It does feel just a bit hypocritical that we use magic in all these different and experimental ways, like using magic to tie Frederick's and Natasha's emotion together, not to mention the all the healing for the absurd body breaking training we send the family through, but not to even try to heal someone's physical deformities.
Kinda, but its not Fredy's body. Transitive property doest apply on this case if wolfila want to go teough it when he is older then he go trough it.
I dont think the "being too old " would be a problem if is the Eonir doing it.
Urgdug yes but rest of the familiy rarely fights with him so either he will summon everything in which case family comes along or none of them in that case they won't.
Natasha can loophole herself in though now that they are soulbound to eachoter so there is that.
... Count of Cannon; Summons Artillery Regiment (?) and Urgdug.*
... Soulbound; Summon Natasha (?)
Last two is questionable since King Arthur didn't get Knights of the Round table Frederick might not get these either.
*Urgdug was with artilery when we first met him right?
What do you think he would get as a Berserker or Rider?
I can imagine as Rider he would get to summon his whole Army as an NP. In fact seeing his army clash with Iskander's force would be awesome to see.
Would his Madness Enchancement be Rank A at least? Also could be use Light of Summer as a constant in battle healing him as he gets injuries or what?
Also would Bokdrungi be effective against Servants like Artoria since it was made from dragonic parts? Also how destructive would the blast release that Bokdrungi could unleash at full power be?
Well I recall that the Master Rune on Fred's new metal arm could absorb magic attacks and be unleashed as a blast by the user.
I guess it began the question if that means Freddy could unleash the built up power as a one-handed Kamehameha like in DBZ or like an AOE blast like Black Panther's suit.
Cause in the case of being able to do the latter, I would love seeing him punch an enemy with the absorbed energy being unleashed upon contact.
Now that would be a hell of an "I AM A MAN!" punch.
Was reading another quest and after reading up on them there is a good chance the people who intercepted Freddy's letters to Reikland's count was the Purple Hand since it would fit their MO.
If there was ever a cult to purge in the Empire it is them.
Was reading another quest and after reading up on them there is a good chance the people who intercepted Freddy's letters to Reikland's count was the Purple Hand since it would fit their MO.
If there was ever a cult to purge in the Empire it is them.
I fething love this story. Twists and turns, bad luck and good luck, utter genius and deepest stupidity.
I there anyway to bookmark the thread so I can know when Torroar posts a new part, or do I just have to keep coming back?
Also if I was a better programmer, I would make a Total War Warhammer 2 mod where the Hohenzollern family is a full faction, with unique lords and heroes
-[] Attempt To Meet With Another Elector Count About Something
--[] Speaking with Count Rommel of Reikland about the strange letter interception situation. Also open up relations with him if we can.
-[] Attempt To Meet With A Religious Elector About Something
--[] Speaking with the Ar-Ulric about spreading the Flame of Ulric on our High Priest's request.
-[] Speak with Countess Toppenheimer to shore up relations between Ostland and Wissenland further.
GM NOTE: A smidge of politics, eh?
Elector's Meet of 2343 IC Part 2
Your message to the Reikland Manse is returned with considerable speed, to the point that you hadn't even begun to draft the letters to your other potential meetings for the day. The messenger is only a little out of breath, but he informs you with all politeness and surety that can be given after having sprinted across the city that the Count Rommel is willing to meet with you quite soon. In only an hour and a half, it will be noon, and it is then that he requests you meet him. He'll even treat you to lunch from his chefs. Considering that you were uncertain on bringing anyone from the Esmeraldan faith south with you, in case of a certain lodge seeing an opportunity, it's not like you have anything better at the moment. Still, you cannot deny that there is a slight wariness in you regarding the entire situation involving Rommel. Or, more specifically, whoever it was that was intercepting his letters. For all you know, your messenger was intercepted and told something different and you'll be walking in on the man while he's not there, or worse, in the middle of something personal and important.
Well. You'll find out today, hopefully.
