[X] [Public Report]: Nearly complete success in taking over the League. We have enough information to rebuild trading networks, enough prisoners to make examples or show mercy as desired. Even physical assets have been captured to 60%, with a further 30% lost to damage or scavengers.
-[X] It is unlikely the League would recover even if left alone from now on, under careful oversight (Like Wilhelmina's, especially if she sets up a Guild) it will be impossible.
[X] [Private Report]: We captured the damn Snake, we yet have to find out what exactly happened to it in that box, but it's not bothering me anymore, so no risk for you to loose your spymaster over that.
-[X] Include the assistance that your intel sources(Watch, Thieves, Villages) have contributed to the raid and highlight that the Wurtbad Thieves are likely currently holding onto a fair chunk of the missing assets in exchange for making the seizures much more painless. Taking them under your control should help keep the newly enriched thieves out of trouble.
[X] [Orders] Plan Order Backlog
-[X] The disappearance of your predecessor is very concerning, but according to the Stirlandian League he's pulled out of the game with all his ill-gotten gains. If you're not willing to let that go, maybe you could track him down anyway.
-[X] If we've got vampire troubles, maybe you should spend some time investigating how to counter vampiric infiltration.
-[X] The Wurtbadian Watch has proven it's usefulness; despite their reluctance, perhaps it should be made part of your bailiwick and expanded to cover more of Stirland.
-[X] The Wurtbad Thieves Guild, despite barely being a loose gossip network, really came through during the take-down of the Stirlandian League. Maybe you should cultivate this useful tool.
Van Hal bursts into the council chamber with exuberance and takes his seat at the head of the table. He accepts the rounds of salutes from the more militant members of the Council (including you, because you can't help yourself) with a nod, and dumps his handful of paperwork on the table in front of him and accepts more of the same from each of you. He skims through them, pauses on one with raised eyebrows, then nods to himself.
"First off," he says with a uncharacteristic grin, "the women of the hour. Wilhelmina and Mathilde."
You take the lead. "The Stirlandian League is dead," you begin triumphantly. "Every single mover and shaker within the League is in the dungeon. We have every scrap of paperwork the League has generated in the past decade. Even though it was the least of our priorities, we have seized two thirds of their assets, and all evidence indicates that the overwhelming majority of the remaining third was actually looted by criminal elements taking advantage of the chaos. The remaining elements of the League are a small handful of lower-level minions and some escaped sheep in the countryside around Potting and Vigaun. This chapter of Stirland's economic history is closed."
"As for the follow-through," Wilhelmina says, "we've got every scrap of paperwork the League has generated in the past decade. The few holes have been filled by what Mathilde recovered from the regional offices down south. All the existing supply contracts are being filled by freelance traders pro tem with Stirland taking a cut, with a more permanent arrangement awaiting your decision as to whether we step in in any official capacity to fill the void. I expected trade to slump before improving, but both overall trade and our revenue from it are already up from six months ago."
Everyone at the table already knew this, but there's a congratulatory round of applause anyway. Anton and Schultz especially look delighted. "Even better than I expected," Van Hal says, "and I've come to expect a great deal from the two of you. Very fine work, you'll be rewarded for this. But first, let's wrap up the rest of our business today. Gustav?"
"Better than I'd feared, worse than I'd hoped," he reports. "Stirland's nobles seem to have forgotten the virtue of horsemanship, but I'm whipping them into shape. By the end of the year I should have two cohorts of pistoliers worthy of the name for you. But Stirland would benefit from either importing horse or setting up a proper breeding program here."
"Stirland would benefit from a lot of things, and most of them are expensive," Van Hal notes. "Schultz?"
"The Leicheburg barracks should be completed by the end of the year," he says. "The corvée has been an enormous help. But the Leicheburg-Langwald road has slowed to a crawl - we've actually had to deploy the entire Second Division just to secure supply lines on the Leicheburg side, and construction has stopped entirely on the Langwald side. There's just too many terrible creatures coming out of the Haunted Hills - and never a more appropriate name has ever been given."
Van Hal grimaces. "It might be time to organize a cull. Though I suppose it's fortunate news that the inhabitants are still pushing at borders instead of rallying under any banners. Anton?"
