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Warhammer Fantasy: Divided Loyalties - an Advisor's Quest

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Ericwinter said:
…You know, I am painfully reminded of the fact that SV questers, a breed usually famed for their sheer desire for honesty and loyalty, somehow managed to choose the most deceptive and sneaky character design ever. And then somehow managed to play both of those sides to the hilt for years on end.

And Mathilde isn't even the only one! I've seen several of these!
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Wanna link a few of the others?
 
Boney said:
I think this is jumping the gun a bit, Step 1 would be a foundational test that would establish what enchantment plus rune might even look like, while Step 0 would be finding a Runesmith that would be willing to go maximum kickflip like this in the first place.
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Isn't that one of the things we plan for the Waystone project?

We know elven enchantment and dwarven runes both played a part in at least some Waystones. Finding out how that all worked, and if at all possible how to replicate it, would seem to be a logical sub-goal of the project.


On a completely different subject… what do people expect the empress to do if Mathilde sends her a message? Vanish for weeks to come play witch hunter? Visit with all pomp and ceremony, making herself a giant and suspicious target in the process? Just send a message back saying "But you and our mutual friend can deal with it right?"

[X] Favour to Mira
 
picklepikkl said:
did a primary school teacher tell you to show your work one too many times and cause you to snap? cause i still remember the time you posted the diagram of "i pasted scale cows on the sides of a monitor to figure out how good of a job mookery of death is"
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There's almost certainly an element of that in there, but I'm a big believer in writers doing the groundwork there. Even if the reader isn't suspiciously side-eyeing a map while reading, I think having the actual distances in there adds an element of realness to the world. It also bypasses the authorial question of 'how long should Regimand take to arrive?' by turning into a simple calculation - roll for where he is, then measure how long it would take for word to reach him and how long it will take him to get to Talabheim.

Nerdasaurus Rex said:
And after all that, he ended up being exactly four days away from us?

Screw it, I'm worshipping Ranald IRL now. He's clearly no less real than any other deity.
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Yep, though I spent more time than I should have researching river travel times before I remembered messenger pigeons are a thing. About four hundred miles from Talabheim to Altdorf, and 800 a day is doable with modern specially-bred messenger pigeons, which I figure to be attainable with the assistance of Taal/Rhya/Ambers/Jades, so one day there. About 150 miles by road to Bek, which is doable in two days by horse relay, so Regimand gets the message at the end of day three. 150 miles is a bit much by one day by Shadowsteed, but Regimand didn't use the same route as the courier, he used Smoke and Mirrors to hop the river and go along Ostland's much more direct North Talabec Road to Strüdel, hopped back across the river at Küsel, and shaved fifty miles off the route and got to Talabheim in time to meet Mathilde for lunch on day four.
 
No need or desire to dissemble or lie here. Keep it simple. A favor for a favor for our pet project, plus we're friends with Egrimm. Perfectly valid reasons.

[x] Favour to Mira
 
Angelform said:
On a completely different subject… what do people expect the empress to do if Mathilde sends her a message? Vanish for weeks to come play witch hunter? Visit with all pomp and ceremony, making herself a giant and suspicious target in the process? Just send a message back saying "But you and our mutual friend can deal with it right?"
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From the prior vote we know that she can help, or Mathilde knows she can at least. Assuming that inviting Heidi here means her vanishing is a leap, I doubt that she wouldn't have contingencies for doing something personally outside the vigil of the Palace when she already kinda does it inside when we visit.

We're not exactly inviting the Empress, we're inviting Heidi who's playing empress. From the tone of the message she won't bring a red carpet or a procession.

We're not sure the specific way she could help other than opening doors, but it's not like Alric where we're blatantly exposing our meddling.

Ericwinter said:
Greek ninja slave: Iliad Quest
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Vouching that this is solid and an entertaining read. It's kinda narrative-ish feeling?
 
[X] Other (It started as a favour to Mira - she asked me to find out what Alric was up to, in exchange for aid with the Waystone project - but now I've found out it feels like unfinished business from Stirland, and I owe it to my old friends to make sure the business is finished properly and the case closed.)
[X] Favour to Ranald
You've worked with Ranald to achieve great things, enough to know when He wants something and why listening to that feeling might be a good idea. Meeting in four days is the least of the signs you've gotten about this mess.
[X] Politics and Personal - In addition to the favor to Mira, you're concerned that, depending on how things play out, the problem could spill over to the Empress and/or Roswita.
[X] Favor for my Godson.

Aw kinda sad the Godson one isn't catching on. I think it's cool.
 