You'll leave a good chunk of your escort to remain behind to guard the Vapor Tank, though. While there is of course a hope that the Nulner engineers won't do anything too stupid, the problem with expecting people not to be stupid is that they are, in fact, sometimes stupid. A good amount of men with zweihanders standing around in full plate, however, is quite the obstacle for many things. Plus one or two of Urgdug's most attentive elites, essentially makes it a losing proposition for a gaggle of engineers to try to get past. Unless they do something overly clever or try to use some odd job invention or what have you. Well, as long as the current engineering crew is actually present and keeping up with the tank, it should be fine.
It had better be fine.
If it's not, Urgdug is going to have to put his cannon up someone's ass.
"Back in Nuln again," you sigh as you and your brother begin pushing your way through the busy streets.
Taking a carriage or something would be traditional for many people, but you've just spent the past few days just wandering around on a ship, terrifying the crew in your regular sparring sessions on the top of the deck. With your Jade Wizards actively working alongside your troops back in Ostland, you had to limit contact and severity limits severely. Which, in turn, means that you are currently burning with immense amounts of excess energy. A brisk walk through one of the top three most crowded cities in the Empire will do you some good. And brisk it is, with Urgdug and some of his Maelstrombringers accompanying you. The crushing pressure and numbers of the city streets cannot keep up with their steady pace, bulks and hides and armors making them utterly unconcerned with the crowds. Even if someone had a knife, or a sword, or whatever else, and tried to take a swing, it wouldn't make it past the thick plate, let alone the thick leather and the hard skin and flesh beneath. Additionally, the Maelstrombringers are only carrying a single shot loaded in their cannons, meaning that they have no giant sacks of cannonballs dragging alongside them hitched onto their belts.
More than enough to clear a crowd, but still.
Along the way, you see the masses of humanity that normally inhabit Nuln have swollen as per usual. Priests of all accepted faiths walk the streets in numbers unseen at any other point throughout the year across the whole of the Empire, with there even being a few Ranaldians amongst them, though these are given a surprisingly wide berth despite the crushing weight of the crowds. These few men and women walk with their heads held high, easygoing smirks on their lips as they defy the disgruntlement of just about everyone around them. The Myrmidians, on the other hand, are a bit more defensive. Gone are the days that the priesthood of the Eagle could walk about freely in their pressed robes, stoic and firm as they moved about. Now they walk with armed guards, for there are many of those in the south – where the Cult was strongest in the Empire – who are still a bit unhappy with them for the whole 'secret hidden order of the Cult which drained resources and manpower out of the Empire' thing. To be fair, you don't entirely disagree. It amounted to nothing but harm for the Empire in the long-run, with experienced knights and chunks of wealth dedicated to an Estalian cause which fell apart when a single Tomb-King got a bit bored. For all of that, though, you can't blame the whole of the Cult of Myrmidia for the actions of a few. That would be like writing off the Cult of Sigmar for the actions of Jung, and a few of the actions of Emilia, may she rest wherever she ended up. They are, all of them, regardless of Cult save for the Cult of Morr, vibrant and almost flamboyant in their presence amongst the unwashed masses. They and their templar knights stand out, as much, perhaps more so than the nobles and their own guards, even when compared to the marching representatives of over a dozen Knightly Orders that seem to have made a home of Nuln ever since Magnus set up his rule from this city. Not, however, as much as certain street performers, but then that does seem to be the purview of such folk. There are some jugglers, dancers, and musicians playing everything from a flute to a woman playing an enormous harp while guarded by two toughs.
All of them forced to, whether happily or not, shift out of the way of your own group as you finally make your way to the Reikland Manse. There, you are met with the full array of the Reikland Greatswords, but they smoothly shift their wall of zweihander blades to allow you through, reforming their lines immediately afterwards. It is a starkly bold stance to take, placing one's guards out of the Manse proper, but at the least Count Rommel hasn't gone so far as to have them try to block off the streets entirely. Instead he's just made it intensely uncomfortable for anyone not of the highest possible stations in the Empire to try and walk past. Which is somewhat concerning, as your messenger had told you nothing of the sort. Did he do this just because you were coming? Why? Well, you suppose you'd soon find out.
