Wow, Johann has been busy. Also has his diplomacy always been 22? He's significantly better at it than we are, and he comes from the college that treats diplo as a dump stat.
Warhammer Fantasy: Divided Loyalties - an Advisor's Quest
- Thread starter Boney
- Start date
- Fantasy Users' Choice!
Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
Wow, Johann has been busy. Also has his diplomacy always been 22? He's significantly better at it than we are, and he comes from the college that treats diplo as a dump stat.
- Location
- The Surface Of A Hostile Planet
I don't think it was always exactly 22, but Johann has always been extremely diplomatic, yes - he was smooth talking enough that it triggered Mathilde's paranoia alert during the original K8P expedition.
It was always decently high, but I believe it was 19 before. No, wait, that's Egrimm. Still, pretty sure it used to be lower.
EDIT: Apparently it was 20.
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- Location
- Earth
During the Karag Dum expedition it was 20, according to the wayback machine.
- Pronouns
- They
[x] The Ostermark Hedgewise
[x] Vicereine Cadaeth
[x] Vicereine Cadaeth
- Location
- Czech Republic
[X] Lady Kaia 'Stormwitch' Fanmaris
- Location
- Oregon
Check if the flame spire/praag haunting is sucking it up?
Codex
Fantasy Addict
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Praag is further north. The most logical conclusion is that Kislev's energy flow is interrupted somewhere between Kislev City and the Obelisk here, so Praag shouldn't be an issue.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Right, so, arguing seriously for a moment - I think that anyone local to the area is going to be at a disadvantage simply because they're planned for. Ice Witches are about as local as I think it's wise to draw from when we've already got the longshanks in the pipe to provide context, but
man
I really want to give Vicereine Cadaeth some more screentime.
Also, the same things that made the hedgewise problematic for us last vote apply this vote. Further, we just invoked the articles when calling on the longshanks, how are we supposed to play us bringing in people we're articles-bound to send to the colleges to them?
man
I really want to give Vicereine Cadaeth some more screentime.
Also, the same things that made the hedgewise problematic for us last vote apply this vote. Further, we just invoked the articles when calling on the longshanks, how are we supposed to play us bringing in people we're articles-bound to send to the colleges to them?
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- Location
- Europa, Jupiter Orbit
I haven't had much time commenting recently (haven't read most of the discussion for the last two chapters either), but I gotta say I really like this. The mystery, the tying together of everything, the minor and major political elements, and especially the Waystones we keep stumbling over.
The Cult of Taal might be worth recruiting. Though I'm worried if there's a reason or other that they don't play nice with the Cult of the Ancient Widow. Not in a "we hate each other" kind of way. But even a "we will share fewer secrets in the presence of a political rival" would be a problem.
@Boney Now that we have more and more members and prospective members who Mathilde doesn't know as well as Thorek or the Colleges, what's the way of exploring whether a new group would get along with the already recruited groups before we invite them? I.e. not what kind of people they are and what they want, but what the others think about them.
The Cult of Taal might be worth recruiting. Though I'm worried if there's a reason or other that they don't play nice with the Cult of the Ancient Widow. Not in a "we hate each other" kind of way. But even a "we will share fewer secrets in the presence of a political rival" would be a problem.
@Boney Now that we have more and more members and prospective members who Mathilde doesn't know as well as Thorek or the Colleges, what's the way of exploring whether a new group would get along with the already recruited groups before we invite them? I.e. not what kind of people they are and what they want, but what the others think about them.
Two heads are better than one. I'd even go in a group of three next time we do this kind of stuff. More than that though and the writing dynamic gets overcrowded IMO.
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Most relationships can be reasoned out fairly easily - Colleges get along with each other, Colleges will be cautious but curious about Elf houses, Elf houses will get along with each other based on established politics, Dwarves and Elves will have mutual distrust, and so on. I don't think there's any groups that are being seriously considered that are so alien that the thread couldn't even begin to guess how they'd get along with the others.
Boris, Ice Witches, or Hedgewise might all be able to bring them on board. Mathilde doesn't have an in for them herself.
