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Warhammer Fantasy: Divided Loyalties - an Advisor's Quest

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Regarding the EIC, I think it's important to keep in mind that the Empire is pretty mercantilist. Monopolies and the like aren't bad in these people's eyes, they're natural, even desired. As long as they don't resist the government, it's a-okay. Wilhemina is working hard on that last part.

The EIC is nowhere near the level of some of its namesakes like the British East India Company or the Dutch VOC, which literally had private armies and navies and ruled significant territory. If it starts expanding into and through Death Pass, though...well, the image of EIC Ogre or Hobgoblin Sepoys duking it out with Chaos Dwarves has a certain appeal...
 
Valarauko said:
She could also get married and just, y'know, not have children?
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I'm not denying the possibility, but the expectation's going to be there given Anton's a landed noble of some standing. Refusing to have children, unless Anton doesn't want kids himself seems a bit unfair considering how much pressure there is on him to get married in large part to secure succession.

That's probably one of my biggest concerns in all this- is whatever arrangement we compromise out going to be fair to Anton? He wants to marry us because he knows he can trust us pretty much unconditionally. Our job pretty much requires we keep a fair few secrets from him, and that facet of our life he hasn't necessarily had a lot of exposure to. We're going to likelier than not be away potentially risking life and limb while he runs his household and maybe raises our kids. Did Anton offer this knowing this possibility? Is he still on some level convinced we'll be back in Stirland on a more permanent basis sooner than later?
 
Stranger1950 said:
At least for me, that type of family dynamics is pretty common to me. Just that in this case, the role is reversed with Mathilde coming back in the weekends with a Gyrocopter and Anton being with the kids all week. It's also possible for Anton to come into Karag Nar assuming that Anton senior is fine with this.

I don't know, at least for me, I just wanted to see Mathilde being able to enjoy life aside from fighting/researching/Ranald and building a family would be nice for Mathilde at least in my opinion.
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Long distance relationships fall apart enough with instant communication in our world, I'm not betting on it here. Especially because it is all but physically impossible for us to not keep major secrets from him, never mind another pull of our loyalty, making it three, fourway. We struggle enough with just two ways.

I do not believe one needs a family (re: marriage and the results) to be happy. And being tied down like that just lowers our options. It's not fair to us to be tied down, and not fair to Anton to have a wife who would prefer (via the questers) to be out and about, far from home.
 
Stranger1950 said:
It's also possible for Anton to come into Karag Nar assuming that Anton senior is fine with this.
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Aton senior is retired. Anton is the Baron now. That comes with duties.

BlackWink said:
I'd be fine playing a character that has very little relation with Mathilda but still takes place in the same world.
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I have a personal fondness for the idea of being a Priest of Ulric serving one of the northern Counts; probably Hochland, given it was an option at chargen.
 
[X] Stay single. Marry for love.

[X] Court Wizard


As much as I like Anton as a character, I'm not super jazzed about Mathilde marrying him, or about each of them being the least bad option compared to staying alone forever (which I doubt would happen, in any case). I feel like there could be more interesting prospects out there for both of them; besides, the big-bro-little(?)-sis dynamic they have is sweet enough.

On the other OTHER hand, I wouldn't be annoyed if they did end up marrying, because they are literally the dictionary definition for good cop bad cop and that would still be a hilarious dynamic to watch in action.

I can see someone fleeing to the crazy Grey Wizard's husband and DEMANDING that Anton convinces her to not do The Thing, only to be smiled brightly at and somehow end up convinced that The Thing is a jolly good idea. And by the way, why not let her do The Other Thing too, and maybe throw in a few minor concessions as well?
 
[X] Marry them...
- [X] Wilhelmina.

[X] Court Wizard

Don't care for or about Anton or Wilhelmina at all, so might as well pair the spares.
 
EVA-Saiyajin said:
Long distance relationships fall apart enough with instant communication in our world, I'm not betting on it here. Especially because it is all but physically impossible for us to not keep major secrets from him, never mind another pull of our loyalty, making it three, fourway. We struggle enough with just two ways.

I do not believe one needs a family (re: marriage and the results) to be happy. And being tied down like that just lowers our options. It's not fair to us to be tied down, and not fair to Anton to have a wife who would prefer (via the questers) to be out and about, far from home.
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It was mentioned in the description that if Mathilde and Anton becomes a thing, she can easily go back to Blutdorf with a gyrocopter or have Anton come to Karag Nar. Also, with secrecy, I feel that Anton understands our position enough to respect our privacy and the secrets we need to hold. We have worked with the guy for a decade and he would know where we stands regarding this matter.

Still, I do agree that marriage is not necessary to attain true happiness, just that what I was saying is that I hope it will open up another avenue of happiness for Mathilde to enjoy.
 
So am I the only one who noticed that the developement of the western half of a province has been subcontracted to the old steward(that quit), after getting that steward to pay for the privilege?
 
it's weird how everyone paints not getting married at all as a bad thing. We have no pressure to marry, no pressure to have children, no need to marry at all. Why bother if it's not out of love?
 
[X] Marry them...
- [X] Reinhild Gerber
[X] 'Head Ranger' (Spymaster), Internal Focus
[X] Steward
 
[X] Marry me...
- [X] Soon.

I strongly agree with others who have said that this is looking like Mathilde's last chance for marriage before she accepts spinsterhood. More then that, if we decline because of political reaosns or because we're super busy, I feel like that just reinforces her reasoning for not pursuing Van Hal making it more likely she never again considers it.

Also, to those who are voting Marry for Love, why in the name of all that is holy are you picking that? That option is just begging for a Slaaneshi or Tzeentchian cultist to worm their way into his heart and corrupt him for their Dark Gods benefit. The poor guy is seriously connected diplomatically to the nobility in Stirland, he's currently building a gunsmith that will be the backbone of the Stirland Armies logistics, and he's now got serious economical pull with the EIC. That is a terrifyingly tempting target for Chaos.
 
