Warhammer Fantasy: Divided Loyalties - an Advisor's Quest

One of the things Elector Count Abelhelm Van Hal genuinely appreciates about Stirland is the minimal amount of politicking he's required to participate in. There's still much more than he finds palatable, but for the most part his duties are as follows: keep Stirland from going the way of Sylvania, and keep Sylvania from getting any worse. Stirland's nobles are generally happy to let alone if left alone, and the occasional abomination wandering in from Sylvania reminds them why they pay taxes. What little there is apart from that, his advisors handle, with his signature or public input required here or there.

It makes occasions like this all the more painful for their rarity.

In the time he's been in Stirland, Abelhelm has had little to say to his fellow Elector Counts. He's been sounding out the idea of a joint excursion into Sylvania, but the correspondence has progressed slowly. He knows who they are, would offer them aid in time of dire need, and until now that had been sufficient. Then this. A gathering of the most powerful people in the Empire, none of whom Abelhelm has gotten to know over the past few years.

He grits his teeth and mingles for a while, trying not to constantly bring the conversation back to the many, many undead he's had to slay since taking responsibility for Stirland. Something about viscera makes the other nobles go grey in the face, and he's trying to maintain neutral relations at the very least.

After a few hours, however, he needs something familiar. Something sane, and safe from this Count or that introducing him to their unmarried daughters (or their dashing young son in one case, something he did not understand the purpose of until hours later). He casts about for someone he knows-- Anton, perhaps, or Mathilde if she hasn't slipped away yet. Anton, as his diplomat, was a natural choice to bring along, and Mathilde wriggled her way into going, as she does.

He doesn't find the Grey Wizard, though he does find talk of her.

"Did you hear that the Elector Count of Stirland knighted his Grey Wizard?" One noble 'whispers' to another, quite loud enough to carry.

"Hmph," the second snorts, "nothing more than a jumped-up peasant."

Abelhelm pauses. This is the sort of political nonsense he doesn't know what to do with. Should he step in? Is it his name at stake here as well, since he knighted her? Does it genuinely matter what a pair of unimportant nobles - he doesn't recognize them on sight, therefore they can't be that important - discuss off-hand? Would it set off certain implications if he jumps to Weber's defense?

"That's Dame Jumped-Up Peasant, milord."

The two nobles twitch, heads snapping to face Weber herself, who is smiling with a mouth full of teeth that promise very unpleasant things in their future. Abelhelm smothers a laugh, and continues on his way. He should have known she could take care of herself.

Winning vote:

[*] [Public] Plan Watch Expansion
-[*] The Watch takeover and the underground Watch had gone well enough, and theres a surprisingly untapped market for waste of all sorts. If we could get that organized, it could probably make even more money.
-[*] You have the southern regiments funneling their retired soldiers into the Watch and the Worden, Vigaun, Potting, and Nussbach local law enforcements had happily folded into your efforts. Considering the lack of any organized efforts there, this has been long in coming.
-[*] However, the market for competent and reliable administrators had been largely wiped out over recent years, unless some local schools are set up and given a few years to produce the needed clerks you'd probably need to hire from aboard, or to poach from existing organizations for the manpower to manage the Watch.
-[*] Though half the council already knows firsthand, the Haunted Hills are just regular Sylvanian and 'wild' undead. No sign of any necromancers or other organized efforts going on, thankfully, they can be handled not unlike wild beasts.

