I always find the Mercenary Camps on the Map intriguing. From what I read from the map, it was specified to be quite a major settlement, or very big. Do they live in tents or Rarity raised a settlement just for them? [ With taverns and armories just for their needs. ]

That raises another question, do all Whitegold Mercenaries live in the Camps? Or are the Camps outside Manehattan acted as Whitegold's barracks? Or is it a perfect place for anyone who's looking for sellswords to do their deeds?

Nighthoofs, isn't it a bit wierd that Octavia's the leader even though she's an earth pony?

Gem Golems, how do you think they work normally? Do you think they can talk? Can they think for themselves? Or are they just magical constructs built by Gem Wizards and must be controlled by the wizards themselves? Basically what I'm saying is, is it their weapons?.

For Trade, I think it's probably the best statement that these Whitegold Merchants are as good as smugglers. I can't see who they could do business with except the outside powers, but I'll get to that later. As I was saying, they might smuggle their goods into hostile territories for good profits as much as their normal everyday business. They might employ nighthoofs to do the job for them!

Speaking of foreign powers; I can only see Equestria's only route to them except the Griffon Kingdoms is the Sea of Harmony and the Emerald Coast. Only Whitegold, M&S, and Earthborn have access to the sea. I guess that they have a naval competition there, competing for dominance that is. I have no doubt Whitegold is the one winning the competition. M&S is put to the defense by their installations of the Sun Batteries. Earthborn might be building a humongous fleet of ironclads inlands, preparing to unleash it. But all and all, yeah...
As it was mentioned, naval capabilities aren't very much stated... yet

3716388 Id like to see the map your using and possibly other maps that are available to get my own ideas out here.

For Octavia, im guessing in this case that she's a leader of Whitegold, in which case no its not wierd, since Whitegold accepts all ponies, as long as your rich, or you can somehow gain connections throughout the rich, you can become a leader. Im thinking that Octavia being one of the greatest musicians of Equestria (atleast for me thats what she is), her talents would be sought out by the nobles of Whitegold, which would gain her influence and power within Whitegold and would eventually get her enough money to enter Whitegold itself.

For the Gem Golems, from what i understand, they are automatons (self operating machines) that don't require their masters to work, however, they lack free will, and will require orders from their masters to actually do something, they aren't being controlled directly by the gem Wizards, but must be ordered by them if not they simply do nothing.

As for buisness, its true smugglers and such are bound to be common in Whitegold, but i can see Whitegold trading with other groups due to the large diversity they have, they could have things that other fanctions want or require, especially Moon and Star, which from what i read are not self-sustainable. Tough food and such is pretty much out of the question, maybe resources that Whitegold has gathered trough the countless different groups of outcast that have immigrated to Whitegold could prove useful to other factions, a fallen warriors of stormwind? Maybe he has a weapon of somekind EarthBorn might want, A Moon and Star outcast? Maybe some knowledge that Rebels or Earthborn might want to have more intel on them. Whitegold is probably the center of all trades, all factions hate eachother but any faction that isnt in total war againts eachother(Earthborn and Moon and star are an example of factions that are at war and would not trade together) can still trade, tough in an uneasy way, its still possible.

As for foreign powers, i wont go into it much, but for the naval forces, what i can tell is that Earthborn are more ground focused while Moon and Star as you said, seem to be more defensive then aggressive, with Whitegold being the only other one left, and from what i read, having probably one of the biggest if not the biggest port in Equestria, it would only make sense for them to be in power in the sea, thankfully they are probably the least war like of all the factions and so they probably wont use this advantage in a military fashion, this is probably why Naval capabilities are not often elaborated upon since only 3 factions really have access to it and none of them are willing to use it for war purposes.

3728121
This one, it was used by the Total War: Equestria threads, but I'd say that it's too detailed to be discarded.

Nighthooves to me, I think they operate like an Order of Assassins, albeit with not much strict codes of conduct and all. Their existance isn't unknown, an open secret. They are still very secretive that is. The fact that Octavia's the leader reminds me of this.

Then there could be a slight chance a Gem Golem will become sentient and rebel against its former master!?
Note: That's my OC idea for my fic

Gathering resources from immigrants isn't very sustainable. They would need many influx of immigrants for that to work. Surely no one would be mad to move to Manehattan only not be able to pay the toll for entering the city and ended up in the Undercity now? If Rarity's mad, she would employ a mass propaganda that Manehattan's a paradise and take whatever any new immigrants would have and just dump them in the Undercity. Now that's madness.