- Location
- Canada
[x] Vicereine Cadaeth
- Location
- Poland
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] The Ostermark Hedgewise
[X] Ice Witches
[X] Vicereine Cadaeth
[X] Ice Witches
[X] Vicereine Cadaeth
Codex
Fantasy Addict
- Pronouns
- She/Her
So I'm going to go out on a bit of an adventure to find a list of Waystone nexuses and auxillary supply lines. Let's start cracking:
I'm not suggesting all of these points are nexuses, but I'm willing to bet a decent amount of them are at least auxillary power supplies to the Waystone network, supplying the larger network. And in this update, Kislev City and Mordheim are revealed to be either auxillary power supply or more likely, Waystone Nexuses.
In addition to all these settlements, the following Dwarf Holds provide an energy supply:
Karaz-A-Karak
Karak Kadrin
Barak Varr
Karak Eight Peaks
Karak Vlag
Karak Dum
Zhufbar
Karak Azul
I'm also pretty sure that Athel Loren and Laurelorn are Waystone Nexuses. I also have a theroy that some of the darker corrupted forests have corrupted waystones within them. For example, the Drakwald has the Black Pit and the Great Forest has Six Spikes, which are dread areas of dark magic that I would not be surprised to find out are actually corrupted Waystones. For example, there is this from Tome of Corruption Page 202:
"Certain portions of the Great Forest have mystical ties to the Marcher Forest. A blackened copse of ancient trees near the tiny thorp of Sydow serves as a portal of sorts into the vile forest surrounding the Marcher Fortress"
Then there is the Forest of Shadows, which contains Melkhior's Tower. Knowing him, he likely made his tower over a place of mystical energy. There is also the Blood Fane in the Forest of Shadows:
"Deep within the heart of the Forest of Shadows, somewhere in the triangle between Smallhof, Ferlangen, and Bohsenfels, there is a small clearing with a grim, horrifying history. At its centre is a single weather-worn standing stone twice the height of a man. It is so stained and discoloured that few can guess what the stone's original hue was. Now, tainted with untold aeons of blood sacrifices, a rich rusty tone colours the whole stone, indeed seeming to arise from within it. The stone itself has four sets of ancient iron manacles hammered into it, each rusted with time and flecked with dried gore.
The grass around the stone is littered with bones: Human, Elf, Dwarf, Halfling—even Beastman and Orc. The onceshining armour of bold knights lies rusting alongside the obscene garb of Chaos warriors. To the north of the stone, with all sockets facing north toward the Chaos Waste, sits a vast pile of skulls, both old and fresh, each of which is silent acknowledgement that this place is sacred to Khorne, the Blood God and Skull Lord." Heirs of Sigmar Page 74
There's also Sylvania and Castle Drakenhof specifically. Page 10 of 8th Edition Vampire Counts says this:
"The Winds of Magic blow strong in Sylvania, and the keeps of the nobility are all built over particularly ill-omened sites. Even the notoriously violent and fearless Stirland tax collectors wear amulets blessed by Priests of Morr and Sigmar, and go about their business in fifty-strong companies whenever their Elector Count compels them to seek his due."
And Night's Dark Masters page 88 says this:
"Castle Drakenhof squats on the mountainside far above the town that is its namesake, like a coiled serpent eyeing its prey. The jagged peaks behind it are mirrored by the jagged towers thrusting skyward from this gigantic, black edifice. Ravens circle the towers, perching on the gargoyles that ring the battlements. The castle was built by the Von Drak family, and some whisper that it was done with the assistance of the unliving. The spot chosen for its construction was long considered cursed. During the starfall of 1111, a gigantic chunk of Warpstone called the Jewel of Morrslieb is said to have impacted on the very spot. Some dark influence certainly spreads from the place and did so even before Vlad von Carstein made it the home of his bloodline."
Waystones are everywhere. The most important points can probably be pared down with some research however.