[*] [Private] Plan Minor Matters
-[*] To nobody's surprise you already have agents from the local merchants and nobles looking to penetrate into the Watch.
-[*] The Sewer Jacks report that dwarf trainers are unmatched for teaching people how to fight in tunnels, if we want them to reach professional capacity, a couple of dwarf trainers would be extremely useful. Still, dwarfs by reputation don't come cheap, so you'd be working on their finances before you start looking, but if he has or can make a few dwarf contacts at the Electors' Meet, that might be nice.
-[*] You've finally got the gear for your lab after literal years of trying. You should be able to more safely investigate the box, the juice and the swords soon. One at a time of course.
-[*] You've also been brushing up on your undead lore in preparation for the push. If he has any recommended readings you'd gladly prioritize them

[*] [Orders] Plan Watch The Dead Shit
-[*] The Purge of Haunted Hills will begin in a year. Perhaps there's a way you can contribute to the preparations.
-[*] Also for no particular reason, how about I see about building a unit in the army dedicated to catching terrible necromantic gribblies? In a way that conforms to Van Hal's criticisms.
-[*] The Wurtbadian Watch is now your attack dog - let it's reach spread across Stirland.
-[*] Write in: You could look into financing for your intelligence operations. It'd probably be worth a pretty penny to sell some of the less sensitive information to the various nobles and traders out there. You'd probably need to collaborate with Anton and Wilhelmina to be pointed to the best buyers however.
-[*] Write in: You could look into the financial possibilities of the gong farmers. If Wurtbad's situation is representative, simply having someone scooping up the crap stinking up the air and selling it to the farmers and tanners should make everyone happier and Stirland richer. Not glamourous and dirty work, but its money literally left to rot.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

---

"As most of you are aware," Van Hal begins, "a purge of the Haunted Hills will begin in one year's time. So for the next year, most of our focus will be on martial matters." There's a round of nods at that; nobody benefits from Sylvania spilling into Stirland, so nobody can really disagree. "With that in mind, Schultz: how goes our Haunted Highway?"

"Apace, very much apace," he says with a smile. "With the 2nd deployed in force, the dead are no longer interfering with construction, but the threat of them is a fantastic motivator. I estimate another six months until it reaches where construction was abandoned on the Langwald end."

"Good. Keep at it. Gustav, how are the troops?"

"Casualties are low and morale is high," he says. You check your mental notes; according to the casualty figures your Network has access to he's underplaying casualties somewhat, but then, most of them were walking wounded and should be back to fitness by year's end. "The pistoliers are a fantastic fast response force, reinforcing the rank and file where needed. Which is often - I'd very much like to discuss an upgrade in armament."

"To rifles?" Van Hal asks, and gives a mirthless smile when Gustav nods. "After the purge, we'll look into the possibility. I'd rather have the troops stick with their tried and tested - only a year to acquire and train with new weapons could too easily end in disaster. For now, when the troops aren't on rotation protecting the Highway, I want them drilling."

"Yes, your Grace," Gustav acknowledges.

Van Hal turns to Wilhelmina. "How's the supply?"

"It's more or less as you said - supply was entirely ad hoc purchases from the open market. It was doing the job, but prices were already rising and it was completely vulnerable to market fluctuations, either natural or induced. I've set up a system of supply contracts at a set price to ensure that supply will continue uninterrupted no matter what happens to the market." Skimming right past that the one she signed those contracts with was herself, you note. The cost of the contracts was carefully calibrated, too; enough above the market price that the EIC would make a neat profit from buying in Southern Stirland or the Moot and selling to Fort Redemption, but not so much so that any one other trade group could offer a substantially better deal.

"Good. Set up something similar for the 4th up in Steinbachthal - keep it flexible, they'll be part of the Purge and I'm planning on rebasing them at some point in the future. Speaking of, Schultz, can the Fort hold the 4th?"

"With tents and hot-bunking, yes," he says after a moment's thought. "I'll have to add new stories to some of the existing buildings for anything more permanent, though."

"Good enough." He shuffles papers for a moment. "Oh yes, I've a letter here from Anton - he's getting on well with the Talabeclanders. While they're not willing to commit to full-scale military support, a company of each of their Knightly Orders is going to join in the Purge - I think that adds up to four hundred knights, though I can never keep track of them all. Gustav?"

"The Order of the Black Rose," he responds promptly. "The Knights Panther, the Knights of Sigmar's Blood, and the Order of the Blazing Sun."