But shouldn't the Earthborn realize the potential of having a port city [Colterado] ? M&S seems to be on the defensive because from the map, they had batteries of sun ray cannons stationed along the coastlines of Studgart. What if there are reasons for them to engage in naval warfare in the long run? What if a Whitegold explorer sails through the Sea of Harmony and found a new world? Or maybe an equivalent of Europe that's more advanced than Equestria. Maybe Steampunk? Then the fool come back to Manehattan with steam technologies that would sky rocket Whitegold's Technological Superiority? EQDV and colonial warfare sounds very interesting to see unfold.

3728376 FIrst of all, map, detailed, very, wow.

Second, I've never seen mafia Octavia, which would make it pretty cool if she makes herself seem like a great musician, but in reality is a leader of a secret assassination group. That's an interesting idea I'm going to start thinking about for a bit.

Third, Golems, yes, it is, in a way. The golem wouldn't be able to do it on his own in my world, but if somehow, something happened(trough magic, maybe a curse of some kind) it gained free will, and could think for itself, then yes, it could rebel, since its not directly connected to their master, and I see nowhere where it says that the gem golems have some sort of kill switch, so its possible they do or don't (your choice). Id say a curse of some kind would be the way to go to make it have its own free will to then allow it to roam around freely without relying on orders. and it would have to be destroyed normally. Of course that's all in my world, in your world if you want it to happen due to an event that made it self conscious somehow, go ahead, it technically has intelligence, it just cant use it most of the time.

The resources tough, not sustainable, is a form of trade, Whitegold keeps its wealth from the enormous mines it has, meaning they don't NEED the immigrants to stay Wealthy, they just help a lot. The odd resources they get from them would be used as one time deals and such, like information, or a weapon to make new weapons with. stuff like that. Also, people tend to go the Manehattan when they got no other choice, most of the time its when your outlawed by your faction, like when you show fear within Stormwing, or if your a unicorn living under Eathborns rule. Since those ponies normally have nowhere else to go, mostly due the fact that all other factions are normally enemies and wouldn't trust them, they'd go to Whitegold, the Cult of Laughter or a rebel group (The Caraban for example if you accept custom factions). Cult of Laughter and rebel groups however are very risky, Cult of Laughter you go insane pretty much, which not everybody is ok with. And rebel groups have a history of being defeated quickly by the stronger factions (especially by Stormwing) Due to this, Whitegold is the last option. If you don't know about how poor it is(i doubt rarity and such talk about it openly, and probably mask it by saying how they live greatly and other ponies could too if they joined them, so yea propaganda in a way.) then you go there only to realize it'll be hard to get in. But you got nowhere else to go and at least here your better then nowhere (debatable but for some, it would seem like it) And if you do know of the conditions of the undercity, where else would you go?
With all this, and considering how strict Most of the factions are, i wouldn't doubt it if its a pretty steady rise of immigrants (without going too overboard considering the death rate is probably high as well) Its just the last chance they get and they will take it before they die. Because lets face it, sometimes, one pony somewhere makes it onto the other side of The Wall. And this probably inspires others that they can do it to if it happens, rarely, but it does. Similar to how people still gamble or people scratch tickets and such, because somewhere, somebody won, and one day it might be you, hence why you keep trying.

3730131
Yeah, sadly that Mafia Octavia's dead, but she's a really good tumblr pony.

Rumors are ought to spread of how hell-like the Undercity is, thus is why Whitegold would employ propagandas saying that their city's a paradise. For how long will it worked though before Equestria knew what kind of hole the Undercity is?

I agree with you. If you have no other place to go, there's either the Cult, one of the rebel groups, or the Undercity. There's the fourth option actually, go rogue. Live a life of a lone bandit in times of war, loot the empty battlefields filled with weapons, armors, and supplies, such is a life of a rouge. The Undercity could serve its purpose as like a city for you to rest, resupply, visit a tavern for quests and stuff. While you are spending time in the Undercity, be wary of anyone who would do harm to you. The Undercity is as good as a city, as it is as a dungeon for you to hunt those who meant no good to you. Or become a prey for the predators.

3731649 Its true, someday everyone would know how bad it is, but eventually like i said, there is nowhere else to go in the long run for most, not many would like to go rogue either due to the dangers it brings(not like the undercity is really any better, but atleast you got a home), not only that being rogue makes you an enemy to all factions basically, except for any fanmade ones like the Caraban. Tough rogue is something that could happen, its hard to actually "go rogue" in a place where pretty much every land is taken by some faction of some kind. it be hard to disappear to say. But i can see it working if the pony that does it is smart and clever enough.

