Build your network. I don't want a single bloodsucker stepping foot in Wurtbad without a volley of crossbow bolts being there to meet it.
Weber, if you get a chance, take a look at them - but your network takes priority.
These are our instructions for the current vote: building a network of informants focusing on security and, if there's time, checking out the weapons personally (not sending them off to the Amethyst College). I'll also try to build a structure that lets us collect information without having to talk to every single informant personally. That's going to get less and less workable the bigger our network gets.
[ ] As Per Orders: Perform your current assignment.
-[ ] The Wurtbad Watch already has their ear to the ground. Make their information flow to you.
-[ ] Personally vet everyone that works in the castle, and replace everyone you're not sure of the loyalties of.
-[ ] Wurtbad, like all major cities, is home to a number of guilds. Reach out to them and enforce your will.
-[ ] Wurtbad, inevitably, has criminals. And you're a follower of Ranald. Maybe you could reach an understanding - they'd have access to a huge amount of information, though it would mean tacit approval of their activities.
-[ ] There's a vacuum where a dozen trade guilds should be. Found one of your own, and let information and profits flow through you, and see what the Stirlandian League does about it. (warning: expensive, will need Van Hal or Wilhelmina to sign off on it)
-[ ] You're from peasant stock yourself, so it shouldn't be too hard to make friends and contacts among the peasantry in the villages surrounding Wurtbad; Julbach, Biderhof and Tarshof.
-[ ] Much of Western Stirland is under the de facto direct control of the Elector Count. Meet with each of the local leaders and make it clear that you're to be kept in the loop.
Keeping in mind that our information network is probably going to be our most useful asset as Stirland's spymaster, I think it's reasonable to go with three actions on it for this turn, maybe four. We want to get a good start so we can get away with putting less work into it in the future.
Our directions are to focus on the security of Wurtbad, particularly with regards to Sylvania's nocturnal citizens, and they're to our east, so that lets us put the guilds, Western Stirland and the Stirlandian League to the side for the moment. Wurtbad's criminal element would have a lot of information, but I'd rather keep that source to ourselves instead of letting our nascent state security infrastructure get tied up in crime.
That leaves the Watch, the castle employees, and the surrounding villages. But we also need someone (or some-more-than-one) to go collect that information for us so we don't have to.
[ ] Backtracking and Side Operations:
-[ ] You haven't asked Anton about your predecessor - see if he knows anything useful.
-[ ] The thing you stabbed in the face is still in the cells, and now several others that were found are keeping it company. Examine them, learn from them, see if you can identify them.
-[ ] Van Hal is interrogating the Von Stolpes. Sitting in may be helpful to him, and educational to you.
-[ ] A large number of Shyish-stained weapons were uncovered from the Barrow. Perhaps you should:
--[ ] Examine them yourself and see if they're useful, or dangerous, or both.
--[ ] Send them to the Amethyst Order for examination (does not take an action).
--[ ] Allow the Morrites to examine them (does not take an action).
--[ ] Just have them melted down and buried (does not take an action).
We're really pressed for actions at the moment, so this section's going to get one at most. Anton and the zombies/whatevers can wait, but the interrogation of the Von Stolpes is time-dependent, important to our investigations, and potentially an avenue for increased Intrigue. If we can fit it in, I want it.
As for the weapons, we really don't have time to do it this turn, but our direction from Van Hal was technically to look at them ourselves. Kind of annoying that way, since that's the one option that takes an action.
[ ] Getting To Know You: Spend time with one of your fellow councillors, offering your help in their task and generally getting a feel for them (choose one).
[ ] Getting To Know You Whether You Like It Or Not: You've been given good reason to mistrust your fellow councillors. Perhaps you should see what they spent their time doing (choose one).
[ ] Sucking Up To The Boss: Normally you'd just go about things and report in to the Elector Count when you've got something major to report. If you instead give him regular reports and updates, it may make him more willing to trust you, and allow you to better get to know him. Opening yourself up to oversight, criticism, and potential micromanagement is a heavy price to pay, though.
