[X] [Blood] The fighting pits and betting arenas of Altdorf are always in need of fresh meat, and more than a few dockside labourers take the chance to earn some extra coin by competing. Markus finds himself beating other men bloody for the roars of the adoring crowd, and enjoying himself far more than he would have thought. (-2 corruption)
[X] [Excess] Markus keeps his head and cool throughout his time on the docks, regarded by his fellow labourers as a bit of a killjoy, for all that they appreciate having someone sober to watch over them. (0 corruption)
[X] [Decay] Markus remains motivated and diligent throughout his time among the common folk. (0 corruption)
[X] [Change] Finding himself increasingly uncomfortable with his enforced idleness, Markus throws himself into supporting and aiding a number of different social movements and political groups. It is deeply disquieting to him to discover that such pursuits bring him just as much satisfaction as his service to Sigmar did… was it always thus? Was his faith never more than a convenient cause to dedicate himself to? (-2 corruption)
-4 Corruption in total, leaving Markus with 1 Corruption.
Tzeentch is the chaos god with the most connection to Markus, so it makes narrative sense to grab something from the Big Bird. Rather than the -3 option though, -2 works best for me since I really don't want Markus to stop being a Witch Hunter. Getting in touch with political activists though? That's a lot of new ideas for a agent of the state to absorb and consider as potential answers for the Mutant Edict. I'd like it if those thoughts came from the flow of ink instead of blood.
Speaking of Blood, Khorne! My favorite chaos god. -2 from participating in pit fights. Enjoying combat is like, a character trait of plenty of fighters in Warhammer, and since Markus' career involves a lot of fighting, I guess it fits.
Also, you know who else enjoys fights and is 100% happy? That's right, the Orcs. Clearly, we should follow their example in this regard. As a renowned philosopher once said...
Uthan the Perverse said:
The Orks are the pinnacle of creation. For them, the great struggle is won. They have evolved a society which knows no stress or angst. Who are we to judge them? We Eldar who have failed, or the Humans, on the road to ruin in their turn? And why? Because we sought answers to questions that an Ork wouldn't even bother to ask! We see a culture that is strong and despise it as crude.
Following advice from someone dubbed the Perverse can never be wrong! He's probably 40K Diogenes!
The -1 from Excess might not seem a lot, but alcoholism is no small matter. I'd rather Markus avoid that since once you start drinking in excess, it's hard to stop. As such, I'd rather avoid any excess at all. I'd also like to avoid sharing too many character traits with our retinue. Max is a drunk and Spätin is a flirt. If we're going excess, let's at least be original about it!
That said Maugan, would we still be picking between the 4 Chaos Gods if Seclusion had won? You mentioned before that the Templars knew how to deal with corruption points, so I didn't expect our options to end up being which sin Markus indulges in.