Frenemy And Quisling - FAQ

[Goneril]

Thinking about how Wanda gets to be in FAQ, I thought that the name FAQ does not come from the abbreviation frequently asked questions. If so, what if the names of Frenemy and Quisling are two of the letters and the kingdoms are related?

[Mrtyuh]

I think that the name Faq was mainly a pun, especially since it was very mysterious in the beginning, and even now, there are unanswered questions. Therefore, questions about Faq are frequent. You may end up being right, but I doubt there is a connection.

[ftl]

That would be just the sort of devious thing that Rob would do! Love the speculation!

Neither Frenemy nor Quisling right now seem like the sort to become FAQ later, though; FAQ had a pretty unique worldview. My main worry would be that to get to FAQ from Fr-and-Q, Rob would have to do a lot of character development of that side - how they came to be peaceful, how they made everyone forget about them, and so on. It seems a lot easier for Wanda to be snatched up by a hitherto-unknown-hidden-side than for two known-but-nothing-like-FAQ sides to go through a transformation and become FAQ. I just don't see how to get from here to there.

Olive Branch could do it. She's a hippiemancer, I could see her orchestrating a switch from an aggressive to a passive side, if she had the means. But then Frenemy or Quisling would have to capture Olive from Haffaton, or something like that.

Or, better answer - Haffaton seems like a local superpower, so maybe Haffaton takes over Frenemy And Quisling and Olive splits their cities off into a separate side, FAQ.

I like the ideas. Of course, it could be just coincidence, but so many things are more than just coincidence in Erfworld

[AnubianDragon]

I propose the following scenario:

1.) Barbarians succeed in sacking both Frenemy and Quisling, thanks to their conflict with Goodminton.

2.) Lord Firebaugh dies in the conflict. This freezes all of his units, leaving Goodminton a helpless town of lifeless statues (Including Wanda, don't panic).

3.) The Barbarians take over both Frenemy and Quisling, renaming the region FaQ. The Overlord arranges to pop an heir, which is Banhammer (Wouldn't Ansom be upset... a barbarian popping a royal!).

4.) Banhammer's nation experiences peace due to his unusually non-aggressive stance. His team of casters assist in this endeavor.

5.) As Faq's power increase, they expand to absorb Goodminton. In the process they acquire all of Goodminton's units, including Wanda.

6.) Yadayadayada.

7.) Jillian Pops.

8.) Stanley sacks Faq for the Arkenhammer, taking Wanda as a spoil of war.



Not the most reasonable of scenarios. Still, crazier things have happened.


EDIT: The signomancy of Frenemy and Quisling would be removed when the barbarians moved in, imposing their own features. Just as Stanley imposed his own imagery on Gobwin Knob.

[Sixty]

Course it would have to explain why FAQ only had/has 3 cities. And if this is true then the events occurring in the prequel are happening geographically close to GK meaning either a lot of the named sides die out or just happen to be on the far side of what will be the newly formed FAQ.

[AnubianDragon]

Course it would have to explain why FAQ only had/has 3 cities. And if this is true then the events occurring in the prequel are happening geographically close to GK meaning either a lot of the named sides die out or just happen to be on the far side of what will be the newly formed FAQ.

This is... a very good point.

However, we don't know how many turns Wanda has been on Erf. It is possible the other geographically close sides (Jitterati, Transylvito, and Gobwin Knob) had not formed at this point in Erf's history.
Alternatively, it is possible that the sides did exist in Faq's vicinity without common awareness. Faq is high in the mountains and difficult to access by land, which could explain the isolation of these tiny sides (Quisling, Frenemy, and Goodminton) before they were amalgamated beneath an overlord. Jitterati, Transylvito, and Gobwin Knob could feasibly be beyond the mountains without the awareness of at least Goodminton (from whence we get our perspective).
Delphie is very cautious about sharing information gathered from the Magic Kingdom, and Clay doesn't talk much. They would be the only two units in Goodminton with access to geographical knowledge beyond the mountains, since Goodminton does not have a Thinkamancer and Wanda will not enter the Magic Kingdom. So the sides could be within a stone's throw, without our perspective revealing them to us.


