Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
Also building our own wizard tower means greater secrecy. The snake juice is such a rare regent that I doubt we want word getting around that we have it.
 
voting tally to collect and detail information around the vote:
Adhoc vote count started by Ambit on Sep 28, 2019 at 12:15 AM, finished with 513 posts and 226 votes.
 
[X] Scout the rest of the Eight Peaks, to find out what other horrors are waiting out there.
[X] All this time away has made you miss your friends. Visit Anton and Wilhelmina.
 
Since wizard tower is winning pretty crushingly here, it might be time to start thinking about exactly what our wizard tower will need.

As you may recall, a tower provides bonuses to the purpose for which it is dedicated; when we were discussing building a manor on our fief, a lot of the plans had multiple towers in them so that we could have an enchanting bonus, research bonus, etc. thanks to each having a dedicated area. This is pretty flexible; it can even provide a bonus to reading tomes which of course makes a dedicated reading room mandatory for any place we're planning to settle in for serious research. Building towers was 100g each when we were building a manor but who knows how much it would be in the Karak. Presumably, our plans to move in will involve more than one "tower" room type mechanically even if they're physically more compressed; maybe a large tower has one bonus available per floor or we'd have a suite of rooms in Karag Nar.

The other nice way that a home can provide bonuses is via libraries. Having a relevant library at all is +1, +1 more for Extensive, and +1/+2/+3 for increasing levels of rarity, all of which stack, so an optimized library can give you up to +5 on whatever project you're working on. Unfortunately, getting a library on a topic takes an action and upgrading it by one level does the same, so it takes a staggering five actions to get a full library bonus and that will still only apply to one topic. As far as I know every library action is only 50g no matter what the topic or upgrade level, though.

If we need to outfit each room with 100g and one action each and each library upgrade with 50g and one action each, which is in line with previous costs, it could take us literal years just to finish our home. Most of that would be chasing library bonuses, admittedly, but if we're going to be doing serious magical research we really want those library bonuses.

Avoiding this huge timesink is a high priority, I think. Maybe we can pitch the necessity of having a well-equipped library and tower down in Karak Eight Peaks to the Grey College and get them to assign their librarians+scribes to outfitting our library for us, and one of their numerous apprentices to picking up laboratory necessities? They have a lot of professionals who would be able to fairly rapidly select and then have copied key tomes on the topics we'd be interested in, and we do still have that College Connections trait. I'm thinking that greenskin lore, skaven lore, general magic, enchanting, and grey magic are critical and more specialized topics like waystones and Qhaysh are maybes. Convincing them to do this for us and save the associated action slots might be a good way to spend a large chunk of our wealth; I could easily see us spending 2000g on a quality library and several hundred more on employing their scribes and librarians so that we don't have to spend the action slots.
I've been thinking about a big post in this regard for quite some time. Thusly, here's a thing where I talk about the base and one of the projects we can all agree on doing the snake juice(with a lot of leakage from my quality assurance and safety job). Also might be helpful to @BoneyM's contemplations on what to do.

The Proposal For A Tower

We need multiple things in my mind from a vacation home or actual home in Karak Eight Peaks so I'll break it up into categories:

Security

A decent opener in my mind what we need here is a place where Mathilde can do her black ops research projects like the Book, the Juice, Ranaldian Theurgy, the Coin. These are all things which we do not want scrutiny aimed at, so our first and best defense is secrecy. This is easy to attain from the dwarves with them taking oaths of secrecy as to its internal construction seriously, and also because we are not explicitly obligated to tell Belegar the nitty gritty details. As a friend we should tell him if something is going to have a much higher chance than usual with magic to take the top of his mountain off. And any dwarf builders will take their oaths seriously enough to take it to their graves in quite a literal fashion.

Secrecy prevents knowledge of the Book and from the Book and the Juice, which I'm sure as a source of lots of energy appeals to dark sorcerers, from spreading. Secrecy prevents evil forces from knowing precisely what is within that tower.

The second piece in my mind is sitting in a Dwarven Karak at the peak of a Karag. There are few more defended places in the world and such physical security can also be augmented by defensive traps and or devices around the inner rooms and plausibly the outer rooms. A house whose door is locked by Dwarven Runecraft would be one simple though expensive example, but there are simpler options such as just mechanical traps leading into the sanctum.

Safety Measures

As it is I feel like it being a safe place to experiment with magic, as much as we can make it with our resources on hand is something that is imperative. Magic is a dangerous activity liable to just blow our brains out the back of our head as it is to take the top of Belegar's mountain. BoneyM has at one point likened some complicated magic to being like juggling radioactive chainsaws.

So, I feel that we must go the extra mile in building a place that is specifically designed to ground miscasts and to have the means to protect delicate experiments and delicate Magister Grey Wizards from getting exploded or turned into protoplasm. So architechtural safety, magical safety and another quality which leads into the next thing.

One project we want to work on involves a liquid of mostly unknown properties beyond the knowledge that it is energetic and as a magical substance likely to be volatile and dangerous. We must have safe storage ability, the ability to store a large amount of Snake Juice and other dangerous Things if and when we so desire. Because I imagine its not going to be the only Thing we find that needs bulk storage.

This all leads into the bedrock for a good lab that can be decked out with sweet tools.

Effective Experimentation Tools

Here is much more simple than the above categories in my mind, in a very point and shoot manner of "We need bitchin good enchanting, ritual and precision working tools". So things like what one would find in a smithy, in our enchanting lab, in a biology lab like lots of colored lenses the whole works. Deck it out with everything of good use to a working wizard.

We also I believe need to work on ways to tie into the magical nexus as many have pointed out so that the magical power we actually have access to in the inner sanctums is great enough to do what we want. This is all extremely convenient to build in Karak Eight Peaks because the Dwarves are the best builders in the world, which leads into the next thing.

