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The cultural divide is very, very harsh. There's Stirlanders and there's Sylvanians, period. Different cultures, different ancestors, different beliefs in whether a vampire is something to burn or something to pay taxes to. Sylvania isn't so much absorbed into Stirland as it is under the occupation of Stirland.
That does bring up the question of how Leicheberg (culturally Stirlander) which, if I track the red line off the map correctly, controls Naubonum (culturally Sylvanian) came to happen. Presumably it was conquered and is now occupied? But Naubonum is the only Sylvanian population center within a solid forty or so miles, so if it's culturally Sylvanian it must have been ruled by a vampire for centuries, yet it's only a village rather than a town; I can't see a cultural Von Carstein putting up with living in a village instead of having a proper seat. Who did it owe fealty to before it was conquered?

Edit: I now notice also that there are no roads leading Naubonum to the rest of Sylvania without going through Stirland! How can it be culturally Sylvanian under those conditions? It would be almost impossible to keep closely linked to central Sylvanian culture without ease of transport.

...you might not have these answers, and I doubt Mathilde has these answers without consulting a history book, but it feels like there's a story here.

Quite regularly along the roads, around once a decade along the rest of the border. You have to keep the population of things that go bump in the night under critical mass or they'll start flooding across the border.
Speaking of roads, one other inconsistency between the maps- on the Stirland map it's clearly shown that Siegfriedhof has a road leading toward Sylvania, but on the Sylvania map it's clearly shown that there is no road between Siegfriedhof and Stirfähre. Is there a road or not?
 
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Voting closed, writing begins now.
Adhoc vote count started by BoneyM on Feb 4, 2018 at 5:12 AM, finished with 303 posts and 51 votes.