But it's also just as likely that Wanda gets hired from the Magic Kingdom after her side is destroyed, and Faq has no geographic relation to Frenemy or Quisling.

[Whispri]

Course it would have to explain why FAQ only had/has 3 cities. And if this is true then the events occurring in the prequel are happening geographically close to GK meaning either a lot of the named sides die out or just happen to be on the far side of what will be the newly formed FAQ.

Hmm. Goodminton is doomed to fall and Frenemy's just been decisively defeated. Two unnamed enemy Sides. So... if for example Charlie builds his Side over the ruins of the one and Jitterati is built over the ruins of the other, with Haffaton and Quisling being to the North of those Sides, that does leave it open for Gobwin Knob, or a side that existed in the same area that Gobwin Knob does today, to be one of the unnamed enemies.

As for Faq... well how did it get up and running as a hidden Side? Unless it popped into existence with those three Cities and the Casters needed to hide them, there must have been a fair amount of violence involved in the creation of Faq's bubble, by which I mean the extermination of any who knew of them. And perhaps even the butchery of those Cities that couldn't be so easily hidden. It's not impossible that it was the Goodminton Wars that led to Faq's existence being wreathed in secrecy.

[Mrtyuh]

3.) The Barbarians take over both Frenemy and Quisling, renaming the region FaQ. The Overlord arranges to pop an heir, which is Banhammer (Wouldn't Ansom be upset... a barbarian popping a royal!).

I don't think a non-royal can pop a royal. Whatever King Banhammer's origins, he has to start as a royal descended from royals.

It is possible the other geographically close sides (Jitterati, Transylvito, and Gobwin Knob) had not formed at this point in Erf's history.

It doesn't seem that Faq is geographically close to Goodminton, though. From everything we've seen, Erfworld has neither seasons nor weather; it has terrain types. If it is raining in a hex, it is a rainy hex; the storm never moves. Snow may fall in a hex, but it neither accumulates nor melts. If there is snow on the ground, there is always snow on the ground, and there has always been snow on the ground. Jillian once commented that she once served "(f)ar across the southern desert wastes" where Islamic architecture was the norm. The most recent update refers to the fact that the Magic Kingdom is there first place Wanda has been that was warm. I'm willing to bet that Goodminton is a good distance off to the north. If Faq and Gobwin Knob are Denver, Transylvito is Las Vegas and Jitterati is Seattle, Goodminton is Iqaluit or Saguenay or someplace equally distant.

[Whispri]

I don't think a non-royal can pop a royal. Whatever King Banhammer's origins, he has to start as a royal descended from royals.

It doesn't seem that Faq is geographically close to Goodminton, though. From everything we've seen, Erfworld has neither seasons nor weather; it has terrain types. If it is raining in a hex, it is a rainy hex; the storm never moves. Snow may fall in a hex, but it neither accumulates nor melts. If there is snow on the ground, there is always snow on the ground, and there has always been snow on the ground. Jillian once commented that she once served "(f)ar across the southern desert wastes" where Islamic architecture was the norm. The most recent update refers to the fact that the Magic Kingdom is there first place Wanda has been that was warm. I'm willing to bet that Goodminton is a good distance off to the north. If Faq and Gobwin Knob are Denver, Transylvito is Las Vegas and Jitterati is Seattle, Goodminton is Iqaluit or Saguenay or someplace equally distant.

Makes me wonder what happens to half-popped heirs (like the one currently under construction at Spacerock) when a Capitial is captured. It could be the construction converts to whatever the most expensive type of Warlord the City can pop when under control of the conquerer. It could be some sort of (illegitimate?) heir in exile thing. It could be the spent production is converted to other Units for the new owners. Or it could be that the time spent popping the heir is wasted. It would be helpful if we knew what happened to half popped Units of other sorts when a City is captured really.

Yes, but under what circumstances, exactly, does winter stop and another season begin? The Future Era has only covered eighty odd days. Wanda is only thirty three days old in the Present Era. Both these periods of time are short enough for Earth like seasons to be in progress. Even if they aren't, the seasons could still change over longer periods of time, or as a result of conquest. It could be that Goodminton is a winter dominion, so it's lands will always be encased in ice and snow, no matter how far they extend their borders. If winter really is perpetual in a set region, what if it just stops two hundred hexes to the South?

