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A tale of blood, betrayal, and Marienburgers - A Warhammer Fantasy Quest

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A tale of blood, betrayal, and Marienburgers - A Warhammer Fantasy Quest


The three Emperors...
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The Election of 1979
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    • KarvokaQueen

    KarvokaQueen

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    A tale of blood, betrayal, and Marienburgers - A Warhammer Fantasy Quest


    The three Emperors who had started it all. From left to right they are Lukas Anderssen, the Nuln Emperor, Ottilia I Untermensch, the Talabecland Emperess, and Ulricht Todbringer, the Wolf Emperor​

    In the year 1978, the Age of Three Emperors seemed to be coming to a final end. Not with a bang, but a whimper. The throne of the Sigmarite Emperor had been bare for three years as the Grand Theogonist and the Sigmar-loyal Elector-Counts squabbled over who should take his place.

    Using this vacancy as a pretext, and responding to the intense pressure from the Hierarchs of Taal and Rhya as well as his close ally, Ludwig von Pabst, Oskar III Untermensch, declared in posters all across Talabheim that he would leave for Altdorf at once, to fight a true election. Seeing this from the temple atop of Middenheim, the Ar-Ulric and his priesthood leapt into action, and in a rare moment of working with, instead of against, the merchants of the city, he pushed Wolf-Emperor Siegfried to lead an army to the city and proclaim himself as a candidate.

    This turn of events greatly shocked all but the cabal of Merchants that had made this possible, and as the two pretender emperors, sizeable warrior retinues in tow, sat outside the gates of Altdorf, a panicking Marius von Holzkrug declared, against the wishes of Grand Theogonist Sigmarsson, that the electoral moot would occur in Marienburg.

    While the idea of traveling to far off Marienburg to elect the Emperor, a city that had never been graced as the Imperial capital, seemed an unlikely if not bizarre prospect, Marius was merely acting on the advice of his close friend and ally, Clais van der Maacht. An enigmatic figure, the only things most knew about the Lord Mayor of Marienburg was that he was the bastard son of Emperor Matthias II von Hoensbroech, and a relentlessly ambitious striver who had clawed his up through the mercantile hierarchy on his wits alone.

    They were absolutely correct. Unbeknownst to almost all, aside from his family and close friends, Clais was the elusive and shadowed leader of the High Order of Honorable Freetraders. Using the connections that his position as the Order's leader had granted him, alongside a mixture of bribery, threats, and blackmail, Clais had lined himself up as the next Emperor. Even against opposition from both Sigmarites and Ulricans, the Lord Mayor appeared to be a guaranteed winner. Using a mixture of bribery, threats, and blackmail, Clais was, despite what he knew would be opposition from every religious leader, and the major elector counts, a guaranteed winner.

    As he laid down in his bed, setting the various letters and statements confirming Marienburg as the Moot's location to the side, he felt an incredible swelling of pride and anticipation within him, for soon his greatest goal would be within reach. He went to sleep with a smile on his face, a single note of confirmation clutched to his chest. He would not wake to see the next day.

    The news of the death of the mayor ripped through Marienburg like a great inferno. Religious cries loudly declared it on the streets, spouting various theories, each more fanciful than the last. The Merchant Princes, who had all lined up behind Clais and were readying to back him were suddenly thrown into chaos. What were they to do, without their leader?

    An emergency meeting was called at the Great hall of Rijikker's Isle, the entire High Order of Honourable Freetraders in Marienburg was in attendance. Panicked arguments broke out between the merchants, and accusations of assassinating Clais flew freely. Fights broke out between rival merchants, and the madness was only brought to an end by Director Henryk van Wissenhof firing his handgun into the air, bringing silence to the hall. As quiet reigned, the Director began to lay bare the situation before them.

