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Warhammer Fantasy: Divided Loyalties - an Advisor's Quest

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[x] You are very dedicated to the rules and principles of the College [in the spirit, at least, you think to yourself] and to your master, and less loyal to the College as an institution: institutions can get corrupt and College is no exception. The same goes for the Empire of Men, if at lesser level. You hold humanity very dear to heart but wouldn't call it dedication: you owe no duty to the humanity, just an affection. It must be noted that you're on good terms with Ranald too.

[ ] Seeking employ as an advisor in one of the Dwarfholds.
That'd be interesting: BoneyM's take on dwarfs is consistent and captivating.

[ ] Seeking adventure in the Zhufbar expeditions into Karak Azul.
If we go delving, let's go for it properly.

[x] Seeking adventure in Belegar Ironhammer's reconquest of Karak Eight Peaks.
We're one of the best leaders of scouting forces available. Let's help the guy.

[x] Seeking adventure as a mercenary, ideally with Asarnil the Dragonlord, and possibly build a Mercenary Company of your own.
And let's do it with company. Think Black Company, but with dragon.

[] Seeking adventure as the second coming of Nagash, searching for ways to overcome the final enemy of life. (you won't actually write this on the paper, but choose it if this is what you want Mathilde to do)
Not in the first five-years plan, I think. Let's build up our rep and understanding and piety first.

And, finally, Should you reach Magisterial rank, you are expected to contribute to the wellbeing of the Grey College in the manner/s of your choosing. Select all of the below Collegiate Responsibilities that you are willing and able to perform.

(omitting those you're unable to do or are ill-suited to any of your future plans)
[ ] Enchantment Commissions
[ ] Enchantment Services
[ ] Lectures and Demonstrations
[ ] Tutoring
Boring. Just an action sink IMO.

[x] Taking on Apprentices
[x] Research and Development (thaumaturgical) (ie. stuff derived from Shyish-Kebabs and Qhaysh juice)
Note that this option requires us to publish our results.

[x] Being available to intervene in matters of great import as needed
Hell yes.
 
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BoneyM said:
Completely nixed the possibility of learning anything from your previous intrigue actions. Also it signifies that things may have... spiralled, somewhat.

In what you're desperately hoping is unrelated news, Altdorf is in mourning; the Empress and her unborn son have died.
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So the Empress was pulling our strings all along, you heard it here first, folks
 
[X] Plan Adventure

-[X] Grey College - High
--[X] We're pretty grateful for all the training in magic and preventing us from being burnt at the stake or something else awful like exploding or being eaten by a demon.
--[X] Especially to Magister Regimand who trained us and made sure we didn't explode.
--[X] Also the Library is pretty great and some of the other services of the College.
--[X] The Grey Colleges is generally pretty awesome bastions of civilization are we're happy to be apart of it.
-[X] Empire - Equally as high
--[X] We live there so we don't want it overrun by Orcs, or demons, or beastmen, or goblins, or undead, or dhar users, or barbarians, or dark elves, or Chaos, or chaotic undead demon orc dhar sorcerer barbarians.
--[X] We're a knight and a wizard and have a bunch of oaths, so of course we're loyal.
--[X] It's the right thing to do to support the Empire.
-[X] Humanity - Pretty High but dwarfs are pretty cool too.
--[X] We have lots of human friends
--[X] We are a human
--[X] The Empire mostly consists of humans
--[X] We don't like humans who use dhar, or do Chaos, or are mean to us because they're prejudiced against wizards, or are generally assholes
--[X] But most humans are pretty OK but they'd be better if they made guns and cannons like dwarfs
--[ ] Have I mentioned how great artillery is? It makes a really great bang and the dwarfs use this really great type of ammo and...
--[ ] What's the alternative to Humanity? Orcs? Goblins? Undead? Brettonians? Pretentious Elves? It's not like there's a different team we can reasonably join.

[X] Seeking adventure in Belegar Ironhammer's reconquest of Karak Eight Peaks.

[x] Seeking employ as an advisor to an Elector of the Empire.
[x] Seeking adventure in the Zhufbar expeditions into Karak Varn.
[x] Seeking adventure as a mercenary, ideally with Asarnil the Dragonlord, and possibly build a Mercenary Company of your own.
[x] Seeking knowledge by investigating the phenomena and manifestations of Sylvania.


[X] Seeking adventure in Belegar Ironhammer's reconquest of Karak Eight Peaks.
[X] Enchantment Commissions
[X] Enchantment Services
[X] Research and Development (thaumaturgical) (ie. stuff derived from Shyish-Kebabs and Qhaysh juice)
[X] Interrogation
[X] Being available to intervene in matters of great import as needed

Truly BoneyM's most evil update yet, getting us to write an essay.
 
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Yuckwitte said:
I understand mechanically why we lost a month of time to understanding the intrigue but IC we don't need to spend more than a night finding out we can't learn from it, do we?

Maybe we spent some of it looking up stuff and our mentor destroyed it. Maybe we messed up and had to spend a month cleaning it up?

