Turn 43 Social - 2491 - Part 1 - The Doom of the Emperor's Son
[*] [ITHILMAR] Books
[*] Entrance Examination
[*] Dooming and Quickening
[*] Initiate
[*] Witch Hunter
[*] The Festival Lord
Tally
[*] Entrance Examination
[*] Dooming and Quickening
[*] Initiate
[*] Witch Hunter
[*] The Festival Lord
Tally
It would be difficult to find an organism on this world more useless than the juvenile human. A goat or a sheep will be grazing within a few months of birth, and wolves will be hunting them within six. But after a decade of fruitless maintenance, something awakens behind their eyes and they start to meaningfully take in information about the world around them. They transition from merely imitating without understanding and begin to actually learn how and why certain actions reliably lead to a desired result. They become an actual person.
Mandred... seems not to have reached that point yet.
Oh, he's charming enough in the way that children sometimes are, and he makes an approximation of the proper greetings with only the minor sort of errors that some find endearing. He's shed the clumsiness of youth earlier than most. He's confident in the saddle of his pony and he's a terror to wooden dummies when he has a miniature version of the halberd favoured by the Royal Altdorf Gryphites in his hands. But his aptitude for learning would be barely sufficient in someone that hadn't been taught by the most adept tutors money can buy, and his sheer indifference to the subtler elements of how nations interact makes you wince. He might have thrived as Prince of Altdorf in the time of Magnus, but modern times call for more from a ruler than likability and combat ability.
"He's a throwback," Heidi says to you after you find the right wording to delicately raise your concerns. "The Holswigs had always been responsible stewards but middling warriors, and their blood has been dominant since the time of Wilhelm. But the Schliesteins had a more martial reputation, which has been brought to the fore from the influence of his Stirlander mother." Even though you were listening for it, you can't tell whether there were scare quotes around 'Stirlander'. "I think that's going to be a lot more useful than it should be in a sensible world - people are a lot more willing to listen to and obey someone that goes into battle and delegates the administration than the other way around. And he's a good boy. He'll listen to his mother and godmother, and to other advisors worthy of trust."
You consider that. "So if we keep the wrong people from getting too much influence over him, it would be safe to draw him deeper in?"
"That's my assessment. And besides, he'll be going into one of the Colleges, and the secular ones won't pry into his religious business, and the ones that aren't actually secular won't dare to push it on the son of the Emperor. If anything this might make it easier to teach him what he needs to be taught, since it will hopefully dissuade the Grand Theogonist from trying to surround him with his 'moral instructors'. And if they do get a sniff of anything, it would make it very easy to twist their accusations to seem like they're coming from anti-Wizard animus."
As such, you and Heidi beat Mandred's official entry into adulthood to the punch with a few days set aside for 'magical tutelage' - something that could be read as perfectly reasonable for the future ruler of at least Altdorf and possibly the entire Empire. While some of that is spent explaining the basics to him and testing his impression of the various Winds, most of that time is dedicated to introducing him to Ranald and vice versa.
Over several leisurely days Heidi tells tales of a Ranald different from any you've ever heard, but that rings no less true than any of them; of the blood brother of Ulric and consort of Shallya, and His adventures in a simpler time when all the Gods lived in the hall of Father Taal and Mother Rhya, the latter of whom Ulric was brother to. She tells of Ranald guarding the Dwarf that forged Ghal Maraz against an attack from the minions of the Plague God, and then of Ranald helping Ulric steal it back from the Sky-Giant that had ended up with it after Sigmar went east. She tells of Ranald helping Ulric steal the Fauschlag, the lonely mountain that would become Middenheim, from Taal so that Ulric might have His own people, and then of helping Him guard against the 'Child of Destruction' known as Lupos, who sought to steal wolves from Him. She tells of Ranald stealing Morr's sword to give to Verena so that She might wield it against the Coming of Chaos, and to have taught Her how to apologize when returning it so charmingly that Myrmidia was the eventual result.
