Identical twins don't necessarily share the exact same opinions on things such as what food or drinks they prefer, and other such things. I mean, I suppose it's possible for that to happen, but I guess it can be passed off as "weird side effect of magic" or some other such thing. I mostly wondered how often the twins disagree with one another, because high speed telepathy doesn't mean that your opinions always align. But, once again, it can probably be explained away with the effect of the sheer amount of ambient magic present during their conception.
They disagree plenty, often because they possess two distinct sets of senses. Like one might declare they go high and another might declare they go low, which of the enemy on the field is of higher priority depending on what one sees and the other sees, or hears, and so on. Should they buy this fruit from the stall, or that fruit from that stall, both thinking they should spend their limited funds on their own, because based on smell and color and shape, etc.
The difference is more that they conclude their disagreements at blistering speeds, with zero outward signs that they were having a rapid-pace debate the entire time. Just two silent tall imposing women swathed in dark voluminous purple and black robes with faintly glowing purple eyes and large war scythes propped on their shoulders standing over your fruit stall, with snow white skin and hair looking at your fruit and then walking over to another stall, then coming back to buy a piece of fruit and walking away, all without saying a word to you.
Start to argument to agreement or conclusion can take place in seconds, compared to the limitations of conversation with air. They don't have to pause to breath or anything like that in their minds. just two streams of directed consciousness intermingling.
But yes, they generally have the exact same preferences in taste for food/drink/sensations/etc. up to and including preferred weather, biome, and climate, etc. Maybe magic, maybe mundane.
They disagree plenty, often because they possess two distinct sets of senses. Like one might declare they go high and another might declare they go low, which of the enemy on the field is of higher priority depending on what one sees and the other sees, or hears, and so on. Should they buy this fruit from the stall, or that fruit from that stall, both thinking they should spend their limited funds on their own, because based on smell and color and shape, etc.
The difference is more that they conclude their disagreements at blistering speeds, with zero outward signs that they were having a rapid-pace debate the entire time. Just two silent tall imposing women swathed in dark voluminous purple and black robes with faintly glowing purple eyes and large war scythes propped on their shoulders standing over your fruit stall, with snow white skin and hair looking at your fruit and then walking over to another stall, then coming back to buy a piece of fruit and walking away, all without saying a word to you.
Start to argument to agreement or conclusion can take place in seconds, compared to the limitations of conversation with air. They don't have to pause to breath or anything like that in their minds. just two streams of directed consciousness intermingling.
But yes, they generally have the exact same preferences in taste for food/drink/sensations/etc. up to and including preferred weather, biome, and climate, etc. Maybe magic, maybe mundane.
Within the docks of Salkalten was a place surrounded by dark rumors and fearful mutterings. A place more untrustworthy than even the section where the Arabian ships and their strange foreign wizards dwelt. A place where Long Drong and his slayers causally spit in the direction of whenever they even look in its direction. A place the few priests of Manann who remain in coastal city even tread near, second to even to the destroyed sections of docks still under repair by the actions of the Holders of the Shore.
Ironic given how it only became such after a great victory, namely it was a part of the docks that held the captured Druchii Corsairs after the successful expedition to Albion.
Prince Waldemar von Sterneck could hardly say he blamed his people considering how many times the dark elves had raided Ostland's coasts alone, to say nothing of the rest of the Empire or even the world. He had to post members of the Salkalten Guard and even the Sons of Manann to the location so no one got it into their head to torch the ships out of fear and hatred, which likely ironically saved the ships from the Holders of the Shore' attacks compared to other parts of the docks. The terrible vessels, even when thoroughly emptied of its former owners, shape still inspired equal parts terror and anger at just the sight of them. While Salkalten was quite fortune to be so heavily fortified as to not even see a direct attack by the cowardly slavers since he took up leadership of the city the same could not the said of the rest of Ostland's coast and therefore there were plenty of people alive who had lost friends and family to such ships, killed or worse.