"Count Hohenzollern," Count Rommel greets you as the wrought iron gates swing open, and there you unfortunately blatantly just stare at the man for a moment.
In the years since you saw him last, the man's hair has gone almost completely stark white and grey, even beginning to thin around the top. Now, to be fair, you first met him when you'd just become an Elector Count and he had already been in his position far longer than you. The former knight's frame was once quite thick with muscle and he carried a surety of strength with him that has seemingly drained away quite considerably. Where once his mustache and beard were thick and strong, his facial hair has suffered like that atop his head, growing thin and threadbare, even with a thick golden band helping bind what is there together into a seemingly solid braid which falls against his chest. It's been less than a decade since you've seen him last, but he seems to have aged far past the small time since then.
"Ah," you start for a moment as you realize you've been staring. "Count Rommel," you give a slight bow and nod, "Thank you for accepting my request to meet."
"It is the least that I could do, given the unpleasantness," he gives a creaky grimace as he says it, though whether that is because of said unpleasantness or because of your staring, you can't be sure. "But that is something that should be discussed inside away from any prying eyes or ears.
"Of course," you nod again as you are led inside, though of course your guards are slowly restricted in number the further you move in with some being in the courtyard of the manse proper.
By the time you actually reach the man's solar, the only one left alongside you is Urgdug, his armored waist narrowly missing scraping the sides of the walls. Given the very visible impressions against the walls and floor where paintings and suits of armor and sculptures once stood, you must applaud the servant staff of the Manse for reacting so quickly when they realized that it would indeed be Urgdug Greatbellow walking behind you. The only way Urgdug is coming through the purely human-sized doors into Rommel's office is by tearing the walls open to accommodate him, a comforting thought, perhaps, but one that you dearly hope is never actually brought forth into reality.
The solar itself is well-kept but surprisingly for an Elector Count of a wealthy southern province is furnished in an almost Ulrican style, bereft of a good bit of the sort of empty embellishment that is stereotypical for many of those of considerable wealth. A small fire burns quietly in the fireplace, while Count Rommel's desk is large and covered in paperwork. More than half of it, however, are not decrees or matters of law and such that normally pass your own desk, but rather letters. An insane amount of letters, with sigils and crests that you only recognize half of. Rommel gestures towards a somewhat plush chair for you to sit in while he sits back down behind his desk with a quiet grunt.
"So," you raise an eyebrow at the older man. "What happened?"
You don't need to elaborate further, the man's intelligent enough to know exactly what you're talking about. You, on the other hand, are instead surprised by his next words.
"What do you know about how I came to wield Dragon Tooth?" He gestures to the Reikland Runefang currently on a sword rack next to the fireplace.
Truthfully, it does take a solid second and a half for your mind to spin in the new direction and drag forth the memories and knowledge.
"It was in the years before the Great War," your eyes flick up and to the left as you think, "You were a knight, one of the Reiksguard, working alongside the Reiksmarshal of the Emperor – well, one of them – and got famous for saving the province several times over," you lean back in your chair, one arm swinging behind it as you study the man who calmly regards you. "Rallied the people of Ubersreik against WAAAGH!!! Breaktoof, led the charge against the vampire lord Viktor von Schunzburg to save Bögenhafen and personally decapitated the bastard, and saved Altdorf from the pushes from both of the other two Emperors on multiple occasions."
"That's right," he nods, a grim sort of nostalgia coming over him as he places his elbows atop the desk and folds his hands beneath his chin. "But I was not the Reiksmarshal. Nor the Reikland Emperor, Ludwig III. So is it not strange that I was the one to wield the Runefang?"
You purse your lips as you consider him.
"I suppose it is."
But then you don't really have the capacity to be an impartial judge over unexpected successions and claimants of Electoral positions.
"The reason is because none of the other Reikland families were able to stop me from taking it with me to support the Emperor," he says, making you start slightly.