Here Mathilde gives the criteria for the general area in which Waystones were erected and mentions Waystone Nexuses. The Jade College in Altdorf, which we know used to be Kor Vanaeth (the tower that gave the place its name forming the Celestial College's tallest tower). There are several Waystones in and around the place as well, such as the immaterial waystone in the middle of the Light College district and what I believe are a series of waystones/runestones in the Amber Hills. There's Talabheim, formerly Athel Maraya, and Nuln, which was a former Elven/Dwarven settlement. We know that beyond just the Elven Waystones, the Elves cooperated with the Dwarves to turn their major mountain holds into Waystones as well. Marienburg is a nexus and Mathilde clearly speculates that L'Anguille would be one as well. Mathilde then analyses the Fort Breackd[djfpowefhejf Waystone as an example. You're not getting me to look up its name.
This is a list of former Elven and Dwarven settlements Boney gave me a while ago.
This is a list that I conjured for Boney.
I'm not suggesting all of these points are nexuses, but I'm willing to bet a decent amount of them are at least auxillary power supplies to the Waystone network, supplying the larger network. And in this update, Kislev City and Mordheim are revealed to be either auxillary power supply or more likely, Waystone Nexuses.
In addition to all these settlements, the following Dwarf Holds provide an energy supply:
Karaz-A-Karak
Karak Kadrin
Barak Varr
Karak Eight Peaks
Karak Vlag
Karak Dum
Zhufbar
Karak Azul
I'm also pretty sure that Athel Loren and Laurelorn are Waystone Nexuses. I also have a theroy that some of the darker corrupted forests have corrupted waystones within them. For example, the Drakwald has the Black Pit and the Great Forest has Six Spikes, which are dread areas of dark magic that I would not be surprised to find out are actually corrupted Waystones. For example, there is this from Tome of Corruption Page 202:
"Certain portions of the Great Forest have mystical ties to the Marcher Forest. A blackened copse of ancient trees near the tiny thorp of Sydow serves as a portal of sorts into the vile forest surrounding the Marcher Fortress"
Then there is the Forest of Shadows, which contains Melkhior's Tower. Knowing him, he likely made his tower over a place of mystical energy. There is also the Blood Fane in the Forest of Shadows:
"Deep within the heart of the Forest of Shadows, somewhere in the triangle between Smallhof, Ferlangen, and Bohsenfels, there is a small clearing with a grim, horrifying history. At its centre is a single weather-worn standing stone twice the height of a man. It is so stained and discoloured that few can guess what the stone's original hue was. Now, tainted with untold aeons of blood sacrifices, a rich rusty tone colours the whole stone, indeed seeming to arise from within it. The stone itself has four sets of ancient iron manacles hammered into it, each rusted with time and flecked with dried gore.
The grass around the stone is littered with bones: Human, Elf, Dwarf, Halfling—even Beastman and Orc. The onceshining armour of bold knights lies rusting alongside the obscene garb of Chaos warriors. To the north of the stone, with all sockets facing north toward the Chaos Waste, sits a vast pile of skulls, both old and fresh, each of which is silent acknowledgement that this place is sacred to Khorne, the Blood God and Skull Lord." Heirs of Sigmar Page 74
There's also Sylvania and Castle Drakenhof specifically. Page 10 of 8th Edition Vampire Counts says this:
"The Winds of Magic blow strong in Sylvania, and the keeps of the nobility are all built over particularly ill-omened sites. Even the notoriously violent and fearless Stirland tax collectors wear amulets blessed by Priests of Morr and Sigmar, and go about their business in fifty-strong companies whenever their Elector Count compels them to seek his due."
And Night's Dark Masters page 88 says this:
"Castle Drakenhof squats on the mountainside far above the town that is its namesake, like a coiled serpent eyeing its prey. The jagged peaks behind it are mirrored by the jagged towers thrusting skyward from this gigantic, black edifice. Ravens circle the towers, perching on the gargoyles that ring the battlements. The castle was built by the Von Drak family, and some whisper that it was done with the assistance of the unliving. The spot chosen for its construction was long considered cursed. During the starfall of 1111, a gigantic chunk of Warpstone called the Jewel of Morrslieb is said to have impacted on the very spot. Some dark influence certainly spreads from the place and did so even before Vlad von Carstein made it the home of his bloodline."
