I have a question. Has anyone here read the Tyrion and Teclis trilogy? If so, what are your opinions. I'm thinking of reading the novels because they're referenced so often by people and it seems like one of the novels that have things from it incorporated in a lot of later canon material. There's also a serious dearth of characterisation for the Heroes and Lords in the actual Army and RPG books, so I want to get a first hand look at at least one interpretation of Tyrion and Teclis.
I also don't want to be misled by people telephoning the stuff from the book. I've heard some seriously uncharitable stuff about Teclis that I found out was some seriously malicious interpretation of a canonical scene, so I'd like to dispel that uncertainty.
My only direct exposure to Teclis is from one Gotrek and Felis novel.
And from them i walked away with the impression that Teclis is an arrogant asshole, but no a malicious one.
Tyrion was in the story for like page and a half, and came out lot nicer, but that might be because he was with his brother instead of a surly dwarf and a human following him to record his death.
I've been meaning to get to Gotrek and Felix, but I know that once I start I'll probably get to shipping Gotrek and Felix and agonise endlessly over them never being canon and having to read hundreds of thousands of words of material that fuels something that has no content in the fan sphere (I went looking for Gotrek X Felix, there's nothing. I'm disappointed). Sounds painful. Can't wait.
I also don't want to be misled by people telephoning the stuff from the book. I've heard some seriously uncharitable stuff about Teclis that I found out was some seriously malicious interpretation of a canonical scene, so I'd like to dispel that uncertainty.
i am not aware of any details more than what given in the spoiler.
But mindwiping your lover because they learned something from your sleep talk has lot of potential poor implications.
I think my reaction would depend a lot on if he continued the relationship afterwards, or if he ends up making a habit of mind wiping people later and what kind of steps he takes to keep his secrets that don't involve mindwipes (separate bedrooms?).
I deleted the post because of concerns about derailing the thread in a direction I didn't want to. Sorry to those who wanted an answer.
On another, hopefully more relevant topic, I've been wondering about something. What does Johann even want at the moment? His goal when arriving at K8P was to reverse engineer Skaven technology. Well, he gave away his stuff and he got the recognition he wanted, but seems relatively aimless at the moment. He's just going with the flow with Mathilde's stuff and joined her because he works well with her, but I don't think he has much of a goal? His desire to augment himself took a serious downturn after his blinding, rightfully so, and he seems to like his new arm and his relationship with Kadoh letting him test himself, improve his body, practice and cultivate a relationship with someone he's grown fond of. But none of that points towards an ambition or a goal.
Maybe Johann doesn't even have one. He had an idea in mind with the Skaven stuff so he could get recognition, and it didn't go the way he wanted, so he's been going with the flow. I'm curious if he's even looking for something at the moment. Honestly, I'd be interested in picking his brain. I hope we do so duriing the Gryphon Woods section, since it does mean a mini-arc with him as our companion.
So, still thinking about library purchases. I've decided to write an overview of the different library options and how we might use them, as while a lot of this stuff is fairly obvious it might be helpful to have it written out explicitly. When discussing books on topics there's rarity (Obscure/Antiquarian/Esoteric) and amount (default/extesnive) but for the sake of brevity I'll just refer to the total bonus using the unit BOÖK. So instead of 'Extensive and Antiquarian' we'll just say '4 BOÖK'. It's helpful to mention which culture a bonus come from, as different cultures stack, so when required we can specify that we're talking about 'Empire BOÖK' or 'Dwarf BOÖK'.
Generally speaking a BOÖK has a monetary value of 50 gold crowns, and I'll list the resources each option saves us alongside the amount of BOÖK it provides.
CURRENT LIBRARY PURCHASE OPTIONS:
1.Colleges of Magic: Up to 5 Empire BOÖK on four magical, non-divine topics, for a total of 20 BOÖK.
This options is the most wide we currently have, covering 4 different topics. It is also the only option that currently allows us to purchase books on magical topics. While magical topics are very useful to Mathilde, making this option fairly attractive for this reason alone, on most magical topics that we have an interest in Mathilde has already purchased 2 BOÖK, meaning that the actual value of purchase plans could get as low as 12 BOÖK.
But there is another significant benefit to this option. Getting Empire BOÖK on magical topics requires college favours for the last 3 BOÖK: 1,1, and 2 for the third, fourth, and fifth BOÖK. This means that on most purchases with this option we'll not only save 600 to 1000 gold crowns, we will also save a whooping 16 College Favours.
