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The Enemy Within (WHF Witch Hunter Quest)

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Vasaryandë in the background nodding thoughtfully at this wonderful opportunity to advance ourselves in the line of succession while also improving our position in our organisation.
 
Sertorius said:
It's not about being an automaton.

It's about having a self-preservation instinct.

Something an experienced Witch Hunter should have in larger quantities, than the average Empire citizen.
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Markus clearly wasn't lacking actual self-preservation instincts, given that Rikkard didn't shoot him. His instincts in not acting were correct here.

Plus, well, Markus has already survived getting shog once, by a guy significantly more dangerous than this.
 
Guys please, if he wasn't planning on calling the black guard to deal with a ghost he condemned to death, then he's just going to endanger the rest of the family in the future. Leaving him alive is irresponsible and goes against everything Markus stands for. Do you really wanna take a chance with him and potentially deal with the ghost of Maria and any family or servant of the house he condems as well?
 
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Jonny_boy said:
Guys please, if he wasn't planning on calling the black guard to deal with a ghost he condemned to death, then he's just going to endanger the rest of the family in the future. Leaving him alive is irresponsible and goes against everything Markus stands for. Do you really wanna take a chance with him and potentially deal with the ghost of Maria and any family or servant of the house he condems as well?
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I think there's arguments that we can make. About faith. About loyalty. About law. But I think that saying 'we killed our brother to protect our family' would be a pretty bitter joke at this point. If we kill our brother, Maria is pretty much completely alone, since she'll not want to see us again. It is perfectly possible for Rikkard to never endanger anyone in his family. The fact that we are a Witch Hunter, and thus might lead retribution to our family's doorstep is a greater risk to our family than Rikkard suddenly changing his mind/lying on the magic thing.
 
Jonny_boy said:
Guys please, if he wasn't planning on calling the black guard to deal with a ghost he condemned to death, then he's just going to endanger the rest of the family in the future. Leaving him alive is irresponsible and goes against everything Markus stands for. Do you really wanna take a chance with him and potentially deal with the ghost of Maria and any family or servant of the house he condems as well?
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MrRageQuit said:
[X] Kill your Brother

Look, the guy got their father to cover for him and wants to blame Markus for what transpired? Fuck you no.
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Provide us a quote where Rikard, as a child, was the one who made the call for his father to take the fall for him. Whose sin was that? Was it the boy who had no power to make decisions when his father was killed, or was it the head of the household?
 
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Man. These two guys are absolutely riddled with survivor's guilt. All because their secretive, manipulative father preferred a world where he was above the law whenever it was convenient for him.

As galling as it is to actually do what that stupid ghost asked for in his moment of lucidity - I don't see any way this would be anything but murder. Rikard hasn't notably done anything other than be antagonistic, regardless of Markus's incredibly tainted internal rationalizations for killing him.

[X] Turn a Blind Eye
 
For now, with our limited information, it makes sense to let Rikard live.
For now.
There are still more questions we should ask Maria, that may influence the future:
- how long has the ghost been around? For years?
- was Rikard just not planning on dealing with it whatsoever? Was she just not planning on dealing with it, either?
- why did Maria think of seeking us out only now, and not in the past years? And coincidentally, our chosen career is the one that can deal with this problem discreetly*

*It seems like... an unlikely fate, that's all. One elegantly architected 🤔 ;)
 
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Shogeton said:
Yeah, we'll actually need to tell him to stop making paintings like that. We'll need to actually give him instructions how to best avoid getting sniffed out by a Witch Hunter, using all the knowledge we have.

Which is of course treason. And I'm on board with that.
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So we are going to force everyone but our brother to follow the rules that exist to make sure the use of the Magic that flows from the Realms of Chaos is regulated so that we don't have Dark Magic users and Necromancers hiding behind screens of Freedom and Noble privileges. If we want to be a just man then we can't say Spatin needs to join the Colleges willingly or we would force her just to turn around and say brother "dearest" gets to say screw the Law and do what he wants with magic. The man has already refused to follow the law and sacrificed his father and put the rest of his Family at risk already, all because he did not want to deal with the restrictions being a apprentice at the Colleges would put him under for a time.