    All three candidates for Emperor were utterly unpalatable. Wolf Emperor Siegfried II was a puppet of the Ar-Ulric, who hated the Burgomeisters almost as much as he hated the Sigmarites. The Ottilian Emperor, Oskar III, was a strong-willed fool who had learned all he knew about ruling from Boris Goldgatherer. The Grand Theogonist, however, was worst of all, as he backed Clais's close friend, the Count of Reikland, Marius von Holzkrug. While Marius' melancolic nature had left him easily manipulated by the now departed CLais, they had no-one else who could move him against the Grand Theogonist, and Marius would eagerly stamp the lot of them out if he could.

    Despite his hope that the statement of their dire situation would force the Merchants to work together to come up with a solution these supremely powerful, intelligent men and women immediately went back to their bitter arguments and recriminations. Despairing, the Director began to reload his handgun as a great commotion began outside the hall.

    Again, the raucous merchants fell silent as a half dozen handgunners in gilded armour burst into the room. The briefest of panics swept through the room, until an incredibly tall woman, dressed in all black entered the chamber. Anna van der Stein, the wife of the late Lord Mayor.

    She declared she had a solution to their problem: they should name Clais's daughter Magritta as their candidate. Magritta was young, and the Order could guide her development to ensure that they had a powerful, burgomeister aligned Empress. She commanded the assembled merchant princes that this was the only way forward, as very few of them had any claim to any sort of noble title. Only Magritta van der Maacht would be acceptable to their bought electors.

    ----

    Over the next few weeks, the Electors from across the Empire slowly poured into the great city of Marienburg like so much runoff from the River Reik. They were greeted not with the glittering city of myth, but of a city in deep mourning for a beloved leader. Even in such dour spirits though, the sheer mass and wealth in the city overwhelmed many of the new arrivals. The Bankside ladies, in particular, did a roaring trade as it proceeded to swallow up all the young, strapping soldiers that made up the Electors retinue.

    In the Lord Mayor's palace, the Imperial Great, Good, Wealthy, and Righteous (with more than a smattering of the morbidly curious) all came together to begin the process of election. Impassioned speeches were made, and much alcohol was drunk in the many parlors that made up the palace. Drunkenness inevitably gave way to fist fights and more arguments, which led to further recriminations and already those at the election not totally besotted began to fear a repeat of the disastrous 1357 election that had started the current Imperial collapse.

    On the eighth day of elections, their worst fears were realised when the Elector-Count of Stirland rose to the podium and declared that he would vote for the child-countess of Nordland, and declared that she was the only candidate untainted by the factional infighting of the last five hundred years. Despite an attempt by the Grand Theogonist and Ar-Ulric to boo him from the podium (This being a rare instance of actual agreement between the two), many of the merchant princes whispered their support into the ears of their targeted electors.

    The ill reception of the final speech of the day was accompanied by further grim portents. Morrslieb had been descending in the sky since the election had first been opened in Marienburg, and it was now at its lowest ebb. On this basis alone the Grand Theogonist attempted to stifle proceedings, but when rumors that he was planning to use this time to bribe Ulrican electors to back Marius von Holzkrug, the Ulrican-Sigmarite alliance collapsed and the Ar-Ulric and his supporters quashed the motion.

    Thusly, on the next day the 32nd round of voting commenced. To the horror of the Ar-Ulric, Grand Theogonist, and many assembled non-voting lords, one by one the votes were cast in favour of Magritta. Ulricht let out a yelled protest when Gottschalk voted for Magritta, and the Grand Theogonist followed suit when Konrad von Blutheim's representative also voted in favour of the 'Child Empress'.

    Arguments began to break out and a furious attempt was made to track down the Elector-Count of Wissenland, who had left his vote in the hand of a trusted Burgomeister, but he was nowhere to be found. A fistfight between several Merchants, their bodyguards, and one half of the Wissenland delegation began when, at the Grand Theogonist's urging, Konrad's elder brother Albrecht attempted to split the delegation and cast a vote for the destroyed province of Solland in favour of Marius. The fight began to escalate, mercenaries in the pay of merchants clashed with a handful of the von Blutheim household guard.

