I don't know why so many want to give Eike a sword instead of shoot-y things. Between Mathilde and Wilhelmina, they can probably teach her what she needs to know about that. Well, for Wilhelmina I'm thinking it's just a way to bond after so many years apart.
I don't know why so many want to give Eike a sword instead of shoot-y things. Between Mathilde and Wilhelmina, they can probably teach her what she needs to know about that. Well, for Wilhelmina I'm thinking it's just a way to bond after so many years apart.
Because of Branulhune and the associated sword style. Ideally we'd be passing both on to an apprentice, though the former only on Mathilde's death. Since Eike doesn't seem particularly inclined to swording though, alternative arrangements will have to be made.
Because of Branulhune and the associated sword style. Ideally we'd be passing both on to an apprentice, though the former only on Mathilde's death. Since Eike doesn't seem particularly inclined to swording though, alternative arrangements will have to be made.
I'm hoping to codify the melee shadow dagger variant of shadow knives one day , Regimand was interested in it and teaching Eike a variant of the sword style when we finish it would be neat. Getting folks to vote for a thing when Boney has said it might just end in "Welp, guess that one can't be made to work!" is rough though haha. The only surefire way to pass that mastery down is to like IRON GRIP guide Eike's magical development and never let her form her own view on magic, so nah.
But yeah unless like ASSASSINATION 101 breaks Eike of any potential YIKES feelings about killing people she might have if she ends up deep in her faith, it might be better to focus on getting someone to teach her the quarterstaff or something more club sized.
I could see Mira sending some resources of her own to help deal with the situation, yeah. It'll probably come up in the discussion with her - the more help she sends, the less extra credit Mathilde will get with her since Mathilde will have done less of the work of stopping Algard.
So we might get something like:
You gain 3 Abstract Mira Favor Points from promising to sabotage algard. Spend them on:
1 AMFP: Something something library
2 AMFP: Something something WEBMAT
1 AMFP: Mira sends someone to help now
2 AMFP: Mira goes in person now
I missed this part but the Light Wizards should be recruited, if not next turn then as soon as possible.
The ritual cannot be stopped through a counter ritual due to its rather unique nature. If no means of defusing it exists, that leaves only brute force. Hysh is well suited to countering malign phenomena, and our two Light wizards are experienced troubleshooters.
Then there's the target. Surviving a trip to the warp means they're most likely a hard nut to crack. If they've avoided detection in what is not only a Cult stronghold but a closed fortress city despite committing multiple murders, then they have a lot going for them. Again, our two Light Wizards know their way around killing things that go bump in the night, and will be useful in making sure we put the culprit dead in the ground.
If you're concerned about exposure to Alric we're well on the way to not interacting with him at all, and if you're concerned about them keying on to something only vote to bring them in when it's time to fight. But what I have to say to latter is, time in the market beats timing the market. The situation can spike in volatility and we might need them at the blow of a whistle.
Then there's the target. Surviving a trip to the warp means they're most likely a hard nut to crack. If they've avoided detection in what is not only a Cult stronghold but a closed fortress city despite committing multiple murders, then they have a lot going for them. Again, our two Light Wizards know their way around killing things that go bump in the night, and will be useful in making sure we put the culprit dead in the ground.
If we're talking about finding a person in a city, I think that's much more the Grey College's baliwick.
The Talabheim crater isn't wall-to-wall city, for one thing it contains enough farmland to support itself. And there's tunnels in the wall that people use to smuggle things in.
I'm hoping to codify the melee shadow dagger variant of shadow knives one day , Regimand was interested in it and teaching Eike a variant of the sword style when we finish it would be neat.
Honestly if we are calling in wizard support to help kill Alberich I'd rather go grab Johann. He's a good fighter there's no real political worries and he has a surprise Hysh beam attack a cultist is unlikely to see coming from gold wizard. That said if we can predict where the next attack will happen this turn I'd vote to approach the local witch-hunters and the Taalites next turn. The Taalites cal bless the holy water in anticipation of the attack and this is literally the entire purpose of the witch hunters. Together with Mathilde and in a prepared battleground they should be able to take Alberich.
If we're talking about finding a person in a city, I think that's much more the Grey College's baliwick.
The Talabheim crater isn't wall-to-wall city, for one thing it contains enough farmland to support itself. And there's tunnels in the wall that people use to smuggle things in.
In comparison to the Light Order's head of counterintelligence and a gopher who's career was similar matters? There's plenty they can bring to the table.