TOTAL BOÖK: As low as ~12, as high as 20
RESOURCES SAVED: ~600-1000 gc, 16 College Favours
2.Barak Varr booksellers:Up to 5 Empire BOÖK and 5 Dwarf BOÖK on three public (non-magical, non-divine) topics, for a total of 30 BOÖK.
This option is the most deep we currently have, giving us up to 10 BOÖK on each topic it covers. It's also has the highest BOÖK yield. However, on practically any topic that we have any books at all on we have Dwarf and Empire books already, meaning that the actual BOÖK yield of this option will rarely ever reach its maximum. The only way to truly get the most out of this option is if we can think of topics we're currently interested in that we never before thought to buy books on, but the list of such topics is probably small.
In addition, dwarves don't believe in storing knowledge in books, and on many topics (such as any topic which is related to a guild) they will only have 2 BOÖK available. Because of that, I estimate the BOÖK yield of most purchase plans to be around 20 BOÖK, though it will obviously vary widely depending on choice of topics.
TOTAL BOÖK: As high as 30, likely around 20 for most purchase plans.
RESOURCES SAVED: 1500 gc maximum, ~1000 gc for less than perfectly efficient purchase plans.
3.Library of Mournings: Up to 5 Eonir BOÖK for two non-magical topics, for a total of 10 BOÖK.
At first glance this options just sucks. It is the least wide and the least deep, covering the smallest number of topics and granting no more BOÖK to any single topic than any other option. It grants us a measely 10 BOÖK, which is so low that even if we use the other options really inefficenly we'll likely get more from them. In most ways it really is the worst option.
The thing that makes this option not completely terrible is the fact that we have no Eonir BOÖK (except those already purchased through this option). If we really want to go deep on a topic we already have a lot of BOÖK on, this option provides us an additional 5 BOÖK that will stack with everything we already have. It's also very easy to make purchase plans for this options, because it's not hard to find topics on which we can get the full benefit of this option - literally all topics except ones already used in previous purchase plans. And of course, we might want books specifically on a topic the Eonir in particular have some deep insight into.
Even so, if we can find the cash to spare it's probably better to buy the books out of pocket and pick a different option.
TOTAL BOÖK: 10
RESOURCES SAVED: 500 gc
4.Back-fill: A whole lot of Empire and Dwarf BOÖK on topics we already have non-zero Empire and Dwarf BOÖK. Can be directed to one of the general topics in the following list: Dwarven religion, human religion, geography, war and combat, social science, natural science, applied science, and can actually get books in those categories on topics we have no books on (though the focus is on partly completed topic). Cannot be directed to more specific topics.
Last time we took it we got 47 BOÖK , which sure is a lot. Since it can't be directed and it's obviously very limited, but since we can get so much BOÖK out of it this should be our go to option in the absence of some immediately relevant need.
TOTAL BOÖK: >30? (last time taken: 47) RESOURCES SAVED: >1500 gc? (last time taken: 2350 gc)
(the way this option works changed since last time we took it, previous purchase may not perfectly predict future purchases)
PURCHASE PLANS:
Since our purchase options require us to get books on several different topics, we should have a number of topics ready when a purchase turn arrives. For option 4 this is irrelevant, and for option 3 making purchase plans is trivial (on any topic on which we want books we can get Eonir books for maximum BOÖK), so right now this is only for options 1 and 2. Obviously we can mix and match different topics, and there's no need to stick to those groupings of topics in particular, though ideally we'll want a number of topics divisible by four for Colleges of Magic plans and a number of topics divisible by three for Barak Varr booksellers plans so that we can actually get all of those topics. Feel free to suggest more topics.
Note that the amount of BOÖK we will get for each topic is often an estimation, and it might turn out that the relevant polity has less than 5 BOÖK available.
Druchii 5 BOÖK
Beastmen 5 BOÖK
Aethyr 3 BOÖK
Power stones 3 BOÖK
TOTAL: 16 BOÖK (and 16 College Favour in savings)
The first two topics are relevant since they are enemies we are likely to encounter in our project. The second two are useful for our study of AV.
Ice magic 5 BOÖK (?)
Damsel magic 5 BOÖK (?)
Druchii Dhar Magic 5 BOÖK
Wild Magic 5 BOÖK
TOTAL: 20 BOOK (and 16 College Favour in saving), assuming that the Colleges even have books on the magical traditions of our neighbors that go up to esoteric.