    Things came to a head when the Grand Theogonist intervened on Albrecht's behalf, his call for calm fell on deaf ears as the Imperious Wissenlander insulted the Ar-Ulric, which incited a throng of Wolf Priests to attack him. The brawl was only barely contained by the High Order's mercenaries, who put an end to Konrad and the Grand Theogonist's scheme by knocking the would-be Count over the head with a ceremonial mace. With the would-be Count no longer screaming about his authority to any who would listen, the matter was considered settled, despite the protests of Sigmarsson.

    With Albrecht's unconscious body being dragged out of the chamber, voting resumed. Oskar attempted to direct his men, alongside some Longshanks, to block the Ostermark delegation from changing their vote with intimidation, but when von Pabst called his bluff, he backed down. This set the tone as votes continued to be tallied, each ascension to the platform met with either tense silence or furious mutterings, as emissaries and envoys made their way between camps.

    Every time the 32nd round of voting looked to end inconclusively, as had all rounds before, the Count of Hochland, Ostermark, or the Elder of the Moot would be visited by either a merchant, or priest, and announce they were changing their vote. As there was no rule saying that they couldn't do this before final roll call, the 32nd vote began to drag into the night.

    As things continued, with the Ar-Ulric, Grand Theogonist, and Director Hendryk all attempting to sway this handful of eminently bribeable electors to their side, and attempting to force them to stay in their camp, the Guildmaster of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers approached the Director with grim news. One of the Ar-Ulric's guardsmen had seen them tampering with the great clock, to try and extend the voting time.

    Not wanting to extend this farce any further, Hendryk gathered a small coterie of merchants from the Mootland, Hochland, and Ostermark. Instructing them to get their respective elector on side for the final roll call, and that the High Order would reimburse them as needed. Armed with this knowledge, each man did just that.

    For the Elder of the Moot, he was promised a great feast of the lardiest hot water crust pies, most sumptuous game hens, and a promise that he would be allowed free reign to take many of these prized hens back to the Moot, for personal use.

    To deal with Gottschalk Goldtaker was a much more straightforward affair. A bribe of three wagons of imperial gold, unmarked, for him to personally take back to Hochland and spend as he wished. He openly counted the proceeds in the election hall, his lackwitted son eventually managing to figure out how to vote on his behalf.

    The last holdout was more complicated. Von Pabst was a wealthy man, and had long held the great trade city of Mordheim at arms length, taking their bribes but keeping the Order at arms length. It was only when the merchant came upon offering to look after his many bastards, that Ludwig became much more receptive, and with a promise of their position within the great city of Mordheim, as well as a sizable 'donation' to the Knights of the Stag, his vote was secured.

    With less than an hour left on the great clock, the roll call began, and this time there was no attempt at a change of vote. This set off nervous chattering in all camps, but most especially the Sigmarite one, as the Grand Theogonist's vote counter believed that if they could secure Hochland's vote they would have the 7 necessary to declare Marius Emperor.

    Instead, as the results were read out, it was not the Grand Prince of Reikland who was declared the victor, but instead the infant daughter of the late Clais van der Maacht. The Order was jubilant, after their plan had all but fallen apart with Clais's death, they had finally succeeded, and now, many believed they would be in the driver's seat of the Empire. Their moment had finally arrived.

    But as the shock of Magritta's victory subsided, outrage overtook the electors. The Grand Theogonist, who had been preparing to crown Marius in his mind, was a dark, angry red. He was raised by two zealots, to loudly proclaim the election was a sham. The Ar-Ulric loudly declare his agreement, and in the hall, despite Siegfried garnering only two votes, he declared that he was the true Emperor. Swords were drawn, and fights broke out.

    The entire election descended into chaos as fights broke out between all the separate camps at the election, with the Ar-Ulric being wounded and dragged out by his supporters, as small armies of soldiers rampaged across the greatest of the Imperial Cities. Bands of mercenaries, normally paid to protect the business of the city, found themselves beseeched by merchants to descend into the fray.

    Soon, the often chaotic Marienburg was totally overwhelmed, the entire city subsumed by violence, as warring factions tried to fight their way out. Hundreds were slain in the massive riot as it engulfed the proud port city. Shops were looted by rampaging soldiers as they attempted to slice their way to freedom, only to find the great marsh surrounding the city to be just as great a foe as the mercenaries inside.

