Warhammer Fantasy: Divided Loyalties - an Advisor's Quest
- Thread starter Boney
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- Fantasy Users' Choice!
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- warhammer warhammer fantasy fantasy be gay do crimes (gay) female protagonist pansexual protagonist ck2 quest divided loyalties mountain vietnam ranald is real this is a dwarf quest (dwarfs) this is maybe an elf quest this is not a vampire quest this is not an empire quest try it and find out open voting
Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Not all catastrophes are obvious. They don't actually have any reason to make it our business, so we might not hear about it even if it was an obvious problem.
- Location
- Who knows?
Hello I am now imagining Ogres regarding books as their version of White Rabbit candy--its a popular (at least I love it) Chinese milk candy where each nuggets is wrapped in a thin sheet of rice paper
Wait, when did the canal stop being in the top fiveI wish to know why it is so delayed...
Well, it's been a pretty tight race for Places 3-5 for a while now, with the canal being in a 5-6 way really close knifefight. Not to you directly, but in general people should start thinking about narrowing down their approval votes.
- Location
- New Brunswick, NJ
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
For the coming purchase round, there's been some discussion regarding what we should do for the library portion. Backfilling Social Sciences is a popular option that people have been advocating for since last time, but others have pointed out that if we start copying books from Nuln next turn, there might be redundancies. I decided to do some analysis to see what's up.
First, some refresher on how Backfill works. The mechanics have been changed since the last time we took the action, so we don't have a modern example of it, but Boney has given us plenty to work with.
Total missing Dwarf: +23
Total missing Imperial: +24
Amount of that Imperial which is on restricted topics: +10
So from this I think that Back-fill on Social Sciences is still a strong option, despite the fact that we'll be copying from Nuln, because from our missing topics we should expect that most of the new books we pick up will be Dwarf books, which we can't get from our Nuln partner libraries: sure, it's only 23/47 when looking at the raw numbers, but it is harder to get Imperial books on restricted topics and almost half of the Imperial missing books are from restricted topics.
That said, I can definitely see the argument for doing a Barak Varr purchase on Druchii of Naggaroth/Ten Kingdoms of Ulthuan/something else (Nehekhara, maybe?), despite the inefficiency of doing so, and just letting our general info books roll in over time from copying agreements rather than backfill.
First, some refresher on how Backfill works. The mechanics have been changed since the last time we took the action, so we don't have a modern example of it, but Boney has given us plenty to work with.
Note that this is "special attention" to existing but incomplete topics; it is possible in principle for us to get a new topic started, but our booksellers will prioritize stuff we already have. I asked Boney some fiddly questions about it, and here's what I was told about Bretonnian books.
So Bretonnian stuff is possible but unlikely in cases where Bretonnia has books on a topic but we don't have them. And finally, here's a note about Imperial books:Boney said:
So, with all that in mind, here is my annotated version of our Social Sciences section, showing only topics with missing Imperial and Dwarven books (because Bretonnian books, while possible, are unlikely) and with *s on topics that are restricted (i.e. we have to pay CF for rare books about them from the Empire) and therefore where the Imperial books are less likely to be gotten:
Total missing from Social Sciences: +47
Total missing Dwarf: +23
Total missing Imperial: +24
Amount of that Imperial which is on restricted topics: +10
So from this I think that Back-fill on Social Sciences is still a strong option, despite the fact that we'll be copying from Nuln, because from our missing topics we should expect that most of the new books we pick up will be Dwarf books, which we can't get from our Nuln partner libraries: sure, it's only 23/47 when looking at the raw numbers, but it is harder to get Imperial books on restricted topics and almost half of the Imperial missing books are from restricted topics.
That said, I can definitely see the argument for doing a Barak Varr purchase on Druchii of Naggaroth/Ten Kingdoms of Ulthuan/something else (Nehekhara, maybe?), despite the inefficiency of doing so, and just letting our general info books roll in over time from copying agreements rather than backfill.
But with how valuable silk is (especially this silk), I don't see it requiring human suffering to make it even minimally viable.