Vaults and Libraries

Many have brought up the idea of storing Things of Import in here and to take this idea to the Dwarves means we will get a very good Vault. Nothing will be getting inside that anytime in Mathilde's life time, nor likely in the life time of any Belegar's grandchildren at the very least.

We are in a good place to make a very secure place to hold things we need out of sight for a time or forever, depending on what it is.

We're also a wizard with a smallish library of our own in Stirland, that can probably honestly stay there, but the rest of what we collect or write ourselves will need somewhere to go and it follows the same principles as the Vaults.

Guest Rooms and Living Spaces

And finally we have the point of a home of any kind, which is comfortable living. Its a bit of a duh to make it a nice place to live and also pretty simple with all the cash and favors we'll probably have on hand. Also probably the least expensive come to think of it. Regardless, if we request it such that the sanctum and vault and labs and such are hidden we can host guests in that home part and live very comfortably and the home provides a cover of its own because who would want to invade the privacy of a scary wizard without invitation?


The Proposal For The Juice

This bit is about what I think we should look into with the Juice. Less structured but I also have less to say.

To me the first move we need to make, which will honestly I expect be placed below our level of abstraction is finding out what will make it explode or turn into cats or make skunk stank radiate from our room for three years. Like that Skunkworks option we had for it before we went to Drakenhof. This is so we can safely handle it and understand what Not to Do.

Then after that I think the next most important bits are how to dispose of it, through whatever means, though it would be somewhat convenient if we could just use it as fuel. And to create it separate from the Schrodinger Snek if that is possible or find out if its not and we need the Snek. At the moment if we loose the Box, this project is done and that would leave me very sad. If we can find a way to generate more then with disposal and safe handling we have a great foundation to approach it, and we will learn a lot about it as we try to learn of a way to generate it.
 
Last edited:
Also building our own wizard tower means greater secrecy. The snake juice is such a rare regent that I doubt we want word getting around that we have it.
That was a serious concern as a journeyman but as a respected Magister with important political ties and a very impressive set of achievements of our name I don't think that anyone would be willing to wrest it away from us by fiat or force. Now, if they know that it exists and we are visibly not doing anything with it, we might face some pressure, but since in this context we'd be actively and visibly researching it in the College libraries and labs I think that the most we'd face would be a lot offers to co-author papers with us or to slip us some College Favor in exchange for some of it.

Of all our research projects, the Liber Mortis and using Ranald as a casting aid are the only two that truly need secrecy, and Ranald could be shifted to open once we have enough positive results to author a paper on it and convincingly argue our case.
 
Last edited:
'Ungrim' is a Dwarf yet to fulfil their oath. He chose it specifically.

Far as I can tell, 'Thor' doesn't mean anything, it's just a common name and name fragment in Nordic languages (for obvious reasons) so it was a good fit for the High King, but it hasn't been given a Khazalid meaning.
Donar means thunder, as does Thor, but it's a deformed version of the original.
In Old High Germanic and Old Norse, respectively, not Khazalid
 
Last edited:
The history of the Order of Shadows has, with very few exceptions, been one of great asceticism, skilful diplomacy, and absolute opposition to all things associated with the Dark Powers.

Mathilde looks up from her massive pile of gold and gallons of collected daemon juice, to observe the "10 Diplomacy" on her character sheet. :V
 
Secrecy prevents knowledge of the Book and from the Book and the Juice, which I'm sure as a source of lots of energy appeals to dark sorcerers, from spreading. Secrecy prevents evil forces from knowing precisely what is within that tower.
Don't forget keeping our secrets secret from Johann the Spy. :V
I can see her appearing in several companion series, such as Johann the Spy, Diary of a Golden Kid, and Ambermorphs.
 
Ulthar frowns in thought. "They prefer pelt or hide, but there's not enough to go around with this many of them in one place. So they'd likely be using mushroom thread, which... well, I've used dried mushrooms as tinder to start fires in the past."
Incidentally, for an idea of how flammable dry mushroom thread is...it bears a certain similarity to nitrocellulose when it comes to compositions of long chain hydrocarbons with lots of nitrogen groups. I.e. it burns really really good.
King Belegar stares into the distance, fingers drumming as he thinks. "The fire," he finally says. "I'd rather risk a fraction of the Grobi getting through than the Citadel being completely open. Do you have a back-up?"
Inner Belegar: "Also this is less likely to end in Mathilde standing there awkwardly after exploding the Citadel Warboss or Great Shaman. Again."
"Put them in motion. Kragg, how's your Anvil?" Anyone else asking that would receive a several minute long diatribe on the difficulty of hairline cracks in gromril, but King Belegar received only a grimace. "I see. Do not endanger it unduly, but be at hand, just in case.
Hmm, I wonder maybe he hit it too damned hard in that field battle. He's got good control, but he's been angry so long and maybe went overboard venting.
Master Weber, does the fire plan require your personal intervention?"

"Not necessarily."

"Then I ask that you be to disperse any enemy magic.
Which makes it helpful that we can stand in for dispel duty of course. Shamans are bad news if uncontested.
Marksman Petrescu, Grandmaster Wulfhart, your infantry will be the sword and the shield. The men who performed so well yesterday shall stand ready to receive any greenskin sally in response to the fire and the bombardment, but if they decline, those of the Wolf God are to go in and punish their cowardice. Grandmaster Kriegersen, be at hand and be ready. If the greenskins do sally, you may have an opportunity to repeat yesterday's rout. Any questions?" A rumble of nos. "Then let's get to it."
Basically standard tactics. Melee screen, archer backing for main battle, but taking the Citadel by storm needs to be heavies, or they'd be slaughtered. Presumably the Dwarf infantry will catch up, but they can't cross open ground under fire like orcs would.

