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Warhammer Fantasy: Divided Loyalties - an Advisor's Quest

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Vebyast said:
I feel like I want to at least attempt a diplomatic approach to the problem of the big scary dragon. Address the root cause (the dragon might attack us), as it were, rather than attempting to paper over the symptoms (there's a dragon attacking us). A diplomatic approach has enough other benefits that I suspect we'll want to pursue it in parallel to any kind of anti-dragon weaponry anyway.
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coming back with a thousand year lease for the top of the mountain and one day of service a year in Belegars army would fit our m.o.
 
BoneyM said:
Your own report is not quite as well-received as you'd hoped - sure, everyone makes the suitable impressed noises, but you can tell that none of them quite grasp what you've accomplished. Most Dwarves just aren't wired to grasp the sort of tactics that this tome will make possible - after all, it doesn't make it any easier to strike a Skaven down with an axe or a quarrel, so how much of a difference could it possibly make? You have a feeling Kazador would get it, once Kazrik passed on a copy to him, as would Prince Ulthar when one reaches Karak Hirn. It might not be quite as dramatic as destroying a charging Waaagh with the fires of a Dwarven God, but you think that of all your accomplishments, Rakilid un Thaggorhun could, in the end, have the strongest cumulative effect on the fate of the Old World - if it's used properly.
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Fools!

BoneyM said:
Plain cloth, wrapped in twine. Boxy, so likely not a head, which he sometimes received from his more rowdy subjects as proof a Grudge has been settled. The twine easily parted to a knife usually used to sharpen his quill, and he unfolded the paper to see a book - leatherbound, good and sturdy. Rakilid un Thaggorhun, he read. Some report on the Skaven?

He opened it, and turned a page. Then two. Then flipped through the pages, his eyebrows rising.

"Good news, your Majesty?" the lad asked.

"You could say that," Thorgrim replied thoughtfully. "Get me... well, let's start with my Loremaster."
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Ehehehehehehehe. It begins.

BoneyM said:
Deep underground, under the lowest official level of the vast archives of Karaz-a-Karak, the air stirred for the first time in years as a door swung open, creaking on hinges older than civilizations. The light that fell upon it was not the flicker of lamplight, as no flame was allowed deeper than the second level of the archives - this was runelight, and save for the sun itself, no steadier illumination could be found. In stark contrast to the neat and orderly shelves above, these were dotted with a chaotic mess of assorted writings, from tattered books to half-torn scrolls to individual scraps of paper, each kept in a custom-made compartment to keep it safe from the ravages of the years.

"All of it, your Majesty," the Loremaster says, his voice still strong despite his centuries. "Every book, every scroll, every letter, rubbings of wall carvings, even the warpstone-tainted ones are around here, in runed crates. Not quite as glorious as skulls and captured weapons, but it still does the heart good, to gaze upon it all."

High King Thorgrim Grudgebearer nodded in thought. "Is that why they've been collected? As trophies?"
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I had a rather strong emotional reaction when I realized what I was looking at.

BoneyM said:
"And have any been found?"

The Loremaster sighs. "Many have tried, but it's like mining through mud. They have two separate alphabets of thirteen letters which we believe to be formal and informal variations, and numerous logographs besides, some of which seem to be morphemes and some whole words. There's also a great deal of inconsistency, which we believe to be due to differing dialects of the language. Every generation there's one or two that will sink years into pursuing it, but all have failed. Lost a promising linguist to it after he swore a Slayer Oath, though he did find a suitable death to a war mammoth in the far north."
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(Side Note: Yet another example of the Slayer Oath degrading the species.)

But also,

Hehehehehehe.

BoneyM said:
"Right, then." Thorgrim lifts his hand, bringing the book he is carrying to the Loremaster's attention.
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Ehehehehehehehehehe.

BoneyM said:
"A new addition?" the Loremaster asks, peering down at the book as the High King hands it to him. "No, that's proper writing. Rakilid... maybe not. Never saw the purpose in making up new words, the old ones served our ancestors fine." He falls silent as he opens the book, and then his mouth opens slightly as he flips the pages, though no sound comes out.