[ ] Letters Home: You might be able to wring more information out of your Master, or you might just be able to get news, information and guidance in general from the Grey Order.
[ ] Hang Out A Shingle: Spymasters don't advertise, but wizards sometimes do. Make an official announcement that there's a wizard in residence, and see who comes out of the woodwork.
[ ] Now that you've got gold to throw around, you should stock up on spell components. They're not strictly necessary, but they do make things easier. (-personal gold)
Nothing urgent here, or even all that important.
Normally we'd want to take one of the first two on all of our other councillors at some point, but thankfully Van Hal is an Intrigue-heavy boss, so we can foist that off on him, as the late professor just found out. Letters Home is also going to be something we want to do at some point in the future, but we can't afford it right now. Getting wizard work might have been necessary if we couldn't easily embezzle our discretionary funds, but we can so it's not. Plus who wants to deal with all the crazies that pop up when there's a wizard for hire -- leave that for Magister Dresden. Spell components would be nice, but can wait until we have more magic to throw around.
[ ] Self-Improvement: Things have been going well so far, but the skills of a Journeyman Grey Mage can only go so far.
-[ ] Practice, Practice, Practice: Having been thrown into the deep end of imperial politics, it would probably be a good idea to brush up on your skills (choose one).
-[ ] Tutoring: One of your fellow councillors may be willing to teach you in their chosen field (choose who).
-[ ] Pretty Good Swords: You've struck up a friendship with the Champion of the Greatswords and have discovered a talent for wielding them. Continue to cultivate this.
-[ ] Combat Training: You're virtually surrounded by armed warriors of various sorts. See if you can convince one to teach you (choose who).
-[ ] Combat Training, In The Free Market: You haven't made many heavily armed friends yet, but gold is good for that. Go out and buy some training. (-personal gold)
-[ ] You only really kept in practice with a handful of the petty and minor magics you were taught. Maybe you should brush up on the others.
-[ ] You're naturally talented at enchantment; so far, this just amounts to being able to make your desk meow for about an hour. See if you can improve on that, or at least figure out a way to make that useful.
We need to keep improving, it's just so annoying to find the time in between everything else. Pretty Good Swords is a lock because not only are we getting trained by the best, but it gives us access to the champion guy whose name I don't remember. We can probably get some trustworthy contacts in the Watch and the state military from him.
[ ] Home Comforts: Your Palace-Shrine is bursting with potential. And also mud.
-[ ] Diggy Diggy Hole: A wizard wielding a shovel is unnatural, but doing it yourself might be the only way to keep things secret. Clear out a new room of your Palace-Shrine by hand.
-[ ] Diggy Diggy Hole, Outsourced: Pay someone to do the digging, then Mindhole them on their way out. (no action required, -personal gold)
-[ ] No Place Like Home: Move in furniture, set up a chimney, put in the effort to make sure that your new home actually feels like a home and not like sleeping in an underground mud cave.
Another lower priority. Luckily there's an option that doesn't require an action here, and if we want we can probably make it even better by not giving the guy any money at all. Although we may want to buy him a drink at the inn before removing his memories, just for the extra deniability.
[ ]Research:
-[ ] This is Stirland. Time to bone up on your knowledge of the Undead.
-[ ] That damn Asp has still been quiet, but maybe it's just biding it's time. Finally admit it's existence to your contacts back in the College and see if they know anything that can help.
-[ ] As a Journeywoman, the path to Magister is marked by mastering more than the two shadow spells you already know. Send to the Grey Order for the basics and work on figuring out one of the others.
-[ ] As a Journeywoman, the path to mediocrity is marked by only learning spells created by others. Your relationship with Ulgu is between you and it. (create-a-spell, write in the effects)
All of these are things that we want to get done at some point, but who knows when we'll have time to pick them up.
Vote post coming soon.