Which is an interesting difference from the norm, where you'd just push the infantry in THEN mop up with the less expendable heavies once all fronts are pressed. The butcher bill is higher that way, but it conserves your rarer units.
The camp bustles with activity as the sun passes its zenith, and though the Dwarves swear by a light ale before battle, a light lunch is distributed to those who prefer a little more substance. Four of your five Journeymanlings sit with you as you spoon your way through your soup.
Not as far fetched as it sounds really:
-Going to battle on a full stomach of solid food isn't a good idea, since indigestion and it allows for a bunch more debilitating blows to open.
-Beer is basically liquid bread nutritionally. Digests fast, though the alcohol content should be light enough to just bolster morale slightly and provide liquid courage.
--Unfortunately due to constitution differences the dwarf idea of a 'light' ale would probably make for rather wobbly humans.

"Don't give him any," you say without looking up, and Panoramia lifts her soup back up from where she had been lowering it for Wolf.

"How did you-"

"Grey Order," you reply instantly, and Panoramia rolls her eyes.

"Familiar bond," Esbern says with a smile. "But she's right. Onion's no good for dogs."
Indigestion usually. But enough concentrated can kill. A bit in soup would just lead to lots of flatulence I think.
Dogs normally wouldn't seek it out either, but they'd eat it if offered because they trust you.
"Oh, of course." She looks up from the half-grown pup, which has turned his eyes to Maximilian. You wonder if he's able to understand enough of the world through you to know the bread has no such protection, or if he's just trying the next softest target.
This pupper is right proper Grey Order stock.
Manipulative he is.
"Where's the other Goldie?"

"Johann is with the cannon crews," you say. The other, unspoken reason is the rift between him and Maximilian. "It'll be important for the first few shots to be right on target. The rest of you will be on dispel duty with me."
Well...thats a Gold College matter which shouldn't be our problem. Hopefully.
"I'm surprised you're not out there killing all the shamans in advance," says Maximilian, his voice teetering between admiration and jealousy. "Your previous work is all I hear about from most Dwarves I've spoken to."
Look, it just keeps happening!
"I love Ulgu, but I probably would have loved any other Wind if I'd ended up elsewhere. The duties of the Grey Order are possibly the heaviest - except maybe Shyish." A nod of accord from all. Nobody envied the Amethyst Order. "I'd probably be happy amongst the Gold," you say, nodding at Maximilian. "Just before my Magister examination, I realized I could be happy if all I focused on was learning all I could - as long as I had someone else write my papers for me." You nod to Esbern and Seija. "And the Amber... I've spent a lot of days on the back of my Shadowhorse, and I've found the wild can be addictive. If I had thinking company instead of magic in the shape of a horse, I might want to spend my entire life there." Finally, to Panoramia again. "As for Jade... I visited your College, once. It was beautiful. It would be nice if the products of my work was the same." You pause as your mind flits through the other options. Bright Order Mathilde? Likely even more at home on a battlefield than you are already. Celestial and Light Order, though... no thanks. "
I think theres a missing quote before the Bright Order bit? @BoneyM
Love the little callback to writing papers though. Heh.

But look." You wave a hand at bulk of Karag Nar, stretching high above you. "Karag Nar. In the past thousand years, the only humans to ever know that name would have been a handful of Dwarven history obsessive at the University of Altdorf. Now it's looking like humans are going to be living in it. Karak Eight Peaks won't be a historical footnote, it will be a home for Dwarves and for Halflings and for men. The throats I slit yesterday were ugly, but the better tomorrow they've bought is beautiful." Your mind goes back seven years, to the first time your actions had resulted in blood. "We deal death to the corrupt to prevent the suffering of the innocent."
Protectoring!
The moment stretches, as your fellow wizards allow you to spend another few seconds lost in memory. Then a wave of simple joy washes over you and you smile, knowing that Maximilian has finally surrendered some of his bread.
Pupper: "Mission Accomplished!"
"I should have stuck with the soup," he gripes. "Still, who serves onion soup before a battle?"

You smile. "Norlander trick," you say. "If someone has a gut wound, feed them onion soup. If you can smell it on their wound, they're beyond saving. The Halflings figured if they're going to be making a batch anyway, might as well scale up and give it to everyone."
So in this case, if you smell onion on the wound, either hope the Seed of Rebirth passes through soon or you just make peace with your gods.
"One of the Clan Angrund Dwarves was a smith in Zhufbar before King Belegar recalled them all," Maximilian says. "He's agreed to teach me, as long as we both survive that long."
So Maximillian is sticking around Eight Peaks.
He got what he wanted, I wonder what was the thing about the falling out with the smiths?
Annoyed one faction and one of the offended party's rivals offered to take him up for spite?
"Titus will be commissioning me," Panoramia says. "Help get the crops set up in the Eastern Valley. The soil's hard done by and there's concerns about the water, so it'll be a big job. He's going to give me a promissory note I can exchange in Eicheschatten, and that plus the Expedition pay will be my College dues taken care of."
Its a mining area, the standing water is probably charged with metals and sulfides. The dwarfs probably had properly sealed tailing pits, but no bets on the Greenskins breaking them open for loots.

Decontamination would be a pain.
Still, it'd pay well,
You look to Esbern and Seija, who exchange glances of their own. "Returning to the Empire with the Knights, most likely," Esbern says. "We get on well with them."

"I might have a task here you could find interesting," you say. "But we can talk of that after the battle."
Knightly attachment isn't bad for Ambers.
Unusual though.
From the Citadel, a dozen pairs of eyes glared at the single Dwarf who walked across the Eastern Valley. Hands closed on weapons as they debated whether to sally out to strike at the insolent git. But the mountains, they knew, could sprout a volley of arrows without warning, and somewhere out there were those lionbirds with the metal humie gits on top. So they watched sullenly as the Dwarf took measurements, and a spark of curiousity arose as the Dwarf drew a line in the dirt with a foot. But the Dwarf returned back to the fortified Eastern Gate, which bristled with enough weaponry to intimidate a legion of Black Orcs, and they forgot about him.
That might be the most brazen effort at sighting artillery in a contested area by sheer balls to just walk out there unescorted I've ever seen.
Not long after, the inner gates opened once more, and a caravan trundled out. Twenty covered wagons, some pulled by horses, some by oxen. The previous garrison of the Citadel had allowed themselves to be drawn in by bait such as this before, and each time they had been food for giant wolves or lionbirds. The current garrison was smaller in number, and more cautious for it. But they were no less greedy, and as the convoy plodded through the Eastern Valley, more and more eyes were fixated on it.