  • [X] [Julia] Plan Townhouse
    -[X] Hire her, buy her a home in town near your residence. Somewhere where people coming and going at odd times won't draw a fuss.
    -[X] Her job would be to manage your informant networks in general, particularly sorting through the reports and picking out what's significant versus chaff. It'd also involve independently expanding the networks as funds and opportunities allow after she has settled in.
    -[X] The only ones who are should specifically know her position should be Van Hal, yourself, Markus and your assigned greatswords and anyone you assign to work for her. Otherwise, be subtle.
    -[X] Provide funding for a handful of retainers to keep up appearances. If she has any family contacts she can call on to provide reliable and vetted guards and servants, or to assist with background checks on any such new hires, have her do so.
    -[X] Introduce her to Van Hal.
    [X] [Greatswords] Greatswords will stay in the castle, except when we're going somewhere publicly, or interrogating potentially hostile persons.
    [X] [Public Report] Plan Points for public consumption.
    [X] [Private Report] Plan Shorter Meeting
    -[X] Tell him about everything you learned in the interview. Especially how they produce infiltrators.
    -[X] You have acquired some subordinates.
    --[X] You have hired a lieutenant, Julia Massif, to help manage your information networks. In case any unfortunate 'accidents' happens to you, he can have some continuity through her so he wouldn't need to start from scratch.
    --[X] Several veterans have been assigned to gather low-level information.
    -[X] You have a lead on permanently sealing the snake away. Give him as much information on the process as you have, if he's interested. Suggest he approve a one-time increase in the discretionary budget in the interests of keeping his favourite spymaster un-eaten-by-a-snake. It'll be around a hundred gold for the mirrors, plus the cost of a skilled artisan to assemble the mirrorbox.
    [X] [Orders] Plan Now, Back To That Other Guy...
    -[X] The disappearance of your predecessor is very concerning, especially since he's actively trying to sabotage the hunt for him. He must be found, and you've got a lead: Julbach.
    -[X] The Stirlandian League is a cancer eating at Stirland's economy, and it must be destroyed.
    --[X] This would likely be difficult while the previous spymaster is still at large to run counterintelligence, but it can be done.
    -[X] The spell used by the informants is like nothing you've heard of before. You want to investigate it, and see if you can detect or replicate it.
    --[X] If you can replicate the technique, it will be a powerful tool for the Empire's defense. There's the problem of killing the user, but that is potentially a problem of source -- Dhar is corrosive by nature.
    -[X] There's definitely evil afoot in Drakenhof. Perhaps there's a way to survive investigating this.
    --[X] Recommend against it. With their sleeper agents uncovered and in the wind, there's no immediate threat, and the potential gain isn't worth the risk of a dead spymaster. Hint hint.
    [X] Edit plan Veekie as per approximately half of the Veekie voting bloc.
    [X] Plan Guile
    [X] [Julia] Hire her, buy her a home in town near your residence. Somewhere where people coming and going at odd times won't draw a fuss.
    -[X] Her job would be to manage your informant networks in general, particularly sorting through the reports and picking out what's significant versus chaff. It'd also involve independently expanding the networks as funds and opportunities allow after she has settled in.
    -[X] The only ones who are supposed to know her position should be Van Hal, yourself and anyone you specifically cleared for this. For anyone below her, she's to present herself as a messenger or other relay.
    -[X] For your initial meeting, probe her religious beliefs and opinion on working with criminals, assassins, magic and proscribed cults to determine how fit she is to assign to your tasks
    -[X] For her personal security, she's to rely mainly on obscurity for now.
    [X] [Julia] Hire her, buy her a home in town near your residence. Somewhere where people coming and going at odd times won't draw a fuss.
    -[X] Her job would be to manage your informant networks in general, particularly sorting through the reports and picking out what's significant versus chaff. It'd also involve independently expanding the networks as funds and opportunities allow after she has settled in.
    -[X] The only ones who are supposed to know her position should be Van Hal, yourself and anyone you specifically cleared for this. For anyone below her, she's to present herself as a messenger or other relay.
    -[X] For your initial meeting, first, ask her if she's willing to accept being memory wiped in the event that she disagrees with certain confidential suggestions, and write a note to herself to the effect of giving consent. If not she'd only handle the more aboveboard networks.
    --[X] If she agrees to a potential Mindhole sound her out on her religious beliefs, particularly relating to Ranald. You cannot feasibly have her work in your base or with your Ranaldite agents if she's not at least open to the idea. If it goes poorly, simply Mindhole her, have Anton reintroduce you, and ensure that she's isolated from the Ranaldite/Thief elements.
    [X] [Julia] Hire her, buy her a good quality inn room in town near your residence, with the intent of moving her to your underground place once you have fully secured her loyalties.​
    -[X] Her job would be to manage your informant networks in general, particularly sorting through the reports and picking out what's significant versus chaff.​
    -[X] For your initial meeting, first, ask her if she's willing to accept being memory wiped in the event that she disagrees with certain confidential suggestions, and write a note to herself to the effect of giving consent. If not she'd only handle the more aboveboard networks.
    --[X] If she agrees to a potential Mindhole sound her out on her religious beliefs, particularly relating to Ranald. You cannot feasibly have her work in your base or with your Ranaldite agents if she's not at least open to the idea. If it goes poorly, simply Mindhole her, have Anton reintroduce you, and ensure that she's isolated from the Ranaldite/Thief elements.
    [X] [Julia] Hire her, buy her a home in town near your residence. Somewhere where people coming and going at odd times won't draw a fuss.
    -[X] Her job would be to manage your informant networks in general, particularly sorting through the reports and picking out what's significant versus chaff. It'd also involve independently expanding the networks as funds and opportunities allow after she has settled in.
    -[X] The only ones who are supposed to know her position should be Van Hal, yourself and anyone you specifically cleared for this. For anyone below her, she's to present herself as a messenger or other relay.
    [X] [Julia] Plan Until Further Notice
    -[X] Provisionally hire her. Politely state that you're going to have to do a little more vetting before she can be employed in the more sensitive bits.
    -[X] Start paying her and rent a place for her near the Palace-Shrine. Do not tell her about the Palace-Shrine or the thief-priests at this time.
    -[X] For the moment, set her to sorting through the reports and gossip that you're receiving.
    -[X] Raise the subject of what gods she and her family revere. Mention that Ranald is the patron of the Grey Order. See how she feels about Ranald, but try not to be too blatant about your own degree of devotion yet.
    [X] [Julia] Hire her, buy her a home in town near your residence. Somewhere where people coming and going at odd times won't draw a fuss.
    -[X] Her job would be to manage your informant networks in general, particularly sorting through the reports and picking out what's significant versus chaff. It'd also involve independently expanding the networks as funds and opportunities allow after she has settled in.
    -[X] The only ones who are supposed to know her position should be Van Hal, yourself and anyone you specifically cleared for this. For anyone below her, she's to present herself as a messenger or other relay.
    -[X] Sound her out on her religious beliefs, particularly relating to Ranald. You cannot feasibly haveher work in your base or with your Ranaldite agents if she's not at least open to the idea.
    [X] [Greatswords] Greatswords will stay in the castle, except when you're going somewhere publicly, or interrogating potentially hostile persons.
    [X] [Greatswords] Greatswords will stay in the castle, except when we're going somewhere publicly, or interrogating potentially hostile persons.Assign two of them as security for Julia
    [X] [Greatswords] Keep some Greatswords in shouting distance whenever you're not doing something undercover. They can't accompany when you're sneaking in as washerwomen or visiting the Palace-Shrine, but you've learned the scary way that it's very nice to have Greatswords somewhere close, even if not right next to you. Keep some near Julia as well, if Julia will accept this.
    [X] [Public Report] Plan Points for public consumption.
    -[X] The castle infiltrators were sleeper agents.
    --[X] They have not been conducting any significant sabotage.
    --[X] Their loyalty was secured by a necromantic spell that would kill them if they even thought of betraying their master, or if their master did not meet them for more than a few days.
    --[X] Said master had fled the area the very night an infiltrator got caught.
    --[X] The monsters in the castle walls were previous victims of the spell. Refer to Van Hal's paper on details if anyone is interested.
    --[X] They were lying about having any religious beliefs, but got away with it because nobody could probe them further on Morrite or Shallyan practices.
    -[X] All other castle servants have been examined, their backstories hold up and all future servants would be rigorously examined to prevent more of this.
    [X] [Private Report] Plan For Van Hals Eyes Only.
    -[X] Tell him about everything you learned in the interview. Especially how they produce infiltrators.
    -[X] Give him all information you have gathered on your fellow council members.
    --[X] Anton's Wizard Aunt and the late night sweets through the maid.
    --[X] Wilhelmina's lack of belief in Sigmar.
    --[X] Kasmir's loyalties, though you're pretty sure he knows already
    --[X] Gustav's detailed report from your investigation via the informant in his soldiers.
    -[X] You have acquired some subordinates.
    --[X] Introduce him to your prospective Number 2 in Julia after the meeting. In case any unfortunate 'accidents' happens to you(like say, the pseudo-demonic snake), he can pick up some of your networks through her so he wouldn't need to start from scratch.
    --[X] The veterans have been assigned to gather gossip in the cities and the army to get a barometer of events
    -[X] You have a lead on permanently sealing the snake away. Give him as much information on the process as you have, if he's interested. Noting the cost in mirrors and possibly request some assistance with construction(not necessarily his personal assistance, but a recommendation to a skilled and trusted artisan could be valuable) since the damned snake can pop out of mirrors if you're building it yourself.
    -[X] Confess your religious belief in Ranald to him. Mention how the god of Luck had been looking out for and helping you along with your work so far(particularly avoiding being killed by the Shyish-kebabs, and finding leads at crucial moments), and the belief that Ranald as Protector has a vested interest in Stirland's people not being eaten by vampires and turned into abominations by necromancers. The revolutionary thing happens only in places where their lords are actively abusing the people, which Van Hal of course, is doing the opposite of!
    [X] [Private Report] Plan For Van Hals Eyes Only. No Ranald Edition
    -[X] Tell him about everything you learned in the interview. Especially how they produce infiltrators.
    -[X] Give him all information you have gathered on your fellow council members.
    -[X] You have acquired some subordinates.
    --[X] Introduce him to your prospective Number 2 in Julia. In case any unfortunate 'accidents' happens to you(like say, the pseudo-demonic snake), he can pick up some of your networks through her so he wouldn't need to start from scratch.
    --[X] The veterans have been assigned to gather gossip in the cities and the army to get a barometer of events
    -[X] You have a lead on permanently sealing the snake away. Give him as much information on the process as you have, if he's interested. Noting the cost in mirrors and possibly request some assistance with construction(not necessarily his personal assistance, but a recommendation to a skilled and trusted artisan could be valuable) since the damned snake can pop out of mirrors if you're building it yourself.
    [X] [Private Report] Plan For Van Hals Eyes Only. No Ranald Edition
    -[X] Tell him about everything you learned in the interview. Especially how they produce infiltrators.
    -[X] Give him all information you have gathered on your fellow council members.
    -[X] You have acquired some subordinates.
    --[X] Introduce him to your prospective Number 2 in Julia. In case any unfortunate 'accidents' happens to you(like say, the pseudo-demonic snake), he can pick up some of your networks through her so he wouldn't need to start from scratch.
    --[X] The veterans have been assigned to gather gossip in the cities and the army to get a barometer of events
    -[X] You have a lead on permanently sealing the snake away. Give him as much information on the process as you have, if he's interested. Noting the cost in mirrors and possibly some assistance with construction since the damned snake can pop out of mirrors if you're building it yourself.​
    [X] [Private Report] Plan Spilling Some Beans
    -[X] Tell Van Hal everything you learned from and about the infiltrators
    -[X] Introduce Van Hal to Julia, and otherwise keep him updated on the general state of your network of contacts and informants
    -[X] Tell Van Hal about the innkeeper as a contact to message you when you're out of the castle being inconspicuous
    -[X] Tell Van Hal about the other councilors: Anton has a Jade Wizard relative, Kasmir isn't just a zealot but was picked to favor the Theogonist over the Elector Count.
    --[X] You're sorry you didn't say this earlier. You, too, expected Kasmir would have the sense to keep his zeal directed towards Sylvania. Apparently not. But since it's happened, let's bring up things of this sort.