I'm not trying to say we did anything productive, we didn't. I don't want to annoy the GM unnecessary but it just doesn't make sense to me.
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If I may help to make Boney's response above even more explicit, as I understood it:
We had to spend the month looking like we were studying the matter that we were booked to study, because dropping it to do something else would have been a clue to any observers that the matter has become very secret above our level, and it's now so incredibly secret that even the secrecy level has to be covered up.
So we pretend that it's nothing big, just a graduating wizard doing stuff.
 
[X] Plan Collegiate Loyalties
-[X] Grey College - Highest
--[X] Debt of gratitude for retaining sanity and health through being born with magic.
--[X] Familial loyalty to Master
--[X] Academic interest in the preservation and perpetuation of discoveries
--[X] Self preservation in maintaining Wizard status within Empire for safety reasons.
--[X] Ambition in maintaining access to College resources and knowledge for the purpose of self improvement in the field of magic. It is very unlikely to obtain knowledge of similar depth in any one area, and impossible to do so for broader areas.
-[X] Empire - Significant
--[X] Duty as a Wizard of the Grey College to obey the Grey College, transferred from duty of the Grey College to follow the lead of the collective Colleges, transfered from the collective Colleges loyalty to the Empire.
--[X] Duty as a Knight of Stirland to the Elector Count of Stirland, transferred from the duty of the duty of the Elector Count to the Empire
--[X] Self preservation from the Enemies of Man, Undead, Orc and Chaos would be free to wreak havoc without the intact Empire to protect its people from those.
--[X] Practical utility in acquiring assets, equipment and common services requires the continuance of civilization.
-[X] Humanity - Modest
--[X] Religious beliefs mandate the protection and furtherence of humanity.
--[X] Personal ethics seeks to minimize unnecessary harm to humanity in general.

[X] Seeking knowledge by building a branch campus of the Grey College on your estate in Stirland.

[X] Enchantment Commissions
[X] Enchantment Services
[X] Lectures and Demonstrations
[X] Taking on Apprentices
[X] Interrogation
[X] Research and Development (thaumaturgical) (ie. stuff derived from Shyish-Kebabs and Qhaysh juice)
[X] Being available to investigate reports of unsanctioned magic-users.
[X] Being available to intervene in matters of great import as needed

This sounds like a solid plan that lets us do our research, stay in contact with friends and interact more with the Grey college after we've got this set up we can go adventuring or become an advisor again.
 
[X] Plan Collegiate Loyalties


[X] Seeking knowledge by building a branch campus of the Grey College on your estate in Stirland.

[X] Enchantment Commissions
[X] Enchantment Services
[X] Lectures and Demonstrations
[X] Taking on Apprentices
[X] Interrogation
[X] Research and Development (thaumaturgical) (ie. stuff derived from Shyish-Kebabs and Qhaysh juice)
[X] Being available to investigate reports of unsanctioned magic-users.
[X] Being available to intervene in matters of great import as needed
 
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BoneyM said:
Completely nixed the possibility of learning anything from your previous intrigue actions. Also it signifies that things may have... spiralled, somewhat.

In what you're desperately hoping is unrelated news, Altdorf is in mourning; the Empress and her unborn son have died.

(this will be mentioned 'officially' in the coming turn)
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Oh shit, did we just critfail Karl Franz out of existence?
 
Sooo... our new spells.

I have to ask:
BoneyM said:
Mockery of Death: Causes someone you touch to act and appear dead for several days, or until you end it. They will still need to breathe and drink.
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Is this in fact as it sounds an absolutely terrifying multi-day Hold Person-slash-horrible-torture spell?

Also, Oops on the Empress, eh?
 
Alliterate said:
Sooo... our new spells.

I have to ask:


Is this in fact as it sounds an absolutely terrifying mutli-day Hold Person-slash-horrible-torture spell?
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Yes. They get one Will Power save and if they fail it they're fucked, at least by WFRP rules.

Also useful for various intrigue nonsense and personally playing dead if needed.
 
Guys, enchantment commissions and lectures will be boring as hell. Why are we selecting it as preferred activity when we could just select research and adventure?
 
The only problem with accurately telling the Grey Order that our loyalty is to them first and foremost means that we are in direct contravention to the Imperial Articles of Magic.
 
BoneyM said:
Completely nixed the possibility of learning anything from your previous intrigue actions. Also it signifies that things may have... spiralled, somewhat.

In what you're desperately hoping is unrelated news, Altdorf is in mourning; the Empress and her unborn son have died.