And it's still a the seat of power of an EC and a Cult. They'll keep a stronger watchful eye here to cover their bases if nothing else.
In comparison to the Light Order's head of counterintelligence and a gopher who's career was similar matters? There's plenty they can bring to the table.
And it's still a the seat of power of an EC and a Cult. They'll keep a stronger watchful eye here to cover their bases if nothing else.
To be fair, if they know how your doing something, then you're not sufficiently mystery smug.
I'm a little sad that's she's a Shallyan, and so getting her a nice longsword and teaching her to sword good isn't really on the menu (IIRC, gribblies are ok to sword for Shallyans, but I don't think Eike actually wants that). The image of smol Mathilde with a huge sword and tiny Eike with a large sword is hilarious and adorable. And it'd also be funny if Eike ends up really tall.
@Boney Does equipment for our Apprentice fall under stuff we won't need to use dwarf favors for? I'm assuming something like Ultra-sword or mega-belt don't, because they're the high end, even for Kragg. Rune equipment in general is probably somewhat iffy. But suppose we wanted a (steel) longsword with only a rune of the unknown, so Eike (or some other apprentice) can train and be prepared if she ever inherits the mega sword. Would that count? Ensuing an apprentice is properly prepared and that a great runic artifact inheritance is properly wielded seem to be very dwarven things, and making sure Mathilde has a proper apprentice also seems like it would strike dwarfs as obviously beneficial to the Karaz Ankor.
Training equipment for her Apprentice wouldn't cost favours. And in general, Shallyan-associated laypeople doling out violence on behalf of the actual clergy when it is sadly necessary is recognized as an unfortunate but unavoidable occurrence. Most Shallyan Temples have a few associated armed burly folks to 'help carry things'.
Training equipment for her Apprentice wouldn't cost favours. And in general, Shallyan-associated laypeople doling out violence on behalf of the actual clergy when it is sadly necessary is recognized as an unfortunate but unavoidable occurrence. Most Shallyan Temples have a few associated armed burly folks to 'help carry things'.
In that case, I really want to train her in swording too. Though that means we have to finish the style.
Obviously she'd first have to learn normal swording (because you might not always have the magic sword), and also lug around a huge blade. For fitness, of course. Not because it's so cute. She gets the vanishing sword...eventually. At some emotionally relevant (and AP convenient) time. Maybe when she makes journeymanling, because then she'll be less around, and we'll get to enjoy the cuteness less too.
Speaking of Eike, I wonder how ulgu immersion is affecting her. She seemed like a fairly straight and earnest kid.
[X] Plan The Hunt is On-no plunder
-[X] Research: Underworld Turbulence
-[X] Research: Alberich's form
-[X] Scour the city: specify who with
--[X] The Longshanks
[x] Plan: Ritual Centre with Disguised Approach
-[x] Surveil the spa Unfahigers
-[x] Approach the hunting lodge Unfahigers in disguise
--[x] Specifically approach with Regimand disguised as a pair of mercenaries willing to offer protection services
-[x] Research: Alberich's life
[X] Plan Info
-[X] Plunder Krieglitz Manor
--[X] Focus on information rather than wealth. Take documents and books, leave any gold or jewels.
--[X] Secure anything dark that needs to be destroyed.
--[X] Judge items of historical relevance and artifacts with a specific use case-by-case, based on the benefit to the Empire if they are back in the open rather than locked away.
-[X] Research: Underworld Turbulence
-[x] Surveil the spa Unfahigers
[X] Plan Dig Up Info + Deniable Looting
-[X] Ransack Krieglitz Manor
--[X] Steal anything that the Unfahiger family shouldn't possess or otherwise can't openly claim as theirs.
-[x] Surveil the hunting lodge Unfahigers
-[x] Research: Alberich's life
[X] Plan: Being a good Ranald High Priest
-[X] Interrogate the spa Unfahigers
-[X] Plunder Krieglitz Manor
--[X] Focus on information rather than wealth. Take documents and books, leave any gold or jewels.
--[X] Secure anything dark that needs to be destroyed.
--[X] Judge items of historical relevance and artifacts with a specific use case-by-case, based on the benefit to the Empire if they are back in the open rather than locked away.
-[x] Research: Alberich's life
[x] Plan: Ritual Centre, Mira, Disguised Approach
-[x] Surveil the spa Unfahigers
-[x] Approach the hunting lodge Unfahigers in disguise
--[x] Specifically approach with Regimand disguised as a pair of Morrite travellers, led to them by a prophetic dream
-[x] Renegotiate with Mira
[x] Plan: Ritual Centre
-[x] Surveil the spa Unfahigers If the ritual is centred on them, enough observation will tell you what sort of ritual it is.
