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The Enemy Within (WHF Witch Hunter Quest)

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Maugan Ra said:
He's reasonably sure that she is sincere to the extent of "if that is the price I must pay then so be it", that she is herself gambling on the idea that Markus cares enough about these people to trade himself for their lives. He does not, however, think that she actually cares whether the rest of them live or die outside of that trade.

She sent the beastmen in to kill everyone in the mine in the first place, after all.
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I was thinking that there's no real way for Markus to withhold his cooperation until his allies are safe.

He could go with Etelka now, but can't stop the beastmen killing all of the mutants after he surrenders.
 
[X] Surrender

We WILL kill her eventually, but we have 7 wounds and one fortune point. Attack would end up with us and all in our charge dead. We have to trust our allies will be able to notify the rest of the templars for a rescue, and trust that we will be able to make it out eventually
 
[X] Attack

All of this happened because many people had the brilliant idea to go into the mines. To seal ourselves, and get besieged in a place that can be collapsed, with no real allies!
At this point, we know that even if we surrender everybody behind us will be devoured by Beastmen anyway. Therefore, we go out in a blaze of glory.
 
Ok, the situation is dire enough that I think we should break out Markus' most powerful weapon: Resilience. Like Fate, once Resilience is gone, it's permanent, and we can only rarely gain more, but it is crazy good value.

Spending Resilience
You may also choose to spend Resilience point to defy the corruption curling within, or to succeed where it would seem certain you should fail. Here, you have the following two options:

• I Deny You!: You may choose not to develop a rolled mutation. Because you do not mutate, you do not lose any Corruption points. See Corruption on page 182 for more on this.
• I Will Not Fail!: Rather than roll the result of a Test, you choose the number instead, allowing you to succeed in even the direst of situations. In an Opposed Test, you always win by at least 1 SL. If you cause a Critical, you can choose the Hit Location struck rather than randomising it. You can even choose to do this on a Test already failed.
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If we spend a point of Resilience, we can choose to have a 100% chance to hit Etelka, score a Critical Hit, and even choose to hit her in the head for a higher chance of killing her. That is powerful.

However, I think we have a better option here: automatic winning. We can use Intimidate or Charm to get her to leave, and no matter how how difficult the Test or how well she resists, we will win that Opposed Test.

[ ] Write In: Intimidate Etelka. The simple fact of the matter is that even if she has bodyguards, she's still in our sights - death is a single twitch of a finger away for her. Call it a stalemate and let's both retreat. (Spend Resilience)

@Maugan Ra does this work?
 
Maugan Ra said:
The witch looks… annoyed? Yes, you can see it now, in the narrowing of her eyes, the faint edge to her words. She doesn't want to make this offer, doesn't want to be anywhere near you at all much less while you are still upright and have a weapon in hand, but she is here anyway and she detests it. For reasons you cannot even begin to fathom, it would appear she is sincere; whatever foul monster she serves does not wish you to die just yet.

"Let us say I entertained this farce of yours," you say carefully, trying not to linger on how horrifying a thought it is that you might yet owe your life to a daemon, "What do you imagine would happen?"

"I would bind you hand and foot with the strongest chains I can find," Etelka says, her voice and tone the sweetest kind of poison, "then I would load you into my boat and smuggle you off to meet my comrades, who I expect would do all manner of horrible things to you over a prolonged period. Eventually you would either die or convert - either way, my role will be complete by then, the promised rewards bestowed, and I will have no need to involve myself in this… matter any further."

Well, at least that much matches with your expectations. "And Black Peaks?"

"Well, I can hardly afford to remain here now, can I? Not when the Holy Orders know of my past and where I choose to make my home," Etelka sighs, more visibly annoyed now, "I would leave, and take the faithful with me. The rest, I suppose, can take their chances with the local authorities, for whatever good that will do them."

"Milord, you can't possibly be thinking to…" Elvyra mutters from somewhere behind you, but you cannot afford to look back at her just yet. The witch is here within your grasp, and she offers you a choice. If you accept, you may be able to save the remaining mutants who placed their trust in you, not to mention Elvyra. If you refuse, you are unlikely to have a better chance than this to bring Etelka Herzen to justice.

Blessed Sigmar, guide me now…
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You are going to die.

Morr's serenity settles over you like an enveloping shroud, the encroaching darkness turning from fearsome foe to comforting friend. Should a cultist (or worse, their master) breach your mind's defenses then they will learn of Reinhart, and you can think of few better enemies to corrupt a novice magic-user than servants of the Changer of Ways. Your family is at stake should your will falter - and in the claws of a Greater Daemon, it surely will.