She then tells of Ranald and Ulric growing distant as Ranald tricks Ulric into doing what needed to be done with a series of bets and illusions. First, of Ulric being given a tankard that had concealed within it a portal to the Sea of Claws, and being bet that He could not drink it in one go, which lowered the water so that Mother Rhya's children could walk to the Old World. Second, of being bet that He could not lift a cat, which Ulric could not see was really the eldest and largest of the Dragon Ogres, which allowed Ranald to hide a terrible Daemon-Sword beneath the sleeping giant so that none could wield it. And third, of being bet He could not win a wrestling match against an old woman, who Ulric could not see was actually Dread Morr, His father's most trusted advisor, which forced King Death to release a fraction of his hold on mortal life, allowing Shallya to steal away some of His inevitability and allowing for the possibility of death to be forestalled by medicines and blessings.
Mandred takes very well to a take on Ranald who wields cleverness as a weapon, instead of hiding behind it as a shield. Between tales she mentions to you that these are the legends of Ranald told by his worshippers in the villages and hamlets of the northern provinces, rather than the towns and cities of the southern provinces. Now that you know what works for this particular audience, you step in and begin telling your own tales, such as those of the Ranaldian Saints of the Grey Order, and then a tale of your own: that of the Clever Wizard who stole power from Gork and Mork so that it could be used to steal a Princess from the clutches of the Vampires. It doesn't take much embellishment to make it work, and his eyes go wide as he realizes that the 'Princess' is his very own mother. While the previous tales definitely kept him entertained, this one seems to worm its way deep into his mind, and he's quiet for the rest of the day as he digests the idea that there might not be a clear delineation between history and mythology, or as he puts it, 'what actually happened' and 'just stories'.
The actual ceremonies of a child's Quickening, the ones that supposedly introduce him to the Gods, vary from province to province and God to God, but you being who you are and Heidi being who she is, all that's necessary is for you to glance Ranaldwards every so often to make sure he's still paying at least a sliver of attention to the lad. But one element of the Quickening is universal: the burning of a toy or item of childhood clothing to symbolize the youth leaving his childhood behind. Under the circumstances, there's only one suitable sacrifice: the little wooden horse you enchanted for him, and which he revealed his affinity for magic by reshaping. The boy puts on a brave face as he places the worn and well-loved figure in the fire.
You ruffle the boy's hair, and try not to think about how different it is to when your own little horse burned. And if no miracle occurs to mark the occasion, that doesn't change the fact that you know for absolute certain that Ranald's attention is going to shape the future of this child.
---
The formal Quickening of the heir of the Emperor isn't as widely-celebrated as his birth had been, but it's still a good excuse to put down your work for a few hours and drink a few toasts to his health. The tunic that he wore as formal dress for a child under ten is ceremonially burned, and the boy is taken around the churches of Altdorf to be formally introduced to each of the Gods. That none formally respond isn't too surprising, as they generally don't, and it's generally accepted that they have more important things to do than say hello to any but the most fated of children. It doesn't seem to occur to anyone that it might be because the boy has already been claimed.
Finally he is brought to the Sepulchre of Prophecy at the Garden of Morr in Friedhofkreuzung, where many of his ancestors have been laid to rest. In exchange for a sacrifice to Morr to forestall the child's death until its appointed time, the God of Death supposedly gives a glimpse of what form that Doom will take. You still remember your own Dooming - 'when abandoned and alone, Morr will befriend thee'. You also remember the cat you adopted soon after arriving at the Grey College and named Morr. Your general belief is that if He stays out of your business, you'll stay out of His, and so far it seems to be working out.
The boy goes in alone, where the High Priest of Morr will be personally performing the rite for Mandred. You're not sure whether that's because his own ability to interpret the signs is greater, or because he'd have the good sense not to say anything too distressing about the fate of a future Elector Count. You're glad to see he doesn't look too distressed as he stumbles back out.
"'Thy generosity bringeth tuppence and a sword in return'," he says, face scrunched up in concentration and confusion. "What does it mean?"
You exchange looks with Heidi. Maybe you're just a suspicious person in general, but it seems to be implying that Mandred will do right by someone, who will repay him inadequately and then outright betray him. But you're not going to tell a child that. "Doomings can be tricky. I fulfilled mine thirty years ago."
"You know," Heidi says, "Mathilde's generosity bringethed her a sword once."
He turns to you, and his eyes go wide as he sees you summon Branulhune from nowhere. "Was that from the Dwarves?"