-[x] Surveil the hunting lodge Unfahigers If the ritual is centred on them, enough observation will tell you what sort of ritual it is.
-[x] 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.
"We've learned enough, fast enough, that we have the privilege of spending even more time to really nail down the corners," you say. "I'm going to surveil the Unfähigers, try to spot where the ritual is centered. If it's on one group or the other, then the ritual needs a specific target, and that would probably make it a Ritual of Dedication. If it's over both of them, then it's targeting the family in general and it's probably a Ritual of Vengeance. If it's not, then it would be on the person doing it, and so probably a Ritual of Empowerment. I also want to look more into Alberich himself, find out what kind of person he was and so what kind of new friends he might have made."
Regimand nods. "I take it you've got contacts down south that would be able to tell you that?"
"Yes, the Baron of Blutdorf is a friend, and through him I can get the impressions of the other rulers of Western Stirland."
"Then I'll poke around Wurtbad for the perspectives of those below him. You only ever get half the picture of who someone is if you only know how they treat their equals."
The two of you stare at each other for a while, each waiting for the other to vanish first. Then you both realize at about the same time that you'd both tried the same double bluff, actually coming to the table in person but wrapped in an Illusion to make it seem like you were an Illusion. Without speaking or making eye contact the two of you stand from the table and walk away.
---
You spent some time weighing which branch of the family to surveil first, but in the end, it comes down to that after a week in the swamp you would really be able to use a week in a spa town. So Alys Schmidt decides to test her luck against the wildlife of Crater Marsh, and hires a room, a punt, and a flintlock fowler musket from the village of Sumpfrand, which likely exists solely to perform this exact service. She politely listens with half an ear as the publican speaks at length at the proper way to carve a sapling into an angling rod, and finally extricates herself from the conversation before the dawn fog burns completely off the marsh, and nobody is watching to notice how the fog doesn't part for Alys, but instead draws in thicker around her.
Crater Marsh, you quickly find, is a far more welcoming set of wetlands than the Schadensumpf. Where that body has been cultivated by Elves over millennia to be as hostile to an interloper as possible, Crater Marsh has been cultivated by Taalites and Rhyans over millennia to not be actively unpleasant to live next to, and apart from the occasional mosquito your Aethyric Armour goes quite untested. The chirp of birds and the croak of frogs makes for quite a pleasant chorus, and while poling the punt does take some effort, it's much less than your sword drills do, and you make good time. Regimand had pinpointed the location of the hunting lodge on a map for you, and navigating by the morning sun leads you straight to it. With your punt half-aground on a small mound and shrouded in the mist that's too fond of you to burn away in the rising sun, you make yourself as comfortable as you can, make a mental note to bring a hat tomorrow, and focus your senses on the hunting lodge of the Unfähigers.
One early complication is that there's far more coming and going than you expected, as you expected none at all. But your initial count of twelve humans and a dog has to be adjusted downwards as three of them depart shortly before noon, causing you to wonder if they're not as holed up as you thought they would be. But further comings and goings through the day shed some light on this, especially after a rowboat - small for a river but large for a marsh - propelled by a half-dozen burly armed men and carrying an older man with a sack of money arrives, and after a while inside the house these visitors depart minus the sack. Later in the day another rowboat drops off an assortment of sacks and crates and barrels. By the time the sun is starting to set once more and a new set of overnight visitors arrive, these ones in a state of artful deshabille instead of the genuine rumpledness of those departing in the morning, you realize what is happening here.
You suppose it makes sense. There's only so long a person can maintain a state of mortal terror, and after weeks holed up without anything eventful happening boredom would rear its ugly head, and nobility like the Unfähigers aren't accustomed to keeping themselves quietly entertained. The controller of the family purse-strings may have cut this branch of the family tree off, but that doesn't mean they're without resources. Just as a peasant knows how to keep an eye out for Beastmen active in the area and how best to placate them, a noble knows when it's time to fill a pillowcase with the family jewels, and now those jewels are being sold off piecemeal to fund deliveries of food, drink, and entertainment.
On the way back you use the last fading vestiges of daylight to gather what seems to you to be a reasonable result of a day on the Marsh. Fish don't have terribly much going on in their souls for your Magesight to see, but their passage through the ambient Ghyran of the Marsh is as visible as, well, as the wake of a fish through water. You were warned that these beasts were quite canny in their ability to nibble the bait off a hook, but they prove quite vulnerable to ropes of pure darkness delving into the water to strangle them unconscious, at which point you simply pluck them from the water. Your Marksdwarf pistol also plays a part, adding a brace of ducks to your day's tally at a range the fowler musket could only dream of.