Shogeton said:
The thing here is that if Rikard just gets some jewelry and fucks off, he's not really tied to the colleges at all. if he actually does become a wizard, his influence will become seriously curtailed, both in a polticial and social sense he will I think be very diminished, and mostly be 'well, his sister is in charge now'. because I don't think you can be a noble in a position of power and a wizard at the same time?
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Even if he is no longer head of the family because he has join the Colleges if he becomes a Magister then he would still be considered to have the privileges of a Noble under the law so he could quite easily have a lot of power and influence. If He on the other hand is found to have to power to only be sent on his way back home after a time with Magic dampening items then he would return home still a Noble because the Colleges would have released him from their Organization and it's duties and responsibilities. Thus he has a way to retain power and control of his live to a large degree if he was willing to follow the rules.

Maugan Ra said:
Balthasar Gelt, perhaps one of the most successful and prominent wizards the Colleges have ever produced, ended up scarred and maimed enough that he has to wear a full-face mask to cover the injuries. How that attrition rate compares to other professions is something that is difficult to tell, since there's no official body that gathers and compares statistics to refer to, but it is pretty unquestionable that it's got worse odds than "second son of an established noble family who likes to paint
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Boss about Gelt, is that the truth you are going with because isn't the Whole he was injured in a experiment gone bad really implied to be a cover for the truth. The Golden Face Mask he wears all the time is in fact at least partially the result of him Gilding his head in the process that the Gold College has were they literally transmute a part of their body to living Gold and which is better then the flesh and Blood it was made of before. The mask for example seems suspiciously live like in the lore and his voice also is commented on as having a almost metallic quality to it.
 
Stewart9 said:
If we want to be a just man then we can't say Spatin needs to join the Colleges willingly or we would force her just to turn around and say brother "dearest" gets to say screw the Law and do what he wants with magic
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IMO, you are focusing too much on the terms we know, and not on the things we do not yet know.
About the ghost: Time. Measures, or lack thereof. Coincidences, like picking us up from the street.
It's not a given the brother is the villain, here. (Maybe the villain is actually outside the house.)

I am not saying that Maria is guilty, she seems cool actually. But who arranged for the set of circumstances? Probably someone closer than the Deceiver all the way in the Aethyr.
 
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Stewart9 said:
So we are going to force everyone but our brother to follow the rules that exist to make sure the use of the Magic that flows from the Realms of Chaos is regulated so that we don't have Dark Magic users and Necromancers hiding behind screens of Freedom and Noble privileges. If we want to be a just man then we can't say Spatin needs to join the Colleges willingly or we would force her just to turn around and say brother "dearest" gets to say screw the Law and do what he wants with magic. The man has already refused to follow the law and sacrificed his father and put the rest of his Family at risk already, all because he did not want to deal with the restrictions being a apprentice at the Colleges would put him under for a time.
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Yes. We are treating our brother differently than other people. We are deciding to, in this case, put family before duty.

Mind you, there is a difference betwene Spatin and Rikkard. Spatin isn't just magic sensitive, she is actually studying it. Rikkard mentions he's happy just not doing anything with it. But to be fair, that's not the main reason. If we encountered a random person that mentioned seeing the winds of magic, we would definitely enforce it. Also, it's not 'do what you want with magic'. Rikkard is very clear that one of the reason he feels he should be allowed to stay here is because he DOESN'T do anything with magic. He sees the winds flow and goes 'nope, not getting involved with that'. Because he COULD change his mind, and get into all kinds of shit. the Empire says 'nah, you need to get to the colleges'


Even if he is no longer head of the family because he has join the Colleges if he becomes a Magister then he would still be considered to have the privileges of a Noble under the law so he could quite easily have a lot of power and influence. If He on the other hand is found to have to power to only be sent on his way back home after a time with Magic dampening items then he would return home still a Noble because the Colleges would have released him from their Organization and it's duties and responsibilities. Thus he has a way to retain power and control of his live to a large degree if he was willing to follow the rules.
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I think you have a relatively rosy impression of how that goes. The Magic Dampening items are mentioned as a rarity. If you're a weak-ass mage, you're 'Apprentice in perpetuity' and you just continue to swipe the floors for other mages. And I'm not sure a family with a stained reputation like ours would be getting that deal, rather than just saying 'Hey, your sister can inherit'.

