[] Journeyman Cyrston von Danling
Even if we don't investigate him, I'd think that Horstmann already somewhat keeps a tab on him and other wizards. Perhaps we should ask him to do so if he isn't already.
"Hysh demands a centred mind even when circumstances don't. Don't worry about us, Lady Magister. Personally, my concerns are on Alexandra and Cyrston, and to a lesser extent the Ambers."
"It won't be the first time the Ambers, or the rest of the Knights, have ventured into tainted land. But I agree with you about the other two."
"I'll keep an eye on them when it's not on my three. Being watched from both the light and the shadow should keep them on the right path."
He said he'd keep an eye on them, but he was focusing on the choir.
I think it is much more important for us to put
any effort into keeping tabs on our Journeymen -- the most vulnerable ones with the least experience with their magic -- than it is for us to double up on the job that the Knights of Taal's Fury are doing. I have tons of confidence in them: they wear armor and demigryphs are faster than steppe horses. If the Iron Wolves try to take potshots at us, we have giant METAL BAWKSES that arrows will just plink off of. If they group up and attack in force, we have Asarnil, Deathfang, and wizards. If we don't bother them, I can't imagine them causing significant trouble for us: would
you want to fuck with six superheavy armored personnel carriers, guarded by monstrous cavalry and atop one of which there's a fucking
dragon? No, you'd mind your business and wait for a softer target.
We don't need to duplicate the Knights of Taal's Fury's work. We've already
got people on this expedition whose whole job is scouting. What we
don't have is someone keeping tabs on the non-Light journeymen, since I imagine Horstmann's attention is mostly on his choir, especially Barbitus, after Karak Vlag. If Mathilde doesn't do it, there's no guarantee it gets done.
[X] Journeyman Cyrston von Danling
I find him suspicious. Yeah, there were Green is sus! jokes after his introduction, but his explanation of 'Don't worry about my magic getting more powerful as summer approaches and we coincidentally head into the Chaos Wastes, that's just my seasonal attunement acting up' is awfully convenient for him.
Now, one might say "but wait, this is a canonical character and is totally legit there," to which I would point out that we're on an expedition to Karag Dum with Egrimm van Horstmann and we have been actively told not to assume either of these work the same way they do in canon, and that's not even considering the notion that this might not really be Cyrston von Danling and might just be using his name.
We shouldn't metagame our way into false confidence. I'd like to check out
both of the journeymen before we get to Dum, but I am less concerned about Alexandra than I am about Cyrston -- and I
really want to be sure we get Cyrston
this week, because then if we turn up some reason to be suspicious, we'll have time to take a second action on him before we reach Dum, where that isn't possible if we save him for the final week.