"Food," one says. "Betcha they're fulla food."

"Who cares what's in 'em," says another. "Lookit them cows. That's dinner."

"Choppas," a third disagrees. "Proper glintymetal choppas. No more havin' ta use rocks."

"Booze," says a fourth. "Stunties always have booze."
Survival instinct well and healthy in these orcs.
Still looking too much towards loot rather than potential threats though.
"Why's they stoppin'?" came the question, and all those that were staring started to stare harder.

"Gotta be worth a shot," one says, but a tide of disagreement rose to meet him.

"Little 'umies with arrers."

"Stunties with rock lobbas."

"Lionbirds."

A chorus of agreement. Nobody wanted to meet the lionbirds again.
Murderkitties are very educational.
But it looks like after the initial hubbub, theres more of a routine set up, where anyone brave enough to have a go at emplaced dwarfs are eliminated because they'd take unwinnable fights without enough numbers, while anyone less brave doesn't.

Until an outside factor brings in additional numbers or calls the less reckless to arms, they'd stay there.
"They getin' closer?" one asks, doubtfully.

[Approach: Intrigue, 89+17=106.]

"Nah," says another. "They'z goin' ta Mount Crooked Moon, same as the others."

"Least they sorted that git," one growls, and is met with agreement. "With his greenrock teef and havin' rats insteada proppa squigs. Ain't right."
These orcs seem unusually conservative. Recent events?
"Yeah, then they went after-"

"We don't talk about 'im!" comes the instant reply. "Mork is proppa good, roight?"

"Roight!" is the hasty chorus.

"And Gork is proppa good too and that's the end of that." A round of very careful agreement.
...recent events.
"What'd they be gettin' closer for, ya git? Reckon they're comin' for a visit? Bein' neighbourly?" Snickers and grins all around.

"I reckon," comes the thoughtful response, as a series of thwacks is heard in the distance. "I reckon that-" B-boom, two blasts sounding almost as one. "I RECKON!" he yells, and sighs as a pair of impacts shakes the Citadel, and screams of wounded joins the din. He scowls, and waits for the tumult to die down, until the only sound is the crackling of fire behind the Citadel. "Loik I was sayin'," he finally says. "I reckon they're gettin' close coz they gotta bunch of 'umies and a few of dem big shooty things in the wagons."
The delivery there is just perfect.
But the Citadel did not disgorge its garrison and from Karag Nar came the remainder of those that would receive any charge: the sellswords and vagabonds and mercenaries, once thought the least reliable portion of the army, yesterday the heroes of the day, and today given a chance to prove themselves once and for all. From the King's Armoury, thousands of ancient silversteel pikes had been distributed to the men, and instead of their previous motley assortment of blades a forest of shining points stood between them and the Citadel.
Huh, didn't think they'd break those out so easily. Those are pretty damned valuable in terms of history.
[Durin's accelerant: 60+20=80.]
[Fire below: 7+40(Accelerant)=47.]
[First group of reinforcements: 80.]

Atop Karag Lhune, the sharpest eye and the finest telescope had been combined with a flagpole and a prearranged code. A single green flag had you grimace; the fire was burning, but one lot of greenskins had gotten through.
Also by Ranald, Durin's Accelerant is some hot stuff, if it had a 40% chance of immediately making the fire impassable.
[Greenskin shamans?: 79, 89. One Great Shaman, three lesser Shaman.]

And, it seems, you were right to be concerned. Perhaps your reputation had reached even the greenskins, perhaps Mork had whispered in some ears to be on the look out, perhaps it was as simple as one magic-user recognizing another. Inside the Citadel an Ork thrust his head forward, uncaring of the pain as it hit the carved stone to either side of the arrowslit he had been peeking through, and a shockwave of green energy flew forth from the motion directly at you.

['Eadbutt: 36+20=56.]
[Counterspell: 8+20=28.]

Perhaps he was masked by the crackling energies of the Waaagh from the charge of a thousand Orcs, perhaps he was unusually cunning, perhaps you expected a longer wind-up time than a single headbutt. If you had nothing to rely on but your wits, you would have eaten a magical headbutt directly to the face. But the raw and wild magic was met by a rising wave of tamed Runic magic. The energies of the spell are shattered as a Rune on your belt glows red-hot and a similar fire burns inside the brain of the Orc that cast it. But that wasn't all the Citadel had in store, as while the Great Shaman screamed in agony as all knowledge of magical headbutts was cauterized from his living brain, three lesser shamans worked in concert to summon their God - or at least, one part of him.

Oh hey, the local warboss is a Shaman now.
Makes sense, after the debacle, the Orcs want to show their piety.

And also interesting that instead of literally anything else the Great Shaman immediately homed in on and targeted Mathilde with what I recall to be the Greenskin herokilling battlemagic. I'm guessing Mork holds a grudge here.

[Foot of Gork: 8+15=23. Miscast.]
[Miscast roll: 2, 4. Calamitous Detonation.]

And though your group of Journeymen and Journeywomen stood ready to counter whatever their greenskin counterparts had prepared, there was no need. If your little chat with Panoramia yesterday didn't get the message across, she was going to get an even better demonstration of what happens when someone bites off more than they can chew. An enormous explosion of green energy shakes the Citadel, and you grimly hope that it put paid to the overambitious spellcasters inside.
Miscasts killed more casters than Mathilde had in the whole game of actively trying to kill them with spells, sword and artillery alike.
[Codrin's archers: 92+15+5(Atoning)=112.]
[Ulthar's archers: 86+15=101.]
[Titus' archers: 70+15=85.]
[Greenskin morale: 76+15+10(Reinforced)=101.]