    Boats were seized, business looted, and entire neighborhoods of the great merchant city were burned to the ground. The election of 1979 had turned into the greatest Imperial disaster since the election of 1352, which had started the Age of Three Emperors outright.

    Thus, as 1979 ended, the Empire was now in its worst shape ever, the Sigmarite empire shrinking down to three provinces, Reikland, the Moot, and Wissenland. The Ulrican Empire was much the same as it started, Middenanland and Hochland against the world. In Talabecland, Oskar mustered what energy he had left to pass the title of Emperor to his daughter, and with Ostermark backing her, Ottilia IV was proclaimed Empress, even as Marienburg burned. In Marienburg proper, Director Hendryk installed himself as regent for the Child Empress and began to make plans to defend his city from a Reikland invasion.

    As terrible as the age of three empires had been, now the empire was entering a true dark age. More divided than it had ever been. Four Emperors vying for the title, even as provinces revolted against their authority

    And thus begins our tale of blood, betrayal, and Marienburgers. One Empress, to rule the greatest of Man's realms. If she can take it.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Hello, and welcome to my Warhammer quest! This is a story in which you all will be taking control of Magritta van der Maacht, the so-called 'Marienburg Empress'. This post is meant to introduce you all to the fraught age of Three Emperors, and the election of 1979, which brought about the near total collapse of the Empire. In the canon, it would remain divided and riven with catastrophic infighting until Magnus the Pious brought everyone together in 2304.

    Do you reckon you can do better than that? Fulfill Clais' ambition of a powerful, united Empire under the van der Maacht family? I will be staying awake for a while longer to answer any questions any of you have about the setting, time period, and how the first few turns (which should be up some time tomorrow) will go!

    Thank you for reading my quest, I hope you enjoy!
    Adhoc vote count started by KarvokaQueen on Feb 28, 2019 at 1:43 AM, finished with 29 posts and 23 votes.
    • [X] It's both alien and familiar. You immediately recognise an Asurian attempt at impersonating proper imperial grammar, though this is quite the focused attempt. Raising the letter to your eyes, you carefully scan the letterhead.
      [X] The lettering is all wrong! From the way they write Reikspiel it is clear that they are from Kislev, a detail that you confirm when you notice the giant bear seal on the wax. But who from Kislev would write you? Overtaken by curiosity, you crack the seal and open it.
      [X] Your Mother often communicates with the Lector of Marienburg, and even though the fine details of handwriting change from one to another, all Lectors have the same meticulously practiced style. You can't pin down any details but that it is from one of your mother's Lector friends, though. It is addressed to you, and the letter itself is sealed with a wax sigil of the Heldenhammer. It almost feels wrong to break it, but you push through and open the letter.
      [X] It's from your Uncle Marius! The handwriting gives it away so quickly that you don't even need to see the seal of Altdorf to know it is from him, and you eagerly crack the seal to see what it is that your favourite uncle has sent you!
    Click to expand...

