Welcome to the quest! And, well, here we go.
So. Let's talk 'humbleness' and consequences, or the perceived lack thereof. The pacing is its own thing that is either liked or not, worked on effectively enough or not, and the 'torture porn' is a matter of levels of accepted or not and nothing said here is going to change that. The magic, I think has been well thoroughly discussed by others already, though I will note that magic and its usage differ quite a bit from source material to source material, let alone from quest to quest. Divided Loyalties, by Boney, and Wolves and Witches/Wizards and Winter by Maugan, handle magic in different ways from how this quest handles it, and from each other.
We shall begin with the first major display, the torturing of Frederick in Nuln, very, very early on in the quest.
Frederick did not 'humbly' accept it, he defiantly chose it. Demanded it, practically. Then, afterwards, when Jung was attempting to go even further than was allowed, Frederick - in front of everyone - both did not catch alight and struck the man in the temple and laid him low. Then he declared that Sigmar chose to save him.
Let's reiterate that. He struck an Arch Lector in the
skull, and knocked him out. That is one of the highest positions one can achieve in the Cult of Sigmar, and one of the major Arch Lector positions - as in an Elector himself. Afterwards, he credited Sigmar for him not catching alight. That, to those watching who live in the Empire, speaks of humbleness, yes, but also deep piety. The latter certainly ameliorates the latter. It is, in fact, traditional and expected and
right culturally for people to be humble before the Gods.
Because at the end of the day, that's what it was. Humble before the Gods, not before Men.
In Warhammer, mortification of the body, pain, torture, etc. whatever you wish to call it, is an acknowledged and feared method of gaining respite from the Gods. Scarring, mutilation, branding, and so on are considered the marks of zealots, of people who are so incredibly faithful and pious that they are willing to sacrifice their bodies. This sort of thing, such as accepting the torture of the Sigmarites and the keelhauling of the Manannites is humbling and not at the same time. The humbling is done before the Gods. What occurs on the people side of things is a mixture of respect, fear, and awe. Most people are unwilling to do these things, for fear of death, of pain, of any number of things, but those who do them and survive are garnered greater respect, sometimes because those who survive even gain blessings or visible favor out of the fact. IRL, quite a few things would be different if after flogging oneself for forty days and forty nights, a penitent was able to walk out of the cathedral and be surrounded by an aura of scouring holy light or be able to lay on hands and have others watch was wounds close. Or, to put into more mechanical terms in the RPG, gain a permanent extra die to casting rolls or add a casting bonus to a roll based on the number of Wounds taken. You quite simply cannot apply IRL psychology to such things with a 100% congruence.
Magnus the Pious was strapped up to the stake, and yet did not burn. Magnus the Pious also walked into the Flames of Ulric willingly to prove the Cult of Ulric wrong when he was rallying the Empire for the Great War Against Chaos. He 'humbly' let his fate be up to the Gods, and was proven pure and worth following. Thus, in the eyes of these religions, he became or was recognized as previously being blessed. It had nothing to do with any humbleness to the people who made up the Cults, but of the Gods to whom the Cults directed their worship.
The issue, however, comes around to perhaps not quite understanding just how significant certain acts were in regards to Mallus. The saving of an entire province through Nordland, and the destruction of Daemon Prince Gruber, are incredible feats to not just the average peasant, but the average burgher, and the average noble. At the Battle of Three Armies, Frederick struck the killing blow on the Bloodthirster. These are beings who are not merely daemons, but cosmic and physical forces upon the world that are insanely terrifying and powerful. These are the kinds of things that the vast majority of the people in the Empire, perhaps even the Old World, would never even conceive of accomplishing. It's stabbing a nuclear bomb's explosion and making it stop. It's killing something that might as well be akin to a God to those it personally lords over. The killing of Zacharias, a vampiric Bloodline Overlord, is striking at something so hideously old and shrouded in horror and myth that it as continually choked the minds of an entire province of people with fear for thousands of years. These are not 'minor' things. These are incredibly major things. Doing one of these elevates one to 'Hero' status'. Doing all three is not linear, its multiplicative to the stature that one holds.
These are all things done
before Jung. Frederick displayed no humbleness to Jung, not even once. The perspective is not 'ah, what a foolish humble man' it is 'he knew exactly how it would go, because he was pure and he knew it'.