    -[X] You have a lead on getting rid of the Thorned One, but it involves baiting it out and trapping it with mirrors. Van Hal should know about and be allowed to veto any such plans.
    -[X] Confess your belief in Ranald to Van Hal, how Ranald is patron of the Grey Order in general and watches over Mathilde in particular in the Incident of Cat and Sword, and suggest that Ranald is the sort to give a free hand rather than loading one down with obstructionists.
    [X] [Private Report] Plan For Van Hals Eyes Only.
    -[X] Tell him about everything you learned in the interview. Especially how they produce infiltrators.
    -[X] Give him all information you have gathered on your fellow council members.
    -[X] You have acquired some subordinates.
    --[X] Introduce him to your prospective Number 2 in Julia. In case any unfortunate 'accidents' happens to you(like say, the pseudo-demonic snake), he can pick up some of your networks through her so he wouldn't need to start from scratch.
    --[X] The veterans have been assigned to gather gossip in the cities and the army to get a barometer of events
    -[X] You have a lead on permanently sealing the snake away. Give him as much information on the process as you have, if he's interested. Noting the cost in mirrors and possibly request some assistance with construction(not necessarily his personal assistance, but a recommendation to a skilled and trusted artisan could be valuable) since the damned snake can pop out of mirrors if you're building it yourself.
    -[X] Confess your religious belief in Ranald to him. Mention how the god of Luck had been looking out for and helping you along with your work so far(particularly avoiding being killed by the Shyish-kebabs, and finding leads at crucial moments), and the belief that Ranald as Protector has a vested interest in Stirland's people not being eaten by vampires and turned into abominations by necromancers. The revolutionary thing happens only in places where their lords are actively abusing the people, which Van Hal of course, is doing the opposite of!
    [X] [Private Report] Plan For Van Hals Eyes Only.
    -[X] Tell him about everything you learned in the interview. Especially how they produce infiltrators.
    -[X] Give him all information you have gathered on your fellow council members.
    -[X] You have acquired some subordinates.
    --[X] Introduce him to your prospective Number 2 in Julia. In case any unfortunate 'accidents' happens to you(like say, the pseudo-demonic snake), he can pick up some of your networks through her so he wouldn't need to start from scratch.
    --[X] The veterans have been assigned to gather gossip in the cities and the army to get a barometer of events
    -[X] You have a lead on permanently sealing the snake away. Give him as much information on the process as you have, if he's interested. Noting the cost in mirrors and possibly some assistance with construction since the damned snake can pop out of mirrors if you're building it yourself.​
    -[x] Tell him not to give up his religion, just because of a few stubborn individuals, who give a bad impression, similar to the witch hunters, a few of them may have killed and tortured innocent people out of paranoia and suspicion, should all of them be treated as rabid dogs who murdererd people in cold blood out of paranoia and insanity, of course not. Emphasize the good Sigma has done, for the empire and the people. Remind him that while people are flawed the Gods are not.
    [X] [Orders] Plan Obvious Items
    -[X] There's definitely evil afoot in Drakenhof. Perhaps there's a way to survive investigating this.
    --[X] That said, the castle itself is off limits. You're certain you aren't up to the task. But you can try to send feelers into their periphery villages if Van Hal feels the risks is worth it.
    -[X] The disappearance of your predecessor is very concerning, especially since he's actively trying to sabotage the hunt for him. He must be found, and you've got a lead: Julbach.
    --[X] He's likely involved in the matter of the servant infiltrators and the Stirland League, considering you find it extremely unlikely that all these servants, with a necromancer within a short walk from the castle, were placed without his knowledge. Rolling him up is the next step now that your castle is secured. If you can catch him alive, an interrogation could be extremely fruitful.
    -[X] The Stirlandian League is a cancer eating at Stirland's economy, and it must be destroyed.
    --[X] This would likely be difficult while the previous spymaster is still at large to run counterintelligence, but it can be done.
    -[X] This religion business has gone far enough. It's not really your place, but maybe you should step in and deal with it yourself... somehow.
    --[X] There's alternative ways to verifying faith and beliefs than having a priest interrogate them. You could task your city and rural informants to focus on their local practices to identify if theres anything untowards happening religiously, though barring a few exceptions, there are few actual priests involved to verify matters in detail.
    --[X] Offer this option covertly if it wasn't already. No sense having Kasmir know about the offer.
    [X] [Orders] Plan Obvious Items
    [X] [Orders] Plan Doublehof
    -[X] You could focus on looking into the present state of Drakenhof. Send informers to villages in the vicinity, and look for people who fled or defected from there recently. This would tell us what's going on now.
    -[X] Or you could look for records about it. Vampires 'live' long enough that bards and loremasters would probably know something about the current inhabitants of Drakenhof. This would tell us what sort of people we're facing.
    -[X] The disappearance of your predecessor is very concerning, especially since he's actively trying to sabotage the hunt for him. He must be found, and you've got a lead: Julbach.
    -[X] You've got a whole bunch of friends now, but you could always use more!
    -[X] The Stirlandian League is a cancer eating at Stirland's economy, and it must be destroyed.
    -[X] The spell used by the informants is like nothing you've heard of before. You want to investigate it, and see if you can detect or replicate it.
    -[X] The ledgers are in, the disloyal nobles are rounded up, the castle is secure. You should do some long-term planning and reflect on what's gone well, what's gone badly, why things went that way, and how to make sure things go better in the future. (Commits to Training actions)
    [X] [Orders] Plan Obvious Items
    -[X] There's definitely evil afoot in Drakenhof. Perhaps there's a way to survive investigating this.
    --[X] That said, the castle itself is off limits. You're certain you aren't up to the task. But you can try to send feelers into their periphery villages if Van Hal feels the risks is worth it.
    -[X] The disappearance of your predecessor is very concerning, especially since he's actively trying to sabotage the hunt for him. He must be found, and you've got a lead: Julbach.
    --[X] He's likely involved in the matter of the servant infiltrators and the Stirland League, considering you find it extremely unlikely that all these servants, with a necromancer within a short walk from the castle, were placed without his knowledge. Rolling him up is the next step now that your castle is secured. If you can catch him alive, an interrogation could be extremely fruitful.
    -[X] The Stirlandian League is a cancer eating at Stirland's economy, and it must be destroyed.
    --[X] This would likely be difficult while the previous spymaster is still at large to run counterintelligence, but it can be done.
    -[X] This religion business has gone far enough. It's not really your place, but maybe you should step in and deal with it yourself... somehow.
    --[X] There's alternative ways to verifying faith and beliefs than having a priest interrogate them. You could task your city and rural informants to focus on their local practices to identify if theres anything untowards happening religiously.
    [X] [Orders] Plan Obvious Items
    -[X] This religion business has gone far enough. It's not really your place, but maybe you should step in and deal with it yourself... somehow.
    -[x] Call out Kashmir, for a meeting, since he owes you for vouching for him.
    -[x] Tell him that you apologize, for seeming to put him down in front of the Elector Count Van, to be fair in the first place, he can't offer help if he didn't know you needed help, neither did you, when you first approached him, it was to work together with him to check on the servants, but he snub you, so you decided to it by yourself which result in the fiasco. To be fair, your remark was just the pebble that started the landslide, as Val and Kashmir has been having problems for a while.
    --[x] Cut to the chase, Tell him that Val Halan is on the brink of replacing him, but you managed to convinced him that Kashmir is only doing his best to serve Stirland, believing that only Sigma can offer salvaton, and he has relented for now, but expects results. You may not like him, he may not like you, but regardless, Religion and faith should never be given a bad reputation because of politics and the flaws and short comings of men. So you want to fix this problem
    -[x] Tell Kashmir he can't force people to worship Sigma, in the first place, worship should be done with a genuine heart, and people should be willing in the first place, otherwise it will invalidate the people who worship Sigma. Ask him if he understands why Val is so angry, if he doesn't explain to him What Val wants, and the consequences of Kashmir's actions
    -[x] Val wants what is best for Stirland, to do that he needs a united army, give Kashmir a estimate of how many people in the army are Shallyans, Ulricans, Morritess, Sigmites and the various other Gods and Godesses, tell him that by not giving them their spiritual needs, they would feel that their Gods and religions aren't being treated with respect, which would affect the spiritual health of the not just the army but the local populace without any proper chaplains for their respective Gods and religions, which in turn may cause a fracture or divide between them and the Sigma faith, not to mentioned the ire the spiritually neglected army would fell towards the chaplains of the Sigmites, not to mentioned the people who feel their Gods were insulted will alienate themselves. Ask him how he would feel if someone insults Sigma. Not to mentioned, as a representative of Sigma, doing this would paint Sigma in a bad light. It already has, due to his actions Val has suffereed a crisis in faith, from his point of view, it would look like you are trying to sabotage the army, but I was able to make him see what you are trying to do.
    -[x] By my guess, you are trying to convert most of the Stirland to Sigma worship, believeing him to rule over all the Gods and that Sigma worship is truly necessary to achieve salvation from being damned, However his ways won't work out.
    -[x] Ask him if he understand why the people are ulricans, Morrites, Shallyans, and the various other religionsl Tell him What Val told you.
    -[x] If he wants to promote his faith that badly, then he should do it , properly, give the people something to have faith in, Do good deeds in Sigma's name,. help his fellow men out, offer comfort and spiritual guidance to those who needs it.
    -[x] Van Hal also is trying to establish some goodwill with the knights of Moor. By focussing on the Sigma religion only , Kashmir is unintentionally causing problems with the parts of the army that has a different faith.
    -[x] Offer him your help, if he needs it., with your magical skils, and information, you would be able to help him and his faith somehow, you don't mind him spreading the good word of Sigma, in fact you encourage it, but you do mind him not paying attention to the spiritual needs of the Shallyans, Ulircans, Morrhites and the various other religions.
    -[x] Have him meet with the representatives from the army of the various religions, so each side could air their needs, complaints and come up with solutions.
    -[X] There's definitely evil afoot in Drakenhof. Perhaps there's a way to survive investigating this.
    --[X] That said, the castle itself is off limits. You're certain you aren't up to the task. But you can try to send feelers into their periphery villages if Van Hal feels the risks is worth it.
    -[X] The disappearance of your predecessor is very concerning, especially since he's actively trying to sabotage the hunt for him. He must be found, and you've got a lead: Julbach.
    --[X] He's likely involved in the matter of the servant infiltrators and the Stirland League. Rolling him up is the next step now that your castle is secured.
    -[X] The Stirlandian League is a cancer eating at Stirland's economy, and it must be destroyed.
    --[X] This would likely be difficult while the previous spymaster is still at large to run counterintelligence, but it can be done.
    [X] [Julia] Hire her, buy her a home in town near your residence. Somewhere where people coming and going at odd times won't draw a fuss.
    -[X] Her job would be to manage your informant networks in general, particularly sorting through the reports and picking out what's significant versus chaff. It'd also involve independently expanding the networks as funds and opportunities allow after she has settled in.
    -[X] The only ones who are supposed to know her position should be Van Hal, yourself and anyone you specifically cleared for this. For anyone below her, she's to present herself as a messenger or other relay.
    -[X] For your initial meeting, probe her religious beliefs and opinion on working with criminals, assassins, magic and proscribed cults to determine how fit she is to assign to your tasks
    -[X] For her personal security, she's to rely mainly on obscurity for now.
    [X] [Greatswords] Greatswords will stay in the castle, except when we're going somewhere publicly, or interrogating potentially hostile persons.
    [X] [Public Report] Plan Points for public consumption.
    -[X] The castle infiltrators were sleeper agents.
    --[X] They have not been conducting any significant sabotage.
    --[X] Their loyalty was secured by a necromantic spell that would kill them if they even thought of betraying their master, or if their master did not meet them for more than a few days.
    --[X] Said master had fled the area the very night an infiltrator got caught.
    --[X] The monsters in the castle walls were previous victims of the spell. Refer to Van Hal's paper on details if anyone is interested.
    --[X] They were lying about having any religious beliefs, but got away with it because nobody could probe them further on Morrite or Shallyan practices.
    -[X] All other castle servants have been examined, their backstories hold up and all future servants would be rigorously examined to prevent more of this.