While the magical duel had been fought, the greenskin assault had been continuing. With mechanical efficiency, row after row of Orcish attackers had been cut down by brutally efficient volleys, and only an expert on fletching could tell you which volley had come from which archers, so alike in speed and accuracy were they. But the greenskins charged onwards undeterred, each row making it another few feet before being cut down to be followed by the next. Who but the terrible greenskins could ignore such losses and fight on?
Oh hey its still the Martial +15 Greenskin leader. Good job Kragg on wiping out the +30 hero. This would have been pretty sticky if they managed to scrounge up a better one, the rolls are uncomfortably close.
[Greenskin attack: 59+15+10(Reinforced)=84.]
[Manling defence: 43+15+10(High Morale)+20(Silversteel Pikes receiving a charge)=88.]

With a terrible earth-shaking crash, the line of greenskins finally hit the rows of men. Those first to strike the pikes were no more fortunate than all those that had met the arrows, but for every greenskin that impaled itself against a pike there was another shoving past him to swing a choppa at the man who held it. Orcish battle fury met the newly awakened pride of man, and neither would give an inch.
And likewise, without the morale buff the main attack might well have collapsed receiving that charge.
Still, they stand!
[Great Shaman - 'Eadbutt?]
lol
Even with magically induced Amnesia he's STILL monofocused on trying to kill Mathilde(like seriously, the spell is only useful for assassinating enemy casters and Mathilde doesn't even cast back at this range, only dispel).
[Lesser Shamans - 'Ere We Go: 35+15-10(Detonated)=40.]
[Counterspell: 79+20=99.]
[Induce miscast: 100.]

Meanwhile in the Citadel, the greatest magic-user amongst them tied in vain to remember... something? His seared brain ached as again and again he reached for information he knew was there, but arcane fire had taken from him. His underlings were a little better off, and the two that survived tried to assist their fellows as best they can. The Waaagh energy that linked all greenskins solidified, and a tendril extended from the Citadel and was drawn towards the mob of fighting Orcs. You stare at it, feeling almost insulted. Surely this must be a trick. Not even greenskins would be so careless as to- but no, you can see clear as day that what you see in front of you is what there is. The shamans are trying to form an aethyric link between themselves and the Waaagh energy below them, and presumably once the link was formed they'd imbue it with magic and change its nature to one that would enhance the combat abilities of the Orc. It would be utterly trivial to reach out and sever the half-formed link, and you have to reach out and slap Maximilian's hand absently as he reaches to do so. With infuriating slowness, the link stretches forward... and just as it connects with the battlefield before you, you give it a poke.

Just a little one. Not enough to dispel or even disrupt the spell. All it does is pierce the aethyric membrane in exactly the right place so that instead of a single line through which the shamans can send energy, the link has become an enormous straw through which energy can travel. And the magically-created aethyric link of Waaagh energy was a thousand times easier for ambient Waaagh energy to travel through than the air between the fighting Orcs, and on the other side, amongst the shamans, the air permeated with Waaagh energy from the previous explosion was a thousand times more suited to Waaagh energies than the battlefield outside, with thousands of Dwarves and unfriendly mages and the disapproving gaze of Kragg.
Mathilde: "I'm reversing the polarity!"
Bless Ranald. He's got our backs.
In the space of a few seconds, every jot of Waaagh energy that had surrounded the fighting Orcs flew up the aethyric link and into the shamans' chamber.
In the space of a few seconds, the shamans were filled with the bloodlust of thousands of fighting Orcs, and their bodies barely contained the energy long enough for them to gouge fatal wounds in one another with bulging muscles.
In the space of a few seconds, every single Orc was robbed of the aura they had never known the absence of.

In the space of a few seconds, the battle is won.
[Signal Lost]

Not a single man pauses to question his fortune as his adversary freezes in confusion and terror and the sudden disconnect from the Waaagh. Each cuts down the Orc in front of them, and then the next nearest, and then levels their pike and charges forward at those that had a moment ago been charging them, and barely a scrap of resistance is met before they disappear into the Citadel and out of sight.

[Fire below: 87+40=124. Further reinforcement impossible.]
And that is all she wrote.
That, Panoramia, is why its better not to cast at all than miscast on your allies.
"Any of them," King Belegar says. "Hell, all of them if they're willing. Any Dwarf who took a greenskin charge that well would never have to pay for drinks again, and those manlings did so twice. And that extends to you as well."

"I'm honoured, your Majesty," Codrin replies. "But my home is in Stirland. But I believe a great many of the men will take you up on your offer."

Codrin departs to pass on the message, and you watch him thoughtfully. As it turns out, the distribution of Dwarf-made pikes had been an implicit offer, and their performance today had Belegar make it completely clear: any of the manling vagabonds, wanderers and mercenaries that had fought as part of the Expedition were welcome to make it their home, and with it came an offer of employment: to patrol, protect, and watch over the East Gate and Death Pass.
Its basically the dream career exit for a mercenary to be permanently hired on as part of a standing army. Just so incredibly rare to get the chance.

Back at Barak Varr, you had assumed that King Belegar had been promising some share of lost wealth or ancient secrets to King Ubarul to secure his assistance. Now you realize that the forgotten treasures of the distant past were of no interest to him. No, the King of a trading hub would turn his gaze not to immediate profit, but to his map, and to those ephemeral and unreliable strings that represented the flow of goods from distant lands. Barak Varr did not need payment, because with one less murderous hurdle between Barak Varr and the distant east, Barak Varr would profit immensely. Doubly, triply, quadruply so, since this new route relied on going up the Blood River, which only Dwarven steam-artifice could fight the flow of.

Caravans of food and water and sundry other supplies? If the Expedition succeeded, each would be repaid by a caravan of spices and silks and jewels, and each had no choice but to pass through Barak Varr.

