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Warhammer Fantasy: Divided Loyalties - an Advisor's Quest

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REAPER35 said:
And with a 100... well I'm sure there would be awesomeness involved.
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100 probably means that Mathilde begins her own long road to Apothesis as the adopted child of Ragnald and the seed of a patron human goddess for magic, by stealing the denied Apothesis of another. Basically, not instant godhood, but probably the first step on a long term road to a godhood Mathilde didn't ask for. At least human wizards get a goddess in their corner to square off against Tzeentch, in the long run.

1, I suspect is a fate worse than death, though I suspect we'd be forced to choose our poison. Maybe Mathilde ends up falling to Chaos because this is a Tzeentch scheme, and Mathilde ends up as Tzeentch's candidate for the Everchoosen. Chaos! Mathilde probably would wind up challenging Archaeon for the Everchoosen, shank Archaeon, fail a redemption will save, and we end up with a Warhammer Everchoosen Quest. Alternatively, Chaos! Mathilde ends up being an advisor to Archaeon.

Everchoosen Advisor Quest, anyone?

Actually, come to think of it, Divided Loyalties still encapsulates Mathilde right now - right now, Mathilde's loyalties seem to be split between her embrace of Ulgu, and her faith in Ragnald, and while she has been so far been able to square that circle, eventually, the tightrope she is currently walking on is going to get narrower.
 
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BoneyM said:
Kragg's second-hand and terse explanation is it's based on 'the Rune that Valaya gave to us that allowed us to weather the coming of Chaos' and that it will 'burn off any taint of chaos before it could even touch you'. So based entirely on the documented features, it would seem to work only on Dhar. How it determines what energies are Dhar, and how close Waaagh energy is to that, is an interesting question.
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Hmm, so analyzing pure Brutality Waagh energy from first principles:
-Big, Strong, Brutal, Savage, Magically Physical/Physically Magical - Ghur-like
-Unpredictable, powerful, destructive - Dhar-like

If you squint a bit, the Waagh is like using Dhar to boost Ghur effects.
So not actually Dhar unless you deliberately congeal it and we know greenskins tend to explode more than almost any other kind of magical mishap when they fuck up wielding Waagh.

SuperSonicSound said:
There's a difference in scale between spells and rituals as a general rule once a ritual has been cast it's not something you dispel and even grounding the energies gathered by a ritual is pretty suicidal once they're out of control. I can't imagine a spell eater rune being able to stop a ritual nor can I imagine the valaya rune being able to just burn away ritual magic energies.
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And that is how we got Karak Seven-And-A-Half-Peaks
...they'd need to redesign the crown if that happened. Or build a new mountain.

chocolote12 said:
Generally speaking Lurkers come out either because they think they'll matter, or because they want to make a point. So, when at crossroads, and at the peaks of action. Most of the time what other people are voting for is what they want anyways, so they just coast.

I'd say that this definitely counted as a peak.
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Well the couple of general lore debates in the middle help bring out the participation by bumping the thread a lot. Those can get savage though.
 
To be honest, in a theoretical best case scenario, it would probably open up the possibility of Ulgu Ascension, since triggering that seems to require something special beyond merely grandmastery of a given Wind.

Like how Elspeth apparently had those dragon ashes or something, and Balthasar Gelt having his mysterious masked man powers.
 
I'm also imagining Gork and Mork sitting on the edge of their sweet frat couch with popcorn.

I mean, sure, she's hijacking it and a couple of their profits got 'eadbanged, but dis is sum gud action-y ting wif loadsa chances fer explosions.

EDIT: ...come to think of it, this is on similar scale to the natural magical shenaniganry that create mage legendary lords like Elspeth or Gelt, ain't it. :p
 
Miffychan said:
I'm also imagining Gork and Mork sitting on the edge of their sweet frat couch with popcorn.

I mean, sure, she's hijacking it and a couple of their profits got 'eadbanged, but dis is sum gud action-y ting wif loadsa chances fer explosions.
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We are technically purging their power base from heresy, no reason why they shouldn't enjoy the show either way.
 
Miffychan said:
I'm also imagining Gork and Mork sitting on the edge of their sweet frat couch with popcorn.

I mean, sure, she's hijacking it and a couple of their profits got 'eadbanged, but dis is sum gud action-y ting wif loadsa chances fer explosions.

EDIT: ...come to think of it, this is on similar scale to the natural magical shenaniganry that create mage legendary lords like Elspeth or Gelt, ain't it. :p
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Well, having the book would count, and I personnally think the snake box is a second. Arguably, the belt with its dhar protection might count, if your into that sort of thing. I bet all the other genius wizards are super duper jealous. Which just goes to show that Ranald is best god.
 
veekie said:
Hmm, so analyzing pure Brutality Waagh energy from first principles:
-Big, Strong, Brutal, Savage, Magically Physical/Physically Magical - Ghur-like
-Unpredictable, powerful, destructive - Dhar-like

If you squint a bit, the Waagh is like using Dhar to boost Ghur effects.
So not actually Dhar unless you deliberately congeal it and we know greenskins tend to explode more than almost any other kind of magical mishap when they fuck up wielding Waagh.
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Speaking of, does anyone else think that the Chaos Dwarves magic looks like Chamon Necromancy, IE, using Chamon to manipulate Dhar? Chamon wants to understand the world and fit it into a rational order, the Chorfs want to take the world and control it. Under this interpretation, their 'turning to stone' issue would be the equivalent of a Necromancer's rotting.
 
