Posts from Actaea

The dreaded Rubellan Measles has made a sudden comeback in Qasardastan. The disease, which once killed millions, was thought to be wiped out after a vaccine was discovered fifty years ago. Medical professionals blame a recent anti-vaccination movement, which has turned immunization into a political football.

1."I'm not going to allow my babies to become slaves to Big Pharma!" bemoans parent and prominent anti-vaxxer Georgina Sato. "Did you know that vaccines can cause autism and stunt a child's development? I can show you several studies that say so! These pharmaceutical companies are even putting nanobots in their vaccines! Nanobots! It is the right of every parent to determine what is best for their children."

2."Please. Those so-called studies are nothing but hokum," counters your physician, Doctor Violet Giono, while checking your heartbeat with a stethoscope. "Vaccines save lives every single day. If it weren't for vaccines, Rubellan Measles would have killed off half of Qasardastan's population by now! There is absolutely no correlation between autism and vaccinations. Any scientist or doctor worth their degree will tell you that. If anything, we should make vaccinations mandatory for the health and well-being of Qasardastanians across the nation." The doctor snaps on a rubber glove. "Now, let's hurry this up. Cough, please."

3."I agree, but we also need to send a message to these awful anti-vaxxer parents," states child psychologist Declan Broadside. "Not only are these parents putting their children in danger by refusing to vaccinate them, they are putting all of society in danger. Do you really want to have an outbreak of Rubellan Measles in Qasardastan's schools and daycares? I didn't think so. I recommend giving these parents a short jail sentence and banning their children from education until they're vaccinated. Sure, some people will complain about this being a violation of their rights as parents, but surely the health and safety of children trumps those concerns?"

4."You know, we wouldn't have these problems if the population was more scientifically aware," muses amateur scientist Kayla Johnson while pouring a vial of green liquid into a vial of purple liquid. "Movements like these are bred from ignorance and misinformation. If the government took an active role in promoting science and education this problem would go away. You could invest in real scientific studies and programs, make science classes mandatory in schools, and arrest any religious nuts who attempt to disrupt our work. Qasardastan would enter a new Golden Age!" The vials of liquid suddenly explode, covering your office with smoke and an unusually colored foam.

Nebok, he might not have performed very well there, but he was loyal.

Yes, I had that happen. I chose the third option, and it seems like my health increased.
In short, to play as an Arcondian, you need to be an Arcomage, got it.

yes, no one will be able to play it correctly.

Media outlets have been buzzing about the thousands of children abducted from their remote villages across the exotic nation of Brasilistan, suspected to have been carried out on the order of their own government. Reports are coming in that the abducted children have been sent underground to mine for diamonds, Brasilistan's most precious resource, but military intelligence suggests that some young Drakkoshkan citizens living there have fallen to the same fate.

"The Brasilistani government has been pursuing aggressive and provocative policies for years, especially in their attempts to annex their neighbor Marche Noir. Now they are abducting and holding hostage not only their own children but citizens of other countries!" booms General Marleen Dubois, slamming her fist on the conference table and urgently gesturing to a map on the wall. "We have sat idly by, and now it's our people over there waking up in the middle of the night to bombs and soldiers destroying their homes! Holy Emperor, we must marshal our forces and intervene with the only language the Brasilistani seem to understand - violence!"

"The good general is surely exaggerating the threat here." Aaron Empire, one of your trusted advisers, responds calmly while drinking his tea. "Brasilistan is our foremost diamond trade partner, so we must approach the situation with diplomacy and targeted efforts. A knee-jerk military response is the worst thing we could possibly do here. I am confident that with some juicy incentives, the Brasilistani government will discover their error and immediately release our citizens."

I'll try the fourth option; maybe taxes will actually increase, I don't know. Or at least, spending on education will increase.