    [X] [Private Report] Plan For Van Hals Eyes Only.
    -[X] Tell him about everything you learned in the interview. Especially how they produce infiltrators.
    -[X] Give him all information you have gathered on your fellow council members.
    --[X] Anton's Wizard Aunt and the late night sweets through the maid.
    --[X] Wilhelmina's lack of belief in Sigmar.
    --[X] Kasmir's loyalties, though you're pretty sure he knows already
    --[X] Gustav's detailed report from your investigation via the informant in his soldiers.
    -[X] You have acquired some subordinates.
    --[X] Introduce him to your prospective Number 2 in Julia after the meeting. In case any unfortunate 'accidents' happens to you(like say, the pseudo-demonic snake), he can pick up some of your networks through her so he wouldn't need to start from scratch.
    --[X] The veterans have been assigned to gather gossip in the cities and the army to get a barometer of events
    -[X] You have a lead on permanently sealing the snake away. Give him as much information on the process as you have, if he's interested. Noting the cost in mirrors and possibly request some assistance with construction(not necessarily his personal assistance, but a recommendation to a skilled and trusted artisan could be valuable) since the damned snake can pop out of mirrors if you're building it yourself.
    -[X] Confess your religious belief in Ranald to him. Mention how the god of Luck had been looking out for and helping you along with your work so far(particularly avoiding being killed by the Shyish-kebabs, and finding leads at crucial moments), and the belief that Ranald as Protector has a vested interest in Stirland's people not being eaten by vampires and turned into abominations by necromancers. The revolutionary thing happens only in places where their lords are actively abusing the people, which Van Hal of course, is doing the opposite of!
    [X] [Orders] Plan Obvious Items
    -[X] There's definitely evil afoot in Drakenhof. Perhaps there's a way to survive investigating this.
    --[X] That said, the castle itself is off limits. You're certain you aren't up to the task. But you can try to send feelers into their periphery villages if Van Hal feels the risks is worth it.
    -[X] The disappearance of your predecessor is very concerning, especially since he's actively trying to sabotage the hunt for him. He must be found, and you've got a lead: Julbach.
    --[X] He's likely involved in the matter of the servant infiltrators and the Stirland League, considering you find it extremely unlikely that all these servants, with a necromancer within a short walk from the castle, were placed without his knowledge. Rolling him up is the next step now that your castle is secured. If you can catch him alive, an interrogation could be extremely fruitful.
    -[X] The Stirlandian League is a cancer eating at Stirland's economy, and it must be destroyed.
    --[X] This would likely be difficult while the previous spymaster is still at large to run counterintelligence, but it can be done.
    -[X] This religion business has gone far enough. It's not really your place, but maybe you should step in and deal with it yourself... somehow.
    --[X] There's alternative ways to verifying faith and beliefs than having a priest interrogate them. You could task your city and rural informants to focus on their local practices to identify if theres anything untowards happening religiously, though barring a few exceptions, there are few actual priests involved to verify matters in detail.
    --[X] Offer this option covertly if it wasn't already. No sense having Kasmir know about the offer.
    -[X] No Mindhole. No mentioning Mindhole. Just, no.
    [X] No Mindhole. No mentioning Mindhole. Just, no.
    [X] Not mindhole.
    [X] [Julia] Hire her, buy her a home in town near your residence. Somewhere where people coming and going at odd times won't draw a fuss.
    -[X] Her job would be to manage your informant networks in general, particularly sorting through the reports and picking out what's significant versus chaff. It'd also involve independently expanding the networks as funds and opportunities allow after she has settled in.
    -[X] The only ones who are supposed to know her position should be Van Hal, yourself and anyone you specifically cleared for this. For anyone below her, she's to present herself as a messenger or other relay.
    -[X] For your initial meeting, probe her religious beliefs and opinion on working with criminals, assassins, magic and proscribed cults to determine how fit she is to assign to your tasks
    -[X] For her personal security, she's to rely mainly on obscurity for now.
    [X] [Greatswords] Greatswords will stay in the castle, except when we're going somewhere publicly, or interrogating potentially hostile persons.
    [X] [Public Report] Plan Points for public consumption.
    -[X] The castle infiltrators were sleeper agents.
    --[X] They have not been conducting any significant sabotage.
    --[X] Their loyalty was secured by a necromantic spell that would kill them if they even thought of betraying their master, or if their master did not meet them for more than a few days.
    --[X] Said master had fled the area the very night an infiltrator got caught.
    --[X] The monsters in the castle walls were previous victims of the spell. Refer to Van Hal's paper on details if anyone is interested.
    --[X] They were lying about having any religious beliefs, but got away with it because nobody could probe them further on Morrite or Shallyan practices.
    -[X] All other castle servants have been examined, their backstories hold up and all future servants would be rigorously examined to prevent more of this.
    [X] [Private Report] Plan For Van Hals Eyes Only.
    -[X] Tell him about everything you learned in the interview. Especially how they produce infiltrators.
    -[X] Give him all information you have gathered on your fellow council members.
    --[X] Anton's Wizard Aunt and the late night sweets through the maid.
    --[X] Wilhelmina's lack of belief in Sigmar.
    --[X] Kasmir's loyalties, though you're pretty sure he knows already
    --[X] Gustav's detailed report from your investigation via the informant in his soldiers.
    -[X] You have acquired some subordinates.
    --[X] Introduce him to your prospective Number 2 in Julia after the meeting. In case any unfortunate 'accidents' happens to you(like say, the pseudo-demonic snake), he can pick up some of your networks through her so he wouldn't need to start from scratch.
    --[X] The veterans have been assigned to gather gossip in the cities and the army to get a barometer of events
    -[X] You have a lead on permanently sealing the snake away. Give him as much information on the process as you have, if he's interested. Noting the cost in mirrors and possibly request some assistance with construction(not necessarily his personal assistance, but a recommendation to a skilled and trusted artisan could be valuable) since the damned snake can pop out of mirrors if you're building it yourself.
    -[X] Confess your religious belief in Ranald to him. Mention how the god of Luck had been looking out for and helping you along with your work so far(particularly avoiding being killed by the Shyish-kebabs, and finding leads at crucial moments), and the belief that Ranald as Protector has a vested interest in Stirland's people not being eaten by vampires and turned into abominations by necromancers. The revolutionary thing happens only in places where their lords are actively abusing the people, which Van Hal of course, is doing the opposite of!
    [X] [Orders] Plan Obvious Items
    -[X] There's definitely evil afoot in Drakenhof. Perhaps there's a way to survive investigating this.
    --[X] That said, the castle itself is off limits. You're certain you aren't up to the task. But you can try to send feelers into their periphery villages if Van Hal feels the risks is worth it.
    -[X] The disappearance of your predecessor is very concerning, especially since he's actively trying to sabotage the hunt for him. He must be found, and you've got a lead: Julbach.
    --[X] He's likely involved in the matter of the servant infiltrators and the Stirland League, considering you find it extremely unlikely that all these servants, with a necromancer within a short walk from the castle, were placed without his knowledge. Rolling him up is the next step now that your castle is secured. If you can catch him alive, an interrogation could be extremely fruitful.
    -[X] The Stirlandian League is a cancer eating at Stirland's economy, and it must be destroyed.
    --[X] This would likely be difficult while the previous spymaster is still at large to run counterintelligence, but it can be done.
    -[X] This religion business has gone far enough. It's not really your place, but maybe you should step in and deal with it yourself... somehow.
    --[X] There's alternative ways to verifying faith and beliefs than having a priest interrogate them. You could task your city and rural informants to focus on their local practices to identify if theres anything untowards happening religiously, though barring a few exceptions, there are few actual priests involved to verify matters in detail.
    --[X] Offer this option covertly if it wasn't already. No sense having Kasmir know about the offer.
    -[X] No Mindhole. No mentioning Mindhole. Just, no.
    [X] Do you hire Julia Antoinette Massif? If so, describe her duties, as well as where she'll be living and working.
    -[x] At the inn at first, until Mathilda can secure her loyalty, give her advance payment, with slight increase, as you have a important task for her.
    -[x] Her duties are to first, familiarize herself with the surroundings and events that have happened, the current council members, their agendas, the elector count of Stirland Val Halen, Mathilda will give her a summarize version. the agendas of each council members, the agenda of Val Halen, his beliefs, and personality.
    -[x] Her other duties, are mostly to act as your liason, secretary, accountant for handling finances going towards the people in your information network, and any other nondangerous but time consuming jobs you can think of that she can perform easily and substitute for you in council meetings in case you are absent. You will help her brush up on how to run a information network and hire more informants.
    -[x] For now, you have 2 tasks for her to complete, first is to contact a widow of the man that died, and offer the widow a steady job, at the castle or rather if the widow accepts have her report to you to be vetted, and checked, before she can work on her job. Julia is to tell the widow that a friend of her husband, heard about what happened and recommended her as potential servant for hire.
    -[x] The second is more complicated - Everyone has their own agendas and ideas of how the world works and what the best solution to problems are. Take councilor Kashmir, and the grand theogonist, they wanted to spread the worship of Sigma, and you believe that they genuinely believed that by making the people of Stirland worship Sigma, their souls would be saved, and in the process protect Stirland. and since Sigma is both a emperor and a God, that would make the other gods subservient to Sigma, You do not begrudge their goals, and even respect them for wanting to do good, Val Halen in the meantime wants to protect Stirland, normally that would be a mutually beneficial goal, however Kashmir failed to take some matters into account.
    -[x] she is to gather some representatives from the greatswords and army, the representatives are composed of Ulricans, Morrites, Shallyans, local Sigmarites and the various other gods, the army has. She can get Markus and some greatswords to help, and prepare them for a meeting with you and Kashmir.
    [X] You have a squad of Greatswords assigned to you as bodyguards. Do you keep them somewhere nearby while you're at home, or do you leave them in the Castle?
    -[x] some of them are to guard Julia and help her with her tasks, if possible have them in disguise when going out in public.
    -[x] some of the greatswords can accompany you in public for escort, and will go with you in disguise, when you are doing undercover work.
    [X] Write in your report
    [x] Turn the topic back to Kashmir- he likely believes that only the Sigma faith can offer the people salvation from damnation, added to the fact that Sigma is a emperor and a God, therefore Sigma rules over all other Gods. Therefore in his way he is trying to do what is best for Stirland, which just so happens to conflict with Val's idea for the good of Stirland, hence the problem. And Consider that Stirland is close to Sylvania and known for necromances, vampires and the undead, which may have influenced Kashmir's decisions, granted he is a zealot.. The point is that he isn't sabotaging you, he just has a different idea of what is good for Stirland, and happens to see Sigma as a answer.
    -[x] you want to be given a chance to salvage the situation, and reign Kashimir in.
    -[x] you already organize a meeting between you, representatives of various religions and gods with Kashmir to get him to see the flaws of his plan, and reassure him that the Sigma's fate being spread is taken seriously, the religion will be promoted and help will be offered, as long as the people are free to choose their religion,, just as long as its not at the expense of other religions and that the other religions get fair treatment.
    -[x] lastly, you want to talk to Val about the consequences of your actions, When you got into the spy and advisor business, you imagine yourself a heroine, like in one of the novels you read about, protecting people, serving your homeland, and fighting the forces of evil, your not blind to the realities however, sometimes you have to make hard decisions, soldiers kill in battle, they kill even good, innocent soldiers whose crime was to simply fight on the otherside, you can understand it , you killed the man in self-defense, even if ultimately he was nothing but a victim who was forced by the puppetmaster to become a disposable pawn, you can understand it too, even if you don't like it, You noticed that the Professor's, the noble's deaths are on your hands, albeit indirectly, you remember Val saying that the burden of killing your fellow men is a hard one, a lesser evil, You want to believe it, which is why your asking, Your willing to do what you've been doing at the same efficiency, however if your going to keep on vanquishing enemies, at the very least, Val Halan should allow you to decide who lives and dies, how they die, what use you could make of them, You want to be the one who ulitmately decides what happen to your victims.
 