Now if going rogue is a common enough thing tough, like you said the undercity is probably the go to place for them when they need somewhere to go. Then trading things they... "found" ... would add them to the stuff Whitegold currently owns, and can even take advantage of lesser rogues that are willing to get tangled up in a bit of trading with factions. It adds another kind of "solo" mercenary thing to equestria divided in a way. But i personally see it as a rare occurence that requires alot of skill cleverness and luck to survive with, everything is hard enough WITH a faction let alone being on your own. But i can see it happening, man another idea to add to my list of ideas that i like.

And your description of them resembles that of an adventurer in an RP setting. not that im complaining, just wanted to point that out.

3733249
Well, I did have an RPG game in mind when I was typing that out. Territories may be owned by the factions, but not all are under guard unless it's restricted or important. So any rogue could hide like any where, a local inn for example.

I like your idea of Whitegold using the Undercity to trade stolen goods. Going solo would be a because like you've said, it requires skills and cleverness. That's why I can see that those that have gone solo would've team up with a friend or two sooner or later.

3734726 Then you got yourself a little crew, i could see this being the begining of a new "faction" or something more of a "group" where Solo ponies can know who they can trust and communicate with. But this would be an idea for a different thread, which of course lets hold out on a bit since if you read my reply to your comment on the "Moon and Star" thread you'll know why i want to hold out on making a new faction thread right now.

As for going back on track a bit here. What do you think about the relationship between all the ponies in Whitegold? I know Rarity and Sweetie belle are close, but for people like Octavia, who would she be close too? Or Fancypants and such, how would it be like, i know its full of backstabbing and assasination attempts. but it cant be that Rarity and Sweetie Belle are the ONLY two ponies there who can fully trust one another.

And as for Rarity and Sweetie belle. What your opinion on their relationship at the moment. They are the only two that they can trust. yet its clear that Sweetie Belle was not like her sister, and so would her sisters personality at the moment clash with hers? And especially considering shes going insane because of her disease. How does Sweetie belle feel about this?

And lastly, how is Sweetie Belle herself? Has she turned into a more deceptive and dangerous Pony like her sister? probably more deceptive but, does she believe in hiring assassins and bribes and such to make it to the top? Does she plan on becoming the next Leader (or whatever Whitegold calls Rarity) like her sister? Or is she more of a weak link for Rarity? This is up for speculation and everyone will probably see her in a different way. I think shes probably very deceptive and can be quite cunning most of the time, especially while dealing with other Whitegold members, however, she is actually really soft and kind and wishes for things to return to the way they used to be. She would never say it tough, the walls have ears and their ears have ears which are connected to even more ears. And so she must never show any signs of weakness, ever.

3736050
Rarity and Sweetie Belle would trust one another. Octavia Melody would share it with Vinyl Scratch. Fancy Pants would share it with his 'wife?', Fleur-Dis-Lee.

The relationship between the sisters wouldn't be twisted very much. Sweetie Belle is the only filly/mare that keeps from being insane from the crystal cancer. Deceptive? Maybe, maybe... really? I mean she's a siren in training, and they ain't very different from the wenches you found in taverns in my perspective, beauty and lust and all that stuff. She would need those skills to survive in Equestria. Maybe she's planning to overthrow by waiting until she's dead because our little Sweetie doesn't have what it takes to kill her own sister! But I still agree with you that inside her heart, she's still a filly/mare that we love in the show.

Have you watched Rainbow Rocks yet? I've already read the whole plot from the wiki, and let's say I found something in the movie that could be used in Equestria Divided. I don't want to spoil the plot for you, no pun intended.

3736847 Il look at the list of Canon characters that yorick made and see who i think would be where and how the whole spider web thing would work.

As for sweetie belle.....being a siren.... I DO NOT LIKE THAT ;( , but wow this goes to show how much i should read up on these things before asking questions, i didn't even know she was a siren in training, i thought she would be more trained by her sister to be one the most if not even more deceptive then Rarity herself, so that she could take over if Rarity was ever lost. at least id think Rarity would be teaching her, Rarity isn't dumb, she knows its bound to happen to her one day(death or insanity, whichever comes first), so she should really be looking for a new leader to take her place. I think that's how im gonna look at it, Because Sweetie belle siren, meh im not to interested in that..... or maybe shes learning both? O.O Now that would make sense, teachings of being a siren but private lessons from her sister. A siren leader would be dangerous. The control she would have... that's an idea im looking at, what do you think?

Also like i said I've never seen season 4 yet, and i know that Equestria girls happens during the season 4 time period, so i'm trying to finish that first. And if i'm correct, Rainbow Rocks happens after the season 4 finale, that would be major spoilers so i don't think I'll be watching that yet, lemme finish season 4 first, after which you can tell me your idea.

