It’s funny, the fact that Hindia is less well-developed than the River Federation is proving its greatest defense against my mind control. I must say that, after touring from Farbrook to Pònaidhean, I am tiring of these long, boring train rides and river cruises. For reasons of boredom and Hindia’s lack of a developed train network, my journeys here will be far less thorough.

I say “here”, because I am writing this from one of Benjen V’s palaces in Ostkranbi. It is quite cushy, and I do appreciate having more deer servants around. For security purposes, I did cast my spell over this city, as I will for the remainder of the large cities of Hindia, but I don’t imagine I will be embarking on another odyssey of mind control across all of Zebrica. I have been tweaking the climate as per standard procedure to keep resistance down, but that works across a much larger area, and doesn’t require me to travel along every major road in a region.

Of course, it is completely possible for me to decree the construction of a Hindian train network and have it be complete in a few short months given my new industrial power from the River Federation, but the attention of my factories is much better suited to producing military equipment given what is to come. The fact of the matter is that the complete subjugation of Hindia, and the rest of Zebrica, is not a high priority right now. The ponies of the River Federation will be more than enough flesh for which to conquer the rest of the world. With 15% of their population in my military and the other half of the young ponies working the factories, I will not have to undertake such large trips to completely control the Zebrican continent.

That is not to say there is no merit to this. More creatures to join the cause is always good, and it is also effective at reducing resistance in these countries, but this is counterweighted by the amount of time it will take me. It already took me months just to travel the lengths of the River Federation, and I had to split the trip up into many smaller ones just to make sure I could focus on the matters of state and war. The inherent nature of these long days of sitting in a train maintaining a miles-wide area-of-effect spell is that they are inefficient. If the benefit to be gained is little, my time is better spent preparing for the invasions of the real threats to my reign: Aquileia and Karthinia. I possess many powers, but none will allow me to effectively govern from the cabin of a moving train. The fault lies not in my lack of power, but in the incapability of my subordinates to be as efficient if I am unavailable most of the time.

If I were not a factor, I assume that Aquileia and Karthinia would be at war with each other right now, each vying to be the one to unite all of griffonkind under one banner. Well, except for Nova Griffonia and those under my rule, but the point remains. If they have not invaded each other, it is clear they sense the threat I am. Unfortunately for them, my armies are now far better equipped than theirs are. As soon as I can redeploy the majority of my army from Hindia, both of these recently unified empires will bow to me.

I don’t believe the full weight of my army is required to defeat them, so, I plan to simultaneously begin my invasions of Aris’ eastern territorial acquisitions and Kiria. Ponypower is far from my concern now. If it becomes necessary, I can use Hindia as a spare pool to draw from, but I doubt it will be necessary.

The physical restrictions of how fast my army can return to Griffonia now gives me some free time before my attention is once again required. The beauty of creating systems is that, now, the army can basically run itself. I have decided to use this time to focus on an aspect of life in Viirad that I have been, until now, too busy to focus on - religious institutions. I have commented in the past that a badly functioning religious order dedicated to me would actually be a net negative influence on the mind controlled, but, thus far, nothing has been so egregious as to force my hoof. However, it is far overdue for me to standardize the doctrine of the many grassroots organizations that have been springing up around Viirad.

In order to properly decide on a correct doctrine, I must evaluate practices throughout my empire. This first one was the inciting incident that was the straw on the camel’s back that encouraged me to finally take up this endeavor. A letter arrived at my desk from a group of “Viira Followers” in Hoofcester - a city in the former Wittenland - beseeching my presence specifically today to “bring light to the non-believers”. I have my theories as to what is going on, but a proper visit will be more useful.

Upon teleporting to the address in Hoofcester, I am greeted by a very standard warehouse. I can see many ponies milling about back and forth, socializing. My sudden appearance startles many, who all turn and bow. I note they remain prostrate and do not rise. Looking into the warehouse, I can see a large gathering of ponies of all kinds. They are all hoofcuffed, and do not bow upon beholding my visage. There are ponies guarding the prisoners, but they seem to have taken this moment to abandon their duties to show their devotion, bowing alongside those outside. While I appreciate the deference, I can’t have the effectiveness of Viirad hampered by these ultimately meaningless displays.