Books on the magical traditions we are likely to seek to recruit to the project, and on the magical traditions of our likely enemies. Wild Magic in particular might relevant to the project, as the beastmen have a thing with desecrating waystones.
Bretonnia 10 BOÖK
Textiles 7 BOÖK ?
Beastmen 5 BOÖK
TOTAL: 22 BOÖK, assuming dwarves will give us everything they know about beastmen (because Mathilde).
More information on enemies relevant to the project, as well as information on a nation we might recruit from (and which may or may not worship Ranald's daughter), and books that might help the We silk project (but probably won't).
Tactics 10 BOÖK ?
Logistics 10 BOÖK ?
Old World Geography 8 BOÖK ?
TOTAL: 28 BOÖK, but only if logistics and tactics count as mundane topics, which may well not be the case. Tactics in particular seems to me like the kind of topic we'll need an agreement with the Myrmidians or a similar institution to get good Empire books on, and the dwarves probably don't keep a lot of their martial insights in book form.
Just a bunch of topics on which we don't have many (or any) books, and which may conceivably be useful sometime. This is less of a viable purchase plan and more of a placeholder for topics we could use as the third topic for a plan with only two.
Honestly, I'd be interested in picking his brain. I hope we do so duriing the Gryphon Woods section, since it does mean a mini-arc with him as our companion.
Not in 8th Edition Army/2nd Edition RPG books I'm pretty sure. The "races" of Warhammer are more accurately separate species and reproduction between them isn't possible.
It doesn't, but the angst in Gotrek and Felix's Age of Sigmar situation is painfully delightful and makes me feel sad and happy at the same time. It appeases the tragic gay side of me:
"Shoulder Plate of Edassa: On his left shoulder – the side that was once protected by Felix Jaeger – Gotrek wears a section of plate armour forged in the image of a roaring lion. Through some form of spiritual protection or perhaps just pure luck, the ornate artefact seems to protect its wearer from a great deal of harm."
I don't see why inter-species romance isn't a thing. In Karak Eight Peaks some Undumgi have Halfling wives. They're not having biological children, but there's plenty of alternatives.
I mean I cannot see why it would not be, we had the option to romance Belegar after all and the dragon. People are people and while the biological and cultural differences will be enough to stop some love, much like nature finds a way.
I've been meaning to get to Gotrek and Felix, but I know that once I start I'll probably get to shipping Gotrek and Felix and agonise endlessly over them never being canon and having to read hundreds of thousands of words of material that fuels something that has no content in the fan sphere (I went looking for Gotrek X Felix, there's nothing. I'm disappointed). Sounds painful. Can't wait.
I doubt it, Gotrek and Felix are definitely 'best bros for life' by the end of the series. But they are definitely a zero 'sex tension' Bobby cop team. Rather then 'get a room' Bobby cop team.
But it does help that Gotrek isn't inherently likelable.
He grows on you, but it's more like you get used to and began to understand his flaws rather become more likeable.
The dude starts to series as a dick. (That one book with telic is basically Gotrek treating him like shit, and telic mostly turning the other cheek.) and ends the series as an asshole, but the asshole on your side and your fond of dispite yourself.
Teclis and Tyrion books are fine, not masterpieces, but fine.
Teclis comes of as 'a dick, who knows there a dick, and tries to be less of a dick, but doesn't always manage it. But at last he is good at calling all the other dicks out on their dick waving.'
I doubt it, Gotrek and Felix are definitely 'best bros for life' by the end of the series. But they are definitely a zero 'sex tension' Bobby cop team. Rather then 'get a room' Bobby cop team.
But it does help that Gotrek isn't inherently likelable.
He grows on you, but it's more like you get used to and began to understand his flaws rather become more likeable.
The dude starts to series as a dick. (That one book with telic is basically Gotrek treating him like shit, and telic mostly turning the other cheek.) and ends the series as an asshole, but the asshole on your side and your fond of dispite yourself.
Teclis and Tyrion books are fine, not masterpieces, but fine.
Teclis comes of as 'a dick, who knows there a dick, and tries to be less of a dick, but doesn't always manage it. But at last he is good at calling all the other dicks out on their dick waving.'
You seriously underestimate my power if you think your interpretation of zero sexual tension is about to stop me from shipping them. I barely know about them and I still do it, largely because of Age of Sigmar. Also I don't like the idea of sexual tension being the only basis for a relationship. There are different versions of love, and "get a room" isn't the only thing I look for when shipping.