That's not how the tales of Count Rommel go whatsoever. Everyone knows that the man was chosen as the best of them, the most heroic knight in all of Reikland with the Grandmaster of the Reiksguard and the Reiksmarshal of Ludwig III dying at the hands of chaos cultists. As the stories go, the man was sent off from Altdorf with a damn near parade cheering him made up of peasants and nobility alike as he went to join Magnus, to become one of the first of those who would be Elector Counts once more to join the man on his journey to unify the Empire.
"They were arguing for weeks," he explains as you boggle at him, an old smoldering anger coming to his face. "Weeks of debate, of what to do, who to send, if to send anyone. Meanwhile, the Empire was burning down all around us, and an Everchosen was marching south," he snorts, looking to the side for a moment at something only he can see before looking back at you with a lopsided grin. "So I took it."
"You just took the Runefang?" You repeat, dumbfounded. "But what about-,"
"The Reiksguard came with me," he nods, "And some of the more sensible nobility and a bevy of zealous folk from all aspects of life willing to believe in Magnus right from the start," his grin getting a bit wider at the thought of it before it slips from his face. "And we went. We fought. We won. I confided in the Emperor as to the truth of my position long before we ever reached the Gates of Kislev."
So he knew. Magnus knew, all that time, that it was entirely possible that Reikland would rise in revolt due to Rommel's theft, his assumption of a position that was not his.
"He…forgave me for my deceptions," Rommel chuckles, "And asked only that I honestly serve the Empire as best as I was able. But he could not do so without also levying a unique punishment upon me."
"Punishment?" You tilt your head at him.
"If I was going to take up the Runefang to support him, I would have to continue to do so," the older man hangs his head and shakes it as you blink at him. "Returning from battling in Kislev, my star would never ascend higher. The people of Reikland already fully supported Magnus, and he had swayed many of those who would have had me hung, or drawn and quartered, or what have you," he rolls his hand through the air, "Supported him enough to support me into my new punishment. Albeit grudgingly."
"You never wanted to be Elector Count?" You summarize for him. "But then-,"
"I say this with the utmost respect for its history, its creator, and its importance," he glances over at the Runefang before looking back at you. "But I needed a good sword. And if its symbology meant more to aid Magnus, so much the better. And," he sighs, "I didn't want any of those idiots to use it for something stupid."
You have to just sit and process that for a bit, trying to reconfigure your preconceptions about the last days of the Era of Three Emperors.
"And…how does this relate to the letters?" You ask after a moment, getting another long-suffering sigh from Rommel.
"I don't have a wife," is the answer he gives you initially, making you narrow your eyes at him. "Or children. I have never been interested in either – or anything or anyone else," he adds at the end as you stare at him. "Ever."
There is a boldness to his words, there, the sort that comes after once hiding something and then deciding to instead proclaim it to the world. Instead of secretive, or defensive, but just shy of aggressive.
"Okay," you shrug, which doesn't quite seem to be the response he was expecting, but you're already moving on, your mind racing as you can now consider the problem fully.
No wife, no marriage. No children, bastards or otherwise. Successorship is the issue at hand, then, and rather noticeably now that time and age have joined together just to wallop the man over the back of the head so severely as they clearly have. The nobles of Reikland support him only because of the sheer political power that the Emperor holds, supporting more Magnus than Rommel at any given point. You recognize the symbols on the letters dominating his table more clearly now, they are Reikland-based for the large part, though you do see some from Middenland, Talabecland, and Averland.
"It was one of the families hoping to gain the seat after you, then?" You posit, making him jerk in shock for a brief second before he nods to confirm your unhappy thoughts. "Which ones?"
"I've already taken care of it," he says quickly, as if there was something in your tone of voice he didn't like, somehow. "It was a minor family, hoping to cause embarrassment, mistakes, they didn't even have a good plan for what the fallout could be if Reikland and Ostland came to be enemies."
"They want your position weakened."