You quickly learn that you may have overestimated what a typical hunt results in, as the basket of fish in one hand and the brace of ducks in the other results in shock and then pride from the publican, who assumes the secret to your success was his own sage advice and purchases your catch off you for a fee that outweighs what you spent on equipment, room, and board. You suppose you're starting to see the appeal of this 'hunting' business.
Over the rest of the week you accustom yourself to the auras of the Unfähigers during the day, the shifting morass of Shyish and Ulgu being kept at bay by a bulwark of Aqshy, and in doing so you are able to let it fade from your sight, as you do the busy Ghyran of the waters surrounding you. In doing so you discover the faint glow of divinity underlying the Ghyran that you take to be the blessing of Taal, which while spread thin is possibly enough to dissuade lesser Daemons from venturing through it. But you don't spot the lurking presence of a malign ritual, even after every other energy has faded. After five murders, there's no possibility of it being so minor that it would still be unspottable to you, not after a week of watching. You can say for sure that wherever the energies of the ritual are building, they're not here.
---
Bad Dankerode is outside the crater of the Taalbaston and thus technically exposed to the horrors of the Great Forest, but with the undiluted holy waters of the Ostlichrand on one side, the sheer cliff of the Taalbaston on the other, and the guns of the Taalbaston's Eastern Bastion overhead, you can see why Alric chose this as his fortress. But while he and the Unfähigers have claimed the largest, most expensive, and best defended spa resort for their own, the rest of the village goes untouched by their influence, and you pick the rival resort that gives you the most unobstructed view of your target for Alys Schmidt to patronize. After a week of sitting on damp wood and trying to ignore the whine of insects as you focused, you're really in the mood to appreciate a more relaxed setting for your next surveillance.
Places like this are quite used to dealing with the eccentricities of patrons, and when accompanied with a few coins your requirements are accepted without comment. A room with an adjoining private pool is set aside, lunch is to be covered and placed just inside the door for you to collect at your leisure, and you will not be requiring any professional company for the duration of your visit, nor will you be expecting visitors. You take some time to clean off the accumulated grime of a week in the marsh, then you make yourself a great deal more comfortable than you were capable of achieving in the marsh and turn your senses to the nearby building, where five Unfähigers, one Light Wizard, and an unknown number of servants reside.
This close to the source the blessing of Taal is all the more evident in the waters, and you're sure it would be quite an advantage to a seasoned Abjurer on the defensive, but to you it is the first of the distractions you need to learn to filter out before you can find the answers you're looking for. The comings and goings of other patrons is next for you to ignore, but once you begin to filter them you start to be able to see Alric himself, shining like a lighthouse as he moves around the building and occasionally flaring as he makes some preparation or another. Once you've learned to tune out his illumination and gotten used to bracing your senses against his magics, the next layer of observation is picking out the Unfähigers from the servants, which is made easy by the emotions of these Unfähigers running just as hot as their less-favoured counterparts. Once you've honed in on those five you begin to make out what's lurking behind it.
[Magesight: Learning, 79+29=108.]
Hovering overhead like a gathering storm is a deep well of malign energies, with tendrils reaching out for one of the five Unfähigers in particular, inching closer by the day at a rate that will have him within striking range right on schedule, and growing stronger on their fear all the while. The Ritual knows its target and its timetable, and far above, a tendril of the ugly cloud vanishes into the distance somewhere to the northwest, where the creator of these energies waits for the proper time to come. This is a Ritual that mirrors the fates of the Haupt-Anderssens, and thus by your earlier research you can say with near certainty that this is a Ritual of Dedication, crafted as a piece of terrible art to be gifted to Alberich's new master or masters as a symbol of his devotion to them.
You spend as long as you can bear studying the ongoing ritual in the hopes of gaining some insight into its intended audience, but until it is completed it possesses none of the nature of the Dark Gods, just the hideous energies of the death and terror that has been inflicted to create it. At last you turn your gaze away from it, letting reality rush back in and insulate you from it. Hopefully you'll be able to gather some insight of who Alberich was as a ruler that will tell you about who he may have chosen as his patron.
The next morning you pack up your things, leave a few discarded and crumpled papers that match Alys' profession, and put some distance between you and Bad Dankerode - first by carriage, and once a safe distance away, you summon your Shadowsteed and turn your course southwards.