"Will this help?"

It takes a moment for the Loremaster to find his voice again. "Assuming this is all correct..." he pauses as he flips through some more, his brow furrowing. "We will need many more hands..."

"You'll have them. Send to Zhufbar and Barak Varr for all the scholars they can spare, in my name. And keep me appraised of everything of interest that you uncover."
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I assume that the whole Low/Clan/High Queekish thing was explained, but it should produce something.

BoneyM said:
Qrech Gambits (can be taken for free alongside pushing him for additional dialects or 'ask an acquaintance to train you' action targeting Qrech):
[ ] Convince Qrech that you seek an arrangement with Clan Moulder, and that you will release him as an ambassador for that arrangement once you are satisfied he'll cooperate.
[ ] Convince Qrech that the Under-Empire has no way of knowing he's even alive, and that he should prioritize the comfort with which he will live the rest of his life.
[ ] Convince Qrech you're ambitious and loyal only to yourself, and you're willing to repay his cooperation in ways that will benefit the Under-Empire.
[ ] Other (write in)
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I'm iffy on doing any more Qrech stuff. Now any skaven can be interrogated for the other languages, and Qrech has already earned a comfy life. I just don't want to get to a point where we are punishing and withholding and torturing him to get even more. If he lives a comfy life in this room for the rest of his life, hopefully he won't be shouting desperate prayers to the Horned Rat, which would suck.
 
[X] Plan: Skaven Knowledge Missile Launcher
-[X] MAX: Receive dictation.
-[X] JOHANN: Write a paper: Ratling Gun mechanism and countermeasures
-[X] DUCK: Spend time with Hubert to try to ensure a good relationship between him and magic, and between him and his identity as a Wizard.
-[X] EIC: Lend the services of the Hochlander, and the EIC's intelligence and contacts, to Roswita to help track down the Talabeclanders buying peat from the vampires.
-[X] Collaborate on an anti-air artillery vehicle that can be used by non-wizards and specializes against dragons and ice dragons in particular.
--[X] Request Light Wizard(s) to identify weaknesses of Ice Dragons.
--[X] Request a Celestial Wizard(s) for the main enchantments.
--[X] Request Runemaster(s) to add any helpful runework.
--[X] Request Dwarf Engineer(s) to aid in basic vehicular mobility.
--[X] Emphasize the potentially available budget and the results of the last such collaboration while headhunting for collaborators.
--[X] Suggest the spells Lightning Storm, Urannon's Thunderbolt, Curse and Second Portent of Amul and the Runes of Accuracy and Flakksson's Seeking during brainstorming.
--[X] COIN: The Gambler
-[X] Travel to the Grey College and attend lessons there: Staff Turning
-[X] Attempt to interest a prominent and knowledgeable Runesmith in the interaction between Runes and Vitae. (will start at the top and work your way down)
-[X] Dictate papers:
--[X] Queekish-Reikspiel Dictionary, including spoken Low Queekish
--[X] Insight on Skaven tactics and strategy
-[X] PENTHOUSE: Have a tower built atop Karag Nar
-[X] SERENITY: Write a paper: Brief observations on Eshin Sorcery


Edit: Reworded and fit in staff turning lessons.
 
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considering my plan looks dead in the water i'll go for this one.

[X] Plan: Skaven Knowledge Missile Launcher

I like actually using windshaper, as so far it been wasted for something that was picked over the sage option.
 
[X] Plan: Skaven Knowledge Missile Launcher

We really should see if Wizards from other colleges can come up with options that Mathilde is in no realistic position to have knowledge of, and hence the thread is in no realistic position to propose because we are acting off Mathilde's knowledge base. Remember, Mathilde did not know that Ulgu could be used to alter the apparent location of the sun - and it's almost certain there are possibilities with other winds that Mathilde has even less knowledge of. Also, it gives us a chance to really use our Multi-Wind project trait for the first time ever - let's see how this trait works with a "light project".
 
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[X] Plan: Skavenslayer
[X] Plan An Opportunity
[X] Plan: Skaven Knowledge Bomb v2


I just plain want to take at least two actions towards our own improvement for once. This does that without compromising the other stuff.