"So I cannot contest with anyone making a push," he confirms. "Being crude and clumsy at intrigue and politicking make for poor Reikland Electors, however, and punishment was swift and from not just my own hands."
So it goes in the south, you suppose. Still, it does bring another question forth.
"Why are you telling me this? Any of this?" You ask him, leaning forward in your chair now. "Couldn't it be dangerous to let another province know that there are such shaky foundations in your own?"
To that, the Count of Reikland tilts his head from side to side.
"Perhaps. But in our joined long association with the Emperor, I believe I have gained some small insight into your measure," he tells you honestly. "You are not the man who seeks to manipulate provinces to your will, to grasp beyond Ostland at the reins of power of others. Am I wrong?"
Barring a generational heaping of spite towards Hochland, you cannot really deny him.
"I suppose not," you shrug. "And yet…?"
"And yet," he sighs before grimacing again. "I am getting older, Count. The Jade Wizards have done their looks, but even they can only do so much that I will allow. The Gold Wizards are even trying to offer me some alchemic potions or what have you," he flaps a hand, "But I am not interested. I may not have a child, but I must have a successor worthy of the position. Not one that tries to ruin the relationship between Elector Counts."
There it is. While you and Rommel are separated by many miles, by birthright, by much more, the two of you are both loyal to the Emperor. To the ideal of Sigmar, of a unified Empire. He's letting you in because of that insight into your character, even as you make the same insight into his.
"A strong Electoral family of Reikland, then," you posit. "Ones that stand apart from politics and intrigue?"
"No," he shakes his head immediately. "They would only be swiftly outmaneuvered and crushed. Ones that can stride through the mud and grime, able to partake, but not to be dominated by it."
"Oh, well of course," you raise an eyebrow again. "A strong family, worthy martially, but also skilled at courtly matters, but not so dedicated to them that they are only good at such and nothing else, but also presumably religious and yet respectful of multiple Cults and also capable of standing up for themselves but not so much that they seem overbearing and pushy to the other provinces? Someone to straddle all those lines properly?"
"Precisely," he smiles.
"Doesn't exist," you snort. "Except maybe Magnus himself, and he can't take the position."
"Well, perhaps," he shares a quiet laugh with you. "But amongst the teeming crowds of overly ambitious fools and power-hungry families who don't recognize the responsibilities, there are some among them who could be worthy of wielding the blade properly."
"Such as?"
He reaches forward onto his desk and pulls from the pile four letters, pointing out the symbols of their wax seals.
"These are the four strongest lines: the Barons of Böhrn, House Holzkrug, and the Houses of Holswig and Schliestein," he taps his fingers along each as he goes. "All ambitious, all strong, all wealthy."
He elaborates further after a look from you. Of the Barons of Böhrn and their tight grip over the most heavily cultivated land in all of the Reikland's already most heavily cultivated Vorbergland. Vicious in defense, of said lands, but also with an eye on the other areas around them. But they are a far cry from the other three, all of whom claim positions within Altdorf proper. Holzkrug, Holswig, and Schliestein are all technically princely houses of Altdorf, but as of yet the position of proper Prince of Altdorf is unclaimed, even with Rommel holding the title of Grand Prince of Reikland.
"The Barons might tear power away from the city and back into the countryside," you point out as you listen to his explanations, "But if one of these three get the Runefang, they could centralize power into Altdorf properly."
"Indeed."
"So…," you say leadingly after he remains silent. "Are you asking me to support one of the families or what, precisely?"
"Not yet," he frowns. "But of them all, Holswig is the one I am looking at the most. Whereas the Böhrn hold themselves aloof outside of their territory, the Holzkrug are too eager to crush all who oppose them, and the Schliestein seem more wholly focused on martial matters, the Holswig look to make connections the most. Often through marriage. They're the ones that brought the Schliestein to my attention in the first place – apparently they've been quietly looking to organize something amongst them for some time now."
"All right," you look at him. "So it's mostly just the Holzkrug you don't want?"
He mimes weighing with his hands before slumping slightly.