Well. I didn't expect to wake up to a new DL update. I missed out on a lot, but better late than never:
Boney said:
There are a variety of ways for a Lord Magister to send an urgent message at considerable speed, but unfortunately none of them were intended to be kept secret from an extremely well-connected Magister Patriarch in good standing. You spend some time balancing stealth against speed and eventually settle on sending a message through the local EIC office, who would be able to find a trustworthy ship captain to send a message downstream to Altdorf, from where the Grey Order can get it on its way to wherever Regimand happens to be. And you know the code-phrases the Hochlander has set up for the local agents, so you don't even need to reveal yourself to the staff of the office. And even if the office is under surveillance it would be reasonable enough for the clerk Alys Schmidt to have business with the EIC. It is technically possible that someone very thoroughly surveilling the office might connect Alys Schmidt to a coded letter being sent by messenger pigeon, extremely unlikely but not completely impossible they'd be able to connect that pigeon's departure to another pigeon's arrival in Altdorf, and perhaps they'd be well-informed enough to know that the apparent receiver of that letter is actually under the employ of the Grey Order, but even then the most likely conclusion that they'd reach is that Alys Schmidt is one of the Hochlander's agents, and the letter being sent to the Grey Order is intended for Lady Magister Mathilde Weber.
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I want to say that I do very much enjoy seeing Mathilde flex her stealth muscles in more ways than just sneaking around. It's really nice seeing her going around being a secret agent. She hasn't had much time to do this kind of stuff since Stirland.
Boney said:
Unbeknownst to you, the letter turns right back around in Altdorf and comes back to Talabheim before being handed off to a mounted courier. Not knowing how long you had to wait, you prepare an entire itinerary for Alys Schmidt's visit to Talabheim. First priority, of course, was seeing if you could snatch a glimpse of the local Waystone nexus, but after eyeing the local leylines and consulting a map you suspect it to be the namesake of the sacred grove known as the Horn of Taal within the Taalgrunhaar Forest, and the local Priesthood is rather protective of the place.
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Ah, the Horn of Taal. I remember this. From Page 28 of Terror in Talabheim:

"The most sacred area of the forest is to the north of the Taalwelt, where the trees grow particularly thick and plentiful. Here, a series of low ridges and natural clearings form a grove known as the Horn of Taal, where the most sacred and solemn rites of Taal are performed, and it's the home of several of the most powerful of his Priests. In the old days, folk stumbling upon this grove—perhaps on a Stag Night or vision quest— would have their eyes put out and be cast from the forest. These days, however, the Priesthood is more inclined to turn a blind eye to these incidents."

Pretty hardcore place. Good of Mathilde to decide not to venture that way.
Boney said:
You do, however, find a Waystone known to the locals as the Obelisk of Laws, upon which local laws and commentary on them are posted, and one of those laws is it's forbidden to remove anything posted on the Obelisk of Laws, so over the years it has accumulated quite a density of faded paper around its base. The part of the Obelisk emerging from the paper is in the same shape and proportions as the Elven Waystones, but is made of black marble and the part of it that is visible is unadorned by runes. You make a mental note of another Waystone oddity and add it to the growing list.
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And I remember this one too. The Obelisk of Laws is actually one of the weirder things in Talabheim, mainly in the obsessiveness it causes in people. There are no implications in Terror that the Obelisk is a Waystone, so I was very interested to see Boney adding it in as one. It certainly explains the weird phenomenon attached to the Obelisk:

"Located in the heart of this quarter, the Obelisk of Laws is a towering spire of veined, black marble surrounded by a wideopen courtyard. New laws, bills waiting to be passed, political dialogue, and other important civic rules are posted on the Obelisk with the stated purposes of allowing the entire populace to know what these new rulings are. In practice, however, the Obelisk has little practical effect, as no one removes the old postings (thanks to an ancient law), and a person must look long and hard to discern what is new and important. Throughout the years, madmen have attempted to rip down or burn the laws pinned to the Obelisk, but the offenders are quickly captured and torn to pieces by mobs." Page 15 Terror in Talabheim

There are some weird things in Talabheim. Either the mobs are just people obsessed with laws or the mobs are inspired by some sort of magical effect from the Obelisk that turns those who wander in the place into people obsessed with the rules of the place. It's an interesting place either way.
Boney said:
You barely have time to also visit the public park of the Taalgarten and the conservatory of the Sea of Roses, taking advantage of the Coin's effects to take a few interesting cuttings for Panoramia while you do so
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The Taalgarten is a large and well tended to garden that hosts ancient oaks and rowan trees. The Sea of Roses is more interesting:

"Considered one of the finest treasures of the city, Talabheim's Sea of Roses is a conservatory without compare in the rest of the Old World. Established almost 500 years ago by a talented horticulturist and Priest of Taal, the Sea of Roses started out merely as a labour of love but has since blossomed into a magnificent city garden. The Sea of Roses is obviously known for its collection of roses, but it also hosts hundreds of different exotic plants from all over the world. Some of the most rare specimens include the Darksilk Lotus from Araby and the fragrant Three Kings Iris from Cathay. The current curator is a Magister Lord of the Jade Order who spends more time tending to the conservatory than getting embroiled in politics." Page 22

