Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
Voting is open
Right, voting.

[x] Remain in Karak Eight Peaks, either in the employ of Belegar or pursuing your research.
[x] Give them away...
- [x] To the Amber College
[x] Speak with King Belegar and King Kazador about the relationships and apparent rifts between Dwarfholds.
[x] Scout the rest of the Eight Peaks, to find out what other horrors are waiting out there.
[x] Claim the site where Ranald mugged Mork and build a shrine to Ranald there.
[x] All this time away has made you miss your friends, and you'll be practically next door in Altdorf. Visit Anton and Wilhelmina.
[x] Make a full report on the geopolitical troubles among the Dwarven Empire, even though some of it was said to you in confidence.
[x] You've been out of touch for a while. Linger in Altdorf after you visit the College and catch up with what's been happening in the Empire.

I wonder if the Stirland socialization action or material retrieval will include talking with Julia (who you may recall is Ambitious and the daughter of a trading family, as well as still in the employ of Stirland, and crazy ambitious trading schemes are right up her alley) and Heideck (the only full priest of Ranald we actually know). I'd be interested in seeing scenes with either of them. Heck, I might even be interested in poaching Julia and taking her south to run things for us once again, if she's got any interest at all.

It's a little baffling that it would be necessary or useful to spend an action on getting our snake box when it's clear that we have ample gyrocopter access, making the retrieval process a matter of a few days, tops, and an entire monthly slot would need to be spent on research. We'd lose what, 20% of our time for research at absolute most? It feels like the sort of thing that should be below the game's level of abstraction. I guess it's more important as a statement of intent than actual practical achievement.
 
Last edited:
So, I have both good news and bad.

Recall when we hoped to speak to influential people of status in the Empire, to boost our ambition to reach Lord Magister rank? So of the three Knightly Orders present, we spoke (spook?) to Ruprecht Wolfhart of the Winter Wolves.

Now, unfortunately for our political ambitions, we picked the Grand Master Non Grata Ruprecht, who alone amongst the Knightly Orders isn't returning to the Empire.
Both Demigryph orders are heading back to the Empire, their order heads un-interacted with by us. Clearly they remain loyal, but...

So, picture Ruprechts' reaction. We've just won a telling victory, his Order has shown their value to a potentially powerful ally in King Belegar, and he's contemplating a possible future alliance.

All in all, the expedition is having early success, and unlike his peers, he has no intention of returning to the Empire. Then, just as everything is looking up, a shadow lays itself upon his ambitions, his and his alone among the Grand Masters:

"How... how did she know?" :o:ninja:
And the sad thing is, we are going to have to save his political ass, because we need someone to cover for our anti-sigmarism.
 
Last edited:
And Warpstone, the glowing green rock that comes from contact the Imaterium is a WHF concept. Calling the Realm of Chaos the Warp is less a 40K concept and more a 40K word for the same thing.

In 40k Captial W Warp and RoC are the same thing but in WHF no one calls it the Warp, which is why I called it a 40k concept. It's not like the word "warp" doesn't exist though.
 
Hopefully not too late.

[X] Remain in Karak Eight Peaks, either in the employ of Belegar or pursuing your research.

[X] Give them away...
- [X] To the Amber College

[X] Claim the site where Ranald mugged Mork and build a shrine to Ranald there.
[X] King Belegar is allowing you to use the King's Armoury. Recover your extant study materials from Stirland and tuck them away safely in there.
[X] Scout the rest of the Eight Peaks, to find out what other horrors are waiting out there.

[edit] That's a relief, still a valid vote. The difference between the two is a single vote now.
 
Last edited:
IRL demands will see voting extend for five to six extra hours before writing begins.

@BoneyM, would it be possible to go above 10 in Magic or is capped for humans?

Magic 10 would be about the limit for those entirely human, but that's normally been given up long before one approaches that level.

Hey @BoneyM, if its not rude to pry, why is the

option separate from the

option?

Selection of priorities.

There's a lot to be said for the fact that BoneyM confirmed iirc that each peak has its own plot equivalent to what we've already seen going on and that if we don't get to them before they complete they'll blindside us. I don't think it's likely that we'll suddenly be booted out of K8P baring a series of Natural 1s but that doesn't mean that something horrible like losing loads of lifes can't and wont happen that leads to further ossification in the karaz-ankor where even their recent big victories turn into blood bathes.