Unlike the inhumanly beautiful and elegant Eagleships and Hawkships usually bearing the flag of House Alleria who would occasionally dock in the city once or twice a year, who seemed to glide along the top of the sea like dolphins, what he knew now were called Ravenships were a dark reflection in almost every single way, which was only natural given that they created by the high elves' evil cousins. The corsair ships were almost universally black from the hull all the wall to the sails themselves, 'the better to sneak up on you even on a moonfull night' sailors would say, with only the occasional splash of dark purple added to the mix. They were also cover in sharp edges and spikes, fitting considering they seemed to 'cut' through the water more than anything else at terrible speeds that even Norscan Dragonships would find it hard to compete with.
If it weren't for the fact they bore the flags of Ostland and the Sons of Manann as they sailed towards Salkalten they would have been blasted apart by the many cannons that lined the outer wall. In fact, many of the Salkalten Guard wanted to do so anyway since they were convinced it must have been a trick by the dark elves to infiltrate the city. It was only Waldemar's authority as both Prince of the city and Sea Lord of the Third Imperial Fleet that stayed their hand, but even he was not without caution of a possible trick.
Therefore, it was only after carefully leading them through the defensive reefs outside of the outermost wall and a thorough inspection after the past the first one by the Salkalten guard, all the while cannons, scorpions, swivel cannons, handguns, bows and bomber birds, were tracking the vessels the whole time, that the all clear was given and people started to relax. Still, that did not stop the local Priests of Manann, the other priests of the various cults, the Witch Hunters and even later a few of the Count's wizards from investigating the ships once they were docked to insure no foul magic or corruption was in place that was overlooked before. Even when none was found, beyond what little remained of the dark elf sorceresses that the Witch Hunters were quick to destroy and burn, and all the other assurances no one truly became at ease.
So it became that an entire section of the docks became the holding places of the prize ships and its contents, Reaper Bolt Throwers such as those seen on high elf ships, Repeater Crossbows similar in function to those being made down in Nuln and Altdorf, various kinds of more typical if finely crafted weapons and armor, more typical naval supplies, various other odds and ends, and of course more... disturbing items no doubt used to torture freshly caught slaves. The less said of the cargo holds the better...
However, that left the question of what to do with them. It was a question that had puzzled Waldemar for several years since the ships' capture.
On the one hand the usual practice of repurposing captured vessels for the service of the Empire could be done and the prize crews who brought in the ships did grudgely admit they best ones they ever crewed, but it would take some doing to repurpose them to levels where there would be seamen even willingly to get near them. Ideally they could shave down the hard edges, give them new coats of paint and make them at least look like high elven ships so at least then they would be considered strange compared to nightmare inducing. If successful it could give the Third Imperial Fleet some of the fastest ships in the whole Empire.
Another idea is to hand the ships, along with their contents, to the School of Gunnery and Engineering. See if they couldn't get something out of the ships themselves and reverse engineer it. Even if they couldn't do so completely it was the difference between have a few extremely fast ships and potentially as many very fast ships as they want, ones that could match the Norscan Dragonships perhaps, to say nothing of potentially recreating the repeating crossbows and bolt throwers.
Surely if the engineers down south can do it Ostland certainly could! And what was a bolt thrower but a much larger crossbow?
A very popular idea, something supported by his daughter, was simply to burn the ships and their contents. Let the sea claim it all and let Salkalten cheer it on from the shore. Very potentially wasteful yes, but the Prince could not deny that it would please the people and cults as a whole quite well, himself included.
The final idea that came to mind was since the Sons of Manann spearheaded the counter-boarding actions against the vessels was to let them decide their fate, and after speaking with Commodore Lars Gildemeister, leader of the local chapterhouse, they would likely gift it to the main temple in Altdorf or possibly even Marienburg as gift and to give glory to Manann for his guidance in their victory, as well as to subtly oneup their rivals the Knights Mariner. Of course, since it was done over the course of the expedition which was brought together by Count it was ultimately up to him. As a devout follower of Manann himself the idea certainly appealed to him... especially in recent times with the recent attack by the Holders of the Shore and the Count's recent actions.
That was certainly something that internally troubled Waldemar.