Anton grins. "So, I spoke to the Massifs. They say they're never going to give up their Chartered Free Town status because it'd undercut their trade relationships with Wissenland and they've got a point. So I spoke to Petra. Petra says she won't be pushed out of Flensburg because the county can't be run out of Lochen or Ramsau, and frankly, she's right, they're tiny. So I looked at a map for a while, then I went and spoke to Artur, who's absolutely thrilled about the Stirlandian League being kicked apart by the way, and I talk to him about Wolfsbach. Now, Artur likes Wolfsbach, because it's almost as big as Franzen these days, but he's still dreaming of the River Lammer trade, so I say to him, if Nussbach was transferred from the County of Worden to the County of Franzen, would he be okay with Wolfsbach being transferred from the County of Franzen to the County of Flensburg? And he says, only if we also allow his traders free passage through the County of Purgg and docking rights at Pramet. So then I go to Petra and say, hey, you can't run the county out of Lochen or Ramsau, but could you run it out of Wolfsbach? And she looks at a map, and she says, only if my traders get docking rights at Pramet, because now she's thinking about trade from Averland going up the River Teichd to Talabecland too. And I almost say yes, but then I think that wouldn't be nice, so I tell her that Artur's planning something similar, and she looks at the map some more, and then she gets on a horse and heads to Franzen, and she and Artur talk for like three weeks and then her daughter is betrothed to his third son and they're talking about something they're calling the Western Stirland Riverine Trading Company, so if you just..." he rummages around in his satchel and pulls out a sheaf of documents, "if you sign all of these, Flensburg will only be the Chartered Free Town of Flensburg and the County of Flensburg will now be the County of Wolfsbach, and you won't control Nussbach any more, but I spoke to the local representative of the Emperor's tax collectors and they spoke to the Emperor and they've agreed that they're willing to grant taxation rights back to Stirland as long as Stirland pays half of all collected taxes from Flensburg to the Emperor, and taxing Flensburg is worth more to us than taxing Nussbach, I checked with Wilhelmina."
You look around the table. Everyone's eyes are glazed over except for Wilhelmina's, who steps in. "The Count of Franzen gets Nussbach, the Countess of Flensburg gets Wolfsbach, the County of Flensburg becomes the County of Wolfsbach, and we tax Flensburg and send half of the proceeds to the Emperor. Everyone wins except for the tax-dodgers in Flensburg."
"Well," says Van Hal. "Okay. Excellent. Good work, Anton." Anton beams, and slides the thick pile of papers over. Van Hal flexes his writing hand and winces. "Okay, then." He pauses, his face wooden, and he looks over to Kasmir.
Kasmir slides over the creased paperwork. "As you can see," he says neutrally, "chaplain recruitment has increased dramatically."
Van Hal glances down, then does a double take, and picks up the papers. He flips through them, his eyebrows raising. "Morrites," he says, "Verenans, Shallyans, Ulricans, Myrmidians... a Manannite?" He looks over to Kasmir in surprise.
"With the increase in recruitment levels," Kasmir says levelly, "I took the liberty to expand the project to encompass the Second and Third Divisions."
Van Hal looks for a moment longer, then nods. "Good work, Kasmir," he says sincerely. Kasmir nods in return, but there's a hint of a smile on the edge of his lips.
Looks are exchanged across the table as Van Hal flips through the papers, only Gustav missing the significance of what just happened. Then Van Hal lays down the papers.
"I spoke to Wilhelmina and Mathilde previously," he says, "and told them that for their excellent work, both with the Stirlandian League and in general, they have earned a Boon each. If it is within my power to grant it, they can ask it of me. Now, I ask that they tell me their desires."
Wilhelmina's first to respond. "I want to recreate the League," she says. "A state-sanctioned corporate entity, with ownership divided between myself and Stirland. All I need is your signature, the papers we've seized, and an initial capital injection that the League's assets will more than cover."
"Done," Van Hal says instantly. "Will this interfere with your work as Steward?"
"The day-to-day work will be taken care of by my sons," she says. "And since Stirland will be part-owner, what enriches the corporation will enrich Stirland."
"Do you have a name in mind?"
"Since trade is initially going to be concentrated between Averland and Talabecland," she says, "I was thinking the Eastern Imperial Company. I even had an idea for a logo." She holds up a piece of paper.
"Three swords, intersecting," she says. "The three that made this possible: yours, Mathilde's, and Markus'."
"Eastern Imperial Company... it has a ring to it," Van Hal says thoughtfully. "Consider it done. Mark today's date as the founding date of the company." Wilhelmina smiles delightedly, and Van Hal turns to you. "And to our resident Wizard? How can Stirland repay its Spymistress?"
"Nobility," you say instantly. "I wish to be Knighted."
There's a sudden silence at the table, and everyone exchanges thoughtful looks. "Hmm," Van Hal says, eventually. "Knighting a Wizard... can we do this? Anton?"
"Precedent's entirely on your side," he says with a grin, seemingly delighted to welcome you into noble ranks. "Dieter IV's open sale of knighthoods went unchallenged, after all. You can knight anyone you damn well please. As for the titles, they'd exist side-by-side. The Knightly Orders are technically monastical organizations, but noble and ecclesiastical titles are held together."
"Wilhelmina?"
"I could bundle up some of the land seized from the League and make it a token estate, it'd just require your signature."
"Kasmir?"