"Thank you. They'll be a welcome addition to our ranks - when you add the Black Guard, that's fourteen companies of Knights."

"More heavy cavalry than light," Gustav notes disapprovingly.

"Stirland had no light cavalry at all until very recently; we go to war with the army we have, not the army we want. Anton's next stop is Ostermark; even if he can't convince them to join in, he's been authorized to hire any mercenary bands he can find, and Ostermark usually has a few skulking around." Wilhelmina winces, but doesn't voice her disapproval; you know for sure the treasury can afford it, but money spent on mercenaries is money not spent on the enrichment of Stirland, you suppose. "Mathilde, your report?"

"The Watch takeover has gone well enough," you say, glancing down at your notes, "as has the integration of the Sewer Jacks, the Rat Catchers and the Gong Farmers. There's a surprisingly untapped market for human waste - if I can get that organized, it could be very profitable for Stirland. The 2nd and 3rd are funnelling retired soldiers into the Watch, and I've expanded it to cover all the population centers in the County of Worden; considering how unorganized efforts were there, not before time, too.

"That said, my efforts at expanding the Watch has uncovered a troubling bottleneck: there's a dearth of competent and reliable administrators in Wurtbad, since the trade leagues have been hiring them up. Short term, we'll need to hire from abroad or poach hired ones at a premium for the Watch and for all other organizations; long term, it may be worthwhile to set up a clerk school in Wurtbad."

"Stirland can always use more people," Van Hal notes. "Altdorf is bursting at the seams with paper-pushers. Nuln, too. I'd rather import them than spend time and money making more. Anything else?"

"Though most of us know this already, I'll state it just so we're all on the same page: our foray into the Haunted Hills has given us good reason to believe that there's no Necromancy or any organized efforts behind the uptick in troubles in the Hills - it's just 'wild' undead causing these problems."

"And thank Sigmar for that," Van Hal says, with a murmur of agreement from around the table. "Very well, continue your work on the Watch. I want it to cover the rest of the population centres around Wurtbad, and if possible the Barony of Purgg as well - nastiness has crawled out of the Stirhugel in the past. Kasmir, what news?"

"The Chaplaincies for the 2nd and 3rd are filled. Many of them are 'learning as they go', so to speak - faithful laypeople ordained specifically for the Chaplaincy, but there's at least one experienced member of the clergy for each of the Gods watching over them."

"Good. Do the same for the 4th - reach out to the Black Guard while you're up there, they may be willing to provide the Morrite chaplains." He shuffles through the papers. "That would appear to be everything. To those of you heading back to civilization, safe travels."

---

You find Van Hal atop the keep, sitting on a stool and looking out at the Fort - and you feel a warm happiness when you notice that a second one is next to him, awaiting your arrival. He'd turned his head to look back at you as you clambered up the ladder, and he gives you a smile as you approach. "Not our usual setting," he comments, passing you his flask, and you sip it gratefully.

"Hell of a view, though," you say, and it is. The sun is starting to set, setting the clouds ablaze with reds and oranges. Below you, the Fort is, as always, teeming with life, as people walk this way and that in the thousands of daily tasks that keep an army operating, and at the opposite end of the Fort, one of countless carts of food and goods is coming through the gate. Besides the view, this time of day is always exhilerating for you, as Ulgu surges forth and claims the world for a time, before fading with the light.

"Mmm," he says. "Twenty-one thousand, two hundred men under arms. Plus Sigmar only knows how many administrators and camp followers. And that's only half of my army." He grimaces. "My army. It still sounds impossible."

"Your province, too. Your people," you say teasingly, and in response he reaches over and takes his flask back.

"Our province," he corrects. You wildly misinterpret what he could mean for a moment. "Seven people, responsible for all of Stirland."

Right. That's what he meant. "Better than bearing it alone," you comment vaguely, and he nods.

"So, what other fruit have your efforts borne of late?"

You take a moment to collect your thoughts. "There were a number of efforts to insert agents into the Watch; all from local merchants and nobles."