The final thing it needed was for King Belegar to have at his disposal a force that could worry about keeping the road open, rather than being locked in a war of attrition inside the Karak. With these men, he had acquired it.
Belegar confirmed to be a Stewardship pro.
"Spoke to Kragg," King Belegar says, shaking you from your ponderings. "He said a whole lot about how only a greenskin could be stupid enough to allow the opening that they allowed you. But after that, he said that he had no choice to concede that you were clever to exploit it the way you did, rather than just batting the spell aside. Needless to say, that's the highest of praise anyone, man or Dawi, is likely to get from him."
We won him over!
So much as Kragg COULD be won over.
He looks down in thought, and you follow his gaze. Where once the slave pit had been was freshly-quarried stone, and with typical Dwarven efficiency the area that stone had been carved from was to become a tomb for those who had fallen in the Karak's retaking. It was meant to be a stop-gap measure until a proper job could be done, but King Belegar had declared it would remain until the end of days, so that neither he nor his descendants could forget the price of the home he had retaken.
Anyone knows the layout enough to comment on the positioning and scale of the tomb?
"Expedition's done," he says. "Could keep it going a while longer and throw more lives against the other Karags, but I'd rather use the current high spirits to purchase lives instead of deaths. The men..." he pauses. "Hard to summarize them. There's the Stirland men, there's the Ulrican men, there's the Knights, and then there's the... everyone else. Wouldn't be a problem except the everyone else turned out to be hard as stone. So those that accept my offer will be the Undumgi."
Another fine example of mad Stewardship skills
He knows how to make for a campaign that would last the ages. Not burn out.
"Watchpost men?" you hazard.

"Watchpost would be dokaraz. Mingol if it's built in the lowlands. Und is a watchpost carved into a mountain, which needless to say is the best kind there is, just as these men have proven themselves. Anyway, they'll be set up in Karag Nar. Immediate access to the East Gate, and they'll have outposts at Und-Uzgar and at the Underway entrance. The Winter Wolves will build their new chapterhouse at the top of the valley on the other side, they like it nice and cold and up a mountain is the only place you get that down here. The Ulricans are talking of making a home in the valley, under the theocratic authority of the Wolves - it's not set in stone yet, they're going to set up a sawmill in the valley while they decide if they like the place. I'll gladly buy all the timber they can cut from it, and if they decide to move on they'll have a little more in their coffers. Stirlanders are taking their pay and heading home to buy a slightly larger field and a slightly larger cottage. The Halflings were already in, and once the defensive wall against Kvinn-Wyr is set up they'll start building homes throughout the Eastern Valley. And Clan Ungrund and Clan Huzkul and the Clans from Karak Izor will call Karag Lhune home." He sighs, a little happily and a little wistfully. "There'll be war on our doorstep, but such is the case for damn near everyone in these times. We'll keep pushing back what Grobi remain, and sure as the seasons turn, the Thaggoraki will make a play before too long. Karak Azul's lads will arrive any day, and there'll be plenty of work for them to do, and I daresay when word gets out that we've succeeded as much as we have, we'll be beard-deep in those seeking treasure and glory.
Oh wow, thats a lot of settlers:
-A chapterhouse in a Karag is one HELL of a way to stay out of Imperial politics being disgusting lately, and its nigh unassailable on top of being also incredibly well equipped.
-Ulrican infantry settling in the valley would be nice, but I'm expecting some friction with the Halflings eventually.
-Halflings pretty much got what they wanted, and ready to settle.

Now to wait for the shoe to drop from the Skaven.
They've been utterly confounded by recent events happening just too fast to react to, but they'd be here.

Now, the REALLY hilarious part is when the Azul boys arrive and "oh the Manlings took the Citadel before you got here".
Just, imagine their face.
[Mathilde acquires Skill: Waaaghbane: +20 to attempts to dispel and induce miscasts against any Little or Big Waaagh spells. -20 for greenskins to attempt the same to you.]
o_O

I reckon we might want to write a paper on dispelling Greenskin spells. If we can confer even half the bonus to others its a sorely needed one.

[ ] Travel to Karaz-a-Karak with King Belegar for the striking out of several well-aged grudges.
This suggests a future assisting Karak Eight Peaks with foreign relations, as a Spymaster focused outwards.

Hmm, Mathilde's diplomacy would seem to make this less than wise. It'd be a learning experience though.

[ ] Scout the rest of the Eight Peaks, to find out what other horrors are waiting out there.
This suggests a future assisting Karak Eight Peaks with its reconquest, as a Spymaster focused inwards.

Lots of work to be done here. I'm game.

[ ] Join Karak Azul as they raid and scout in force the other portions of the Karak.
This suggests a future assisting Karak Eight Peaks with its reconquest, as a battlefield wizard.

Mathilde, while servicable as a battlefield wizard, isn't really well used in this role I think.

[ ] You could help the Undumgi and the Ulricans establish themselves.
This suggests a future assisting Karak Eight Peaks, as leader of the Undumgi and point of contact for the Ulricans.

This is the part where Mathilde organizes a tavern or something for the adventurers. Since they're being stuffed into Karag Nar, its a useful opportunity.


[ ] Write a series of papers on the magical phenomena you witnessed. Or better yet, get your Journeymanlings to do the actual writing.
This suggests a future of investigation and study at Karak Eight Peaks, and perhaps helping Johann poke at Skaven technology.

[ ] There's a lot of prime real estate currently unclaimed. Stake out a prime position for a wizard's tower.
This suggests a future catching up on your pre-existing study topics.

I very very badly want both of these. Definitely in.

[ ] All this time away has made you miss your friends. Visit Anton and Wilhelmina.
This suggests a future in Stirland, whether Roswita likes it or not.

[ ] You're going to have a rough time explaining your windfall to the Bursars. Better to get that over with.
This suggests a future performing an assignment the Grey Order thinks is suited to you.

