Boney is updating with a great frequency lately. I want you to know that it is greatly appreciated
@Boney.
Now, onto the update:
"Favour trading with the Light Order for the Waystone Project," you explain. "They've got the largest libraries, good relations with the Witch Hunters, and they were Teclis' favourites. Plus I have reason to believe they've inherited some relevant information from their pre-Teclisean roots. So I went all in to bring in Lord Magister Egrimm van Horstmann and Lady Magister Elrisse." All completely true, but you're leaving out that you could fulfill the letter of your agreement now and the spirit of it with a bit of light surveillance, leading him towards the conclusion that you promised more than simply information.
[Does Regimand help? Roll: 78-10(busy)-20(college politics)+100(wants to spend time with Mathilde)=148.]
Regimand exhales. "I don't like that you're swimming in these waters, but that's because part of me still sees my Apprentice of twenty years ago, not the Lady Magister in front of me. I trust you to know what you're doing." He drums his fingers on the table as he thinks. "Bek can wait. I'll tap my local contacts and see what I can find out. Usual rendezvous rotation?" You nod. "See you tomorrow."
I did not expect this response. Mathilde apparently underestimates how strongly Regimand feels about her apparently, since she thought he would leave. +100 is the biggest bonus I've seen to a roll in this quest, and it's very heartwarming. Although, ever since I saw that I couldn't stop thinking about this video:
Regimand has tailored today's disguise to Alys, and today she is meeting with a plain-looking and middle-aged clerk with ink-stained fingers and an unfortunate taste in hats. "Found them," he says as soon as Cloak Activity forms around the two of you. "The current head of the family and the members in his favour are holed up with Alric in Bad Dankerode, on the external southeastern flank of the Taalbaston."
You rack your memory. "The spa town? They're holed up in a spa?"
For a visualisation of the places being mentioned here, have this map that Boney is likely using:
As a side note, I like the little tidbit of "unfortunate taste in hats". Really helps flesh out the disguise and add some flavor to the subterfuge. Mathilde doesn't have much of a fashion sense, but she draws the line at hats. She might have gotten along with Karl Franz over that (in Vermintide Markus Kruber mentions that Karl Franz corners the hat market and buys all the good hats, leaving hat enthusiasts like him in the dirt. Makes him pretty bitter).
"Not as stupid an idea as it first seems. The waters are believed to come from the same source as Crater Lake, and would therefore be sacred to Taal. A spa full of holy water would be a good spot for a confrontation with Chaos. And it being on the outside of the Taalbaston means it has the usual fortifications that the settlements inside lack, and means it'd see less interference from local authorities."
"I suppose he doesn't want to share any of the credit. What about the rest of the family?"
Man, Alric really isn't making it easy for me to view him in any sort of positive light. Even when he's working to get a great deed and apparently assist the Empire, he only assists the most influential members so he gets the most prestige and he brings them to a place where it's more likely he wouldn't share credit with the local authorities.
This guy doesn't care about the good of the Empire, he only cares for himself. I see absolutely no reason why we should work with such an absurd glory hound. The guy actively sabotages the chances of his success so he can hog all the glory, and doesn't even care about doing the moral choice (protecting all the members, he only chooses to protect the influential ones).
"A hunting lodge in the Crater Marsh, near Sumpfrand. Again, holy water, and presumably a fair few weapons. Clear sightlines, difficult to sneak up on. Not the stupidest of plans, I suppose."
I'd prefer to join up with these guys. They're desperate for help and far from Alric and his cronies. They're also a more tempting target if Alberich is capable of assessing which target is easier to hunt.
"They call it Krieglitz Manor, they try to distance themselves from the Unfähiger name these days. And no, that's where all the previous murders happened. They might be hoping that whatever is doing it is stuck there. If it was a Spectre that might work, but I doubt it'd help much."
Krieglitz Manor? Did the Unfahigers change their name to Krieglitz, or are they simply adopting the name of a particular area? I know the Krieglitz-Untern family is the most prominent family in Talabheim aside from the Feurbachs (the ECs). Although Krieglitz is also the name of a place and not just a family name. Things get confusing when both place names and family names are the same.
"So the Manor's just sitting empty?"
"Sealed tight, nobody wants to be murder number six. Thinking about breaking in and inspecting the murder sites?"
"Might be worth doing." Part of you was thinking about breaking in for less salubrious reasons. The Unfähigers bled the Empire white during the reign of Dieter IV, and part of you is tempted to put some of that wealth towards more worthy causes. To banish temptation for the moment, you look back at your notes. "Are you seeing a pattern in who the murderer is targeting?"
A reminder that Mathilde has strong feelings about the Unfahigers like the majority of Wizards tend to. She wasn't there for the Thousand Nights, but it's in living memory and probably the worst event in the history of the Colleges, and Dieter escalated it like hell and caused a shit ton of problems across the nation. Sins of the father and all, but people in the Empire do tend to paint a family by the same brush as their ancestors. Look at the Van Hals and the continued scrutiny they came to despite thousands of years of Witch Hunters making up for Frederick. Dieter was only 60-50 years ago.