You smile and waggle it. "It was, and I didn't get tuppence, so you're going to be ahead of me on that."
He gives you the look of a child who suspects he's being made fun of, but the sword draws his attention back. "Can I hold it?"
You frown at the blade in exaggerated thought. "Better not. If you swing it wrong you might knock down a building."
"I'll be careful!"
"You know the rule," Heidi says, "no live steel-"
"Gromril," you correct.
"-or live gromril outside of lessons and drills, except in self-defence."
---
As Heidi takes the boy home and the city drinks to his good health and future prospects, the Colleges are to decide the shape those prospects will take. The normal procedure for a newly-discovered prospective Wizard is for the Wizard that found them to explain the Winds and the Orders to them, and for that individual to decide which College they will enter, should that College decide them suitable. That this gives the escorting Wizard an opportunity to put a thumb on the scales for their own Order is considered only fair, and if any Order doesn't like it they should put more effort into searching out new Wizards. But when the person in question is the son of the Emperor, the equation very much changes. The potential rewards, and the potential for disaster, are too great to leave the matter to whoever gets there first. So the Supreme Patriarch has called for a representative from each Order to join a panel to decide the matter.
The Obsidian Hall is mostly used for the octennial duels to decide the Supreme Patriarch, but it is also sometimes used as a meeting place for potentially fraught meetings between the Orders. It is technically neutral ground so it's less of a display of power than if the Supreme Patriarch demanded everyone congregate at the grounds of their College, but it is still the centrepiece of the enchantment that floods Altdorf with the Wind of the current Supreme Patriarch, so it still allows the rightful leader of the Colleges to exert control if necessary. In the middle of the glossy black building is a battered and plain round table ringed with eight seats.
As a close friend of the Empress, you are the obvious choice for the Grey Order to send to such a gathering. Heading the panel is Dragomas, representing the interests of both the Emperor and the Amber Order, and you're mildly surprised to scan the other faces and find only one that you recognize, and considerably more so that it's Johann's former Master, Gehenna. Dragomas calls the meeting to order with his customary abruptness.
"The Emperor's son and heir, Mandred Holswig-Schliestein, is to be a Wizard. The Emperor wants to make sure he goes into the right College. Right for the boy, not just for you or for me. This is going to shape who he is and how he sees the world." He runs his eyes over the seven others present, his expression fierce. "This could be the biggest opportunity for us since Magnus, or the biggest disaster since the Night of a Thousand Arcane Duels. You've all met with the boy over the past week and gotten his measure. Make your cases with him in mind, or you'll win the battle for your College and lose the war for us all." He nods to his left, making it clear that arguments will be made by the order of the Wheel of Magic, which is probably the only way to do it that wouldn't immediately start an argument.
Master Abjurer Betlinde Arzt is the Light Order's greatest expert at resolving a Daemonic possession while retaining as much of the life and sanity of the host as possible. Her greatest victories are the ones the general public never gets to hear about, which has led her to accumulate debts that can never be fully repaid from all sorts of unexpected corners of high society.
"The Light Order's good name is bankable throughout the Empire and beyond," she says. "We are trained to fight the war that is the Emperor's most important burden: to face and defeat the dark forces that would subjugate this world. To be a Wizard might be a handicap for the reputation of an Elector Count, but to be a Light Wizard would forestall all the usual and expected criticisms."
"Is he suited to be a Light Wizard?" Dragomas asks pointedly.
"I believe he has the discipline to learn to become suited," is the most she can say. The Light Order is infamous for how many of its initiates never progress beyond Apprentices and spend their lives in their Choirs, and though that is partially because they scour the Old World for anyone with a sliver of talent, there's no denying that the Wind of enlightenment and purity is the most difficult to grasp and manipulate. Dragomas gives her a look, and then allows the speakership to pass on.
Lady Magister Gehenna, former Battle Wizard, teacher of Johann, and the one who taught you what the Gold Order knows of apparitions, is an odd choice for the usually canny Golds to have sent. But being almost as blunt as Dragomas could give her a real advantage on a panel headed by Dragomas.