A yard of silk cloth is 10 GC, and I think they pay the We about 1/8 of that to get the fibers in the first place, so there is 4+ GC available to cover costs of making the fabric, assuming target margins of 40%.
How long for a hobbyist to make a yard of which according to .7 embroidery thread sized thread, weaving would take about 1800 yards of thread. At 6 yards of thread every minute, that becomes 5 hours of solid work, so with breaks and anything needing attention it would likely take up to 8 hours. (Citation, experienced and conscientious hobbyist on Reddit). Plying (if for yarn) would take another 3-4 hours. If it is not for yarn but just for thread, then no plying is required.
Setting up the loom and using it would take a few hours, then actually weaving it in the loom would be another 3-5. A few days work and a little infrastructure for a yard of silk sounds like there is plenty of room for a weaver to be paid a truly handsome salary.
Surgical or other thread from this should be trivial for any one who has ever carded fiber and spun thread (like shepherds, subsistence farmers, any of hundreds of the people among the halflings who make or mend clothes). This isn't cotton with its hard-to-separate-out seeds. (And even that was viable for a long time) Finally, surgical thread is already a finished product, so any aversion to selling raw materials should not apply to it.
The main guess I have is that the spider silk strands are way longer than wool or plant fibers, and that is getting in the way of traditional methods for short fibers. If the fibers are way longer, then carding becomes harder, and tangles in the card become way nastier if you can't either snap or trivially dislodge a few inconvenient small fibers easily. (Because of the fibers' strength)
Once the thread is made it's back to traditional methods working, but before then it might be much harder.
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- Location
- Argentina
I propose something altogether different, that might help us later, given the coin books to write and that could tie neatly into our forbidden research:
Nehekara
It is unlikely to have any kind of redundancy in the future, and could serve as a cover for why we are suddenly writing stuff about coins and eventually learning High Nehekaran.
- Location
- Denmark
Migth not even be a catastrophe slowing it down, maybe while they were digging out the canals they found some old relics or something. I don't know how much of the area was inhabited by the dwarves during their golden age, but in real life diggings get slowed down by archeological finds all the time.
[X] The Black Water Canal
[X] Nordland
[X] Middenland
[X] The Amber College
[X] The Gold College
I have no interest in the Death Wizard Money Gang, not when Golds are possibly making machine guns, the canal is being ravaged by plague we can cure with a candle, our little fire lizards are finally grown up, or finally, FINALLY looking into the biggest political shitstorm brewing right next to our project. Especially since this is, as far as I am aware, the first time elves have ever taken up the worship of a human god.
[X] Nordland
[X] Middenland
[X] The Amber College
[X] The Gold College
I have no interest in the Death Wizard Money Gang, not when Golds are possibly making machine guns, the canal is being ravaged by plague we can cure with a candle, our little fire lizards are finally grown up, or finally, FINALLY looking into the biggest political shitstorm brewing right next to our project. Especially since this is, as far as I am aware, the first time elves have ever taken up the worship of a human god.
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- He/Him
Naturally. My point is just that we don't have a reasonable expectation of being informed if something is indeed going wrong that we could do something about.
So to learn if it's the case, we gotta go there and check.
If it becomes relevant enough to the main story, I'll put in the research to come up with a convincing explanation. That applies to weaving just as it has to to lock design, and to masonry, and to smelting, and to forestry, and to megaliths, and to library science, and to wetland ecology, and to everything else that has come up at some point or another. But I can't do that with everything that's ever mentioned at any point in the story, there's just not enough hours in the day.
- Location
- Europa, Jupiter Orbit
I liked Julia and voted for her a couple of times. But I think I was one of like five people towards the end.
It won't. I actually can't think of one. I'd sort it alongside having a vibrant relationship with Panoramia, visiting our best friends at the regular, and actively managing our CF through horse trading with other Wizards under things Mathilde definitely has been doing off screen.