And if you want to get into the grit of it, him striking Jung about the head, and Jung getting stripped of his position and seemingly committing suicide by the broader knowledge of the Empire, how is that not 'getting revenge/defending his honor'?
Again. Humble before the Gods, not to all Men.
We can move on to Zhufbar next.
I find that you've completely misread this one.
That is not humble. That is, as it was with Jung,
anger. Naked anger, openly displayed to all and sundry. Then, Frederick
bulldozed through their ancient and hallowed rituals meant to humiliate and castigate, and at the end of it he was standing tall, proud, and unyielding as the mountains from which his dwarf-soul components were born under. He displayed that while he respected their positions, their words, he did them and he was, at the end of the day, fine. These things are meant to break the pride of the offending engineer. It did, in canon, for Sven, who merely did the trouser-legs ritual and was later exiled from the Guild, though he later rebuilt it after journeying to Lustria and going about his business further. Yes, they came at Frederick in a certain manner that was unexpected and uncertain. But by doing the rituals so forcefully, so quickly, so thoroughly, his position became quite literally unassailable by comparison. His close friendship with the High King, his status of fighting alongside the White Dwarf, his allies in Fenna Warren-Burner, King Baragor Blackskull, and son on? Ensured that after they'd made that opening move, they were shot out of the water. They, to a dwarf, became Slayers, left the Guild, and
died.
Because Frederick's revenge did not require him to take a personal hand in their deaths. All that was required was to fortify his position so heavily that political pressure and offensive intrigue on the part of his allies who hold higher positions in the society in question could be utilized swiftly and thoroughly. Even their allies turned against them, thanks to that pressure, ensuring that the ringleaders are dead and that those who were manipulated into following or followed but were less overall committed to the position all were forced to move to the other side of the aisle and plant themselves there now that the eyes of the rest of the Guild, the High King, the Princess of Zhufbar, and the King of Karak Kadrin were on them.
I really don't see how that, any of that, does not constitute revenge. Just because Frederick didn't individually strangle them? Really?
The only concessions made, thus far, have been of his body. And it ended in the first getting his skull cracked, his positions tripped, and his neck in a noose, shortly before he fell to Chaos and had his soul be consumed by the Changeling, one of the greatest of Tzeentch's servants. Though, as far as the people know, it ended in the noose. Because that's what trying to go after Frederick von Hohenzollern like that got him - life over, then life ended. It ended in the second as stated above - main leaders dead, secondary and tertiaries forced to reverse positions utterly and hold there pinned beneath the gaze of some of the highest in their entire society.
This was a position, an argument, an attack, being built before Karak Ungor since the first few moments of Valma Bronzeheart teaching in Ostland. This is a situation where the outcome of total defeat for the enemy only came about because of Karak Ungor. Should they have reconsidered? Yes. But these were dwarfs, who are capable of being inhumanly stubborn, with a non-100% congruent psychology to IRL humans, who were making the choice to go forwards. This, obviously, did not end well for them.
Let's go to an actual 'concession'. The Middle Mountains issue.
Quite humble, eh? Very self-effacing, not making any trouble, just putting his head down and - wait, no, that's not true at all. He is abrasive, aggressive, and pretty much calls the Emperor's brother an idiot. In front of everyone. The two have been quite antagonistic towards one another since they began, and Frederick has quite literally not backed down a single time in the entire span of time that they've interacted.
Furthermore:
Here, we can see that Ar-Ulric Logan, the man who helped fight alongside Frederick at in the Vampire War against Zacharias, is wary of Frederick. He is literally trying to pull Gunthar back. The POPE of a major religion, who unlike the IRL pope can scream out gusts of ice shard winds and freeze the blood in people's veins because of the favor of his God, is trying to keep Gunthar back. Because he has seen Frederick fight, and propagated that story to the rest of Middenland and beyond, because he was boasting of the fight and the stories within that short war.
We can focus in on Frederick specifically, however. Absolutely nothing about this conflict speaks to 'humbleness'. Because at the end of the day, Gunthar is a man. He is not Ulric. He is no God. And he's being an ass, and Frederick is being acerbic right back. Pridefully, in fact, declaring that if it came to a fight that he would win. Magic or no, healing or no.