3739358
being a siren-in-training made sense actually. Her we-all-know talent is singing, so yeah, siren. Yes, she's probably being tutored by both and Sapphire Shores. Maybe there would be a battle for leadership of the Sirens between Sweetie and Sapphire, a voice magic duel. Or maybe on her early days, she might be really good at her job after Rarity tutored her Deceptions 101.

She's also a Patron of the Art District or something like that. I always wondered, as patron, does that mean funding it? These nobles are really rich. Wait, Sweetie had her own budget? Maybe from selling artworks and performances and stuff. Unlikely to be funds from Rarity because, if I'm correct, Rarity is also a patron as well.

3740419 Its true that her signing is incredible but at the same time they have to seduce their enemies as well which seems...unfitting in my mind, but i see where your getting at. Once rarity looses her position it will come down to Sweetie belle to take it, but with the extra training from Rarity i can see her winning, being able to control and manipulate her enemies while lying about her innocence would be a really good combo to have.

As for being a patron. Yes it means she is helping funding it, either trough being a regular customer or supporting it trough donations and such (I'd say the later), and remember its 14 years later so ponies like Sweetie belle and such are adults now (albeit young ones). So it would be very possible to have her own career by selling artworks and signing.

Now i got a question, what will happen to Rarity if she doesn't get killed but instead is turned insane due to her illness? What kind of insane? Like evil maniac insane or more helpless insane? Also, what would Sweetie belle do? How would she feel? But also, if Rarity was to be assassinated one day, how would Sweetie belle react? How would she feel? What would she do? I don't think Rarity is going anytime soon but in the future of this world, its bound to happen. And the biggest question of all is, how will Whitegold change as a whole? Really wanna see some ideas for this.

3744530
If she turned insane, I think like nuthouse insane. Her entire body is infected, it's only a matter of time until it reaches her brain. So helpless insane. Since Sweetie's the one keeping her in reality, I say she'll be sad. Having her sister died from stage 4 cancer or something like that, human equivalent that is.

I doubt Sweetie's going to be a successor, Whitegold isn't a monarchy, but an aristocracy? I'm not sure how they operated, but I'm sure that they will choose a new 'leader' from the society, definitely not Sweetie. If Sweetie somehow got chosen either because of her sister's private lessons [definitely no pun intended] or other factors, Earthborn might open more to Whitegold. Maybe a Military Alliance and other treaties would be made. M&S would try to sabotage any diplomatic relations between them. But Earthborn might backstab Whitegold later on, unlikely, but possible due to many differences. They might not if Whitegold undergo various reforms under Sweetie's leadership, who knows?

The superficial glamor of the Whitegold and the darkness behind the curtain developing? For some reason, I think, that in the time before the Divide, it was never too bad...but it is slowly getting worse and worse. This was probably early on.

Warning, the word slut is used.

3746679 Sweetie would probably grow strong too though, at least id think so after everything she's been through.

As for how they operate its probably more like the rich can choose their leader. Monarchy would probably be more like M&S. I just think that even though there would be opposition eventually sweetie would find a way to be elected as the new leader. If she was one she'd most definitely start building better alliances with the other factions. Possibly becoming a link for all of them, economically and diplomatically. Earthborn wouldn't backstab them, their too honorable for that, if anything M&S would, but they are so reliant on Whitegold i doubt they would. Whitegold is in that position where nobody wants to hurt them however they cant hurt anybody as well simply because they probably have the weakest army of all the 6 primary factions, due to how unreliable it is since its mostly mercenaries and hired guns. That can always go wrong if your fighting with just that. I see Whitegold as the middle point, the faction sitting in between all the chaos everywhere else, hoping not to get noticed and to simply wait it out and see who comes out on top and then integrate themselves into said winning faction, bringing their riches with them, however willing to give a little nudge here and there to the faction they want to win.

Which brings me to this, since Whitegold doesn't seem to be in a good position to win this war alone, who would they prefer to win so that they can most easily integrate into said society? Im thinking either Earthborn or M&S, Possibly Stormwing but they are VERY strict military like which seems too much for Whitegold to handle, but Whitegold is also a faction with every race and culture together. So if either Earthborn or M&S win, they would have to get rid of some of their own to be able to join those factions. Which one would be the most favorable of all of them?

3810116
So if there's any chance for a peace treaty, Whitegold would be the negotiation table. Say, what makes us think Rarity wouldn't want Equestria for her own...?

Her generosity was long past, now it has become an ambition fueled by greed. What is Rarity's agenda in this chaos? Sweetie Belle?

Earthborn could backstab Whitegold in a way. They have a Casus Belli, a reason for war which are the follies of Mistress Rarity. This could be prevented if Whitegold diplomacy is really good, and I doubt that considering their reputation. They would have to rely on traditional Nighthooves Operations for survival then.

