The exhibitionist I meet while going to the West wants me to kill all three snakes, and since she's speaking on behalf "of all the souls trapped in the eternal cycle of life", she wants me to break the cycle (by killing all three snakes) and side with the Red Emperor, right? And she wants me to thrust trust Elin (pro twincest faction).
the pale horse said "you spoke with your blood, it's time to speak with the reflection", "reflection of everything".
the mysterious woman said that the pale horse is a reflection of all horses, that I should kill all the snakes, and "you must always trust only your reflection".
So, to recap:
the Red Emperor wants me to fuck Elin (both Selina and the Red Emperor want me to break the cycle) and to do the opposite of what Elin suggests (not to spare Val, not to side with the rebels, etc.);
the reflection of all things wants me to do as Elin suggests, and since it wants me to end the cycle then it probably wants me to fuck Elin, too;
Mirta wants me to keep the cycle going, and therefore she does not want me to fuck Elin; I don't know if she wants me to do as Elin suggests, but probably she does.
the Red Emperor wants me to fuck Elin (both Selina and the Red Emperor want me to break the cycle) and to do the opposite of what Elin suggests (not to spare Val, not to side with the rebels, etc.);
the reflection of all things wants me to do as Elin suggests, and since it wants me to end the cycle then it probably wants me to fuck Elin, too;
Mirta wants me to keep the cycle going, and therefore she does not want me to fuck Elin; I don't know if she wants me to do as Elin suggests, but probably she does.
I should probably play through this story a few more times to actually understand this.
With "the cycle", do you mean the next invasion by 1000 ships? At least, I understood that mention as a premonition and not a retelling of the past.
I think that if we kill Val, we need to kill the other snakes as well, since we were warned that if one was removed, they'd strangle the throne (or something to that end).
I should probably play through this story a few more times to actually understand this.
With "the cycle", do you mean the next invasion by 1000 ships? At least, I understood that mention as a premonition and not a retelling of the past.
I think that if we kill Val, we need to kill the other snakes as well, since we were warned that if one was removed, they'd strangle the throne (or something to that end).
We still don't know who are the snakes because of bunch of them can be considered snakes.
However, almost everyone warns about killing one of these snakes can have consequences.
I don't believe Val is a snake because she is not a major player for the MC, that would be someone close to the MC or advisors
It's been a while... Val was the Elven advisor, right?
I think the snake of the cradle fits her well, but you're right that many people could fit that description. It could also be Mirta in a broader sense.
It's been a while... Val was the Elven advisor, right?
I think the snake of the cradle fits her well, but you're right that many people could fit that description. It could also be Mirta in a broader sense.
Or maybe the Red Emperor, or the proxy of his influence.
From a narrative point of view, Val is an interesting case. So far (at least in my playthrough), we got to kill only three people. Val, Cass, and Alaina (or the uncle). It wouldn't surprise me if Val ended up being way more important than we suspect, and killing her early on can have significant consequences later. It wouldn't be the first story doing something like this, where a seemingly meaningless action of the protagonist on the first page dooms the world through a cascade of events.
Emperor is not a passive position. The minute it becoms stale, Brutus comes along or Denzel to kill him/them.
Emperor means he stands no ground and always is on the offensive: MC can get into the court intrigues and mingle his will into the judgement they pass - of MC just kills her and becomes a tool of his guard, who wants her dead multimple times.
Killing Val wouls make MC be like one of his brides - killer of his subjects - so nothing new or unheard of, considering what the court decides for her fate even if we spare her.
From a narrative point of view, Val is an interesting case. So far (at least in my playthrough), we got to kill only three people. Val, Cass, and Alaina (or the uncle). It wouldn't surprise me if Val ended up being way more important than we suspect, and killing her early on can have significant consequences later. It wouldn't be the first story doing something like this, where a seemingly meaningless action of the protagonist on the first page dooms the world through a cascade of events.
Emperor is Might makes Right, so why would MC be top dog but carry around Val as a burden of not doing the right thing - he rejects the openly stated direct fate of a thief. The first thing Ned Stark does is behead a guy asking for help. MC could have passed his own verdict and simply do not give Val up to the courts.
These are the conundrums of what actions MC takes and what they might mean to the game world.