Kasmir closes his eyes thinks for a moment, before reciting from memory. "Article XI: All Magisters may expect to receive accommodation, benefits, respect, and fair treatment, as would befit any noble of Sigmar's Holy Empire, while in the employ of the Electors of Sigmar's Holy Empire. If you say her conduct is such that 'fair treatment' would be to be knighted, none can gainsay you."
"Gustav?"
He looks bewildered at what is happening, but rallies. "Well, the law does say that a Knight must have an estate from which they draw the income necessary to maintain their arms, armour, and retinue. If that would take precedence over the customs of her Order..."
Kasmir chimes in again. "Article I: The first obedience of every Magister must be to the ideals and laws of Sigmar's Holy Empire of which these Articles form a part; the laws and ideals of their Order is fourth in order of priority. Article III: Every Magister of said Colleges must adhere to the laws of Sigmar's Holy Empire."
"Well, there you go. Law of the Empire comes first, rules of her Order second. Doesn't get clearer than that."
Van Hal smiles. "Then, Mathilde, you will have your knighthood. Pick a date, we'll hold the ceremony then."
---
The rest of the meeting is shockingly prosaic after that. Gustav, Schultz and Kasmir are sent east, to continue their work from Leicheburg, which is rapidly developing into the military capital of Stirland. Wilhelmina is told to take on whichever of the League's trade agreements that she wishes and to auction off the rest, with proceeds to go to the Stirlandian Treasury. Anton is to make his bewildering land trades happen and finally solve the Flensburg Issue. And your orders are skimmed past, so you know to expect for them to come in your meeting with Van Hal.
The drink he pours you is as traditional as the meeting at this point, but he raises it in a celebratory toast to you anyway. "Dame Mathilde," he says, testing the sound of it. "As Magister, you would be traditionally referred to as 'dame', but there's a distinction to the capital letter of 'Dame'. You can hear it being pronounced."
"Dame Mathilde," you echo, testing the feel to it. It has heft. Mathilde has always just been your name, but Dame Mathilde sounds almost unreal; like a historical figure rather than a regular person.
"So, what skulduggery has Stirland's newest knight-to-be been up to of late?"
You check your mental notes. "The snake is..." you hesitate. You have no words for the snake's current state. "No longer a problem."
He raises an eyebrow. "Just like that?"
"Just like that," you confirm. "I've been avoiding mirrors for so long that when I was around that many, it mustn't have been able to resist."
"I'd drink to that, but at this rate toasting all of your accomplishments is a quick route to intoxication," he jests, a smile on his face. You return it.
"When I mentioned criminal elements looting the Stirlandian League, they were elements that I tipped off. They took a third in exchange for preventing the League from being able to escape with the goods, allowing us to capture the remainder unopposed."
Van Hal frowns at that, but just for a moment. "Lesser evils," he says. "That could be a third toast."
"If you're willing to sanction those lesser evils..." you prompt, but he shakes his head.
"Not... quite no," he says, frowning. "But not yet. Realpolitik must wait at least a little longer before it sinks its claws into me." You open your mouth to acknowledge, then pause - you know Van Hal well enough to know that he's thinking. "If," he says, "if you were, one day, to go down this road, I want you to be sure that you can reverse course." He nods, his voice growing in confidence. "The Watch. Take it in hand. Grow it. Feed it, like a dog being taught to fight. I want it able to fall upon and destroy any Guild of Thieves. Then I will consider sanctioning the creation of such a Guild."
You smile and nod, and you lift your mug in a silent toast.
---
PLAN FOR THIS TURN - CHOOSE BETWEEN SIX AND EIGHT. ANY CHOSEN BEYOND THE FIRST SIX WILL COME WITH RISKS - PLEASE SPECIFY THE 'ADDITIONAL' TASKS.
As Per Orders: Perform your current assignment.
[ ] Rewrite the relevant part of the legal code of Stirland so that the Watch reports to you, personally. (will face pushback from existing Watchmen; will take two turns; the Watch will come permanently under your control)
[ ] Expand the ranks of the Watch, so that they're able to start covering even the poorer parts of Wurtbad.
[ ] Integrate the Roadwarden network into the Watch.
[ ] Integrate the rat catchers, sewer-jacks and gong farmers into the Watch.
[ ] Expand the Watch to cover the rest of the County of Wurtbad.
[ ] Spread some coin around so that a cross-section of the Watch passes on information to you as well as their superiors.
Delegation - pick ONE (no action required):
[ ] Consolidation: You currently have a patchwork of useful contacts. Backfill so that you can rightfully claim to cover entire towns. (NEW)
[ ] Ground Floor: Start putting people on your payroll into the EIC before it even begins, so you'll have information flowing right from the start. (NEW)
[ ] Financial independence: Start selling tidbits of information, just enough for your information network to start paying for itself. (NEW)
[ ] Getting To Know You: Spend time with one of your fellow councillors or your liege, offering your help in their tasks 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).