    Adhoc vote count started by KarvokaQueen on Feb 28, 2019 at 1:44 AM, finished with 29 posts and 27 votes.
    • [X] There aren't lots of other kids on the island, aside from you. A few of Dad's merchant friends bring their kids, and you get to show them around and point at all the cool stuff you can see from the towers! Other than them though, you tend to play with the servant's children. When he first saw you making friends with a baker's son, he said it was "Important to have friends in low places." You don't get what he meant, but he's been encouraging you to play with them, so you do lots! You will friends in places low, and high.
      [X] Even though you were very small, you still remember the first time your father gave you a lecture on just what made your family so powerful. It was so simple it was impossible for it to not stick with you. Money. The guilder was, even in the broken empire of his day, the lifeblood of everything. He explained in simple terms, that whoever held the strings of the purse, held the real power. He promised that, as you grew older he'd make sure to teach you how to keep your own pure under control, and despite his death, the memory sticks with you. Foundational Trait - Queen of the Purse Your father's tutoring, and your own understanding of where true power comes from in the Empire, have led to you developing a far greater understanding of rulership than most of your rivals.
      [X] Followed your parents everywhere. Mum and Dad are the smartest, bestest parents anyone could have! So, of course, you spent a lot of time with them, watching them work, going to the temple. Dad even lets you play with his maps! One day, you're going to own a great big ship like him, and see the whole world! You will learn much about the family trade.
      [X] Your mother picking you up and putting you on her lap, after you'd whined about having to dress up for the Temple. Instead of scolding you, she told you a story. About how, far away from the palace, there were strong women, called the Sisters. She told you how big and tough they were, and that, if you were good, and you prayed to Sigmar with her every night, one day you'd be big and strong, just like the Sisters! After that, you never missed a call to prayer. Foundational Trait - Faith in Sigmar Your faith in Sigmar has been very strong from an early age, and you have devoted considerable energies to practicing his tenants.
      [X] After catching you spying on him training, the Captain of the Household Guard offered to train you. While this extremely early training (For you were but a babe) was more about teaching you physical skills like running, soon your close bond would grow into much more combat oriented work, teaching you much about warfare within the Empire. Foundational Trait - Warrior at heart Your time training under Sven "Black-hand" has made you an impressively capable fighter, while also leaving you exceptionally fit. You are, even if you don't follow a path of a warrior, supremely physically capable.
      [X] Like most children, you'd always hated being dragged to the temple. With its musty, claustrophobic halls, constant chanting, and endless sermons. To brighten up your visits, you began to sneak in candy. When you were caught, instead of being ashamed, you simply resorted to hiding it better. Soon, every child-friendly crevice in the temple had a small leather pouch with delicious candies! Foundational Trait - Candied secrets Thanks to an overly strict Sister of Sigmar, you learned how to sneak about at an extremely young age, certainly, it would be a useful skill in the future.
      [X] When you were incredibly little, your Nanny spent countless hours drilling etiquette into you. For some reason, you just could not understand the differences between the many types of utensil you were expected to use. Of course, being a toddler you did not understand why she yelled at you, just that you didn't like it. So you broke out the heaviest weapon your three-year-old mind could conjure. A plate of dusted waffles! She took the plate, and the yelling stopped. A valuable lesson in the power of bribery. Foundational Trait - Of Waffles and Bribery Successfully bribing someone to like you, made you realise a fundamental truth of Imperial diplomacy, though you didn't realise it at the time. Bribes and a friendly smile grease the wheels of the machine of state.
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    • Alright, all the necessary reserved posts are out of the way, feel free to ask questions, I'll do my best to answer them!
     
    The first and most important question, the one that's on everyone's minds right now, and the answer to which we so desperately crave:




    What's up?

    :p

    Always happy to see a Karvoka thread show up in my alerts. I don't know all too much about warhammer, but the other samples I've seen (such as Drunk Dynasty) have been fantastic, so I know you'll hit it out the park. Can't wait to get started!
     
    Yeah, Karvokas back!

    A Marienburg city-state quest huh? Definitely an interesting quest idea and has great potential to change the history of Warhammer Fantasy.

    Looking forward to the future of this quest and your writing as well!
     
    Miner238 said:
    A Marienburg city-state quest huh?
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    Technically, you are the countess of Nordland, it's just that this is before Norland lost the Westerlands, and, y'know, you were born in Marienburg, spent most of your life there. Haven't really even been to Nordland....but they get an Elector-Count vote, and the Westerlands doesn't, so that decides that!
     
    KarvokaQueen said:
    Technically, you are the countess of Nordland, it's just that this is before Norland lost the Westerlands, and, y'know, you were born in Marienburg, spent most of your life there. Haven't really even been to Nordland....but they get an Elector-Count vote, and the Westerlands doesn't, so that decides that!
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    Click to shrink...

    So more of a medieval house politics quest with our support and power base located in the city of Marienburg if I'm reading this right.
     
    Well, lets see of we can make Nordland great again, and guild up all the defenses for the incumming Norsca horde.
     
    This is looking like it could be really interesting. I'll be waiting to see the mechanics you use before passing judgement, but the premise is certainly strong.
     