And you know. The man has his own dreams, wishes, ambitions. That are meaningful to him to whole ass put his life on the line for. And the reason the State wants to take that away from him is 'You might use it for Bad Things', while he's very much determined not to use it at all. Nah, I can get why he's 'no. Not gonna do it.'


Those with only a slight magical sensitivity and who want to get rid of minor visions might sometimes ask to be fitted with leadrings, bracelets, and other trinkets to further dampen what little ability they have, allowing them to be integrated back into the civilian world without anyone knowing who they truly work for or where their loyalties lie. This can and has been done, but only rarely.
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Do note the 'where their loyalties lie'. If he goes to the College, and they put him back 'quietly', the idea is still 'you serve the colleges' And it's probably mostly done in cases where it's discreet enough so the Colleges have some sleeper agents out and about. I don't think it's an option for our brother.
 
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Maugan Ra said:
"The law is ink on paper, Markus, and justice is blind; why else would Verena hide her eyes?" Rikard says softly, and you can hear the anger in his voice, the bitter contempt that lurks behind his placid expression. He knows full well how poorly such an argument would hold up in front of any court you might happen to find. "What matters is how it is enforced, and here you are, an agent of the church and state charged with doing just that. So tell me, brother mine. You've heard my argument, and you know my answer. What is yours?"

Choose One:

[ ] Kill your Brother
Rikard hates you too much to listen to any argument, and will resist any attempt to arrest him with lethal force. You can't let him go, and try though you might, you cannot capture him alive. His death is, at least, kinder than your father's.

[ ] Turn a Blind Eye
Walk away, and hope that your brother is telling the truth. If this ever comes to light your peers may well understand, may even sympathise, but they will not pardon you. You will burn like your father did, for the Templars cannot be seen to be above the laws that they enforce.
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"None, Rikard," you respond with quiet determination. "I won't kill you, for you're already a dead man walking." You sink into a long-practiced trance, your eyes open but unfocused.

Rikard's lips turn back in contempt. "You think me daft? Am I about to-" He suddenly pauses and desperately paws for the pistol, leveling it at you. Yet you merely smile grimly in response, your posture remaining still and clearly unready for a fight.

"A simple method for Witch Hunters to spot those with arcane sight," you continue mercilessly, gesturing to the twin-tailed comet adorning your hat. "Merely generate a torrent of emotions within your breast while showing nothing openly, then watch who in the room takes heed of the shifts in magic. Novice Hunters get their jollies using the trick on Journeymen Wizards, but the Magisters of Altdorf are immune to such basic methods." You point at Rikard, your voice gently mocking. "Dear brother, you're no Magister."

Rikard holds the pistol with both hands, his voice cracking with fear and fury. "I am a Count of Reikland! No jumped-up priest or mad sorcerer may accost me on my own grounds! Here, I am safe!"

Your expression remains steady as you keep your emotions calm, showing no flickers to Rikard's Sight. You'll never convince your brother with appeals to love you've spurned, or to churches and a state which he fears (perhaps rightfully, a traitorous voice reminds you). You want him to hate, to bluster and fall back on predictable old defenses, for you know how to deal with those.

"Let me tell you a story, dearest brother: a nobleman is found guilty of unlicensed sorcery and burns at the stake. The eldest son leaves, and the new inheritor expels priests and refuses even Morr's acolytes to lay his tormented father's shade to rest. The new scion is pale and rarely leaves his estate, and the peasants gossip fearfully about a shade not laid to rest. Word has already spread, and this story will end in one of three ways." Your voice is soft, but the steel is clear.

You hold up one finger in a mocking salute. "At best, word reaches the Grey Order's information networks first, and a Shadowmancer investigates rumours of vampirism to find an unsanctioned magic-user instead. You're woken one night by a Grey Wizard with an offer in one hand and a blade in the other." Rikard blinks in surprise at your casual mention of the Emperor's magical spies, bane of Imperial nobles. You stare back down the pistol, your eyes unblinking and your stance deliberately relaxed.

You raise a second finger, making a mocking sign of the Comet in the process. "Should the wizards not arrive first, the Order of the Silver Hammer will doubtlessly investigate the barring of priests from the premises. A hostler or similar everyman will arrive among the common staff with a lure; he'll have some enchanted trinket which shines only to those with the Sight. You'll be suspicious, but when you confirm the man himself is no spy, you'll purchase the trinket for a pittance and study it. The hidden watcher, the maid with an ironclad cover and excellent training in lying low, shall watch and pass along word."