You cannot protect the mutants. The Beastmen will seek revenge once they're left alone, and without Knut's allies in camp, Holzen will not stop their rampage. Deluded by hope you may be, but you're not fool enough to trust the servants of the Deceiver.

And though you could meekly surrender, hoping against hope for the chance of escape...she's right there. The woman who tore your family apart with her machinations, who tempted your father into seeking forbidden knowledge, who ruined your life. Her Beastmen killed the same mutants you've sacrificed so much to protect. Max, faithful Max, died at her order. Your redemption, your revenge, your justice stands barely six paces away. You may enter Morr's Garden today, but you'll not go alone.

"Is this how Markus von Bruner is to die?" Etelka asks, equally anticipatory and incredulous. "Penned up like cattle, slaughtered amongst commoners and mutants? Really, dear, what would your family think?"

You pretend to mull over the matter, affecting an air of concern. Seconds pass in tense silence, the mutants shuffling nervously in place, until you mutter something under your breath.

"Do say that again, please," Holzen announces archly, craning her neck to hear you.

"whenyouchoosetodie," you babble quietly, keeping up your mask of fear and nerves. You stare at your own feet and mutter again under your breath, the very picture of a man frozen by indecision. Passing a silent benediction on the lump of lead in your pistol's chamber, you pray to your god, any god, for it to strike true. After all, if you're about to die, what better way to go than fooling an acolyte of the Deceiver?

"Eh?" Cultist and rogue wizard she might be, but Holzen was still human. Curiosity overcoming caution, she steps forward slightly to hear you better.

"The worshipers of the Bloody have a saying," you say slowly, ignoring the startled looks of all around you. Hands relax and stances shift for a fateful moment, as even the Reikspiel-speaking beastmen try to process the sheer incongruity of the words coming from your mouth.

Perfect.

"When you choose to die, be sure to give the enemy the same honour." You savour the moment of realization in Holzen's eyes as you level your pistol and pull the trigger.
 
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Oh, just thought of a reason we might want to spend Resilience on combat instead: we aim for Etelka's leg, stopping her from running away. If we can take her as a hostage, we win.

EDIT: Just checked the critical wound table and there's only a 30% chance of disabling the leg, so risky.
 
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Andres said:
Oh, just thought of a reason we might want to spend Resilience on combat instead: we aim for Etelka's leg, stopping her from running away. If we can take her as a hostage, we win.

EDIT: Just checked the critical wound table and there's only a 30% chance of disabling the leg, so risky.
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Chaos usually doesn't believe in hostage-taking other than, well, sacrifices to give a middle finger to the other side. So unless we're so confident that we can win to drag Etelka to a pyre, just kill her now.

[X] Attack
 
Always Late said:
Chaos usually doesn't believe in hostage-taking other than, well, sacrifices to give a middle finger to the other side. So unless we're so confident that we can win to drag Etelka to a pyre, just kill her now.

[X] Attack
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A Chaos leader won't give up an attack if we take a mook hostage, but they will if we take the Chaos leader themself hostage. Not every Chaos cultist is eager to commit suicide in the name of the cause, and Etelka seems to be one of the ones with a self-preservation instinct.
 
Andres said:
A Chaos leader won't give up an attack if we take a mook hostage, but they will if we take the Chaos leader themself hostage. Not every Chaos cultist is eager to commit suicide in the name of the cause, and Etelka seems to be one of the ones with a self-preservation instinct.
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It really doesn't matter.

Given the dire circumstances, I'm sure Markus will use every available trickery from the rulebook he can to boost his chances with this one shot. He knows its importance, therefore he will sacrifice whatever he needs.

He will shoot to kill.
 
Andres said:
A Chaos leader won't give up an attack if we take a mook hostage, but they will if we take the Chaos leader themself hostage. Not every Chaos cultist is eager to commit suicide in the name of the cause, and Etelka seems to be one of the ones with a self-preservation instinct.
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If these were normal people from within the Empire, sure, maybe Norscans. But these are Beastmen. They're born "Ride to die".
 
[x] Surrender
more interesting to see what happens if we lose in that way, than either to defeat Herzen straightforwardly or to completely lose and die.
 
[X] Attack

Noooo, Max! I liked him!

No sense in dealing with the one person who caused so much heartache in Markus' life. The people of Black Peaks will be better off fighting to the last than being brought back to the embrace of Chaos after we pulled them out of it.
 
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