From what I recall you often win library votes and looking at the above one can easily see why, it is very well reasoned, but I would like to propose the following
[] [LIBRARY] Barak Varr booksellers: The Druchii of Naggaroth, Lustria, Nehekara
The reasoning for it would be thus:
- The Druchi are here and all we have are Bretonian books on them, at least we have a little more than that on Ulthuan
- Lustria for the papers, those could have a significant impact on the Foundation since that is the part that links to the geomantic web, odds are good a high elf explorer would at least look into that even if it was not the focus of their research, which it may well have been. Not many reasons to risk poking around Lustria if you are an Asur
- Nehekara for the coins which are our only real non-AV papers and given all we have put into AV I do not think we should risk a sub-standard book on it by rushing at the last moment
- Location
- The internet
Honestly, I have a feeling that Julia's actually snuck back into the social que this turn. Specifically, I think she's become the spymaster of Wissenland and that's part of why the social action has popped up again.
- Location
- Argentina
I support this. Anything not immediately useful we will probably get through other libraries.
Mopman43
Mountain-Hermit of Nitpeak
- Location
- Vermont
I think that's unlikely.
Whoever the Wissenland spymaster is, they evidently have a great deal of experience with Skaven.
Unless a number of dramatic things have occurred in her life, I don't think that'd be Julia.
- Location
- Who knows?
Mathile "found ancient ruins and immediately plotted how much money tearing down the architecture could get" Weber: its held up due to what?
fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
With the Nuln Verenans opposing us copying the libraries in Nuln seems like there is a risk of use it or lose it. Currently with the Dwarfs actively working on the foundries the Elector count is firmly on our side prepared to run over anything that might possibly lead the delays in construction.
But once construction is done the Nuln Verenans are right there agitating well Mathilde is far away.
But once construction is done the Nuln Verenans are right there agitating well Mathilde is far away.
- Location
- The internet
She's been the 2nd IC of a province's spy network for a decade or so, which is plenty of time for shenanigans. Though the thing that actually makes me think that is the spymaster's excellent use of gossip to maintain the conspiracy of silence. That, after all, was arguably Julia's signature initiative during her time as our minion even if it didn't pan out great when we tried it once or twice.
It is in fact Eshin Friend working to undermining the rivals of his clan.
Disguise? He just wears a long black cloak and a black cloth mask because everyone knows that is what spymasters wear and the count does not question him as long as he gets results.
Mopman43
Mountain-Hermit of Nitpeak
- Location
- Vermont
Last we knew there was no significant Skaven presence in Stirland.
In terms of figures from the Stirland era of the quest, the professional thief that Mathilde had tapped to run the Wurtbad guards seems more likely. He at least knew the Skaven existed.
- Location
- Hiding in the walls.
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- She/Her
Julia having gotten up to something that gave her significant Skaven experience would be quite amusing, and also somewhat concerning.
On the subject of a third Barak Varr purchase, Nehekhara is a trendy subject for Imperial scholars so I imagine we'll get books on it from the University of Nuln. Probably just the human books, but a Druchii/Asur/Third topic purchase is already pretty inefficient (max 11 BOÖK on the first two topics) so that seems kind of wasteful.
More generally, if we want to do a Barak Varr or any other non-backfill option because we're worried about overlap between a Social Science backfill and the Nuln books then I don't think a Naggaroth/Ulthuan/Something purchase is the way to go. As you point out, the total number of missing BOÖK in the category is 47 (which was exactly what we got last backfill btw) and 10 of those are hard to get, so since Naggaroth and Ulthuan are both unfinished social science topics and are therefore higher priority for backfilling there's a decently high chance of getting them through a Social Science backfill anyway. If we're truly desperate to avoid buying books which we can get from Nuln we should consider getting books from the Colleges or from the Eonir (since the Nuln libraries definitely won't give us any), but really I think you're right that the amount of overlap is likely to be pretty small and we shouldn't worry about that too much.
- Location
- Europa, Jupiter Orbit
For some reason I can't recall what you might be referencing.
The Ghyran nexus (aethyric shunt?) was in a bunch of marble ruins that she pondered the value of as I recall.