[ ] 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.
[ ] A Crisis of Faith: Van Hal's ongoing alienation with the Sigmarite faith may be on the mend. But still. Maybe there's something you can do? (write in)
[ ] Investment: Wilhelmina has offered you the limited-time chance to become a founding shareholder in the EIC; the buy-in will be a cool 1000 crowns, but with Van Hal's permission, Wilhelmina has offered you an interest-free loan from the Stirlandian Treasury to cover it, and promises that unless something goes terribly wrong, the dividends will more than pay for it. (NEW)
[ ] Knighthood: There's a ceremony, of course. And a number of oaths to make. And you'll have to visit your 'estate'. But gosh. Dame Mathilde. (NEW)
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 and internalize the lessons you've learned (choose which trait; can be taken multiple times; will be more effective if you've used the trait a lot lately).
[ ] 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)
[ ] Final Round-up: You're so close to mastering all the lesser magics. Just one final push and you'll have them all. (NEW)
[ ] Enchantment: 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.
Home Comforts: Your Palace-Shrine is bursting with potential. And also mud.
[ ] Diggy Diggy Hole, Remixed: You're getting sick of having workmen tramping in and out of your abode. Recruit an entire team and personally oversee them to clear out all of the reachable portions of the Palace-Shrine and be done with it. (-personal gold)
[ ] Enchantment: So far you've failed to find suitable equipment (damn Wizard Chic) but you could always try again with local goods. (-discretionary gold, action required to set up and learn to use equipment)
[ ] Filled with Potential: You've got a room cleared out and ready to be put to use. Decide what you're going to put there and get started on equipping it. (write in the purpose of the room)
Research:
[ ] Undead Research: This is Stirland. Time to bone up on your knowledge of the Undead.
[ ] Shyish-kebabs: The Shyish swords are hideously dangerous as weapons, but fascinating as a subject of study. Try to reverse-engineer the lost enchantments woven into them.
[ ] Bound Spells: Though the corrosive Dhar made them high-maintenance, the design of the bound spells in the castle's infiltrators has fascinating possibilities. Try to adapt it for use with Ulgu.
[ ] Weber's Box: It has a nice ring to it, but you've got no idea what 'Weber's Box' actually is, or what's going on in there. Have a very, very careful look at it. (NEW)
[ ] Qhaysh Juice: Whatever it is, it's dripping out of the box at a steady rate. It's got to be good for something. (NEW)
[ ] 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.
Influence: Though you haven't taken these over (yet?) you could still spend some time to influence or tap into them. Write in what you would like to do with them.
[ ] Thieves Guild: It's currently little more than a church group, albeit of a very unconventional god.
[ ] Biderhof: This village based on woodcutting and agriculture, has adopted you as one of it's own.
[ ] Non-Thief Guilds: Wurtbad, like all major cities, is home to a number of guilds. Reach out to them and enforce your will.
[ ] Trade Guilds: 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)
[ ] Down Below: Your time in the sewers made you realize just how much of a maze there is down there, and you wonder what could be lurking down in the dark (apart from your fellow devotees of Ranald). Get in touch with the various groups of rat catchers, sewer jacks and gong farmers that deal with it.
[ ] Free Time: Now well-established in Wurtbad, you can spend some time in your scant off hours getting to know someone better. Pick one character. (no action required) (NEW)
---
DYNASTY FOUNDED
[ ] (optional) Write in a new surname, if you don't wish to keep Weber
[ ] (optional) Suggest a coat of arms, either by description or linking an image
[ ] (optional) Family motto
Currently paying Grey College tithe (-5 personal gold/turn)
Currently paying Grey College student loans (-35 personal gold/turn)
Currently embezzling 1/4 of discretionary income (-35 discretionary gold/turn, +35 personal gold/turn)
Currently employing 4 veteran informants (-40 discretionary gold/turn)
Currently employing Julia Massif (-30 discretionary gold/turn)
Currently maintaining the staff of a townhouse in Wurtbad (-20 discretionary gold/turn)
[ ] Begin plumping the informer rolls (choose ratio of real:fake informers. Almost impossible to detect, but also very difficult to increase or decrease the amount quickly)
[ ] Change tithe payment/loan payment/embezzlement (specify)
[ ] These agents are getting expensive. Write up a proposal for your discretionary budget to be increased, instead of waiting for Van Hal to decide to increase it. (warning: attracts oversight to your current budget)
- You can write in orders, but something worth writing in is probably worth adding to the list of possible orders, so feel free to ask if your idea can be added.
- As always, voting will be in plan format.
- Don't forget Ranald's Blessing!
- The Dynasty voting will be separate to the Plan.
Wut? Just like that and even zealot sings happy song?
edit: HOT ITEMS!