I raise my hoof, gesturing they all rise. One pony, a unicorn stallion, approaches me, his mouth full of words of praise. It doesn’t take my intellect to figure that this one is their leader, the likely culprit behind the letter on my desk. I inform him of my displeasure towards the behavior of the guards, which he begins apologizing profusely for. While I don’t dislike seeing creatures grovel before me, at a certain point it becomes gratuitous. There is a risk here of fostering such reverence that creatures disregard all thought and become less useful. While this is not a trait I would want in my key staff, I suppose for the rank and file who will likely never see me, this level of awe and devotion is acceptable. I will not be consulting them for important decisions, so their tendencies to just say yes to everything I say is not negative.

I direct the stallion to inform me of why he requested my presence. He says the Viira Followers have, with sanction of the local government, rounded up ponies who were not affected by my spell and put them in one place for me to “enlighten”. I like this tradition. It encourages in-group behavior and demonstrates a clearly negative outcome for turning away while also giving me more followers. It merely requires that I intervene directly. While this particular gathering is not so large, perhaps merely two hundred free-willed ponies, if scaled up properly, I would be more than glad to regularly attend these conversion festivals. I say "festival" because there is a festival atmosphere; I can see there is a potluck outside the warehouse where ponies have brought food from home to share with the community. It is interesting to see the juxtaposition between their joviality and the sullen looks of the unfaithful.

I trot to the hoofcuffed ponies. The stallion priest informs me that they are mostly family and friends of faithful ponies who put their names on a list. They were then systematically ponynapped or forced to come here by those family members and friends in a community-led effort. The priest informs me his own son and wife are among the imprisoned before leading me to them, informing me that he hopes that, with my blessing, they may too have their eyes opened.

Upon approaching the duo, they look at the priest with fear, barely acknowledging me. The wife pleads for mercy, asking for her old husband back. At first it is directed to him, but then to me, as she realizes I carry all the power here. The priest turns to me, expressing sorrow at the sad state of his family, once again asking that I intercede on his behalf. I will grant his request.

For a social ritual such as this, the sense of awe and wonder is as important as the conversion itself. Therefore, it would not do for me to simply cast the spell now. I require an audience. I teleport to the entrance of the warehouse. I could shout above the crowd to garner the appropriate attention, but I have a subtler idea. For me to speak is to make a request or command of the creature here, thus implying that I am asking them to make a choice to obey or not. This, therefore, also implies it is possible for them to ignore me if they so choose to, giving them a semblance of power over me. While none of the faithful would dare do such a thing, it is well in the realm of possibility for the unconverted here to shut their eyes and ears at my command.

I begin a magical connection with the minds of all those present. Improvising an active mind control framework, I imprint a small compulsion to cease activity and pay attention to me. Quickly, the conversations quiet with eyes and attention redirecting towards me. They do not know the reason for their actions, but it becomes clear when I fill their gaze. This is a true representation of power - not a request to be heeded but my will extended across many bodies, and representation is what ceremonies like this are all about. I will keep this spell framework in mind for the next time I need to garner the attention of a crowd.

Food remains untouched in this tableau of a gathering. The guards once again forget their positions to observe me, though this time, it is acceptable given those they are guarding against are equally distracted. I sense many ponies are only now realizing the gravity of the situation now that I have made my presence felt. The only sound comes from the stenography machine chording these words.

I give a speech. In it, I reaffirm the positive aspects of the practice of faith to me that I have seen: community building and individual engagement. I also warn against the practices I do not approve of: performances of faith that forget my purpose, such as the guards’ bowing from earlier, and overly harsh treatment of non-believers. Those gathered here today had to be hoofcuffed and forced here - an action others will see as clearly negative and try to avoid. These Viira Followers should have been able to convince their own loved ones that they had an opportunity, not an obligation. Overzealous activity, while rooted in correct feelings (also known as orthopathy), leads to disruptions in economic output. They must be generous in their kindness to maintain the order I desire. These ponies require orthodoxy, or correct teaching, to then take on the correct actions (orthopraxis).