While it is the case that everyone has their own plots and ambitions, not all of them will be equal in scope, not all will succeed, and not all will be targeted at you. Greenskins and Skaven alike are not known for reliable results or unity of purpose.

TBH, I'm a bit worried about how flagrantly we're flouting these rules.

The main unspoken concern of the Grey Order rules is that any Grey Wizard willing to abuse their magic is capable of trivially becoming incredibly wealthy at the expense of the Empire. The rules are vague enough so that if someone is doing anything from mug-and-Mindhole all the way up to Substance of Shadow into a bank vault or royal treasury, there's absolutely no legal barriers to a sudden and invisible knife in the night. And that's not even getting into what a Grey Wizard might be capable of if they went rogue and were actively trying to harm the Empire.

There are loopholes because if your money is made in non-harmful ways that are not taking up huge chunks of your time and effort, that is not a problem for the Grey Order.

@BoneyM - I was thinking about the Dwarf Favour question and whether you'd missed anything, and thought about our Seed of Regrowth? I imagine that being able to revive recently dead dwarves and make whole those that have been crippled should be worth a couple favor points at least given it's literally saving dwarven lives. Particularly favor from the ones that would have died/or been crippled.

My main concern with this is that taken to its logical conclusion, it means Mathilde spends the rest of her life with a pile of grievously wounded on one side and a fresh supply of corpses on the other, which does not make for an engaging story.

@BoneyM ,where exactly is Und-Uzgar located?

The Death Pass side of Karag Lhune.

So I was trawling through wiki entries, and apparently there's a great temple to Grimnir somewhere in K8P that many slayers have tried and failed to reclaim in canon Warhammer. Does anyone know where that is?

Possibly the Hall of Oaths in Karag Lhune.

@BoneyM you said we'd get at least another epilogue, so is the third part actually the last, or is there a part 4?

This will probably be the last, and if there's another it probably won't be using the same voting structure.

Also, is Sky-Thane someone we can strike up conversation/friendship about guns?

His focus appears to be on larger-scale devices but he would have some expertise on blackpowder weapons.
 
My main concern with this is that taken to its logical conclusion, it means Mathilde spends the rest of her life with a pile of grievously wounded on one side and a fresh supply of corpses on the other, which does not make for an engaging story.
I would simply rule that the Seed can't be constantly in use like that. You don't want to risk "tiring" or overtaxing it, do you?
Doing this also explains why the Empire doesn't have trusted people whose job is to follow armies around and use Seeds. Sure Seeds are expensive and could only be given to highly trusted individuals, but that would definitely be worth it.
 
[X] Remain in Karak Eight Peaks, either in the employ of Belegar or pursuing your research.

[X] Give them away...
- [X] To the Amber College

[X] Claim the site where Ranald mugged Mork and build a shrine to Ranald there.
[X] King Belegar is allowing you to use the King's Armoury. Recover your extant study materials from Stirland and tuck them away safely in there.
[X] Scout the rest of the Eight Peaks, to find out what other horrors are waiting out there.
 
I would simply rule that the Seed can't be constantly in use like that. You don't want to risk "tiring" or overtaxing it, do you?
Doing this also explains why the Empire doesn't have trusted people whose job is to follow armies around and use Seeds. Sure Seeds are expensive and could only be given to highly trusted individuals, but that would definitely be worth it.

That would be the IC reason I'd give if the issue came up, and why the Seed would only see use on 'named' characters. I just prefer to be clear on the point because the value of a life is a pretty loaded topic, and to some people preventing deaths and healing the dying are weighed different, and I really don't think this thread is going to be the place we finally see a conclusion to the Trolley Problem.
 
That would be the IC reason I'd give if the issue came up, and why the Seed would only see use on 'named' characters. I just prefer to be clear on the point because the value of a life is a pretty loaded topic, and to some people preventing deaths and healing the dying are weighed different, and I really don't think this thread is going to be the place we finally see a conclusion to the Trolley Problem.
Well, K8P would get some deep salt mines out of it.
 
and I really don't think this thread is going to be the place we finally see a conclusion to the Trolley Problem.
Leave the trolley on the same track. Hunt down and kill whoever was on the other track at the earliest opportunity.
It's the only way that is equally fair.
E: One person finds this funny, 16 think its insightful. I don't know if its a better or worse look for us if we swap that ratio. 🤔
 
Last edited:
The Death Pass side of Karag Lhune.
Damn.