"Apart from all being members of the family, nothing I can see. Might be random, might be opportunistic."
"I don't see anything either. So I'd guess Alric isn't protecting the most likely next victim, simply the most influential one."
Again, not a good look for Alric.
"Seems that way." He grins at you. "Now, Apprentice," he says in his teaching voice. "If you were the one investigating this, what would you do?"
That's the question, isn't it?
This is cute. Regimand is happy to finally get back on the seat of Master after almost 20 years apart. I mean, they met and he taught her a couple of times since then, but never have they gone on a collaborative mission since Mathilde's apprenticeship (the assassinations didn't count, because they did it separately).
There are eight weeks until the next murder. You are currently planning what to do for the next three weeks. Each of the below actions will take one week, so you have three actions. Voting will be in plan format.
Your implied objective: Limit or prevent Alric getting credit for saving the Unfähigers.
Your actual objective: Ensure this matter is resolved without revealing the Empress is not a Haupt-Anderssen.
Regimand working with us is complicating things with the difference betwen Implied and Actual objectives. Unfortunate.
[ ] Bring in the Empress
She will bring with her a lot of influence, a lot of skill, a lot of attention, and a lot of questions. But she has quite the vested interest in seeing this wrapped up quietly.
[ ] Bring in Lord Magister Egrimm
[ ] Bring in Lady Magister Elrisse
[ ] Bring in Egrimm and Elrisse
What better way to counter a Light Wizard than with one or two of your own? But they do know what you actually promised to Mira, and things could get awkward if they mention it to Regimand.
[ ] Bring in someone else: specify who
You have all sorts of allies, contacts, and favours that you might call upon.
Bringing in others at this stage could complicate things. I would have been gung ho about it if Regimand had left, but since he's here, I suggest we just do this Grey Wizard style.
[ ] Approach Alric directly
Working with him means splitting the credit, which would partly fulfil your implied objective and let you be on hand to perform your actual objective. But while refusing your assistance would put him in an uncomfortable position should he fail, it does mean he'd know you're involved, and he may work against you.
[ ] Interrogate the spa Unfahigers
Break in, interrogate, Mindhole, leave. Risky and difficult under Alric's nose, but they'd have the most information.
[ ] Approach the hunting lodge Unfahigers
They've been left to dry by Alric and the head of the family. If you offer help, they're all but certain to take it.
[ ] Interrogate the hunting lodge Unfahigers
Break in, interrogate, Mindhole, leave. They have no protection against the likes of you, and may know something useful.
[ ] Investigate Krieglitz Manor
Investigate the sites of the five brutal murders of members of the Unfähiger dynasty.
[ ] Plunder Krieglitz Manor
It's unstaffed and unguarded, protected only by locked doors, boarded windows, and a sinister reputation. Who knows what riches the Unfähigers squirreled away during their time in power?
Investigating Krieglitz Manor and Approach the Hunting Lodge Unfahigers have my interest. One lets us acquire more details about the murders, and the other gives us a hold on those who have been abandoned by Alric.
[ ] Research: Alberich's life
For all the time you spent cleaning up the mess he made, you never learned much about Alberich as a person. Find out what sort of ruler he was, and that might give you insight into whatever he is now.
[ ] Research: Alberich's fate
Abelhelm would have had what happened to the last Haupt-Anderssen looked into. Someone has that report. Maybe Roswita, maybe the Witch Hunters, maybe the Cult of Sigmar. Find it.
[ ] Research: Alberich's form
Alberich would not have been unchanged from a trip to and return from the Chaos realm. Research what changes may have occurred to him that may help you locate him.
I think these research actions might prove vital. Life might give us an insight into his personality, fate into the nature of his current existence, and form is probably the most important, giving us vital clues into what he's capable of.
[ ] Research: Chaotic Vengeance
This would be far from the first time someone's sold themselves to the Dark Gods for vengeance, and the Dark Gods tend to act in patterns. Research earlier examples of the same phenomenon.
[ ] Research: Murder Rituals
Eight quiet murders in one family forty years. Eight brutal murders in one family in forty months. This smacks of some sort of ritual. Go digging through every resource you can find for what this might be about, and what might happen if it goes uninterrupted.
Both would be useful in order to establish a pattern that we could follow and foil in the process. They might in fact be more important than researching Alberich himself. Despite being Chaos Gods, the Four like predictable stories and patterns, probably because it strengthens the magic of the Aethyr to be following what has already happened than forcing in something new.
[ ] Research: Underworld Turbulence
'A fair bit of activity from that lot lately' is not really actionable. See if anyone knows exactly what's got the Chaos cults of the Empire in a tizzy lately.
This is less directly relevant to our current course of action, but could lead us to realise that the next Everchosen is coming soon, which would be helpful. On the other hand, that's metagaming, so I'm a bit hesitant to follow up on this. Maybe as one of the lower priority actions.