The gathered listen intently. Once I finish, I cast my spell over the imprisoned ponies. As a symbolic gesture, I also undo all of their hoofcuffs via telekinesis, demonstrating they are now amongst friends. Tears are streaming freely from the faces of many as the new converts tackle how they could have ever been against me or this conversion. I see the priest being embraced by his family, together again. I am nothing if not a unifier. With my purpose here completed, I bid farewell to the crowd before teleporting to my next destination.

This next location is a monastery near Hjardðholt in what used to be Austurland. I had noted its presence during my mind control tour of the nation. Institutions such as these are a rarity in deer culture, and I was wondering how these presumably devout followers of whatever sect they are a part of would react to my influence. Arriving at the scene, I am firstly made aware of the difference in temperature. This snowy mountainside retreat is quite the departure from the comparably temperate Hoofcester. Atop the door is mounted an engraving of the flag of Viirad in the wood, a single deer’s face looking outward with a crude square logo above it a vestige from the days of the Barrad Magocracy. An encouraging sign.

I choose not to knock on the door and simply open it. It’s a relatively standard wooden structure with obvious signs of age indicating a long tradition. A Hofgyðja near the entrance greets me. I assume, therefore, that this organization is all-female. Gender segregation is typical among these sorts of religious cloisters for obvious reasons. It appears she is not paying much attention, as she has not yet recognized who I am. I suppose it is to be expected from deer communities who are used to seeing other deer and would therefore not immediately infer my presence from my race the way ponies or zebras would.

It takes her a moment, but the train of thought in the Hofgyðja’s mind is clear as there is a moment of realization, followed by doubt, followed by awe as she immediately kneels. I instruct her to fetch her betters, and she recommends I go to the room reserved for teaching before disappearing behind a doorway. A little common sense and my near perfect memory allow me to deduce the location of said room by correlating architectural design patterns, no directions necessary.

The room is occupied, but the importance of whatever they are doing is naught compared to how my next 10 minutes will impact their lives alongside the rest of the nation. Upon barging in unannounced, there is an initial reaction of anger, followed by recognition and groveling. I care not for their little emotional journeys - I can perform a permanent correction manually if it becomes too disruptive. What I am interested in is the activity they were performing. It appears to be some sort of corporate worship ceremony with what I assume are more junior members being led by an old doe.

I ask them for the length of time usually allotted per day to such activities, to which the answer is at least an hour. For an unproductive task such as this, I find that unacceptable. I see the leader of the Hofsisterhood entering the room, and before she can complete her list of praises, I interrupt by informing her of this. She responds by trying to justify it in terms of the sense of unity and my worthiness. I appreciate she isn’t just immediately acquiescing to everything I say, but it is clear that these Hofgyðjas require new education.

Upon my request, she lays out the daily activities of the members of the monastery. I note that there is much dead time wasted by unproductive tasks like worship and prayer. While I cannot discount the social and personal impacts of these activities, it is obvious that they have gone much too far. I express my dissatisfaction, which seems to afflict personal grievance on the attended deer. The proper way to serve me is to take actions beneficial to me. If these deer here are isolated and non-productive, their worth to me is zero.

Inquiring on the nature of the transition from whatever local deity or spirits they worshiped prior to worshiping me, I am informed of the presence of two factions that were birthed. The absolutists believe they should rid the monastery of all things related to their previous faith while the compatibilists believe that teaching the old ways is still necessary, but subservient to, service to me. I ascertain the leader of the monastery is a compatibilist given the continued presence of unrelated icons and her manner of speech. I assume that this Hofgyðja was well-versed in whatever texts or practices related to their previous religion, and such self-serving bias acted in a way to obtain a philosophy that allowed her to maintain her intellectual superiority.

This is one aspect in which my lack of action up to this point has failed at. As I have not unified doctrine through text, the implementation of my ideas is up to the interpretation of the converted. To a creature with a hammer, all the world is a nail. Hence, to a Hofgyðja, prayer and worship are still the right paths to take. Change in behavior and motivation is limited. It is still drastic, of course, given their shift in who they worship but it is then easy for creatures to become complacent and lazy in their new service without institutions to guide them to seek greater service. According to the deer in charge, activities shifted more towards these forms of personal development in absence of religious texts to teach from in order to seek greater knowledge. A small number of them are said to have left to seek this knowledge, but the majority have remained here.