I *think* we aren't actually in any trouble yet.
It would be advisable to spend most of it before they make a fuss though.

[ ] You've been out of touch for a while. Head to Barak Varr and then Altdorf, and catch up with what's been happening in the Empire.
This suggests a future seeking employment on the Council of an Elector Count.

I'm somewhat interested.
Doesn't seem many are though.

[ ] Not every sellsword will accept King Belegar's offer of employment. Travel with them.
This suggests a future as a travelling mercenary.

...naw, not catching me at all.

So votes:

[] Write a series of papers on the magical phenomena you witnessed. Or better yet, get your Journeymanlings to do the actual writing.
[X] There's a lot of prime real estate currently unclaimed. Stake out a prime position for a wizard's tower.

[X] You could help the Undumgi and the Ulricans establish themselves.
[ ] Scout the rest of the Eight Peaks, to find out what other horrors are waiting out there.
[ ] You've been out of touch for a while. Head to Barak Varr and then Altdorf, and catch up with what's been happening in the Empire.

I'll tick these in once I catch up to the thread. Holy shit it moves fast.
E: In the interests of having a more time limited choice over the lesser, unticked the research since I doubt I can talk people away from Karaz-A-Karak
 
Last edited:
The vast majority of mercenaries will (unless I've been seriously misled) have no dependents and, quite likely, nothing to lose but their lives. As such, it would be rather a waste.
Probably depends on the mercenary. It seems quite likely that mercenaries might group up and set each other as their beneficiaries if they grow close to one another. Alternatively they might just straight up have families and friends they wish to bequeath their assets to.
I expect that one of the reasons Dwarfs make for such desirable employers is that you can trust their word that even if you're not around to see it happen that they'll make sure the money gets to where it needs to go.
 
[X] Travel to Karaz-a-Karak with King Belegar for the striking out of several well-aged grudges.

[X] There's a lot of prime real estate currently unclaimed. Stake out a prime position for a wizard's tower.

[X] You could help the Undumgi and the Ulricans establish themselves.
 
"I've spoken to Durin," you say, and he nods. "A gunpowder charge could cave in the entrance to the Citadel from the caldera. The issue is of scale. Too little and it doesn't work, too much and the structural integrity of the Citadel is threatened. I'd have to bring an expert to place the charge, or it will be a choice between risking failure and risking the Citadel."

"Could you?" King Belegar asks.

"I could get through the Citadel alone, no problem. But with an expert? There's no Rangers with the right expertise, the closest is a Clan Huzkul Miner. He'd essentially be cargo. I believe it to be possible, but..."

"But too many unknowns for guarantees." King Belegar sighs.

"I'm afraid so."

Another reason to invest in learning how to blow things up roit proppa ourselves!


Kittybirbs.

Meanwhile in the Citadel, the greatest magic-user amongst them tied in vain to remember... something? His seared brain ached as again and again he reached for information he knew was there, but arcane fire had taken from him.

"Wot da zog?"

[Mathilde acquires Skill: Waaaghbane: +20 to attempts to dispel and induce miscasts against any Little or Big Waaagh spells. -20 for greenskins to attempt the same to you.]

Can we teach this?

[ ] Travel to Karaz-a-Karak with King Belegar for the striking out of several well-aged grudges.
This suggests a future assisting Karak Eight Peaks with foreign relations, as a Spymaster focused outwards.
I like the idea of witnessing striking out the ancient grudges, but I'm not sure how I feel about 'outward-facing spymaster'. We'd be decent at it, but it's not where my heart is set.

[x] Scout the rest of the Eight Peaks, to find out what other horrors are waiting out there.
This suggests a future assisting Karak Eight Peaks with its reconquest, as a Spymaster focused inwards.
I've rather enjoyed being Belegar's personal Skunkworks asset, and defanging the Enemies of Man (and Dwarf) makes the world a better place. As the lady said, slit throats for a better tomorrow! I'm looking forward to a break in the action soon, but being called upon periodically to augment scouting efforts is a moderate inconvenience for her but a great boon for everyone else.


[x] Join Karak Azul as they raid and scout in force the other portions of the Karak.
This suggests a future assisting Karak Eight Peaks with its reconquest, as a battlefield wizard.
I presume Belegar and Kazador are willing to call upon Mathilde, especially if she is nearby and they expect trouble. That said, providing dispelling aid against greenskins alone seems worth everyone's time (especially given the scarcity of runesmiths going around).

[ ] You could help the Undumgi and the Ulricans establish themselves.
This suggests a future assisting Karak Eight Peaks, as leader of the Undumgi and point of contact for the Ulricans.
I'm not really keen on becoming Mayor of Karak Nar myself, but I imagine that we could pull off the shrine to Ranald by writing to Heideck about the opportunity. I imagine 'go far away' 'where there are people with money to burn' 'place where my god had a big victory' and 'become important in the local (developing) underworld' are going to be interesting phrases for him. I also want to get a hand in forming the local criminal network early; cities with a strong Ranaldian presence have a lot less violent crime, and we can hopefully set the ground rules for things like 'no stealing from the dwarfs' (and impose a quiet penalty in a hands-off sort of way; turn the 'found by happenstance' items over to the Rangers and have the guilty party buy the Rangers a drink. Has the potential to increase the Rangers' familiarity with Ranald, and if we focus on Ranald the Protector I think we can interfere with some of the more oblique attacks the Skaven tend to launch. I'm not saying cat burglars are a match for gutter runners, but they do frequent the same rooftops you know?

