One whole good sized nation vs an Intellgent Kaiju: Who is the most troublesome enemy

[RyanW]

Originally Posted by Murrkon5

2) The dragon is all-powerful but reasonable. A civilized mind that will listen and think before striking/eating. Such a mind can be bamboozled, tricked, lied to and otherwise misdirected.

There's also the possibility of honest negotiation. Perhaps, after cooling off a bit after the initial insult, she will listen to reason. That it was she who had lied to the bard and caused the whole problem.

And now I've got two images competing for my headspace:

1) Wife: "Sweetie, I hope you can still love me, but I'm really a dragon."
Husband: <tries to punch wife, but is held back by security>
Audience: "Jerry, Jerry, Jerry."

2) A dragon and a bard in marriage counseling.

[Johnny1A.2]

Originally Posted by RyanW

There's also the possibility of honest negotiation. Perhaps, after cooling off a bit after the initial insult, she will listen to reason. That it was she who had lied to the bard and caused the whole problem.

And now I've got two images competing for my headspace:

1) Wife: "Sweetie, I hope you can still love me, but I'm really a dragon."
Husband: <tries to punch wife, but is held back by security>
Audience: "Jerry, Jerry, Jerry."

2) A dragon and a bard in marriage counseling.

Which seriously touches on an issue the OP didn't mention but which does affect the queen vs. dragon/superbeing question: how does the Bard regard his ex? Does he hate her? Terrified of her? Hates dragons generally? Doesn't believe in inter-species marriage/sex? Just can't stand being tied down? Thought he was using her and found out otherwise? Thought being prince consort sounded like a good gig, and got bored? Is he still attracted to her, conflicted? Does he know something nasty about her (aside from her species, if she's not human)? Or was he fleeing something else about the situation?

That's going to matter both to how the bard approaches his problem, and how other people interact with the situation.

That'll also affect how other people react to his problem, too.

For one ex among many, there are likely to be people who will regard "spouse lied about being human" as a more valid reason to leave a spouse than "tired of being prince consort". They might be more likely to hide/help to escape/defend the bard for the former than the latter.

What does she want, exactly? Is she zonked off in an exasperated spouse way and wants her husband back home? Is she zonked off in a royal way because he's messed up the political and social balances of the state? Does she need him to be the father of her offspring for some specific reason? Does she intend to kill him? Torture him? Imprison him?

That too matters to the question, because it'll apply differently to a nation or a dragon/superbeing.

[Disliker of the mary sue]

Originally Posted by Johnny1A.2

Which seriously touches on an issue the OP didn't mention but which does affect the queen vs. dragon/superbeing question: how does the Bard regard his ex? Does he hate her? Terrified of her? Hates dragons generally? Doesn't believe in inter-species marriage/sex? Just can't stand being tied down? Thought he was using her and found out otherwise? Thought being prince consort sounded like a good gig, and got bored? Is he still attracted to her, conflicted? Does he know something nasty about her (aside from her species, if she's not human)? Or was he fleeing something else about the situation?

That's going to matter both to how the bard approaches his problem, and how other people interact with the situation.

That'll also affect how other people react to his problem, too.

For one ex among many, there are likely to be people who will regard "spouse lied about being human" as a more valid reason to leave a spouse than "tired of being prince consort". They might be more likely to hide/help to escape/defend the bard for the former than the latter.

What does she want, exactly? Is she zonked off in an exasperated spouse way and wants her husband back home? Is she zonked off in a royal way because he's messed up the political and social balances of the state? Does she need him to be the father of her offspring for some specific reason? Does she intend to kill him? Torture him? Imprison him?

That too matters to the question, because it'll apply differently to a nation or a dragon/superbeing.

It a theoretical character not quite fully developed, more in the brainstorming phase before I find a campaign that would let me have said 40 point or more enemy.I Was thinking in the Royal case he more or less bored of doing nothing and kind of misses being on the road doing his own thing. With the dragon it more or less "Oh god I married a dragon." and his first reaction is to run when she isn't looking...maybe steal something from the big pile of treasure if you need a more valid reason for the dragon to give a ****.

[robkelk]

Originally Posted by Disliker of the mary sue

... With the dragon it more or less "Oh god I married a dragon." and his first reaction is to run when she isn't looking...maybe steal something from the big pile of treasure if you need a more valid reason for the dragon to give a ****.

If the dragon cared enough about the bard to marry him, I suspect she'd consider him to be her most precious treasure.

(But I'm of the opinion that family comes before career.)

[Disliker of the mary sue]

Hm of course another thing is if I go with the I accidentally married a dragon plot, I think that limit my race to elf or other similarly long lived species if the dragon cares enough to get committed in this relationship rather then be a one night fling.

[Johnny1A.2]

Originally Posted by Disliker of the mary sue

Hm of course another thing is if I go with the I accidentally married a dragon plot, I think that limit my race to elf or other similarly long lived species if the dragon cares enough to get committed in this relationship rather then be a one night fling.

Unless she knows ways to length human life...which could be a plot hook. Maybe he fled when he found out the details of that, something he couldn't live with.

[Disliker of the mary sue]

Originally Posted by Johnny1A.2

Unless she knows ways to length human life...which could be a plot hook. Maybe he fled when he found out the details of that, something he couldn't live with.

That is interesting idea upon it self, maybe the process involves killing children or virgins or virgin children in mass or something vile like that. Of course I could frame it that the dragon more selfish then evil and she just doesn't care what egg she has to break to have it her way.

Hm part me is tempted to ask if it would make it even more dangerous to combine the ideas, a dragon who rules over a country but something tells me the logistics of that are the subject of another thread.