The issue at hand was the Middle Mountains and the territories therein. Historically, they have been claimed by Middenland, Ostland, Nordland, and Hochland. Hochland's Count is a fop who didn't even muster the will to come south, and Stephan gave up his claim because his province will have its hands full for more than his generation with what they've got. Middenland historically claims the title as Warden of the Middle Mountains.
At the end of that entire situation, Frederick agreed to the split given, because he didn't care about Gunthar's perceived notions about it, and in the end while both of them came out as overly aggressive jerks to some of those in the Elector's Meet, one crucial thing must be acknowledged: that Ostland retained their Middle Mountain Gains.
In direct defiance to the political hegemony over the north that Middenland has historically claimed, and their title as Warden which they've also maintained for as long if not longer, Ostland retained its gains. Their portion of the Mountains are not under the command of the wolves, of Gunthar, and Gunthar had to sign an agreement into law acknowledging this fact. Make no mistake about how big of a change this is. This is Middenland, and Gunthar, coming out the loser, because he charged in and expected a host of different reactions from Frederick. Due to Frederick answering immediately in the affirmative about his choice, there was no room to negotiate, or even to try and examine Frederick's position further, and instead it ended with Middenland legally losing claimed territory. It was, politically, a loss for Gunthar and Middenland, and a victory for Ostland and Frederick. Because the land is theres, and the title of the Warden of the Middle Mountains thusly immediately loses an immense amount of prestige due to the fact that they can't shift troops into almost half of the entire range without prior request and returned agreements.
Not exactly what I, personally, would imagine being described as a humble concession. Gunthar came out looking like an idiot, and Frederick like a surprisingly adept political operator.
Let's move on to another 'attack', however.
The Tri-Claw Compact, the Moot, Talabecland, and the economic package introduced at the Elector's Meet of 2337.
Here is them attacking him. Here is Frederick responding, right back, with insults, not with bowing his head and just 'accepting it'. In fact, that option was offered as a vote, but so too was one outright refusing and telling them off. The players chose to go with a third option, which resulted in the rest of the Elector's Meet turning quite thoroughly against the 'enemy'.
Because of Frederick accepting the torture of Jung, and of his act in self-sacrifice of the body in saving the High King of the dwarfs, a devout Sigmarite such as Emeline believes him flat out. The Count of Reikland and representative of Hochland, trusting in Frederick's steadfastness and general character as well as the various heroic deeds he has accomplished, refuse to support the matter. Previously in the Meet, Frederick happened upon the Elector Count of Averland beating his son for joining in with the entire deal because unlike his son he would not do something like that to a Hero of the Empire such as Frederick. This is where the prestige score and deeds accomplished factor in quite heavily. This appears to be related to the misread of above, regarding the sheer worth of the deeds accomplished. In canon Warhammer, the Mad Count of Averland, Marius Leitdorf, was acknowledged insane and wild, and yet he retained his position. In fact, he was widely regarded as one of the best generals and fighters in the Empire, when he wasn't declaring a war on flowers or whatever. People only really tried to do anything intrigue/political attack related after he was dead, and that was focused on taking the position he'd vacated.
Martial accomplishments garner remarkable blankets of protection in the Empire. Those who cannot perform martially, are denigrated, even if they manage to find a champion worth holding the Runefang in the meantime, amongst at least a significant percentage of the Imperial population. Some of the loftier fops might support them, as in the case of Countess Emanuelle of Nuln in canon, but she is literally just the one amongst every other Elector Count at the time.
Furthermore, once the yelling was mostly over, Magnus turned on Jax Starbrook, cowed him instantly, and essentially with a few words managed to shut down Adolf to the point that he hasn't been seen in public since, draining all the spiteful vitality that the man held in one go. He also cowed Marienburg through talking to Luise Kaufmann, and since then the Tri-Claw compact have been on their own regarding their little economics tiff with Ostland.
Because again, by maintaining his position and defending it relentlessly, he allowed his opponents to overextend and ensured that Higher Powers in the civil structure were able to lock down the opponent. Because due to his accomplishments, his friendships, the 'revenge' that seems to not have been undertaken? Actually has been. Is, in fact, in the middle of happening right now. Evangeline Hertwig is, once again, in Marienburg. She is literally the Big Stick to Magnus' Walking Softly.