---
As much fun as it is to appear unexpectedly, courtesy won out this time, and when you arrive in Blutdorf Anton is ready to welcome you. Apart from the usual greetings and gossip he has an important introduction to make to you: that of his first cousin twice removed and now adopted son, Anton.
"The name was his idea," Anton says to you after the boy makes a formal and overawed greeting to you and is allowed to flee. "He's very earnest and serious about everything, I don't think he's capable of doing anything halfway. He was an ensign aboard a Wolfship in the Imperial First and doing quite well at it."
"What made you decide to adopt?"
"The rest of the family was starting to notice I hadn't married and beginning to fight amongst itself over who would inherit, and this was the best way to stop them." He shrugs with an easy and apparently genuine smile. "I just don't feel like there's an absence in my life that terribly needs filling with a wife. Reinhild and I enjoy each other's company, but it's not going to result in a marriage, nor in an heir if her amulet works the way the Jades say it does. And Blutdorf and Kirchham are happy to take every scrap of attention I can spare them. So why roll the dice with a new child when there's a perfectly good one ready to go?"
You nod. "As long as you're happy, then that seems very sensible."
"I thought so too. Da grumbles, but he likes Anton. Speaking of, you wanted to know about Alberich from him?"
"If he's available."
Anton hesitates a moment. "He's okay with day-to-day things, but his memory needs nudging for things that far back. So I did the nudging for you before you arrived. He gets embarrassed about it when it's in front of other people."
"That's okay, I trust you to have found the salient details."
Quite a lot of them, and carefully collated in written form, you quickly discover. Alberich only ruled for four years, but despite his youth he made quite a terror of himself to everyone around, proving as easy to slight as he was long to forget them. One common theme you gather from these recollections, which is reinforced as replies to the letters Anton sent off to his fellow nobles come trickling back in, is that above all else being overlooked infuriated him, and he appeared to spend more time nursing grudges against the elder Elector Counts of Talabecland and Averland than he did worrying about the fate of his predecessors.
Prone to anger, but it was gnawing resentment, not the violent rage that characterized one of the four. Did not appear to be drawn into the web of intrigue that claimed his family, and only interacted on a surface level with the equally elaborate string of relationships between the nobility of the Empire. If he despaired he did not show it, nor did he seem inclined to give in to his fate. If anything points to a single being he may have fallen into the sway of, it was that he may have been ensnared by Paramountcy, the allure of power and command, one of the Six Deadly Seductions of the Tempter.
It's a possibility, but as you compare notes with Regimand back in Talabheim, not the only one. Regimand managed to dredge from the memories of former servants of Eagle Castle that as a ruler Alberich did not seem to seek out adulation, instead being enraged at a lack of what he saw as the respect his rank deserved. This may fall under the heading of Paramountcy, but it also could signify a relationship with power in its rawest form, rather than the individual flavours of it wielded by the four. If he seeks power itself, why would he narrow down his options by ruling out three of the four Dark Gods?
"Alberich," you summarize, "is performing a Ritual of Dedication to either the Tempter or to Chaos Undivided, with the next victim already selected and under Alric's guard, and Alric is certain to know who it is going to be. The penultimate victim is going to be likewise identifiable to Alric, but the culminating act of the Ritual would be a lot more freeform, which Alric is unlikely to be expecting - and that act might target Alric himself. Alberich himself is somewhere northwest of Bad Dankerode, so the most likely location would be hiding within the local population of Talabheim, with Talagaad as an unlikely but possible alternative - the only other possible locations in that direction within Talabecland are sacred to Taal."
There are two weeks until the sixth murder. You are currently planning what to do for the next two weeks. Each of the below actions will take one week, so you have two 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, and without the Empress being implicated in a Chaos Ritual of Vengeance.
[ ] 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 now has an even bigger 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.
[ ] Renegotiate with Mira If you're going to have to interfere with Alric anyway, you might as well see what Mira is willing to offer for you to do so, and clear the way to bring in your own Light Wizards.
[ ] Bring in someone else: specify who You have all sorts of allies, contacts, and favours that you might call upon.
[ ] Scour the city: specify who with You know that Alberich is somewhere northwest of Bad Dankerode, which means Talabheim or Talagaad, and his time in the warp would have made him at the very least unsettling, and possibly visibly mutated him. A manhunt might find him, but you'd need to approach someone with the manpower or the authority to perform such a hunt. Some examples would be: the Elector Count of Talabecland, the Cult of Taal and Rhya, the Longshanks, the City Watch, the City Militia, the Taalbaston Guard.
