I realize I could have sent her a groveling letter after Chesney was attacked, but I don't have any interest in playing that game because every time you deal with the Zuma, as Perth pointed out, it's either grovel or lose, to say nothing of the fact that I enjoy RP that is low-fantasy and medieval as it says on the front page. The Zuma aren't medieval and they aren't even especially interesting. They don't fit into a medieval theme and even though I've had some interesting exchanges with them in the past, they have never added any value to my experience even when they've been on my side. There is very little characterization because they're nonhuman and that's hard to do, and even dealing with them at all requires a very 21st century approach to alien beings. Medieval nobles could barely get along with people from the same culture, much less a foreign culture, much less a foreign species led by demons. It's a bad idea that is poorly executed to boot.
This is another of my main problems. I just recently had a successful communication with Haktoo, but even then it was awkward because I didn't know how to interact with her(it?). She has no title that I can see, and yet I knew she demands respect so I was unsure of how to address her and not bring her anger. Add on top of this that my character is Kale Perth, Phantaria embodied, the former Magistrate of War of the Republic of Terran, a Duke, a 50 year old medieval noble who spent his life carving out civilization out of the Maroccidens, and then in later life leading armies of the Véinsørmoot and coordinating forces of the 'Moot and the Astrocracies across the continent of Dwilight. I simply am confused at how he is supposed to interact with a Daemon overlord. Perhaps its a failure on my RP part, but I AM trying to learn, but it is certainly awkward and confusing.
The de facto policy of Terran in the later years was always "Just leave them alone." We thought if we didn't bother them they would leave us alone. That by not interacting with the Zuma we provided them no chance to get offended or angry at us. We would even sell them food when we had to spare (which wasn't often). But that doesn't work either. You literally have to please them more than the other guy or you lose. Grovel or bribe or suffer. But, maybe that is intended, idk.