"Everyone knows us," she says. "Those that don't like us respect us, and rulers definitely respect the taxes and materiel we help their cities generate. When it comes to faith, steel, and gunpowder, we're experts in two of the three. I doubt any of you can do better. As for the kid, I've only ever encountered one more suited for the manipulation of elemental Chamon than he is. An Elector Count that can harden his own armour and empower his own blade is one that will go down in history."
Professor Dieter Vogt is the Head of Agronomy at the Royal Academy of Talabecland, which gives him the opportunity to leave an impression on much of Talabecland's future nobility.
"The child is not just to be the Prince of Altdorf," he says, "but the Grand Prince of Reikland, and it is the Jade Order that controls the flows of magic that makes Reikland as fertile and peaceful as it is." They do as of you handing over Athel Yenlui to them only a few years ago, you think but don't comment. "We will be working hand-in-hand with the future ruler of Reikland whatever his background, of course, but if he had the training to personally understand and oversee the matter, Reikland could be transformed into the breadbasket of the Empire, and all would know that it was the Colleges of Magic that made it possible."
"He didn't strike me as a nurturer," interjects the Bright College's representative.
"Not all are," the Professor replies, unruffled. "But much of what we do first requires getting the cooperation of what needs nurturing. I believe him well suited for that aspect of Ghyran."
Haruspex Stern Glanzend's most oft-used title is rather erroneous. Where haruspicy is the art of using the entrails of the slain to predict the future, Stern divines the future to cause the entrails of the enemies of the Empire to be spilled. He is always sought after by the Empire's Generals, not least of which because if the omens are unclear, he goes out onto the battlefield and summons comets and lightning to simplify matters.
"There are few noble families that do not respect our insight," he says, "and all would immediately understand the advantages that a ruler that wields Azyr would have. And what the boy lacks in suitability for mystical Azyr, he more than makes up for in being suited to the more direct applications of elemental Azyr."
"As Journeyman Hubert Denzel was?" you find yourself asking aloud.
He purses his lips, and the anger that flashes on his face does not seem directed at you. "I have assurances that there would be more willingness to bend for the heir to the Empire."
Dame Mathilde Weber, as seen through the eyes of the others present, is the Empire's foremost diplomat to both the Dwarves and the Elves, having won the favour of the former through her participation in the reconquest of Karak Eight Peaks and the Karak Vlag Expedition, and the attention of the latter through her studies of the Waystone Network. She also has a personal link to the subject at hand, as her Journey in Stirland gave her the opportunity to forge a friendship with the woman who is now the Empress.
"The nobles generally know us as the blade in the dark," you say, "but the rest of the world knows us as the Grey Guardians, they that know what must be known, and tell what must be told. The symbol of our Order is the Sword of Judgement, and I believe Mandred can be taught to wield it with skill and artfulness. A ruler that can be both the knife in the dark and the sword at dawn could be just what the Empire will need in the years to come."
Whatever your private feelings on the matter, it is your duty here and now to make the best argument you can why the boy should become part of your Order. You don't, however, mention how he's been unconsciously shaping an Ulgu enchantment for years now. The exact details of how close you are with the Empress aren't something you're that interested in disclosing, considering the circumstances of how you met and why you're godmother to her child.
Prior Albwin Marsner has made it his duty to patrol the Grey Mountains and assist in putting down the dizzying number of threats that manage to emerge from it on a regular basis. He earned his rank of Lord Magister in the Siege of Krinal, assisting the forces of Bretonnia in shattering the fortress of the Lichemaster of the Grey Mountains. How he earned his rank of Prior Provincial of La Maisontaal Abbey, ostensibly a Taalite fortress-monastery, is a mystery.
"The only ones that are ever happy to see us are the ones most desperately in need of our help," he says. "So when I say that the people of Reikland should be glad to have a ruler of our Order, you must understand how deeply I mean that. Drachenfels is stirring, the Lichemaster has recovered his mind and is rebuilding his strength, riders have been spotted visiting Blood Keep, and there has been more visible activity from the rats of the Vaults in recent years than we usually see in centuries. Reikland needs a ruler who understands the threats it faces, as so few care to do.
"The child does not yet understand death - thankfully few children do - but he has the strength of will to be taught of it without losing himself in it, and the edge to do with that understanding what must be done."