I guess that means an outpost/fortress will have to be founded in the Death Pass, at the intersection of old and new silk roads - for military purposes, to counter the orc raids from Karak Drazh.

And, given that k8p is actually a bit off the trade route, that outpost will naturally develop into a trade hub, siphoning merchant traffic from k8p.
 
So hey, here's a crazy thought:

The Wisdom's Asp is a daemon. Where does studying daemons land on the ol' Black Magister Chart o' Heresies? Is it at the 'studying necromancy' level, or is it more around the level of studying skaven technology?
Skaven technology, I'd say. When in doubt, refer back to the Articles of Imperial Magic.

> 7. No Magister may ever study the Forbidden Lores of the Daemonic Powers, nor the unholy ways of Necromancy, nor any other sorcery or witchcraft that utilises the wicked powers of Dark Magic. Any Magister found disregarding this Article is guilty of an Abominable Act and is both Heretic and Traitor and will be put to sword and fire immediately.

Lore of X like Lore of Shadows, Lore of Sigmar, Lore of Tzeentch is the system term for a "spell list" that a caster gets access to. I don't think the Articles are referencing the game-mechanical term directly, but I do think they're at least pointing in that direction: the ban focuses on learning how to cast Lore of Tzeentch or Lore of Necromancy or other dark spells, or otherwise gaining the capability to perform other effects that would belong on those spell lists.
(Both the book and the QM have stated that these articles are supposed to be somewhat flexible and open to interpretation and judgment calls rather than pinning down every edge case.)
Merely studying what's up with the asp and whether something productive can be done with its magic blood is probably not banned under Article Seven, but rather allowed under Article Four, and perhaps even borderline encouraged by Article Fifteen.

> 4. The Colleges are free to study, document, practice, and experiment with the arcane forces of magic that are present in this world, provided they adhere to the restrictions laid down by Teclis of Ulthuan, keep the good of Sigmar's Holy Empire in their hearts and minds, and obey the Articles of this document.
> 15. All Magisters are required to exert themselves to seek out and counter such destructive and anti-Imperial machinations, practices, peoples, and creatures that are beyond the means of civil authorities and Sigmar's Templars to counter, but yet still serve the Daemon Gods or advance the corruption of Imperial citizens through any sorcerous or infernal means. This shall be the prime concern and purpose of the Colleges, their Orders and the Magisters belonging to them, and to fail in this duty is to render void all the Articles of this document and make obsolete their permission to practise arcane arts without hindrance.

Is Mathilde adhering to the restrictions laid down by Teclis? Probably.
Is she keeping the good of Sigmar's Holy Empire in mind? Helping dwarfs to kill orcs almost certainly counts.
Is she otherwise obeying the Articles? Yes.

If the snake ever begins talking, though, then I'd guess it's very quickly into Studying Forbidden Lore territory and Mathilde needs to stop listening. Or if its blood begins spelling out strange messages where it's poured out. Or that sort of thing.
 
Selection of priorities.

I get that the separation is part of the system you're using for figuring out priorities, but the armory options is seen by many as more obligatory than everything else. I feel like it's gamifying a miscelaneous action that would otherwise be done automatically if we visited Stirland for basically any reason. Gyrocopter access makes it a near-trivial expenditure of time realistically speaking. But because it's an action we have to spend a slot on, people are instead very worried about not doing it costing us huge amounts of time.
 
Skaven technology, I'd say. When in doubt, refer back to the Articles of Imperial Magic.

> 7. No Magister may ever study the Forbidden Lores of the Daemonic Powers, nor the unholy ways of Necromancy, nor any other sorcery or witchcraft that utilises the wicked powers of Dark Magic. Any Magister found disregarding this Article is guilty of an Abominable Act and is both Heretic and Traitor and will be put to sword and fire immediately.