This is a bit of a blast from the (not so distant) past but what are the speculations as to who those highest levels are?
Mira would be an option but she's technically not higher than Elrisse.
Algard is another option but he's the head of the Grey College; not sure if Elrisse would rely on his testimony on another Grey Wizard.
Dragomas is a third option - did he vouch for Mathilde? He's met her a couple times (and probably a few more times off screen) but would that be enough to have him vouch?
Teclis comes of as 'a dick, who knows there a dick, and tries to be less of a dick, but doesn't always manage it. But at last he is good at calling all the other dicks out on their dick waving.'
In all fairness Teclis has sort of won a certain right to being a dick by dint of being a super talented wizard that constantly does critically important stuff despite health problems.
In all fairness Teclis has sort of won a certain right to being a dick by dint of being a super talented wizard that constantly does critically important stuff despite health problems.
I'm of a mind that no one has a "right" to be a dick. You can be a dick, but you don't deserve to be one because you're talented and have done some serious achievements.
You can say that it explains why he's a jerk if he's rightfully confident of his skills and views others as inferior to him and that maybe he's compensating for his physical issues by being a prick, but that doesn't necessarily justify them. You can just say "that guy's a jerk, but he does good work". You don't have to say "That guy's a jerk, but he has the right to be one because he's talented".
Because it's so much less BOÖK than the other options, so spending some money is worth it if it means allowing us to take the other options. And it's not just about bonuses but about having access to information - a recent example is how we used the books on Gods to narrow down the search for Ranald's daughters - and about amassing books for our library.
I don't see why inter-species romance isn't a thing. In Karak Eight Peaks some Undumgi have Halfling wives. They're not having biological children, but there's plenty of alternatives.
You also go through the information the EIC has started to gather on events in Karag Nar, paying special attention to the possible future Thane, Francesco Caravello. The Undumgi are quite happily settled in and pleased to have a steady stream of imported goods from the Empire to spend their salary of silver on, though there is a fair bit of griping about demographics; inevitable, you suppose, when so many men have just found long-term financial stability, but you make a note to keep an eye on it anyway. In the parts of Karag Nar tucked away from prying eyes there were enterprising women (and some men) making a brisk trade in fulfilling related desires, and apparently the Undumgi didn't share the prejudices of the Stirlanders you grew up with because a few had married Halfling women.
You seriously underestimate my power if you think your interpretation of zero sexual tension is about to stop me from shipping them. I barely know about them and I still do it, largely because of Age of Sigmar. Also I don't like the idea of sexual tension being the only basis for a relationship. There are different versions of love, and "get a room" isn't the only thing I look for when shipping.
[*] The Longshanks Allow the Longshanks to take sole credit for the killing of a dangerous Magus and the thwarting of a Chaos plot. This would provide a very solid foundation to working with them again in the future.
"Well, if you have to play politics, that's the way to play it," Regimand says to you the next morning, as he peruses a freshly-printed news-sheet. "All mention is of a Longshank victory over a mutant cultist after a prolonged search, with thanks to their coreligionists and the Taalbaston Guard. Alric would have to rub his own nose in his failure quite a bit to be able to get a whiff of your interference."
"He might be able to make some hay out of having protected the Unfähigers until the Witch Hunters caught up with the murderer, but that is a long way from the triumph he needs. And beyond all that, having removed the man in question from the Empire is a job well done itself. I'm happy with how it all turned out."
"So what's next for you? Back to the Elf city?"
"No, there's a similar matter I've agreed to look into over in Bechafen for Paranoth. Something's stirring in the woods there, but whatever it is is straddling the river, so nobody with our skillset has been able to properly investigate."
"Ah. Going to call on the friends you made during your adventures up north?"
"Perhaps. Or perhaps the ones I made today, if I come at it from this side of the border. Haven't decided yet. I'll see if I can get a better idea of what's going on when I get there."
"Travelling by Shadowsteed?" You nod. "I'll keep you company at least part of the way back, then."
"Need a hand with your unfinished business in the east?"
He shakes his head. "Honestly, even one Wizard is overkill. Only reason I haven't handed it off is because it'd take more time to properly brief someone else than it'd save me." He smiles. "I appreciate the offer, though. And it was nice to spend time with you. You've grown far beyond my expectations, and you've developed skills equal to your ambitions. None could ask more of their Apprentice."