I don't know if the Jade Lord Magister is currently tending to the conservatory or if that's something in the future, but I would have liked to see Mathilde go to those places. Certainly, I think Panoramia would have appreciated cuttings from those exotic plants. BTW, that is cute as hell and a lovely little detail. Mathilde looks at plants and thinks of her girlfriend. How romantic.
Boney said:
Alys Schmidt makes a show of greeting him politely while he wraps the two of you in Cloak Activity.
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If this spell wasn't so useful for the current circumstance I would think he's flexing on Mathilde by using the one spell from the pre Battle Magic Grey Spellbook that she has yet to learn. The absence of that spell from our repertoire still leaves a burning emptiness within my soul that aches to be filled.
Boney said:
"You don't think so?"

"It's too much trouble to go to if you don't have to, so I'd say they have to, or they want to. I'd normally say a Spectre or even a Wraith, but considering what happened to the last Haupt-Anderssen Elector Count, I'd say he made new friends where he ended up, and is trying to get his revenge on who he believes to be to blame for his family. He might even be right, the Unfähigers were Elector Counts of Stirland before they were Emperors, they might have thought they'd be the natural choice to re-inherit if the Haupt-Anderssens went extinct." He taps the descriptions of the killings. "The methods seem like the Violent, the pageantry of the Tempter, the echo of past events smacks of the Changer, and the mood this'd be inflicting on the rest of the Unfähigers rounds out the Four. There's been a fair bit of activity from that lot lately, and this is the sort of game They like to play."
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Interesting. I didn't consider Alberich because I thought he would be dead by now, but I suppose I failed to consider that he would be a decent plaything for the Daemons in the Realms of Chaos and they might decide to use him as an anchor in the living world. Daemons can't manifest themselves in the material realm unless there's some sort of impetus allowing them to be stablised, so I imagine they're using Alberich's vengeance as an anchor to manifest themselves and cause havoc. Being limited by the nature of his family's own murders does limit his ways of approach though, which makes him predictable.

I'm not sure if Alric has figured that out though. He lacks a lot of the information necessary to make these conclusions.
Boney said:
"Then the perfect man for the job is already on top of it." He eyes you thoughtfully. "What's this really about? You never struck me as the sort to get involved in College politics, and as far as I know you're one of the few of your rank without an axe to grind against Alric."

Perhaps you've gotten too used to being distant and inscrutable. Though you've outstripped him in rank, Regimand has known you since you were a girl of ten, and has spent large parts of his life matching wits with beings older, cleverer, and more sinister than you. If you want him in on this, you're going to have to tell him something more. And if it is the last Haupt-Anderssen behind this, then it just became even more important that this be resolved quietly.
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Oh Mathilde definitely isn't the type to get involved in College politics, Regimand's got that right. She's literally being pulled dragging and screaming into this mess because she just wants some reliable allies for her project.

Great update @Boney. As usual, thank you for it. I'm looking forward to what you have in store.

In regards to the vote. I don't want Regimand to keep being involved. Let's say goodbye and bring Heidi into this:

[x] Favour to Mira
 
Valarauko said:
No need or desire to dissemble or lie here. Keep it simple. A favor for a favor for our pet project, plus we're friends with Egrimm. Perfectly valid reasons.

[x] Favour to Mira
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Boney said:
For reference, [ ] Favour to Mira is definitely not the truth. The truth is 'the Empress you had assassinated was replaced by a woman who had previously pretended to be a member of the conspiracy you assassinated the Empress for being a part of, who was able to pull off the deception partly using Ranaldian magic which I personally gathered by being possessed by Mork and then funnelling that power to Ranald, and now I seek to bury this matter for the safety of my godson, the heir apparent'.

You can write that in if you want.
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[X] Other (It started as a favour to Mira - she asked me to find out what Alric was up to, in exchange for aid with the Waystone project - but now I've found out it feels like unfinished business from Stirland, and I owe it to my old friends to make sure the business is finished properly and the case closed.)
[X] Favour to Ranald
You've worked with Ranald to achieve great things, enough to know when He wants something and why listening to that feeling might be a good idea. Meeting in four days is the least of the signs you've gotten about this mess.
[X] Politics and Personal - In addition to the favor to Mira, you're concerned that, depending on how things play out, the problem could spill over to the Empress and/or Roswita.
[X] Favor for my Godson.
 
…
[] Favor to Egrimm
From what you heard, Alric is a shitty leader, worse mentor and probably a good contender for the annual Worst Dad award ceremony hosted by God-Emperor of Mankind, so you are investigating him under the pretext of helping his political rivals but actually intending to bury him so far under the mound of embarrassing accounts of incompetence he won't be trusted to pour himself water unattended, much less teach or lead someone again.
 
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