[Mrtyuh]

Makes me wonder what happens to half-popped heirs (like the one currently under construction at Spacerock) when a Capitial is captured. It could be the construction converts to whatever the most expensive type of Warlord the City can pop when under control of the conquerer. It could be some sort of (illegitimate?) heir in exile thing. It could be the spent production is converted to other Units for the new owners. Or it could be that the time spent popping the heir is wasted. It would be helpful if we knew what happened to half popped Units of other sorts when a City is captured really.

This is pure speculation, but I'm inclined to think either the production remains or the production is lost. I could see it working either way. I can even see it being mixed. We know from Chocula and Spacerock that a city may be captured by razing the tower, but such a tactic is not ideal. It is possible the only reason this is frowned upon is because it may lower a city's level or require Schmuckers to rebuild, but it is possible that razing the tower wastes any stored production and capturing the garrison intact maintains that production. We know that what a city produces is fixed, unless the city is razed and rebuilt. We don't know if simply rebuilding a city resets its production or if a Dirtamancer is needed to attune the city with its new capital. If stored production is kept, it is possible that the city will just produce the same unit, as closely as possible. If an attack lowered the city's level below what is necessary to produce that unit, production would have to be switched. So, in the case of Spacerock, assuming Gobwin Knob captures it, assuming production isn't lost, it will continue to produce a heir warlord, unless Stanley chooses to change the production. If Stanley chooses to change production to, say a non-heir warlord, the extra turns used in making an heir would be wasted and a warlord would pop next turn. I doubt the warlord would be royal, though, but I suppose it's possible. If the damage to Spacerock reduced it to a level 1, production would have to be switched because it could not produce a warlord. As you said, we know virtually nothing about how production works. This might be a loophole that could be exploited. Still, given the dearth of information, it's difficult to speculate.

Yes, but under what circumstances, exactly, does winter stop and another season begin? The Future Era has only covered eighty odd days. Wanda is only thirty three days old in the Present Era. Both these periods of time are short enough for Earth like seasons to be in progress. Even if they aren't, the seasons could still change over longer periods of time, or as a result of conquest. It could be that Goodminton is a winter dominion, so it's lands will always be encased in ice and snow, no matter how far they extend their borders. If winter really is perpetual in a set region, what if it just stops two hundred hexes to the South?

In the very first episode of Inner Peace (Through Superior Firepower), Wanda knew her side was a winter dominion. Combined with Sizemore's comments about the lava lake and terrain type, I'm inclined to believe a hex remains unchanging until some outside force changes it, such as a three-caster link or an Artifact. So, while I may certainly be wrong, I doubt there are seasons. I would imagine that winter pretty much does just stop so many hexes to the south, although, there may be an interface where there is a gradual change. The amount of snow on the ground becomes less. Then hexes with snow become mixed with hexes without snow, with the latter becoming more prominent farther south, until there are no more winter hexes. As for Goodminton extending into non-winter hexes, I doubt they'd become winter hexes, but that is certainly an interesting possibility. I think it is more of a case that Goodminton is a winter dominion because all the hexes and cities it controlled were winter ones than Goodminton making them winter ones. If Goodminton conquered its way to the southern desert, I think it would no longer be a winter dominion, instead of it converting hexes into winter hexes. As I said, I may be wrong. This is merely the impression I've gotten from the comic.

[mortissimus]

I think Sizemore's reaction to changing the terrain type indicates that terrain type is normally a static phenomena. So I would go with Goodminton being a side that happens to be in winter terrain.

[BLANDCorporatio]

Thinking about how Wanda gets to be in FAQ, I thought that the name FAQ does not come from the abbreviation frequently asked questions. If so, what if the names of Frenemy and Quisling are two of the letters and the kingdoms are related?

This is exactly the kind of thing that "tin foil hat theory" was made to describe. In other words, welcome to the forums! And as always, it's refreshing to see an actual new human poster that's actually a fan, not a spammer.

As to your theory- I think it's way out there, but I like it nonetheless. I don't think it's true, but I like it. It adds to the connection between Wanda and Jillian.