Turn 38 Results - 2488.5 - Part 1
[*] Plan Disregard WEBMAT, Acquire AP
-[*] One Overwork Action
-[*] COIN: The Father
-[*] WEB-MAT: Hire someone as a full-time Gyrocopter pilot (Adela)
-[*] Lay the foundations: work with the current members of WEB-MAT and the Waystone Project to build a single unified framework for understanding the Waystones.
-[*] Attempt to bring a non-Order magical tradition into the Waystone Project (Nordlander Haléthan Hedgewise)
-[*] Attempt to bring a Major House or Ward into the Waystone Project (Tindomiel)
-[*] Branulhune's ability to disappear and reappear at a thought allows entirely new forms of combat. Continue to work on them.
-[*] Investigate how the Vitae reacts to a power stone.
-[*] EIC: Have the Hochlander set up a shadow headquarters for the EIC in the Sunken Palace.
-[*] KAU: Decide who your library staff will consist of, and go about recruiting them.
-[*] SERENITY: Write a book: Windsoak Mushrooms (1/2)
Tally
-[*] One Overwork Action
-[*] COIN: The Father
-[*] WEB-MAT: Hire someone as a full-time Gyrocopter pilot (Adela)
-[*] Lay the foundations: work with the current members of WEB-MAT and the Waystone Project to build a single unified framework for understanding the Waystones.
-[*] Attempt to bring a non-Order magical tradition into the Waystone Project (Nordlander Haléthan Hedgewise)
-[*] Attempt to bring a Major House or Ward into the Waystone Project (Tindomiel)
-[*] Branulhune's ability to disappear and reappear at a thought allows entirely new forms of combat. Continue to work on them.
-[*] Investigate how the Vitae reacts to a power stone.
-[*] EIC: Have the Hochlander set up a shadow headquarters for the EIC in the Sunken Palace.
-[*] KAU: Decide who your library staff will consist of, and go about recruiting them.
-[*] SERENITY: Write a book: Windsoak Mushrooms (1/2)
Tally
From a certain way of looking at it, there are two broad ways to be a Wizard in society. The first, as practiced by most of the Colleges in Altdorf, is to try to filter and dampen oneself so as to broadcast a palatable and unthreatening image in the hopes that the people around you will become comfortable with your presence among them. And then there is the example set by the likes of the Dark Lady of Nuln, Magister Matriarch Elspeth von Draken, who lets their true nature shine through in open challenge to the masses, and if they don't like it they see if they can work up the courage to do something about it.
House Tindomiel, it seems, believes in the latter approach.
The entrance hall to House Tindomiel is shrouded in shadows, its only source of light being the burning eyes of the enormous statue that dominates the hall. In Her six arms is the traditional accoutrement of the Goddess of Conjurations - heart, scorpion, arrow, staff, dagger, and phial. At Her feet is a golden bowl filled with coins in what you presume to be tribute to the Hydra Queen. And though Her six arms and burning eyes do draw attention, Her proudly unclothed state makes it difficult to entirely miss that She has a form that is twin to that of the Goddess of Seduction.
To most eyes the hall would be filled with darkness interspersed with flickering, bewildering shadows, but between your Magesight and your attunement to Ulgu a room so thick with shadows and heavy with magic is as clear as if it was open to the midday sun. This makes it easy to notice that in contrast to the crowds of House Miriel and the attendants to receive them, the only response to your arrival is a ripple of energies as one of the many spirits lurking in the murk of the room disappears deeper into the building. A watcher, you surmise, and you consider the statue of Hekarti as you wait.
Her traditional armaments are rather overdone in a lot of the literature - a phial of orphan's tears? really? - but the books on Her you had copied from the Library of Mournings provide another explanation for them, saying that they are a set of basic shapes that got elaborated on over time. The infamous phial began as as the rune of Azyr turned upright, the serrated dagger the rune of Ulgu given a few extra points, the scorpion's tail comes from the flourish at the end of the rune of Shyish, and so on. This leaves two Winds unrepresented, and the statue before you uses one of the two usual solutions for this: burning eyes for Aqshy and an obvious lack of Chamon that a supplicant is invited to correct with the contents of their purse. The other common fix for statues has a brazier at Her feet and a crown upon her brow. You're not entirely sure you're convinced by this, but it's better than nothing.
A flicker of energies draws your attention to one of the room's many entrances, as a door swings open and in floats a figure atop a platform floating on a cloud of Azyr - an older-looking Elf with a lined face sitting cross-legged on a bed of pillows, steering himself with small hand gestures as he approaches. You wonder to yourself whether the vehicle is an affectation or a requirement - such devices are not unknown in the Empire to grant mobility to those without the use of their legs, though even the most elaborate of those are entirely mechanical contraptions powered by hand cranks. "Lady Magister Weber," he says in a carefully neutral voice. "I am Councillor Isthien of Tindomiel. What brings you to our domain?"