On the one hand the Prince was once a loyal Greatsword to the Count himself before retiring due to his injuries, which were later healed by his wizards, and taking up his current position. A position that the Count was very supportive up and literally poured gold to grow Salkalten into one of the greatest coastal cities in the Empire, along with just being a good friend, leader and friend. He knew the Count more closely than most other nobles in Ostland since he fought alongside him and guarded him close when there was no fighting to be done, so he understood the actions he took even if he did not agree with him. However, he still ruled a city that heavily relied upon the cult of Manann and their lack of support was hurting his city and uneasing its people, not helped by the recent law reform that while he agreed with after reading through it knew many others were less than supportive of the new change.
At least his Count was taking steps to mend the bridges between himself and cult, and thus in time undo the damage done. Mayhaps the earlier idea of gifting the dark elf ships alongside the Sons of Manann would make a good first step.
Either way, he did hope that something was done with the ships at some point since he swore half the complaints he got since they arrived were fearful rumormongering and other such missives. It didn't help they were certainly an eyesore as well.
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Omake came up after rereading we capture some Dark Elf ships and haven't done anything with them, lots of options when you think about it.
@torroar Are those Druchii ships still around? I was under the impression that except for some choice samples including a whole ship if needs be they were sent to the engineering schools for reverse engineering, They had all been either repurposed or towed out to sea and burned.
@torroar Are those things still around? I was under the impression that except for some choice samples including a whole ship if needs be they were sent to the engineering schools for reverse engineering, They had all been either repurposed or towed out to sea and burned.
We don't know what happened to the ships. Depending on whether or not @torroar makes the Omake canon, I'll be in favor of sending the ships to the Engineers to potentially reverse enginner them.
We don't know what happened to the ships. Depending on whether or not @torroar makes the Omake canon, I'll be in favor of sending the ships to the Engineers to potentially reverse enginner them.
I am all in favor of them being reverse engineered if the Omake is Canon. The Corsair's probably have things on them that can be reverse engineered and added to our own fleet to make them better in various ways.
I am all in favor of them being reverse engineered if the Omake is Canon. The Corsair's probably have things on them that can be reverse engineered and added to our own fleet to make them better in various ways.
Assuming that goes through, I assume we sell the designs to Nordland like the Seed Drills? Or would we just hand it over, since Nordland's population is mostly coastal and better ships means more security for them in general?
Even the witch Hunters might be interested in some reverse engineering. They are always looking for new interrogation techniques and some items in the cargo hold might be interesting.
Keep in mind the acolyte was trying to get us unseated as Elector count and thrown into the College as a guinea pig, or worse. That'd be something that would make most of our family outright hostile. And these were children whose grasp on morality and ethics were tenuous at best until well into their adulthood. What should be more concerning is that they are apparently strong enough to take out an Acolyte as ankle biters.
To be fair, I think that both of them would do exactly that almost constantly just to troll a little the other speaker... Although I can also see them abandoning that joke once they realise how old it has gotten.
I am all in favor of them being reverse engineered if the Omake is Canon. The Corsair's probably have things on them that can be reverse engineered and added to our own fleet to make them better in various ways.
I personally look forward to repeating bolt throwers, since high elven ones are said to pierce dragons and disembowel giants, and repeating crossbows. Having higher rates of fire is always a plus against usually hording enemies humanity has to deal with.
Not to mention if we can learn anything on ship design at all so our shipwrights can make our ships just a bit faster would be great against countering raiders.
I discussed this with Mass in pm when we were talking about the omake, but a ship choice related stuff may or may not be coming up in the upcoming turn. Until then, omake canonicity is in flux >.>
If nothing else, we've got a lot going on with the probable incipient beastman invasion. And also both our shipbuilding infrastructure and one of our main ship-oriented institutions are a mess right now.
Nice, at least, if our fleet is gonna be small, least we can do with it is to make it as fully equipped with all possible advantages.
Granted, we probably ain't gonna get all the good wood that makes it awesome but at least in terms of design and their super bow, we can prob make some good stuff that can compete with nuln repeater crossbow.
