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No, mentally. As in, you need a certain mindset for each wind, and holding that mindset changes how you think without any magic involved.

If you use the Dhar mindset you become a supervillain even if it never corrupts you, because using Dhar is synonymous with being enough of a supervillain to make it do your bidding.

The entire point of the Ulgu tongs is to use the Ulgu mindset to mess with things that require non-Ulgu mindsets.
The mental effect of channeling a Wind isn't just metaphysical influence. It's the mindset you need to command it. Kragg's belt protects us from Dhar exposure, like a hazmat suit. It does not protect us from the psychological effects of having the mindset one uses to channel Dhar directly, because that's not Dhar doing something to us, that's just our brain adopting a mindset reflexively, the same way it reflexively adopts the mindset required to use Ulgu.
Now, you're portraying this as an absolute certainty, and I find claims of utter immunity to all downsides of one of the pillars of setting darkness... hubristic. However as a specific counterpoint-

Rune Belt =/= preventing Evil Magic Mind Grooves due to Human neuroplasticity.
This is my breakdown of the mental affect of dhar and how it is only as dangerous as the mentsl effect of ulgu or another wind.
First, I absolutely agree on not using dhar. The only time I would agree on using anything other than the second secret would be if the empire somehow approved of is learning it or the empire somehow ceased to matter.

With that out of the way, this is the WOG concerning the affects of using Dhar besides corruption.

Ignore the part that links dhar and serial killers for a second.

Instead focus on the bolded bit that explicitly compares the mindstate produced by dhar to shyish and then the other winds. Then read the second bolded point that explains that the college already taught her how to deal with this.

Now if researching serial killers still seems like a big thing, let me remind you that Mathilde just murdered over 40 human beings this turn. She is not a modern day person like you or me. War and death is a part of her life, and she already deals with it. She's not going to become a serial killer just because she researched serial killers for a week.

Tldr it's no more dangerous than wielding ulgu to Mathilde personally. It's still dangerous for those around us and for our reputation.
This either refers to using dhar directly in which case using ulgu tongs makes it even safer or this refers to using dhar through ulgu tongs which means that it is mentally safe. The end result is that we can wield Dhar without going through mental or metaphysical or any other form of corruption.
 
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[X] Loremaster: Expert on beekeeping
[X] Princess Edda, to pry for details about her illicit romance with Prince Kazrik.
[X] Empress 'Heidi', to see if you can snatch a private moment to speak honestly with her.
[X] Karak Hirn, to satisfy your curiousity about Prince Ulthar.
[X] Roswita, to present her with a copy of the book her late father contributed to.
[X] Sir Ruprecht Wulfhart, to check up on the Ulrikadrin and get to know him better.
[X] Kragg the Grim, who you could likely convince to start gloating.
[X] Karak Kadrin, presenting them with the skull of an old enemy (but not to keep).
[X] Roswita, as she tries to wrap her head around the influx of Battle Wizards.
[X] Try to find Kasmir in Sylvania
[x] Build it into the entrance to the Penthouse.
 
You mean other than creating/writing the Liber Mortis which is perhaps one of the most dangerous books in existence, certainly in regards to human stuff, and whose copies have been essential reading for and allowed the rise of countless necromancers?
None of whom have ever become anywhere near the threat the Skaven were.
 
[X] Sir Ruprecht Wulfhart, to check up on the Ulrikadrin and get to know him better.
[X] Kragg the Grim, who you could likely convince to start gloating.
[X] Princess Edda, to pry for details about her illicit romance with Prince Kazrik.
[X] Empress 'Heidi', to see if you can snatch a private moment to speak honestly with her.

[x] Build it into the entrance to the Penthouse.
 
"It's been dealt with already. Root and branch."

"Thank Taal." He glances at you again. "One of your hands?"

"Actually no, one of our up-and-coming Magisters. Dame Weber."
I did like this affirmation, but... I do wonder about the details of 'Algard's hands'.

Yes, clearly his extra-secret Grey Wizard Operatives, and probably source of the 'trusted few' heading back to Teufelheim. But, cool to glimpse the inner College workings.

Between this, the Magister Patriarch taking notice, our 'best friend Empress' and the Emperor knowing our name and probably soon seeing us as someone who can deal with any sensitive matters with the Dwarves-

Inner circle of Imperial Society, here we come! Hope you're ready for our slightly doofy self!