Stormwing wouldn't assume direct control of Manehattan. They would probably add an army of guards to increase the public order, especially in the Undercity. Their hopes would be Stormwing for the populace, unless the general populace are criminals, yikes!

While House Whitegold may not have much territory, they do have a vast network of tunnels that stretches all across Equestria. It wouldn't surprise me if they had underground outposts with warriors lying in wait when and if the time to strike should come.

And they are extremely wealthy and could 'buy' themselves to victory. They can hire Mercenaries to do most of their dirty work and they can supply Rebels with money, weapons and even troops to cause trouble for the other Houses.

3810116 House Whitegold could still be a formidable faction if they got involved in the conflict.

The wall that surrounds Manehattan is never really described and could easily be a well fortified wall made up of all manner of stone, minerals and diamonds to make it virtually impregnatable. It would be like trying to break into Scrooge McDuck's money bin.

And let's not forget the tunnels beneath Equestria stretching out from Manehattan. Thanks to these, Whitegold can literally strike anywhere they want. Hell, they might even have a whole subterranean civilization down there, and the limited forces in Manehattan is more of a fasade to lure the other Houses into a false sense of security.

: I think it's safe to follow this head-canon by 2098572, 4188793.

The Wall:
The Wall is an enormous edifice standing some 20 meters high and fully ten meters thick, stretching around the entire perimeter of Manhatten proper, with support buildings protruding and looming directly behind it and watchtowers and guard stations positioned regularly along its length.

The Wall is created out of artificially-magically grown crystal along with more standard stone construction material.

The top of the wall is crenelated like a medieval castle. House Whitegold troops and patrols are stationed along it, armed and ready to deal with any attempted incursion. All along the wall are sniper stations for the Houses special Sharpshooter Division, within the wall itself and atop it. These expose the Sharpshooters as little as possible while providing them with a good field of fire.

Towering halfway up the side of the wall, measuring ten meters high and fifteen meters wide, the gates are half again as long as what shows - the extra parts of the gate being concealed within the side of the wall. The gates are made of enchanted hardwood and riveted steel plates. Often the fronts are decorated with ostentatious fresco's to display the Houses power and wealth.(There are Five gates. Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire and Opal. Each is Commanded by a Gate Commander.)

There are two sets of these gates, one behind the other, leaving only four meters of space between them, which is more than enough space for squads on foot.

Should heavy equipment or military wagons carriages need to leave they are either brought in via the vehicle delivery entrance or, for deeper missions, they can be dropped by House Whitegold Airships or Skiffs.

Airborne vehicles are brought in via the side of the wall, straight into the maintenance bays. If a vehicle is cleared to directly fly over the wall, it has to land in the secondary courtyard behind the gates.

Behind the gates on the city side is a courtyard, a hundred meter by hundred meter square, with ten-meter high, razor-wire topped walls. It is overseen constantly by four watch towers.

Every 1000 meters along the wall stands a watchtower protruding another ten meters above the surface of the wall. The top is a barrack with two guard stationed inside.

The wall is wide enough and strong enough that vehicles can traverse it like a road.It is not uncommon for areas that need reinforcement to have personnel delivered by a Wagon Taxi. Within the wall itself a small monorail performs a similar service, and runs along the centerline of the wall just below the surface of the ground that is powered by special gem golems.

---

Support Structures:
Such a massive operation as maintaining the wall takes a great deal of support personnel, water, food and organization. The wall houses much of this within its bulk, with several armories, barracks, monitoring stations, mess halls, housed within the structure. Other support buildings, such as garages, landing pads and refueling stations protrude from the rear of the wall into Manehatten, intermixing with the bars, strip joints and clubs that vie for the attention of the guards.

---

Military Bases:
The other Primary purpose of the wall is to serve as the Houses primary military base to organize and House many of the Houses military units.
The primary Headquarters of the Military is Castle Aurum.

Positioned between Gates Diamond and Opal this military base is a squat and heavily reinforced castle. Housing most of the Houses military command structure and administration, it handles the day to day affairs of the military as well as serving as a lynchpin defensive position should the wall be breached as Castle Aurum sits at a strategic crossroads that allows it to reinforce and defend other sections of the city.

The other Castle in the city is Castle Argentum which defends Manehatten Bay while serving as the Whitegold Navies base of operations. Cannons and Ballista pointed outward to fire upon any hostile ship or navy that tries to force it's way into the Bay.

Other then these two Castles the Wall also contains a number of Bases.

Each Base is attached to the Wall and services one of Whitegolds Military Brigades. Their duty is to serve as a launch point for Operations either outside of Manehatten or alternatively serve on The Wall in the case of Peace or Siege.