Chlof said:
it's weird how everyone paints not getting married at all as a bad thing. We have no pressure to marry, no pressure to have children, no need to marry at all. Why bother if it's not out of love?
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I would imagine some part of it is instinct from the other CK2-based Warhammer quests, but also Mathilde's apparent melancholy over contemplating a future without companionship. Granted, why we'd want to marry someone for convenience when we're not particularly interested in them nor have we any history of that sort of relationship is questionable. I guess there's kinda the whole "If neither of us are married by [AGE], then we'll marry each other" thing at play, but even considering her melancholy, her instinctive reaction to Anton didn't seem very open to the idea in the first place.
 
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EVA-Saiyajin said:
Long distance relationships fall apart enough with instant communication in our world, I'm not betting on it here. Especially because it is all but physically impossible for us to not keep major secrets from him.
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Stranger1950 said:
It was mentioned in the description that if Mathilde and Anton becomes a thing, she can easily go back to Blutdorf with a gyrocopter or have Anton come to Karag Nar. Also, with secrecy, I feel that Anton understands our position enough to respect our privacy and the secrets we need to hold. We have worked with the guy for a decade and he would know where we stands regarding this matter.

Still, I do agree that marriage is not necessary to attain true happiness, just that what I was saying is that I hope it will open up another avenue of happiness for Mathilde to enjoy.
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Pretty sure for secrets OP's talking Liber Mortis type stuff, not secrets that belong to the Grey Order / Others but are our secrets.
 
Ah, one thing that's important; people were saying earlier that Western Stirland is the richest part; it isn't, that's Southern Stirland.
BoneyM said:
Southern Stirland, you soon realize, is actually the richest third of Stirland proper. Though Wurtbad is by far the largest population center in the province, Schramleben, Hornau, Leicheberg and Sigmaringen are second through fifth, the fertile soil between the Moot and the mountains supporting fertile fields and vast herds of cattle. It comes as something of a shock to you, as you'd assumed that Western Stirland, furthest from Sylvania and where you'd spent most of your time and attention, would naturally be the biggest part of it - but it's only Wurtbad that makes Western Stirland so important, and without it, the average wealth and size of the towns and villages is far below that of Southern Stirland.

You suppose it makes sense, when you think about it. Most of Western Stirland (and Central Stirland, for that matter) is hills and woods; good for sheep and hunters, but not the sort of place that makes an area rich. For that, you need crops and cows. There were decent farmlands along the Aver, but they lacked the fertility of the lands tucked up against the Moot. You think you're starting to understand why generations of Stirland's Elector Counts have resented the halflings for the loss of Stirland's most valuable soil.
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The only thing that's been stated about the relationship between Roswita and S. Stirland is:
BoneyM said:
"She's brought Southern Stirland to heel and the selling off of the Hunter's Hills are going well
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Rentoba said:
Also, to those who are voting Marry for Love, why in the name of all that is holy are you picking that? That option is just begging for a Slaaneshi or Tzeentchian cultist to worm their way into his heart and corrupt him for their Dark Gods benefit. The poor guy is seriously connected diplomatically to the nobility in Stirland, he's currently building a gunsmith that will be the backbone of the Stirland Armies logistics, and he's now got serious economical pull with the EIC. That is a terrifyingly tempting target for Chaos.
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Maybe they don't realize that Anton loves Mathilde, and has since Turn 2 Results, but he can't spit it out.
 
Rentoba said:
[X] Marry me...
- [X] Soon.

I strongly agree with others who have said that this is looking like Mathilde's last chance for marriage before she accepts spinsterhood. More then that, if we decline because of political reaosns or because we're super busy, I feel like that just reinforces her reasoning for not pursuing Van Hal making it more likely she never again considers it.
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I have yet to see any real benefits or fun from such a thing. The "busy" stuff is fun.

Having our loyalties be split even further is not. Having to have children is not. Being forced to attend to a husband is not.

[X] Court Wizard

[X] Marry them...
- [X] Reinhild Gerber

- [X] Wilhelmina.


[X] Stay single. Marry for love.
[X] Stay out of it
 
Rentoba said:
I strongly agree with others who have said that this is looking like Mathilde's last chance for marriage before she accepts spinsterhood. More then that, if we decline because of political reaosns or because we're super busy, I feel like that just reinforces her reasoning for not pursuing Van Hal making it more likely she never again considers it.
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I disagree with this notion for narrative reasons. I think we'll get at least one more real chance before it becomes mostly closed. Rule of Threes. We had a vague chance with Van Hal, but that never reached a point where it could be appropriate. Since then, the only chance described was Anton here, and if we reject that, narratively I'd expect Boney to dangle an opportunity (or more) in front of us at Karag Nar (soon to be a crossroads for any number of interesting characters) before it's decided that a love life is not in the cards for Mathilde.
 
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All we need do to keep the EIC in check is finish our economics skill and attend board meetings. We already planned to use it as a springboard for a spy network stretching from K8P up through the empire, no reason they cannot look inward as well as out.

Regarding the 'marry him' vote I will say only this: Marriage is about spending your life with someone. And there is no chance, none whatsoever at this point, that Mathilde will spend her life with Anton. He has his lands and she has her Karak. Saying they can visit on weekends is just another way of saying they will spend the vast majority of their time apart.
If you want to argue that Mathilde wants someone to love (in whatever sense of the word) then a man who will be a thousand miles away far more often than not is a poor choice indeed.

On a more cheerful topic, do we know if Max got a cut of the gambling scam? Even if he only got a tenth of Mathilde's haul he is well set for the next year or so.
 
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