But Naubonum is the only Sylvanian population center within a solid forty or so miles, so if it's culturally Sylvanian it must have been ruled by a vampire for centuries

Naubonum is a Stirlandian settlement on Sylvanian soil.

Speaking of roads, one other inconsistency between the maps- on the Stirland map it's clearly shown that Siegfriedhof has a road leading toward Sylvania, but on the Sylvania map it's clearly shown that there is no road between Siegfriedhof and Stirfähre. Is there a road or not?

Yes, there is a road.
 
The winning votes:

[X] [Julia] Plan Townhouse
-[X] Hire her, buy her a home in town near your residence. Somewhere where people coming and going at odd times won't draw a fuss.
-[X] Her job would be to manage your informant networks in general, particularly sorting through the reports and picking out what's significant versus chaff. It'd also involve independently expanding the networks as funds and opportunities allow after she has settled in.
-[X] The only ones who are should specifically know her position should be Van Hal, yourself, Markus and your assigned greatswords and anyone you assign to work for her. Otherwise, be subtle.
-[X] Provide funding for a handful of retainers to keep up appearances. If she has any family contacts she can call on to provide reliable and vetted guards and servants, or to assist with background checks on any such new hires, have her do so.
-[X] Introduce her to Van Hal.

[X] [Greatswords] Greatswords will stay in the castle, except when we're going somewhere publicly, or interrogating potentially hostile persons.

[X] [Public Report] Plan Points for public consumption.
-[X] The castle infiltrators were sleeper agents.
--[X] They have not been conducting any significant sabotage.
--[X] Their loyalty was secured by a necromantic spell that would kill them if they even thought of betraying their master, or if their master did not meet them for more than a few days.
--[X] Said master had fled the area the very night an infiltrator got caught.
--[X] The monsters in the castle walls were previous victims of the spell. Refer to Van Hal's paper on details if anyone is interested.
--[X] They were lying about having any religious beliefs, but got away with it because nobody could probe them further on Morrite or Shallyan practices.
-[X] All other castle servants have been examined, their backstories hold up and all future servants would be rigorously examined to prevent more of this.

[X] [Private Report] Plan Shorter Meeting
-[X] Tell him about everything you learned in the interview. Especially how they produce infiltrators.
-[X] You have acquired some subordinates.
--[X] You have hired a lieutenant, Julia Massif, to help manage your information networks. In case any unfortunate 'accidents' happens to you, he can have some continuity through her so he wouldn't need to start from scratch.
--[X] Several veterans have been assigned to gather low-level information.
-[X] You have a lead on permanently sealing the snake away. Give him as much information on the process as you have, if he's interested. Suggest he approve a one-time increase in the discretionary budget in the interests of keeping his favourite spymaster un-eaten-by-a-snake. It'll be around a hundred gold for the mirrors, plus the cost of a skilled artisan to assemble the mirrorbox.

[X] [Orders] Plan Now, Back To That Other Guy...
-[X] The disappearance of your predecessor is very concerning, especially since he's actively trying to sabotage the hunt for him. He must be found, and you've got a lead: Julbach.
-[X] The Stirlandian League is a cancer eating at Stirland's economy, and it must be destroyed.
--[X] This would likely be difficult while the previous spymaster is still at large to run counterintelligence, but it can be done.
-[X] The spell used by the informants is like nothing you've heard of before. You want to investigate it, and see if you can detect or replicate it.
--[X] If you can replicate the technique, it will be a powerful tool for the Empire's defense. There's the problem of killing the user, but that is potentially a problem of source -- Dhar is corrosive by nature.
-[X] There's definitely evil afoot in Drakenhof. Perhaps there's a way to survive investigating this.
--[X] Recommend against it. With their sleeper agents uncovered and in the wind, there's no immediate threat, and the potential gain isn't worth the risk of a dead spymaster. Hint hint.