History unravels before your eyes, and you see... Dwarves? But no Dwarves you have ever known, and they are shaping energies you know more of than you'd like, even as their very essence protests and their bodies calcify. They sought to create a new type of soldier, with the strength and tirelessness of Orcs but the obedience of automatons, and failed to see the deeper plot that acted through them. When the Black Orcs escaped Mingol Zharr-Naggrund, they joined the wider greenskin ecosystem, but they never fully integrated, and this is the ultimate result. An attempt to tear asunder the strongest deities to ever work in unison
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This sounds like the creation of the Black Orcs eventually leading to this was instigated by the Ruinous Powers in general.
 
notanautomaton said:
Speaking of, does anyone else think that the Chaos Dwarves magic looks like Chamon Necromancy, IE, using Chamon to manipulate Dhar? Chamon wants to understand the world and fit it into a rational order, the Chorfs want to take the world and control it. Under this interpretation, their 'turning to stone' issue would be the equivalent of a Necromancer's rotting.
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Not really to me, since the Chaos Dwarf's issues with petrification come from forcing magic through their bodies and their stony nature reacting badly and that interpretation makes a lot of sense to me.
 
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Kornet said:
A large part of the appeal of this quest (apart form great writing and terrifying update speed) is the possibility of very real consequences. Which is also (for me) a part of the appeal of Warhammer fantasy roleplay. I, personally, find the fact that our fate weights on the roll of dice exhilarating, and believe that a significant chance of doom makes victory (if it happens) much sweeter.
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This is partly true, in that this Quest lacks Fate/Fortune points that, in another Quest, might have allowed a re-roll of things such as Abel's death.

On the other hand, Ranald's blessing basically gives us one Fortune point, we have two supremely overpowered protective artefacts - each more powerful than any collection of magical items owned by any canon character, fluff or crunch - and 'oops' rolls are followed by two to three other rolls to determine 'are you sure it went bad?' and 'ok, but how bad, really?'
 
The mutations from adapting and using the winds of magic actually seem to be extremely easy for humans to pick up. For those who delve more deeply undergoing a a type of apotheosis into something more seems to come quite naturally.

Volans is a good example here. Despite not actually using any real magic he still gained great boosts to his vitality even just by touching the winds of magic.
Volans said:
Little is known about the enigmatic and powerful Magister
Volans. When Teclis called together all renegade magic users in
the Empire, Volans was by far the most educated, skilled, and
powerful to answer that call.
It is said he hailed originally from the lawless area known as the
Border Princes, and when he presented himself to Teclis he was
already in his fifties. To Teclis's surprise there was not a shadow
of taint in Volans despite his admitted decades of practice and
experimentation with magic. In fact, his exposure to magic
seemed to have kept him young and vibrant, as he looked only
about thirty years old.
Teclis soon learned the secret of his new protégé's success:
Volans was one of the few, if not the only, Humans able to
perceive all the Winds of Magic in their purest form, Qhaysh.
His witchsight was so developed that all illusion and limitation
had been stripped from his eyes, and he could see magic as
clearly as Teclis himself. Remarkable as this was, Volans knew
from his very earliest experimentation that although he could
perceive all the Winds, he could not use them safely. His first
few attempts at doing so ended in horror and almost spelled the
end of his magical career before it began. Impressively, Volans
dedicated his life's research to refining his ability to just see and
touch the Winds of Magic, rather than manipulate them into
spells—which is how he avoided corruption for so long.
Due to his immense skill and ability, Teclis chose Volans to
study the White Wind, Hysh, and when Magnus asked Teclis to
form the Colleges of Magic, the Loremaster knew immediately
whom he would leave in control of the White Order and all the
Orders of Magic as their first Supreme Patriarch.
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This is also explicitly stated in the Realms of Sorcery and can be considered something of a natural change as a wizard adapts himself to his wind.
Realms of Sorcery said:
As with any of the strands of
Magic, embracing Shyish over a
long period of time can extend
a Magister's life considerably (in
fact especially with Shyish)
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More notably those who become magister lords truly delve into their magic and seem to become ageless like the elves. For example Tochter Grunfeld the Jade Wizard Matriarch who has worked in Wurtbad (Stirland) for over 60 years.
Tochter Grunfeld said:
The current Matriarch Magister of the Jade College is Tochter
Grunfeld, also known as the Jade Mother. Unlike most of the
other Orders of Magic, it is just as likely for the prime position
of the Order of Life to be a Matriarch as a Patriarch. Grunfeld
was elected to the position of Matriarch of her Order after
the death of the previous Matriarch, Magister Arburg, who
was killed in the early days of the recent war against Archaon's
hordes.
Grunfeld is about tall with a pleasantly round and well-tanned
face. Her hair is free flowing and white, and it seems to all who
see it to have ivy growing within it. Her age is hard to place,
as is the case with many Magisters of her skill and experience,
but she is known to have been operating in the region around
Wurtbad in Stirland for at least six decades. She is the mother
to eight offspring and every one of them has been brought up
within the Order and are now full Magister Druids.
It is said she spent much of her life combating the creeping
blight spreading down from the dark and polluted lands that lie
to the north east of Wurtbad. When the wind blows from that
direction, it brings with it traces of warpstone and the chill of
the grave, contaminating the fields and forests of the otherwise
luscious region. It is rumoured that Grunfeld has plans to move
her community even further northeast to tackle the problem at
source.
The blighted land known as Sylvania awaits her just beyond
horizon with all the expectancy of a freshly dug grave.
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Viggo Hexensohn Magister Patriarch of the Amethyst Order is another example explicitly pointed out as being well over 60 (and probably well over 100) and still not aging.
Viggo Hexensohn said:
As far as anyone can tell, Hexensohn has been Patriarch for
around sixty years. His age is unknown and it cannot be judged
from his face. Like all his Order, he is clean shaven, both of
jaw and head. The few times he is seen abroad he always wears
robes of light-swallowing black, with a heavy cloak and hood of
the darkest purple. He is without question the most powerful
Magister of his Order. Some say he is the most powerful
Magister in the history of his Order, but there is no way to test
this—or, at least, no way that would not end in widespread
death and misery. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Hexensohn is
surrounded constantly by a palpable aura of dread.