"They're probably feeling a little uneasy with how thoroughly you destroyed the Stirlandian League. Well, good. Teach them a little humility."

"The Sewer Jacks say that if we're serious about taking control of the undercities, we should look into dwarf trainers - they're unmatched for tunnel fighting. Though I recognize it won't be cheap-"

"Nothing worthwhile ever is," he interrupts. "Let me guess, the Elector's Meet?" You nod, and he thinks for a moment. "Unlikely. They'll all be heading off into the Badlands with their King Ironhammer." He snorts. "I think it's getting a bit ahead of yourself to declare yourself King before you even seize the Kingdom, but I'm not going to be the one to say that. Touchy lot, dwarves. That said, unless something else comes up Anton's next stop after Ostermark is going to be Zhufbar - letting them know that we're going to be pushing into the Haunted Hills, so if they've got scores to settle with the greenskins in the Ghoul Woods they can do so without the rest of Sylvania interrupting. Hopefully that'll give us a good starting point to talk about cross-training."

"Greenskins? I assumed... well, the Ghoul Woods, so-"

"Oh, it's got those too."

"Eugh. As if Sylvania wasn't obnoxious enough. Anyway, next point: finally got the equipment for enchantment studies. I can get started on looking into those swords and the box. And I've been brushing up on my undead lore, too - if you've got any recommendations...?"

He closes his eyes in thought. "The... second bookshelf on the left as you enter my study, top three shelves. There's all the standard Witch Hunter references: for the Undead, try the Malleus Immortuous, the Codex of the Insufficiently Dead, the Extremely Redacted Liber Mortis (Approved Edition). And parts of the Book of the Silver Hammer, and there's some useful bits in the Epistolary of Kurt III." He fishes a heavy iron key out of his pocket and hands it to you.

You had a copy of the Codex of the Insufficiently Dead, but the College didn't even mention the others. "Thanks, that should be a big help."

"Not at all. You've been at my side against the undead twice now, can't have you improperly armed."

You smile, and he returns it, and the two of you sit in silence together, watching the sunset and the bustling of Fort Redemption.

---

PLAN FOR THIS TURN

ORGANIZATIONAL ACTIONS - pick ONE from EACH of the categories 'Information Network' and 'Stirland Watch':

Information Network - pick ONE (no action expenditure required):
[ ] Consolidation: You currently have a patchwork of useful contacts. Backfill so that you can rightfully claim to cover entire towns.
[ ] Expand your information network into another province (choose one)
[ ] Expand your information network into another county or barony (choose one)
[ ] Expand your information network into the military (choose a Division)
[ ] Openly expand your information network into the military in the form of an Intelligence Attaché (choose a Division)
[ ] Off the Leash: Let Julia handle the network without your micromanagement from now on.

Information Network finances - expansion is hobbled by it's dependence on your discretionary income, and so is your budget. Perhaps you can get past that. Can be chosen INSTEAD of a selection from the above.
[ ] Information Broker: Start selling tidbits of information, just enough for your information network to start paying for itself.
[ ] Fixer: Work with the Wurtbad Thieves Guild, supplying them information in exchange for a portion of profits.
[ ] Special Branch: Pull some financial trickery to get the information network classified as part of the Watch, so that their costs are covered by the Stirlandian treasury.
[ ] Trade Delegation: Convince Wilhelmina and Markus to partner your network with the EIC based on the value of market information.

Stirland Watch - pick ONE (no action expenditure required):
[ ] Expand the ranks of the Watch, so that they're able to start covering even the poorer parts of their covered area.
[ ] Expand the ranks of the Gong Farmers, both increasing coverage of Wurtbad and expanding it to the other population centers covered by the Watch.
[ ] Improve the training of the Watch, hiring trainers and dedicating paid time each week to sharpening skills.
[ ] Integrate the Roadwarden network of covered areas into the Watch.
[ ] Hire administrators and clerks from Altdorf and Nuln.
[ ] Headhunt administrators from other organizations in Stirland.
[ ] Seek out a new leader for the Watch.