[ ] Investment: Wilhelmina has offered you the limited-time chance to become a founding shareholder in the EIC; the buy-in will be a cool 1000 crowns, but with Van Hal's permission, Wilhelmina has offered you an interest-free loan from the Stirlandian Treasury to cover it, and promises that unless something goes terribly wrong, the dividends will more than pay for it. (NEW)
[ ] Knighthood: There's a ceremony, of course. And a number of oaths to make. And you'll have to visit your 'estate'. But gosh. Dame Mathilde. (NEW)
This was actually incredibly heartwarming. Everyone working together, everything working as it should, even Kasmir seems to have gained a little humility.
...Now the time is for the shoe to drop, either because the Von Carstein's are moving or something from our...sponsors drops on us.
1/20/2021: Hey this is Scrage, as much as I like the reactions getting I'd prefer it if people would stop reacting to the few posts I've made here, mostly because I keep getting tricked into thinking its something else and I'm too lazy to try managing alerts. Thanks in advance peeps. Have a Great Day.
The people you've been working shoulder-to-shoulder with for the past four years are an easy sell, and the zealot has finally decided to make up with his boss, so he's sucking it up and playing nice with the boss' pet wizard.
And besides, the words of Magnus the Pious are impossible to gainsay for a believer of Sigmar, and pretty damn clear in these circumstances.
What would a dwarf do that sufficient peasants with shovels couldn't, right now? So far it's barely subsurface and there's nothing but soil and mud to tunnel through.
In terms of main assignment actions these two I want to do the most, especially the Rat Catchers as that will give the watch some people who know the sewer system and make it easier to root out hidden elements.
What would a dwarf do that sufficient peasants with shovels couldn't, right now? So far it's barely subsurface and there's nothing but soil and mud to tunnel through.
"The Leicheburg barracks should be completed by the end of the year," he says. "The corvée has been an enormous help. But the Leicheburg-Langwald road has slowed to a crawl - we've actually had to deploy the entire Second Division just to secure supply lines on the Leicheburg side, and construction has stopped entirely on the Langwald side. There's just too many terrible creatures coming out of the Haunted Hills - and never a more appropriate name has ever been given."
Anton grins. "So, I spoke to the Massifs. They say they're never going to give up their Chartered Free Town status because it'd undercut their trade relationships with Wissenland and they've got a point. So I spoke to Petra. Petra says she won't be pushed out of Flensburg because the county can't be run out of Lochen or Ramsau, and frankly, she's right, they're tiny. So I looked at a map for a while, then I went and spoke to Artur, who's absolutely thrilled about the Stirlandian League being kicked apart by the way, and I talk to him about Wolfsbach. Now, Artur likes Wolfsbach, because it's almost as big as Franzen these days, but he's still dreaming of the River Lammer trade, so I say to him, if Nussbach was transferred from the County of Worden to the County of Franzen, would he be okay with Wolfsbach being transferred from the County of Franzen to the County of Flensburg? And he says, only if we also allow his traders free passage through the County of Purgg and docking rights at Pramet. So then I go to Petra and say, hey, you can't run the county out of Lochen or Ramsau, but could you run it out of Wolfsbach? And she looks at a map, and she says, only if my traders get docking rights at Pramet, because now she's thinking about trade from Averland going up the River Teichd to Talabecland too. And I almost say yes, but then I think that wouldn't be nice, so I tell her that Artur's planning something similar, and she looks at the map some more, and then she gets on a horse and heads to Franzen, and she and Artur talk for like three weeks and then her daughter is engaged to his third son and they're talking about something they're calling the Western Stirland Riverine Trading Company, so if you just..." he rummages around in his satchel and pulls out a sheaf of documents, "if you sign all of these, Flensburg will only be the Chartered Free Town of Flensburg and the County of Flensburg will now be the County of Wolfsbach, and you won't control Nussbach any more, but I spoke to the local representative of the Emperor's tax collectors and they spoke to the Emperor and they've agreed that they're willing to grant taxation rights back to Stirland as long as Stirland pays half of all collected taxes from Flensburg to the Emperor, and taxing Flensburg is worth more to us than taxing Nussbach, I checked with Wilhelmina."
You look around the table. Everyone's eyes are glazed over except for Wilhelmina's, who steps in. "The Count of Franzen gets Nussbach, the Countess of Flensburg gets Wolfsbach, the County of Flensburg becomes the County of Wolfsbach, and we tax Flensburg and send half of the proceeds to the Emperor. Everyone wins except for the tax-dodgers in Flensburg."
...I'm not sure HOW but Anton charmed the pants off everyone in his path.
Subtly too.
"Well," says Van Hal. "Okay. Excellent. Good work, Anton." Anton beams, and slides the thick pile of papers over. Van Hal flexes his writing hand and winces.