    If only i could write like this. *Sniff*

    Anyways can't wait to polotic, get rich, and conquer the Empire.
     
    Earliest Childhood (age 3-5)
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    • In Marienburg, there is one island that stands head and shoulders above all the others, alone and separate, where the mighty River Reik meets the unforgiving Mannanspoort Sea. Rijiker's isle. The Mayoral Palace was hewn into this massive rock, walls of solid stone designed by Dwarven craftsmen to be as impenetrable as any in the Empire, the parapets bristling with heavy cannon to send any ship fool enough to invade to the bottom of the ocean.

    But all of this is lost to you, as you are yet to grow up. You are Magritta van der Maacht, age 3. You spend your days following after your mother or playing with toy soldiers. Sometimes you are forced to come to church, other times you get to spend all day in your father's office, spinning his seemingly endless collection of globes.

    As the daughter of the Lord Mayor, you know no want, and while your life is confined to the island, you are a happy girl. You have a few friends amongst the servants, you get to follow both your parents as they conduct business, and the kitchen staff even sneak you extra waffles! Life is good.

    Of all the fun things you did in the first few years of life, though, on specific activity dominated all others, you… Pick 1 option

    [] Explored the palace grounds! The mayor's palace is suuuuuuuuper old, your dad says it was hundreds of years ago, and with all the dust and stuffy old priests in it, he must be right! Being so small, you can get in all sorts of places that others can't. You're a great adventurer! d100, for items discovered on adventures.

    [] Followed your parents everywhere. Mum and Dad are the smartest, bestest parents anyone could have! So, of course, you spent a lot of time with them, watching them work, going to the temple. Dad even lets you play with his maps! One day, you're going to own a great big ship like him, and see the whole world! You will learn much about the family trade.

    [] There aren't lots of other kids on the island, aside from you. A few of Dad's merchant friends bring their kids, and you get to show them around and point at all the cool stuff you can see from the towers! Other than them though, you tend to play with the servant's children. When he first saw you making friends with a baker's son, he said it was "Important to have friends in low places." You don't get what he meant, but he's been encouraging you to play with them, so you do lots! You will friends in places low, and high.

    Still, you had other interests, beyond your dominant ones. Like all young imperial girls you were forced to learn sewing, dragged to more classes on etiquette than you ever thought possible, and of course, learned to read!

    Your youngest days were filled with wonder and mystery, running along the parapets, counting the ships, feeding the endless hordes of seabirds that made Rijiker's isle their home. You do all these things and so much more, but much of it will be lost to time. One thing you will never forget, an event that has always stuck with you, is…. Here, you will select a foundational trait for Magritta. This will affect her development in all other turns, and her worldview more generally.

    [] Your mother picking you up and putting you on her lap, after you'd whined about having to dress up for the Temple. Instead of scolding you, she told you a story. About how, far away from the palace, there were strong women, called the Sisters. She told you how big and tough they were, and that, if you were good, and you prayed to Sigmar with her every night, one day you'd be big and strong, just like the Sisters! After that, you never missed a call to prayer. Foundational Trait - Faith in Sigmar Your faith in Sigmar has been very strong from an early age, and you have devoted considerable energies to practicing his tenants.

    [] After catching you spying on him training, the Captain of the Household Guard offered to train you. While this extremely early training (For you were but a babe) was more about teaching you physical skills like running, soon your close bond would grow into much more combat oriented work, teaching you much about warfare within the Empire. Foundational Trait - Warrior at heart Your time training under Sven "Black-hand" has made you an impressively capable fighter, while also leaving you exceptionally fit. You are, even if you don't follow a path of a warrior, supremely physically capable.

    [] Even though you were very small, you still remember the first time your father gave you a lecture on just what made your family so powerful. It was so simple it was impossible for it to not stick with you. Money. The guilder was, even in the broken empire of his day, the lifeblood of everything. He explained in simple terms, that whoever held the strings of the purse, held the real power. He promised that, as you grew older he'd make sure to teach you how to keep your own pure under control, and despite his death, the memory sticks with you. Foundational Trait - Queen of the Purse Your father's tutoring, and your own understanding of where true power comes from in the Empire, have led to you developing a far greater understanding of rulership than most of your rivals.