(this will be mentioned 'officially' in the coming turn)
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Holy shit.
That rather explains a lot if the string they pulled led all the way to the Empress being in collusion with at least one vampire.
Alliterate said:
Hmm. Shaded canyons, or woods near rivers where mists and fogs arise, perhaps?
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Hmm...taking a look at the map:
Possible Fog rich sites:
-Blutdorf: Bracketed by three rivers and large hills, then trees covering the entire expanse.
-Stirhugel surrounding region(until you run out of hills, given the map size of the lake): Huge Lake surrounded by hills. The water will warm at noon and evaporate throughout the day, but due to all the hills around it, the vapor cannot disperse and condenses on the slightest chill
-Rohrwald Forest: Forest flanked on three sides by rivers.
-Potting: Hills with lakes
-Pramet: Forest backed by hills and flanked by three rivers.

Stirland is pretty foggy for a province huh?
 
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We aren't, look at the list of all the stuff we're potentially volunteering for, lectures and enchanting are just 2 things we'd be willing to do.
 
Yuckwitte said:
The only problem with accurately telling the Grey Order that our loyalty is to them first and foremost means that we are in direct contravention to the Imperial Articles of Magic.
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It is not. At least, until you get a statement from @BoneyM that our loyalty to the Empire derives from our loyalty to Stirland and the College violates that. Its literally how feudal power structures work.
 
vsh said:
Guys, enchantment commissions and lectures will be boring as hell. Why are we selecting it as preferred activity when we could just select research and adventure?
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Well Plan Adventure has enchantments but no lectures, so at least there's something half decent for you?

I guess if you want something fully decent you'll have to make your own plan.

Edit: Never mind just realized how the votes are separated.
 
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Since others have brought it up:

1. 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; then to he who is rightfully elected Emperor of Sigmar's Holy Empire; then to the Supreme Patriarch of the Colleges of Magic; then to the laws and ideals of their Order; then to the Patriarch of their Order; then to the authorities that each Magister may be required to serve in the course of his duties; then to other superiors within their Orders.

It's a very carefully considered hierarchy. Honestly the entire Articles are a masterpiece of worldbuilding and I encourage everyone to give it a read if they haven't already.
 
Mockery of Death, eh? Now, some might consider the ability to pretend to be dead (or make others appear the same) is of limited usefulness in everyday life, but maybe not...

  • Play ascension games. Pick nobles you don't like, cast Mockery of Death, claim they are clearly a vampire when they come back to life later.
  • In Sylvania, cast Mockery of Death on yourself, claim to have come back as a vampire. Bask in adulation of superstitious Sylvanian peasants.
  • When someone tries to assassinate you for making fake vampires, fake your own death. They'll probably think they succeeded, but boy are they in for a surprise!
  • Next time you're chased by a Wisdom's Asp, cast Mockery of Death in front of a mirror.
  • Use Mockery of Death to escape Stirlandian land tax.
  • Pretend to hold power over life and death, get invited to next necromancer get-together.
  • When troubled by unpleasant visitors, cast Mockery of Death until they go away. They can't very well make a dead woman answer the door! Claim surprise when they return days later with an undertaker.
  • Bind Mockery of Death to all your agents, in case they're discovered. Have them 'take poison' when discovered, before they can be interrogated. Pay undertaker to pick up 'corpse' later.
  • Sigmarite priests nosing around with pamphlets? Cast Mockery of Death, write 'Sigmarites go home' in blood with your finger as a dying message.
  • Anton wants you to pass the salt and you don't want to? Cast Mockery of Death, keep salt shaker clenched in your rigored grip.
  • Tell Roswita our fondest wish is to be buried next to Van Hal when we die. Mockery of Death on the way out of the meeting. Find out where she buried him. For, y'know, reasons.
 
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1. 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; then to he who is rightfully elected Emperor of Sigmar's Holy Empire; then to the Supreme Patriarch of the Colleges of Magic; then to the laws and ideals of their Order; then to the Patriarch of their Order; then to the authorities that each Magister may be required to serve in the course of his duties; then to other superiors within their Orders.
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This is pretty clear; the highest loyalty must be not to any individual or organization but to the ideals and laws of the Empire. That is to say, we would be on much safer ground if instead of describing the practical reasons that the Empire as it exists is a beneficial structure for Mathilde Weber, we addressed why Mathilde Weber considers the dream of the Empire as it should be an important part of her life's goals.

Edit: Remember that the Grey College is basically a benevolent conspiracy; they're highly practical but they also thrive on every member considering themselves, and the College as a whole, to be idealists working for the benefit of all. All that internal policing where they shoot people for having money is basically a matter of eliminating members who aren't walking the walk of their idealism as well as talking the talk.
 
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Do remember where we found to swords, it was a location deeply enriched in pure Ulgu. I think if we can find a place like that, it would make for a wonderful school location.
@BoneyM : For motivations how about: "Learn about how to handle Dhar, so that you can unmake it's effects." IE she has the Liber Mortis. It obviouslly can be used to better counter the effects of Dhar Spells since it is a definite treaties on the handling of Dhar. and once about a time was used that very way. What I mean is, with it, she may learn how to perma kill vamps, or better her dispel ability against Dhar Spells. Maybe even create rituals or Battle Spells for specifically destroying undead.

Of would the be folded under the whole research the dead of Stirland bit?
 
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