We can go into Intrigue at the moment, now, against the Moot and the Tri-Claw Compact.
For the former, Intrigue Options have literally been taken to curtail their movement in the province, followed swiftly by an action to prune them out of the province. Fatally, in some cases.
For the latter, offensive intrigue options have been undergoing for quite some time now, both in infiltrating Marienburg, identifying their opponents, and most recently committing to outright economic warfare against them with the aid of Sabine. This is happening right now. I'm not sure how one can look at such a thing, deliberately undertaken aggressive action, and decide that 'revenge' is not being undertaken. In addition, the players have literally just voted to bring in the Matriarch of the Cult of Manann on the situation, and given her current disposition towards High Priest Rutger, it is doubtful that she'd simply sit by without doing anything at all.
At the very least, let's make sure that we keep one thing clear.
Magnus the Pious, Slayer of the Everchosen Asavar Kul, Blessed By The Gods, Reuniter of the Empire? Does not cotton to the inter-conflict that pervaded the Era of Three Emperors. He quite simply will not have it. And for a man blessed by all the 'good' Gods, who rallied men and Gods to take on the forces of Chaos, what he desires is considerable. Frederick respects and is awed by him, and offending
him bothers Frederick a lot more than offending Gunthar or Adolf or any of them.
You will not see in-character actions from Frederick going to, I don't know, assassinate Adolf, who is practically an invalid now thanks to Magnus, or burn the Moot down because, again, Magnus scared the bejeezus out of them by openly acknowledging the Lodge - plus the actions literally being undertaken
right now by Ostland in going after them. And, again, going after the Tri-Claw Compact is literally undergoing, at this very moment.
Magnus, then, looks at Frederick, who has done so much for the Empire, even disregarding all but the martial ones, and moves on his own initiative to keep attacks against said Hero of the Empire pretty well squashed, for the most part. Just like with the Zhufbar engineers.
Here is the thing about the 'public pride'.
He has it. He has it in spades.
Because of Gruber. Of the Bloodthirster. Of Zacharias. Of Karak Ungor, and the physical changes that have been wrought upon him that were acknowledged by the Cult of Sigmar. Because, in fact, of what just happened with the Cult of Manann.
The gravitas associated with killing not just a Daemon Prince, but a traitorous and heretical Elector Count? Is incalculable by modern standards, though again I did try my best with the whole 'attacked a nuclear explosion and won' thing.
You speak of a mystic quality. I quite simply do not comprehend how someone who has been physically altered by Sigmar, touched the Flame of Ulrifc, killed a Greater Daemon, and a Daemon Prince, cannot possibly possess a mystic quality far in excess of the vast majority of any European leader. His non-positional titles show this, his prestige score shows this, for all that it is largely esoteric. He lives in a majority Ulrican province, who believe that might makes right not just as a rule but as an outright religious tenet.
His people, the province, the 'public pride'? Has literally, never been higher. Ever. Because their leader did, in fact, kill those things, and boy did he kill them good, and also the other things that are also good for us as a province most of the time at least.
The issue, I think, at the
core of this, is that somewhere along the way...is that these acts, all of them, somehow do not convey to you the level of gravitas, of presence and power, that they in fact do, for the people of the Empire.
Frederick is not, nor has he really ever been, 'humble', save to the Gods and a very specific number of people.
What he
is, is without shame. In this most recent update, he was quiet, respectful, and determined in the face of a penance given to Manann. After he was
out of the water, and the penance to Manann done gaining open acknowledgement from the God, essentially naked before the associated crowds of Marienburg save for a few strips of cloth, he told them off for staring, chugged half a gallon of alcohol, and walked under his own power back into the Cathedral. Nobles, priests, burghers, foreigners, and commoners alike.