"The same goal that brought me to Tor Lithanel in the first place, Councillor. I wish to bring together experts from every corner of the Old World to examine the workings of the Waystones, in order to better protect, maintain, and hopefully even grow the network that keeps Chaos at bay. It is my hope that House Tindomiel will assist with this endeavour."
"And why would House Tindomiel wish to do so?"
"It was my understanding that House Tindomiel was in favour of better relations with the Empire."
"It is, and it is also aware of how most citizens of the Empire feel about wielders of magic. That is a relationship that will be best cultivated by the likes of Kadoh and House Ellemakil."
You consider that, and nod. "Status, then," you say, changing tacks. "You'd be an equal among the Project, on the same level as the Grey Lords and the Ward of Frost. And you'd be the only Major House to which this offer was extended."
"Thus far."
"Thus far," you concede. "But even if others are brought in later, you'd be the only one in from the start."
"If we are to contribute, it will be on our terms. Should this endeavour succeed in the creation of new Waystones, it will be House Tindomiel that erects them, to a design of our choosing."
"What sort of design?"
"One that honours our patroness."
Your mind goes over the range of possible responses of Waystones going up honouring the Hydra Queen. "If we have as much success as I hope, then such an agreement could significantly bottleneck the entire project."
He nods, conceding the point. "Right of first refusal, then. If we aren't able to supply the required expertise, then you can turn to whoever else may be available."
"And if the Project does not manage to ever reach the point of constructing entirely new Waystones?"
He shrugs. "If that is the case, I will consider the Project to have failed, and will not lower my House by fighting for scraps."
You give that some thought. Depending on the exact design, new Waystones cropping up with the form of the Goddess of Conjurations might cause trouble in the future. But that would be a problem in some hypothetical future, in exchange for assistance in the very tangible here and now. You gather your thoughts to hash out the exact details of what exact promises the Project might be making to House Tindomiel.
Do you reach an agreement with House Tindomiel and bring them into the Waystone Project?
[ ] [HOUSE] Yes
[ ] [HOUSE] No
If Yes wins the above vote, what form will the agreement take? This vote will be in plan format, and the numbers in parenthesis must add up to zero or greater to be a valid vote. Multiple representatives can be a part of a single plan if desired, but only one each from Scope and Form can be.
Scope - House Tindomiel will have right of first refusal for providing the Wind-based aspects of constructing Waystones within:
[ ] [SCOPE] Laurelorn (0)
[ ] [SCOPE] Northern Provinces (+1)
Nordland, Middenland, Ostland, and the Wasteland.
[ ] [SCOPE] The Empire (+2)
[ ] [SCOPE] Empire, Bretonnia, and Kislev (+3)
[ ] [SCOPE] The Old World (+4)
Representative - the member of House Tindomiel that will join the Waystone Project as a contributor:
[ ] [REP] Head (-3)
Councillor Isthien, Head of House Tindomiel, will join the Waystone Project himself.
[ ] [REP] Enchanter (-2)
House Tindomiel's foremost enchanter will join the Waystone Project.
[ ] [REP] Magical Theorist (-2)
House Tindomiel's foremost expert on Wind-based magical theory will join the Waystone Project.
[ ] [REP] Priest (-1)
A well-versed Priestess of Hekarti will join the Waystone Project.
[ ] [REP] Heir (-1)
Councillor Isthien's heir, who is well-educated and respected but unspecialized and comparatively young, will join the Waystone Project.
Waystone Form - whether House Tindomiel will dedicate the Waystones they built to Hekarti:
[ ] [FORM] Shrines (+1)
Tindomiel-built Waystones will double as shrines to Hekarti, and will be easily recognizable as such.
[ ] [FORM] Dedication (0)
Tindomiel-built Waystones will have carvings that can only be recognized as dedications to Hekarti by someone well-versed in Elven Gods.
[ ] [FORM] Discreet (-1)
Tindomiel-built Waystones will have dedication to an accepted and legal God of the Old World Pantheon.
[ ] [FORM] Secular (-2)
Tindomiel-built Waystones will have no dedication to Hekarti whatsoever.
---
Though technically controlled by the Grand Baron of Nordland, the Barony of Hüven is almost entirely neglected and he may not even remember that he owns it. In years past his predecessors parcelled out the villages of Varrel and Seuchenshof to the Cults of Ulric and Shallya respectively and most of the attached land with it, leaving only a single rump village isolated deep within the Forest of Shadows and near the theoretical border with Ostland. If you had nothing to go off but a map and the gazetteer it would likely be the first place you'd start looking for the Nordlander Hedgewise, so you take it with some satisfaction when the Provost points you in that direction.
You normally try to avoid flying in via Gyrocarriage to an unsuspecting corner of the Empire, but in this case it might, counterintuitively, be the least disruptive way to visit Hüven. Nordland is currently rather sensitive to anything Laurelorn-related and Varrel is small enough that you passing through it could be the biggest news they have all year.