He leaves his contemplations at the College only for consultations
at the Imperial court. Rumour has it that he was involved in the
pursuit of the last traitor of his Order. Perhaps and he was even
the one to bring the traitor down. But who can say for sure?
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killfr3nzy said:
On the other hand, Ranald's blessing basically gives us one Fortune point, we have two supremely overpowered protective artefacts - each more powerful than any collection of magical items owned by any canon character, fluff or crunch - and 'oops' rolls are followed by two to three other rolls to determine 'are you sure it went bad?' and 'ok, but how bad, really?'
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What's always impressed me is how well failures (and successes) are woven into the story. Abelhelm' death is the best example, since it felt 100% grim fantasy and dramatically appropriate. But my favorite example is the natural 1 on our intrigue training at the college. Far too many quests can only imagine critfails as hilariously unlikely moments, often nearly breaking the fourth wall to try to justify the improbable and outrageous. Here, though, the result is that the conspiracy that was ordering Mathilde around tuned out to be just that bad. How, later on, the Emperor's wife died "of natural causes." For quests that take a more gamified approach, those kinds of consequences for that specific roll make no sense whatsoever: It was just a training action. Our wizard should have just slipped on a bannana peel amd lost a couple Intrigue stat points to partial amnesia. But in this quest, those kinds of background events and butterfly consequences serve instead to make the world a bigger, more dynamic place.

/ramble
 
[X] You are a Magister of the Grey Order, and follow the traditions laid down by Teclis and Magnus the Pious. Try to ground the energies.
 
DragonParadox said:
While that is true, they and the priests of Mor are canonically some of the most likely to fall to the temptations of necromancy. Sometimes you just lose hope...
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As I understand it it wasn't that they were at the greatest risk of falling, but rather if they fell they'd be well-positioned to do more damage given that, say, an Amethyst magister already knows how to manipulate Shysh, so they're using it more adroitly as tongs than rookie necromancers. Ditto priests of Morr, but with easier access to graveyards.

NavySeel said:
Do the Dwarves know the Chaos Dwarves made the Black Orcs though... doing something like that sounds like a grudging to me.
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I believe their default stance is "We don't talk about them."
"Why not?"
"Because we don't talk about them."
Followed by dropping everything and killing them as best the dawi can manage when they get the opportunity.
 
Slamu said:
I believe their default stance is "We don't talk about them."
"Why not?"
"Because we don't talk about them."
Followed by dropping everything and killing them as best the dawi can manage when they get the opportunity.
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I guess it might be something to write down in the Damaz Kron? Shouldn't be an issue about it getting out, it's not like anybody but Thorgrim is in a position to read it.

"A grudge against the Unspeakable Wazzoks for the creation of the interminable Urk menace known as the Black Orks, to be settled by the accused walking naked into the Chaos Wastes en-masse"
 
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Fehu said:
Oh if only Mathilde had had the cunning to paint herself green to sneak better!
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That would be purple. Purple is the sneakiest color. Green is the color of proper.
Humbaba said:
*Edit: An example of "too good" result might be causing Ranald to manifest his loot stash from the overabundance of divine energy. Making our Gold mad dwarf problem 500x worse.
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...and then MC got loot drops instead of corpses when she killed things. Pity about the low roll that was a treasure chest full of hungry fleas.
 
[X] You are a faithful of Ranald, being in the right place at the right time to unbalance the scales. Try to steal the energies.
 
Well it looks like I have a class scheduled for when the dice drop. Should the world end because of the dice drop it has been a been a fun ride everyone.
 
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