    [] Like most children, you'd always hated being dragged to the temple. With its musty, claustrophobic halls, constant chanting, and endless sermons. To brighten up your visits, you began to sneak in candy. When you were caught, instead of being ashamed, you simply resorted to hiding it better. Soon, every child-friendly crevice in the temple had a small leather pouch with delicious candies! Foundational Trait - Candied secrets Thanks to an overly strict Sister of Sigmar, you learned how to sneak about at an extremely young age, certainly, it would be a useful skill in the future.
    [] When you were incredibly little, your Nanny spent countless hours drilling etiquette into you. For some reason, you just could not understand the differences between the many types of utensil you were expected to use. Of course, being a toddler you did not understand why she yelled at you, just that you didn't like it. So you broke out the heaviest weapon your three-year-old mind could conjure. A plate of dusted waffles! She took the plate, and the yelling stopped. A valuable lesson in the power of bribery. Foundational Trait - Of Waffles and Bribery Successfully bribing someone to like you, made you realise a fundamental truth of Imperial diplomacy, though you didn't realise it at the time. Bribes and a friendly smile grease the wheels of the machine of state.

    But regardless of what you'll remember in a dozen years, your fifth birthday party is fast approaching. Your not great with the calendar, with all its weird names and dates, but you always remember your birthday, because the bakers make a big cake! You can smell them practicing when you sneak into the kitchen for your morning waffle.

    It'll be super exciting, because dad said he'd invite all of his friends to bring you gifts as well! Even Uncle Marius is coming! He's normally super busy, but you can't wait to get to see him again. You even know what Mum and Dad got you, because you were super sneaky and went into the armoury! They were super thoughtful and got you a… Present to be revealed in results write up. It will be based on your foundational trait.

    Voting will close in 24 hours. The results will include your fifth birthday, celebrations, and a gift related to your foundational trait.
     
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    • [X] There aren't lots of other kids on the island, aside from you. A few of Dad's merchant friends bring their kids, and you get to show them around and point at all the cool stuff you can see from the towers! Other than them though, you tend to play with the servant's children. When he first saw you making friends with a baker's son, he said it was "Important to have friends in low places." You don't get what he meant, but he's been encouraging you to play with them, so you do lots! You will friends in places low, and high.
    [X] Even though you were very small, you still remember the first time your father gave you a lecture on just what made your family so powerful. It was so simple it was impossible for it to not stick with you. Money. The guilder was, even in the broken empire of his day, the lifeblood of everything. He explained in simple terms, that whoever held the strings of the purse, held the real power. He promised that, as you grew older he'd make sure to teach you how to keep your own pure under control, and despite his death, the memory sticks with you. Foundational Trait - Queen of the Purse Your father's tutoring, and your own understanding of where true power comes from in the Empire, have led to you developing a far greater understanding of rulership than most of your rivals.
     
    Hmm

    [] There aren't lots of other kids on the island, aside from you. A few of Dad's merchant friends bring their kids, and you get to show them around and point at all the cool stuff you can see from the towers! Other than them though, you tend to play with the servant's children. When he first saw you making friends with a baker's son, he said it was "Important to have friends in low places." You don't get what he meant, but he's been encouraging you to play with them, so you do lots! You will friends in places low, and high.

    [] Even though you were very small, you still remember the first time your father gave you a lecture on just what made your family so powerful. It was so simple it was impossible for it to not stick with you. Money. The guilder was, even in the broken empire of his day, the lifeblood of everything. He explained in simple terms, that whoever held the strings of the purse, held the real power. He promised that, as you grew older he'd make sure to teach you how to keep your own pure under control, and despite his death, the memory sticks with you. Foundational Trait - Queen of the Purse Your father's tutoring, and your own understanding of where true power comes from in the Empire, have led to you developing a far greater understanding of rulership than most of your rivals.