I'm sick of such slow progression in our abilities. People keep getting distracted by whatever comes up.
 
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Rafin said:
-[X] Meet with high ranking Light, Amethyst and Celestial Wizards to propose a collaboration on a "thing on wheels" designed to shoot Ice Dragons (among other dragons and large airborne things) out of the sky and is usable by non-wizards. Emphasize the potentially available budget and the results of the last such collaboration.
-[X] Collaborate on the project. Suggest the spells Lightning Storm, Curse and Second Portent of Amul and the Runes of Accuracy, Flakksson's Seeking and Penetrating, but be open to other ideas.
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Are these supposed to be one action and you just formatted it wrong, or did you intend to have unmarked overwork in your plan?
 
Rafin said:
[X] Plan: Skaven Knowledge Missile Launcher
-[X] MAX: Receive dictation.
-[X] JOHANN: Write a paper: Ratling Gun mechanism and countermeasures
-[X] DUCK: Spend time with Hubert to try to ensure a good relationship between him and magic, and between him and his identity as a Wizard.
-[X] EIC: Lend the services of the Hochlander, and the EIC's intelligence and contacts, to Roswita to help track down the Talabeclanders buying peat from the vampires.
-[X] Meet with high ranking Light, Amethyst and Celestial Wizards to propose a collaboration on a "thing on wheels" designed to shoot Ice Dragons (among other dragons and large airborne things) out of the sky and is usable by non-wizards. Emphasize the potentially available budget and the results of the last such collaboration.
-[X] Collaborate on the project. Suggest the spells Lightning Storm, Curse and Second Portent of Amul and the Runes of Accuracy, Flakksson's Seeking and Penetrating, but be open to other ideas.
--[X] COIN: The Gambler
-[X] Create artillery emplacements with appropriate runic augmentation to supplement the new tower
--[X] Suggested runes: Rune of Accuracy/Flakksson's Rune of Seeking for precision, Rune of Penetrating for damage
-[X] Attempt to interest a prominent and knowledgeable Runesmith in the interaction between Runes and Vitae. (will start at the top and work your way down)
-[X] Dictate papers:
--[X] Queekish-Reikspiel Dictionary, including spoken Low Queekish
--[X] Insight on Skaven tactics and strategy
-[X] PENTHOUSE:
-[X] SERENITY: Write a paper: Brief observations on Eshin Sorcery

Everything but the tower is the same as the winning plan.
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I'm considering supporting this, but how much college favor are we willing to drop on attracting helpers? Because it's probably going to cost some, and given that we're about to drop a whole Crafting of useful stuff, it might be worth spending a good amount. I kinda want to see if we can't manage to replicate the Eye's sheer usefulness, just for anti-air rather than anti-ground. Or ground if we can make that work too. Then all we need is something that work underground and we'll have locked down the entire Karak defense!
 
Ericwinter said:
I'm considering supporting this, but how much college favor are we willing to drop on attracting helpers? Because it's probably going to cost some, and given that we're about to drop a whole Crafting of useful stuff, it might be worth spending a good amount. I kinda want to see if we can't manage to replicate the Eye's sheer usefulness, just for anti-air rather than anti-ground. Or ground if we can make that work too. Then all we need is something that work underground and we'll have locked down the entire Karak defense!
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I didn't think of that and was expecting King Belegar to come up with all costs. But now that you say, investing some ourselves is a fair choice. But I have no idea how much.

@BoneyM Given that King Belegar's name and riches are the main attraction, how much does some extra College Favor matter here? And if it does potentially matter, is there a way to have people vote for it separately? I don't want to scare people away from the plan because I chose to spend too much or too little, because personally I don't really care as long as we have something left over.
 
Vebyast said:
I feel like I want to at least attempt a diplomatic approach to the problem of the big scary dragon. Address the root cause (the dragon might attack us), as it were, rather than attempting to paper over the symptoms (there's a dragon attacking us). A diplomatic approach has enough other benefits that I suspect we'll want to pursue it in parallel to any kind of anti-dragon weaponry anyway.
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We absolutly want a diplomatic solution. But it's a good idea to have an option if things turn bad. If nothing else, negotiating with a dragon from a postion of weakness seems... fraught.
 
