There are a few assumptions here that I don't think are actually true.
Firstly, that point #3 will remain true for any meaningful length of time...it won't. Again, we're gonna live here, us seeming to care about local politics is even more inevitable than us actually caring. By the time five years have passed, #3 will just no longer be a factor. By that point people will have formed an opinion of us and our political beliefs even if they have no real data.
Secondly, that #3 would be an advantage. Honestly, being hired because we 'don't care about local politics' is a great way to get hired to either commit atrocities, piss off people we don't want to piss off (again, we intend to live here), or both. Like, if people are hiring us for Reason #3? We probably don't want to work for those people. There are exceptions, but it's not usually a good call.
Thirdly, the assumption that our mercenary group will remain only Fanriel and her Swordmasters for any extended period. I think us recruiting additional people is something we very much want and changes the calculus significantly.
Curiosity is literally Fanriel's most notable trait, what got her exiled. I'm fine with taking the 'ask questions' route, but it wouldn't feel true to her character to not at least try and figure out what's up, IMO.
Here is a vast country where the best internet is 'man on a horse'. The most likely way for any meaningful information to pass from one employer to another is rumor and hearsay. Things like 'she is nosy not worth the trouble' are likely to travel, but anything more detailed will likely be lost in the chatter.
Her most notable character flaw, the one which is the main reason for her present circumstance and the depression that comes with it. I think in it fair to push against it when relevant and as for being true to herself, if an option is available to vote then it is by definition in character to take it or we would not take it. It is not like 'don't meddle' is a player generated write in.
@Blackout Sorry to bother you, but there is a problem with the vote. I voted for "trying to get Gavrilov alone" and "let it be", but the tally counts it as one vote for a new option that combines the 2.
There are a few assumptions here that I don't think are actually true.
Firstly, that point #3 will remain true for any meaningful length of time...it won't. Again, we're gonna live here, us seeming to care about local politics is even more inevitable than us actually caring. By the time five years have passed, #3 will just no longer be a factor. By that point people will have formed an opinion of us and our political beliefs even if they have no real data.
Secondly, that #3 would be an advantage. Honestly, being hired because we 'don't care about local politics' is a great way to get hired to either commit atrocities, piss off people we don't want to piss off (again, we intend to live here), or both. Like, if people are hiring us for Reason #3? We probably don't want to work for those people. There are exceptions, but it's not usually a good call.
Thirdly, the assumption that our mercenary group will remain only Fanriel and her Swordmasters for any extended period. I think us recruiting additional people is something we very much want and changes the calculus significantly.
Curiosity is literally Fanriel's most notable trait, what got her exiled. I'm fine with taking the 'ask questions' route, but it wouldn't feel true to her character to not at least try and figure out what's up, IMO.
I would like to point out, that #3 is the most common reason for hiring foreign mercs for any extended period of time. The classic example: the Varangian Guard was in the employ of the Eastern Roman Emperors for such a long time precisely because it was above local politics and loyal only to the ruler and him alone, thus they would do whatever his asks. Our boss asks us to bash some skulls? We bash said skulls. That's what mercs do. If we want to keep anything Elves would call scruples, we simply have to be careful with our choice of employers and the type of jobs they offer.
As to 'living here'. Staying in one place for, say 50 years, is a field trip for an Elf. Remaining here for 500 years, that's what we would call living. Of course if we add human companions to our band, we will have to adapt. Plus, as mercs we follow the money. If, for instance, some Imperial merchant or ambassador offers us a nice cash bounty for escorting him back from Kislev to Altdorf, we would probably go for it and look for more work in the Empire afterwards.
The classic example: the Varangian Guard was in the employ of the Eastern Roman Emperors for such a long time precisely because it was above local politics and loyal only to the ruler and him alone, thus they would do whatever his asks.
There were also the various Swiss Guards employed by several European monarchs, including the Pontifical Swiss Guard who's the only surviving one and protects the Pope.
Here is a vast country where the best internet is 'man on a horse'. The most likely way for any meaningful information to pass from one employer to another is rumor and hearsay. Things like 'she is nosy not worth the trouble' are likely to travel, but anything more detailed will likely be lost in the chatter.
Her most notable character flaw, the one which is the main reason for her present circumstance and the depression that comes with it. I think in it fair to push against it when relevant and as for being true to herself, if an option is available to vote then it is by definition in character to take it or we would not take it. It is not like 'don't meddle' is a player generated write in.