His lack of acknowledgement of the bites and nibbles that Adolf sent his way was openly condescending, because to a martial society such as the Empire, where psychology and attitudes are quite simply required to be different from IRL, as denoted in the threadmarked post I've linked here:
Warhammer Fantasy: A Dynasty of Dynamic Alcoholism | Page 3402 | Sufficient Velocity which goes into it? Disregarding Adolf so openly was incredibly insulting. Because it meant that Adolf wasn't worth fighting. The act of shoving the payments down his throat so swiftly, so completely, displayed to the Empire that historically poor Ostland was capable of the monies that Talabecland themselves couldn't manage, and furthermore they aided Talabecland militarily and showed the province just how weak its leader was despite his repeated slander and attacks. Swiftly, very swiftly, the antagonism was strangled until it was just about only Adolf and his sons, meaning that in a handful of powerful moves, Talabecland's common folk and nobles turned away from going after Ostland, and instead refocused on internal matters because of a mixture of respect and fear due to what Frederick had accomplished, was willing to do, and was capable of doing if necessary.
The disrespect shown to him by the elves is something that they show to everybody, only worse. This is just canon behavior, and yet by deed and 'gravitas' he has managed to aid in the radical transformation of Laurelorn's relationship with Athel Loren, garnered the friendship of Laurelorn's Glade Lord and High Spellweaver, because he was capable of forgiveness. Not humbleness, not a lack of reprisal, but a promise that if they do anything like that again he will retalitate and they acknowledge it and are working to ensure that such a situation does not come about. Universally, people who went after the Wood Elves because they were unkind, were generally kind of regarded as stupid or foolish, because it pretty much never ended well for any of them. Or you were a beastman or greenskin, and were rightly killed as monsters or whatever. Not sure where the Kislev disrespect part came in, either. Kattarin is not a peer power to Frederick, she is a peer to Magnus, and she's been quite cold and bitey the last few times they talked because of the horrible death of her husband. Setting aside, of course, how she contributed an absolutely massive amount to the Vampire War, committing herself personally to the fighting as well, simply due to Natasha's injuries and Kattarin being Frederick's sister-in-law and later forming a treaty of mutually beneficial relations.
The core, again, though, is the dignity of the ruler thing that has been brought up, but perhaps applied with incorrect standards and perceptions.
In Warhammer terms, in Empire terms, Frederick has not only maintained but increased his. His accepting the judgement and scourings of the Gods upon his person, and surviving well, and going further to accomplish things beyond that point while his opponents are cast down from their positions, because of said prestige and friendships, increases this. His allies are higher powers capable of acting as well, and have done so, to his benefit and the detriment of his enemies. By accomplishing multiple martial deeds of the potency he has, he has enshrined a level of dignity and power and respect from the Ulricans and Sigmarites. The Taalites and Rhyans don't go in for that sort of thing ever. The Cult of Manann has just been thoroughly swerved into a position of being incapable of
not supporting Frederick. It is the same thing, though to a lower level, of what happened with Magnus and Marienburg pre-Great War Against Chaos. The Cult, the city, spat on his 'foreign war'. Then Manann showed Magnus his favor, and the entire city, and the entire Cult, turned an about face and fervently supported him. Because the Gods, and the Cults, and the people of the Empire in Warhammer on the planet of Mallus do that sort of thing. And even then, after Frederick survived the Keelhauling, and got a sign from Manann, some of the Cult didn't. Because it wasn't as big as Triton, sure, but from other motivations as well. However. Maghda, being the Matriarch of the Cult, stomped on Rutger. Openly. Because she, now, thoroughly supports Frederick after that display of piety and the display from Manann.
There are Sigmarites who will not turn on Frederick because he did not burn. There are now Manannites who will not turn on Frederick because he did not drown or die, and because Manann showed his favor openly. It doesn't matter if they normally would have been opposed to him previously.
The dignity of the leader, of the state, has been maintained and furthered by martial deeds in excess. That is, quite simply, undeniable given Mallus Imperial psychology.
The piety displayed by the two main religious issues, does not take away from that gravitas. It, again, only increases it due to what occurred and the results afterwards.
The two are joined in importance, intertwined.