Kasmir slides over the creased paperwork. "As you can see," he says neutrally, "Chaplain recruitment has increased dramatically."
Van Hal glances down, then does a double take, and picks up the papers. He flips through them, his eyebrows raising. "Morrites," he says, "Verenans, Shallyans, Ulricans, Myrmidians... a Manannite?" He looks over to Kasmir in surprise.
"With the increase in recruitment levels," Kasmir says levelly, "I took the liberty to expand the project to encompass the Second and Third Divisions."
Van Hal looks for a moment longer, then nods. "Good work, Kasmir," he says sincerely. Kasmir nods in return, but there's a hint of a smile on the edge of his lips.
Kasmir does his job!
Looks like the crisis of faith may be on its way out.
Wilhelmina's first to respond. "I want to recreate the League," she says. "A state-sanctioned corporate entity, with ownership divided between myself and Stirland. All I need is your signature, the papers we've seized, and an initial capital injection that the League's assets will more than cover."
"Done," Van Hal says instantly. "Will this interfere with your work as Steward?"
"The day-to-day work will be taken care of by my sons," she says. "And since Stirland will be part-owner, what enriches the corporation will enrich Stirland."
"Do you have a name in mind?"
"Since trade is initially going to be concentrated between Averland and Talabecland," she says, "I was thinking the Eastern Imperial Company. I even had an idea for a logo." She holds up a piece of paper.
"Three swords, intersecting," she says. "The three that made this possible: yours, Mathilde's, and Markus'."
"Eastern Imperial Company... it has a ring to it," Van Hal says thoughtfully. "Consider it done. Mark today's date as the founding date of the company."
Figured she'd do this. She has everything she needs to make huge bank.
"And to our resident Wizard? How can Stirland repay it's Spymistress?"
"Nobility," you say instantly. "I wish to be Knighted."
There's a sudden silence at the table, and everyone exchanges thoughtful looks. "Hmm," Van Hal says thoughtfully. "Knighting a Wizard... can we do this? Anton?"
"Precedent's entirely on your side," he says with a grin, seemingly delighted to welcome you into noble ranks. "Dieter IV's open sale of knighthoods went unchallenged, after all. You can knight anyone you damn well please. As for the titles, they'd exist side-by-side. The Knightly Orders are technically monastical organizations, but noble and ecclesiastical titles are held together."
"Wilhelmina?"
"I could bundle up some of the land seized from the League and make it a token estate, it'd just require your signature."
"Kasmir?"
Kasmir closes his eyes thinks for a moment, before reciting from memory. "Article XI: All Magisters may expect to receive accommodation, benefits, respect, and fair treatment, as would befit any noble of Sigmar's Holy Empire, while in the employ of the Electors of Sigmar's Holy Empire. If you say her conduct is such that 'fair treatment' would be to be knighted, none can gainsay you."
"Gustav?"
He looks bewildered at what is happening, but rallies. "Well, the law does say that a Knight must have an estate from which they draw the income necessary to maintain their arms, armour, and retinue. If that would take precedence over the customs of her Order..."
Kasmir chimes in again. "Article I: The first obedience of every Magister must be to the ideals and laws of Sigmar's Holy Empire of which these Articles form a part; the laws and ideals of their Order is fourth in order of priority. Article III: Every Magister of said Colleges must adhere to the laws of Sigmar's Holy Empire."
"Well, there you go. Law of the Empire comes first, rules of her Order second. Doesn't get clearer than that."
Van Hal smiles. "Then, Mathilde, you will have your knighthood. Pick a date, we'll hold the ceremony then."
And we're a noble now! With land!
Which we're going to have someone manage for us. And a retinue.
"When I mentioned criminal elements looting the Stirlandian League, they were elements that I tipped off. They took a third in exchange for preventing the League from being able to escape with the goods, allowing us to capture the remainder unopposed."
Van Hal frowns at that, but just for a moment. "Lesser evils," he says. "That could be a third toast."
"If you're willing to sanction those lesser evils..." you prompt, but he shakes his head.
"Not... quite no," he says, frowning. "But not yet. Realpolitik must wait at least a little longer before it sinks it's claws into me." You open your mouth to acknowledge, then pause - you know Van Hal well enough to know that he's thinking. "If," he says, "if you were, one day, to go down this road, I want you to be sure that you can reverse course." He nods, his voice growing in confidence. "The Watch. Take it in hand. Grow it. Feed it, like a dog being taught to fight. I want it able to fall upon and destroy any Guild of Thieves. Then I will consider sanctioning the creation of such a Guild."
Really glad we ran it by him first. And yeah, Thieves Guilds have a tendency to run away from you.
A reinforced Watch would make sure that they KNOW theres a doomhammer waiting if they cross the line.