[ ] Ready forces: specify what Bring a significant number of people to Bad Dankerode to be ready to move in on the night of the next murder, such as local military or Witch Hunters or mercenaries. Mathilde's rank means that her word will be sufficient if she says there's something bad about to happen that needs foiling.
[ ] 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.
[ ] Surveil Alric While surveiling the spa, you saw Alric wielding Hysh on a number of occassions, which indicates spells, wards, or short-term enchantments being set up. Study what these might be from a distance.
[ ] 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.
[ ] Plunder Krieglitz Manor It's unstaffed and unguarded, protected only by locked doors, boarded windows, and a sinister reputation. You've spent several days prowling its corridors without trouble and have a good idea where the squirreled-away riches of the Unfähigers might be found.
[ ] Ransack Krieglitz Manor Tear open every secret nook and cranny and scour every inch of the Manor for anything relevant without any care for how much of a mess you leave in your wake, but without taking a single thing with you.
[ ] 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.
[ ] 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.
[ ] Leave Chances are that this is already primed to blow up in Alric's face. Perhaps being a province away when it does would be for the best.
[ ] Other: write in
- There will be a three hour moratorium. Voting will be in plan format.
- You cannot follow the ritual's trail all the way to Alberich in the time you have available - it takes days for you to be able to spot it at any given point, so it would take you several weeks to be able to follow it as far as Talabheim, and that's if he stays obligingly immobile for that entire duration.
- There will be a final vote for what to do at the scheduled time of the murder. You don't need a readying action for Regimand or any other Wizards you might have recruited to be able to act on that night.
The two of you stare at each other for a while, each waiting for the other to vanish first. Then you both realize at about the same time that you'd both tried the same double bluff, actually coming to the table in person but wrapped in an Illusion to make it seem like you were an Illusion. Without speaking or making eye contact the two of you stand from the table and walk away.
Interesting. And it looks like the calls from some threadgoers to give Alric credit were right - he did correctly identify who the next target was, as opposed to just leaving the less fortunate family members out to dry.
- You cannot follow the ritual's trail all the way to Alberich in the time you have available - it takes days for you to be able to spot it at any given point, so it would take you several weeks to be able to follow it as far as Talabheim, and that's if he stays obligingly immobile for that entire duration.
[ ] Scour the city: specify who with You know that Alberich is somewhere northwest of Bad Dankerode, which means Talabheim or Talagaad, and his time in the warp would have made him at the very least unsettling, and possibly visibly mutated him. A manhunt might find him, but you'd need to approach someone with the manpower or the authority to perform such a hunt. Some examples would be: the Elector Count of Talabecland, the Cult of Taal and Rhya, the Longshanks, the City Watch, the City Militia, the Taalbaston Guard.
[ ] Research: Alberich's form
This seems like a solid combo, check into the form now that we've narrowed down possible patrons, and then be able to give better descriptions of likely candidates while we try to hunt him down. Also likely to help when apprehending.
As to who to enlist, I'm inclined for the Longshanks or Cult of Taal. But local expertise might be more useful.
The two of you stare at each other for a while, each waiting for the other to vanish first. Then you both realize at about the same time that you'd both tried the same double bluff, actually coming to the table in person but wrapped in an Illusion to make it seem like you were an Illusion. Without speaking or making eye contact the two of you stand from the table and walk away.
Hmm. So does this mean that neither Mathilde nor Regimand thought they could manage to fluidly cast Invisibility in synchronization with dropping the Illusion without getting caught out by the other?
This is a Ritual that mirrors the fates of the Haupt-Anderssens, and thus by your earlier research you can say with near certainty that this is a Ritual of Dedication, crafted as a piece of terrible art to be gifted to Alberich's new master or masters as a symbol of his devotion to them.
If Alric can prevent the sixth murder, that disrupts the ritual, right? He might actually have things handled, in that case, and all things considered I'd rather the ritual get stopped.
... of course, while the ritual reaching seven without completing would clear Heidi, I'm not sure if the same is true if it gets stopped at six.
, Regimand was interested in it and teaching Eike a variant of the sword style when we finish it would be neat. Getting folks to vote for a thing when Boney has said it might just end in "Welp, guess that one can't be made to work!" is rough though haha. The only surefire way to pass that mastery down is to like IRON GRIP guide Eike's magical development and never let her form her own view on magic, so nah. 