"When the Witch Hunter bursts onto the grounds days later, there will be no knock at the gates. He'll carry a writ of execution from the Elector Count, a company of Greatswords at his back, and me in chains behind. Father's pyre will have three more join it." You ignore the shuffling behind the door; you intended that particular barb for Maria, and you're sure it struck true. "And with their reputation imperiled, one doubts the Order will let the estate staff easily off the hook too."

Your brother temporarily regains his composure, thinking he's spotted weakness. "I'll not fall for a ploy that simple, witch hunter. I've hidden a decade already; no simple trick will snare me that easily."

You step into the verbal riposte. "Just like father, yes. You've amassed quite a collection of trinkets and writings already, I'm sure, with everything acquired covertly. You covered your tracks well against official scrutiny, I'm sure!" You hold up three fingers, your expression stern. You think back to Bögenhafen, and let the memories of what you saw fill your mind; you're sure Rikard will catch some glimpse. "And now we one to our third ending, the friendly gentleman with a wealth of knowledge. Problems will vanish and your coffers will fill, and in time you'll wonder how you could have done without them - just like every witless fool before you." You nod at a painting of Pietr hanging draped in the corner. "Who shall be the Etelka Herzen that sees you ensnared, little brother?"

You step forward yet again, the pistol's barrel only three paces from your chest. Here, now, is what your Order exists to achieve. Any thug can kill, but recognizing a man's weaknesses and convincing him to see reason, now, that takes a delicate hand. A pity you're the only one available for this task, as you'll have to rely on spite and fury instead.

"In truth, though, I understand," you whisper. "The wizards who speak at the temple, they describe senses far beyond mortal sight and sensations deeper than bone. You may be a shut-in, Rikard, but you know that other families have had 'accidents' which left their scions wearing a certain magic-dampening brooch. You could have been one of them." You stare into Rikard's maddened eyes, seeing pain warring with fury in them, and speak with genuine empathy and compassion in your voice. "But you, dear brother...the thought of giving up that sight, that power, was just too much to bear, wasn't it?"

*BANG*

You silently offer thanks for your brother's disinterest in all things outdoors; even when even-tempered, he was still a terrible shot. Waiting for the ringing to pass, you stare frostily while Rikard gapes at the smoking pistol. "Hate me much as you want, Rikard, you know that I'm right. If you'll not see your gift dampened or controlled, then the signs will continue to pile up for those who know what to look for, and one day the choice will be made for you."

Your brother blinks, momentarily confused as he scrabbles to regain his senses. "Gift? I'd not expected that from you, Markus."

"Aye," you say wearily, "a painful gift, but a true one all the same. I owe several Wizards my thanks, and one my life to boot. I'm not the child you knew, Rikard, and I speak from experience when I say you cannot hide forever. I can either leave with you, or have the Grey Order see you brought in. You can run, but you'll not outpace horses of shadow."

You spin on your heel and walk away before your brother can mount a response. A single conversation won't overcome a decade's worth of hate and fear, but you've planted seeds of doubt in beliefs he thought inviolate, and now you must give them time to sprout. You studiously ignore the smoking bullet hole to your right and Maria with her ear cupped to the door as you exit, and maintain your facade of calm certainty until you're back in the guest wing.

Peeling off your sweat-stained armour as you approach the bed, you consider the possibility of dying again tonight. After a moment's consideration, you leave your weapons sheathed on the dresser across the room, and lie down with a suppressed gasp of pain. Perhaps your brother will see reason (or Maria will talk some into him), and you two will go hand-in-hand to the Colleges; you snort at the fanciful thought. Perhaps Rikard will be gone by morning and the Shadowmancers will have to track his carriage, or perhaps he'll simply try to kill you again. You've been allowed to earn redemption, however, and if you'd offer such a chance to rakes like Spätin then your own brother deserves the same. You lost Rikard's trust a decade ago, and you'll not earn it anew without making a gesture of your own. You will sleep here, and with luck you'll wake again too.

For once, your sleep is dreamless and untroubled.