Assessment of options:
[ ] Rewrite the relevant part of the legal code of Stirland so that the Watch reports to you, personally. (will face pushback from existing Watchmen; will take two turns; the Watch will come permanently under your control)
This one has to be taken first before we give the Watch teeth.
[ ] Expand the ranks of the Watch, so that they're able to start covering even the poorer parts of Wurtbad.
[ ] Expand the Watch to cover the rest of the County of Wurtbad.
[ ] Spread some coin around so that a cross-section of the Watch passes on information to you as well as their superiors.
These should help support the first part. A legal code rewrite coupled to hiring would ablate the pushback by flooding the Watch with people who got hired because of us.
[ ] Integrate the Roadwarden network into the Watch.
[ ] Integrate the rat catchers, sewer-jacks and gong farmers into the Watch.
A little premature since we don't know any of them yet.
[ ] Consolidation: You currently have a patchwork of useful contacts. Backfill so that you can rightfully claim to cover entire towns. (NEW)
Valuable but not super urgent.
[ ] Ground Floor: Start putting people on your payroll into the EIC before it even begins, so you'll have information flowing right from the start. (NEW)
Valuable, and urgent. The people we get put in on the ground floor will be much more naturally present in the EIC, so they can bring in more agents later.
[ ] Financial independence: Start selling tidbits of information, just enough for your information network to start paying for itself. (NEW)
We got enough funds for now. File it for later(also Julia isn't that good at selling anything.)
[ ] A Crisis of Faith: Van Hal's ongoing alienation with the Sigmarite faith may be on the mend. But still. Maybe there's something you can do? (write in)
Kasmir shaped up. Our intervention is no longer welcome I think.
[ ] Investment: Wilhelmina has offered you the limited-time chance to become a founding shareholder in the EIC; the buy-in will be a cool 1000 crowns, but with Van Hal's permission, Wilhelmina has offered you an interest-free loan from the Stirlandian Treasury to cover it, and promises that unless something goes terribly wrong, the dividends will more than pay for it. (NEW)
You mean everyone else foots the bill, does the work and we get paid for it? We'd be mad not to take it.
[ ] Knighthood: There's a ceremony, of course. And a number of oaths to make. And you'll have to visit your 'estate'. But gosh. Dame Mathilde. (NEW)
Of COURSE we're doing this!
[ ] Enchantment: So far you've failed to find suitable equipment (damn Wizard Chic) but you could always try again with local goods. (-discretionary gold, action required to set up and learn to use equipment)
Maybe now that we're a Knight they'd sell to us
[ ] Weber's Box: It has a nice ring to it, but you've got no idea what 'Weber's Box' actually is, or what's going on in there. Have a very, very careful look at it. (NEW)
[ ] Qhaysh Juice: Whatever it is, it's dripping out of the box at a steady rate. It's got to be good for something. (NEW)
We want to study the box with a Blessing ASAP. Need to be sure.
[ ] Free Time: Now well-established in Wurtbad, you can spend some time in your scant off hours getting to know someone better. Pick one character. (no action required) (NEW)
Personally inclined to go with Kasmir and mend bridges now that he's less obstructionist. He DID chip in in our favor there.
[ ] (optional) Write in a new surname, if you don't wish to keep Weber
[ ] (optional) Suggest a coat of arms, either by description or linking an image
[ ] (optional) Family motto
What would a dwarf do that sufficient peasants with shovels couldn't, right now? So far it's barely subsurface and there's nothing but soil and mud to tunnel through.
Influence: Though you haven't taken these over (yet?) you could still spend some time to influence or tap into them. Write in what you would like to do with them.
<snip>
[ ] Trade Guilds: 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)
And if Mathilde was desperately in need of someone to puke in the sunlight and go insane because someone killed their cat, hiring a dwarf would be item one on the list of options.
[X]Plan Double Watch, Double Guilds
-[X] Integrate the Roadwarden network into the Watch.
-[X] Integrate the rat catchers, sewer-jacks and gong farmers into the Watch.
-[X] Investment: Wilhelmina has offered you the limited-time chance to become a founding shareholder in the EIC; the buy-in will be a cool 1000 crowns, but with Van Hal's permission, Wilhelmina has offered you an interest-free loan from the Stirlandian Treasury to cover it, and promises that unless something goes terribly wrong, the dividends will more than pay for it. (NEW)
-[X] Knighthood: There's a ceremony, of course. And a number of oaths to make. And you'll have to visit your 'estate'. But gosh. Dame Mathilde. (NEW)
-[X] Bound Spells: Though the corrosive Dhar made them high-maintenance, the design of the bound spells in the castle's infiltrators has fascinating possibilities. Try to adapt it for use with Ulgu.
--Ranald's Blessing on this one
-[X] Non-Thief Guilds: Wurtbad, like all major cities, is home to a number of guilds. Reach out to them and enforce your will.
