Okay, I read the chapter. I think it is pretty neat! Is it weird that I was thinking of having Raul fight the Duke eventually, but now I don't want to...?
Huh...wow. I'm somewhat cognizant of the fact that I might have made the Duke
too cool, but part of me didn't expect that xD.
Mind you, he
is being very rash. I like to think he has a somewhat understandable reason for doing so other than just being a glory hound, though.
Rushing to colonise the place is an obviously blind, provocative measure, as while the region seems unoccupied at least, no one knows how the neighbouring polities would react. But...
The Duke's Daring Plan
It honestly could be viable. By acting quick and
projecting power in the region before
formal relations are opened with neighbouring polities, the Archipelago would have
seized the initiative and placed their neighbours on the
back foot as they are forced to try and
de-escalate with a peer power that clearly is not afraid to throw their weight around.
After, when you get an
unknown element in your
backyard with a
shitload of airships that you know nothing about,
except that they are taking ground quite quickly you tend to
tread carefully, and definitely want to
calm them down so you can feel them out, even if you have to
sacrifice a few minor things.
This
diplomatic advantage is very important since the Archipelago
desperately needs resources, but the new neighbours
don't know that. Act
too passively and it is likely that the more audacious of neighbours might
test the waters, even if they will be careful in doing so.
Of course, even by
projecting a strong front, some people will be able to recognise that it's a
bluff. It's a relatively sensible conclusion to come to, after all.
The thing is- even if they can call the bluff, no one wants to do so because it's a
bluff backed by an actual bite.
With this in mind, one could argue that the Duke is actually
planning ahead, just in an unconventional way. He probably is acting with the assumption that they will be able to
keep the Great Lake Region, and so is focused on
quickly developing the area to
satisfy resource demands and give the Archipelago a
spot of hope in the form of a new settlement in this alien new land- proof that they have a place under this foreign sun.
Sorry, that was a mouthful, but inspiration struck me like thunder, and I had to quickly type this out. It's a bit rough, but it feels entirely plausible with some tweaking xD