---

Relation with the Undercity:
Surrounding the famed Fortress City of Manehatten is the Undercity Sprawl. The Undercity Sprawl is diverse and divided into a number of districts. Some districts are more well off then other districts.

Some sections of the Undercity could be termed Slums. Cobbled together or heavily dilapidated structures both new and old. Crime is high many Ponies live in destitute poverty.

Other sections, though smaller and more uncommon of the Undercity are relatively peaceful neighborhoods, while not incredibly affluent by any means they don't suffer from the soul crushing poverty of other sections of the Undercity. Typically these Neighborhoods benefit from being either close to the Wall or following a vital road in and out of the city. Crime is still a problem but oftentimes these neighborhoods will organize Ad-Hoc volunteer police forces to attempt to keep the peace, though these police ponies have no real authority outside of their neighborhood and rely on Whitegold Peacekeepers. The buildings are average affairs, typically wood and rarely stone. These neighborhoods are older well designed buildings from before the War.

The Undercity serves as another line of defense. Being a maze of slums, side-road and maze like neighborhoods it makes it a daunting task to assault. It doesn't help that House Whitegold can easily deploy troops into areas of the Undercity with Airships. Making any fight here into a grueling and bloody city fight.

The Undercity doesn't not edge up towards the wall, rather a 100 yard 'killzone' is established, a ring of green grass and some outbuildings and guard houses but otherwise cleared to provide clear killzones for Whitegold weapons fire in case of a Siege or Assault.

A number of large roads and bridges leading from the Gates and oftentimes threw the Undercity and out to the Countryside are present. Large and clear these roads provide quick egress from the gates to areas outside the city.

(Presence of Trains? Dunno. Tunnels would also likely be present but heavily guarded and kept secret.)

: For whatever reason, it wouldn't show the post when I clicked the name. So I took liberty to repost it here...

: I've thought of a city under Manehattan before too! I called it the Under City. The settlement's not going to be populated by dwarf ponies (it sounds good though) . Rather, they are populated by Dogs..!

4189954 That's a pretty good describtion of what the wall could look like

If the House ever officially went to war, they would need solid protection, considering how little surface territory they have. And while they are surrounded by five major Houses on all sides, none of them would have the military strenght to break through the walls if they ever decided to lay siege to Manehattan. And House Whitegold would undoubtly outlast the invaders, due to their wealth, vast supplies and Diamond Dog tunnel system which is probably HUGE compared to what's known already.

The idea of Under City beneath Manehatten is a nice touch and makes sense in some way. In my head -canon, the Diamond Dogs are strictly subterranean creatures, therefore their 'major cities' are below ground rather than above ground. Occasionally they venture above ground for scouting, scavanging or war, but they never build any permanent surface settlements bigger than perhaps a small camp.
Also, in the realm of Equestria Divided, ponies should populate the Under City too, digging for valuable stones or serving as reinforcements in case of emergencies.

: In addition, I imagined the walls of Whitegold being protected by giant golems, serving as sentinels.

: Whitegold is similar to many of our long lost civilizations, Carthage taking a major league...

: By the way, that was KM's head-canon. At the time when I posted that, his post didn't come up when I clicked on it, so I copied and pasted it there. And now, it works! So yeah... I don't want to get into trouble of Plagiarism at all...

: Carthage controlled much of the Western Mediterranean before the Punic Wars and Mare Nostrum of the Ancient Rome. Thus, they were rich and prosper in trading. They relied primarily on mercenaries for their armies...

: Trade and Mercenaries, does that ring any bells for you? It sure did for me..!

: Add to that, Carthage is an Oligarchal Republic, which is basically and Oligarchy, ruling by a small group of individuals. This small group would most likely be Plutocratic as well, ruling by the wealthy...

: Carthage didn't have complete dominance to their territories, most were either client states or dependencies. This part is also similar to Whitegold. Aside from Manehattan itself, I believe they have much influence on their 'controlled' territories, enough to send militias to guard them...

: Their best policy is to stay neutral. After all, only the foolish ones would trust Whitegold due to their reputation of being devious.

: I remembered some mentioning of Dogs living in tribes. What are the odds of the underground housing the entire civilization of Dogs divided as tribes. How about Whitegold managed to buy off the tribe under Manehattan..?

: Hmm...

: It can be their long term project because that sounds like it requires an insane amount of magic to operate each. Lastly, it reminds me of this from Atlantis: The Lost Empire...

: 4190069, have you watched the movie before..?

: Not the best quality, but that's the only thing I could find. Please skip to 1:05:50, unless you're not in a hurry...