"Yes. I know it is somewhat forward of me to involve you, but-,"
"You don't want a family like that in control of the Reikland," you finish for him, getting another nod. "I can understand that. I hope you also understand that I cannot make any promises whatsoever."
Rommel chuckles.
"Of course. Besides, I have a few years yet left in me to try and deal with the matter myself."
So you're a guarantee that, at the least, Holzkrug will not gain the Electoral seat. Fair enough, that.
"Still, in recognition of such a thing, should I pass before the matter can be decided, I cannot ask for such aid without offering something myself," he spreads his hands wide.
"You could, actually," you point out, ignoring the phantom groan of your wife.
At the moment, she's actually a smidge aware of what's going on, your shock and surprise sliding into bemusement making her focus on you more clearly. But not to the point that she could possibly know the exact subject matter. Still, on feeling her concern and worry, you pulse back with a ball of mixed if somewhat positive emotion, getting exasperation back. All quite thin and distant, of course, but that it can happen at all is still stunning to you despite experiencing it for a year at this point.
"I'm not going to," he responds promptly.
Two earnest men glare at one another for a moment before you sigh.
"Fine. Well, what, then? It's not like the Reiksguard can leave Reikland," you note.
"Well, perhaps, perhaps not. But there are other things…,"
Revelations Aside, In Exchange For Opposing Holzkrug Attempts To Claim Reikland Electorship, Rommel Will Exchange (Choose 1):
Alberich Rommel is a famed knight and hero of the Empire, and the Elector Count of Reikland. He has influence amongst knightly orders and the Magic Colleges as a result of his history as a member of the senior circle of the Reiksguard as well as ruling from Altdorf and working more closely with the Magic Colleges than any other Elector in the Empire. He also has contacts across Reikland and beyond, and amongst other Knightly Orders as well, and of course as the Elector Count of Reikland has considerable influence indeed. This offer has its limits, obviously, but thus far he has approached you in good faith.
[] Gain some aid in conversation with a Magic College to have a much higher success chance at pulling another wizard or wizards to the service of Ostland (Write-In Magic College)
[] Organize a more secure trade treaty with Ostland and Reikland, increasing income for both parties.
[] Approach a notable knightly order in the Empire to see if they are willing to set up a Chapterhouse in Ostland (Choose From: Knights Panther, Order of the Blazing Sun, or Order of the Broken Sword) [Each carries its own potential consequences/rewards]
[] A positive introduction to the nobility in the Bretonnian Dukedoms of Couronne OR Montfort, aiding in any future diplomatic efforts with the northern Bretonnian territories.
[] Write-In (Subject To Denial Based On Request)
To be honest I am down for the trade, it may not be the most exciting, but it is the most long lasting and ultimately the most adaptable boon. Money makes the world go 'round and we can always use more of it no matter what else is going on.
Oh whoops, my bad. I had a stupid jokey option of like, actually, no, I refuse and now I'm going to support the Holzkrug family super hard and now I am your political mortal enemy. And then I deleted it because, well, yeah.
To be honest I am down for the trade, it may not be the most exciting, but it is the most long lasting and ultimately the most adaptable boon. Money makes the world go 'round and we can always use more of it no matter what else is going on.
^ This the cash is what lets us build an insane military with its modernised weapons systems in under 50 years (which beats out OTL armies with their 'Chaos? What is Chaos... or Skaven... or Orks?'). It also lets us pay cash for a great deal of indignities that Freddy has inflicted on people and groups around the Empire.
We don't really have that much of an opening with Brettonia right now... and they do have good wine to exchange for our own spirits, could maybe get some Errantry knight to come North in search of worthy foes in the Forests. But also Reikland trade is always a good standard, we've turned trade relations into much closer relations in the past, and having a powerful Southern Province that borders Middenland even slightly favourable towards us could help keep tempers cooled, we still got that potential Feud on the backburner... also it'd keep the Wife happy. So I'm a bit split on it.
Edit: Bringing in a Knightly order seems like it might cause some friction with our own Knightly Bulls.