[X] Ground Floor: Start putting people on your payroll into the EIC before it even begins, so you'll have information flowing right from the start. (NEW)
[X] Free Time: Anton. Perhaps on the subject of nobility?
This gets the Watch off to a strong start expanding out from Wurtbad and down into the sewers. That's 2. There's also investing in the IEC, getting informants there, and reaching out to the other guilds. That's 4. The last two are the Knighthood ceremony and getting Bound Spells working, plus free time with Anton, our resident noble. That's 6 total.
No, no, no. It should be a sword piercing the throat of a snake.
It gives symbology that we were knighted for our work in cutting away snakes, it gives symbology as to what our job in the future will be, and it gives symbology to anyone who knows that we beat a wisdom asp. It also gives a nod to the Grey Order.
[X][Action] In The Darkness We Watch
-[X] Rewrite the relevant part of the legal code of Stirland so that the Watch reports to you, personally. (will face pushback from existing Watchmen; will take two turns; the Watch will come permanently under your control)
-[X] Spread some coin around so that a cross-section of the Watch passes on information to you as well as their superiors.
-[X] Delegation - Ground Floor: Start putting people on your payroll into the EIC before it even begins, so you'll have information flowing right from the start. (NEW)
-[X] Investment: Wilhelmina has offered you the limited-time chance to become a founding shareholder in the EIC; the buy-in will be a cool 1000 crowns, but with Van Hal's permission, Wilhelmina has offered you an interest-free loan from the Stirlandian Treasury to cover it, and promises that unless something goes terribly wrong, the dividends will more than pay for it. (NEW)
-[X] Knighthood: There's a ceremony, of course. And a number of oaths to make. And you'll have to visit your 'estate'. But gosh. Dame Mathilde. (NEW)
-[X] Enchantment: So far you've failed to find suitable equipment (damn Wizard Chic) but you could always try again with local goods. (-discretionary gold, action required to set up and learn to use equipment)
--[X] If unable to buy the stuff(again) do this instead of setting it up:
---[X] Final Round-up: You're so close to mastering all the lesser magics. Just one final push and you'll have them all. (NEW)
-[X] Weber's Box: It has a nice ring to it, but you've got no idea what 'Weber's Box' actually is, or what's going on in there. Have a very, very careful look at it. (NEW)
--[X] Ranald's Blessing on Weber's Box
-[X] Free Time: Now well-established in Wurtbad, you can spend some time in your scant off hours getting to know someone better. Pick one character. (no action required) (NEW)
--[X] Kasmir
---[X] Apologize for your previous sharpness, which was partly due to finding out just how badly the castle was infiltrated and having spent nearly the whole year on rooting them out.
[X] [Surname] Keep Weber
[X] [Coat] A grey flamberge thrust into the ground on a field of black. Grey clouds across the top and a grey band across the bottom, with two cats on the bottom band flanking and menacing a snake under the swordpoint.
[X] [Motto] Unseen, but not Undone.
Maybe make it a snake with the head cut off and said head under the weights of Justice. The backgrund white with golden letters with the words Justice, Loyalty, and Service.
I think we only get 3 words right? So first is biggest, second is key, and third is defining.
I think Dame Mathulde will be someone that would want her family to be recognized for her service to the state. Service that ended injustice all the while holding true to her loyalties to the Empire.
In short, she would want her work to be continued the way she came up through the system. Service and Loyalty.
You know, if we set it up right, having a strong Watch and a strong Thieves Guild can keep each other straight...
The Watch makes sure that the Thieves Guild never gets too strong and becomes a threat, whilst the Thieves Guild ensures that the Watch never becomes too corrupt or infiltrated because then that get's reported to the higher ups/people in charge/Stirland's Spymaster/mistress and the Watch gets cleaned out...
Which gives us two mostly auto-correcting groups that should mean anything in the shadows of the cities/villages/towns has a hard time remaining undiscovered...
So as for the dynasty thing, we should keep Weber as our name, partly because I could see using a spider-motif/web as part of our coat of arms. Maybe something like a grey spider's web with a single golden light at the center.
As for the motto... 'Through shadows we serve the light.'
[X][Action] In The Darkness We Watch
-[X] Rewrite the relevant part of the legal code of Stirland so that the Watch reports to you, personally. (will face pushback from existing Watchmen; will take two turns; the Watch will come permanently under your control)
-[X] Spread some coin around so that a cross-section of the Watch passes on information to you as well as their superiors.
-[X] Rewrite the relevant part of the legal code of Stirland so that the Watch reports to you, personally. (will face pushback from existing Watchmen; will take two turns; the Watch will come permanently under your control)
-[X] Spread some coin around so that a cross-section of the Watch passes on information to you as well as their superiors.
The second action here seems like a bit of a waste, as if we are in charge of the Watch we will get the info from the superiors anyway, assuming of course that we trust them.