Historically, monasteries have had benefits of being centers of learning and research. However, with the advent of the industrial revolution, education and research has shifted to universities, companies, and the government, relegating institutions like this to purely religious activity and research. There is still a purpose here to be salvaged, but there needs to be change. Am I worthy of worship and prayer? Yes. That does not mean they have to waste their whole lives doing it, as there is still much work to be done. I believe the forging of religious doctrine and religious teaching is still important to educate the rest of the population in greater service to me, but if that is not being done then these institutions serve no purpose other than minor creaturian ones.

I state my point to these Hofgyðja, some of whom are eagerly writing down my words. The words I speak will be the religious foundation for the rest of Viirad, and I make it clear that it is their responsibility to spread it. I use prayer as an example. I am not listening to them in their little prayer rooms deciding if I will answer them. I listen to those I see and hear from in my life. If they wish for change or action of some kind, I must be informed of it. Therefore, they should seek greater impact on the world if they want my approval. I answer prayers in the form of production contracts and military intervention, so if creatures want their prayers answered, they must align with my will and be worthy of being answered. This is achieved through worldly acts, not simply self-temperance. Of course, that can help, but only so much as it then leads to benefit to Viirad and myself.

I imagine the process of founding this religion I am creating will begin with many situations like this where my wisdom is spoken and there are many around to listen and write. These would then be aggregated in, perhaps, a book of “Viira’s Sayings”. This could then be a basis for the activities of as of yet unrecognized creatures who would become my saints. Documentation of their acts could then be used to form a respectable canon suitable for teaching. In time, I could release excerpts from this journal to be used as well.

Many of the moral specifics of what may be taught in churches down the line are not important to me, as long as it is understood that creatures should serve me and always seek to do more for me. Different existing cultures may take to different sets of moral codes, but the true judge is output: cultural, scientific, and economic. For example, a moral standard that leads to greater output with Kasan zebras may not be the optimal law for Farbrook’s hillponies.

The two religious communities I visited today provided important insight into the impact my mind control has had on society and culture within Viirad. I will be undertaking a few more in the coming days, and it is necessary that I do enough such that there are enough devout followers across Viirad that will be able to meet together, form doctrine and texts, and, most importantly, build the strength of the institution as a whole to maintain my mind control’s influence as time goes on. Without it, incompatible moral systems may lead to creatures learning lessons that lead them away from me rather than maintaining the connections in their minds I have made. Furthermore, this could have a positive impact on those my spell has not touched, creating new followers with no need for mind control.

I will still need to cast my spell, of course. During my stint in the Riverlands, I created a more efficient form of the spell that will allow me to use less mana. Currently, I apply a spell function equally across the region around the train or boat I am traveling in, but I have discovered that this is not necessary. As it takes time for the region of influence to pass through a creature, the spell function is applied more than necessary. Therefore, I do not need to maintain the full strength of the spell through the whole period of time. To “weaken” the spell, I can apply its strength to a noise function that propagates through the region. As a whole, the function is still applied to each creature, but I can use less mana for the whole region. I call this the ripple method, and it should make my future trips less straining.

The key with creating a church is that it will allow me to maintain order even with less mind control. Once it is well-established, it can begin sending members to my new territorial acquisitions and give them the proper doctrine while allocating resources to maintain order or evangelize as necessary. Time will tell how much more intervention by me is required before the church can self-propagate.

Author's Note

The ripple method is my interpretation of the effect of the "transcend infinity" decision that reduces the mana cost for converting new territories that you get after taking over half of Griffonia. Her decision here to not integrate the other lands is also my explanation for why the game doesn't give you the ability to integrate territories beyond Griffonia. Of course, the real reason is for gameplay and development reasons, but I think it also makes sense with this context.

The book of Viira's sayings is inspired by the theory that the gospels of Matthew and Luke are based on Mark, but also a lost book which contained Jesus' sayings.

As Viira takes over more and of the world, her job gets easier and easier... I do have something spicy cooking up for the end though, so stay tuned!