4190129

: >> TJHoofer, have you watched the movie before..?

Regrettably I have That movie had SO much promise and failed just as much.

Ironically, I did think of that movie when I was thinking of Whitegold sentinels, but they would not be anywhere near what I had in mind. Truthfully, I'm a bit ashamed for having brought it up...

4190129 I am well aware that Whitegold's main strenght lies in trade and mercenaries, that's reasonable and true.

I just figured that should Whitegold suddenly take a more direct approach and go for the throat, they wouldn't be THAT easy to take down. After all, Whitegold has the reputation for being deceitful and clever, so it wouldn't surprise me if they had a vast subterranean empire to back them up.

It was a long while ago, but I remember PoorYorick mentioning something about Whitegold being similar to the Skaven in Warhammer...

: The first chapter of "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu is very charming...

Laying Plans

Sun Tzu said: The art of war is of vital importance to the State.

It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.

The art of war, then, is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into account in one's deliberations, when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field.

These are:
1.) The Moral Law;
2.) Heaven;
3.) Earth;
4.) The Commander;
5.) Method and discipline.

The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger.

Heaven signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons.

Earth comprises distances, great and small; danger and security; open ground and narrow passes; the chances of life and death.

The Commander stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerely, benevolence, courage and strictness.

By method and discipline are to be understood the marshaling of the army in its proper subdivisions, the graduations of rank among the officers, the maintenance of roads by which supplies may reach the army, and the control of military expenditure.

Reference: http://classics.mit.edu/Tzu/artwar.html

: When I was reading the treatise, I actually came up with a a story concept with each chapter both based on and named by each of the 'paragraph'...

The art of war is of vital importance of the state. Having overseen much of the skirmishing between various factions vying for control of Equestria, Whitegold would obviously know that and be prepared themselves for any imminent war...

The people of Whitegold follows Wealth, not their actual "rulers". But knowing Rarity, she could and would manipulate those two to her own accord. Being the master of the art of deceit, she would manipulate the people of Whitegold to her own accord, albeit in a very unorthodox way. The Moral Law factor of Whitegold is insecurely secured...

The Heaven part factors tactical parts such as skirmishes and actual battles, not the entire war, so we can skip that...

Geographically, Whitegold is in a both beneficial and dangerous terrain. The Gulf of Manehattan gives Whitegold a playground for sea trade that would be nothing but beneficial to its economy. The Earth for Whitegold is all in all, neutral; balanced in both advantages and disadvantages...

Nervos Belli, Pecuniam Infinitam: Endless money forms the sinews of war...
Marcus Tullius Cicero 106 BC – 43 BC

The dangerous part is the fact of them being the center of them all; geographically, culturally, and economically. Bordered by the three powers; Moon and Star, Earthborn, and Stormwing, they cannot risk to send their armies to one only to let the other two attack...

They use Espionage to expand themselves. If they cannot expand by power, then they can expand with shadows. Their spy network spans throughout the known world. The side effects of this being the reputation of deviousness and lost of trust from any possible diplomatic relationships...

The other way they can expand is through another border that no one can claim their own but the world itself, the sea. If they haven't spent all their funds on Espionage and Defenses, they might be able to fund an expedition to new lands and work their "Whitegold Diplomacy" to have influence over those that had settled there. If they have enough funds, they might as well form colonies over there as well...

Mercenaries are unreliable because of their questionable loyalty, but their experiences are more than welcomed, but that also comes with hefty price tags that can only be remedied by the depths of wealth only Whitegold possesses. But we all know that mercenaries are only worth their value in a short run. They will have to be disbanded later on when there's no use of them to save money...

Since mercenaries are all in all, unreliable, Whitegold would have to get themselves a conventional military at some point that are not militias, else they will drain up their coffers as their silver that turned into double edged swords betrayed their masters...

Whitegold failed both in Commander and Methods due to the fact that their armies are far from proper. After taking accounts of their five factors, victory for them is possible, but the odds are against them by approximately 60%...

: This is my perspective if Whitegold wanted to take a more direct approach. True that they have allies, but I was thinking a bit different, 4190152. You see, my head-canon is that there are myriad of doggish tribes underground, and Whitegold had only befriended those around its area of influence, while countless others are all but an enigma to the land dwellers above...

: Sadly, my knowledge of the world of Warhammer is very, very limited...

4190312 All valid points and I agree 100% Besides, you clearly have a broader knowledge and understanding on the art of warfare than I do, so I won't question it.

What matters is that Whitegold isn't some tiny weak nation with loads wealth. They have teeth and will use them. And if teeth don't cut it, then money will.