[X] Kill Your Brother ('s Delusions)

---[X] More specifically, kill his illusions of safety and remind him that he's a very small minnow in a very big cavern. Imperial 'justice' is still better than a cult suborning him like one nearly did to Pietr.
---[X] Offer Rikard the chance to choose how he arrives at the Colleges with you, and which College he chooses. If he's still here in the morning, reminisce about the Perpetual Apprentices and Journeymen you've seen, and remind Rikard that your father's understanding of the Colleges came from Etelka Herzen, almost certainly a cultist herself. You're not about to condemn your own brother to death by proxy.
---[X] Threaten Rikard with the Grey Order, who might decide that Rikard's gone too far and must be killed. You're the Witch Hunter he knows, rather than the unknown Wizard he fears.

If you live through the night without violence and Rikard either runs or continues to refuse in the morning, you'll travel back to Altdorf and inform the Grey College of your findings. Unlike the Order of the Silver Hammer, who will want everything (and everyone) swept under the rug, the Grey Order will appreciate having a chance to pressure a noble family of high standing, and will likely appreciate a Witch Hunter actively seeking them out to resolve the issue. It's a bit of political horse-trading, and one which will probably hurt our standing in the Silver Hammer a bit, but it keeps to the tenets of the law while offering a better chance of not seeing more of Markus's family killed.
 
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In my mind, I've swayed back and forth.

We've condemned men great and small for lesser offenses. We've given zero compromises to men and women who have shown themselves to have far greater strength of character and purpose than our brother. In the future we will have to judge others, people who will not benefit from the protection of being family. It reeks of rank hypocrisy, especially when at every point, we've characterized Markus as a proper Witch Hunter. Free of the bias, (mundane) corruption, and fanaticism that plague to profession.

In his conduct, Markus has always acted more akin to following Verenan justice than Sigmarite justice.

"No man or woman, not even Lady Verena, can judge until the other side has told their story. Then, once both parties have made their case, a judgement will be made."

The facts of the matter is that Rickard has failed his station, his lord, his god, his subjects and his family. And worst of all, from what we can see. He could care less. Darkness infested the estate, yet he did not act. Numerous people have covered for him, his servants, father, even Maria (her fishing for Markus' templar alignment is most certainly not a coincidence) yet he does not care. It is not duty, faith, family, or any kind of higher purpose that guides him. He is no misguided idealist or naive fool. It all comes down to his own conveniences. Heck. Even now he blames Markus for this entire situation, if Markus just walks away then everything is fine. I'd even go as far as to say that he revels in the anguish he is causing Markus. Going as far as giving zero viable excuses as to why Markus should spare him.

Nevermind that the thread has in the past show its startlingly willing to oppose both church and state (even when it knows it is somehow a Tzeentch plot) and got a Tzeentch cult eying us. We will face scrutiny, our family will face scrutiny, our brother's household will face scrutiny. Who will be the next person sacrificed to protect our brother's fancies when it comes down to it? After Markus burns, will it be Maria? Will it be one of the maids? The senechal? The household guard? The stable boy?

In the end. I am reminded of Markus' own words from the update.

"That uniform…" the shade growls, mad fury creeping by degrees back across the remnants of its face, "A mad dog's coat, a tame killer's colours…"

"I am proud to wear it," you reply through gritted teeth, denying the accusation even as you strive to destroy the thing that makes it, "I have saved innocents and slain monsters, brought the guilty to account and the lost back to the righteous path. Though the road is murky and often strange, I walk it proud and unashamed."

You said the words without thinking, half expecting your heart to rebel at the notion, but to your faint shock there is nothing. You stand before your father's ghost in the colours of the men who killed him, and you do not feel ashamed. Your judgement may be flawed and your choices could well be mistakes, but your motives are pure, your ideals inviolate. You are a servant of your god and your fellow man, and you are proud to think of yourself as such.
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[X] Kill your Brother
 
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Dutch said:
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Well said and I agree with you there is no way letting him live will end well for anyone and he clearly isn't going to change his ways. If anything being let off with embolden him which will come down on us all. We can lie to protect ourselves but Witch Hunters are trained to sniff out lies or can get a priest eventually we will be forced into compromise after compromise as we delve further into darkness with each step.

The law either applies to everyone or it applies to no one.
 
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