All options offered are viable in-character, if an option is outright against Fanriel's character I will simply say so. Not all options are made equal, however, and some may involve Fanriel deliberately going against her nature.
@Blackout Sorry to bother you, but there is a problem with the vote. I voted for "trying to get Gavrilov alone" and "let it be", but the tally counts it as one vote for a new option that combines the 2.
Here is a vast country where the best internet is 'man on a horse'. The most likely way for any meaningful information to pass from one employer to another is rumor and hearsay. Things like 'she is nosy not worth the trouble' are likely to travel, but anything more detailed will likely be lost in the chatter.
In the course of a couple of weeks, sure, but this goes back to the 'we intend to live here' thing...knowledge can still very much spread on horseback, especially among the nobility and merchants rich enough to hire mercenaries. Note that I was talking in years when I said that some sort of reputation for political stance would inevitably be established.
Her most notable character flaw, the one which is the main reason for her present circumstance and the depression that comes with it. I think in it fair to push against it when relevant and as for being true to herself, if an option is available to vote then it is by definition in character to take it or we would not take it. It is not like 'don't meddle' is a player generated write in.
I'm not saying letting it lie is something that's impossible for her to do, I'm saying it would likely be a result of trauma if she did and I'd rather we not lean into that any more than necessary. It would also, frankly, be unsatisfying on a narrative level.
I would like to point out, that #3 is the most common reason for hiring foreign mercs for any extended period of time. The classic example: the Varangian Guard was in the employ of the Eastern Roman Emperors for such a long time precisely because it was above local politics and loyal only to the ruler and him alone, thus they would do whatever his asks. Our boss asks us to bash some skulls? We bash said skulls. That's what mercs do. If we want to keep anything Elves would call scruples, we simply have to be careful with our choice of employers and the type of jobs they offer.
And that worked because the Varangians worked for exactly one employer while in Byzantium and then went home. They could maintain it because, in fact, they didn't live there. Which is my whole point. Staying in a country and picking and choosing one's jobs will be perceived as an inherently political act regardless of whether our motivations are actually political. We can make it clear we're not involved with certain kinds of politics but trying to maintain complete neutrality while engaging in mercenary work on a job by job basis and being selective of our clients is not viable for any real length of time.
Like, barring this job going bad, we are already associated with the Church of Dazh. That's not a bad thing, but it is inherently political and will be seen as such by observers. By attempting to get in good with them we are engaging in politics. If we worked exclusively for the Church we could fold into them and be considered 'apolitical' in the sense that our politics were those of the Church, but we're not gonna do that, I don't think.
As to 'living here'. Staying in one place for, say 50 years, is a field trip for an Elf. Remaining here for 500 years, that's what we would call living. Of course if we add human companions to our band, we will have to adapt.
From an Elven perspective this may be true, but an important part of my point was that even if we don't actually have political goals or principles we will still be perceived as having them by humans who operate on human time scales. Which removes any advantages of being theoretically apolitical.
Plus, as mercs we follow the money. If, for instance, some Imperial merchant or ambassador offers us a nice cash bounty for escorting him back from Kislev to Altdorf, we would probably go for it and look for more work in the Empire afterwards.
I'm pretty sure money is not Fanriel's primary motivation here. We are here to murder the crap out of Chaos with money a very distant secondary concern. As there is not, in fact, more Chaos stuff to kill in the Empire than in Kislev I'm pretty sure we wouldn't head there.
There were also the various Swiss Guards employed by several European monarchs, including the Pontifical Swiss Guard who's the only surviving one and protects the Pope.
Again, this was viable because they had a home to go back to and indeed went back there when the job was done. We do not have that luxury. For the Swiss Guard specifically there's also the 'only one employer' factor as mentioned with the Varangians.
I'm not saying letting it lie is something that's impossible for her to do, I'm saying it would likely be a result of trauma if she did and I'd rather we not lean into that any more than necessary.
Again, this was viable because they had a home to go back to and indeed went back there when the job was done. We do not have that luxury. For the Swiss Guard specifically there's also the 'only one employer' factor as mentioned with the Varangians.
I don't care about that, because I wasn't arguing for or against getting involved in politics. I was simply giving another historical example to be informative.
Staying in a country and picking and choosing one's jobs will be perceived as an inherently political act regardless of whether our motivations are actually political.