---
Bechafen is a compact and crowded city, with the dark wood it is constructed out of combining with the tall buildings choking out the sunlight to give it a gloomy aura it doesn't fully deserve. Beneath that haunted first impression is a prosperous city serving as a centre of trade and industry, with its location on the Upper Talabec and at the centre of Ostermark's road network allowing it to dominate trade with the eastern Empire and southern Kislev, and its maze of sawmills and boatyards by the waterfront constantly takes in freshly-felled timber and turns out some of the finest river vessels on the continent. It cannot compete with the great cities of the Empire like Altdorf and Nuln in the way that Mordheim once did, and perhaps it never will, but in comparison to the other lesser capitals of the Empire like Wurtbad and Salzenmund it is not without its charms.
Johann is waiting to meet you in a tavern by the waterfront, and the ring of empty tables around his is a reminder of how he must appear to those who haven't grown accustomed to him. The golden robes of his Order would set him apart on their own, but the large golden staff, the inhuman golden claw, and the blank golden orbs of his blinded eyes set him even further apart. "Johann," you say in greeting as you sit. "Good trip?"
"I've gotten too used to Dwarven vessels, coming up the Talabec with nothing but wood between me and the water was disturbing. But apart from that, tolerable enough."
"Didn't leave you waiting too long, did I?"
He shrugs. "Gave me time to get the lay of the land. There's definitely something up, but nobody can agree what it is. Hauntings, animal attacks, banditry, cult activity, and portents and omens galore. Plenty of smoke, but nobody can agree what the fire is."
"That fits what Paranoth said. Apparently half the picture is on the other side of the border, so it might be that nobody at all has the whole picture right now. But at least there's no reason not to operate openly here."
Johann nods. "So what's the plan?"
You've been considering that since you left Talabheim. Between your rank, your reputation, and your contacts, there's quite a number of groups you could approach regarding this mystery that could make solving it a great deal easier. But any group you approach would expect you to work with them in solving whatever the problem ends up being, and might have cause to be put out if you solve it in a way not to their satisfaction.
[ ] Elector Count Wolfram Hertwig Chancellor Wolfram Hertwig has a reputation for being sensible, and if anyone would know what's going on in Ostermark, it would be him. But approaching him openly would make your presence here very official, which might get in the way.
[ ] League of Ostermark The trade league of Ostermark's nobility are likely to see you as a shareholder of the EIC first and a Grey Wizard second, but they more than anyone have a vested interest in peace and prosperity reigning over the Upper Talabec.
[ ] Longshanks Gratitude expires quickly, so you might as well make use their good graces while you have them. In Ostermark they're primarily guardians of shrines and pilgrims rather than Witch Hunters, but they'd still have a good idea of what's going on deep in the forests.
[ ] Morrite Witch Hunters While the citizens of every province of the Empire respect Morr, Ostermarkers revere him more than most, which means that Morrite organizations like the Order of the Shroud, the Dreamwalkers, and the Andanti fill the role of Witch Hunters in Ostermark where normally the Templars of Sigmar would hold sway. Get in touch with them and see what they might know.
[ ] The Ostermark Hedgewise The Hedgewise of Ostermark are a matriarchal mystery cult with ties to the Hag Witches of Kislev, and many of them are part of Kurtis Krammovitch's extended family. They have eyes and ears in the odd nooks and crannies of Ostermark, and are likely to know more of what's going on here than anyone with official authority. But they are unsanctioned magic-users, and dealing with them might be problematic.
[ ] Tsarevich Boris Bokha You've met him before, and he seems to have made it his business to solve problems that his more straightforward father can't or won't. Seek him out once more and see if he's interested in solving a source of unrest and disruption in the Southern Oblast.
[ ] Ice Witches You worked well with them previously, and though their influence within Kislev is currently at a low ebb, they'd have jurisdiction to investigate goings-on on the Kislevite side of the river.
[ ] From scratch It would not be easy to investigate the matter from scratch, but at least you'd be beholden to nobody. Better to investigate for yourself than to bind yourself to any other group before you have a good idea of what's going on here.
[ ] Other (write in)
He shakes his head. "Honestly, even one Wizard is overkill. Only reason I haven't handed it off is because it'd take more time to properly brief someone else than it'd save me." He smiles. "I appreciate the offer, though. And it was nice to spend time with you. You've grown far beyond my expectations, and you've developed skills equal to your ambitions. None could ask more of their Apprentice."