Lord Magister Thyrus Gormann is a rare throwback to the founder of his order, possessing considerable skill in both enchanting and Battle Magic. Rumour has it that he's the most likely candidate for being the next Magister Patriarch of the Bright Order, and that the only reason that he has not already challenged No-Relation Reicthard for the title is that Reicthard is a better match for the relatively peaceful era the Empire currently finds itself in.
"I'll say what everyone else has been dancing around," he says. "The boy is a warrior. I've trained full-grown men with less affinity for war than what he already posssesses. And nobody can deny that when the Army of Reikland and the Army of the Empire march to war, it is most often the Bright Wizards that march with them. Any noble whose respect is worth having has seen enough battlefields to have seen at least one that our fires have danced across. The advantages are obvious and the disadvantages are less than any other. You all know this."
Finally, Dragomas speaks for his own Order. "If he was a peasant, or had been rejected by his family, he would be a good fit for us. But who he must be for Reikland would be too different to who he must be for Ghur." There's nodding and a general relaxation from the rest of the table at that, since if he'd been willing to fight for it he'd have a clear and unfair advantage in getting Mandred into his own Order.
The meeting takes a break, and those gathered break into pairs and threes to start debating and discussing. General consensus seems to be that the Brights, Jades, and Golds have made the best argument. Prior Albwin of the Amethysts seems to be deep in conversation with Lord Magister Gormann of the Brights, likely aligning their interests so that a Bright Mandred would be pointed towards the problems that the Amethysts have raised. Gehenna and Haruspex Stern seem to be getting along very well - unusual for a Gold and Celestial, but less so for two Battle Wizards with an affinity for the Elemental. And though he's staying out of it, Dragomas' interests and those of his Order seem to align most closely with Professor Vogt of the Jades, on top of the long-standing close relationship between the two.
While you think you made a fairly decent argument, the only person it seemed to really resonate with was Master Abjurer Betlinde, who is of that rare but gratifying kind of Light Wizard that sees the Greys as fighting the uglier side of the same war as them. If you accept her support, you're fairly sure you could also get that of the Jades by promising that a Grey Mandred would, of course, be backing the further investigation and development of a prize that is, after all, a significant feather in the cap of the Grey Order. From there, with three eights of the panel behind you, you could probably swing Gehenna into joining them, since you suspect she sees something of Johann in young Mandred. As a nontraditional Grey yourself, and as someone that has been working closely and well with Johann for quite some time, you can confidently promise that the Grey Order will not treat a nontraditional Grey Mandred any worse for it - and you'd certainly have the power and influence to be able to enforce that promise, even if you don't take him on as your own Apprentice.
Alternately, you could play kingmaker between the Brights, Jades, and Golds, either solely on the merits of their argument or while extracting some sort of promise or favour from them. Generally it would be entirely reasonable to use this to extract a promise regarding Mandred's education. It would also be possible, though arguably in slightly bad taste, to barter for something unrelated to the matter at hand. Considering how much influence a College would stand to gain from having an Elector Count among their ranks, there would be many prices they'd be willing to pay to make that happen.
Which College of Magic will Mathilde support Mandred joining?
[ ] Grey
[ ] Bright, on merits
[ ] Bright, for (specify what)
[ ] Jade, on merits
[ ] Jade, for (specify what)
[ ] Gold, on merits
[ ] Gold, for (specify what)
- There will be an eighteen hour moratorium
- If Mandred does join the Grey Order, the question of who would be his Master will be decided at a later date.
- Mandred's Doom was rolled here.
- Mandred's base stats were rolled offsite, which was noticed and reacted to from this post.
- Don't take Mathilde internal monologue about Mandred too much at face value, it's more a reflection of her own childhood baggage and her high standards than her actual feelings towards the lad.
- I'm away from my PC at the moment, and sorting out the books on a laptop would be an enormous pain, so the payday for the Ithilmar deal will be resolved in a future update.
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MANDRED FIRST WIZARD TO EVER BE VOTED MOST POPULAR MAN IN HISTORY BY BOTH MEN AND DWARVES, FIRST EVER TO BE UNANIMOUSLY VOTED EMPEROR, MARIENBURG DECLARED BANKRUPT SUES TO JOIN EMPIRE MANAAN CANNOT BE REACHED FOR COMMENT