I'm pretty sure money is not Fanriel's primary motivation here. We are here to murder the crap out of Chaos with money a very distant secondary concern. As there is not, in fact, more Chaos stuff to kill in the Empire than in Kislev I'm pretty sure we wouldn't head there.
I'm fairly certain, that we shall leave Kislev at some point in search of better job opportunities. This is especially true, if we get some specialized troops, that are unremarkable in their home region, but sought after in other parts of the world. Plus our men might eventually get sick and tired of the cold and risking their neck against Chaos 24/7 for meager wages.
I'm pretty sure money is not Fanriel's primary motivation here. We are here to murder the crap out of Chaos with money a very distant secondary concern. As there is not, in fact, more Chaos stuff to kill in the Empire than in Kislev I'm pretty sure we wouldn't head there.
Not to mention that we already have information that Chaos is starting to act up here with more and more Marauders pouring in. The only place we'd find more Chaos bastards to slaughter is if we'd venture into Norsca itself. And with so many invaders coming, plenty of jobs to take here.
Sure. I think entirely ceasing all investigation into anything is an overreaction, though. Politely asking questions is a nice de-escalation...still curious, but not doing anything antisocial or sneaky about it.
I don't care about that, because I wasn't arguing for or against getting involved in politics. I was simply giving another historical example to be informative.
I'm fairly certain, that we shall leave Kislev at some point in search of better job opportunities. This is especially true, if we get some specialized troops, that are unremarkable in their home region, but sought after in other parts of the world. Plus our men might eventually get sick and tired of the cold and risking their neck against Chaos 24/7 for meager wages.
Yeah, while I do want to have Kislev be our area of focus, I'm not against leaving to do other stuff in other places. I just think we're less interested in the money and more in just murdering the ever living fuck out of Chaos. Plus if we stay in land we are less likely to deal with Sea Lord Aislinn who probably wants to feed us alive to a Leviathan piece by piece.
I can understand that, but I cannot speak for the men and women under our command. There might come a day, when they will ask us to leave this place or they will go themselves, because they have had enough of the cold and constant peril to their bodies and souls. This is especially true, if we add non-native humans to our little group.
[X] Try to get Gavrilov alone from Zantilov and ask her what she knows.
-[X] Try to make ourself non-threatening, no use startling her and making her get the wrong idea
[X] Try to get Gavrilov alone from Zantilov and ask her what she knows.
The inn, as Zanitlov said, can barely be called that. It would be more accurate to say that one of the locals simply decided to portion up a barn into smaller rooms that she could then rent out to travellers. You have to duck your head to fit through the door, and your hair brushes against the ceiling if you stand up straight. There are no beds, only piles of hay, and the food is little more than thin pudding and some vegetables.
You'd like to say it doesn't bother you, but… well, it doesn't matter now. So instead, you focus upon matters you can influence.
You cannot simply do nothing. It is clear that Zanitlov is up to something, and you have to find out what. But you will have to be subtle in your approach, at least until you know more. You cannot risk being caught and letting all of the goodwill you've built go to waste, not before you're certain you're not just being paranoid.
So you will not go after him directly, but question Gavrilov first.
As Zanitlov's aide she is the person who knows most about his purpose here besides the man himself, and from what you've seen the young woman is not likely to hold up to even minute amounts of pressure, if you can get her alone.
(64+25(Fanriel Intrigue)=89/100)
During the journey she was never far from Zanitlov's side, but he frequently had her running errands around the camp for him. The two of them are staying at Noveblya's Shrine of Dazh, and it stands to reason he'll have her tending to chores around the place. At the very least, they'll need water from the village's well, and certainly you do not see Zanitlov lowering himself to lug around heavy buckets.
That is your best angle, then.
You leave your shining Ithilmar plate at the inn, guarded by the Swordmasters with instructions to obfuscate Zanitlov if he tries to get a hold of you, and head out dressed only in the gambeson underarmour. As useful as the enhancements of the magical heirloom are, you can't just wander around a village in full plate armour.
From there, it is a simple matter to locate Noveblya's sole well, and a suitable place from which to observe it away from prying eyes- not something to be found in abundance for one of your stature, but you have hunted more than one Druchii assassin across Ulthuan's great cityscapes, and learned more about how to make an onlooker's eyes simply glaze over you than many will ever even consider.