    Am i doing this right? Idea here is to have friends that can help us and money to encourage them to help us.
     
    [X] There aren't lots of other kids on the island, aside from you. A few of Dad's merchant friends bring their kids, and you get to show them around and point at all the cool stuff you can see from the towers! Other than them though, you tend to play with the servant's children. When he first saw you making friends with a baker's son, he said it was "Important to have friends in low places." You don't get what he meant, but he's been encouraging you to play with them, so you do lots! You will friends in places low, and high.
    [X] When you were incredibly little, your Nanny spent countless hours drilling etiquette into you. For some reason, you just could not understand the differences between the many types of utensil you were expected to use. Of course, being a toddler you did not understand why she yelled at you, just that you didn't like it. So you broke out the heaviest weapon your three-year-old mind could conjure. A plate of dusted waffles! She took the plate, and the yelling stopped. A valuable lesson in the power of bribery. Foundational Trait - Of Waffles and Bribery Successfully bribing someone to like you, made you realise a fundamental truth of Imperial diplomacy, though you didn't realise it at the time. Bribes and a friendly smile grease the wheels of the machine of state.
     
    [X] There aren't lots of other kids on the island, aside from you. A few of Dad's merchant friends bring their kids, and you get to show them around and point at all the cool stuff you can see from the towers! Other than them though, you tend to play with the servant's children. When he first saw you making friends with a baker's son, he said it was "Important to have friends in low places." You don't get what he meant, but he's been encouraging you to play with them, so you do lots! You will friends in places low, and high.

    [X] Like most children, you'd always hated being dragged to the temple. With its musty, claustrophobic halls, constant chanting, and endless sermons. To brighten up your visits, you began to sneak in candy. When you were caught, instead of being ashamed, you simply resorted to hiding it better. Soon, every child-friendly crevice in the temple had a small leather pouch with delicious candies! Foundational Trait - Candied secrets Thanks to an overly strict Sister of Sigmar, you learned how to sneak about at an extremely young age, certainly, it would be a useful skill in the future.
     
    [X] There aren't lots of other kids on the island, aside from you. A few of Dad's merchant friends bring their kids, and you get to show them around and point at all the cool stuff you can see from the towers! Other than them though, you tend to play with the servant's children. When he first saw you making friends with a baker's son, he said it was "Important to have friends in low places." You don't get what he meant, but he's been encouraging you to play with them, so you do lots! You will friends in places low, and high.

    [X] Like most children, you'd always hated being dragged to the temple. With its musty, claustrophobic halls, constant chanting, and endless sermons. To brighten up your visits, you began to sneak in candy. When you were caught, instead of being ashamed, you simply resorted to hiding it better. Soon, every child-friendly crevice in the temple had a small leather pouch with delicious candies! Foundational Trait - Candied secrets Thanks to an overly strict Sister of Sigmar, you learned how to sneak about at an extremely young age, certainly, it would be a useful skill in the future.

    This combo makes me think we can merge with the Reikland Empire in the future through a marriage (either the protag or their heir) or something, much more preferable to a war imo, especially with Vlad being right around the corner.
     
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    [X] There aren't lots of other kids on the island, aside from you. A few of Dad's merchant friends bring their kids, and you get to show them around and point at all the cool stuff you can see from the towers! Other than them though, you tend to play with the servant's children. When he first saw you making friends with a baker's son, he said it was "Important to have friends in low places." You don't get what he meant, but he's been encouraging you to play with them, so you do lots! You will friends in places low, and high.
    [X] Even though you were very small, you still remember the first time your father gave you a lecture on just what made your family so powerful. It was so simple it was impossible for it to not stick with you. Money. The guilder was, even in the broken empire of his day, the lifeblood of everything. He explained in simple terms, that whoever held the strings of the purse, held the real power. He promised that, as you grew older he'd make sure to teach you how to keep your own pure under control, and despite his death, the memory sticks with you. Foundational Trait - Queen of the Purse Your father's tutoring, and your own understanding of where true power comes from in the Empire, have led to you developing a far greater understanding of rulership than most of your rivals.
     
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