Veekie's for Julia, the Greatswords, and the Public Report, Seventeen's for the Private Report and the Orders.
 
Naubonum is a Stirlandian settlement on Sylvanian soil.

Yes, there is a road.
I found a groovy Gazeteer page (2522 IC) in Sigmars Heirs. Most of the places are listed as smaller than I imagined, 8,800 in Wurtbad, 225 in Flensburg, 84 in Blutdorf (Anton's dad), 43 in Julbach. Are you using this as a reference at all?

Apparantly Wurtbad is "the wine capital of the Empire" with all the wine grown in Western Stirland sold here.
 
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There would be, if only because Stirfähre is fake German for Stir-travel, ie. the way to Stirland.
I would call that definitive, except that it's situated along the River Stir, meaning that it could be "the way to Stirland" without any roads if it's used as a port along the river and they use boats or barges or whatever to move along the River Stir using that as their starting point.

Riverine travel along the River Stir basically has to be incredibly common; notice that there are a huge number of towns and villages located along the river and that one of the major towns, Thalheim, doesn't even have road access- just, presumably, docks. That's the case for several of the villages as well. If there's enough river commerce for that, then it would be perfectly feasible for a roadless port to be the primary point of Sylvania-Stirland interaction.

Fortunately, GM clarification has answered this anyway.
 
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I found a groovy Gazeteer page in Sigmars Heirs. Most of the places are listed as smaller than I imagined, 8,800 in Wurtbad, 225 in Flensburg, 84 in Blutdorf (Anton's dad), 43 in Julbach. Are you using this as a reference at all?

I'm using it as a base for the rulers of the various counties and baronies and what they produce, but the population figures are utterly ridiculous and I've discounted them completely.
 
I'm using it as a base for the rulers of the various counties and baronies and what they produce, but the population figures are utterly ridiculous and I've discounted them completely.
Yeah, it kind of feels like they're missing a significant digit, except Wurtbad perhaps.

Riverine travel... incredibly common;
According to the Gazetteer, (at least by 2522) Wurtbad has a "very fine port" so it does appear river trade is important.
 
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Turn 7 - 2473
Winning vote:

[X] [Julia] Plan Townhouse
-[X] Hire her, buy her a home in town near your residence. Somewhere where people coming and going at odd times won't draw a fuss.
-[X] Her job would be to manage your informant networks in general, particularly sorting through the reports and picking out what's significant versus chaff. It'd also involve independently expanding the networks as funds and opportunities allow after she has settled in.
-[X] The only ones who are should specifically know her position should be Van Hal, yourself, Markus and your assigned greatswords and anyone you assign to work for her. Otherwise, be subtle.
-[X] Provide funding for a handful of retainers to keep up appearances. If she has any family contacts she can call on to provide reliable and vetted guards and servants, or to assist with background checks on any such new hires, have her do so.
-[X] Introduce her to Van Hal.

[X] [Greatswords] Greatswords will stay in the castle, except when we're going somewhere publicly, or interrogating potentially hostile persons.

[X] [Public Report] Plan Points for public consumption.
-[X] The castle infiltrators were sleeper agents.
--[X] They have not been conducting any significant sabotage.
--[X] Their loyalty was secured by a necromantic spell that would kill them if they even thought of betraying their master, or if their master did not meet them for more than a few days.
--[X] Said master had fled the area the very night an infiltrator got caught.
--[X] The monsters in the castle walls were previous victims of the spell. Refer to Van Hal's paper on details if anyone is interested.
--[X] They were lying about having any religious beliefs, but got away with it because nobody could probe them further on Morrite or Shallyan practices.
-[X] All other castle servants have been examined, their backstories hold up and all future servants would be rigorously examined to prevent more of this.

[X] [Private Report] Plan Shorter Meeting
-[X] Tell him about everything you learned in the interview. Especially how they produce infiltrators.
-[X] You have acquired some subordinates.
--[X] You have hired a lieutenant, Julia Massif, to help manage your information networks. In case any unfortunate 'accidents' happens to you, he can have some continuity through her so he wouldn't need to start from scratch.
--[X] Several veterans have been assigned to gather low-level information.
-[X] You have a lead on permanently sealing the snake away. Give him as much information on the process as you have, if he's interested. Suggest he approve a one-time increase in the discretionary budget in the interests of keeping his favourite spymaster un-eaten-by-a-snake. It'll be around a hundred gold for the mirrors, plus the cost of a skilled artisan to assemble the mirrorbox.

[X] [Orders] Plan Now, Back To That Other Guy...
-[X] The disappearance of your predecessor is very concerning, especially since he's actively trying to sabotage the hunt for him. He must be found, and you've got a lead: Julbach.
-[X] The Stirlandian League is a cancer eating at Stirland's economy, and it must be destroyed.
--[X] This would likely be difficult while the previous spymaster is still at large to run counterintelligence, but it can be done.
-[X] The spell used by the informants is like nothing you've heard of before. You want to investigate it, and see if you can detect or replicate it.
--[X] If you can replicate the technique, it will be a powerful tool for the Empire's defense. There's the problem of killing the user, but that is potentially a problem of source -- Dhar is corrosive by nature.
-[X] There's definitely evil afoot in Drakenhof. Perhaps there's a way to survive investigating this.
--[X] Recommend against it. With their sleeper agents uncovered and in the wind, there's no immediate threat, and the potential gain isn't worth the risk of a dead spymaster. Hint hint.

---

When he arrives and opens the meeting, Van Hal's first order of business is the introduction of the newest member of the council. Outrider Champion Gustav von Jungfreud, proven warrior and able commander, et cetera, et cetera. You're all introduced to him, and you give him a smile and nod when it is your turn, though in all honestly you doubt he'll last much longer than the Professor did.

"So, Gustav," Van Hal begins the meeting proper. "We've spoken at length of your plans to establish pistoliers in Stirland. I feel it will be a worthy addition to Stirland's forces, both in times of war and to keep the roads clear in times of peace. Work with Wilhelmina and Anton in arranging the importation of the firearms you'll need. Make sure there's close ties between the pistoliers and the Roadwardens - they'll be working hand-in-hand." Gustav looks pleased, but he's barely given an opportunity to express his thanks before Van Hal's moving on. "Anton, report."

"Everyone along the Stirland-Sylvanian border is on board with the fortification plans, and the corvée are being organized for Herr Schultz now," Anton says, looking pleased with himself. The news causes Schultz to perk up a little too, though only barely.

HORNAU COOPERATION: Secured.
STEINBACHTHAL COOPERATION: Secured.
SIEGFRIEDHOF COOPERATION: Secured.

"Speaking of, Schultz, how goes the road?"

"It cuts right through a place called the Haunted bloody Hills! How do you think it's going?" he snaps, then quails under the look Van Hal gives him. "It... progresses. There's been attacks, nothing organized, including one where I damn near got my head bitten off by some glowing green ghost thing waving a farming implement around, but they seem unorganized and they're being suppressed by patrols from the 2nd and 3rd divisions."

LEICHEBURG-LANGWALD ROAD: Construction commenced.

"When you go back, it'll be with several squads of Greatswords at your back." Schultz looks even more perked up at that. "Begin construction of a permanent fortified barracks at Leicheburg, large enough for two divisions. And don't forget the embrasures for cannon and mortar - there's ten of each assigned to the 3rd. Use local labour as much as possible without sacrificing the strength of the walls." He consults his notes. "Anton... pack for..." he hesitates, and drums his fingers on the table while he considers. "Flensburg. We'll try to unravel that terrible knot while things are quiet. " Anton winces, but nods. "Wilhelmina?"

"Archives are as secure as a dwarven vault. Nothing's getting in there that isn't allowed to be. Apart from that, nothing new on the money front - we've still got a bit of a surplus but that'll change soon." She glances at Gustav and Schultz.

EAGLE CASTLE: Archives reinforced.
WEALTH OF STIRLAND: Poor.
INCOME OF STIRLAND: Mediocre.
TREASURY OF STIRLAND: Poor.

"Money is for spending," Van Hal says dismissively. He checks the papers in front of him again, and then compares two side-by-side. "Weber, report."