The villagers proved to be alert enough to spot the Gyrocarriage approaching in enough time to muster a band that could have seen off most airborne predators, but the armed band that was summoned by a lookout seem more curious than wary as you land as far from the buildings as you can and give them plenty of time to see that it's a human clambering out of a Dwarven contraption. One only slightly awkward conversation with the villagers later they point you towards their carpenter, who you guess to be Kurtis Krammovitch's contact here, and has apparently spread word to expect you. The man himself proves to be an older, wiry man with greying blond hair cropped short and a pattern of scars that resemble tree roots encircling his right forearm. He introduces himself as Aksel and brings you in to his cottage, the main room of which is dominated by a workbench and a row of pegs on the wall from which hang a dizzying array of woodworking tools.
"It's good times for my lot," he says to you as you settle down. "Most of the Ostland Blessed are dead, which is unfortunate, but it means that their families are coming out of the east for protection, joining with us. Old families with a lot of old secrets and a lot of proven wisdom. And the business in the west has people a lot more willing to face the dangers of the Forest, and having a lot more respect for those that protect them from those dangers. Word is you've a part in that."
You consider how to answer that for a moment. "I wasn't involved with the founding of the relationship between Laurelorn and Middenland, but I am trying to build that into a relationship between Laurelorn and the Empire as a whole."
"Mm. Shame what happened to those on the wrong side of the river, but we've enough problems without borrowing some from the westerners, and I can respect the Elves for doing what they must for their forest. So what is it you want our help for?"
"What do you know of Waystones?"
He shrugs. "Only from myths and legends. When Sigmar slew Morath of Mourkain, he charged the local Hedgewise with watching over the nexuses that the necromancer had fed upon, and granted us a fortress in the Middle Mountains for our own. But after he was declared a God, his Cult declared a crusade to claw back all authority he had ever given in life so they could keep it for themselves. When the Everchosen Cormac Bloodaxe attacked Ostland and left us weakened in his wake, the Cult of Sigmar assaulted the bastion that Sigmar had granted us and took it for themselves, and it's been changing hands ever since. At various times Ostland, Hochland, and Reikland have all claimed it, and all have in turn lost it. Similarly the nexuses within the Forest itself have been lost to us, and are now known only as the Tower of Melkhior and the Blood Fane. If the Kislevites hadn't cut off the flow of energy from Norvard when they rebuilt it into Erengrad, the Forest would have been lost to Chaos generations ago."
That's rather more information than you expected, and you have to fight the impulse to start tugging on a half-dozen intriguing threads at once. "If you regained control of one of those tomorrow, could you restore it?"
He takes a moment to think that over. "I could try, and pray that our recollections of what we once knew have remained true."
You nod. "That's exactly why I want your help. The Empire is dotted with groups that have fragments of information about the Waystones and the Nexuses. Individually we're just doing our best to hold back the tide, and every time someone falters it's a loss that we don't know how to recover from. I'm hoping that we can at the very least better learn how to repair and maintain the Waystones we have, and perhaps even begin to replace the ones that have been lost."
He's quiet for quite a time. "I've heard said," he eventually says, "that many thought it was the beginning of the end when the Magisters were formed. But it seems to me that me and mine have seen more good than bad out of you and yours. And I've heard of you, and the Kupfers and Krammovitches have vouched for you. If there is a chance that you can find success, then we are bound by ancient oaths to assist you in this."
As you begin to talk to Aksel of the specifics, you think to yourself that if the Nordland Hedgewise were always this trusting, they likely would have been wiped out some time in the past two thousand years. Between that and the relatively unbothered reception you received when you arrived, you suspect you might have answered half the mystery that Ranald presented you with when you were gifted the fifth face of your Coin.
Will Aksel of Hüven join the Waystone Project, and if so, in what manner will he do so?
[ ] [HEDGEWISE] Openly
Aksel of Hüven will join the Waystone Project as a representative from the Schattenwald Hedgewise.
[ ] [HEDGEWISE] Discreetly
Aksel will join the Waystone Project as a representative from the Cult of Halétha.
[ ] [HEDGEWISE] Secretly
Aksel will join the Waystone Project in the guise of a Grey Order Perpetual who will claim expertise in the inherited lore of the Grey Order.
[ ] [HEDGEWISE] No
Decide against the Hedgewise joining the Waystone Project.
- There will be a six hour moratorium.
- This update took longer than I'd like to come out. The past couple of weeks have been hectic.
- The Tindomiel agreement will be in plan format, but the Hedgewise vote is separate. You can vote 'no' on Tindomiels and still vote for the form an agreement will take if 'yes' wins.
- Example of a valid vote:
[ ] [HOUSE] Yes/No
[ ] Plan Example
-[*] [SCOPE] Option (~)
-[*] [REP] Option (~)
-[*] [FORM] Option (~)
[ ] [HEDGEWISE] Option
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