PERSONAL ACTIONS - CHOOSE BETWEEN FIVE AND SEVEN. ANY CHOSEN BEYOND THE FIRST FIVE WILL COME WITH RISKS - PLEASE SPECIFY THE 'ADDITIONAL' TASKS.:

As Per Orders: Perform your current assignment.
[ ] Investigate the possibility of adding a River Warden branch of the Watch.
[ ] Expand the Watch into the rest of the County of Wurtbad.
[ ] Expand the Watch into the Barony of Purgg.
[ ] Expand the Watch into the Barony of Munzhausen.
[ ] Formalize and organize the payments people make for the Gong Farmers to perform their service, as well as having the Watch start enforcing existing laws against dumping human waste in the street or the Stir.
[ ] Currently, solid waste is sent by cart and wagon out to the fields for a pittance. It could instead be used to create market gardens along the banks of the Stir (hopefully downwind) and increase revenue and provide jobs for the desperate by growing a variety of cash crops.
[ ] Tanneries have a seemingly limitless demand for urine, which explains a lot about the smell. A bit of fragrant research would allow you to identify how much demand there is and how much of a profit you can wring from this.
[ ] In Wissenland, there are a number of techniques in use to derive saltpeter from urine. It would take a great deal more effort than selling to tanneries, but saltpeter could be exported to Nuln for fantastic profit, or used to start gunpowder production in Stirland.
[ ] Use a Personal Action to perform another Organizational Action; can be taken once per organization.

Miscellany:
[ ] Financial Jargon: Everything with the EIC flew right over your head last time. Try again. Succeeding here will mean that you can take a more active hand in the company, adding it to the organizational actions; failing or not attempting means Mathilde will remain a silent partner.
[ ] 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.
[ ] Formal Proposal: Your idea for an undead research team was received poorly, but Van Hal is still open to the idea in theory. Write in details: Name, who it is technically a part of (Watch, Witch Hunters, Military, College, none), and whether it reports directly to you (becomes a new Organization you command) or, if not, who it would report to.

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)
[ ] 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: You've finally got the equipment, now you've just got to unpack it all and set up your laboratory. (NEW)
[ ] 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, this time with the addition of Van Hal's personal library. (NEW-ish)
[ ] Snooping: Van Hal gave you a key to his Study. He didn't specifically say not to poke around and see what you could find. (NEW)
[ ] 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.
[ ] Qhaysh Juice: Whatever it is, it's dripping out of the box at a steady rate. You've got two gallons of the stuff and it's still coming out. It's got to be good for something.
[ ] 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:
[ ] Thieves Guild: It's currently little more than a church group, albeit of a very unconventional god. If it could be expanded under your aegis, it could be a powerful tool.
[ ] Biderhof: This village based on woodcutting and agriculture, has adopted you as one of it's own. Maybe you should adopt it as your own, in a literal sense.
[ ] Non-Thief Guilds: Wurtbad, like all major cities, is home to a number of guilds. Reach out to them and enforce your will.

Relations:
[ ] 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.
[ ] 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) (can be used to perform Snooping without spending an action)

---

FINANCES: NO ACTION POINT EXPENDITURE.

Personal Income: 60 gold/turn
Discretionary Income: 200 gold/turn
Informer Payroll unlocked

Currently paying Grey College tithe (-6 personal gold/turn)
Currently paying Grey College student loans (-35 personal gold/turn)

Not currently embezzling

Currently employing 6 veteran informants (-60 discretionary gold/turn)
Currently funding a number of Watch informants (-10 discretionary gold/turn)
Currently funding a number of EIC informants (-20 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.
- Don't forget Ranald's Blessing!
- If you take another swing at Formal Proposal, I would strongly recommend carefully reading through Van Hal's feedback to the previous iteration of the plan.