"The castle infiltrators were sleeper agents," you report confidently. "They have not been conducting any significant sabotage, and I can confidently say that all other castle servants have been examined, their backstories hold up and all future servants will be rigorously examined to prevent more of this. These agents escaped detection because while they were lying about having any religious beliefs, they got away with it because nobody could probe them further on Morrite or Shallyan practices." You consult your own notes to keep from giving Kasmir an accusing look. "Their loyalty was secured by a necromantic spell that would kill them if they even thought of betraying their master, or if their master did not meet them for more than a few days. Said master had fled the area the very night an infiltrator got caught. And on a side note, the monsters in the castle walls were previous victims of the spell." You look up once more and note that your audience is rapt. You suppose it's no wonder - they're talking about humdrum matters of construction and travels and infrastructure and you're telling tales of necromantic thralls being purged from the castle.

Van Hal nods. "A thorough investigation. Well done." He glances down at his notes once more. "You and Wilhelmina are to work together. The Stirlandian League has been allowed to continue for long enough. Crush them, seize everything of value they possess, and restore normal trade." You note that Schultz is unable to conceal the sudden increase in attention he's paying. "With the archives restored, you should be able to draw suitable legal authority based on non-payment of taxes." Van Hal pauses for a moment before turning to the last man at the table. "Kasmir..." He seems to struggle with himself for a moment, then sighs. "Continue with your chaplain project."

---

"Subtle," is the first thing you say to Van Hal as you step into his office, drawing a questioning look from him. "Regarding Kasmir, I mean."

He barks a humourless laugh in return. "I damn near told him to go back to Reikland and tell the Grand Theogonist that his services are no longer required. He tests me sorely." You don't know how to respond to that, so you remain silent as he pours the two of you drinks. "So, what have you been getting up to in the shadows of late," he prompts, pushing the steel mug across the desk to you.

"Not so much in the shadows - as you may know, I spent nearly every waking moment ensuring the castle remains purged."

"Mmm. Couldn't have done much of a better job myself," he notes, a note of pride in his voice. "I had my doubts about you, but you've really come into your own."

You fight down a blush and forge forward with your report. "But I have started to build a staff. As you know, I've taken on some veterans from the Army of Stirland, and I've hired on an assistant in the form of a young lady from Flensburg, who'll be compiling information from my informants. Julia Massif. If anything happens to me, she'll be a decent candidate to act as an interim replacement and will be able to hand over my intelligence network."

"Gods forbid," he mutters. "Wait, Massif... isn't that-?"

"Yes, she's the third child of the Grand Mayor."

"I really hope we're able to find a solution to that whole issue," he sighs. "Bloody Flensburg..."

"I've also got a lead on the Wisdom's Asp," you say, and Van Hal perks up, visibly interested. "My Master recommended a device theorized by da Miragliano, originally designed to trap light, that hopefully will. It's going to be rather expensive to build, though - if you could-?"

[REQUESTING FUNDS, Req ??, Stewardship, 89+10=99. Of course you can.]

"Of course, of course," he says, sketching a note to Wilhelmina. "Can't have my spymaster being eaten by a dream snake. da Miragliano - do you just have his blueprints, or do you have one of his writings?"

"A copy of Light and Its Properties, from the archives of the Grey College."

"If you don't mind I'd quite like to borrow that once you're done with it," he says, smiling in anticipation. "I once fired a da Miragliano crossbow - it would recock itself, though you had to wind it quite vigorously every ten shots. Amazing device."

"Of course," you say with a smile.

---

With the meeting done, you make your way to the townhouse that Julia is busy settling in to, nestled snugly against the road between Wurtbad's main road and the entrance to Eagle Castle. She's busily importing furniture and staff from the family manor in Flensburg, and when she isn't having the Greatswords you introduced her to arrange furniture to her exacting specifications she's writing letters introducing herself to your informants and asking that they start sending all that they hear, rather than what seems significant. She says she'll be hiring locally since most of the staff back home would be tied into the inter-family intrigues of the most powerful burghers of Flensburg, and has started to carefully vet candidates to act as various maids, footmen and retainers. It's expensive, but a small price to pay to have a public face of your department to draw attention away from the privacy of your Palace-Shrine.

---


PLAN FOR THIS TURN - CHOOSE BETWEEN SIX AND EIGHT. ANY CHOSEN BEYOND THE FIRST SIX WILL COME WITH RISKS - PLEASE SPECIFY THE 'ADDITIONAL' TASKS.

As Per Orders: Perform your current assignment.
The destruction of the Stirlandian League will take two actions. You will attempt to round up as much of every part of the League as you can, but you must select ONE priority to focus on:
[ ] The leaders of the Stirlandian League need to be rounded up so you can question them regarding their former patron.
[ ] Rounding up as many of the individual members of the League as possible will make it clear that nobody can engage in this sort of behaviour without facing eventual consequences.
[ ] Though Van Hal didn't mention it, you could work with authorities in Talabecland and Averland to help them do their own purges parallel to yours. They'd likely be grateful, but it will come at the expense of your activities in Stirland.
[ ] The documents of the Stirlandian League will allow you to rebuild the north-south trade network with speed and efficiency.
[ ] The assets of the Stirlandian League will be a huge boost to Stirland's coffers.

Delegation:
[LOCKED as Julia settles in]

[ ] Getting To Know You: Spend time with one of your fellow councillors or your liege, offering your help in their tasks and generally getting a feel for them (choose one).
[ ] Getting To Know You Whether You Like It Or Not: You've been given good reason to mistrust your fellow councillors. Perhaps you should see what they spent their time doing (choose one).
[ ] Letters Home: You might be able to wring more information out of your Master, or you might just be able to get news, information and guidance in general from the Grey Order.
[ ] Hang Out A Shingle: Spymasters don't advertise, but wizards sometimes do. Make an official announcement that there's a wizard in residence, and see who comes out of the woodwork.
[ ] A Crisis of Faith: Van Hal's ongoing alienation with the Sigmarite faith is worrying. Maybe there's something you can do? (write in)

Self-Improvement: Things have been going well so far, but the skills of a Journeyman Grey Mage can only go so far.
[ ] Practice, Practice, Practice: Having been thrown into the deep end of imperial politics, it would probably be a good idea to brush up on your skills and internalize the lessons you've learned (choose which trait; can be taken multiple times; will be more effective if you've used the trait a lot lately).
[ ] Tutoring: One of your fellow councillors may be willing to teach you in their chosen field (choose who).
[ ] Pretty Good Swords: You've struck up a friendship with the Champion of the Greatswords and have discovered a talent for wielding them. Continue to cultivate this.
[ ] Combat Training: You're virtually surrounded by armed warriors of various sorts. See if you can convince one to teach you (choose who).
[ ] Combat Training, In The Free Market: You haven't made many heavily armed friends yet, but gold is good for that. Go out and buy some training. (-personal gold)
[ ] You've got a handle on most of the Petty and Minor magics, but some still elude you. Dispel in particular could have come in very handy recently. Time to round up the rest of them. (NEW)
[ ] You're naturally talented at enchantment; so far, this just amounts to being able to make your desk meow for about an hour. See if you can improve on that, or at least figure out a way to make that useful.

Home Comforts: Your Palace-Shrine is bursting with potential. And also mud.
[ ] Diggy Diggy Hole, Remixed: You're getting sick of having workmen tramping in and out of your abode. Recruit an entire team and personally oversee them to clear out all of the reachable portions of the Palace-Shrine and be done with it. (-personal gold)
[ ] Enchantment: So far you've failed to find suitable equipment (damn Wizard Chic) but you could always try again with local goods. (-discretionary gold, action required to set up and learn to use equipment)
[ ] Filled with Potential: You've got a room cleared out and ready to be put to use. Decide what you're going to put there and get started on equipping it. (write in the purpose of the room)

Research:
[ ] This is Stirland. Time to bone up on your knowledge of the Undead.
[ ] Personally construct the Mirrorcatch Box. Though being around that many mirrors for that long makes you antsy, there's nobody else you can trust with the task. (expense paid for by Van Hal) (NEW)
[ ] Commission a craftsman to construct the Mirrorcatch Box. Having to explain every facet of it means you're not going to save time, but it will minimize your exposure to the mirrors... though you wonder if any Wurtbadian craftsman could successfully craft a da Miragliano device. (expense paid for by Van Hal) (NEW)
[ ] The Shyish swords are hideously dangerous as weapons, but fascinating as a subject of study. Try to reverse-engineer the lost enchantments woven into them.
[ ] Though the corrosive Dhar made them high-maintenance, the design of the bound spells in the castle's infiltrators has fascinating possibilities. Try to adapt it for use with Ulgu. (NEW)
[ ] As a Journeywoman, the path to Magister is marked by mastering more than the two shadow spells you already know. Send to the Grey Order for the basics and work on figuring out one of the others.