Frederick has openly displayed a willingness to defend himself against attacks, multiple times over, but more than that he has garnered plenty of allies through his actions who are willing to aid their own force and power to defending him if necessary. To shutting down such conflicts and situations utterly. It is known, though not openly discussed, how he even at one point purged his own nobility ever so slightly because they were bothering him too much. He has defended his honor multiple times over, and in doing so through the methods, fearlessly accepting whatever punishment or trial that his opponents attempted to devise, defeated the enemy while maintaining his own honor and crushing the positions of those opposing him. The reason I put quotes around 'concession' earlier is because, truthfully, he didn't concede anything at all. Frederick wasn't laying claim to the entire range, not at the time, simply claiming a bit of it and then he held straight onto that bit despite Gunthar. To Gunthar it was a concession, because to him Frederick was attempting to claim the entire range when he wasn't. It isn't a concession if you aren't reducing your position, but instead enshrining it into legal acknowledged territorial gains. Frederick historically settled a significant amount of his early courtly proceedings in his career as Elector Count with duels. This, in turn, was actually accepted by a great many of the majority Ulricans who make up the province.
So. In conclusion.
1. Frederick has immense gravitas and prestige as a ruler, and this is openly acknowledged by everyone. His acts of piety, while immensely dangerous to the body, have displayed the purity and strength of his soul, which garners further support and acknowledgement from the people regardless of class. Not to the point of shifting the attitude and support of entire cities at a time, like with Magnus the Pious, but to a considerable extent.
2. He has acted on revenge, has killed his enemies who went after him through intrigue before, is currently preparing to do it again, and is working to fight. Those who he rolls his eyes at are often reduced in their own 'gravitas' and 'dignity' because of his treatment of them. He, by acting the bigger man, has made them even smaller in position and respect.
3. He has defended himself through these acts, multiple times, and doing so in the manners in which he has done so have ensured the absolute collapse of his enemies multiple times.
4. Humble before the Gods, not before most men.
There just seems to be a fundamental disconnect with how acts of painful piety bring immense respect, and a bit of fear, coupled with the deeds accomplished in other matters, have boosted prestige, appreciation, and dignity within the context of the Warhammer Empire in the reign of Magnus the Pious. It is because of that level that the current leader of the Witch Hunters, Marlisa, bowed her head essentially to the chopping block acknowledging that Frederick could lop it off, because of what they've done. Her mother, Emilia, is dead and gone. Marlisa promised, due to an appreciation for the dignity of the ruler, of Frederick, that she swore to act better in however much time she had as a ruler, because she knew that doing otherwise would likely mean death on its own.
Consequences have occurred. And the consequences of those consequences have occurred: in stripping of position and suicide, in stripping of position and suicide, in intrigue blockading and killing, in fear and supplication, in prestige and stature loss for the attacker and an increase for the defender (Frederick), the direct attentions of superiors capable of crushing the attackers should they act up again (High King Thorgrim Grudgebearer, Emperor Magnus the Pious, Matriarch Maghda Sprenger).
If Frederick had not killed what he has killed, done the pious acts that he has done, willingly let his body be scoured, struck, and more, and yet come out on the other side standing and unyielding as before with open displays of Godly favor, then surely he would be attacked far more. But the issue is, the consequences for 'lack of pride' are not occurring in the manner perhaps desired due to the simple fact that the 'level of dignity and gravitas' he possesses as a result of said deeds and acts is such that the former assumed potential consequences are generally stoppered before they can be anything more than inklings in the mind. Because to the majority of potential people who would be stupid enough to try and 'take advantage of the situation', they would
immediately remember before the first syllable made its way out of their mouth that Frederick von Hohenzollern is a friend of the Emperor. Of the High King. Of the Ar-Ulric. And that he has, in fact, poked at other provinces before. He tore a huge swathe of the Moot's population out of them. He has slapped down Talabecland multiple times with his money and his military aid, because by necessity it meant that Talabecland did not possess those things, terribly embarrassing them.
But more than that. More than any of that? Is the fact that Magnus the Pious, the Emperor, will not be okay with things like the below:
Setting aside the fact that Frederick has openly gone up against other provinces before, in Middenland, in Talabecland, in the Moot. That he has negotiated with a General of Hochland rather than the Elector of Hochland, working within and without the province. That he is, in fact, in the middle of acting against the Tri-Claw Compact. That he has made considerable allies in the Northern Trident, in Nuln and Wissenland, in Stirland, in Averland. He is
very inclined to strike back, it's just that striking back can take plenty of forms.