[x] Write a series of papers on the magical phenomena you witnessed. Or better yet, get your Journeymanlings to do the actual writing.
This suggests a future of investigation and study at Karak Eight Peaks, and perhaps helping Johann poke at Skaven technology.
Above and beyond the 'work for me, my minions' element that I so enjoy, I think there's some merit to helping Johann's investigations (plus potential Collage favors! And riding herd on him if necessary!), even if all we do is slip down to the City of Pillars and collect samples of tech. More than that, I suspect that this is the 'senior wizard on site' option for in case more wizards and journeymanlings wander by. Even discounting projects that aren't directly in our wheelhouse (like investigating the mushrooms and spiders), someone needs to poke at things going on here and while I don't intend to spend all our time doing so I am willing to mind the store for a bit. Additionally, while I'm not sold on this idea I'm willing to entertain it; we got +1 Learning studying the Undead with Abelheim van Hal, and here we have not one but two Enemies of Man and a favorably-inclined race acutely familiar with them, at least the basics. If we spent time and effort trying to learn what we can of both the greenskins and the Skaven (presumably by completing our Khazalid lessons so we can listen to the longbeards grumble), that's skills we can pick up (that I doubt the Dawi would be opposed to the manlings knowing). Even if we don't get the +1 Learning (which I'm okay with) getting the narrative boost of knowing not just 'that is a Skaven wizard' but 'that is a Clan Skyre warlock, likely to have wyrdstone contraptions on him' that's information the Grey Order ought to know.


[x] There's a lot of prime real estate currently unclaimed. Stake out a prime position for a wizard's tower.
This suggests a future catching up on your pre-existing study topics.
I want to catch up on some of our research projects. I'd prefer to ask around about the local waystone network (I imagine that the runesmiths of Karak Azul would know at least a bit of what happened around there even if Kragg the Grim doesn't) but even getting a merely 'good' place to set up a research tower or two is nothing to sneeze at. I especially like the part where it's near a friendly outpost of dwarfs, where we can get important things like quality made mundane tools, and ale, and angry beards willing to come to our defense if the need arises. I doubt we'd find much of any of those in Stirland (though I'm not really against letting the Grey Order set up a branch office on our lands if they feel the need). Also; spending favors on building a wizard's tower. Imagine how grumpy Kragg the Grim would be chiseling out runes of grounding and diagnosis for a manling's laboratory.


[x] All this time away has made you miss your friends. Visit Anton and Wilhelmina.
This suggests a future in Stirland, whether Roswita likes it or not.
I absolutely intend to return to Stirland, but not for a few years yet. The X-COM project awaits, and just because the elector-countess isn't keen on us being in Wurtbad doesn't mean that Stirland doesn't need our help.

[x] You're going to have a rough time explaining your windfall to the Bursars. Better to get that over with.
This suggests a future performing an assignment the Grey Order thinks is suited to you.
I'm kind of curious what the Grey Order would have us doing.

[ ] You've been out of touch for a while. Head to Barak Varr and then Altdorf, and catch up with what's been happening in the Empire.
This suggests a future seeking employment on the Council of an Elector Count.
Eh, maybe in the future, but for now I'd rather catch our breath, work through some backlog, do some training and reassess what we want to do going forward.

[ ] Not every sellsword will accept King Belegar's offer of employment. Travel with them.
This suggests a future as a travelling mercenary.
Our best chance for seeing Tilea, which I'm curious as to what BoneyM makes of it, but not my preference at the moment.
 
I think Johann, as well as Max and Panoramia will be staying for a while, (and we've got a chance at the Ambers):
Now to wait for the shoe to drop from the Skaven.
They've been utterly confounded by recent events happening just too fast to react to, but they'd be here.
Could be interesting. Maybe we even discover that Snake Juice can substitute as a Warpstone-analogue in their tech!
Inner Belegar: "Also this is less likely to end in Mathilde standing there awkwardly after exploding the Citadel Warboss or Great Shaman. Again."
#SmugMathilde #WindReaderMindReader
Knowing look at Belegar, small smile. "I believe that was a Great Shaman in there, you know."
reckon we might want to write a paper on dispelling Greenskin spells. If we can confer even half the bonus to others its a sorely needed one.
OHNONONOOOO you don't.
The drudgework of writing that up is Max's assignment, punishment reward for trying to interrupt our totally planned-for, baited-out masterstroke. ;)
 
The other wizards must be freaked out at the mastery of that dispel that Mathilde wrought on the orcs, a counterspell of surpassing skill and intellect that combined with the incredible start to the battle ended the whole fight.

They certainly aren't going to underestimate Mathilde and the grey order any time soon.
 
[X] Travel to Karaz-a-Karak with King Belegar for the striking out of several well-aged grudges.

[X] There's a lot of prime real estate currently unclaimed. Stake out a prime position for a wizard's tower.

[X] Scout the rest of the Eight Peaks, to find out what other horrors are waiting out there.
So hard to choose
 
Honestly, everything is looking good, but these are the ones I'd like to see.

[X] Scout the rest of the Eight Peaks, to find out what other horrors are waiting out there.

[X] Write a series of papers on the magical phenomena you witnessed. Or better yet, get your Journeymanlings to do the actual writing.

[X] There's a lot of prime real estate currently unclaimed. Stake out a prime position for a wizard's tower.

[X] All this time away has made you miss your friends. Visit Anton and Wilhelmina.
 
The other wizards must be freaked out at the mastery of that dispel that Mathilde wrought on the orcs, a counterspell of surpassing skill and intellect that combined with the incredible start to the battle ended the whole fight.
Hmm. I recall that (ex) Amethyst Patriarch Hexensohn was rolling at +40 versus necromancy back at Drakenhof. We'd be +20+20 now vs Waaagh.
[Hexensohn interrupt: 40+40=80.]

And then, with barely a flash of amethyst light, the spell is snuffed contemptuously out.
Master Mathilde vs Waaagh! == Amethyst Patriarch Versus Necromancy...
jeepers.
 
[X] Write a series of papers on the magical phenomena you witnessed. Or better yet, get your Journeymanlings to do the actual writing.
[X] There's a lot of prime real estate currently unclaimed. Stake out a prime position for a wizard's tower.
 
Back
Top