Lore of X like Lore of Shadows, Lore of Sigmar, Lore of Tzeentch is the system term for a "spell list" that a caster gets access to. I don't think the Articles are referencing the game-mechanical term directly, but I do think they're at least pointing in that direction: the ban focuses on learning how to cast Lore of Tzeentch or Lore of Necromancy or other dark spells, or otherwise gaining the capability to perform other effects that would belong on those spell lists.
(Both the book and the QM have stated that these articles are supposed to be somewhat flexible and open to interpretation and judgment calls rather than pinning down every edge case.)
Merely studying what's up with the asp and whether something productive can be done with its magic blood is probably not banned under Article Seven, but rather allowed under Article Four, and perhaps even borderline encouraged by Article Fifteen.

> 4. The Colleges are free to study, document, practice, and experiment with the arcane forces of magic that are present in this world, provided they adhere to the restrictions laid down by Teclis of Ulthuan, keep the good of Sigmar's Holy Empire in their hearts and minds, and obey the Articles of this document.
> 15. All Magisters are required to exert themselves to seek out and counter such destructive and anti-Imperial machinations, practices, peoples, and creatures that are beyond the means of civil authorities and Sigmar's Templars to counter, but yet still serve the Daemon Gods or advance the corruption of Imperial citizens through any sorcerous or infernal means. This shall be the prime concern and purpose of the Colleges, their Orders and the Magisters belonging to them, and to fail in this duty is to render void all the Articles of this document and make obsolete their permission to practise arcane arts without hindrance.

Is Mathilde adhering to the restrictions laid down by Teclis? Probably.
Is she keeping the good of Sigmar's Holy Empire in mind? Helping dwarfs to kill orcs almost certainly counts.
Is she otherwise obeying the Articles? Yes.

If the snake ever begins talking, though, then I'd guess it's very quickly into Studying Forbidden Lore territory and Mathilde needs to stop listening. Or if its blood begins spelling out strange messages where it's poured out. Or that sort of thing.

It's actually even more flexible than that in practice, there are magister lords permitted to study the Empire's copy of the Liber Mortis and presumably other similar texts because they are trusted not to use the lore to wield dark magic, though of course that is not an exception one would ever wish to make public for obvious reasons.
 
Last edited:
I get that the separation is part of the system you're using for figuring out priorities, but the armory options is seen by many as more obligatory than everything else. I feel like it's gamifying a miscelaneous action that would otherwise be done automatically if we visited Stirland for basically any reason. Gyrocopter access makes it a near-trivial expenditure of time realistically speaking. But because it's an action we have to spend a slot on, people are instead very worried about not doing it costing us huge amounts of time.

The research materials do include fragile objects and twelve gallons of spicy snakejuice that are going to be a pain and a half to shift, whether done now or later.
 
Last edited:
The research materials do include fragile objects and a whole bunch of kegs of spicy snakejuice that are going to be a pain and a half to shift, whether done now or later.
oooh spicy
can I have it with my steak?

EDIT: More serious note

The fact that our preciousness are located under the secret sunken place of ultra secrecy probably contributes to that too
 
[x] All this time away has made you miss your friends, and you'll be practically next door in Altdorf. Visit Anton and Wilhelmina.

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

[X] King Belegar is allowing you to use the King's Armoury. Recover your extant study materials from Stirland and tuck them away safely in there.
 
Last edited:
oooh spicy
can I have it with my steak?

EDIT: More serious note

The fact that our preciousness are located under the secret sunken place of ultra secrecy probably contributes to that too
Oh yeah. We can't just load them all into a gyrocopter, in order to preserve our other shrine we've got to basically steal them from ourselves first, without getting caught.
 
The research materials do include fragile objects and twelve gallons of spicy snakejuice that are going to be a pain and a half to shift, whether done now or later.

I can see that but it still feels like if we visit stirland to see our friends and we want to take the items back that it'd just get wrapped into the visit friends actions. The gyrocopter is getting used in both cases right?
 
I can see that but it still feels like if we visit stirland to see our friends and we want to take the items back that it'd just get wrapped into the visit friends actions. The gyrocopter is getting used in both cases right?

No. Wouldn't want to risk the constant vibration of a gyrocopter in flight with fragile materials, some of which are full of demon-snake, and a liquid of unknown properties and sensitivity.
 
Voting is open
Back
Top