I quite enjoyed the update, and feel the need to do something I haven't done in a while. Break the update down and react to it piece by piece:
Altdorf's Southbank is one of the most wealthy and prestigious neighbourhoods in Altdorf, and it is one engaged in a very slow and genteel war where the ancient and somewhat crumbling abodes of many old-money families are being encroached upon by the relentless spread of upper-class commercial interests catering to wealthy and influential visitors to Altdorf. In this the old money have found a rather unusual advantage, as the unseen presence of the Light College on the western edge of the Southbank distorts the streets nearest it to an even greater extent than the rest of Altdorf, rendering it all but impossible to navigate to those unfamiliar with it. Here has formed the heartland of families of aged but diminished fortunes, who cling all the tighter to a status they can no longer afford to maintain and so rely on an abode within a supernatural maze to deter creditors and developers.
Nestled within this odd neighbourhood is an equally odd tearoom, supplying exotic beverages at affordable prices to those who wish to be seen drinking them, who will staunchly refuse to acknowledge the middling quality of the drinks or the counterfeit crockery they are served in. The courtyard outside it is laid out in a triangular pattern radiating out from a central point, and most of its visitors would take the neatness of this pattern as a sign of how upmarket the business is pretending to be. It may be that nobody working here realizes why they feel so compelled to correct even the slightest crookedness in the layout, as they would lack the senses to perceive the immaterial Waystone in the middle of the pattern, and would be equally blind to the currents of Hysh being drawn in from the radiant sunlight and eddying unnervingly around misplaced furniture. All they would know is the subtle wrongness they would feel, and would correct it without ever knowing the source of that sensation.
I quite enjoy these descriptive tangents Boney goes on to describe the place and provide more flavor to the world. As far as I know, this is original worldbuilding? Strangely enough Altdorf doesn't get much definitive worldbuilding in WFRP 2E, there's lots of tips on how to make parts of Altdorf, but the city is too big to properly describe, so the sourcebooks tell you to make your own Altdorf. I think it should be noted that this city is incredibly flavorful, and I do love the glimpses Boney gives us into it.
In a shaded corner of this spiralling pattern sits the Magister Matriarch of the Light Order in all but name, and that two of the tables nearest to her are also in use despite others being available indicates a level of comfort around Wizards that is rare even in Altdorf. Also indicative is that you are meeting her here at all, in a public place quite close to her campus. No more must Lady Magister Mira lurk in the Tempelgarten twilight for her meetings, now she takes tea in clear view of the public with her allies. "Lady Magister," she greets as you approach, and instead of being surreptitiously side-eyed by the others, they openly and politely look over for long enough to acknowledge your presence, as seeing and being seen is as much a purpose of this place as the tea is.
A public statement eh? It also seems like Mira has been.... defrosted a little bit? I got a bit of a closed off vibe to her from the first meeting with Mathilde, and Mathilde seemed to be a bit on edge, but the two of them seem a lot more comfortable here. It could be good background rolls or it could be that Mira's just satisfied with the current goings on.
"Please. Tea, Lady Magister?"
"Blue, if they have it."
"Dark for me, water for my guest."
---
"You've been getting yours from Tileans, I take it?" You nod as Mira leads you into the back room. "The variety of tea the Tileans call 'blue', the Cathayans call 'water'. Of course, most Imperial tea-drinkers who have adopted that style of naming teas don't realize it's based on the Cathayan understanding of the Winds." You close the door with a click behind you. "Now, let's talk business."
Ah, I see that Boney's using some of the new Cathay lore:
Cathay has a completely different understanding of the Winds of Magic, which is expected since they didn't get their knowledge from the Old Ones, Slann or Elves. Their conception and philosophies of the Winds are entirely based on the observations, experience and philosophies of the Dragon Emperor and Moon Empress, which results in a very different paradigm. For one, they call the winds the "Eight Elemental Winds". The Winds are the same as in the west, but they have different names as well as different "themes":
Spirit
Darkness
Water
Stone
Wood
Light
Fire
Metal
The odd thing is that Azyr was confirmed to be Stone, which indicates a very different understanding of the Wind in Cathay. Some are obvious, Fire, Metal, Light and Darkness. Spirit is almost certainly Shyish. Can't really tell which of Water and Wood is Ghur or Ghyran.
Cathay's understanding of the Winds is displayed above. Water is either Ghyran or Ghur, although I'm pretty sure it's Ghyran at this point. "Blue" probably refers to the color of Water, and it was called that because of the earthiness of the tea matching the feeling of Ghyran? I think it's an incredibly neat way of adopting the new Cathay lore in a natural way tbh.
"If the Light Order wanted to pretend they were all autodidacts in the style of Volans, it should have chosen a less exotic building style. I aim to sit us at a table where Hoeth and Thungni already have seats. We must meet their antes with our own, and ours have lineages to match theirs. Let us bring Tahoth Trisheros to the table."
I don't know what Trisheros means in this case, but Total War Warhammer has this:
Once invoked, the God of scholars reveals secrets even lost to the Mortuary Cult. Due to Tahoth's summons, souls are called more freely from their realm.
It seems that Tahoth is the Nehekharan God of Scholars.
[ ] Choirmaster Stephen (2 Favours)
Many Light Wizards can lead a choir, but very few can lead them for the weeks at a time it takes for the most potent of enchantments.
[ ] Lady Magister Elrisse (2 Favours)
The Porter equivalent of the Light Order, Lady Magister Elrisse's loyalty to the Order and to the Empire is unimpeachable, and she is cleared for more access to information than any other living Light Wizard.
As a reminder of who these people are, Choirmaster Stephen was one of the people who taught us enchanting at the College and he was the one who gave us the enchanted Candle that purges poison and disease. Lady Magister Elrisse was one of the options for joining us in Karag Dum alongside her disciple Magister Verspasian Kant.
That name might not mean much to you guys, but Verspasian is the canonical "modern day" Patriarch of the Light Order. He's very talented and had a rivalry with Horstmann that turned sour once it turned out that Horstmann was a chaos worshipper. I hope things turn out better in this universe, because I sure do love "rivalries".
Conclusion: Excellent update, look forward to getting more. I like the favor trading system used, simple and concise. I'm definitely voting for Order of Guardians and Investigation and getting Horstmann to LM and getting Elrisse.