It takes most of the day but sure enough, eventually you spot Gavrilov making his way towards the well, a pair of empty buckets on each arm. Very short even by the standards of humans, she is scarcely more than four feet and a half in height, and struggles to operate the heavy winch used to lift water from the depths of the stone well.
You slip out from under the overhang of a thatched roof belonging to one of the nearby buildings, making the movement seem as naturally as possible, as though you hadn't just spent hours rooted to the spot, just in case anyone was watching. Gavrilov remains oblivious to your approach, and you consider how to make your presence known, when a better opportunity presents itself.
Just as she loses her hold on the winch and stumbles backward you step in, grabbing hold of the handle with one hand and stopping it from dropping the bucket back into the depths of the well. Gavrilov emits a high-pitched meep as she sees you, scrambling back another step or two before she realizes what you are doing.
"You-"
"It seemed as though you needed the help," you note with an even tone of voice, as you begin winching up the bucket.
Gavrilov flinches away, gazing up at you with dread, but at least she does not flee at the sight of you. You are well aware that your inhuman nature is disquieting to some members of the younger races, let alone once factoring your towering height, the strange magics that you wield, and the fact that Gavrilov has seen you in battle and so is acutely aware of the ease with which you could kill her. But that, too, can be a weapon in your arsenal.
The winch clicks as it reaches its maximum elevation, revealing a wooden bucket with a metal handle attached to a hook hanging from the end of the rope. You cast a look at Gavrilov, and after a moment of being frozen under your eyes, she slowly reaches to take the filled bucket and replace it with one of the empty ones sitting at her feet.
"Did Zanitlov send you out on your own?" you venture. "Did the old priest not have any acolytes of his own who could have helped you?"
You already know the answer, of course, but the point is to get her talking.
"No," she shakes her head slowly, still keeping her eye on you. "The Shrine was empty when we got here. The locals have been taking care of it."
"It seems like Zanitlov is running you quite ragged," you note as you begin lowering the winch once more. "Wouldn't it make sense for him to handle some of the more physically intensive chores?"
Gavrilov flinches away. "It is not suitable for one of Master Zanitlov's rank to be performing menial tasks."
"If so, isn't it his responsibility to ensure he has enough acolytes to handle them for him?"
"There was… no-one else that could be spared on such short notice."
"Really? What could possibly have been so urgent?"
"I don't… I don't know," she says, looking away. "He just said it's important."
"You've been at his side all this time, and he hasn't even told you what it's all for?"
In the end, she cannot leave, for she is too afraid of defying Zanitlov's orders. She cannot ask you to leave, as she knows she cannot complete her task without you. And she is too afraid of you to simply refuse to answer your questions.
"They don't… tell us acolytes much. Or anything. But…"
"Yes?" you press.
She glances around herself, as if to make sure nobody else is listening.
"Back in Erengrad, I heard him talking with the other priests, they said that the old priest dying was an opportunity."
"An opportunity for what?"
"I don't know!" she, shirking away from you. "Swear by Dazh, I don't know what Zanitlov's going to do! He sent me away all day, doing errands. He thinks I'm just some dumb little girl," she adds bitterly, fighting back tears. "All I know is… he said that the temple in Praag won't send a replacement priest until spring, when the snows melt."
Meaning that the whole spiel about preparing the successor was a lie. Whatever it is that Zanitlov came to Noveblya to do, it is only possible because of the absence of a local priest to stop him. That was why he was in such a hurry that he'd make the trip in winter, to get to Noveblya before the replacement from Praag arrived.
"Is that why they had to hire outsiders to act as guards, rather than using the Hearth-Blades?" you ask, looming over her. "Because he couldn't rely on them?"
"I don't know." Gavrilov sniffles quietly.
"But why Noveblya?" you demand, stepping closer. "What is the significance of this little village? Why go through all this effort?"
"I don't know," she says, her voice tinged with desperation.
She shies away, but you grab her by the shoulder and hold her in place.
"What is he planning to do?"
"I don't know!" she shrieks, loud enough that a few of the passersby give you an odd look, though none of them stop.
You relinquish your grip on Gavrilov, taking a step back, and she scrambles away from you, massaging her shoulder as though bruised.
You look away, grinding your teeth. Your movements are almost robotic as you resume winching up the buckets, while Gavrilov stands some distance away, unable to leave yet unable to look at you.
When you are finished you depart without a word, your mind in a daze as you go over the facts over and over again.