Anyone trying to 'stab the bull in the back' would run into Magnus, the Sword of Justice, Ostland's allies, and the faithful of the Cults. And that. Quite simply. Will not be done. Without. Issue.
That kind of behavior is what led to the Era of Three Emperors, and Magnus, and in fact the majority of the Electors, are not willing to so easily fall back into that chaotic era. What was done, in truth, with the Tri-Claw Compact, is relatively minor at the moment. But Frederick is retaliating. The Lodge of the Moot hasn't actually acted too heavily in the province. And yet Frederick is retaliating. Both groups know it. They are not proceeding forward thinking they have somehow tricked the bull into not noticing them whatsoever, because he has and is actively working against them.
It is not, nor has it ever been, 'don't do it again, okay, don't worry about it.' It has, pretty much consistently, been 'you got your one, and that's it. If it ever happens again, you're done'. And they know it.
There is, perhaps, a fundamental misconception of how the Empire is currently acting and functioning. They are unified in a way they never have been before in many, many centuries. The principal actors against Frederick have been the Moot, which historically has rarely suffered the same pains and issues that the rest of the Empire has, and also possesses a people who live in general longer than humans. Talabecland, led by the ancient and spiteful Adolf, who is currently essentially infirm. And Tri-Claw Compact, who along with Marienburg have only just really rejoined the Empire as Westerland properly. People who are either so old as to have been locked into the ways of the Era of Three Emperors, or have historically been disconnected to the rest of the Empire and have therefore not quite been caught up in the sense of reunification and closeness that the vast majority of the other provinces are feeling under the leadership of Magnus.
Like. Let's go back to the question.
"Why not take advantage of the situation?"
Because that's a national hero, who killed a Greater Daemon and a Daemon Prince and a Vampiric Overlord. Because he is close friends of the Emperor. Because the Gods have blessed him, and found him pure, and have granted him signs of their favor. Because every time previously that someone has tried to do something, they have ended up dead, looked like a fool, fallen ill, or outright disappeared. Being Keelhauled and surviving, plus the show of favor afterwards? Will not lead to the Cult of Manann somehow trying to put pressure on Frederick, to command him, for any perceived lack of dignity. It is the dignity and prestige
gained by that act which, instead, allows Frederick to request and speak to the Cult on a far more even level, not like a supplicant at all.
Because if you poke the Bull, you never, ever get just the horns. You get the claws of the Gryphon, the teeth of the Manticore, the talons of the Eagle, and the Az of the Mountains.
Let alone try to 'stab him'.
But, again, again, again, and most importantly: Because that's not how we're doing things anymore in the Empire, not while Magnus rules. And if you do, you will suffer for it. Something underhanded being done against Frederick will, inevitably, involve Frederick's retaliation. And yet it is not the retaliating that gets the glare of the Emperor, the presence of the Sword of Justice poking you right back, but the ones doing the poking. Smaller conflicts and issues are one thing, but outright attacks like...what, someone trying to compel Frederick to do something when he hasn't actually messed with any of the Gods or their followers or whatever, is not going to get the same reaction as 'oh, yeah, I did in fact order the Witch Hunters on them'. Again, major underestimation of the meaningfulness and importance of those major acts of piety and how they will affect people. You won't have people inclined to try and take advantage of those sorts, the proper reaction is generally trying to gain advantage
with them, not
against them. For most at least.
This is not the Era of Three Emperors. It isn't the corrupt era of Deiter. It is not the chaos that slowly swept into the End Times of Karl Franz. It is the Era of Magnus.
'It can't do anything to you'? Factually incorrect. It has done. It will do. It will be doing. And it won't just be 'it'. It'll be a lot of others as well. Because at the end of the day, that is what the dignity and gravitas of the Elector Count of Osland has wrought.
That's how I think of it, at least. If you disagree, that is your right, of course, but this is probably not going to be something I'll be budging too much on.
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Oh, yeah, and vote did close around 9-10 today, so that's also a thing. Thank you for the Vote Tally
@Massgamer
Edit: I swear the fact that I have to put in words next to these emojis to clarify that I meant them for the people whose posts torroar was replying to is just getting me pissed off at myself for forgetting to communicate properly with people because I'm tired. That is just not a good reason not to pay attention to proper communication with other people.