Influence: Though you haven't taken these over (yet?) you could still spend some time to influence or tap into them. Write in what you would like to do with them.
[ ] The Wurtbadian Thieves Guild is currently little more than a church group, albeit of a very unconventional god.
[ ] Biderhof, a village based on woodcutting and agriculture, has adopted you as one of it's own.
[ ] Your grip on the Wurtbad Watch is extremely tenuous, and would be difficult to tighten without official backing. Difficult, but not impossible.
[ ] Wurtbad, like all major cities, is home to a number of guilds. Reach out to them and enforce your will.
[ ] There's a vacuum where a dozen trade guilds should be. Found one of your own, and let information and profits flow through you, and see what the Stirlandian League does about it. (warning: expensive, will need Van Hal or Wilhelmina to sign off on it)
[ ] Your time in the sewers made you realize just how much of a maze there is down there, and you wonder what could be lurking down in the dark (apart from your fellow devotees of Ranald). Get in touch with the various groups of rat catchers, sewer jacks and gong farmers that deal with it.

[ ] Free Time: Now well-established in Wurtbad, you can spend some time in your scant off hours getting to know someone better. Pick one character. (no action required) (NEW)



FINANCES: NO ACTION POINT EXPENDITURE.

Personal Income: 50 gold/turn
Discretionary Income: 150 gold/turn
Informer Payroll unlocked

Currently paying Grey College tithe (-5 personal gold/turn)
Currently paying Grey College student loans (-35 personal gold/turn)

Currently embezzling 1/4 of discretionary income (-35 discretionary gold/turn, +35 personal gold/turn)

Currently employing 4 veteran informants (-40 discretionary gold/turn)
Currently employing Julia Massif (-30 discretionary gold/turn)
Currently maintaining the staff of a townhouse in Wurtbad (-20 discretionary gold/turn)

[ ] Begin plumping the informer rolls (choose ratio of real:fake informers. Almost impossible to detect, but also very difficult to increase or decrease the amount quickly)
[ ] Change tithe payment/loan payment/embezzlement (specify)
[ ] These agents are getting expensive. Write up a proposal for your discretionary budget to be increased, instead of waiting for Van Hal to decide to increase it. (warning: attracts oversight to your current budget) (NEW)

- The cost of purchasing the townhouse for Julia will be 150 gold, and will be added onto your discretionary expenses next turn.
- I've removed all of the 'no action required' actions apart from the new free social action, with the hope of making a plan easier and avoiding 'automatic' picks.

- I've thought about it, and I've removed the 'create-a-spell' option for now. It will return once (if?) you graduate to Magister.
- You can write in orders, but something worth writing in is probably worth adding to the list of possible orders, so feel free to ask if your idea can be added.
- As always, voting will be in
plan format.
 
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The daily advancing schedule of updating has finally defeated me, and I'm afraid I'm going to have to go sleep and resume writing in the morning, before I fall asleep on my keyboard. I've posted what I have so far so you have something to discuss, and I'll go back and edit the rest of the turn into it once I write it in the morning.
 
well dont burn yourself out mate , the pace has been almost furios sofar so some slowing down is fine anyway if it is required to keep up properly.
 
The daily advancing schedule of updating has finally defeated me, and I'm afraid I'm going to have to go sleep and resume writing in the morning, before I fall asleep on my keyboard. I've posted what I have so far so you have something to discuss, and I'll go back and edit the rest of the turn into it once I write it in the morning.
Hey man, do what you need.
 
I feel like doing something with Schultz should be on the table soon, if only to get a better read on him.
 
We should probably spend an action to get to know him to see if we can't manipulate what information Talabecland gets through him.
 
The winning votes:



Veekie's for Julia, the Greatswords, and the Public Report, Seventeen's for the Private Report and the Orders.
Alright. Thread opinion recorded and noted that we keep Ranald's amusement to ourselves!
Will not propose further things along those lines. It'd be interesting but such things should be done with a clear majority.
"It cuts right through a place called the Haunted bloody Hills! How do you think it's going?" he snaps, then quails under the look Van Hal gives him. "It... progresses. There's been attacks, nothing organized, including one where I damn near got my head bitten off by some glowing green ghost thing waving a farming implement around, but they seem unorganized and they're being suppressed by patrols from the 2nd and 3rd divisions."
Hmm, Kasmir could probably help here if he joins in to do some exorcising and show the flag. Depends on his initiative.
"You and Wilhelmina are to work together. The Stirlandian League has been allowed to continue for long enough. Crush them, seize everything of value they possess, and restore normal trade." You note that Schultz is unable to conceal the sudden increase in attention he's paying. "With the archives restored, you should be able to draw suitable legal authority based on non-payment of taxes."
And Schultz' loyalties come to a head. They've been forewarned if he's up the line.
I'm thinking we want to do this with SPEED. Use Shadowsteed mount up Wilhelmina and a small party of greatswords and RACE the intel there before anyone knows we're doing it.
Van Hal pauses for a moment before turning to the last man at the table. "Kasmir..." He seems to struggle with himself for a moment, then sighs. "Continue with your chaplain project."
Well, hope Kasmir bucks up.
I'm not sure if our trying to social him would hurt or help, because our interactions ever since he refused us had been decidedly frosty and only getting worse.
The daily advancing schedule of updating has finally defeated me, and I'm afraid I'm going to have to go sleep and resume writing in the morning, before I fall asleep on my keyboard. I've posted what I have so far so you have something to discuss, and I'll go back and edit the rest of the turn into it once I write it in the morning.
Rest man. We have a lot of content in each update. Splitting them into more digestable chunks does wonders for both your own load AND voters ability to digest.
 
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Wow. Kasmir is so low in Van Hal's esteem right now that not only does he not get new orders, Van Hal didn't even bother to listen to his report in council. Note how Kasmir has zero lines of speaking in this update. That's basically openly declaring that nothing Kasmir has to say could possibly be worth listening to.

I'd be interested in more descriptions of how he looks, how he's reacting, and so forth... but we can hazard a guess that it's not well.
 
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I'm thinking we want to do this with SPEED. Use Shadowsteed mount up Wilhelmina and a small party of greatswords and RACE the intel there before anyone knows we're doing it.

This is definitely a good idea for a subvote.

What are we thinking in terms of actions?

Hopefully the Stirlandian League stuff will only require one action, but I wouldn't mind all that much if it were two. Since we're going to be spending the time with Wilhemina, a Getting To Know You wouldn't be remiss. The Stirlandian League's territory covers the Old Dwarf Road, if I recall, so we might also want to take the "Worden failed to fall under your influence..." action that popped up last turn, since it's right in the middle of the road's length -- we may even find that the issue was related to the League.

We'll also almost certainly be taking the mirrorbox action.

That's almost all of them, there. I was hoping to get a bunch of training actions in, but it's looking like that would waste a fair bit of synergy.
 
We need to investigate Schultz. Tbh, we should've done it much sooner, but better late than never.
 
Honestly, I don't see how we're going to. He's going to basically be on the opposite site of Stirland to us. We'll be in the west, and he'll be on the Sylvanian border.

Also, there's not really much to investigate, is there? He's a Talabeclander serving their interests. What more is there to know, as long as he's getting his job done?
 
This is definitely a good idea for a subvote.

What are we thinking in terms of actions?

Hopefully the Stirlandian League stuff will only require one action, but I wouldn't mind all that much if it were two. Since we're going to be spending the time with Wilhemina, a Getting To Know You wouldn't be remiss. The Stirlandian League's territory covers the Old Dwarf Road, if I recall, so we might also want to take the "Worden failed to fall under your influence..." action that popped up last turn, since it's right in the middle of the road's length -- we may even find that the issue was related to the League.

We'll also almost certainly be taking the mirrorbox action.

That's almost all of them, there. I was hoping to get a bunch of training actions in, but it's looking like that would waste a fair bit of synergy.
Hmm, with the mission I think we might want to slot in one or two training actions. We've been informed that our Intrigue should be easier to raise at present due to doing a lot of it. We probably want to expand the thieves guild so they actually gather intel(also winning more Ranald favor, since we need the luck) in multiple cities, now that we have someone to fob the information onto.
 
Yeah, aren't we pretty sure that the reason that Schultz would have been interested in that is because the destruction of the League basically means there's going to be the possibility of setting up much more lucrative trade routes through Stirland now that there's not someone basically stealing everything that goes along them?
 
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