countries to members of the secret police and such. They can be dirt poor and starving but they will make sure that cop does not feel disrespected.
u/None [+2] (a day later)
I... didn't think that was what was happening here, but yeah, that would explain it if so.
u/cabforpitt [+26] (22 minutes later)
So Hakram's into game theory. Doesn't seem like a traditional Orcish pursuit.
u/magna-terra [+8] (8 hours later)
indeed, and this isnt even just game theory, this is also political theory given the nature of the game.
u/LLJKCicero [+1] (2 days later)
Is there enough there for us to create some actual rules and play?
u/Nic_Cage_DM [+23] (17 minutes later)
It could not be put off any longer. He needed to be sure they were raising the same tower, for decisions had to be made.
In the game, as in all things, it was always better to be the betrayer than the betrayed.
Wait, is he saying he's trying to confirm her allegiances and that he'll betray her if they aren't raising the same tower, or that because she doesn't trust him he's going to stick the knife in before she gets a chance?
u/Ardvarkeating101 [+20] Father of Learning (20 minutes later)
Yes.
u/CeruleanTresses [+15] (an hour later)
God, I love Hakram chapters.