Ericwinter said:
I'm considering supporting this, but how much college favor are we willing to drop on attracting helpers? Because it's probably going to cost some, and given that we're about to drop a whole Crafting of useful stuff, it might be worth spending a good amount. I kinda want to see if we can't manage to replicate the Eye's sheer usefulness, just for anti-air rather than anti-ground. Or ground if we can make that work too. Then all we need is something that work underground and we'll have locked down the entire Karak defense!
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I believe the argument was that since Dragons are magical creatures and every single one of them are spellcasters, attempting to take them out with magic directly is an exercise in futility.
Thus we should focus on instead enhancing weaponry that might already prove a danger to them.
 
Rafin said:
I didn't think of that and was expecting King Belegar to come up with all costs. But now that you say, investing some ourselves is a fair choice. But I have no idea how much.

@BoneyM Given that King Belegar's name and riches are the main attraction, how much does some extra College Favor matter here? And if it does potentially matter, is there a way to have people vote for it separately? I don't want to scare people away from the plan because I chose to spend too much or too little, because personally I don't really care as long as we have something left over.
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10 will get you a lord- 5 a Magister, 2 a journeyman

so if you want three

30 CF - three lords
15 CF - Three Magisters
6 CF - three journeyman

or any companion.
 
BurnNote said:
We absolutly want a diplomatic solution. But it's a good idea to have an option if things turn bad. If nothing else, negotiating with a dragon from a postion of weakness seems... fraught.
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I don't know Dragon psychology. Having a Tower of "This is here to kill you specifically" can put us on a more even footing or it can enrage the dragon that wiped out all members of a species that it could find after they gave him short-lived chemical burns.
Building such a tower in plain view could just lead the dragon to "politely" interrupt the construction, depending on how early it becomes obvious what we are building exactly.
 
Asheram said:
I believe the argument was that since Dragons are magical creatures and every single one of them are spellcasters, attempting to take them out with magic directly is an exercise in futility.
Thus we should focus on instead enhancing weaponry that might already prove a danger to them.
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Fair enough. Yeah, that's... less interesting me, at least for spending any extra effort on it. Then there's the whole thought that going to the College in person for lessons could totally let us do that thing where we roll an entire cart of books into Algard's office again, assuming we take this chance to also present the tech library. I really want to see that.


[X] Plan: Skavenslayer
 
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I said I was giving Hubert one more shot or he was dead to me and he did Learn A Spell, so he gets a little slack. The option reinforcing that is a big cherry on top. :V

[x] Plan: Skaven Knowledge Bomb
 
Jyn Ryvia said:
10 will get you a lord- 5 a Magister, 2 a journeyman

so if you want three

30 CF - three lords
15 CF - Three Magisters
6 CF - three journeyman

or any companion.
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That's ignoring Belegar's budget contributions. The Eye of Gazul had a Patriarch and I think three more Magisters. But I don't think it cost us 25 CF. Do I misremember?
I guess I have to go check again.

...
I checked.
It was actually one Magister, two Lords and one Patriarch the first turn and then two more Magisters the second. And we definitely didn't spend 45 CF.
 
Asheram said:
I believe the argument was that since Dragons are magical creatures and every single one of them are spellcasters, attempting to take them out with magic directly is an exercise in futility.
Thus we should focus on instead enhancing weaponry that might already prove a danger to them.
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I don't understand. Doesn't the tower proposed in the first plan specifically use magic?
And the artillery emplacements, what are those about? Why are they supposed to be just around said tower? Wouldn't something mobile make much more sense? I.e. enchant the artillery, not the emplacement?
 
Asheram said:
I believe the argument was that since Dragons are magical creatures and every single one of them are spellcasters, attempting to take them out with magic directly is an exercise in futility.
Thus we should focus on instead enhancing weaponry that might already prove a danger to them.
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At the same time, the tower(s) are also meant for any other flying enemies. Magic should still be effective against Wyverns or some of the Chaos Dwarf monsters.
 
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