From our mountain fastness hundreds and hundreds of miles south. :lol:

(But yeah, maybe we should brush up on Diplomacy just a little).
 
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You know, I do wish that the Roswita options had been presented as something like:
[.] Roswita...
-[.] ...to present her with a copy of the book her late father contributed to.
-[.] ...as she tries to wrap her head around the influx of Battle Wizards.
-[.] ...Both (counts as two choices)

So that Roswita votes could explicitly exclude the double action and we wouldn't be stuck with double Roswita in a vote where nearly everyone wants one Roswita and (I think) very few of us want to spend 40% of our choices on her.
 
[X] Kragg the Grim, who you could likely convince to start gloating.
[X] Princess Edda, to pry for details about her illicit romance with Prince Kazrik.
[X] Empress 'Heidi', to see if you can snatch a private moment to speak honestly with her.
[X] Roswita, to present her with a copy of the book her late father contributed to.
[X] Try to find Kasmir in Sylvania.
 
So that Roswita votes could explicitly exclude the double action and we wouldn't be stuck with double Roswita in a vote where nearly everyone wants one Roswita and (I think) very few of us want to spend 40% of our choices on her.

If you want to see a particular thing, vote for it. If you don't, don't. This is not a difficult system.

If the thread as a whole is voting for two things while not actually wanting to see both of those things, that is 100% the thread's problem and 0% my problem, and I'm not going to complicate the voting to try to account for that silliness.
 
[X] Loremaster: Expert on beekeeping


[X] Kragg the Grim, who you could likely convince to start gloating.
[X] Karak Kadrin, presenting them with the skull of an old enemy (but not to keep).
[X] Roswita, as she tries to wrap her head around the influx of Battle Wizards.
[X] Roswita, to present her with a copy of the book her late father contributed to.
[X] Empress 'Heidi', to see if you can snatch a private moment to speak honestly with her.
[X] Anton, to see how his firearm factory is going.
[X] Wilhelmina, to see how she's going when she's not a terrifying financial juggernaut.
[X] Try to find Kasmir in Sylvania.
[X] Check in on the Gong Farmers and the Niter Factory.
[X] Check in on your fief in Stirland.


[X] Build it into the entrance to the Penthouse.

So many choices, I'll just approval vote for a shitton.
 
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So, uh, I've noticed a certain lack of regard to one particular line while people have been freaking about the super-ballsy empress who worships Ranald. Namely, this:
As you try to wrap your head around the magnitude of the plot Ranald appears to have expended his divine bounty upon
That, if I am understanding this correctly, refers to the Divine Bounty Ranald got off of Mork. You know, the shit we stole for him. The shit he has apparently used to get one of his high and greatest worshippers to be both Empress and mother to the next Emperor. Who will likely also be a Ranaldian if the god has any sense. That can only happen because of us. He owes use this. Or would if he hadn't already given us the coin. We basically just facilitated a Ranaldian version of Karl Franz, with any luck. Just, you know, in case people hadn't noticed.
 
On the topic of RuneKing Superman, can we all just take a moment to appreciate that his swag saved us not once this update, but twice? Spelleater to the face followed by Rune of the Unknown on our sword leading a disarmed sword into an ACTUAL disarm on poor Alkhazred.
Also, we were told not to come up with any clever plan for getting more loot, yet the dwarven crew did to get a bitchin' dragon skull, proving that the entire universe is nothing but background rolls for "Dwarf Quest: Gyrocopter Driver" :V

This is meant to be a humorous comment, I respect and appreciate BoneyM's measures to keep powercreep in check, even if it means restraining my hoarding and roleplaying instincts.
Those guys just got SO MUCH Mathilde rep.
 
Wow, good turn.

What do you even talk about first? A very good Roswita and Matilde scene is just blown out of the water by the revelation of the Empress. Ulthar keeping an ear to the ground back in K8P. Wizards crushing it across the board.

The final days of Frederick Van Hal, Vlad's confirmed 'best mortal' and BFF. I'm kind of amazed that at no point during that conversion from genius to genius lunatic did Vlad step in and turn him. I guess he was an experiment in the end, but clearly Vlad is the kind of pet owner to get crazy attached.
Well I mean he'd still be insane if he'd been turned, so maybe Vlad saw a quick death as kinder than an eternity of Insanity.
 
Yes


I was waiting for this moment!