Waystones are everywhere. The most important points can probably be pared down with some research however.
Reading this makes one wonder what would have transpired had we decided to bring down the mountain in our grief-stricken rage all those years ago...
- Location
- Europa, Jupiter Orbit
[X] The Ostermark Hedgewise
[X] Tsarevich Boris Bokha
[X] Ice Witches
[X] Vicereine Cadaeth
Also, what do we know about Zweedorf? It is the only purged village that wasn't a pure frontier town, instead being on the road to larger and still intact towns. Was it just purged because it was small enough to attack or did it represent a larger thorn in Laurelorn's side beyond it's mere existence? It's far away from their heartland or important sounding landmarks like the Silver Hills.
[X] Tsarevich Boris Bokha
[X] Ice Witches
[X] Vicereine Cadaeth
How did the three contested coastal towns fare during the purge? Two of them seem like cities, but one is just a double sized village, or however the little houses are supposed to be interpreted.
Also, what do we know about Zweedorf? It is the only purged village that wasn't a pure frontier town, instead being on the road to larger and still intact towns. Was it just purged because it was small enough to attack or did it represent a larger thorn in Laurelorn's side beyond it's mere existence? It's far away from their heartland or important sounding landmarks like the Silver Hills.
I guess my mind goes to various Elven and Human cults foremost. Like relationships between potentially rival Elf Houses, less obvious rivalries between Taalites and other cults of interest, like the Ancient Widow for instance, opinions of Imperial institutions on Hekarti, that kind of stuff.
Codex
Fantasy Addict
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Big boom as cannonballs hit dormant warpstone maybe? I don't know, maybe it became inert after all these years.
I should probably add to this the fallen Dwarf holds that probably acted as major sources of power. This is speculation, but I think it's these holds that are most important:
Karak Ungor
Karak Varn
Karak Drazh
Karak Izril/Azgal
Mt Silverspear being Thorgrim's target is probably for political and economic reasons so the Dwarfs can have full control over the East trade, but it might be a Nexus.
Silver Pinnacle could be a Nexus/Waystone, which is why Neferata sought it out. She could use it to fuel her machinations.
Karag Dron? It wasn't a hold so much as a shackled volcano forge, but it was probably a magic nexus to allow for the crafting of Anvils of Doom.
Karak Vrag, Krakaten and Azorn I have no idea about. Were they built during the Golden Age or after?
The Norse Holds could not have been Waystones because they were isolated, but they might have found ways to harness the energy of the North.
Tylos might have been a Waystone Nexus, and the Skaven almost certainly corrupted the area. Could explain Skavenblight being able to handle all of Skyre's crazy experiments with such an abundance of magical energy.
I'm not consulting my lists because my notes have gotten so messy that it starts to get my laptop to crash if I open my Warhammer Notes files. I've gotten to the point where my own notes are inconvenient to consult. I know what Librarians who consign books to the stacks feel like now.
Laurelorn considers all land west of the Salz to be theirs. The only human settlements within that area that were spared were major towns on the coast.
Your supposition would be as good as Mathilde's. If you want something more solid, recruit them and find out. Any attempt to sound people out would draw the attention of everyone involved to the potential fracture points that might otherwise have not developed into issues and turn it into a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Mopman43
Mountain-Hermit of Nitpeak
- Location
- Vermont
According to 8th edition Ogre Kingdoms, the Dwarfs only started to consider expeditions to the Mountains of Mourn after a series of Ogre raids in -1955 IC. Given the other events that were soon going on, I'd be surprised if the managed to get a Waystone outcrop set up.
(Along with potential issues streaming magic that far, especially given that the Chaos Dwarfs figuring things out would be giving some lucky Sorcerer-Prophet quite a bit of energy)
There's also Karak Zorn, but there probably isn't one down there.
[X] The Ostermark Hedgewise