To quote an old movie phrase: "Money will buy cooperation." For House Whitegold, that may be true in more ways than one

: Money is not the only currency we all use, 4190394. There's one sort of items that are different in content, but the same in type. They are collectively called Information. Whitegold's expertise on espionage granted them mountains of information they can play with. Information comes in a myriad shapes and sizes, not physically that is...

: Fleur is the banker of this currency for Whitegold. That would mean she's the most wealthy in that currency, and the most dangerous with it as well. But discussions on the canon characters should be taken in its respective thread. I shall withdraw myself from this topic and prepare any information that would expand the views of this world...

4190429 When proposing the idea for Risk version of Equestria Divided a while back, I tried to figure out a gameplay strategy and rules for each faction. This is just one idea I had about House Whitegold and how I think it would play in game like Risk.

Note: This is just a quick example.

While being a major House with the smallest territory on the map, House Whitegold is 100% neutral and immune from any enemy attack. However, this immunity will be quickly nullified if all but 2 players are left in the game.

Whitegold's main objectives are twofold;

- The first objective is acting as a Trade Depot for enemy factions, by supplying players with special Mercenary/Spy cards, which can be bought with 'Bits' (Territory Cards).

The Mercenary Card eliminates enemy infantry units (numbers based on the dice) from selected territory.

The Spy Card gives the player the chance to steal a Territory card from one of the enemy players.

Note: The Mercenary/Spy cards cannot be used against Whitegold.

- The second objective is digging tunnels beneath Equestria in an attempt to 'secretly' take over one of the enemy Houses (except for House Stormwing as their Capitol is airborne and moving). If a tunnel is dug beneath an occupied enemy territory, the enemy player can use a card of that same territory to launch an investigation. The result of the investigation is resolved through dice roll. If Whitegold has a high roll, then the tunnel is ignored. If the enemy House gets a high roll, the tunnel is discovered.

If upon being discovered, both Whitegold and the enemy faction engage in tunnel warfare. If Whitegold is successful in eliminating all enemy units, the tunnel remains safe until the enemy player receives a new card to try again. If the enemy player wins, the tunnel from Manehattan collapses and Whitegold loses its immunity.
However, this can be regained if Whitegold 'bribes' the enemy player with three Territory cards.

If Whitegold is successful in reaching the enemy Capitol, the player can then initiate a tunnel war in order to take the Capitol. If the enemy faction wins... (same as above). If Whitegold is successful, the enemy faction is automatically taken over and all enemy units are replaced with Whitegold units.

By accomplishing this objective, Whitegold becomes a major active player and thus loses complete immunity from all remaining players, along with its trading ability.

What do you think?

4494359
Oh boy , I have never played Risk, and to be honest, my experiences in board games in general are quite limited.

Hmm, never thought of Whitegold selling espionage services, never thought would be that generous, and never thought there would be any client taking any chance with the Mistress of Deception and her Nighthooves.

So Whitegold acts as a banker of sort. Absolute diplomatic immunity is kinda overpowered in my opinion. It discards that little desperation for survival for being the center of them all. How about adding to that if about let's say three or more players are required to attack (concede) Whitegold at once?

Tunnel Warfare, this works actually. I'm sure that other factions are aware of the Diamond Dog Tunnels, and are constantly working on to counter the secret passages dug by the dogs. Other factions actually engaging in this type of warfare is certainly possible, as it only requires Diamond Dogs to dig tunnels in large scales.

Sorry, I have nothing since I've no experience with Risk at all.

Can't say that it's good, can't say that it's bad,

4495751

Hmm, never thought of Whitegold selling espionage services, never thought would be that generous, and never thought there would be any client taking any chance with the Mistress of Deception and her Nighthooves.

It's not so much as selling their services, but rather 'lending'. I can see Whitegold wanting to prolong the war as much as possible, so they wouldn't shy away from doing shady buisness deals with other factions on the side.

So Whitegold acts as a banker of sort. Absolute diplomatic immunity is kinda overpowered in my opinion. It discards that little desperation for survival for being the center of them all. How about adding to that if about let's say three or more players are required to attack (concede) Whitegold at once?

Given how small the House is, I thought it would make sense based on their huge wealth and large wall that surrounds them. Still, this was just a rule to give the Whitegold player a chance, especially since the House can't partake in the conflict without endangering its neutrality.

Sorry, I have nothing since I've no experience with Risk at all.

That's fair.

I just strongly feel that in regards to strategy gameplay, Risk is quite literally one of many games that could work for a setting like Equestria Divided. Risk has had many variations over the years, such as 'Godstorm' and even 'Lord of the Rings'.

You can find out about Risk pratically anywhere, not to mention Risk Factions which took the boardgame further terms of gameplay and style