MATHILDE VON WEBER! Do you treasure the world you live in? Or would you break it's rules to follow your desires?

It might be that you and I are doomed to be enemies, but I will continue to wish for a world where Abel can be happy.

If you ever feel like sacrificing your morals for the sake of a man who gave his everything to serve his country, give me a call~

Now to see what has happened in the 50+ pages that has spawned while I was distracted looking for that picture
Back! Back foul daemon, to the pits of Chaos whence you formed!!
 
This either refers to using dhar directly in which case using ulgu tongs makes it even safer or this refers to using dhar through ulgu tongs which means thst it us mentally safe. The end result is that we can wield Dhar without going through mental or metaphysical or any other form of corruption.
I'll note that that point has a specific context of "a week". I.e a small and temporary amount of time, and it messes her up. Consider what would happen if we have to use it repeatedly. Consider also that Dhar is in-setting, pure Evil on the scale of other Fantasy Evils. That stuff leaves marks. Boney I'm pretty sure used the serial killer thing as an analogy which weakens your idea of "She's pre-modern and thus has a different outlook on murder stuff so its not as bad". She does but that sort of analogy is what I use to explain to my players a character's mindset in a relative context they can actually understand.

Like I get that you're trying to correct a conclusion on mine and other's parts about corruption but I have read the same stuff as you and clearly come away with a completely different conclusion that I think is genuinely safer. And also, one of my principles when approaching Dhar is that safety is paramount so I'm gonna hold things I think are genuinely safer as better conclusions.

Going off that conclusion I don't think its unreasonable to be wary about somewhat ambiguous mental immunity.
 
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So, uh, I've noticed a certain lack of regard to one particular line while people have been freaking about the super-ballsy empress who worships Ranald. Namely, this:

That, if I am understanding this correctly, refers to the Divine Bounty Ranald got off of Mork. You know, the shit we stole for him. The shit he has apparently used to get one of his high and greatest worshippers to be both Empress and mother to the next Emperor. Who will likely also be a Ranaldian if the god has any sense. That can only happen because of us. He owes use this. Or would if he hadn't already given us the coin. We basically just facilitated a Ranaldian version of Karl Franz, with any luck. Just, you know, in case people hadn't noticed.
Actually, this has been noted. And he doesn't owe us, because, you know, he did his part of the heist. And the Imperial line is not hereditary.
 
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[X] Empress 'Heidi', to see if you can snatch a private moment to speak honestly with her.
[X] Try to find Kasmir in Sylvania.
 
[X] Karak Kadrin, presenting them with the skull of an old enemy (but not to keep).
[X] Empress 'Heidi', to see if you can snatch a private moment to speak honestly with her.
[X] The Amber College, to see how your donation of Lustrian eggs is going.
[X] Roswita, to present her with a copy of the book her late father contributed to.
[X] Write In: Our former Master, to share whatever infiltration stories we both have that the other has the clearance for

[X] On display in the Duckling Club.

[X] Loremaster: Expert on beekeeping
 
We don't quite know how much each point of Dwarf Favor is in gold, but if we take a dwarf shilling to weight the same as the british coin of the same name, then a 70kg man would need twelve and a half thousand dwarf gold coins.

So, about 4200 silver ingots, or ~15 percent more than Math got from the Expedition.

And again, there's the slight issue of him weight the same as a decently-sized car.
Sooo, we got more than our weight in gold for our participation?

That puts thing in perspective.
 
I would think that getting to know the people we're living with (sort of) and working with to be kind of important.
Given people don't have mechanical impetus to do it, if they don't want to for whatever reason then they're probably not going to pick them. An example might be relative urgency, where people consider the peeps in Karak Eight Peaks to be less urgent than others, who exist out in the Empire because the K8P folks will be there later. And they have something of a point.

Regardless I'm voting for Edda and Kazrik because I want those ship gossip details.
 
[X] Kragg the Grim, who you could likely convince to start gloating.
[X] Karak Kadrin, presenting them with the skull of an old enemy (but not to keep).
[X] Roswita, to present her with a copy of the book her late father contributed to.
[X] Empress 'Heidi', to see if you can snatch a private moment to speak honestly with her.
[X] Wilhelmina, to see how she's going when she's not a terrifying financial juggernaut.

[X] A bathtub, an even better place for reading.
Come on people. We can get an epic level bathtub.
 
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