Zanitlov cannot be acting on his own, that much you know. Even if you doubted Gavrilov's words, there were other priests you spoke to back in Erengrad to negotiate the contract. But how deep does the rot go? Simple factionalism, or something more sinister? Why here, in this insignificant tribal village? And most of all, what did he come here to do?
The questions are like an itch on the inside of your skull, a maddening sensation that mocks your lack of answers. You see Zanitlov in your mind's eye, chortling into his beard at how stupid you-
An impact jars you out of your thoughts, and you look down to see an Ungol man sprawled out on the ground before you. He barks out something incomprehensible in thickly-accented, angry kislevarin, but your glare sends him scampering away once he realizes who, or perhaps rather what he walked into.
You blink as you take in your surroundings and realize that, without conscious intent, your feet have carried you to Noveblya's Shrine to Dazh. It is the only building in the Stanitsa constructed out of stone rather than wood, its roof fashioned into a curved cupola and with an opening at the very top from which thick smoke pours up towards the sky.
And within lies the only chance you have at answering the questions burning at the forefront of your mind.
-Decide what to do.
-Four hours moratorium is in place.
[] Confront Zanitlov. Getting involved in the internal power struggles of the Cult of Dazh was not part of the deal.
[] Covertly investigate the Shrine of Dazh.
[] Leave it be. It is better this way. -Curse of Aenarion: Dark Curiosity triggered. Fanriel cannot step back now.
I feel bad for Gavrilov, poor girl. She didn't ask to get caught up in the silly temple politics. Or to deal with scary elves looming over her that she's seen countercharge Kurgan on horseback and throw magic around. We made her/almost made her cry
Also LMAO at this bit, I don't think Fanriel has realised how strong she is compared to a small young human woman who seems poor in background (and thus likely did not have the greatest of nutrition when growing).
"Back in Erengrad, I heard him talking with the other priests, they said that the old priest dying was an opportunity."
"An opportunity for what?"
"I don't know!" she, shirking away from you. "Swear by Dazh, I don't know what Zanitlov's going to do! He sent me away all day, doing errands. He thinks I'm just some dumb little girl," she adds bitterly, fighting back tears. "All I know is… he said that the temple in Praag won't send a replacement priest until spring, when the snows melt."
The greedy stupid bastard. This is either just greed or the damm sneaky fucking bird is playing his tricks against and he has got his claws in this priest of Dazh and considering what's coming I think Chaos is a safe bet. He did not want the rest of the Cult to know and did his best to bring someone who could not interfere with his plan. We need to know what is happening and being sneaky is a start.
I feel like we came on a little too strong at the end there and little bad we spooked Gavrilov so much, but we at least know that something is going on here and our curse is not letting us go until we get an answer.
The question is, do we want to do more sneaking or do we be direct?
I feel like we came on a little too strong at the end there and little bad we spooked Gavrilov so much, but we at least know that something is going on here and our curse is not letting us go until we get an answer.
The question is, do we want to do more sneaking or do we be direct?
"Is that why they had to hire outsiders to act as guards, rather than using the Hearth-Blades?" you ask, looming over her. "Because he couldn't rely on them?"
"I don't know." Gavrilov sniffles quietly.
"But why Noveblya?" you demand, stepping closer. "What is the significance of this little village? Why go through all this effort?"
"I don't know," she says, her voice tinged with desperation.
She shies away, but you grab her by the shoulder and hold her in place.
Damn, I guess we just saw her curse in action. She's scary, and apparently has poor impulse control and little pithy when confronted with a mystery that implicates her.
The questions are like an itch on the inside of your skull, a maddening sensation that mocks your lack of answers. You see Zanitlov in your mind's eye, chortling into his beard at how stupid you-
An impact jars you out of your thoughts, and you look down to see an Ungol man sprawled out on the ground before you. He barks out something incomprehensible in thickly-accented, angry kislevarin, but your glare sends him scampering away once he realizes who, or perhaps rather what he walked into.
And Fanriel looked fuming at the idea that someone could be mocking her, here's that famous elvish pride. But it's strange that she would refer to herself as a thing.
The greedy stupid bastard. This is either just greed or the damm sneaky fucking bird is playing his tricks against and he has got his claws in this priest of Dazh and considering what's coming I think Chaos is a safe bet. He did not want the rest of the Cult to know and did his best to bring someone who could not interfere with his plan. We need to know what is happening and being sneaky is a start.
